NBA Resurrection ???

Feelings of being unsure and worrying about unknowns is becoming all too common, it's hard with so many cultural norms having shifted. Uncertainty is bubbling up everywhere — public health and health care systems are shattering, financial markets nearing collapse and federal government appearing useless — there's so much heavy in the world right now. I need to remember to take a breath, to not be in a hurry.

Maybe this write-up can act as a brief escape from the news, statistics and daily press briefings. Creativity, reading, good music, puzzles, long walks, nature, delicious food, loving your loved ones, and preparing for whatever comes next will help us to focus on what truly matters. Because as O-Ren Ishii so boldly stated, "now's the fxcking time!"

Sports may not be the answer but it can be an elixir, even if we're all watching from home. I miss my favorite soap opera. Will basketball exist in 2020? Plenty of rumors swirl about the NBA returning. I hope there's a way to safely bring games back to life. Below are my thoughts on regular season awards and such. Thanks for checking in. Be safe and do your best.

All NBA

1st Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, James Harden

2nd Team: Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Bam Adebayo, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul

3rd Team: Pascal Siakam, Jayson Tatum, Domantas Sabonis, Russell Westbrook, Kyle Lowry

The NBA stipulates that each team be comprised of two forwards, a center, and two guards. Thus my selections may not reflect the 15 "best" guys, but it does reward deserving players while assuaging the positional hooey. Prerequisites aside I favored winning over stats. For instance, a case could be made for Bradley Beal on third team with his robust numbers. I chose leadership and winning by selecting Kyle Lowry for the last guard spot. Lowry's numbers are solid on a Raptor's team with the third most wins. Another close call was whether or not to select Jimmy Butler (20.2pts 6.6rbs 6.1ast). I went with Jayson Tatum (23.6pts 7.1rbs 2.9ast). Tatum played in five more games than Butler plus the Celtics were ahead of the Heat in the standings. Gobert could easily be one of the centers; I rewarded Bam and Sabonis, assuming I can slot Sabonis in at center. I also think it's refreshing to see new names on this list.

COY

1. Nurse (TOR) 2. Donovan (OKC) 3. Jenkins (MEM) 4. Spoelstra (MIA) 5. Vogel (LAL)

This category was tough. My initial notes had eight viable choices. The five above plus Carlisle, Snyder and Stevens. Honestly a case could be made for any of these tacticians. I believe my top two coaches did the most with their rosters, especially when factoring in outside expectations versus on-court results. There was some masterful coaching this year and the talent of those calling the shots goes deeper than my list.

ROY

1. Ja Morant 2. Kendrick Nunn 3. Zion Williamson

Ja Morant as Rookie of the Year was the easiest award to give out. Memphis had the eighth spot out west. Morant draws most of the opposition's attention and Memphis relies on him to produce. I enjoy watching him attack, he's fearless. As amazing as he is athletically he also dissects defenses with his IQ. Ja's ability to make the right reads allows him to hunt opportunities and facilitate simultaneously. Speaking of playoffs, I put Nunn ahead of Zion because he started in 62 games for a Heat team that would have had home court in the first round.

6th Man

1. Dennis Schroder 2. Montrezl Harrell 3. Lou Williams

Schroder played in 63 games this year but started only once. He was on the closing unit that was clutch as hell. The Thunder had five winning basketball players and three of them were point guards. Their crunch-time lineup was winning games, OKC held the five seed. Schroder's numbers are equally impressive to that of the two Clippers and the Thunder have a lot less to work with. Hell, the Clipper's bench could probably grab a playoff spot in the east. This award goes to Dennis Schroder among a deserving list of elite reserves. 

MIP

1. Bam Adebayo 2. Brandon Ingram 3. Luka Doncic 4. Pascal Siakam 5. Malcolm Brogdon

Any one of the top four could win this award. I lean toward Bam and Ingram mostly due to the dramatic leap they took. Not to say that Luka didn't grow by leaps and bounds, he's an MVP threat. Siakam continues to grow his game year after year. How many times can a player win this award? Bam gets most improved in my book. Who had him on an all-NBA team at the start of the year? Adebayo took charge of his own destiny and in doing so he may have become Draymond 2.0. Should anyone doubt Bam's motor, defensive versatility, or play making skills, he'll be the first to shut that shit down. He's a glimpse into the future of the five.

