NBA: Season in Review + Top 10 First Round Storylines + New Hip Hop 2.0

The Boston v. Indiana Game scheduled for Tuesday Night was cancelled in the wake of Monday's tragic events at the Boston marathon, my deepest sympathies to the families involved. I never understand violence perpetrated against the innocent, it seems so senseless as a political motive, beyond that I guess the world is just sick in some cases. Truly horrific scene of events, good on Boston for their poise and adversity in the face of desperate times. Switching lanes, we're 1,229 games since last seasons finals, we know that the Heat are the best team in the East, and the Thunder are the best team in the West. Sound familiar? Begs the question, was that all necessary? Absolutely! Here's what we learned... in bullets.

•  The Heat have transformed their legacy from a most hated franchise, to most revered in a little over 2 years, pretty incredible how talent usually wins people over in the end, and Lebron was a shitty villain. 

• Their incredible win streak single-handedly saved the regular season, especially in the East where it felt like we were just playing out nearly 2 months of basketball with the expectant results already decided. (We were, the playoff picture has hardly shifted) Miami's run made the dog days that followed the all-star break into must see TV.  I watched piously on my Samsung smartphone in a sportsbar in Charlottetown, PEI, apparently the San Jose Sharks are big there. One of the biggest sporting events of the year, can't get 1 screen? Shout out to the good people at 88.80.11.29/, that's where I catch my live sports. They have most games available, as well as as multiple ESPN feeds.  

• The Knicks laid out the future blue print for the NBA offense, an athletic scoring 4 (at times undersized) with a long active defensive 5, mixed with lots and lots of 3's (Broke NBA Record for 3's made). Hmmm kind of sounds like Dallas circa 2011. Either way, the results are irrefutable. 

• Basketball is going back to Seattle, it just is, has to.

• John Wall can really ball, when there's millions of dollars on the line. 20.7ppg, 7.8apg, 4.5rpg, 1.5stlpg following the all star break. More importantly, the Wizards were 24-25 with Wall and 5-28 without. Numbers and win value, he'll get max money.

• The Brooklyn Nets were undeniably better, but were still not elite. Only 2 of their last 15 wins were against playoff teams. I'm not convinced, I think as Deron Williams goes, they go.

• Chandler Parsons! Chandler Parsons! Chandler Parsons! - the amount we shit on former college standouts of the caucasian persuasion (think Laettner, Morrison, Ferry, Van Horne) - why not give a little love for one that has burst on the scene in semi unexpected fashion and excelled in Houston. 

• J.R. Smith can make the most difficult shots, and make em look easy. Only superseded by the great Kobe Bryant, in this regard, imo. I've learned to hold my tongue and praise the result on some of his looks.

• George Karl is the man.

• A long time ago the Bobcats had a 3 game streak to move to 4-3 on the season; hope. The Bobcats finished the season on a 3 game win streak, to move to 21-61, just one spot out of the #1 seed for the upcoming lottery. No hope.

• Basketball may not be played with the same physicality that it has been in the past, but the athleticism is undeniably at an all time high, across the board.

• The Sacramento Kings owners might not be douche bags, but they sure seem like it.

• The Lakers season long dramedy turned out to be a tragedy, as losing Kobe Bryant deprives any and all basketball fans of some quality playoff moments, and possibly much more going forward. Don't like Kobe, but I hope the idiot can get back in short order.

• Who's rushing to the Andrew Bynum sweepstakes this summer? I'm impressed Philly won as many games as they did. (34)

• Rudy Gay shoots 17 shots a game to get 18 points a game. I don't like it Toronto. How does Colangelo still have a job, I ask, again and again.

• Portland never returned from spring break. 13 losses to close the season.

• Despite the Heat, the Western Conference remains the class of the NBA with 10 teams .500 or better to the East's 7, all 8 playoff teams scored a positive point differential, and the West certainly has more scoring with the NBA's 4 highest scoring teams, Denver (106.1),       Houston (106.0), Oklahoma City (105.7), and San Antonio (103.0), all residing out West.

• Steph Curry can stay healthy for a whole season, and when he does, he's an elite shooting talent. (Set new record for most 3pointers made in a single season) In case you missed it, 54 in MSG. (The Season High)

• Derrick Rose is not the second coming of Adrian Peterson; the Chicago Bulls are more like the Washington Nationals than the Redskins.

