By Jonah Drew

June 25th, 2009. That was the date that Steph Curry was drafted and consequentially, a dynasty was born. Of course, while Steph Curry was the main cog of the dynasty, their have been a number of absolutely essential pieces for this machine of a franchise running so smoothly for nearly a decade now. Winning 4 NBA Finals, and reaching 2 more. There are 2 other mainstays that are associated with this dynasty, one still with the team, and the other recently departing. Draymond Green has been the defensive anchor for the team ever since they began to take off, and he is still locking down the Warriors defense to this day(more on that later). Klay Thompson has been the example of a sharp shooter for quite some time now but he has now moved on to greener pastures in Dallas. Credit is also due to Steve Kerr who has successfully revolutionized the game with his offensive design and his 3 point philosophy.

After the Splash bros and the rest of the crew defeated Lebron and the Cavs to win the 2015 NBA Finals, there was a 4 year period where every game that was not part of the finals, felt like a mere filler episode. A filler for the climax, the main attraction, a seemingly pre-determined tango between those 2 aforementioned teams. Fortunately for Golden State, they were victors in this heavyweight bout 3 out of 4 times, with their lone loss coming in a brutal choking of a 3-1 series lead back in 2016. The first time this core saw a none Lebron team in the Finals was 2019, when they suffered a brutal defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors. Then came the biggest fall of in the history of the NBA, when the dynasty Golden State Warriors won just 15 basketball games in an albeit shortened 55 game season. This was rock bottom, and you know what they, there’s only one way to go from there! Suffice to say the Warriors took that to heart, as they began their reclimb by posting a .531 winning percentage a year later. Then, the Warriors shocked the world. After everyone had wrote them off as yesterday’s news, they made it back to the apex of the association. In 2022, the Golden State Warriors won 53 games and more importantly, their 4th NBA title of this era. Then, these past 2 years have shown some pretty steady decline. Making the conference semifinals in 2023, and missing the playoffs all together this past season. It looked like the Warriors were simply fading into NBA mortality like the other 29 teams, but not so fast.

The Warriors could not have dreamed of a better start to the 2024-25 NBA season. After a dominant 140-104 over Portland, they really began to pick up some steam. They have since carried that momentum into a 8-2 record, with their only losses coming in a narrow defeat to the Clippers and a drubbing at the hands of the undeafeated Cleveland Cavaliers. In the opposite column, there are some highly impressive Ws, especially their most recent ones. This Warriors team went into a hostile environment against the defending champion Boston Celtics and beat them, 118-112. Then, after suffering a deflating defeat in Cleveland, the Warriors bounced back in a big way. They went into Oklahoma City to play a team that had looked like world beaters up to that point, and beat them handedly.

A gander into the advanced metrics of this Golden State team makes it clear that this is no fluke at all. This team has been among the most efficient and potent teams in all of basketball. On the offensive end, they rank 4th in all of basketball, posting a 119.2 ORTG. They also rank 5th and 6th in effective field goal percentage and true shooting respectively. Flipping over to the defensive end, where Golden State has been absolutely lock down. In fact, relative to their counterparts, they are even better than they are on the opposite end, which contradicts every notion the Warriors have had throughout this entire era. They are currently posting a 107.6 DRTG, good for 3rd in the league. In case you do not have a calculator on hand, this computes a Net Rating of 11.6. This puts them 3rd in hoops, notably ahead of the Boston Celtics, who posted a Top 5 net rating in the history of the NBA just a season ago.

Looking from a more individual scope will give you an interesting outlook. Of course, Steph Curry is doing his thing, averaging 22 PPG on 65.1% tS with 6.3 APG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.9 SPG. In my estimation though, he isn’t the reason this Warriors team has come out guns blazing. That would be the absolute abundance of depth that this roster posseses. This Warriors team can go thirteen deep and not miss a beat. In their most recent win in Oklahoma City, they played 11 guys. That list does not include a rotation mainstay in Kevon Looney and Lindy Waters III who just a week ago dropped 21-8-4 in a win over New Orleans. 2 new comers have been absolutely sensational early on, Buddy Hield and Kyle “Slo-Mo” Anderson have both been excellent in their roles and have played a large part in this roaring start. The beauty of this team comes from the fact that it is someone different stepping up every night. Most recently it was D’Anthony Melton a cool 19 and 10 but we have seen countless different guys take their turn being a primary scoring option. This team is deep, this team is talented, this team is experienced, this team is dangerous.

