SneakerReporter NBA Playoff Preview: Western Conference

SneakerReporter NBA Playoff Preview: Western Conference

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by | Aug 17, 2020 | Featured, NBA

With the Western Conference standings locked in as of today, with the Portland Trailblazers winning the race for eighth, we look at the Match-Ups going into Round One of the NBA Playoffs, kicking off Monday, August 17th.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #8 Portland Trailblazers

With the Trailblazers making the miracle run to the Playoffs after their recent win against the Memphis Grizzlies, they now face a formidable adversary in LeBron James and the first seeded Lakers. The Lakers, despite having won the regular season series 2-1, may have some turbulence against the Trailblazers, especially with the way Damian Lillard has been playing since the NBA Restart. This is exactly one of the biggest win conditions for both teams, to no surprise. Lillard and the Blazers know that the Lakers are emphasizing on containing him offensively, trying to force the ball out of his hands as much as they possibly can. This can benefit the Lakers having ranked 7th in defending 3-pointers, holding teams to 34.9% shooting when the Blazers are 4th in 3-point percentage at 37.6%.

#2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. #7 Dallas Mavericks

The ever so stacked Los Angeles Clippers kick off their off-season against one of the faces future of the league in Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Although the Clippers swept the regular season series, they cannot underestimate the talent on this Mavericks roster with names like Doncic, Porzingis, Curry, and the once Clipper Boban Marjanovic. The Mavericks will have quite the test however, playing against a team ranked 3rd in opponent FG%, with new additions in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the way.

#3 Denver Nuggets vs. #6 Utah Jazz

The Denver Nuggets have found themselves towards the top of the ladder this season, and will be facing off against Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz. Basketball fans are in for an offensive show, with both teams ranked in the Top 10 in FG%. A big emphasis to keep an eye on for this series is at the Center position. Reigning DPOY Rudy Gobert will be facing offensive powerhouse Nikola Jokic. A decent amount of the Nuggets offense is ran through Jokic, and with Gobert as the defensive anchor for the Jazz, wins can ultimately come down to who gets the better of the other coming into the series.

#4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. #5 Houston Rockets

The Oklahoma City Thunder, while against all odds, secured the 4th seed to face off against the Houston Rockets in quite the narrative overarching the entire season that was the Westbrook trade. The Rockets will be in quite a difficult predicament especially with Westbrook missing some games. Without Westbrook, the Rockets have a lacking presence in the paint, having committed to small ball. And with small ball, comes difficulty rebounding, which is a large problem for the Rockets because the Thunder have notable bigs Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel, both very capable rebounders. Another interesting point of contention for this match up is the 3. With small ball, the Houston Rockets live by the 3, with half of their offensive coming from beyond. This can make things a bit difficult, especially when the Thunder rank 3rd in opponent 3pt FG%.

With the match-ups all set and ready to go, NBA fans are ecstatic for the Playoffs to kick off today, August 17th.

 

 

Aug 17, 2020 No Comments
The Re-emergence of the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum

The Re-emergence of the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum

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by | Aug 16, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Throughout the NBA Bubble, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics have retained their 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference, with Tatum averaging 22.4ppg through 31.5mpg, less time than he had averaged prior to the NBA hiatus.

Prior to the hiatus:

The Celtics Forward was on absolute tear during the NBA Season prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Tatum increased all his averages across the board with points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks. Celtics fans and NBA fans league wide couldn’t help but acknowledge the level of basketball Tatum was playing coming into the New Year. And with that in mind, everyone was anticipating similar play from the young All-Star once the NBA Restart was announced, but unfortunately this path wasn’t a particularly smooth one for Tatum.

During the Restart:

Tatum’s stat averages per game can be shown above (see highlighted and below). If you didn’t see the game live, you’d be surprised to see Tatum score a mere 5 points on 2 of 18 shooting and 0 for 4 from three. Genuinely this is an unfortunate surprise to NBA fans to see such a off-night from Tatum. Although quite the rough start, it didn’t take long to bounce back, scoring a bubble-high 34 points the very next game. With quite the comeback game past, Tatum hit the ground running for the remainder of the bubble schedule.

Looking towards the Playoffs:

If Tatum and the Celtics can get back into pre-hiatus form, they’re set to make a deep Playoff run kicking off on August 17th. Going into the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Celtics will be facing the 6th seeded Philadelphia 76ers. Without star G/F in Ben Simmons, the 76ers are going to have an even more so difficult time defending the position-less basketball 2-4 for the Celtics in Smart, Brown, Tatum, and Hayward. This will however be a test for Tatum specifically, being one of the young unspoken leaders of this Celtics squad. We kick off game one, Celtics vs. 76ers on Monday, August 17th at 3:30p.m. on ESPN.

