Chet Holmgren is a Liability, Not an Asset, for the Thunder

I'm so excited that we are getting game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs and Thunder have been the two best teams in the NBA all year, so it only makes sense that they are going the distance to see which team will represent the West in the Finals. But that is not the crux of my piece today.

Chet Holmgren is a good basketball player. He has his limitations offensively, but he is a force on the defensive end of the floor. He proved that and then some in the Finals last season. He was an absolute menace. I was actually ready to eat crow after his defensive performance last season. I thought he was going to be more of a liability when he entered the NBA. I thought he was too skinny and too limited to be a real force. It didn't help that he missed all of his rookie year due to injury. I figured I had him pegged. But then he stayed healthy and played well. I believe he was in the all star conversation the past two years, and he has become a mainstay on the all defense teams.

In this series all of the stuff that had me worried when he was a prospect is coming back to haunt him. He has been an absolute nonfactor in this series. The Thunder won't even play him as the only big on the floor. Victor Webanyama has been absolutely eating his lunch all series. Wemby is on the fast track to being one of the top players in all of basketball. He is an alien unlike anything else we have ever seen. The things he does on the court should be impossible for someone his size. But he does it and he is doing it all against Holmgren. It is wild to me that people tried to compare the two of them when they were coming up in youth, high school and higher level basketball. There's no comparison, and Wemby is making sure we all know that. There's clearly some animosity from Wemby that people would even consider these two players on the same planet talent wise. I love that Wemby has taken that personally, and every time he faces Holmgren, he is making it a point to not just beat him, but humiliate him in the process. The modern NBA has too many friendships. We need more rivalries like I watched when I was growing up. And it looks like, at least from Wemby's point of view, that he does not care for Chet Holmgren.

The most glaring thing during this series, it's not just Wemby who is abusing Holmgren. Guards on the Spurs are going right at him. Devin Vassell, in the game last night, went right at him when he was the lone rim protector and scored an easy layup. Stephon Castle, who has no fear, doesn't think twice when rising up at the rim to meet Holmgren. Dylan Harper, who has been going hard at Lu Dort too, has zero fear when going to the rim against Holmgren. It has been a masterclass from the Spurs at attacking the guy who is supposedly on Wemby's level as a shot blocker or disruptor. That notion has to be gone now. Even the most loyal Chet Holmgren fan would have to agree that this is now the case. And maybe this is just a bad matchup for him. Maybe the Spurs have all the right answers to the things he is supposed to be elite at doing on a basketball court. But he has just not shown the capability to be anywhere near Wemby's level in this series. Wemby is, far and away, a better basketball player, on both ends, than Chet Holmgren. I like Isaiah Hartenstein,  but when he is the only big the Thunder trust against Wemby, what does that mean for Holmgren's future with this team.

These two teams are going to be at each other's throats for the next four or five years hopefully, and if Hartenstein is more reliable, maybe the Thunder need to look in a new direction for Holmgren. Maybe they can offload him to a team in need of a big center. The Thunder are going to have to make some hard decisions on key players soon, and maybe Holmgren will be at the top of that list now. He has not had a very good series. And maybe his luck changes, he hits some threes and blocks a few shots in game 7. But I would be looking into possible deals, which I'm sure Sam Presti is already doing, to see what the Thunder could get for Holmgren. He is simply not at the level he needs to be if he is going to be a formidable opponent to Wemby and the Spurs. And this series has shown us that tenfold. 

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.

Can the Knicks Actually Win it All

The New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals. Let’s discuss.

This has been a long time coming. I remember the last time they made the Finals. I was 17 years old, the season was cut short by a strike, the Knicks were the 8th seed and they went on a magical run. It was awesome. I've bounced around being a fan of a few NBA teams. As a kid I was all in on the Seattle Supersonics. And the moment Seattle gets a new team, hopefully soon, I will be right back on the fan train. I'm all in for Seattle basketball. When they moved to OKC, I became a Thunder fan. It was easy enough to follow them there, and having a young Kevin Durant made it an easy transition. Then KD left and I was, again, looking for a new team. I toyed with the Suns, but Phoenix fans are an odd bunch. This was when I landed on the Memphis Grizzlies. They're close to Saint Louis and I liked what they were doing at the time. During all of this I have always quietly rooted for the Knicks. They're the one team from New York that I've always kind of liked.

I first fell in love with the Knicks when they had Patrick Ewing and John Starks. I had the famous John Starks poster on my wall when I was a kid. Patrick Ewing was one of my favorite players growing up. I was all in when they had Allan Houston and Larry Johnson. When they shifted to Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire, I still found it fun to root for them. There were some very lean years post Carmelo, but still, watching them play at Madison Square Garden was something to behold. Then they got Jalen Brunson. I was stoked to see him leave Dallas, and to go play on one of the biggest stages there is in professional sports, I found it easy to root for him. He took a chance on himself and it is paying off. I liked Mitchell Robinson the moment he declared for the draft. He is an old school NBA big man. He's mean and gruff and gets boards. He can also dunk a ball very hard. Mikal Bridges was one of the reasons I was contemplating being a Suns fan. Now that he is playing for the Knicks, it is so much easier to root for him. Acquiring OG Anunoby has been such a great deal for them and he is one of the best two way players in the game. I have always liked Karl Anthony-Towns. I liked him in college and when he was on the Timberwolves. I don't get the hate he gets on the internet. He is a very good offensive player, and it looks like he has finally learned how to play solid defense. Hell, I even enjoy the bench guys. Miles McBride is a bucket off the bench. I don't know if Landry Shamet has missed a three in the playoffs yet. Jordan Clarkson is getting minutes again and even he has bought in on the defensive end. This is a fun team to root for. And even the whole James Dolan of it all hasn't turned me off. Maybe it's due to him being less active or maybe it's due to Leon Rose being a bit more in charge. Dolan's awfulness hasn't hindered this team as of late. I thought they pulled the plug too soon on Tom Thibodeau. I was wrong. Mike Brown has been a perfect hire to get the best out of this team while also giving players proper rest during the season and playoffs. Josh Hart still seems like he could play 48 minutes every night this late in the year. That's due to Brown knowing when and where to give his players rest and to let them play.

Personally I like all three teams left in the playoffs. The Thunder are an absolute machine. They are well coached, have the two time MVP, have depth and play hellacious defense. I don't care about all the "foul baiting" and complaints. The Thunder are a legit dynasty in the making. The Spurs are young and fun and have an alien on their team that may be the best player in the world already. They're so unlike the Spurs of old, who I also liked, but still have that winning DNA. Stephon Castle is awesome, Dylan Harper has star written all over him, Julian Champenie can't miss and Wemby is amazing.

The Knicks are my personal favorite of the teams left. They're classic. They have the most iconic uniforms in the NBA. They have the best celebrity row. Nothing in the NBA makes me happier than seeing Spike Lee and Tracy Morgan courtside at a Knicks game. They are tried and true fans of that team. I like the guys on the team. They're playing beautiful basketball right now. It would be amazing if they could actually win the whole thing. They might have a good chance if the Thunder and Spurs keep beating each other up. The NBA is better when the Knicks are relevant. I remember when they hosted a first round playoff game in 2021, after not making it for years, and the Garden was rocking. Imagine how nuts it is going to be hosting a Finals game. I cannot wait.

I'm all in on the knicks for the Finals no matter who they end up playing. I want them to win it all now. 

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.

The Lakers Need to Grow Up

The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently 6-0 in the NBA playoffs. And they haven't even looked all that dominant yet. They are still playing exceptional defense and players other than SGA have been showing up and showing out. Now don't take for granted that they played an overmatched Suns team in the first round, and have been matched up with an injured and older Lakers team. But the Thunder earned the number 1 seed, and outside of maybe the Spurs and Knicks, the Thunder will overmatch any team they play. They earned the right to have the easiest path to the Finals.

But what the Lakers resorted to last night, the gall they had, the nerve that their coach and team had, to question the refs was so unsightly for me as a basketball fan. For the Lakers, for JJ Redick, for LeBron James, and most notably, for Austin Reaves to have a beef with the refs, to wait and speak to them after the game, to call them names during the game, this is a horrific look for a team that gets pretty much everything handed to them.

For those that may not know, the Lakers seemed to have an issue with how the game was called last night. I didn't watch the game last night, it was too late for an old man like me, but I did read about it this morning. And the way the media covered it this morning, you would have thought that the Lakers were screwed by the refs. That wasn't the case when I dug a little deeper. I tend to look at stats after a game, especially when players openly complain. I went to the stats fully expecting the Thunder to have shot something like 40 free throws to the Lakers less than 20. That's usually the case when a team goes this far. That is what it is like whenever I see that Duke escaped a men's college basketball game. But, the stats told a different story. The Thunder went 21 of 26 from the free throw line. The Lakers went 18 of 21. Five free throws is not some kind of massive advantage. And while I may not understand my son's math, I do know how to add and subtract. And by my count the Thunder only shot five more free throws than the Lakers, and only made three more. So, if you look at the score from last night, 125-107, take away those three points and the Thunder still would have won by 15 points. That's quite a lot of points in the NBA.

So, while the Lakers may have this huge beef, and go and cry to the media about it, and have Austin Reaves calling the refs derogatory names, the refs are not the reason why they got beat by 15, and why they will most likely be ousted in the next two to three games from the playoffs. And it will only get worse after that.

JJ Redick is a crybaby and not the tough guy he portrays himself as. His gripes and complaints are so outrageous that it's funny to me. There's an episode of "Brooklyn 99" where Jake Peralta, played by Andy Samberg, tries to be the bad cop in an interrogation. He goes on this whole rant and lets it rip. And when he is done, the person being interrogated starts to laugh at him and compares him to a muppet. That is the exact same way I look at JJ Redick when he goes on one of his little rants.

LeBron James, who I adore, is one of the worst complainers the game has ever seen. He is an all time great, second greatest player of all time in my opinion, but he is a top notch flopper and complainer, and it has only gotten worse since Luka Doncic joined the team. I understand why he is doing it, at his advanced age he needs every advantage he can get. But for him to complain about not getting enough calls, or his muppet of a coach to say he has the worst whistle of any superstar ever, get over yourselves.

But the worst one, the one player who should keep his goddamn mouth closed is Austin freaking Reaves. This dude is a joke of a player. No one would know who he was if he was on the Lakers and not teammates with LeBron and Luka. Do you all remember Matthew Dellavedova? Yeah well, he's out of the league now. He thought he could thrive without LeBron and he was proven wrong very quickly. That's Austin Reaves. Remember PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford? They were the missing pieces when the Mavericks made a run to the Finals with Luka as their main guy. Now they barely play on a terrible Mavs team. That's Austin Reaves. I so hope that the Lakers overpay him and are stuck with his albatross of a contract. His offense, which is supposed to be his one thing, is inconsistent at best. He is a horrific defender as well. There were moments when he was literally hugging SGA while trying to guard him, and when SGA pushed off, Reaves did the flop of the year. I'm so over this dude and his fake tough guy attitude. If he were on any other team he would be a pure afterthought. And the only way his stats look any good during the regular season is because he gets the joy of having a Lakers jersey on and the refs calling phantom fouls for him all the time. So, for him to go at the refs, for him to lead this weird charge, for him to be the one waiting and speaking to the refs for the Lakers, that is laughable to me. He is such a middling NBA player. He is not even close to the superstar he pretends to be. He is fake tough and will be irrelevant in about a year or two.

