Announcement

**StarDust Bum** · 05-30-2015, 02:39 AM

Report: Varejao will not be activated in NBA Finals

According to Chris Haynes of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, injured Cavaliers big man Anderson Varejao will not be activated at any point in the NBA Finals.

That statement comes on the heels of another report from ESPN's Brian Windhorst who added the Brazlian could be activated "if anything were to go bad" health-wise for the wine and gold.

Varejao has been sidelined since December after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left Achilles. There hasn't been a specific timetable for the 32-year-old's return since he went down.

The Cavs and the Golden State Warriors kick off the Finals on Thursday in California with the Dubs presently listed as 6-point faves.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-30-2015, 02:40 AM

Warriors announce Thompson has a concussion

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has a concussion and is out indefinitely, the team announced Friday.

Thompson will not be able to return to action until he goes through the NBA's concussion protocol which leaves his status for Game 1 versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in doubt.

There is currently no timetable for his return. Prior to the official announcement, the Warriors were -6.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-30-2015, 02:41 AM

Exact series result prices for Cavs-Warriors

Do you have an inkling on who will win the NBA Finals and think you can predict how many games it'll take? Sportsbook.ag has released the following odds on the exact series results:

Warriors win in 4 games +800

Warriors win in 5 games +280

Warriors win in 6 games +450

Warriors win in 7 games +320

Cavaliers win in 4 games +2,200

Cavaliers win in 5 games +1,000

Cavaliers win in 6 games +380

Cavaliers win in 7 games +650

**StarDust Bum** · 05-30-2015, 02:43 AM

Game 1 line down to Warriors -5.5

The Golden State Warriors, who opened as 6-point home favorites versus the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, are now currently -5.5 at a few online shops and even as low as 5 (Wynn Las Vegas).

Keep an eye on the spread and total with our NBA Live Odds page.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-30-2015, 02:45 AM

Curry the favorite to win Finals MVP

Golden State Warriors' guard Stephen Curry is the clear favorite to claim this season's NBA Finals MVP award, according to SportsInteraction.com.

Curry is on the board at -250 to win the award, followed not surprisingly by the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James at +200.

Then comes everyone else. The list includes Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving and Draymond Green all +1,400.

If Curry does win the award, he will become the 11th player in NBA history to win the regular season and Finals MVP in the same season.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-30-2015, 02:47 AM

LeBron James says 'you can't' stop Curry

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) - LeBron James says he's given teammates ''the blueprint'' for the NBA Finals and it's up to the Cavaliers to follow it.

James will appear in his fifth straight finals, a feat not accomplished since 1966 when members of the Boston Celtics were on their dynastical run. As he and the Cavaliers prepare to meet Golden State, James says the key to postseason success is to stay even keeled and understand the task at hand.

One of Cleveland's main issues against the Warriors will be defending Stephen Curry, the league's MVP with the deadly shooting touch. Asked how the Cavs intend to slow Curry, James says, ''the same way you slow me down. You can't.''

The break before Game 1 on Thursday will allow Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving more time to recover after he was slowed by knee tendinitis and a sore foot in the Eastern Conference finals.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-30-2015, 02:50 AM

Thompson's father says son 'on track' to return for finals

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson is feeling better and on track to return for the NBA Finals next week after taking a knee to his head from Trevor Ariza that caused ''concussion-like symptoms.''

That's according to Thompson's father, former NBA player Mychal Thompson. He told The Associated Press on Thursday night that his son's energy was up and his appetite was back, but he still needs to pass the league-mandated concussion protocol.

Thompson was scheduled to be evaluated by a neurologist Friday.

Mychal Thompson said his son vomited a couple of times and he had to drive him home after the Warriors eliminated the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night. The All-Star guard also needed stitches on his right ear after the hit caused blood to spew down the side of his face.

Asked to describe the difference in his son's status a day later, Mychal Thompson said ''Antarctica to the jungles of Brazil.'' He said his son should be cleared to play at some point before Game 1 against Cleveland next Thursday night.

''I'm not a doctor, but if I'm going to guess in layman's terms, yeah I think so,'' Mychal Thompson said. ''He seems to be feeling better by the hour.''

The Warriors initially said Thompson did not show any signs of a concussion and could've returned. The team later said he began not feeling well after the game and showed ''concussion-like symptoms.''

The Warriors were off Thursday and the team did not release any update on Thompson's status.

Thompson faked a shot that drew Ariza in the air early in the fourth quarter. He absorbed Ariza's knee to the side of his head, sending him to the floor.

Thompson, who finished with 20 points, lay on the ground for a minute before walking to the locker room. He came back to the bench after receiving stitches on his ear.

The Warriors won 104-90.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-30-2015, 02:52 AM

Warriors owner relishing Finals berth

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Wearing a black NBA Finals cap and white team T-shirt, Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob waved to a cheering crowd at Oracle Arena as confetti fell all around.

