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What’s good, family. It’s your boy Sykes, back again, to chat about some playoff ball with you. But first, a word on the Finals discourse.
We have absolutely run out of things to talk about. We’re just over 24 hours away from the beginning of the NBA Finals with what looks like it could be one of the best matchups we’ve had in years. There are so many good players in this series. This is going to be so much fun.
Yet, because of a Draymond Green quote in a Colin Cowherd interview from Tuesday, all anyone is chatting about today is how many times Steph Curry was doubled with Kevin Durant as his teammate.
Like, literally. We’re discussing the 2018 NBA Finals right now. This is ridiculous.
There’s so much analysis to get into. There are so many talking points we can touch on and so many matchups we can discuss. But we’re talking about double-teams. Seriously, y’all? I’d rather watch paint dry.
Luckily for us, there’s a game tomorrow night. We won’t have to wait too much longer to talk about something real.
The NBA Finals cannot come soon enough.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network
Draymond Green was absolutely thrilled to see Darvin Ham get the Lakers’ head coaching slot.
That might be initially confusing to some of you seeing as these are conference rivals we’re talking about. But Green and Ham’s connection goes a bit deeper than basketball. They’re both from Saginaw, Michigan.
Our Bryan Kalbrosky has more.
Another person happy with the decision is Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Ham and Green are both from Saginaw, Michigan and they attended the same public Saginaw High School — which currently has an enrollment of fewer than 600 people.
The town has a population of fewer than 50,000 people — which makes it 14 times smaller than nearby Detroit. Yet it has produced notable NBA players, including Ham and Green, as well as two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson.
That’s pretty amazing stuff, man. Salute to Ham.
Who’s in and out?
— Gary Payton II (elbow) is questionable to return for Game 1
— Otto Porter Jr. (foot) is questionable to return for Game 1
— Andre Iguodala (neck) is questionable to return for Game 1
Shootaround
—Kelsey Plum is the best for talking trash to Tom Brady, who attended the Las Vegas’ Aces showdown against the Mercury.
— The 10 best players in the NBA Finals, ranked.
— This series is a bit too close for me to bet on, but here are 5 bets you should take on for these NBA Finals.
— It’s pretty cool to know Danny Ainge still loves the Celtics.
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