As great as LeBron James is, whenever his teams come up short it seems there is always an extenuating circumstances that were the cause of their defeat. The excuses, as varied and impuissant as they often are, rarely are attributed to the opponent simply being better. Cavalierly chucking teammates under the bust to cosplaying are previous and favorite tactics employed by James and his media retinue. Down 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers are likely on the path to postseason slaughter courtesy of the Denver Nuggets. As such,…
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May 21, 2023 NBA Playoff StatCap: Heat Culture crushes Celtics
title image via Bangor Daily News Player Spotlight – Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson Gabe Vincent did work against the Boston Celtics, connecting on 11 of his 14 field goal attempts, including canning 6 of 9 from downtown in scoring 29 points. His fellow undrafted Heat compatriot Duncan Robinson also lit the Celtics up, scoring 22 points of his own, hitting 7/11 from the floor, including 5/7 from downtown. Who Got It Done Rk Player Tm Opp MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB…
Read MoreMay 20, 2023 NBA Playoff StatCap: End could be near for Lakers
Player Spotlight – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown Jamal Murray was amazing early and Nikola Jokić came on late but throughout the game it was the duo of Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who had their hand prints on the game. Caldwell-Pope scored 17 points and connected on four key three- pointers. In addition to the plays he made on the defensive end, Brown also scored is points. Who Got it Done Rk Player Tm Opp MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB…
Read MoreNuggets push Lakers to the brink in 119-108 win
Jamal Murray came started the game white-hot, scoring 30 of his 37 points in the first half. When the Murray express sputtered in the second half, timely baskets and plays from Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Bruce Brown, who finished with 17 and 15 points, respectively, helped the Nuggets keep the Lakers at bay and helped Denver claim a 119-108 victory to put the series in a 3-0 stranglehold. The Nuggets led by twelve, 32-20 at the end of the first quarter. Jamal Murray came out sharp, dropping 17 points on 7-9…
Read MoreNBA looking to change All-Star game return to conference format a possibility
It’s fairly safe to say the NBA All-Star game has lost its luster over the past several years. The game had become a gloflridies layup line, with defense of any type making, at best, a passing appearance. Changes to the format, that featured team captains picking teams, playground style, and teams playing for a selected charity initially seemed to breathe new life into the game, but have proven to be a band-aid over a gaping wound, with the game returning to the issues that previously plagued it. The 2023 iteration…
Read MoreMay 19, 2023 NBA Playoff StatCap: Boston might be in trouble
Player Spotlight – Caleb Martin Jimmy Buckets will , and rightfully so, get his faro share of adulation for the Heat’s Game 2 win but Caleb Martin had a big hand in the 111-105 victory. Martin hit 11 of his 16 shots , including 3 of 7 from downtown in scoring 25 points, a scoring output that was only topped by Butler’s 27. Who Got It Done Player pt rb ast Jayson TatumBOS vs. MIA 34 13 8 11-12 ft Jimmy ButlerMIA @ BOS 27 8 6 3 stl ,…
Read More18 May 2023 NBA Playoff StatCap: Murray explodes on Lakers
Player Spotlight: Jamaal Murray Murray was having a real clunker of a performance in the first three quarters of Game 3 , scoring 14 points on just 5/17 FG, including 2-9 from downtown. However in the game’s final 12 minutes Murray came alive, scoring 23 points on a red hot 6/7 from the floor and 4/5 from the land of three. Murray finished with 37 points and was the driving force behind Denver’s come-from behind 108-103 win to take a 2-0-lead in the Western Conference Finals. Who Got It Done…
Read More16 May 2023 NBA Playoff StatCap: Butler leads Heat over C’s in Game 1
Player Spotlight: Jimmy Butler Just as this year’s playoffs has exposed some players, while for others, the cream has risen to the top. Butler is firmly in the realm of the latter as the Heat forward has raised his level of play in the post season, averaging 31.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Last night was another amazing performance for Butler, scoring 35 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals in leading the heat to a 123-116 win over the Boston Celtics in Game…
Read MoreWho will, Who might and Who won’t : May 17, 2023 NBA Injury Report
NBA Injuries Boston Celtics NAME POS DATE STATUS COMMENT Danilo Gallinari PF May 16 Out Gallinari (knee) has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus Miami on Wednesday. Brooklyn Nets NAME POS DATE STATUS COMMENT Dorian Finney-Smith PF Apr 26 Day-To-Day Finney-Smith underwent a procedure Wednesday to correct a fracture of the right fifth finger but is expected to be cleared for offseason workouts in six weeks, Ian Begley of SportsNet New York reports Ben Simmons PG Mar 29 Out Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn…
Read MoreDenver defeats LA 132-126, takes 1-0 lead in West Finals
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals started off as a game that looked to be preparing to serve its spectators a healthy portion of garbage time , but it ended turning into a contest that had some tense moments but the Denver Nuggets managed to hang on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 132-126 to take a 1-0 series lead. Falling behind as much as 21 , the Lakers spent most of the game playing uphill but to their credit, continued to fight and trimmed the lead to as…
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