Ty's 2024-2025 NBA Preview: The Could Have Been a Contender Division

Welcome to day three of my 24-25 NBA countdown. We are at the play-in/playoff teams now, finally.

At number 20 I have the LA Clippers. This is it for the Clippers. They had their window. It was wide open and ready for a championship. They couldn't get it done. Now they have no more Paul George, and surprise surprise, Kawhi Leonard is most likely out to start the season. I adore Kawhi, he is one of my all time favorite players. But he has not been healthy since he left San Antonio, and even then he was always kind of hurt. His prime is more than over and I don't know that we will ever see prime Kawhi ever again. That's a bummer. James Harden is still there, somehow with a new three year deal, but I'm sure he will ask out or blow it in major games. Harden is one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen, but he is also a no show when it matters most. And he is never happy no matter where he is playing. Ivica Zubac is an okay rebounder but unplayable in the playoffs. Norman Powell is a good bench guy but he starts for the Clippers. Amir Coffey had some moments, but he is a deep bench guy at best. PJ Tucker wants out and Kobe Brown cannot see real minutes. They brought in Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. Both guys are elite role players but they are going to be asked to do too much. Ty Lue is a very good coach, so if anyone can get the most out of this group it is him. But, with the constant uncertainty of Kawhi's health and Harden just waiting to complain, the Clippers are a play-in team at best.

At 19 I have the Houston Rockets. The Rockets seem to be coming together nicely. They had a nice late season push last season and I have a feeling that will carry over to this year. They remind me a little bit of The Bubble Suns. Getting Fred VanVleet was a nice move. They may have overpaid him, but he was worth the money. The Rockets have an adult in the room now. Jalen Green showed everyone what he can do when he gets the ball. He exploded last year, he scored 30 in a bunch of games and looked to be having fun. Alpernen Sengun is a very good big man who can run the offense. He needs to be better defensively though. Jabari Smith Jr is going to announce himself. He has gotten a little better and a little bigger each season. It looks to be coming together for him. Amen Thompson is already an elite level defender. He needs to work on his offense, but he can be a true defensive stopper if the Rockets need him to be. Dillon Brooks is a pest, but he may be the best pest in the league. Getting Steven Adams was a nice move. He is coming off a big injury, but he adds another big defensive minded player. The Rockets are a good team ready to make a leap. That starts this season.

At 18 I have the Golden State Warriors. The Splash Brothers are no more, but they kept the important Splash Brother. Steph Curry is amazing. He proved that and then some in the Olympics. It was a joy to watch, and his shooting will keep him around as long as he wants. Curry is awesome. But, it is a big fall off from there. Draymond Green is still a very good defender, but he is not the offensive playmaker he used to be. His passing isn't as great and he is a total zero as a shooter. Johnathan Kuminga is very, very good, but I think he wants to be a number 1 option. That will not happen as long as he plays with Steph Curry. Moses Moody has never really put it together. I'm not as high on Brandon Podemzski as some others are. Kevon Looney is still pretty good, but the idea of him being an outside shooter is wild. Kyle Anderson was a good signing. I also like the addition of Buddy Hield. Andrew Wiggins has never been the same since their last title. And Gary Payton II is almost always injured. Much like the Clippers, the window has closed for another Warriors title. But, with Steph Curry in this lineup this team will still be an early playoff threat.

At number 17 I have the Memphis Grizzlies. This is my team. I am very hopeful that they will stay healthy all year. They got ravaged by injury and suspension last season, so I'm trying to believe that was enough and they will be back to normal. Ja Morant is back. He needs to stop playing with guns and play basketball with the reckless abandon that I love. He is such a good point guard, and when he is on the floor the Grizzlies are so much better. I still believe in the Marcus Smart trade. I like him teaming up with Morant in the backcourt because of his defense. He can also get ona heater and make a ton of threes. Desmond Bane has gotten better every year and I expect him to continue that trend this season. Jaren Jackson Jr is in somewhat of a no man's land. He got better on offense last year, but that was because he was the only healthy starter all season. He also regressed defensively. He also fouls way too much. I have high hopes for him, but he has got to clean some of this stuff up. I adore the Zach Edey pick. As bummed as I was about the Adams trade, drafting Edey made me feel a bit better. He is a rookie and he will struggle at times, but he is humongous and he has looked good in the preseason. Luke Kennard is not great. I was bummed they re-signed him this offseason. Brandon Clarke is coming off a torn ACL so it will be interesting to see how he looks. GG Jackson showed he could score in the NBA last year, but I want to see how he does with a limited role. The Grizzlies will be better this year, they should make a run at the playoffs/play-in, they just have to stay healthy and stay away from guns.

The final team for the day, coming in at number 16 I have the LA Lakers. The Lakers are stuck in the mud, but they have one of the best duos in the league. At some point time will catch up to LeBron James, but he is still fighting father time off. He was awesome last season, and he takes care of his body better than any player in the NBA ever. He is the second best player ever, and I expect to see him put up consistent numbers. Anthony Davis kind of reminds me of Christian McCaffery. When Davis is on the floor he is one of the best in the game. He can score a lot of different ways, is an excellent rebounder and is one of the best rim protectors in the league. But, last season was like a mirage. He was barely ever hurt. I fear that may have been a one time thing. After those two, the Lakers take a steep dropoff. Austin Reaves is incredibly overrated. He is nothing without LeBron and the whole league will see that soon enough. Rui Hachimura had one good playoff series two years ago, and he is still riding that high. He should start, but the Lakers kind of put him in and out of the lineup. D'Angelo Russell is a damn fine shooter, but he is too preoccupied with celebrating and trash talking. He is also a total zero on defense. Gabe Vincent was out all of last season, and who knows what he will bring this year. Jarred Vanderbilt is a fine defender, but he offers not much else. I'm sick of hearing how good Max Christie looks in practice. I want to see it on the floor. They drafted Bronny, which is great for LeBron, but I have to assume Bronny will spend the majority of the season in the G League. Jaxson Hayes is washed. As is Cam Reddish. The Lakers are good because they have LeBron and AD. That made them good enough to be the 7th seed in the West last year. I expect more of that this season.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next five teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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R.I.P. Jerry West

I returned home from a run this morning and read that Jerry West had passed away at 86 years old.

This is a true bummer. West is an all timer. He was nicknamed "The Logo" because that is him in the logo for the NBA. Everytime we see that image, it is Jerry West. That is as high an honor as most in professional sports. When I look at other logos, MLB, NFL, College Football, none of those have a silhouette. The NBA does and it is of an actual player. That is truly mind blowing to me.

I vividly remember when I found this information out as a kid. That put me on a path to figuring out as much as I could about Jerry West when he was a player. He was damn good as a player. He is the only player to win Finals MVP for a team that did not win the finals. He went to many finals, but only won one. He was incredible in every finals appearance. He was the type of player who literally left it all on the floor. He was a 14 time all star. He was the 1969 MVP. He was the second overall pick in the 1960 draft. He played his college basketball at West Virginia, where he was a two time All American, two time SoCon POTY, the Final Four MOP in 1959 and had his number retired. To go along with his ring and MVP, he was on the All NBA First Team 10 times, the all defensive team 6 times, the scoring champ in 1970, the assists leader in 1972 and had his number retired by the Lakers. He is a hall of fame player who left the league scoring over 25,000 points, grabbing over 5,300 rebounds and dishing out over 6,200 assists. He was also on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He did it all as a player.

West also happened to be a top notch executive. He is an 8 time champ as an exec, and he won executive of the year twice. Some notable moves he made as an exec include, trading for Kobe Bryant, signing Shaquille O'Neal, drafting Paul Gasol in Memphis and hiring Hubie Brown, drafting Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in Golden State and bringing in Kevin Durant. He was also the driving force that brought Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers. The dude not only knew how to play, but he could build some damn good teams, especially in the modern NBA. He did coach for a bit, but realized he was much more suited to doing the work behind the scenes. That speaks volumes to me. I know that he wasn't a fan of his depiction on "Winning Time", but I do think he had to be a little crazy to accomplish all he did. Most super intelligent people are a little nuts. And when it comes to basketball, Jerry West was a genius.

What I think I latched onto most with West was his personality. He seemed to be, by all accounts, an introvert and dealt with anxiety. I too have the same things going on in my life. I'd rather blend into a crowd or just go home to my people. I feel like Jerry West was the same. And the older he got, the more open he was with his personal issues. I appreciate that. He came out and said it and I like to think that a lot of others found the courage to do the same after West.

All in all, West was one of the best the NBA has ever given the fans. He was a relentless player and executive when he was in the league. He drove himself to be great. He dealt with things that could not have been easy back in the 60's and 70's, but he came out of it a better and stronger person. He is beloved by players old and new. The outpouring has been amazing to watch. The first two people I saw say something were LeBron and Michael Jordan. The two greatest to ever do it, and they instantly show their love and support. That is a beautiful thing.

Rest in Peace Jerry West. Go get some buckets wherever you may be now. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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I'm Tired of Draymond Green's Behavior

Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely by the NBA yesterday. This is his third suspension already this season. The Warriors have played 23 games total. That is far, far too much for someone who is very vital to the roster.

Green clearly has some kind of problem. As a basketball player, he was once great. He was the perfect foil for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Green never wanted to be a scorer. He was more than happy to bring the ball up and set up plays for the shooters. He was a wonderful rebounder. He was/may still be, one of the best defenders the game has ever seen. He was also put into the perfect basketball ecosystem for a player of his caliber and ability.

Draymond Green has a real, legit shot to be a hall of fame player. But his recent attitude and actions are going to become what he is known for by most basketball fans and the media that covers the sport. People will bring up his greatness, but it will be a button on all of the suspensions, flagrant fouls and fights that he has started out of nowhere. Green has a reputation. He has had this reputation since college. Green is a hardass, old school, no nonsense type of player. And when the Warriors were winning titles left and right, that worked for them. They needed his trash talking to go along with his prowess on the floor. Now, he looks like a dinosaur. He looks like the guys on tv that reminisce about the good old days. He had to have been a fan of the Bad Boy Pistons and the Rasheed Wallace Pistons. I liked the Wallace Pistons but despised the Bad Boy Pistons. They were dirty. The Rasheed Wallace version was dirty too, but they were quieter about it. Green is not quiet about it. He started all this off by shit talking Paul Pierce at the end of his career. It was brash and foolish to do that, but Green didn't care. Then, when the Warriors started to win, that was when Green would kick players in the dick and balls. I did defend him when he got suspended in the finals, but I was wrong to do so in hindsight. He kicked these players on purpose. He came up hard and strong on Steven Adams. He 100 percent kicked LeBron in the dick. He let his emotions boil over in very crucial times and only thought of himself. It is ridiculous looking back on it, seeing how blatant it was.

