The LeBron James Laker Legacy

 

After 8 years, it is over.

Everyone is likely informed by this news. But just in case, LeBron James has announced his decision that he will NOT play for the Los Angeles Lakers this upcoming season. Basketball discourse has jumped all over this news non-stop and everybody is looking with great intrigue on this headline: "What's next for LeBron James"?

The LeBron era in Los Angeles will forever be remembered as a mixed bag. Depending on who you ask, it was either a success because it restored the Lakers to championship relevance and produced an NBA title, or it was a disappointment because one championship in eight seasons simply isn't enough for the NBA's most decorated franchise. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

When LeBron signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018, it was the spark that this franchise desperately needed. Following Kobe Bryant's retirement, the Lakers had become irrelevant by their own standards. The mystique of wearing the Purple and Gold faded. Every offseason, superstar free agents would schedule meetings with the Lakers, only to use them as leverage to secure larger contracts from their current teams or elsewhere.

Part of the blame rested on the Lakers themselves. The organization struggled to articulate a long-term vision that convinced superstar players to buy into the future of the franchise. The front office cycled through rebuilding plans, lottery picks, and coaching changes without establishing a clear identity.

Then LeBron arrived 2018 and the Lakers have become a desirable destination for superstar-caliber players again. Within a year, the Lakers successfully acquired Anthony Davis, pairing him with LeBron to form one of the league's premier duos. That partnership delivered the 2020 NBA championship, ending a decade-long title drought and giving the Lakers their 17th championship banner. Years later, the Lakers leveraged Davis in another franchise-altering move, sending him to Dallas in exchange for Luka Dončić. Whether or not that trade ultimately becomes another championship move remains to be seen, but it illustrates how LeBron's arrival fundamentally reshaped the direction of the organization.

During LeBron's 8 years, the Lakers have made the playoffs 6 times. This includes a 2019-20 championship run, no matter how many detractors try to discredit the Bubble Ring and another Western Conference Finals appearance in 2023.

Those are the positives. The negatives? One title in 8 years is underwhelming by Laker standards. There were so many opportunities to add on more in the following years. But it was all wasted away because of inner fighting with Lakers management and LeBron and Klutch Sports behind-the-scenes. 

Following the 2021 playoff disappointment against the Phoeneix Suns, both LeBron and the Lakers panicked. Looking across the league, they saw the Brooklyn Nets assembling Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving into what looked like an unstoppable superteam. Instead of staying patient, the Lakers attempted to answer with star power of their own. They traded for Russell Westbrook while adding veterans such as Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, hoping experience and name recognition would compensate for poor roster construction. It failed spectacularly. The roster lacked shooting, spacing, perimeter defense, and chemistry. The Westbrook experiment became one of the most disappointing superteams in recent NBA history and set the Lakers back several seasons. And both LeBron and the Lakers deserve blame for wasting that year and putting in the peculiar position they are in now.

And when a team has LeBron James on the roster, they are under the microscope of mainstream sports media and basketball talking heads non-stop. The Lakers were already media darlings. But when LeBron joined, the coverage around the team increased tenfold. When the Lakers won, LeBron received the overwhelming share of the praise. When they lost, the blame often shifted toward teammates, coaches, or the front office. It became an exhausting cycle that many Lakers fans like myself grew tired of, even if it wasn't entirely LeBron's doing. His presence naturally attracts nonstop media attention unlike any other player in basketball. We also can't forget about the coaching turnover that happened under LeBron's watch, going from Luke Walton, to Frank Vogel, to Darvin Ham, and finally, to JJ Redick.

LeBron has broken a lot of statistical milestones during his Laker tenure and those statistical milestones became nightly television events, regardless of whether the team won or lost. But a lot of those games where LeBron had a record-breaking night, the Lakers typically suffered the latter. Historic accomplishments like becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer deserved celebration, but there were also stretches where individual milestones seemed to dominate the conversation while the team struggled to consistently compete and string wins together.

Finally, there was the Bronny James situation. The Lakers' decision to draft LeBron's son was always going to invite accusations of nepotism and questions about whether a valuable roster spot was being used for reasons beyond basketball. To Bronny's credit, he showed meaningful improvement during his development and took encouraging strides last season, but the optics of the decision became yet another subplot surrounding the LeBron era.

With new ownership in place under Mark Walter and some staff from the Dodgers that followed Walter to the Lakers in front office positions, it's obvious that the franchise is going to an all new direction. They have a vision for the franchise moving forward—and that vision simply did not include extending the LeBron era indefinitely. In many ways, the signs had already been there when the Lakers committed to Austin Reaves with a four-year maximum extension. It became increasingly clear where the organization saw its future. Combined with Luka Dončić, the franchise has effectively decided to choose the future for the franchise rather than look back to a player who's still good, but he's 42 and you can't expect him to hang around forever.

With LeBron gone, new ownership, a commitment to Luka and Reaves, a lot of pressure is now falling on Rob Pelinka. This is now the offseason for him to see what he's made of as a GM. Unfortunately, his start has been far from encouraging. The Lakers have not been nearly aggressive enough in strengthening the roster around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves so far. They are not prioritizing bringing back key free agents such as Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura while leaving significant questions unanswered elsewhere on the roster. And Rob is definitely hearing the collective groans from Laker fans. Outside of trading for AD and trading for Luka, Rob's roster transactions throughout the years have been mostly pathetic to say the least. So, Rob's got his work cut out and he's on thin ice with this new ownership.

Now comes the next chapter. Where will LeBron James finish one of the greatest careers basketball has ever seen? Personally, I believe the answer should be Cleveland. If he wants to bow out of basketball with whatever grace/dignity he has left, finish it out with Cleveland and get the farewell tour from there. If he goes elsewhere, like the Warriors, he's gonna hear the "superteam hopper" and "mercenary ring chaser" monikers again from detractors. People will disqualify him more from the GOAT conversation, which I find very tiring in my opinion. I think LeBron has more than earned the right to punch his ticket elsewhere this time around, especially since he's old now. Appreciate him while he's around because it'll take the NBA another 20 years or so to find another abnormal freak athlete like him.

In closing, "The Age of LeBron" in Los Angeles is officially over. It has been a long marriage and it definitely wasn't perfect. But at the end of the day, LeBron did his job making the Lakers relevant again and delivering a championship. That at the very least is the bare minimum we can accept. So, thank you, LeBron. And good luck on your new team wherever that is.

The Worst Timeline

It was a rough couple weeks to be a Lakers fan. I can tell you that. 

I'm going to be 100% transparent, I did not care about this season at all. I slept walk throughout the NBA regular season as the Lakers bore me with their inconsistent play. But hey, they won the inaugural NBA Cup, right? 

But, the playoffs rolled around and I took the initiative to pay attention a bit more. Clearly, the Lakers were easily dispatched by the Nuggets again, I wasn't surprised. I knew the outcome. If we can't stop Jamal Murray, the season is over. And he burned us...twice...at the buzzer.

I watched the playoffs a bit more, got up to the point of the NBA Finals. Once the Boston Celtics went up 3-0 over the Dallas Mavericks, I decided to watch no more. I knew the outcome was inevitable. Boston would one up on us yet again for the most NBA Championships.

I can only look back at the previous years the Lakers have squandered every opportunity to surpass those leprechauns from the East. After winning the 2020 championship (still disputed to this day), they had every chance to fully return to glory. And each time, they somehow fumble the bag year after year since they acquired LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

This month, it was L after L for the Lakers this offseason. First, their surprise top coaching candidate, UConn's Dan Hurley, spurned them to stay out East in hopes to chase after a 3-peat in the collegiate ranks. An 11th hour surprise ignited some hope for Laker fans. The hope that they can snag a coach that may not have NBA experience, but has experience coaching nonetheless, over another experimental hire like JJ Redick. Turns out, it was never meant to be. 

There's pros and cons from picking a coach from the college ranks. They can either be Brad Stevens levels of great or they can be Rick Pitino / John Calipari levels of awful. But the Lakers believed Hurley was the guy that could be their Brad Stevens: a strategic coach and a proven program builder. But the difference is he has a personality that is somewhat over the top, but you just can't help but love his passion on the sidelines. The Lakers were prepared to give him a lucrative offer to make him one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA. And it's no secret Hurley wanted to try his luck on the NBA level. What better way with one of the prestigious organizations?

