Author Archives: Andrew B

NBA Finals: The Dubs without Day Day

hi-res-871d88404497c8e1b3c9897fc6be55d0_crop_northYesterday the NBA announced that it had upgraded Draymond Green’s non-foul against Draymond Green to a Flagrant 1. That led to a hilarious day on Twitter with people talking about “hurt feelings” and “taking the high road” culminating it what may have been the most hilarious tweet of the day from NBA First Lady, Ayesha Curry:

“High Road. invisible bridge used to step over said person when open floor is available left to right.”

My only comment is that the high road is usually taken without declaration. I’m pretty sure that by letting people know that you’re traversing said road, you immediately get booted off by high road patrol and land on either the mid-level or low road… Continue reading →

NBA Finals: Closeout Time

LeBronDraymondGame 4 went about as expected. The score belies how close the game was. However, that’s the thing with the Warriors – you can’t let them stay close. They either get blown out or they win. If you thought their 38.6 clutch rating in the regular season was insane, try wrapping your head around a 49.3 rating in the playoffs (For those who don’t know, a 49.3 rating means that the Warriors would outscore a team by 49.3 points if they played at that level for 100 possessions, the average amount of possessions in an NBA game). They just don’t lose close games. The Cavs did not play a particularly terrible game, in fact, during the quarter where the flow shifted, they held the Dubs to 36% shooting (giving up 6 threes to the Splash Bros will do that to you…). But to beat the Warriors, you have to play great for 48 minutes. And sometimes, even that’s not enough. Now the Cavs face a closeout game in Oakland – where the Warriors have lost only once during the playoffs and three times during the entire season to this point. What do they need to clean up to get a win? Continue reading →

NBA Finals: Thoughts after Game 3

2016.06.09 Finals Game 3

That’s just nuts right there… he dunked that.

The Cavs turned in a dominant performance and throttled the Warriors to the tune of a 30-point victory in Cleveland last night. As good as the Warriors have been, it’s incredible to think that the Warriors are 2-6 in game 3s during the Kerr era. They lost Game 3s to the: Grizzlies, Rockets, Cavs (twice), Blazers, and the Thunder. They have now lost five straight game 3s. This is all to say that as a Warriors fan I am not too concerned. The problems in last night’s game are easily fixed by stronger rotations (Kerr… DEATH LINEUP) and even more so, better effort and execution. Much will be talked about the scoring efforts of the Cavs but the more interesting adjustments happened on the defensive side of the ball. Here are some quick thoughts on how the Cavs put the hurt on the Warriors: Continue reading →

10 Things I Like and Dislike – TMNT: Out of the Shadows

TMNT BannerI went into this movie with tempered expectations. The trailers looked good. It looked like they were going to fix the mistakes of the first movie (incoherent story, terrible dialogue, an attempt to be too serious) and make something worthy of the cartoons I loved when I was growing up. After watching the movie, my wife and I looked at each other and in very shocked tones said, “I really liked it.” There were two reasons we were shocked. The first, we were expecting the movie to be garbage. The second, this was not a great movie, but it we loved it anyway. Continue reading →

NBA Finals: Thoughts going into Game 2

Jun 2, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) dunks the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

One game is in the books and the Warriors have taken what feels like more than a 1-0 series lead on the Cavs. Despite holding the Splash Brothers to a combined 20 points for the game, the Cavs let the Warriors bench score 45 points and the Dubs pulled away from the Cavs to win by 15. After watching the game, I think the Cavs are still in it but there are some significant concerns based off their performance and Coach Lue’s, “I like how we played them” demeanor after the game: Continue reading →

NBA Finals: Preview and Predictions

20160531_finalspreview_760We’re finally here. The NBA Finals. Two number one seeds. The NBA got its wish – a rematch of the 2015 Finals. LeBron and his fully healthy Cavs against the 73-9 juggernaut, the Warriors. If the Cavs win, they ruin the Warriors bid for the greatest team of all time while also making the argument that, if healthy, they would have won last year. If the Warriors win, they can quiet all the naysayers who doubted their 2015 run as a product of fortunate health circumstances, not their play. Let’s jump in and see how both teams made it this far. Continue reading →

NBA Playoffs: The Comeback

MVPBehaviorI have never felt so good about eating crow. On May 24, I was about 90% sure the Warriors were done. I even wrote about it here. This series was exhausting, emotional, and for me, the most enjoyable playoff series I have witnessed in my life. I am biased because I’m a Warriors fan but accounting for the talent, the stakes, and the high-level of play, I’d feel comfortable putting these seven games up against any other in NBA history. Continue reading →

NBA Playoffs: Thunderstruck

9577095_G73-9. 24-0 to start the season. Unanimous MVP. As a Warriors fan, all that stuff is looking pretty hollow right now. The Thunder have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Warriors and the Dubs are left with the harsh reality of having to beat a team that has dominated this match-up three straight games. Fortunately they’re heading home to Oakland where they’ve lost only three times all season but, truthfully, this series looks over. Continue reading →