Tag: Spider

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/18/2021

Posted on by Titan Frey in Basketball, NBA, NBA Playoffs, Sports


Written by Titan Frey


I originally planned on writing an article on the three wonderful game sevens we were going to have this weekend. Then, the Los Angeles Clippers messed up my plans… more on that in a second. 

  • SIXERS 104
  • HAWKS 99

The Philadelphia 76ers finally held on to their lead to win and force a game seven on Sunday, June 20th at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. 


Joel Embiid struggled with his shot (9-24), but he played his overall solid game (22 points, 13 rebounds). 


Seth Curry also had another good game with 24 points, but the key to the Sixers victory was Tyrese Maxey.


Maxey scored a crucial 16 points in addition to playing tough defense on Hawks star Trae Young.


Maxey also played five more minutes than the struggling Ben Simmons, which seemed to be the right move.


The big question now is, which team will execute better in game seven? With both their seasons on the line, this game should turn out to be a good one.

  • JAZZ 119
  • CLIPPERS 131


Now, let’s get back to the Jazz vs Clippers game. The Jazz held a commanding 25 point lead at one point in the third quarter, and the Clippers’ curse seemed to be alive and well.


Then, the most unexpected thing happened… the Clippers rallied back. Who led the charge? If you thought it was Paul George, then you would be wrong. 


George started the game back as his awful old playoff self, appropriately known as “Pandemic P”. George was not the “man“ who brought the Clippers back. Instead, it was another Mann…


Yes, it was the second-year man, Terance Mann who carved through the Jazz’s defense and helped lead the comeback charge. 


Mann scored a career-high 39 points, and that’s after only having 25 total points in the series. Mann also knocked down seven three-pointers… he looked unstoppable out on the court. 


Terrance Mann wasn’t the only Clipper to lead the comeback, veteran Reggie Jackson also played big in the second half. 


Jackson scored 27 while dishing out 10 assists. Most of his points and assists came during the Clippers’ huge run. 


The Clippers also got a big performance, defensively and offensively from Patrick Beverley. 


Beverley scored 12, with three big three-pointers coming in the fourth quarter. His defense on Jazz star Donovan Mitchell
was huge. 


Paul George, who started slow, also played big down the stretch, he became “Playoff P” once more. 


George finished the game with 28 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. 


After the game, George said this about the win: “You felt the monkey off of the Clippers’ back in terms of getting out of the second round. It was just a special night. You know you felt it, the cheers, the excitement.”


Now, the Clippers move on to play the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, at 3:30 PM Eastern Standard Time.


With Kawhi Leonard most likely out because of injury and Chris Paul out from the NBA COVID protocol, which team will have the upper hand? 


You won’t know till you watch. Make sure you tune in on Sunday. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/16/2021

Posted on by Titan Frey in Basketball, NBA, NBA Playoffs, Sports

Written by Titan Frey

  • HAWKS 109
  • SIXERS 106

What else can I say but the Atlanta Hawks have done it again. 

After being down by 26 at one point, the Hawks started to make a charge toward the end of the third quarter. 

Then, the fourth quarter happened. The Hawks outscored the Sixers 40-19 in the fourth, including ending the game on a 15-2 run. 

The two points that came in that run by the Sixers was a jumper that Seth Curry hit a jumper with .1 left… so, the Hawks really ended on a 15-0 nothing run. 

Trae Young of the Hawks scored a playoff career high 39 while dishing out 7 assists. Young wasn’t the only one to step up for the Hawks.

John Collins chipped in 19 points with 11 boards, Danilo Gallinari added 16 points and 8 rebounds.

The biggest lift the Hawks got was from the veteran and former three-time winner of the sixth man of the year award… Lou Williams.

Williams scored 15 off the bench, and his points. game during the Hawks big comeback. Williams led everyone in +/- with a +31.

Here are some crazy stats from this Sixers – Hawks game: Joel Embiid and Seth Curry were the only Sixers to make a field goal in the second half of the game.

The Sixers didn’t make a shot for more than six minutes down the stretch of the game. The Sixers had a 99.1% chance to win the game at one point in the third. 

