Eyes on the prize
Hooping ( Austin Garcia/ Puma Prensa)
By Francisco Linares, staff writer
Every summer, when the weather gets hot, the Larry O’Brien trophy, along with champagne, is brought out and awarded to the team that is fortunate enough to be called NBA champions. Carrillo’s students have been spiraling in debates on what it takes to win and who is going to be the greatest factor in a team’s success.
Four players lead four teams’ hopes at winning a championship this year –that would be all of these players' first championships. Out of Minnesota, Anthony Edwards leads his wolf pack against the best team in the NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Out of the Eastern Conference, the most polarizing Knicks team since the year 2000 is being led by Jalen Brunson. The Knicks will take on Tyrese Halliburton and the Pacers for a trip to the NBA Finals.
Junior at Carrillo Arman Acheckzai, a Warriors fan, was let down by his team after their star player, Steph Curry, exited game one with an injured hamstring. Acheckzai said, “If Curry was healthy, I’d say the Warriors [would win].” He later came to his senses, saying, “Steph’s injured, so I’ll say the Pacers. Tyrese Halliburton is going crazy right now. They just knocked off the Cavs, the one seed.”
The Eastern Conference Finals have people split in their bracket decisions. Junior, Jonathan Rath said in a passionate argument against his friend Karson Gong that the “Pacers are making the NBA finals.” Gong said, “Frick no, Knicks in four,” as a response.
The Knicks are a hot topic this playoff run. It seems that people either believe the Knicks are going to go all the way or that they are going to be the same old Knicks and lose. “It’s hard to imagine a New York team winning a championship, because they haven’t in forever,” Acheckzai said. “But they’ve got Jalen Brunson, and if they beat the Celtics (defending NBA Champions) they could do it.”
The Western Conference, on the other hand, is in a lopsided pickle. Nobody believes the Thunder can win a championship. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t winning any popularity contests on this campus. “I just don’t like SGA,” said Chayce Coryell, “give MVP to Jokic, stat lines don’t lie.” Coryell was very hyped up about the Timberwolves shouting, “T Wolves in five.” He also added that his Finals matchup is the Knicks vs the Timberwolves but he has the Knicks coming out on top explaining, “I think the Knicks are more well rounded and I think they can just fully destroy Rudy Gobert because they have Mitchell Robinson and they’ve got Karl Anthony Towns who can make Gobert go out to that three-point line and open up the paint.”
Whether it’s Halliburton’s breakout year or Jalen Brunson’s clutch factor, one thing is clear: we are set for some of the most entertaining basketball games we have ever seen.