Dubs Dynasty Re-Born | A Warriors MyLeague Franchise

[marshdaddy]

03-11-20 NBA Headlines.jpg

Warrior Notes
The faces have changed but the rivalry seems to still be present between Golden State and the Clippers. The Warriors snagged their second win over Los Angeles, giving them a 2-1 season series edge, on the back of 30 points from Stephen Curry and a 28-point, 16-rebound double-double from Jaylen Brown. Brown continues to prove night after night that he has the chops to be a leading man on a championship roster. The 23-year-old has seen his scoring averages leap from 16.4 prior to joining the Warriors to 17.6, thanks to an electric stretch of 15 games in which he’s scored more than 20 in all but one.

The Clippers got superstar play from their dynamic wing duo of Paul George (40 points, six rebounds, three assists) and Kawhi Leonard (29 points, 14 rebounds, two assists), but struggled to get consistent production elsewhere. Los Angeles didn’t utilize Montrezl Harrell often in pick-and-rolls, allowing Draymond Green to play safety in the lane for much of the night. While Green’s presence inside certainly didn’t prevent George and Leonard to getting into the paint and finishing, not having a legitimate fifth offensive weapon on the court for Los Angeles is worth watching when the Warriors and Clippers meet for a fourth and final time on April 11 in Los Angeles.

Golden State is in the midst of a stretch of games that many expected to test, and potentially break, their facade of being a legitimate championship contender. They have responded to the test with flying colors, beating the Lakers, Nuggets, Raptors, 76ers and now Clippers all by double-figures. The Clippers game was certainly the most competitive, needing an 11-point advantage in the fourth quarter for the victory. The Warriors still have dates with Milwaukee, Toronto and Detroit on the horizon, and a meeting with the Nets on Thursday who, despite their recent struggles, are still fighting for a playoff spot. The hardest part of the stretch is likely behind them, and they aren’t out of the woods just yet, but they are proving that despite a relatively unheralded supporting cast, Curry, and now Brown, are capable of taking this team far.


Around the Association
There’s no point in providing in-depth updates every night as wins and loss slightly adjust the playoff picture. That being said, the Nets loss to the Lakers sends them into a two-way tie with the Heat for the final playoff spot in the East, while an Orlando loss knocks them one step back.

With less than 20 games to play in the regular season, potentially one of the most intriguing storylines to keep an eye on doesn’t even have any impact on the playoff hunt. Over the summer, the Pacers acquired Malcolm Brogdon in and sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, sending the 2020 first round pick to the Bucks in the process. This season has gone far from expected for the Pacers, who are sitting on just 21 wins and own the league’s fourth worst record.

The Bucks, meanwhile, are charging. They are tied with the Chicago Bulls for the third seed in the Eastern Conference and Giannis has been playing at an MVP-level for the second consecutive year. What the Bucks appear to be missing is a bonafide second fiddle. Khris Middleton has been reliable, and has played at an All Star level. Eric Bledsoe has also been valuable, and Brook Lopez is a consistent stretch five. The thing separating the Bucks from the top of the NBA hierarchy is a superstar to pair with Giannis.

Enter the Pacers pick.

By all accounts, the 2020 NBA Draft class is far from elite, but that doesn’t mean the Bucks can’t gleam value from owning the Pacers selection. The talk around the trade deadline was that the Bucks were shopping the Pacers pick in an attempt to add another piece moving forward. Those talks obviously never got off the ground, with the Bucks remaining intact after the February deadline. The rumors of them shopping the pick, however, remain prevalent.

Milwaukee has long been trying to stay over the luxury tax, which was certainly part of the reason Brogdon was allowed to walk, and eventually traded, in the first place. But the clock is ticking on a championship window, with Giannis’ opportunity to sign his super-max extension this summer exacerbating the need to make a move now.

The Bucks have some intriguing pieces on their roster, and how the playoffs play out will likely be an indication on how they use the pick and pieces. Could they package the pick, along with young assets, in a deal to land Bradley Beal? What type of availability is there for Chris Paul, and how do they make the money work? Is there another superstar on the verge of asking out?

With no clear answers for those questions likely until after the playoffs there leaves only one certainty: no matter how the Bucks end up, the Pacers pick is becoming more and more valuable by the day.

[marshdaddy]

March 24, 2020 Update

League Notes
Since losing to the Warriors, the Nuggets have gone 9-1 and risen from the battle for the West’s final playoff spot into the fifth seed. They are far from out of the woods, holding just a 0.5 game edge of the Jazz for the five spot, and sit just two games ahead of the Timberwolves who have fallen to eighth.