So far in the 2021 playoffs, Ben Simmons has missed 45 free throws. The team that has missed the most other than the Sixers are the Hawks, and they’ve missed 35… 

Game six will be back in Atlanta on Friday, June 18th at 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. The Hawks look to close out the series. 

  • CLIPPERS 119
  • JAZZ 111

The Los Angeles Clippers suffered some terrible news the other day. Their star player and the former two-time champ and two-time finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard, would be out indefinitely with a right knee injury.

It’s been reported as of now that Leonard has suffered a knee sprain, but there’s been reports that the team fears Leonard may have injured his ACL. 

It appeared the Utah Jazz, who won the first two games in Utah, would easily get another win, but the Jazz didn’t factor in one thing… Playoff P!

That’s right, Paul George, the player who gave himself the great nickname, Playoff P, has never really shown up in the playoffs, during his career. 

With the Clippers backs against the wall, Playoff P finally showed up. He scored 37 points while grabbing 16 rebounds. 

George kept attacking the basketball throughout the game and the Jazz didn’t seem to have an answer, even with the defensive player of the year on their side. 

In the first half, both teams were shooting lights out from three, especially the Jazz.

The Jazz made 17 out of their 30 three point attempts in the first half. Bojan Bogdanovic made six of them in the first quarter alone. 

The second half turned out to be a completely different story for the Jazz. The Jazz missed all their three point attempts in the third quarter (0-10) and only shot 3-24 from distance in the second half. 

The series shifts back to Los Angeles for game six on Friday, June 18th at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Will the Clippers finally advance to the Western Conference Finals? Or will the Jazz force a game seven? 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/14/2021

Posted on by Titan Frey in Basketball, NBA, NBA Playoffs, Sports

Written by Titan Frey

  •  SIXERS 100
  •  HAWKS 103

The Philadelphia 76ers looked poised to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, even with their star player, Joel Embiid, suffering from a torn meniscus.

At one point in the second quarter, the Sixers held a comfortable 18 point lead. The Hawks looked like what they are: a young team.

The Sixers and their fans must have been rubbing their hands together in delight. Most of the other teams in the east seemed to be getting hurt, which is opening up the door to a potential finals trip for the “Process”…

Then, the second half happened. The Hawks battled back as a team, shooting lights out.

While the Hawks were clicking on all angles, the Sixers appeared to be a step slow. This is especially true for Embiid.

The entire second half, he seemed slower, and not with the game. In fact, Embiid shot 0-12 in the second half, including missing a layup with less than ten seconds to go in the fourth, down one.

In the second half of this game, when Embiid was on the court, the Sixers were outscored by 16 points.

On the Atlanta Hawks side, their star, Trae Young, struggled shooting the ball. He shot 8-26 from the floor and 3-11 from three.

But he became the first Atlanta Hawks player and the youngest NBA player in playoff history to have 18 assists. He finished the game with 25 points. 

Game five will shift back to Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 16th at 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

  •  JAZZ 104
  •  CLIPPERS 118

The Los Angeles Clippers decided they wanted to make this a series. After their dominating win against the Jazz this past Saturday, the Clippers hopped all over the Jazz by outscoring them 30-13 in the first quarter. 

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were back at it again. For the first time since becoming teammates on the Clippers, Leonard and George each had back-to-back 30 plus scoring games. 

In this game, Leonard scored 31 and George also scored 31. This is a great sign for Clipper fans. If their two stars continue to play like this, the Jazz and any other team as a matter of fact might not be able to stop them. 

The Jazz star, Donovan Mitchell, had another huge scoring game with 37, but only shot 9-26 from the field.

The Jazz really are in need of their point guard Mike Conley. He’s been out the entire series so far against the Clippers with a right hamstring strain.

The Jazz have shown weakness, especially in their two losses, and would greatly benefit from Conley’s leadership more than anything. 

The Jazz isn’t the only team that has to worry about an injury. Kawhi Leonard, who I already spoke about his great play, hurt his knee with about five minutes to go in the game. 

Leonard was eventually taken out of the game with 4:58 left and would not return. If this knee injury is something serious, then the Clippers chances of moving onto the next round is in serious jeopardy. 

Of course, the always cool and collective Kawhi Leonard said this when asked about his injury. “I’m good.”

