Enjoy Basketball: Golden State win in six as curtains close on NBA season

Powered by

Just two and a half months after launching Enjoy Basketball, and the end of the NBA season is already upon us. With the offseason coming up, and no more games to cover, we'd like to know what you want to see in the newsletter over the summer. Reply to this email or DM us on twitter @EnjoyBBall with suggestions on potential topics like draft scouting, hypothetical trades, NBA history or whatever else you can think of!

Now, before we cover the Warriors totally unexpected and not seemingly routine at this point NBA championship, a word from our sponsor.

PrizePicks is the easiest and most exciting way to win BIG on the NBA Finals! You pick over or under on 2+ player props to win payouts of up to 10X your cash.

Our final picks of the series from game five did pretty well. A $50 entry with Klay Thompson OVER 19.5 points, Jordan Poole OVER 11.5 points, Kevon Looney OVER 5.5 points, and Al Horford OVER 1.5 three-pointers made would have gotten you $25 in profit. 

100,000+ PrizePicks Members have been taking advantage of generous promotions, high payouts, and fast withdrawal during the NBA Playoffs. Join them using code ENJOY to get your first deposit doubled up to $100! Sign up here!

It might be the end of the NBA season, but PrizePicks will be around all summer with bets available for MLB, PGA, MMA, F1 and more. 

*PrizePicks is available to residents 18+ in AK, AR, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, MI, MN, NE, NY, NM, NC, ND, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, WY. 19+ in AL. 21+ in AZ, MA.

Warriors summit the NBA mountaintop again behind Curry and Green masterclass

The team that defined the 2010's isn't done yet, as the Golden State Warriors won their fifth NBA Championship in franchise history behind a historic 21-0 run, a couple of classic performances from their marquee players and a gutsy team effort on defense. 

Curry, as he's done so many times before, led the charge with a classic game. He shot the lights out, distributed the ball decisively, and played his role well on defense with a couple of steals and a block. It was his fourth game in six tries with 30+ points, and this time around, there was no doubt that he would be named Finals MVP.

It was an all-time great series from an all-time great player. His 47-point game four masterpiece will certainly be on plenty of "Best Finals Performances of All Time" lists for years to come.

After enduring a broken hand, the worst record in the NBA, and a gutting play-in loss over the past two years, Curry couldn't help but let the emotions wash over him after making his way back to the promised land.

But the real man pulling the strings behind the scenes in game six was Draymond Green.   Whether it was a great screen to get Curry open, a beautiful dime to a cutting Wiggins, a stifling defensive possession on Jayson Tatum, or even a couple timely threes, Draymond had a hand in nearly everything that went right for Golden State down the stretch, as has been the case for the Warriors entire run.

Even without a good game from Klay Thompson, the rest of the Warriors rotation stepped up. The trio of Andrew Wiggins, Otto Porter Jr. and Jordan Poole combing to make nine threes at a 45% clip. 

The Celtics can hang their head high after a spectacular season, but it's gonna be hard to not think about what could have been for a very long time. Jaylen Brown put up monster numbers and Al Horford had one of his best games of the playoffs, but an especially quiet night for Jayson Tatum would end up spelling doom for Boston. Their overreliance on isolation scoring has been a problem in some games this series, and it reared its head at the worst possible time. Despite that, there's no doubt in our mind that they'll be contending for years to come.

Christian Wood heads to Dallas in Texas-sized trade

Rafael Stone and Nico Harrison just couldn't wait for the Finals to finish this year, because Christian Wood is moving to Dallas as part of the NBA off-season's first big move. In return, the Rockets are receiving a full platter of assets made up of Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, Sterling Brown, and the 26th pick in the upcoming draft.

For Dallas, this trade really was a no-brainer. They've been in need of a talented big man who can stretch the floor ever since trading Kristaps Porzingis at the deadline and Wood can replace a solid chunk of KP's offensive production (plus a bit more rebounding). The biggest knock against Wood has always been his defense, but Dallas is already more than capable on that front. They have the personnel to hide Wood on that end of the court to an extent and should rightfully believe that his offensive impact will more than make up for his shortcomings elsewhere.

For Houston, this trade is more of a calculated risk, but one that could end up paying off. The players they got don't really amount to much for a team in the middle of a rebuild (in fact, they already plan to waive Brown and Chriss), but acquiring the #26 pick could be a sign of bigger moves on the horizon for the Rockets. With picks #17, #26, and plenty of future firsts, Houston is in a prime position to trade up into the lottery and draft another big piece for their future. 

Sixers Actively Shopping 2022 First Round Pick

Speaking of first-round picks, it looks like the Philadelphia 76ers want to part with theirs sooner rather than later. Rumor has it that they're open to shopping the #23 pick along with veteran wing Danny Green. With two superstars in Joel Embiid and James Harden on the roster, Daryl Morey and the Sixers front office are certainly operating in win-now mode and just don't have the requisite minutes to use to develop a late first-round pick.

Two possible interested parties are Oklahoma City and the aforementioned Houston Rockets. Sam Presti in OKC is well-known for his love of draft picks and has a player in Kenrich Williams that Philly would certainly be interested in. Williams is a good defender, capable shooter and underrated playmaker on the wing who would fit well on any contending team. For Philly, Williams can especially help the bench unit on the defensive end next to the more offensive-minded George's Niang.

The Christian Wood trade shows that Houston is willing to trade veterans for draft picks, and Eric Gordon is another player on their roster who fits that bill. He's been one of the NBA's better pure-scorers during his 14-year career and is coming off a sneakily good season that saw him break the 60% true shooting barrier for the first time. In Philadelphia, Gordon would provide some much-needed efficient scoring off the bench and help to mitigate the effect of Matisse Thybulle's shooting woes. 

Steph Curry Is Cutting Through The Noise - Louis Zatzman (FiveThirtyEight)

49ers’ Ronnie Lott Lives His N.B.A. Dream Through Golden State - Scott Cacciola (New York Times)

Ignored by the NBA and fueled by NIL, star big men on campus are sticking around - CJ Moore and Eamonn Brennan (The Athletic)

Well, that's it, there's no more competitive NBA basketball for over three months. Time for  Warriors fans to enjoy a relaxing offseason basking in the championship glory while the rest of us go straight into the organized chaos of the draft, free agency and the swirling trade market, which we'll keep you posted on every step of the way.

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Last Trivia Answer: The answer to Wednesday's trivia question is Blake Griffin and Kevin Love! The two former All-stars led the league in charges drawn with 26 each.

Trivia Question: Back in game four, Andrew Wiggins became just the third player 6'7" or shorter to record 15+ rebounds in an NBA finals game since 2000. Who are the other two?