Game 5 - Butler Continues to Write His Legacy

 Miami ran out to their customary early lead, but the Lakers darted back by the end of the first quarter. The Lakers raced by, but Miami  has shown that, for the part, they don't cave in the same way as many teams do these days. Miami went into the half with a tenuous four point lead. They had played better than the slim margin suggested.

It seemed as if the Lakers would gallop off with the championship in the third quarter, but the Heat actually ended the quarter extending their lead. Rookie Duncan Robinson had the game of his young career with 26 points on 7 for 13 shooting from beyond the arc. Another rookie, Kendrick Nunn, bounced back with a strong 14 point game.

Still, the Lakers were hungry to finish the season in Game 5 and the two teams battled down the stretch with the game in the balance. Jimmy Butler hit two clutch free throws to put the Heat up one. But L.A. scored to lead 108-107. Butler drove to the basket and was fouled. He made two more free throws.

The game became a duel between LeBron James and Butler. LeBron scored 40 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished 7 assists and grabbed three steals. He had the ball in his hands and drove. He threw a pass just off the mark to Danny Green, who fumbled it, collected it, and fired. The errant pass took him out of his rhythm and the shot missed. But Markieff Morris grabbed the rebound. He is not a great passer and attempted a post pass to Anthony Davis (who had 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks) but the pass sailed far away from the Unibrow.

Tyler Herro knocked down two clutch free throws and the Lakers weren't able to get a clear shot at the buzzer. Miami won 11-108 to trim L.A.'s series lead to 3-2.

Butler was the hero. Not only did he carry the team to victory down the stretch, but he dragged them all game long. He scored 35 points on 11-19 shooting. He made all 12 of his free throws. He added 12 boards, 11 dimes, and 5 thefts. Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Jae Crowder all added double figures, but none had a good game. Herro contributed those free throws at the end. Adebayo played solid defense on James int he fourth. Crowder didn't help much. Miami had been a team this season, but int he Finals, they have needed Butler to be legendary even to win close games.

The Lakers are likely going to get big games from LeBron and Davis. They need some of their other players to shoot well, which they failed to do in Game 5. It might make sense for L.A. to play LeBron on Butler more. LeBron is not the defensive player he used to be, but he can show flashes of his former defensive prowess. LeBron doesn't need to lead the team in scoring for the Lakers to win. The offense can go through Davis and filter out to open shooters. That way LeBron can focus defensively on Butler. Miami can't beat the Lakers if Butler doesn't play at an elite level unless they get 4 or 5 other players who have career games. The Lakers have a more versatile attack.

Game 4 - A King, a Pope, and a Unibrow

 Bame Adebayo was back for the Miami Heat, buoying their hopes for a series victory. Game 4 would be essential towards that aim.

Throughout the playoffs, Miami has customarily gotten up to quick starts. Sometimes that means racing out to a big lead and sometimes, as in Game 4, it means hanging with a hot-shooting opponent.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope opened the game smoking from distance. He also scored two key buckets late to finish with 15 points on 6 for 12 shooting. Pope is somewhat of a bellwether. He hasn't shot well in this series and the Lakers can win without him. But when he's making his shots consistently, the Lakers are very tough to beat.

LeBron James was two assists from a triple double. He committed 6 turnovers but scored 28 points on efficient shooting. He got to the line 12 times. Anthony Davis added 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, and Markieff Morris all shot 50% from the field.

Despite the efficient shooting of L.A.'s stars, it was a close game throughout. Yet, the result somehow seemed like an inevitable cloud hovering over Orlando. There were nine lead changes and the Lakers never held a double figures lead, and Adebayo played well in his return with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Yet it never really seemed that Miami would finish on top.

Jimmy Butler was merely human- a superstar basketball playing human- but still just human. He scored 22 points and was one assist away from a triple double. He added three steals and cemented his status as a top ten player, but he needs to be the best player or his teammates need to play outside themselves.

Rookies Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson scored a lot with 21 and 17 points respectively. Herro's shooting wasn't as bad as its been, but still not as strong as it needs to be. Another rookie Kendrick Nunn was horrible shooting 2 for 11 from the floor. Kelly Olynyk, who had been playing very well, was nonexistent. Andre Iguodala  didn't influence the game as the Head needed.

The Lakers won 102-96 in a game that never seemed as close as the score was throughout. The Lakers take a commanding 3-1 lead.

Game 3 - Miami Outhustles L.A.

 The Heat showed early they weren't going to roll over. They jumped on the Lakers early. Everyone knew the Lakers would come back. And they did.

