Metta World Peace Says Golden State Warriors a ‘Pinky Toe Away’ from Contending
Metta World Peace chimed in on the Golden State Warriors‘ impressive playoff run as only he could, mixing metaphors, incorporating a language that only he may be able to understand and, beneath it all, hitting on a kernel of truth.
After the Dubs fell to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6, MWP hit Twitter with a pair of gems. First, he gave his Pacific Division rivals a healthy endorsement, highlighting just how near Golden State might be to reaching the next level in its development.
Then, things got a little weirder.
World Peace clearly watched the game, as both Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry missed a handful of pretty open looks when the Warriors had a shot to pull ahead in the fourth quarter. But he seems to have coined a new nickname for Thompson, renamed the Spurs after their coach and gotten a little too preoccupied with a fast food chain.
On the whole, though, this is what we’ve come to expect from MWP’s social media dabblings.
And if we sift through the weirdness, we see that World Peace’s opinion is being echoed by plenty of other sources.
Perhaps most importantly, the Warriors’ fans seem to share the same optimism, as they stayed late to cheer for their fallen team. And as if the Dubs were trying to outclass themselves, they returned to the floor to thank their fans for the support.
This is a group with a ton of young perimeter talent in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes. Plus, Andrew Bogut can only get healthier. With a roster composed of great citizens and diligent workers, it’s no wonder that everyone is predicting (and in some cases, hoping for) great things in the future.
Taking a realistic approach, it’s going to be hard to make it out of the Western Conference in the next few seasons. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets all have a strong mix of youth and experience. Plus, the Spurs don’t seem capable of fading away, and the Los Angeles Lakers probably won’t stand for the kind of results they had this year.
And the Clippers will be right back in the picture if Chris Paul comes back.
The climb to the top of the West seems like it’ll always be a steep one. But remember, the Warriors came this far with a banged-up Andrew Bogut, a lost season from Brandon Rush and three rookies playing huge minutes.
As scary as it sounds, World Peace is right: The Warriors are actually really close to contending.
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Kevin Durant, Thunder choke away Game 4 vs. Grizzlies
Zach Randolph made the big plays, and the Memphis Grizzlies took a 3-1 series lead.
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What Jeremy Lin Will Take Away from the NBA Playoffs
The headline sounds so final, when Jeremy Lin and his Houston Rockets might in actuality be hanging around these playoffs a while longer.
After all, the Rockets have already made history, becoming—along with the New York Knicks—one of just 12 teams to force a Game 6 after being down three games to none.
The difference between the two: I fully expect Lin’s former Knicks, even without Amar’e Stoudemire, to advance. The Oklahoma City Thunder without Russell Westbrook, however, seem eerily vulnerable. Further, the Rockets have momentum as well as the series equalizer on their home court.
So Lin might have more to glean if the Rockets do press on in this postseason.
But thus far, all Lin has to show for Houston’s stirring comeback attempt is a bruised chest and a bruised ego.
What can Jeremy Lin take away from these playoffs after five games?
“[I] have a lot of learning to do”
Lin himself said the above quote just days ago to the New York Times. And really, there is nothing more important for a young point guard to learn than that he’s got more to learn.
The quote seems in keeping with the Lin I know and admire. He’s always shown himself to be an eager, willing and dedicated student. It’s a noble and humble trait.
And it’s a trait that, after this inauspicious playoff debut, might just save Lin.
Using an analogy that tips a cap to Jeremy’s salad days in the Big Apple, if Lin’s playoff performance thus far were a Broadway play, any reviewer worth his salt would have no choice but to call it a colossal flop.
He’s made exactly one three-point shot in nine attempts spanning three games. He’s averaging 6.6 points per 36 playoff minutes. His defense has been a liability.
After a banner April, Lin entered the postseason playing his best basketball as a Rocket. With the incandescent lights of the playoffs glaring down on him, however, Lin has played his worst.
If it’s not surprising to you, you haven’t been paying attention. Lin made his reputation last year for not only his combination of grace and aggressiveness, but for his ability to hit in the clutch.
That’s been no different this season: According to 82games.com, Lin was 47th in the league this season in points scored in the clutch. If that doesn’t sound impressive to you, consider that Lin finished ahead of a whole passel of clutch-play household names: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Manu Ginobili.
But many will tell you clutch only counts in the playoffs. If that’s the case, Lin has been miserably un-clutch, both offensively and defensively—so un-clutch that he’s been replaced by his understudy.
Yes, I’m saying the awful truth is even if Lin is 100 percent healthy, Francisco Garcia will likely continue to start.
And be honest: Pretend you’re the Rockets coach, and your team’s won two straight without Lin after falling behind 0-3. No matter how much you root for Lin—an upbeat and hardworking young man who’s impossible not to like as a person—could you in good conscience go back to the lineup that put you in the hole in the first place?
Lin had his chance to seize the moment when Westbrook went down. What might he have done in Game 3 had Lin not been injured himself? We’ll never know.
But we do know it was Garcia who carpe-d the diem, replacing Lin in the third quarter and sparking a furious Rockets comeback that fell just short. Patrick Beverley’s numbers and performance have been far superior to Lin’s as well.
I know some readers will be prone to defending Lin’s poor performance, saying it came against Westbrook, unquestionably one of the game’s finest point guards.
If that’s you, I’d first ask whether you were also one of those who held Lin’s 29-point regular-season performance against Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder as definitive proof of Lin’s dominance. If you did, perhaps you might explain to me the discrepancy between that game and these playoffs.
