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 with the successful completion of the first NBA In-Season Tournament, the changing of the guards is looking quite optimistic within the early standings updates making some teams quite uncomfortable at the moment.

The NBA In-Season Tournament created some traction and some competitiveness that kept the players involved and motivated to reach the destination in Las Vegas and the two surprising teams to represent their respective coasts for this In-Season Tournament were none other than the two No. 5 Seeds in the Indiana Pacers (12-8) and the Los Angeles Lakers (14-9). Staged on a neutral floor both teams balled out like the NBA Finals and brought us a serious game this early into the season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis took it to the next level and raised the bar with LeBron closing out the game with 24 points and 11 boards while Davis finished off a run that secured him the first NBA Cup MVP Award with a performance of 41 points and 20 boards. Unbelievable! The Laker’s one-two-punch was simply too much for Indiana to contain. The Lakers were the In-Season Tournament’s best team from the jump and proved it by walking away with the Trophy of the NBA’s first In-Season Tournament. As the In-Season Tournament Champion all the players and coaches on the Lakers will receive $500.000 each and as runners-up, the Indiana Pacers will receive $200,000 each. Incentive well-earned.

In Season Tournament aside the championship game will not count for either team’s regular season record, unlike every other game played in the event.

Although the In-Season Tournament was interesting, the true and surprising team holding down the No. 1 Spot is none other then the Minnesota Timberwolves (17-4). Them Boys have been looking like true contenders game by game. The season is a long one but if they can maintain the right nucleus and keep growing as a unit, they could see themselves creating some serious havoc come Playoff time.

Another surprising team on the come up is the Oklahoma City Thunder (14-7). With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander increasingly improving year by year and leading this team to stardom, the Thunder seems to have the right attitude and competitiveness to maintain their position amongst the tough Western Conference.

The Dallas Mavericks (13-8) have been maintaining but have also been hit with the injury bug to key players like Kyrie Irving. Depending on how long Kyrie could be out they could find themselves in the hole quickly if Luka can’t hold down the fort for the time being.

The Defending Champs the Denver Nuggets (14-9) haven’t been themselves as of late but still maintain a certain presence in the league as Defending Champs. Health is key and when healthy they are damn near unstoppable. Nikola Jokic is still piling up the stats in an impressive fashion and has proven capable to carry the team when needed.

With new faces climbing up the standing in the Western Conference the Los Angeles Lakers (14-9) (In-Season Tournament Champion), Sacramento Kings (12-8) and the Phoenix Suns (12-10) could find themselves moving up in no time.

The Boston Celtics (16-5) are holding the No. 2 Spot in the league and are in a very competitive Eastern Conference where the new players on the squad have been gelling just right. Them Boys are proving to be legit and can ball with the best of them from either coast. Definitely early contenders on the watch.

The Orlando Magic (15-7) have showed mass improvement and seem to be getting it together. They have been competitive night in and night out but still have lots to prove but are definitely willing to put in that work.

The Milwaukee Bucks (15-7) have proven to have the fire power on the offensive end to hold onto their standing for now but where they fall is at the defensive end. With the loss of Jrue Holiday, the defense has taken a major hit that needs to be addressed if they are to compete towards a Championship.

The Philadelphia 76ers (14-7) have been competitive for the time being but do also suffer from weak defense that needs to be addressed as well. Two-way player MVP Joel Embiid is playing at an all-time high but can’t cover every part of floor at the same time.

The Indiana Pacers (12-8) (In-Season Tournament runners-up), the Cleveland Cavaliers (13-9), the New York Knicks (12-9), the Brooklyn Nets (12-9) and the Miami Heat (12-10) all have the talent but lack consistency but with the right momentum going their way could find themselves bumping the higher ups down from their pedestals.

So much can change from game to game so stay locked in as the season progresses.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA Season 2023/2024”

The NBA Season 2023/2024

With the Denver Nuggets finally breaking through and claiming last year’s 2023 NBA Championship, the Nuggets have now placed a target on their back and getting back to the promised land once again will not be an easy task this time around. With the team still intact with the same squad that got them their first Larry O’Brien trophy, this Championship team will definitely be looking to defend their hard-earned title while accepting all challengers from the East/West trying to prevent them of achieving back-to-back Championship glory.

That being said, with quite a few players jumping ship from East to West and from West to East this summer in effect changing the balance of power, the Western Conference still continues to bear the mantle of the strongest conference.