Green seemed to get better stopped doing that crazy stuff, but he then started a podcast where it seemed like his goal was to burn bridges left and right. I feel like that was the only reason he even started a podcast. He wanted to put some vitriol out in the world and he had a platform. He also did this strictly for himself. The podcast is self aggrandizing. Then we have the incident with Jordan Poole last season. He punched Poole in the face during practice when Poole was clearly just shit talking. This is what everyone who has ever played basketball does all the time. Basketball players shit talk. But, I guess when a younger guy goes off on Draymond, who considers himself a speaker of old school NBA, he considers it disrespectful. But instead of trying to talk to Poole like an adult, he punches. He starts fights. He never really apologizes.

Recent behavior should have been an obvious sign that something is seriously wrong with Green. And now we have the choking of Rudy Gobert and this slap of Jusuf Nurkic. Gobert may have been a little too handsy and going a little too hard on him, but he didn't deserve to be headlocked. Nurkic did nothing that warranted a slap. That was uncalled for. That was unnecessary. That was childish. That was wrong. And he is being rightfully suspended for an undisclosed time.

Draymond Green is watching his career go down the drain and he is not handling it well at all. I'm curious to see how he reacts when his suspension is lifted, but if the past is any indication, he won't learn a thing. That is a shame because Green is a true unicorn of a player, but he will most likely not be remembered as such. He will most likely be remembered as an ill tempered star that was put in a perfect situation to succeed, and that is a drag. I hope he finds help and solace, but I am not going to be holding my breath. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty Ranks the 2023 - 2024 NBA Teams - Hanging Out at a Great Music Festival Division

Day five of my preseason NBA countdown brings us the start of the top ten. These are the top teams. These are the teams with real title aspirations.

At 10 I have the Memphis Grizzlies. This is my team. This is who I root for. I want nothing but the best for them. The hard part is they have floundered in the playoffs and Ja Morant, due to his own fault, is suspended for the first 25 games. They are going to miss him a lot. He is a very important guy to this team and their playoff hopes. They did get Marcus Smart in a trade. I like the defense, grit and willingness from him to shoot. Desmond Bane is getting better every year, he is their best shooter and he is a solid enough defender. Steven Adams should be back from injury. He brings toughness and much needed rebounding. Brandon Clarke should, hopefully, return at some point this season, and he is a great glue guy and bench player. Jaren Jackson Jr is the reigning defensive player of the year. He is also a good stretch four. He just needs to stop making dumb fouls. I like the addition of Derrick Rose. He is a solid vet and he is returning to the place that he dominated basketball. Kenny Lofton Jr should get spot minutes. Luke Kennard is a decent shooter, but he is inconsistent. Ziaire Williams has looked better this preseason. Santi Aldama is an okay backup big. The Grizzlies have a ton of talent. Now that talent needs to translate to the playoffs. They also need to play big while Morant is suspended.

At 9 I have the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are fun and good again. I feel like it is the late 90's, early 2000's all over again. De'Aaron Fox is awesome. He is fast, he is clutch and he is the perfect point guard to run this offense. Domantas Sabonis is a bruising big man who is one of the better low post passers in the league. Keegan Murray played well above his years last season and was dominant in summer league. Davion Mitchell is a superior perimeter defender. Malik Monk is a microwave shooter. Harrison Barnes is still around and still productive. Kevin Huerter is better than people give him credit. Chris Duarte has got range. This team has gotten better over the years and hiring Mike Brown was a wonderful decision by the front office. They are tried and true and will be for a good long time now.

At 8 I have the LA Clippers. The Clippers have so much talent on their roster. They have stars almost everywhere. Will that talent be healthy all year though? That is the million dollar question. Kawhi Leonard is an amazing basketball player. He is one of the best defenders in the league. His offense has gotten so much better. He is a terror for opponents. He can single win games single handed. But he has to play more than 20 games. Paul George is a bit more durable, but not by much. But when he is out there, boy oh boy is he awesome. He can shoot from anywhere. He is one of the best shot creators in the league. He is an awesome defender. There is not much he cannot do, except stay healthy for long stretches. Russell Westbrook rebuilt himself going to the Clippers. It seemed like an odd fit, but he slid right into that sixth man spot and was a great addition last season. I see that getting even better. Norman Powell is awesome when he isn't the first option. The dude can score in bunches, and when the Clippers have their stars on the floor he is always open. Ivica Zubac is a very good rebounder and a solid defensive presence. He just gets kind of dazed on offense from time to time. Terance Mann is amazing. I enjoy watching him play basketball. I also loved how he was messing with Chris Paul in the playoffs last season. Mason Plumlee and Nic Batum add veteran leadership. And Kobe Brown looks like a nice draft pick. The Clippers should be very good this year, but it all depends on health.

At 7 I have the Golden State Warriors. The names are all the same and they should win a lot of games. But man are they getting old. Steph Curry is the greatest shooter in the history of basketball. He is amazing to watch play and I am so happy that I am around to witness his greatness. Klay Thompson is still recovering from two horrendous knee injuries, but the guy puts up buckets. He has also started trash talking a lot, which I appreciate. Draymond Green is still a pest and the best system player this league may ever see. He is also still a top tier defender in the league and he is the only guy that I truly believe can guard all five positions with no drop off. Kevon Looney is the best rebounder in the NBA and he is the perfect center for this team. He just isn't much of a scoring threat. Johnathan Kuminga is seemingly getting better. Moses Moody may have a make or break year for this team. Andrew Wiggins should be fully back all season and he should be engaged. I love them bringing over Rudy Gay on a small deal. Gary Payton II should be full go and he had his best years within the Warriors system. And they brought over Chris Paul. I don't know how or if that will work, but I do know that he is maniacally trying to win a title. The Warriors will win a ton, but the old legs may be their downfall in the playoffs. I wouldn't bet against them though.

The final team for the day, another old team, at 6 I have the LA Lakers. The Lakers got so much better this offseason, and last year they made the conference finals. LeBron James is back and looks as good as he always has. He is the second greatest player of all time. He does amazing things with the ball in his hands. He is the best modern leader this game has ever seen. James rules. Anthony Davis looked awesome in the playoffs last season and I think that will translate to this season. He is such a good player when he is engaged and focused. He just needs to stay on the floor. I do not like, nor do I get the cult of Austin Reaves. But, the dude can shoot and playing alongside James is in his best interest. Rui Hachimura really found himself as a bench player with the Lakers. He looks like a trade steal. D'Angelo Russell is not as good as advertised. He can shoot, but he is often a minus on defense and can be a turnover machine. Getting Gabe Vincent is going to be big for their bench units. He can shoot and defend. Cam Reddish may actually be an okay bench player for this team. Jaxson Hayes is going to love grabbing lobs from LeBron. Jarred Vanderbilt is a long, switchy defender. The Lakers went out and found guys that fit around LeBron and AD. That is what they have needed to do for quite some time now. They did it and I think it will work in their favor.

That is it for today and for the week. Come back Monday for my top five teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Thoughts on the Big NBA Trades

The draft came and went with little trades here and there. Nothing too big. Some picks moved, some draft rights moved, but no superstar was traded. Dame is still in Portland. Zion, still in NOLA. Paul George is still a Clipper. But, there were a good amount of big trades prior to the draft and I want to zero in on two of them today.

The first is CP3 to the Warriors. I thought this was a bit when it was announced. The hatred that the Warriors have for Paul, and he loathes them just as much, made this seem not real. But, after some research, it was found to be true. It happened. After the shock settled in me, I kind of took a hard look at this and I am not a fan on the Warriors side. CP3 is an all timer. He is one of the best point guards the game has ever seen. He is smart, a problem solver, a shit disturber, a mid range killer, a dirty and solid defender and an excellent floor general. Paul has it all. But he is not the best point guard on his new team. The Warriors still have Steph Curry. He is a superior guard to Paul. He is a much better shooter. He is a much, much better teammate. He has become a solid defender. He is one of the best cutters in the league. He makes soft wild passes, but he also makes smart passes. After Steph, the Warriors still have Draymond, their secondary ball handler. I expect him to stay with the team, and I do not expect him to give up any ball handling duties. He is also the engine. He runs the show. He is the motor that keeps them going. The Warriors also still have Klay Thompson and Gary Payton Jr. They also drafted a 2 guard. They have a glut, and now they are adding CP3 to the mix. CP3 is an adult and a great vet, so I am sure he will try to fit in, but the fit is odd. I heard people say that he may run the second unit. Will he really? Is he going to accept that? I also heard they may only give him 20 minutes a game. Will he be cool with that? This guy has done what he wanted since he stepped foot in the league, as he earned. Why would he take a diminished role now? Then we also have the hatred between Paul and this franchise. I don't think the fans will accept him. I don't think he will want to listen to Steve Kerr. I think Steph will get fed up with him quickly. I wouldn't be shocked if Draymond punches him this offseason. There is just too much what if and injury and age concern. I get that this is a win now trade, but this is going to be a tough sell for everyone involved. That being said, I do think Jordan Poole is going to go off in Washington. They won't win a lot of games, he will be wildly inefficient and he will play no defense, but that dude is going to have the ball in his hands and an all time green light. He could average 25-28 points a game next season.

The other trade is the Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics, Tyus Jones to the Wizards and Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies. Porzingis is a blah trade to me. Tyus Jones could be traded to a contender or be the point guard of this new era of Wizards basketball. But Smart to the Grizzlies has me hyped as a Grizzlies fan. At first blush I didn't think much of it. I saw Smart in a Grizzlies uniform and I thought, cool. But as I dug into this one I have become more and more excited by his addition. I know that Smart was upset to leave Boston. He wanted to retire there. But him coming to Memphis feels like this team has a true blue vet and a grown up on this team. Smart is a Defensive Player of the Year. He has been on a team that continuously has deep playoff runs. He is an okay shooter. He is a tough as nails defender. He is an excellent passer. And he is a grown up. Memphis is a solid team. They have a ton of talent. They have been the 2 seed two years in a row in the West. But they are immature. They talk too much for a team that hasn't won anything. Their talk took them out in the first round last season. Dillon Brooks became a problem. Desmond Bane wouldn't stop chirping at Rui Hachimura. Steven Adams got hurt. So did Brandon Clarke. And Ja Morant clearly has some identity issues. This team needed a grown up. This team needed a guy who knows what it takes to win deep in the playoffs. This team needs a guy who can come in and knock all the nonsense off in the locker room. Marcus Smart won't stand for that mess unless they start to win real playoff games. And this team needed a solid point guard for the first 25 games due to Morant's suspension. I adore this move. The Grizzlies needed to do something exactly like this. I didn't think they were going to do it because they never do, but they finally did and I applaud it. I know Smart may not help the half court offense, but he brings so much more that this team needs. I love that they will have his presence in the locker room. I think he will love playing defense next to Jaren Jackson Jr and Steven Adams, if he remains with the team. He can stay a starter when Morant gets back from suspension. He is a solid running mate next to Morant.

As much as I dislike the CP3 trade, I like this Smart trade. This was a good deal for the Grizz, and I cannot wait to watch Smart play with them next season. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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The League was Wrong to Suspend Draymond Green

The Warriors had a must win game last night and they did just that. They won the game. They won by a lot. And they made this series with the Kings look a whole lot different.

