Golden State Indeed

...And just like that, another NBA season's over.

The conclusion was fitting, if not seemingly inevitable. The critically-wounded Cavaliers put up more of a fight than anyone thought was left in them, but the Golden State Warriors punctuated their season-long dominance with a Larry O.

It was the essence of a team effort; while it wasn't pretty at times (Cleveland forced them into some decidedly un-Warriors rhythm for large chunks of this series) the Dubs got contributions from all the right places, and proved once again the power of numbers.

These Finals were the ultimate testament to Golden State's versatility, something I've lauded all season long. They were like a poisonous chameleon, able to take on many deadly forms seamlessly. Give much credit to Steve Kerr for making all the right adjustments - knowing when to suffocate LeBron, going so small as to force the Cavs' destructive front line out of the lineup, clogging the paint on D and letting JR Smith and Matthew Dellevadova shoot the Cavs out of games, the David Lee Experience, the list goes on - he coached LeBron James David Blatt into the corner.

But while the Warriors ride off into the Moet-soaked sunset, the Cavs, and LeBron James (as he usually is) remain under the microscope. What happened in this series was very simple: the better team won, but the losing team came in (literally) without an arm and a leg. After LeBron's cinematic return to Cleveland, there was bound to be much said about their season either way, and now it's ended in the most bitter way imaginable. There's no telling how exactly a healthy Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving would've impacted this series (especially with Cleveland's defense being their sudden calling card), but for most of the Finals, four of the five best players on the court were Warriors.

The LeBron haters are coming out in droves to give him the Cersei treatment, like he just did something other than average 36/13/9 in the fucking NBA Finals. Give him, and me a break. Sure, his legacy in a vacuum is beginning to look like a cross between Jordan and Karl Malone, but nobody has ever won a title with as little talent as LBJ had around him the past couple weeks. Blaming him for losing in these Finals (even  if he was kind of a jackass about it) is completely ridiculous and unfair.


Another thing that seems pretty ridiculous is this whole notion of knocking LeBron (or any superstar for that matter) for 'losing' in the Finals. Even without a title, it's not like the season was a massive disappointment, or that he didn't totally put the team on his back. I get that it's in the East and all, but five straight trips to the Finals is something I think should be celebrated rather than "shame"d.

But enough about LeBron. Much as it was last year, this shouldn't be about him, but about the awesome team that just beat him. There's so much to be happy for with the Warriors:

Steph Curry is not only the MVP, but the NBA's burgeoning media darling and arguably most exciting player, and now a champion. This is the perfect moment for him. (a Finals MVP would've been a nice touch, but an unnecessary one. That said, it's shocking that he didn't even get a single vote).

Andre Iguodala humbly took a bench role for the first time in his career, and now he's a Finals MVP (!!!).

Steve Kerr proved how great of a hire he was, got rewarded for wisely choosing the Warriors over the Knicks last summer, and won as graciously as possible.

While Draymond Green isn't the most gracious player at times, he's certainly among the most hard-working, hilarious, and likable. And now he's got a ring to back up the talk; #swagonfleek.

Shaun Livingston battled back from one of the most injury-ravaged careers in NBA history to be a vital bench contributor for this team. After the Dubs' backup PG spot was a major issue last season, Livingston was a steady veteran presence, and one of the most deserving champions imaginable. (side note: while the Warriors were best team in the NBA this year, they were also unequivocally the healthiest)

And if you aren't happy for Festus 'The Court Fester' Ezeli, then screw you. Straight up.

The 2014-15 Warriors were a landmark NBA team; one that thrived on both sides of the ball, could play big or small, and gave teams problems in every permutation. They spent the entire season running roughshod through the league, blowing out opponents with stunning basketball and demoralizing flair. We wondered all year if anyone could stop them; apparently not even the "best player in the World" was enough.

Blips and Clips: This Week in the NBA

The NBA Playoffs have been unusually hectic this year, not only cluttered with a litany of compelling on-court subplots, but significant re-tooling after a season in which only one coach was fired, and the ever-lingering Donald Sterling Saga.

I've avoided discussing Sterling for the most part - in this blog, across social media, and in person - because I'm against propagating the issue. This was hardly a revelation for anyone who's followed the NBA closely, and if anything was overdue in being dealt with. The man is senile, bigoted, and carries a prolonged history of racism; not only are his sad perspective and ideas unworthy of the attention they've garnered, but are callous distractions as "his" team fights for their Playoff lives.

The sad reality is that Sterling may continue to loom over the franchise, intent on challenging his forced sale of the team. While he's highly unlikely to win, the litigation could take far longer than the NBA would like to rid themselves of someone whose parasitic mentality has festered for years.

Every minute spent discussing Sterling is something that could, and should, be focused on what's going on with his team, and the rest of the Playoff survivors. So while The Donald digs himself deeper, let's not give him an audience.

Sunken Opportunity 
Speaking of the Clippers, their nebulous meltdown last night - after an incredible comeback in Game 4 - adds yet another layer to one onion of a season for this team. Needless to say a couple of pretty questionable calls went against them, but L.A. shot themselves in the foot repeatedly down the stretch, making it hard to lean on the officials.