Lacob, booed off the same floor three years ago, couldn't help but smile. In fewer than five years as owner, Lacob has led the franchise to a place it hasn't been since 1975: the NBA Finals.

''I don't know if vindication's the right word. I just feel really happy that we were able to deliver for our fans on a lot of promises,'' Lacob said. ''I know there were a lot of promises early on, a little bravado. But a lot of that was just goal setting for an organization to turn it around.

''I know not a lot of people understand that, but that's what you have to do. You have to provide a sense of leadership, provide a sense of what we're trying to do and we're not going to quit until we get it.''

The Warriors will host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 next Thursday. The only sure thing is that Lacob will be parked right where he always is: front and center at his courtside seat, in the middle of the madness, showing his emotions on national TV like any other fan.

Lacob has the Warriors four wins way from the ultimate goal.

For most of the last four decades, it felt like they would never get this close.

The lack of success is why Lacob felt compelled to make bold predictions and shake things up when he and Peter Guber, the CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, bought the team from unpopular owner Chris Cohan in 2010 for a then-NBA record $450 million. Lacob, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, figured he could build up the franchise the same way he had other businesses: by investing smartly and hiring the right people.

But it didn't always go smoothly.

Many fans felt wronged by Lacob's desire to move the team from Oakland across the bay to San Francisco - and some still do. He would constantly make promises the team would get better and became the public face of a franchise that didn't have an identity.

After a season and a half of losing, fans battered Lacob with boos during Hall of Famer Chris Mullin's jersey retirement ceremony. That took place just days after the team traded fan favorite Monta Ellis for center Andrew Bogut, who was out for the season with a fractured left ankle but has become the anchor of Golden State's defense since.

''It's one of the hardest things I've ever been involved in,'' Lacob said. ''No one can understand except for my fiancee coming home at night all the things we went through in the early years.''

Lacob recalled the 2011 NBA lockout, a sexual harassment lawsuit a former employee filed against Ellis and the team (which ended in an undisclosed settlement) and a tiebreaking coin flip Golden State won over Toronto that helped the Warriors stay slotted at No. 7 in the 2012 draft, when they selected core players Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli.

Lacob always believed if he put money into the franchise - which wasn't the case under Cohan - and surrounded himself with smarter minds than him that things would turn around.

And they did.

He hired Mark Jackson, a former NBA point guard and broadcaster for ESPN/ABC who made the Warriors one of the league's best defensive teams. He attracted sports agent Bob Myers, the NBA Executive of the Year, as his general manager. He added Hall of Fame player and respected executive Jerry West as an adviser and named Rick Welts team president.

But Lacob made arguably his most questionable decision last May when he fired Jackson, who was coming off a 51-win season and back-to-back playoff appearances. Many players, most notably Stephen Curry, this season's NBA MVP, had publicly backed Jackson and continued to do so after his dismissal.

Lacob listened to his front-office advisers and together they lured the hottest coaching candidate on the market, Steve Kerr, away from the New York Knicks. And just about everything has gone right since - a franchise-record 67 wins and three mostly stress-free rounds through the Western Conference playoffs.

''I'm an optimist, so it's not that I'm overconfident or arrogant or anything, I'm just an optimist. I did think within five years we could do this,'' Lacob said. ''You've got to be a little lucky, I admit that, but we're right on track. We're right where we want to be.''

**StarDust Bum** · 05-31-2015, 12:46 PM

Books worried week-long layoff could hurt NBA Finals betting handle

Not crazy about the one-week layoff between the NBA conference championships and the NBA Finals? Well, neither are sportsbooks.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors making quick work of their opponents in the East and West finals, and the NBA refusing to budge on its predetermined schedule for Game 1 of the NBA Championship series, hoops bettors have to sit through an entire week of hoopla, hype and over-analysis, like basketball’s version of the Super Bowl bye week.

That extended hiatus may not seem so bad for you football fans, but with basketball being a night-to-night sport, books are concerned the average bettor will lose interest in the NBA, throwing a speed bump in front of any momentum and popularity heading into Game 1 of the Finals on June 4.

“The wagering on (the NBA Finals) will be very healthy,” Jeff Sherman, assistant manager at the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, tells Covers. “We couldn’t have asked for a better matchup from a betting standpoint. LeBron always draws money and the Warriors draw money. But such a long layoff could hurt it.”

Sherman isn’t alone in this thinking. Plenty of other bookmakers, in Nevada and online, are sour with the NBA’s refusal to move the Finals opener ahead. The league sited all the logistic complications that would take place if they did bump Game 1 ahead, pointing to travel and accommodations as well as the TV scheduling and planned advertising.

“Our biggest concern is the casual fan and bettor losing interest and forgetting about the series due to the long layoff,” John Lester, line manager for Bookmaker.eu, tells Covers.

That break in action has already tempered the early betting action on the NBA Finals, both on the series prices and Game 1 spread and total. Much like the Super Bowl bye week, some sharp and public money hit as soon as odds went up on the board but the majority of bets won’t come until gameday next Thursday.

