Austin- EE blogs and FF blogs.

Welcome back ya’ll. The NBA Playoffs continue, and by the beginning of next week we’ll have our final four set. However, my cowriter Edward is all over that, so I’m going to continue a debate that I set the stage for on my last post. First some background information. The NBA is an ever changing association. Everything, literally everything changes as the time advances. Styles of play, athletic ability, even clothing articles change practically yearly. To take a quick walk through time, we start off with the Bill Russell era. Russell won 11 championships and 5 MVP awards with the Celtics. He was truly unstoppable. Why? Because he was a tall guy with skill. Back in the day you had one or the other. You were either tall, or you had skill, or you didn’t make it. During the Russell day, the tall players, 99% of the time, were just tall. They didn’t have the skill set that allowed for them to be scorers and rebounders. Except Russell. Then a guy name Wilt came about. Wilt was 7’1, but they say he played like a guard. He was extremely athletic and he was the only player in the game who could handle Russell. A tall skilled guy was unstoppable. If Russell and Chamberlin played today, how good would they really be? Every team has at least one tall guy who has skill around the rim and that can rebound. There’s no way to ever know, but in today’s era, Russell doesn’t win 11 championships and Chamberlin doesn’t average 50 points. Plain and simple. Then we advance past the Jerry West days to the ‘70’s, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came about. He headed an era that included legends like Julius Irving and Elvin Hayes. Another era where a tall skilled player excelled. And then the ‘80’s rolled around. Times were a changin’. An era where skilled big men were common, led to a new time. Now, in order to be great, you had to have skill that was unstoppable. Magic Johnson. The first ever 6’9 point guard. The first player that could ever play all 5 positions successfully. He was unstoppable. A great passer with superior defense and rebounding skills. A point guard that could do it all. That sounds pretty good actually. “A point guard that can do it all.” Boom. There it is. Point guards. That’s our current era. You need a point guard to be successful. Every team in the NBA right now has at least 1 good point guard. It’s a necessity. I just quickly checked every NBA roster, and out of the 30 NBA teams, 24 of them have a point guard that is one of the 3 most talented players on the team. Out of those 6 teams without a top 3 point guard, 3 of them missed the playoffs. In the NBA, 16 of the 30 teams make the playoffs. So, more than half the NBA teams make the playoffs, and of the 6 without a top 3 point guard player, 3 missed the playoffs. Coincidence? Maybe. Does it help that those 6 include the Miami Heat, a team with 3 perennial all-star players, including LeBron James, who practically plays point guard. Indiana and Dallas are the others by the way. Back to LeBron James for a minute. I’m not going to get into the LeBron vs. Jordan argument, not now, or ever. Why? Because they’re completely different players. A better argument? LeBron vs. Magic. Magic Johnson and LeBron are far more similar than LeBron and Jordan. They’re both somewhere in that 6’8 or 6’9 height range, and they both can play all 5 positions. Anyways, let’s get back to the point. No pun intended. Point guards. It’s the best position in basketball, in terms of talent. The quarterback of the hardwood. Point guards can often play the 2 guard spot, but very rarely can a 2 guard play point guard successfully. But the big question is, what do you primarily want in a point guard? They vary. Scoring, passing, defensive, athletic, all around. There’s different specialty’s. Teams find different ways to become successful with their specific point guards. For example, teams with shooting guards, like Golden State’s Stephen Curry, or Detroit’s Brandon Jennings find great success. Or there’s point guards who achieve success by driving the lane. Guys who are often tall and athletic for the point guard spot. Guys like Russell Westbrook, or Tony Parker or Jeremy Lin. The stereotypical point guard throughout history is a guy like John Stockton. The closest thing that we have to that right now in my opinion is Rajon Rondo. He’s an excellent passer. He’s also a great dribbler. Ricky Rubio is the same way. But yet, these guys haven’t been considered to be in the tops of the point guard category. Well, lately anyways. Rajon Rondo hasn’t been considered one of the best since he was in the finals, playing alongside Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnet. Rondo hasn’t been great because pass-first point guards, with poor shooting abilities, aren’t at their best unless they’re playing alongside other all-star caliber players. The best point guards in the league, in my opinion, are guys who are able to succeed with or without all-star players by their side. However, that’s very hard to judge. For example, let’s look at Kyrie Irving and Deron Williams. Two of the best point guards in the Eastern Conference. However, how do you compare guys like that? Obviously, to be successful in this league, you must have AT LEAST two all-star players on your team. LeBron James taught us that. Kyrie is the only all-star in Cleveland. He has a huge role there, and he leads the team in multiple categories. However, he may be underrated or may not be reaching full potential because of the role that he has and because of the teammates that he’s playing with. Deron Williams is the exact opposite. Williams is another all-star who’s playing on a team full of studs. He has a smaller role, as he may not even be considered the best player on the team. But maybe, because of this, he is underrated as well. He may not be reaching full potential because he may be a better player than his role asks for. There’s really no way to be sure. We could go on with battles like this all day, but I might as well give my personal opinion. Here’s my top point guards in the NBA: (This is when Derrick Rose is healthy by the way)