Miami held a precarious three point lead heading into the first. But the Heat wouldn't give in. The expended the lead once again. But the Lakers came back. The lead was just four heading into the half.

Miami needed two changes from Game 2 to have a shot to win in Game 3. With Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic out again, the Heat needed the Lakers to be a bit disinterested. And they needed Jimmy Butler to carry them even more than in Game 2. Both happened.

Miami raced out to start the third quarter. The took a 14 point lead. It still seemed obvious that the Lakers would wake up and come back. They did. Miami took a five point lead into the fourth. L.A. tied the game in the fourth.

But Miami kept answering the Lakers' runs. Butler ended with 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. He shot 70% from the field and 12 for 14 from the line. Notably, he didn't shoot a three.

Kelly Olynyk added 17 points and 7 rebounds. No one else played particularly well. Tyler Herro scored 17,  Duncan Robinson had 13, and Jae Crowder added 12, but none of them shot well at all. Andre Iguodala had a rare poor game.

But the Lakers were unfocused. The turned the ball over too much. Anthony Davis was saddled with foul trouble. LeBron scored 25 points and was two assists from a triple double, but he was two turnovers from double figures as well. Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris each had 19 points. But Davis only scored 15 and only grabbed 5 rebounds. He committed 5 turnovers. No other Lakers could carry the load.

Miami pulled out late and won 115-104 to tighten the series.

Game 2 - Lakers Coast

 Defeating the Los Angeles Lakers isn't an easy proposition under perfect circumstances. The Miami Heat entered Game 2 minus two key players, Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo.

The game wen t back-and-forth at the outset, proving the Heat would not give in, But the Lakers took a first quarter lead and led the rest of the way. Jimmy Butler's effort was valiant. He scored 25 points, dished 13 assists, and grabbed 8 rebounds.

Butler had some help. Tyler Herro replaced Dragic and scored 17. Meyers Leonard replaced Adebayo and 7 in 9 minutes. Kelly Olynyk poured in 24 and added 9 rebounds. Kendrick Nunn had 13 and Jae Crowder scored 12. The Heat played well; they just didn't have enough talent for it to matter.

The Lakers went into halftime with a comfortable 14 point lead. In the NBA, a 14-point lead can evaporate in a blink, but the Lakers' lead seemed secure. That lead ballooned to 18 before Miami cut it to single digits in the fourth, briefly threatening.

L.A. was simply too talented. Anthony Davis scored 32 points on 15 for 20 shooting and pulled down 14 rebounds. LeBron James scored a game-high 33 points while missing a triple double by one rebound and an assist. Rajon Rondo added 16 points and 10 assists. Kyle Kuzma added 11 points. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a second straight game scoring in double figures on poor shooting.

The Lakers won 124-114 to take a commanding 2-0 lead. Miami played as well as they could and wasn't really a serious challenger. The only thing that can stop the Lakers in this series is boredom.

Game 1- Lakers Scorch Heat

 The Los Angeles Lakers strolled into the 2020 Finals as the heavy favorite. It's LeBron James's ninth Finals in the last ten years for three different teams. It's Anthony Davis's first Finals, but he has been a top ten player for the last few years. Perennial playoff star Rajon Rondo and former three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard aren't in their prime, but they are key players for the California powerhouse. Danny Green is a champion and Kyle Kuzma is a rising star.

The Lakers finished first in the West before dropping the first game of the playoffs to the eighth seed, Portland. L.A. then won four straight and followed the same pattern against the Houston Rockets in the West semis. They then went up three games to one against the Denver Nuggets, a dangerous place to be. For the first time in NBA history, the Nuggets had come back down 3-1 in two series in the same playoffs. The Lakers won Game Five thanks to a stellar fourth quarter by LeBron.

The Miami Heat finished the regular season fifth in the weaker East. The seemed to come together in the bubble and swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round. Their records were similar, there was no homecourt advantage due to the pandemic, and the Pacers had key players missing. Miami's most impressive series was against the far-and-away best team in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat jumped out to a surprising three-zero lead and closed out the Bucks, who lost two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for the last two, in five. In took six games to beat Boston, but the Heat held 2-0 and 3-1 leads in the series.

Though Jimmy Butler has been a top fifteen player for most of the last seven years, Miami has played team ball, particularly defensively. Goran Dragic spent much of the season coming off the bench, but the veteran earned a starting job in the playoffs and impressed. Bam Adebayo made his first All Star team and continued to prove that he's a future superstar. Rookies Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, and Tyler Herro contributed at different points of the season with Nunn falling out of favor in the bubble and Hero coming on.