Sources

Basketball Index

Basketball Reference

ESPN

Real

By Joe Browne

Cleveland Guardians: A

2024 was a year to remember for Cleveland Guardians fans. They played good, consistent baseball the entire regular season after they were looked down on by many preseason. It was an impressive season that ended at the hands of the Yankees in a five game ALCS series. Throughout that series the Guardians battled every single night and were in every game. That was mainly in part to their bullpen which from the get-go this season established itself as the very best in all of baseball. That group gave this team a chance to win night in and night out. The one thing Cleveland lacked was some offensive firepower. They got big hits this postseason from deadline acquisition Lane Thomas and surprise breakout Jhonkensy Noel. As a group though, they could still use more. 2025 will mark a decade since Cleveland started to see consistent winning and in every season since then they have always seemed to lack that big hit when they needed it most. Now, they have to find a way to upgrade that offensive attack to pair with that always consistent pitching staff to stay a float in what will be a competitive AL Central in 2025. 

Detroit Tigers: A+

The first perfect grade handed out in these articles goes to the Tigers and for good reason. First, who would have thought the Detroit Tigers would not only make the playoffs after selling at the deadline, then beat the October mainstay Astros and then take Cleveland to five games in the division series. A disappointing ending albeit but they snapped their playoff drought in a big way this year. I certainly did not see that coming and I think that is pretty universally accepted in the baseball world. Next, Tarik Skubal is going to win the Cy Young in a few weeks and might just be the best pitcher in baseball. He established himself as a big game pitcher in 2024 and was as close as it gets to a guaranteed win every fifth day when he took the mound. They were not only legitimately good, they were a fun bunch to watch this season. The best part of it all is that they are only going to get better. This team has zero notable free agents, prospects coming up and money to spend this offseason. 2024 was only the trailer in Mo-Town which means that 2025 is going to be the movie.

Kansas City Royals: A

What a run for the Royals it was in 2024 they deserve this high mark. Bobby Witt Jr. established himself as one of the best in the game this year after a really promising 2023 campaign. The Bobby Wiit the Royals got this year was the one that they had hoped they would get when they picked him second overall in 2019. If it was not for yet another dominant and record breaking season for Aaron Judge, Witt would have easily taken home the AL MVP honor. They formed a three headed monster in the rotation with Ragans, Lugo and Wacha. All three were phenomenal but Lugo really sticks out here because of his story. Very solid reliever with the Mets for years but always wanted to be a starter. Kansas City gave him the opportunity to do so and he ran with it in 2024. They also made the most underrated move on this year’s trade deadline in acquiring Lucas Erceg who was lights out down the stretch and locked up some huge W’s. All of those factors played a huge role in them giving the Yankees a run for their money in the ALDS. They certainly could improve their offense as a whole. It was in the middle of the pack in all of the major stats this year. Who knows, maybe former Florida Gator superstar Jac Caglianone could be a big shot in the arm to this lineup in 2025 if they decide to make an aggressive call up. Nevertheless, an uber successful season for the Royals but they will have to continue improving to stay competitive in the Central in 2025.

Minnesota Twins: D+

Very disappointing season for the Twins who arguably could be the squad with the most talent in this division still. This lineup is good and Minnesota was able to score runs in 2024. It was the pitching that let them down in a big way. In particular my preseason Cy Young prediction, Pablo Lopez, who had had a pretty disastrous season. Lopez got hit harder this year after making his money on generating soft contact his entire year. They are going to need their ace to get back on track in order for the team to bounce back in 2025. Also, having Royce Lewis healthy next year would be huge if they can get it. He is the best hitter on this team when he’s on the field and he has proved it over and over again the past two seasons. There is still a boatload of talent on this team that can propel them right back into contention for the AL Central crown in 2025.

Chicago White Sox: F-

What else needs to be said about this team and this franchise other than they just had the worst season in the history of baseball. A season so bad that I invented a new grade to represent how truly terrible it was in the form of the “F-”. 121 loses in 2024 breaking the 1962 Mets record of 120 loses in a single season. An absolutely disgraceful performance all season long. At one point this summer they had not won a game in 26 days and in the month of July they won a grand total of three games. The White Sox only good player in 2024, Garett Crochet, is just a few weeks away from being traded away. The return will probably be some underwhelming prospects in true White Sox fashion. They are an embarrassment to the sport and owner Jerry Reinsdorf should be forced to give up the team because the White Sox are just a terrible look for the rest of the sport. Do not expect much spending this offseason if any at all 2025 is going to be another long and painful season on the southside of Chicago.

Sources:

Baseball Reference

Baseball Savant

FanGraphs

MLB Pipeline

MLB.com

Statmuse

By Jonah Drew

After a tumultuous yet exhilarating MLB Season, we can finally crown a champion. The Los Angeles Dodgers are your 2024 World Series Champions. Let’s talk about it.