 

Aug 16, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns #1: Los Angeles Clippers

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns #1: Los Angeles Clippers

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by | Jul 30, 2020 | Featured, NBA

At the top spot, #1 we have the Los Angeles Clippers on our SneakerReporter Bubble Breakdowns. The new Clippers roster has quickly re-established themselves as a force in the Western Conference after the breakdown of Lob City years ago. The Clippers have been an organization that have struggled to progress through the NBA Playoffs, never quite making it to the Conference Finals. This may just be subject to change, now with NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and perennial All-Star Paul George having joined the team last offseason.

Although the Clippers players luckily did not encounter any issues with the Corona Virus, the Clippers will in fact be short handed upon the NBA Restart, with Patrick Beverly, Montrezl Harrell, and Lou Williams all not participating until further notice. The Clippers withheld the top spot in Bench scoring this season, and without Williams and Harrell coming off the bench, the scoring off the bench significantly drops.

I think some NBA fans have high hopes that an L.A. team will be the one to emerge from the Western Conference to play in the Finals, and as unfortunate as it sounds for other teams, their odds are arguable better than their opponents. Personally, I’d have to agree with such thoughts, it’s hard to deny Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on one team, alongside the large amount of acquisitions that the organization made throughout the season. Between Reggie Jackson, Joakim Noah, and Marcus Morris, the Clippers gained a large amount of solid players to fill for any holes that the Clippers may have. This Clippers team is very much a parallel of their Los Angeles counterparts. Both teams have a premier roster with well versed veteran presences, as well as young, up and coming players to compliment them.

Clippers’ Season In-Review (44-20, 2nd in West):

Although not withholding the 1st seed in the Western Conference, the Clippers are ranked in the league 3rd in Offensive Rating and 5th in Defensive Rating. This came fairly naturally for the Clippers, having a roster comprising heavily of two-way players like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Montrezl Harrell, Marcus Morris, and at times Patrick Beverly. During any given game, any player on this roster is susceptible of being the player who impacts the game heavily, which can be entirely frustrating for other teams because it makes defending them just as difficult as trying to score against them.

Looking Into the Bubble:

With this break in the action, although unwanted by many, was good for the Clippers, as many other teams because it gave them time to heal themselves physically and mentally. In regards to the Clippers, it was very much important because Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who in years past, have struggled to play on a consistent basis utilizing the load management to remain healthy throughout the season. This could have quite potentially been what the Clippers needed to refuel, which in turn is a scary thought for the other teams league wide.

Like many of other higher seeded teams coming into the restart, the Clippers have no real need to compete at a level that would put themselves at risk. However, the lack of players that will be on the floor for the Clippers makes things a bit difficult, for this is a time where players need to work out the kinks of competition. The Clippers don’t necessarily have the most difficult schedule, on the bright side. They face off against their biggest competition, according to the NBA Standings, in the Lakers, today. From there, the Clippers face-off against lower seeded teams from both Eastern and Western Conferences, which possibly provide a challenge for the undermanned Clippers. Regardless of it all, the Clippers kick their NBA Restart off tonight against the Lakers, 9:00 pm ET.

Jul 30, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns #2: Milwaukee Bucks

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns #2: Milwaukee Bucks

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by | Jul 29, 2020 | Featured, NBA

At #2 on our SneakerReporter Bubble Breakdown is the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have made trips to the Playoffs every year since 2016, and currently continues to this day, heading into the NBA Restart withholding the best record league wide going 53-12. The 2019 NBA MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo has been on a tear all season long through 57 games, average 29.6ppg, 13.7rpg, and 5.8apg.

Luckily for the organization, the entirety of the Bucks roster opted into the NBA Bubble which fully allows them to maintain their play style. Just by looking at them, it is very much apparent that the Bucks are big. There are many guys on this roster that are big with long arms with Giannis at the forefront of it all.

Despite being the 1st seeded team in the East, there are many individuals who are skeptical of the Bucks due to the past Playoff experiences, particularly last year where they made an exit in the Eastern Conference Finals against Kawhi Leonard and the 2019 NBA Champions, Toronto Raptors. Having said that, however, there’s much potential for things to be different this time.

