76ers – Sports Chatter with MJD

The NBA season finally ended last night, October 11^th. For some perspective on how crazy that is, I wrote an NBA season preview blog last October 16^th, 2019. I had to go back and look at some of my predictions. Like anyone I had some good takes… and horrible ones. I had the Lakers winning it all, but beating the 76ers (Yikes).

But this isn’t a post analyzing play on the court this past season or what each team has to do to improve this off-season. Instead, I wanted to reflect on the absolute roller coaster of emotions this season gave us. I highly doubt we’ll ever see a season like we just did.

Leading up to January, it was what we all expected. Incredible basketball out of legends like LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard. Rising stars somehow getting even better in Giannis and Luka Doncic. It was the great game we all love watching year in and year out.

That all changed back on January 26^th. Like most of us, I don’t think I’ll ever forget where I was when I found out Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a death hit the sports world as hard as Kobe’s did. It was amazing to see how many people’s lives he touched. Teams honoring Kobe by taking 24 second violations and 8 second violations in games that followed the next few nights was such an awesome tribute to witness. People were even doing this in NBA 2k… a video game!

Kobe’s death had already made this past season one we’d never be able to forget.

I remember thinking back to myself on a night in early March “I don’t know what the hell I would do without sports in my life.” I was flipping back and forth between a golf tournament, Michigan St. vs. Ohio St college basketball game and a Lakers vs. Clippers game that day. Never in my wildest dreams could I had imagined I would have to learn how to cope without sports starting just a few days later.

Rudy Gobert became the first player in the NBA to test positive for COVID. He became the poster boy for not only the NBA, but the entire sports world when it came to COVID. It all went back to him mocking the virus just a few days before he tested positive and everything went off the rails…

The season was suspended indefinitely on Wednesday March 11^th for at least 30 days. 30 days then turned into 2 months, 2 months turned into almost 3 months and as fans we were left sitting there asking ourselves, “are we going to be able to crown an NBA Champion this year?” I remember being a little frustrated thinking golf is back, NASCAR is back, UFC is back, NHL is talking about plans of a bubble… what the hell is holding up the NBA? Finally, in early June the NBA announced they’d be going to Disney in Orlando to finish the season.

I was very excited at the idea of the league coming up with a plan to get the season restarted and crown an eventual champion. I won’t lie though, I had my doubts. Is this really going to ensure nobody catches the virus? Does a “bubble” really work? Are guys going to test positive and then they’re going to have to cancel the bubble?

Well I was DEAD wrong for having these doubts. The bubble was a major success. Not a single positive test for any player, coach, staff member, etc while in Orlando. As basketball fans, we got to sit back on our couches and for a couple hours a day, forget (or at least try to forget) the deadly virus that’s impacting the entire world. Seeing some of the issues that the MLB went through and the NFL is now facing, really helps put this all in perspective. We didn’t have to worry about “what if LeBron gets COVID in the playoffs… What if Damian Lillard gets it while he’s trying to lead the Blazers into the last playoff spot.” Everyone was on a level playing field… something I’m not sure we can say about the MLB and definitely not the NFL right now. A major THANK YOU is owed to the people in Orlando who helped make the bubble possible.

While we were able to somewhat forget what was going on in terms of the virus while watching the NBA Bubble, the same could not be said for the social injustice black men and women continue to face everyday. There was doubt the re-start would even happen after the police killing of George Floyd. Players were debating not coming to Orlando, to instead continue to fight racial injustice. I sit here writing this as a privileged white male, but I hope LeBron, Jaylen Brown, George Hill, and all the players helped make people proud about the Black Lives Matter movement. To me, it’s evident how much these players want to use their platform to try and draw more attention to this very important issue surrounding our country. #BlackLivesMatter!!!