Things could've been much worse for the kings. Draymond Green was suspended for this game. I'm sure you all have seen or heard why he was suspended. He "stomped" on Domantas Sabonis, the league decided they needed to set an example and Green was the perfect person to do this with. He has a past. He has been suspended for big playoff games before. He is a noted agitator. Go ask Steven Adams or LeBron James. They will tell you exactly what you want to know about him. Green is a dirty player who makes no excuses for his dirty play. I am not a fan of his at all. One, he is a Michigan State grad. Two, he is a dickhead. Three, he has been uplifted by the perfect situation for his style of play and been surrounded by great players. But he has earned the right to be talked about as a hall of fame player. I think he belongs. I think he is a very important part of this Warriors dynasty. He is the modern unicorn and one of the best defensive players to ever play the game. He is also one of the smartest players to play the game. So the Warriors got lucky, they got the win with him out and they kept this series interesting. But I don't think he should have been suspended.

I think this was the wrong move by the NBA. I think they reacted too swiftly and didn't really think about all that went into the suspension. I think they saw the "stomp", they saw it was Draymond and they went from there. Hell, they said as much in their press release. But go back and watch the play. At first glance I thought Draymond was in the wrong and I believed he should have been ejected from that game. That would have been the best punishment the league could have given him and we all could have moved on from there. But when you go back and watch the play, Sabonis is clearly grabbing his leg. Draymond is trying to get back on defense, the Kings have been running the whole time so far, but his forward momentum was being impeded upon. Sabonis grabbed him and wouldn't let go. The "stomp" was a bit much, but put yourself in that situation. Sit back and think back to a rec game that you may have played in your lifetime. What would you do if someone was grabbing you? You'd find a way to get out of that hold I assume. I know I would wiggle my leg until I got free, and if that didn't work, I might resort to a "stomp". Again, what Draymond did to get free was dirty, and he was ejected, but how can you see this and not think that Sabonis had something to do with it? Sabonis is a dirty player himself. He throws elbows all the time. He whips the ball in people's faces and, as the Warriors stated, uses it as a weapon. He is always grabbing a kicking and trying to bait other guys into technical fouls. And it worked with Draymond the other night, but the suspension was uncalled for. Sabonis wasn't hurt. I know the team said he had "sternum contusions", but I don't buy that for a second. Draymond didn't "stomp" him that hard. And if they suspended Draymond why didn't they do anything to Sabonis? Why wasn't he suspended? Where is his fine? He didn't get a flagrant called on him. It is unfair.

The Warriors had every right to be upset. Draymond, again, a guy I personally do not enjoy, did not deserve this. Why make an example of him now? What good does that do? This was a bogus suspension and the NBA should be grateful it didn't mess up this fun series so far. Had the Warriors gone down 3-0 this would have a different tone today.

All in all the league needs to chill on this. The fact that Draymond got suspended for his "stomp", but neither Embiid nor Harden got suspended for what they did last night is a joke. This league, while great in most aspects, and is the best professional sports league by a wide margin, messed up here. They need to own up to this mistake and be better the next time. This was an unwarranted and unfair decision they ended up with. Luckily for them the Warriors won last night. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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2022 Top Five - Sports

Today I come to you all with my top sports moments of 2022. This has been a good sports year for me as a fan. I have not had much to complain about, but being a true fanatic, I have found stuff here and there. My list is all football and basketball. Well, there is one baseball thing. But those are the sports I watch. I do not watch hockey, soccer, NASCAR or even boxing anymore. I understand that the World Cup just happened, but I didn't watch a second of it. And RD and Tina do all the tennis talk for the site. I just wanted to give you all a heads up. On to the countdown.

At number 5 I have the final season of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. I am not the biggest MLB fan, but being a native St Louisian, and a Cardinals fan, this was a very important sendoff. Pujols came back to play his last year here. Yadi is a lifelong Cardinal, and in my opinion, the greatest catcher of all time. To see them play their final season together where they started was magical. What unfolded was even better. Yadi did his thing. He was consistent. He gunned wannabe base stealers down left and right. He hit his usual .270. He had clutch plays. He was as good as ever. Pujols started off slow but something happened to him after the all star break. He found his power. He started to bomb homeruns. He got to a point where 700 seemed like it was possible. And when he hit that magical number it was euphoric. I was stoked. The kids I coach in baseball were stoked. It was so cool to see the whole city get behind Pujols on his run to 700. The Cardinals won the division and looked like they could make a deep playoff run. The Phillies had other plans though. Even though they choked, seeing Pujols and Yadi finish their careers in St Louis, on a relatively high note, was pretty damn cool. They are two of the best to ever do it and two of the best Cardinals to ever do it. 

At number 4 I have the Cincinnati Bengals going on their incredible playoff run all the way to the Super Bowl. I could not believe what I was seeing while it was going on. Sure, one win seemed like it was possible. But to run through the AFC the way they did, and then beat the Chiefs to make the Super Bowl, it was great. I am not a Bengals fan at all, but my nephew is and my brother has lived in Cincy for a bit now. I was happy for them. I was stoked to see guys like Jamaar Chase and Joe Burrow show up big time in big time games. I like those dudes. And the Bengals did not disappoint in the Super Bowl. They may not have won, but they had a chance. They had an open guy on the final play. They stayed in the whole game. The Rams were bought to win a Super Bowl. The Bengals were built to win one. They are playing great this year. But that run, and all the texts between RD and myself during their run, that was pretty rad. I like the team and I wish them nothing but success in the long run.

At number 3 I have the Warriors-Celtics NBA Finals. It was an incredible series. I was rooting for Golden State because of my disdain for the Celtics. But it was cool to see Jayson Tatum, a STL native, play on the biggest stage. And I was certain that the Celtics were going to win after going up 2-1. It seemed inevitable. But then the Warriors woke up and looked amazing. Klay Thompson was coming off two ACL tears and started to look like himself. Draymond Green got back to playing top notch defense. Kevon Looney became a very poor man's Tim Duncan. Jordan Poole was getting points in limited minutes. Andrew Wiggins was locking up Celtic after Celtic. But it was Steph Curry who willed this team to victory. He did not want to be beat and it showed. He scored at will. He hustled on defense. He proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that he is one of the best to ever play. He earned this title. He was the well deserving MVP. He said this one felt best and it showed. I was in awe of his performance from game four to six. He was on a mission and it was beautiful to watch. This was a great finals and the best team won.

At number 2 I have the Michigan Wolverines football season. The new year started off rough with Georgia crushing Michigan in the CFP. I didn't know what to expect from the team going into this season, but they did not disappoint. They handled their cupcake of a non conference schedule. Then when they got into Big Ten play they opened with a tough win over Maryland. They then went on to crush every opponent until Illinois. They beat Penn State by 28. They put Michigan State into submission. They sacked Indiana QB's eight times. They ran over everyone. Illinois gave them a scare. Michigan did not deserve to win but they found a way. They then went to Columbus and won there for the first time in 22 years. Not only did they win though, they dismantled the university of Ohio State. They ran up and down the field on them. They made CJ Stroud look pedestrian. Blake Corum, the team's heart and soul, was hurt the week before and barely played. It didn't matter. They had the next man up mentality. They used this momentum and throttled Purdue in the Big Ten title game. They have a date with TCU coming up and I am terrified as always. But this team has proven me wrong all year. They have figured out ways to win games. Guys like Mike Morris, Mike Sainristil, Blake Corum, the entirety of the O line, Will Johnson, DJ Turner, Cornelius Johnson, they all deserve this. They have all earned this. I am hopeful as a Michigan fan for the first time in a long time.  I hope it doesn't bite me in the butt, but time will tell. As of now I am a hopeful Wolverines fan.

At number 1 I have a very personal sports moment. My son started playing football this year. Let me rephrase that, he started to play tackle football this year. I was nervous. I told him horror stories. I tried to convince him otherwise. But he was adamant and we relented. It was wonderful. He got better and better everyday as a football player. He was taught the right way to play the game. He seemed happy at practice and at games. He really looked like he was in his element. As the season went on the team continued to get better. They started to win more. They were really beating teams up. And my son lived in the backfield on defense and pancaked would-be tacklers on offense. It was a shock, in a good way, to see him progress the way he did. They won enough to make the fifth grade playoffs and it got even better. They won their first game handily. They had a tough test in the second game, but they ran away with that one as well. The championship was on a very windy and cold day. And they even gave up an early field goal. From there on out they scored 30 unanswered points. They destroyed the team that made it to the finals. They hammered them. And my son was smiling all the way. He loved every second of football. And I loved watching him. I am so glad I didn't coach also. I got to enjoy it from the stands. I am always proud of him and this is another notch in his belt. I was so happy to see them win and to watch him play all year. That is the best a sports dad can ask for.

That is it for sports. Come back tomorrow for my final top five, top five podcasts of the year, tomorrow.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty's 2022 - 2023 NBA Season Preview: Clippers, Warriors, Bucks

Welcome to day ten, the final day of my 22-23 NBA countdown. These are my favorites. These are the teams I believe in the most. I will do a playoff and awards prediction on Monday, and a men's college basketball preview on Tuesday. But this is the final day of my countdown.

At number 3 I have the Los Angeles Clippers. I have believed in the Clippers for a few years now, but this is the most I have ever believed in them. They have it all. Kawhi Leonard is back. He is amazing. He is the best overall defender in the NBA, he has become an incredible scorer and he is seemingly healthy again. He looked pretty good the other night, and I believe he will only get better and better as the season wears on. Paul George is also back. George is wrongfully hated by the media. He is a very solid two way player. He has had a solid career and he thrives being Robin to Kawhi's Batman. Ivica Zubac is okay. He can be frustrating at times, but he can also look very good. Reggie Jackson has found a solid home since leaving OKC. He fits very well with this squad. Robert Covington is a beast of a defender and can score here and there. Norm Powell is a great bench scorer and is one of the most important players on this title contending team. John Wall is back and I am so very happy. Wall was one of my favorite players and I wish nothing but solid health for the rest of his career. Luke Kennard can still shoot the three, and he is asked to do nothing else. Terance Mann is a promising young player. Marcus Morris Sr is their enforcer. Nic Batum still carries a little weight. This Clippers squad is loaded. They are deep and incredibly talented. They should be very good, depending on health. This team is legit.

At number 2 I have the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors. It is rinse, wash, repeat for this team. I feel like last season's title was so very fulfilling for this team. They did it their way on their own. I should despise this team but I just don't. They are fun to watch. Steph Curry is still amazing. He is a wizard on the floor. He has gotten better on defense. He is the best shooter of all time. He is in a class all his own. Klay Thompson is fully back and I couldn't be happier for him. It was such a sight to see him play last season and work out the kinks. I love that he is back. Jordan Poole got paid. We all know the offseason drama between him and Draymond Green, but that seems to have passed. And Poole is looking every bit like the next great shooter from Golden State. This is probably the last go round for Draymond Green here and I think he will relish it all. He loves this team, but they may not love him. He does great things that this team needs and this should be his final dance here. Andrew Wiggins proved he belongs. He was incredible in the Finals last year and he also got paid. James Wiseman adds depth and height to this squad. He just needs to stay on the floor. Donte DiVincenzo fits almost too perfectly with this team. It is gross. JaMychal Green brings offensive rebounding and grit. Kevon Looney is their center now and for the foreseeable future. Johnathan Kuminga and Moses Moody should get a chance to show they deserve playing time. And Andre Iguodala is their Udonis Haslem. The Warriors are very, very good and will be as long as Steph Curry is on this team.