This holier than thou attitude that the Lakers were showing last night is why the NBA is becoming borderline unwatchable. No one takes any accountability. It is always someone else's fault. And of course it was the Lakers showing the whole NBA watching world that this is becoming a big problem. I am not a Thunder fan anymore, but damn am I rooting hard for them to obliterate the Lakers in the next two games and send them home whining and crying. 

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.

Thank You Timberwolves for Ending Jokic's Season

I just want to thank the Minnesota Timberwolves for ousting the Denver Nuggets last night in game six of the first round of the NBA playoffs.

I have made it very clear how much I despise watching Nikola Jokic play the game of basketball. I find him to be boring, only plays one side of the floor, gripes too much to the refs and gets unwarranted recognition. Yes, he is a wonderful offensive basketball player. He makes incredible passes, makes some of the luckiest shots I've ever witnessed and rebounds the hell out of the ball. He gets the ball out of his hands very quickly to start fast breaks, and he is the hub of everything the Nuggets want to do on the offensive end of the floor. But the fact that he has three MVPs is nuts. The fact that some, namely Zach Lowe, have called him the "greatest basketball player in the world", is very far fetched. The fact that others within the media seem to think he will go down as one of the best to ever play the game is categorically wrong to me. He doesn't play defense. His holier than thou attitude towards basketball has grown tired. I'm so goddamn sick and tired of the people who seem to love his love for his horses. His attitude and actions in this series were gross and tired. When he tried to fight Jaden McDaniels for making a garbage layup was some of the fakest toughness I've ever witnessed on a basketball court.

And he has plenty of good players surrounding him on the Nuggets. He is not the only guy who contributes. Jamal Murray, who McDaniels had in shackles, is an all star and key cog to this team's offense. Aaron Gordon, when healthy, fits like a glove. Bruce Bowen is a solid 3 and d guy. Tim Hardaway Jr is a solid three point shooter. Christian Braun is supposed to be a lockdown defender. Peyton Watson had a great season and looks to be a solid starter on this team. So to heap all of this praise on Jokic feels unwarranted and unnecessary.

If he is this all world, all time great player, he should have led the Nuggets to a sweep in this matchup. Or at worst, a 4-1 win. The Timberwolves came into this series limping. I understand that Aaron Gordon has been injured all season. But so has Anthony Edwards. And Donte DiVencenzio tore his ACL at the beginning of game three. Ayo Dosunmu missed last night's game with a calf strain. Injuries are part of the game, but the Timberwolves got ravaged by injuries to very important players. DiVincenzio was the starting 2 guard. He made teams guard the three point line. Teams had to gameplan around him. Dosunmu was a perfect addition at the trade deadline. He was the sixth man they desired. He brought an energy and speed that this team sorely lacked. And Anthony Edwards is one of the better, younger players in the NBA right now. He has gotten better every year, is an all NBA caliber player, an MVP candidate and one of the most fun players to watch. All three of them were out last night. And while Gordon may have been out, the Nuggets had everyone else, and the supposed "best player in the world" all healthy.

Well, Rudy Gobert put Jokic in chains. He couldn't do anything. He would try and gripe and bully and do all of his moves, but it was to no effect. Gobert went back to his old days and completely locked down any and everything Jokic tried to do. He made Jokic so angry, so flustered, that he literally tried to fight dudes on the floor. That was what he was reduced to in this series. Murray couldn't do a thing, especially when McDaniels was guarding him. McDaniels did such an amazing job on him. It was a joy to watch. After McDaniels came out and said that everyone on the Nuggets was bad defensively, he had to back it up. And he did. So much so that McDaniels was the star of the closeout game last night. The lights weren't too bright for him.

I just loved seeing this Nuggets team get beaten and knocked out by a team that no one gave much of a shot, myself included. The Timberwolves seemed dead on arrival and the Nuggets were playing offense very well. I should have, and this includes others, taken into account how bad their defense had gotten though at the end of the season. They were horrendous on that end, and all the Timberwolves had to do was slow down the offense just a bit, which they were able to do. I don't care what the Timberwolves do from here on out in the playoffs. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't put up much of a fight against the Spurs. The Timberwolves, undermanned mind you, took out the media's darling team. They beat the team that all the white writers and podcasters over at The Ringer wanted to win it all. It was glorious to see Jaden McDaniels rip their heart out and show it to them. I loved seeing all these role players on the T'Wolves take it to this supposed title contender.

Thank you Minnesota. Thank you Chris Finch. Thank you Mike Conley, Naz Reid and mostly, Jaden McDaniels. The sheer fact that I don't have to watch or see the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic anymore during these playoffs is such a gift and I will be forever grateful to the Timberwolves. 

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.

The Dillon Brooks Act is Getting Stale

Well, Dillon Brooks ran his mouth again, and his team paid the price again. Let’s discuss.

There was a time when I rooted for Brooks. I found him to be a fascinating college player. I loved his tenacity and want to win. I will always remember when he made a late shot in the NCAA tournament when Oregon played Duke. I thought nothing of it at the time, but then Coach K decided he had to say something. Brooks listened, but I'm sure he didn't care. I found it to be sour grapes from Coach K. His team got beat, Brooks didn't stop until the whistle and it was a meaningless shot that wouldn't have changed the outcome no matter what. Coach K is a punk, and I'm sure Brooks thought the same thing at the time. He ended up in Memphis, and being a Grizzlies fan meant I was going to root for him. That is the way I root. If you're on my team, I'm going to go to bat for you. But then he got kind of good at defense. He became the Grizzlies 3 and D guy. That was where he shined and he did his job well. But the Grizzlies got a little too big for their britches. They started talking shit when they hadn't won anything of importance. And Brooks was at the front of the line when it came to shit talking. The Grizzlies had a solid season awhile back and ended up playing the Lakers in the playoffs. And instead of trying to just win the series and go onto the next round of the playoffs, Brooks and the rest of the Grizzlies decided they had to talk. Brooks in particular must have thought his new job was to trash talk, and to call out the biggest and best players. He went after LeBron James. He said that he "pokes bears". This was not a good look. This scared me. And when the Grizzlies were easily taken out by the Lakers, Brooks was silent all of the sudden. During the series he would talk to anyone that put a microphone in front of his face. But when he couldn't hold up his end of the bargain, and LeBron clowned his ass, he was silent. That pissed me off more than when he first opened his mouth. The sheer fact that he would talk, but then not back it up, that is a punkass move. That is clown stuff. That is what selfish little kids do. He was finally traded to the Rockets, and that was all I needed to root against this dude. And he brought back the trash talking, which made it even easier for me to clown on him. He would do this nonsensical stuff where he would just stand in one spot and stare at the opposing team. I believe he thought he was being intimidating, but he just looked like an idiot.

I don't know why and how he decided this was going to be his new thing, but it didn't work. While Brooks isn't a bad NBA player, he is a role player who is a mid tier 3 and D guy. He doesn't strike fear in any opponent. No one is worried about what he may do on the scouting report. Teams don't gameplan around him when they go to face whatever team he is playing for. The Rockets wore tired of his schtick after a year and traded him to the Suns in the Kevin Durant deal. He had an okay season for the Suns, but when they ended up as the eighth seed, and had to face the Thunder, he started up with the shit talking. He called Shai Gilgeous Alexander "frail". He griped about the refs. He was back to his Grizzlies days when the media would show up in the Suns locker room. And he got his ass cooked in all four games. SGA was scoring so easily that, at one point after a made bucket, he smiled and pointed at Brooks as if to say, this dildo can't guard me. Lu Dort did something similar during a scuffle for a loose ball. When Brooks openly complained about the refs to the media, the Thunder decided they didn't even need free throws to win. In game three SGA went 15 for 18 from the field, with Brooks as his main defender, and scored a playoff career high 42 points. Brooks will be more known for getting crossed over time and again this series than for anything else he may have done. And when the Thunder finished off the Suns in a sweep last night, Brooks all of the sudden wanted to be best friends with SGA. He went up and hugged him. Brooks and Devin Booker talked about how good SGA was at basketball in their press conference last night. All of the nonsense that Brooks was saying for two weeks was suddenly gone and now he seems to love SGA.

Dillon Brooks is a fake tough guy in the modern NBA. He may talk shit, but he has yet to back it up. He keeps going after the best and he keeps getting thwarted. I would just prefer if he would go back to his early NBA days and play gritty and grimy basketball. He doesn't need to shit talk, he doesn't need to be in front of a microphone, he doesn't need "poke bears". He just needs to play hoops. But I'm stoked that he is no longer on my favorite team. He is so much easier to root against than for, and if that makes me a hater, as Kendrick Lamar says, "I'm the biggest hater". Dillon Brooks is a joke of a "menace" in today's NBA. 

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.

Ty Predicts the 2026 NBA Playoffs

The NBA regular season wrapped up last night and the playoffs are officially set. I am going to give you my playoff preview and prediction. I'll go through the play-in games, pick a winner of those and then have my eight teams set in each conference. Then I'll go through the East and the West, pick the winner of the title and my Finals MVP.

Let's start with the East play-in games.

The 9-10 features the Hornets playing the Heat. Whoever wins this game has one more shot to get the 8th seed in the East. The Hornets have been on fire for months now. They are fun and fast and exciting to watch. The Heat are play-in vets. They have made it to the Finals from the play-in. They know what it takes to win in these games. But, the Hornets are better, younger and hungrier. They will win this game and end the Heat's season. The 7-8 game in the East features the 76ers and Magic. This is a puzzler. Both of these teams should have been better this year. Both teams had higher ambitions. I am going to go with the Magic to win this game and claim the 7th seed, but I have zero confidence. The 76ers may be fully healthy or they may be missing multiple starters. Who knows. That is why I'm going with the Magic. That would leave the Hornets and 76ers playing for the 8th seed, and I'm going with the Hornets. They're too fun to not pick. I want them in the playoffs. And as much as I like VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, one of them will inevitably be injured for this game. The Hornets will get the 8th seed.

Now for the West play-in games.

The 9-10 features the Warriors playing the Clippers. These teams are both old and not happy to be in the play-in. Who knows if Steph Curry will play or not. This seems about the time of year that Kawhi Leonard seems to get hurt. The Warriors have been pretty bad during the entire second half of the season. The Clippers have been much better, but they have had to work extra hard to get here. But because they have had meaningful games lately, I'm going to go with the Clippers to win here. The 7-8 game has the Suns playing the Blazers. The Blazers are ahead of schedule. So are the Suns. Both of these teams have had much better seasons than anyone expected they would. I'm going to go with the Suns because they have been better all year long. The Blazers are building on something, but the Suns will get the 7th seed. So that would leave the Clippers playing the Blazers. Whoever wins this will have the honor of facing the Thunder in round 1. Congrats. I'm going to go with the Blazers just because I want to see them in the playoffs. I want to watch their guys play much more than the Clippers. That is why I'm going with the Blazers to win the 8th seed.

