NBA Predictions: We may know the final result, but we have no idea how we'll get there

By Trevor Hass

The first four days of March Madness are without question the best days of the year. You literally sit in front of your TV all day and watch dozens of games that matter. You become a maniac as you watch your bracket combust.

Those days are unbeatable. But this day, as a devoted basketball fan, is probably right behind it. Today is special, because it’s the beginning of something wonderful. The first day of the NBA season means basketball is officially back.

There’s no more watching Colts-Titans, Colts-Jaguars or Colts-Texans on Thursday night (thank goodness). You don’t have to anymore. You can flip to TNT, get lost in the action and end up staying up much later than you should watching West powerhouses battle late into the night.

I’m excited for the NBA every year, but this year I’m particularly intrigued. The Celtics, Wolves and Warriors are the three teams I follow most closely, and all have varying levels of expectations to shatter, meet or fall short of.

Yes, the NBA is largely predictable when it comes to which teams will make the Finals. We’re inevitably on a winding path to a Cavaliers-Warriors rematch, and that’s OK. There’s no need to complain. That would be like complaining that a really good movie is too predictable when the protagonists end up together, even though the plot leading up to the climax was dope. What makes the NBA entertaining is that new storylines constantly manifest and teams take different paths to get to their final destinations.

There are several questions left to be unanswered. Will the Nets win more than 10 games? (Yes). Who will win the MVP? (LeBron James). Will Russell Westbrook average a triple-double? (No, but he might come close). How many wins will the Warriors finish with? (66).

Here are several predictions. Most of them will be wrong, but probably one or two will be right. I’ll be sure to point those ones out in May or June.

Standings:

East:

1)   Cavaliers (56-26)

2)   Raptors (54-28)

3)   Celtics (53-29)

4)   Pacers (49-33)

5)   Hornets (47-35)

6)   Bulls (45-37)

7)   Hawks (43-39)

8)   Pistons (41-41)

9)   Knicks (39-43)

10) Magic (39-43)

11) Wizards (36-46)

12)  Bucks (35-47)

13)  Heat (35-47)

14)  76ers (22-60)

15)  Nets (16-66)

West:

1)   Warriors (66-16)

2)   Spurs (61-21)

3)   Clippers (57-25)

4)   Blazers (51-31)

5)   Grizzlies (47-35)

6)   Mavericks (46-36)

7)   Jazz (44-38)

8)   Rockets (42-40)

9)   Wolves (40-42)

10) Thunder (40-42)

11) Nuggets (36-46)

12) Pelicans (35-47)

13) Lakers (27-55)

14) Kings (26-56)

15)  Suns (21-61)

Playoffs:

Cavs over Pistons in 5

Raptors over Hawks in 5

Celtics over Bulls in 6

Pacers over Hornets in 6

Cavs over Pacers in 6

Celtics over Raptors in 7

Cavs over Celtics in 6

Warriors over Rockets in 4

Spurs over Jazz in 5

Clippers over Mavs in 6

Blazers over Grizzlies in 7

Warriors over Blazers in 5

Clippers over Spurs in 7

Warriors over Clippers in 6

Warriors over Cavs in 6

Finals MVP: Steph Curry (25.7 points, 6.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds)

It’s really tough to pick against Steph, Klay, Draymond and…oh yeah, the best scorer on the planet. I do think the Warriors will win it all, assuming they stay mostly healthy, which leads to the next section: predictions for specific teams.

Warriors: This is like a star-studded Backyard Sports team, the Looney Tunes in the second half of Space Jam and last year’s version of the Warriors plus a really good basketball player all fused into one. I think they’ll wisely take it a little easier in the regular season and rest their starters the final few games, which could help quite a bit against the Blazers, Spurs and Cavs, if that’s how it unfolds. They’re obviously the team to beat, and I say they do it.