DPOY

1. Anthony Davis (2.4b 1.5s) 2. Giannis 3. Gobert

Davis was the best defender I watched this season. He's a defensive cheat code who excels at erasing mishaps on that side of the ball. Not only is he athletically gifted with size, speed and strength, his instincts are uncanny as well. The economy of motion with which he wreaks havoc is unprecedented at his position. Steals, blocks, rebounds, clamping fools straight up, deterring shots, or being a help defender, the Brow is as good as anyone on the gritty side of the floor. Somehow Davis makes it look pretty.

MVP 

In my mind there were eight worthy candidates for MVP

Giannis - 29.6pts 13.7rbs 5.8ast 31.71 PER (1)

Harden - *34.4pts 6.4rbs 7.4ast 28.39 PER (2)

Davis - 26.7pts 9.4rbs 3.1ast 28.25 PER (3)

Luka - 28.7pts 9.3rbs 8.7ast 27.75 PER (4)

Kawhi - 26.9pts 7.3rbs 5.0ast 26.76 PER (5)

Dame - 28.9pts 4.3rbs 7.8ast 26.25 PER (6)

LeBron - 25.7pts 7.9rbs *10.6ast 26.08 PER (7)

Jokic - 20.2pts 10.2rbs 6.9ast 25.08 PER (8)

You may have noticed these players have the eight highest PER's (a cool coincidence realized after compiling stats). Harden led the NBA in *scoring, LeBron in *assists. I can safely say that these were/are the eight best players this year. Opinions will vary. Valuable became the key word in trimming my list down to five. The five players on my MVP ballot: LeBron, Giannis, Luka, Jokic, Dame.

There's an obvious and valid WTF no Harden argument to be made. His numbers continue to be video game-like. But is his team still his team? Kawhi's omission is due to two factors. First, he played in too few games (51). And second, the Clippers have perhaps the deepest roster and are really good even without him. Leaving Davis off was also difficult. AD leads the Lakers in every major statistical category except assists and is their leader on defense. LeBron's the engine that makes LA go — maybe they poach votes from each other — I went with LeBron.

MVP 

Let's examine the finalists.

LeBron, Giannis, Luka, Jokic & Dame 

Luka's the most unassailable choice other than the top two guys on everyone's list. His numbers are insane as the linchpin of the most potent offense (28.7pts 9.3rbs 8.7ast 27.75 PER). At 21 he's already proven himself to be a gift from the basketball gods. Face it Luka's an assassin, there's no telling how deadly Lone-star will become.

Jokic and the Nuggets had the third best record in the west. Who else takes Denver to these heights, the list would be small? Their roster is nice but it doesn't wow. The Nuggets without Jokic don't make the playoffs, period. That counts for something in my book.

Dame was on fire, as in, he was a human flamethrower unable to be extinguished by opponents. Lillard is probably the single most valuable guy to his team. The Blazers were mired by injuries all season and yet he kept them afloat and only three games out in the win column from the eighth seed. I relish watching Dame unload 35 footers in the face of his defender. He's a leader on and off the court, a good example for youngsters and adults. I was hoping he'd will this team into the playoffs. The Blazers could be mean next year when fully healthy.

Let's be real, the battle for MVP is a two man race. Giannis and LeBron are the only options. Giannis  is a deserving recipient, he had the best numbers on the winningest team.

How many less wins would Milwaukee have if they played in the west? A few things would happen; Milwaukee's point differential would go down, as would their winning percentage, and Giannis would play more minutes to account for a tougher schedule. His numbers could potentially go up in that scenario. It's perfectly fine if Antetokounmpo wins his second straight MVP.

How many more wins would the Lakers have in the east? LeBron's already doing what Giannis is trying to grow into. James controls entire games facilitating offense with maestro-like precision. The Lakers suffer far more when James is on the bench than when Giannis sits for the Bucks. LeBron had the Lakers in prime position to advance through the west. Maybe they'll meet in The Finals. Or maybe not. We might already have all that the NBA is capable of giving us this year. Crown the king. LeBron deserves MVP.

Only in the NBA, 

80choices

NBA | The Second Season

Lights, cameras, action, the NBA's second season is set to kickoff on Saturday, April 13th. First round match ups are looking like a blood bath out west in the varsity conference. Back east there appears to be two good battles early on, as Brooklyn faces Philadelphia and Indiana plays Boston. The second season is upon us. To the victor goes the spoils. Here's to hoping someone spoils it for the Death Star.