Utah, who at one point were battling with the Clippers in the four-five slots, have lost five straight games and now are fighting to stay in the race. Things didn’t get better when they lost Rudy Gobert to a right knee injury that is expected to sideline him for 1-2 weeks.

Minnesota has gone 2-4 over their last sixth, seeing their one-time lead in the six spot disappear. Now, they are back to battling for their playoff lives, holding a one-game edge over Oklahoma City for the West’s final playoff spot. D’Angelo Russell injured his right ankle in the Timberwolves latest loss but isn’t expected to miss extended time.

Miami, Atlanta and Toronto are looking to secure the East’s final playoff spots. Separated by 0.5 games, the three teams have put distance between themselves and the Nets and Magic. Brooklyn has fallen out, now sitting two games back of the Raptors for the East’s final spot, while the Magic are 1.5 back.

As the Bucks eye redemption in this summer’s playoffs, Kyle Korver announced it will be the final games of his career. Korver, originally drafted in 2003 by the Philadelphia 76ers, has been one of the league’s greatest three-point threats, shooting a career 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, a mark he is currently at in his 17th season. With 2,474 career three-point field goals, Korver will retire fourth all-time, behind only Ray Allen (2,973), Stephen Curry (2,844) and Reggie Miller (2,560).

[marshdaddy]

Award Season Update

Stephen Curry has been named the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player for the 2020-21 NBA season, the league announced tonight during the NBA Awards. Curry joins LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as the only players to win three or more MVPs.

“We could not be more proud of Stephen Curry for earning his historic third MVP award,” said Bob Myers, Golden State Warriors President of Basketball Operations. “Stephen has an unmatched commitment work ethic and has played a monumental role in reshaping the NBA geography. This season and award is a culmination of years of dedication that has made Stephen into one of the game’s all-time greats, both on and off the court. On behalf of Warriors ownership, the entire Warriors organization and Warriors fans across the globe, we congratulate Stephen for winning MVP.”

Curry rewrote the NBA record books during the 2019-20 season, becoming the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 35 points, finishing with a league-leading 35.5 points per game. Additionally, he set the NBA record for most three-point field goals in a single season, finishing with 415, surpassing the record of 402 that he set during his last MVP season in 2015-16. Curry had averages of 6.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting career-best 52.7% from the floor, 45.1% from beyond the arc and a career-best 94.7% from the free throw line.

A first-team All-NBA selection, Curry was named the NBA Player of the Month in November, January and March and was named NBA player of the week six times. Curry was named a captain of the NBA All Star Game.

The full list of award recipients is below.

NBA MVP
Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors

Defensive Player of the Year
Anthony Davis, F, Los Angeles Lakers

Sixth Man of the Year
Eric Gordon, G, Houston Rockets

Most Improved Players
Bam Adebayo, C, Miami Heat

Rookie of the Year
Ja Morant, G, Memphis Grizzlies

[marshdaddy]

All-NBA Teams Announced

The NBA announced the All-NBA first, second and third teams today, with the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry named to the All-NBA 1st team. Curry, who directed the Warriors to a 68-win campaign, is also a finalist for the NBA MVP award.

Curry put together a historic season, becoming the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 35 points per game, joining Warrior legends Rick Barry and Wilt Chamberlain on the list. He also broke the three-point field goal record he set in 2016, finishing the year with 415 threes.

Curry was joined on the first team by James Harden (Houston Rockets), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets). All three All-NBA teams are below.

1st Team
Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors
James Harden, G, Houston Rockets
Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Milwaukee Bucks
LeBron James, F, Los Angeles Lakers
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

2nd Team
Kyrie Irving, G, Brooklyn Nets
Ben Simmons, G, Philadelphia 76ers
Anthony Davis, F, Los Angeles Lakers
LaMarcus Aldridge, F, San Antonio Spurs
Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers

3rd Team
Russell Westbrook, G, Houston Rockets
Damian Lillard, G, Portland Trail Blazers
Kawhi Leonard, F, Los Angeles Clippers
Blake Griffin, F, Detroit Pistons
Andre Drummond, C, Detroit Pistons

[marshdaddy]

All Defensive Teams Named

The NBA announced the first and second All-Defensive teams today. The Western Conference saw six of the 10 spots represented with three of the first team recipients coming from the West.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis headlined the forward positions, each of whom are finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award. The full list of both teams is below.

