Unanimous Selections James Harden & Lebron James Headline All-NBA First Team

Unanimous Selections James Harden & Lebron James Headline All-NBA First Team

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by | May 24, 2018 | Featured, NBA

The All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams were announced earlier on Thursday and it’s hard to see anyone being upset with how the voting went. James Harden & Lebron James were the only two players receiving unanimous votes for the First Team, which likely shows when the MVP award is announced that they were the only two players even considered. The remainder of the First Team was filled out by Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard.

Twitter doesn’t seem to be happy with seeing Lillard on that team but if you can put his dreadful playoff performance to the side, he averaged 26.9ppg and 6.6apg per game, while leading the Blazers to the third seed in the always tough Western Conference. No shock seeing Durant, who averaged 26.4ppg while shooting at an amazingly efficient rate and becoming an excellent defender. Also no shock seeing Davis here, who averaged 28.1ppg while being Mr. Everything for the Pelicans after DeMarcus Cousins was lost for the season.

The Second Team was led by Russell Westbrook and Demar DeRozan at the guard positions. They were joined by Joel Embiid, LaMarcus Aldridge and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Again, no real surprises here.

The Third Team had Steph Curry and Victor Oladipo at the guards, while Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Town and Paul George rounded out the squad. Curry only played in 51 games this season, which clearly caused him to fall to the Third Team this season.

One of the biggest effects of making or not making an All-NBA team is the type of money a player may or may not be eligible for when negotiating their next deals.

For example, Bobby Marks reported that “Anthony Davis has now met the super max criteria (All-NBA in 2 out of 3 seasons) and is eligible to sign the largest contract in NBA history next summer (2019). The extension projects to be worth $230 million with a cap hit in 2020-21 starting at $39.7 million.”

So clearly it was a great day for Davis but the same can’t be said for someone like Klay Thompson. Since he failed to make any of the three teams, he is not eligible for the Super Max contract this summer. He could be eligible next summer but only if he winds up making one of the All-NBA teams for the 2018-2019 season. If he misses it again next season, the Warriors will save some substantial money on his next deal.

The two closest players in the voting who didn’t wind up making any of the teams were Chris Paul and Rudy Gobert. While I’m sure those players themselves, as well as the fans bases of the teams they play for felt like they were snubbed, there is really no argument to remove anyone off the Third Team in favor of them.

Written By @IamJoeSports

May 24, 2018 No Comments
NBA Announces All-Rookie Teams. Check Out Who Made It & How The Votes Broke Down

NBA Announces All-Rookie Teams. Check Out Who Made It & How The Votes Broke Down

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by | May 23, 2018 | Featured, NBA

Earlier on Tuesday, the NBA announced the First & Second All-Rookie teams and for the most part the voting broke down how you would expect based on how the season went.

The players who made the First Team were all essentially a lock to do so. Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell are both in contention for Rookie Of The Year, while Jayson Tatum, Kyle Kuzma and Lauri Markkanen all played outstanding for their respective teams. Tatum is battling in the Eastern Conference Finals while averaging 18 points per game.

ESPN’s Chris Forsberg shared how the voting totals broke down.

The first thing you notice from seeing the votes is Simmons and Mitchell tied with 200 points a piece. Could be an indicator of how the Rookie Of The Year voting will go.

You can argue that De’Aaron Fox could’ve made the Second team at the guard spot but with Dennis Smith Jr and Lonzo Ball both being there, it’s hard to argue either of them should be removed for Fox. Bam Adebayo came within one point of tying Josh Jackson on the Second team.

The biggest glaring omission overall is number one pick, Markelle Fultz. The player the Sixers traded up to get didn’t have the rookie season he or the team expected but providing he is fully healthy next season, he can still prove they made the right move by taking him.

Written By @IamJoeSports

May 23, 2018 No Comments
Warriors Surpass Michael Jordan’s Bulls And Set New NBA Record With 16th Straight Home Playoff Win

Warriors Surpass Michael Jordan’s Bulls And Set New NBA Record With 16th Straight Home Playoff Win

NBA

by | May 21, 2018 | NBA

The Golden State Warriors set a new NBA record on Sunday night after they disposed of the Houston Rockets in game three of the Western Conference Finals. The win was the Warriors 16th straight at home in the playoffs, surpassing the record of 15 straight home playoff wins which was set by The Chicago Bulls in 1990 and 1991.

The Warriors current streak started back on April 16th, 2017 with a win against the Portland Trailblazers, which was their first win on their way to the championship last season.

The last time they experienced a losing feeling on their home court in the playoffs was when Lebron James and the Cavaliers were celebrating winning a championship in Oracle after Lebron’s spectacular block of Andre Iguodala and then Kyrie Irving nailing the dagger.

The win over the Rockets on Sunday night set another playoff record at the same time, with the 41 point blowout being the Warriors biggest margin of victory in franchise history.

Written by @IamJoeSports

h/t The Score

May 21, 2018 No Comments
Kevin Durant Has A Great Response When Charles Barkley Asks About Draymond Green Being Annoying

Kevin Durant Has A Great Response When Charles Barkley Asks About Draymond Green Being Annoying

NBA

by | May 21, 2018 | NBA

Charles Barkley thought he could sneak a question past Kevin Durant after the Warriors blowout game three victory over the Rockets. Durant wasn’t having it.

In case you somehow missed it, a couple weeks ago Charles Barkley was on “Inside The NBA” when he professed how badly he wants someone to punch Draymond Green in the face.

As you might expect, Draymond didn’t take too kindly to that comment once he was told about it.

The drama turned into a fake beef for about 24 hours or so, before Barkley wound up giving a half-sincere apology the next night. The topic has been a dead issue since but on Sunday night, Barkley tried to bring up Draymond being annoying to see what Durant would say and the reigning Finals MVP had the best response possible.

Durant pulled Barkley’s card without even really trying and the rest of the “Inside The NBA” crew all had a laugh about it. Perhaps the next time Barkley tries to be slick, he will probably think about this moment.

Written by @IamJoeSports

May 21, 2018 No Comments
ESPN & Netflix Team Up For Ten Part Documentary On Michael Jordan Titled “The Last Dance”

ESPN & Netflix Team Up For Ten Part Documentary On Michael Jordan Titled “The Last Dance”

NBA

by | May 16, 2018 | NBA

NBA fans were given a special piece of news earlier on Tuesday when it was announced that ESPN Films and Netflix have gotten together to give us a 10 part documentary on Michael Jordan’s life, including the 1990’s Bulls. The doc is called “The Last Dance” and is expected in 2019.

There are reportedly over 500 hours of never before seen footage involving his airness and Jordan himself is signed on to be a full participant in the film.

Expect it to cover everything from both his professional and private life but from the early sounds of it, the major focus will definitely be on his playing career.

This has all the makings of one of the best ESPN films ever, which is only right if you’re going to do something involving the player most people believe is the best ever.

Written by @IamJoeSports

May 16, 2018 No Comments