On The Watch “It’s All About The 73rd 2024 NBA All-Star Game”

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game

This year, the 73rd annual NBA All-Star Game will be hosted in Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center February 18, 2024, and will feature the return of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference classic matchup and traditional scoring system with four 12-minute quarters. The starters were chosen by the fans (50%), the players (25%) and the media (25%). The 30 NBA coaches selected the 14 reserves. 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
-Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns)
-Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
-Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Reserves

-Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
-Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
-Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
-Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
-Paul George (LA Clippers)
-Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
-Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Coach Chris Finch (Minnesota Timberwolves)

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

-Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) Team Captain
-Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)(injury replacement player Bam Adebayo)
-Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
-Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers)
-Damian Lillard (Milwaukee Bucks)

Reserves

-Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
-Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)
-Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
-Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
-Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
-Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
-Julius Randle (New York Knicks)(injury replacement player-Trae Young)

Coach Doc Rivers (Milwaukee Bucks)

With the return of the traditional format back into play, the old-school atmosphere
of the NBA All-Star game will be in full effect vibe wise in the building at the Indiana Convention Center Sunday night February 18, 2024. “King of the Court” will be up for grabs once again, which squad will claim “GAME” when it’s all said and done.

Tune in and enjoy the entire festivities of the weekend starting February 16 to February 18, 2024 on NBA TNT.

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 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 NBA PLAYOFFS 2023”

NBA Playoffs 2023 (Sweet 16)

With a full 82 Games NBA season now over and the NBA Play-In Tournament successfully completed, we are now officially ready to proceed with the NBA Playoffs 2023.

This year the Milwaukee Bucks (58-24) have reclaimed the “King of The Court” and No. 1 Seed in the entire league while battling it out with key members of their squad missing quite a few games but nonetheless were still able prevail throughout a very competitive season. The Bucks are getting it together at the right time and are driven to reach the mountain top once again.

That being said the No. 2 Seeded Boston Celtics (57-25) marginally fell short of the No. 1 Spot but maintained a very strong dominance throughout the league pinning any opponent to be in deep water when coming face to face with the surging Celtics come Playoff time. They showed up this year now it’s time to complete the run to the NBA Finals.

The Philadelphia 76ers (54-28) hold the No. 3 Seed and have been looking quite motivated to silence the naysayers who have been questioning their direction. With Joel Embiid playing at an MVP level and James Harden running the show, the squad is now peaking at the right moment and hopefully on track to reaching the NBA Finals.

The Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31) hold the No. 4 Spot while surprisingly being quite competitive night in and night out proving to be a team to be taken seriously throughout this Playoff run. The Cavs have a bonafide star in Donovan Mitchell and a solid nucleus of players looking to follow his lead.

The New York Knicks No. 5 Seed (47-35), the Brooklyn Nets No. 6 Seed (45-37), the Atlanta Hawks No. 7 Seed (41-41) and the Miami Heat No.8 Seed (44-38) all fought extremely hard to have a spot in the Playoffs but will have an even greater time knocking out the higher seeded favourites off their block come “Game night”, resulting in a very intriguing first round of Playoff runs.

The stronghold of the Western Conference has dipped again this year with only two teams crossing over the 50-win column. The Denver Nuggets have secured their No. 1 Seed with a modest (53-29) record and seem to be getting their full squad fully operational at the right time if they plan on reaching the NBA Finals this year. Breathing down their necks are the youngins Memphis Grizzlies (51-31) No. 2 Seed determined to prove they belong at the top but that being said, actions speak louder than words. Them youngins have to show up big and make some serious waves this time around deep into the Playoffs

The Sacramento Kings (48-34) is the surprising No. 3 Seed looking to prove that this is not a fluke. This squad got here the hard way but this Playoff run will be the truth teller of how far they go throughout the Playoffs. The Phoenix Suns (45-37) hold the No. 4 Spot but had to climb from the bottom to get back into the game and with Kevin Durant joining the squad this team is looking more and more like they might have found the missing piece.

The Los Angeles Clippers (44-38) No. 5 Seed, the Defending Champions Golden State Warriors (44-38) No. 6 Seed, the Los Angeles Lakers (43-39) No. 7 Seed and the Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40) No. 8 Seed don’t have much separating them at this point other than the Championship pedigree that the Warriors and the Lakers have over the rest of the Western Conference Playoff teams. They are the two teams that could definitely shake up their Playoff standings after the first rounds of play come to completion.

This year, Playoff runs are interesting from top to bottom so tune in and witness the outcome starting this Saturday April 15, 2023.

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 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