So, my East playoff teams from 1-8 are as follows, Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Cavs, Hawks, Raptors, Magic and Hornets. The Pistons-Hornets matchup is going to be fun and exciting. The Pistons are having a great year. They won 60 games and look to be a perenial playoff team moving forward. I already talked about the Hornets and how fun they are to watch. But, the Pistons have a much better defense and Cade Cunnigham is back. I think the series will go six games and the Hornets will scare the Pistons, but the Pistons will eventually tire the Hornets out and win the series. The Celtics are going to obliterate the Magic. The Magic will have a lot of changes this offseason after the Celtics sweep them. They may have a new coach and some new players. The Celtics are the most professional professional basketball team. They play great basketball and make minimal mistakes. And Jayson Tatum is back and looks pretty damn good already. The Celtics seem to be on a mission. The Knicks lucked out in playing the Raptors. Nothing against the Raptors, but the Knicks are a much better team and they are a team that is primed for the playoffs. They have the better backcourt and frontcourt. They may struggle a bit with Scottie Barnes, but Barnes is not the type of player to win a series on his own. The Knicks have Jalen Brunson and a myriad of role players that are solid. They will win the series in five games. The Hawks-Cavs looks to be competitive, but I don't think it will end up that way. The Hawks have been so much better since they traded Trae Young. They play solid defense and their offense moves a ton, which I like. But the Cavs have been waiting for this time of year. They have to make amends for the past few years where they have crapped out in the playoffs. I think they will play much better and I believe they will beat the Hawks in six games.

That would leave me with a second round of Pistons-Cavs and Celtics-Knicks. All chalk. That changes here. I'm going with the Cavs to beat the Pistons in seven games. This will be the best series in the East in my opinion. It is strength on strength too. But the Cavs will pull it out in the seventh game. The Knicks-Celtics should be amazing as well. These two teams are fun to watch play one another. They will go at it. I'm going to go with the Celtics in seven games due to better defense and Jayson Tatum being back. They also have to make up for last season. T

hat means I have the Cavs playing the Celtics in the East Finals. And I believe the Celtics will win that in six games. The Cavs will be tired, but they aren't on the level of the Celtics. The Celtics are better, and they may be the best team in the East at this very moment. The Celtics will return to the Finals.

Now for the West. My West playoff teams, from 1-8, are as follows, the Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets, Timberwolves, Suns and Blazers. The Thunder are going to cruise over the Blazers. If the NBA could call it in three games, I think they might. The Thunder are that good, they are pretty much whole and they have a title to defend. The Blazers are on the come up, but they don't stand a chance against the Thunder. The Spurs will take on the Suns in the 2-7 matchup. The Spurs are the most fun team to watch this season in the NBA. Wemby is healthy. Stephon Castle is a star in the making. Keldon Johnson is a great sixth man. Carter Bryant brings a new dimension to this team. Dylan Harper could win rookie of the year. The Spurs are way ahead of schedule, but it is the Spurs and they are awesome. The Suns have Devin Booker, and that's about it. The Spurs will sweep this series and will officially announce themselves as a title contender. The Timberwolves and Nuggets series is going to be closer than expected. Nikola Jokic is back to himself, Aaron Gordon looks to be in game shape and Jamal Murray is having his best season in his career. The Timberwolves have been inconsistent, but they have Anthony Edwards, and he is a stone cold killer on a basketball court. Ayo Dosunmu has been a great addition. Jaden McDaniels is a defensive stalwart, but he is still injured. And Rudy Gobert is still a good defender. The Timberwolves also play to the level of their competition, and they have recent success against the Nuggets. That being said, give me the Nuggets in six games. The Timberwolves have been too inconsistent this season, and the Nuggets have been clicking lately. The 4-5 matchup, the Rockets and Lakers, feels like a real dud to me. The Lakers are injured and LeBron James, while still awesome, is 41. They also play little to no defense, JJ Redick is a mediocre coach and the Forum doesn't hold the weight it used to as a home court advantage stadium. The Rockets do play good defense, but they are horrendous offensively. They have no plan. They miss Fred VanVleet. Amen Thompson has to be better offensively. Alperen Sengun needs to be better defensively. This team has issues. I'm going to go with the Lakers in seven games because the refs will do some wild nonsense to help them win a crucial game 7. It always seems to happen that way for them.

My second round matchups are the Thunder playing the Lakers and the Nuggets playing the Spurs. The Thunder are going to be 8-0 after this series. They beat the Lakers by 40 when they were whole. They are going to obliterate them in this series. The Nuggets are going to beat the Spurs in seven games, and it will be brutal. This is going to be a fun back and forth series. Wemby and Jokic will be cinema. I'm excited to see Murray and Gordon go up against Castle and Harper and Johnson. I'm excited to watch these two young coaches battle. Look, the Spurs are coming, just not this season. I have the Nuggets winning in seven.

That means I have the Thunder and Nuggets in the West Finals. This is the true Finals for all intents and purposes. These are the two best teams in the NBA. I'm going with the Thunder to win in six games. The Nuggets will make it close. They play incredible offense. And even the Thunder, who have the best defense in the league, will struggle in a few games. But the Nuggets play zero defense and that will be their undoing. The Thunder are good, deep and will be well rested going into this series. That is why the Thunder will make it back to the Finals.

This leaves me with a Thunder-Celtics Finals. And as cool as it has been to see the Celtics be this good this year, and to see Tatum back in action, the Thunder are a better team. They are deeper, they are healthy, they have a true home court advantage. The Thunder in the midst of a possible dynasty. They will win their second championship in a row, and SGA will take home another Finals MVP. The Thunder will win a second straight title in six games. 

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.

Ty's 2025-2026 NBA Season Preview: Postseason and Awards

To wrap up my preseason 2025-26 NBA countdown, today I'm coming to you with my postseason and awards predictions. I'll start with the East, the JV if you will, then do the West. After I pick my champion I'll do my awards picks. I won't do every award, just the ones I consider the major ones. Enough preamble, let's get to it.

I'm going to pick 1-6 in each conference, then do the play-in teams and then give you the last two teams to make the playoffs. In the East, from 1-6, I'm going with the Cavs, Knicks, Magic, Hawks, Pistons and Bucks. For the play-in games give me the Celtics as the 7 playing the Pacers as the 10. In the 8-9 matchup I'll go with the 76ers as the 8 and the Bulls as the 9. The Celtics will dispose of the Pacers to claim the 7 seed and the 76ers will beat the Bulls in the 8-9 game. This would see the Pacers playing the 76ers for the 8 seed, and I'm going to go with the Pacers. The 76ers are too darn inconsistent.

That means in round one I have the Cavs facing the Pacers, the Knicks playing the Celtics, the Magic facing the Bucks and the Hawks playing the Pistons. While I'd like to see the Pacers prove a ton of people wrong, myself included, the Cavs are a very, very good basketball team, and they have some scores of their own to settle. I have a feeling that the Cavs are going to be looking to make a ton of noise this postseason. In the 2-7 matchup, I bet the Knicks are going to be furious that they will have to face the Celtics. And who knows if Jayson Tatum will be back by then. If he is, this series is going to be a lot closer than many thought. I don't think that will happen, and I would be willing to bet that the Knicks will win in five. The Magic should be a dominant team this season, and if they can figure out how to play a respectable offense, they could bump themselves into the 2 or 1 seed. Unfortunately for them they will have to play the Bucks and Giannis. Giannis is so good and can single handedly win a few games on his own. But, he needs more help, and without it this season, the Magic will win a hard fought seven game series in this first round. And then we have the best first round series in the East, the Hawks and Pistons. This is going to be a total style clash. The Hawks thrive offensively and the Pistons want to grind the game down and make it really, really muddy. I'm going to go with the Pistons in seven games. Cade Cunningham has arrived and the Pistons are going to make it a real slog for the Hawks, and when they get taken out of rhythm, they have a hard time playing out of it.

Round 2 will have the Cavs playing the Pistons and the Knicks playing the Magic. The Cavs are going to be able to run and run against the Pistons. They also have the guys to play the muddy game with the Pistons. This will be a five or six game series win for the Cavs. And the Knicks are going to shoot so many threes and the Magic will not be able to keep up with them. The Magic play great defense, but so do the Knicks and their offense is so, so much better.

That means the East Finals will be the Cavs and Knicks. This is where the Cavs run will end too early for their fans. The Knicks are a better team and they will be much more rested than they have been in the past. The Knicks will represent the East in the NBA Finals.

Onto the West playoffs now. From 1-6 I'm going with the Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Rockets, Clippers and Warriors, The 7-10 play-in game will be the Lakers as the 7 seed and the Mavericks as the 10 seed. The 8-9 game will be the Spurs as the 8 and the Grizzlies as the 9 seed. The Lakers will easily dispose of the Mavericks and take on the 7 seed. And the Spurs will claim the 8 seed with no problem at all.

So that means the first round of the West playoffs will give us the Thunder and Spurs, the Nuggets and Lakers, the Timberwolves and Warriors and the Rockets and Clippers. These are some damn good matchups. The Thunder will beat the Spurs, probably in five games, but it is going to be tough. The Spurs are coming, it is just going to take some time. And the Thunder are building a potential dynasty. The Thunder are so good and so young. The Nuggets-Lakers series is going to be every white analytics guy's dream. They'll also get to watch Luka and Jokic. Some nerds are going to be having the time of their lives. And the Nuggets will dispose of the Lakers thoroughly. It's going to be a sweep, and it won't look that close. The Timberwolves are going to beat the Warriors. If Steph Curry was healthy last season that series may have been closer, but I still think the Timberwolves would have won. They won't have to worry about that this year, because they're the better and younger team. And the Rockets are going to beat the Clippers, but it is going to be tough. The Clippers are just a bit too old, and while KD is a Rocket, they have youth at every other position of importance and they are coming. The first round of the West playoffs is going to be the changing of the guard. I know the Thunder won it all last year, but that was just the first sign. The older teams are going to be beaten by younger, more athletic teams.

The second round will give us a Thunder-Rockets matchup and a Nuggets-Timberwolves series. The Thunder are a better version of the Rockets. They play better defense. Their offense is more dynamic and electric. They are what the Rockets hope to be. The Thunder will win in five games. And the Nuggets-Timberwolves series should be as epic as they have been in the past. I cannot wait to watch this series and root super hard for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards is my new favorite player and I want nothing but success for him. But the Timberwolves won't be reaching the West Finals for a third straight season. The Nuggets only got better in the offseason and they have some demons to exorcise. Even though they won it all a few seasons back, they haven't come close to that same success, and the fans are craving it again.

So that means I have the Thunder and Nuggets in the West Finals. My playoffs have been chalk, which is boring, but here we are. This series should be great. The Nuggets played the Thunder as close as anyone in the playoffs last year. They had them on the brink. There were a few games where it looked like they were going to win. And then the Thunder pulled it out by playing great defense and doing enough on offense. And their offense should be even better this season. Give me the Thunder returning to the Finals after an epic seven game series.

