Before we begin Eddie and I would like to thank I *Heart* Celtics for giving us the inspiration to do this and for being the funniest sports blog out there despite their hiatus and the fact that they’re Celtics fans. PLEASE come back, guys. Celtic Nation needs you.This past season like the ones before it has been one full with surprises, heartache, and excitement. My good buddy Eddie from ThatDude's Sports Page and I were going to write a recap of the season, but that would be boring. So we decided in Beastie Boys, Golden Age style fashion, to make a re-rap of the season. See what we did there? Stay away from flammable objects when reading because these rhymes are fire.
Curry and Draymond in the no flex zone
Curry and Draymond in the no flex zone
LeBron carrying a team to the finals on his own
Golden State won it with splashes from Curry
But they beat the Cavs without Love and Irving
Andrew Wiggins won Rookie of the Year
But his rival Jabari Parker had an ACL tear
Anthony Davis on the block, swatting like mosquito
Harden looking like black swan heading to the free throw
37 in a quarter, man Klay went off
And in Dallas Rondo told Carlisle to eff off
Miami missed the playoffs, man nothing was the same
Paul Pierce for the win cuz he called game
Clippers once again looking like a top contender
Then falling short, no-one surprise by those pretenders
The Thunder lost KD, oh boy they’re in trouble
But Westbrook messed around and got 11 triple doubles
Damn, another NBA season has gone by
But we still have time to kick some rhymes
The Knicks still suck but that’s not news
And the Lakers can’t stand being bad, boo-hoo
Word.
Eastern Conference Standings
Cleveland Runs away with the East Again (Because the Bulls don't have what it takes)
Wizards Pull a Hoodini and Switch Spots with Toronto
John Wall, the former #1 pick, finally showed D.C. his worth. If it wasn't for an unfortunate injury, the Wizards would have cake-walked past the Hawks and THEN get brutally destroyed by a freight train named LeBron. But now Wall is healthy; and Beal is only getting better. Wizards get the 3 seed. The Raptors haven't improved; so they get the 4th seed. They play isolation ball and live above the rim. Yeah, they signed DeMarre Carroll, but on the other hand...they signed DeMarre Carroll. Yeah, they also signed Anthony Bennett, but on the other hand...they signed Anthony Bennett. Basically this generation's Kwame Brown. Bismack Biyombo might be a good pick up though. Young Bucks and a Sunny Season (Heat #5 Bucks #6)
Miami had a disappointing season last year but things are looking sunny in South Beach. Bosh is healthy and Whiteside has been working with Juwan Howard in the off-season. Gerald Green and Amar'e are nice pick-ups. Goran re-signed and they got Justise Winslow, who has yet to show us something, but is still a steal in the draft. And, most importantly, for the first time in 4 years Wade had an extra 2 months to recover. Milwaukee may have managed to muscle past obscurity this season without their first rounder Jabari Parker, but they will end the season in the same spot as last year. Even though Game 6 was a slaughter they did give the Bulls a hard time in the playoffs. We're liking the direction the Bucks are going. They're a young team with lots of talent: Giannis, MCW, Jabari Parker, and Jerryd Bayless is an X Factor. The Greg Monroe pick-up is also going to shake things up. We also like Jason Kidd as a coach. He has no expectations and nothing to lose. It’s gonna be fun seeing what he does for them in the next couple of years.
The Quick Rise and The Quick Fall
There's no argument that the loss of El Trece last year was a big blow for the Pacers. A team that once gave the LeBron-Era Heat trouble, quickly dropped to not even making the playoffs. But now he's back and so are the Pacers in the playoff picture. The question that remains, however, is just how healthy is Paul George? Can he go back to his dominant self? The Pacers did make a nice acquisition of Monta Ellis, but in end, the Pacers success depends on PG. And I guess losing Roy Hibbert is somewhat of a loss since he was a part of their presence, but that's more of a footnote. While the Pacers are on their way up the Hawks will fall. And oh what a fall from grace it will be. The Hawks had the top three most hyped season behind the Cavs and the Warriors. Having four players win player of the month and Korver’s near 50-50-90 season was good fodder for the East but proved to mean nothing in the playoffs as they had a scare against the Wall-less Wizards and the talent-less Nets. Losing DeMarre is a tough blow; and Jeff Teague, although we like the kid, is not going to be the answer the Hawks want him to be. So we can all stop blowing Budenholzer for blowing Popovich and adopting his coach and playing style because the Hawks proved that no and I mean NO style of play supersedes talent (ahem Knicks and Phil Jackson’s Triangle Offense.)