1st Team
Eric Bledsoe, G, Milwaukee Bucks
Jrue Holiday, G, New Orleans Pelicans
Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Milwaukee Bucks
Anthony Davis, F, Los Angeles Lakers
Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz

2nd Team
Marcus Smart, G, Boston Celtics
Chris Paul, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
Kawhi Leonard, F, Los Angeles Clippers
LeBron James, F, Los Angeles Lakers
Andre Drummond, C, Detroit Pistons

[marshdaddy]

May 14, 2020 NBA Playoffs Update

The Conference Finals are set, with the top seeds in the Western Conference, Golden State and Los Angeles Lakers, squaring off. Meanwhile in the East, top-seeded Philadelphia makes their march to the Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, who upset the Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference Semis.

Before diving into the respective matchups, let’s first look back at how we got here.

First Round
Western Conference
Golden State and Los Angeles had little trouble dispatching their first round opponents, Oklahoma City and Utah, respectively. Though the Lakers did have to labor through to a sixth game while the Warriors were out in just five, the Lakers never seemed to feel or look in trouble.

In the 3-6 matchup, meanwhile, the Houston Rockets and their small ball attack were downed by a red hot San Antonio squad led by All NBA Second Team forward LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, with the Spurs winning the series in seven games. The 4-5 matchup also went seven, with the fifth seeded Clippers defeating the Nuggets.

Eastern Conference
Top-seeded Philadelphia and second-seeded Milwaukee both swept their way through the first round, while Boston downed the Pistons in six games. Chicago, who had enjoyed a surprisingly successful season in gaining the fourth seed seemed destined to advance after building a 3-1 series lead. However, Jimmy Butler returned from a toe injury to lead the Heat comeback, with Miami taking the deciding game seven in Chicago.

Conference Semifinals
Western Conference
The Warriors and Clippers re-ignited their rivalry in their second round series, but while the games were competitive the series was not. Golden State dominated the first quarters of games one, two and four in sweeping the Clippers. With Klay Thompson returning from injury, the Warriors offense suddenly had a plethora of weapons, too much for the Clippers to handle.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both played exceptionally well, but Patrick Beverly struggled on both ends of the floor and Lou Williams was unable to be the offensive spark he was in the 2019 playoff matchup with Golden State.

San Antonio’s cinderella run was ended quickly by the Lakers, as LeBron James and company dispatched of the Spurs in five games. The Lakers have been dominant, and heading into their first Western Conference Finals since 2010, they have gotten contributions from all spots on their roster.

Eastern Conference
If there was any concern about Giannis Antetokounmpo leaving the Bucks next summer, those fears grew exponentially in the second round. The Boston Celtics and their deep roster were able to take away the bench depth of the Bucks, winning the series in six games. With All Stars at multiple positions across the court, the Celtics were able to outman the Giannis-led Bucks to send Milwaukee home yet again.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, got a handful with the Heat. Miami went up 2-0 on the 76ers before Philadelphia won both games three and four in Miami. The road teams were again victorious in games five and six, pushing the series to a deciding Game 7 in Philly. The 76ers managed to break the home losing streak there, defeating the Heat and making their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2001.

Conference Finals Previews
Western Conference
Golden State Warriors vs (2) Los Angeles Lakers
This is hardly the matchup many people predicted at the beginning of the season, but after 82 games and two rounds of the playoffs, there should be little doubt that these are the best two teams in the Western Conference, if not the NBA. Golden State is led by the MVP, Stephen Curry, and with the return of Klay Thompson, the Warrior offense is as potent as ever, while LeBron James finished second in MVP voting and continues to be a dominant force.

Why the Warriors can win
Curry and Jaylen Brown proved to be a problem enough for the Lakers during the regular season, but inserting Thompson to the mix will surely stretch the Lakers and thin on defense. Draymond Green is also playing at an extremely high level, including a 12-point, 12-rebound, 15-assist triple-double in the clinching Game 4 against the Clippers.

The Lakers lack of defensive consistency at the guard position is reason to be concerned. James and Danny Green should be up to the task of chasing around Thompson and Brown on defense, but who do you put on Curry? Rajon Rondo is aging, Quin Cook is more of a sheet that a wall on defense, and Alex Caruso is unproven. You could theoretically slide Green to cover Curry, James to take over Thompson or Brown, and ask Davis to take on the other, but Davis is not nearly as athletic as either of those two and is liable to get lost chasing either of them around.