Celtics: The Celtics didn’t get that marquee free agent (see: Warriors), but they got the next best thing in Al Horford. Horford is the quintessential second or third best player on a championship team. He’s never been in that role before, but he’d fit it perfectly. He’s like a 2011 Lexus. He does everything well, he’s reliable and he gets the job done. He’s not a Maserati, but there’s nothing wrong with a Lexus. Once you get that Lexus, maybe your next car can be a Maserati.

I think Horford will help the Celtics get 5-10 more wins, and I’d be really surprised if they don’t win a playoff series. Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart are all one year better. Terry Rozier’s improved dramatically over the offseason and is poised for a breakout season. All of the pieces have come together really well, and Danny Ainge has done a great job making them the second or third best team in the East. Beating Cleveland will be nearly impossible, but the Celtics should take some serious strides while being extremely fun to watch in the process.

Wolves: Whether you’re mingling at a Jewish mixer, shopping at Trader Joe’s or talking to a friend by the lake, you can’t avoid the question: Will the Wolves make the playoffs? It’s a natural question, and it’s totally reasonable, but unfortunately I have to provide a disappointing answer. I lived in Minnesota this past year and the optimism around the Wolves is truly impressive. I think they’ll be close to the 8 seed this year, but I don’t think they’ll quite get it.

Karl-Anthony Towns is, without question, the best young player in the NBA. In the NBA GM survey, 48.3 percent deemed him the player around whom they’d most like to start a franchise. That’s pretty much all you need to know. Towns is unstoppable, and I expect he’ll take a massive leap this year. Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the rest of the pieces are very solid, but I think the West is just slightly too deep for them to make it this year, though I expect it’ll be close. Next year, the Wolves are just about a lock.

Bulls: The Bulls are really intriguing to me. If they stay healthy and everything comes together, I could see them getting the 4 or 5 seed and winning a series. If not, it could be a disaster. A Rajon Rondo, Dwyane, Jimmy Butler, Doug McDermott and Robin Lopez lineup puts a lot of pressure on the legend himself, Dougie Buckets, to shoot a high volume. Rondo is at his best with shooters around him, and it will be interesting to see whether Wade and Butler adapt their games to meet his needs or vice versa. I think the Bulls will make the playoffs, but I’m not confident about that prediction.

Knicks: First of all, Kristaps Porzingis is a beast. No doubt about it. I’m really impressed the Knicks took him when everyone else in the world thought it was an awful pick. Props. Expectations are high in New York, but I’m not sure they’ll be met. Carmelo Anthony’s scoring has never been in question, but his ability to lead winning teams always has, and I’d expect it will be scrutinized again this year. Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah are solid role players, but for me the Knicks are an “I’ll believe it when I see it” type-deal.

Spurs: They’ll be really good.

Thunder: Russell Westbrook is basically thought of as a superhero these days. Seriously, though. People expect him to average a triple-double. He did for a stretch without Durant, but doing so for a whole season is essentially impossible. However, I do think he’ll average close to 26, 8 assists and 7 boards, which isn’t too shabby.

With Durant gone, I think a lot of the scoring load will have to go to Victor Oladipo and Enes Kanter. I think they’re capable, but I’m not sure exactly how capable. The Thunder will be one of the NBA’s most entertaining teams. I may be in the minority by putting them out of the playoffs, but I think there are too many more reliable teams in the West that will finish ahead of them.

Awards:

MVP:

1)   LeBron James

2)   Steph Curry

3)   Russell Westbrook

4)   James Harden

5)   Kevin Durant

Rookie of the Year:

1)   Jamal Murray

2)   Ben Simmons

3)   Kris Dunn

4)   Joel Embiid

5)   Denzel Valentine

Defensive Player of the Year:

1)   Kawhi Leonard
2) Draymond Green

3) Zaza Pachulia

4) Avery Bradley 

5) Hassan Whiteside

Most Improved Player:

1)   Karl-Anthony Towns

2)   Kristaps Porzingis

3)   Justise Winslow

4)   Terry Rozier

5)   Julius Randle

Sixth Man:

1)   Jamal Crawford

2)   Marcus Smart

3)   Andre Iguodala

4)   Al Jefferson

5)   Brandon Knight

Coach of the Year:

1)    Steve Kerr

2)   Gregg Popovich 

3)   Brad Stevens 

4)   Dwane Casey

5)    Quin Snyder

All-NBA teams:

1^st team:

G Steph Curry

G Russell Westbrook

F Kevin Durant

F LeBron James

C Karl-Anthony Towns

2^nd team:

G Chris Paul

G Kawhi Leonard

F Paul George

F Draymond Green

C DaMarcus Cousins

3^rd team:

G Damian Lillard

G Klay Thompson

F Carmelo Anthony

F LaMarcus Alrdridge

F/C Anthony Davis

Scoring leaders:

1)   James Harden (29.6)

2)   LeBron James (27.4)

3)   Kevin Durant (27.2)

4)   Steph Curry (26.8)

5)   Russell Westbrook (26.0)

6)   Damian Lillard (25.9)

7)   DaMarcus Cousins (24.8)

8)   Karl-Anthony Towns (23.1)

9)   Anthony Davis (22.8)

10) Kawhi Leonard (22.5)

Assist leaders:

1)   Chris Paul (10.6)

2)   Rajon Rondo (10.2)

3)   John Wall (9.6)

4)   Ricky Rubio (9.5)

5)   Kyle Lowry (8.5)

6)   Russell Westbrook (8.2)

7)   Draymond Green (7.6)

8)   Steph Curry (7.4)

9)   Isaiah Thomas (7.1)

10) Deron Williams (6.8)

Rebound leaders:

1)   Andre Drummond (13.8)

2)   DeAndre Jordan (12.9)

3)   DeMarcus Cousins (12.7)

4)   Dwight Howard (11.6)

5)   Anthony Davis (11.2)

6)   Karl-Anthony Towns (11.1)

7)   Rudy Gobert (10.5)

8)   Nikola Vucevic (10.4)

9)   LaMarcus Aldridge (10.2)

10) Tristan Thompson (9.9)

Most intriguing matchups:

1)   Cavs vs. Warriors

2)   Thunder vs. Warriors

3)   Spurs vs. Warriors

4)   Cavs vs. Celtics

5)   Cavs vs. Spurs

Over/under:

-       Number of triple-doubles for Westbrook – 18 – Under (16)

-       Number of games Derrick Rose plays – 54 – under (hope I’m wrong)

-       Points per game the Warriors average – 115 – over

-       Number of starting lineups the Nets use – 17 – over

-       Points per game Joel Embiid averages – 12 – over

-       Number of games until people start asking whether this Warriors team is the best team ever – 3 – under

Final thoughts:

I hope you’re all as excited as I am. Chances are you’re not, but that’s OK, too. Basketball is back, baby. Enjoy it, and remember to laugh at me in May and June when these predictions are comically off.

Mo Vaughn launches new clothing line called MVP Collections

By Trevor Hass, Sports Editor/Reporter sports@duxburyclipper.com Twitter: @TrevorHass

I sat down with former Red Sox slugger and American League MVP Mo Vaughn to find out what he's up to these days. We talked about his new clothing line, the 2016 Red Sox, David Ortiz's legacy and much more. 

Duxbury Clipper: How did MVP Collections come to be?

Mo Vaughn: I started off with Diane Cutuli as my partner. She’s been in the business 20-plus years. I came to her with an idea about “Big & Tall Guy.” She took it back and did some reconnaissance for about three or four months and found that this was a need. Anything I’ve been able to get into, whether it be affordable housing, which I started in ’04, to transportation to now Collections, I’ve always thought of things that are needs. The biggest thing with this one is that I’m the exact customer. I can basically speck out what is needed and what’s not needed and which way we need to go with things.

