NBA Finals Thread

[bballgrda]

Let's face it, every league needs at least one hated (dominant) team.

MLB: For a long time, it was the Yankees. If the lovable Cubs stay good, it will eventually be them.
MCBB: Duke and now UK.
NBA: Lakers fell into that category for a while. The Heat. And now the Warriors.
NHL: doesn't seem to happen as much for whatever reason. Although nobody seems to like the Canadians.
NFL: Raiders/49ers. Cowboys. Patriots.

It's fun hating against a team and fanbase.

I doubt there are many people outside of Pittsburgh happy about the Penguins winning. Not a hockey fan, just the sense I get.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

Some parting thoughts on the finals/season:

- I haven't read this article by Jackie MacMullan, but I assume it's good: Kevin Durant is the NBA Finals MVP! But not for the reason you think

I know I've said this before, but I don't think people realize how good Durant is defensively. He's good defensively to the point that he would be Cleveland's third or fourth best player if he was Andre Roberson on offense. I'm not sure how his defensive metrics shake out over an 82 game sample, but what he's done defensively these last two postseasons have left me with the impression that he is one of the half dozen best defenders in the game. By my unofficial count, he was the most effective Warrior guarding both LeBron and Kyrie.

- Along those lines, LeBron/Durant is a real debate. I'm not Paul Pierce and I don't say so as a passive-aggressive jab at LeBron, whose game continues to ascend to levels we haven't seen. I don't say so in neglect of the fact that Golden State's roster is perfectly suited to accentuate Durant's game and I don't say so in ignorance of just how highly the deck was stacked against LeBron in this series. The Cavs had no shot and I can assure you that my opinion is not reactionary in nature. I picked Golden State in five. This is neutral at worst for LeBron's 'legacy.'

But there were moments, even in that series, where all of that context submitted to the spectacle of KD and LeBron going one on one, and in those situations, LeBron respected KD - fear felt strong - in a way I'm not sure I've ever seen him respect another player, at least not in this generation. That respect was evident in the hesitancy he demonstrated during one on one match-ups with KD, and it's that hesitancy - and his natural inclination towards being a facilitator - in iso situations that may keep LeBron behind Jordan, at least for now.

- Speaking of that, Kyrie...I think he's winning me over. The dude is just do damned good one on one. He's one of the most skilled players to ever lace them up. There are problems with his game. Takes a lot of low-reward mid-range shots, free throw rate not great, poor defender, not ideal off the ball, not a great facilitator (I actually thought Golden State should have given more help on Kyrie than they did). But holy hell, as a Warriors supporter, I fear him with the ball in his hands more than LeBron. And I know that fear is not well-founded, but the fact that it exists is emblematic of how incredible he is. Weirdly, he's the type of dude you could replace with Kyle Lowry and actually be better off right up until you run into the one team that actually matters. Then he goes from polarizing-in-the-analytics-community Kyrie to Uncle Drew.

- I don't think it's a coincidence that LeBron reportedly waited for every Cav to enter the locker-room last night only to finally embrace Kyrie and say, "we'll be back." My suspicion is that Kyrie - and maybe J.R., for a short time - was the only guy LeBron didn't think hung him out to dry in that series. I've banged the Love drum before, but it's important to re-iterate: there is no sense in carrying a player on your roster that is useful right up until the moment you need him. He can't play against Golden State for very legitimate basketball reasons. The ball dominance of LeBron and Kyrie makes it so he's less valuable to Cleveland's offense than he would be anywhere else, and so in total he becomes Chris Bosh on offense, which would be fine if not for the fact that he isn't Chris Bosh on defense. I think Cleveland would be much more competitive in that series even if they just swapped Love for a player like Avery Bradley.

- Kevin Durant just really likes basketball. It's that simple. He didn't go to the Warriors for money, or his legacy, or the weather. He went there because he's obsessed with basketball and he's obsessed with playing it the right way. That wasn't happening in Oklahoma City and it was in Golden State and it's obvious from watching him talk last night how happy he was to play here.