Bucks’ Season In-Review: (53-12, 1st in East)

As discussed earlier, we talked about how having the full Bucks roster unlocks them to playing the way they want to play. With Giannis averaging more than he did last season, he alone is capable to contributing to the their wins in a multitude of ways through his scoring and also kicking out to the many shooters they have waiting on the outside ready to fire the 3, from George Hill, the Lopez twins, and Khris Middleton. Speaking on Middleton, he too has been averaging more than last season, a point where many people criticized him for not being able to contribute as much as we thought he could in the postseason. However this does not lie on Middleton’s shoulders alone, the entire Bucks offense needs to be capable of getting their own shots off the dribble rather than waiting for a shot on the three point line.

Looking Into the Bubble:

The Bucks need to ensure that they can consistently operate on offense, especially if Giannis isn’t having the game the we as fans expect him to have. They’re very much capable of shutting down teams offensively and getting out in transition, which is exactly where the Bucks want to be. The Bucks schedule, objectively, isn’t necessarily the hardest one out of all the teams but also does not imply that it’s a walk in the park either. The biggest competition that the Bucks may face in the Restart is facing off against Boston, Miami, Dallas, and Toronto. However, statistically, the Bucks should be capable of walking away from this schedule with a solid amount of wins, ultimately preparing for the NBA Playoffs.

Jul 29, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns #3: Los Angeles Lakers

SR – NBA Bubble Breakdowns #3: Los Angeles Lakers

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by | Jul 28, 2020 | Featured, NBA

As we get closer to the NBA Restart, we’ve reached the Top 3 on our NBA Bubble Breakdowns, with the 1st seed of the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers haven’t had much Playoff appearances since 2013. The team is now in a prime position to be making the first run in 7 years, and have lots of potential to make a deep run in the Playoffs.

Only one player on the Lakers roster, Guard Avery Bradley, has opted out of the NBA Bubble to be with his family. Bradley also vocalized himself alongside Nets Guard Kyrie Irving expressing their concern that the NBA Restart overshadowing the Black Lives Matter movement. Although Bradley’s veteran defensive savvy will be missed by the Lakers, they also signed NBA Free Agents in Dion Waiters and J.R. Smith, who will be returning to the floor after having not been apart of a roster since last season. Also starting PG for the Lakers Rajon Rondo will be out 6-8 weeks due to an injury to his thumb during the return process to the Restart.

Although the Lakers are currently seeded #1, which puts them in a premier position to make one of the deepest runs that they have had since their first round exit in 2013. Once again I must admit, being a lifelong Lakers fan, I have my hopes and biases towards the team. But I also must say that the Lakers can’t let up and take their foot off the gas at any point throughout the Playoffs.

Lakers’ Season In-Review (49-14, 1st in West)

Whether you’re a fan of the Lakers or not, it is hard to deny the sheer amount of excitement and electricity that they play with when they step out onto the floor. Having been referred to as Showtime Lakers 2.0, they’ve easily become the powerhouse that we all knew them once to be in the late 90’s early 2000’s. In comparison to the Lakers of last year, it’s quite clear that this year’s Lakers has a much stronger amount of depth of the bench. The Lakers have surrounded LeBron and AD with a multitude of veteran players, like Dwight Howard, Javale McGee, and Danny Green, to younger up and coming names like Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, and Quinn Cook. The only issue with this team is ensuring that these role players can play at high levels consistently. The team is currently ranked 5th in Offensive Rating and 3rd in Defensive Rating, ultimately showing the amount of talent that they have amongst their players. The Lakers bench, specifically, prior to the hiatus was contributing 34% to their scoring, and knowing that with such a percentage they withhold a 49-14 record, they are on a good pace going into the Playoffs if they are able to maintain such contributions. On the defensive end, the Lakers are more times than not averaging more blocks and steals per game than their opponents with 6.8bpg and 8.6spg. With such effectiveness on the defensive end is what truly unlocks the Lakers and allows them to play the brand of basketball that both we as fans and they as players have come to expect of themselves.

Looking into the Bubble:

The Lakers have quite the challenging schedule, having to face-off against the Clippers on opening night of the NBA Restart then followed by the 2nd seeded Raptors and many other Playoff contending teams like the Jazz, Thunder, and Rockets. There are many storylines that are associated with the Lakers this time around, and with that it’ll be an interesting journey to watch for the Lakers, as they come in with a team structure that wants to play big, in a league that has been dominated by small ball for many years now. Additionally to that, if LeBron is able to come out of the Restart as an NBA Champion, he’ll be apart of the short list of players to have one 3 NBA Titles with 3 different teams, which is perfectly contrasted to Clippers F Kawhi Leonard, someone who shares a similar story. We come closer and closer to seeing things come to fruition for the Lakers, come July 30th.

Jul 28, 2020 No Comments