Wanna Be a Baller | NBA Finals Preview ‘23 | May ‘23 Finish & June ‘23 Preview
This song came out of the Houston area in June 1998. If you listen to rap or hip/hop you probably know the hook and after doing some research this was also in NBA 2K19.
If you’ve been reading Week to Week Notes, I would use Wanna Be A Baller as the header for NBA sections from time to time. Nothing really to it other than it came on shuffle while I was writing last fall, I needed a ball reference, and I thought it played. Balling is cool & all but getting to call the shots as a sports media publication is the real part of this I find fascinating. Trying to figure out what people enjoy reading while simultaneously figuring out how to write has been like a game inside a game. As ridiculous as it might sound, Week to Week Notes obviously hasn’t made any ROI, but for someone who had zero journalistic background, with this change in mindset it’s impossible not to gain some perspective.
Last year on June 1, ‘22, I wrote an NBA Finals ‘22 Preview. It was the 2nd link that I put on Instagram and I still didn’t have a Week to Week Notes logo or newspaper header. It was so much of a Shrimp Show that I just copy and pasted an ESPN graphic.
I kept the jokes on there to a minimum but I predicted the Warriors in 7 (no big deal, not to brag) and they won in 6. Let’s see if I can get it spot on this year…
NBA Finals Preview ‘23
Dating back to 1988, the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat have faced off 72 times in the NBA regular season with the Nuggets holding a 38-34 edge. This is the first time in the Denver Nuggets’ history that they are in an NBA Finals. The Miami Heat have appeared in the NBA Finals 6 times, in ‘06, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, and ‘20. They have won 3 NBA Championships in ‘06, ‘12, and ‘13. This year Miami was 44-38 and the #8 Seed out of the East, becoming just the 2nd #8 Seed to ever reach the NBA Finals. The Nuggets on the Manu Ginobili hand were 53-29 and the #1 Seed out of the West.
Schedule
Game 1: Thursday, June 1 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 2: Sunday, June 4 | 8 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 3: Wednesday, June 7 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 4: Friday, June 9 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 5*: Monday, June 12 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 6*: Thursday, June 15 | 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 7*: Sunday, June 18 | 8 p.m. ET (ABC) (*if necessary)
Denver Nuggets
Head Coach: Michael Malone
Michael Malone is a local. He was born in Astoria, Queens, and went to high school at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, Jersey. He played hoops in college at Loyola from 1989 to 1993 before he became a high school coach at Friends School of Baltimore. Malone would go on to assistant coach in college at Oakland, Providence, and Manhattan from 1994 to ‘01. Then he jumped to the next level of the NBA as an assistant coach for the Knicks, Cavaliers, Hornets, and Warriors from ‘02 to ‘13. The Sacramento Kings hired Michael Malone in ‘13-14 as their head coach but he only lasted a little over a year before the Nuggets hired him in the summer of ‘15. The fiery NY local has been in Denver ever since. He’s also great with a quote, when asked about the Lakers this week he said, “They’ve gone fishing, we’re still playing. The narrative should be on whatever two teams are still alive.”
Star: Nikola Jokic (C)
Nikola Jokic was born and raised in the northern part of Serbia. He started playing basketball as a kid and would regularly play with his older brothers who are a decade older. His brothers are his biggest supporters, they are regularly at games and will wreak havoc on anyone who messes with the Joker. As a Yankee fan insider put it, “Jokic is a freak. He’s like if you combined Dirk with Magic Johnson. He makes no sense. He’s chubby, slow, and 7 ft tall but he also plays point guard.” I swear I’ve handed the Joker my ID a thousand times while I was walking into pubs and bars for pints, the man looks like a bouncer. Jokic was drafted in the 2nd Round with the 41st overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in ‘14. He didn’t come Stateside until ‘15 as he developed as a leader in the Serbian League. He has now made 5 consecutive All-NBA teams, made 5 All-Star games, and won 2 MVPs by the age of 28. My best guess as to why the Joker is amazing is that his game is so meticulously different than what the rest of the NBA players have played against combined with the fact that he has Steph Curry type of touch and passing skills. At 6’11”, he is able to see over every defender as a passer, and his unorthodox shot is impossible to block. He can’t jump.
Starters
Sidekick
Jamal Murray played for Coach Cal at Kentucky. He is the NBA Bubble Boy who has re-entered society after dominating the NBA Bubble Playoffs and then sustaining injuries ever since. While Murray is the point guard on the stat sheet, Joker allows him to play more of a combo guard where he doesn’t have to be so ball dominant. The Bubble Boy jokes also are because during the regular season, Murray averaged 18.5 points per game, and that jumped to 26.5 points per game in ‘20. This year he has averaged 7.7 more points in the playoffs compared to the regular season so he might just be a very good playoff performer. Murray is Canadian.
