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CP3’s Clutch 15 PT 4th Quarter Leads OKC Thunder To Game 7 (104-100)

by Travis Singleton | Sep 1, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder came into this game tonight knowing it was Win or Go Home. Apparently Chris Paul didn’t get the Go Home message as he came out ready to force Game 7. Charles Barkley said “He’s The Best Leader In The NBA” and tonight he proved that once again. This was truly a game of runs as the Thunder and Rockets were hitting each other with their best shots. It just so happened to be the OKC Thunder that finished the game off in excellent fashion. Tonight the Thunder were able to defend James Harden as a collective group without fouling and Lugentz Dort was a huge part of that. Last game Dort struggled from the field but tonight he had 13 huge points that helped OKC in this game. When Dort was left open he attacked the rim and forced Houston to play defense. Late in the game, Dort showed off his confidence in his offense hitting back to back 3 pointers after Chris Paul told him to keep shooting.

This OKC team is full of players that continue to contribute at a high level in big moments. The big moment just so happened to be the 4th quarter in this tight game as it was CP3 time. Chris Paul finished the 4th quarter with 15 points and was able to hit a clutch shot time and time again. One of the things that OKC did down the stretch was they had Houston switch and put Covington on an island by himself against Paul. In that switch, CP3 was able to get to his spot and cook Covington with step-back 3 pointers and tough mid-range jumpers. Chris Paul willed the Thunder to victory in this game and carried OKC on his back it was as simple as that. On the night Paul finished with 28 points and put on a shooting display letting people know why he’s the highest clutch time scorer in the NBA this season.

Chris Paul didn’t just do it by himself tonight he got help from Danilo Gallinari who finished with 25 points on the night was able to execute on his matchup. When Gallinari’s hitting his shots like he did tonight the Thunder are usually in cruise control to the finish. This game was a lot tighter than OKC would have wanted but to see Gallinari get back into a shooting rhythm was a great sign heading into Game 7. Overall the Thunder played a great game and had 5 players in double figures tonight against Houston. If the Thunder can continue to get this type of output from the second unit in Game 7 it should be a great one. Chris Paul was in a zone tonight and if he can stay in that zone during Game 7 Houston might have a problem.

The Rockets played a really good game as well tonight against OKC but it came down to turnovers. In crucial moments in the game, Houston made some bad decisions or just missed one of their players on a play. Russell Westbrook took the blame for some of the turnovers as he finished with 17 points and 7 turnovers but don’t expect to see that type of performance from the Brodie in Game 7. Westbrook will bounce back and do better just like the whole Rockets team is expected too. James Harden finished the game with 32 points and was able to get anything he wanted from the field. If the other Rockets role players were hitting shots that they did in Game 5 this would have been a different outcome. Russell Westbrook’s still going to be on a minute restriction and he still has to get back after his injury. So look for Westbrook and Harden to come out very aggressive as they don’t want to lose to OKC in Game 7 on Wednesday.

Sep 1, 2020 No Comments

James Harden’s 31 PT Performance Leads Houston To Victory (114-80) HOU Leads Series 3-2

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by Travis Singleton | Aug 30, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Oklahoma City started the game off struggling on the offensive side. The Houston Rockets came into this game trying to exploit mismatches and they were able to do just that. The Rockets were pretty much daring Luguentz Dort to shoot the ball as they left him wide open. The last couple of games Dort was able to make the Rockets pay for giving him space but tonight it worked in Houston’s favor. Dort finished the game with 6 points on 3/16 shooting from the field. The three field goals that Dort was able to get were inside as he went 0/9 from the 3 point line. The previous games Dort was able to hit his 3 pointers and this game he wasn’t that effective on the offensive end. Lu Dort did play some good defense on Harden but he’s one of the elite scorers in the NBA and he will always find a way to get his points. James Harden finished with 31 points on the night and was able to score inside and out. Harden had his best game of the series tonight against Lu Dort as he was very efficient and made the right basketball decisions.

The Houston Rockets got a huge boost of energy as Russell Westbrook made his playoff debut tonight. Westbrook was on a minutes restriction between 22-28 minutes and finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in 23 minutes. You could tell that Westbrook was still trying to get his legs under him coming back from injury. Westbrook had the mid-range going for him and was able to help get his teammates involved really early in this game. The other guys on the Rockets stepped up in a big way tonight for them as Eric Gordon and Robert Covington both combined for 42 points. It looked like every single time the Rockets had to call on the bench or a role player one of those two were able to connect with instant firepower. The Rockets came out in the 2nd half on fire and the only thing that went bad for them was losing PJ Tucker. Early in the 3rd quarter on a screen, it seemed as though Schröder hit Tucker below the belt and Tucker responded with a headbutt. Both players were ejected and it looked like the Thunder’s air was let out of the balloon. The Thunder were down by 20 points when both were ejected but losing Schröder was a huge blow for OKC.