I have the Thunder and Knicks facing off in the Finals. And I'm going to go with the Thunder to repeat. It hasn't happened in a long while, but they have something special brewing in OKC and this is going to be the moment they show everyone that they are this generation's version of the 90s Bulls, early 2000's Heat, mid 2000's Warriors, you all get it. The Thunder dynasty is coming sooner rather than later. And I believe it starts this season. The Thunder will be back to back champs and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will win a second straight Finals MVP.

As for my awards picks, I'll start with MVP. I'm going with Anthony Edwards to break through and win the MVP. He will be the first American to win in the 2020's. I just feel like Edwards has been building to something and I think that happens this season. For Coach of the Year I'm going with Jahmal Mosley of the Orlando Magic. The Magic are going to have a great year and Mosley will be rewarded. Sixth Man of the Year will be Josh Hart. Hart is coming off the bench, plays in New York and will bring energy and effort for a team that I have in the Finals. Defensive Player of the Year will be Victor Webanyama. He is already the best defensive player in basketball and this will be the first of many, many DPOY's for him. And Rookie of the Year is going to be Cooper Flagg, barring any kind of long term injury. Flagg is as good as it gets in this draft class and he will be playing meaningful games this year.

That does it. You now have all of my 2025-26 preseason NBA rankings and predictions. Take them with a grain of salt and enjoy the year. 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.

Can The Thunder Be Beat?

After watching the Thunder-Timberwolves game last night, I don't think there is a team left that can compete with the Thunder. Let’s discuss.

The Thunder look like they might have a cakewalk through the finals no matter who the opponent ends up being. This is no disrespect to the Pacers, Knicks or Timberwolves. The Thunder look damn near unbeatable at the moment. They may have already had their toughest series, last round against the Nuggets. It took them seven games to dispose of Denver, but game seven of that series showed me pretty much all I needed to see. They had a rough first quarter in that game, and then they totally ran away with it. I believe they won that game by 30 plus points. And they have easily disposed of the Timberwolves in the first two games of the West Finals. I have been rooting for the Timberwolves ever since the Thunder cruised against my team in round one, the Grizzlies. I'm a big Anthony Edwards fan, Julius Randle has always had a fan in me and I like their head coach. But, there is little the T'Wolves can do because this Thunder team is deep, their defense is elite, they can score in a ton of ways and everything has led them to this moment.

The Thunder are relentless on both ends of the floor. I know people complain about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the fact that he may or may not "foul bait", but that is part of the modern game. If SGA can get to the line 10-12 times a game that is an extra 10-12 points per game for the team. That is smart basketball and every big time player does it in the league now. Until the refs decide to stop buying in, it is going to become more and more of an issue and every player will do it anyway. That is the current nature of the game.

SGA also happens to be awesome at basketball. He is the MVP after all. But it isn't just him. Lu Dort is a solid three point shooter, and one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He is like a tank trying to move, and he is constantly going for the steal. Alex Caruso is much of the same, and he can guard anyone, be they a point guard or a center. He guarded Nikola Jokic in game seven of the last round. Chet Holmgren is still skin and bones, but the dude can block shots and make threes when given the chance. Aaron Wiggins is replicating what his brother did for the Warriors during their Finals run in 2022. Cason Wallace is earning big time minutes on the best team in the league as a rookie. He is a hound on defense and he is making great decisions on offense. Isaiah Joe is liable to hit three or four threes a night on very limited minutes. Isaiah Hartenstein was a massive addition last offseason, and that move is paying dividends at the best possible time. Jalen Williams has been kind of up and down during this run offensively, but he has brought it every night on defense, and when he is on offensively, you may as well call it a night if you are their opponent. Teams usually trim their roster down during the playoffs to six or maybe seven guys. The Thunder are still playing damn near ten dudes every night, thus keeping the integral players healthy, rested and ready when they need them most.

I'm in awe of the way they're playing right now, and it is primarily their defense. The offense has done enough, but the defense is literally winning them games. They're constantly in passing lanes, they go for steals all the time, they get blocks at a consistent rate, they hamper what the other team wants to do and they frustrate them to no end. They are showing everyone that defense truly wins titles.

The series, and playoffs for that matter, are far from over. But, it damn near looks inevitable that the Thunder will win the first title in their short run as a franchise. This team has made all the right moves, drafted good fits and hired the right coaches. All of that should end up with them winning the chip in a few short weeks. 

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 Pacers are Crazy Good

I think the Pacers might be having a blessed season. I'm not all into that type of stuff, but after seeing what I saw last night, this team is having what one may refer to as a "miracle" run. Let’s discuss.

The Pacers have built a solid team over the years. They acquired Tyrese Haliburton in a trade. They drafted Myles Turner and Andrew Nembhard. They got Obi Toppin as a throw-in in a trade. They saw something in Aaron Nesmith that the Celtics didn't see. They hired Rick Carlisle after Dallas let him go. They have made the right move in pretty much every single area. But, it really boils down to the sheer fact that they got a guy like Haliburton. He is such a good point guard and leader of this team. He rarely turns the ball over. He always has high assist numbers. When he is not scoring, he is still a threat due to his excellent vision. And when he is making shots, he is as lethal as anyone in the league. But, after what I saw, after that shot last night, after how they erupted in the fourth quarter, this team is different.

For people that may not know, or have seen, go look at the shot Haliburton hit to send the game to overtime. If someone had hit a shot like that in rec or pickup basketball, I would just have chuckled in disbelief. Hell, if that goes in in a high school game, the crowd would be astonished. Haliburton did this in a playoff game. Even more, he did it in the East Finals. But it wasn't just that shot that makes me believe in this team. They can shoot the three with the best of them. Nesmith really got the ball rolling last night, and when his teammates saw him hitting shots, they followed in suit. This is a team that is never, ever out of a game. They are so good at shooting the three. They take them open or covered. They have no conscience. And it's everyone on that team. From Haliburton to Turner, who is their center, can shoot the rock. And they seem to all like playing basketball together. They genuinely seem to like one another, and it shows on the floor. They have a calmness to them as well. They don't get scared. They don't ever feel out of the game. Their defense has even gotten a little better throughout the season. And watching what they have done this playoff run, and last year for that matter, has made me a believer.

The Pacers have crushed the Bucks two years in a row. They have, for all intents and purposes, ended the Bucks run with Giannis. Last year, in the East Finals, while they got swept, the people involved with the Celtics said they were the toughest team they played. This season, after disposing of the Bucks in five, they obliterated the number 1 seeded Cavs. Sure, some of the Cavs main guys were hurt, but I don't think it would have mattered in the long run. The Pacers came out and stomped on the Cavs' throat. They would not let them up for air. And that is my main reason why I think they have a true shot at the title. When the Pacers get up, they don't let up. They don't just want to beat their opponent, they want to crush them. Anytime a team starts to make a push, it seems like the Pacers will hit three or four big time shots in a row and stop any momentum their opponent has. This is what title contending teams need nowadays, a killer instinct. The Pacers have that in waves.

I don't know if any team left can beat the Thunder, but I think the Pacers have the most legit, and best shot. However it ends, this Pacers team is fun and I want to see more of them. 

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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Taking Joy in the Lakers Failures

The Lakers were officially eliminated from the NBA playoffs last night and I have come to the site today to be the biggest Lakers hater you can find. I

want to start off by first going at JJ Reddick. I knew, deep in my soul, that he was going to show the world how unprepared and under qualified he was to be an NBA head coach. He took the wrong step at every turn in this series. He was so vastly outcoached by Chris Finch that it was glorious for me to watch. His substitution patterns were all wrong, he played his starting five for an entire half, including never resting 40 year old LeBron James and he moaned and groaned whenever the media would call him out on his poor decisions and poor coaching techniques. Reddick is a fraud, shouldn't be anywhere near a coaches bench in the NBA and, even while coaching a team to the 3 seed in the West, he proved how bad a decision it was for the Lakers front office to hire him as a head coach. He got his ass whooped up and down the floor by Finch and his staff and I loved every single second of it. It was schadenfreude for me in all its gloriousness.

Next, every single media person who crushed the Mavs and Nico Harrison and the front office for the trade, how do you feel now? Yes, this was a massive, massive trade, but both teams are out of the playoffs and they both went out unceremoniously. Neither the Mavs nor the Lakers made anything out of the trade. Sure, the Lakers won some games late in the regular season and looked like they might be on the precipice of making a playoff run, but they were easily ousted by the Timberwolves. The Mavs won one play-in game and then were bounced by the Grizzlies. Anthony Davis limped off the floor in that game and it seems like he may be hurt going into next year. Each team had one win during the play-in/playoffs. Each team looked overmatched with their opponent. Each team is already on to the offseason. As far as the on court results, this trade is basically moot. And the prize of the trade, Doncic, was exposed as the poor defender he has always been in the NBA and his offense, which some people have referred to as "genius", was not that good at all in five games. He looked tired, overmatched and not engaged. People will make excuses for him, that is what major media does now with this guy for some reason, but what I saw on the court was not great. He is never in shape and he doesn't really seem engaged unless he is the focal point of the team he is playing for.

LeBron, for the first time in his wonderful career, looked old. He just couldn't keep up with the young guys on the Timberwolves. He looked gassed, especially after the game where he played the entire second half. He says he isn't sure if he will be back next season, I don't buy it, but this is the first time I've seen him look old. He is too good to go out now, but add another year for him and the playoff push might be a little too much for him. I don't want to see it happen, but father time is undefeated.

Finally, I want to shout out Rudy Gobert. He was magical in last night's closeout game. He ended the night with 27 points and 24 rebounds. He dominated the Lakers on both ends of the floor. Prior to this series he was a laughingstock and the main talking point of who was going to be played off the floor first. Even during game 2, Luka Doncic had the gall to hit a three pointer on exclaim, "sub him out". All Gobert did after that was play pretty great defense and had what is most likely his best game as a pro last night. He has a ton of flaws, and his attitude when the NBA shut down due to Covid will always anger me, but a little part of me was so stoked to see him dominate the way he did last night and to do it all in Doncic's smug, stupid face. I loved it. It was glorious, hilarious and awesome. Gobert is often an afterthought, but he changed that narrative last night. He actually has help defensively on the perimeter and he is able to get back to his defense that we all saw when he was on the Jazz.

I know that I'm being a hater, and I'm sure some people will let me know how much of a hater I am in the comments, but this is great for me. The Lakers bowing out like this in the first round as the higher seed is just like watching Duke get beat in the men's NCAA tournament or the Cowboys blowing a playoff game or the Yankees blowing it in the World Series. I love to hate this team and that will never change. Now I can watch the playoffs with joy. Thank you Timberwolves, thank you so much. 

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 NBA Playoff Preview

The NBA playoffs are right around the corner. The play-in starts this evening in fact. Today I'm going to give my playoff preview and picks. I'll also hand out my MVP for the Finals. This is my favorite time of the NBA season. The games are intense, the players are going full bore and the coaches, the ones who want to win, are giving it their all. With all that, I'm going to get into the preview.

I'll start with the "minor" league Eastern Conference preview. The play-in games here are going to add up to a whole lot of nothing in the long run, but the games should be fun.

