NBA Finals Loom

In the Western Conference we have the LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns facing off, while in the east the Milwaukee Bucks will face either the Philadelphia 76ers or Atlanta Hawks. 

I'm sticking my neck out and predicting the championship will go to the Eastern Conference this year. That's because all remaining teams from the east look stronger than either the Clippers or Suns. Add to that, neither team from the west has ever won an NBA crown, while the Clippers have never even been to a finals. 

If the Clippers manage to pull it off, it must propel Kawhi Leonard to all-time great contention as he'd already pulled the Toronto Raptors up from nowhere. However, toward the end of the series with the Utah Jazz he suffered an injury and may miss early games against the Suns as well. Can the Clippers do it without him?

Of the remaining teams, my personal favourite would be Atlanta. Their one championship came in 1958. That's a long time between drinks. Remember the recent Al Horford era? Everyone got so excited when they had such a good 2015 regular season, but then they just crashed against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. If they beat the 76ers in game seven tomorrow, they have the chance to go to the Eastern Conference finals again and get the chance to erase that memory.

NBA: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to the Clippers

I just heard the lead sinker fall to the floor. Oh no, hearing the news Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are signing with the Clippers has got to be the worst move ever or they're both geniuses.

For Leonard, he has nothing to prove having won titles with the Spurs and Raptors. But George is taking a much bigger risk as he's linking up with an outfit that has never won an NBA title and never looked like winning one. The Clippers have never advanced past the second stage of the playoffs (correct me if I'm wrong, I didn't look it up).

The Clippers play in the Staples Center and get second choice on all the booking slots. That's because the owner of the Staples Center also owns a share of the Lakers and the Lakers play at Staples. For Leonard and George they're effectively wilfully choosing to play for the B team.

Compare with Durant and Irving going to Brooklyn. The Nets have at least won two titles when part of the ABA, and they've got hot talent brought together by the savvy Sean Marks. And add DeAndre Jordan to the list at Brooklyn.

So Leonard and George may be making a huge belly-flop into the pool. I never rate the hapless Clippers, if there is a way to lose, they'll find it.

Toronto Raptors Win NBA Championship

The Raptors have pulled off a massive upset, beating the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the series. Game 6 was even tighter than the close score suggests. For the losers, Klay Thompson stood out, when he dislocated his knee he had the presence of mind to crawl back onto the court to ensure he was down while fully in the field of play, then when carried from the area he returned to make his free throws. Now that is tough. I hope he's all right. And for the winners, what a great team effort, with Kawhi Leonard the man who can do anything.