I'm fine if you hate on Durant for joining the Warriors, but my sense is that a lot of you are people who are just going to hate the NBA no matter what. Here's a guy who was willing to be coached, willing to be taught, willing to be part of something bigger than himself. He was willing to view himself as part of the machine instead of the machine. His teammates love him, his coaches love him, and ultimately his decision aligned with what is supposed to motivate athletes: winning. The same simpletons who will crush LeBron for being 3-5 in the finals are the ones who will place the asterisk on Durant's ring. They'll hate the NBA for being a star-dominated league and then when the star loses to the superior team they'll rip the star anyway.

Lebron wouldn't guard him last night in an elimination game as he watched KD torch his helpless teammates. How can that be explained?

And the "he was saving himself for offense" excuse doesn't cut it, because if KD continued to torch them (he did) they were going home no matter how great Lebron was on offense (he was great and they still went home). Their only shot to win (however slim) was to try to slow down KD and I would assume Lebron would be the man to do it.

 

[NielsisGood]

Some parting thoughts on the finals/season:

- I haven't read this article by Jackie MacMullan, but I assume it's good: Kevin Durant is the NBA Finals MVP! But not for the reason you think

I know I've said this before, but I don't think people realize how good Durant is defensively. He's good defensively to the point that he would be Cleveland's third or fourth best player if he was Andre Roberson on offense. I'm not sure how his defensive metrics shake out over an 82 game sample, but what he's done defensively these last two postseasons have left me with the impression that he is one of the half dozen best defenders in the game. By my unofficial count, he was the most effective Warrior guarding both LeBron and Kyrie.

- Along those lines, LeBron/Durant is a real debate. I'm not Paul Pierce and I don't say so as a passive-aggressive jab at LeBron, whose game continues to ascend to levels we haven't seen. I don't say so in neglect of the fact that Golden State's roster is perfectly suited to accentuate Durant's game and I don't say so in ignorance of just how highly the deck was stacked against LeBron in this series. The Cavs had no shot and I can assure you that my opinion is not reactionary in nature. I picked Golden State in five. This is neutral at worst for LeBron's 'legacy.'

But there were moments, even in that series, where all of that context submitted to the spectacle of KD and LeBron going one on one, and in those situations, LeBron respected KD - fear felt strong - in a way I'm not sure I've ever seen him respect another player, at least not in this generation. That respect was evident in the hesitancy he demonstrated during one on one match-ups with KD, and it's that hesitancy - and his natural inclination towards being a facilitator - in iso situations that may keep LeBron behind Jordan, at least for now.

- Speaking of that, Kyrie...I think he's winning me over. The dude is just do damned good one on one. He's one of the most skilled players to ever lace them up. There are problems with his game. Takes a lot of low-reward mid-range shots, free throw rate not great, poor defender, not ideal off the ball, not a great facilitator (I actually thought Golden State should have given more help on Kyrie than they did). But holy hell, as a Warriors supporter, I fear him with the ball in his hands more than LeBron. And I know that fear is not well-founded, but the fact that it exists is emblematic of how incredible he is. Weirdly, he's the type of dude you could replace with Kyle Lowry and actually be better off right up until you run into the one team that actually matters. Then he goes from polarizing-in-the-analytics-community Kyrie to Uncle Drew.

- I don't think it's a coincidence that LeBron reportedly waited for every Cav to enter the locker-room last night only to finally embrace Kyrie and say, "we'll be back." My suspicion is that Kyrie - and maybe J.R., for a short time - was the only guy LeBron didn't think hung him out to dry in that series. I've banged the Love drum before, but it's important to re-iterate: there is no sense in carrying a player on your roster that is useful right up until the moment you need him. He can't play against Golden State for very legitimate basketball reasons. The ball dominance of LeBron and Kyrie makes it so he's less valuable to Cleveland's offense than he would be anywhere else, and so in total he becomes Chris Bosh on offense, which would be fine if not for the fact that he isn't Chris Bosh on defense. I think Cleveland would be much more competitive in that series even if they just swapped Love for a player like Avery Bradley.