10. Rajon Rondo. When he’s healthy, and when he’s playing with some good role players, he has potential to be a top 3 player. However, that’s not the case.

9. Ty Lawson. I’m biased. He’s one of my favorites. But he’s extremely underrated, and he’s had a breakout season. Keep an eye out for this guy. He keeps getting better.

8. Michael Conley. Conley’s the best defensive guard in the league, and he’s another underrated guy. He also fits perfectly in that Memphis system.

7. Damian Lillard. Lillard is a young guy with a lot of up sight. He’s got that clutch factor that most guys want, but few guys have.

6. Deron Williams. Williams, as mentioned, is underutilized in the Brooklyn system, but he’s still a star and he’s one of those rare point guards who scores everywhere on the court.

The Top 5 is coming next week!

NBA Playoffs- Edward H (DD)

Well I'm back once again to write about all things in the NBA Playoffs. This year has been extremely entertaining and the playoffs are even better. In this years first round there was more crunch time than in any other first round in playoff history. Crunch time is when the teams are at the highest competitive level fighting for a lead or to keep a lead. In this time offensive and defensive series are especially important. Coming out of the first round was The Miami Heat who were the first team to finish their series. They beat the Charlotte Bobcats in a 4-0 sweep that sent the Heat with momentum into the next round. The Miami Heat will face off against the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn nearly escaped out of the first round, as they beat the Toronto Raptors in a highly competitive game seven. Brooklyn who was up big in the forth quarter almost blew the lead as Toronto was able to gain momentum and was one point down with the last shot attempt in the game. Toronto came up short as Kyle Lowry sent up a floater that was eventually blocked by aging superstar Paul Pierce.Brooklyn who has beat the Heat 4 times this year is excited with the match up. Our next victor was the struggling Indiana Pacers, whom were able to squeak out a victory against the sub 500 Atlanta Hawks. The Pacers won in game seven after coming from a 3-2 series deficit. The game victory was due large in part to Paul George who had 24 points. Roy Hibbert has been playing terrible in this series and will defiantly be something to watch as hey play in the semi finals. The Indiana Pacers will face off against the Washington Wizards who are fresh off their first playoff series victory in what seems like a millennium. Washington was able to get work done as they beat the Chicago Bulls in just five games. Bradley Beal and John Wall have been playing fantastic this year and continued their effort in the playoffs.  I hope Washington beats the Pacers because I hate the Pacers. They are my least favorite team in the entire league. The Los Angles Clippers were able to squeak out a victory in game seven as well against the Golden State Warriors. The Clippers who have had a very difficult weak with the David Sterling scandal needed his victory for not only their franchise but their city. The Clippers will end up facing another team that got out of a game seven in the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC beat the Memphis Grizzlies in a rout at home. Kevin Durrant played especially well as did Russell Wesbrook. The San Antonio Spurs also escaped an early exit as they were able to hold off the Dallas Mavericks in a game seven at home. The Spurs dominated from the start and sent them into the fourth straight semifinal appearance. The San Antonio Spurs will face off against the Portland Trailblazzers who just got out of an extremely entertaining with the Houston Rockets. These series should be very entertaining to watch and i look forward to watching them. I believe that it will be the Portland Trailblazzers who take the victory and they will end up facing off against the Clippers. These are my two favorites in the west because of their great play as of lately. In the eastern conference i believe that it will be the Miami Heat who will win in dominate fashion and end up playing against the Washington Wizards. The Heat are to good for the Nets and the Pacers are struggling too much to win another series.

