On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA-Who’s on Top?

We are officially at the Quarter mark of this year’s NBA Season and the changing of the guards within the early standings updates is making some teams quite uncomfortable at the moment. Although the NBA Season is in its early stages the panic button is staying at arm’s reach for some particular teams.

Holding the No. 1 Spot in the league are the Boston Celtics (18-5) who lost their Coach Ime Udoka for disciplinary reasons early at the start of the season, but have maintained a level of competitiveness night in and night out keeping them on pace to the task at hand.

The Milwaukee Bucks (16-6) are staying at arm’s length of the Boston Celtics ready and willing to relieve them of the No. 1 Spot. With Giannis playing at a Super Star level night in and night out with a competitive squad having his back, no one in their right mind should ever sleep on the Bucks regardless of their standing because the Bucks want next no matter what.

The Cleveland Cavaliers (15-8) surprisingly keep moving up the ladder a lot quicker than expected and are showing some serious grit in the way they’ve been balling at this early stage. They are definitely a team to keep a close eye on. While the Atlanta Hawks (13-10), the Indiana Pacers 12-10, the Brooklyn Nets (13-11), Philadelphia 76ers (12-11), and the Toronto Raptors (12-11) are all in position to readjust their standing as the season progresses.

The Phoenix Suns (15-7) have re-emerged at the No. 1 Spot for the time being, proving to be key players still in a championship run regardless of any previous outcomes. That said, holding on to their No. 1 Spot in the tough Western Conference won’t be easy with new faces climbing up the standings like the Denver Nuggets (14-8), the New Orleans Pelicans (14-8), the Memphis Grizzlies (13-9), the Sacramento Kings (12-9) who are making some early noise.
The defending Champs the Golden State Warriors who have been going through an unexpected slow start sitting in the 6th seed (13-11) working their way back to a respectable seeding one game at a time. (Still not to be slept on).

The Los Angeles Clippers (13-11), the Utah Jazz (14-12) and the Portland Trail Blazers (12-11) could all climb up the standings but these two particular teams on the outside looking in at the Dallas Mavericks (11-11) and the Los Angeles Lakers (9-12) who have the right nucleus to rise all the way up (Fat Joe voice) if your team gets caught slipping throughout the season.

Stay locked in cause this roller-coaster ride of an NBA Season is just getting heated.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA Season 2022/2023”

The NBA Season 2022/2023

With the Golden State Warriors reclaiming last years 2022 NBA Championship, the Warriors have once again proven to be a major player in this year deep Western Conference. With a healthy squad and a few new faces added to the rotation, the Warriors will be looking to defending their Championship with an iron fist from start to finish. Last year opposing teams counted them out and paid the ultimate price when it was all said and done.

With key players the likes of Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Zion Williamson (Pelicans), Jamal Murray (Nuggets) and Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers) now healthy, they all possess the missing ingredients to help propel their teams throughout the hardship of the tough Western Conference.

The Los Angeles Clippers have a real good chance at making some serious noise this year. If they can stay healthy enough, the squad that this team is showing up with on opening night is as legit as it gets. They have the right balance of talent to definitely stir the pot throughout the league.

Last year’s shorthanded Denver Nuggets made quite a splash throughout the league and the Playoffs. With returning 2022 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic hitting the floor alongside a healthy Jamal Murray and a tight squad, the Nuggets will be looking to disrupt the league in a very competitive way.

The return of a healthy Zion Williamson has all eyes on the New Orleans Pelicans who will be coming in with a solid starting 5 that will keep the fans interested throughout the year but how far they can go will be up in the air considering just how strong the Western Conference is just surviving the regular season.

Lebron James entering his 20th NBA Season at 37 years old is just amazing. This man is a walking machine that if healthy, alongside another healthy Anthony Davis for a full season, has enough fire power to make some serious noise. Although their Pre-Season games didn’t show it, I personally wouldn’t sleep on them just yet.

The Western Conference is a tourney within itself. The Memphis Grizzlies are a bubbling team prime and ready for the big stage. Their squad is built to compete from top to bottom. They are must watch T.V. when they step foot into the arena. The Phoenix Suns have taken a fall in the standings but still managed to bring back the squad that brought them to the 2021 NBA Finals, giving them a good chance to make some serious strides back to the top. The Dallas Mavericks are coming in with an in-shape Luka Doncic who has proven to be a handful on any given night. With a healthy Tim Hardaway Jr. coming back and a solid all-around squad, the Mavericks will be in the mix. As for the remaining Western teams, the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, the jury is still out. The Western Conference is not for play.

The talk of the Eastern Conference right now is the Brooklyn Nets coming into this season with a healthy-looking squad of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons who will be gracing the court together with some serious swag. The Nets feel very optimistic of guaranteed success this time around. They will have the fire power to hang with any opponent but will the chemistry hold up?