- Kevin Durant just really likes basketball. It's that simple. He didn't go to the Warriors for money, or his legacy, or the weather. He went there because he's obsessed with basketball and he's obsessed with playing it the right way. That wasn't happening in Oklahoma City and it was in Golden State and it's obvious from watching him talk last night how happy he was to play here.

I'm fine if you hate on Durant for joining the Warriors, but my sense is that a lot of you are people who are just going to hate the NBA no matter what. Here's a guy who was willing to be coached, willing to be taught, willing to be part of something bigger than himself. He was willing to view himself as part of the machine instead of the machine. His teammates love him, his coaches love him, and ultimately his decision aligned with what is supposed to motivate athletes: winning. The same simpletons who will crush LeBron for being 3-5 in the finals are the ones who will place the asterisk on Durant's ring. They'll hate the NBA for being a star-dominated league and then when the star loses to the superior team they'll rip the star anyway.

I feel like you took an amalgamation of other people's thoughts and made a TL;DR post of the thread up to this point, except this TL;DR actually ended up being the longest post of the entire thread.

 

[August_West]

I doubt there are many people outside of Pittsburgh happy about the Penguins winning. Not a hockey fan, just the sense I get.

I wish someone would smash Crosbys face with a blunt hammer.

 

[intlzncster]

I doubt there are many people outside of Pittsburgh happy about the Penguins winning. Not a hockey fan, just the sense I get.

That's fair enough. Although I think a lot of that is Sidney Crosby. People just don't like that guy for whatever reason. EDIT: aaaaaaand see Auggie's post just above. lol

I just looked at some teams over the year and thought, "weird, nobody really hated teams like the Blackhawks or the Detroit Redwings". I was too young to know if the Oilers pissed everyone off.

 

[intlzncster]

Some parting thoughts on the finals/season:

- I haven't read this article by Jackie MacMullan, but I assume it's good: Kevin Durant is the NBA Finals MVP! But not for the reason you think

I know I've said this before, but I don't think people realize how good Durant is defensively. He's good defensively to the point that he would be Cleveland's third or fourth best player if he was Andre Roberson on offense. I'm not sure how his defensive metrics shake out over an 82 game sample, but what he's done defensively these last two postseasons have left me with the impression that he is one of the half dozen best defenders in the game. By my unofficial count, he was the most effective Warrior guarding both LeBron and Kyrie.

- Along those lines, LeBron/Durant is a real debate. I'm not Paul Pierce and I don't say so as a passive-aggressive jab at LeBron, whose game continues to ascend to levels we haven't seen. I don't say so in neglect of the fact that Golden State's roster is perfectly suited to accentuate Durant's game and I don't say so in ignorance of just how highly the deck was stacked against LeBron in this series. The Cavs had no shot and I can assure you that my opinion is not reactionary in nature. I picked Golden State in five. This is neutral at worst for LeBron's 'legacy.'

But there were moments, even in that series, where all of that context submitted to the spectacle of KD and LeBron going one on one, and in those situations, LeBron respected KD - fear felt strong - in a way I'm not sure I've ever seen him respect another player, at least not in this generation. That respect was evident in the hesitancy he demonstrated during one on one match-ups with KD, and it's that hesitancy - and his natural inclination towards being a facilitator - in iso situations that may keep LeBron behind Jordan, at least for now.