The expectation was that they were going to offer Dan Hurley $100M for six years. In reality, they only offered him $70M for six years. Lowballing at its finest. But I understand Hurley's decision to stay. He gets a shot to make history for a 3-peat with UConn. Not to mention, the Lakers coaching position is heavily scrutinized. When you coach the best player in the world, a legendary organization, you are under a heavy microscope. But still, this team was prepared to break the bank for him. And the Lakers being the cheap organization they are, pitched a "strong" proposal for Hurley. But they failed to make the money work. Can somebody tell this team, whatever money they pay the coach doesn't go toward the cap? And let me guess their pitch: we're the Lakers? It's LA? We have 17 championships and an IST (in-season tournament) trophy?

Then, sad news broke last Wednesday with the passing of the Logo, "Mr. Clutch", Jerry West. He was already a Laker great as a player. But he was even better as an executive, laying down the foundations of the Showtime dynasty in the 80s and later the Kobe-Shaq dynasty in the early 2000s. You can even make the argument he helped produced the late 2000s roster as well by gifting them Pau Gasol.

Perhaps the tragic part of Mr. West's passing is that he and the Laker organization were at odds with each other, especially with the Buss family. This organization had many years to mend fences with him and bring him back in a front office role. Even Kobe was demanding his return way back then! But too many times, they passed up on hiring him in an executive/consultant role. How the Lakers honored him after his passing was weak. When the Clippers offered a more sentimental statement, you know it's levels of bad. It's unfortunate fences will never be mended. At least he didn't have to see the Celtics win another title as many would say.

Because we have to, sitting through another Celtics finals appearance and championship win. Where do I begin? They showed the Lakers how long-term building is done. The Celtics were a rebuild project 11 years in the making and it all capped off with the franchise's 18th title in their domination over the Dallas Mavericks. Their road to the championship was highly questionable. But it is no excuse to discredit how they got there. They faced what's in front of them and did what they were expected to do.

I've always argued in the past that the Lakers should follow the same blueprint of their rival as well as other well-run organizations like the Spurs or *cough* the Warriors: build through the draft, develop the core, sign veteran players that fit, make the hard decisions when the team feels that it's ready to compete for a championship. But we are fickle and impatient to the core. And this results in too many short sighted results in an attempt to win now. Chase everybody's superstars is the goal, no matter the cost. And it is a blueprint that is very archaic in today's NBA, especially with the new CBA looming that emphasizes on teams to build from the ground up and develop young players.

The thing about this is the Lakers are stuck to this philosophy that they can't get themselves out of. Since the waning days of Kobe Bryant's career, it was always about chasing the stars. And year after year, they swing for the fences and they miss badly on players in their prime. However, it's a different story when they successfully add stars to their roster...when they're past their prime. They draft really promising young players, but are too impatient to develop them because they're too impatient and we're too impatient. I mean could you imagine if you put today's Laker fans in 1996? They'll be calling for Kobe's head, a rookie Kobe I might add, to be traded after firing 3 air balls against Utah. 

There is no process to follow, no long-term plan in place for this organization. They whiffed on a promising coach. They never made amends with a legend of their own. They sit there as they watch their biggest rival, the rival they desired to chase, one up them again for most championships. Honestly, the cherry on top for this organization is if they just hire JJ Redick as coach and draft Bronny James all to please LeBron. If LeBron does the funniest thing and leave the Lakers via free agency this offseason, I wouldn't be surprised. You can't "out-nepotism" the biggest Nepo baby of all no matter how much nepotism the Lakers developed over the years. We are truly living in the worst timeline here. The Lakers are making headlines, but it's all for the wrong reasons.

Who's to blame? Maybe it's Jeanie for setting up unrealistic expectations. Maybe it's Rob not putting together strong rosters and hiring the right coach. Maybe it's the Rambis family that keeps giving bad advices from the shadows. Maybe it's LeBron for putting this once proud organization in a choke hold. Or maybe it's us, the Laker fans for expecting too much, being the loudest voices in the room.

But hey, at the end of day, it's just basketball, right?

James, Davis 2020 - Keep the Lakers Great for 3 More Years

LeBron signed through 2023, AD signed through 2025

Finally, I can have some time to talk about the cream of the crop signings to tie the knot in what was an eventful free agency that the Lakers put together. They bring back Jared Dudley for one more year to retain some stability for chemistry and locker room leadership. And to bring back a guy who will stand up for his teammates. Harp on Dudley if you want. I personally have no problem brining him back. The Lakers gave him a role and he's living up to it. He can still knock down a couple 3 balls at his age.

Okay, jokes aside on "Elmer Fudd" Dudley. You all know where this headline is going. The Lakers may be restoring their greatness as the gold standard of the franchise, but one thing that has been consistent even through the recent years of mediocrity is that they know how to take care of their superstars. Rob Pelinka got it done, inking LeBron James to a two-year extension and re-signing AD to a max contract of $190 million for 5 years. Pretty much, this certifies that the Lakers will be title contenders for awhile as long as the LeBron-AD duo stays in tact. And especially as we usher in AD as the new face of the franchise until he hits free agency again in 2025. Rumors of LeBron's demise last year has been greatly exaggerated as he was able to rebound and lead the Lakers to the 2020 championship. Father time has no answer for him. Regarding the extension, it's no secret that LeBron wants to play with his son, Bronny when he's eligible to hit the league in 2023. You can pretty much connect the dots on this contract.

The Anthony Davis situation is the one that we all were holding are breath on. Prior to LeBron's extension, there were rumors that they were waiting on Giannis Antetokounmpo this season if he was going to extend with the Bucks or hit free agency. I surmised that AD was going to do the Kevin Durant deal with the Warriors and sign a 1+1 deal. One year guaranteed and the other year is a player option which he can opt in and hit free agency with LeBron once his initial 4-year contract is up. That would give the Lakers cap room to possibly sign the Greek Freek and LeBron and the 'Brow would take less money to form an almighty Big 3. I don't know if I should laugh or feel sorry for the rest of the league if that were to happen.

But with the LeBron extension and AD inking a max deal, we can all put that Big 3 talk to rest. I've said this from the very beginning when the Lakers gave up all the young assets (minus Kuzma) to the Pelicans, re-signing AD for the long run would change the fortunes of the franchise. They lose him, they end up right where they were 7 years ago when Dwight Howard bolted for free agency. At least they got a championship out of the trade. But kudos to the Lakers front office for getting this deal done. This ensures that the Lakers will be in good hands for the foreseeable future and it extends their championship window in the now. They will eventually hand over the reins to AD once LeBron hangs it up or departs to wherever team that drafts his son in 2023 (most likely back to Cleveland). The next challenge would be pairing a future star with AD to fill that void. But, that's not until later. The restored greatness of the Lakers extends for a couple more years.

State of The Lakers - The Return of the NBA

Hey Laker Nation! Hope everybody's doing well and finding ways to stay safe in these crazy times we're living in. We all know that the NBA is coming back at the end of July. The top 22 teams in the league are invited to finish up the 2019-20 season at the ESPN sports complex in Orlando, FL. Teams in the lowest seed but are in the hunt are gonna have a "play-in" tournament for the 8th seeds in the playoffs. With that said, the Lakers have the opportunity to finish off what is a "Renaissance" season for the franchise.

In regards to the NBA coming back despite a no end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic, I feel indifferent about this. Yes, we get to see the conclusion of the 2019-20 NBA season and if the Lakers can win it all after Kobe Bryant's tragic death at the beginning of the year. But regardless, if they win a title or not, it'll feel a bit anticlimactic with everything that's going on right now. The NBA is rolling the dice despite a surge of COVID-19 cases. Not to mention, 16 players have tested positive for the virus. There could be many more to come. But, the NBA is not turning back at this point and they're confident that they have a robust health and safety protocol in place for the players and the personnel. Some players have elected to bypass the NBA's reboot, which I'll address later on.

Prior to the suspension of the league, the Lakers were riding high at 49-14 behind the All-Star prowess of LeBron James and Anthony Davis aka "The King and The Brow." Coach Frank Vogel has pressed all of the right buttons and his coaching has improved the Lakers into one of the top defensive teams in the league. This team was beating teams that they were expected to beat. In the last full week of the season, they cemented their elite status with back-to-back wins against the Bucks and the Clippers en route to the franchise's first playoff berth since 2012-13.

