Lakers 2017 NBA Draft Recap

The 2017 NBA Draft is in the books. Welcome in to the recap of the Lakers' draft night. The Lakers have twice as many picks than last year. Mainly because they traded down to accumulate more picks; a very smart strategy. Here are the picks and I'll give my quick thoughts on the selections.

Round 1, Pick 2: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA

What? You thought the Lakers would pick someone else with the 2nd overall pick?  This was a no-brainer. We all saw this pick coming from a mile away. If you followed my last couple of quick recaps, I was providing a lot of reaction on Lonzo Ball's performance when UCLA was competing in the NCAA tournament. And I was sold that this kid was the real deal outside of his loud mouth dad, Lavar Ball. Lonzo's talent was as good as advertised when I saw more extensive highlights of him. Elite court vision, NBA range, despite a really awkward shooting motion, and really, an unselfish, pass-first guard. A lot of people say he's not athletic. I think he has underrated athleticism because he can be explosive when driving to the rim or running in transition. Lonzo Ball to the Lakers was the perfect match. He's a hometown kid. He'll certainly draw tickets. And he addresses the Lakers' need for a floor general at the Point Guard position. Who cares about how obnoxious his dad's mouth is? The kid has talent.

Round 1, Pick 27 (from Trade with Brooklyn Nets): Kyle Kuzma, SF, Utah

While I was watching the draft, I was inquiring that since the Lakers drafted Lonzo Ball, they need some shooters around him, like a stretch 4. Or they need to address the unknowns in the Small Forward position to back up Brandon Ingram. Kuzma was penciled in as a Small Forward, but I guess because of his size at 6'10, he's better suited as Power Forward. We now have a very interesting situation at the Power Forward position with Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr. and Luol Deng (if he's still on the team). The big strength that Kuzma has is that he can knock down the 3-ball unlike Randle and Nance and he's a very underrated passer for a big man. Randle provides the power and the speed. Nance provides the hustle and energy. Deng provides the defense and veteran saviness (again, if he's still on the team). Kuzma provides a potentially viable "Stretch 4" option for the Lakers.

Round 1, Pick 30 (from Trade with Utah Jazz): Josh Hart, SG, Villanova

Now, this is a good value pick from the Lakers through the Utah Jazz. They traded D'Angelo Russell to the Nets. Nick Young opts out for free agency. Outside of Jordan Clarkson, the Lakers don't have a lot at the "2" position. Josh Hart is a guy that can score, attack the basket, and he can play defense. The "defense" trait definitely stands out, considering the Lakers were terrible once again on defense. I may be pushing the envelope when I say this, but he's kinda like a poor man's Klay Thompson if you compare the collegiate stats. Though, I have to agree on most draft reports, he's more comparable to Danny Green given that both players are "three and D" type of players and they can attack the rim if they elect to.

Round 2, Pick 42 (from Trade with Utah Jazz): Thomas Bryant, C, Indiana

The Lakers sure love to draft big men in the 2nd round. Last year it was Ivica Zubac. This year, it's Thomas Bryant. The first thing that comes to my mind is "cool, a Center that can shoot threes." He's also a high energy player and a rim rocker. I'd say the Lakers might've found an upgrade from Tarik Black and Thomas Robinson. No question, he's going to have to earn a spot on the roster.







Conclusion

This is a great start for Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. The common trait that all four prospects have here is that they are unselfish and all about the team. This is how you "plant the seeds" of growing a winning culture. In the Lakers' case, they're re-growing it given their prestigious history of winning. We'll see in July if the Lakers can get free agency right. Again, they need to focus on quality veterans and they should not hand them over big, fat contracts. I'll see you guys later for that.

