TIME-OUT: blog extra —
DANNY GREEN
Danny Green is now one of the most powerful players in the NBA. He plays great D and still has a timely three-pointer, things he can do in clutch moments of tight games. Will he continue to do that and earn his third championship in three different cities this year? Only three players currently in the NBA had a chance to accomplish that super feat in this abbreviated 2020 season.
Green came to the Los Angeles Lakers while Kawhi Leonard went to the other LA team, the Clippers. Together they had just won an NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors (2019), both of them gaining their second title after winning their first one together in San Antonio. With the Spurs, Green’s treys helped down LeBron James’ Miami Heat in the Heat’s three-peat title attempt (2014.)
Green is knocking on the door for a third championship in a third city. The Lakers won a thriller against the Denver Nuggets to go up 2-0 in the West Conference title round on September 20.
LEONARD and JAMES
Leonard, sometimes referred to as the best player in the league over the past year, watched from the sidelines. With the Clippers, his third attempt at three-city championship glory failed when the Clippers were beaten in a heated West Conference second round playoff Game 7 against Denver.
Oh, and by-the-by, James is on the Lakers team, too, and is the only other player this season in position to win a third NBA title in a third city.
THE BUBBLE
Could it be that the Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida, Covid-19 Bubble in which the NBA playoffs were held this season was too much for Leonard’s routine of load management? His Clippers were favored to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. But League MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks also went down to defeat early, ousted in round two by the unpredictable Miami Heat.
Miami continues to battle the Boston Celtics September 23 with a 2-1 series lead in the East Conference Finals.
DESTINY?
Could it somehow be destiny for James to face his old Miami bosses in a title match-up? None of the players who were in a Miami jersey during James’ reign there remain with the playing personnel other than the forty-year-old Udonis Haslem. James, now in his 17th season in the NBA, is a league giant in mentally focusing on the task at hand.
Will Green and James become three-city champions?
Leonard looked confused, shocked, and above all, exhausted, during the Clippers’ series with Denver. What’s next for Leonard? Does he stay in Clipper city? Will he get another shot at a third championship in city number three?
Will Giannis make a change after winning his second straight season MVP award, but again falling short in the playoff season?
James finished second (for the fourth time in his career) in the 2020 League MVP voting. (How could the Lakers have gotten this far without him?) Could he win a fourth Finals MVP, or will Anthony Davis continue to rise to the occasion and win it all for the first time?
Just a time-out blog extra for observations…
UPDATE:
The Los Angeles Lakers were crowned the 2020 NBA Champions, winning the title from the Miami Heat in six games. James was named Finals MVP.
Game 1 = Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. —— LA – 116-98
Game 2 = Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. ——— LA – 124-114
Game 3 = Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. —- Miami – 115-104
Game 4 = Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. ——— LA – 102-96
Game 5 = Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. ——— Miami -111-108
Game 6 = Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. —- LA – 106-93
Game 7 = Oct. 13 at 9p.m. ——— (not necessary)
(The new season may be scheduled to begin as soon as January, after considerations of safety and health are put into place to continue play in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is no where near defeat.)
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Credit:
Photo from the personal and copyrighted collection of Barbara Anne Helberg
Champions In Sport 