Post by Tampa Bay Bull Sharks on Apr 6, 2015 20:04:33 GMT -5
The 'Ship Docks in Tampa Bay Again
April 6, 2015
In what was arguably one of the greatest finals, greatest playoffs, and greatest regular seasons in the history of the league, the Tampa Bay Bull Sharks are your 2015 NBA Champions!
The Bull Sharks defeated the #1 team from the Western Conference and the hottest team in the league, the Las Vegas Gamblers to secure their second championship in as many tries.
Vegas, who had entered the Finals on a 12 game winning streak, were the hands down favorites to knock off the surging team from Tampa. But much like their last championship run in 2012, Tampa Bay was playing their best ball at the right time, but would it be enough? Could the team that finished 0-16 one year ago really make the improbable run and win a championship?
The Las Vegas Gamblers had given the Bull Sharks their worst loss of the season with a 7-2 win in week 14.
After that defeat, the Bull Sharks were an abysmal 7-6-1 and the prospects of making the playoffs grew bleaker by the day. The loss to Vegas meant the Bull Sharks had lost 4 of their last 5 and 6 of their last 8. The team entered a pivotal matchup with the Portland Trailblazers in week 15. In order to keep their playoff aspirations alive, they would have to defeat the Trailblazers, then battle Atlanta the following week in a "winner take all" battle for the Southeast Division.
The Bull Sharks took care of business against Portland and it was off to Atlanta to battle the rival Hawks for the final playoff spot. In what would soon become the custom for Tampa Bay, the Sharks were engaged in a hard fought battle with the Atlanta Hawks. The margins were slim. 18 points, 3 3PMs, and 2 turnovers were all that separated the Bull Sharks and Atlanta at the end of play on Sunday. But the Bull Sharks prevailed! They clinched the final playoff spot in the East.
It was off to the northeast where the the Bull Sharks would battle a first time playoff attendee, the Boston Celtics. The Bull Sharks finally seemed to be hitting their stride and they took care of the Boston Celtics 6-3. The team was heating up. Led by Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, and rookie sensation, Andrew Wiggins, the team looked as if they could take down anyone in the league. And in order to reach their second finals appearance, the team would have to take down the two-time defending champion, Brooklyn Nets.
The Sharks swarmed the Nets early on. They led Brooklyn until the end of the first week, but entering week two, it was anyone's game. The matchup went down to the wire, but a lead in points and a late Al-Farouq Aminu steal, helped the Bull Sharks seal the deal and knock the Nets off their throne. The match ended in a 4-4-1 tie, but the lead in points propelled Tampa Bay to their second finals appearance in four years. Despite the odds, the Sharks had done it. They took down the top team (and #1 seed) in the East and it was onto the Finals to take on the number one team in the west.
The Finals stage was set. The Gamblers were on a heater and the Sharks, the obvious underdog, were on a surge of their own. Two teams, who had drastically different paths to the championship, were set to square off in what would inevitably be one of the greatest Finals in the history of the league.
Tampa Bay went for the jugular right off the bat. The Sharks jumped out to a 7-2 lead, a lead that they would not relinquish the entire two weeks. The Bull Sharks were in the driver seat much of the first week. The team consistently had leads of 6-3 and 7-2, but on just the second day of the matchup, star big man, LaMarcus Aldridge's season was again in doubt when he went down with a sprained thumb. Aldridge, who was already playing with a torn ligament in the same hand, had been playing injured for most of the season. However, to the misfortune of Las Vegas, Aldridge returned just one day later, posting 19 points and 9 rebounds. Alridge's presence was the difference maker that Tampa Bay needed as he averaged 22.7 points on 47% shooting and 8.9 rebounds during the Finals.
As week two got underway, the Bull Sharks saw their lead start to diminish as Las Vegas made the push that all had expected. The Sharks got their separation in blocks when conference finals hero, Al-Faroqu Aminu garnered 4 blocks and 8 rebounds on Thursday. Nonetheless, going into the weekend, the Gamblers had trimmed Tampa's lead to 5-4 and had brought steals, blocks, and rebounds within reach. And, in an unexpected turn Friday night, the Bull Sharks tanked from the free throw line, shooting just 64.5% (20-31). The Gamblers had yet another category that they could overtake and the Sharks knew that Saturday would be the most important day in franchise history. Somehow, some way, they needed to find a way to get their edge in two categories, because on Sunday, there was a huge games disadvantage.