Grade: A

Lakers Deal Mozgov and Russell for Brook Lopez and 27th Pick

Ingram: How do we become a dynasty again Lord Magic?
D'Lo: I wanna become a dynasty!
Magic: Well, the first step is to trade all the little buggers who send inappropriate ravens. *Stares directly at D'Lo; D'Lo scoffs*

- Game of Zones Season 4, Episode 8

Well, the above text is not the exact reason why Magic (and Pelinka) traded away D'Lo. You know it's a deal when Adrian Wojrnaowski reports something NBA-related. According to Woj, the Lakers are trading away Timofey Mozgov and D'Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets for the Nets' 27th pick in the draft and Brook Lopez. This was a complicated process because the Lakers wanted a team to take the overpriced contracts of either Mozgov ($68 million) or Luol Deng ($72 million) to free up cap space. But, they have to sacrifice one of the assets of the young core in addition to getting rid of either contract. The good news is that Mozgov's contract is out the door. Seriously, who would want to pay the remaining $68 million to a Center who's going to sit on the bench? For D'Lo being a casualty, some fans are elated and some fans are mad. I understand that. I personally thought he was coming on as a Shooting Guard late in the season. But, the Lakers needed to move some big contracts and the cost required a young piece. With Brook Lopez on board, this gives the Lakers a stop gap at Center as Zubac continues to develop. He's not the answer to the Lakers' woes down low, but he can score. And plus, the Lakers now have three 1st round picks heading into this draft barring any talks regarding Paul George, which are heating up. It's all but certain that the Lakers are taking a Point Guard at #2 whether it's Lonzo Ball, De'Aaron Fox, or Markelle Fultz (if the Celtics are really sold on picking Josh Jackson first).

2017 NBA Champs: Warriors Achieve Redemption Over Cavs in Game 5

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors reclaim the NBA throne, usurping the defending NBA champions Cavs in a 120-129 victory to take the series in five games.

It's gonna get a lot crazy here in the Bay Area. My Facebook has been blowing up with a lot of Warriors statuses from my friends and family nonstop during the trophy presentation. Before I get down to business, I have finally nailed a prediction accurately! Back in my preview, I said this series was over in five games. I nailed it! Now back on topic, this game felt like a game 7. The Warriors go on a run. The Cavaliers go on a run. Tempers flaring left and right. The Cavs weren't ready to give up their NBA throne. Credit where credit is due, we didn't expect them to carry over their Game 4 performance. But at the end of the day, they were on the Warriors' turf and powered by Durant, Curry, and Iguodala, they defended home court and rewarded their fans a championship celebration after a crushing Game 7 loss last year.

Cleveland Cavaliers

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LeBron James, 41 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists. No question, the fact that'll erase LeBron's performance tonight is that his Finals record is 3-5. But, this stat line exerts how great he is. He was a man among boys in the paint, bullying his way by defenders. Klay Thompson had no answer for him. Kevin Durant had no answer. Iguodala had no answer. This game was a beastly performance from LeBron to the very end.

J.R. Smith, 25 points, 7 three pointers. I'm going to say this again, this reminded me so much of the 2009 J.R. Smith when he was killing my Lakers as a Denver Nugget. The last three games, he's proven he still has the unlimited range. This game though, he provided a lot of big time buckets for the Cavs to stay close when the Warriors looked like they were running away with this game.

Kyrie Irving, 26 points. This was just a typical stat line for Irving. I'd say, he had a pretty up-and-down game. But, he had a couple of god defensive sequences and got most of his shots attacking the basket.

Tristan Thompson, 15 points, 8 rebounds. Thompson carried over his Game 4 performance in crashing the boards. But, he also provided some unsung points for the Cavs when they were making a run.

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Kevin Love, 6 points, 10 rebounds, 2-8 shooting. The last thing after a brilliant game from the previous game is a dud in the next. Kevin Love was a victim of that. He was deadly in Game 4, but he was really quiet tonight and went ice cold at the wrong possible time. The 10 boards is his only redeeming stat line.

Bench. When your team gets outscored 35-7 in bench points, you're in deep trouble. This is probably what the Cavs need to address in the offseason after a porous showing in an elimination game.

