THE WAIT IS OVER: 2017-18 NBA PREDICTIONS

The wait is officially over and I couldn't be more excited! This past off-season we saw star players switch teams at an alarming rate. After it was all said and done the Eastern Conference became that much weaker while the Western Conference got that much tougher. With these new changes come new storylines: Can the Warriors repeat as champs? Can OKC's new big three make it to the promise land? How far can Kyrie lead Boston? Will the additions of Rose & Wade be enough to bring another championship to Cleveland? I'm excited to see all of these storylines unfold over the next eight months and it all starts tonight with the Celtics visiting the Cavs followed by the Rockets taking on the Warriors. In the meantime here are my predictions for the upcoming NBA season.


Rookie of the Year
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers

Defensive Player of the Year
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

Coach of the Year
Tom Thibodeau, Minnesota Timberwolves

Sixth Man of the Year
Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers

Most Improved Player
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Executive of the Year
Koby Altman, Cleveland Cavaliers 

Most Valuable Player
James Harden, Houston Rockets

ALL NBA FIRST TEAM
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
James Harden, Houston Rockets
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans

ALL NBA SECOND TEAM
Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors
John Wall, Washington Wizards
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

ALL NBA THIRD TEAM
Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans

Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Washington Wizards
3. Boston Celtics
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Milwaukee Bucks
6. Miami Heat
7. Charlotte Hornets
8. Philadelphia 76ers

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
Cavaliers vs. Bucks
Wizards vs. Celtics

Eastern Conference Finals
Cavaliers vs. Celtics

Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors
2. Houston Rockets
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8. Denver Nuggets

Western Conference Semi-Finals
Warriors vs. Timberwolves
Rockets vs. Thunder

Western Conference Finals
Warriors vs. Thunder

NBA Finals
Cavaliers vs. Warriors - Cavaliers win in 7, LeBron James wins Finals MVP

Last season we saw a historic battle for MVP between Harden and Westbrook. While I don't think we'll see those type of historic individual numbers put up again I do believe that we are in for an entertaining season. I'm excited to see what some of the younger teams like the Bucks, Wolves, and 76ers can do to take their franchises to the next level. I'm also interested in seeing the start of the Lonzo Ball era with the Lakers. They're putting some solid pieces together and the future definitely looks bright.  The greatest sport in the world is set to start tonight and I'll be watching until there's one team hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy in June.

CHOKE CITY: HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM

The Houston Rockets were in a great spot last night to extend their series to seven games. They were playing at home, had one of the top MVP candidates, and Kawhi Leonard would miss the game due to a sprained ankle. There's just no way the Spurs could go into the Toyota Center and end this series without a couple of their key players, right? WRONG! The Spurs absolutely put on a clinic and ran the Rockets out the gym. The final score was 114-75, a 39 point blow out led by LaMarcus Aldridge who had 34 points and 12 rebounds. Even with Aldridge playing a great game the main concern afterwards was the disappearing act performed by James Harden.

I'll be the first person to tell you that I had Harden in the superstar category coming into this season. I have now changed my stance on this after his pathetic display last night. It isn't Harden's first time having a disastrous game while facing elimination, but game 6 was on a different level. As far as I'm concerned Harden didn't even try. There was no reason why Harden should've only had two field goal attempts, five points, and five turnovers at halftime. His final stat line was 10 points on 2-11 shooting, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 turnovers.

In the league today we have all star caliber players, star players, and superstar players (LeBron, Curry, Durant, Westbrook, Leonard). Harden is just a star player, nothing more nothing less. You cannot continue to have these tragic performances when your team needs you the most and be considered a superstar. I can go back to the 2012 NBA finals when Harden gave the Thunder absolutely nothing on the offensive end. Let's flashback to 2015 when Harden set a playoff record with 13 turnovers against Golden State in an elimination game. He was also 2-11 shooting as well. Some people say Westbrook shot the Thunder out of game 6 last round, but at least he went out shooting and putting up a fight! Harden finished with 11 shot attempts for the game when he should've had that amount of attempts in the first quarter.

Harden is starting to be remembered for more bad than good when it comes to the NBA playoffs. His performance last night was the icing on the cake. I thought I was watching Tony from the movie "Blue Chips." For those that don't understand the comparison I definitely recommend watching that film for yourself. It's going to be a long offseason for Harden and the Rockets after what was a successful regular season.

SPURS FALL IN GAME 1

Last night the Houston Rockets shot lights out and defeated the San Antonio Spurs 126-99 in game 1 of the western conference semi-finals. MVP candidate James Harden did a great job of getting others involved finishing the game with 14 assists to go along with 20 points. From top to bottom the Rockets looked a step quicker than the Spurs. We all know Popovich is going to make adjustments for game 2, but I believe the Rockets are just a bad matchup for the Spurs.

These aren't your typical Spurs from years ago, father time has caught up with a few of their core players. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have not looked like themselves the entire season. Why should we expect them to turn back the hands of time now during the playoffs? If the Spurs are to have a chance at winning this series they are going to need more out of LaMarcus Aldridge.

Aldridge didn't play particularly well last series against the Grizzlies and his struggles continued last night. He was just 2-7 from the field finishing the game with 4 points. Houston did a great job of putting Aldridge in pick and rolls last night, but on the offensive end he has to make an impact on the block. Outside of Kawhi Leonard who's going to be that other consistent scorer? 

On the other hand the Rockets are a handful to contain on the offensive end. With Kawhi having to burden much of the offensive load I don't know if his defense will have the same impact. He can't guard everybody on the Rockets. Houston has multiple players that can handle the ball and create their own shots creating mismatches in their favor.

I don't expect the Rockets to shoot this well every game, but I don't feel they need to in order to beat the Spurs. Game 2 will be Wednesday night in San Antonio and I'm looking forward to the adjustments that both teams will make.