The OKC Thunder had a tough outing against the Rockets as they scored only 80 points. Dennis Schröder was the spark that OKC needed as he only had 1 point in the 1st quarter and then he finished with 19 points in the 1st half. Schröder was able to get his game going from the inside and out tonight against all the Rockets defenders. Tonight Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 4 points on the night and only took 8 shots total. The Thunder will need SGA to be a lot more aggressive if they want to continue this amazing season. The Rockets were challenging SGA on both ends and once Schröder was ejected you can tell that SGA was trying to get it going but it was too late. Chris Paul finished with 16 points on the night and he will need to be able to get his scoring going ASAP. The good thing about the NBA Playoffs is the fact that this is just one game and the Thunder will look to bounce back to get back into this game. OKC only had 4 players in double figures and they lost Dennis in the 3rd so it was really tough to come back and climb up that hill. Steven Adams is a huge mismatch and the Thunder will need to feed the big man early in Game 6 in order to stay in the series. In-Game 5 tonight Adams finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds as the Rockets can’t contain him and that’s something that everyone all around the world can notice.

Game 6 will be on Monday as the Thunder look to climb out of this 3-2 hole against Houston.

Aug 30, 2020 No Comments

Harden’s 37 PT Performance Leads HOU To Game 1 Victory Over OKC (123-108)

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by Travis Singleton | Aug 19, 2020 | Featured, NBA

This series has a lot of storylines coming into Game 1 but the biggest one was Russell Westbrook being out. Westbrook was out with a quad injury that forced the Rockets to put Eric Gordon in the starting lineup. The Houston Rockets came out in this game faster than a Ferrari on an open highway. The pace that the Rockets played in that first half had the Thunder on their heels all night. Everyone wanted to see how the small-ball lineup of Houston would fair against the Thunder big lineup and we got our first glimpse. The Rockets make it tough on defenses with that small lineup because you get caught either trying to cover the 3 point shooter or crash the middle for the slasher. Tonight James Harden was able to take advantage of that as he finished with 37 points and was able to score anywhere on the court. James had the stepback working, crossovers to the rim, and free throws working all night. The aggressiveness of James Harden made it easy for the other players on the Houston Rockets to get their games going as well. The Thunder put multiple bodies on Harden all night but it didn’t matter tonight with the confidence he was playing with.

Eric Gordon looked like the Gordon of old as he was hitting some long-range 3 pointers and was attacking the rim hard. Gordon replaced Westbrook in that starting lineup and didn’t disappoint as he finished with 21 points on the night. Another player that had a huge game was Jeff Green who played some center and power forward as he made the Thunder pay from downtown. Jeff Green was open as Thunder players got caught being in the wrong spot on the court and he made the most of the moment. Jeff Green looked like he was back in his OKC days himself with dunks and crossover drives as he finished with 22 points on the night. When James Harden gets help from the bench like he did tonight from his teammates this team is very tough to beat. In this game, there were multiple times where Harden was getting rest while his team was up by double digits. If OKC’s going to win this series they need to make it a point to take advantage of the Rocket’s second unit and defend better.

The Thunder usually plays off their defense as it helps create offense but that wasn’t the case tonight. Tonight the Thunder played a lot of isolation ball which didn’t work throughout the game. This OKC team is known for their ball movement and getting everyone involved with touches and they need to get back to that in Game 2. The Thunder need to take more advantage of the mismatch with Steven Adams in the paint and let the offense flow through the big man. Adams was a walking bucket when he was able to get the ball and looked extremely dominant. The Thunder got sucked into the 3 point contest at times with Houston and got away from Thunder Basketball. Steven Adams finished the game with 17 points and 12 rebounds tonight and we should continue to see numbers these numbers from him in this series. Chris Paul was having a tough outing in the first half of the game but managed to get his offense going as he finished with a near triple-double with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. This Thunder team will go as far as CP3 brings him and if they’re going to win Game 2 CP3 will have to get his game going a lot earlier.

The bright spot for the Thunder tonight was the shooting from Danilo Gallinari as he was able to get his shot any time he wanted on the court because the Rockets couldn’t guard him. Gallinari was able to finish the game with 29 points on the night. When Gallinari plays like this he’s a special talent but the other players like Dennis Schröder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will need to help out big time in the next game. The Rockets punched the Thunder in the mouth but Game 2 on Thursday OKC has a chance to punch back. The Thunder were playing at the Rocket pace and they will need to play their game in order to be successful.