And on Saturday, the most important day of the year, Tampa Bay still didn't get quite the lift they needed. There was a balanced effort of the boards. Aldridge secured 12 rebounds and the team collected 41 overall, but their free throw woes continued as the team shot only 70%. Entering Sunday, the Sharks led by 50 rebounds and just under 3% in free throw percentage. The team would have to rely on Russell Westbrook, Manu Ginobili, and Jason Richardson to carry the load against the Gamblers Kyrie Irving, JJ Reddick, CJ Miles, Tristan Thompson, Steven Adams, Gordon Hayward, and Carlos Boozer.
Russell Westbrook was up first and he gave the Bull Sharks exactly what they needed on their final day. He posted 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, and shot 12-15 from the line. When Steven Adams got into early foul trouble, the Sharks caught a lucky break with the gap in free throws and in order to succumb the free throw category, the Gamblers would have had to shoot 33/33 the rest of the way. With a 60 rebound lead, the Sharks gambled and sat Manu Ginobili and Jason Richardson, playing for the free throw category and having confidence in their rebounding edge.
By 11:00 PM on April 5, 2015, the writing was on the wall. Tampa Bay had done it. The team that was 0-16 just one year ago had won the NBA Championship, defeating the Las Vegas Gamblers 5-4.
"Unbelievable," General Manager Richardson said after the team's win on Sunday night. "We've been here before, but not with this group of guys. After last year, not winning a single game, we didn't expect to be here this soon."
Tampa Bay proved that with the right planning, evaluation of rookies, and signing the right pieces, a championship is never out of reach.
"We definitely weren't the best team in the league this year," Richardson went onto say. "But we were the best team at this time of year. When the matchups counted, we came to play. We caught some breaks along the way. Durant was out when we played Brooklyn, but even their GM will tell you, that's part of the game. Maybe we're lucky, but hell, I don't care. Lucky, good, whatever. It's all the same when you win a championship."
While a little luck was involved, the talent evaluation brought some key pieces to the Sharks during the rookie draft.
The team selected Andrew Wiggins second overall, Zach Lavine eighth, and Adreian Payne nineteenth in the rookie draft. Payne, who rode the pine most of the year, joined Wiggins and Lavine late in the season, and provided a great spark for the Bull Sharks.
When speaking of his rookie trio, Richardson went onto say, "When we first drafted Wiggins, we considered him a bit of a loner. We tended to think of him as a one man wolf-pack. But when we drafted Lavine, we knew he was one of our own. And our wolf-pack...it grew by one. So there... There were two guys in the wolf-pack. Wiggins was alone first in the pack, and then Lavine joined in later. And nine months ago when we drafted Adreian Payne, we thought, "wait a second, could it be?" And then I knew for sure, we just added one more guy to our wolf-pack."
The rookie wolf-pack played a pivotal role down the stretch, but it was Andrew Wiggins and Zach Lavine who stood out the most. During the Finals, Wiggins averaged 23.4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and one block per game. His fellow wolf, Zach Lavine, averaged 18 points and 1.6 3PM per game.
While the wolf-pack of rookies made their meaningful contributions, it was the alpha dog, Russell Westbrook who stole the show.
The Finals MVP was acquired in a trade last season and return proved to be worth the investment. During these finals, Westbrook averaged 28.9 points, 9 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
"Good execution," Westbrook laughed when asked what he did to take over in the Finals. "When you get this opportunity, it takes a team to accomplish the end goal, but it takes a leader to help get you there. I try to be that leader. I want guys to lay it all on the line. To want it as bad as I do. And these guys, these young guys, they wanted it."
"It's amazing to be here in my first year," said rookie Andrew Wiggins. "Don't feel real, man. Being taken number two, you are expected to go to a team who is battling just to not get blown out every night. We had our ups and downs this year. No doubt. But, man, we did it. Makes me hungrier for more."
"We tell our guys," Richardson said before leaving the podium. "We tell our guys that once you get there [playoffs], there's no telling what can happen. To get to the top, you've got to take down the giants. We did that. We took down the Brooklyn dynasty. We took down the Gamblers. We took down arguably the two best teams in the league. It was close. We were sweating. But at the end of the day, we survived. And at this time of year, survival means success."
Tampa Bay has won their second title in four years. In the last four years, the rivalry between the Bull Sharks and Brooklyn Nets has grown to historic levels. These two teams make up the last four champions in this league and one of the teams has represented the league in all but one of the finals since the inception.
Tampa Bay will bring back their entire core next year. They will have some guys exiting for free agency, but the big guys are in tact. They'll have to lock up LaMarcus Aldridge, but that is a move everyone around the league expects them to make. The future in Tampa is once again as bright as the Florida sun. The team is young (and now experienced) and they are looking to build on their championship success.
For now though, fans of Tampa Bay can rejoice, celebrate, and simply enjoy the magic, and sometimes chaotic, ride that this season turned out to be.
