On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA Season 2020/2021”

The NBA Season 2020/2021

The NBA Season is set to start this upcoming Tuesday December 22, 2020 but with 10 games shorter than the previous seasons due to the Covid-19 pandemic still looming over the World.

So many things are going to be different and unpredictable for this upcoming season but one thing is for sure, the Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to repeat as Champions regardless of the obstacles ahead. The Lakers’ squad is still well-intact and well-built for the long haul. As for the Los Angeles Clippers, they may have fallen short in the Playoffs last season but redemption will be their motivation throughout this season. The Houston Rockets are an uncertainty right now considering they have done some major changes starting with their front office and the coaching staff and their star player, James Harden, looking for a way out of the city. Assuming Harden’s indecision to still run with the team, only time will tell how they will look as the season progresses. The Western Conference will still be competitive as usual with the strong play coming from the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and let’s not forget The Golden State Warriors who may still have a say in the Western standings, – they are not done yet in my eyes.

The Eastern Conference is steadily improving with major players changing conferences to help balance the forces. The Milwaukee Bucks fell short once again at reaching the Finals but have managed to secure their MPV player Giannis Antetokounmpo to an extended contract giving them another opportunity at the task at hand, an NBA Title. With a few added pieces to the team, things could be looking up for them. The Miami Heat shocked the league last season when they worked their way to the NBA Finals. They showed they belong and plan on getting it going right back where they left off. The Brooklyn Nets will be looking for a “Takeover” type season with a healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leading the pack along with a new coaching staff to draw up the winning format. Our own Canadian team the Toronto Raptors are still in the running and still have the ability to stay competitive with any team from any conferences. The Philadelphia 76ers have done some revamping with their team and the coaching staff in the hope of changing their future outcome. Let’s see how everything unfolds throughout the season. The Boston Celtics is still a major player with a proven squad that can definitely upset the apple tree once they get going. They are a proven squad that can definitely disrupt the standings in the Eastern Conference. As for the Indiana Pacers, the Washington Wizards, the Charlotte Hornets, the Detroit Pistons, the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic, the jury is still out on what they can bring to the table.

We are entering the unknown with this year NBA Season. There is no script on how things will evolve and for that alone we should all tune in this Tuesday night December 22, 2020 and be part of another roller-coaster type NBA Season 2020/2021.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA PLAYOFFS 2020”

NBA Playoffs 2020 (Sweet 16)

With the NBA-Restart successfully completed, we are now ready for phase two of inside the “Bubble” of The NBA Playoffs.

This year “King of The Court” and No. 1 Seed for the shortened season are The Milwaukee Bucks (56-17). Them Boys came out the gate strong the entire season and established their dominance night in and night out. They have literally picked up where they left off last year but are definitely determined to write the wrong of not getting to the NBA Finals. They want that “Ring” by any means necessary.

That being said, our own Canadian team the Defending Champions the Toronto Raptors No. 2 Seeded (53-19) are still ballin like the Champs that they are. Real Talk! For those who thought that the Raptors would have fallen off due to Kawhi Leonard leaving, have unquestionably misjudged this team. The Raptors have acquired the experience needed to get to the promise land. They are battle-tested and have the right squad to compete with anybody on any given day. They will be defending their crown.

The Eastern Conference teams that have all made it to the “Bubble” will all have a jab at whom will represent the Eastside but I’m most intrigued by the 3rd Seeded Celtics (48-24), 4th Seeded Pacers (45-28), the 5th Seeded Heat (44-29) and the 6th Seeded 76ers (43-30) because they are all making the Eastern Conference run real attention-grabbing outside looking in.

Representing the Western Conference with the No. 1 Seed is the LeBron James- and Anthony Davis- driven Los Angeles Lakers (52-19) and breathing down their necks are the Kawhi Leonard- and Paul George- driven No. 2 Seeded Los Angeles Clippers (49-23). The word on the street is one of these LA teams will be taking it all the way to the finish line. Personally I think it would be foolish to think that the remaining participants in the 3rd Seeded Nuggets (46-27), the 4th Seeded Rockets (44-28), the 5th Seeded Thunder (44-28), the 6th Seeded Jazz (44-28), the 7th Seeded Mavericks (43-32) and even the Cinderella team in the 8th Seeded Blazers (35-39) couldn’t throw a twist to any possible outcome in these Western Playoffs. Records aside, these Western teams competing in the “Bubble” are way too competitive to being overlooked by any one of them.