"It's been slow going right now, but we do expect to see more action this weekend with people coming to town and wanting to get some bets down before they leave," Nick Bogdanovich, U.S. director of trading for William Hill sportsbooks in Nevada. "There's a week off so it'll be a while before people wake up and start betting this. But it will be a heavily-bet series."

Most books opened with Golden State as a 5.5-point home favorite and many are still dealing that spread. Some shops opened Warriors -6 but weren’t there long before wagers came in on Cleveland as the underdog. That action on the Cavs has also shown up in the futures market as well, bumping Golden State from as high as a -270 series favorite to -240, with Cleveland moving from +230 to +200.

“We opened Warriors -6 but we weren’t there very long as all the initial action was on the Cavs,” Peter Childs of Sportsbook.ag, tells Covers. “We quickly went to 5.5 and that’s our current number. At -6, 90 percent of the action is on the Cavs. At 5.5, it’s around 75 percent on the Cavs. We don’t want to overreact to what has been all recreational money on the Cavs. That said, we have seen some sharp money on the Warriors at -5.5, but it’s not nearly enough to offset what we’ve seen on the Cavs so far.”

Early-bird bettors have also sided with LeBron James & Co. on the moneyline to win Game 1 straight up in Oracle Arena. According to Mike Jerome, an oddsmaker with TopBet.eu, 79 percent of bets and 75 percent of the total moneyline handle is on the Cavs, moving them from as high as +220 to as low as +180 at some books.

“We will likely have a bigger decision on the moneyline than on the spread,” Jerome tells Covers.

Total action

The NBA Finals are known for their low-scoring, defensive-minded matchups. NBA Championship round games have gone 19-29-3 Over/Under (60.4 percent Under) since the 2006 NBA Finals and Game 1s finished 2-6-1 O/U in that span, with an average combined score of 182 points against an average total of 192.56 points.

Those past trends have stopped oddsmakers from hiking the Cavs-Warriors Game 1 total to an opening number of 203.5 points. Some shops evened opened the Game 1 Over/Under as high as 204 points, with early money trimming the total as low as 202 before a bump back to 203.5 points. According to bookmakes, there hasn’t been much action on the Game 1 total just yet but they do expect the public and wiseguys to stay split on this wager.

“The Average Joe guy, he’s going to want to bet this Over,” Jay Rood, vice president of race and sports for MGM properties, tells Covers. “You’ll see the sharp players come and take the value if those totals rise.”

“I think with the way Cleveland has been shooting the 3-pointer in that last series, and how the Warriors score, it makes for a lot of points and I think we’re going to see a lot of action on the total,” Rood adds. “The three is a very fickle thing. I was looking at putting up the number on that, and Golden State has hit anywhere from six to 20 3-pointers over their last six or seven games. It really all depends on how (Stephen) Curry does.”

Thompson odds impact

Golden State bettors could be holding off on wagering on Game 1 until the know more about the status of shooting guard Klay Thompson, who suffered a concussion in Game 5 against the Houston Rockets Wednesday night.

Thompson, who is averaging 19.7 points and shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc in the playoffs, must pass medical clearance and concussion tests before playing. The break between series does help with this but if he’s unable to play, Rood says Thompson could be worth between 1-1.5 points to both the spread and total.

Shopping for series prices

The Warriors and Cavaliers were the last two teams books wanted to see in the NBA Finals. Many shops have liability in the futures market on one team or the other, with a few unlucky places taking a loss no matter which team win the NBA title.

If you’re shopping around for series prices for the 2015 Finals, you will find some different values depending on who books are cheering against. The Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas opened the Warriors as -270 favorites to win the title, a step higher than the market, trying to draw money on Cleveland to trim their futures liability on Golden State.

William Hill sportsbooks have shops in Northern Nevada where Bay Area bettors flock and blindly bet their home teams, like the 49ers, Giants and Warriors. Bogdanovich says that while they would be a small-to-medium loser on NBA futures if Golden State were to win the title, they aren't letting that liability impact their game-to-game odds for the Finals.

"Our opening series prices may be a bit on the higher end of the market but our strategy at William Hill is that we don't hedge our bets," he says. "We don't know what's going to come through the window."

Online, a few books are rooting against the Cavaliers, so you will find a more reasonable price on the Warriors to win the NBA title. Sportsbook.ag, which is heavy on Cleveland money to win the championship, opened the Warriors -235 – a touch under the -240 price tag most books served up – and are now dealing the Western Conference champs at -220.

“In my humble opinion that is too low,” says Childs. “I believe the Warriors should be priced closer to -400 for several reasons. First, the West was the far superior conference compared to the East. There’s no question about that… And they beat the No. 2-seeded Rockets in five games. I give a huge coaching edge to the Warriors and the Warriors' home court is the strongest in all the NBA and it’s not even close. That place rocks.”