And my number 1 team for the 22-23 NBA season is the Milwaukee Bucks. I love, love, love the Bucks. They are my father's favorite team and I find it hard to not root for them when they are not playing the Grizzlies. Giannis Antetokoumpo is the best player in the league. Full stop. He does it all, and is a very good player in the NBA. He is the one and only unicorn in the NBA. When healthy, Khris Middleton hits all the big shots, plays stout defense and has a very calm demeanor. Jrue Holiday may be the best perimeter defender in the league. He also hits big shots when called upon and plays a fun style of basketball. Brook Lopez will be there for the full season and that will benefit him and the Bucks. Bobby Portis has totally turned his career story around and has become a great energizer off the bench. He is awesome. Pat Conaughton can shoot the three and d up. Serge Ibaka can still give this team small minutes here and there. Jevon Carter brings toughness. Wes Matthews fits so well on this squad. This Bucks team has everything you could want in a modern NBA team. They are my early title favorites, and as the season goes on I think most will agree with me.

That is it, that is my 2022-23 NBA countdown. I hope you all have enjoyed it. The season is currently going on so enjoy the games. This should be a great season.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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The Warriors Won the NBA Title and That Does Not Suck

Just like last season, this season I felt the urge to tune into game six of the NBA Finals last night. It had a feeling of something special. Something big was going to happen either way. The Celtics were going to push this to a winner take all game seven Sunday night, or the Warriors were going to wrap it up and become the newest dynasty.

Well, the Warriors wrapped it up. The game wasn't all that close either. This was not like last season when Giannis put up 51 points and all but willed the Bucks to the title. The Celtics got out to a torrid 14-2 start, but then the Warriors responded with a 21-0 run in the second, led by 15 at the half and the closest the Celtics would get the game in the second half was 8 points. This was a wrap with about ten minutes left in the game. The Warriors were going to get their ring. They had squeezed the will out of the Celtics. They suffocated them defensively and, even though it was not pretty, the Warriors did enough to get a 13 point win.

Steph was great. That needs to be said. He scored 32 on the DPOY Marcus Smart. He made six threes. He had seven boards and seven assists. He shot over 50 percent from the field. He more than earned the series MVP. But he had help. Draymond played a vintage game. He had 12 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. He was everywhere. He hit jumpers. Klay's shot was off, but the threat more than intimidated the Celtics into throwing a few guys his way. Kevon Looney grabbed boards and did the dirty work. Jordan Poole had 15 crucial points. Andrew Wiggins scored and completely shut down Jayson Tatum. Gary Payton II was a menace and spread the floor on the break. The guys who needed to show up did. They showed out. But make no mistake, this was all Steph. This was LeBron like. This was Jordan like. He knew he had to be great and he was for five of the six games. Hell, he was great in game five, he just missed some shots. Without this Steph, the Warriors would be a lottery team. He was majestic. He shined brightest when he needed to the most.

It also needs to be said that the Celtics had an absolute melt down. I have zero problem eating crow after writing last week that it was inevitable that they were going to win. They could not hold onto the ball. They turned it over far too much. Marcus Smart was exposed. He may be hurt, but he could not stop Steph if he were 100 percent. Al Horford had one good game and then was put on an island trying to guard the Warriors guards one on one. Jayson Tatum disappeared in the second half of games five and six. This should be a good lesson for him, but he did not play well in this series. I give Wiggins a ton of credit for that too. Jaylen Brown was good, but he became a ball stopper late in these games. Derrick White completely fell off. Robert Williams was never fully healthy. As much as it irked me at the time, Draymond was right after game one. He knew the Celtics could not duplicate that game three more times. And they didn't.

I was also so sick and tired of the griping from the Celtics, but the Warriors did the best thing. When the Celtics would complain to the refs, they would run and they usually scored. It was perfect. I have never been happier to see a team I do not root for win. I am not a Warriors fan, but I loathe the Celtics. So to see this Warriors team win in Boston, that was a thing of beauty.

It is amazing that the Warriors did this two years after they won only fifteen games. They did it a year after they were knocked out of the play in. They won three years after KD left for Brooklyn. They rebuilt this team on the fly. And they did it around the greatest shooter to ever step on an NBA court. This team is tailor made for Steph. All the cutting and screening to get open shots has worked to perfection. That is why they went out and got a Juan Toscano Anderson and Beilijica and Otto Porter Jr and drafted Poole late in the first. They got guys that fit the system with Steph and Klay and Draymond. They play beautiful basketball. To me they are the 21st century version of the Spurs. The Spurs were always good, would win titles, would constantly be in the playoffs and would rebound immediately after a bad year or two. That is what this iteration of the Warriors did. They are the 2000's Spurs, the 90's Bulls, the 80's Pistons and Celtics and Lakers. They are a legit dynasty. They have more than earned that. They have four titles in ten years. They have been to six finals in ten years. This is their least talented team and they still won it all. What a team. I may not be a fan, but I respect the hell out of them. I was happy for them. I was stoked to see Steph's emotions after the game. They earned everything they achieved this year.

My hats off to the Warriors. Congrats on a much deserved title.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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The Celtics are Going to Win the Finals and that Sucks

My son and I returned home from his baseball game around 9:45pm last night. During his game I would occasionally check the score of the Finals game that was going on. Boston controlled most of it. But in the third quarter Golden State woke up and made it a game. They’ve owned the third quarter all three games of this series. I checked my phone when we left the field and the Celtics were only up six to start the fourth. I was pumped because I assumed we’d get to watch a good, close fourth quarter. We walked in the door, my son got cleaned up and we turned the game on.

The Celtics were up ten when we resumed watching. I didn’t know what had happened. There was still about six minutes left in the game so I thought the Warriors could come back. That didn’t happen. There were two plays that really hammered it home for me. Both involved Jaylen Brown. First he completely locked Steph up on a one on one. Try as he might, and Steph is a wizard handling the ball, he couldn’t get by Brown. He was all over him. He eventually knocked the ball out of his hands with about four seconds left on the shot clock. The Warriors would miss a three after that and Boston would go down and score. It was the first knockout blow. Then Brown swatted a Klay layup. Klay and Jordan Poole ran a beautiful give and go and when Klay got the ball back it looked like he had an easy finish at the rim. Brown had other ideas. He recovered, chased Klay down and beat the ball into the first row. He then let Klay and the crowd know about it. After that block that was when I told my son it was time for us to go to bed. The game was over. He told me there were still three minutes left, but you could tell the Warriors were waving the flag. Draymond fouled out. After the block they took Steph and Klay out and Boston had pushed their lead to fourteen.

Watching that last six minutes last night has me facing a reality I don’t care for as a basketball fan. The Celtics are going to win the title. They are younger. Their defense is better. Steph is making shots and it doesn’t matter. Draymond is playing terribly. Klay didn’t start to make shots until last night. Marcus Smart put up twenty four. The Celtics are hitting threes. Robert Williams looked as good as he has all playoffs last night. Tatum hasn’t lit the world on fire, and the Celtics are still up. And he’s about to break out. The Warriors look frazzled. They’re passing up open looks. The Celtics appear tougher. They are also deeper. It just feels like they have all the control. The series can always change. The Warriors can explode and make 20-25 threes in a game and win. But the Celtics have made a habit of bouncing back every time. And stealing game one in Oakland was a way bigger deal than I thought at the time. That kind of turned the tide. That’s when the Warriors showed their cracks. They need Andrew Wiggins, but he hasn’t shown up yet. They are barely playing Kevon Looney. He needs more minutes. Jordan Poole is scoring, but he’s also being hunted defensively. And the Celtics just keep coming. I have to think beating the Nets, Bucks and Heat really helped them to be ready for this series. They had to go through KD, Giannis and the modern version of the Bad Boy Pistons. The Warriors cruised by a depleted Nuggets team, held off the Grizz without Ja and dismantled the Mavericks, who shouldn’t have made it that far in the first place. The Celtics had a tougher path and they navigated it fairly well. I am not a fan of either of these teams. But I really dislike the Celtics. In fact I do not like any team from Boston. I never have, even when I was a kid. I like Tatum because he’s a STL kid, but I just loathe the Celtics and their holier than thou fans. But it’s looking like they’re going to be super loud and super annoying.

I’d much rather deal with annoying Warriors fans than Celtics fans. Bill Simmons is going to be insufferable. And he’s almost like their ring leader. This really bums me out. I’d love for the Warriors to prove me wrong, but the Celtics seem destined to win it all this year. What a bummer and a tough time to have to deal with their awful, awful fan base.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty's 2022 NBA Finals Preview

The NBA Finals are set. We have our two teams, the Celtics and Warriors. I wrote about a week back how I did not want to see the Celtics in the Finals. I like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but that is about it. I also wrote a thing last week about, even though I am not a fan, how great this iteration of the Warriors is. They are a blast to watch. I will say I am stoked that the Mavs, and the white journalists golden boy Luka Doncic, got their lunch handed to them. I don't want to hear about how "far ahead of their process they are", or "how Luka needs help". They got destroyed by a much, much better team. And Luka was not out there talking his shit like he was in the Phoenix series. He got abused over and over again on the defensive end of the floor. The Warriors attacked the weakest defensive link, and it worked. It was glorious.

Anyway, I want to write my final Finals preview. No more after this. I have been so off on all of my predictions. Take this with a very big grain of salt. I had both of these teams out in the conference semifinals. I was very low on these squads and both teams proved me very wrong. So, breaking this down, and taking in the knowledge of watching these playoffs as closely as I have, this is tough. This is, maybe, the best matchup we could have hoped for. Both teams have weaknesses that the other can exploit. But both teams are defensive dynamos. They can stop pretty much anyone in the league. That is how they both ended up here. If I take off my fan goggles, and just look at it from a pure basketball standpoint, I think I would favor the Celtics. They are slightly deeper. They are younger and more athletic. Their defense is slightly better. They have been the best team in the league since mid January. They beat the Nets, in a sweep, and the Bucks. They also took down the Heat, the one seed in the East, in Miami in game seven. They have the "championship metal" that everyone always talks about. But the Warriors are the god damn Warriors. They have been here before. This is their sixth finals trip in eight years. Steph is, maybe, the greatest point guard of all time. Klay looks like his shot is coming back. Draymond is the best defender in the league, and he has suddenly started scoring again. Jordan Poole has been a tremendous revelation. Kevon Looney is a rebounding machine. Johnathan Kuminga played real minutes in the West Finals. Steve Kerr has proven to be a brilliant coach. This is one of the better, more seasoned teams in the NBA.