The Lakers did lose the last game against Brooklyn prior to the season's suspension. Honestly, I think that loss is a blessing in disguise for the Lakers as the season resumes. They would've lost a significant amount of edge had they come into the resumed season with a winning streak. Look at their revamped schedule: Clippers, Toronto, Utah, OKC, Houston, Indiana, Denver, and Sacramento. They're going up against given playoff contenders right out of the gate. The Kings could be in that category if the chips fall in their favor during the "play in" for the 8th seed. This schedule is tough, but it's a good test for the Lakers to regain that championship edge.

As I mentioned, there are players who are sitting out of the NBA's reboot of 2019-20 season. One of them is the Lakers' own Avery Bradley. Obviously, the loss will hurt the Lakers because AB is their X-factor. He can defend a team's best back court player and can score when he has the stroke. He was huge in the Lakers' last win over the Clippers with 25 points. He will be missed, but there is merit to his decision to sit out, having to take care of his son. I've seen some backlash of his decision, and all I could say is you guys are beyond pieces of human garbage to call him out. Yes, the common NBA athlete earns more that we do in our lifetime, but these athletes are human too. Regarding AB's decision, I completely understand. Regardless of what occupation you have, you have that uneasy feeling of returning to work in these unprecedented times. No one is safe from "La Corona." We love sports, but in times like these, it's secondary. But, that's the Internet in a nutshell.

To sum it up, Avery Bradley won't play. I respect his decision. It's up to the Lakers to fill in his replacement. What we know is that the Lakers did sign Dion Waiters and seems like a suitable shoe-in for AB. The only problem is we don't know what game shape he is in. I guess we can say the same for every player on the roster. But, the Lakers brought in Dion for his shot creation. Will he play after some time off? We don't know. Other names floating around are J.R. Smith and Nick Young. The Lakers have options and Rob Pelinka will do his due diligence. All we know is that 'Bron is 100%. AD is 100%. Kyle Kuzma should be 100% after nagging foot injuries to start the season. Caruso is gonna Carushow. The Lake Show will be locked and loaded. How the NBA's restart plan fares will determine the fate of all pro sports going forward for the remainder of the year.

Lakers 2019-20 Preview: AD - "In the Year of the Brow"

Before I dive in to give my quick two cents, I'd like to take this time to promote my brand new 2019-2020 Lakers Hype Video. This is a follow up to the LeBron-AD hype video I made in August. For this one, I added in the Kawhi Leonard fiasco. A possible Big 3 was brewing, then Kawhi spurned the Lakers for the Clippers instead, bringing Paul George along with him. Now the battle for LA heats up. While the Clippers have been better, last time we checked, the score is still 16 championship banners to selfies. Enjoy the vid and get hyped for Lakers-Clippers tomorrow night!

Now the above is the one I wanted to plug for a quick Raiders 2019 preview and then Antonio Brown happened. Nonetheless, we shouldn't have any drama here, so let's cut right to the chase for the Lakers 2019-20 season outlook.

By last season, the Lakers were in play for Anthony Davis before the trade deadline. They were planning to give up the entire roster for one of Klutch Sports' top client. Unfortunately, Dell Demps, the GM before David Griffin backed out and tried to play the Lakers when in fact he played himself as the Pelicans fired him by season's end. Fast forward to this past summer, with David Griffin in charge, the Lakers and the Pelicans were able to come to a deal to send Anthony Davis to play alongside a well-rested LeBron James in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart. Once again, the Lakers spurn a long-term future for the short term in hopes of winning it all now.

The next domino to fall was Kawhi Leonard. The Lakers dangerously played the waiting game with Kawhi until he left them in the dust for the Clippers. Luckily, the Lakers had a solid plan B in place by resigning JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Lakers then bolstered their roster by adding vet Jared Dudley and sharpshooter specialist Troy Daniels. I had to throw that out there because I totally forgot they were on the team. Their bigger FA moves came in the form of Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, and the return of the prodigal son, Dwight Howard. For the most part, this is a pretty solid plan B from Rob Pelinka. Well done.

Looking at this roster, it's solid on paper. The only glaring weakness I see on here is the back court. The front court of AD, Dwight, and McGee is stacked as evidenced in the preseason. The way they were dominant in the paint reminded me a lot of the 2008-2012 Lakers when you had Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol roaming the paint. Healthy LeBron on there running the show at point, that's a force to be reckon with. Back to the back court, it's filled with a lot of streaky 3 and D players. Danny Green and Avery Bradley are pests on D. They can score, but they can be wildly inconsistent. KCP, we know a lot about him. When he's hot, he's great. When he's not, he's plain garbage. And then there's Rondo. Also, the health of LeBron and AD are going to be key. Both struggled with the injury bug last season. The only difference we expect LeBron to be refreshed albeit being on the down side of 30 since he had otherwise an injury-free career. AD has a lot more to prove that he has set aside the injury bug that plagued him that has been otherwise a tremendous career to start. And he still has a couple of good prime years left.

The question is whether or not the Lakers can break their playoff drought with this roster? As long as the LeBron-AD duo stays healthy, yes. As long as there's no roster drama, yes. As long as each player understand their role, yes. This team is a playoff contender. And they have a pretty favorable schedule to start. From October-November, they are facing off against four playoff teams in my opinion (Clippers, Utah, San Antonio, and Dallas). In the opener tomorrow against the Clippers, they have an opportunity to get a jump on their little LA brother with Paul George missing in action. However, they're still not to be overlooked at as they retained most of their roster from last year sans Kawhi Leonard and PG13. It's going to be a matter of a team that has a lot of new parts vs. the team that already has components, but added a pair of big time upgrades. It should be an interesting season and definitely all eyes will be on LA all season long. But, the city is still drenched in purple and gold as it has been. GO LAKERS!

Lakers Acquire Anthony Davis (Finally)

The King and The 'Brow

I'm officially bipolar with the Lakers right now. It was teased before the trade deadline, but both sides couldn't come to a deal. But now, it is official (well until July) and as expected, it was making waves in the headlines since it was announced. The Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to a trade to get Anthony Davis in the Purple and Gold in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and 3 first round picks.

LeBron got what he wanted. He wanted Anthony Davis to come over here to LA and contend for a title and he got it. Like I said, the Lakers are just begging me to become bipolar with their moves. I gotta give credit to Rob Pelinka and David Griffin for pulling off this deal with no strings attached. Compared to the midseason, then-Pelicans president Dell Demps tried everything to sabotage the Lakers by getting them to give up the entire team for AD. But, it turns out he was bluffing and it lead to his firing. With David Griffin, whether or not the Cavalier ties with LeBron helped or not, they were able to pull off this deal. We also gotta give credit to another outside source: Rich Paul. He represents both LBJ and AD via Klutch Sports. He failed in pulling the strings during the midseason, but it worked this time around.

I get the excitement because AD is one of the best big men in the game today. He can play inside and outside and is the ideal rim protector and shot blocker that the Lakers were missing since 2013. Now on the flip side, many may argue that the Lakers gave up too much. Which is true. The risk in getting a player on 1-year rental for that much is that player might leave when things go sour on their short tenure with the team. We've seen this first hand with the Dwight Howard experiment from 2012-13. Now granted, AD has verbally expressed to sign the Lakers in the long term, but that may change depending on how the season goes playing alongside LeBron. Not to mention, the Pelicans might've secured their future for the next 5-7 years. I'm not gonna lie, they're going to be an exciting young team with Lonzo, B.I., and possibly Zion Williamson coming to town. They still have Jrue Holiday to provide that veteran presence and they have the Lakers' #4 pick this year. They'll be a team on the come up. The silver lining here is that the Lakers held on to Kyle Kuzma. At least they keep one of the key young players and it's none other than the Lakers' 2017 draft steal that showed major strides with his ability to score. With AD and 'Bron, Kuz is the ideal 3rd option. He could be the fourth option if they make a run at Kemba Walker or get Kyrie Irving to reunite playing alongside LeBron.

Now that the trade is over with, the Lakers now have some major holes to fill. Their back court is literally void of talent. Small forward is also a need now. A scoring point guard like Kemba or Kyrie could shoulder the load off of whoever fills that shooting guard spot. If they manage to land either one, great. They must use up the remaining cap to sign quality role players who can shoot and play defense. If not, they're still solid mid-tier options available like re-signing Rajon Rondo. This might actually entice Rondo to stay considering he had success with AD in New Orleans. Either way, now that the Lakers have their act together (for the moment) and with the West wide open with Golden State in shambles due to KD and Klay's injuries, they must strike while the iron is hot in the offseason in order to get back to the top.