**StarDust Bum** · 05-31-2015, 12:53 PM

How Steve Kerr found the 'perfect mix' with the Warriors

OAKLAND, Calif. – There was a game in Dallas between the Spurs and Mavericks late in the 2013-14 season, and Steve Kerr was working it for TNT. He went into the visiting coach's office before the game for the usual pre-broadcast briefing.

This was no ordinary briefing, though. Kerr stayed in there a long time, and it wasn't hard to figure out that the topic had nothing to do with the Spurs' pick-and-roll defense. There were coaching opportunities in front of Kerr, and he was eager for insight and wisdom from one of his key mentors, Gregg Popovich.

No white smoke emerged from the office that night; no new Pop was elected. But there was no doubt that Kerr had started down the path that would lead him from the announcing table back into the thick of the competition, where he belonged – but only if the circumstances were right.

“I was pretty lucky to be able to pick and choose,” Kerr told CBSSports.com. “I had this great gig with TNT and I wasn't just going to take any job. This is so perfect in so many ways.”

The talent was there on a roster that had won 51 games the year before under Mark Jackson, who ultimately went back to the broadcast table from whence Kerr came. The players were not only good, but they fit together and they were coachable. There was no rebuilding needed here; and rebuilding wasn't exactly a task that was going to tempt Kerr to abandon his simple, lucrative, pressure-free life as a broadcaster.

For Kerr, the decision was personal, too.

“It's been the perfect mix of family and success with a lot of talent,” he said.

A California native, Kerr has a daughter at UC-Berkeley and a son going there next year as a graduate student. His wife and youngest son live in San Diego and visit the Bay Area often.

“I couldn't ask for anything more,” Kerr said.

As it turned out, his old coach Phil Jackson couldn't offer him any of that – which is why Kerr is standing here, in the NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kerr was the first head coaching candidate that Jackson had targeted when he took over as president of the Knicks last summer. Kerr could've chosen New York, the triangle, Carmelo Anthony and the noble cause of building something from scratch. Ultimately, he chose Golden State, where the concrete had already been poured and where he saw his own reflection in some of the players' eyes.

“The foundation was already there,” Kerr said, “and I was just trying to add to it.”

Expect to hear a lot of that kind of deference from Kerr in the coming days; he is sensitive about the notion that he alone is responsible for doing with this team what Jackson couldn't do. Of course, facts are facts. The Warriors went from 51 wins to 67, and pretty much all that changed was the coaching staff. They went from dead last in passes per game (245.8) to seventh (315.8), and from ninth in assist percentage (17.5 percent of baskets resulting from an assist) to first (19.9). It's numbers like those that made the Pelicans choose offensive assistant Alvin Gentry to coach Anthony Davis in New Orleans next season, in case you were wondering.

Curry, who didn't agree with the firing of Jackson, went from brilliant shooter to all-around MVP under Kerr.

“I want to make it clear that I didn't have a whole lot to do with that,” Kerr said. “That was going to happen anyway. I mean Steph was a brilliant player the last couple of years. I thought Mark did a great job of helping him become a star by really pushing him forward into the limelight and having him embrace that stardom that he was heading for. Steph may not have known that he was going to be a star, but I thought Mark really convinced him that he was.”

In some ways, Jackson gave Curry a megaphone; Kerr gave him the keys to the kingdom.

“He's incredibly grounded and coachable,” Kerr said. “I can yell at him and he doesn't take it personally. He nods his head and takes the advice.”

Sort of like Kerr himself did when he consulted his own mentors with two high-profile but very different coaching opportunities in front of him last summer. From the broadcast table to the NBA Finals, there's little doubt he chose the right one -- the one that fits him best.

“That's kind of why I got back into the competitive side of the game after being in TV the last four years,” Kerr said. “I wanted to feel this and wanted to be in the mix and feel all the emotions that go with it.”

On the night the Warriors clinched their first trip to the NBA Finals in 40 years, I asked Kerr what this felt like. What were the elusive sensations that he was trying to capture on a night like the one he'd just experienced?

“Before the game, it's total nerves,” he said. “Sort of, ‘What the hell's about to happen?' We have no idea. During the game, it's exhilaration; it's constant thought and planning. What should we do here? What should we do there? So you're right in the mix. And then after the game, it's just pure joy to see the joy on our players' faces and our coaches and our fans. Can't get this many places, this kind of feeling.”

No, you can't. Which is why Steve Kerr decided to get back in the mix, as he likes to say. The perfect mix, I might add.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-31-2015, 12:56 PM

2015 NBA Finals: Do the Cavs win experience factor vs. the Warriors?

The Golden State Warriors are at a disadvantage when it comes to NBA Finals experience. Their coach played in numerous NBA Finals moments and even hit shots to win the game or put the game out of reach throughout his career. Telling your players about those moments and teaching them how to maximize the big moments in a championship setting are quite different. The latter of those two ideas may even be impossible to do.