NBA PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

The NBA playoffs are set to begin tomorrow and here are my predictions.

Eastern Conference

1st Round

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Chicago Bulls - Celtics in 7

(4) Washington Wizards vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks - Wizards in 5

(3) Toronto Raptors vs. (6) Milwaukee Bucks - Raptors in 6

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (7) Indiana Pacers - Cavaliers in 5

Conference Semi-Finals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Washington Wizards - Wizards in 6

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (3) Toronto Raptors - Cavaliers in 6

Eastern Conference Finals

(2) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Washington Wizards - Cavaliers in 6

Western Conference

1st Round

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers - Warriors in 4

(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Utah Jazz - Clippers in 7

(3) Houston Rockets vs. (6) Oklahoma City Thunder - Rockets in 6

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies - Spurs in 7

Conference Semi-Finals

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (4) Los Angeles Clippers - Warriors in 6

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Houston Rockets - Rockets in 6

Western Conference Finals

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Houston Rockets - Warriors in 5

NBA Finals

(1) Golden State Warriors vs. (2) Cleveland Cavaliers - Warriors in 7

REDEMPTION COMPLETE

2017 NCAA Division 1 Champions

One year ago North Carolina was on the losing end of a heartbreaking loss in the National Championship. Last night the Tar Heels completed their redemption tour with a 71-65 victory over Gonzaga. It's their sixth championship which puts them third all-time. It wasn't a pretty game to watch as the Tar Heels only shot 14% from downtown and 35% from the field. While their offense would struggle for the entire game it didn't stop them from competing on the defensive end.

Junior forward Justin Jackson couldn't throw a rock in the ocean last night, but came up with a clutch 3-point play with just under two minutes to go in the game. Senior Kennedy Meeks had been in foul trouble, but came up with a huge block on Nigel Williams-Goss to seal the championship. I don't think I would've been able to deal with another championship game coming to the final shot again. It just wasn't good for my nerves last year.

We were treated to another championship game that came down to the final minutes. As a fan of basketball that's exactly what you want to see. Gonzaga played their hearts out and gave the Tar Heels a run for their money. I'm sure this won't be the last that we hear from the Zags and it definitely won't be the last time we see the Tar Heels in the championship game.

HEAT WAVE

Josh Richardson, Erik Spolestra & James Johnson

One of the biggest turnarounds this season belongs to the Miami Heat. The Heat started off the season 11-30 and since then have gone 25-8. They are now one game ahead of the Bulls for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. It's been a collective effort from this Heat bunch. It seems at different points during this turnaround there are different players stepping up each night. One of the biggest surprises has been Dion Waiters, who's currently out with a sprained left ankle. He's found some stability within the Heat's rotation and is a big part of what they do on the offensive end.

With eight games left to go in the regular season for Miami there's no room for let up. They still have to face the Cavaliers, Raptors, and Wizards to end the season. If the Heat can find themselves in the playoffs Erik Spolestra deserves consideration for Coach of the Year. The injury bug has been in Miami throughout the entire season causing Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside, James Johnson, Josh Richardson, and Tyler Johnson to miss time. Let's not forget that second year player Justise Winslow has been out since the earlier part of the season.

Maybe Spolestra can start getting the credit he deserves as a head coach. During the run with the big three Spolestra wasn't really given the credit he deserved because of the roster he had. If there's anyone still doubting him as a coach, this season should remove any concerns. This is one tough team down in Miami and they won't be an easy out if they're able to make the playoffs. They play well collectively and are solid defensively. This is a team to keep your eye coming down the stretch of the regular season.

REST RUINING THE NBA

This past weekend we had another primetime NBA matchup being televised and we were treated to watching the Cleveland Cavaliers rest their big three. The Los Angeles Clippers were hosting the Cavs on Saturday when news didn't break until late that LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love would be resting. Some players are complaining about the schedule of the NBA and how the league needs to do a better job of scheduling these televised matchups, but I wholeheartedly disagree.

I think the entire idea of healthy players resting is ruining the NBA brand. You have fans that plan to see their favorite player as soon as the schedule is released. It's a slap in the face to the fans that spend their hard earned money to watch these athletes play. The league is as soft as its ever been and players are resting more and more. I just can't grasp the concept of this to save my life. It's not just the playoff bound teams resting their players by the way. The Brooklyn Nets have the worst record in the NBA and they've rested Brook Lopez on a few occasions. Why is the best player on the worst team in the league resting? That doesn't send a good message to the youth watching and aspiring play professional basketball.

It makes absolutely no sense to me. If you're going to rest players I say do it for home games. For example, the Clippers and Cavs only play each other twice each season because they're in two different conferences. Consider the families that have spent their hard earned money to come see LeBron play, but that money is gone to waste because of "rest." The NBA needs to start fining or suspending these teams and players for these type of actions. In my eyes no healthy player deserves to take a night off.

Players use to take pride in playing all 82 games during the regular season. Let's just look at the MVP race we have going on now. I know there are plenty of folks trying to say LeBron is being overlooked with what Westbrook and Harden have been doing. I believe he doesn't deserve to be in the conversation this year because he's missing games due to rest. Then people try to use the logic that when he sits the Cavs usually lose, which should boost his MVP consideration because it shows how valuable he is to his team. Meanwhile, Harden and Westbrook haven't missed one game this season due any sort of rest. These are the only two that need to be discussed when it comes to MVP race this year.

As a fan of the game it's frustrating watching the direction the NBA is heading in. I'm hoping sometime in the near future Adam Silver will address this situation. It's sad that fans have to second guess buying tickets to see their favorite player because of the "rest" factor. The fans of the NBA deserve better by these coaches and players.