Austin- NBA Playoffs- DD

Welcome back basketball fans. First and foremost, happy birthday to Chris Paul. After beating the Warriors in game 7 Saturday night, CP3 and the Clippers smacked the Thunder, in Oklahoma City by a final score of 122-105 to take a commanding 1-0 series lead in the conference semifinals. Paul, on the eve of his 29^th birthday, led the Clipps with 32 points, including 8 three balls, falling one short of the playoff record. Truly a great game from Paul, and he’s been playing great all around. CP’s partner in crime, Blake Griffin also added 23 points in the victory. Prior to this Western Conference match up, the Pacers hosted the Wizards. NBA Sophomore Bradley Beal had an excellent game, as did Trevor Ariza who scored 17 points and was 5 for 5 from downtown in the first half alone. Beal finished the night with 25 points and 7 assists. Beal has been on fire since the start of the playoffs, and thanks to the red hot Wizards, the Pacers could find themselves upset in the series. Washington would go on to win the game 102-96. Now for a quick rant on Roy Hibbert. What a joke. He’s been god awful since the start of the playoffs, and just as it began to look like the Pacers got some momentum with their game 7 win, we quickly found out that they in fact didn’t, as the 7’4 center scored 0 points, had 0 rebounds, and 5 fouls in just 18 minutes. If they lose this series, he’s a big part to blame, and he’ll likely be looking for a new home this summer. Next line of business, today, Kevin Durant received the MVP award for the first time in his career. The scoring champion became the first member of that category to win the MVP since Allen Iverson in 2001. This was being called the closest MVP race in the last decade, between LeBron and Durant, and no one really had a clear winner in mind, however, the Slim Reaper received 119 of 125 first place votes. James received the other 6. Blake Griffin finished 3^rd, Joakim 4^th, then James Harden, Stephen Curry and Chris Paul rounded out the top 7. Tonight, the Heat face off against the Nets of Brooklyn. The Nets beat the Heat 4-0 in the season series. It should get very interesting. After that, the 1 seed Spurs take on the Portland Trailblazers. I’m really looking forward to that series. Young stars in Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge will take on two veteran stars in Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. The Spurs could find themselves in yet another 7 game series.

                Anyways, I wanted to get into a little bit of a slight argument over the league’s best point guards, as it seems to be the most star-studded position in the league. What makes a great point guard? Obviously you want a guy who can pass, shoot, and lead, but what else contributes, and what categories weigh where? First of all you’ve got scoring point guards; guys who look to shoot before pass, and guys that do a pretty good job at it. Guys like Curry, Westbrook, Parker, Lillard. But then break that down. Do you want a shooter or a guy who can drive? Curry is the best shooter of the group, but Westbrook is one of the best dunkers in the game. And then think about pass first guards, guys like Paul, Lowery, Rondo. They’ve got to be taken into consideration. In my personal opinion, Chris Paul is the best all-around point guard in the league. He’s the one guy that scores great, passes great, plays great defense, rebounds, and he’s the best leader in the group. And it just so happens to be his birthday. There ya have it.