The 7-8 game has the Magic facing the Hawks. I was so high on the Magic in the preseason, but they got bit by the injury bug big time. The Hawks made some moves, took the French kid first overall and still finished this season like they've finished most lately, underwhelming. Trae Young is very good on offense, but a zero on defense. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are both very good, but they cannot make an outside shot. The Magic are a phenomenal defensive team and the Hawks are a solid offensive team. Give me the Magic. They should have most of their team intact. They get the 7 seed. The 9-10 game is a total clash of styles. The Bulls play fast and loose, the Heat play slow and in control. I really have almost no interest in this game. The Heat aren't the same team anymore, and the Bulls are a shell of who they once were. I'm going with the Bulls here because they have been on a bit of a tear lately. So, the Hawks and the Bulls will play for the 8 seed. Give me the Bulls here in a minor upset. This will be a high scoring game, with little to no defense. And the youth of the Bulls will prevail. They grab the 8 seed.

The East first round matchups are, Cavs and Bulls, Celtics and Magic, Knicks and Pistons and Pacers and Bucks. No need to go in depth with the 1-8 and 2-7 matchups. The Cavs are going to boatrace the Bulls. I'd be stunned if the Bulls are even within a double figure deficit in any game. The Cavs will sweep. The Celtics have barely been talked about it seems this year. They're defending champs, they have effortlessly slid into the 2 seed and they have everyone back. I know Jaylen Brown may be more hurt than he is letting on, but this team is still loaded. The Magic won't be able to keep up. The Celtics will also sweep. The 3-6 matchup is going to be fun. It's old school ball with the Knicks playing the Pistons. The Pistons are back and that rules. I love it when they're relevant. The Knicks haven't been as solid as they were last season, but they are still the 3 seed and the favorites here. They have guys that have been here before and they know what it takes to win. They also have the three or four best players in the series. The Pistons are not going to back down, but every young team needs to have the feeling they're about to get in this series. I do think the Pistons will win a game or two and make it tough on the Knicks, but in the end the Knicks will win. Give me them in six games. The Bucks and Pacers are the best series of the first round in the East. The Bucks have the far and away best player in the series. Giannis has been on an absolute tear and he doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. It's the rest of the Bucks roster and Doc Rivers that scare me. Dame is hurt, Kuzma hasn't been the guy they hoped he would be, Taurean Prince is kind of blah. The Bucks are kind of in a  little turmoil. The Pacers play fast and easy and score in bunches. They're also a deeper team. Tyrese Haliburton has come back to his normal playing style. Pascal Siakim and Myles Turner are putting in work. And their bench is deep. I'd love for the Bucks to win, but Giannis needs help and it doesn't seem to be coming. I'll take the Pacers in seven games.

That means I have the Cavs facing the Pacers and the Celtics facing the Knicks. Again, no need to beat around the bush. The Cavs are better than the Pacers and they play defense. Donovan Mitchell is just waiting to go off too. And Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are just awesome on defense. The Cavs won't sweep, but they will win this series in five games. The Celtics should easily dispatch of the Knicks. The Celtics are deeper, they play better defense, they shoot better from three, they have a better coaching staff. And Tatum will be the best player in this series far and away. Give me the Celtics in six games.

So that leaves us with the Cavs and Celtics in the East Finals. We get the 1 and 2 seeds here. And this is where the party ends for the Cavs. They are going to fight and claw in this series. They will give the Celtics all they can handle. But in the end the Celtics are just a better, more experienced playoff team. I know it's hard to repeat, but this version of the Celtics is damn, damn good. The Celtics are the East representatives in the Finals.

Onto the big boys, the Western Conference playoffs.

The play-games for the West start tonight. The 7-8 features the Grizzlies and Warriors. I mean, I want the Grizz to win it, but they seem checked out. They haven't been very good lately, they have coaching turnover and they haven't been able to put it together recently. I don't have much faith in them. The Warriors are more primed and playing better. They might roll the Grizz tonight. The 9-10 game features remnants of the Kings and Mavs. I don't even know who will be available to play in this game tonight. The Mavs have a ton of injuries and the Kings are dealing with their own wreckage. I'll go with the Kings because I think the Mavs have truly given up on this season. As for who gets the 8 seed, give me the Grizz over the Kings. I know the Grizzlies have been struggling, but they are better than the Kings and should be able to easily grab the 8 seed.

That means the West first round matchups will be the Thunder and Grizzlies, Rockets and Warriors, Lakers and Timberwolves and Nuggets and Clippers. The Thunder will put the Grizzlies out of their misery. They won't make it painful, they will just end it. The Thunder have been the best team in the league all year and the Grizzlies will see that up close and personal. Thunder in a sweep. I'm excited about this Warriors-Rockets matchup. The Rockets are the new kids on the block, but they don't mind bullying people. They have youth, veterans and a stifling, long defense. The Warriors are still good, but they're so old, and getting beat by the Clippers to end the season was a bummer for them. This series should be closer than most expect, but the Rockets have the better, younger team. Steph Curry can only do so much, and he needs way more help than what this current roster construction has to offer. Give me the Rockets in seven. I don't know what to make of the Lakers-Timberwolves series. The Lakers have the two best players. They have a good roster. They seem to know what they're doing. The Timberwolves eked out this 6 seed, but they have kind of been on fire lately. They are younger and deeper. They have a better defense. And Anthony Edwards is not afraid of the spotlight. He thrives in it. The Lakers are going to get way more calls, and Rudy Gobert really struggles against Luka Doncic and LeBron James. I'm going to go with the Lakers in seven, but I'll be rooting hard for the Timberwolves the whole time. The 4-5 between the Nuggets and Clippers may be the best series of the entire playoffs. I love this matchup. The Nuggets have Jokic and Murray is back from injury. Michael Porter Jr is a 6'10 guy that can shoot. And Christian Braun is a legit defender. The Clippers have been playing great and, knock on wood, everyone has been healthy and playing at a high level. Kawhi Leonard looks like himself. James Harden has reverted back to his old ways of constantly getting to the line and getting a ton of assists. Norm Powell has become a legit number three on this team. Ivica Zubac has had a wonderful year. And Tyron Lue is coaching his ass off. The Clippers may be the third or second best team in the West. And that is why I'm picking them to win this brutal series in seven games.

So, that leaves me with the Thunder facing the Clippers and the Rockets playing the Lakers. The Clippers will probably be dog tired for this series and by this time, Shai Gilgeous Alexander may have accepted his much deserved MVP award. The Thunder are deep, nasty and can play offense with the best of them. The Clippers won't go down without a fight, but in the end the Thunder's youth and athleticism will be enough to take this series in six games. As for the Rockets and Lakers, I'd absolutely love to see the Rockets win. They're young and fun. They play both ends of the court at a high volume. They have a better head coach. This team seems primed to make a leap. But, the Lakers will get the calls they need. They will get every single advantage they ask for. And Dillon Brooks will do something stupid and blow it for them. I'm begrudgingly picking the Lakers to win in seven games, but I wouldn't be shocked if this series is fraught with awful calls and poor reffing that favors the Lakers throughout. And their prize will be facing the Thunder in the West Finals. The Thunder are going to exorcise some past issues here. I'd love to see them sweep the Lakers. While I don't think that will happen, I do think the Lakers will steal a game due to officials. But give me the Thunder in five games. They're having an excellent year and that will bear out in a Finals appearance.

That means I have the Thunder and Celtics in the Finals. Give me the Celtics to repeat. It hasn't been done in awhile and it seems like this is the right time for it to happen. While the Thunder are very good and match up well with the Celtics, the Celtics are better overall. They play better defense, shoot the three better and know what it takes to win on this stage. The Thunder's time is coming, just not this year. The Celtics will be your 2025 NBA champs. And give me Jayson Tatum to take home Finals MVP. He made a case last season, but he will leave no doubt this year. 

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 2024-2025 NBA Preview: Postseason Predictions

With the NBA season tipping off tonight, and after doing my countdown, today I'm going to do a playoff predictor and awards predictor. Take this with a grain of salt, the biggest grain you can find. I'll rank the top 10 teams in each conference and then seed them. From there I'll pick the winners of each round. After I pick my champ, I'll quickly go through my award winners.

I'll start with the East. Going from 10 to 1, I have the Bulls, Hawks, Heat, Pacers, Magic, Bucks, Cavs, 76ers, Knicks and Celtics. So the 10-9 play-in game features the Bulls and Hawks. Yuck. The East is rough. I'll take the Hawks here, assuming they still have Trae Young at this point. The 7-8 game is going to be tough between the Pacers and Heat. I'm going to take the Pacers here. They're younger and they will tire out the Heat. That leaves me with the Hawks facing the Heat for the 8 seed. The Heat will win this game. They're better, and they want to be in the playoffs. This gives us a first round matchups of Heat-Celtics, Pacers-Knicks, Magic-76ers and Bucks-Cavs. The Celtics will cruise over the Heat. It will be easier than last season. The Knicks will out defend and control the inside against the Pacers. They'll slow the game down a ton too. The 76ers will beat the Magic. It will be grimy and gritty, but in the end, the 76ers have the better talent. And the Bucks need to win this first round matchup against the Cavs. They simply must if they want to keep this core group together. Doc Rivers needs this too. So, the second round matchups feature Celtics-Bucks and Knicks-76ers. These are really good matchups. I'm all for this. I hope this happens. As for the outcomes, the Celtics are going to beat the Bucks. I do think it can go seven games, and the Bucks can make it interesting. But, the news of Khris Middleton being out to start the season makes me pick the Celtics. As for the Knicks-76ers, this is going to be a bloodbath. This series is going to be brutal, there will be a ton of complaints from both fan bases and it may end up injuring some good players. With that being said, I think the Knicks will be too tired from playing too many minutes. I am shivering in my 76ers pick. They've let everyone down in the past. But, with the Paul George addition, I have a good feeling about this team. That means I have the Celtics facing the 76ers in the East Finals. The Celtics are going to win the series. I could go in depth, but the Celtics have the best talent in the NBA. They are on a mission to prove that they're in the throes of starting a dynasty. The Celtics will represent the East in the NBA Finals for a second straight year.

