Playoffs

Blessed with Success: The Warriors’ great run

I remember growing up watching the Warriors as a kid and never thinking my team would ever win a title in my lifetime. I was so accustomed to the team either never being good and if they made the playoffs, not being good enough to make any dent. To me, this was my Warriors. It wasn’t what other teams experienced. I had heartache and sadness for so long. It was all I knew and expected.

The team had the magical “We Believe” run but even at that, I knew this was going to be one shining moment in another long stretch of futility. It wasn’t until the 2013 playoffs when they took down Denver in the first round did I think maybe the team might be good enough. But that was still a pipe dream. Could my Warriors actually develop into a winning team with established superstars? Little did I know that right before me was future Hall of Famers Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green developing into greatness.

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Injuries: A Bay Area playoff story

The Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks endured through injuries to key players throughout their playoff runs this year. One team overcame them while another just couldn’t win because of it.

It was a tough time for me as a fan of both teams as I have this unrealistic optimism that my teams can overcome anything.

For the Warriors, it’s a little bit easier to believe in the team’s ability despite injuries. With Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins injured, the Warriors didn’t miss a beat and advanced to their fifth straight NBA Finals appearance. Heck, Andre Iguodala missed the last game with an injury too. Cousins was out for most of the playoffs and Durant was out for essential five and a half games. Yet the Warriors didn’t miss a beat. They fell behind in some of the games but at no point did I believe they would lose.

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Warriors losing the NBA Finals hurts but that’s the unpredictability of sports

The Golden State Warriors had everything in place for them to win the NBA Finals. They had the all-time record. They had the unanimous MVP. They survived the Thunder. Everything pointed out to them winning the championship again.

But  they didn’t.

This is what makes sports so interesting. The Cleveland Cavaliers were poised to write their own history and against all odds, won the final three games to take that title. The city of Cleveland, a city I have visited and enjoyed, deserve a champion and I am glad that they get to celebrate. It sucks that they did it on behalf of my team, but the Warriors had their chance and lost.

It can be said that the league was under some conspiracy to suspend Draymond Green for Game 5 and have some sketchy officiating for Game 6. Regardless, the Warriors are better than that. They played well enough to win Game 7 but the Cavaliers matched them.

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Here is the problem with the Draymond Green suspension

When the NBA handed Draymond Green a one-game suspension for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, I was baffled by the decision. This is the accumulation of four flagrant fouls, which the league deemed was worthy after what happened above.

The officials didn’t rule it that way during the game and it only came after nearly two days of reviewing.

“The cumulative points system is designed to deter flagrant fouls in our game,” NBA Vice President of Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said in statement. “While Draymond Green’s actions in Game 4 do not merit a suspension as a standalone act, the number of flagrant points he has earned triggers a suspension for Game 5.”

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I’ve watched every highlight video of the Warriors’ huge comeback on YouTube

You know what I did last night? I stayed up on YouTube and watched the Warriors’ comeback win on YouTube. Over and over again, I watched every single highlight video of the game.

I watched Stephen Curry’s miraculous three-pointer over and over again.

I sat in awe and just could not believe that the 20-point comeback happened. That the Pelicans would freeze up late and the Warriors were able to claw their way back in. I was in amazement seeing a team that was tested and they delivered. I saw the future MVP blossom. A saw a team with high expectations meet those expectations.

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Did Stephen Curry get fouled on the final shot?

There was contact, but I agree with the no call.

Looking at the replay, yes there was contact from Chris Paul on Stephen Curry’s hip. Did it alter his shot? Probably. But I don’t think at that moment you can call a foul. I don’t even think in real time you could see a foul there. It looked clean.

The problem you want to complain about is the shot selection. Instead of going for a drive to tie the game, Curry settled for a tough three.

Instead of trying to take the shot, the Warriors could have thrown the ball back to the in-bounder Andre Iguodala for a shot.

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Wiping the slate clean: Accepting and appreciating LeBron James and the Heat’s NBA title run

Enjoy the accolades, LeBron James. You've earned it.

Enjoy the accolades, LeBron James. You’ve earned it.

I remember my birthday back in 2010. I remember it very well. It wasn’t because of a party because I didn’t have one. I didn’t go out, but I stayed home that day. But that day stood out to me because it was also the same day as “The Decision.” That day made me dislike LeBron James.

I wasn’t going to deny that he was a talented player. But the way he left Cleveland, the way he was so immature about so many things and then the way he handled the decision, made me think that the spotlight was too big and he wasn’t ready to handle it.

I took joy in seeing the Heat lose their first year together. I cringed last season when they won the title. But now, after a thrilling third appearance in the Finals and a second straight title, I’ve finally let it all go.

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This stereotype exists because it’s true: Heat fans are on the bandwagon

If you haven’t caught wind of it, last night gave us a major glimpse of how bad these Heat “fans” are. Their team is down five with less than a minute to go. If you’ve watched the NBA at any point in time in your life, you know that a deficit like that can be overcome. Especially with a team that talented like the Heat, you can’t just assume that the game is over.

But apparently these Heat fans thought so. The mass exodus of the arena is pretty embarrassing. What’s even worse is that when they found out the game went into overtime, they all tried to get back into the arena. The “No Re-Entry” policy was in effect and nobody was allowed to get back in.

I’ve always made fun of the Heat bandwagon fans and now the local and national media have joined me. This is embarrassing and it surprises me why anyone who paid good money to see a game would leave the game early. It wasn’t like a double-digit blowout. But of course, these are the things only basketball fans would know.

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What I’ve learned after two games of the NBA Finals

What a block!

What a block!

After two games, I have learned a few things about the Spurs and Heat.

The first thing that stood out to me is that this Spurs team is way better than I thought. Even though I got to watch them play against the Warriors, it appears that the extra rest they got before the Finals really did them wonders. They’re smarter with their ball handling and Tony Parker seems to be at another level right now.

The Heat also seem to be very relaxed. Despite their Game 1 loss, they knew that they had a must-win for Sunday. They came out and dominated, setting us up for one great series.

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This Animated Promo for the NBA Finals More than Achieves its Intended Purpose

Now that was fun to watch.