Game five will be played on June 16th at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/12/2021

Posted on by Titan Frey in Basketball, NBA, NBA Playoffs, Sports


Written by Titan Frey

  • JAZZ 106
  • CLIPPERS 132 


It’s déjà vu for the Los Angeles Clippers. After going down 0-2 in their first round series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Clippers bounced back with a big win in game three. 


Now in the second round against the top-seeded Utah Jazz, the Clippers dropped the first two games. And like their previous series, the Clippers bounce back with a huge game three victory that keeps their chances alive in the series. 


Paul George, who famously gave himself the nickname “Playoff P”, but it appears he usually plays like “Pandemic P”, as the fans call him. 


After falling 0-2 against the Mavs in the first round, George became “Playoff P” by scoring 29 big points to help the Clippers get the win. 


Now, in this series, after falling 0-2, “Playoff P” delivered again with 31… it’s déjà vu!


Now Paul George wasn’t the only Clipper experiencing a case of déjà vu. Two time champ and two time finals MVP Kawhi Leonard also came down with a case. 


Leonard, who’s known as “The Claw”, thanks to his enormous hands and defensive ability, came up big with 36 points in game three vs the Mavs in the first round. 


How did he fare in game three against the Utah Jazz? As you already know, he played well, or it wouldn’t really be déjà vu, would it? 


“The Claw” scored 34 against the Jazz in game three, helping to secure their first victory of the series. 


The Utah Jazz star, and supposed “greatest Jazz player, ever” according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, played well once again. He scored 30 but didn’t get the help as he did in the previous two games. 


The player I’m talking about is Donovan Mitchell. He’s a great player, who’s been exceptional in these playoffs and last year’s playoffs.


But he’s not the greatest player in Utah Jazz history. I’ll get into that in an article later this week. Stay tuned for that…


Game four between the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers will be Monday, June 14th at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/10/2021

Posted on by Titan Frey in Basketball, NBA, NBA Playoffs, Sports

Written by Titan Frey

  • NETS 83
  • BUCKS 86

Have we stepped inside of a time machine and gone back to the late 90s? In today’s NBA, the scores are high and the defense is… well, not always there.

Game three between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks felt like a throwback. From tough “D” (at times) to plenty of midrange jumpers, it really took me back. 

There’s been a slight back and forth, thanks to the media, between Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The basketball world was excited to see how these two players would come out in game three. This was especially true for Antetokounmpo.

With his past playoff failures, being down 0-2, plenty of analysts felt that Antetokounmpo needed to come out swinging. Don’t go down without a fight.

Well, that’s exactly what the Greek Freak did. He came out red-hot, scoring 15 in the first quarter and helping the Bucks take a commanding 30-11 lead after the first quarter.

I’ve been saying Khris Middleton needed to step up and give Antetokounmpo some help if the Bucks want a chance to get back into this series. Boy, did he step up in this game. 

Middleton bounced back from his horrible play in games one and two by scoring 35 and grabbing 15 rebounds.

After shooting a combined 30% in the first two games, Middleton found his touch by shooting 12-25 in game three. 

Antetokounmpo poured in 33 while grabbing 14 boards himself. These two Bucks stars combined to score 79% of their team’s points. This is the most by teammates in NBA playoff history. 

As for the Nets, this was the first game in the series where the Nets seemed to miss James Harden out on the court.

Kevin Durant started slow. He was 2-7 at one point, but you know he wasn’t going to keep missing. 

Durant came alive in the third, which helped get the Nets back into the game. He finished with 30 points on 11-28 shooting.

This became the first playoff game since 2018 where Durant shot less than 40% from the field. 

Durant would hit a three that put the Nets up three with 1:23 left in the game. After this shot, the Nets would become sloppy. 

Now down one with 11.4 seconds to go, the Nets inbound pass went through Bruce Brown’s hands and nearly rolled out of bounds. 

Kyrie Irving chased after and picked it up before going out, gave it to Brown, who drove to the hoop. Brown threw up a layup that missed and the Bucks grabbed the rebound. 

After two made free throws by the Bucks, the Nets had one last shot, down three with 2.1 seconds remaining. 