Or perhaps you can help me understand Lin’s play on this possession. The pass is crisp, and clearly to Kevin Durant’s outside hand. What on earth is Lin doing going for a steal here?
He had solid defensive positioning; had he maintained his feet, Greg Smith would have provided help defense, and together they would have made this shot much more difficult for Durant.
Instead, Lin makes a play that would get him benched on the frigging Washington Generals.
His playoff stint has been short, but plays like the above have made Lin look decidedly outmatched. It’s enough to make even the staunchest Lin fan uneasy the next time Jeremy takes the floor.
To be sure, Westbrook is a tough cover, and a strong perimeter defender. To that I say: so what. As a fan who still holds out hope that Lin too can be one of the game’s finest point guards, I am certain it serves Lin much more for us to be realists rather than apologists.
A healthy Jeremy Lin certainly deserves court time against Reggie Williams and Derek Fisher, the Thunder’s replacements for Westbrook. And he’ll get it.
Moreover, a productive Jeremy Lin is good for the NBA—he boosts viewership and fan interest both internationally and domestically—and good for life, as everyone with a heart was inspired by his goosebump-inducing ascension from end-of-the-bench journeyman to superstar.
But with his performance in these playoffs, Lin—like Charley in Flowers For Algernon—appears to have reverted to what he used to be.
Don’t get me wrong. I am in no way counting Jeremy Lin out. He’s got the offseason to assess all that he needs to improve upon. He in fact did improve in many key areas during the regular season. And he plays the position in professional basketball at which there is no greater learning curve.
But in the playoffs, Lin has learned there is no time for learning. Literally everything is expected of you, and if you can’t deliver, the moment will demand someone who can.
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How Far Away Are Portland Trail Blazers from Being Playoff Regulars Again?
With a solid offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers will be back to being playoff regulars starting next year. The Blazers have missed the playoffs the last two seasons after making it three straight times.
The Blazers aren’t far away from being consistent contenders in the Western Conference.
The core of Damian Lillard, Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge will only get better having now played together for a full calendar year. The challenge this summer will be to put talent around that group at a low cost.
Portland wasn’t that far away from the playoffs this season. Yes, they finished 12 games back of the eighth seed, but this team was more competitive than their 33-49 mark indicates.
For much of the year, the Blazers played good basketball and even took down some of the top teams in the league. They manhandled the Spurs 136-106 in San Antonio and went on to win the season series, 2-1.
During the regular season, the Blazers beat 12 of the 16 playoff teams at least once, including the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference.
This was supposed to be a fairly significant rebuilding year for the franchise, but Lillard threw those plans out the window with his incredible play. His immediate impact has this team thinking they can compete among the best in the league next season.
In order to do so, the Blazers need a strong summer.
While the Portland will look to bring in new talent this summer, they also have heavy decisions upcoming on point guard Eric Maynor and power forward/center J.J. Hickson. How they spend their money will go a long way in determining the fate of this basketball team.
While Aldridge has been the leader since Brandon Roy’s career crumbled with knee injuries, the team has to shift toward Lillard being the captain. Aldridge is still a perennial All-Star, but the Blazers will only go as far as their rising point guard will take them.
The Blazers need to use their offseason to bring in some depth in order to solidify their bench. This team has enough talent to make a run at the playoffs in 2013-14 with just a few additions, but it will take one more significant offseason in the summer of 2014 to cement their status as an annual playoff team.
Portland is at a very fragile tipping point for the franchise. This offseason, next year and the following offseason will determine where the franchise is truly headed.
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Chris Bosh was burglarized while away at his birthday party.
For every person that admires a famous individual, there are two people who don’t.
Miami Heat superstar big man found that out the hard way after his birthday party.
Please click here to read this story.
The post Chris Bosh was hit up by burglars on his birthday. appeared first on Players View.
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Kobe Bryant fouled Ricky Rubio on last shot and got away with it (Video)
Kobe Bryant got away with a blatant foul on Ricky Rubio on the last play of the Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves game Wednesday.
The Lakers were up 120-117 with 3.4 seconds left and had Kobe at the free throw line. Bryant made his first attempt but missed his second. Rubio grabbed the rebound off the miss, took the ball up the court, and attempted a tying three-pointer from about eight feet beyond the arc. It was a low-percentage shot that might not have gone in, but Bryant clearly made contact with Rubio while he was shooting. Rubio should have been sent to the free throw line for three shots, which would have given the 77 percent free throw shooter a good shot at tying the game. Despite Rubio’s complaints, the referees did not call anything and the players walked off the court.
Kobe may have gotten away with one, but that’s not how he sees things.
“They’re not going to call that s***,” he said after the game, per the OC Register’s Kevin Ding.
He got that right. The Lakers are now 37-35
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Heat win 27th straight, run away from Magic 108-94 (Yahoo! Sports)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — LeBron James left one rebound shy of a triple-double, feigning a bit of frustration as he checked out of the game.
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Hawks pull away, keep Nets out of 1st-place tie (Yahoo! Sports)
NEW YORK (AP) — With so much focus on the Nets’ division chase, it was easy to forget the Hawks are involved in their own race.
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Heat pull away from Raptors, win 22nd straight (Yahoo! Sports)
TORONTO (AP) — Back where their winning streak started on Super Bowl Sunday, the Miami Heat kept rolling right into March Madness.
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No. 5 Georgetown pulls away from Cincy at Big East (Yahoo! Sports)
NEW YORK (AP) — After coughing up a big lead in the middle of the game, Otto Porter Jr. and his Georgetown teammates showed off all the attributes that make them a championship threat this March.
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