The Memphis Grizzlies, who had an amazing season last year, will be looking to pick up from where they left off with their squad pretty much still intact with some key new faces added, but they will have to maintain their play without their All-Star player Ja Morant who has been suspended for the first 25 games due to misconduct detrimental to the NBA. This group will have their work cut out for them but time will tell if they still got the juice.

The Phoenix Suns have their own new version of the “Big Three” with their latest acquisition of Bradley Beal to run aside Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. With them three lethal shooters lightening up the scoreboard night in and night out, their win column will definitely be up during the regular season but their defense will remain questionable.

The Golden State Warriors are at a crossroads with father time as their core players who have been running the team are getting older but when your star player is Stephen Curry who is still playing at a top 5 level at 35 years old, you still have plenty of lifeline needed to hopefully bring one more title to the Bay. This unit has experience on their side and with some new fresh faces to back up the core unit, they still have the goods to wreak havoc when push comes to shove.

The Los Angeles Lakers will always be in the running as long as they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis causing havoc at both ends of the floor. If both of these Dudes can stay healthy for most of the season and their supporting cast can keep up with them, the West could belong to them because as of right now a LeBron James at 38 years old is still top 5 on any given night.

As for the remainder of the Western Conference Teams the Sacramento Kings, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Utah Jazz, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Houston Rockets, they will all have to duke it out and play musical chairs. Some of these teams have already proven themselves last year in a major way but we all know that the Westside doesn’t play. It’s do or die on this side so making the top 8 is a tough task within itself.

The Eastern Conference is looking to shake the league up again with top players relocating and changing the balance of power making this Season that much more intriguing. The Boston Celtics may have made the best move out of them all with them picking up Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to reinforce their starting line-up. Them two alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown is a defensive and offensive nightmare for their opposition. It will be interesting to see who will hold down that No. 1 Seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Milwaukee Bucks may have lost Jrue Holiday but they had themselves a major pick up in Damian Lillard a lethal assassin on that court riding shot gun to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Once Damian gets acclimated with his new teammates things will start moving a lot faster on the offensive end where teams will have a problem stopping this deadly duo in the open court.

I had high hopes for the Philadelphia 76ers to wreak havoc throughout the Season but with the uncertainty of James Harden on whether he’s staying with Philly or going is making things look quite bleak at the moment. Their one major strong point is that they have the reigning MVP Joel Embiid playing at a high level and with a strong core still intact they could still make some noise. Tyrese Maxey is that gem that could have another breakout season to help carry the load off of Embiid.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had the league shook the way they balled out last year making some serious noise throughout the season and in the Playoffs. They have the goods to do even better this time around with the valuable experience they pick up on their journey. They have to show up and prove that last year’s success was not a fluke. With Donovan Mitchell steadily improving in his leadership role, the sky is their only limit.

As for the remaining Eastern Conference teams the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks, the Atlanta Hawks, the Indiana Pacers, the Toronto Raptors, the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets, the Charlotte Hornets, the Orlando Magic, the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards, the jury is still out on most of them. There are too many unknowns and too much uncertainty surrounding these teams making it real hard to really assess where they’re at.

However, with the NBA holding an in-Season tournament for the first time between November 3, 2023 and December 9, 2023 with all games except the final counting toward the regular Season standings, this will give a chance to the bottom teams from the Eastern/Western conferences to prove they belong by giving all participating teams a much-needed incentive and the motivation to compete night in and night out.

This new added format could be a game changer and for that alone we should all tune in this Tuesday night October 24, 2023, and be part of another fascinating NBA Season 2023/2024.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About 2023 NBA FINALS CHAMPIONS”

2023 NBA CHAMPIONS

Nikola Jokic has finally reached the mountain top of the 2023 NBA Season by closing out game 5 of the NBA Finals as best he could with a solid 28 points and 16 boards bailing out the squad as they were struggling heavily to maintain their hold on securing their first NBA Championship in franchise History.

I gotta tip my “B” hat to Jokic. This Dude’s strong mentality and solid composure throughout the NBA Season, the NBA Playoffs and the NBA Finals were levels above his peers, hands down. History was in the making the moment this year NBA Finals started. Jokic became the first player in history to lead the league in points (600), boards (269) and dimes (190) in a single postseason while practically averaging a triple-double per game, collecting averages of 30 points, 13.5 boards and 9.5 dimes. Worthy and deserving of the Bill Russell trophy as well as the NBA Finals MVP.

