No new NBA games does not have to mean the end of NBA DFS action. We here at Awesemo are committed to bringing you contests while sports are on hiatus. And that continues today with Awesemo’s NBA2K Daily Challenge, featuring the 2015-16 Warriors taking on the 2012-13 Heat.
Here’s what we’re doing: over the next few weeks, we’re giving away $20,000+ in prizes in FREE TO PLAY contests based on simulated NBA games that will air on YouTube and Twitch streams involving your favorite Awesemo personalities. There will be Daily Contests where you are asked to predict aspects of the day’s simulated game. Get the most correct answers and you’ll be eligible for great prizes. Prizes will vary from day-to-day and tonight’s prize is an Epson projector! Enter now (and every day) by clicking on the following link:
https:www.awesemo.com/nba2k-daily-challenges
We are also running a $15,000 Bracket Challenge with $10,000 to first. You’ve made your bracket picks and if you get the highest score you could walk away with $10,000.
In addition, FanDuel is running a contest based on our streams! For full details and to make your picks, follow the link http://https://bit.ly/FanDueleNBA. We have included some FanDuel-specific picks below.
Additional details regarding both the $15,000 Bracket Challenge and the Daily Contests, including full Terms and Conditions, are available here:Â https:www.awesemo.com/nba2k
Thank you for supporting us and we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to give something back. We aren’t going anywhere and hope you feel the same.
Now, let’s dig into a preview of tonight’s matchup between the 2012-13 Heat and the 2015-16 Warriors
The Teams (and How They Got Here)
2015-16 Warriors
Starters:
PG – Stephen Curry
SG – Klay Thompson
SF – Harrison Barnes
PF – Draymond Green
C – Andrew Bogut
This whole 2K tournament has had players going against type: Tim Duncan refusing to shoot, Steve Nash shooting too much, Michael Jordan getting outgunned by Leandro Barbosa. But through the chaos, the Warriors have stuck true to their real-life form. They are taking and making 3’s at a high rate, playing tight team defense, forcing tough shots, getting turnovers and converting them to points in transition. Stephen Curry has been the driving force, but he has also had plenty of help with a rotating cast of hot hands.
The Warriors had a major test in the first round, but since then, they have cruised. The 2007-08 Celtics gave the Warriors everything they had, leading by 9 heading into the fourth, but a series of Harrison Barnes 3’s in the final frame brought Golden State back and they ended up winning by 7. They have not been remotely tested since. In round 2, thanks to punishing defense on the Thunder stars, the Warriors knocked off Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook by 19. Oklahoma City shot 36 percent in that game while the Warriors shot 61 percent. Then in the semis, Golden State got their revenge over the 2016 champion Cavaliers with a convincing 10-point victory. While Miami has the athletes to disrupt the Warriors’ groove, Golden State’s ball movement, shooting and defense have for two rounds now been nigh unstoppable.
2012-13 Heat
Starters:Â
PG – Dwyane Wade
SG – Ray Allen
SF – LeBron James
PF – Shane Battier
C – Chris Bosh
Bar none, this has been the most impressive team in the tournament. As was the case in the early 2010s, the Heat simply have had too much star power. LeBron James completely took over a couple of games with Dwyane Wade riding sidecar, but then when the Spurs locked James up, Wade took over the wheel. Chris Bosh and Ray Allen have also stepped up in spots to take over scoring. There is not simply one thing that Miami has done well or one facet that opponents can focus upon. There is always another item ready to be dispensed.
The only semblance of a test for the Heat came in round 2 against the 2010-11 Bulls. That team had enough chemistry and iso ability to keep Miami honest, but ultimately, Miami was able to maintain an arm’s reach down the stretch, winning by 8. Besides that game, the Heat have rolled with a 13-point win over Houston in round 1 and a 13-point win over the Spurs in the semis. Their speed both in transition and off the dribble has allowed them to dominate at the rim while also opening up some room for shooters. Golden State’s defense is arguably their greatest asset, so this will be the ultimate challenge for Miami’s superstars.
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The Studs
Stephen Curry
Curry has shot the lights out in this tournament. Through three games, he is averaging 21 points and six assists and shooting 62.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3. More impressively, he is putting up those impressive scoring numbers while taking fewer than 12 shots a game. Curry is generating offense by picking his spots and setting up teammates expertly, and he has been responsible for on average 35.3 points a game. As I said before, the Warriors are fitting the mold of their real-life counterpart and that is starting with Curry moving the ship forward.
Klay Thompson
While Curry has carried the Splash Bros. moniker, his brother in arms has been far less consistent. In the opener, he dropped 16 points to tie for the team lead, hitting seven of 14 and 2-for-5 on 3’s. But since that game, Thompson has averaged only six points a game on 5.5 shots, making 45.5 percent and just one of five from distance. It is not that he has been passive — he took 14 shots in Golden State’s first game. However, the offense Golden State has run (and most sim teams, frankly) has lent more catch-and-shoot opportunities to bigs rather than guards. As such, Draymond Green has seen more of those chances here while Thompson has had to iso more, which is not his game. He has a better matchup in this one, so maybe that can open up some shots for him.