I am really finding it hard to find one or two things that separates one team from the other. Tatum is going to be a matchup problem. The Warriors will most likely put Klay on him, but Klay is not the defender he used to be. But the Warriors talk and switch so well. And Tatum has shown a tendency to turn the ball over a good amount. Jaylen Brown will be a problem, but Looney showed he could stay in front of Doncic and Ja, when healthy, so I'm sure he is not scared. Draymond will match up great with any big the Celtics throw out there. But Tatum will be able to guard Klay. Marcus Smart is going to harass the hell out of Steph and Jordan Poole. Al Horford will be the best big Looney has faced. Jaylen Brown should clamp down Wiggins. It is going to be a close series, and that is how the Finals should be. If the Mavs had found a way to beat the Warriors, and they were facing the Celtics, I'd pick the Celtics to sweep. I'd say the same for the Heat if they were facing the Warriors. The Heat may have gotten one win because of Jimmy Butler, but it would have been an easy win for the Warriors. Both these teams earned their spot. Both teams are playing very well. The Warriors are playing better, but they played worse competition. The Celtics ran through a gauntlet, but it is the East, and they are probably tired. Also, Smart and Williams are seemingly game to game time decisions.

This series is going to go the full seven. I have true belief in that. And I think it has the promise of being epic. But I do think, in the long run, that the Warriors will pull it out. The Celtics have won big in other arenas in game seven, but not this time. Oakland is a totally different animal. And with Klay finding his shot, and Jordan Poole blowing up, the Warriors have so many scorers and you cannot guard all of them at once. I also think it would be rad to see this Warriors team, as constructed, with the three original dudes and Steve Kerr, win the title. That would rule. That would make them the modern day Spurs.

So that is my pick, Warriors in seven. Now I just have to wait for Thursday night to watch this series start. I can't wait.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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The Warriors are a Pretty Damn Good Basketball Team

Last night I watched the Mavs-Warriors game just to see if they could close out every white journalist's favorite player, Luka Doncic. They did. They won the game with ease. They had a 20 plus point lead at one point. Sure the Mavs cut it to 8, but the game was never really in doubt. This was as easy a closeout win as the Warriors have had since KD was on their team. And before you all think my blog is going to be me dumping on Luka, it is not that at all. I am turning a new leaf. I'm done criticizing people I don't root for all the time. Sure I will still get on some people's heads, but not today.

Today I want to talk about how great this iteration of the Warriors has been for over a decade. This is their sixth finals appearance in eight years. They have had stars come and go, but this team is really all about Steph, Draymond, Klay and Steve Kerr. They have been the core of this squad that just keeps winning. I told RD earlier today that this Warriors team is as close to the late 90's, early 2000's Spurs. They play an extremely pretty version of basketball. The way the ball moves around, the way they pass, the shots they get up, it is a thing of beauty. I am willing to look past all the turnovers because they back it all up with a string of possessions that will have four wonderful passes that leads to an easy layup or wide open three pointer.

I started to really watch the Warriors in the West Semis because they were playing the Grizzlies. I wanted to see how my team played against one of the best teams of all time. They gave it their best shot, but amongst the injuries and lack of shooting, they couldn't pull it out. They did win two games, one of which by almost 50, but it was a series that was never really in doubt. But it was during that series where I started to really respect the Warriors. I am not a Warriors fan. Not by a long shot. But my brother Seth is. My son likes Steph. I have other basketball friends that have been Warriors fans since Chris Webber was traded on draft night to them. So I have watched them for years. But the respect just came last month. It was the ball movement. It was the actions and pick and roll game. It was the open drives to the basket because of how open the floor was. It was a lot of stuff. But the most eye opening thing I noticed this year was their defense. They were suffocating. They were shutting down legit players. Before he got hurt, Ja could not do much against them. They shut down Nikola Jokic with ease. Kevon Looney kind of shut him down by himself. And even though his numbers might look good on paper, Luka Doncic was not nearly as dominant as some would make him out to be. Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green made his life hell on the offensive end. The Warriors defense really stepped up their game. They are not just a team that will shoot you out of the gym. They can still do that, but they can also shut you down.

Which leads me to another point. How good was Andrew Wiggins in this series? I mean, I had given up on him. I was wrong. He was the "Luka stopper". He hounded him for five games. He made it tough. He also found his scoring stroke. He was hitting mid range shots. He was making threes. And he snacthed Luka's soul on that dunk in game three. He almost took Frank Nkilitina's too, but he smartly got out of the way. Wiggins was great. So was Kevon Looney. Man that dude crushed it. He probably out rebounded the Mavs by himself. He was great. Jordan Poole has been a revelation. He is another microwave scorer on this team loaded with them. But what this all really boils down to is the three main guys. Steph was great as ever. He was hitting threes, making pin point passes and doing what he has grown accustomed to doing. He was the rightful WCF MVP. Draymond was as dominant as ever on the defensive end. I always thought he was kind of overrated. Not anymore. He is a genius defender. He was doing some wonderful things. And Klay looked like old Klay. He had eight threes last night. He scored a ton of points in a close out game. He could not be stopped. He was also great on defense. He, again, looked like his former self. Like he had not lost two years due to two ACL injuries. It was astounding to watch him play like he always has. I was openly rooting for him. Finally we have Steve Kerr. I thought he kind of lucked into a cherry job. He took over a team that was already established and didn't have to do too much. Then he got KD. But it was these last couple seasons that have really stood out to me. He had to do a lot with some minimal pieces. He had to find a way to work Andrew Wiggins into this team. He played Looney. He took a chance on Jordan Poole. And he helped keep the core together. He is the mind behind the madness that is this dynastic team.

Again, I am not a Warriors fan, but this team is fun to watch, and no matter who they play in the finals, I will be rooting for them. This is my ode to a wonderful basketball. A team I am happy to say I got to watch in their prime. What a fun, fun modern NBA team.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Ty's 2021-2022 NBA Preview: Heat, Warriors, 76ers, Nuggets

Welcome to day six of my 2021 NBA countdown. We are in the top 10 now. These are the real good teams, the teams that have a real shot at the title if things go their way.

At 10 I have the Miami Heat. I loved their offseason. They got a great fit in Kyle Lowry. He will be added seamlessly to this lineup. He can run the offense, he will be a total menace on defense, he can score and distribute, he is in a great situation. I do not care that he is "old" in NBA terms. This is a great fit. Jimmy Butler is fast becoming one of my favorite players and people. He is a beast, he works his tail off, he is so much better than he has ever been in the NBA and he is hilarious. Jimmy Butler bet on himself in Minnesota and Philadelphia and it totally paid off for him. He was right and he has proven that tenfold. Bam Adebayo is also becoming one of my favorite players. In fact, besides Ja, Adebayo is probably my favorite player. He is so fast and quick and big and strong and plays so well. He is going to be an all star soon. Duncan Robinson has made it and now he got paid. He is a specialist, but what he does, shoot threes, he is one of the best in the league. He is a true sniper. Tyler Herro could have a bounce back season. He apparently put on some muscle, worked on his shot and everything coming out of camp seems to point to him getting better this offseason. Victor Oladipo is coming off another injury but he took a one year deal and he has to go out and prove he is as good as he used to be. He is a good slasher and cutter and plays solid defense. He just has to show that he is still able to do that. Getting PJ Tucker from Milwaukee makes this team even more of a nightmare on defense. Tucker adds zero on offense, but he is still an upper tier defender. Markieff Morris is tough and nasty. And Udonis Haslem is back as a player/coach essentially. Miami has a very good team that is going to be an elite defense. They will make some noise.

At 9 I have the Golden State Warriors. If they had a fully healthy Klay Thompson to start the season I'd probably have them in my top five. He will not be back until January so that is why they are here. Steph is the best shooter in the history of the league. He is pretty much un guardable. He can do it all and he is an all time great. He alone gets this team in the playoffs. Andrew Wiggins got vaxxed, finally, and while he is not as good as some thought when he was the first overall pick, he still brings value to this team. I am glad he got vaxxed, I just wish he wasn't such a baby about it. Draymond Green is still one of the best defenders in the league. He is also a very good facilitator and passer. He is nothing when it comes to scoring, but he is still elite at the things he does really well. Jordan Poole looks like he is going to take a leap. He looked great in the play-in, and he has been awesome in preseason games. Then it gets dicey for this team. Moses Moody and Johnathan Kuminga were both good picks, but I do not know where they are going to find minutes. Otto Porter Jr has not played in a year, looks to be out of shape, but people in Golden State say he looks good. Nemanja Bjelica can shoot, but he couldn't get minutes in Sacramento. Andre Iguodala is a finals MVP, a great player for the Warriors, but he is old. He is my age. James Wiseman can still be very good, but he needs to play through the run moments, and I do not know if Steve Kerr will be patient enough to let him. Juan Toscano Anderson has energy for days, but he is not much of a scorer. Kevon Looney cannot stay healthy. Damion Lee is a good shooter. And I like that they added Avery Bradley and Gary Payton Jr for defense. The Warriors have one of the all time greats, they should get Klay back and Draymond is still elite. They do need a ton of things to break their way, but they are still going to be in it until the end of the season.

At 8 I have the Philadelphia 76ers. Ben Simmons appears to be at camp, could be a full participant and may even play some games. I think he and his agent realized how much money they would lose if he didn't show up, and they want to up his trade value. Simmons is an otherworldly defender, but he has gone off a cliff in pretty much every other area of the game. I'd still keep him and see if they could figure it out, but maybe everyone involved is doing this to make a real trade. Joel Embiid is amazing. He is the best center in the league. He can do it all on both ends. He is elite. He is an MVP candidate. I just want him to play a full season. Matisse Thybulle is one of the best defenders in the league, and if Simmons does get traded, I could see him stepping into his role, with the exception of running the offense. Seth Curry has proven he belongs. He can shoot the hell out of the ball. Tyrese Maxey was so much fun to watch last season, and I could see him getting an expanded role. I like that they went out and got Andre Drummond for almost nothing. He could go out and feast on second units. He had moments in LA last year, and I could see that come back in Philly. Danny Green isn't as good as he used to be, but he can still shoot and guard. Tobias Harris may be overpaid, but the dude can fill it up. He is a solid NBA scorer. Furkan Korkmaz is a good bench player. And Shake Milton looks like he could take that next step to being the second unit's top scorer. Philadelphia is going to be good regardless of what happens to Ben Simmons. Honestly I do not see much of a difference if he is there or not. The 76ers are a 4 or 5 seed at the lowest.