Golden State Warriors

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Kevin Durant, 39 points, 7 rebounds. The was no doubt that the newly acquired Kevin Durant would be the finals MVP. 30+ points in all five games backs it up. Tonight, you can see how badly he wanted it, especially in the fourth quarter. When the Cavs were making runs, Durant hit the big shots to extend the Warriors lead down the stretch. He showed up at the right moment and that's what great players do in the big stage on the verge of a championship.

Stephen Curry, 34 points, 10 assists. He was 4 rebounds shy of another triple-double in these finals. He was terribly quiet in Game 4, but everybody knows he was not gonna have the same performance on his own home floor. Curry was struggling to hit his threes until the dagger in the fourth to seal the game. But, he was attacking the basket more and drawing fouls in this game than he was the entire series. Quite a solid adjustment to counter the Cavs' defense.

Andre Iguodala, 20 points. Iguodala redeemed himself big time after becoming the focal point in LeBron's monumental chase down block from last year. The Warriors' Finals MVP from last year put up a lot of highlight dunks tonight. Shades of the old Iggy during his Philly days. He still has a lot of hops in those knees.

(-)

The jitters, turnovers, and fouls at the start were probably the only negative in this game for the Warriors. But, they fought back to erase all those negatives. Overall, not a lot of major negatives to point out.

Conclusion

Don't let this distract you from the fact that the Warriors held on to a 3-1 lead this time. But, overall this will probably be the most bipolar championship for the Warriors. No question, they deserve this championship after a crushing end to last season. This team will go down as one of the best teams of all-time. But at the same time, this will create an endless discussion on the competitive disparity in the NBA and how the Kevin Durant ruined the NBA by joining an already historically great team. All that aside, this Warriors team is a dynasty in the making no matter how you look at it. And I see them running the West for a couple more years much to my dismay as a Laker fan. For the Cavs, there will be some major changes after this game. They were really overmatched against this Warriors squad. If they can build a strong bench to help LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, no question they'll be favorites to make the Finals from the East again. Will there be a Cavs-Dubs IV next year? Time will tell. But, it's the Warriors' time and the fever is just getting started here in the Bay Area. Thank you guys for following my coverage of the 2017 NBA Finals.

Congrats Golden State Warriors 2017 NBA Champions!

2017 NBA Finals - Game 5: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals. As usual, leave a comment below below the post to share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

CLE 120 GSW 129

What a fight to the finish! Congrats to the Warriors. The Cavs fought hard to the very end as the defending champions, but who wanted it more? None other than Kevin Durant and the Warriors. The Warriors found redemption from the 3-1 lead collapse last year. Kevin Durant gets that illusive championship that he's been working for since the 2012 loss to LeBron in the finals. More to come in the full recap after the trophy presentation. 

Q3

CLE 93 GSW 98

The Cavs will not just go away. Like I said in the 2nd quarter, the Cavs cutting the deficit to 11 was huge. Kyrie Irving has stepped it up a notch in this quarter. LeBron is being LeBron. Tristan Thompson being aggressive on the boards. But, J.R. Smith once again is showing shades of the Denver Nuggets J.R. Smith, hitting some timely 3-pointers when the Warriors looked like they were pulling away. This is setting up a really critical 4th quarter down the stretch.

2017 NBA Finals - Game 5: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Game 5 tells a very familiar story from last year. Will the Warriors clinch on their floor or will the Cavs slowly repeat history? This is the first half of the game. Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

CLE 60 GSW 71

11 points is not a bad deficit for the Cavs. But, the Warriors took the cake in this quarter. Durant, Curry, and Iguodala sparked this Golden State avalanche. They were leading by as many as 16-17 points before the Cavs cut the deficit. Iguodala is showing his 2015 Finals MVP form and shows that he still has a couple of hops left in those knees with some spectacular dunks to ignite the Oracle crowd. Durant and Curry are leading the team as expected of a power scoring combining for 41 points. They're giving the Cavs' a taste of their own medicine, pressuring on defense and being aggressive and more physical in the basket. But, the Cavs are not going down that easily despite the Warrior avalanche. LeBron and Kyrie are leading this team and J.R. Smith has come alive during the last stretch of this quarter. Kevin Love and the Cavs bench were a big time negative this first half. As mentioned in the halftime report, Love is shut out. The Cavs bench only scored two points compared to the Warriors bench who are becoming X-factors with 15 points combined. This is a big 2nd half. The Warriors are gonna have to carry the momentum from the 1st half to close this out. J.R. Smith has stepped in to help LeBron and Kyrie. Tristan Thompson is getting more involved offensively, but the Cavs are gonna need more help. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

