Lakers 2018 NBA Draft Recap

Welcome in to the recap of the Lakers' 2018 NBA Draft. Last night was very intriguing to say the least. The biggest thing is that Magic and Rob kept their poker face on and didn't show their hands early in order to pull off a blockbuster trade. Oh and on a side note, they didn't bite on LiAngelo Ball's hype. So much for LaVar's grandmaster plan of BBB ruling the purple and gold. All jokes aside, I'll provide some quick thoughts on the draft picks and some key strengths based on highlights and draft profiles.

Round 1 Pick 25: Moritz Wagner, F/C, Germany/Michigan

Lakers acquired the 25th pick from the Cavs before the trade deadline this year. They may have another late 1st round steal in the making. With so much uncertainty whether or not the Lakers will bring back Brook Lopez via free agency, they may have found a cheaper replacement that could fill the role as a "stretch 5." Mo Wagner could be that guy. He's a very effective pick-and-pop 3-point shooter, shooting 43% from three in pick-and-pop action. That is essential in Luke Walton's fast-paced motion offense. For a guy with okay atheleticism, he's got a real explosive first step to attack the basket. He's a solid rebounder who can box out. Despite some needed defensive improvements, he doesn't get beat often when he's caught in a switch, and he's shown flashes to be a playmaker. Wagner is compared a lot to Dirk Nowitzki and in reality, Nowitzki took on a mentoring role for Wagner. From an offensive skillset, he does play like a poor man's Dirk Nowitzki. I also see a little bit of Pau Gasol in him in terms of potential playmaking ability. He came up big in Michigan's Final Four run vs. Loyola-Chicago this year, scoring 24 points and 15 rebounds en route to a trip to the National Title game vs. Villanova. The biggest intangible is that he plays the game with a lot of heart and that's the kind of intangible Magic and Rob covet. He's the ideal fit for Luke Walton's system as a "stretch 5" and he's pretty much Brook Lopez except with decent rebounding ability, quicker mobility, and a quicker release.

Round 2 Pick 39 (via Philadelphia 76ers): Isaac Bonga, G/F, Germany

The Lakers made the trade on Wednesday to get the Sixers' 39th pick this year. The NBA draft officially listed Bonga as a Small Forward, but he's positioned as a Point Guard during his playing career. A 6'10 Point Guard to be specific. Potentially, he's a matchup problem for smaller guards. Offensively, his biggest strength is that for his size, he has decent penetration and finish at the rim. He's also a good finisher in pick-and-roll plays. He has some shooting upside, but he's gonna have to develop a quicker release of the ball. Based on a little research, it sounds like he was considered a late 1st round talent. With his size, he's the prototype player for position-less basketball. However, we're not going to see him in action considering he's staying for another year overseas. He's a draft-and-stash player.


Round 2 Pick 47: Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, SG, Ukraine/Kansas

I dubbed this guy as the "Ukranian Sharpshooter." Doesn't his offensive game remind you of a little Klay Thompson here? That was my first observation. Good spot up three-point shooter. The corner threes stand out, which is Klay's sweet spot. Ok, enough with Klay comparisons because I said the same thing about Josh Hart last year. "Svi" fills one of the Lakers' need for a 3-point shooter. He also brings some size to the position being 6'8. Not to mention, there's a lot of uncertainty at Shooting Guard position outside of Josh Hart. We don't know if the Lakers will bring back KCP or if he's even a Plan B if the Lakers strike out on Paul George this offseason. Svi brings help to the position in terms of depth, especially if the Lakers continue the Josh Hart experiment at the starting SG.

Conclusion

Once again, Magic and Rob put together a solid draft. This draft class placed more emphasis on plugging in some roster holes and drafting replacement for possible departed free agents. Perhaps my only complaint is that I think they should've used a pick on a player who has proven track record on defense (rim protector, shot blocker). However, with the way the Lakers played solid team defense last season, it doesn't seem to be too much of a concern. Either way, this is still a decent draft. For the rest of the offseason, you've heard the commotion about trading for Kawhi Leonard and signing Paul George and LeBron to form a new super team. It's a crapshoot as to what the Lakers are gonna do. They have the cap space and they have the assets to come up with some agile trade packages. We don't know if any of these guys of this draft or any of the Lakers' young core are trade bait to land a superstar. It remains to be seen, but Magic and Rob, with their saviness, have a plan in place.

