Los Angeles Lakers Defeat Miami Heat for 2019-2020 Championship

LA Lakers-Miami Heat 4-2: The Lakers were the best team in the league and deserved this championship.  Yes the Bucks had a better record but this was the team we thought would be fighting for the crown come end of the playoffs.  LeBron was amazing during the regular season (led the league in assists) and in the Finals (29/11/8) where he shot 59% overall and 41% from deep.  AD was just as great (25/10/3) on 57% shooting and 42% from deep.  Those two were crazy good.  The Lakers did lose two games thanks to the will of Jimmy Butler but LeBron and AD were too much.  Yes all the roll players are key but when one of those two rested you still had one of the league's best players on the court.  I rooted for Miami but was in awe of how good the Lakers were.  Congratulations to Los Angeles on a well deserved championship.

In the East recent history has shown there are multiple teams who could be there at the end.  Miami made a surprise run to the Finals and gave us the legend of Jimmy Butler who gave his all but it wasn't enough. Still he will always be remembered for his effort against the Lakers.  

 

Great win for the Lakers, LeBron and AD.  Now of course we will naturally look towards the future.  Will AD resign with LA?  Why wouldn't he?  How many more championships can these guys win?  All fun to think about in what will be a short offseason.

Portland Trail Blazers Clinch Playoff Spot

 

Portland defeated Memphis yesterday to clinch the #8 seed in the Western Conference.  It was a great game and a tough one for the Trail Blazers.  C.J. McCollum came up huge in the fourth quarter with 14 points and Portland needed all of them.  Portland was actually up by 16 at one point in the game but trailed for much of the fourth quarter before pulling out the win.  Memphis shot 56% from three.  Part of that was some bad defense but the Grizzlies still had to hit the shots and they did.  Great game from Ja Morant and Jonus Valanciunus and the team played well as a whole.

Portland dealt with a disappointing season prior to the bubble where they went 6-2.  Before the season stopped they had injuries from Nurkic and Collins but both were able to play in Orlando.  They were able to trade for Hassan Whiteside, who had an outstanding season, and signed Carmelo Anthony who has surprised everyone playing both forward spots.  Still they struggled but turned it all around in Orlando.  Damian Lillard took his game to another level this year averaging 30 points and 8 assists per game while shooting 40% from deep.  See his shot from the logo against Brooklyn?   And it's not the first time he's done it.  It is so much fun watching this guy.

Next up for these guys are the Los Angeles Lakers.  I'm stoked.  While Portland shouldn't win this series it sure seems like it could be fun.  Lakers haven't been dominant in the bubble.  Still, they have Anthony Davis and Lebron.  I'm not picking against them but I'm excited for this match up.  As a fan I just hope Portland isn't exhausted after their run to just get into the playoffs.  Still I'm excited to see Portland in and to see more Trail Blazer basketball.  Go Portland!

  

Atlanta Hawks Trades at the Trade Deadline Last Week

Not sure Clint Capela was this happy when he heard the news he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks last week) but I'm happy.  Atlanta really didn't have to give up much and I agree with the talking heads that when healthy Capela will fit in well with the young core who like to push the ball.  Atlanta gave up Evan Turner, the Nets' 2020 first round pick and the Warriors' 2024 second round pick.  This year's draft isn't a strong one so that first rounder from what is currently a playoff team doesn't look like that big a loss.  This was a huge win for the Hawks.  Trae Young and John Collins should work well with Capela.  Not sure if Collins will be with the team long term but there is time to figure that out.  

The second trade for a big man confuses me though.  Atlanta picked up Dewayne Dedmon and two second round picks for Jabari Parker and Alex Len.  On the surface it is a good deal.  But Dedmon has been complaining about playing time and not sure how he fits when Capela comes back from injury and starts.  Dedmon won't take any minutes from big men Capela or Collins.  He is on contract for two more years so this one has me scratching my head. 

The Hawks completed three other more minor trades.  Overall it was very productive.  They traded away many of the veteran contracts they had taken on and for the most part have a very young roster.  It'll be interesting to see where they go from here.  They'll surely have a high pick in the upcoming draft.  Hopefully they can hit on a key player in what isn't looked at as a strong draft class.  They should have some financial flexibility as well.  Good things are on the horizon for this team.  Hopefully we aren't more than a couple of years from seeing the Hawks back in the playoffs. 

2019-2020 Portland Trail Blazers Season Preview

Portland won 53 games last year in route to their Conference Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors.  It was a really good year though the broken leg Jusuf Nurkic sustained during the season was a big loss.  He isn’t expected to return until February and veteran Hassan Whiteside will be expected to fill the void until he returns.  He’s a double double guy who should be a decent place holder but isn’t as dynamic as Nurkic.  Portland of course has one of the top backcourts in Damian Lillard (25ppg/6apg) and CJ McCollum (21ppg/3apg) and that’s a lot to be happy about.  They’ll again be called upon to carry this team.  They are both on long term contracts and have shown they are up to the task.  

As it seems every year it seems like the front court will be the big question.  Gone are Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless who weren’t exciting players but they were a known quantity.  I think that means Rodney Hood now moves to SF and Zach Collins will be the starting PF.  My biggest concerns are their defense and how they’ll match up.  The loss of Seth Curry and his three point shooting will really be missed as well.  Like many Trail Blazer fans I wonder if we’ll get more Anfernee Simmons this year.  He has shown some brilliance in short spurts and has us all wondering if he could be a good if not great option on offense long term.  A natural SG it would seem his path is mostly blocked but maybe he sees more time at SF.  This team begins and ends with Lillard and McCollom.  Can they take it to the next level is the question.  I’m concerned with the supporting roster not being where any fan would like it to be.  I still pencil them in for 50+ wins and with all the changes in the West that will be a good place to be.    

2019-2020 Atlanta Hawks Preview

The Atlanta Hawks, while only winning 29 games last year, are an exciting team with young stars Trae Young (19ppg/8apg) and John Collins (19ppg/9rpg).  In the draft they loaded up with even more young talent with De’Andre Hunter (Virginia) and Cam Reddish (Duke).  This team probably isn’t going to make the playoffs this year but this is all about developing the young players and being a contender for what hopefully will be a long time.

Depth will also be an issue with this team as there isn’t much of a bench.  I wish they had been able to keep Dewayne Dedmon who had developed into a good stretch center but he signed as a free agent with the Kings.  Less veterans will mean more playing time for the new guys but it will also lead to growing pains if they struggle.  I like coach Lloyd Pierce and I hope he can develop these guys into that core the fans have been waiting for.  It should be a fun season albeit not with a ton of wins.  If they can get to 35 wins I think it is a good season.