TrueRaiderLaker Productions #14! - "Pride"

After a fallout with the Paul George hype video (because he re-signed with OKC) and missing out on the LeBron James to the Lakers heat during free agency, I've made a full recovery to get this video out there. Without further ado, I present to you TrueRaiderLaker Productions #14 - "Pride."

This project is a "return to the roots" kind of project for me. If you guys followed me for a while, I uploaded my first Laker hype video in 2012. I went with the old school 2Pac "To Live and Die in LA" song. Lakers and LA are so tightly knitted together. Well, every Laker fan should know that. So, for this project, I wanted to bring that LA vibe for this upcoming hype video. And I found the spiritual successor with "LA" by Ty Dolla $ign, Brandy, Kendrick Lamar, and James Fauntleroy. Unlike my recent Raiders hype video, I wanted to make this Laker hype videos have its own vibe and it certainly reflected that.

There's so much buzz surrounding the Lakers with the arrival of LeBron James and the hype surrounding the young core. We are out of the dark ages and on the Lakers are on their way to remind the NBA who dominated the league besides the Boston Celtics. We might have another chapter brewing in the league's most storied rivalry. It may not be now with the Warriors' dominance, but sooner or later, the Lakers will be back on top. And I made that an emphasis in this video and in the thumbnail as well. Stars of all stars donned the purple and gold and won championships. From Magic and Kareem to Shaq and Kobe to Kobe and Gasol, LeBron and the young blood of Ingram, Zo, and Kuz are next in line. One thing's for certain, the true basketball pride of Los Angeles is back!

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*2018-19 Lakers Regular Season Preview to come. Stay tuned!*

2018 Lakers Free Agency Roundup

I'm sure everybody's been anticipating to hear my reaction to the Lakers' free agency moves since the beginning of July since the man on the front page of this post signed in the Purple and Gold. If anybody's speculating, I'm not in denial or salty about LeBron signing with the Lakers. There are a lot of times where I am wrong about moves that should and shouldn't happen. Everybody has an opinion. It's all subjective. Ultimately, I'm all what's best for the Lakers. Let's get that straight. Secondly, I've been busy with life outside of the blog. I just made a big job transition this month. So that was a milestone for me. I had a LeBron-to-the-Lakers hype video in mind to spice up the news (thanks Paul George), but I've already missed my expected deadline and I've decided to bypass it for an annual hype video similar to my Raiders hype videos which I also have planned before the season starts. So, no more big surprises and I'll just cut to the chase on the Lakers' 2018 free agency.

LeBron Goes Hollywood

This is the big fish that the Lakers reeled in for a 4-year, $154 million deal. Although, the seeds were already planted that LeBron is going LA-bound because of his son and his business ventures in the entertainment capital. There's nothing wrong with getting arguably the best player in the league on the team. Almost every team wants a LeBron James on their roster. There were cases for LeBron to go to Houston and Philadelphia. The Rockets put the Warriors on the brink and the 76ers made a huge leap this past season, but there are issues. 1) The Rockets have more priority players with their limited cap. 2) The 76ers' front office is a huge mess with the Bryan Colangelo incident with the Twitter accounts. 3) The Lakers have all the cap space in the world, they have a promising young core, a robust front office-head coach relationship, and it's LA (of course).  My only issue as I noted in my Season in Review post, we don't know how much LeBron has left in the tank and if a lineup of Bron and Zo can work because of their passive nature. LeBron has a lot of mileage with the 8 straight finals appearances and getting pancaked year-after-year by the super stacked Golden State Warriors. Let's face it, the Cavs during this year's finals were pathetic from head to toe. And Cleveland's favorite son might be gone for good because of that. LeBron did state he wants to play more off ball and in the post and the Lakers give him that opportunity with Lonzo Ball being the floor general. He'll help free up LeBron to roam free and take over games. Not to mention, Lonzo is the kind of playmaker LeBron James covets. He'll also have shooters around him with Kuzma, Ingram, KCP (re-signed), Hart, Svi, and Wagner all capable of shooting the 3-ball. Don't let the numbers fool you. Vice versa, LeBron gives Lonzo more opportunity for open shots even with the awkward shooting form.

Even though LeBron is the superstar that the Lakers need, most fans aren't receptive of his addition. We're talking about vandalized murals and such, which is really sad and childish. As a fan myself, I grew up hating LeBron because of the intense battles in the past decade going up against Kobe Bryant when the media hyped them up as the 1A and 1B of the NBA. That's all in the past now. The legacy Kobe left behind with the Lakers will never be tarnished. But, we gotta let go and embrace the change. If we can move forward from West and Wilt to Magic and Kareem. And from Magic to Kareem to Kobe and Shaq, we certainly can move forward to the LeBron James-era. We can't move forward if we continue to look backwards. So, I welcome LeBron with open arms.

At least with LeBron out of the picture, the East just got a lot more interesting. Either that or, they just got weaker and the West becomes even more of a super conference.

Co-Starring: (Not Paul George and Kawhi Leonard)

The next set moves the Lakers followed through with following LeBron's signing were pretty interesting. The Lakers pick up Lance Stephenson to a 1-year $3.5 million deal. They pry away JaVale McGee from Golden State. They picked up Rajon Rondo to a 1-year, $9 million deal. And just recently, they added Michael Beasley to a 1-year $3.5 million deal. Lance Stephenson joining LeBron was amusing. But here in Laker land, we're used to sworn enemies becoming best friends. Think Kobe and Artest and later, Matt Barnes. With Randle going to New Orleans, the Lakers needed a tough guy on their squad. They needed a pest and Lance Stephenson certainly fills that mold. It still feels weird that he's on the same team as LeBron considering the playoff battles they had against each other in recent memory. Now would be a good time to cue the "Why Can't We Be Friends" song. The Lakers tried so many times to recruit Rajon Rondo and they succeeded this time around. Let's face it, the flow of the Laker offense wasn't that good when Lonzo was off the court. The ball movement was stagnant at best. That's not gonna fly with Rondo on board. His addition will keep the ball movement of the Lakers' offense flowing when Lonzo needs to take a breather. JaVale McGee was expendable for the Warriors with the emergence of Jordan Bell and the addition of DeMarcus Cousins (how). But, McGee will bring some size, shot blocking, and rim protection. Not to mention, he can roll out to the hoop in screen and roll situations. Beasley's signing is interesting. His biggest issue is inconsistency. When he's on, he's on. When he's off, he's off. Nonetheless, this bolster's the Lakers' depth.

The biggest takeaway from these signings is that they are all bargain, risk-reward deals. The Lakers could've easily used their remaining cap space to max out another player, but they're saving that for the incoming 2019 draft class headlined by Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson. This is smart usage of the cap from the Lakers. They have the superstar they want and they have a great balance of young talent and quality veterans. They can land another superstar next year without forking over any of their young talent.

Paul George - LA Public Enemy #1

On another note, how about the swerve Paul George made on his 3-part My Journey mini series? Yeah, that's obviously a slap in the face to Laker fans of pulling that stunt just to re-sign with the Thunder. I had a cool hype video ready once PG to the Lakers was 100% guaranteed with two songs from Ice Cube. And then that got shot down. Now you know why I didn't make a LeBron hype video because I invested in that project that was a waste of time. It's double standard that PG stated in the previous offseason that the Lakers shouldn't trade for him and he'll join the following offseason. Now, he's all "oh, if they wanted me they should've traded for me." When Paul George goes to Staples Center in that first matchup with OKC this upcoming season, he won't be showered with love. He'll be showered with a lot of boos and manure chants.

The Kawhi Leonard Temptation

The Lakers did a nice job of not biting for Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs were asking for a lot of assets just for Leonard and they tried to pull a fast one from Magic and Pelinka. Nope! Like I said, they can wait until next year to get Leonard by giving up nothing. That is unless he pulls a PG and stays in Toronto. 

Other Notes

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope re-signed to another 1-year deal for $6 million less than what he made last year at $18 million for one year. KCP was a decent compliment to Lonzo Ball in the backcourt. It made sense since he and LeBron shared the same agent. Though, I'd say he's on a short leash with Josh Hart and Svi Mykhailiuk knocking on the door. They were awesome in the Summer League.

Isaiah Thomas departed to Denver on a one-year deal. I mean honestly, did we expect I.T. and LeBron on the same team again? It didn't work the first time. I.T. did show out when he came to the Lakers. 