That said, ignoring the Boston Celtics who reached the NBA Finals last year but were unsuccessful, is an understatement. The Celtics have had a taste of the Finals now and will want retribution for their failed attempt. With their squad still intact with a solid one two punch in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way, the top of the food chain is not farfetched.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks wreaked havoc throughout the league last year and fell short late in the Playoffs due to injuries to some key players but with a healthy squad and arguably the best NBA player in the league in Giannis leading the way, the Bucks will be making this Eastern Conference run that much intriguing and must watch T.V. whenever they step foot in the house.

The Philadelphia 76ers might be the sleeper team to move up and do some damage or completely drop if they don’t get it together soon. They have a solid squad well-balanced squad that could put fear throughout the league but they have to lay it all together. Joel Embiid showed up big last year playing at an MVP level but in order to have a successful run James Harden is going to have to bring back his MVP type play for them to have any kind of inspiration of reaching the NBA Finals.

The Miami Heat has the right balance of experience from young to old that have reached the NBA Finals. They are strong on both ends of the floor and can hang with the best of them on any given night. They will be a solid team vying for position. That said, they do have the potential of being a sleeper team as well if not taken seriously by their opponents.

The Eastern Conference teams have steadily been improving year after year with surprising, unexpected teams rising out the trenches disrupting the hierarchy of the usual suspects in the Division.

That being said, the Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and the Detroit Piston will all have to show and prove that they belong amongst the top teams in the league or risk being labelled unworthy of keeping up in the Eastern Conference.

The league is steaming up with talent and new faces. Tune in this Tuesday night October 18, 2022, and be part of another captivating NBA Season 2022/2023.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA FINALS 2022”

2022 NBA FINALS

With the completion of the NBA’s version of the Final 4 now officially over, the two remaining teams to represent their respective coasts are the No. 2 Seeded Boston Celtics for the EASTSIDE and No. 3 Seeded Golden State Warriors for the WESTSIDE.

No one predicted this Finals matchup at the beginning of this year’s NBA Season but truth be told I personally did envision the Warriors reaching the Finals from the jump. Real Talk! Both teams from their respective coasts went through their version of the gauntlet beating some very stiff competition. The Celtics defended off the Nets, the Defending Champions Bucks and took out the No. 1 Seed the Miami Heat in a tough game 7 to earn their seat at the Finals table. While the Warriors had to go through the Nuggets, the Grizzlies and the Mavericks to keep their quest alive to earn their rightful seat at the Finals table.

With the Golden State Warriors reaching their 6th NBA Finals in the last 8 seasons, a Finals Championship win this year would definitely label the Warriors as a certified dynasty team. These are familiar grounds for the Warriors who have missed these stomping grounds the last couple of years. Although this squad has quite a few new faces, the returning champions on this team and the coaching staff have the experience to maneuver through the trenches. It’s been a tough journey back to this point and the Warriors have the goods and the drive to complete the task at hand.

Standing in their way are the surging Boston squad and their tight defence ready to upset the Warriors with their style of Playoff basketball. So far, the Celtics have overcome every blockage placed on their path all season but their new found team chemistry is a key point to their success. They were once counted out but now destined for the NBA Finals. The Celtics have displayed a different type of toughness throughout this Playoff run, one that will undeniably be tested by the Warriors come game time Thursday night June 2, 2022 on ABC. Tune in and witness this intriguing matchup unfold.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About 2022 NBA CONFERENCE FINALS”

2022 NBA CONFERENCE FINALS

The NBA’s version of the Final 4 is set to start this Tuesday night May 17, 2022 in the Eastern Conference with the No.1 Seed the Miami Heat and the No. 2 Seed the Boston Celtics. Both teams are coming in fully confident and battle tested. I have a feeling that bully ball will be on full display when these two teams collide on game night. Both teams have shown to be quite physical this Playoff run if need be and I personally think the physicality of this series might be the deciding factor. Both teams have big-time players capable of taking over games but it will come down to who can execute when the tough times get rough down the stretch, which makes this series that much more intriguing.

The No. 3 Seed Golden State Warriors have been missing in action the last couple of years but now have worked their way back to the Western Conference and ready to cool off the hot and blazing No. 4 Seed Dallas Mavericks who are fresh from taking out the No. 1 Seed Phoenix Suns in a blowout game 7. Real Talk! The Dallas Boys have been on a tear and definitely feeling themselves on that court as the team to beat. Luka has been playing out of his mind and his squad has kept up the pace right behind him. That said, as hot as the Mavericks have been throughout their Playoff run, the Warriors have been all business. Them Boys have been peaking just as well and at the right time. The Warriors will have to be on 100% to silence them Mavericks Boys cause these guys didn’t come this far to lay down to the Warriors. Both teams got shooters but the Warriors got snipers on deck from all angles. Factor in their experience at this stage in the Playoffs, the Warriors should walk away the victor. That said, I’m absolutely locked in for this series going down Wednesday night May 18, 2022.

Tune In!

Blaze