CLE 37 GSW 33

If there's a question if the Cavs can repeat their performance from last game, this quarter was the answer. This quarter overall was back and forth filled with a lot of ticky-tacky fouls. When the Warriors poured in a couple of threes, early indication is the Warriors were gonna pull away. But, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James had something to say, carrying the Cavs back coupled with Tristan Thompson carrying over his performance from last game in crashing the boards. The Warriors are finding themselves in a hole heading into the 2nd quarter with some of their key players in foul trouble, particularly Durant and Klay Thompson.

Cavaliers Rain Threes in Cleveland to End Warriors' 16-0 Bid, Force Game 5

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Cavaliers and the Warriors where the Cavs played like the defending champs, setting an NBA Finals Record for most threes and for the most points in a half, beating the Warriors 116-137 and ending their undefeated run in the postseason.

No brooms needed. You can put them back after this game. As I said in my preview, I'm giving the Cavs at least one game in these finals and fitting that it came in Cleveland. But, hats off to the Cavaliers for coming out fighting after a demoralizing loss in Game 3. To beat the Warriors, teams have to score more points than them, which is nigh impossible with the weapons they have. The Cavs got their points by any means: three pointers, layups, free throws. They set the tone and were the aggressors from start to finish tonight.

Golden State Warriors

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Kevin Durant, 35 points, 9-22 shooting. Kevin Durant is the unquestioned MVP of the Warriors right now. He might be the only big positive for the Warriors this game. As much as the Cavs were on their game offensively, the Warriors just kept running their offense through Durant and he did the rest. The team crept back in a few instances this game and Durant's scoring played a huge part in that.

David West, 6 points, 3-4 shooting. Six points is not much, but David West provided some quality minutes for the Warriors off the bench. All six of his points came when the Warriors needed some momentum to build to quiet the hostile Cleveland crowd for a bit.

(-)

Foul trouble. This is a combination of some ticky-tacky calls from the refs and the physicality of the Cavaliers. The Cavs were attacking the basket at will, moving the ball. The Warriors were pretty much out of position that they had to commit some desperate fouls.

Splash Bros. Steph Curry with 14 points. Klay Thompson with 13 points. The Cavs' defense shut them down big time, chasing them away from the three point line and not allowing a lot of air space for a good shot. Quiet game indeed for the Splash Bros.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyrie Irving, 40 points, 7-12 three point shooting. Kyrie Irving, "Uncle Drew," was a one-man wrecking crew tonight. The man lives for these kinds of moments in elimination games. Irving put his offensive arsenal on full display. Three point shooting? Check. Attacking the basketball? Check. Taking defenders to school and step back in front of their faces? Check. Breaking ankles? Check. It was a complete scoring clinic that Irving put on tonight.

Kevin Love, 23 points, 6-8 three point shooting. The Cavaliers needed the Kevin Love who was shooting at a ridiculously high percentage throughout the postseason tonight. That Kevin Love showed up tonight. 6-8 shooting from the 3-point line says it all.

LeBron James, 31 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists. LeBron James surpasses the Magic Man himself, Earvin "Magic" Johnson for most triple-doubles in the NBA Finals. There's nothing surprising about this typical stat line from LeBron, it was another day in the office.

J.R. Smith, 15 points, 5-9 three point shooting. J.R. Smith in Games 1 & 2 and J.R. Smith in Game 3 & 4 is like comparing day and night. Smith has proven to be capable of knocking down impossible shots from deep. As a Laker fan, I've witnessed tons of that when he was playing with the Nuggets. If he carries this over on the road, he might be one of momentum shifts the Cavs need to do the impossible.