Brook Lopez left for the Milwaukee Bucks. I was hoping that he would be brought back to some degree since they struck out on Cousins. But, the Lakers drafted Mo Wagner to fill in that stretch five role. At least Bro-Lo can thank Magic and Rob for getting him out of Brooklyn Nets basketball purgatory last year.

Julius Randle goes to the Pelicans on a 2-year $18 million contract. He was at first a restricted free agent and then the Lakers renounced his rights. Expectation for Randle was a max deal, but in reality there were some questions on whether or not he was worth a max deal. Randle did show out this past season, bullying players in his way inside the paint. The guy is a double-double machine, but it was clear with the way the Lakers were assembling this roster, he was not coming back. He'll fill in DeMarcus Cousins' void, but it's going to be interesting how he meshes with Anthony Davis in New Orleans. A.D.'s ability to shoot should free up Randle in the post. Other than that, Randle's game is limited. Again, admitting I was wrong.

Cavs-Dubs NBA Finals '18 Preview

And here...we...go again. Welcome in to the 2018 NBA Finals preview provided by yours truly. By now, you should know who these teams are considering they faced each other in the last three NBA Finals series. If not, the matchup features the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers lead by the best player on the planet LeBron James against the Western Conference and defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors lead by their Fantastic Four in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green. For three consecutive finals, this matchup has been the NBA's "cash cow" in terms of star power from both teams. Now, they'll duke it out once again for basketball supremacy for a fourth consecutive time. So if you're a believer in league parity, then this matchup might not be for you. Time to rehash from three straight NBA Finals Preview posts!

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors re-exerted their dominance in the NBA landscape last year by easily beating the Cavs in 5 games. Even by re-signing Kevin Durant and extending Steph Curry to a lucrative $200 million contract, someway, somehow, they managed to keep their loaded roster in tact with the exceptions of Nick Young, Jordan Bell, and Quinn Cook. But, this season proved that the Warriors weren't all invincible. Their star players each took turns being sidelined with injuries. Kevin Durant with the rib injury, Draymond Green with pectoral injuries, and Klay with the injured hand. But most notably, Stephen Curry was riddled with all kinds of injuries on his lower body, ranging from a rolled ankle to a sprained MCL. Outside of the injuries to the "Fantastic Four," this season made the Warriors look vulnerable. They weren't as good as the past three years on the defensive end in particular. Their title as "top team in the West" was handed over to the Houston Rockets. However, however, in the playoffs, Golden State started to regain some of their championship pedigree back dispatching both the Spurs and the Pelicans in five games in the first two rounds. They went the distance against Chris Paul, James Harden, and the top-seeded Rockets in the Conference Finals. Though the Warriors won in 7 games lead by their scoring trio of Durant, Curry, and Thompson, they could've easily won in five or six games if it weren't for a couple of both team and coaching blunders. One can ask "what if" had Chris Paul been healthy. The Warriors caught a break with his injury, but luck didn't hang on to them when Iguodala went down during the series.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Unlike the Warriors, the Cavs underwent an extreme makeover with their roster following last year's Finals loss. They made headlines when they traded Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder. The Cavs continued to retool their roster by adding Jeff Green, Derrick Rose, and Dwayne Wade in an effort to counter the Warriors' star power and depth. The problem was that it wasn't the year 2011. With the roster to begin the season, the Cavs looked old, slow, and out of sorts on both ends of the floor. As a result, they blew up the roster by midseason. I.T. along with Channing Frye was traded to the Lakers for Clarkson and Nance (still a great trade by Magic and Pelinka to get out of JC's contract). D-Wade got sent back to Miami. Crowder and D-Rose was dealt to the Jazz in a three-way trade with the Kings to get George Hill and Rodney Hood. The positive was that the Cavs got younger and more athletic, but the negative was that LeBron James now had a weaker supporting cast. That showed in the Cavs' road to the Finals, but through some otherwordly intervention, LeBron was able to mask most of the weaknesses on the Cavs' roster. The Cavs played the same three teams they faced last year in the Pacers, Raptors, and Celtics, ironically in the same playoff rounds. The only constant was that the Cavs swept the Raptors despite the Raptors being the best team in the East and having home court. Both the Pacers and the Celtics were much tougher tests that went the distance with the Cavs compared to last years incarnation of both teams. But, the Cavs still prevailed. As much as a lot of us dislike LeBron, we can't deny his greatness any further. He was in god mode throughout the postseason, putting up ridiculous numbers, playing almost 40+ minutes a game, and carrying a team that is mediocre at best without him. It was much more like LeBron vs. the Pacers, Raptors, and Celtics during Cleveland's road to the Finals.

Keys for the Dubs

Andre Iguodala's return is indefinite and Golden State really could use him on defense against LeBron James. Kevin Durant can help disrupt LeBron's game with his length, but it's not gonna be enough without legit help at the Small Forward position. So with Iggy out, the Warriors are gonna have to double up on their defense on LeBron. He is essentially the Cavs' engine on offense. We could possibly see KD, Draymond, and Klay exchange assignments on guarding arguably the best player in the world right now. The defense is not gonna be as stifling with Iggy out, but as Game 7 against the Rockets show, the Warriors still have a tendency to apply swarming ball pressure. On offense, it all starts with the Warriors' core four. Curry, KD, and Klay can still score at will. Durant, in particular, has to place trust on his teammates to make plays. When he struggled in mid-point of the Conference Finals, he was trying to play hero ball and it stops the Warriors' ball movement. No player on the Cavs can equal the scoring prowess of the trio. They have to push the tempo and constantly move the ball.

Keys for the Cavs

Let's face it. Outside of Kevin Love, LeBron James has no help. Love's status is still in question because of a concussion in Game 6 against the Celtics. LeBron can continue to play his game and put up big numbers, but that's not going to be enough. He has to find a way to get teammates involved. The Cavs do have J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver, George Hill, Jeff Green, and Jordan Clarkson as scorers/shooters, but they've been up-and-down throughout the regular season, let alone the postseason. They are going to be needed to give LeBron the support. Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. must out-rebound any Golden State player inside to give Cleveland all kinds of opportunity. They have the size, athleticism, and hustle factor to do that. Defensively, they're going to have to generate as many turnovers from the Warriors as they can. Golden State is still prone to make bone-headed decisions with the ball and the Cavs must capitalize on every opportunity given to them.

Prediction

After three straight previews, I think you guys can telegraph my prediction in these finals. The Warriors just have way too much depth and too many weapons. The only edge that the Cavs have is that their roster is younger and more athletic. And as long as they have LeBron, they have a chance. But, let's face it, he can't do it by himself against a star-studded Warriors squad and their deep rotation. Unless the rest of the Cavs somehow show up, I just don't see it. They'll give a little bit of a fight, but look for LeBron's epic postseason run to come to a screeching halt. And look for the Warriors to extend their NBA domination.

Warriors in 6

2017 NBA Finals Preview: Cavs-Dubs III

Three times a charm. Cavs, Warriors, the same teams, the champions of the last two years. Both have clinched their respective championships on the road against each other. Like the Lakers and Celtics before them, there's no love-lost between these two rivals. With the series tied, one of these teams will own the tie breaker. This is a star-studded rematch with high stakes on the line. This is your 2017 NBA Finals preview of the 3rd installment in this Finals trilogy between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Winning the NBA title last year and coming back from a 3-1 finals deficit against a historic Warriors squad, the Cavaliers transformed the city of Cleveland from heartbreak to triumph. The Cavs will look to transform Cleveland into a city with high expectations of winning it all every year. In their first full season under Tyronn Lue, the Cavs finished once again as a 50+ win team. But, like last season, they had a couple of bumps on the road. Key role players sustained injuries that kept them out for the majority of the season until the playoffs started. And after the All-Star break, the Cavs really lapsed on the defensive end. They eventually lost out on the #1 seed to the Celtics. In the playoffs, the Cavs completely flipped the switch. A lot of analysts thought this year would be the Cavs' toughest road to the Finals, facing off against the likes of the Pacers, Raptors, and Celtics. The Cavs cruised by those teams even though the Pacers did offer a competitive series despite getting swept. The Cavs come in to the Finals at 12-1 and LeBron James is playing his best basketball in this postseason. And yes, considering he just passed Michael Jordan as the all-time leading scorer in the playoffs, the debate is open once again. Outside of LeBron, Kyrie Irving continues to be Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love has had the hot shooting hand throughout these playoffs, making the Cavs' Big 3 formidable heading into these finals.