The final team for today, at number 7 I have the Denver Nuggets. Full disclosure, they would have been number 3 if Jamal Murray was playing. He is not, probably won't for the whole season, so they land in the top 10 on my list. Nikola Jokic is the reigning MVP. He is a very good passer, he runs the offense, he can shoot and he is a nightmare to guard. Jokic is good. He is even better when he is in shape. Michael Porter Jr is a total dumbass and I am actively rooting against him. He's an idiot. He does not know what in the hell he is talking about. I do not care how good of a basketball player he is because every time he opens his mouth something idiotic comes out of it. Aaron Gordon got an extension, fit in great with this team last year and he looks like he is happy playing again. He can also still jump out of the gym, and people do not seem to realize how good of a defender he is. Gordon is great. Jeff Green keeps getting moved, but I like him on this team. He looked great in Brooklyn last year, and he will get more of a chance to play in Denver this year. Will Barton can shoot the ball, he just needs more shots. Austin Rivers has settled in as a role player. Monte Morris is another solid scorer. Bol Bol could be something if he got some real playing time. Facundo Campazzo is a hustler. Markus Howard was one of the best scorers in the NCAA for three years. And JaMychal Green is a good stretch big. The Nuggets are in their title window right now. They may have to pause for one season since Murray is out. But these guys are still young and good and can play. The Nuggets are a top five seed in the West for sure though.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next four teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty's 2021 NBA Play in Games Preview

The NBA regular season is over. It feels weird typing that. Usually, in the before times, we would be knee deep in the playoffs right now. But due to the pandemic, then the bubble, this most recent season had a very fast turnaround. These are strange days indeed.

The season was awesome, in my opinion. I loved watching the games, I found them competitive and I was interested in how all the teams dealt with COVID in many different ways. But I am ready for playoff basketball. Playoff basketball is my absolute favorite sport to watch. It is the best drama on TV. The players step up their game and it is very exciting. I am going to do a full playoff preview, but that will not come until after the play in games are all done. You all will have to wait for that until Thursday. But today I am going to do a play in preview.

First off, I love love love the play in. I like the addition of two more teams, I find it has made the end of the last two seasons a bit more meaningful and competitive and anytime I can get extra playoff basketball, that is a treat. I also like the eight teams we have in the play in. They all have very different skill sets. Some are older veteran laden teams and some, like my Memphis Grizzlies, are very young and on the come up. I also really enjoy the single elimination feel we get from this, and that every team in the play in will have to bring it in order to make the playoffs. This is an absolute home run idea.

I will start with the East, or the JV as I call it. The 7-8 matchup could have been incredible if not for Jaylen Brown being out and Bradley Beal not at 100 percent. But, both Russell Westbrook and Jayson Tatum are playing really good basketball right now. Russ is getting triple doubles on the regular and Tatum just had 60 in a game, and followed it up with a bunch of 30 point outings. He is on fire. As for who I think will win, this is a total toss up to me. The Celtics are deeper and younger, but not having Jaylen Brown is brutal. The Wizards might be the hottest team in the NBA right now, Russ is doing all the little things and they are getting other guys to contribute. But they are five games below .500. They just started playing well now. For that reason only, I am picking the Wizards. They will continue on their current streak, and the Celtics will have to win two games just to get the 8th seed. Their season has been a total disappointment.

The 9-10 matchup is a tale of two very different teams. The Hornets are young and exciting and LaMelo Ball has been awesome, but they are not a true playoff team yet. The Pacers have vets, they have playoff experience, but they have not been very good all year, and their coach may get fired after his lone season. I really want to pick Charlotte here because I think it would be awesome to see Ball go up against Boston for the 8th seed, but I am going with the experience and picking Indiana.

I also have Indiana beating the Celtics simply because Brown is out, and Boston never really got their footing all year. They are a mess. So that means I have the Wizards as the 7 and the Pacers as the 8.

Now for the Varsity, the West. The 7-8 matchup is going to rule. The NBA and the TV people could not have asked for a better play in game. We get the Lakers and the Warriors. Steph and LeBron. AD versus a platoon of big men waiting to hurt him. Draymond playing defense on multiple guys. The Lakers throwing the kitchen sink to stop Steph. This is going to be fun. In the long run though, I think the Lakers will win. I'm sure both AD and LeBron were hurt, but they also know they can turn this into a "redemption" story. They both missed a ton of games, the Lakers fell to this spot, they need AD and LeBron, and here they come to save the day. This is almost too perfect of a script, and the NBA, AD, LeBron and the Lakers all know this.

Then we have the 9-10, with Memphis facing San Antonio. This is eerily similar to the East's 9-10 matchup with style of play, but both these teams are much better. Memphis is young and hyper athletic. When the shooters are on, they are on. But they have had tons of injuries. I think Jaren Jackson Jr has only played something like 10 games. Ja missed a ton of time earlier this season from an ankle injury. Dillon Brooks has been in and out of the lineup. They also have had trouble finishing games lately. The Spurs got really fat on an easy early schedule, but they had a murderers row to close the season. They won some of the games, but that schedule pushed them where they are now. The Spurs are a typical Gregg Poppovich team, they pass well, play great defense and don't take dumb shots, but this is a rebuild for them. They are so young and so inexperienced outside of DeMar DeRozan. I am picking Memphis, and I will watch every single second of this game. Memphis is better and deeper, but can they finish? That is the big question for me.

So with the Lakers at 7, we would have Memphis and Golden State playing for 8, and we just witnessed this game yesterday. Memphis just couldn't get out of their own way, and they let Steph go off. I feel like the same thing is going to happen. It will be close and tough, but Steph will do what he does, and the Grizzlies will be knocked out of the playoffs yet again. That means I have the Lakers at 7 and Warriors at 8. The NBA will be thrilled at the first play in game, and then having both those teams make the playoffs still. I cannot wait for these games to start tomorrow night.

This is going to be a blast. I love playoff basketball.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty's 2020-2021 NBA Preview: The Maybe Playoff Teams

Day 3 of my NBA countdown has us close to teams that could be in the playoffs. With the expanded playoffs, and the play in tournament, I wouldn't be shocked if any of these teams make it. I also wouldn't be shocked if they don't. These teams, to me, are right on the edge of becoming perennial contenders, they just aren't quite there yet. Let's go.

At number 20 I have my favorite team, the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies were probably the biggest surprise of last season. I loved the Ja Morant pick. He was my number one prospect last season, and the Grizzlies have their building block for the foreseeable future. He is so good, so talented and, once his jumper becomes consistent, will be an MVP candidate. Jaren Jackson Jr is inconsistent, and gets hurt too often, but when he is on the floor, he is good. He is still figuring it out, but I have faith that he will continue to develop, and he and Morant will soon be a formidable duo. This is where things turn for me though. The Grizzlies weren't supposed to be good last year, but they were. Morant was awesome, and the rest of the roster played some of the best basketball of their careers. I think they will fall back to Earth this season. The roster, outside Morant and Jackson Jr, is not as great as it could be. Grayson Allen is somehow a contributor, but I do not like that kid at all. I also do not think he will see the floor as much this year. Dillon Brooks can be a lethal shooter, but he hogs the ball a bit too much, and his shot isn't totally consistent. They traded for Justice Winslow last year, but he has yet to play double digit games for them due to a plethora of injuries. Jonas Valincunas is good, but he is getting older, and his style of play is becoming extinct. I love Brandon Clarke, and I want him to get more minutes so he can really shine. Kyle Anderson and Tyus Jones are very blah to me. They still have Gorgui Dieng, but I would hope they find a trade partner for him soon. It is just, outside three guys, Morant, Jackson Jr and Clarke, they don't have the horses to compete in the West. Last year was great, and fun as a fan. But the team we saw in the bubble seems more indicative of how they will be this season. Morant is a star though.

At number 19 I have the Golden State Warriors. They would have been much higher, a playoff lock, if Klay didn't get hurt. He did, and they are left to kind of scramble now. Steph and Draymond are back. That is great for them, for Steve Kerr, and for their fans. I hope Steph stays healthy, and that he lights up the arena. I hope Draymond stays in shape and focused and returns to being the great defender and leader they need. I really like the James Wiseman pick. He has a ton of raw ability, and I think this coaching staff will bring him along perfectly. But then we have a mishmash similar to what they tried to do last year. Kelly Oubre Jr is a fine player. But, he is not Klay on either end of the floor. Marquess Chriss played his best basketball last season, but he was getting beat consistently on defense. Eric Paschall was a total revelation, and I think he will continue his upward trend, but teams will gameplan for him now. Kevon Looney is coming back from injury, but I just don't know how much he has left in his tank. Andrew Wiggins is Andrew Wiggins. I want to root for him, and I do, but at some point we all have to accept that he is a mediocre NBA player. Kent Bazemore was a solid signing, but he has been on like three teams in the last three years. He will not replace Klay either. Jordan Poole bounces from G League to the NBA. And Nico Mannion, go back and read my pre draft review on him to get my impression of him as an NBA player. Losing Klay is a killer, and I do not know if we will ever see the Warriors of the past ever again. The main guys are all older, coming off injuries and have to play a brutal schedule.

At number 18 I have the Washington Wizards. The only two reasons they are in this spot is because of Brad Beal and the fact that they play in the East. Brad Beal is a bonafide super duper star. He is a scoring machine, he has impeccable work ethic and he brings it every night. I think adding Westbrook was fine, and when he is healthy he plays great with good shooters. But he needs to know that this is Brad Beal's team. I think he will eventually buy into that, it is just a matter of how long that takes. Thomas Bryant is a good offensive center, but he gets chewed up on defense. He needs to improve that part of his game. I am glad they re-signed Davis Bertans because his shooting ability takes pressure off Westbrook and Beal. I want to see if Rui Hachumuira is like the guy we saw before the shutdown, or after. He was getting good, then the pandemic hit, and he really struggled in the bubble. Robin Lopez brings intensity, but not much else. Moritz Wagner is a big that can shoot, and nothing else. And Ish Smith and Shabazz Napier are essentially the same player. But, Beal puts this team in the playoff conversation, and if Westbrook can be a mixture of the player he was last year, and in his MVP season in OKC, the Wizards will be a lock to be in the play in tournament, at the very least. Beal is so much fun to watch.

At number 17 I have the Orlando Magic. The Magic are the definition of a team in NBA playoff purgatory. They are good enough to get the 7 or 8 seed, and then get crushed in round one. They play solid enough defense to win 40-43 games, and nothing more. They could have done some stuff this offseason, but they stayed put. They will most likely make the playoffs due to their defense, and they will get obliterated in round one. They could have traded Aaron Gordon, but they opted to keep him. He is fine, but he is, at best, a 4th or 5th guy on a good team. Markelle Fultz was light years better than he has been so far in the league, but he still cannot shoot, and teams know that. Johnathan Issac destroyed his knee in the bubble, and he will be out all year. That is a humongous blow to this team. Mo Bamba got a little better, but he is still rail thin, and he doesn't protect the rim to his fullest extent yet. Nikola Vucevic is about the only offensive threat they have, and he fills up the stat sheet, but he is about the only guy that doesn't play good defense on this team. Evan Fournier is okay, but that is it, just okay. Terrance Ross is a good bench player, but he is counted on way too much on this team. And replacing DJ Augutin with Michael Carter Williams only helps in getting a little younger. Orlando will be a 35-38 win team, get in the playoffs and get trounced. That is what they do. They need to make changes, but they will not commit to it just yet. Ownership seems fine with first round playoff exits every year.

