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Final Western Standings 2017: W/L

1. Golden State Warriors: 67-15
2. San Antonio Spurs: 61-21
3. Houston Rockets: 55-27
4. Los Angeles Clippers: 51-31
5. Utah Jazz: 51-31
6. Oklahoma City Thunder: 47-35  
7. Memphis Grizzlies: 43-39
8. Trail Blazers: 41-41
9. Denver Nuggets: 40-42
10. New Orleans Pelicans: 34-48

Final Eastern Standings 2017: W/L

1. Boston Celtics: 53-29
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: 51-31 
3. Toronto Raptors: 51-31  
4. Washington Wizards: 49-33
5. Atlanta Hawks: 43-39
6. Milwaukee Bucks: 42-40
7. Indiana Pacers: 42-40
8. Chicago Bulls: 41-41
9. Miami Heat: 41-41
10. Detroit Pistons: 37-45


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Cavaliers make a 21 point comeback on Pacers!

LeBron James celebrated another milestone with the greatest second-half comeback in playoff history. James scored 41 points while padding his postseason resume with yet another triple-double, leading defending champion Cleveland back from a 25-point halftime deficit to a 119-114 victory over the Pacers on Thursday night. Officially, it will go down as the third-largest comeback in playoff history. James scored 28 in the second half and finished with 13 rebounds and 12 assists, moving past Kobe Bryant and into third on the NBA's playoff scoring list. Bryant had 5,640 points; James now has 5,669. Paul George did everything he could to get Indiana back in the series. He scored 36 points, grabbed a playoff career-high 15 rebounds and finishing with nine assists, one short of his second postseason triple-double. He even held James in check in the first half but it still wasn't enough.

Statistics:
CLE
L. James: 41pts, 13reb, 12ast
K. Love: 13pts, 6reb, 1ast
J.R. Smith: 9pts, 2reb, 2ast
IND
P. George: 36pts, 15reb, 9ast
J. Teague: 15pts, 3reb, 7ast
L. Stephenson: 13pts, 6reb, 1ast

Westbrook almost breaks Robertson's Record

Russell Westbrook just missed breaking a tie with Oscar Robertson for the NBA single-season triple-double record. The Oklahoma City star did knock down a late 3-pointer to seal a victory. Westbrook fell a rebound short of an historic triple-double, but scored 45 points, including the Thunder's final five points to lead Oklahoma City to a 103-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. And while there was plenty of talk about the triple-double mark, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said the win was priority. Westbrook's next attempt at securing the record on his own comes Friday at Phoenix. With this game Oklahoma City solidified its hold on the Western Conference's sixth seed, holding a 3 1/2-game lead over the Grizzlies. Westbrook still has four more games left in the regular season so history still has a chance to be made.

Statistics:
OKC
R. Westbrook: 45pts, 9reb, 10ast
V. Oladipo: 15pts, 3reb, 5ast
D. McDermott: 10pts, 7reb
MEM
M. Gasol: 23pts, 5reb, 5ast
Z. Randolph: 20pts, 9reb, 1ast
T. Allen: 14pts, 7reb, 4ast

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Russell Westbrook or James Harden? 
Who Should Take MVP?
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No.1 Seed Contenders Match Off!

As of late, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been in a slump with the Boston Celtics catching up almost neck-and-neck for the top spot. Their matchup takes place today April 5th, 2017 at Flett Center. For Isaiah Thomas who comments that "it's just another game..." and for James he's "been to six straight NBA finals, I'm the last person to worry about a regular season game." The Cavaliers will be missing their starting center Tristian Thompson, who sprained his right thumb during the game against the Orlando Magic. The head coach Tyronn Lou has stated he plans to play all the remaining starters. Celtics may be missing a key piece in their game plan as well, Jae Crowder with a sore right elbow has a chance of sitting out this game. The return of J.R. Smith could be the deciding factor as he was as main benefactor to their win last night, going 5/8 from the 3-point line. For now, we'll just wait and see.

Russel Westbrook ties Oscar Robertson

Russell Westbrook tied Oscar Robertson's mark for most triple-doubles in a season with 41 against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. "It's a special night I definitely won't ever forget," Westbrook said. "I'm just truly honored to do it here, especially, in Oklahoma City." Following Tuesday's 10th assist, the crowd erupted into a standing ovation and chanted "MVP." At the first stoppage of play, the referee held the ball to allow for the team's public address announcer to trumpet the historic moment, as Westbrook acknowledged the crowd with a wave. Westbrook also tied Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time list with his 78th career triple-double, placing him tied for fourth behind only Jason Kidd (107), Magic Johnson (138) and Robertson (181). Westbrook can break Robertson's all-time single season record of 41 triple-doubles on Wednesday in Memphis, even then he still has five more chances to break the record but with the pace he's been going he would most likely earn about two to three more.