Golden State Warriors

After a disappointing end to a historic 73-9 season, the Warriors made all kinds of headlines during this offseason by signing All-Star Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite a terrible opening night showing against the Spurs, the Warriors and their fantastic four of Curry, KD, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green certainly didn't disappoint during the majority of the regular season. They shattered all kinds of scoring and offensive records. This team could've won 70 games again had Durant not gone down with the leg injury. Warriors fans exhaled jubilantly that KD was able to make a recovery. But during the stretch Durant's injury, Curry was able to regain his form as the back-to-back MVP. The high-powered scoring of Curry and KD carried over in the playoffs. They're 12-0 start is a feat that was not seen since the 2000-01 Lakers (I remember those days). Like the Cavs, the Warriors were supposed to have a tough road against the Blazers, Jazz, and Spurs. The Spurs had the formula of beating the Warriors with their size and length until Kawhi Leonard went down for them. Outside of Curry, KD, Thompson, and Green, players such as Javale McGee, Ian Clark, and Patrick McCaw are stepping up big time and contributing to the Warriors' dominance in this postseason.

Keys for the Cavs

The lack of size is one key weakness in this Warriors' squad. The Spurs provided that blueprint in 3 out of the 4 regular season games and in game 1 in the Western Conference Finals. The Cavs have Tristan Thompson. They have Kevin Love. And without further question, LeBron has shown countless times that he can be able to crash the boards. Rebounding is going to be the major key for the Cavs on both ends of the floor and they have the size to do it to slow down the juggernaut Warriors. Tristan Thompson has terrorized the Warriors in the last two finals with his relentless rebounding prowess. LeBron will do his thing. Kyrie Irving will do his thing. Kevin Love has been playing lights out in these playoffs as of late. They're going to need him to keep the train rolling. The Cavs may have found their defensive mojo against the Celtics and even though the Warriors are not the Celtics, the Cavs must put defensive pressure on the Warriors rather than the Warriors put the defensive pressure on them. After all, both teams like to run the floor and start fast on offense. Can J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver find the stroke? Will Deron Williams turn back the clock as "D-Will" and live up to being the playmaker that LeBron James desperately coveted throughout the regular season? Those players are going to be the X-factors for the defending champs.

Keys for the Dubs

Steph Curry and Kevin Durant have formed a formidable scoring duo as of late. Isn't that supposed to be expected from the MVPs of the last three seasons? While Steph and KD will get all the headlines, Warriors fans should be asking: "can the real Klay Thompson please stand up?" He's been relegated to the "Harrison Barnes role" for the Dubs and he hasn't had any impressive games during those postseason. Klay's gonna have to rekindle the role of being one half of the "Splash Bros." There's no question about his defensive capabilities, but if Klay gets going offensively, the Warriors are going to be like a well-oiled machine. Draymond Green, can this guy keep his emotions in check and just play ball? You can expect that Green is going to be amped up with this third consecutive battle with the Cavaliers, but he has to keep it under control and stay disciplined in order to not repeat the same mistakes as last year. Outside of Draymond's fiasco, turnovers also ultimately doomed the Warriors in blowing a 3-1 lead. They've kept the turnovers to a low level in these playoffs and they need to continue that in the finals. Javale McGee, Ian Clark, Patrick McCaw, Iguodala, Livingston; these guys are going to be the obvious X-factors. They've proven to have big moments to reinforce the Warriors' prowess. Perhaps Golden State has a secret weapon in interim coach, Mike Brown (I hate bringing this guy up as a Laker fan). Brown has coached LeBron for half a decade and he briefly coached Kyrie Irving in his 2nd year in the league with the Cavs. If there's anyone in the Warriors that has more intel on those two players, it's Mike Brown. I'm sure he's game planning with Steve Kerr to find unique ways to slow down both LeBron and Irving.

Prediction

At first, I just want to let these finals play out. The NBA got what they wanted and basketball fans will be rewarded with a star-studded matchup. But, I'm expecting this to be a really short series to cap off the dreadful NBA Playoffs this year. No disrespect to the defending champs, but the Warriors had the Cavs beaten and battered until Draymond's suspension and Bogut's injury. They lost a few key players, but they still have the roster depth and adding Kevin Durant to the mix, there's just too many weapons on this Warriors team. I'm giving the Cavs at least one game in these series. But a hungry KD in search for his first ring coupled with a squad that's hellbent on revenge and silencing all the blown 3-1 lead jokes, I predict that this is going to be like the 2014 NBA Finals all over again when the Spurs laid the smack down on the Heat in five games.

Warriors in 5

Cavaliers Make History in Game 7; Come Back from 3-1 Deficit, Deliver First Title to Cleveland Since 1964

Welcome in to the full recap post of game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals where the Cleveland Cavaliers send shockwaves all over the basketball world. They upset the Golden State Warriors, who had a historical season in the regular season with 73 wins, 93-89, delivering a pro sports title to the city of Cleveland for the first time since 1964.

You can't ask for anything else from a game 7 for the championship. It was a closely contested game throughout. Each team responded with a run of their own, making clutch shots and defensive plays. But in the end, the Cavs came out on top and break the hearts of Oracle Arena and the Bay Area as a whole. But you can't be mad at the effort both teams put out despite a low scoring game. It was down to the wire, both teams in a deadlock, but the Cavs willed themselves mentally and pulled it out. Overall, hats off to them.

GSW

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Draymond Green, 32 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists, 11-15 shooting. You can make the argument that if the Warriors won, Draymond Green would've been the Finals MVP. To be completely honest, he was the only player who showed up for the Warriors today in this decisive game 7. He was almost near-perfect from beyond the arc, finishing 6-8 from that distance. Green reminded everyone why he was the Warriors' do-it-all player today. Despite the losing effort, it was a great bounce-back game given he was suspended game 5 and had an off game in game 6.

(-)

Turnovers, shot selections, and missed shots down the stretch. Every Warriors possession during the final stretch of the 4th quarter was the bad representation of Warriors basketball. There were a couple of bad turnovers committed by Curry, ill-advised three pointers by the Splash Bros. There were a few offensive plays where they had good looks (the Warriors team as a whole), but they just couldn't hit those shots.

The Splash Bros. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, they needed to come out firing, but they didn't. 6-19 shooting for Curry, 6-17 shooting for Thompson. Give credit where credit is due. The Cavs played tight defense against them in the long-run of the game. They finished a combine 6-24 overall from beyond the arc, which is definitely not good for two players who have proven they can make shots from deep.

Harrison Barnes, 10 points, 3-10 shooting. Nothing new to talk about Barnes here. The first 4 games, he put up solid numbers and had an efficient field goal percentage, but he slumped in the next 3 and game 7 was no different.

Anderson Varejao. You have to feel sorry for Varejao after this game. He got traded from Cleveland to Portland, got his contract bought out, signed with Golden State and decided to not return to Cleveland to get a ring and that ring just eluded him again.

CLE

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LeBron James, 27 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 9-24 shooting. There is absolutely no way you can't be happy for LeBron right now. He finally delivered that elusive championship that the city of Cleveland was thirsting for since forever. As a Laker fan, as a guy who is pro-Kobe, I already admit that LeBron was better after delivering Miami back-to-back titles to cap off his back-to-back MVP seasons. This championship has gotta be the sweetest for LeBron. He put the Cavaliers on his back in the last two games. His performance wasn't as sensational as his last two, but all-around he did just enough. He made a couple of clutch jumpers and a couple of clutch defensive plays to give Cleveland all kinds of chances to continue to be within striking distance and take the lead. Well-deserved recognition for the Finals MVP and future Hall of Famer in the making

Kyrie Irving, 26 points, 10-23 shooting. Kyrie Irving is a bad man offensively. He didn't have a good shooting night this game, but down the stretch, when it mattered the most, he showed up big time. The 3-pointer he made in the final seconds of the 4th quarter has gotta be the shot that he remembers the most in the finals. No matter how good of a defense the Warriors played dating back to game 3, he just countered them with better offense on tough shots. The scary part is that his best years are still ahead of him. Offensively, he's going to be a dangerous player going forward.

Kevin Love, 9 points, 14 rebounds. Let's show some "love" for Kevin Love this game. Okay, that was a bad pun. As much of a non-factor he was throughout these finals, he came up big for the Cavaliers in the game of his life tonight. The points do not show, but he hustled and grabbed some crucial rebounds to give the Cavs extra possessions needed to win this game.