Even the best coaches can only push their players so far before that experience has to be lived before it can be taught. There isn't a single player on the Warriors with NBA Finals experience. This team has been ahead of schedule all season long with their quest for an NBA championship. They were supposed to be improved under Steve Kerr and his coaching staff, but expecting them to jump to being the most dominant team in the NBA seemed like a stretch.

And yet, here they are. They dominated the regular season. They earned home court advantage throughout the playoffs. They swept the first round against the Pelicans, they made the mental and schematic adjustments they needed to make in the second round against the Grizzlies, and they re-established that dominant feeling in the conference finals against the Rockets.

Now they face a Cleveland Cavaliers team with experience issues of their own, but lead by a superstar who has been through it all in these Finals situations.

LeBron James has been one of the most polarizing figures in NBA history. It's caused his experiences in the playoffs to be poked, prodded, and scrutinized to an unreasonable degree just because of who he is and what his career could possibly mean in the overall NBA hierarchy of historical stars. Regardless of what you think of him as a person or even a player, there's no denying that he's been through it when it comes to these situations.

In 2007, James and his Cavs were unlikely foes for the Spurs in the NBA Finals, and their improbable presence was dispatched quickly as San Antonio ran them off the floor in four games. A 22-year old LeBron was given a brief taste of the Finals pressure and execution needed to be a champion. He wouldn't get back to that learning environment until he went to play for Miami, alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. That's when the experience truly started filling up his résumé.

As favorites in 2011, the Heat were outplayed and outclassed by Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks, losing out in six games as all of the pressure in the basketball playing world consumed LeBron. It caused him to reevaluate his approach to the game and to life, and that failure would end up teaching him the lessons he needed for future success. In 2012, the Heat found themselves back in the Finals and going against another young superstar in Kevin Durant. The Heat had learned how to channel the tough moments and come out on top, beating the Thunder in five games.

LeBron's first title could be looked at as fluky if you wanted to nitpick, simply because it happened in the lockout-truncated season. However, the next year saw the Heat become a completely dominant team until they found themselves down 3-2 in the Finals against the Spurs and on the brink of a Finals loss. Then the perfect culmination of luck, Ray Allen's historical accuracy in big moments, and LeBron realizing that his game should dictate the defense and not the other way around brought the Heat their Game 6 comeback and their Game 7 victory for a second straight title.

In 2014, LeBron's play wouldn't be enough as the Spurs got their revenge for the previous postseason, blowing the Heat out of the water and showing how unstoppable a united team effort of execution, smarts, and system could be against a supreme talent like James. It didn't matter what he did in the series; the Spurs would triumph convincingly. That's the task ahead for the Warriors.

The Cavs have other Finals experience. Mike Miller has come through in a big moment alongside LeBron before. Shawn Marion helped defeat LeBron in 2011 on that Mavericks team. James Jones and Kendrick Perkins have both played in the Finals and won titles. But the load of the experience is on LeBron's shoulders. His veteran teammates may have small moments in which they're there to help him out, but the majority of the rotation has no experience in this crucial round.

It's often assumed that the experience toward becoming a champion has to be a step-by-step process. You have to get to the playoffs and fail to learn how to move on to later rounds. And with each step forward, the pressure grows exponentially to take that next step successfully. With the Warriors, they not only made it to the conference finals with that next step as a team, but they ended up relatively cruising to the Finals. It's almost as if they've made leaps instead of taking steps.

How big is the chasm they have to leap over to go from being new contenders to becoming reigning champs heading into next season?

You have to go back to 2008 when the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship to find a core without real Finals experience. James Posey had just won a title as a member of the Heat in 2006, but Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kendrick Perkins were all finding the NBA Finals for their first time. They also had quite a bit more experience both in years and playoff games than this Warriors teams.

Before that, it was 2004 when the Detroit Pistons took down a dysfunctional Los Angeles Lakers team, despite the Pistons not having Finals experience. Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince were all in the Finals for the first time in their respective careers. They banded together with timely shot-making and an incredible defense to win as the underdogs.

The Spurs in 1999 didn't have much Finals experience when they won their first title in a string of a dynastic performance over the next 15 years. Rotation players like Mario Elie, Jerome Kersey, Steve Kerr, and Will Perdue had been to the Finals prior to their postseason run in 1999, but David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Avery Johnson, and Sean Elliott were all there for the first time, trying to figure out how to become champions.

That will be the Warriors' task as they battle LeBron's knowledge of this moment. Will the pressure be the same as the previous rounds? Will their ability to manage emotions stabilize such incredible pressure to win on the biggest and brightest stage the sport of basketball has to offer? Or will they succumb to the seemingly necessary steps to become a champion of failing in the first moment in order to build championship-yielding actions in their future marches to the Finals?

Over the last 20 years, the future champions have often been populated with players who had done it before or failed to do it on their first attempts in the Finals. The Warriors have seemingly leapt past championship-building stages throughout this entire season. Will they complete their largest leap of the season by hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy after this round?