You know I’m not a big social media guy. I’m starting to get accustomed to it and getting there and understanding what it means, but our main thing now is that we’re servicing jeans from sizes 38 to 50, from 2X to 6X. That’s how we’re trying to drive this brand. We want to take our time. We’re not in a rush, so we’ll see where it goes. This basically came because I was a customer looking for stuff and couldn’t find it. I have the accessible income to go out and buy it, so we’re trying to service that guy. If you want some style, we want to be able to look like anybody else. Why can’t we have the same style? We can’t we have a nice sport coat? Why can’t we have a nice button-down? Why can’t we have all the things everybody else has? That’s what we’re trying to do here.

With Diane’s experience, we’ve been able to create a line. Because there’s not a lot of factual information about Big & Tall and there’s not a lot of DXL or stores like that, we need to collect data. We’re doing a lot of data analysis to find out what the product is about. The main thing is that it’s made in America, which we think is very, very important. It was one of the staples in what we wanted to do. We want to listen to the customer to find out what we want to do.

DC: What does MVP offer that other similar companies don’t?

MV: The thing about is that we have the style and we understand the style. We’re trying to bring style to our product and they don’t have me, who is the customer, who actually lives a life. I walk around with some guys on a daily basis, and there’s always a critique about how to get to the premier position. The fact that it’s just not there, we’re able to set the trend. We’re going to be the first in this market at all times. We’re going to go out and keep changing. I’m the model. I’m the everything. I’m the face of the brand. We’re going to be at the forefront, we’re going to be ahead of it and we’re going to get it done. They have me as the face.

DC: Was this something you were always interested in back during your career, or is it something that came to be after the fact?

MV: I’ve always been interested in it, even when I was playing. Even when you’re playing, it’s tough to find clothes. For me, I’ve always tried to wait to get the right people into effect. It took a little bit longer than I wanted, but I’ve got Diane and a great team, and here we are.

DC: Do you have any ties to the South Shore?

MV: I started my career in Quincy. I have family in Brockton. I lived in Easton. I’m a South Shore guy. We go out to Cape Cod.

DC: How often do you make it back to Boston and how often to you go to Sox games?

MV: Not as much as I would like to. I’m very, very proud of the Red Sox. That 2004 World Series lifted a lot of pressure off all of us ex-Red Sox. If you had any type of history with the Sox, it was a great day for us. I’m very, very proud of them and what they’ve accomplished winning three World Series championships. When I left, the Pedro Martinezes, the David Ortizes, the Dustin Pedroias of the world, they continued to set the example of what Red Sox baseball should be like.

David Ortiz, in my opinion, is in the top three or four athletes in the history of our beloved city. He’s got championships. He ranks with the Bradys, the Bobby Orrs, the Larry Birds. Ted Williams and Yaz, you’re gonna have those guys, but he has the hardware more than all of them. That’s what he’s all about. He’s really made his mark in this city of being one of the top three, four, five guys in the history of Boston sports.

DC: What’s it like playing in Boston compared to other cities? What does this city bring that others don’t?

MV: Intensity. The willingness to demand excellence of play. It may be easier when you’re coming from West Coast to East Coast than from East to West. On the first play of the game, I went out to Anaheim, do I look back and wonder what things could have been? Of course I do. The opportunity to have a baseball life and a great life after, it’s all about how you look at it. Things happen and you live with it. The overall playing experience that I had, 12 years and eight of them here, these were the best years.

DC: Do you watch this year’s team much?

MV: Oh yeah. They’re slugging. My family and I, we always make the trip out. The greatest thing for me now is going to spring training with JetBlue. It would have been great to practice there for six weeks to get your swing ready before you even started. The ownership of this team now has made all of us ex-Red Sox feel at home. They take care of us.

DC: Are there any players in today's game who you think model their games off you or who remind you of yourself? 

MV: Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think I was that good. We’ve got some guys who are really talented. The Mike Trouts of the world, the kid in Washington (Bryce Harper), Manny Machado. They’ve got some good young guns. I’m glad I’m retired. I think when I was playing ball there was maybe one guy throwing 100 miles per hour and now there’s over like 16. I’m right where I need to be, sitting down.

DC: Where were you when you heard about the Jose Fernandez news and what was your reaction? What’s it been like seeing the baseball world rally around him and support him so much?