• Carmelo just had his best season as a professional, can he make this his best playoffs, plenty of room for improvement. He and the Knicks are both due! 

• While every other Western 'contender' peaked at different times throughout the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder remained in the "who's the best" question consistently and were without valley, losing consecutive games only 3 times this season, unlike their adversaries. San Antonio (4), Los Angeles Clippers (6), Memphis Grizzlies (6), Denver Nuggets (7).

Hardware

MVP  - Lebron James - Unquestionably the MVP, Best Player, Best Team. Runner Up: Kevin Durant

ROY - Damian Lillard - Only a question of if it will be unanimous. Late slide will prevent that. Runner Up: Anthony Davis

DPOY - Marc Gasol - Best defensive player on one of the best defensive team, Noah wins if he'd played more games. Runner Up: Joakim Noah

6th Man - J.R. Smith - Knicks #2 scoring option comes off the bench but plays all the big minutes, takes a lot of the big shots. Runner Up: Jamal Crawford

Most Improved - Larry Sanders - Ensuring the Larry Sanders show is something we'll be tuned into for years to come. Runner Up: Omer Asik

COY - Eric Spoelstra will win, George Karl or Tom Thibodeau should win. Karl has the starless Nuggets at the top of the ultra difficult West, and Nate Robinson is like the anti-Derrick Rose, yet the Bulls survive in the East.


1st Team All NBA
G Chris Paul
G Kobe Bryant
F Lebron James
F Kevin Durant
C/F Tim Duncan 

2nd Team All NBA
G Russell Westbrook
G Dwayne Wade/ James Harden
F Carmelo Anthony
F Blake Griffin
C/F Marc Gasol


1st Team All Defensive
G Tony Allen
G Avery Bradley
F Lebron James
F Joakim Noah
F/C Marc Gasol

My Top 10 First Round Storylines to Watch this NBA Post Season

10. Whats Going on in Indiana? Indiana seemingly was the consensus number 2 in the East near the All Star break, since then the Knicks have taken off and the Pacers have nearly faded into obscurity, what gives? After playing much of the season without Danny Granger, the Pacers anxiously awaited his return only to have him get injured again nearly straight away. I think this damaged their psyche a little bit down the stretch, but I look to see them regain their footing in the playoffs as a sound defensive minded squad. Paul George needs to continue his ascension to alpha dog role and George Hill needs to win the point guard battle with Jeff Teague. On the inside, Hibbert's length should give Horford some trouble, George v. Smith; there's some nice match-ups here. I like the Pacers in 6.

9. Juicy Match Ups - Melo v. KG - Playoff Edition and Chris Paul v. Tony Allen - "You ever hear of an octagon" - Kobe Bryant. We all remember the 'honey nut cheerios' incident from earlier this year, in which Kevin Garnett was able to get inside of the head Carmelo Anthony and subsequently lead the Celtics over the Knicks. That was back in 2012 and those days were quite some time ago, the Celtics are a much different team without Rondo at the controls and Carmelo is coming off arguably the best 2 months of his career. Both Garnett and Melo are invaluable to their team's potential success in the playoffs. Chris Paul is undoubtedly the best on court general in the game at the moment, Tony Allen is one of the best on the ball defenders in the game today, immovable object meet unstoppable force. Allen will try and be physical with Paul but expect Paul to  give just as much as he takes and use an array of moves to get free himself  or create contact and get to the line. 

8. WWLD - What Would Lebron Do - If you can watch only one player this playoffs it has to be Lebron, without question Lebron is a player we will delight in telling future generations about, his greatness and the joys of watching him. Big, as they say.

7. First to 110 points wins! - Let's get ready for a track meet, in what could be a sleeper pick for the most exciting series of the first round. Two teams very similar in style, the Warriors play much like the Nuggets, only maybe not quite as well. Both the Warriors and Nuggets like to get out and run, scoring at over 100 points a game apiece. Both also gave up more than 100 points a game on the defensive end, so this really should be a shoot out. With Gallinari going down, and Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson a little banged up, this 3 v 6 could prove itself very interesting. Nuggets in 7.