Photo Credit: Kim Klement/Associated Press

Aug 19, 2020 No Comments

Top 20 Players in the NBA Bubble Playoffs

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by Jordan Scurry | Aug 17, 2020 | Featured, NBA

We made it NBA fans the 2019-2020 NBA playoffs have finally arrived! Its been a season unlike any other and getting to this point is an accomplishment in itself. The NBA has handled this season the best they could and credit to them because now we are in for what will be a great postseason. With the matchups set and games tipping off later this evening let’s take a closer look at the top 20 players that will be must-see TV as the journey to the finals begins.

The 2020 NBA Playoffs begin TOMORROW (8/17) with games ALL DAY starting at 1:30 PM ET on ESPN! #WholeNewGame
Full Schedule: https://t.co/qmJ2KbzYSe pic.twitter.com/hwfAcYBaPA
— NBA (@NBA) August 16, 2020

Lebron James

Without a doubt, King James is number one on the list of the top 20 players in the bubble. Bottom line is his statistics speak for themselves, and if all you had to go by was his on-paper performance, there are very few to ever compare:

4th all-time in total points at 32,543 (1st overall in the playoffs)
10th all-time in assists at 8,662 (3rd overall in the playoffs)
1st in overall playoff minutes played at 10,049
1st in overall playoff steals at 419

Year 17 and league assist leader for the first time 👑 @KingJames pic.twitter.com/tC9nq4WoUE
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 13, 2020

King James has the most impressive playoff stats of anyone in the bubble in terms of career achievements in the playoffs and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Although he didn’t seem to be as aggressive as we all know him to be I expect Lebron to turn it up another level come playoffs as he always does. The King is eager for the playoffs to start and what separates LeBron from a lot of other greats is his will to win and his level of focus come playoff time. Ecpetd Lebron to be locked in and poised to put up big numbers in his first playoffs with the LA Lakers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Another player with an incredible will to win is the reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo better know as the Greek Freak. Giannis Averaged 30 points 13 rebounds and 6 assist this season for the Bucks leading them to first place in the East. He has improved statistically in every category to follow up his MVP season and is now attempting twice as many threes as a year ago and shooting 5% better from distance. The Bucks matchup with the Magic who don’t seem to pose any real threat to the loaded Bucks. I expect Giannis to try to make a statement in the first round to set the tone for the playoffs that he is determined to get his team to the NBA finals.

Damian Lillard

Dame has easily been the best player in the bubble. Putting up back to back 50 + point games and achieving an accomplishment that only the great Wilt Chamberlin had done before in history speaks for itself. He’s also had the most pressure since entering the bubble because Portland wasn’t even in the playoff picture coming into the bubble. Dame led the Blazers to a 5-2 record in this restart and as if his determination and attitude in these games leading up to the playoffs we not enough now he gets to match up with the great Lebron James. This series will be a good one and even if the Blazers do go down one thing is for sure, Dame Dolla does not go down easy …

Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi hasn’t quite had as impressive of a season as last but similar to Lebron, his playoff rep speaks for itself. He’s spent a large portion of this year managing his minutes after playing so much in last year’s NBA playoffs and Finals. I’m confident that Leonard will return to his MVP caliber performances when these playoffs start because not only is he now much recovered from any nagging injuries because of the NBA’s hiatus but he’s also on the best team he’s ever been on and are the favorites to win it all. Kawhi doesn’t even have to do as much as he’s done in years past in trying to get to the finals but he’s defiantly going to need to be effective in the moment ts that the Clippers do need him to come up big and he’s shown in multiple playoff series that he can be relied on when he’s called upon in the playoffs.

Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic is must-see TV. I’m very excited to see him perform in a 7 game series. In arguably the best sophomore NBA season ever Luka plays with the poise of a 10 year NBA veteran. He has put up big numbers all year long and this year with an improved Mavericks roster they have found themselves in the playoff picture. He plays the game with such finesse and we just haven’t seen a player like him in the modern era. He plays so aggressively but is always under control. He’s a tough guard because he’s so good at getting his teammates involved that he’s not just a threat scoring-wise. I think the most impressive stat that stems from Doncic’s playmaking ability is the fact that this season they became the Most Efficient offense in NBA history, even ahead of the 73-9 Warriors team.

James Harden

The Beard has been sensational this year. The questions surrounding if he and Russell Westbrook could gel in their primes and get the Rockets into a position to make a run to the finals have been answered. Harden has shown that playing alongside a dynamic athlete like Westbrook again actually enhances his playmaking ability. The former MVP is really getting buckets this year and has even shown tremendous improvements with his ball-handling ability that was at a high level, to begin with. Harden has always gotten buckets in the playoffs but his play is cause for concern in the playoffs just because he has a history of going cold for a game or two. That cannot happen in the bubble if the Rockets hope to finally advance to the conference finals. He’s been shooting at a high volume but we all know the playoffs are about efficiency and that every possession matters.