The West: The Western Conference is going to be a gauntlet. What sort of damage would the Spurs or Clippers wreak if they were in the east? The reward for LA is a series with the defending champs. San Antonio gets to travel to the Mile High City, where they will try to Popovich the feel-good Nuggets. I don't think the Clippers will win, but they will make it tough. In the event the Clip-joint do the impossible, kudos to them for reverse jinxing the Death Star after they wore the "we believe" jerseys at Oracle's finale. A team with three all-world players plus Green and Iggy, shouldn't wear anything that suggests underdog status. With that said, Doc Rivers has no love for Golden State and will most likely encourage a tribal ritual to further their chances. Good luck LA, I'm pulling for you. San Antonio on the other hand has a real shot in my opinion. They have all the pedigree and experience. Maybe Pop's squad can muster some early magic and advance to the second round against a two seed with very little experience. 

Two of the most interesting series are out west. The three six is gonna be fire. The bad news for my newest hometown team is that their diligence in securing a home seed brings them an opponent that swept them in the regular season. I'm a big Dame fan and he's one of the more unstoppable pick and roll maestros in the NBA. The flip side is OKC's defense, and if locked in, it can be smothering to say the least. Oklahoma has its own worries, George's shoulder, Westbrook's jumper, and their lack of outside shooting. I'll be pulling for Rip City regardless of my affinity for Westbrook and PG. I think the winner of this series ends up in the western conference finals. I wish the Blazers were whole, maybe "can't play Kanter" can fill the void left by Nurk's injury (if not, hello Collins). Portland's the deeper team with a solid second unit; Lil Curry, Hood, ET, and Collins can bring it. Dame and CJ versus Russ and PG should be good. Rip City was ready for a run, please basketball gods, look favorably upon the Trailblazers. This series, as well as Houston versus Utah, have the potential to be an all out slug fest.

Houston hosting Utah has the makings of a fiery feud, having faced each other last year in the second round only adds fuel to their fire. Differing playing styles will wage war during this series. I'm not sure which team has the better chance to upset the Death Star, probably Houston, but these two teams are both capable of clashing with the champs. You could easily argue that these are two of the hottest teams entering the playoffs. I'll be rooting for the Jazz, hopefully they can score enough, but there's part of me that feels like Harden is on a mission. The Rockets were a hamstring away in last year's western conference finals. The 3 through 6 seeds comprise the teams I thought could challenge Golden State. It's really any body's guess as to who will survive the first round. The Dark Side has to be the runaway favorite, duh. Will the west be represented by someone other than Golden State? Maybe the unthinkable can happen.

The East: There seems to be less drama in the east regardless of the dreamy potential for a chalked filled second round. The fact that a non-LeBron team will be represented in The Finals for the first time since 2010 adds some gusto to the journey. Honestly though, I expect chalk to win out. There are two teams that could play eraser. Philly will get all it can handle from Brooklyn, especially if they start the playoffs with Embiid in street clothes. I've wrote it before, the 76ers could be the biggest threat to the western conference champ (or the Raptors), assuming it's the Death Star. The big what if is Embiid's knee. If Joel is his normal destroying self, Philly should smash. However, if he isn't 100 the Sixers could get got by the Nets. Philadelphia has trouble containing crafty guards. That's exactly what Brooklyn throws at it's opponents. D'Angelo Russell has been trending seriously upwards, he's got game. Brooklyn's loaded with perimeter players who are multi-positional, both on offense and defense. Their spread, off-the-top attacking offense could spell trouble for Philly, especially sans Joel. And another thing, I think Brooklyn has the better coach if it comes down to that. I think the 76ers  should win, just don't be surprised if they get upset.

When Indiana lost home court to the Celtics it probably sealed their fate. This will still be a gritty contest between teams who trend differently in more than one way. Boston possesses talent and depth, while Indiana has heart, effort and camaraderie. Which will win out? I'll go with green. It's too bad Oladipo got hurt and the Pacers fell to the 5th spot. The other eastern series should be chalk. I'd be dumbstruck if Milwaukee or Toronto lose in the first round. Giannis is ready to ruin the east, he's wired differently and his only friends wear the same jersey. I expect the Bucks to come out clicking.

MVP: Giannis or Harden, Harden or Giannis? The debate will linger far beyond the presentation of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, that I'm sure of. Who's the more deserving candidate—a question that has two answers? The bummer is, one irreplaceable and transcendent star is going to be left empty handed. Antetokounmpo is the anti-Hollywood superstar who can do everything on both sides of floor, a gift to the NBA, a young man with humble roots, who's abilities are limitless. He has jettisoned Milwaukee to the best record and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Giannis played in 72 games and averaged nearly 28 points, 12.5 rebounds and 6 assists. His 30.9 PER and WS of 14.4 are eye-popping. Did I mention he's also a force on defense.