Austin- NBA Playoffs - CC

Welcome all basketball fans to Take Charge. It’s been an exciting week in the basketball world, as the NBA Playoffs are officially underway. We’ve got a lot to cover today, so let’s get to it. First of all, the two 1-8 seed series are insane. The Atlanta Hawks hold a 3-2 lead over the 1 seed Indiana Pacers, and they look to become the first 8 seed to ever beat a 1 seed in these playoffs. On the other side of the league, the Dallas Mavericks are tied at 2 games a piece with the San Antonio Spurs. The Eastern Conference series is strange, because I haven’t yet been able to figure out if the Hawks are going to win that series or if the Pacers are going to lose. They’ve been blown out twice, once at home. In the Pacers last home game, fans near the Indiana bench would chant “You’re supposed to be an all-star!” at Paul George when he came to the bench. Reports of Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner fighting pregame have also been brought to light. In conclusion, all is not right in Indiana. In the West, the Dallas Mavericks are simply healthy and playing the best basketball they’ve been playing all year. It’s a great series and it’ll likely see 7 games. 2 seed Oklahoma City trails Memphis 3 games to 2. That’s another crazy series that will likely see 7 games. Portland leads Houston 3-1. Miami is one of two teams to advance so far, beating the ‘Cats in 4 games. Toronto-Brooklyn is tied at two games apiece. That’s a great series as well. Athleticism vs. Experience. That’s always a good match up. I’m hoping the Nets take that series, since I think that they may be the only team in the East that can beat the Heat. The Nets swept Miami in the season series, 4-0, and I just don’t think that the Raptors match up well enough. But credit the Raptors. They had a great season. And how about the Washington Wizards. What a year for them. The Wall-Beal back court has become one of the best 1-2 combinations in basketball, right up there with Curry-Thompson. Wall’s having a great year, and their veteran leadership coming from players like Nene and Trevor Arizia have been a driving force to their advancement. And then we have the Golden State- Los Angeles series. The battle of California. Some of the best young players in the league are in this series, and it’s been a great one so far. The series is 3-2 in favor of LA. But if you want drama this is the series for you. David Sterling, the Clippers’ owner, has been under a lot of heat lately. Sterling’s girlfriend recently leaked a recording of a telephone conversation that took place between the two of them, in which Sterling told his girlfriend that he doesn’t like African Americans, and that he doesn’t appreciate them coming to the LA games. The basketball world blew up in result. LA players wore their warm ups inside out in following games to hide the Clippers logo, and they also all wore black wristbands. Coach Doc Rivers declined a chance to speak with Sterling. Commissioner Adam Silvers, as a result, banned Sterling from the NBA for life, and fined him 2.5 million dollars. Sterling is now forced to sell his organization. An organization that I might mention was purchased for 16 million dollars. It’s current worth? 600 million dollars. Call it inflation, but that’s pretty impressive. Now, Sterling, the owner, is forced to sell his 600 million dollar organization, as well as pay 2.5 million, for stating his honest opinion through a private phone conversation. To a woman who blew him in. A woman that he thought was his girlfriend. Who happens to be half Black and part Mexican. Say what you will. Those are the facts.

CC First Playoff Series Done (Edward H)

Well once again I am back from another much needing vacation. This break was much shorter than my previous vacation but was actually much more luxurious. The weather, food and beach was all fantastic, overall I can say that I have no complaints about the vacation. The only thing that could improve is my boss’s attitude toward me when I take these vacations he is very snippy and rude. But back to basketball and more importantly NBA Playoff Basketball! If have been watching lately you know just how competitive and exciting the playoffs have been. Both no. 1 seeds are fighting just to advance to the semifinals against the 8 seeds!  But one thing most people assumed happen that The Heat were going to start to pick up their games because of what is at stake and that is exactly what happened. Miami led by the best player in the game Lebron hope to make it a three peat and put their names in the history books of the NBA and signify them as a dynasty. The Heat squared off against the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round, a team that Miami was 10 -0 coming into the series against. Although many of the games were very competitive the Heat were able to take the series in 4 games and sweep Charlotte. This moves The Heat into the Eastern Conference Semifinals for fourth consecutive year and they are awaiting the winner of the Brooklyn and Toronto series. Both could be a tough matchup for the Heat but Brooklyn especially. The Nets swept the Heat in all regular season games that they faced off in. Brooklyn seems to have an answer for Lebron and the Heat and will defiantly make for a very interesting series if it happens. Another Eastern Conference first round series also just ended last night as the Washington Wizards were able to beat the Chicago Bulls in 5 games for a very rare playoff series victory. This was just Washington 3rd playoff series victory and their last since 1979 when they lost to the Seattle Supersonic in the Championship game.It's a huge step for a franchise that hadn't been to the postseason since 2008, but with Wall and Beal leading the way, they won 44 games during the regular season.Nene was recently back after being suspended for headbutting another player in game 3 of the series and was suspended for one game. The Wizards were able to win Game 4 without him, but Nene Hilario's presence was a huge reason the Wizards won Game 5 and advanced to the second round. Nene finished the night with 20 points with most of them coming with the NBA defensive player of the year Joakim Noah tightly on him. Nene seemed to be at the right spots at the right time as he came up with some big rebounds in the final minutes of the game to seal the victory for the Wizards. Washington will face off against either the Atlanta Hawks or the Indianna Pacers. Atlanta is taking it to the Pacers right now and shocking the basketball world as they are up 3-2 in the series and have a chance to seal the victory tonight at home. I would like nothing more than to watch the top seeded Pacers fall. Either way i believe that Washington is going to have enough in the tank to beat whomever they will face in the Eastern Conference semifinals and add to what is already a fantastic year and season. With such a young group of starters could the Wizards be the next uprising team in the East? It will defiantly be interesting in the next couple years to come.