Now to the West. Ranking the teams from 10 I have, Lakers, Rockets, Kings, Grizzlies, Suns, Pelicans, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Nuggets and the Thunder. That's right, no Warriors or Clippers. I also thought about not putting the Lakers in, but the Spurs aren't ready and the Jazz front office won't let this team make the play-in. So that leaves the play-in matchups as Lakers-Rockets in the 10-9 game and Kings-Grizzlies in the 7-8 game. Give me the Rockets in the 10-9 game. They're younger, hungrier and ready for the spotlight. I also think the Lakers will be injured or tired, or both. The 7-8 game is going to be pretty good. Give me the Grizzlies here. If they're whole, the Grizzlies should be back to being a good defensive minded team and they can score when needed. The Grizzlies will secure the 7 seed. The fight for the 8th seed is going to be a high scoring affair. Give me the Rockets. This team is going to be a real problem sooner rather than later, and this year they're going to show that from the jump. So the West first round matchups will feature Rockets-Thunder in the 1-8, Grizzlies-Nuggets in the 2-7, Suns-Timberwolves in the 3-6 and Mavericks-Pelicans in the 4-5. The 1-8 series is going to be awesome. Two young teams with super talented rosters that can score. The difference, the Thunder play elite level defense. The Rockets are coming, but not this year. The Thunder win this round. In the 2-7 matchup, give me the Nuggets. I'd love to see the Grizzlies win. I'm going to be rooting extra hard for them and it would be rad to see them return to prominence after one bad season. But the Nuggets are deeper and more experienced. They also have something to prove after last season's early playoff exit. In the 3-6, a rematch from last season's playoff, give me the Timberwolves again. The T'Wolves are better, play better defense and KD will probably be left by himself due to injury. The 4-5 is going to be interesting. If the Pelicans can stay healthy, this could be a series. They are more explosive and have some defenders. The Mavs addressed some of the issues they had prior to last season's playoff run. The fortunate thing for them, the Pelicans won't be able to match the scoring. Zion could go off, but he needs help. And this team needs to stay healthy. So, the next round features the Thunder-Mavs and Timberwolves-Nuggets. These are both rematches. In the Thunder-Mavs rematch, give me the Thunder this time around. I think they learned from last season's exit, they are more experienced and they are a far superior defensive team. I also think the Mavs run last year was fluky. In the other matchup, give me the T'Wolves yet again. I love this team and expect big, big things from them. The KAT trade was funky, but the more I look at it, it just makes sense and makes them better. The Nuggets may force a seventh game, but I think the Timberwolves will finish them off again. So, that leaves us with the Thunder facing the Timberwolves in the West Finals. Give me the Timberwolves. They're the better team with the best player in the series. Anthony Edwards is going to announce himself to the world.

This means we have a Celtics-Timberwolves Finals. This is the Finals I think we all wanted last year. I think we get it this season. And I cannot wait. As much as I want Minnesota to win it all, the Celtics are going to go back to back, and I think they'll do it fairly easily. Boston is on the precipice of starting a dynasty. As for MVP of the Finals, Jayson Tatum is going to get it this year. He is overdue already.

For awards, my MVP is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA is going to be the best player for the team with the best record. He is awesome and he runs the show in OKC. Defensive Player of the Year is Victor Webanyama. Wemby is going to win a lot of awards in the future, and this is just the start after his ROTY last season. Rookie of the Year is going to be Reed Sheppard. He's going to be a big part of the Rockets' ascension. Sixth Man of the Year is going to be Malik Monk. I have been waffling between him and Naz Reid, and I think the NBA wants a guard to win it this time. Clutch Player of the Year is going to be Steph Curry. Another trophy for him to add to his collection. And Coach of the Year will be Taylor Jenkins. He is going to remind everyone why he is one of the better coaches in the NBA.

There you have it, my playoff and awards predictions. I am stoked for the start of the season. Let's do it. 

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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Anthony Edwards is Elite

Anthony Edwards announced himself as one of the next big NBA superstars last night. He didn't really have to do too much more for me to notice, he is one of my favorite players, but boy oh boy did he let himself be known to the casual NBA fan after this first round series. Let’s discuss.

Edwards was the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. This was the COVID lockdown draft. He was the consensus number 1 guy, but there were questions. Georgia wasn't very good, he seemed to float in and out of games, his jumper wasn't great and his tenacity on defense was yet to be seen. And when he started playing, it was a lot of the same. But, Edwards has always had freakish athleticism. What attracted me to his game was his dunking ability. He reminded me of a guard version of Shawn Kemp. He dunked on people and he dunked hard on people. The dunk he had against the Raptors a few years back was one of the best in game dunks I'd ever seen. But the Timberwolves, while getting a little better, didn't really look like they would be much more than a first round out in the playoffs.

Then the T’Wolves traded for Rudy Gobert. The trade was maligned, and in year one it looked like the critics were right. The Timberwolves were not very good. They came off a season where they pushed the Grizzlies in round 1 to six games, and it was a hard fought series. The next season, the first with Gobert, they struggled to make the play in and were easily disposed of by the Nuggets in five games. But this season has felt different. And Edwards has looked different. You could see him starting to figure things out in that series against the Grizzlies two years ago. Last season he was the sole reason they got one game from the Nuggets. The athleticism and the ability was still there, but other things were clicking. I feel like this is the year where it has almost fully come together for him.

Minnesota finished as the 3 seed in the West, but they had a shot at number 1. They are a dominant defense, with Edwards fully buying in on that end this year. Edwards doesn't always go one on one anymore. He plays more within a flow of an offense built around his skill set. Karl Anthony-Towns, another number 1 overall pick, has started to relent and make note that it is Edwards' team. Gobert understands that he is there for defense. Mike Conley has taken Edwards under his wing and he looks like a proud basketball dad watching him grow into this supernova talent. Kyle Anderson seems to be really enjoying the ride. The Timberwolves have given Anthony Edwards the keys, and he is running with it all. And it is glorious to watch as a fan.

What Edwards did in this series, the way he dominated, it was one of the more impressive things I have seen on a basketball court. He went out there on a mission every year and he decided he wanted this series over in four games. The Suns were betting favorites in this series. The analytic nerds loved them. Kevin Durant wasn't ready to pass the torch. Rudy Gobert wouldn't be able to stay on the floor. Anthony Edwards was going to have to wait another year. People even mentioned that Devon Booker was possibly better. I'm sure Edwards heard all of that, and he decided his time was now. He was tired of waiting. He went out there on that floor and snatched it all away from the Suns, from KD, from Devin Booker, from Frank Vogel and from ESPN and their analytical staff. Edwards took over each and every game. He mentioned, before game 1, how KD was his favorite player and how cool it would be to beat him in this series. He did just that. Anthony Edwards was the best player on the floor by a wide, wide margin. In the first round sweep, Edwards had games of 33, 36 and 40 points. In game two, the one game he struggled in to score, he was lock down on defense. He also had 9 rebounds in three of the four games. He averaged 6 plus assists per game. He never took more than 24 shots to get all of his points. He played good defense in every game. He took over when he was asked to take over by his coaches and team. He did all the right stuff. And it was amazing for me to watch this kid ascend to these new heights.

I don't like to watch Luka Doncic because I find his game very boring and he whines all the time. Nikola Jokic is, for me, also very, very boring. Giannis cannot stay healthy lately and he is not much of a shooter. LeBron James is amazing, but he is very old now. Ja Morant was hurt most of last season, and he has the whole gun thing. So, for me, watching a player like Anthony Edwards make this leap, watching the same from Shai Gilgeous Alexander, it makes me hopeful for the future faces of the NBA. Not all of these up and comers are zeroes on defense or want to turn the game into a free throw shooting contest. Not every star has to gripe to the officials. Not every star has to be friends with the other stars. A player like Anthony Edwards gets me hyped because he is uber talented and he wants to rip your heart out on the court.

I hope this run continues and Timberwolves continue to develop Edwards into an even bigger star because I want to see him play more than any other player in the playoffs right now. While I'm still a Grizzlies fan, I think Anthony Edwards is my new current favorite NBA player. He is the most fun to watch. 

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 Predicts the 2024 NBA Playoffs

The NBA playoffs are set. And I'm here to give my predictions. I love this time of the sports year. I love the NBA, and the playoffs are the best of the best. This is when it all gets good. I even enjoy the hell out of the play in. I cannot wait to start watching it tomorrow night. I'll start with the East and go from there. I'll pick the conference winners and some playoff award winners. Let's get to it.

The play in in the East features the Heat and 76ers in the 7-8 match up and Hawks and Bulls in the 9-10. This 9-10 game is rough stuff. These two teams are not great. I'm going to go with the Bulls to get out of the first part of the play in. The Hawks are not a good team. They have struggled all season long. The 7-8 game is going to be awesome. I love this match up. I'm going with the 76ers. Joel Embiid has been as good as ever since coming back and they are getting in a groove heading into the first round. As for the 8 seed, we have the Bulls and Heat. The Heat will win and win with ease. They get the 8 seed.

So, this gives us first round match ups of Celtics-Heat, Knicks-76ers, Bucks-Pacers and Cavs-Magic. I like all of these match ups to be honest with you. The Celtics will not be stoked to see the Heat in round one. They beat them last season, they are not afraid of them and Erik Spoelstra is a great playoff coach. The Celtics should, and will win. They are the better team and they have something to prove this season. But, it will be closer than they want the series to be. I'll go Celtics in six. The Knicks got the 2 seed, which is a big deal for them. Their reward, the 76ers. I like the Knicks and the NBA is way more fun when they are better. But they will not be able to stop Embiid. He has something to prove as well, and I see big things from him this postseason. Give me the 76ers in seven tough fought games. The Bucks have looked off all season. They just cannot seem to get right. They look odd on the floor, they get injured far too often and their defense is mediocre. But the Pacers have struggled to close the season out. They are nowhere near as good as they were a few months ago. I am having a hard time with this pick, but I'm going to go with the Bucks in seven, if Giannis is fully healthy for this series. Finally we have the Cavs and Magic. This is my favorite first round East series. I love everything about this. Both teams are young and fun and play some solid defense. I'm going with the Magic to win in seven games. Their defense is better, they are going to muddy the game up and their fans are going to be ravenous.

This gives me second round match ups of Celtics-Magic and Bucks-76ers. This is the best the NBA could hope for from the East. As awesome as it would be to see the Magic make it to the East Finals, it is not happening. While their defense is very, very good, elite even, the Celtics have so many weapons to counter the Magic defense. I actually think this series will be a little less tough than the first round. Give me the Celtics in five. I cannot wait to watch the 76ers-Bucks series if it comes to that. These are two teams going in two seperate directions, and the 76ers are going to run with it. Embiid is going to crush. Lillard will not be able to match Tyrese Maxey. Tobias Harris is going to score at will. Give me the 76ers in seven.

That give us the Celtics and 76ers in the East Finals. I will be rooting for, and I want the 76ers to win. I want Embiid to announce himself big time. But, the Celtics are simply a better team and they will prove it once again. The Celtics are the East champs and they will be in the Finals. They win that series in six games.

Now to the varsity, the Western conference.

The play in in the West features the Pelicans-Lakers in the 7-8 game and the Kings and Warriors in the 9-10. The Lakers will beat the Pelicans. They may need help from the refs, but they will find a way to get that 7 seed. The Kings are just too banged up to compete with the Warriors right now, so give me the Warriors in the 9-10 game. As for the Pelicans and Warriors to get the 8 seed, give me the Pelicans. The Warriors are old, they have been inconsistent and Zion Williamson is going to go the hell off against them. This may be a moment when we see the Warriors as we know them start to make a change.