6. Old Giants: Lakers v. Spurs - Not an Epic Tale - The Lakers made good on Kobe's promise and got themselves into the playoffs, but to what end? I'm not buying this latest push of Lakers hype, suggesting a Dwight led Lakers squad will upset the number seed 2 San Antonio Spurs. No question the Spurs stumbled into the playoffs somewhat, Parker hasn't looked the same since he returned from injury and Manu hasn't been 100% healthy all season. Parker is still better than anything the Lakers have in the backcourt, included a banged up Steve Nash. Duncan is still arguably the best big man in the series and Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard are better perimeter players than anything the Lakers are going to trot out, including World Peace. Let's not even begin to discuss the coaching advantage Pop affords the Spurs. I'm just not buying this as a good series, Spurs in 5.

5. Will Derrick Rose Return? The Bulls take on the Nets in a series where the story is more about the players that aren't playing than those that are. The Bulls have been seriously undermanned all season long with Rose out from his torn ACL in last seasons playoffs, but they also begin the series without their defensive anchor Joakim Noah. Hard to say the Bulls haven't mailed in the 2013 season at this point, taking their time bringing Rose back, no moves at trade deadline, reluctance to pay Omar Asik or Kyle Korver in offseason but then it is the playoffs. If the Bulls turn it around and get some momentum, say take it to a game 7, is there any chance that Rose suits up? He's been practicing for a couple of weeks now, if the former MVP joins the defensively solid but offensively challenged Bulls, this easily becomes the story of the playoffs. Damn I miss watching this guy play. Bulls in 7.

4. The Miami Heat's Legacy - I honestly think that the Heat are now starting to realize the feeling of greatness, the 27 game streak being the great catalyst for this. During the streak their was numerous occasions in which the Heat rose to challenge to keep their streak alive. They began to play for something greater than just the game, there place in history. I think they realize that if you play at that elite level, long enough, you can be remembered with immortal distinction. With that said, I fully expect the Heat to sweep the Bucks as we begin to generate the potential talk of them sweeping the playoffs, a potentially more historical win streak. Professed history major.

3.*Western Conference Series To Watch - Grizzlies vs.Clippers - Grit v. Glamour, Labour v. Lob, Substance v. Style - This series is a rematch of last year's 7 game series slug-fest, which the Clippers came away from with the victory. Before dismissing the Grizzlies, remember that Zach Randolph was not healthy for last year's playoffs, so expect the Memphis half court offense to be a different beast this time around. Will the defensive minded Grizz be able to limit the free flowing, up tempo style of the Los Angeles Clippers to dominate play, preferring instead to slow it down, and grind it out in the half court grind. The pace of play will be one of the dominant factors, but I think the Clippers improved play in the half court and balanced perimeter shooting will be the difference. I like the Clippers in 7.

2.*Eastern Conference Series to Watch Celtics vs. Knicks - Is KG healthy enough to  rally the aging Celtics to victory one last time? I think this is certainly the most interesting series of the first round, the always tough, yet aging, Celtics square off with the Knicks in what has been a flip flop of fates for the Atlantic Division rivals in 2013. The Knicks are the favourite this time around, coming in as the division champs and number 2 seed, winners of 16 of their final 20 heading into the playoffs. The Celtics come in losing 12 of their last 20, but that's all irrelevant because it's the playoffs now and the regular season was just foreplay, and these two teams know each other well. KG has been out for much of the past month with a variety of ailments, maybe it was precautionary; he was just saving himself for the playoffs, or, maybe he is legitimately banged up. Until we know just how healthy Garnett is, it's hard to say how much of a chance the Celtics have, as he is the key to their effort on the defensive end. However, if Garnett's good to go, this becomes a real dogfight; Avery Bradley pesters J.R. Smith on the perimeter, Garnett, Green and Bass team up on Carmelo on the defensive end, crowding him and wearing on him physically and Pierce always plays big in MSG. Of course the C's need all of this to happen just to compete with the Knicks, so I like the Knicks chances, but this certainly isn't the cake walk a 2 v. 7 in the East usually is. Knicks in 7. 

1. James Harden's return to Oklahoma City - James Harden leads Houston's high octane offense into Oklahoma City to face his former team, the defending Western Conference champions. Harden has proven to be everything that Houston hoped he'd be and more as a franchise player, finishing in 5th scoring at over 25ppg and often serving as the trigger man for the high powered Houston offense. But if there is any team that knows Harden's limitations or imperfections, it's the Thunder. Not to mention that the Thunder score on par with the Rockets and defend much better on the other end. It will be fun to watch Harden navigate his way against his former teammates but the Thunder have far more defensive playmakers (Ibaka, Sefolosha, Westbrook), and an equally if not more high octane offense lead by Kevin Durant, only the 2nd best basketball player on planet Earth. I like the Thunder in 5.
 