The final team for today, the first you can pencil in for the playoffs, at number 16 I have the Indiana Pacers. I texted with some friends about my rankings, and they all thought this was way too low. They said Indiana should be higher. I disagree. I think they are going to take a step back. It won't be as dramatic as OKC's, but still, the Pacers will not be as good as they have been. I like their guys too. i like Victor Oladipo, but it seems like he wants out. I like Damontas Sabonis, but I don't think he is ready to be a franchise player. I back Myles Turner more than others, but always hearing your name in trade rumors has got to take its toll. I think Malcolm Brogdon was an excellent signing last year, but he got COVID prior to the bubble, and he wasn't super great when he returned to play. TJ Warren was a microwave in the bubble, but when he went up against real defenders, namely Jimmy Butler, he was shut down. Doug McDermott and Jeremy Lamb are okay shooters, but they are zeros on defense. And firing Nate Williams was a big time mistake in my opinion. I think the Pacers, as they are built right now, are good enough to make the playoffs, but they are not good enough to push a team, and they will most likely get bounced with ease in round one. They could also make a ton of changes during the season.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next five. We are in the group of all playoff teams, quickly approaching real contenders.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty's 2019-2020 NBA Preview: Raptors, Pacers, Trailblazers, Warriors

Getting right into it on day 5 of my NBA countdown, I have the defending champs at number 14, the Toronto Raptors. I know they just won the title, and did it in pretty convincing fashion, but they lost the one guy that truly did it all for them. Kawhi Leonard was truly a one year rental, and he more than lived up to the price they paid to acquire him, and he brought them a title. Outside of Leonard, they have a good amount of talent, but it is only older, or won't be able to do what they did without Leonard there. I really, really like Pascal Siakim, and I think he can be an All Star, but it will be tougher for him with no Leonard. Yes, he will score and rebound and play solid defense, it will just be tougher because teams will now be targeting him solely on scouting reports. Fred Van Vleet was great in the conference and NBA finals, and he is a solid point guard. Kyle Lowry got a humongous one year deal, but it was smart for him and the team. Also, he is on the wrong side of 30, and without Leonard, he may go back to being the player he was before, which was good, but a playoff choker. Marc Gasol was great for them in the finals, but he is very old, and if stuff goes bad quick, he will want out. He only has a few years left. Serge Ibaka is okay, but he has kind of turned himself into strictly a mid range shooter, and the defense isn't what it used to be. OG Anounoby is going to come back, and while he was starting to come on, he missed more than half the season, and all of the playoffs. He has work to do. Norman Powell is a good three point shooter, but he is streaky. They acquired Stanley Johnson, but for a guy I thought was going to be good, he has been kind of a bust. They also signed Rondae Hollis Jefferson, and while he is okay, he was going to be pushed aside from Brooklyn regardless of who they signed this offseason. The Raptors will still be a playoff team, maybe even a 4 seed, but they will not find the same success as last year. It's tough to repeat anyway, and when you lose your main dude, it is made that much tougher.

At number 13 I have the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are a solid playoff team, and they will win in the mid to high 40 games this year. But, I feel like that is all they will be as long as they keep this roster together. We still don't know when Victor Oladipo will be back, and they need him to be a true threat. Oladipo is great, and he can be the difference in a 6 seed or a 3 seed. The Pacers do still have solid players around him. Myles Turner is a great rim protector and rebounder and solid on switching defense. He is even getting better on offense. Domantas Sabonis is a good throwback big, but I feel like he is going to be trade bait all year long. That can mess with a player. Doug McDermott is an okay three point shooter, but he does literally nothing else. TJ Leaf showed zero in his rookie year. What the Pacers did do was go out and sign some quality vets. TJ Warren is a scoring machine, and I think he will fit in very well. The fact that they pulled off the Malcolm Brogdon deal is a big, big deal. Brogdon is such a solid pro, a good shooter and the Bucks will miss him. He was a great get for the Pacers. And Jeremy Lamb, while incredibly streaky and inconsistent, when he catches fire, he can light it up. The Pacers are a very solid team, but their success lies with Oladipo and when he will be back. They need him.

At number 12 I have the Portland Trailblazers. The Trailblazers have one of the best offensive back courts in the NBA. Damien Lillard is a killer, and he proved that in the playoffs until he ran out of steam. That dude is amazing. CJ McCollum proved that he can coexist with Lillard and had a monster year last year. He is a scoring machine as well. But, they don't play much defense at all. But they can, legit, average 50 to 60 points combined this year. No one knows when Jusuf Murkic will be back, and Portland needs him. For the time being, they took a flyer on Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside is a total wild card, but when he is locked in, he is one of the better defenders in the league, and a total beast on the block. Pau Gasol is there, but he is so old now, I feel like he is more there to help coach than to play. Who knows what they will get from Zach Collins, besides stupid fouls. He is a good player, but he needs to learn to control his temper. Rodney Hood is back, and I think he is in a perfect place for himself. He is free to create and score in Portland, and can destroy second units. As I wrote awhile back, I love the Nassir Little pick. I think he is going to be great, and will be out to prove 24 other teams wrong. Every wroter I read now is obsessed with Anfernee Simons, and right now in the preseason, he is showing out. I just don't know where he will find solid minutes. They also signed Kent Bazemore, and he is solid all around. I am probably too low on the Trailblazers, I always am, but their roster is weird and outside of McCollum and Lillard I just don't know yet.

My final team of the day, at number 11, I have the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have been an easy number 1 for the past 5 years, but now, things are up in the air for them. Steph Curry is great and will be even greater this year. He is going to have so much offensive freedom, and I feel like he will put up historic numbers. D'Angelo Russell was an odd pickup for them, but I think he will be a good scorer next to Steph. He won't ease the loss of Klay Thompson, but he will do his best to fill the scoring void. Speaking of Thompson, he tore his ACL in the finals, and will not be back until after the All Star break. But, he got a huge contract and will be given ample time to recover from his injury. And when he comes back, there is no better catch and shoot player in the league, and he is an all NBA defender. Draymond Green might be the best overall defender in the league. And if he stays in shape all year, and brings it for 82 games, he could easily be an All Star. They drafted Jordan Poole in the first round, and I watched him for 2 years at Michigan. When he is hitting shots, he is great. But, that didn't happen as much his sophomore year as it did his freshman year. They signed Willie Cauley Stein, and while I like his pick and roll ability and his defense, how is he not JaVale McGee 2.0? Kevon Looney is back after having a very good playoffs, and I think that he is the definite starting center, he could get even better. Outside of that, the Warriors are a big time question mark for the first time in the past half decade. Steph is Steph, and he is great and will score tons, but they have a lot of questions after that. I'm very curious to see how they respond when they aren't the clear favorites. They don't have KD anymore, and Klay is going to miss a good chunk of the year. It is time to see how good the Warriors, and their staff, really are.

That is it for today. Come back next week when we break into the top 10.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Do Not Fear, the Warriors Will Still Be Good Next Year

Last week I heaped praise on the Raptors, which was much deserved and expected. Then yesterday I talked about my feelings involving the Anthony Davis trade. Today I want to take a little bit of a deep dive into what I think the Warriors will look like next year and beyond.

What the Warriors definitely have is Steph Curry, and he is a very, very good basketball player. They also have Steve Kerr who has proven to be a very good coach. Sure, he has been gifted with some of the best NBA players ever, but you still have to coach those guys, and he has won three titles with them. They also have Draymond back for one more season, at least, and when engaged, he is a great defender, the key to running their offense, and plays super hard. By all accounts, Klay Thompson, especially if you listen to his dad, is coming back, although he is going to miss a solid portion of next season after tearing his ACL.

After that, it gets kind of murky. Kevon Looney made himself look like a solid free agent this offseason after his playoff performance. He may opt to leave for more money and playing time. Both Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala are near, if not already there, the end of their careers. Livingston more so than Iguodala. Jordan Bell is still there, and on a rookie contract, but he really regressed this season. Andrew Bogut will most likely retire again and head back to Australia. Alfonzo McKinnie showed flashes, but he needs some work before he is a solid starter. Quinn Cook is an okay shooter, and he has been in the Warriors system since getting in the NBA, but he is not the type of player that will be a starter on a title contending team.

And then we have the whole KD situation.

Who knows what is going to happen with that. First off, he will not play at all in 2020, and not until later in 2021. He ruptured his Achilles. That is going to take awhile before he is even ready to get back on the court to even shoot a ball. Then, all the rehab after that and then he has to get back into playing shape. He has a long recovery ahead of him. Also, he may not, I don't think he will, resign with the Warriors. I still believe he is going to the Knicks. (Sorry if that gets your hopes up RD) I think they do not care that he will miss a year because they can get another high pick next year which they can flip, or take a top prospect to pair with KD. I also think the Warriors have mentally moved on from KD. All year they have heard he was leaving, he hasn't said otherwise, and I think his time is done in Oakland. I believe he will sign with the Knicks, and this will open up some cap space for Golden State to help build around Steph, Draymond and Klay, when he comes back.

This is where it gets interesting for me. I don't think any top free agents will come there for awhile now. I feel like the top guys want to pull a Kawhi and beat them. So I think guys like Jimmy Butler, the aforementioned Kwahi, Chris Paul, basically any top guy on the market is off limits to them. But, I think they can get "lower" tier guys. I wouldn't be shocked if Kemba Walker at least thinks about signing there. I think Tobias Harris would be an ideal fit next to Steph and Draymond next season. I think they could lure shooters like JJ Redick to come play for them. I'd love to see them try and sign a point guard like Patrick Beverly, to help take the load off Steph on defense. I think they can go out and get guys like that, and still be competitive.

The Warriors will not be the top team in the West next season. That much is certain. The Lakers, as much as it pains me, will be good. Denver will be better. Portland is always good. OKC has something to prove. Utah, while having trash fans, will be much better. The West is still loaded, and the Warriors will finally be on the other side, struggling for playoff position. But, for the people saying that they won't be in the playoffs, and that they're done, I disagree. This franchise is too well run, even though they completely screwed over KD, to fall off a cliff. Also, as I have mentioned many times, they still have Steph, Draymond and Kerr. There is still a very solid foundation there. While all looks lost to those on the outside, I think the Warriors will still manage to win 48-52 games, and when Klay gets back to full health, I think they will be back to being a top 4 seed.

The point is that the Warriors will still be good, just not as good as they have been for the past 5 years.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Make No Mistake, The Raptors Won the Title on Their Own

I was going to write more stuff about my trip today, but the Toronto Raptors did it last night. They won the NBA title. They beat Golden State, for the third time I might add, in Oracle to win in 6 games. I'm going to try my best to make this piece just about the Raptors also. I have a lot of thoughts about Golden State's future roster, but that will have to wait for next week as well.