Tristan Thompson, 5 points, 10 rebounds. Hello Tristan Thompson, welcome to the 2017 NBA Finals. Thompson has not shown the hustle activity in the first three games, but he woke up here. He's gonna have to carry this game over and rekindle what he did in the 2015 and 2016 Finals if the Cavs want to do the impossible of coming back from a 3-0 deficit.

(-)

Not a lot of negatives to point out on the Cavs' game tonight. The scoreboard could indicate defense, but they played pretty solid defense on the Warriors and they responded with timely shots to keep the scoring barrage going.

Conclusion

Warriors fans hate the scoreboard in these series, 3-1. But, here's the catch, the Warriors have Draymond Green this time around and like I said in game 3, Kevin Durant is not Harrison Barnes. With the performance the Cavaliers had in this game, it's going to be absolutely hard for them to duplicate this kind of performance in Oakland. So, there's some optimism that the Warriors won't blow a 3-1 lead this time around. But, overall, tonight was the Cavs' night. This was their game to lose and they never look back in a wire-to-wire victory over a star-studded Warriors squad. All credit in the world to them for coming out swinging with their backs against the wall. There will be an extra game here in the Bay Area! I'll see you guys on Monday for Game 5. 

2017 NBA Finals - Game 4: Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals. As usual, leave a comment below the post to share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

GSW 116 CLE 137

This game was do or die for the Cavs. They responded in the right way and went out guns blazing. 16-0 is out of the picture for the Warriors. The Cavs are the one in 15-1 and they lived up to Rudy Tomjanovich's quote of "never underestimating the heart of a champion." Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

GSW 96 CLE 115

A chippy, chippy quarter. You got both teams engaging in so many scrums for the ball. Emotions are running high. Star players of respective teams talking trash to one another. Fans getting into it. Both the Warriors and the Cavs trading baskets. There was a lot of action here in this quarter. Golden State is making their run, but Cleveland has responded time after time with much-needed buckets from unsung heroes. The Cavs have to continue to outscore the Warriors. This game is far from done heading into the 4th quarter.

2017 NBA Finals - Game 4: Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Game point for the Warriors. Do or die for the Cavaliers. This is the 1st half of game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals. Leave a comment below the post to share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

GSW 68 CLE 86

If you're watching the finals on ABC, you heard Mike Breen right. The Cavs have set an NBA Finals record for most points in a half by any team. This sensational 1st half performance from Cleveland reminded us why they went 12-1 en route to the NBA Finals. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are doing their jobs, combining for 50 points at the half. But, Kevin Love has got the 3-point shooting going again, draining four 3-pointers during the half. Tristan Thompson is slowly coming along, notching 6 rebounds. This team is getting their points by any means whether it's attacking the basket, hitting their 3-pointers, or finding ways to draw contact to get to the free throw line. The Warriors are battling early trouble because the Cavs are being the aggressor. That's what the defending champs have to do. The question is now, can they sustain it? Golden State will have one of those runs. The Cavs still can't find ways to stop Kevin Durant and despite Curry and Klay Thompson being held to a combined 15 points, you never know when they'll flip the switch. The Cavs must channel their inner John Madden. In order to win, they have to score more points than the Warriors. They must continue to get the scoring offense rolling. The 2nd half will open up shortly. 

Q1

GSW 33 CLE 49

This quarter alone was the best the Cavs have looked throughout this whole series. This team is fighting just to stay alive in this series, avoid a sweep on their own home floor. Tristan Thompson's activity level on the boards is finally displayed. Kevin Love's three point sharpshooting from the Cavs' playoff run is showing up. The Warriors had a brief stint where they cut the lead six, but the Cavs just keep attacking on both ends of the floor, giving Golden State early foul trouble from their key players. 

Kevin Durant Rallies Warriors for Game 3 Win Over Cavs

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers where Kyrie Irving and LeBron James made this game interesting with big time performances. But, the Warriors proved to be too much as they came back to beat the champs 118-113 behind Kevin Durant and the Splash Bros.

