basketball
The world of Basketball detailed by the voices of the unathletic. Discussing play, culture, and, of course, who's the best. Trust the Process.
Finals Game Four: One Step Closer
On this day in 2001, the Colorado Avalanche captured the Stanley Cup on their home ice at the then-named Pepsi Center (currently known as Ball Arena). During that same season, the Denver Nuggets, the Avs' arena roommates, finished 40-42. It's because of the Avs that I'm fascinated by Denver sports, but the overall success hasn't really been there. Interestingly, the Avalanche's 1996 Stanley Cup was Colorado's first pro sports championship. This was followed by a pair of Super Bowl wins by the Denver Broncos, and the aforementioned second Cup by the Avalanche. The Broncos and Avs each added a third championship later on, and while MLB's Colorado Rockies have yet to win a World Series, they did win a pennant in 2007.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Finals Game Three: South Beach Smackdown
While South Florida is basking in the reality of seeing two of their teams playing for championships at the same time, the franchises are going on different paths after two games in their respective series. The Florida Panthers seem to be running out of gas, as well as a bit too ornery, while the Miami Heat are doing quite well, heading back to their home court at 1-1 in this year's NBA Finals. This is the Heat's first Finals appearance in three years, but Game Three will be the first Finals game in Miami since 2014, as the 2020 Finals was played in the Orlando bubble.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Finals Game Two: The Heat is On
There were people saying that the Denver Nuggets didn't play too well during Game One, but from what I saw, they played well enough. They never trailed for the whole game. The Miami Heat looked so lost. Denver ended up winning by double digits to open this year's NBA Finals. My prediction was "Nuggets in six," but honestly, I left Game One actually doubting that the Heat would win a game.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Finals Game One: 47 Years
This year's NBA Finals stands out above many others that have come and gone, mainly because of the storylines of the participating teams. First off, we have the Denver Nuggets representing the Western Conference. For the second straight year, Ball Arena is in a championship spotlight, but this time, it's not the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, it's the Nuggets. We know Denver's history, they started in the old American Basketball Association back in 1967, and were one of four ABA teams who joined the NBA as part of the merger in 1976. The other three teams were the San Antonio Spurs, the New Jersey Nets, and the Indiana Pacers, but while the other three had some semblance of deep success (especially the Spurs, who won five NBA Championships), the Nuggets, well, hadn't.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
38,388 Points...and Counting
On April 5, 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit his patented "skyhook" from 15 feet against the Utah Jazz. That shot increased his career point total to 31,420, making Kareem the highest scoring player in NBA history, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain. Kareem would add 6,967 more points for his career, giving him a grand total of 38,387 in his stellar career. He had been the all-time leading scorer ever since that evening in 1984, and that exact total stood as the standard-bearer since Kareem's career ended in 1989. Other legends have come since then, players such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Dirk Nowitzki, but none have come close to Kareem's number. Karl Malone was the closest, but he would fall 1,459 points short.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Finals Game Six: Steph's Recognition Finally Comes
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Golden State Warriors won Game Six of the 2022 NBA Finals by a score of 103-90, clinching the franchise's seventh NBA Championship overall, their fifth since moving to California's Bay Area, and their fourth in the last eight years. The Warriors became the first team to win (at least) four championships in an eight-year span since the legendary Chicago Bulls teams of the 1990s, and regarding this year, it was a return to the top after a brief period away from playoff prominence following their loss in the 2019 Finals to the Toronto Raptors.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Finals Game Five: No Curry Threes, No Problem
A 2-2 series after four games in a best-of-seven makes Game Five immensely important. It turns the series into a best-of-three, with home-court advantage returning to the team who hosted Games One and Two. The winner of Game Five moves one win away from clinching the series, and it is immensely important in a championship series, as the stakes are much higher. This is the scenario that the 2022 NBA Finals faced, as the Golden State Warriors evened the championship series at 2-2 with their Game Four win, and they returned home to play the pivotal Game Five against the Boston Celtics.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Finals Game Four: Steph Takes Over
The Golden State Warriors ended Game Three with the biggest bit of uncertainty hanging over their heads: the availability of Stephen Curry. Curry suffered an apparent injury during Game Three, which actually left the Warriors facing the possibility of playing Game Four without their star player. However, the news came in on the day of the game that Curry would be playing; no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Finals Game Three: Boston Baked Dominance
There is some turmoil in Boston sports lately as the NBA Finals heads to that very city. The Boston Red Sox, who fell two wins short of the American League pennant last season, are off to a rough start--but they are in a playoff position. The Boston Bruins could see their vaunted Perfection Line implode, as Patrice Bergeron could end up retiring, and David Pastrnak isn't happy with the team's GM. In spite of all of that, Boston does have one big positive to look forward to: their first NBA Finals game in 12 years. The Celtics split the first two games against the Golden State Warriors in the Bay Area; now, the Finals is a best-of-five and Boston has the home court.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Finals Game Two: Warriors Even the Score
The Golden State Warriors entered Game Two of the NBA Finals with their backs to the wall; a position that they had not been familiar with in the past Finals they had been in. In each of the Warriors' last five appearances in the Finals, the Warriors were strong at the start, even in their defeats in 2016 (against the Cleveland Cavaliers) and 2019 (against the Toronto Raptors). This year, however, was different. The Warriors lost Game One on their home court, doing so after entering the 4th quarter with a 12 point lead. Because of that, the Warriors are in a must-win situation, as they could ill afford entering Boston down 2-0.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Finals Game One: Living by the Three
The 2022 NBA Finals have arrived, and in this go-around, it's the Golden State Warriors facing the Boston Celtics. I'll be blunt: I am not happy that the Warriors are back in the Finals. One of the things that has soured me from the NBA is its lack of parity, but when last year gave us the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks, I thought there was hope for the NBA to be wide open. That hope was dashed this year. Now to be fair, this isn't the "superteam" Warriors, but still, it's the same-old, same-old. Even worse, the two seasons that passed since the Warriors' last Finals appearance in 2019 were both affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which means that some can even resort to saying that the pandemic is the only reason why the Warriors didn't returned to the playoffs, which would give the team more credit than they deserve.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Somers outlasts Clarkstown North in 53-51 Victory
Please see tip, pledge and subscribe buttons or my venmo : @Rich-Monetti On Friday December 27, Somers left the holiday festivities behind for the first round of the Pelham Holiday Tournament, and a lot of Clarkstown North length initially put a damper on the after party. A 29-18 first half deficit resulting, Somers was in danger of being run out of the gym. This especially since a halftime speech wasn’t going to make any of the elephants taller. But Coach Loughran disagreed.
By Rich Monetti12 months ago in Unbalanced