This has been a long time coming for the Dodgers, say what you want about the legitimacy about the 2020 World Series ring, but there is no denying that ring was no normal ring. The Dodgers have been ridiculously consistent. In fact, you would have to go back to 2012 to find a season in which the Dodgers didn’t make the Postseason. The last time the Dodgers finished under .500 was 2010. They have been the model of consistency. Yet, barring a questionable ring in 2020, they have nothing to show for it. That was until, on a chilly night in the Bronx, when Walker Buehler, a man who has given this franchise everything and more, struck out Alex Verdugo. Winning the Dodgers their 8th World Championship. Now, let’s take a moment to discuss how they got there.

Take it back to last October, the Dodgers were riding a 100 win season and an NL West division title. Earning a bye, they drew a matchup against the ever scrappy Arizona Diamondbacks. This turned out to be a nightmare series, as the Snakes embarrassed the Dodgers, quickly sweeping them in 3 games. Clearly, the taste of defeat was bitter. Owner Mark Walter, GM Andrew Friedman, Manager Dave Roberts, and the rest of the Dodgers main decision makers were out for blood in the off-season. They went on a rampage, signing Shohei Ohtani to the largest contract in MLB history, signing Yoshinobu Yammamoto, signing Teoscar Hernandez, trading for Tyler Glasnow, along with a flurry of smaller, successful, Dodgers like moves. Heading into the 2024 season, the Dodgers had all the makings of a superteam, pairing all the incoming talent with an already stacked nucleus.

Through out the year, the Dodgers and their “superteam” were remarkably consistent. Starting with an opening day 1 in Seoul, South Korea, the Dodgers continued to mow down opponents. Winning 15, 17, and 16 games in April, May, and June respectively, the Dodgers had no real hiccup early on. Their worst month came in the dog days of July, going 11-13, their only month with in which they posted a record below the .500 mark. Subsequently, they followed that slight lull up by dominating through the month of August to the tune of a 19-8 record. Finally, they finished the regular season off strong, ending September with a 16-10 record in the month. The Dodgers were heading into the Postseason off yet another spectacular regular season campaign, winning 98 games and earning yet another NL West division title.

As great as the regular season was for the Dodgers, players and fans alike had seen that movie before. The Dodgers roll through the regular season, winning near 100 games and a division title but when push comes to shove and it’s time to perform under the bright lights of the postseason, they crumble. Worries were only raised once the Dodgers opponent in the NLDS was solidified, the San Diego Padres. Don’t be a victim to revisionist history, the Pads were one of, if not the favorite to win the whole thing. On top of that, the rivalry between these 2 teams has really heated up over the past couple of years. In what was as tight of a series as you can get, the Dodgers narrowly squeaked out a series win over their rival padres. After trailing 2-1 in the series, with their back against the wall, the Dodgers pitching answered the call. They went on to shut out the Padres in both Games 4 and 5. Next, they faced what was seemingly the team of destiny, the New York Mets. The Mets were the best team in baseball for a large majority of the second half, and after a series win over their rival Phillies, the Mets were riding high. However, all the hoopla of Grimace, Halk Tuah, OMG, and whatever other absolutely electric gimmicks were quickly put to bed. The Dodgers were way to much to for my Mets, ending their season in a relatively non-competitive 6 game series.

The Dodgers were really looking like every bit of the superteam that they were billed as heading into the season and who else would they see in the fall classic. Dodgers, Yankees, a story as old as time. Fortunately, the 2024 rendition this historical tale was all Dodger blue. In a back and forth game 1, the Dodgers found themselves in a bases loaded, 2 out situation in the 10th with who else other than Freddie Freeman at the dish. As a suprise to nobody, Freddie delivered in a big way, depositing the ball into the right field seats in Dodger stadium. After taking a 1-0 lead, the Dodgers went on cruise control, winning games 2, 3, and 4 comfortably. After taking a 3-0 lead, the Dodgers seemingly got a bit complacent, leading them to take a game 4 loss. Game 5 will be forever etched into the brains of Dodger fans worldwide. The Dodgers came back from a 5-0 deficit, posting a 5 spot in the 5th inning. After the blowing the game and retaking it again, the Dodgers found themselves in yet another high stakes situation. Up 1, Bottom of the 9th, with former ace and now free agent, Walker Buehler on the hill to attempt to finish it off. Facing the bottom of the Yankee order, Buehler sat down the Bombers in 1-2-3 fashion, striking out former Dodger Alex Verdugo to end complete the ultamite baseball quest, earning the Dodgers their 8th ring.

Sources

Baseball Reference

Statmuse