Our quick look around the NBA, or what you missed while trying to figure out how you could afford the home from “Scarface”....
The Portland Trail Blazers. Yes, they lost. Their season is over. If you think that deserves a low grade I pity you, learn to embrace the joy of the game — and these Blazers were worth embracing. They (and their fans) should look back on this season with pride. The Blazers had one of the best and most entertaining offenses in the NBA. LaMarcus Aldridge can hold his own with any four in the league. Damian Lillard’s star continues to rise. They need to be better on defense, some roster tweaks are coming, but this is a team on the rise in the West — one that was not expected to be this good this season. It was a great run, they should savor it.
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs. I don’t really care what you nickname him, if he plays like this you can call him anything you want. When Tony Parker went down he stepped up. Defensively he seemed to be everywhere. He shot 6-of-8 inside eight feet and was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He had some great dunks. It was an impressive game and him playing like that makes these Spurs better than last year’s version.
LeBron James, Miami Heat. He wasn’t brilliant, but he was good enough — he had 12 points in the fourth quarter and helped spark the 13-3 run to close out the game that gave the Heat the win. He was there making defensive plays in the final seconds. He was the best player in this series, which is exactly what we expect him to be but we shouldn’t take it for granted. He alone can get the Heat to the Finals.