Western Conference Standings
Rockets Clip Warriors for the #1 Spot
James Harden carried the Rockets throughout the season and they notched a #2 spot. Let us reiterate, Harden, with an unhealthy Dwight Howard, led the Rockets to being the second best team in the Western Conference. Losing Josh Smith won’t even hurt them much because Ty Lawson might be the Mr. Right that Houston needs. He’s an elite point guard who can score and dish the rock effectively and consistently. If he averaged 9 assists with the Nuggets, he’ll have a blast with the Rockets. H-Town will once again be the dominant Texas team. The Clippers may be projected to be #2, but they have the best roster in franchise history. Meaning, if they don’t make it to the conference finals, they're a lost cause. With DeAndre back, Lance Stephenson, Paul Pierce, Josh Smith, and Austin Rivers occasionally balling out, Chris Paul and Doc Rivers have what it takes to make a championship team. Last season Blake Griffin missed 15 games and the Clips were 4 games shy of a 60 win season. The Rockets were also 4 games shy and Dwight missed half of the season. It’s safe to say that both teams will have remarkable seasons.
Warriors get Spurred and Drop to #4 Spot
Before we dive right into the Warriors and their fall, let’s talk about the Spurs. The moves they’ve made this off-season can’t be ignored. They’ve kept their already successful core alive with Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, and the rising star Kawhi, and added the proven all-star Lamarcus Aldridge. Duncan and Aldridge? Sounds like Robinson and Duncan 2.0. The David West addition also allows for a nice backup who brings a physical intensity to the game. Many people have the Spurs at the #1 seed, but with Pop’s history of resting starters frequently and the time it takes to get the team chemistry right, Spurs get the 3 seed. Yes, the Warriors are the defending champs, and yes, they basically kept their entire team intact...but that’s exactly the problem! It's difficult to be successful using the same thing twice. This isn’t cooking where if you stick to the same recipe, you’re in good shape, this is the NBA: Where Adaption Happens. It’s hard for us to imagine Curry matching or topping last season. It won’t be long before opponents realize how to contain him. The Warriors will still be a top contender for the belt, but they’ll have to do so at the 4 seed.
Thunder Storm the Grizzlies to Take the Fifth Seed
Even when not making the playoffs, the Thunder had one of the more exciting seasons, solely because of Russell Westbrook. Now the once title favorites have their once MVP Kevin Durant back from injury and a new coach to lead them. Billy Donovan, the former coach for the Florida Gators, will now take the reigns from Scott Brooks to hopefully lead the team to a championship. However, the Thunder’s success depends on the two-headed monster of Durant and Westbrook. The Thunder can only go as far they can take them and they can’t do it without each other. As soon as OKC plays like an actual team, they can be contenders once again. The Grizzlies these past years have been a consistent middle-of-the-pack team in the West. They’ll continue that trend in the 2015-2016 season, just to a lighter extent. Randolph and Gasol are still leading the ‘Grind and Pound’ of the Grizzlies identity, but how far has that gotten them? A Western Conference Finals appearances where they ended up getting swept? The West keeps getting better and the Grizzlies keep doing what they always do—being good enough to make the playoffs–but never good enough to be taken as a serious threat.
Pelicans Fly Over Sacramento for the Seventh Spot
Anthony Davis is already being considered the third best player in the NBA and it’s justified. Since being drafted in 2012, all of his stats have improved. In two years he went from 13.5 ppg to 24.4. He would’ve been higher on the MVP ladder if his supporting cast wasn’t so unsupporting. The Pelicans will do better because Davis will be better. Until they get another all-star, they’ll go as far as he takes them, yet again. The Kings haven’t seen the postseason in 10 years. With a small market, they've struggled to attain the necessary talent to get them past the drought. They have the best center in the league in DeMarcus Cousins and he might be a loose cannon, but he puts up numbers. Even though they recently got Rajon Rondo, they already have a solid point guard in Darren Collison who averaged 16 ppg and 5 asts last season. Rondo and Cousins both have notorious attitudes, but they’re Kentucky boys, so they should get along well. Rudy Gay can give them 20 and 5 every night and Reggie Evans and Willie Cauley-Stein will provide a good post presence. We’re not saying the Kings will be a shoe-in for the 8th seed. We’re saying that next season they’ll be the team that will come out of the dogfight victorious and get swept in the first round.
