TheSportsPACK

The Golden State Warriors blowout the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-91 to take the 1-0 lead. Kevin Durant had a game high 38 points 9 rebounds and 8 assist, shooting 53% from the field. Stephen Curry played outstanding finishing with 28 points 10 assist 6 rebounds, making 6 3-pointers LeBron James finished with 28 points 15 rebounds 8 assist, while Kevin Love grabbed a game high 21 rebounds game high with 15 points. Man... I wasn't expecting this. I was looking forward to a good game since the rest of the playoffs been such a drag. Half of me wants this to be a great series full of "scrappiness" and close games, but the other half of me know what time it is. And this Game 1 blowout is what time it is. The Warriors have been waiting on this moment since the day Kevin Durant signed. Golden State threw the best punches time after time after time. There were a few times, especially in the first half where the Cavs had life but Durant was too much. twincitiesbusinessradio.com ...

At a time where “score first” point guards dominate the NBA, it’s hard to appreciate a floor general that only average 12.7 points a game. But when those 13 points come with stifling defense and 10 assist a game, Rajon Rondo may be playing his way back into elite status this season. With 4 triple-doubles in his last 9 games for a struggling Kings team, it will be hard to find another player in the league putting out as much effort on the court as Rondo is this season. Last year was a season of turmoil for the 4-time all-star as he started the season as a Boston Celtic under heavy trade speculation. The Celtics were rebuilding, which included drafting point guard Marcus Smart with their top-10 pick in the draft. Despite the rumors and the Celtics drafting his replacement, Rondo still managed to lead the NBA in assist while recording 7 double-doubles in the first 22 games of the season. After a 13 point, 15 assist, 7 rebound and 2 steal game against the Magic, Boston trade...

5th year power forward Tristan Thompson has proposed a 3 year / $53 million deal and will wait to see if the Cavs will agree on the terms. Thompson averaged 8.5 points and 8 rebounds a game this past season while primarily coming off the bench. During the NBA Finals Thompson averaged 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in the losing effort. During negotiations, Thompson's camp was asking for the max contract of 5 years / $94 million dollars.   Tristan Thompson is a back-up power forward and will be making $17.6 million dollars next season if this contract stands. This is a problem. For one, Thompson doesn't even average a double-double and even if you look at his stats per 36 minutes its still only 11.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per. Those numbers are not worth $17.6 million. The problem with the Cavs in the NBA Finals outside of injuries was lack of low post scoring. It was so bad that LeBron had to play power forward and center during long stretches of the game. Tristan Thompso...

*averages from 1/8 to 1/15 Point Guards 1. Stephen Curry   GSW  27.3 points 8 assist 2.7 rebounds 2. John Wall   WAS  19.3 points 9.3 assist 2.5 rebounds Chris Paul 3. Chris Paul   LAC  21 points 10.7 assist 3.7 rebounds 4. Damian Lillard   POR  20.3 points 4.8 assist 2.8 rebounds 5. Kyle Lowry   TOR  17.8 points 9.5 assist 6.5 rebounds 2.0 steals Shooting Guards 1. James Harden   HOU 23 points 4 rebounds 8 assist 2.4 steals 2. Klay Thompson   GSW  18.3 points 4 rebounds 2 assist 3. Kobe Bryant   LAL  15.5 points 6 rebounds 12 assist 4. Dwayne Wade   MIA 14.7 points 5.3 rebounds 5.7 assist 5. Monta Ellis DAL 18.7 points 4 rebounds 5.3 assist 2 steals Monta Ellis Small Forwards 1. LeBron James CLE 34.5 points 6 rebounds 5 assist 2. Kevin Durant   OKC  28 points 7.5 rebounds 3.5 assist 3. Rudy Gay   SAC 16.3 p...

As conference play gets set to begin next week, TheSportsPACK is highlighting some of the standout freshmen from across the country. These first-year players have made an immediate impact for their schools this season with hope of continuing that throughout the conference schedule. Rashard Vaughn  @ShowtimeMr1   ( UNLV )  The 6-6 guard from Findlay Prep leads all freshman in scoring averaging 17.7 points per game. Vaughn has scored in double digits 8 out of the 10 games he has played this season. Four of those contest resulted in 20+ point outings including a career high 29 vs Albany and 21 points in the upset win over #3 Arizona.  James Blackmon Jr. @JBlackmon2   ( Indiana )  Blackmon Jr.is the first freshman guard to lead the Hoosiers in scoring since Devin Dumes during the 2008-2009 season. Blackmon Jr. is averaging 17.6 points per game; second among freshman and third in the Big Ten Conference. James has scored over 15 points in 8 of hi...