Grade: B+

Warriors Sweep Cavs to Cap Off Back-to-Back Championships

So, the Golden State Warriors are your 2018 NBA Champions. The Warriors capped off the sweep to win back-to-back titles and three championships in four years. They didn't just beat the Cavs, but they destroyed them on their home floor in a 108-85 rout last night.

For Warriors fans, it was all smiles. But for Cavs fans, that was hard to watch. I was watching the game with a couple of my friends (die-hard Warriors fans) inside St. John's Bar & Grill in Sunnyvale. Of course, there were a lot Warrior fans inside and I was the lone Laker fan there just watching the game as an basketball fan of course. There's no question that this was the most complete game that the Golden State Warriors put together. They put on an absolute clinic on both ends of the floor. Remember when I said in the last recap that Curry is not going to have an off night next game as he did during Game 3? That came true and Steph reminded everyone why he's one of the best shooters in the world. Curry went off for 37 points and connected on 7-15 three-pointers this game. That's when you know that this game was under wraps. On the defensive side, the Warriors threw a block party with Draymond Green, JaVale McGee, and Curry each leading the team with 3 blocks. Andre Iguodala sparked the bench once again with 11 points and including hitting 3-6 from downtown. Nowadays, we rarely see Iggy pull up from three. Klay Thompson struggled, but he was able to knock down some 3-pointers in the third quarter to blow this game wide open for the Warriors.

On the Cleveland Cavaliers' side of the ball, that is one of the most embarrassing performances in the finals since LeBron returned. It's almost as if they threw the white flag, especially in the 3rd quarter when the Warriors started the rout. The defense was almost as bad as Game 3. Offensively, they were jacking up threes. 8-27 from beyond the arc! You're not going to beat Golden State like that, especially when Curry's going off for 37 points. Kevin Love was quiet. Tristan Thompson didn't crash the boards like he did, except making an accidental basket for the Warriors in the 3rd quarter. The Cavs looked defeated out there. LeBron James looked defeated out there. In fact, he almost fouled out of the game. When you saw the replay during the timeout where LeBron lashing out on his teammates in frustration, that's a telltale sign that he is done. He's looking elsewhere to find a team that can surround him with a reliable supporting cast. Because there's no way that the Cavs can build him that kind of team, especially when they took up the big contracts of Clarkson and Thompson who are average at best.

Perhaps the only unpredictable twist we saw in these finals was that KD took the Finals MVP once again. Steph Curry looked like the unanimous favorite to win Finals MVP, but Kevin Durant out of nowhere took the spotlight again. I can tell you, I saw some mixed reactions from Warriors fans when Adam Silver announced the 2018 NBA Finals MVP. Did Curry get robbed out of a Finals MVP? If we compare the stats, Durant shot the ball more efficiently and contributed in other categories. But, the biggest difference was Game 3 when Durant went off for 43 points and Curry went ice cold with 11 points, 3-16 shooting. I feel if Curry didn't have that kind of game in Game 3, it would've been neck-and-neck. But because that game happened, Curry lost all kind of momentum to get that elusive Finals MVP. KD mounted a monstrous comeback after an inefficient Game 1 to deserve Finals MVP honors.

With this win, the Warriors can officially declare themselves a dynasty. Three championship in four years. They could've won four in a row had they not blown a 3-1 lead in 2016 after a remarkable 73-9 season. It is a reminder that they're still the "gold standard" NBA teams look up to and they'll always be the overwhelming favorite as long as their Big 4 and coach Steve Kerr stick around. Oddsmakers currently have them as the favorites to win it all next season as we speak. For the Cavaliers, Cleveland's gotta brace themselves for dark times coming ahead. LeBron James is the hottest name in this year's free agent class and teams are gonna be at odds with each other to be the highest bidder. My Lakers included even though I did say a tandem of LeBron and Lonzo won't work out because of their over-unselfish mentality. But teams are going to want the best player on the planet on their team any day of the week. It's going to be one epic Summer. The Decision III coming soon. Thank you guys for following my coverage of the 2018 NBA Finals. Perhaps next year, we'll have different matchup this time around.