That doesn’t account for Green’s recent offensive improvements. If Green is productive on offense, the Lakers could be starting at as a difficult of a defensive assignment as they’ve seen.

Why the Lakers can win
LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It’s as simple as that. If the Lakers’ All-NBA duo is playing at an elite level, the Lakers will be tough to defeat. As much as the Curry-Thompson-Brown trio poses matchup problems for the Lakers, James and Davis do the same on the other end. The defensive assignments will likely be given to Brown and Green, but with players like James and Davis, it’s not a matter of stopping them, but merely trying to slow them down.

The Warriors have preferred to play Green at the five, but the wild card of this matchup will be the play of Dwight Howard and the availability of JaVale McGee. When they have both been healthy against the Warriors, the Lakers are 2-0. When McGee missed the final two meetings, the Lakers dropped both of them by double-digits.

Both players are far more athletic and talented than Ed Davis, and if the Lakers can get both on the court at the same time, they’ll have a massive height advantage. The Warriors have relied on only Davis as their big man, with Green, Looney and Paschall playing the four beside him. If the Lakers can get all their bigs healthy and on the court at the same time, the Warriors will have difficult decisions to make and even harder matchups.

Where the series is decided
Obviously it’s decided by the team’s elite players, Curry and James, but that’s a cop out answer. It’ll be decided by the play of Howard and McGee for the Lakers and Green and Davis for the Warriors. If the Lakers have both bigs healthy, I don’t have confidence in the Warriors being able to bang around inside with them, Davis and James.

That being said, if Green can hold his own on defense and continue to contribute on offense, the Warriors have more than enough of a chance. Davis is a huge wild card, and the Warriors did use him against the Thunder. He’s not an offensive weapon, which can clog the paint for the Warriors driving attack. The Warriors are certainly a great three-point shooting team, but if they can’t get inside and those shots don’t fall, they’ll be in trouble.

Eastern Conference
Philadelphia 76ers vs (3) Boston Celtics
It took drama, but the 76ers are finally back in the Eastern Conference Finals. And while the Celtics are not foreigners to this situation, it’s a surprise nonetheless that they managed to upset the Bucks and make here.

Why the 76ers can win
Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are dominant forces, and with Simmons at the point the 76ers offense and defense is dominant. Simmons not only has an extreme athletic and height advantage over Kemba Walker, but he’s also playing at a higher level right now. With Simmons at the point, and Josh Richardson and Tobias Harris on either side, the 76ers are forcing the Celtics to choose where to put Walker if they decide to have Marcus Smart or Jayson Tatum take on Simmons.

This is the type of role Simmons thrives in, and if he gets going the Celtics could be in trouble. Embiid, meanwhile, is always a threat to feast. If their All NBA duo is on their game, the 76ers could be looking towards June basketball.

Why the Celtics can win
Jayson Tatum is playing the best basketball of his young career, and the Celtics are playing the best basketball of their season. They stared down the beast of Giannis and didn’t blink, and you can make the case that Simmons’ game is a close cousin of what Giannis brings to the table. Tatum and Hayward are proving to be a dangerous duo, and Walker is still an offensive threat.

Clint Capela is thriving as well, putting up multiple double-doubles and filling in nicely on both ends of the court. Capela also hasn’t been exposed on the perimeter and the Celtics should be confident that he won’t be exposed here either. He’s a good enough defender underneath to bang with Embiid, and an athletic rim runner on the other end to put pressure on the 76ers defense.

Where the series is decided
This is why the Celtics dealt away the promise of Jaylen Brown to get back three first round picks and Capela. Capela was a perfect defensive match in the Conference Semifinals, but the true reason was for matchups against Embiid. If Capela can slow Embiid while providing his own punch on offense, the Celtics should be competing for banner number 18.

For the Sixers, the series is decided on Simmons. Embiid may be the better overall player, and he certainly has the heart of Philadelphia fans, but the 76ers rise and fall with Simmons. If he can get to the rim, score at will against weaker defenders, and keep the rest of the group in the game, the 76ers will be tough to beat. But if he is prevented from getting to the rim, or the paint becomes too crowded, Simmons will suffer, and so too will the Sixers.

[RolePlayer]

This has looked great so far, keep it up

[marshdaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by RolePlayer

This has looked great so far, keep it up

Appreciate it! Coming back with some updates for the Finals and off season shortly.