NBA X-Files: Who are the X-factors heading into the First Round?

By: Sal Pellone

     The NBA Playoffs start today, rejoice fans. The regular season concluded with a grand finale of fireworks. Kobe Bryant ended his career on a high note with a 60-point comeback win and the Warriors broke the Bulls' regular season win record. Now, it's time to dive into which players will have an impact on their team the most in the first round of the playoffs. This isn't a list of superstars that have proven themselves, but a list of the guys who can have a heavy impact when the superstar's shots aren't sinking. These are the players that are going to dive into the stands for that extra loose ball, shut down a key opponent, and grab that extra rebound. These are the first round x-factors.

Eastern Conference 

Kevin Love

    Stan Van Gundy is no stranger to beating LeBron James and the Cavaliers. He took them down with Orlando and three times this season with Detroit. If Van Gundy deploys a defensive strategy to limit LeBron James and Kyrie Iriving, Kevin Love could be the key player to step up in action. Since Tyronn Lue took over at head coach mid-season, Love has been used more in an effort to space the floor at the top of the key to produce more shots. Love was missed last playoffs for the Cavaliers after Kelly Olynyk ripped his shoulder out of his socket. 

Isaiah Thomas

     In the Celtics' case, Isaiah Thomas is their superstar. Boston has a bunch of scrappy players, coincidentally led by Thomas, the former last pick in the NBA Draft. Thomas will need to be on his A-game if the Celtics want to take down a well-rounded Atlanta Hawks team in the first round, a team they went 1-3 against in the regular season. 

Al Jefferson

     A handful of players can fit the x-factor criteria for the Hornets in this series. Charlotte has been red hot since the return of Big Al on February 19, going 21-8 since. Jefferson has been utilized off the bench and it's been working effectively, averaging 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds in 23 minutes in the past five games. Jefferson could cause a handful in the paint for Miami and Hassan Whiteside. 

DeMarre Carroll

     The Raptors went almost the entire season without their prized free agent signing. Carroll is just returning from injury in the nick of time for the playoffs. He will likely come off the bench and provide 20-something minutes. The Raptors are having arguably their best season in franchise history, but have had past troubles getting past the first round. Carroll could give Toronto that extra boost to propel them past Indiana to the next round. 

Western Conference 

Blake Griffin

     Blake is just returning from a hand injury suffered mid-season. Griffin will have to shake off some rust and try to fit in the Clippers' chemistry they've built during his absence. Griffin will have the chance to dominant against Portland's weaker front court. If he can get back to that deadly pick-and-roll with Chris Paul, it'll be difficult for Portland to defend. Another factor to include is if the Blazers decide to go to the Hack-A-Jordan route. Will DeAndre Jordan be forced to ride the bench and Griffin have to step in for crucial crunch time minutes? 

CJ McCollum

      It's inevitable that there will be a back-and-forth battle at the point guard position between Chris Paul and Damian Lillard in this series. That's where CJ McCollum comes into play. As deadly as Lillard is he draws so much attention with his shooting and ability to drive the lane. This is going to open opportunities for McCollum to capitalize from deep, as he's done all season long. The Clippers are limited with options to halt McCollum.  

Enes Kanter 

     Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are going to give their usual dominant performance in this Dallas series, we know that. Kanter has had an underrated year for Oklahoma City, thriving on Westbrook's drive-and-dishes. He could help down the stretch in this series by cleaning up rebounds off missed Westbrook and Durant shot attempts. The 6'11" forward could even see some time guarding Dallas' leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki. 

Patrick Beverley 

     Houston already has a snowball's chance in hell at beating Golden State, but Beverley could provide help for James Harden's scoring frenzy. Beverley was missed in the playoffs last season for Houston, which forced Harden to move to the point guard slot. Beverley is a pass-first guard and a pest on defense, which could cause a little trouble for Steph Curry, I'm serious guys.  

Cinderella Watch: Schools Destined to Fit the Glass Slipper

By: Sal Pellone
     Let's face it, all we care about is picking the underdog. Yes, picking the right Final Four and Champion is fun, but that's not why we fill out brackets. We want to be the only one to pick the school that nobody else believed in or even knew about in the first place. We want to be apart of the one percent of people that picked some obscure school with a nickname like the Mocs. Sports fans crave upsets. Grab your pen, I present to you my first round upsets...

(14) Stephen F. Austin over (3) West Virginia

I'm coming out guns blazing, no cupcakes. The Lumberjacks out of Nacogdoches, Texas are no fresh blood to the tournament. This is their third straight year dancing. They are led by senior forward Thomas Walkup, who's having his best year yet, leading the team in almost every statistical category from points to steals. Yes, they play in the Southland, which isn't the greatest conference, but the Lumberjacks are rolling into the dance on a 20-game win streak. They have no easy task, though. Bob Huggins' Mountaineers are one of the only teams in the tournament that are going give full court pressure all game. And they cause a ton of turnovers for opponents. Against Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament, this pressure-heavy defense forced 21 turnovers and held leading scorer Buddy Hield to a measly 6 points. Eventually, Thomas Walkup and the Lumberjacks will find leaks in this defense, as they only average 12 turnovers per game and are second in the nation in assists. Get to know Stephen F. Austin and Thomas Walkup, this team can potentially make a Sweet 16 run.