Draymond Green
As Thompson lagged behind the last two games, Green stepped into his place to lift the Warriors to the championship game. He scored 16 in each of the last two games, going 14-for-19 from the field, and added 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists. And as always, Green has been a tremendously impactful defensive force. Unfortunately for this matchup where 2K matches across positions, Green will be one-on-one with Shane Battier, not LeBron, which is a tremendous waste of Green’s abilities. Still, Green will have a role in slowing the Heat’s offense as a rim protector and on switches, so the iso matchup is not as much of a detriment.
LeBron James
James had his first slow game of the tournament in the semis — slow in that he dropped 10 points rather than his usual 27-plus. Prior to that game, James was shooting over 80 percent from the field en route to the tournament’s title of top scorer. Alas, he deferred to Dwyane Wade last night and Wade produced the best fantasy game the bracket has seen. Still, 2013 LeBron was the best player of the post-Jordan era and the most unstoppable force through the first two rounds of this tournament, so he can take over at a moment’s notice. It is also worth noting that LeBron’s defensive matchup will be Barnes, not Green, so there will be a distinct power advantage if LeBron wants to move into the post.
Dwyane Wade
LeBron may be the best scorer in the tournament as a whole, but Wade holds the honor of top single-game performer. Against the Spurs in the semifinal, Wade dominated usage and the stat sheet, recording 26 points on 66.7 percent shooting, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. And with that game, Wade made his claim for the tournament MOP given that he was averaging nearly a 20 and 10 in the first two games. Quietly, Wade has been the best all-around player for any team. In this matchup, since he is playing point guard for Miami, he will avoid Klay Thompson for the most part, which should help him get to the lane like he has all tournament.
Chris Bosh
We finally got a Bosh sighting last round. After two nearly nonexistent performances, Bosh took off against Nazr Mohammed, working him for 13 points, five boards and a team-high plus-16. It showed how much of a factor Bosh can be when he utilizes his quickness advantage, and he will have that again in this game against the more grounded Andrew Bogut. Look for Miami to continue looking to Bosh in the post and as a rim runner.
The Role Players
Warriors
Harrison Barnes – Golden State would not be here without Barnes. Their first-round win over Boston only went their way because Barnes caught fire with 11 points and three 3’s in the fourth quarter. Besides that outburst, Barnes has been relatively quiet with just two points last game against Cleveland and six against the Thunder. That said, he added nine boards against the Thunder and locked down Kevin Durant on defense, and he will get LeBron for much of tonight’s game.
Andre Iguodala – Iguodala has provided strong defense off the bench, but he has not done a lot in the stat sheets. In three games, he is averaging 4.7 points a game on 3.7 shots. He does also, however, have five total steals in three games so he could be a fantasy sleeper while defending a ball-dominant stud in LeBron.
Andrew Bogut – Bogut has been exactly what you would expect: a nonexistent offensive threat but a solid rebounder and substantial defensive presence. He is averaging 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in three games for Golden State, and he will have an important matchup with Bosh down low.
Heat
Ray Allen – Allen has alternated between vital contributor and shadow standing in the corner throughout this tournament. Last game, however, he came alive with 10 points, eight of which came in the first quarter. He played a major role in Miami haning with the Spurs early while LeBron was quiet.
Shane Battier – Despite skepticism that the 6-foot-8 Battier could hang defensively with the 7-foot Tim Duncan, Battier completely shut him down. That alone made Battier an important role player despite missing the only shot he took all game. He has not been the 3-point threat we would have hoped, but Battier has played great minutes as a defender and rebounder and will be tasked with slowing down the red-hot Draymond Green.
FanDuel Plays
MVP – Dwyane Wade – $14,500
This is not recency bias. Even prior to last game, Wade was dominating ball-handling duties for Miami and was averaging darn near 20 and 10. Throw in last game in which he was the best single-game scorer the tournament has seen and it is clear Wade has the game’s best floor and best ceiling. He is averaging almost 10 fantasy points a game more than Curry and 13 more than LeBron, so frankly, this is not really even a close race for MVP here.
Star – Stephen Curry – $15,000
Curry and LeBron have both scored pretty consistently but Curry has produced much better peripherals. LeBron has really only been a finisher with Wade handling the ball, so if Miami is not getting out in transition, James is not seeing the opportunity Curry is. Curry is averaging three more fantasy points a game than LeBron is and has a much better floor, even if James is the better ceiling play.
Pro – Draymond Green – $11,500
Green has been stepping out and hitting shots for Golden State in place of Klay Thompson. Things are flowing Green’s way, his peripherals are solid and he is substantially cheaper than Thompson and Bosh despite outscoring both, so he makes sense for a multiplier spot over those two. And with $19,000 to work with, We can still get to Harrison Barnes in hope of a Boston-like breakout or go to Thompson in a Utility spot and punt the other. Green in the Pro slot gives us flexibility.
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