So that gives us match ups of Thunder-Pelicans, Nuggets-Lakers, Timberwolves-Suns and Mavericks-Clippers in round one. The Thunder are going to run over the Pelicans. They are deeper, younger, more fun and play with an intensity unmatched by other teams. SGA is going to flourish in this series. Give me the Thunder in five games. The Nuggets may very well sweep the Lakers again. Anthony Davis has been amazing this season and he has stayed healthy. He will be a problem for the Nuggets. So will LeBron James, who is as good as ever at 38 years old. But outside those two guys the Lakers are seriously lacking. The Nuggets are not, and they have been pretty damn good since the all star break. I may not like watching them play, I may find them dull and boring, but they are still a very, very good team. Give me Nuggets in five. I am stoked to watch the T'Wolves-Suns series. It is going to be rad. I cannot wait to watch Anthony Edwards in the playoffs as the focal point of a high seed. He is so good, so fun and an absolute joy to watch play. The T'Wolves also have the best defense in all of basketball. Gobert is stifling. Jaden Daniels is long and mean. Edwards steps up on that end. This team goes hard on defense. The Suns do not. But, they have an explosive offense when they are clicking. KD is one of the greatest to ever play. Devin Booker is a mid range killer and Bradley Beal, if healthy, adds three point shooting and solid passing skills. But, I just don't think their defense will be able to keep up with the T'Wolves. And AE is going to explode on the scene these playoffs. Give me the Timberwolves in six games. The 4-5 series is the third time the Mavs and Clippers have faced off. And I know that all the white dudes that work at, or for, ESPN want Luka Doncic to finally beat this team. They want their advanced stats king to prove how great he can be. Kyrie Irving has been everything the Mavs could have asked for when they traded for him. And the trades they made this season have paid off brilliantly. The Clippers have the names. Kawhi and PG13 are awesome. They come up big almost all of the time. Terrance Mann is a great bench scorer. Tyron Lue is an awesome coach. These two teams have the names and the city power behind them. They have the brewing rivalry. They have met in some epic match ups prior to this one. I want the Clippers to win. I adore Kawhi Leonard. But I think this is the Mavs time to finally get past them. I'll take the Mavs in seven.

So our West second round features the Thunder and Mavs and the T'Wolves and Nuggets. Two young teams on one side, two division opponents on the other side. I like it. I want the Thunder to win. I'd much rather watch them go to the West finals. I want to watch players like SGA, Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort play further in the playoffs. But, I don't think it will happen. Doncic is a good scorer and has the refs on his side. Kyrie Irving has played great in the biggest moments. Daniel Gafford has been on a tear. The Mavs are going to win in seven, make a return trip to the West finals and the media is going to be insufferable. The Nuggets will end up beating the T'Wolves, but it will not be pretty or fun for the Nuggets. Their size messes with the Nuggets. The griminess with which they play puts a wrench in what the Nuggets want to do. But, in the end, the Nuggets are better and have the pedigree. The T'Wolves are coming, just not this season.

Now we have my least favorite West finals match up. This is going to be heaven for the white nerds at ESPN. They'll get to talk all series about how great Doncic and Jokic are. They will constantly talk about advanced stats and how great the passing is in the series. I'm going to loathe every single second of this match up. The Nuggets will win in six and return to defend their championship.

That leaves us with the Nuggets and the Celtics in the Finals. This is the best match up the NBA could get. These are the two best teams in the NBA. They have been all season. I'm going to go with the Celtics to break through and win the title. In beating the Heat and the 76ers in the playoffs will give them the edge they need to win it all. It is the Celtics time and they will bring it home this season. They will win it all in seven games.

As for postseason awards, the only one that really matters is Finals MVP. I'll take Jayson Tatum. This is his time to shine and his time to prove his worth. He will do so and bring home the Larry O'Brien and the Finals MVP trophy. Real quick, I want to do my regular season awards. My MVP is SGA. He has been incredible all season and he has earned this award. Defensive player of the year is Victor Webanyama. This will be his first of many. Wemby will also win rookie of the year. Coach of the year for me is Mark Dagnault. To have the Thunder, this young, as the number 1 seed in the West is amazing. Finally, my sixth man of the year is Naz Reid, who filled in quite well while KAT was out.

That does it for my playoff and award predictions for the 2023-24 NBA season and postseason. It all starts tomorrow. I cannot 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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I'm Coming Around on Nikola Jokic

I'm here to eat crow today. I am not a Nikola Jokic fan. I find his brand of basketball slow, plodding and boring. He pokes and prods and moves like he is a lumberjack. I fully believe he only deserved one of his MVP awards. I still fully believe Joel Embiid should be a two time MVP. I like a bunch of other players much more than Nikola Jokic. I find the love from the media, mainly ESPN, to be very racially biased towards Jokic. But dammit, that dude has been an absolute killer during this Nuggets playoff run. Let’s discuss.

I am a Lakers hater. I have never, ever liked them. I do not root for any big market team. But, I found it hard to root for the Nuggets going into this series due to my distaste for Jokic. That feeling went away quickly. Watching Jokic and Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell Pope rip the heart out of the Lakers, it was soon very easy for me to root for Denver in the West Finals. I also found it quite easy to root for Jokic. In fact, when the Suns owner decided to do that unnecessary flop was when I kind of started to flip to Jokic's side.

This dude should not be as good as he is at basketball. He is big, but that is about it. He looks out of shape when you compare him to other guys who play his same position. His jumper is wonky. He is a solid passer, but not at Draymond Green's level for a front court guy. He doesn't look the part, but he has found a way to make it work. He makes the right passes. He shoots when he needs to. He doesn't give up stupid fouls anymore. He doesn't gripe as much as other guys, Luka Doncic I'm talking about you here. He just plays the game and everyone around him seems to love playing basketball with him. Jamal Murray is as good a shooter as there is in the league, and he is usually pretty wide open due to defenses sucking in on Jokic. He is also the perfect pick and roll guy with Jokic. Aaron Gordon fits like a glove with this squad and he brings that defensive intensity they were missing. KCP is a proven vet and winner. He is a knock down shooter and he plays very good defense. Bruce Brown has proven to be an exceptional low salary signing. Michael Porter Jr is actually playing defense and hustling even with his shot not falling. But all of this doesn't work if these guys do not like playing with the face of the team, Nikola Jokic. They all want to win, they have all bought in, Michael Malone has done a phenomenal job getting everyone, including his star player. to totally buy into their respective roles.

I am endlessly fascinated at how quickly I have turned out to not hate this team, and Jokic, as much as I did only one short year ago. He made some amazing shots last night to close out that series. He was the best player on the floor for all four games. This is a floor that included guys like Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray and LeBron James. James had an incredible game last night, but Jokic was better overall. Murray had a great game two, but Jokic did it all series and all playoffs for that matter. AD had 40 in game one, Jokic nearly matched him, and the Nuggets got the win. Aaron Gordon is allowed to rove on offense and throw down oops. Jokic threw a pass last night that looked like it was to no one, and here comes Gordon to throw it down. Even the Lakers looked shocked. But Jokic and Gordon knew what they were doing. It was pretty astounding.

I will most likely be rooting for the Heat in the Finals, if they eventually close out the Celtics. But if the Celtics make some wild comeback and win the East Finals, it won't be so hard for me to root for Jokic and the Nuggets yet again. It shouldn't work. Jokic should not be this dominant. But here we are. And the Nuggets are a fun team to watch. I will not wear their gear or even root for them next season. But I found it easy in the West Finals, and if the Celtics somehow do the impossible, it would be even easier for me to root for this Nuggets team. I'm sorry for bashing this team and this player so much. I was wrong. 

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.

The Grizzlies Do Not Need Dillon Brooks

The Grizzlies supposedly told Dillon Brooks that he will not be back next season "under any circumstance". Who knows how true that statement is, but it is coming from Shams Charnia, who is a very reliable source, so I tend to believe it.

I am all on board with this move. He may have thought his talking during the first round of the playoffs was motivating the team, but it had the opposite effect. His talk crept into an already crumbling locker room and made all the other problems this team, my favorite team in the NBA, had going on all season. Adding Brooks' talking with Ja Morant's whole situation, injuries to Brandon Clarke and Steven Adams and a team that was fading at the end of the year spelled trouble for the team. But Brooks was doing this all season. He was constantly talking. He never stopped. He claimed to "poke bears" all year long and look where it got the Grizzlies. They were dispatched, fairly easily I might add, by the 7 seeded Lakers. The Lakers are a good team, but the Grizz were the 2 seed and they couldn't even get to a game seven at home. That is the most frustrating part.

I appreciate Ja coming out at the end of the season and talking about his personal problems affecting the team. That takes maturity and shows that he, hopefully, is getting some help. Clarke and Adams have to take time to recover. Adams should be back soon, but Clarke's injury is going to take some time. He tore an ACL. He is going to need a lot of rehab for that injury. That could bleed into next season. But Brooks never showed growth or maturity. The Grizzlies would win a game and he talked and talked and talked. But then they'd get beat and he wouldn't even speak to the media. I heard a podcast where someone explained how Brooks was trying out a new character for his future in the NBA and it never worked. This person said he was trying to be like Draymond Green, but without any of the accolades. I think that is a very apt comparison, except Green is a much, much better player than Brooks could ever dream to be.

When the news was released that the Grizz were moving on yesterday I felt a sense of relief. It made me feel even better after another story came out saying that the Grizz tried to re-sign him during the season, but he wouldn't sign. That means he thought he could hold out for more, to get a better deal. But now everyone has gotten to see that he is all bark and no bite. He added some solid defense to the team, but what else did he really do? He is a poor shooter. He was being left wide open constantly and he couldn't hit the ocean. He never seemed to find the open guy while running the floor or in their half court offense. Sure he would pass, but it wouldn't lead to much until other players touched the ball. There was no rebounding or anything else of substance. And while the defense was okay, he could not guard the star players. LeBron abused him whenever he wanted. He cannot stay in front of guys like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown or Steph Curry. He was no match. It was almost like star players would hunt for him on offense just to beat him.

Now that the Grizz are moving on there is a sense of relief for me as a fan, and I bet the team feels it as well. They can move on. Sure they won't get anything for him, but this could be addition by subtraction. They can replace him with a younger guy in the lineup. A player like David Roddy could fill that role. I'd love to see Kenny Lofton Jr because I am a big fan of his. They could go small and play three guards with Jaren Jackson Jr and Steven Adams when he comes back. They could possibly go out and find some solid veteran help. They have a good enough team to continue to win without Brooks. They may be able to find a player that fits their timeline a little better.

I don't know where Brooks will end up, but I know that he will not be on my favorite team anymore and that makes me feel better. I am happy they are cutting the cord and moving on. The time has come. This is a good move by the Grizzlies. Now let's just hope the Grizz continue to win. Time will tell.

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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Jimmy Butler is a Playoff God

As all the NBA fans who read my blog have seen, I picked the Bucks to win the title this season. I thought they were the best team. They have the best player in the league. They had all their guys back pretty much fully healthy. They were the overall number 1 seed. They had home court throughout the playoffs. They were getting a seemingly disinterested Heat team. It all seemed in their favor. They even have the experience.

It didn't work out for Milwaukee. Giannis got hurt in game 1, missed two games and was not the same when he came back. Khris Middleton didn't look like himself. Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez looked tired. The bench didn't help at all. And the Heat saw this and took advantage. They jumped all over the Bucks. They played swarming defense. They made shots. Guy who barely played all year came in and did their job. This "bad news bears" esque squad came out, did what they do best and destroyed the Bucks. It only took them five games. They jumped out and got a stranglehold as soon as they could. It was jarring, but also kind of fun to watch.

Sure, I like the Bucks, Giannis is one of my favorite players, but this Heat team is fun when they are on. Kyle Lowry looked great in this series. He looked like the old Lowry. Kevin Love was tremendous off the bench. He looks like the missing ingredient. Duncan Robinson was one of the guys who barely saw the floor during the regular season, but due to injury, he was thrust in and did his job very well. Gabe Vincent was awesome. Max Struss looked good again. Erik Spoelstra was using every trick he had. And it all worked.