This will probably be the only good game in this series. The Cavs gave the Warriors everything they got. But, you can't deny these Warriors are just way too OP (overpowering). LeBron and Kyrie gave em hell, but the effort was just futile at the end of the day. The Cavs just look helpless after suffering a crushing defeat in this game.

Cleveland Cavaliers

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Kyrie Irving, 38 points, 16-29 shooting. To quote the commentator from NBA Jam say: "Razzle Dazzle!" The Harlem Globetrotters could use his services. Irving put on a clinic with a lot of moves and circus shots when getting to the basket. He put the degree of difficulty on full display tonight.

LeBron James, 39 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists. No description necessary as to how LeBron played in front of the home crowd. He got his way aggressively attacking the basket, overpowering all kinds of Warriors players in his way.

J.R. Smith, 16 points, 5-10 shooting. The Cavs could use more role players like J.R. Smith to step up. After being a non-factor for the most part in this series, he lit it up tonight from deep. This should be a huge confidence builder as the Cavs look to salvage some pride in Game 4.

(-)

Fouls. For a losing team, I thought this was the only negative from the Cavs and it proved to be costly in the long run. Throughout the game, the Cavs just made a bunch of silly fouls to put the Warriors on the free throw line early. You don't want to give the Warriors any easy points and questionable foul committing from the team played an intricate role in the loss.

Golden State Warriors

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Kevin Durant, 31 points, 8 rebounds. No, he's not Harrison Barnes. Great players come up big in the clutch moments and K.D. was that player for the Warriors. It seemed that the Game 3 curse in Cleveland would continue for the Warriors, but Durant was great from start to finish. He kept the momentum alive for the Warriors when it looked like the game was gonna spiral out of control in the Cavs' favor.

Klay Thompson, 30 points, 11-16 shooting. Encore from Klay after a sensational Game 2 performance. Klay is living up to the X-Factor role and once he goes unconscious and scores, you can kiss any chance of beating the Warriors goodbye.

Stephen Curry, 26 points, 13 rebounds. Curry's starting to become a double-double machine all of a sudden. But, as long as this guy's involved in any way shape or form bodes well for the Warriors. He's not back-to-back MVP for no reason.

(-)

Turnovers. I find it funny since Steve Kerr came back to coach, the Warriors started to turn the ball over frequently. Luckily enough, the 3-ball game was working for them to overshadow this negative.

Draymond Green, 8 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists. Don't get me wrong, this is a solid stat line for Green. But, I thought Draymond was too conservative, putting all his focus on getting players involved. He took the first shot in the first possession in the game and he was quiet from there on out. Not to mention, he found himself again in early foul trouble.

Conclusion

For the Cavs, it's a lot different coming back from a 3-0 deficit than coming back from 3-1. If they were a hockey team, it's possible. But like I said, this has got to be a soul crushing defeat for the Cavs. They spend all their energy on this one game and they came up short. As much as people would like to say this series is far from over because of last year, this series is done. For the Warriors, finishing the postseason 16-0 is perfect compensation for them after failing to win a title last year when they won 73 games in the regular season. No question, they want to continue to put their foot on the gas. I'll see you guys for Game 4 on Friday. 

2017 NBA Finals - Game 3: Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals. As usual, leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

GSW 118 CLE 113

Wow, what a quarter. Credit to the Cavs for putting up one heck of a fight. Although LeBron and Kyrie put on a scoring clinic and many of the Cavs' supporting cast stepping up, there's just too many weapons on this Warriors' squad. Clutch buckets from Kevin Durant. Andre Iguodala with the defensive play of the game to prevent a potential game tying three from LeBron. The Warriors are one win away from redemption. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

GSW 89 CLE 94

The Cavaliers didn't have an avalanche like the Warriors did in the first two games at Oracle. But, you gotta give them credit for fighting hard in this quarter. The champs are not going down so easily on their home floor. LeBron, Kyrie, and K-Love showed that this quarter. Kevin Love's fighting for the rebounds to give the Cavs some extra possessions. Kyrie Irving is putting together a lot of highlights in this quarter. The Cavs are playing like the defending champions so far in this 2nd half. They have to sustain that in the 4th quarter to get on the board in these finals.

