Weekly NBA Wrap: 17 September 2020

As we move towards the pointy end of the season, only four teams remain in the championship hunt. The playoffs have thrown us a few upsets so far, none bigger than the Denver Nuggets coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers. The Denver triumph has been making waves in the NBA world and it is only fitting we kick off this week's wrap with it.

Here’s your Weekly NBA Wrap.

Denver Breaking Records

Led by Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets became the first team in NBA history to come back from two 3-1 playoff deficits. 

The Nuggets overcame the odds in the series, having to come back multiple times from huge halftime deficits against the Clippers. Murray scored 40 points in game 7, as the Nuggets won 104-89 to complete their upset.

“We just believe in each other" said 23-year-old Murray after the game.

Belief is a powerful thing! Let’s see if they can take that belief into the series against the Lakers!

The Internet Can Be Cruel

Twitter can be ruthless, especially if you lose when you are the outright favourite to win. After their capitulation against Denver, the Clippers have felt the heat online and become the laughing stock of the NBA twitter-verse. Here are some of my favourites:

It also looks like Portland players haven’t forgotten about the beef they have with the Clippers. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were quick to join in on the Clipper bashing and reminded Pat Beverley about his tweet encouraging Lillard to plan his postseason holidays.

Did They Get It Right?

The All-NBA teams have been finalised and as always there were some snubs. The first team went according to plan, with the team consisting of Lebron, Giannis, Harden, Davis and Luka. Not a bad starting lineup! 

The third All-NBA team had some questionable exclusions, most notably Bradley Beal, Khris Middleton and Joel Embiid. According to ESPN, Beal is the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 points and 6 assists and not make an All-NBA Team. How did Beal take the news of his snub? He summed his feelings up with this gif:

Perkins And His Boat

For anyone out there wondering - yes, Kendrick Perkins used to own a boat. Perkins makes wiser decisions in his life now. 

The NBA center turned NBA analyst was on NBA Sports Boston and was asked if he got a vote in the All-NBA Defensive team. He responded by talking about his boat that he sold off recently. We get it, vote and boat sound similar, but the conversation had nothing to do with boats! Maybe he just needed to get the boat talk off his chest.


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Houston, We Have a Problem

The LA Lakers eliminated the Houston Rockets (4-1) to reach the Western Conference finals. The last game in the series got a bit chippy with a fan (family member) getting thrown out for trash talking Russell Westbrook. Surprisingly, the heckler turned out to be Rajon Rondo’s brother. Trash talk must run in the family!

Coach Mike D’Antoni has since not extended his contract with the Rockets, as he searches for head coaching jobs elsewhere in the league. Do the Rockets start a rebuild? Are they close to actually winning a championship? James Harden seems to think they are only one piece away.

Seems like the Rockets are more than just one piece a away from contending.

Bam!

The Eastern Conference matchup looks to have the makings of an epic series and the first game did not disappoint. Going into overtime, the teams weren’t able to be separated and Bam Adebeyo turned out to the the difference - blocking a Jason Tatum dunk with only seconds remaining in the game.

Magic Johnson  said it was the best defensive play he has ever seen in the playoffs.

Let’s end the week by admiring this block by Bam, in slo-mo…,.

Posted 
September 17, 2020
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