Photo by Kyle O Sullivan / Unsplash
By Charles D. Collier
Long live the King! On Friday May 12, 2023, Lebron James and the Lakers beat the defending champion Warriors to advance and play the Denver Nuggets. James scored 30 points grabbed nine rebounds and had nine assists. Anthony Davis chipped in 17 points and 20 rebounds.
Many of us were introduced to Lebron when the 17 year-old high school junior appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Expectations were high. Over the years we have all witness his greatness. We watched 18-year old James make his NBA debut, He scored 25 points, grabbed nine rebound and dished out nine assists. NBA fans realized James was special. Over the years we have all witnessed his greatness. He is the only active NBA player from the 2003 draft class.
On Thursday May 18, 2023 the Nuggets won game two and took a commanding 2-0 lead in series behind Nikola Jokic’s dominant performance. If the Lakers are to win the series, they must win game three. On
Sunday May 14, 2023, the Celtics won game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers. They were led by their All-NBA first team forward Jason Tatum who scored a game high 51 points, he set a record for points in a game 7.
The NBA MVP Joel Embid was a non-factor, and James Harden played poorly. On May 16, 2023 the 76ers fired Doc Rivers after three seasons. On the same day, James Harden opted out of his contract and is seeking a long-term contract. The 76ers are expected to make several more personnel moves. The Sixers have no one to blame but themselves. On June 17, 2023 they made one of the worst trades in NBA history, swapping their third pick in the first round for the Boston Celtic’s first pick in the first round. The Celtics drafted Jason Tatum and the 76ers drafted Markelle Fultz and the rest is history. This trade was the equivalent of Manhattan being sold for trinkets valued at $24.
This years NBA play-offs have been very exciting and in my honest opinion, the Denver Nuggets will win the 2023 NBA championship.