Durant would take a game-tying three, with three defenders on him, that missed at the buzzer, meaning the Bucks protect their home court.

Game four will be played on Sunday, June 13th, at 3 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

  • CLIPPERS 111
  • JAZZ 117

The Los Angeles Clippers, the team that has a troubled playoff history, appeared to heading that way once again.

At one point, the Clippers trailed by 21 points in the third quarter. They were destined to head back to LA in a 0-2 hole… then the Clippers started to play like the team everyone thought they would be when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George came together. 

The Clippers stormed back and took the lead in the fourth (101-99), but it wouldn’t last for long. 

The Jazz started hitting threes and never looked back. The Clippers started to play sloppy, which is part of their franchise playoff tradition. 

Do you want to know how dominant the Utah Jazz have been?

After the Clippers had a 13 point lead at halftime of game one, the Jazz has outscored them by 22 points in the last six quarters. The Jazz has also been shooting lights out from three in that span, making 30 of them.

Game three will be back in LA on Saturday, June 12th at 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/08/2021

Posted on by Titan Frey in Basketball, NBA, Sports

Written by Titan Frey

Before we get started with the game recaps, I want to let you know an award was given out. 

The 2021 NBA MVP was awarded to Denver Nuggets big man, Nikola Jokić. He received 91 out of the 100 first place votes that were cast by selected media members.

Jokić season averages looked like this:

  • Points per game (26.4)
  • Rebounds per game (10.8)
  • Assists per game (8.3)
  • Blocks per game (0.7)
  • Steals per game (1.3)
  • Field Goal percentage (56.6%)

It’s safe to say the NBA got the MVP right this year. Congratulations, Nikola Jokić.

  • HAWKS 102
  • SIXERS 118 

The question on everyone’s mind coming into this game 2 between the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers was, “Can the Sixers slow down Trae Young?”

Well, NBA fans. In game 2, Philadelphia gave you their answer… It was a “yes”, if you were wondering. 

The Sixers defense held Young to 21 points on 6-16 shooting and a dismal 1-7 from deep. So, yes, the Sixers did their job defensively. 

Now, let’s talk about the Sixers. Did their star player show up? Or did his knee injury hold him down?

Joel Embiid was not held down by anything or anyone in this game. He scored 40 while grabbing 13 boards.

Embiid became the first Sixer to score 40+ points and grab 10+ rebounds in a playoff game since Billy Cunningham in 1970.

Now, Joel Embiid wasn’t the only Sixer to have a stat that hasn’t been done in a long time.

Shake Milton had a +/- of +15 in only 14 minutes of playing time. 

This +15 by Milton is the highest +/- for a Sixer player who played under 15 minutes in a playoff game since 1997. 

Milton scored 14 points in his 14 minutes of action… it’s safe to say, Milton hit the Hawks with that SHAKE, baby! (sorry, terrible joke)

Friday, June 11th at 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time will be game 3 in Atlanta… get ready, folks. 

  • CLIPPERS 109
  • JAZZ 112

Game 1, the Los Angeles Clippers vs the Utah Jazz. One team just came off of a game 7 win and only one day off.

The other team had 5 days off to prepare for this game… which team will be ready?

The answer to that question is, both teams. Each team came out playing hard. It appeared the rest helped the Jazz and the constant playing helped the Clippers keep a good rhythm. 

The big difference in this game would be Utah’s Donovan Mitchell. He scored 45 on 16-30 shooting. 

Mitchell’s play was huge. He alone outscored the Clippers two star players (Kawhi Leonard and Paul George) 45 to 43. The Clippers need their two-headed monster to play better, especially Paul George.

George shot a horrible 4-17 from the field. That’s not going to get it done, and I’m not sure George can overcome this. 

Paul George has a history of underperforming in the playoffs. As you might know, George once gave himself the nickname “Playoff P”. Fans, on the other hand, gave him a different nickname during last year’s playoffs… “Pandemic P”

Even with Mitchell’s amazing performance, the Clippers had a chance to tie the game with a three with about 2 seconds to go, but the possible defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert, came up with a huge block on Marcus Morris Sr.

Can the Clippers bounce back and steal a game in Utah? Game 2 will be played on Thursday, June 10th at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.