(-)

Turnovers. Early turnovers in the game hindered the Cavs' offense from fully taking off. I think that's the only negative I can pinpoint for the champions. So, it's not too major.

Conclusion

For the city of Cleveland, the nightmare is over. Over 50 years of heartbreak and suffering are finally put to rest with this championship. You gotta give it to Cleveland sports fans. Despite all the debris (garbage) they had to put up with on all of their professional sports teams, they're loyal and they've never stopped believing that one day, one of their teams will break the drought. They deserve this moment and they won't have to cry tears of defeat anymore, they can cry tears of joy that their Cavaliers delivered a title to the city. For the Golden State Warriors, this is going to leave a sour taste in the mouths for the players. After delivering a historic season, they choked away a 3-1 series lead and become the first victim in NBA history to give up that lead in the Finals. But Warriors fans have nothing to be ashamed of. No one thought that any team in this day and age would break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record of 72-10, but the Warriors did exactly that putting up 73 wins. Don't feel bad Warriors fans. It goes to remind everyone that capping off a historical season does not always have a storybook ending. To the city of Cleveland, you have the spotlight, enjoy your long-overdue championship that you will remember for a long time. Thank you guys for following my coverage of the 2016 NBA Finals. Until next season.

Congrats Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 NBA Champions!

2016 NBA Finals: Game 7: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

CLE 93 GSW 89

Cleveland rejoice! After so many tragedies in the history of Cleveland sports: "the Shot," "the Drive," "the Fumble," "the Decision." You can put all of those nightmares to rest. What a finish! What a clutch shot by Kyrie Irving to put the Cavaliers up by 3. The Cavs become the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. A reverse of fortunes for Cleveland against a very good Warriors team that had a historical season. The Warriors cooled off in the worst time possible and it costed them and this will be a story here in the Bay Area on how the Warriors choked away a magical season. Stay tuned for the full recap.


Q3:

CLE 75 GSW 76

Talk about two teams not going down without a fight. Kyrie Irving came alive for the Cavs and as sensational as he was this quarter, it looked like Cleveland was going to run away. However, the Warriors came battling back from a large, but surmountable deficit to take the one point lead. Game 7, down to the wire heading into the 4th quarter, for the NBA Championship. It doesn't get any better than this as both teams are fighting fire with fire, countering every run that both teams are putting together to have the edge.

Q2:

CLE 42 GSW 49

It's the Draymond Green show this quarter! Green leads all scorers for the Warriors with 21 points and he is hot from beyond the arc, giving Golden State the huge advantage over Cleveland. The Cavs have responded through every run the Warriors have given them, but down the stretch, the Warriors' tenacious defense is overwhelming them, leading to turnovers and missed shots. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

CLE 23 GSW 22

The jitters are there in this magnitude of the finals that is game 7. Both teams are playing a little tight than the last two games. The Cavaliers, there were more jitters on them to start as they were pressured by the Warriors' defense and committed a series of turnovers to put them down. The Warriors are off to a good start from beyond the arc and looked like they were gonna run away, but the Cavs kept grinding it out. Kevin Love, non-existent this series, is starting to come alive and he's turning into the X-factor early on for Cleveland, sustaining crucial 2nd chance opportunities.

Game 7 Halftime Post

CLE 42 GSW 49

Welcome in to the halftime post of game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors where the Dubs have a 42-49 lead at the half.

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GSW: Draymond Green, 22 points, 8-10 shooting. Suspended game 5, was a non-factor for game 6, but he is rekindling his performances like in game 2. As their emotional leader, Green's putting the team on his back right now and needed every single three pointer he was hitting. Perfect from beyond the arc.

CLE: Kevin Love, 5 points, 7 rebounds. Even if it's just for a little while, Kevin Love showed up in the first quarter. He's giving the Cavs all kinds of 2nd chance opportunities with his hustle and his fight for offensive boards. He's finally showed up.

CLE: LeBron James, 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 5-11 shooting. The early turnovers hurt the King, but he has recovered well from a shaky start. Not only is he starting to be more assertive as Tyronn Lue said about him prior to the 2nd quarter, but he's doing defensively as well, once again denying Curry an easy deuce in particular.

(-)

GSW: Harrison Barnes, 3 points, 1-5 shooting. That first shot must've felt good for Harrison Barnes, but since then, he's struggling. He's had some quality looks to get himself going, but he continues to struggle and is looming as Golden State's scapegoat.

CLE: Turnovers. 8 turnovers for the Cavaliers. The Warriors' defense is finally figuring out this Cavs' offense out after they got smothered by the duo of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.

Bottom Line

CLE: The Cavs offense has to be more aggressive and they have to take care of the ball better. Their 3 point shot so far has been pitiful and they need to get to the basket more. They have to play better defense also and generate some excessive turnovers like they have the last two games.

GSW: The Splash Brothers have to get going in order for the defending champions to pull away. If Draymond Green stays hot, keep feeding him the ball. They also have to keep up with their intensity on defense and make the Cavs work for every offensive possession.

Cavs Force Game 7 Behind LeBron James' 41 Points

Welcome in to the full recap post of game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals where the Cleveland Cavaliers have done the unthinkable in a long time, forcing a game 7 in the NBA Finals after being down 3-1 in these series. LeBron James poured in 41 points once again as the Cavs beat the Warriors 100-113.

How the tables have turned for both teams. The Cavs were struggling the first two games and have turned it around in game 3. The Warriors were up 3-1 in these series and now, they are being roughed up as they've failed to close it out twice in a row. From Game 5 on out, the Cavaliers were facing elimination and they've turned it on in desperation mode and they've outplayed the Warriors big time three out of four games.

GSW

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Stephen Curry, 30 points, 8-20 shooting. To me, the reigning MVP is at a limbo between being the positive and being the negative for the Warriors. Offensively, Curry got off to a decent start to ignite the Warriors offense as they try to climb back from a 20 point hole. As long as Curry was hitting shots, the Warriors had a chance. Defensively, he wasn't doing great as he fouled out after going for a steal on LeBron in the 4th. I can agree that there were questionable calls on some of Curry's fouls, but Curry has to know he's too valuable to take any further gambles with 5 fouls on his belt.

Klay Thompson, 25 points, 9-21 shooting. Klay started off cold early in the game as he couldn't find his shot. I said in my halftime post the Klay had to heat up if the Warriors want to continue to be within striking distance of the Cavs' lead and in the 2nd half, he did just that. Despite the losing effort, the Warriors needed Klay to get going to make this game as close as possible.

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Harrison Barnes, 0 points, 0-8 shooting. Ever want to know why Warriors fans groan about Barnes? Because in a series of games, he'll play good, then in another series, he'll disappear and be a non-factor. I finally gave him credit back in game 4 because he put up solid numbers in the first four games of this series. Then, these next two, he starts to play horribly. It's a 180 turnaround for Barnes right now.

Turnovers. Turnovers have been the Warriors' achilles heel throughout their historic season. 14 turnovers this game and it was a primary reason why the Warriors were down early in a big lead.

CLE

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LeBron James, 41 points, 11 assists, 16-27 shooting. Since the Cavs were in elimination mode, LeBron James has been nothing short of sensational. Great players know that when you have a 40+ point game in the last game, you repeat the same effort again in the next game and LeBron has shown that with another 41 point game performance. When LeBron is aggressive and he has his jump shot going, he is virtually unstoppable. He's got it done defensively, racking up 3 steals and 4 blocks to add to his 41 point game. There's no question that LeBron has been in these kinds of games when his team is down in a series and he has proven he can turn it on in an instant when his team is on the verge of elimination.

Kyrie Irving, 23 points, 7-18 shooting. Kyrie didn't have an encore from his 41 points in game 5, but still, he had an efficient game and his good start in the first quarter was one of the primary reasons the Cavs were able to put the Dubs in a 20 point hole.

Tristan Thompson, 15 points, 16 rebounds, 6-6 shooting. Big ups for Tristan Thompson and the way he came out this game and brought the energy in the Quicken Loans Arena. He was all out hustle, cleaning the boards and grabbing every pass for an easy dunk whether it was on an fast break in transition or off an alley-oop dunk on brilliant offensive execution.

(-)

Kevin Love, 7 points, 1-3 shooting, 3 fouls. Kevin Love is that one member of the group who doesn't do anything, but still the whole team gets an A in spite of him. 