Record breaking accolades aside, Jokic couldn’t have completed these historical feats without a healthy Jamal Murray to release some of the responsibility and a driven and motivated squad that showed how battle tested they were throughout the entire Season with only one common goal in mind: the NBA Championship that they have now collected as a team.

The Heat should still keep their heads up high, real talk! Although they fell short once again at claiming the NBA Championship, they became the only second No. 8 Seed to make it to the NBA Finals after running through some very tough opposition. They balled hard night after night on both ends of the court but were met with a better team destined to enter the record books.

Congratulations to the Denver Nuggets for emerging as the NBA Champions of the NBA Season 2023. You Boys dominated the NBA Playoffs and the Finals in such a convincing fashion that the Championship could not be denied.

Well done!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About 2023 NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS”

2023 NBA Eastern Conference Finals

The No. 2 Seed Boston Celtics put a beating on the 76ers today to secure their position at the Eastern Conference Finals pinning them once again for the second following season against the No. 8 Seed Miami Heat.

This is an Eastern Conference rematch that saw Miami fall short on their quest succumbing to Boston in a game seven last year but these are different times this time around. The Celtics have proven to be the team to beat all season long. They are determined to reach the NBA Finals and once again hoist that Championship Crown but one major obstacle ahead is the rejuvenated heat seekers Miami.

The Heat have already taken down the No. 1 Seed Milwaukee and the No. 5 seed Knicks in a very convincing fashion proving to be every bit ready to tackle their biggest hurdle who have prevented them from ever reaching the NBA Finals.

Miami is walking into this battle as the underdog but the hunger that this team displays on the court says different. They are the 8 Seed this time around looking to defy and upset the betting favourites Boston Celtics on the biggest stage. The odds are definitely stacked against them but the Heat wouldn’t have it any other way.

Miami beating the Celtics is history in the making but Boston would rather be the last team standing when it’s all said and done.

That said both teams match up well at every corner making this series that much more intriguing than the previous years. Tune in this Wednesday night to see which team will have kept the momentum going in their favor.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About 2023 NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS”

2023 NBA Western Conference Finals

The NBA’s version of the Final 4 is set to start this Tuesday night May 16, 2023 in the Western Conference, with the No. 1 Seed Denver Nuggets still going strong and ready to fend off the Play-In Tournament survivor Los Angeles Lakers who are fresh off a solid game six series win with the Golden State Warriors.

The way the season went on for the Lakers this year nobody expected them to crack the Playoffs let alone reach the Western Conference but they are here now and ready to rekindle the rivalry of their 2020 Western Conference Finals where the Lakers prevailed and eventually took the Crown that year.

Times have changed and this version of the Nuggets has gained massive experience and has a much healthier squad this time around to compete with the Lakers who have been playing some serious impressive ball as of late and will show resistance when push comes to shove.

The way the Lakers dismantled the No. 2 Seed Grizzlies and the Defending Champion Warriors is proof enough that the Lakers mean business and are quite motivated to win another NBA Championship but they have a formidable opponent that they must go through first in the Denver Nuggets, making this particular series must see TV.

Tune in this Tuesday night May 16, 2023 for game one of the NBA Western Conference Finals.

Blaze

ON The Watch “It’s All About The NBA PLAYOFFS WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS”

Western Conference Semifinals

The western Conference has finally reached completion. The No. 1 Seed Denver Nuggets stayed true to their position and dispatched of the pesky No. 8 Seed Minnesota Timberwolves in a very convincing fashion. The Nuggets have had plenty of rest and considerable time to strategize for their next foe in the No. 4 Seed Phoenix Suns who them too dispatched of their opponent, the No. 5 Seed Los Angeles Clippers in a convincing fashion as well. Considering their early dominance of the first round, both teams have already engaged in their battle, giving the Nuggets a 1-0 win over their formidable adversary. Definitely a series to keep an eye on.

The same can’t be said for the No. 2 Seed Memphis Grizzlies who talked a good game all the way up to the Playoffs and looked the part right until they fell short to the No. 7 Seed Los Angeles Lakers. The Grizzlies made that series competitive up until they got the attention of LeBron James. The excess trash talking sent his way woke up a sleeping giant waiting for a reason to unleash his unstoppable assault and that he did. LeBron and company showed levels above the Grizzlies and shut the show down and crushed the Grizzlies into submission and went on to round two. Waiting for them are the No. 6 Seed Golden State Warriors who took down No. 3 Seed Sacramento Kings fresh off the only game 7 series in the first round but they are still hungry to prove the naysayers wrong. Truth be told, the Warriors have been horrendous on the road throughout the season but still managed enough quality wins to be able to attempt to defend their previous NBA Championship. Beating the young gunning Kings was a tough obstacle but the challenge ahead with a very motivated LeBron James and the Lakers, will be must see TV considering these are the No. 6 and 7 Seed trying to get to the NBA Finals. Both squads are starting to get it together game by game. I can’t wait to see how this particular series unfolds.