Miami jumped out to a 13 point lead in the first, 23-10. The Lakers chopped away at the lead before racing by the Heat. The Lakers were up 11 at the half and 20 after three quarters. the Lakers pushed the lead to 32 before the Heat came back to tighter the score a bit. The Lakers took Game 1 116-98.

Butler scored 22 for Miami. Nunn had his best game in the bubble with 18 points late. Andre Iguodala, making his sixth straight NBA Finals, had a decent all around game with 7 points, and team-leading marks in assists (6), and rebounds (5). But Herro struggled with 14 points on 18 shots. Dragic and Adebayo both bowed out with injuries.

LeBron was an assists away from a triple double. Davis poured in 34 points and added 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. Danny Green also played well. Alex Caruso scored 10 efficiently off the bench. Even J.R. Smith, Jared Dudley, and Quinn Cook got into the game, a rarity for each.

2020 NBA Playoff Predictions

 East
1st Round
1 Mil over 8 Orl 4-0
2 Tor over 7 Brk 4-1
3 Bos over 6 Phi 4-2
5 Mia over 4 Ind 4-2

East Semis
Mil over Mia 4-1
Bos over Tor 4-3

East Finals
Mil over Bos 4-2

West
1st Round
1 LAL over 8 Por 4-2
2 LAC over 7 Dal 4-2
3 Den over 6 Uta 4-3
4 Hou over 5 OKC 4-3

West Semis
LAL over Hou 4-3
LAC over Den 4-1

West Finals
LAC over LAL 4-2

NBA Finals
Mil over LAC 4-2

Dinesh D'Sousa's Problematic Pronunciation

 Donald Trump said, "Shifting production to Thighland and to Vietnam" during a recent speech. He was reading off a teleprompter and quickly realized he had made a mistake. "Thailand and Vietnam," he corrected. The faintest hint of sheepishness. While we would expect to be familiar enough with Thailand that he would pronounce it correctly upon reading it, the reaction was one of the most human moments Trump has shown his entire presidency. He made a mistake and instead of stupidly doubling down for no apparent reason beyond his own ego as he has done so often, he simply corrected the error and moved on. It was actually nice to see.

Enter Dinesh D'Sousa. D'Sousa was trying to pay Trump back for pardoning him. He was trying to be a good soldier. Instead, he prolonged shelf-life of  the gaffe and exposed himself as a moron.

D'Sousa tweeted, "This is actually the correct pronunciation. Most Americans say it wrong. Thailand is pronounced phonetically. It’s 'Thighland,” not “Tai-land.'" He doubled down, tripled down, and just wouldn't give it up. Along the way people told him he was wrong. The Thai people don't pronounce it "thigh." He said, we're speaking English. People said they've never heard an English-speaker call it "Thighland." He said, what about Britain and Australia. People said, we're from there and nope; it's Thailand. He said, well, in India I learned it as Thighland." People from India said, nope, we don't say it that way either. Then multiple clips of D'Sousa pronouncing the country Thailand came out.

D'Sousa is wrong and short-sided for continuously arguing the wrong point. It definitely doesn't help Trump. But I have additional problems with his tweet.

1) Trump immediately corrected himself. D'Sousa is implicitly arguing that Trump is smarter than everyone by pronouncing the country as "Thighland." But who says something correct and then immediately says it the wrong way? Trump looks much better making an innocent mistake and then correcting himself, instead of saying something correct and then saying it incorrect. People only say the right answer and then correct it with the wrong answer if they're really stupid. So in D'Sousa's scenario, he's calling Trump even stupider than we thought. With friends like that...

2) D'Sousa doesn't know what the word "phonetically" means.  Nobody is pronouncing Thailand, Tai-land, or Thighland phonetically in this or any situation. Pronounced phonetically, the "ai" doesn't make a long I sound. If you read it phonetically, it's not Tie or Thigh. It's Tuh-huh-aa-ih-land. Pronouncing "Thighland" phonetically gets you something like Thig-h-land. Trump was actually sight-word reading, guessing the word based on a combination of the beginning letter and context.

Trump is probably asking an aid, "Can we unpardon? It that a thing? Look into unpardoning."

The NBA's Restart Plan in Unfair

The NBA's plan is better than the MLB's, I'll start there. A bubble is the way to go. I mentioned in my post about the MLB that boxing and MLS have shown a bubble is not covid-proof. Between 20-25% of boxing matches in Top Rank's Las Vegas bubble were canceled because someone tested positive for coronavirus. Boxers were only allowed to take one or two people with them to the bubble. Two MLS teams had to abort their attempts to play in the restart because of the disease.

