NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — This time last year, the Newport Beach Grizzlies were watching the COMO playoffs from home. A 17-win season had fans wondering whether to renew season tickets. Now, they're four wins away from dethroning the back-to-back league champions. Newport Beach and Shorewood will square off in the 2016 COMO Finals — beginning Friday night — after disposing of a pair of lesser opponents in the semifinals. The defending champions swept Minnesnowta, 3-0, while Newport reeled off three straight wins to take down Kansas City, 3-1. This matchup will go a long way toward determining which team got the upper hand in the league's most memorable trade: Steph Curry and Pau Gasol for Russell Westbrook (there were other pieces involved, but those three were the primary inclusions) in February 2014. Since then, the Show have won two titles, while the Grizzlies struggled mightily. Westbrook's resurgence — paired with fellow All-COMO selection LeBron James' arrival via free agency — has been key in Newport Beach's league-record 33-win turnaround. "This is DangeRuss' chance to prove he was the most important asset swapped in that trade," general manager Peter Mayer said Friday. "We see this as the perfect way for this season to end: Two teams that helped create each other slugging it out. Without that massive trade, neither team would be in this position." While Westbrook has been great, Curry has been a cut above everyone else. The point guard earned his third straight All-COMO first team selection this season while taking home his first COMO MVP trophy in February. His hardware also includes last year's COMO Finals MVP award, which he earned by carrying Shorewood to a narrow series win over Chaska. "Chew on this," Shorewood GM Alex Smith said. "We're playing for a third straight title. How many teams in the history of professional sports have accomplished that? Those are household names. Big-time teams. And we're right there." There's another tantalizing storyline in play: James, acquired by Shorewood at last year's trade deadline, helped the Show win it all in 2015. Now, he's on the other side of the floor. "His Grace is who we look to in tough times," Mayer said. "He's been there before, he knows the Show very well, and he's proved he can get it done." 2016 COMO Finals schedule:
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A big offseason helped Newport Bech improve by a league-record 33 wins this year, and the Grizzlies deservedly placed two players on the All-COMO first team. Russell Westbrook and 2015 signee LeBron James both earned first-team nods from the league's general managers. Shorewood star and COMO MVP Stephen Curry was the only unanimous first-team choice, with Westbrook and Minnesnowta's Anthony Davis both receiving one second-team nod. Check out the full list of honorees below: 2015-2016 All-COMO selections1st-team PG: Russell Westbrook, Newport Beach (23 voting points) 1st-team SG: Stephen Curry, Shorewood (24) 1st-team SF: Kevin Durant, Duval United (22) 1st-team PF: LeBron James, Newport Beach (20) 1st-team C: Anthony Davis, Hollywood/Minnesnowta (23) 1st-team 6th: James Harden, Colorado (19) 2nd-team PG: Chris Paul, Minneapolis (9) 2nd-team SG: Kyle Lowry, Chaska (10) 2nd-team SF: Kawhi Leonard, Rio (9) 2nd-team PF: Draymond Green, Duval United (12) 2nd-team C: DeMarcus Cousins, Chaska (18) 2nd-team 6th: Pau Gasol, Shorewood (7) Honorable mentions: Hassan Whiteside, Minnesnowta/Hollywood (6), Karl-Anthony Towns, Minneapolis (5), Jimmy Butler, Hollywood (3), Andre Drummond, Rio (2), Damian Lillard, Kansas City (1), Paul Millsap, Chaska (1), Paul George, Rio (1) and Isaiah Thomas, Minneapolis (1). Check out previous All-COMO selections here
SHOREWOOD, Minn. — The general managers have voted, and they all agree: Stephen Curry is COMO's most valuable player. The Shorewood guard earned his first career MVP award after posting a 33.66 average over 56 regular season starts. He earned unanimous No. 1 ratings from all 12 teams for a total of 36 points, well ahead of Newport Beach's Russell Westbrook (22) and Duval United's Kevin Durant (11). Minnesnowta's Anthony Davis (3) and Duval United's Draymond Green (1) also received votes. The race appeared to be getting tighter in January, but Curry broke it open with a 39.20 average over 10 starts in February, earning his second career Player of the Month award. Currently dealing with an ankle injury that could force him to miss Game 1 of Shorewood's first-round series against Minneapolis, the MVP is still expected to carry the load in a deep postseason run. "Steph was impossibly good in the past two playoffs," general manager Alex Smith said Wednesday night. "Nearly the Finals MVP in 2014. Finals MVP in 2015. At this point, it's tough to expect much more from him. But that doesn't mean he's not going to come out and smoke people this March." For the third straight season, Shorewood's 2014 trade with Newport Beach has directly affected the league. Shorewood got Curry, Pau Gasol and a first-rounder (eventually Elfrid Payton) in exchange for Westbrook and Tristan Thompson. The move helped Shorewood win two COMO titles, while Westbrook and Thompson are now keys to Newport Beach's first-ever championship run. "Losing Russ was painful, but we got over it when the league asked us about ring sizes," Smith said. "It's amazing that we landed the world's best player, an All-COMO center and a first-rounder in the same deal. And now the pressure is on Newport to produce. It's been off us for nearly two years." Throwback Thursday... Smith in Febuary 2014 when asked if he would bring back Curry the following season: "It will certainly be a tough decision. We're looking at around a $36 million extension. Steph will have a chance to earn that type of paycheck with a strong finish to the regular season and an excellent playoff run."
MINNEAPOLIS — Award season is here, so let's begin with the obvious: Karl-Anthony Towns is COMO's 2015-2016 Rookie of the Year. The Minneapolis Player Haterzz big man swept all four Rookie of the Month awards and is a dark horse candidate for the second All-COMO team after posting a 25.71 average over 58 regular-season starts. General manager Dan Renfro said Towns is "definitely our MVP," and worth the horrible 10-72 season Minneapolis suffered through last year. "We knew improving our chances of getting someone as special as KAT was worth moving LeBron (in a February 2015 trade with Shorewood), which is why we despicably tanked last year," Renfro said. "In all seriousness, he'll be dropping more bones per night than LeBron in the upcoming seasons, making it all worth it." Towns rewrote just about every COMO rookie record, and — still on his rookie contract — he's easily considered one of the league's top 10 assets. "He's everything we could've asked for and more," Renfro said. "Toss in his dedication to wearing a hat indoors and celebrating dope dunks and there's truly no one like him [/links to gif]." Minneapolis (36-46) is currently up against Shorewood (61-21) in the first round of the playoffs. Throwback Thursday... Renfro on Towns this past August after selecting the Kentucky center No. 1 overall: "Karl-Anthony is a stud. He bends the game in a way no one can. His development will be quick and obvious on his way to being a superstar. In the meantime, he'll be a solid contributor on this championship contender."
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