(11) Northern Iowa over (5) Texas

You'll best remember the Panthers from 2010, when they upset 1 seed Kansas and made it to the Sweet 16. Northern Iowa has the ability to do so once again. They've proven so with big wins over Stephen F. Austin, then number 1 North Carolina, then number 5 Iowa State, and 2 wins over Wichita State. The Panthers of Cedar Falls, Iowa, lost some shaky games against no-name teams, but the games against big time opponents were won convincingly. Senior guard Wes Washpun is the name to keep an eye on in this upset. He is the leading scorer of the team, dropping 21 against UNC, 28 against Iowa State, and recently 20 against a defensive-minded Wichita State. What really stands out is their defense, though. Ranked 11th in the nation for points allowed, they hold opponents to an average 62 points per game. They should keep Texas, ranked 222nd in the nation in points per game, to a minimal margin. Texas coach Shaka Smart was usually the one doing the upsetting when he was at VCU. Now, it's time for him to get a taste of his own medicine.

(14) Green Bay over (3) Texas A&M

Many experts are looking at Texas A&M going deep in this tournament. I don't blame them. The Aggies have a well-rounded team from head to toe and just lost a close one to Kentucky for the SEC title. However, is the SEC really that tough of a conference? I'm not sold on it since the SEC only produced three teams into the tourney, one being Vanderbilt in the First Four. Do not get ahead of yourselves Texas A&M, you have to get by Green Bay first, and they can score. I mean SCORE. The Phoenix scored the most points in the entire nation all season. They average the most points out of all 68 teams in the tournament at 84.2 a game. Expect a big outcome from senior guard and leading scorer Carrington Love. If you watch some replays of Texas A&M they can get lackadaisical at times,  Green Bay's potent scoring attack will eat this alive.

(12) South Dakota State over (5) Maryland 

The Jackrabbits are led by senior guard tandem Deondre Parks and George Marshall and freshman center Mike Daum. All three account for 44 of the average 76 points per game. So they are kind of a big deal. South Dakota State has done fairly well against teams that are in this tournament, beating Florida Gulf Coast, Weber State, and Middle Tennessee State. It doesn't say much about them, but it shows promise. Maryland on the other hand, 25-8 on the year, can be deceiving. The Terps have struggled of late, dropping five of their last eight games, which leads me to believe this can be an early exit for guard Melo Trimble. You never want to enter this tournament cold.

(12) Yale over (5) Baylor 

There's something so intriguing with Ivy League schools in the tournament. Yale is having one of the best seasons in school history and it's being overshadowed by a sexual misconduct case. Captain Jack Montague was kicked off the team in early February for accusations; that didn't stop the Bulldogs from winning, only falling once in conference play all season. The Bulldogs are a bunch of bulldogs on defense, ranked 12th in the nation in points allowed. Baylor, another team entering the tournament cold, went 2-4 in their last six games. They are loaded with stretch forwards who have dominated all season, but Yale can match that with senior forwards Justin Sears and Brandon Sherrod. The future CEOs will rally around the loss of their captain, like they have done all season.

Minor Upsets
(9) Butler over (8) Texas Tech
When Butler's on, they are on. They are shooting a solid .387 from behind the arc, led by Kris Dunham shooting a hot .428 from three. I can see the Bulldogs advancing to another Sweet 16.

(9) Providence over (8) USC
The Friars are led by NBA-ready Kris Dunn and he doesn't even lead the team in scoring. Forward Ben Bentil leads the team with an average 21 points per game. USC has been horrible of late, 3-7 of their last 10.

(9) Connecticut over (8) Colorado
UCONN sneaks in from another conference championship, I've heard this one before. Kevin Ollie has the Huskies bound to make another run, yet again.

I almost pulled the trigger, but couldn't 
(16) Hampton over (1) Virginia 
I really really really want to say Hampton over Virginia, but Virginia will pull this game out close. That Hampton team that lost to Kentucky by 23 last year, really didn't lose that bad, especially coming from an undefeated Wildcats team. The Pirates thrive from tearing down boards, ranked 7th in the nation averaging 41 per game. Where does Virginia get killed the most? Yup, on the boards, ranked 329th in nation for rebounds per game. With the Cavaliers' slow-the-game-down tempo, it could keep Hampton lurking around deep into the game. I'm not saying Hampton wins, but I'm just going to keep this right here.

BOLD NBA 2nd Half Predictions

By: Sal Pellone

The first half of the NBA season has concluded and it's only right to make super BOLD predictions for the second.

Five Essentials For The Timberwolves Moving Forward

By: Jack Nutting

     The Wolves are in an incredibly unique position. They have the last two first overall picks in the NBA Draft. Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns are both so tantalizing as prospects because of their two-way potential on the court. Both players have steady and improving jump shots.  And the hardest skill to teach, athleticism. But, moving forward, the franchise needs to make some important decisions, and fundamentally basic ones. Here are five that should be considered...

