Steph Curry – Disaesthetic

Golden Luxury

Source: Stacy Revere / Getty

After falling behind to a tremendous Cleveland Cavalier effort The Golden State Warriors engineered a victory behind 43 points and 13 rebounds from Kevin Durant.

GSW fell behind early enduring a LeBron James triple-double, a great Kevin Love double-double, and 15 points from Rodney Hood off the bench. Hood particularly damaged GSW early into his minutes. Even with all those solid efforts the Cavs could never pull away by no fault of their own. They never commanded the game. No matter how well they defended him, Kevin Durant always made a bucket to keep GSW in the game.

It seemed Cleveland would just get this one. Steph Curry couldn’t hit a three with an Ohio hooker holding his prick and showing him the way. Thanks for the quote Four Leaf. Klay Thompson did not play well either. Andre Iguodala returned tonight but wasn’t the difference many believed. There wasn’t the usual third quarter surge tonight. JaVale McGee microwaved 10 points in 14 minutes but Durant’s 65 FG% carried the squad.

In third quarter GSW managed to catch up but neither team could pull away. Cleveland received contributions from several different players. It seemed like Durant was the only one scoring for his team primarily backing down defenders for fade-aways. With four minutes left in the fourth it was winning time.

Curry finally hit a big three, Iguodala and Draymon Green had massive dunks, but Durant’s three from 30 ft away, reminiscent of last year, slayed The Cavaliers with less than a minute left.

Golden State now needs one more game to win three titles in four years. We should remind ourselves Kevin Durant’s decision two years ago made this possible. He’s the ultimate extravagance. When the two greatest shooters arguably ever go cold they turn to Durant. When he struggles, the splash brothers inevitably overwhelm the opponite.

In the Houston series I had concerns with his play. Durant himself admitted displeasure with his performance. Curry up until tonight lead the team, but when he couldn’t the golden luxury took over. This team seems impossible to defeat and will add another title Friday night.

Golden State can play average but as long as they’re engaged with either Curry, Thompson, or Durant leading the team they will undoubtedly win, every time.

WTF JR

LeBron: “Fool, we tied!”

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers faced off tonight for the fourth straight Finals. It seemed like no one wanted to see this movie again but game one was as much of a thriller as any over the past four years.

There’s a lot to unpack tonight but my mind is fresh post-game and there’s one overriding thought. GSW got away with another game tonight. They were the better team tonight but Lebron James is still the best player in the world, maybe of all time.

James posted 51 points and almost had a triple double. He got his subpar team to play above their heads for almost the entire game, but when it mattered most everything conveniently turned in GSW’s favor.

In a play that should have been charge on Kevin Durant, James was called for a blocking foul. GSW ties up the game with two free throws. The Zebras has several questionable calls but that one seems the most egregious now.

With less than 5 seconds George Hill could have won the game for The Cavs. Hill made his first free throw tying the score. With Oracle Arena roaring like a Roman mob, Hill missed his last free throw and the most indelible moment of game fell upon JR Smith.

Instead of calling time out, passing it to Lebron, or doing anything of thought Smith tried to run out the clock. When he realized the score was tied, or rallied from drinking too much Hennessy before the game, it was too late. There wasn’t enough time left and the game went to overtime.

The ending shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Steph Curry and gang collected themselves putting Lebron James and the cabbage patch kids away.

I’m frustrated for Lebron. He did everything in his power to win the game. He did everything you could’ve asked of him and more, but it wasn’t enough. Maybe this symbolizes this season for him, and perhaps his career.

The man maximized all possibilities as the leader of the team. James utilized everything to win the game but ultimately his teammates defecated on an opportunity to beat a better team, at times caught with their pants down.

Moving on Down

hi-res-9449b2413352ba9b6064df73ece389e3_crop_north

Brandon Ingram goes to the Lakers

A lot has happened since my last post. I went to Big Bear last weekend, Lebron won, I’ve been working out, Bill Simmons underwhelmed, I’m preparing to moving, and emotionally I’ve come a long way. I’m starting to see my own progress and believe in the steps I’ve taken to get better and improve myself. It’s been a long road on recovering but I’ve accomplished a lot over the last 4 months.