Congratulations to the 2015 NBA Champion, Tampa Bay Bull Sharks!!!
April 6, 2015
In what was arguably one of the greatest finals, greatest playoffs, and greatest regular seasons in the history of the league, the Tampa Bay Bull Sharks are your 2015 NBA Champions!
The Bull Sharks defeated the #1 team from the Western Conference and the hottest team in the league, the Las Vegas Gamblers to secure their second championship in as many tries.
Vegas, who had entered the Finals on a 12 game winning streak, were the hands down favorites to knock off the surging team from Tampa. But much like their last championship run in 2012, Tampa Bay was playing their best ball at the right time, but would it be enough? Could the team that finished 0-16 one year ago really make the improbable run and win a championship?
The Las Vegas Gamblers had given the Bull Sharks their worst loss of the season with a 7-2 win in week 14.
After that defeat, the Bull Sharks were an abysmal 7-6-1 and the prospects of making the playoffs grew bleaker by the day. The loss to Vegas meant the Bull Sharks had lost 4 of their last 5 and 6 of their last 8. The team entered a pivotal matchup with the Portland Trailblazers in week 15. In order to keep their playoff aspirations alive, they would have to defeat the Trailblazers, then battle Atlanta the following week in a "winner take all" battle for the Southeast Division.
The Bull Sharks took care of business against Portland and it was off to Atlanta to battle the rival Hawks for the final playoff spot. In what would soon become the custom for Tampa Bay, the Sharks were engaged in a hard fought battle with the Atlanta Hawks. The margins were slim. 18 points, 3 3PMs, and 2 turnovers were all that separated the Bull Sharks and Atlanta at the end of play on Sunday. But the Bull Sharks prevailed! They clinched the final playoff spot in the East.
It was off to the northeast where the the Bull Sharks would battle a first time playoff attendee, the Boston Celtics. The Bull Sharks finally seemed to be hitting their stride and they took care of the Boston Celtics 6-3. The team was heating up. Led by Russell Westbrook, LaMarcus Aldridge, and rookie sensation, Andrew Wiggins, the team looked as if they could take down anyone in the league. And in order to reach their second finals appearance, the team would have to take down the two-time defending champion, Brooklyn Nets.
The Sharks swarmed the Nets early on. They led Brooklyn until the end of the first week, but entering week two, it was anyone's game. The matchup went down to the wire, but a lead in points and a late Al-Farouq Aminu steal, helped the Bull Sharks seal the deal and knock the Nets off their throne. The match ended in a 4-4-1 tie, but the lead in points propelled Tampa Bay to their second finals appearance in four years. Despite the odds, the Sharks had done it. They took down the top team (and #1 seed) in the East and it was onto the Finals to take on the number one team in the west.
The Finals stage was set. The Gamblers were on a heater and the Sharks, the obvious underdog, were on a surge of their own. Two teams, who had drastically different paths to the championship, were set to square off in what would inevitably be one of the greatest Finals in the history of the league.
Tampa Bay went for the jugular right off the bat. The Sharks jumped out to a 7-2 lead, a lead that they would not relinquish the entire two weeks. The Bull Sharks were in the driver seat much of the first week. The team consistently had leads of 6-3 and 7-2, but on just the second day of the matchup, star big man, LaMarcus Aldridge's season was again in doubt when he went down with a sprained thumb. Aldridge, who was already playing with a torn ligament in the same hand, had been playing injured for most of the season. However, to the misfortune of Las Vegas, Aldridge returned just one day later, posting 19 points and 9 rebounds. Alridge's presence was the difference maker that Tampa Bay needed as he averaged 22.7 points on 47% shooting and 8.9 rebounds during the Finals.
As week two got underway, the Bull Sharks saw their lead start to diminish as Las Vegas made the push that all had expected. The Sharks got their separation in blocks when conference finals hero, Al-Faroqu Aminu garnered 4 blocks and 8 rebounds on Thursday. Nonetheless, going into the weekend, the Gamblers had trimmed Tampa's lead to 5-4 and had brought steals, blocks, and rebounds within reach. And, in an unexpected turn Friday night, the Bull Sharks tanked from the free throw line, shooting just 64.5% (20-31). The Gamblers had yet another category that they could overtake and the Sharks knew that Saturday would be the most important day in franchise history. Somehow, some way, they needed to find a way to get their edge in two categories, because on Sunday, there was a huge games disadvantage.
And on Saturday, the most important day of the year, Tampa Bay still didn't get quite the lift they needed. There was a balanced effort of the boards. Aldridge secured 12 rebounds and the team collected 41 overall, but their free throw woes continued as the team shot only 70%. Entering Sunday, the Sharks led by 50 rebounds and just under 3% in free throw percentage. The team would have to rely on Russell Westbrook, Manu Ginobili, and Jason Richardson to carry the load against the Gamblers Kyrie Irving, JJ Reddick, CJ Miles, Tristan Thompson, Steven Adams, Gordon Hayward, and Carlos Boozer.