Assistant to the Sidekick
Michael Porter Jr. barely played college basketball during his time at Missouri. He had back issues that made him fall in the NBA draft. He is one of those Create-A-Player-Types in a video game that was compared to the likes of Kevin Durant when he was entering the NBA. MPJ started a career-high 62 games in ‘23, averaging 17.4 points per game and shooting over 41% from beyond the arc during the regular season. The Nuggets took a bit of a low-risk, high-reward chance on Porter Jr. in the ‘18 NBA Draft, and now having him at 24 years old as a #3 scorer just goes to show how well the Nuggets have drafted over the past few years. When he receives the ball in 67.5% of cases he shoots within 2 seconds, while 29.4% shoot within 2-6 seconds, and only 3.1% after more than 6 seconds. (Source: @FHuzjan)
Could Drop 30 or a Goose-Egg
Aaron Gordon looks just like Aaron Judge. Great defender, who will match up with either Bam Adebayo or Jimmy Butler. Had one of those meteoric rises because of March Madness that got him drafted a bit higher than he probably should have gone. When he first entered the NBA was looked to be the next “guy”. Has settled into his role as defense and rebound first. Can still score at an extremely efficient rate, but has become an elite role player. While Gordon doesn’t completely fit the narrative of dropping 30 or goose-egg, a bunch of his points stem from offensive rebounds or are dependent on him hitting open looks - he rarely is asked to create his own shot.
Shooters Shoot
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was born in Georgia and played for Georgia. His agent is Rich Paul. He got a huge contract to play for the Lakers around the same time LeBron went to LA. Very solid and can shoot a bit. If I were Miami though, I’d make KCP beat me.
Bench
6th Man
Bruce Brown is an undersized underdog. Will end up with double-digit rebounds, positions himself great, and has developed into a bit of a scorer with solid finishing around the rim plus a respectable 3-point shot. He originally made his mark on the Brooklyn Nets. Scrappy and hustle player who is actually one of my favorites.
Veteran Off The Pine
Jeff Green is a Georgetown alum and was drafted with Kevin Durant to the Seattle Sonics. He has had a very long and solid NBA career. On his journey, Green said, “Long story short, I’m proud of myself.” (Source: @HarrisonWind)
Don’t Expect Much
Christian Braun has the possibility of becoming the 5th player to win the NCAA Tournament and NBA Finals in back-to-back years. I haven’t seen him play in the NBA yet but probably a good system guy. Played for Kansas and can’t jump.
Old Head Big
DeAndre Jordan Was a slam dunk contestant and one of the members on the other end of Chris Paul’s passes for Lob City. Jordan was once an elite rim protector who used to really be a highflyer that put quite a few players on posters in his day.
Miami Heat
Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra
Erik Spoelstra was born just north of Chicago in Evanston, Illinois, spent his childhood in Buffalo, and ended up going to high school in Oregon. Spo’ was a solid point guard in his playing days where he played at Portland University. He went undrafted in the NBA so he played in Germany from 1993 to 1995. He would need back surgery from his playing days so he was offered a coaching position in Europe or the chance of a position with the Miami Heat. Spo’ started off with the Heat as the video coordinator in 1995, right as Pat Riley took over the head coaching job down in South Beach. Riley likely would have brought his own video coordinator down South with him but he wasn’t allowed to contractually so he was stuck with Spoelstra. Eventually Spo’ was promoted to assistant coach/advanced scout before Heat’s assistant coach/director of scouting. By ‘08, Spo’ became Pat Riley’s hand-picked successor. He coached the Big 3 and has been attributed big time to the Heat’s culture. Erik Spoelstra has become one of the best coaches, if not THE best, in the NBA.
Star: Jimmy Butler
Himmy Butler, as the kids would’ve said, is built different. Butler was raised without a father and at the age of 13 was kicked out of his house because his mother told him, “I don’t like the look of you. You gotta go.” For most of his teenage years, Butler bounced around his friends’ houses until the Lambert family took him in when he was a senior in high school. After high school, Butler played at Tyler Junior College, a community college in Tyler, Texas before transferring to Marquette. Jimmy Butler was then overlooked when entering the NBA, falling to the final pick in the first round of the ‘11 NBA Draft. After playing sparingly as a Rookie, started to earn more of a role with the Chicago Bulls in year 2. He played the most minutes in the NBA in his 3rd year and was selected to the 2nd Team NBA All-Defense Team. Butler’s career then really took off when he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player in ‘15 followed by his 1st All-Star Game in ‘16. The tenacious defender’s offensive game started to develop thanks to Himmy’s relentless work ethic. Butler would get traded to the T’Wolves following his All-NBA selection in ‘17. Things didn’t work out in Minnesota as he ended up cursing off the whole team in practice and destroying the confidence of their young fragile core before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers to join up with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. That didn’t work out either as Jimmy Butler wanted his own team and decided South Beach was right for him. He led the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals in the ‘20 NBA Bubble Playoffs and has been phenomenal these playoffs.
Starters
Sidekick
Bam Adebayo was a top recruit Kentucky guy that Coach Cal couldn’t really use properly. Cal never really thought to use Bam’s above-average playmaking ability for a Center. While Bam Adebayo may not be on the same level of a player as Nikola Jokic, Adebayo will frequently dribble the ball up the floor after snatching a rebound. Bam has made 2 NBA All-Star games and became the 3rd player in Heat postseason history with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists in a playoff game, joining LeBron James (4x) & Shaquille O'Neal.