Hire the right GM   

     With the unfortunate death of prior GM Flip Saunders, the Wolves have a void in that position. Perhaps excluding having a legit franchise star, a great GM is the most important thing to have on a team’s payroll. The GM has such an important role in the day-to-day operations of the team to fulfilling this position with the right personal, it is paramount. 

Hire the Right Coach

The eventual GM needs to hire the eventual right coach. Wiggins and Towns are too young and have potential to be great, they cannot be stalled by a coach with the wrong vision. The easy example these days is to look at Byron Scott and the Lakers, who are just saying and doing bizarre things to their young core of players such as Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell. Wiggins and Towns are in the beginning stages of long careers and they cannot be tainted by coaching malpractice.

Rubio?

The team’s brass will eventually have to decide what to do with Ricky Rubio. With Towns and Wiggins on the floor, ideally the man playing the point would be at least an average three point shooter, if not an above average one. Rubio of course is not that. Which leads to the question of despite his superior passing skills, can Rubio’s lack of shooting exist in an offense with Wiggins and Towns, who are improving on their three point range, but my no means are sharpshooters. 

Spend Money

This is the easiest, most obvious, and maybe most important of imperatives moving forward for the organization. Whether it is spending extra to bring in a top-flight coach (Tibs, anyone?), handing out contracts, or making sure the locker room in the arena is modernized, the ownership will need to spend capital to capitalize on the incredible situation they have walked into.

Patience

Patience, in the abstract, requires no capital investment or upfront cash. But, in practice, they have to exhibit the quality of it. The Wolves cannot be the Pelicans. The Pelicans traded picks, signed bad contracts, and relinquished cap flexibility in order to “appease” Anthony Davis quickly and try to win “now.” Now, the team is missing the playoffs, and outside of AD, the team has little long-term young talent that can remain healthy. Minnesota’s brass will hopefully realize the youth of the young core is a quality itself, and hopefully not feel the need to speed up the eventual timeline for no reason.          

Two Blazers Are Paving A Trail For Success In Portland

By: Sal Pellone
     It was April 29th when the Blazers had just been eliminated from playoff contention for the second straight year. The Northwest Division champs were taken care of easily by the Memphis Grizzlies, falling four games to one. That was the last game Portland had its core squad together. The run seemed to be over. They lost five-time all-star and face of the franchise LaMarcus Aldridge, center Robin Lopez, and sharp-shooters Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews. Four of the five starters from last year's team all gone in the offseason to other teams. Coming into this season, many people thought this was a rebuilding year for the Blazers (including myself), especially in the wild wild Western Conference.
     Whoops, we were wrong. The Blazers have won eight of their last nine, riding a 3-game win streak. They are sitting in seventh place in the West at 27-27 right now and if the playoffs started today, they would play Aldridge's Spurs.
     What's led to the Blazers' success without their core from last season? Of course, Damian Lillard is still living in Portland, Oregon. The two-time all-star is having another impressive season. He has taken over as the alpha dog for the Blazers team, improving in almost every statistical category. He is sixth overall in points per game and assists in the NBA, averaging 24.2 PPG with 7.3 APG. Lillard is among the best in the league at not only his position, but overall.
     Dame can't be carrying this whole team though, right? No, a guy named Cj McCollum has burst onto the scene out of nowhere. The former Lehigh star that drained 30 points to upset Duke has finally gotten his chance. "To everyone else, the way he's performing each night is a shock, but for those that were around him at Lehigh, we knew it was just a matter of time" says former Lehigh teammate Conroy Baltimore. The last two seasons McCollum was an average off-the-bench player racking up a minimal five to six points a game. With all the roster moves in the offseason, McCollum was promoted to starting shooting guard, to tag along with Damian Lillard. McCollum hasn't looked back since. "For him, transitioning to a starting role was not that much pressure because he knew that he would be prepared for the role mentally and physically" says Baltimore. He is now averaging 20.8 PPG, a rapid increase from the last two seasons.
     Lillard and McCollum are the third best tandem points scorers in the league, averaging a total 45 PPG for the Blazers, right behind Steph Curry/Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook.  Lillard and McCollum aren't like any other. Lillard is great at splitting defenders from the point and attacking the hoop with speed. McCollum supplements that with great perimeter shooting, tremendous patience, and changing his body movements and dribble to adjust to the defender.

     What makes these two so effective is their ability to spread defenses out, opening wide open threes in the corner and dump offs to big men down low. Similar to those Golden State Warriors. They draw so much attention when they attack the hoop, which opens up the flood gates for guys like Allen Crabbe, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Gerald Henderson in the corner, all of whom have career three-point percentage numbers this season.
     It's time to spread awareness and realize Lillard and McCollum are the real deal. They are accountable for the majority of Portland's .500 record. Losing four out of your five starters and right back in the playoff hunt, Lillard and McCollum have molded themselves into a top guard combo in the NBA for sure.