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

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

ON The Watch “It’s All About The NBA PLAYOFFS CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS 2022”

NBA PLAYOFFS CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS 2022

With the first round officially over, we can now set our focus on the second round of attention-grabbing match-ups to come. The only team claiming a four-game sweep in the first round of action was the No. 2 seeded Eastern team the Boston Celtics who dismantled the Brooklyn Nets game by game. Proving their growth and maturity will definitely be a problem for the Defending Champions Milwaukee Bucks who will be going into battle against them short handed with Khris Middleton out of action for this round due to a knee injury. The pressure will be on Giannis to carry his team through the tough challenge ahead.

The No. 1 seeded Miami Heat may have caught an early break with their match up with the Philadelphia 76ers. With Joel Embiid out indefinitely due to an orbital fracture and concussion, this major setback for the 76ers may have cost them the series. It will be up to Miami to capitalize on Philly’s misfortune by not letting this series go pass four.

The Western Conference No. 1 seed Phoenix Suns successfully dispatched the New Orleans Pelicans to welcome an interesting matchup with the 5 seed Dallas Mavericks who took down the Utah Jazz to have the opportunity to put a stop the crazy run the Suns have been enjoying all season long. The Mavericks have been playing some serious ball as of late and with a healthy Luka Doncic running the show the Mavs might be able to upset the Suns if they can’t find an answer to Luka.

That said, the most intriguing second round matchup to me is the No. 2 Seed Memphis Grizzlies and the No. 3 Seed Golden State Warriors. No one predicted that Memphis would be balling at such a high level and keeping up that same momentum in the Playoffs. The Grizzlies have arrived and have fire power, the squad, and a star in the making in Ja Morant to carry them through the trenches of the NBA Playoffs. However, standing in their way is the 3-time NBA Champions Golden State Warriors. Them Boys may have missed out on the Playoffs last year but with this version of an updated battle tested squad now intact, the team’s sole mission is to reclaim their rightful throne by winning another NBA Championship. To some, this may sound farfetched but truth be told the Warriors seem to have the right nucleus to actually make happen. However, in order to even get to the NBA Finals, the Warriors will have to deal with a highly motivated Memphis team ready to accept all challenges. A very tough task for both teams but definitely one series that can’t be missed.

Tune in and witness the outcome.

Blaze

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

NBA Playoffs 2022 (Sweet 16)

With a full 82 Games NBA season now over and the NBA Play-In Tournament effectively completed, we are now officially ready to proceed with the NBA Playoffs 2022.

This year’s shocking “King of The Court” and No. 1 Seed in the entire league are the dominating Phoenix Suns (64-18). Them Boys fell short last year in the NBA Finals but worked their way back into a powerhouse team this year that dominated the entire league with such presence on both sides of the court that, short of reaching and winning the NBA Finals this year, would be a disappointment for this focused squad. With home court advantage secured throughout the Playoffs the path to the Finals should be very interesting.

The No. 2 Seed are the surging Memphis Grizzlies (56-26) who have caused havoc throughout the league with their young core of stallions making a name for themselves by dominating their opposition and making pure highlight reels night in and night out. Lack of experience aside, this squad has the goods to outduel any challenger on any given night. They are undeniably must watch TV.

Coming in as the No. 3 Seed are the Golden State Warriors (53-29). The Warriors have steadily worked their way back into the Playoffs and could surprise quite a few teams who underestimate their squad who are not at full strength as of yet but still possess the experience to overcome tough challenges If a healthy Curry, Klay and Draymond can grace the floor together, their chances of advancing throughout the Playoffs increase dramatically.

The No. 4 Seed are the Dallas Mavericks (52-30). Them Boys have had a slow start but managed to get it together in time to build that confidence needed to raise hell throughout the Playoffs. Their squad is intact and well balanced but absolutely need a healthy Luka Doncic to lead the way to any victory.

The stronghold of the Western Conference has dipped this year but rounding up the remaining playoff spots are at the No. 5 Seed Utah Jazz (49-33). The Jazz have had an up and down type season but still managed a respectful seeding while battling it out to the wire. They could cause a problem throughout the Playoffs on any given night. The No. 6 Seed Denver Nuggets (48-34) have maintained their respectful standing throughout the season by playing hard night in and night out but surviving the Playoff run will be challenging, especially without the services of Jamal Murray still out recovering from a torn ACL but with Nikola Jokic running the show, their odds of success are still good. Making a new entry as the No. 7 Seed are the Minnesota Timberwolves (46-36). Them boys making it to the dance is a positive and good for the experience but other than that, I see a quick exit out. The same can be said about the New Orleans Pelicans (36-46) fresh from the Play-In game against the Clippers, them Boys fought hard to get to the dance but their stay might be short lived.

Representing the Eastern Conference with the No.1 Seed are the Miami Heat (53-29). Grabbing that No. 1 Seed in the Eastern Conference wasn’t easy this year. The Eastern teams have improved dramatically making the conference very competitive all around. Any team from 1 to 5 had a chance at claiming the No. 1 Seed. That said Miami earned it but will still have a hell of time defending it throughout the Playoffs. The No. 2 Seed are the Boston Celtics (51-31). Them Boys literally came from the bottom seed all the way up into the standings giving themselves a legitimate chance at a good run in the Playoffs. Their squad is solid with two very good All-Star players in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing at an all-time high-level night in and night out. In the No. 3 Seed are the Defending Champions Milwaukee Bucks (51-31). Them Boys had it rough at times throughout the season with injuries disrupting their line up but with their MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo holding the team down on every level, these Defending Champs will remain a problem to any team trying to derail them from reaching the NBA Finals.

The Philadelphia 76ers hold the No. 4 Seed with their revamped squad balling out. They are hoping to reach the NBA Finals this year with Joel Embiid playing at an MVP level at both ends of the floor and newly acquired point guard James Harden running the show. Over all they have a tight squad that can get the job done but actions speak louder than words and they gotta get it together and not choke this time around. The No. 5 Seed are our Canadian Team the Toronto Raptors (48-34) who worked their way up to a respectable standing considering they were at the bottom riddled with injuries slowing them down throughout the season. Fully healthy now they have an opportunity to give it a good solid run.

The Chicago Bulls hold the No. 6 Seed and at one point held the No. 1 Seed but dealt with some close losses that eventually knocked them down the standings. They have a solid squad that can get it done but will have a hell of a time competing with the Heavy hitters sitting ahead of them but the Bulls shouldn’t be slept on just yet.

The 7 Seed Brooklyn Nets (44-38) and the 8 Seed Atlanta Hawks (43-39) both needed the Play-In Tournament to get in this year’s Playoff run but truth be told, they are also the two teams capable of beating the No. 1 and No. 2 Seed to move on and completely disrupt the Playoffs. Neither team is gun-shy and can rack up the scoring board in very little time. They both possess the playmakers who can individually win games on their own when on fire. Definitely two teams to keep a close eye on during the first round of the Playoffs.

Tune in this Saturday April 16, 2022 for this year’s NBA version of the “Sweet 16” Playoffs run.

Blaze