2017 NBA Finals - Game 3: Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Welcome to the first half of game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Cavs and the Dubs. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

GSW 67 CLE 61

The Cavs needed some momentum to have towards the 2nd half with Kyrie Irving's buzzer beating shot. It's rained threes, but it also rained turnovers for the Warriors in this 1st half. They are shooting 60% from deep. This was a complete 180 from last year's for them. The Warriors were too slow generating offense, but this year, they've shook off a possible fast start by Cleveland to get back in this game and take control for the most part. We can't disregard the Cavs' effort though. They're putting better defensive pressure up on the Warriors and they are playing their pace in attacking the basket. LeBron and Kyrie, of course, are instrumental to keeping this game close. LeBron came out of the gate firing like he usually does. Kyrie is off to a slow start again, but he picked it up in this quarter, settling for more layups. The Warriors' length defensively continue to frustrate him much to their credit. We've seen this narrative in the last two games. Both teams end the first half with a close game, but the Warriors end up turning on the jets in the 2nd half. Can the Cavaliers do the same? They need the pace in the 2nd half to favor them early on. 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

GSW 39 CLE 32

Talk about a quick turn of events. If the Cavs are desperate for a win, they have to be more aggressive. They started off good, trapping Curry and putting a lot of defensive pressure on the ball. LeBron is doing his thing. J.R. Smith showed up big this quarter. But, the Warriors raining threes have been the problem. Thompson and Durant quickly turned the odds into the Warriors' favor. With LeBron going to the bench, Curry's started getting hot and the Warriors are catching the Cavs napping on defense with a couple of easy baskets. That's why they have the lead right now.

NBA Finals Game 2 Blog Coverage Canceled

Sorry for the inconvenience people, but I won't be covering today's Game 2 matchup of the 2017 NBA Finals. I have a family matter to attend to that's happening at the same start time as the game and most likely, it will take up a majority of the game. I'll see you guys for Game 3 when the series shifts to Cleveland.

Durant, Curry Help Warriors Hammer Cavs in Game 1

Welcome in to the full recap of game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Cavaliers where the Warriors went wire-to-wire to take an early 1-0 lead in these finals with a resounding 90-113 win.

At last, this "3-match" is underway. Well, the first half of this game lived up to the billing as the "rubber match." Both teams were neck and neck, but once the Warriors get going, there's no stopping that well-oiled machine. And a red hot duo of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry spelled doom for the Cavaliers. This was a typical example of the tale of two halves.

Cleveland Cavaliers

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LeBron James, 28 points, 15 rebounds. The 8 turnovers from James is a smear from his performance. He was essentially the Cavs' only offense in the first half of this game. Again, despite the turnovers, it was a typical stat-stuffing performance from LeBron.

Kyrie Irving, 24 points. It was evident that Irving was off to a slow start in the first half. He still finished strong with the aforementioned 24 points. Kyrie did his thing in attacking the basket and wiggling his way around Curry and Klay. I'd say that 4-point play in the 2nd quarter got him going in this game.

Kevin Love, 15 points, 21 rebounds. With the way K-Love's been playing in these playoffs, this was not his best game scoring-wise. However, he did crash the boards and leading the team in rebounding and in blocks, notching 3 of them.

(-)

Turnovers. 20-4 ratio in terms of the turnovers from both teams, but the Cavs crumbled under the Warriors' defensive pressure. Ball security is certainly going to be a point of emphasis for this team in Game 2.

Tristan Thompson, 0 points, 4 rebounds. If Thompson can have his way in the boards against Bogut, he can have his way against Pachulia. That was not the case today. His rebounding activity was non-existent all game long.

Golden State Warriors

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Kevin Durant, 38 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists. Welcome back to the NBA Finals KD! If there's any indication that he wants that ring, this is the game. He put on an absolute dunk fest over the Cavs defense tonight. But most importantly, he brought some much-needed defensive activity during this game with his length and athleticism.