- Speaking of that, Kyrie...I think he's winning me over. The dude is just do damned good one on one. He's one of the most skilled players to ever lace them up. There are problems with his game. Takes a lot of low-reward mid-range shots, free throw rate not great, poor defender, not ideal off the ball, not a great facilitator (I actually thought Golden State should have given more help on Kyrie than they did). But holy hell, as a Warriors supporter, I fear him with the ball in his hands more than LeBron. And I know that fear is not well-founded, but the fact that it exists is emblematic of how incredible he is. Weirdly, he's the type of dude you could replace with Kyle Lowry and actually be better off right up until you run into the one team that actually matters. Then he goes from polarizing-in-the-analytics-community Kyrie to Uncle Drew.

- I don't think it's a coincidence that LeBron reportedly waited for every Cav to enter the locker-room last night only to finally embrace Kyrie and say, "we'll be back." My suspicion is that Kyrie - and maybe J.R., for a short time - was the only guy LeBron didn't think hung him out to dry in that series. I've banged the Love drum before, but it's important to re-iterate: there is no sense in carrying a player on your roster that is useful right up until the moment you need him. He can't play against Golden State for very legitimate basketball reasons. The ball dominance of LeBron and Kyrie makes it so he's less valuable to Cleveland's offense than he would be anywhere else, and so in total he becomes Chris Bosh on offense, which would be fine if not for the fact that he isn't Chris Bosh on defense. I think Cleveland would be much more competitive in that series even if they just swapped Love for a player like Avery Bradley.

- Kevin Durant just really likes basketball. It's that simple. He didn't go to the Warriors for money, or his legacy, or the weather. He went there because he's obsessed with basketball and he's obsessed with playing it the right way. That wasn't happening in Oklahoma City and it was in Golden State and it's obvious from watching him talk last night how happy he was to play here.

I'm fine if you hate on Durant for joining the Warriors, but my sense is that a lot of you are people who are just going to hate the NBA no matter what. Here's a guy who was willing to be coached, willing to be taught, willing to be part of something bigger than himself. He was willing to view himself as part of the machine instead of the machine. His teammates love him, his coaches love him, and ultimately his decision aligned with what is supposed to motivate athletes: winning. The same simpletons who will crush LeBron for being 3-5 in the finals are the ones who will place the asterisk on Durant's ring. They'll hate the NBA for being a star-dominated league and then when the star loses to the superior team they'll rip the star anyway.

Nicely said.

I've never hated KD, and enjoy watching him play. My feeling on his free agency was summed up as disappointment, because I wanted to see a more balanced NBA. But all in all, can you argue KD made the wrong move? I cannot.

And people who place asterisks on rings are losers. End of the day, who's the Champ? KD and the Warriors. Everyone else can suck it.

 

[intlzncster]

I feel like you took an amalgamation of other people's thoughts and made a TL;DR post of the thread up to this point, except this TL;DR actually ended up being the longest post of the entire thread.

Well, if that's the case, it would save folks a whole lot of trouble for it to be pinned as post 1.

 

[auror]

I know I've said this before, but I don't think people realize how good Durant is defensively.

He definitely steps it up when it matters. Regular season a few years ago, he was not the best. But he uses his length very well in the playoffs, especially the last 2 years.

- Along those lines, LeBron/Durant is a real debate.

Agreed 100%.

- Speaking of that, Kyrie...I think he's winning me over. The dude is just do damned good one on one... Then he goes from polarizing-in-the-analytics-community Kyrie to Uncle Drew.

There's definitely a broader analytics debate that Kyrie embodies. What's the value of creating your own shot and winning 1 on 1 vs. team pace and space basketball? Does it become more important in the playoffs when guys are "trying harder" (sub-question, are guys really more motivated and "locked in" during the playoffs?) There's a backlash against iso-ball because post-MJ players who weren't good enough at it were overdoing it, and teams would often defer to their franchise guy in key moments to their own detriment.

But this game has always been, and will always be, about buckets.

[Love] can't play against Golden State for very legitimate basketball reasons. The ball dominance of LeBron and Kyrie makes it so he's less valuable to Cleveland's offense than he would be anywhere else, and so in total he becomes Chris Bosh on offense, which would be fine if not for the fact that he isn't Chris Bosh on defense. I think Cleveland would be much more competitive in that series even if they just swapped Love for a player like Avery Bradley.