That would be one hell of an experience.

**StarDust Bum** · 06-01-2015, 02:32 AM

LeBron vs. Michael

May 30, 2015

First off, I'll tell you this. You won't find many NBA fans out there that have actually watched more games than I have over the past 40 years. I would sneak out of bed after my parents went to sleep and watch the CBS taped delayed playoff games in the late 70's and early 80's. Playoff battles between the Celtics and 76ers, Lakers and whoever came out of the East. Classic battles between Magic and Bird. Then came Michael Jordan, the Bad Boys, Dominique Wilkins and the start of the Spurs dynasty. All those incredible highlights you see of Michael, I was watching live when they happened and I witnessed all the other feats he would accomplish on a nightly basis!

The Generations

Michael Jordan played in an era when hand checking, grabbing, shoving and hard fouls were the norm. Some of today's flagrant 1 and flagrant 2 fouls were touch fouls by the Pistons and Knicks back in the 90's. The defensive rules in today's games have been changed to give the offensive players a distinct advantage (more scoring for the public and TV). Jordan played in an era when defenses dominated while LeBron plays in an age where the offense has a clear advantage. Imagine what Michael could have done against a defense that couldn't hand-check or hold him? He averaged over 30-points per game in 8 seasons the way it was.

MJ was the on-floor general for the Bulls and behind the scenes he was the enforcer that demanded the highest level of play from his teammates. He held everyone accountable and to a very high standard. Yes, LeBron is a vocal leader too and commands the respect of his teammates but he's not at the same level of MJ when it comes to driving his teammates.

The Teams and Timeline

Both make their teammates better but let's consider who Michael had alongside him. Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, Luc Longley, BJ Armstrong, Craig Hodges, Steve Kerr and John Paxton were all below average role guys but with Jordan on the floor they became that much better. Yes, he had Scottie Pippen in the lineup who was best known for his defense and is an all-time 50 great. But how much better was Pippen because of the attention Michael drew? Dennis Rodman was also a key component to the Bulls franchise but he was a one-dimensional rebounder only guy.

Let's also consider this. After his first three years in Chicago what if MJ had taken the punk way out and said "I'm taking my talents to the Detroit Pistons" instead of staying loyal to Chicago and building a championship team around him. The Pistons would have beat the Lakers in 1988 then won two more championships the following two seasons. Then Jordan (like LeBron) could have gone back to Chicago and won another three in a row. But there is that little thing called integrity and Jordan wanted to build a team from the ground up instead of renting his talents to another team already loaded with great players. LeBron bails on a city and franchise to join a roster that already had All-Stars Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh (and eventually Ray Allen the NBA's all time 3-point leader) who played on a team that had made the playoffs the previous two seasons.

The Championships and Schedules

LeBron won two championships in South Beach but did it against a watered down Eastern Conference. Michael won three straight titles from the start of the 1990 season through 1993. In that time, his Bulls went a combined 185-61 or .752 winning percentage during the regular season. In 1990-1993, there were a total of 24 other teams that had won 50+ games during the regular season. In Jordan's second "Three Peat" (1995-1998) his Bulls teams when 72-10, 69-13 and 62-20 and there were 27 teams with 50+ wins in those three years. In 1995-96, there were four other teams in the Central Division alone that had 46 or more wins. In the following season, the Central had three other teams with 50+ wins so the Bulls were getting it done against outstanding competition. LeBron James and the Miami Heat can't say the same thing when they were winning their two championships. In 2011-12 the Heat won their first championship but that was the strike shortened season and they beat two good teams from the East to make the Finals. Miami advanced through the East by beating a good Celtics team that season and a solid Bulls team to get to the Finals. In the ensuing season though the East had just one other team in the Conference that won 50 or more games other than the Heat.

In the end, when the aging Heat weren't going to be relevant and the Cavs were building a young team that could be a contender in the weak East again LeBron decided to bolt for the "greener grass" in Cleveland.

The Competitor or Moxy

You can't overlook the way LeBron James quit in the playoffs against the Celtics in the 2009-10 season when he played for the Cavs or the fact he relied heavily on D-Wade or Ray Allen in the post season to make clutch shots in Miami. In fact, if Ray-Ray doesn't make that 3-pointer against the Spurs in Game 6 of the 2103 Finals, LeBron only has one ring right now. How about LeBron asking out of a game against the Hawks in this season's Eastern Finals then waving off the coach saying he's alright. But later used it as an excuse of being tired and beat up when he doesn't play well. If you watched the Cavs series against the Bulls LeBron passed up a ton of wide open mid-range jump shots because he's lost confidence in his jumper. Prior to game 4 against the Hawks LBJ was 10 for 62 (16%) from beyond the arc in the playoffs. In fact, if he’s not dunking (75 of 112 or 67% at the rim) he’s proven he’s lost his stroke in the playoffs by going 43 of 160 (27%) from 10 feet and out.