Conclusion

Wow, for the first time in my coverage of the NBA Finals on my blog, a series is going all the way as I have predicted. In 2013, I had the Heat in 6, it went full 7 games with Miami on top. 2014, I had the Spurs in 7, it went 5 games with San Antonio on top. 2015, I had the Warriors in 7, it went 6 games with Golden State on top. This year, I predicted a 7-game series and it actually goes all the way to 7 games. Now that I got that out of the way, this is a new series now. Throw away the 2-0 lead, the 3-1 lead, both these teams are tied up and it's coming down to just one, decisive game. Who has most of the pressure? In my opinion, the Warriors have the most pressure. They've won 73 regular season games, they came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Thunder, they've had a chance to put the Cavs away in game 5 and game 6, but they failed to do that. Win or lose, the Warriors can either have the greatest season by any sports franchise of all time or have the biggest disappointment and choke job of all time. The pressure is on for this team, especially since the final game of the NBA season is on their home floor. The Cavs, do they believe? Yes, they believe and so does the city of Cleveland. They've rattled the Warriors in these last two games, they're confident that they could win on the Dubs' home floor, and they're confident they can become the first team in NBA history to climb out of a 3-1 deficit and win the championship. It will be interesting to see what history will unfold in game 7 in Oakland. I'll see you guys for that game.

2016 NBA Finals: Game 6: Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

GSW 100 CLE 113

LeBron James has reminded the basketball world of his greatness. Two back-to-back 41 point games and the Cavs have new life as they try to be the first team in NBA history to come back from 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. The Warriors have made it as close to as many as 8 points, but Cleveland has responded with each run Golden State had in them. The stage is set for an epic game 7.


Q3:

GSW 71 CLE 80

This has been a recurring theme in this game so far. The Cavs are putting the clamps on the Warriors and looked like they have all the momentum in the world. However, slowly, but surely, the Warriors keep grinding and they quietly creep back into the game. Klay Thompson has started to heat up for the Warriors as I predicted in the halftime post. As long as the Splash Bros have good games, the Warriors are in this game no matter how much the Cavs push behind LeBron and Irving.

Q2:

GSW 43 CLE 59

Despite the 20 point lead by the Cavs, you never count the Warriors out. The Warriors got it going in this quarter, jumpstarted by Steph Curry. At one point, the Warriors cut it to as many as 8, but the Cavs respond nicely with a run of their own. Unsung heroes are showing up for the Cavs though. Dahntay Jones being one example. Onto the halftime report.


Q1:

GSW 11 CLE 31

Man, was that game 5 victory for the Cleveland Cavaliers huge? This tremendous start is similar to the start they had in game 3. This time, everybody on the Cavs roster is getting involved and hitting shots and it all starts with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving immediately following up from their game 5 performance right off the bat. Their making the Warriors stagnant right now, but Golden State is also beating themselves too with turnovers, missed shots, and early foul trouble, which is why they're down by 20 to start.

Game 6 Halftime Post

GSW 43 CLE 59

Welcome in to the halftime post of game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the  Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers where the Cavs have a 43-59 lead at the half.

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CLE: Kyrie Irving, 20 points, 6-12 shooting. Kyrie stays hot and continues to have these hot starts while shooting efficiently from the field. If there's any reason that the Cavs are back in these series and could be the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals, Kyrie Irving is the reason.

CLE: Tristan Thompson, 11 points, 10 rebounds. Tristan Thompson brings a lot of energy for the Cavs obviously. In another elimination game, he's showing up big, cleaning up the boards and running off to the races for a couple of easy dunks to ignite the Cleveland crowd.

GSW: Stephen Curry, 18 points, 4-9 shooting. Great players have to carry their teams when they're down. Despite the early foul trouble, Curry is off to decent start and helped ignited the run the Warriors had in the 2nd quarter to cut the deficit.

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GSW: Harrison Barnes, 0 points, 0-6 shooting. The first four games these, Harrison Barnes was playing some solid basketball. He's quickly turning from hero to scapegoat and he's slumping bad in the worst case possible for the Dubs.

CLE: Kevin Love, 1 points, 3 fouls. Let's not talk about Kevin Love for the Cavs. He's non-existent.

CLE: J.R. Smith, 3 points, 1-4 shooting. Smith is relying on his 3 point shot too much this game. He has to go back to attacking the basket to put more pressure on the Warriors' defense.

Bottom Line

GSW: The Warriors have to take better care of the ball and have their deep roster to step up and find their game. Klay Thompson has to heat up for the 2nd half.

CLE: Keep running the offense through LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. They have continue to be physical upfront defensively to force a decisive game 7.

LeBron, Irving Power Cavs Past Warriors in Game 5

Welcome in to the full recap post of game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals where the Cleveland Cavaliers' season is extended for another game. They successfully prevent the Warriors from winning the 'chip on their home floor in a 112-97 victory behind virtuoso performances from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

If you're on the Cavs' side, this was a game they needed to extend this series to another game and once again, shift the series back to Cleveland. The Warriors were riding all the momentum up 3-1 despite Draymond Green's suspension, they wanted to try and cut the hearts out of the Cavaliers for that, but they did too much and the absence of Green was indeed felt. The sensational performances from LeBron and Kyrie this game were evident to how valuable Draymond Green is. Behind their two stars, the Cavs were just running laps around the Warriors' interior defense and it's one of the key reasons we're going to a game 6 in Cleveland.

GSW

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Klay Thompson, 37 points, 11-20 shooting. In a losing effort, Thompson was on an otherworldly level this game. For the most part of this game, he was putting the Dubs behind his back. The 2nd quarter was evident as he showed his unlimited range from beyond the arc much to the delight of the Oracle crowd. Defensively, I saw him work hard defending against Kyrie Irving. As much as good of a defense Klay played against Kyrie, Kyrie just edged him out with better offense. He played his heart out this game.

Andre Iguodala, 15 points, 11 rebounds, 6-13 shooting. When called upon into the starting lineup, Andre Iguodala delivers some solid numbers when coming into the starter's role. Like I said in the halftime post, in the midst of Green's suspension, Iguodala filled in admirably, doing his job on both ends of the floor and he finished with a solid game tonight.

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Harrison Barnes, 5 points, 2-14 shooting. It was a tough night for Harrison Barnes. Just when I give him credit for putting up solid, consistent performances in this series so far, he starts to stunk it up in a potential championship clincher. The Warriors got him more involved in the 2nd half; he had a lot of good looks from beyond the arc; Barnes was not hitting them tonight.

Supporting Cast. Draymond Green's absence not only placed a ripple effect on the Warriors' defense, but it also placed a ripple effect on the rest of the Dubs' supporting cast. The bench, despite outscoring the Cavs' bench by a lot was a non-factor and they were simply "frozen" by the Cavs' defense and the slashing prowess of both LeBron and Irving.

CLE

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Kyrie Irving, 41 points, 17-24 shooting. To sum it up, "Uncle Drew" was clearly unguardable this game. Like I said, Klay Thompson worked to defend Kyrie, but Kyrie still knocked shots down. Guarded by Steph Curry? Same result. It didn't matter who was guarding Kyrie Irving, he was finding ways to get it done and ensure that a game 6 happens back in Cleveland. 41 points, 71% shooting from the field, those are astonishing numbers put up by Irving.

LeBron James, 41 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 16-30 shooting. This guy ultimately took advantage of Draymond Green's average. This game that LeBron had took us back to circa 2012-2013 when James was still with the Miami Heat. His jumpshot that he developed during his Miami tenure was back in this game and he was hitting them all game long while playing his normal game in going to the basket and attacking the rim. LeBron definitely turned back the clock with this performance.

(-)

Kevin Love, 2 points, 1-5 shooting. Was there any reason to put Love back into the starting lineup for this elimination game? A complete non-factor this game.

Conclusion

The City of Cleveland can rejoice that the series is coming back to the "Land." This was a tremendous "go for broke" game that the Cavaliers needed and they got the job done in front of a very hostile Oracle crowd. You could tell that on the eve of Draymond Green's suspension, Warriors fans were going to come in hot, especially at LeBron and LeBron, as a great player, did what great players did and that's quiet down the crowd with a sensational performance. Kyrie Irving followed suit as well and turned in a clinic with his offensive arsenal over a good Warriors defense. For the Warriors, it was not the outcome they hoped for. They'll need to win it all again in Cleveland. They've done it before last year, but for sure, the Cavs will be well-prepared to ensure that this series goes a full seven games. They don't want their home crowd to suffer an encore of heartbreak. I'll see you guys for game 6 on Thursday.