No Game 4 Coverage

Hi guys. As I mentioned in my full recap post in Game 3, I will not be in covering Game 4 today. I will be out with a couple of buddies, but someway we'll catch up on the game. I will provide something similar to my round up commentary posts a day after the game. Will the Warriors wrap up another title in a sweep? Or will the Cavs extend this series to one more game? Hope you guys enjoy the game.

Durant Explodes for 43 Points to Lift Warriors Past Cavs in Game 3

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals where the Golden State Warriors yet again take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 110-102 win.  Kevin Durant breaks the hearts of Cleveland yet again to cap off a stellar 43-point performance.

This was very similar to Game 3 of last year's finals. The Cavs gave the Warriors one heck of a fight, but it wasn't enough as Kevin Durant pulled up from deep to give the Warriors a lead. This year, same results. It was a valiant effort from the Cavs, but Golden State just has too much talent. And the thing is, the Splash Bros had a night off, which I'll get to in a second. But, the luxury of having Kevin Durant bailed the Warriors out and they're one game away from another Larry O'Brien trophy.

Cleveland Cavaliers

(+)

Rodney Hood, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 7-11 shooting. I said it last game, the Cavs have to play Hood to at least provide some scoring spark. They got nothing to lose. And tonight, he was solid coming off the bench. The first two games without Hood, the Cavs' bench was non-existent and this game, he sparked the second unit.

Rebounding/Kevin Love, 20 points, 13 rebounds. As I emphasized countless times, the Cavs have this advantage over the Warriors. At the start of the game, the Cavaliers bullied the Warriors on the boards, especially on the 2nd chance opportunities. Kevin Love accounted for a majority of those offensive boards with 5 rebounds. He was aggressive in terms of both scoring and rebounding, knocking down a couple of threes and being physical inside.

LeBron James, 33 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists. Triple-double for LeBron. Regardless, he's gonna be on positive for the Cavs since this team starts and ends with him. James once more provided some really nice balance with the scoring and facilitating. He played some outstanding bully-ball on the break, easily overpowering guys like Livingston and Curry when they're caught on the switch.

(-)

Defensive lapses. Everybody will point to Kevin Durant's 43 points as to why the Cavs lost, but in detail, defensive lapses was the primary reason why they loss. They did a nice job locking down Curry. There's no question about that. But, if you look through the comments section of the open threads, the Warriors were dishing out nice passes to a cutting Jordan Bell or a JaVale McGee or a Draymond Green for an easy dunk/layup. Too many times, the Cavs got caught sleeping on those plays or miscommunicated on where the help should come from. Other times, they got overaggressive on the double-team or gamble at the worst possible. I mean who leaves a 1-13 Steph Curry open for a dagger three before KD's dagger? The defensive effort was decent, but way too much miscommunication.

Golden State Warriors

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Kevin Durant, 43 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 15-23 shooting. Dear Golden State Warriors fans, this why almost everybody in the NBA circle hates you. Curry and Thompson had an off night, but then again, this is the luxury of having one of the more prolific scorers in the NBA right now. One-on-one, the Cavs played the best defense they could play against KD, but he was just too good from deep and from mid range. He also did damage as a facilitator as well. This game was deja vu from last year's Game 3 where Durant pulled up from deep to give the Warriors the lead and the eventual 3-0 lead. He gave Cleveland nightmares once again with the same exact shot, except it was deeper beyond the arc and it allowed Golden State to grind out this game.

JaVale McGee, 10 points, 5-7 shooting. Quality minutes, quality production from McGee once again. McGee being on the floor rather than Looney has done wonders for the Warriors.

Jordan Bell, 10 points, 6 rebounds. The Warriors got some nice, quality production out of Jordan Bell off the bench tonight. He made some timely cuts for the ball to come to him for easy dunks/layups. In fact, he's the 2nd-leading rebounder for this team behind Durant.