Do you remember the "Flu" game of Michael Jordan? It was Game 5 of the Finals against the Jazz in 1997. Jordan got out of bed at 5:50 p.m on Wednesday, just in time for the 7 o'clock tip-off at the Delta Center. Jordan was visibly weak and pale as he stepped on the court for Game 5. With 46.4 seconds left and Chicago down 85-84, he was fouled and went to the free throw line. He made the first to tie the game then made a 3-point shot to give the Bulls an 88-85 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the game. Jordan finished with 30-points in that critical Game 5 win over the Jazz and could barely stand.

Statistically or comparison by metrics

PER takes into account accomplishments, such as field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals, and negative results, such as missed shots, turnovers and personal fouls. The formula adds positive stats and subtracts negative ones through a statistical point value system. The rating for each player is then adjusted to a per-minute basis so that, for example, substitutes can be compared with starters in playing time debates. It is also adjusted for the team's pace. In the end, one number sums up the players' statistical accomplishments for that season.

Michael Jordan's career PER rating is #1 at 27.91 with LeBron James right below him at 27.79. Even if James should take the number one spot from Jordan, he is still mid-career. As the metric is averaged over the length of a player's entire career a decrease in efficiency later in his career means a player can move down in the ranking. IE; Jordan's PER took a big hit in the final two years of his career when he returned to the game with the Washington Wizards, posting 20.7 and 19.3 PER ratings in his final season, compared to his career high of 31.7.

I'll close with this. If you had to pick one player right now to build a team around and it could be anyone in the history of the NBA, you're not about to take LeBron James over Michael Jordan. LeBron might be the greatest physical specimen to play the game (some could easily make a case for Wilt) but if you want to win you take the guy that has "it" and that's his Airness Michael Jordan!

End of debate!

BTW...LeBron won't carry his team to a victory in the Finals this season. Warriors in 6 games!

**StarDust Bum** · 06-01-2015, 02:36 AM

NBA Finals Predictions

May 31, 2015

The NBA Finals will begin on Thursday June 4 as Golden State meets Cleveland in the final best-of-seven series of the postseason.

The Warriors, the top overall seed, will have homecourt for this series which will be played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format.

Golden State advanced to the finals with a 12-3 record, defeating the Pelicans (4-0), Grizzlies (4-2) and Rockets (4-1).

It took Cleveland one less game than the Warriors to get to this position with its toughest matchup coming in the conference semis against the Bulls (4-2) which was sandwiched by a pair of sweeps against the Celtics (4-0) and Hawks (4-0).

The teams split their regular season encounters with both clubs winning at home and by double digits.

The one caveat that bettors should know is that LeBron James sat out the first meeting in Oakland and Golden State posted a comfortable 112-94 win and cover. This was part of the LeBron’s extended vacation.

When he did return for the second go ‘round in late February, James put up 42 points, 11 rebounds and five assists as Cleveland beat Golden State 110-99 from Quickens Loan Arena.

Throughout the playoffs our trio of experts listed believe have offered up their fearless predictions on every series and their records aren’t too shabby through 14 series (Exact Games).

Kevin Rogers: 11-3 (4)
Chris David: 12-2 (5)
Tony Mejia: 11-3 (4)

1st Round | 2nd Round | Conference Finals

Chris David went against LeBron in the last round and he’s fading the “King” again in the Finals.

He explained, “I’ll preface my prediction by saying that LeBron James is the best player in the league and he’s been for years. With all that being said, he’s 2-3 in the finals and you could argue that he’s lucky that record isn’t 1-4. The best player doesn’t always win the championship, unless you’re Michael Jordan. Cleveland has the edge in experience but outside of LeBron, do you put stock into names like Jones, Miller, Marion and Perkins? In a best-of-seven series, talent usually trumps everything and Golden State is far more superior in this matchup.”

“I’ve heard some experts say the Cavaliers were undervalued in this series and I’m not buying it. All season long, anybody and everybody who watched the Association on a daily basis knows that the West was far superior to the East. Now all of a sudden, Cleveland has a chance because they swept the Atlanta Flukes? A lot of people are overlooking the fact that the Cavs still don’t have Kevin Love, who played well against the Warriors (16.5 PPG, 11 RPG) and Kyrie Irving isn’t 100 percent. The Warriors are all but unbeatable at home and I don’t see that changing. Barring a horrible shooting night, I don’t see Golden State losing any games at Oracle Arena versus the Cavaliers and I believe they can steal one if not two on the road. I’m playing Warriors to win the series and will dabble with Golden State to win in five or six games on the Exact Game Props.”

Kevin Rogers is on board with Golden State winning its first title in 40 years, even though the public is riding Cleveland.

“Golden State won 14 of 15 home games against Eastern Conference foes, while covering in both matchups as a single-digit favorite against Toronto and Atlanta,” Rogers said.

