The NBA playoffs and the quest for the Larry O’Brien Trophy beings Saturday. Many of us wish that their collision course was for all the marbles. He went 2-of-8 on uncontested looks.
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Since the Raptors’ inaugural season in 1995-96, Toronto has made it into the postseason eight times (including this year). Leading the way is Curry, who shattered his single-season mark of 286 by hitting 402.
Again we will breakdown each day of the NBA Playoffs, specifically looking how each result could/does impact the Cavs.
Cavs over Pistons in 6.
Reigning most valuable player Stephen Curry has become the darling of the league with his wizardly shooting and playmaking acumen. They only qualified for the playoffs on the last day in the regular season with a win over the Sacramento Kings. What a awful reward for a team that finished with the 13th best record of all-time. George will lead the Pacers to win one maybe two games this series, but the size, strength and speed of the Raptors will be enough for them to win their first playoff series since 2001. Charlotte has just enough sparkplugs in Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin, with Al Jefferson lurking, to push Miami to the brink.
Charlotte is a fun team to watch, and Kemba Walker has solidified himself as an all-star.
“That just goes with the territory”, coach Steve Kerr said.
These four vs. five matchups are always barnburners. Coach Clifford and team leader Kemba Walker have the Hornets rocking with passion, intelligence and good chemistry. Leonard averaged a career-high in points (21.6 PPG) and remains the top lockdown defender in the game. There may not be a ton of drama in this series because of Memphis injuries but could prove to be a pesky team since they have no pressure or expectations.
The big question is, who has the best chance-or any chance-to beat Golden State this year? Cavaliers fans dismiss the fact that Steph Curry dropped a record 402 three-pointers and is considered a front-runner for this season’s MVP award. Barring injury or complacency, the Warriors will be hard to beat four times in a series. Not like James Harden and co. He will do anything in his power to take down the ” Dubs”. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Curry aren’t going anywhere. The Spurs tied one of the great Boston Celtics teams with the best home record in league history at 39-1. Look for the Spurs to over power the Grizzlies in all aspects of this series. This could be Kevin Durant’s final season for Oklahoma City, which means this could be the final opportunity for he and Russell Westbrook to deliver a title for the Thunder. There is no shortage of production from these two, but the Achilles heel of this Thunder team will be their bench.
Anything less than a Warriors-Spurs Western Conference finals would seem disappointing. In this series, look for Mavericks All-Star Dirk Nowitzki to be in full assassin mode as they try and slow down the pace against the run-and-gun Thunder. It should be an exciting series, but the Hawks have the slight edge. Crawford has had a strong finishing kick to the season for the Clippers, and has helped the team survive Blake Griffin’s extended absence. Luckily, James (28.2 PT, 8.0 AST, 7.5 REB per game since March 19) has entered playoff mode. But the Blazers, in what was considered to be a rebuilding mode, has thrived with point guard Damian Lillard and his new sidekick, C.J. McCollum. You could easily see them being too worn out from their first round matchup and drop one at home in games one or two.
Curry - whether it was because the passing lanes were shut down or because of straight frustration - forced shots, which allowed the Spurs to control the pace of the game. Whoever wins this series will get spanked by the Cavs.
The Boston Celtics, with members from three of their championship teams in the house, rallied from a 26-point deficit to post the biggest come-from-behind win of the year, over the Miami Heat.
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The matchup between the guards will be worth watching.