As I was saying, the Raptors won their first title in franchise history last night, and they looked pretty damn good doing it. The team really came together in the last 4 games of the Milwaukee series, and that continued in the Finals. Whatever kind of "slump" that Fred Vanvleet was in, he busted out of it in a big way. Every time he took a shot last night, especially a three, I thought it was going in. He just couldn't miss. They needed him to step up last night, and this whole series, and boy did he ever. He also played some hellacious defense. He stopped and poked and prodded and annoyed Steph all series. Serge Ibaka seemed to regain his mid range shot in the last 2 games. He was also good at attacking the rim, grabbing big time offensive rebounds and blocking pretty much every shot that Boogie tried to put up at the rim. Marc Gasol, while almost non existent except for game one on offense, was great on the boards, passing the ball and with his help defense. He closed so fast and clean on the screens that were being set. It was great to see an old fashioned big man play that type of defense, especially because the Raptors needed him to do it. Kyle Lowry was tremendous in this series. I know he gets knocked a lot for his playoff play, but he was awesome in the Finals. He did all the little stuff in the first 5 games, be it taking charges, making the right pass, running the Warriors shooters off the three point line and getting to the rim and foul line. Then last night he came out on fire. He had 17 points in the first quarter. He was an absolute joy to watch. His play in this series, for me, erases all the choking and bad play in prior playoffs. Pascal Siakim was excellent as well. He made Draymond, the self appointed greatest defensive player ever, look silly at times. He constantly attacked him. He got to the rim with ease and he finished more times than not. Game one for Siakim was a clinic. He made 14 of 17 shots for 30 plus points. Last night, he was almost as good, and he was hitting threes. If he keeps this up, he is on his way to stardom. Even guys like Danny Green and Norman Powell made a huge difference. Powell was the instant offense they needed him to be off the bench, and he was also harassing every Warriors guard that he guarded. Green was shooting so poorly all playoffs, until the Finals. He hit some big time shots in this series. I know he had one flub that could have been costly, but outside of that, he looked like the Danny Green of old. Nick Nurse did one hell of a coaching job in the Finals. He outcoached Steve Kerr in every single facet of the series. He was outstanding. If this was a report card, he got straight A's. Masai Ujuri's gamble paid off, and then some. The 2 trades he made this year won him a title. People, Raptor fans, may have hated them at the time, but they love him now for doing that. He took a huge risk, and it totally paid off.

The final piece of this title, Kawhi Leonard was masterful throughout the playoffs. He did every single thing that was asked of him. When he needed to lock guys like Giannis or Ben Simmons or Aaron Gordon or Klay Thompson down, he did. When he needed to score, he scored plenty. When they needed a final shot, he took it with gusto and made it. When he was double and tripled teamed, he found the open shooter. When he got hurt, he came out and played like the injury didn't even bother him. When he needed to grab a big board, he got it. He was, dare I say, Jordanesque in these playoffs. I have not seen one player dominate as much as Kawhi did in the playoffs this year. At least not since Jordan. He is not Michael Jordan, but he evoked his play in the 2019 playoffs. He was absolutely amazing to watch. He did it all at such a high level, and he did it better than everyone else. He totally deserved the Finals MVP. I mean, who else could it have been. I hope he decides to stay with the Raptors because I think they can be a special team. But, I don't think anyone would blame him if he left. He won a title for that city. He was awesome.

I was very happy to see a new team win the title. I'm in no way a Warriors hater, but I do like to see different teams win sometimes. And the Raptors earned and beat the Warriors. Don't get that twisted. Don't throw the injuries in my face. The Warriors first title was against a Cavs team almost as depleted as this Warriors team. The Raptors outplayed and outcoached the Warriors at every position. I'm so stoked for the Raptors and the fans of Toronto. Congrats Raptors, you guys earned this title.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

This New KD Injury Sucks Again

I stated yesterday that I was going to talk about the many things I enjoyed about my recent vacation unless something wild happened in other pop culture stuff that I write about, and we had the KD incident during game 5 last night. I have to give my thoughts on this today.

First off, I was one of the people that did not think he was going to play at all in the Finals, and I still thought the Warriors would win, with ease I might add, without him. After he grabbed at his calf, without being touched by anyone, I just assumed it was much worse than a strained calf. I had feared for him that he tore his ACL. You usually don't see an athlete grab at a part of their body, untouched, and it is as simple as a strain. That is usually a sign of something much worse. So, when he missed the rest of the Rockets series, and didn't play at all in the West Finals, I just assumed they were going to sit him out, and that he would sit out to save himself for free agency. The Warriors were also clicking insanely well, as I wrote about after the West Finals, and I just assumed this was going to be the end of the KD Warriors as we knew them.

Well, the Raptors had other ideas. They came out like a wrecking ball in game one of the Finals. They looked locked and loaded. Kawhi was, and still is, playing at a whole other level. The Raptors beat the Warriors, but Golden State came back and won game 2. Then they looked really, really bad, at home, in games 3 and 4. Steph was trying to draw fouls instead of just shooting the ball. Klay would come and go, and his defense was inconsistent. Draymond was a turnover machine. Kevon Looney, who was playing well, broke his clavicle I believe. Boogie Cousins was even more inconsistent than Klay. And their team defense was just horrendous. They didn't just get beat in games 3 and 4, they got schooled. The Raptors were beating them at their own game, and they were making it look clinical.

So, after game 4, in which the Raptors simply destroyed the Warriors, especially in the third quarter, the rumors started to swirl that KD may play. Then, he was cleared for practice on Sunday. When I saw that I was kind of stunned. I mean, he hadn't played in over a month, all the reports that were coming out prior had said that he couldn't fully participate in all the drills, he wasn't playing 3 on 3 or 5 on 5 games. It was all bad news. So, when he got cleared, I shook off the initial shock and I then realized he was going to play in game 5 no matter what. I assumed this was going to be the modern Willis Reed moment, look it up. But, he came out and he made his first 2 three pointers. He then dove on the floor for loose balls. He was playing okay defense. He didn't look fully healthy, but he looked a hell of a lot better than I expected. He scored 11 points in the first, and I just assumed he was back. Then, while making a simple move early in the second, he immediately lost the ball and clutched at the back of his already injured leg. This time though, it was higher up. I said out loud, "OH NO". This was the absolute worst possible scenario I could think of for the Warriors, but more importantly, KD. This was the biggest fear, and it was coming clear to all of us watching the game that he was hurt, and he should not have been out on that court last night.

Now, I do want to say, for all the guff I have given KD since joining the Warriors, I take it all back. For him to come out and give it a go last night was amazing. He sacrificed himself for his team. He knew that they needed him, and he went out there, even though he wasn't even close to being healthy. You could see the lift he gave the Warriors just by being on the floor. He is a true basketball player. I gained so much more respect after seeing him out there last night. I don't blame him one bit for wanting to play. He went there to win titles, and when his team had their backs against the wall, he played even though he knew he wasn't fully ready. This is the case with most high caliber athletes. They want to play, and if they feel ready, good luck telling them no.

Who I blame for this horrendous, and preventable injury, is the Warriors team doctors, front office and Steve Kerr. Kerr, above anyone else, should have known that he wasn't ready. He was a former player. He has been around KD for three years now. He knows the toll winning multiple titles takes on the body. Yet, he still let him play last night. I think he has gotten so greedy with his titles that he was willing to look past his best overall player clearly injured, and he put him in the game knowing he could further injure himself. Kerr has also been wildly outcoached in this series, and I think he supposed putting KD in might mask that. As far as the owners, I think they realize this is probably the last shot with this current team, so they threw caution aside, and safety, and told the team they needed to play KD last night. They too are greedy, they are leaving Oakland, and they are most likely losing KD. So, they decided that they needed to throw him out there for one last hurrah. They don't play, they are just rich Silicon Valley guys, and I'm sure they figured he has had enough time off. They had to have had a say in him playing last night. Also, the fact that team doctors cleared him to play last night is appalling to me. As I said, he was making shots and diving her and there, but you could see he wasn't fully right. He wasn't slashing and cutting to the rim. He was shooting set shots. He couldn't move very well laterally on defense. He was clearly not even close to 100 percent. It is disgusting that team doctors cleared him last night. I cannot believe, at this high a level of basketball, that some people with their PHD's decided that he was okay to play high level NBA basketball. I hope those doctors are losing sleep now that this has happened.

This is a real bummer. This is so much worse than what happened in the series against the Rockets. This was on display for all to see last night. Again, I do not blame KD one bit. He is a basketball player. But, for all those other people I mentioned, to put him out there, that is a drag man. He now, and there is no official word yet, has probably a year of recovery time before he gets back to being KD. That is a shame. I wish him a speedy recovery, but it didn't have to be like this. This didn't have to happen. What a bummer.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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These NBA and NHL Finals are About Respect

Bring it home Blues

Have you been paying attention to the NBA and NHL Finals? You should because things are getting quite crazy. Going into the 2019 version of the NBA and the NHL Stanley Cup finals the narrative was about inevitability. Now that the games are being played, the narrative is changing.

The story in the NBA was about the last hurrah for the super powered Golden State Warriors. Nothing was going to stop this dynasty soon destined to be broken up due to free agency. Steph, Klay, and Draymond started it all, but Kevin Durant was going to bring them another championship on his way out the door. Even after KD got hurt, the Warriors still seemed unbeatable. The Raptors have the awesomeness of Kawhi, but not much else. Many reputable experts picked the series not to go longer than five games with Golden State being victorious. The narrative was about the dominance of Golden State, and there was no respect afforded to the road that Toronto forged to the finals.

Right now the Toronto Raptors have a two games to one lead in the best of seven series. If the series does indeed go five games, it will be Drake dancing along the sideline. The Raptors have relied on Kawhi, and they should because he is great, but the rest of the team has been pulling more than their own weight. Add the effort of the Raptors to the injuries on Golden State, Toronto is taking their chances. In all three games the Raptors have outplayed Golden State ten of twelve quarters. Yes KD would probably make a difference, but he is not there. Toronto is earning respect by not backing down from the unbeatable Warriors. The Raptors may turn that respect into an actual title. That would be crazy.

Over in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, the St. Louis Blues keep trading punches with the dominant Boston Bruins and the series is now tied 2-2. On a side note, I know a lot about the Blues and their playoff struggles. I grew up in St. Louis and watched many of a hockey game. Growing up I saw guys like Scott Stevens and Brett Hull become superstars, only they then leave St. Louis and win Stanley cups in new cities. The Blues made the playoffs almost every year I lived in St. Louis, and they almost never made it out of the first round. Now they have made it and they are taking their chance.

In this current version of the Stanley Cup Finals, Boston is the team built for championships, St. Louis is the team built in hopes of making the playoffs and getting hot. Well, St. Louis got hot. Yet like the Las Vegas Golden Knights of last years Stanley Cup finals, the Blues are not losing that winning feel. The Blues are making sure that Boston, and the rest of the hockey loving community, know that they are in this thing to win the cup and finally hoist it under the Gateway Arch. The Blues are earning respect.

The series are still young, and a lot can still happen, but the Toronto Raptors and St. Louis Blues came into their respective championship series as afterthoughts. They are not being looked over anymore. Toronto and St. Louis know that by winning just a few more games, they can change the narrative. What was once a nice story can become a tale of legend.

The Raptors and Blues have earned our respect in these finals. They just may end up earning their first title along with it.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. 

Is this the first time SeedSing has written about hockey? What’s next, Ty’s views on Major League Soccer?

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