The home-court advantage is hard to ignore in the NBA Finals, Rogers explains. “In six of the last eight NBA Finals, the team hosting Game 1 has won the championship. James has struggled in his career in playoff series openers on the road, going 1-8 with the Cavaliers and Heat as the lone victory came in the conference finals against Atlanta.”

Tony Mejia believes the Cavaliers will take the Warriors to the limit, but Golden State will finish the job at home.

"After a postseason that’s featured too many blowouts and series that have wound up not being compelling, the NBA Finals should provide a great payoff in living up to the hype. While Stephen Curry-LeBron James is an amazing headliner, look for the supporting casts to determine the winner. Klay Thompson should be healthier and more productive than Kyrie Irving. Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala will be x-factors in providing different looks against James, while the ex-Knick contingent of J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov must remain productive. The same goes for power forward Tristan Thompson, especially since the Cavs haven’t lost a game where they win the rebounding battle."

Mejia is looking forward to an entertaining series, "Any way you break it down, this matchup should be tremendous given the variables involved. With the deciding game to be staged at ORACLE, the call here is that the Warriors will prove too explosive to overcome at home," Mejia said.

Below are each analyst’s predictions for both conference finals series:

NBA FINALS

Matchup Kevin Rogers 4 -2 Chris David 4 - 2 Tony Mejia 4 - 3

All in favor of Golden St.

**StarDust Bum** · 06-01-2015, 02:40 AM

Preview: Rays (25-25) at Angels (26-24)
Game: 1
Venue: Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Date: June 01, 2015 10:05 PM EDT

Garrett Richards entered June last season on probably his lowest note as a big league starter having allowed 13 runs in three starts and failing to get through the first inning in his last May outing.

The calendar flipped to June and what followed was one of the year's most impressive pitching stretches.

The Los Angeles Angels right-hander found himself in a slightly more mild May funk this season but has a chance to begin June right Monday night against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

After allowing five runs - three earned - and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings of Wednesday's 5-4 loss to San Diego, Richards (4-3, 3.12 ERA) ended the month going 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA in his final three starts.

"Sometimes you make good pitches and they still get hit," Richards told MLB's official website. "That kind of comes back to the misfortune of having a little bit of bad luck right now with the ground balls and everything just kind of finding holes. You can't beat yourself up over that stuff. You have to just keep continuing to make pitches and stay aggressive."

June is traditionally his best month with a 6-2 record and 2.64 ERA in 10 starts and eight relief appearances, mostly because he went 4-0 with a 1.05 mark in five June starts a season ago. The success endured beyond the All-Star break, going 7-0 with a 1.25 ERA in nine starts.

What was absent was any work against the Rays. In two career starts, Richards is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 10 walks in 8 1-3 innings. Evan Longoria is 0 for 5 against him, but Tampa Bay has some fresh faces in the lineup that have yet to see him.

The Rays (26-25), making their second stop on a 10-game road trip, halted a six-game losing streak by winning the last two of a three-game series in Baltimore. Prior to Sunday's 9-5 win, they'd scored 13 runs in seven games.

Steven Souza Jr. homered for the third straight game after missing three due to a sprained wrist. His 10 home runs in 46 games was fourth fastest to double digits for a Tampa Bay rookie, the record being Elijah Dukes' 40 in 2007. It took Longoria 54 games in 2008 before going on to a club rookie single-season record 27.

Souza's not the only newcomer hitting. Joey Butler went 4 for 5 and is 12 for 28 in seven games to boost his average to .342 in 23 contests since being recalled on May 3.

The Angels (27-24) won nine of 14 against Tampa Bay over the previous two seasons, and they enter with a four-game winning streak after Sunday's 4-2 victory over Detroit bumped them to 5-2 on a 10-game homestand. The rotation has a 1.79 through the first seven.

Johnny Giavotella was 2 for 4 with two RBIs Sunday and is batting .400 in his last eight games. Matt Joyce wasn't in the lineup but has three homers and five RBIs in his last four games and could take on his former team for the first time since being traded in December. Joyce is batting .186 in his first season in Los Angeles.

The Angels will face Alex Colome, who has made it through six innings once in six starts this season. Colome (3-1, 4.55) allowed two first-inning runs and five hits in 5 1-3 innings of Tuesday's 7-6, 10-inning loss to Seattle. The right-hander has held opponents to two runs and nine hits over 10 1-3 innings in his last two starts.

"Credit Alex Colome for the way he threw the ball, given the first inning," manager Kevin Cash said.

He's never faced anyone on the Angels but is 4-0 with a 1.78 ERA in six career road starts.

SERIES AT A GLANCE

GAME 1
Rays at Angels
Mon, Jun 1 - 10:05PM EDT

GAME 2
Rays at Angels
Tue, Jun 2 - 10:05PM EDT

GAME 3
Rays at Angels
Wed, Jun 3 - 10:05PM EDT

Announcement

The Bum's NBA Finals News-Notes-Need to Know !!

The Bum's NBA Finals News-Notes-Need to Know !!

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