“If you really want to nitpick LeBron’s time with the Lakers, there are some points you can start with. But let’s be real: LeBron’s basketball legacy is safe. He could walk away tomorrow and still have a real ‘greatest of all time argument.’ If anything, even after it ended in a sweep, this postseason run probably helped the legacy.” (Bailey, 2023)
We have finally arrived. After months of back and forth between the NBA and NHL, we have reached the grand finale of both. And it does seem ironic that 2023 brings us two sets of finals that we can actually feel good about. In both finals, we have the clash of ultimate underdogs and ultimate opportunists. In both finals, we got teams that were not even supposed to be there.
It’s that time of the year, again. The NBA Finals are back. One team is 4 wins away from the most amazing completion of an 8-month journey. One team is 4 losses away from the most heartbreaking end of that same journey. However, a question needs to be asked
In the 76 years that the NBA has existed, 151 teams have trailed 3-0 in the NBA playoffs. Of the previous 150, none of them have won. The most recent being the Los Angeles Lakers, who were swept in the western conference finals by the Denver Nuggets.
For some reason the Boston Blabbermouths and Grant Williams decided that the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler weren’t motivated, focused and driven enough already during game 2 of the Eastern Conference Championship Series this past Friday night.
Tonight, fans of the Phoenix Suns will be met with heartache yet again. Not only will it mark their ousting from the NBA Playoffs with a Game 6 loss in the 2nd Round, but it will also mean a complete overhaul of the roster. This overhaul will be top-down, meaning beloved head coach Monty Williams will be first to go.
The NFL playoffs leading up to the Super Bowl. The MLB post-season leading up to the World Series. The NHL playoffs leading up to the Stanley Cup Finals. The NBA playoffs leading up to the NBA Finals. March Madness leading up to the Final Four. No matter what sport it is, there is something about the playoffs that just brings out the sports fan in me.
This is the first ever matchup between these two teams in the playoffs. This will be the Kings first time in the playoffs since the 2005-2006 season. The Kings coach is former associate head coach of the Warriors Mike Brown. Mike Brown is also a former Cavaliers, and Lakers coach. Brown and the Kings snapped a 17 year playoff drought this season.
First round action between the #4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers with a record of 51-31 against the #5 seed New York Knicks with a record of 47-35. This is not the first time they faced off in the playoffs. The last time they faced each other in the playoffs was in the 1995-1996 NBA season and The Knicks won the series 3-0.