[Bytor Peltor]

Game 1

 

Tonight was about dribble penetration and the Lakers couldn’t stop the Rockets!

Socks & flip flops 36
Eric Gordon 23
Russell Westbrook 24

......these three Rockets combine for 83 points, the Lakers only scored 97

Rockets play “small ball,” yet they end the game tied with the Lamers with 41 rebounds! “Small ball” outscored the Lakers 42-40 in the paint.

Socks & flip flops scored 36 points in 34 minutes tonight!!!

This is the 39th time Harden has scored more points than minutes played in a game this season, including playoffs.

That is the 2nd-most such games in the shot-clock era, behind Wilt Chamberlain in 1961-62 (45).

 

Russell Westbrook on Game 1 win: "It's a series. Being ahead is great, but we haven't done nothing yet."

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Also Friday night, the Miami Heat went up 3-0 over Milwaukee. There must be something seriously wrong with the Bucks internally because anytime you get outscored 13-40 in the 4th Quarter, you’ve given up!

Bucks led 87-75 at the end of the 3rd Quarter......almost to show they could “compete” if they wanted, but chose to give up. I look for the Bucks to be leaving the bubble later today!

 

[Bytor Peltor]

Originally Posted by Bytor Peltor

I look for the Bucks to be leaving the bubble later today!

It took overtime but the Bucks live to play a Game 5. Khris Middleton (Texas A&M) dominated the Game with 36 points.


Game 2

 

Russell Westbrook is killing the Rockets! Seriously, someone needs to implore on Russ the significance of not continuing to jack up 3’s!!!

Russell Westbrook: “Right now I’m just running around. I’ve got to look at film and figure out how to be effective.”

Lakers giving Westbrook the green light:

 

Somebody started a petition to fire referee Scott Foster

 

Rockets fall short of epic comeback as Lakers take Game 2 victory

LBJ was all over the place!

Eric Gordon: the Lakers ran a 3-2 zone which was new, but that they will adjust accordingly.

Mike D’Antoni: l didn’t think we were gonna sweep them. Now it’s a best of 5 series.



The Boston Celtics have lost two games in a row, a BIG GAME 5 later today!

[Bytor Peltor]

The Miami Heat just eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks had the NBA’s best record. This is the first time since 2013 that a #5 has upset a #1

Tonight is the first time the Miami Heat have ever gone to the Conference Finals without Dwyane Wade on the floor or Pat Riley on the bench.

The Miami Heat are now 8-1 in the 2020 postseason......

[Bytor Peltor]

Game 3

 

BEAST MODE = 36 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks on 56% shooting

 

With tonight’s win, LeBron James became the league’s all time leader in playoff wins!

LeBron, on playoff Rondo:

"You have people that you can trust to be in a foxhole with you, not only from a basketball aspect, but from a cerebral aspect“

SHOTS FIRED
LeBron telling folks “some people built for the moment, and others not”

The Rockets shot over 40% from 3-PT range in their last two games.

James Harden: "We weren't in attack mode. They did a good job of trapping and we didn't make them pay for it."

Lakers bench points 40
Houston bench points 16 (all from Jeff Green)

[Bytor Peltor]

After TWO Overtime’s......there will be a GAME SEVEN

 

Kyle Lowry was CLUTCH!!!

Lowry Game 6
33 Points
8 Rebounds
6 Assists
2 Steals
60 FG%
6/10 3PM
53 Minutes

The Raptor Playoff GOAT

 

Celtics under pressure after being up 2-0

[Bytor Peltor]

Game 4

 

Going back to Game 3, the Rockets only scored 38 2nd half points, compared to 64 in the first half.

Last night in Game 4, the Rockets only scored 41 first half points.

In consecutive games, the Rockets have only attempted 30 something 3-pointers.

When you compare that to the consecutive games where the Rockets set new playoff records attempting 50 something 3-pointers against OKC, it’s easy to see that something is definitely
WRONG!!!

The Rockets were 16-0 this year before the series when they shot 40+% from 3 and now they’ve done it in 3 straight games and lost all 3 anyway???

WRONG = Danuel House snuck a female inside the bubble BEFORE Game 3 and Tyson Chandler assisted in trying to cover up. I doubt we see either again this season.

[Bytor Peltor]

Game 5......mercifully, it’s over!

 

The Rockets season ended with Frazier, Clemons and Caboclo on the floor. It was probably the last time Mike D'Antoni cleared his bench as Rockets coach. Mike D'Antoni’s four-year run as head coach is the best the Rockets franchise has had since the 90’s......no doubt huge decisions are on the horizon for the Rockets!

