The Golden State – OKC series is really good stuff. The teams don’t like each other and OKC is playing with a desperation to finally get that first championship. Kevin Durant has been pretty much unstoppable against the Warriors this year – it’s just a bad match-up for Golden State. Both teams like to push the ball at a fast pace and no lead really ever feels that safe (although last night’s 40-point bulge is an exception to that).
The NBA’s decision on the leg kick to Adams’ groin by Draymon Green to suspend or not to suspend will be key. SU says that if Patrick Ewing’s one step onto the court against Miami was a suspension back in the 1990s, and if Amar’e Stoudamire’s one step onto the court against the Spurs was a suspension, then this is a suspension. It doesn’t matter if you are a superstar or a rising face of the franchise. The NBA always calls it like it sees it (except of course the refs at the end of games when they don’t always see it) and Green was clearly looking to give it to Adams and it’s happened 2 games in a row now. But even if Green gets the 1-game suspension, Golden State is a deep team and they have a good shot at winning game 4. OKC hates prosperity and Westbrook can easily go off in the other direction. It’s why we watch.
Can you imagine the Knicks playing this up tempo style next season? Me neither. Let’s move on.
How about them Yankees? 5 in a row over lowly Arizona and the Oakland A’s who have about 20 players on the DL. SU says it’s all good but do not be fooled. The offense is still flawed. Cashman needs to shake things up by moving one of the regulars in a trade. But hey, 1 game below .500 is a step in the right direction.
Noah Syndegaard appears to be the best of the Mets’ hard throwers. It will be interesting to see where they put their money going forward as they look to shape the roster for the future. This is where the GM earns his salary. No easy decisions here.
Does Green deserve to be suspended?
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Every team has their ailments. Its what you do to those teams when they are so handicapped. The Yankees have done what they needed to do…WIN…. and on the road. Now they are home against a mediocre, as of today Toronto team. Can they continue their surge?
As you say: “it’s why we watch.”
PS Our 7 thru 9 hitters…. if we get 2 hits out of their 12 At Bats, that seem like the norm. Toss is Tex’s crisp 190 batting average its amazing we are 1 game under 500. I agree we need trade someone in order to stimulate the clubhouse. Oh yes… A-rod is coming back. Hmm.
You have to admire Mark Texeiria’s .140 batting average left-handed and his persistence of trying to hit through the shift for another year. The rest of the world adjusts but not him. And he wants a new 5-year contract? Not in NY. He will be productive somewhere but it’s time to move on. I am ready for the Greg Bird era. The bottom of the Yankees’ line up is better than you think. Degregorius can hit and has had some big hits with RISP this season. Chase Headley is showing signs of life. Toronto will be a good test this week.
The Yankees streak is the result of starters going six innings and an offense scoring more than 2 runs. I am so conflicted by Ellsbury. My heart sinks a little when I see him at the top of the lineup. I feel like he should be getting more time off because of performance and to keep him healthy. Still, once the game starts he does so many of the things that make a game exciting. Yesterday he bunted a runner over to set up an insurance run which made me think I was watching the ’96 team.
Your observation about the Mets is consistent with what I’ve been saying since spring training. While everyone was salivating over the 4 young quality starting pitchers they somehow deluded themselves into thinking the Mets would have 4 Cy Young candidates every year for the foreseeable future. It doesn’t work that way. What Mets fans think they’re ready to replicate is the Braves’ rotation from the nineties and early 2000s. First of all, other than the Braves, there is really no other team that kept a core of ace starters together for a period of time. And second, even those teams didn’t really have the what fans are expecting from the Mets. They had Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine for an extended period of time, but they weren’t all Cy Young candidates every year. And mixed in there were names like Avery, Millwood, Hampton, Hudson, and so on. In any given year, one of those other guys might have had a better season than one of the core guys. Question: which Braves pitcher led the league in Wins in 1997? Answer: Denny Neagle.
The point is that the stable of young starters that the Mets have is a great thing. But it’s no guarantee of anything. And we’re seeing it already. 2 years ago anyone would have said Harvey was the stud. Last year it was DeGrom. Now, it’s Syndegaard. There will be an ebb and flow to this group and, if the Mets are going to have long-term success, there will be other pitchers we don’t know about who will be out-pitching some of these guys in any given year. It is going to be tough to manage though because today’s reality will have each of them expecting huge long-term deals that just won’t work with the payroll.
No question Draymond Green should be suspended. It should have been called a flagrant 2 and he should have been ejected. Why should the NBA treat a kick to the nuts less than if he had thrown a punch? Second occurrence removes any issue of intent.
I didn’t think so at first – but I just saw the “all angles” replay just now. No ones leg/foot comes up that high during a shot. But it does if one is frustrated. Yes – Adams is “that guy” that drives people crazy. Looked intentional to me.
Definitely suspend Draymond for that kick. At least one game, maybe two. I actually like watching the Warriors but I don’t see any way to not call that as intentional. I’m generally ok with the hard fouls but this year seems be excessive with the targeting of the family jewels. I’m waiting for the NBA to tie into a re-release of Aerosmith’s Night in the Ruts album.
Speaking of fines, I also think LeBron should be fined for flopping. He was nudged by his own players elbow and went flying back 30 yards like he just got hit by the Hulk.