Without Westbrook in Game 1 vs the Thunder expect Harden to go off! is he establishes some high volume scoring early in this series and can consistently put up his league-best 34 a game then The Beard and the Rockets will be really dangerous in this year’s Playoffs?

Nikola Jokic

Jokic is the best point-center in the league. Averaging 7 assists a game this year he is the reason for so much of the Nuggets success this year. Much like Doncic, he plays so under control and at such a controlled pace that he’s so difficult to guard. He’s a 7 footer with great touch around the basket, runs the floor well and can knock down the 3 ball consistently. There are not many like him in the NBA and far fewer as effective as he is. He’ll be a great asset in the playoffs because as I mentioned we know that in the playoffs every possession matters and Jokic already understands that. Jokic seems to try to get the easiest possible basket for the Nuggets every time down the floor and in their matchup with the Jazz which could really go either way having a star like Jokic is going to go a long way.

Paul George

There is no denying that Paul George is a top 10 talent in this league and no denying that he is a top 10 player in these playoffs but now its time for PG to really show that he can perform come playoff time. George has looked great when active this year for the Clippers. Although he’s doesn’t have to carry the load as much as he once did in Indiana and OKC because this Clippers team is so deep George will still have to perform at an all-star level on both offense and defense if this team is going to get to the finals. I expect big games from George early if the Clippers are going to establish they are truly a contender this year. He’ll need to have the type of playoffs he once had in Indiana when he was just a rising star for this team to advance. He’scapable of scoring in bunches and making it look easy and if he establishes this sooner than later the Clippers are going to be lethal.

Russel Westbrook

Westbrook will be out for the first game against his former team the Oklahoma City Thunder with a strained quad. There is no doubt that Houston will need him to be at his best for The Rockets to even advance past a talented OKC team that has found ways to win some big games this year. Hopefully, he returns after only one game without any lagging effects from the strain so that this team is at full strength in their quest for a championship.

The most impressive part of Westbrook’s play this year is his offensive rebounding. A highly underrated part of his game he has now capitalized on since the Rockets play small-ball lineups. He attacks the glass like an energizer bunny, its actually really cool to watch. He times up put back dunks like LeBron times up chase-down blocks. Looking forward to Westbrook getting back on the floor and giving it his all in his first playoffs with his new team.

Chris Paul

Chris Paul has shown that he’s still got a lot left in the tank and he’s still one of the best point guards in the game today. Putting up an impressive almost 20 a game this year isn’t even the best he has done for this young and talented Thunder team. What makes CP3 so great is his ability to give the players around him confidence and get the most out of everyone he plays with. He’s helped balance this Thunder team that was not predicted to do as well heading into this season. He’s solidified his role as the leader of this team but he’s also left room for the young and talented pieces of this team like Shai Gilgous- Alexander to flourish in his role. I expect CP3 to really come up big for this Thunder team and Matching up against the small ball Houston Rockets is something I can really see him exploiting.

Here is a look at the rest of the players in the top 20 heading into the Bubble Playoffs.

Donovan Mitchell

Jayson Tatum

Jimmy Butler

CJ Mccollum

Caris Levert

Khris Middleton

Jaylen Brown

Kyle Lowry

TJ Warren

Statistics and Photos all Courtesy of ESPN

Aug 17, 2020 No Comments

JORDAN BRAND REVEALS LINEUP FOR ALL-STAR WEEKEND

Sneaker Releases

by Akeem Ivory | Jan 23, 2020 | Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

As the NBA All-Star Weekend 2020, fastly approaches with its being hosted in Chicago of course Jordan Brand celebrates a return to the city was home to the Greatest of All-Time, Michael Jordan.

Alongside the footwear, Jordan Brand will also be launching a “Jordan Unite”collection inspired by the way basketball unites communities, as well as a handful of other styles.

The lineup includes a Chicago heavy theme OG-inspired Air Ship/Air Jordan 1 “New Beginnings” pack, as well as a “Red Cement” Air Jordan 3 (in both standard and Chicago-exclusive QS versions) and a women’s-exclusive Air Jordan 1. Jordan Brand will also be releasing two colorways of Russell Westbrook’s Why Not? Zer0.3 – one in a ’90s-inspired “LA Born” and a second “Jordan Unite” makeup as well as two versions of the Air Jordan 34 one in a White “Jordan Unite” colorway and a second as an all-new SE version. Meanwhile, the retro lineup adds the “Racer Blue” Air Jordan 9. has also somehow snuck into the lineup, although it doesn’t seem to fit the theme of the rest of the releases.

Grab a full look at the entire collection below, and expect each model to release during NBA All-Star Weekend 2020 in Chicago.