Statistics:
OKC
R. Westbrook: 12pts, 13reb, 13ast
E. Kanter: 17pts, 5reb
T. Gibson: 12pts, 3reb
MIL
M. Beasley: 14pts, 1reb, 1ast
G. Antetokounmpo: 11pts, 10reb, 4ast
S. Hawes: 10pts, 5reb, 1ast

Kevin Durant Injury

Kevin Durant has a Grade 2 sprained MCL on his left knee and will miss at least a month, the Warriors announced Wednesday. That is not good news, but it is far better than what was first feared. Durant had an MRI on his knee Tuesday night after an injury suffered in the Warriors loss to the Wizards. The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that those around Durant feared he might miss the remainder of the season, including the playoffs. Instead, he could return before the regular season ends. Durant asked to be taken out of the game after Zaza Pachulia accidentally backed into his leg while fighting for a rebound with Marcin Gortat. You can see the play below. It happened in the first minute of the game. Durant tried to play through the next couple of minutes but eventually headed back to the locker room. The Warriors have already clinched a playoff spot and have a comfortable cushion in the race for the No. 1 seed. However, the playoffs begin in just six weeks. Golden State can expect tough matchups from the second round on, and Durant may not be 100 percent even if he is back on the court.

Is LeBron James the Team?

"The Indiana Pacers are more than familiar with facing the Cleveland Cavaliers when LeBron James rests, so they didn't get distracted by the four-time NBA MVP's absence Wednesday night. The Pacers beat the LeBron-less Cavaliers 103-92 to improve to 3-1 at home in the past two years when James sits. Jeff Teague added 20 points and eight assists, and Thaddeus Young had 16 points to help the Pacers improve to 6-1 at home and 6-6 overall. Kevin Love led Cleveland with 27 points and 16 rebounds, and Kyrie Irving had 24 points and seven assists. The Cavaliers dropped to 9-2 after matching the best start in franchise history with the victory over Toronto on Tuesday night." We all know that James can essentially play as a guard, forward, or center and sometimes even plays the role as coach. With the lack of the LeBron James' competitive spirit is wasn't a surprise that the Cavs struggled last night, leaving you to question whether or not the Cavs can continue to perform at an elite level evenmore so if they can defend their Championship title.

Statistics:
CLE
K. Love: 27pts, 16reb, 1ast
K. Irving: 24pts, 2reb, 7ast
K. Felder: 9pts, 3reb, 2ast
PAC
P. George: 21pts, 11reb, 5ast
J. teague: 20pts, 4reb, 8ast
T. Young: 16pts, 7reb, 1ast

DeRozan Continues to Show his Dominance! OKC drops to 6-2!

DeMar DeRozan won a shootout with Russell Westbrook, scoring 37 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. DeRozan, the NBA's leading scorer with a 34.1 average heading into the game, made 13 of 22 field goals and 11 of 15 free throws. Westbrook had 36 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, but he made just 9 of 26 shots and committed eight turnovers a huge factor to their loss. The first five minutes of the game were nearly flawless for the Thunder. The Toronto Raptors went 2/10 shooting and five turnovers en route to a 16-4 lead. Though in a matter of moments, Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan got hot and so followed the rest of the team, closing out the quarter shooting 7/9 with one turnover. That burst changed the game, and when the Thunder offense stalled at the wrong moments in the second and third quarters. Thunder had some considerable scoring runs to attempt the come back, most notably the start of the 4th quarter with a 9-1 run cutting the lead dow nto 89-84 but it wasn't enough as Kyle Lowry ended the streak with a 3 pointer, following up to the final score of 112-102.

Statistics:
TOR
D. DeRozan: 37pts, 4reb, 6ast
K. Lowry: 19pts, 9reb, 13ast
P. Patterson: 13pts, 3reb, 3ast
OKC
R. Westbrook: 36pts, 7reb, 7ast
V. Oladipo: 18pts, 8reb, 2ast
S. Adams: 14pts, 12reb, 1ast

Cavaliers Win Streak Ended by Hawks! 6-1

Dennis Schroder scored a career-high 28 points and the Atlanta Hawks gave the reigning NBA champions their first loss of the season. Atlanta had lost 11 straight to Cleveland, including playoff sweeps the last two seasons. Heres a recap of the secong half. Atlanta led by 18 points in the third quarter before Cleveland cut the margin to two. The Hawks rebuilt the lead to 15 early in the fourth, but the Cavaliers got within two with 25 seconds remaining. Cleveland cut a 96-81 deficit to 101-97 on James' basket with 3:14 to play. The Hawks scored the next six points, but 3-pointers by James and Irving made it 106-103 with 48 seconds left. Milsap's basket pushed the lead to five, but Love converted a three-point play with 25 seconds remaining before Bazemore hit his clutch shot. The score: 110-106. Hawks are doing pretty well this season opener with this performance hinting at a good season. Losses will always come at some point, this being the first for the Cavs, however they are still hungry to get a back to back Championship make no mistake.

Statistics:
ATL
D. Schroder: 28pts, 5reb, 1ast
K. Bazemore: 25pts, 2reb, 6ast
P. Millsap: 21pts, 3reb, 2ast
CLE
K. Irving: 29pts, 9reb, 5ast
K. Love: 24pts, 12reb, 3ast
L. James: 23pts, 1reb, 4ast

Curry New 3pt Record, Pelicans now 0-6!