Tune in and witness the outcome.

Blaze

ON The Watch “It’s All About The NBA PLAYOFFS EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS”

Eastern Conference Semifinals

With the first round officially over, we can now set our focus on the second round of attention-grabbing match ups. The only team claiming a four-game sweep in the first round of exciting action was the No. 3 seeded Eastern team the Philadelphia 76ers who fought tooth and nail and eventually overpowered the Brooklyn Nets game by game. If the 76ers can maintain their focus on both sides of the court, they can definitely bring that heat to the No. 2 Seeded Boston Celtics who have been looking stronger and stronger game by game. However, with Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown balling out of their mind as of late, I can only expect an incredible shootout come Game 1 of the second round. Real Talk!

With the fall of the No. 1 Seeded Milwaukee Bucks at the hands of the No. 8 Seeded Miami Heat, the Eastern Conference Playoffs have taken a serious shift. The Heat will have to capitalize on this great first round win and continue with the momentum when they take on the No. 5 Seeded New York Knicks. The Knicks have been looking sharp and motivated game by game, but that said Jimmy Butler has put the Heat on his back playing out of his mind and looking like an “Equalizer” that can’t be stopped. An intriguing matchup to pay attention too. Real Talk!

Tune in this Sunday April 30, 2023, for round two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The 72nd 2023 NBA All-Star Game”

The 2023 NBA All-Star Game

This year, the 72nd annual NBA All-Star Game will be hosted in Utah at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Sunday February 19, 2023. Once again, the starters were chosen by the fans while the rest of the squad was selected by the media and their peers. That said the Western and returning leading vote-getter from the fans is Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, and the Eastern returning leading vote-getter from the Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo will once again serve as Captains of their respective Conferences.

Representing the Western Conference “Team LeBron” Starters this year are:

-LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) Team Captain
-Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
-Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
-Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
-Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)

Reserves
-Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers)
-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)
-Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)
-Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
-Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz)
-Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)
-Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings)

Coach Michael Malone (Denver Nuggets)

Representing the Eastern Conference “Team Giannis” Starters this year:

-Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) Team Captain
-Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
-Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
-Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
-Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)

Reserves

-Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
-Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
-DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls)
-Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
-Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers)
-Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks)
-Julius Randle (New York Knicks)

Coach Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics)

Now this year the NBA added a kink to the Draft-Style format. For the first time, the NBA All-Star Draft will take place right before the game. (unbelievable!) The two Team Captains Giannis and LeBron, will draft the team rosters from the pool of players voted as starters and reserves in each conference.

The Draft will start at 7:30 PM ET on TNT on Sunday February 19, 2023.

Truth be told, I am not a fan of this new format but nevertheless “King of the Court” will still be up for grabs once again come Sunday night February 19, 2023 on NBA TNT. Which Squad will claim “GAME” when the dust settles?

Tune in and enjoy all the festivities of the entire weekend starting February 17 to February 19, 2023.

Blaze

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

2022 NBA FINALS CHAMPIONS

Stephen Curry has regained his rightful place atop the mountain of the 2022 NBA Season by closing out game 6 of the NBA Finals on enemy territory with a brilliant Steph-like performance scoring 34 points, holding down a modest 7 bords and 7 assists to bring the Golden State Warriors their 4th Championship in the last eight seasons. He also picked up the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career.

It was a tough journey back with injuries derailing the Warriors the last couple of years but they and their organization, never lost sight of the task at hand and stayed on course, rebuilt, regrouped and once healthy, to regained the reins.

This Warriors’ squad was built different but with the right pieces to complement one another. They went through the struggles together and shined bright together picking each other up when needed to celebrating together as a tight squad should.

Them Boys balled out all season in a very competitive league and took out some great teams throughout the Playoffs and silenced the No. 1 defensive team in the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

All Championships won have a different meaning to the Champions on that day but having seen what the Warriors have gone through as a squad to get to this point here today, makes this Championship No. 4 SPECIAL!!

Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors for creating a “Dynasty” and emerging as the New NBA Champions of the NBA Season 2022. Well done.

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