Stephen Curry, 28 points, 6 three-pointers, 10 assists. If the Warriors had this Curry in game 7 last year, they would've won it. This is the confidence builder that he needs to show up big in this third installment of the Cavs-Dubs finals. As soon as he got hot in the 2nd half, consider it a wrap for the Warriors.

Zaza Pachulia, 8 points, 6 rebounds. Zaza "Houdini!" He had a couple of highlight plays, just throwing up the basketball. Lucky for him, a lot of those circus shots went in.

Ball security. As mentioned, 20-4 was the turnover ratio for both teams. What a difference a year made for the Warriors.

(-)

Klay Thompson, 3-16 shooting. Warriors fans have to put a missing label for Klay Thompson's scoring in milk cartons. I labeled him as an X-factor for these finals. There's no problem for Klay defensively, but he's playing like Harrison Barnes last year, struggling with his shot.

Conclusion

Does Kevin Durant's presence differentiate this Warriors team from the historic 73-9 roster? That is certainly so. Even though it's just one game, you can definitely see the difference from a year ago. This Warriors team is loaded with so many weapons on the offensive end. For the Cavs, Oracle Arena has been brutal to them outside of Games 5 and 7 last year. No question, the turnovers played a key role in their loss tonight. Game 2 will decide where this series is gonna go. If it tilts in favor of the Cavs, this is a series. If it tilts in favor of the Warriors, this gonna be a short series with no blown 3-1 lead this time. I'll see you guys on Sunday for Game 2. 

2017 NBA Finals - Game 1: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

The 2nd half of Cavs-Dubs III, game 1. As usual, leave a comment below this post to share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

CLE 90 GSW 113

And this 2nd half is mercifully over. Curry and Durant pretty much put the clamps down on the Cavs and the Cavs just had no answer. The Warriors complete the 3-peat in striking first in these finals. They remain perfect in this postseason. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

CLE 72 GSW 93

The Warriors would erupt eventually. Kevin Durant has done a majority of the damage and Steph Curry is in "Human Torch" form. That is one thing the Cavs didn't want to see and this quarter became really similar to the Martin Luther King day rematch between these two when the Warriors went on a crazy run before the 2nd half. This quarter was yet another Golden State clinic.

2017 NBA Finals - Game 1: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

It's here. This is the first half of game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals, Cavs-Dubs III. Leave a comment below this post and share your thoughts on the game and certain highlight plays that blew your mind.

Q2

CLE 52 GSW 60

Talk about an epic first half. Both teams are living up and certainly the stars are living up to the billing. LeBron and Durant leading the way for their respective teams. Who says these two don't want it more? James is leading the Cavaliers already with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. He continues his postseason dominance, but he's gonna need a lot more help. Luckily for James, Kyrie Irving stepped up more in this 2nd quarter. They're gonna need more output. Kevin Love has been quiet. Tristan Thompson is not active. And none of the key role players are stepping in. For the Warriors, Kevin Durant is like a kid who's ecstatic about being in "candy land." He's leading Golden State with 23 points and he's looking at the Cavs' defense in slow motion with so many highlight dunks. Steph Curry had a solid outing out there and lucky for the Cavs, he hasn't gone off yet. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green so far have disappointed on offense. They're doing their jobs defensively but Green has still yet to make a shot and Thompson is really in a bad funk. They need to pick it up if the Warriors want to pull away from this game early. Verdict for Cavs-Warriors III? So far, so good! Let's see what the 2nd half unfolds.

Q1

CLE 30 GSW 35

This is only game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals and it already feels like a game 7! Both teams are into it. The Warriors fans inside Oracle Arena couldn't stop making noise. The intensity is there as expected of an epic trilogy. With the Cavs and the Warriors setting all kinds of records on offense, you'd think one would have a fast start over the other. But, they're pretty even during that quarter. If you're an NBA fan, you gotta enjoy that first quarter. A surreal atmosphere shown inside Oracle arena.