Big Bear had moments of awkwardness, for me, but overall I had a great time and got out of my comfort zone. I needed to get out and meet new people. Hiking Pine Knot Trail was great. I was afraid of struggling during the hike but I did just fine. Everyone was very friendly but it I had difficulties talking to them or getting to know them better. I have a ways to go with my confidence as far as socializing with people I don’t know well. At least I put myself in a situation where I could meet people. Improvements were made in that regard. I came home Sunday for father’s day only to have Lebron ruin a great ending to the weekend.

While I feel good for Cleveland, who were due for a championship, watching Lebron win bothers me. I don’t like the guy and I can’t really explain it. Anyway game 7 was great but not all time. Golden State simply couldn’t get Curry going, Klay struggled, Iggy was hurt, and Bogut on the sidelines hurt them the most. Sure Bogut is no super start but presence in the paint made going inside difficult for Lebron and Kyrie. With him gone, Cleveland dominated inside. Golden State couldn’t do enough to stay on top and close out Cleveland. The game came down to the end but honestly GSW lost the game more than Cleveland winning it. They could not score in the last 4 or 6 minutes. In a game that close it’s not surprising GSW lost when they couldn’t score at the end. I hope it doesn’t haunt them. They need to dump Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli this summer and add better depth. Word on the street is they will pursue Dirk Nowitzki which would be an unlikely addition but move them back up as front runners for the 2017 finals. They also need to find a back-up and future replacement for Bogut. His presence in the paint couldn’t be more valuable for this time. They need to prepare themselves for life with out Bogut.

This NBA season ended on a bad note with Lebron winning but next season already has me excited for the Lakers and the West as a whole. We got Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac in last night’s draft. Both will improve our team right now. Ingram’s small hips and lean frame bother me but he’s got a great skill set that will help us immediately. I don’t know much about Zubac but it’s a big center that I hope turns out like Kristaps Porziņģis. We are in need of dominate center again. Ingram, Randall, Russell, Clarkson, and Zubac looks like a great young line-up I can get behind. Oklahoma City got richer in the draft too moving Serge Ibaka to Orlando for big haul in Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and draftee Domantas Sabonis, son of Arvydas Sabonis. I’m not sure what the fuck Orlando is doing but as it stands right now OKC has the best collection of talent in the NBA. They are the favorite in my mind as the teams stand now. Imagine it, Durant, Westbrook, Oladipo, Adams, and you can pick between Kanter, Roberson, Ilyasova, and Sabonis as your 5 starters. That’s great fucking team on paper. GSW and the Spurs have catching up to.

Good job by you Billy?

Speaking of the NBA, Billy Simmons debuted his show Any Given Wednesday this week without much fan fair. Maybe I’m out of touch with things or removed due to my recent schedule or lack of attention. The first episode underwhelmed me. Ben Affleck’s appearance has gotten Simmons and the show a lot of attention but it wasn’t for anything he said. Affleck’s behavior and slurring attracted attention. I don’t think he was drunk but accusations have been made. It was a short episode that lacked anything super interesting. It was kind of like his podcast but I was watching it instead. Audio may be Simmon’s arena. Watching him did nothing for me. It’s only been one episode so things can only get better.

The past few weeks have been better superior to the past 4 months. I’m stronger emotionally and mentally. I don’t feel weak anymore. My confidence isn’t at full strength but I’ve improved tremendously. Negative thoughts don’t control my mind for hours and days. I have moments of weakness but I see them as an improvement. They don’t control me for more than a few minutes. I’m able to overcome them with reason and positive outlook. Being able to move out soon has really helped me feel good about myself. Now I can focus my new dwelling and the area I will live in. There are new experiences to have where I will live. Everything will be new. I won’t drive by places I have memories that haunt me. I can make new experiences somewhere else. Looking forward, I can’t wait to explore and live closer to the city. There are places to hike and discover in my new neighborhood. I hope to make strong relationships with my roommates and make new friends in this area. Once I establish myself again I can start looking for companionship again. I miss the comfort and affection I used to receive. I miss giving those passions to someone. I can tell I’m making progress there. I can muster enough strength and confidence to speak to women I find attractive and interesting. Sometimes they speak to me. It’s only happened at work and I don’t see anything happening there. It may not be best to seek a relationship with someone from work but it’s a boost in my confidence in myself.