(-)

Stephen Curry, 11 points, 3-16 shooting. From nine threes in Game 2 to this dud from Curry. All credit to the Cavs defense though. They played Curry tough from beyond-the-arc. Trapping him, closing him out, you name it. Not to mention, he was in early foul trouble. He pulled it out when it mattered the most though. Overall, still a bad game from Curry and I'm sure he's going to make some adjustments.

Klay Thompson, 10 points, 4-11 shooting. The Splash Bros were a no-show this game and Klay struggled as well. Though, he didn't play half as bad as Curry did tonight.

Conclusion

Well, same narrative as last year. This series is O-V-E-R. There's not much the Cavs can do to get back into this series. They're overmatched in terms of star power and depth. It's just not even a fair fight at this point. But who knows? The Cavs put up 137 points last year in an elimination game, but no Kyrie Irving this time around and LeBron doesn't have much help around him outside of Kevin Love. You can bank on the Splash Bros shaking off this game and coming out firing on all cylinders the next game. They have a knack to bounce back. Kevin Durant is way too OP on the offensive end. Next game could be LeBron's last game in Cleveland as Cavalier with all the speculation as to where he's going to go as a free agent. LeBron might go out guns blazing, but it won't be enough. Regardless, if the Cavs win Game 4, the Warriors wouldn't be mad as they would prefer celebrating a championship on their home floor. We'll see what happens. As for me, there's a high chance I'm gonna miss Game 4. I'm gonna be out and about with a couple of buddies on that Friday, but we'll still catch the game someway. But, I'm still gonna provide my thoughts on after the game regardless if the Warriors sweep or the Cavs extend the series. I'll see you guys later.

2018 NBA Finals: Cavs-Dubs IV - Game 3 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

2nd half open thread of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts as it rolls on.

Q4

GSW 110 CLE 102

They did again to Cleveland. Specifically, Kevin Durant did it again to Cleveland. The Cavs started off strong out of the gate and gave the Warriors all kinds of fits. But, Golden State just too good and just too many weapons on the floor. Back to Durant, he hits the same dagger to Cleveland as the shot clock expires to extend the lead for the Warriors 106-100 down the stretch of this quarter. This was an ugly game for the Warriors if you look at it, but a masterful performance from one of the best scorers in the game helped minimize the blemish and the team is now one win away from a third championship in four years. More to come in the full recap.

Q3

GSW 83 CLE 81

Great turnaround from the Warriors this quarter and Kevin Durant is having quite a game. He was completely unguardable throughout the majority this quarter. Not only is he doing it as the scorer that he is, but as a facilitator. He found Draymond Green for easy dunks on two occasions while the Warriors were running the fast break. JaVale McGee also provided a spark for the Warriors to start the quarter. But, the Cavs are still hanging around though. They started to get themselves to the free throw line, which I said they need to do more in during the first half post. Tight game. The 4th quarter is being set up for a strong finish.

2018 NBA Finals: Cavs-Dubs IV - Game 3 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

The series shifts to Cleveland! This is the 1st half open thread of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game as it rolls on.

Q2

GSW 52 CLE 58

Wow. Cavs running away with this one in the quarter, but Kevin Durant says "not so fast" with 24 points for the Warriors. The big lead that was built from Cleveland this quarter was set up by good balance from the Cavs. Outside of LeBron, Kevin Love and J.R. Smith are in double figures. This was a nice quarter from K-Love overall. He's knocking down timely threes, scoring inside, and crashing offensive boards to give the Cavs some second chance opportunities. Speaking of boards, Cleveland outmuscled Golden State. If I remember hearing correctly, they have 27 total rebounds compared to Golden State's 15. Again, they're using that strength to bully the Warriors inside. Rodney Hood provided a good spark offensively for the Cavaliers with 6 points. I said it in last game, they have to play Hood as he's a better option than JC at this point and so far, the aforementioned 6 points off the bench. LeBron didn't have to do that much, which is a good sign as he's able to balance scoring and facilitating. The only blemish is that the Cavs don't have a trip to the free throw line yet. With the points inside and crashing the boards, you'd think they'd draw the Warriors in foul trouble. Hasn't been the case during the first half and that helps Golden State hang around. The Warriors are drawing contact on their end to get to the free throw line to go along with KD's 24-point performance at the half. The scary part is that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson haven't hit their strides. Also, Curry's in foul trouble with 3 fouls at the half. Perhaps the Cavs need to go harder to get those trips from the free throw line. Defensively, they're generating some turnovers, which they need to continue to do if they want to win this game and get back in this series. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