An NBA legend died in a tragic accident. A deadly virus interrupted the season for over 4 months. Social injustice had a huge impact on the season prior to the re-start and throughout the bubble. If even one of these things had impacted the past season, I think we’d be sitting here today thinking, “that was one of the craziest seasons emotionally in a long time.” This past season had all three. While I couldn’t be more proud to be the die-hard NBA fan I am after all the ups-and-downs this year, here’s to hoping we never have to go through a season like this again

With Lakers title, LeBron James knows always something to prove

Photo Credit: USA Today

It feels like it was just yesterday that I wrote my 2018-2019 NBA Season Preview. So much has changed since last year. Let’s rewind through some of the biggest story-lines over the last several months…

Anthony Davis was traded to the Lakers to team up with LeBron
Kawhi Leonard won a title for the Raptors, then bolted for the Clippers in free agency
Paul George was shockingly traded to the Clippers to play Robin to Kawhi’s Batman in Hollywood
Kevin Durant tore his Achilles tendon and will miss most, if not all, of the 2019-2020 season… oh and he and Kyrie Irving are teaming up in Brooklyn
The Celtics lost Kyrie and Al Horford in free agency, but added All-Star Kemba Walker
The Rockets decided the James Harden and Chris Paul duo wasn’t working so they traded Paul in exchange for Russell Westbrook

As usual, the story-lines are endless after an incredible off-season. I think most people would agree that this is the most wide-open the league has been, going into a new season, for a long-time. For the last several years, the Heat and Warriors have been heavy favorites to win it all going back to LeBron’s first year in Miami. Let’s get into some predictions…

MVP – Steph Curry

Photo Credit: SB Nation

It’s easy to forget that it was only a few years ago Steph Curry was coming off back to back MVPs. With the addition of Kevin Durant, after Curry won his second MVP, people seemed to forget how dominant and amazing Curry truly was. It’s for good reason, Kevin Durant has arguably been the best player in the NBA the last few years. Steph began to slowly remind people of his MVP days in the NBA Finals back in June against the Raptors. Although Toronto would go on to beat an undermanned Warriors team in 6 games, Curry balled out in the series averaging over 30 points a game and consistently hitting big shots.

Fast forward to the 2019-2020 season and Curry could be in line for his biggest year yet. Kevin Durant’s now in Brooklyn. Klay Thompson will be out until at least the mid-season with a torn ACL. The West is as deep as it’s ever been. This means the “load management” days, that deeper/more talented teams like the Lakers and Clippers can afford to their superstars, may not be the case for the Warriors. They’ll have to fight harder to make the playoffs.

Despite losing KD permanently and Klay for much of the upcoming season, there is some good news for Steph as they signed All-Star D’Angelo Russell. Russell tends to play a lot of isolation ball, but he will make Steph’s life easier as defenses won’t be able to focus strictly on him.

We all know Curry is probably the greatest shooter who has ever lived. He’s drastically improved his finishing ability around the rim the last several years and is still one of the best ball-handlers in the league. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for Curry to improve on his career best 30.1 PPG in 2015-2016, while almost single handily carrying the Warriors offensively to somewhere in the top 5 in the Western Conference until Klay returns. If this is the case and the Warriors finish around the top 4 or 5 in the standings at season’s end, I expect Curry to win the League MVP. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Steph fully unleashed with no KD, so appreciate the greatness you’ll see this upcoming season!

Rookie of the Year – Zion Williamson

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated

Do I really have to elaborate much on this one? As much as I’d love to go out on a limb and say someone like RJ Barrett or Ja Morant wins, it’s just not logical. Zion has looked amazing in preseason. He’s averaging 23 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 71% from the field… 71 FREAKING PERCENT! While those numbers may regress a little once the regular season starts, there’s no doubt that Zion’s freakish build and athleticism are going to translate well into the upcoming season. When you couple all this with the fact the Pelicans should have a chance to compete for a 7^th or 8^th seed this year, Zion coming in as a heavy favorite to win ROY at -130 (Per Bovada) makes perfect sense.

Most Improved Player – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Photo Credit: CBS Sports

Shai was the prized player the Thunder received from the Clippers in the Paul George trade back in July. SGA just turned 21 in July and is only going into his second season in the league. Some people may argue that I’m a year early on this prediction. He also may be playing off the ball, with Chris Paul running the point for the Thunder this year, therefore taking away some usage/opportunities from him.

There is a lot to love about SGA and his situation this year though. He’s a very well-rounded player who can distribute, shoot the rock, is slippery in getting to the rim, and has a chance to be a stud defensively with his 6’11 wingspan. He’s come out of the gates hot this pre-season averaging 21 ppg., shooting 52% from the field, and 92% from the line.

A lot of people argue that the Thunder’s acquisition of Chris Paul could be bad for Shai and potentially stunt his growth. I’ll play “devil’s advocate” on this. First, I’d say there’s a 50/50 chance Chris Paul finishes the season with the Thunder. If they come out struggling in the beginning of the season, there will be more incentive for the team to trade him. For the time being, he’s going to start the season on the roster and this could be great for SGA.