I don't agree with this. They've got two Avery Bradleys on the roster (JR Smith and Iman Shumpert). I understand that specifically against Golden State he's in a difficult spot because of Durant, but against literally every other team he's a big plus. His spacing and shooting destroyed Boston. His DREB% was 30% (and his outlets ignited their fast break), and he had a 60% TS% overall in the playoffs. He was still 6th in playoff win shares. I don't think it's a coincidence that the game in the Finals he shot well from 3, they won.

[Durant's]a guy who was willing to be coached, willing to be taught, willing to be part of something bigger than himself. He was willing to view himself as part of the machine instead of the machine. His teammates love him, his coaches love him, and ultimately his decision aligned with what is supposed to motivate athletes: winning. The same simpletons who will crush LeBron for being 3-5 in the finals are the ones who will place the asterisk on Durant's ring. They'll hate the NBA for being a star-dominated league and then when the star loses to the superior team they'll rip the star anyway.

Nailed it.

 

[NielsisGood]

Well, if that's the case, it would save folks a whole lot of trouble for it to be pinned as post 1.

I know I've personally said most of the stuff regarding Durant either in this thread or the NBA season thread. I've thought since the middle of the season that Durant was the best player in the league.

 

[JSM1970]

You have to be kidding. Durant is a total joke. He had to go to GSW with 3 top 15 players to be relevant.

I know I've personally said most of the stuff regarding Durant either in this thread or the NBA season thread. I've thought since the middle of the season that Durant was the best player in the league.

 

[bballgrda]

I love the reactionaries. Durant is really good, but you are crazy if you think he is better than Lebron imo. It is true that Lebron's defense was subpar (especially by his standards) this series. However, you have to view everything in context.

The workload Lebron is shouldering is massive compared to Durant's - he doesn't have infinite energy. Steph is the key piece to the Warriors offense and is who the Cavs were most focused on. He drew plenty of double teams and had so much gravity which enabled Durant to get tons of favorable matchups.

There was that play in the first game when a Cav ran to the shooter in the corner on a fastbreak giving Durant a wide open lane to dunk (1 of 6 in that first half) - I think that epitomizes the whole series.

 

[auror]

You have to be kidding. Durant is a total joke. He had to go to GSW with 3 top 15 players to be relevant.

You know he won MVP a few seasons back, right?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The workload Lebron is shouldering is massive compared to Durant's -

Yeah obviously Durant is a transcendent player but I'm not sure that what we just witnessed supports the notion that he's challenging Lebron for best player in the world.

 

[Walker11]

I love the reactionaries. Durant is really *** good, but you are crazy if you think he is better than Lebron imo. It is true that Lebron's defense was subpar (especially by his standards) this series. However, you have to view everything in context.

The workload Lebron is shouldering is massive compared to Durant's - he doesn't have infinite energy. Steph is the key piece to the Warriors offense and is who the Cavs were most focused on. He drew plenty of double teams and had so much gravity which enabled Durant to get tons of favorable matchups.

There was that play in the first game when a Cav ran to the shooter in the corner on a fastbreak giving Durant a wide open lane to dunk (1 of 6 in that first half) - I think that epitomizes the whole series.

I love KD, it is evidenced throughout all of NBA threads but it is difficult to compare the two considering their surrounding casts. I think someone can make a fine argument that KD is better than LeBron right now, even if I may not agree.

Still, the rotation point differential stats show that GSW is a significantly worse team when Curry is sitting compared to when KD is sitting. And Cleveland goes from the 2nd best team in the league to the 26th best team, or something in that range, when Lebron is sitting.

 

[MadDogRevival]

Can we also talk about how absolutely AWFUL Tristan Thompson has been? Doesn't look remotely like a basketball player right now.

I think that he was out-athleted during this series. His clunky, hard-nosed rebounding style did not work well in a game with 9 quick athletes around him.