Curry broke his previous record of 12 three pointers in one game, whom he also shared with Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall, scoring 13/17 three pointers at roughly .764 3pa. Not only is that a a huge feat but also highly accurate. Anthony Davis' consistency is also noteworthy as he scored 33pts this game marking the sixth game where he put the team on his backpack but also their sixth loss. Despite this performance, Warriors have many facets of their brand they must work on namely: Defense. Golden State is allowing an average of 47.7 points in the paint per game (tied for 6th worst in the NBA), and ceded a season-worst 64 points in the paint in their loss to the Lakers on Friday. However, just like the previous super team Miami Heat, yeah everyone knows the roster, they had their ups and downs their first season, they didn't even with the Championship their first season. Team chemistry is one of the biggest if not the number one factor in a teams success and takign into account that there are three elite caliber players in GS there has to be some balance.

Statistics:
GSW
S. Curry: 46pts, 5reb, 5ast
K. Thompson: 24pts, 4reb, 1ast
K. Durant: 22pts, 3reb, 5ast
NOP
A. Davis: 33pts, 13reb, 1ast
E. Moore: 15pts, 3reb, 5ast
T. Frazier: 13pts, 4reb, 10ast 

Cleveland Cavaliers are 6-0!

With the hot start of the Cavaliers, the 2016 NBA Chapions, it is hard to deny at this point that their banner was hard won and not a fluke. Though this recent game has been their toughest yet, and considering their opponent the 76ers who are currently 0-5 which is very surprising. After trailing for most of the night, the Sixers started the fourth quarter on a 16-9 run and turned an 18-point deficit into a five-point lead, 96-91. Though with 1:05 left to play, the score at 99-101, Channing Frye's three-pointer gave Cleveland back the 102-101 lead. A very close call for the Cavs. This game also marked 26,970 points for Lebron James ascending him to the Top 10 in all time scorers for the NBA. There is much to be expected for this team and with the apparent disorganization of their rivals from the west, Golden State Warriors, this team has a strong chance at claiming this year's championship as well.

Statistics:
CLE
L. James:25pts, 8rebs 14ast
K. Love: 20pts, 11reb, 1ast
C. Frye: 12pts, 2reb, 2ast
76ers
J. Embiid:22pts, 6reb, 2ast
E. Ilyasova: 21pts, 4reb
J. Okafor: 14pts, 5reb

Lakers Bury Warriors by 20pts!

The whole hype about the super team Golden State Warriors catalyzed by Kevin Durant's move has ingrained itself in to NBA history, reverberating through fans and haters alike. Though this team hasn't taken the start everyone expected them to have. Their first loss was to the San Antonio Spurs which wasn't very surprising taking into account Kahwi Leonard's stunning performance. Their recent loss was to the Lakers,who despite their rich franchise history, landed at the bottom of the Western Conference standings for 2016 at rank 15. Thoguh this night proved LAL's potential as they win over the GSW 117-97, a shocking upset of 20 points. Seemingly nothing went GSW's way this game, more notably would be the end of Stephen Curry's 157 game 3pt streak as he went 0-10 in 3pt attempts, combined with Klay Thompson, the duo had a 2 for 20 game in 3PA, a very poor performance.Though there were some bright spots, Kevin Durant lead the team scoring 27pts at 10/16 in FGA. It is clear that the new LAL have potential, much like every other team in the NBA, the factor in this is merely hard work and dedication. This leads everyone to the question of whether of not the Warriors can ever perform as good as they did in the 2016 season and what is in store for the Lakers franchise.

Statistics:
LAL
J. Randle:20pts, 14rebs 2ast
L. Williams: 20pts, 2reb, 4ast
D. Russel: 17pts, 2reb, 4ast
GSW
K. Durant:27pts, 5reb, 3ast
D. Green: 17pts, 9reb, 4ast
S. Curry: 13pts, 8reb, 11ast

Durant leads Warriors to a 26 point game over Thunder!

Last night @ 7:30 PST Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder faced off in a much anticipated first showdown between Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook. Much emotion was to be expected as the two former team mates match off against each other on seperate teams. Coming off hot from a win from Wednesday's game against the Clippers, Westbrook came in to last nights game with confidence giving the Warriors a run for their money ending first quarter 32-31 with OKC in the lead. Things just seemed to go Thunder's way that whole first quarter. Blazing back into the second quarter with a passion Durant quickly shifted the momentum with the GSW blowing by Westbrook and Co. with the quarter scoring run of 37-11. GSW had the lead into half time 68-43. GSW took the 3rd with a scoring run of 30-27 for the quarter and OKC took the 4th with a scoring run of 26-24. But for everyone it was clear who had the stronger will by the second half with GSW taking the game, final score:122-96. This scoring potential has been what fans wanted since the announcement of Durant's mvoe to the Warriors, there is however, higher expectations for this the for the rest of the games in the coming season.

Statistics:
GSW
K. Durant:39pts, 7reb, and 1ast
S. Curry: 21pts, 1reb, and 7ast
K. Thompson: 18pts, 2reb, and 3ast
OKC
V. Oladipo:21pts and 3reb
R. Westbrook:20pts, 6reb, and 10ast
D. Sanbonis: 13pts, 6reb, and 3ast