GSW 28 CLE 29

Strong finish by the Warriors to cap off the quarter. They started down 4-14. The Cavs were more aggressive and more physical to start to this game. Kevin Love opened things up with a three-pointer. LeBron and Tristan Thompson ate Golden State's defense alive from the inside, scoring and crashing the boards. But quickly, the Warriors flipped the script during those last few minutes. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant knocked down the team's first two threes after starting ice cold from deep to help set up the run to cut Cleveland's lead to just one point.

Warriors Dominate Cavs in Game 2 with Big Performances From Curry, Durant

Welcome in to the full recap of game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals where the Warriors soundly beat the Cavs in a wire-to-wire 103-122 victory to take a 2-0 series lead.

There's not much the Cavaliers can do when two former MVPs go off for a combined 59 points. Golden State was firing from all cylinders tonight. Not just that, but they were swarming on defense. Credit to the Cavs for hanging in there after a slow start in the first quarter and outscoring the Warriors in the third quarter, the quarter where the Dubs do most of their damage. But, they were way overmatched against the Warriors' superstar roster.

Cleveland Cavaliers

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LeBron James, 29 points, 9 rebounds, 13 assists. Luckily for the Warriors, LeBron didn't go beast mode like in the last game. They made a couple of nice adjustments to make sure he didn't have it easy, attacking the rim. He still put up numbers though and got more of his teammates involved. Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love benefited from LeBron's ball facilitation.

Kevin Love, 22 points, 10 rebounds. Slow start for Kevin Love in the 2nd game. But, he came up big in the third quarter to try to will the Cavaliers back.

George Hill, 15 points, 5-12 shooting. This is the type of unsung performances that the Cavs need to have in order to get LeBron more help. Game 1, Hill was pedestrian and of course, he missed the game-tying free throw. Game 2, he was in attack mode. Hill is a seasoned vet that can put up solid numbers. This is good for him to build off of as the series shifts to Cleveland.

(-)

Overall effort. The Cavaliers went from competitive in Game 1 to outclassed in Game 2. I thought they didn't come in with the same confidence they had in Game 1, believing they could steal a game at Oracle. Defensively, they racked up some steals, but in transition, they were nonchalant. After physically out-rebounding the Warriors in Game 1, the Warriors were more physical and out-rebounded the Cavs.

J.R. Smith, 5 points, 2-9 shooting. The legacy of J.R. Smith continues to take a tumble in the last 48 hours. First the blunder with 4.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter in Game 1. Then, this performance where Smith couldn't find a bucket. You know J.R. Smith has it bad when Warriors fans are sarcastically cheering him in starter introductions and chanting "MVP" when he's on the free throw line.

Golden State Warriors

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Stephen Curry, 33 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists. Curry set a new mark in the NBA Finals record books for most three-pointers in a game with nine. There's not much you can say other than the guy is true marksman and magician with the ball in his hands. The Cavs at times, played good defense on him, but nothing they can do when Steph Curry has better offense. He was also solid at the defensive end, providing help defense at the right time and boxing out to ensure the Cavs don't have extra possessions. So far, Curry is the early Finals MVP favorite if the Warriors win the championship.

Kevin Durant, 26 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 10-14 shooting. Game 1, Kevin Durant had an okay performance. He struggled, but adjusted by taking more shots inside. Good, but not great. Tonight was more of the KD Warriors fans are accustomed to seeing. Volume scoring, efficient shooting. KD was lights out and the Cavs were severely mismatched on defense. It doesn't help when J.R. Smith and George Hill are guarding. Durant was able to shoot over them with ease. That turnaround J was unguardable.

