WESTERN CONFERENCE | EASTERN CONFERENCE | Shots (Broiler Remix)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Denver Nuggets vs (8) Thunder/Timberwolves
Nuggets (55-29)
All the NBA stat nerds want to give Nikola Jokic his 3rd MVP but I agree with Boogie Cousins, if you give the Joker his 3rd MVP in a row you’re putting up there with the Greatest of All Time and he’s nowhere near that status without a ring. This will be Jamal Murray’s first playoff series since his phone got hacked. Michael Porter Jr. started a career-high 62 games this year and looks like his back issue may have been a thing of the past. Aaron Gordon as a 4th option seems to be the correct role for him. KCP shot a career-high 42% from beyond the arc.
TBD 8 Seed (Thunder/Timberwolves) - 9:30 PM ET Tonight on ESPN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs Anthony Edwards should be a fun one.
Prediction: Denver in 7.
(4) Phoenix Suns vs (5) Los Angeles Clippers
Suns (45-37)
Devin Booker: "I'm still a student of the game... I'm watching every step that [Kevin Durant] makes very closely and I've always watched his game that way, but from a distance. Now, the chance to get it live & right in front of you is even better." It is still going to take some time for me to get used to Kevin Durant in a Suns jersey. Deandre Ayton will be responsible for cleaning up the majority of the boards. Chris Paul as the floor general always gets you to the playoffs but we’ll see if playing with 3 other studs can finally eradicate his playoff demons. Josh Okogie won the Sun’s ‘22-23 Dan Majerle hustle award. The Suns have had very little time to gel as a team with everyone healthy, that said they bring the most star power compared to the rest of the field.
Clippers (44-38)
Kawhi Leonard vs KD in the first round is a treat. Leonard has not played in a playoff series since the ‘21 Western Conference Semi-final against the Jazz where he tore his ACL. Paul George, or better yet PodcastP, believes that NBA players would have a better chance at playing in the NFL than NFL players would have playing in the NBA. Norman Powell provides a punch off the bench. Russell Westbrook will be going at it with Chris Paul & has the KD storylines as well. Westbrook went from coming off the bench to the Lakers to starting every game as a Clipper and that confidence has led to a bit of a comeback. Marcus Morris gets to play in the NBA playoffs while his twin goes golfing.
Prediction: Suns in 7
(3) Sacramento Kings vs (6) Golden State Warriors
Kings (48-34)
De’Aaron Fox has led the Sacramento Kings out of their playoff drought that started in ‘06. It was the longest playoff drought in NBA history. Many were skeptical of Domantas Sabonis being traded to the Kings last deadline, but the point forward seems to have been a wise investment for Sacramento. Kevin Huerter is the first Kings player since Peja Stojakvoic - and the 11th in NBA history - to make 200+ three-pointers while shooting over 48% from the field and 40% from behind the arc. Harrison Barnes is once again a 4th option on a contender, a role he flourished in with the pre-Kevin Durant Warriors of yesteryear. Keegan Murray became the 1st Rookie in NBA history to hit 200 3-pointers in a season.
Warriors (44-38)
Steph Curry is a playoff killer; his career record is 22-4 (84.6%) in Playoff Series and 93-41 (69.4%) in Playoff Games - that is better than Jordan, Lebron, Kareem Bird, Magic, Kobe, Duncan, and Shaq. Klay Thompson is fully back to his old self, he led the NBA in made 3s. According to ESPN, Jordan Poole was the 9th most viewed player on NBA social this season. A-Wiggins has been cleared to play for the first time since February 13, he has been out due to undisclosed personal reasons. Will Draymond Green get into the head of Domantas Sabonis? The Kings had a great year, but the NBA Playoffs are another animal.
Prediction: Warriors in 6
(2) Memphis Grizzlies vs (7) Los Angeles Lakers
Grizzlies (51-31)
Careful not to criticize Ja Morant or he might bust a cap in your arse. Desmond Bane had career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists per game. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the NBA in block shots. Dillon Brooks said, “I wouldn't mind playing LeBron in a 7 game series. The legacy is there… first time back in the playoffs, knock him out right away in the 1st round.” Luke Kennard led the NBA in 3-point percentage with 49.4% and has shot at an insane 54% clip since being traded to Memphis.