Don’t sleep on this year’s 2020 “Sweet 16” Playoff run and tune in this Monday night August 17, 2020. Check up!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA-Who’s On Top?

We are well passed the midpoint mark for the season with 51 plus Games played to date and leading the entire league again this year is the Milwaukee Bucks (43-7). Them boys are on a redemption tour playing hard night in and night out from offence to defence. The Bucks are locked in and driven to get to the NBA Finals and the way they have been ballin all season it could very well be theirs for the taking. Our own Canadian team, the Defending Champions the Toronto Raptors (36-14) are surprisingly keeping it interesting considering the loss of their MVP Kawhi Lenard to the Clippers. The Raptors still have a solid squad that can definitely upset any team thinking that they are a walk over. The Boston Celtics (34-15) and the Miami Heat (34-15) are presently tied for third but either team could easily grab the No. 2 Seed with the way both teams have been playing as of late. They are both well- balanced teams who play hard ball from start to finish. The Indiana Pacers (31-19) and the Philadelphia 76ers (31-20) are both trying to hold down their respective spots for a Playoff seed but truth be told I personally expected Philly to be fighting for the 1 to 3 spot and not the lower seeds. That being said, there is still lots of ball to be played and the brackets could change come April.

With the Golden State Warriors forced to take a back seat this year, the Western Conference has a new face leading the pack with the Los Angeles Lakers (38-11). They started the season with the No. 1 spot and are still holding onto it thanks to the play of their two All Stars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis helping to lead the way. That being said, holding onto the No. 1 spot won’t be that easy with The Los Angeles Clippers (35-15) chasing that No. 1 Seed and gunning for “king of the Los Angeles Court” with their two All Star players, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George getting it going come crunch time. The Denver Nuggets (35-16) are right there as expected and ready to take the No. 1 or the No 2 Seed if either Los Angeles team falter. The Nuggets may be overlooked here but they are definitely ballin the right way this season. The Utah Jazz (32-17) are bubbling at the right time securing their Playoff spot in the competitive Western Conference but holding onto their spot is a challenge within itself considering how tough the conference is. I expect a musical chair type seeding to happen within the remaining teams vying for a potential Playoff spot. The Houston Rockets (32-18), the Dallas Mavericks (31-19), the Oklahoma City Thunder (30-20) and the Portland Trail Blazers (23-28) all have a chance at a final run.

Just my thoughts.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA Season 2019/2020”

The NBA Season 2019/2020

The NBA Season is set to start this upcoming Tuesday October 22, 2019, and our own newly crowned Canadian Defending Champs the Toronto Raptors will be looking to start the season right where they left off. However, they will be looking to repeat without their star player and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. With Kawhi jumping ship, the Raptors’ chances of repeating have definitely slimmed down but with the emergence of last year’s Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam they may have found another go to player to help them restore the balance needed to get back to the Finals and defend their Championship.

With the season that they had last year the Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to bounce right back into contention considering that their squad is still intact with a few new faces to help maintain their status quo as one of the top teams that could possibly reach the Eastern Conference Finals if all goes right for them.

After falling short at the buzzer to the Toronto Raptors in the Easter Conference Finals, the Philadelphia 76ers had a hard look at their team and decided to fine-tune their roster to hopefully have that edge needed to conquer the Eastern Conference and set foot to the NBA Finals. As it stands right now, they may have the biggest starting line-up this year if all goes as planned with 6-5, 6-9, 6-10, and a big mobile 7-footer. Defence this year should not be a problem, but Philly will definitely be gunning for that No. 1 Spot. Their time is now.

The lack of chemistry that the Boston Celtics displayed last year cost them dearly and with the departure of Kyrie Irving and Al Holford, they might have slipped a little but I’m not counting them boys out just yet. Coach Brad Stevens is a proven winner and with Kemba Walker now running the show along with a young athletic squad, the Celtics will still be in contention and may be the sleeper team in the Eastern Conference.