Russell Westbrook was up first and he gave the Bull Sharks exactly what they needed on their final day. He posted 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, and shot 12-15 from the line. When Steven Adams got into early foul trouble, the Sharks caught a lucky break with the gap in free throws and in order to succumb the free throw category, the Gamblers would have had to shoot 33/33 the rest of the way. With a 60 rebound lead, the Sharks gambled and sat Manu Ginobili and Jason Richardson, playing for the free throw category and having confidence in their rebounding edge.
By 11:00 PM on April 5, 2015, the writing was on the wall. Tampa Bay had done it. The team that was 0-16 just one year ago had won the NBA Championship, defeating the Las Vegas Gamblers 5-4.
"Unbelievable," General Manager Richardson said after the team's win on Sunday night. "We've been here before, but not with this group of guys. After last year, not winning a single game, we didn't expect to be here this soon."
Tampa Bay proved that with the right planning, evaluation of rookies, and signing the right pieces, a championship is never out of reach.
"We definitely weren't the best team in the league this year," Richardson went onto say. "But we were the best team at this time of year. When the matchups counted, we came to play. We caught some breaks along the way. Durant was out when we played Brooklyn, but even their GM will tell you, that's part of the game. Maybe we're lucky, but hell, I don't care. Lucky, good, whatever. It's all the same when you win a championship."
While a little luck was involved, the talent evaluation brought some key pieces to the Sharks during the rookie draft.
The team selected Andrew Wiggins second overall, Zach Lavine eighth, and Adreian Payne nineteenth in the rookie draft. Payne, who rode the pine most of the year, joined Wiggins and Lavine late in the season, and provided a great spark for the Bull Sharks.
When speaking of his rookie trio, Richardson went onto say, "When we first drafted Wiggins, we considered him a bit of a loner. We tended to think of him as a one man wolf-pack. But when we drafted Lavine, we knew he was one of our own. And our wolf-pack...it grew by one. So there... There were two guys in the wolf-pack. Wiggins was alone first in the pack, and then Lavine joined in later. And nine months ago when we drafted Adreian Payne, we thought, "wait a second, could it be?" And then I knew for sure, we just added one more guy to our wolf-pack."
The rookie wolf-pack played a pivotal role down the stretch, but it was Andrew Wiggins and Zach Lavine who stood out the most. During the Finals, Wiggins averaged 23.4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and one block per game. His fellow wolf, Zach Lavine, averaged 18 points and 1.6 3PM per game.
While the wolf-pack of rookies made their meaningful contributions, it was the alpha dog, Russell Westbrook who stole the show.
The Finals MVP was acquired in a trade last season and return proved to be worth the investment. During these finals, Westbrook averaged 28.9 points, 9 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
"Good execution," Westbrook laughed when asked what he did to take over in the Finals. "When you get this opportunity, it takes a team to accomplish the end goal, but it takes a leader to help get you there. I try to be that leader. I want guys to lay it all on the line. To want it as bad as I do. And these guys, these young guys, they wanted it."
"It's amazing to be here in my first year," said rookie Andrew Wiggins. "Don't feel real, man. Being taken number two, you are expected to go to a team who is battling just to not get blown out every night. We had our ups and downs this year. No doubt. But, man, we did it. Makes me hungrier for more."
"We tell our guys," Richardson said before leaving the podium. "We tell our guys that once you get there [playoffs], there's no telling what can happen. To get to the top, you've got to take down the giants. We did that. We took down the Brooklyn dynasty. We took down the Gamblers. We took down arguably the two best teams in the league. It was close. We were sweating. But at the end of the day, we survived. And at this time of year, survival means success."
Tampa Bay has won their second title in four years. In the last four years, the rivalry between the Bull Sharks and Brooklyn Nets has grown to historic levels. These two teams make up the last four champions in this league and one of the teams has represented the league in all but one of the finals since the inception.
Tampa Bay will bring back their entire core next year. They will have some guys exiting for free agency, but the big guys are in tact. They'll have to lock up LaMarcus Aldridge, but that is a move everyone around the league expects them to make. The future in Tampa is once again as bright as the Florida sun. The team is young (and now experienced) and they are looking to build on their championship success.
For now though, fans of Tampa Bay can rejoice, celebrate, and simply enjoy the magic, and sometimes chaotic, ride that this season turned out to be.
Congratulations to the 2015 NBA Champion, Tampa Bay Bull Sharks!!!