SIDE NOTE: the last time the LA Lakers made the post season was 2013 when Mike D'Antoni was the Lakers Coach. Now the Lake knock the Rockets out and Mike D'Antoni is probably going to be fired......if so, I hope it doesn’t take the Rockets season more seasons to reach the playoffs.


Too Little Too Late

James Harden scored 30 points in an elimination Game 5 on 60% shooting = fire!

However, the other seven players in the Rockets rotation all shot below 40% with only two scoring double figures: Jeff Green 13, Russell Westbrook 10

Speaking of Westbrook......with the Lakers up 20 something in the 4th quarter, Russell and William Rondo started having words and security asked Rajon Rondo’s BROTHER??? to leave.

RUSS losing his shit

RUSS losing it from a different perspective

LeBron taking a moment to enjoy Westbrook’s pettiness

Speaking of, LeBron James (almost lost his shit) reaches the conference finals for the 11th time in 17 seasons......first time LBJ has done it in the West!

LBJ Game 5
29 Points
11 Rebounds
7 Assists
2 Steals
1 Block
50 FG%


Anthony Davis scored 130 points in the series against the Rockets.
His points breakdown in the series:

70 points in the paint
29 points from the FT line
22 points from mid-range
9 points from three

Regarding Rockets Future

Next season Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Eric Gordon (just those three) will make a combined:
$98.6 million

In 2021-22, those three will make a combined:
$106.8 million.

In 2022-23, those three (just those three) will earn a combined:
$113.9 million.

Lots of twitter discussion regarding Russell Westbrook being traded to the Miami Heat......but if I’m the Heat, based on Rockets vs Lakers, I’d rather pay Rondo 5 million next season (only made 2.5 this season) than paying RUSS $40 million+ per year for three more seasons!

 

Westbrook had the worst playoff numbers (17.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.6 apg) of his career. How much were his health issues a factor?

 

Originally Posted by Bytor Peltor

WRONG = Danuel House snuck a female inside the bubble BEFORE Game 3 and Tyson Chandler assisted in trying to cover up. I doubt we see either again this season.

James Harden on the Danuel House Jr. situation: "Very disappointed. It affected us. It's a distraction, and he was a huge part of our rotation."

*****************************
Scary Situation
Protesters inside the Disney “bubble” Complex blocking busses carrying league staff & media from leaving:

 

[Bytor Peltor]

Originally Posted by Bytor Peltor

The Rockets season ended with Frazier, Clemons and Caboclo on the floor. It was probably the last time Mike D'Antoni cleared his bench as Rockets coach. Mike D'Antoni’s four-year run as head coach is the best the Rockets franchise has had since the 90’s......no doubt huge decisions are on the horizon for the Rockets!

Mike D'Antoni is a class act!

 

Former Rockets Guard Sam Cassell and former Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy are the frontrunners to replace Mike D'Antoni.

[Bytor Peltor]

After scoring 32 points in the 2nd quarter (the most points scored in any quarter), the LA Clippers proceeded to score a total of 33 points in the 2nd half, losing Game 7 by 15 points



Doc Rivers has the most Game 7 losses in NBA History (8 losses).

 

The Michael Malone Nuggets:

2016: 33 wins
2017: 40 wins
2018: 46 wins
2019: 54 wins, semifinals, Game 7
2020: 46 wins (truncated season, Western Conference Finals)


OUCH!

The Clippers are now 0-8 all-time when they have a chance to clinch a conference finals berth.

 

[Bytor Peltor]

The Block Heard Around The World

 

[_tunic_]

that block was great!


I hope the Nuggets will beat the Lakers!!! I want Jokic to reach the finals, he's so much fun to watch play!

[Bytor Peltor]

ECF Game 2

 

The Miami Heat are TWO GAMES AWAY from the NBA Finals.

The Miami Heat are 10-1 this postseason, eliminating Indiana and (#1) Milwaukee Bucks

Jimmy Butler is undefeated in the conference finals, mostly due to his DEFENSE

Goran Dragic took over in the finals minutes hitting a HUGE 3 (team high 25 points)

Guess I should point out Miami trailed by 17 points, but the Celtics made horrible decisions and Brad Stevens had ZERO answers for the HEAT going ZONE!

“The Celtics had 5 made shots and 5 turnovers on 25 plays against the Heat's zone defense in the 2nd half.”

Boston scored 25 points on 32 possessions against Miami's ZONE defense. That's 0.78 points per possession.


Gary Washburn tweet

“Marcus Smart is screaming in the Celtics locker room and there is a bunch of arguing going on. Smart comes out say ”y’all on that bullshit!” Team is imploding. Smart is in bathroom and there is still screaming coming from locker room.”