4 days ago
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Remains of the Conference Finals
Update: After game 6, the Warriors titanic second half demonstrates which is the better team. The question for game 7 Monday is will the better team show up.
Two games in a row in which the Warriors lost by 3 and 4 points, and didn't score 100 in either game. One game can be nothing but itself. But two games in a row starts to look like a pattern. It starts to look like the Rockets have found something that works.
The Warriors must win their next two games to make the finals. It is their test of character as a team, and it is specifically a test of Kevin Durant.
LeBron James has taken Cleveland to a seventh game in the East. If he succeeds in carrying the Cavs to the Finals and Durant does not contribute to winning the West, the debate over who is the best player in the league is over.
The finals could be nothing like what everyone expected. How weird if neither Golden State nor Cleveland is in them. How much weirder still if Cleveland is, but the Warriors are not.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Going Into (and Out of) Game 5
The Western Conference finals enter the usually crucial fifth game, which the Houston Rockets made crucial again by winning the fourth game, topping the Warriors by 3 points at Golden State.
By doing so, the Rockets made it a series, and could take control of it with a game 5 win at home. Because of home court and the short duration between games 3, 4 and 5, Houston will be the favorite.
The won't win, though. If game 4 was a test of James Harden's legacy, game 5 is a test of the Warriors, and specifically Kevin Durant. Durant had chances to nail down the win in game 4 but rushed his shots and failed to play Warrior team basketball.
The team that wins game 5 has two games to win their fourth, with both teams having a home game remaining. They both won a game on the road. By winning the first game, the Warriors still have an advantage in the game to game adjustments, going into game 5.
They should have Iguodala back, a crucial player against this Houston lineup. The first three games were blowouts. In game 4, the two teams alternated dominating quarters: the Warriors won the first and third, the Rockets won the second and fourth. Game 5 may finally be the game that is close from start to finish. Or not. These two teams are unusual.
The Rockets are hungry. They know that the winner of this series is a prohibitive favorite to win the championship. But the Warriors are champions, and more than in any game in the past two playoffs, they must prove it in game 5.
The Warriors will win game 5 on the road, and game 6 at home to wrap up the series.
There is not much to say about the Eastern conference, except that with both teams winning their home games, the advantage still lies with Boston. The likely remaining question is whether they win it in 6 or 7.
By doing so, the Rockets made it a series, and could take control of it with a game 5 win at home. Because of home court and the short duration between games 3, 4 and 5, Houston will be the favorite.
The won't win, though. If game 4 was a test of James Harden's legacy, game 5 is a test of the Warriors, and specifically Kevin Durant. Durant had chances to nail down the win in game 4 but rushed his shots and failed to play Warrior team basketball.
The team that wins game 5 has two games to win their fourth, with both teams having a home game remaining. They both won a game on the road. By winning the first game, the Warriors still have an advantage in the game to game adjustments, going into game 5.
They should have Iguodala back, a crucial player against this Houston lineup. The first three games were blowouts. In game 4, the two teams alternated dominating quarters: the Warriors won the first and third, the Rockets won the second and fourth. Game 5 may finally be the game that is close from start to finish. Or not. These two teams are unusual.
The Rockets are hungry. They know that the winner of this series is a prohibitive favorite to win the championship. But the Warriors are champions, and more than in any game in the past two playoffs, they must prove it in game 5.
The Warriors will win game 5 on the road, and game 6 at home to wrap up the series.
There is not much to say about the Eastern conference, except that with both teams winning their home games, the advantage still lies with Boston. The likely remaining question is whether they win it in 6 or 7.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Going Into Game 4
The Golden State Warriors won game 3 at home by the historic margin of 41 points, and set a new NBA record for consecutive wins at home in the playoffs. Best of all for the home team, Steph Curry had a monster third quarter, hitting 7 of 7, including four 3s. He became the game's high scorer with 35.
As one commentator observed, when Steph gets hot at the Oracle Arena, for fans it's like a religious experience. It envelopes that building in wonder and joy.
But as the Warriors know, this is half of what they must do. Houston must win game 4 to have any reasonable chance in the series, and the Warriors must win it to stay in control of the series.
The anomaly of the series so far is that there hasn't yet been a game in which both teams play at a high level. We haven't yet seen that game that comes down to the last minutes. If we are going to see one, it's probably going to be game 4.
James Harden's likely MVP won't be worth much to his reputation unless he can lead his team to a victory in game 4. Chris Paul must be hearing the talk that he doesn't look right on the floor. Can he counter that talk, as Steph Curry did?
But the Warriors at home know this is their best shot at avoiding the uncertainty of a game 7 in Houston. It's usually game 5 that is the most significant, after game 1. But in this series, it's game 4. The situation suggests it will be a brutally physical game, and the final score will be close.
The fly in the ointment for the Dubs is whether Andre Iguodala is healthy enough to perform well in game 4. On Monday he was listed as doubtful because of a bruised knee. However, X-rays came back clean, so it will all depend on how sore his knee is on Tuesday morning.
Game 4 is at 6 pm at Oracle.
In the East, Cleveland won their home games and the series is tied at 2-2. So it's still a series. It was all LeBron in game 4, so it seems the series is up to him. Boston doesn't have to win anywhere but in Boston. Cleveland has to take one on the road--even if it's game 7.
In baseball, Brandon Belt is on a home run tear. He's hit 5 homers in the past seven games, including a three run shot that provided the winning margin on Sunday for the San Francisco Giants. Brandon Crawford is also having a terrific month at the plate. After winning streaks, losing streaks and splits, the Giants head out on an 8 game homestand at .500, and in the hunt.
As one commentator observed, when Steph gets hot at the Oracle Arena, for fans it's like a religious experience. It envelopes that building in wonder and joy.
But as the Warriors know, this is half of what they must do. Houston must win game 4 to have any reasonable chance in the series, and the Warriors must win it to stay in control of the series.
The anomaly of the series so far is that there hasn't yet been a game in which both teams play at a high level. We haven't yet seen that game that comes down to the last minutes. If we are going to see one, it's probably going to be game 4.
James Harden's likely MVP won't be worth much to his reputation unless he can lead his team to a victory in game 4. Chris Paul must be hearing the talk that he doesn't look right on the floor. Can he counter that talk, as Steph Curry did?
But the Warriors at home know this is their best shot at avoiding the uncertainty of a game 7 in Houston. It's usually game 5 that is the most significant, after game 1. But in this series, it's game 4. The situation suggests it will be a brutally physical game, and the final score will be close.
The fly in the ointment for the Dubs is whether Andre Iguodala is healthy enough to perform well in game 4. On Monday he was listed as doubtful because of a bruised knee. However, X-rays came back clean, so it will all depend on how sore his knee is on Tuesday morning.
Game 4 is at 6 pm at Oracle.
In the East, Cleveland won their home games and the series is tied at 2-2. So it's still a series. It was all LeBron in game 4, so it seems the series is up to him. Boston doesn't have to win anywhere but in Boston. Cleveland has to take one on the road--even if it's game 7.
In baseball, Brandon Belt is on a home run tear. He's hit 5 homers in the past seven games, including a three run shot that provided the winning margin on Sunday for the San Francisco Giants. Brandon Crawford is also having a terrific month at the plate. After winning streaks, losing streaks and splits, the Giants head out on an 8 game homestand at .500, and in the hunt.
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