Klay Thompson, 20 points, 8-13 shooting. There were a lot of doubts whether or not Klay Thompson was gonna play tonight. Luckily for Warriors, he was able to play. Quite frankly, he didn't look like the high ankle sprain affected him. He looked fluid moving around the court, running in transition, and getting enough lift to drain some three point shots.

JaVale McGee, 12 points, 6-6 shooting. Terrific adjustment by coach Steve Kerr to insert JaVale McGee into the lineup over Kevon Looney. McGee had more activity in getting off of screens and rolling into the basket. Warriors fed him early with four quick points to start. He helped create all kinds of miscommunication on the Cavs' defense.

Shaun Livingston, 10 points, 5-5 shooting. Livingston continues to carry the 2nd unit with Iguodala out. The is the 2nd time this series where he provided a decent amount of scoring off the bench.

(-)

Not a lot of negatives to pull out of this game from the Warriors.

Conclusion

A nightmarish two games in Oakland for the Cleveland Cavaliers to forget about. First, they blow a golden opportunity to steal a game in Game 1. Then, they get destroyed here in Game 2. The Cavs do have a knack to respond in a big way when a playoff series shifts to Cleveland. However, the Warriors are not the Celtics and Kyrie Irving is no longer with the team to provide more firepower. As the series shifts to Cleveland, Cavs fans better hope that George Hill builds off his Game 2 performance and J.R. Smith finally wakes up. We also had a Rodney Hood sighting this game. Regardless of the issue with Hood, they gotta play him. Albeit streaky, he can score in bunches off the bench better than Jordan Clarkson can (sorry JC, you're not in LA anymore). On the Warriors' front, the stakes are going to be higher on them on the road than at home. They did a nice job last year in Game 3 to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Now, they have to do it again and this time, they gotta ensure that the series doesn't go back to Oracle. I'll see you guys on Wednesday for Game 3!

2018 NBA Finals: Cavs-Dubs IV - Game 2 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the second half open thread and discussion of Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts as the game rolls on.

Q4

CLE 103 GSW 122

Masterful performance from Steph Curry to cap off what was a wire-to-wire victory for the Golden State Warriors. When he and Kevin Durant are shooting at an efficient level, the Warriors are hard to beat. KD had an okay game in Game 1, but Game 2, he was elite. For the Cavs, the demoralizing loss from Game 1 lingered over and the competitive effort was not up to par. More to come in the full recap!

Q3

CLE 80 GSW 90

Anti-climactic end to what was a quarter that belonged to the Cavs. Kevin Love woke up and provided the Cavs a much-needed scoring punch. While LeBron is doing his thing as a facilitator, setting teams up for easy passes, especially towards Tristan Thompson. But, the Cavs winning this quarter 34-31 is not much. The Warriors' scoring trio continues to respond to every run that Cleveland is throwing out there. Klay Thompson, particularly, has not been bothered by the high ankle sprain and Kevin Durant continues to stay hot, shooting efficiently. 4th quarter, time for LeBron to take over? We'll see.

2018 NBA Finals: Cavs-Dubs IV - Game 2 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2018 NBA Finals resume with Game 2! This is the first half open thread and discussion. As the game rolls on, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

CLE 46 GSW 59

This first half is pretty much an barrage from the Golden State Warriors on both ends of the floor. They started this quarter by attacking inside. Steve Kerr made an interesting adjustment by putting JaVale McGee as the starting center instead of Looney and it has worked out tremendously. McGee is much more active in the pick-and-roll action and was able to get some really easy shots with set ups from Green, Curry, and Durant. Defensively, they are hounding the Cavs. LeBron started off hot in Game 1. Today, he's just held to 15 points in the first half. The only positive to take out for the Cleveland Cavaliers is that George Hill is stepping up with 12 points at the half. I thought he was more aggressive. But, the Cavs overall have to to do much better than this. They gave the Warriors a game on Thursday and it hasn't duplicated today. They are playing nonchalant basketball right now while the Warriors is playing some top notch basketball on both ends of the floor, especially bringing in a more-balanced plan of attack on offense. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

CLE 28 GSW 32