Hip Hop 2.0 - The Top 20 Songs of the Past 2 Months (March-April)

PVR NR
N/A  20. No New Friends - Drake Feat. Rick Ross & Lil Wayne - Using the old "made a hot line, into a hot song" concept, Drake almost succeeds. It's alright, but nothing classic.

N/A  19. Congratulations - Common Feat. Concaine 80's - A very smooth spring feeling beat, Common borders on corny at times though.

N/A  18. Numbers On the Board - Pusha T - A bit of a polarizing beat, I think you either dig it or you don't.

N/A  17. A Day in the Life - Joey Bada$$ - Joey Basa$$ continues to impress, keeping the boom bap sound of New York alive for the younger generation..

N/A  16. Maine On Fire - J. Cole - Another typical boast off from J. Cole, typically, he's better than most.

N/A  15. Started From the Bottom - Mike Posner Feat Asher Roth, TMills, Chuck Inglish and King Chip - A remix of the very popular Drake tune that headlined the early 2013 hip hop scene, a very different take though.

N/A  14. Rusty - Tyler The Creator Feat. Domo Genesis and Earl Sweatshirt - Tyler the Creator at his most provocative, I think he's improving from shock to substance.

N/A  13. Sunday's Best, Monday's Worst - Black Milk - Plays like 2 songs in one, something differently and utterly enjoyable. For whatever reason, I couldn't embed the video but you can find it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72t2k-OQ_e8 and I highly recommend you check it out.

N/A  12. Girls Love Beyonce - Drake Feat. James Flauntleroy - Drake's, err, 'tribute' to Beyonce, with James Flauntleroy singing the 'Say My Name' chorus, Darke's undeniably catchy once again.

N/A  11. They Die By Dawn - The Bullitts Feat. Mos Def, Jay Electronica and Lucy Liu - Off the soundtrack for a spaghetti western of the same name, this is worth a listen just for the Jay Electronica verse, Mos Def holds his own as well.

N/A  10. Brothers - Kid Cudi Feat. ASAP Rocky & King Chip - ASAP Rocky lends his voice on another standout track from Cudi's, "Indicud".

04.    09. Cypher - Hit-Boy Feat. Kent M$ney, Audio Push, B Mac The Queen, Schoolboy Q, Casey Veggies, Xzibit, Rick Ross, Method Man, Redman, Raekwon -  Dynamite posse cut, a Hit-Boy creation that just keeps on coming hard without a chorus.

06.    08.  Jonylah Forever - Lupe Fiasco - Lupe penned this song in dedication to an infant who was fatally shot recently in Chicago. A creative and positive take on a tragic event.

N/A  07. Get Away- De La Soul Feat. Spirit of the Wu - De La Soul pay homage to their 90's contemporaries, The Wu Tang Killer Bees on this cut recorded over the 'Intro' track to the Wu's Wu-Tang Forever album. Classic.

N/A  06. We Up - 50 Cent Feat. Kendrick Lamar - 50 and Kendrick Lamar both go hard in this catchy banger, wherein 50 announces it's his turn to run the game, again.

N/A  05. Solo Dolo Pt. II - Kid Cudi Feat. Kendrick Lamar - Solo Dolo Pt.II  follows a similar sonic template to that of it's predecessor. What is new however, is that we see the lonely stoner share the stage, Part II features a verse and chorus from none other than Kendrick Lamar.

10.    04. Hottest MC - Danny Brown -The always unique and often absurd Danny Brown stakes his claim to Hip Hop's throne. This time over a uniquely haunting beat from Harry Fraud, sounds like a Velvet Underground sample to me.

 N/A  03. Open Letter - Jay Z Feat. Timbaland _- The Jigga Man bursts back on the scene with this banger from the boards of Swizz Beats with a feature from Timbaland, Jay Z has a bit of an old school flow on this joint.

08.    02. 5 AM in Toronto - Drake - Drake's latest in his continued dominance of the hip hop charts. The closest thing Hip Hop has to a money tree, at the moment.

07.    01. Immortal - Kid Cudi -  A standout track off of Cudi's recently released, "Indicud". Immortal is the first official single off of the album, and is a worthy choice.

 Enjoy the tunes, peace!