Candid Basketball

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Welcome to Candid Basketball

Candid Basketball

Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.
— Kobe Bryant.

Alas! You found me. You’re in the right place as long as it’s basketball you want. This is a place you would get candid views on the game of basketball. From FIBA to the NBA, to EuroBasket and to local basketball, everything you need about the game is right here. Cheers to a wonderful future together.

CHAMPIONS AT LAST

Thrilling. Entertaining. Nerve-racking. Heartbreaking. These are some of the words that could be used to define the 2021 NBA Finals, which culminated in the Milwaukee Bucks being crowned champions after a fifty-year wait.

We all wondered what would become of the Bucks when Giannis Antetokounmpo hyper-extended his knee in game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, which consequently caused him to miss the remainder of the series, but he miraculously returned in game 1 of the Finals to produce one of the most dominant performances in NBA Finals history. More on that in a bit.

THE NBA RETURNS

The Los Angeles Lakers, 2020 NBA Champions

After waiting almost a year for the 2019/2020 NBA season to be concluded, it feels like the 2020/2021 season has come a little bit too quickly. But we surely are not complaining, because who would say no to some more basketball? Last season was the longest NBA season in history, having started in December and ending in October, which has made this off-season the shortest in history, even shorter for the teams who made it to the finals.

HERE GOES YOUR CHAMPIONS

2020 NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers

So, the 2019/2020 NBA season has come to an end after what felt like an eternity, with the Lakers clinching their 17th championship and their first in ten years. This year’s championship could have an asterisk quite alright, but only because it was probably the most difficult championship in the history of the NBA. A year that was marred by social injustice, and the coronavirus pandemic which forced the playoffs to be held in a ‘bubble’, away from fans, family and friends. It came down to who had more will to make it to the end. The Lakers also had to deal with the loss of a legend in Kobe Bryant, which could have been a demoralizer as much as it could have been a motivator, but they chose the latter and used it as fuel to spark a remarkable playoff run to bring the trophy back to Los Angeles where it belonged.

PREDICTING THE OUTCOMES AS THE NBA PLAYOFFS BEGIN

The much anticipated 2020 NBA playoffs finally kicks off today, Monday the 17th. It’s unusual for the playoffs to begin by this time. In fact, under normal circumstances we would have had our NBA champion by now. But these are not normal circumstances—far from it. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the NBA was forced to postpone its season for over four months, having played its last games in March before resuming at the end of July with an eight-game seeding format which involved only 22 teams (the top 8 teams of both conferences and 6 more teams who were within 6 games of the eighth seed in each conference).

FAREWELL KOBE

It’s been five days since the passing of Kobe Bryant and I finally have the willpower to write a post about him. It hasn’t been easy for me (and virtually everyone that loved him) over the past couple of days. Every time I tried to type something about Kobe on my computer I completely lost it. I still find it hard to believe he’s gone. A forty-one-year-old man who was just getting started in the second phase of his life, taken off the face of the earth just like that, without warning. Life is unpredictable. Cruel.

WHAT WE’VE LEARNT FROM THE NBA SO FAR

Don’t we just love the NBA? We all thought this was going to be one of the most enjoyable NBA seasons in a very long time, and barely four weeks into it, I have to say it has lived up to expectations. Boys from last season have developed into men, and I’m not just talking human beings here, I’m also talking franchises. Mediocre teams from last season, after upgrading via free agency, have shot themselves into playoff contention.

THE NBA IS BACK

The Toronto Raptors Nigerian GM, Masai Ujiri, posing with the Larry O’Brien Trophy

The NBA is back! Well, not quite. We have to wait till the 22nd to get the first glimpse of NBA action, but it’s back in principle. The last time NBA fans saw an NBA game was way back in June when the Toronto Raptors were crowned champions after defeating Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the Finals.

A REVIEW OF D’TIGERS’ WORLD CUP CAMPAIGN

So, the FIBA World Cup came to an end for Nigeria yesterday 8th September after a hard fought win over hosts China. The D’Tigers were hoping that their campaign didn’t end this early, but having clinched an automatic qualification spot for the 2020 Summer Olympics, they would be going back home with a little smile on their faces.

Overall, D’Tigers were 3-2 in the tournament, and not too many people tipped them to achieve more than they achieved. They were the lowest ranked team in a group that had 4th placed Argentina, 8th placed Russia and 32nd placed Korea. They began their campaign with a narrow defeat to Russia in a game they needed to win if they were going to qualify into the second qualifying phase. Two days later, they faced group favourites Argentina and the South Americans proved just too strong for them. With two defeats already, qualification for the next group phase was already over, and D’Tigers kissed the trophy goodbye.

A Frantic Opening Day At The FIBA World Cup

The much awaited opening of the FIBA World Cup finally came along as teams battled each other for bragging rights. Group A saw host China defeat African representatives Côte D’Ivoire in a jam-packed arena 70 to 55, while Poland beat Venezuela 80-69. In group B, Nigeria fell narrowly to Russia 82-77(more on that later) while Argentina trashed Korea 95-69. In group C, Puerto Rico came from 18 points down at half time to defeat Iran 83-81, while Spain made small work of Tunisia as they trashed them 101-62. Group D saw two unevenly matched duels unfold as tournament favourites, Serbia, duly put aside Angola 105-59 and Italy dismantled Philippines 108-62.

D’TIGERS FINAL SQUAD ANALYSIS

The much awaited 12-man list for the FIBA World Cup was finally released yesterday 27th of August, and it was met with some criticism from fans. A total of five new faces would be making their debut for D’Tigers in China, and fans are wondering whether that wouldn’t be too much of an overhaul for such an important tournament. One might want to argue that the new faces are probably better, based on the fact that most of them ply their trade in the NBA, but the players that were dropped in their favour were integral parts of the D’Tigers qualification for the World Cup.