Lakers (43-39)
The numbers Lebron James is able to put up in Year 20 are absurd, but we all wouldn’t expect anything less. The Lakers barely squeaked into the NBA playoffs this year and with the Lakers on the hook with an aging veteran roster, @YouTheReader you never know, this may be Lebron’s last playoff run so might as well enjoy it because we’ll never see quite anything like this for a very long time, if ever again. Anthony Davis said of his teammate, “Bron’s leadership is insane, man. He wants it, he wants it bad and wants to win, and it rubs off on us.” D’Angelo Russell when he was traded to the Lakers on what it is like to play with Lebron and AD, “It’s so easy. Y’all can probably edit how many times I’ll say that at the end of the year, but so easy playing with those guys.” Since February 28, Austin Reaves has received MVP chants for averaging 18 points and 5.7 assists per game on 44% from 3 while shooting 57% from the floor during this stretch. Rui Hachimura’s defensive prowess is elite as a lengthy wing. I can’t pick against Bron in the 1st Round here.
Prediction: Lakers in 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs (8) Bulls/Heat
Bucks (58-24)
Giannis Antetokounmpo joined the great Wilt Chamberlain as the only player in NBA history to average 30+ PPG, 10+ RPG, and 5+ APG on 50%+ shooting in a season. The Greek Freak did it with an even high field goal %. Jrue Holiday is married to former women’s team USA midfielder, Lauren Holiday, after meeting at UCLA in college. Brook Lopez did not attempt more than 10 3-point attempts in a season until he was in his 8th NBA season. Now 2,247 3-point attempts later, Lopez has had one helluva 2nd half to his NBA career. Khris Middle has been dealing with a knee all season but should be good to go as The Greek Freak’s sidekick. Bobby Portis earlier in the month became the 1st player since Boogie Cousins to score 19 points with 5 3-pointers and get 20 rebounds, thank you @statmuse.
TBD 8 Seed (Bulls/Heat) - 7 PM ET Tonight on TNT
Will Diar Derozen’s scream have the same effect on Jimmy Butler?
Prediction: Bucks in 5.
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs (5) New York Knicks
Cavaliers (51-31)
Donovan Mitchell this season became the 4th player in the past 25 seasons to drop 40+ points per game in 4 straight games, joining the likes of Kobe Bryant (who did it 6 times), Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Darius Garland made the Donovan Mitchell trade to Cleveland fit seamlessly by playing 2nd fiddle in the backcourt. Evan Mobley at 21 years old would become the youngest defensive player of the year if he wins it. I wonder if Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert still have places to stay in Brooklyn. The Cavs have a high-scoring backcourt duo with a ton of length in their frontcourt. That said, the Knicks outrebounded Cleveland’s big men in every matchup this season.
Knicks (47-35)
Julius Randle has an ankle and still has yet to do contact in practice so he will be listed as questionable heading into Philadelphia. In Jalen Brunson’s first season as a Knick, he averaged career highs in points, assists, steals, and 3-point %. Luka Doncic missed Brunson “a lot…” Mike Breen on RJ Barrett: “…because he's only 22, we don't know what his ceiling is. But can guarantee whatever that ceiling is, he's gonna reach it because he has a phenomenal work ethic. The ups & downs that happen, he has great poise in how he deals with it.” The only thing holding Immanuel Quickley back from winning the 6th Man of the Year Award is that he happened to start 20 games this season. Mitchell Robinson last week became the 1st player in NBA history with 12+ offensive rebounds, 6+ blocks, and 3+ assists. (Source: KnicksMuse)
Prediction: Cavaliers in 7.
(3) Philadelphia 76ers vs (6) Brooklyn Nets
76ers (54-28)
Joel Embiid is once again in the middle of MVP talk. Embiid grew up in Cameroon playing volleyball and soccer immigrating to the U.S. at 16 years old for basketball. He was far from a finished product and you can see by the GIF below that he has come a long way from his days at Montverde Academy. James Harden has never missed the NBA Playoffs in his 14 years in the league. Check that, Harden’s teams have never missed the playoffs, he has gone missing in nearly all of them. Tyrese Maxey is one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. Tobias Harris somehow makes more money than Joel Embiid and James Harden. PJ Tucker is once again in the middle of a rotation for a contender in the playoffs.
Nets (45-37)
Mikal Bridges is from Philadelphia, played at Villanova, and was actually drafted by his hometown 76ers before being traded on draft night to the Suns. He’s still upset by that. Cameron Johnson is also from Pennslyvania except he played for Pittsburgh before heading to UNC. Spencer Dinwiddie escalated his beef with Kyle Kuzma this week - “There are a lot of guys who have different things that drive and motivate them. If we look at him [Kuzma] and the way he approaches life, fame, and all that stuff, we can see that his priorities tend to vary.” Nic Claxton became the first player ever to average 10+ points per game, 2.5 blocks per game, and shoot over 70% from the floor. (Source: @Statmuse) Joe Harris off the bench will need to be a spark from downtown. Claxton must contain Embiid and the Nets better hope Playoff James Harden shows up.