The Brooklyn Nets acquired Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant over the off season in a serious power move, but we won’t be able to see the two heavy hitters share the court together until possibly next season since Kevin Durant is expected to miss the entire 2019/2020 season recovering from his Achilles injury. I expect the Nets to be competitive but not ready yet to steal that No 1 Spot in the East.

That being said the Eastern Conference is still steadily improving. The Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat, the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards will keep it interesting throughout the season.

Out West the tables have changed dramatically, with the departure of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson sidelined until possibly after the All-Star break. The Golden State Warriors will have no breathing room or any easy nights in the Western Conference. This season might be their toughest to date. The Warriors are not ready to concede the season just yet. Counting them out with a healthy Stephen Curry and Draymond Green still holding it down until Klay comes back is not something I’m willing to bet against at this time.

The two LA teams have done some power moves of their own and in doing so may have reignited the Lakers/Clippers rivalry. The Los Angeles Lakers will start this season with a well-rested and healthy LeBron James and newly acquired Anthony Davis. The Lakers have revamped their squad and are already talking Championships. However, their neighboring team the Los Angeles Clippers have also added two valuable pieces to their already proven squad in the form of reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Now that was an unexpected chess move by the Clippers. Both teams have easily vaulted themselves into contention but in the WESTSIDE, nothing is as easy as it’s sounds. The road to the Western Finals is a never-ending gauntlet. There are quite a few contenders willing and ready to snatch that No. 1 Spot.

The Houston Rockets will be starting two former NBA MVP’s in James Harden and Russell Westbrook. This is an intriguing backcourt but one that I am definitely looking forward to seeing in action at this point in their careers. The pace that these two can play at might be the key that gives them the edge and push them over the hump.

The Denver Nuggets are no longer flying under the radar. That squad balled out of their minds last year and are determined to give it another run at the No. 1 Spot. These Kats have a well-balanced squad who plays that team ball the proper way. No game is an easy game against them. They have arrived and are definitely in the mix.

Fresh off their Western Conference Finals showing, the Portland Trail Blazers have retooled their squad to give it another run. Their goal remains the same as all the top contenders in the Western Conference and that is Championship or bust. They have one of the best backcourts in the league in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Now it’s all about putting the right pieces together and making every game count.

Again, the Western Conference is so competitive that you cannot afford to sleep on any team on any given night. That being said, be on the lookout for the New Orleans Pelicans, the San Antonio Spurs, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks to ruffle up the pecking order and create their own havoc in the Western Conference.

Tune in Tuesday night October 22, 2019 and be part of one of the most interesting NBA Seasons.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About 2019 NBA CONFERENCE FINALS”

2019 NBA CONFENCE FINALS

It’s about that time: the NBA’s version of the Final 4 is set to start tonight in Oakland in the Western Conference, when the Defending Champions, the No. 1 seeded Golden State Warriors will be looking to reach the finals by going ball for ball against the 3rd seeded Portland Trail Blazers. Both teams are coming in wounded but driven to reach the Finals by any means necessary. I’m anticipating a serious shootout between them two teams and for the guard play to be a major factor considering both team’s backcourt is their most noticeable strength. The Warriors have been looking vulnerable during this year’s Playoff run but are still considered the favourite to come out of the West. That being said, you can’t count the Blazers out, them boys have been on a mission to silence all the doubters. The Blazers have been balling out of their minds and their swag is on 100 right now. The Blazers have been battle tested during this Playoff run. Now it’s time for them to keep that momentum going long enough to reach the NBA Finals. Tune in this Tuesday night May 14, 2019 and witness the Western Conference shootout under the bright lights!

The No. 1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks have been dominating all year and haven’t lost a step during their Playoff run to date. Them Boys only lost one game during the first two series of the Playoffs. The Bucks have arrived and are determined to complete their “Cinderella” year by reaching the NBA Finals and seizing that Larry O’Brien NBA Championship trophy. That being said, our very own No. 2 seeded Canadian team The Toronto Raptors, have their own dreams and aspirations of them also reaching the NBA Finals and seizing that Larry O’Brien NBA Championship trophy for themselves. This Eastern Conference Finals will be must watch TV at its best. Real Talk! While Milwaukee cruised their way to the Conference Finals, the Raptors needed a heroic game 7 in their second round to secure their seat at the table. Although both teams match up pretty well, I think the deciding factors will fall on the respective play of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard. Them two have been playing on some next level. We’ve seen Kawhi’s clutch play at this level. He’s been here before now its for the rest of the team to follow his lead. As for Giannis “The Greek Freak”, this is his first time going deep into the Playoffs, but you wouldn’t be able to tell the way he’s been “Ballin”. Giannis has looked unstoppable as of late making this match up that much more intriguing. So, tune in Wednesday night May 15, 2019 and see who will be repping the East come Finals time.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA Who’s on Top?