James Harden is an offense by himself. Say what you will, but the Beard just averaged 36.1 points per game, plus 7.5 assists (most of those assists are three pointers, the others are lob dunks and layups). Doing a little on-the-fly math, I came up with 19, those are the points/game that Harden generates via assist. That means he's accounting for, at minimum, 55 points per game. That's an all time number. He's a supernova on offense and single handily kept Houston in the mix for a top four seed. James averaged 36.1points, 7.5 assists and 6.5 rebounds over the course of 78 games. His PER was 30.6 and he had a WS of 15.2. Did I mention he totaled 2,818 points this year!

This will be one of those years where we actually have two supremely viable candidates for MVP. You can look at my rundown of predictions for awards here. I'm still leaning towards Harden, but damn if Giannis' game against Philly didn't make me think twice. Giannis does it on both ends, James is a cheat code meant to disrobe defenses, each is immensely valuable to their team. Is it who's better, or who's more valuable? Either way it's a difficult decision. 

All-NBA: Low and behold, I had to rejigger my selections a bit for the All-NBA team. Here goes...

1st team: Harden, Dame, Giannis, PG, Jokic

2nd: Curry, Beal, Durant, Blake, Gobert

3rd: Kyrie, Westbrook, LeBron, Kawhi, Embiid

The playoffs have been injected with some new blood. Whether we make predictions with our head or with our hearts, this should be fun to watch. I'll try and revisit some topics of interest as the playoffs unfold. Buckle up, the second season is about to begin!

Only In the NBA,

eightychoices.

NBA Basketball is Back

NBA 2016-17

Tomorrow marks the start of the NBA season, proving that time does fly. Four months ago the Cavs did the unthinkable and became the first team ever to come back from a 3-1 deficit in The Finals. Has anyone seen Curry's mouth guard? There's no better ceremony than the raising of a championship banner. The Association tips off with a triple header. Cleveland hosts the Knicks in the first of two nationally televised games. San Antonio heads to Oakland (aka The Death Star) in the later game. Rip City hosts the Utah Jazz in the other matchup on opening night.

Not too long ago I posted my thoughts on who would make the playoffs and which teams might be the most interesting or fun to watch. Today's rant will focus on players who could snare the MVP, obvious or otherwise...

Kyrie Irving -

If Cleveland chooses to bludgeon the East they may end up with two candidates. The first and most obvious is LeBron James. He more than most understands legacy and his place in history. Only Kareem, Russel and Jordan have been awarded more MVP's than James. If the best player of this generation sets out to destroy, who I am to bet against him. After all, he's attempting to make it to seven straight Finals... His point guard, Uncle Drew, also has a chance to capture the league MVP. If LeBron plays in less games or logs less minutes, thus inducing Kyrie to go ballistic. There's a chance his numbers could get insane, especially in the scoring department. If leadership skills begin to develop as well, voters would have to take notice. Kyrie might also need to play in 80+ games to further cement those potential votes. There's also a chance that they cannibalize each other's votes. But in a year coming off of the greatest shot he's ever taken and made, it might just be his turn to take the regular season torch, he's more than capable of scorching opposing perimeter players. He out-dueled the unanimous MVP in The Finals. That alone is a pretty impressive feat to build upon.

Russel Westbrook -

I can hardly wait to watch Russel Westbrook nuke opponents this year. The energy and emotion with which Westbrook plays is unmatched. Fueled evermore by the cupcake decision of his past running-mate and the continued blathering by that same former teammate (though he'll never admit that). I expect Russ to morph into some type of hybrid X-Men basketball hero. He might even spontaneously combust, or shoot laser beams from his eyes and melt opponents. Either way, he's going to stuff the stat sheet. The Thunder are his team now. If OKC can grab a top four seed it will be the result of Westbrook's abilities, both physically and psychologically. I believe he can make others better. And if all that happens, he's a legit MVP candidate. Go Russ go.

Damian Lillard -

Coach Steve Kerr is quoted as saying, "...Damian Lillard wins the election. That's my forecast." I  agree with him. Dame has a purely unique identity and team, the competitive-motor runs high collectively. Last year he proved he's a leader. Rip City made their way into the second round of the playoffs after losing four starters. Other than game 1, the Blazers held the lead for 137 minutes against the Warriors in the rest of that series. He's a top three point guard that has no problem sharing the limelight with others. He'll continue to put up numbers as the trailblazers battle for a home seed out West. Portland has continuity coming into this season and they have Dame DOLLA. The stars could align.

Despite all of the juicy subplots that incubated during the off season, the players still have to play the games. Thanks for checking in. Now we can fix our attention to the NBA.

eightychoices.