 

[MadDogRevival]

I think someone can make a fine argument that KD is better than LeBron right now, even if I may not agree.

Durant is taller, quicker, a better ball handler, a significantly better shooter, and a better defender.
One on one, he probably destroys LBJ (along with everybody else)!
The guy is amazing to watch. Like watching an oversized gazelle dart through a herd of wildebeests on his way to the green grass.

BUT, he lacks in the one area in which LeBron excels - namely, LeBron makes everybody around him better. Much better. In fact, having LeBron at your side probably pushes you really close to your max output as a player.

Durant? Not so much. 3.8 APG versus 7.0 for LeBron, career.

I'm still butt hurt about this year. Would have been an epic GSW/Cavs fight - probably 7 games. Would have got to see IRving/James go against Curry/Thompson. Would have been great drama. Instead, we see Curry in a support role, at times, and Thompson flashing here or there. What a friggin shame. Worst part is, the rivalry, which would have been epic and would have been looking at a 4th year next year, is pretty much dead.

Durant - sweet, sweet talent. But he's no LeBron.

Gonna miss LBJ. Couldn't even stand to hear his name after "the decision." Thought that was super poor taste. Now, I'm lamenting the fact that we may have just seen his peak year or so, and he's going to be dropping off fast.

 

[Walker11]

I think that he was out-athleted during this series. His clunky, hard-nosed rebounding style did not work well in a game with 9 quick athletes around him.

The thing is that Thompson actually has a reputation as being one of the best big men in the league at switching onto and containing guards. He is not a run/jump guy but he is long and has the agility. This is not an opinion I formed on my own, but an opinion of people who watch much more basketball than I do. I am going to side with Van Gundy and go with the Kardashian curse.

It is difficult to play 2 big men against the Warriors. Love was fine on D in this series but he is the primary issue when it comes to switching onto guards. People say you can't out small ball the best small ball team ever, but good luck trying to beat them with 2 bigs. They managed that last year without KD but never will again IMO.

Lebron is a perfect small ball 4. Keep Thompson at the 5 and flip Love for another wing. Easier said than done but this is my hope.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I thought this finals was set up perfect for Uncle Drew to take next step to superstardom.

Guess not.

 

[Walker11]

Durant is taller, quicker, a better ball handler, a significantly better shooter, and a better defender.
One on one, he probably destroys LBJ (along with everybody else)!
The guy is amazing to watch. Like watching an oversized gazelle dart through a herd of wildebeests on his way to the green grass.

BUT, he lacks in the one area in which LeBron excels - namely, LeBron makes everybody around him better. Much better. In fact, having LeBron at your side probably pushes you really close to your max output as a player.

Durant? Not so much. 3.8 APG versus 7.0 for LeBron, career.

I'm still butt hurt about this year. Would have been an epic GSW/Cavs fight - probably 7 games. Would have got to see IRving/James go against Curry/Thompson. Would have been great drama. Instead, we see Curry in a support role, at times, and Thompson flashing here or there. What a friggin shame. Worst part is, the rivalry, which would have been epic and would have been looking at a 4th year next year, is pretty much dead.

Durant - sweet, sweet talent. But he's no LeBron.

Gonna miss LBJ. Couldn't even stand to hear his name after "the decision." Thought that was super poor taste. Now, I'm lamenting the fact that we may have just seen his peak year or so, and he's going to be dropping off fast.

I agree with a lot of your sentiments here but I have to remember that you think Kyrie is better than Durant. Durant is at worst the 3rd best player in the NBA, and no, Kyrie is definitely not #2.

KD definitely makes his teammates much better. Not only is he a much improved passer, but the whole gravity thing is all the rage now in the NBA analytic community and KD stacks up here. Not as much as Curry, and this was behind my take a few posts up where I agreed with pumping the brakes on the KD>Lebron talk.