Prediction: 76ers in 5.
(2) Boston Celtics vs (7) Atlanta Hawks
Celtics (57-25)
Jayson Tatum became the first player in Celtics history to average 30+ points per game in a season. Jaylen Brown sliced his hand a week ago while watering his plants and needed 5 stitches. Malcolm Brogdon for the first time in his career did not start a single game this season and in his 1st year as a Celtic shot a career-high 44% from 3. Marcus Smart will be assigned to guard Trae Young in this series. Al Horford finished the season 2nd in 3-point percentage at 44.6% as a center. The core of this Celtics era was formed in the ‘18 Eastern Conference Finals where Jayson Tatum at 19 years old dunked on Lebron James in Game 7. If they can’t win a ring this year, should they consider blowing the team up?!?!?
Hawks (41-41)
Trae Young led the NBA in assists this year. This week Dejounte Murray just became a 2x girl dad. Another year of steady play from the 4th Pick of the ‘19 NBA Draft, De’Andre Hunter. John Collins averaged a career-low in rebounds and his 13.1 ppg was the lowest since his rookie year. Clint Capela grabbed 21 rebounds in the play-in game this week. For the Hawks to win this series, Trae Young will have to play as he did at the Madison Square Garden in ‘21.
Prediction: Celtics in 4.
Alright @YouTheReader, the lyrics for this are a bit sad boy & melancholy, but I don’t associate this song with sadness. The beat reminds me of college. This tune came out in the Spring of ‘15 so we had it on in the background on our Red Beats by Dre Boombox while playing FIFA in our 8’ by 8’ dorm living room up in New York State’s capital.
That’s where this song takes me back, but I do remember hearing it for the first time in a long time while pregaming for the viewing of the NYC marathon this past November.
It stuck in my head because that Friday before that weekend I had just posted Week 9 (Anti-Hero / 6 PM in NY). It was the first time I really went for it incorporating all these elements of sports, music, social media, and a bit of my personality into one piece. It was also the first time I threw you the reader an @. The opening line for that Week 9 was…
“I don’t know if this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever written or if I stumbled into the beginnings of 4-D Chess.” The funny thing is, I still don’t know. Anyway, I think because I do remember this song being a hit in college plus the fact that I had just stumbled into putting sports&music together made this song stick out in my Back Pocket. I was just waiting for the weather to turn around, didn’t want to use this mid-winter - wouldn't have felt right.
As I’ve probably droned on and on about before, for the first few months of Week to Week Notes, I was extremely self-conscious about doing this. Fitting in was always something that I tried my best at while growing up, so going for something like Week to Week Notes weighed heavily on me. The whole purpose of sports media or written media, in general, is to stand out. Anyway, I gradually gained confidence but I’ll admit once Week 9 was posted, that was when I started to question just how out of touch I may have appeared.
Then Ryen Russillo viewed my Instagram story, so blame him for my Warped Perception like being the reason Taylor Swift is single.
Nah, I just throw that shrimp in there to keep @YouTheReader guessing. The music concept (which came from @Zucks Instagram Story feature) helps the day-to-day aspect of keeping things fresh. The stories between sports, history, and pints mixed with music give me a wide range of content because we all interpret songs in our own way.
For people who’ve known me before I started posting these links, I’m assuming many were a bit surprised by it. Honestly, I surprise myself every day, so I take no offense to it.
The fear of “I’m gonna mess this up” is normal for writers (I Googled it). It’s one of those internal good fears that helps me keep going but then again I’m still not giving myself the mantle of a sports writer until I hit the 1-year mark. @YouTheReader I’ll admit at times I still question if what I write when I’m being facetious is out of touch to others. I’m constantly trying to one-up myself over & over & over again. Sometimes I have to remember it’s best for me to keep things on brand and simple, like what got me here…
One last thing, the “I’m sorry” in this song is really hitting my Irish Catholic guilt…
…except for maybe @Mom when she goes to ShopRite…
YouTube Rabbithole
NBA Playoffs 2003: Best Moments to Remember
Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview tomorrow for Sports&Life. Cheers!!