Say what you want about Paul, but he’s always been one of the best defensive guards in the league. He’s a great floor general and has really improved his jumper from earlier in his career. These are traits that SGA wants to eventually master. Having Paul around to mentor him could help SGA’s game continue to grow even more dramatically this year. I also believe that Billy Donovan will do his best to stagger some of the minutes between SGA and CP3, so that SGA will have the opportunity to have the ball in his hands more often. While in the long run CP3 getting shipped out of OKC may improve SGA’s chances to win Most Improved Player, CP3’s presence (at least in the beginning of the year) will pay dividends toward the development of SGA.

NBA Finals – Lakers defeat the Sixers in 6 games

Photo Credit: CBS Sports

If you had asked me my prediction 2 months ago, I would have said the Clippers beat the 76ers in the NBA Finals. I cannot stress how much I love the team the Clippers have built around Kawhi and Paul George. They have the perfect blend of scoring, defense, and role players. I expect guys like Lou Williams, Pat Beverly, Montrezl Harrell, JaMychal Green, etc. to fill their roles flawlessly for this team.

On the flip side, there’s part of me that has this eerie feeling that Paul George or Kawhi won’t be fully healthy in a Western Conference Finals match-up against the Lakers. I could also see Paul George’s absence in the first month or so of the season, coupled with some “load management” days, costing the Clippers in the standings and then losing in the second round of the playoffs because they don’t have homecourt advantage.

So, I think the 1-2 combo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James will carry the Lakers to their first title since the Kobe and Pau Gasol days. The Lakers made a very smart move this off-season after acquiring Anthony Davis. Instead of using the rest of their cap space to try and bring in a 3^rd star like Kemba Walker or Jimmy Butler, they spread their money out to fill their needs for the rest of the roster. They were able to re-sign solid role players like Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell Pope, and Javale McGee, while adding Avery Bradley, Danny Green, Dwight Howard, Jared Dudley, and Quinn Cook in free agency. Many of the aforementioned players are at points of their career where winning a ring is more important than getting their numbers. They’ll be able to play small or big, depending on what other teams throw at them.

Now let’s get to the 76ers. Boy it pains me so much to say this as a Celtics fan and a big hater of the 76ers… but I really think they’re getting to the finals this year (as I always say I’m nothing but fair… don’t call me biased). I believe the additions of Josh Richardson and Al Horford will make them the best defensive team in the NBA. I think that when we look back at the end of the season, one of the best signings in free agency will be Al Horford. His ability to stretch the floor as a big man who can shoot, his defensive smarts, and his leadership will go a long way for this team. He’ll also be able to take some of the weight off Joel Embiid’s back defensively, potentially keeping Embiid fresher at the end of games… and the end of the season. When I envision a potential Eastern Conference Finals of the 6ers and Bucks, I believe the 6ers ability to throw different looks at Giannis, whether it be Ben Simmons, Horford, or even Embiid, is going to be the difference. Giannis is next to unstoppable, but I think the 6ers will be his most difficult match-up in the league.

Should the Lakers and 76ers meet in the finals, I think the pure talent and best 1-2 combo in the NBA in LeBron and Anthony Davis will be too much for Philly. I believe the Lakers have the right blend of talent and experience in guys like LeBron, Rondo, and Danny Green (hell, throw Dwight Howard in there if you want) to be the difference in the series. It feels like this might be LeBron’s best chance at a title for the rest of his career. Between a wide-open league, coming into a season as fresh as he ever has, and getting a top 5 player in the league added to his team, there’s no excuse for him if they don’t compete strongly for a title. The one x-factor in this series could be if Ben Simmons has developed a jump shot. If he can at least keep defenses honest this year, it could change how I feel about this potential series. Until I consistently see it, I’m going to expect that Simmons still can’t shoot and it’ll end up coming back to haunt the 6ers if these two teams meet in the finals.

I hope everyone has their NBA league passes ordered and is ready for an amazing season. Also don’t forget if you don’t want to buy the full league pass package, you can purchase the 4^th quarter of NBA games through league pass.

Tag: 76ers

An NBA Season Unlike Any Other

2019-2020 NBA Preview