You hated Lebron after the Decision. So did everyone else in the world outside of Miami. I rooted like hell for the Spurs and Mavs against them. The KD outrage wasn't even close in comparison. I imagine everyone, including you, is going to move past the outrage in 2 years.

 

[HuskiesAllDay]

Yeah obviously Durant is a transcendent player but I'm not sure that what we just witnessed supports the notion that he's challenging Lebron for best player in the world.

Agree. Durant has always been the more natural/ versatile scorer. And while he has improved greatly in his all around game (especially his passing), He's still not at Lebron level.

Although you could argue kd is the better defender now. Either way the gap isn't nearly what it was when they met in the finals last time. Kd definitely stepped his game up a notch.

 

[Hoophound]

Kind of hard to say KD really closed the gap on LeBron when KD is playing on an all star team. It makes things a lot easier when Curry is getting double teamed despite the fact that all 5 players on the floor need to be closely guarded. If they switched places LeBron would be putting up big numbers and KD would look awful by comparison. I've never been a big LBJ fan but he's just awesome. It is his strength that makes the difference. Such a big dude.

 

[NielsisGood]

Yeah obviously Durant is a transcendent player but I'm not sure that what we just witnessed supports the notion that he's challenging Lebron for best player in the world.

Instead of tying yourself in knots with statements like these just consider how Durant was the best player on the floor in 4 of the 5 games, was outstanding on both ends, and just clearly appeared to be the most ubiquitous presence on the floor. The gap in both players' defensive showing is enough to tip the scales in Durant's favor.

 

[NielsisGood]

Agree. Durant has always been the more natural/ versatile scorer. And while he has improved greatly in his all around game (especially his passing), He's still not at Lebron level.

Although you could argue kd is the better defender now. Either way the gap isn't nearly what it was when they met in the finals last time. Kd definitely stepped his game up a notch.

So if KD is both a better scorer and defender, how is he not the better player at that point? Just because LeBron is more on-ball dominant as opposed to the GSW hot potato style and it leads to more APG for LBJ?

 

[MadDogRevival]

I agree with a lot of your sentiments here but I have to remember that you think Kyrie is better than Durant.

No I don't. I was trolling and throwing things out (GSW no chemistry, Cleveland better) in order to try to rationalize why this series wasn't a disaster. I didn't bet on it, and I thought the Cavs would lose in 4.

I got over the decision - it was stupid, but it was more a bad PR decision than anything. I thought it was rude to the fans in Cleveland, who didn't deserve him anyway with that snow team they put around him. It was a bad decision, but not necessarily reflective of character.

Durant is wholly different. What Durant did, to me, was cowardly. Just my opinion. It showed a basic lack of pride and fight. I never wanted to be on the stacked team growing up and playing sports. I suppose it's a personality thing. I consider the win this year to be devoid of glory. It was like a grown man beating up a 12 year old. How can anybody cheer for that?

 

[NielsisGood]

No I don't. I was trolling and throwing things out (GSW no chemistry, Cleveland better) in order to try to rationalize why this series wasn't a disaster. I didn't bet on it, and I thought the Cavs would lose in 4.

I got over the decision - it was stupid, but it was more a bad PR decision than anything. I thought it was rude to the fans in Cleveland, who didn't deserve him anyway with that snow team they put around him. It was a bad decision, but not necessarily reflective of character.

Durant is wholly different. What Durant did, to me, was cowardly. Just my opinion. It showed a basic lack of pride and fight. I never wanted to be on the stacked team growing up and playing sports. I suppose it's a personality thing. I consider the win this year to be devoid of glory. It was like a grown man beating up a 12 year old. How can anybody cheer for that?

How is Durant leaving any worse? OKC traded Harden over a few million dollars and then made exactly 0 significant acquisitions over his last 4-5 seasons there. Also, it's not too difficult to imagine Westbrook being a frustrating guy to play with when you're watching him shoot 6-7 3s per game at a sub 30% clip.