Assistant to the Sidekick
Caleb Martin is the undrafted twin of the Martin brothers. He and his brother Cody grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and played for NC State before transferring to Nevada. After not getting drafted by the Hornets like Cody, the story goes that, “[J. Cole] went straight to his contacts & hit up Caron [Butler]. They put me in a position to come up here and get a scrimmage... I just came in and played well & the rest was history.” He is coming off a monster Game 7 where he scored 26 points hitting dagger after dagger against the Celtics.
Could Drop 30 or a Goose-Egg
Gabe Vincent is Cali born and raised. He played college hoops at UC Santa Barbra and went undrafted in the ‘18 NBA Draft. Vincent played professionally for the Stockton Kings in the NBA’s minor league (G-League) from ‘18 to ‘20 where he won the Most Improved Player award. Later in ‘21, Vincent joined Miami in the NBA Summer League where the two sides agreed to a deal to make the Nigerian national a part of the team. Vincent has the ability to take over games like he did against Boston in Game 3 where he scored 29 points on 6 3-pointers and an efficient 11-14 shooting night.
Shooters Shoot
Duncan Robinson is another undrafted Miami Heat player. Can’t jump, but can shoot the lights out, unless it’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Nah honestly a very cool story, Robinson was playing Division III College before transferring to Michigan. Nonetheless, Robinson agreed on a two-way contract with the Miami Heat and Sioux Falls Skyforce. Duncan, much like Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin, credits Sioux for his development. The Sioux Falls is in South Dakota. That is no longer South Beach anymore, but hey maybe it helped the Miami Heat's undrafted players in some way. Duncan Robinson is for sure known for being a shooter, but he also showcased great cutting-to-the-hoop ability and is an underrated finisher around the rim. Can’t jump.
Bench
6th Man
Tyler Herro is a Kentucky Coach Cal guy. Jack Harlow made a song about him, which I will probably never use unless he views a @YouTheReader story, in which case hypothetically speaking he’d be one of my biggest Herro’s. Tyler Herro has been out for almost all of the playoffs with a broken hand. Can’t jump.
Veteran Off The Pine
Kyle Lowry is a ‘Nova alum and Raptor. He was perpetually known as a choker in the playoffs on the internet until he became a champion. His low center of gravity, especially when he’s dribbling, can look like a bowling ball once his head is full of steam.
Don’t Expect Much
Max Strus is yet another undrafted Miami Heat player with a cool story. Strus played for Lewis University, a Division II NCAA program, before transferring to DePaul University. Strus is a contributor so don’t mind the “don’t expect much” label. Strus and the rest of the undrafted Miami Heat must be able to turn the page on the Celtics’ celebration because the Denver Nuggets are chomping at the bit. All 4 of the Miami Heat rotational players who went undrafted played either 3 or 4 years of college.
Old Head Big
Kevin Love, but I could have just as easily gone with Udonis Haslem. Love sees playing time, while Haslem is tied with LeBron James for longest active NBA player. Haslem is the quintessential NBA locker room guy who back in his prime was a hardnosed power forward who served as Dwayne Wade’s bodyguard big. One last thing, Kevin Love can’t jump, but in fairness, I’m not sure if Udonis Haslem at this point can either. This will be Udonis Haslem’s 7th NBA Finals appearance and Pat Riley’s 19th as a player/coach/executive.
NBA ‘23 Finals Prediction
Nuggets in 5. Nikola Jokic gets an NBA Finals MVP.
May ‘23 Finish & June ‘23 Preview
@YouTheReader quoting last month “I read these calendar quotes like fortune cookies. So this one is uh… I don’t know… I still feel like me.”
Uhhh… I don’t know what that means. Wish me well. 🫤
SubStack View Analytics
For anybody new to Week to Week Notes, I started posting a link to this Substack last April. My first post was a simple Mock Draft for the ‘22 NFL Draft. Week to Week Notes was designed for the football season so I’m hoping to maintain a good pace this summer and we’ll what happens this fall.
Instagram “ProfessionalAnalytics”
In January, 32.4k New Yorkers during the month of at least saw the brand&logo of Week to Week Notes. In February, 47.1k New Yorkers at least saw the brand&logo of Week to Week Notes. In March, 30k New Yorkers and about 8k Bostonians at least saw the brand&logo of Week to Week Notes. In April, 38.4k New Yorkers at the very least saw the brand&logo of Week to Week Notes. In May, 33k New Yorkers at the very least saw the brand&logo of Week to Week Notes. That would bring the total to 180.9k New Yorkers so far in ‘23.
I’m sitting right now at 300 followers on Instagram at the moment, I probably just jinxed it, but I now owe one of you a wine rack so I’ll have to pick out of a hat later this week. I promise not to talk about any of this sort of followers&following stuff until maybe the end of June.
Closing Special Thank You!
Not sure if I do this enough, but I just want to say I appreciate all of you. I really have so much fun doing this and thank you to all those who put up with me, you all know who you are and you’re the best!