If LeBron or Giannis get coronavirus, the season will essentially be worthless. I believe the NBA should have simply played the Finals and moved on to the next season. The Bucks and Lakers were clearly the best team in each conference over 65 games. A Finals between the two would have had more legitimacy than a season in which the team with that is least affected by covid will win. And now next season and probably the following season will be impacted.

I can't believe the NBA is trying to play the entire playoffs. Over the past 20 years the first round has a couple of good matchups in the West each year, but most of the first round is predictable, and drags on, and the only real excitement comes from the home fans, which will be absent from the bubble. Now, most of the first round won't be worth watching. even for a die-hard like me. And I watch almost every playoff game each year.

I really can't believe the NBA is trying to play 8 extra regular season games. It seems like a huge risk for very little reward. One theory postulates the 8 extra regular season games each of the 22 teams have to play is an attempt to get Zion in the playoffs. If that's true, that's incredibly short-sided. After four months off trying to throw a rookie into the most intense basketball he's even played less than a year from a major injury sounds like a recipe for disaster. It is extremely unfair that any team within four games of 8th place would have any chance to make the playoffs. It's as if wins and losses don't matter any more.

All the extra games are extremely unfair to the Lakers and Bucks. The 8 regular season games and 4-game rule is extremely unfair the 8th seed teams. And why are the Wizards in the bubble? Get them out of there.

MLB's Covid Plan is Stupid

The MLB is set to embark on a 60-game journey through the coronavirus-infested United States. Unlike pretty much every other American sport, MLB is eschewing the bubble concept, instead demanding its team to travel the country.

As a boxing fan, I closely watched Top Rank's Las Vegas experiment. Top Rank attempted two cards a weeks, about six fights each card. The boxers were only allowed to bring a couple of people into the bubble. About 20% of fights were canceled because of positive covid-19 tests. In boxing, a canceled match can be disappointing, but the show can still go on. In team sports, it will be difficult to imagine how the leagues will deal with canceled games. The MLS had a very modest plan and multiple teams had to go home because of positive tests.

Hopefully, I'm wrong and it's a fun sprint, but one of the best case scenarios is the MLB finishes the season and the playoffs, but the champion is just basically the team that had fewer impact players testing positive for covid-19. Also,m why would they institute the DH for every game? It seems like they're moving in the wrong direction. Wouldn't you want fewer players active in each game and each game to be as quick as possible? If anything, baseball should move toward extinguishing the DH, a ridiculous gimmick from the 1970s that saps the game of its strategy for pure meathead offense. The DH is also illogical. It's like have a designated free throw shooter in basketball or a designated punch absorber in boxing.

It's quite possible that baseball games will be canceled outright and teams, if not the entire season, will have to shutdown prematurely. Hopefully, before someone gets terribly sick. I love watching sports, but not at the expense of people dying. I hope the players and staff stay safe.

Blake Ness, Railroaded Genius

Dartmouth grad Blake Ness, who worked for the Daily Caller before he became the head writer for Tucker Carlson's show, resigned this week. It was discovered that he had been posting supposedly bigoted remarks under the pseudonym CharlesXII in an online forum.

People who are quick to judge don't understand Blake Ness. Blake was idolized in this online forum. He felt not only a part of the group but was accepted as the titan he always perceived himself to be. After one leaves college and fails to go to graduate school, life is lonely. In Washington D.C. there isn't a lot of chance to fraternize with conservative thinkers and even if that's not true, they certainly wouldn't have accepted Blake Ness. No, the semi-anonymous online world was the only place Blake could "belong."

Blake Ness is 30 years old. His hairline is running away from his doughy face faster than advertisers flee Tucker Carlson's show after he reads on air something racist Blake has written. Blake has man boobs. He's noticeably short. None of these are necessarily negative attributes, but in Blake's mind they are.

Blake doesn't date much, but when he does, he jokes about the fiery deaths of a couple million people. When the date fails, he doesn't blame his insecurity and desperation. He blames his rodent-like face which is exposed by his retreating pili. He faults the subtle jiggle of his fleshy chest as he walks. If only he realized he needed to put himself out there more and tamp down his self-absorption and radiating self-pity, he could find love. If he devoted his time to listening to others- whether they are of a different race, gender or sexual orientation- he could make his mark on this world in a positive way.

Instead, we all know how this will end. He won't find love. His career as a rising conservative player has been dashed. It's over. He'll eventually move back to South Dakota. As the years pass, he'll become increasingly radicalized and lose touch with reality. An incoherent manifesto, not unlike a script for Tucker Carlson's show, will be found. Lives will be lost. Blake Ness will be in the news once again. A tragedy he alone could have averted.