We are at the Quarter mark of this year’s NBA Season and sitting at the top above all for the moment is our own Canadian team The Toronto Raptors with a 18-4 record. I didn’t anticipate this great start from the Raptors considering the dramatic changes that were made over the summer but “DAMN”, the addition of Kawhi Leonard has them Boyz swagged up in a different way. Real Talk. It’s still early in the season but as of right now this team is looking on point on offence and defence. The Milwaukee Bucks are surprisingly tearing it up with some much-improve play cause them Boys have been “Ballin outrageous” with a respectable 15-6 record to date. The hunger and the talent are there now it’s just about keeping a steady healthy momentum throughout the season and these Boyz can certainly be a threat to any team. The Philadelphia 76ers have had an up and down start but managed a 15-8 record to date. With the latest addition of Jimmy Butler to the squad the 76ers will now have a solid set of 3 all-stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Expectation will be high for them three to gel quickly and turn things around. Peeps keep talking about the Eastern Conference being weak but Real Talk, the Division is still competitive. The Pacers’ 13-8 record, The Pistons’ 11-7 record and The Hornets’ 11-10 record are all keeping it real interesting. Now what I’m most surprised by is the play of The Boston Celtics with their record of 11-10. Unbelievable! Now I know it’s still early in the Season, but them Boyz need to get it together asap and start ballin. There’s way too much talent on that team to be sitting at the borderline like that. Real Talk!

The heated Western Conference is an early roller coaster ride with some teams playing musical chairs in the standings so far. Still premature into the Season, The Los Angeles Clippers are surprisingly holding on to the No. 1 Spot with a 14-6 record. These Boyz are ballin with a chip on their shoulders trying to prove the naysayers not to take them lightly with their revamped roster. The Defending Champs Golden State Warriors have taken an early set back with Steph Curry and Dramond Green who’ve been out of the line up for a few games. They’ve been able to sustain themselves for now with a 15-7 record, but truth be told they need Curry and Green back asap if they want another crack at the gold again. I know Its still early into the season, but the West is too strong of a Division to be hobbling around. The Denver Nuggets have dramatically improved on both side of the court and are breathing down all opponents’ necks with their record of 14-7 to date. They have a good thing going on over there and only time will tell if they’re for real with it. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 13-7 record, Portland Trail Blazers’ 13-8 record, Memphis Grizzlies’ 12-8 record and The Los Angeles Lakers’ 11-9 record, are all bubbling teams that can intertwine and change position amongst the standings at any given time. That’s how tight this Division is. Surprisingly, The Houston Rockets are on the outside looking in with their disappointing start of 9-11 record. They were hit early with games missed by James Harden and Chris Paul as of late. I’m not counting these Boyz out just yet, but they absolutely need to get it together and play catch up Basketball sooner rather then later. The Western Conference is an endless race that can leave you behind in no time, good or bad.

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

The NBA-Who’s On Top?

We are officially well passed the midpoint mark for the season with 57 plus Games played and to everybody’s surprise the Houston Rockets (44-13) is the team holding on to that No. 1 Spot by a very small margin over the Defending Champs Golden State Warriors (44-14). Holding on to that No. 1 Spot in the league won’t be easy with the Warriors breathing down their necks but home court advantage come Playoff time would definitely be a plus for them if they could pull it off. As expected the Western Conference has remained quite competitive with the Spurs, Timberwolves, and Thunder, playing musical chairs with each other trying to position themselves just right for a playoff spot making it very interesting.

Holding down the No. 1 Spot on the Eastern Conference side is our very own Canadian Team the Toronto Raptors (41-16). Them Boys snuck up quietly behind the Boston Celtics (40-19) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (34-22) to snatch that No. 1 Spot. Toronto’s steady play as of late has proven to be a problem for a lot of the teams in the East. Real Talk! Peeps keep on talking down about how weak the Eastern Conference is but truth be told the Eastern Conference is actually getting better and better and definitely more competitive; just watch the play of the Wizards, Pacers, Bucks, 76ers, Heat and the Pistons as of late? Its do or die amongst them Teams vying for a Playoff spot.