The poor reffing comes as an unfortunate non-surprise, in a postseason where an abnormally high number of weird whistles and rampant reviews are hampering the NBA's entertainment value pretty noticeably. There have been blown calls benefiting teams both ways throughout every series; officiating, basketball in particular, is far from a perfect science. The Clippers' referee variance, while guilty of very, very, very bad timing, also directly resulted from their own mistakes.

Deliver Us From Otis
Mistakes are something Joe Dumars made plenty of in Detroit's front office, and just as he'd worn out his welcome, the Pistons may be opening their door to another notorious party-crasher.

Stan Van Gundy has been hired to run the show for the Bad Boys (as in 'their team is really bad'), named both Head Coach and President. They could've done far worse; SVG had a productive run with Orlando, before Dwight Howard's awkward coup d'etat cost both him and GM Otis Smith their jobs. What should terrify Pistons fans is that Van Gundy's considering handing Smith the keys to their team; great news for upcoming Free Agents seeking a bloated contract, or the fans of any team the Pistons might trade with down the road.

Why Stan would trust this guy again, after he butchered several moves and allowed the Howard fiasco to escalate to the point where it consumed the Magic for well over a year and got them both fired, is beyond me.

Everybody Loves Steve
While the Pistons tagged a reputable bench boss to turn their team around, he was more or less a second-tier hire right now. The coach-to-be with by far the hottest current stock is, for some reason, Steve Kerr; being fought over by several teams. Personally, I don't really get it.

I understand fully that Kerr's a knowledgeable, connected, experienced and respected figure in NBA circles, but I'm not sold that these qualities make him a good coaching candidate, or at least one every team with a vacancy should be clamoring to hire.



Kerr is an experienced player, and five-time champion, but was never more than an eighth-man shooting-specialist, and not really known as a leader. His time in Phoenix as GM was uninspiring; three years of mostly-backwards movement that saw him bow out before an inevitable rebuild. His analysis on TNT is usually strong, but his neglect of the 2014 awards ballot (including LeBron for DPOY and Tim Hardaway Jr for ROY) makes you wonder just how much basketball he watched this year.

The teams tug-of-warring for his services are both high-profile voids. The Knicks are looking to rebound from a disastrously stressful season, under the Zen Master's calm aura, while the Warriors need to rectify a controversial axing that most of their players were openly against. In both cases, there will be heavy expectations, perhaps too much for the shoulders of someone with no coaching experience. But hey, who needs a strong coach when your owner's James Dolan?

Everybody Hates Roy (and Russell) 
The narratives of two NBA stars continue to swing wildly, taking those of their teams with them as the internet's fickle masses chime in. Russell Westbrook and Roy Hibbert have been the targets for plenty of social media vitriol over the past few weeks; the former for his ostensible neglect of Kevin Durant, the latter for simply playing like garbage far too often.

Hibbert's case looks like a pretty clear mental disconnect, although it's difficult to call anything "clear" when discussing the often-misunderstood and largely-unexplored realms of the human mind. His sudden revival showed that he isn't completely broken, and Frank Vogel the Pacers need him to channel that level more if they're going to live up to expectations. Even then, through Indiana's disconnected play, with Hibbert in flux, Paul George randomly disappearing, Lance Stephenson being totally erratic, Luis Scola's uselessness, and the team having no idea how to even begin trying to score most nights, his best might not even be enough.

Westbrook is also a puzzling conundrum, but for different reasons. He is who he is; a highly-manic player who spends every possession hungrily attacking. Aside from insane athleticism and great skill, his game thrives on his primal, reckless instinct to take the ball from the other team and put it in their basket. It's a big part of what makes him arguably a Top-5 NBA player; a good thing an overwhelming majority of the time. . But a direct by-product of this mindset are his occasional defensive gambles and offensive tunnel-vision, segregating one of the best scorers ever.

The question's been posed many times if the Thunder would be better suited trading Westbrook; a risky proposition, due to both his top-tier value, and Sam Presti's track record on major trades. Dealing such an elite player in his prime is a tough concept for OKC to wrap their heads around, but the team seems stubbornly unwilling to break the luxury tax threshold (ask this guy) or amnesty Kendrick Perkins, and forking over the Max to a player whose absence they weathered very well this year might not be optimal. Any trade would hinge on this season's title chase and whether the franchise's lofty character arc can be fulfilled, but it wouldn't be totally illogical if the Thunder fall short.

Westbrook's Westbrookness is a smaller problem than some critics make it out to be, and one that virtually any team in the NBA would happily live with. But for the Thunder - who ran their offense almost entirely through Kevin Durant and Reggie Jackson this year, scoring 106 ppg - you can't help but wonder if giving Durant more shots and bolstering other positions would be a bad idea.

Of course, Scott Brooks' either unwillingness or inability to run any kind of coherent offense with these two dynamic talents is perhaps the bigger issue for the Thunder; that they can still maybe win a title in spite of his coaching is a testament to just how good Westbrook and Durant really are.