Yet the real killer in this series, the guy who always shows up when the lights are brightest, one of the most underrated players of all time, was Jimmy Butler. His series was amazing. This is some of the best basketball I have ever had the pleasure to watch. Butler was incredible and he did it all for the Heat. In the last two games he had 56 points and 46 points. He had decent assist numbers. He was rebounding the ball at a very high level. He was getting to the free throw line a bunch. He was making threes. He was guarding every star the Bucks have. Hell, he was insisting on it. He was making some of the wildest shots I've ever seen. This was a masterful performance by a guy that never gets mentioned when people talk about the best players in the league at this time. No one ever brings up Jimmy Butler. He is a better player right now than guys like Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray, Ja Morant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown and James Harden. He is also a far, far superior playoff player still playing not named LeBron James. Butler is the heart and soul of this team. And when he is on, they are one of the best teams in the league. To watch what I just watched from him, I'm in awe. He was not going to let this team get beat. As soon as the Heat got a series lead, he smelled blood. And that is when Butler is at his best. I go back to his 56 point game as a point of reference. The Bucks seemed to be in control that whole game. I turned it back on near the end and the Bucks were up 10. They answered every shot. They never let it get too close, until Jimmy Butler decided it was time to take over. He made two big threes. He was getting to his spots. He hit every free throw he shot in the fourth quarter. He made plays in defense. And the Heat kept chipping away until they took the lead and eventually won. That would have been enough to cement him as an all time playoff great. But then he came out in game five, a closeout situation for them, and scored 46, looking every bit as good as he did in the previous game. Again, I was in awe. I couldn't believe my eyes. Jimmy Butler is amazing. He needs more shine.

Butler may rub some people the wrong way, but that dude shows up best when it matters most. Look at all the teams that let him go because they didn't like his "attitude". They are not as good as they were with him. Even the 76ers. Butler needs his shine and I will gladly drive this bandwagon. I may not be a fan of the Heat, but I am a superfan of Jimmy Butler. What a performance. 

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 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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The Grizzlies Have a Dillon Brooks Problem

I am a Grizzlies fan. I adore that team. They have had their issues this year, and I have touched on them as have many other reputable websites and publications. They still fought their way to the 2 seed and beat the Lakers last night to even their round one series. They looked good without Ja, but make no mistake, they need need need Ja to win this series. But, Dillon Brooks needs to knock it the hell off. Let’s discuss.

If Brooks were on any other team I would loathe him. He talks nonstop. He is a good defender, but the way he talks you'd think he was the perennial DPOY. He is not. His teammate is the DPOY in fact. And the talking, outside of his defense, is not warranted. He is not a good offensive player. He cannot shoot the three with any consistency. He is a subpar passer. He takes worse half court shots than Russell Westbrook. When he rises up to shoot a three I find myself saying "bad shot" more often than not. I get why he starts, it makes sense within the construct of this roster. But the shit talking has got to slow down a bit.

I fully understand basketball is a game of talking. I have played it my whole life and I have shit talked a ton. That is part of the game. But this stuff with Brooks is becoming too much. He thinks he is Draymond Green, more on him tomorrow. But he is not. Draymond is a former DPOY. He is considered one of the greatest defensive players of all time. He has been an extremely integral part of a dynasty in Golden State. Draymond has earned the right to talk. Dillon Brooks has not. And watching him talk to LeBron during the game last night, and the interview afterward, it made me frustrated. LeBron doesn't need motivation. The dude has lived his whole career off of negative talk and motivation. LeBron has earned all he has gotten in the league. Say what you will about him joining a "super team", LeBron is the second greatest player of all time. So for Brooks to stare him down after a jump shot in the third quarter, stop. To clap in his face after LeBron called him a bum, that needs to stop. To constantly chirp at him during the game, that needs to stop. For him to say he likes "poking bears", and to say "he hasn't dropped 40 on me", just stop.

This is the stuff that drives me nuts. I like confidence, but this is cockiness from a guy that is not even close to deserving it at all. Brooks has not earned this place. He is trying to be villainous. My 11 year old son called him a "try hard" last night. I guess that means he is a poser. And I agree with him one hundred percent. LeBron is about to drop 40 on his ass. I wouldn't be shocked if he did it in game 3. LeBron is going to come into that game possesed. And the whole "poking bears" thing, that worries me the most. LeBron will use it. Anthony Davis will use it. D'Angelo Russell will use it. Austin Reaves will use it. Dennis Schroeder will use it. The whole team will use that quote as bulletin board material. And Brooks just won't shut the hell up. Desmond Bane talked some about Rui Hachumura after game one. Hachumura came out and did it again and Bane was quiet. Ja and JJJ and Steven Adams and the rest of the Grizzlies are being quiet, but Brooks is still running his trap.

I have no problem with him being on the team the rest of this year, but it is time to move on. I didn't want the team to trade him at the start of this season, but I'm all for it now. He is the type of trash talker that needs others to back him up. I don't want that type of player on my favorite team. Hopefully he proves me wrong and his talking works in this series. But I do not see that happening. He has poked the wrong bear. LeBron thrives in moments like this. I just hope Brooks trash talking doesn't ruin the Grizzlies postseason. My fingers are crossed. 

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 Predicts the 2023 NBA Playoffs

I fully understand the NBA playoffs started this past weekend, but today I have my preview and predictions. The first game of the series does play the ground work, but these series are all just getting started. Seven games is a lot, and a ton can still happen. Some things went as expected and others did not. But the first round of the playoffs is always fun and I enjoyed watching games all weekend. With all that, let's get to the predictions.

I will start with the East.

The 1-8 has Milwaukee facing Miami. This series will be tougher than it looks on paper, especially now with Giannis having a bruise. His x rays were clear, but a bone bruise is still very painful. And Khris Middleton is still recovering from injury. But Tyler Herro got hurt yesterday. He is out for the full first round. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are more than capable of making this a tough series. But in the end I see the Bucks winning in six games. Giannis will play and he will dominate. The Bucks are too good.

The 2-7 matchup features Boston and Atlanta. I was kind of stunned when the Hawks beat the Heat in the play-in, but their reward is the Celtics. If game 1 is any indication, the Hawks will be on vacation pretty soon. Boston is too good, too long, too athletic and can shoot the rock. The Hawks have Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, but they haven't clicked all season. The Celtics are going to walk. I'll give the Hawks one game, at home. Celtics will win in five.

The 3-6 matchup is Philly and Brooklyn. Brooklyn made it by having a big cushion before they traded everyone. Mikail Bridges has been great. Cam Johnson is solid. But the Nets do not have a single person that can guard Joel Embiid. The 76ers have him, James Harden and Tobias Harris. They are also playing with a chip on their shoulders. They have a ton to prove. The 76ers need to show that they are for real. I think they will win the series in a sweep.

The 4-5 matchup pits the Knicks and Cavs. This is the best first round series. These two teams are a perfect match. Game 1 was awesome. I have a feeling the full series will be this way. I love that these 2 teams are relevant with their current rosters. This series is going the full seven games and I'm going with the Cavs. I cannot wait to watch more of this series.

This means I have the Bucks facing the Cavs and the Celtics facing the 76ers in the semis. The Bucks should be full by this time. They should have everyone they need. The Cavs will too, but they will most likely be worn down. I think they can get a game, hell, probably two. But the Bucks are too good and have been all year long. I got the Bucks in six.

The 76ers-Celtics series is going to be masterful. I cannot wait to watch. This is going to be epic. Both teams have a ton to prove. As much as I'd like to pick the 76ers, and I will be rooting for them, the Celtics are too damn good. And deep. And they are hitting shots. I have the Celtics in seven games.

That leaves me with the Celtics and Bucks in the East Finals. The 1 and 2 seeds. The two best teams in the NBA all season long. I like that they will match up to go to the Finals. I have the Bucks winning in seven. They have beaten the Celtics most when it mattered this season, and they have a ton to prove from last season. The Bucks will represent the East in the NBA Finals.

Now to the West.

The 1-8 features Denver and Minnesota. Denver kind of slumped to the end the year. Jokic is not the MVP. Jamal Murray is still kind of hurt and has never looked like himself all year. Michael Porter Jr is not the super duper star they thought. But the Wolves are even worse off. They have never gotten it together. They are hurt. They are missing Jaden McDaniels. Rudy Gobert is punching teammates. They are a total mess. The Nuggets are going to cruise. They will sweep the Wolves.

The 2-7 has my Memphis Grizz facing the Lakers. This is going to be a tough, fun series. Both teams match up pretty well. They each do things that will frustrate each other. This will be fun. Game 1 was good, until the very end, and I think that will be the case throughout. Although the Lakers are playing really well right now, I have the Grizzlies winning in seven. Sure, Ja may be hurt right now, but the Grizz have won a lot without him. The Lakers need LeBron James and AD fully healthy to make a real run. I wouldn't bet on that.

The 3-6 has Sacramento facing Golden State. The Warriors have been weird all year. They can't win on the road and can't be beat at home. There has been infighting and injuries. They have a full team. The Kings have been very good and solid all year. They may be the most solid team in the West. But they haven't been here in forever and the Warriors are the defending champs. This is going to be a fun series, but the Warriors will find a way to win one road game and win the series in seven.

The 4-5 is the best in the West. The Suns and Clippers are, on paper, the best teams in the conference. Game 1 was awesome too. It felt like a battle of the best. Kawhi and KD were trading buckets. Devin Booker and Russell Westbrook were going at one another. It was great. I think this will go seven games as well, and even though I picked the Clippers at the start of the season, I'm going with the Suns here. KD is whole and he is too damn good to not get his team out of round one.

That means the West Semis will feature Denver playing Phoenix and Memphis facing Golden State. These are great matchups. Much like the East, the four best teams in the West will be here. The Nuggets will not be able to guard the Suns. The Suns destroyed them last season with a myriad of mid range jumpers and Deander Ayton is more than capable of guarding Jokic. I have the Suns in five.

Memphis is going to finally beat the Warriors. They will finally do it. This series is going to feature a ton of trash talk and a ton of scoring. In the end, the Grizz have home court advantage and they will use that to win game seven in Memphis.

This leaves me with Memphis and Phoenix in the West Finals. The Grizz luck will run out here. As thrilling as it would be to see them get to the Finals, the Suns are too good and the Grizz will not be able to guard everyone. The Suns pulled the trigger on that KD trade at the deadline and that will propel them to the Finals.

So we have a rematch of the 2021 Finals, with the Bucks facing the Suns. And I see it playing out the same way. Giannis is going to eat. He will dominate this series. Jrue Holiday will not have to guard Chris Paul, so he will be able to focus on Devin Booker. The Bucks will throw a ton of dudes at KD. The Bucks are a better team than Phoenix and they will win the title in six games.

As for the MVP, who else would it be besides Giannis. He is the best player in the world and he will prove that tenfold.

There it is my 2023 NBA playoffs preview and prediction. Now enjoy the rest of the playoffs. 

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.