Injuries to various teams and last minute trades have once again altered the league, making the second half of the season just that much more interesting. So keep tuning in to see who will make the Final Cut!!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s On Top?”

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The NBA-Who’s On Top?

With only a quarter of the regular season down, one can’t front on the surprising rise of our own Canadian Team, The Toronto Raptors. (including me) This team from Up North is still flying high off last years NBA Season and leading the EAST right out the gate with a record of 16-6.

Good enough for the No. 1 seed in the EAST for now. The Eastern Conference has a whole is already doing better than last year around this time of the year. As I’m writing this, five Teams are already sitting above the 500 PCT mark. Now that’s definitely an improvement worth feeling positive about. REAL TALK!

With that being said the WESTSIDE still has a convincing hold over which side has the strongest coast. Leading the Western Conference this time around is the hot shooting Golden State Warriors with a league leading record of 19-2.

Holding on to that No. 1 seed will not be a cakewalk considering the Western Conference The Eastern Conferencealready has 10 Teams above 500 PCT. The Challenge presents itself to both Teams representing their respective coast to see if The Toronto Raptors or The Golden State Warriors is truly contender worthy. Only time will tell cause we still have lots of Ball to be played. Keep tuning In!!

Blaze

On The Watch “NBA PLAYOFFS 2014”

NBA PLAYOFFS 2014

This NBA season was another roller coaster types season with again some uncontrollable, unaccounted mishaps that we the fans would have never imagined happening through out the year. REAL TALK!

With that being said this years’ ” King Of The Court” for the season is non other then The San Antonio Spurs who finished the season with the Best record of 62-20. This team stayed on path through out the whole season with 1 goal in mind and that’s to undo the wrong of last years NBA Finals and recapture what they feel belonged to them, The O’Bryan Trophy. Their journey will not be an easy one considering how the West is loaded with some serious contenders of their own in the likes of Oklahoma, The Clippers and The Portland Trailblazers without counting out the rest of the teams in the Western Conference gunning for the same goal.

The Eastern Conference’s “Top Dog” goes to The Indiana Pacers with their record of 56-26. The Pacer’s came out the gates in an aggressive fashion but finished the last month of the season with a lack of focus, questionable for a real playoff run? The same goes for The Defending Champs Miami Heat.

Their last month finished was just has shaky and doubtful. Both team showed signs of weakness that will not go unnoticed by neither of the remaining Eastern teams aiming to upset them in their own quest. Some new faces in the Playoffs might just surprise a few team this year but one thing for sure is that this Saturday April 19, 2014 Playoffs First Round will definitely be one for the “Books”. REAL TALK! Tune in!

Blaze

On The Watch “It’s All About The NBA-Who’s on Top”

The NBA-Who’s on Top?

With a quarter of the regular season down and at least 20 games accounted for each team. The only clear cut surprise to me right now is how truly deep the West looks compared to the East so far. Real Talk! The Western Conference is in a battle within itself.

Them Dudes on the West are really stepping their game up. As we speak representing the No. 1 Spot for this week is none other then Portland who are sitting with an early standing of 18-4 and if you were to run down the possible 8 seeded teams to qualify for the playoffs today none of them are below the 500 PCT mark (nuff said) I can’t say the same for the Eastern Conference, having seen some uninspected reoccurring injuries to some key players and the lack of cohesiveness and team play from some promising teams, we are left with only 3 teams over the 500 PCT mark.

Indiana this week is holding strong with an early standing of 18-3 (unreal!) These Dudes are not playing around this year. Not far behind are The Defending Champs Miami with a record of 16-5 and Atlanta with their record of 11-10. Now if the playoffs were to start today none of the remaining qualifying teams would be entering the playoff with a winning record. Now that’s CRAZY!!!

Now with that being said the only good thing out of all of this is that there is still lost of games to be played and the landscaped for either conference could change at any given time. I can’t front though it is nice seeing some different faces sitting at the top for a change, even if it is only for a short time.

Blaze