MV: I was in Ohio. You never can understand the Cuban tradition of defection and what it takes to go out and put yourself in harm’s way to get to the United States and then to make it. His overall way of life, his attitude, he was charismatic, he had life. No one ever fully realizes what someone brings until they’re gone. It’s a tremendous loss.

He’s 24. I could be that kid’s father. I’ve got my own two young kids, so that’s how I take it. Man. How do you lose a young child like that? It’s a tremendous loss to Miami.

DC: Do you think athletes should consistently speak out on racial issues or should they stay quiet?

MV: I think it’s everybody’s decision what they’re going to do. There’s no right and wrong. The main thing is to correct an issue. That’s what we’re all trying to get to. We work together in the clubhouse. Hispanic, black, white, we all seem to play on the same team. I have relationships with people from different continents, different backgrounds, farmers, we seem to be able to get along. Why can’t we do that in the street? That’s what dismays me, but that gives me hope that we can correct it. When we go to a ballgame, black, white, different colors, we all root for the same team. How come we can’t get that going elsewhere? That’s what we have to do.

DC: When’s the last time you were at Fenway?

MV: Last year. I come at least once a year. I’ve been lucky enough to say I’ve been very busy. I’m in the affordable housing business and I own property up here, so I’m up here. I get the chance to stop in all the time. They’ve got that Bleacher Report app and my favorite team’s the Red Sox, so I know what’s going on.

This is how I'll remember Kevin Garnett

 

By Trevor Hass, Sports Editor/Reporter

sports@duxburyclipper.com

Twitter: @TrevorHass

My favorite Kevin Garnett moment – a moment that encapsulated his greatness, grit and gregariousness all in one play – came in Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Lakers.

It was late in the first half and the Celtics were up 18 and on the verge of capturing their first championship in 22 years. Garnett screened for Paul Pierce and slipped to the basket. He caught a bounce pass from Pierce, hoisted the ball high above his head and rose into the air.

He nestled the ball in his mighty right paw, like a mother bear caressing her child, holding on to it like it was the most important possession in the world. Garnett double-clutched before flinging a one-handed slingshot that ricocheted off the backboard and fell through the net. He plummeted to the floor, screamed and pumped his fist as his teammates mobbed him.

That was the moment you sensed the dream was complete. You knew he wasn’t going to let the Celtics lose. You knew Garnett was going to get his championship and the Celtics were going to get theirs.

Garnett, who retired last week and is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, was the ultimate competitor, sweater, trash talker, swearer, instigator and teammate. He was the guy you hated when he was on the other team but loved when he was on your team. He had a knack for being annoying and it worked, and he was loyal like no other.

He was part of the Big Three in Boston with Pierce and Ray Allen and now he’s a member of another tremendous trio that has etched its spot in history. Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Garnett all retired this year, and they now make up arguably the best Hall of Fame class of all time.

All three did it in different ways. Duncan was the silent assassin – the unassuming leader who took you under his wing. Bryant was the not-so-silent assassin – the alpha dog who thrived in the clutch. Garnett was a mix of the two. He had Duncan-like tendencies when it came to leadership and banking in mid-range jumpers. He had some Kobe in him when it came to the snarl he gave opponents and the swagger he played with, letting them know right away he was better than they were and he was going to win.

When Garnett came to Boston and teamed up with Pierce and Allen, all three players had several individual accolades but had yet to win a title. That Celtics team epitomizes how basketball truly is a team sport. All three players took on a lesser role for the greater good and Garnett became the fire and fuel behind it all.

I doubt he ever needed to spend time in a sauna, because he removed gallons of sweat from his body every game. I doubt he ever ran out of swears, because his arsenal of profanity was seemingly endless. And I doubt he ever had a fully healthy chest, because he pounded it so many times while imploring the crowd to match his energy.

He coined the phrase “Anything is possible!” He had plenty of enemies, but his friends became family. He embraced Boston, made it his own and made it better.

Kevin Garnett may be retired, but his place in Boston lore will remain forever.