NBA Playoffs

[navery12]

Relax. I don't think anyone disagrees.

You'd be surprised

 

[intlzncster]

Relax. I don't think anyone disagrees.

Besides, he did what everybody thought he'd do tonight.

This game was lost by the C's. 7-39 from three tonight. 7 of freakin 39. 17.9%. And 34% shooting overall. That's just....idk

Terry Rozier 0 of 10 from three.
Jaylen Brown 3 of 12 from three.

 

[MadDogRevival]

Great game. Lots of thoughts here.

1. Horford and Tatum absolutely killing it in the 1st half and LeBron has minor foul trouble - they should have sent the offense through Tatum for the rest of the game. Terrible coaching by Stevens. Too many shots taken by the 2nd string - Marcus Smart is a heady, energetic player, and I respect what he brings - but he took too many shots.

2. Tatum is going to have a nice career. Fine player. I know he's young, but he gave up the ball too much tonight considering how hot he was.

3. The bad call on LeBron when Smart faked the charge almost changed the outcome of the game. LeBron had 4 fouls relatively early. This looked headed for overtime until the moment got too big for the Celtics late in the 4th.

4. Morris should put as much energy into practicing his jump shot as he does into screaming all the time. Pick your moments kid.

5. JR Smith actually showed up and played a key, if small, role.

6. The question somebody asked about "would you take Brad Stevens over a great player like Lebron" has been answered. Stevens did not have a good night - got away from what was working and made no adjustments late to get the ball to the hot hands.

7. Tyron Lue did a nice job - when he went to doubling Al, that's when the tide shifted, and suddenly.

8. I thought the officiating was acceptable, if not great. Cavs were in early foul trouble often - Celts should have crashed the rim more - waaaay too much distance shooting by cold shooters. If they pressed that advantage, they win - bad coaching there.

9. Guy who said he predicted two blowouts - 1/2 way to the worst call of the month on the BY.

10. LBJ is the greatest player I have ever seen play, and I've been watching since the late 70s. Him winning on the road versus the Cs in a game 7 after their home dominance with the bunch of bums that he has is absolutely miraculous. Not one all-star in the group other than him, and he's in the finals. Bizarre and impressive and unreal.

11. All the pressure is going to be on GS tomorrow.

12. Rockets vs. the Cavs with a healthy Kevin Love and the Cavs have a shot.

13. If Cavs beat the Rockets, the number of people saying LeBron is better than Jordan was is going to go from <20% to about half.

 

[Adios]

Besides, he did what everybody thought he'd do tonight.

This game was lost by the C's. 7-39 from three tonight. 7 of freakin 39. 17.9%. And 34% shooting overall. That's just....idk

Terry Rozier 0 of 10 from three.
Jaylen Brown 3 of 12 from three.

The KING made it all happen! He just gave them a glance and they cowered in fear because he is the KING!!!

 

[intlzncster]

12. Rockets vs. the Cavs with a healthy Kevin Love and the Cavs have a shot.

13. If Cavs beat the Rockets, the number of people saying LeBron is better than Jordan was is going to go from <20% to about half.

If they play GS, no chance in hell they win. You're about to see the difference between the East and the West.

If Houston without Paul, it's a possibility.

 

[Adios]

Boston had 19 more FG attempts. Let's give LeBron credit for that.

 

[MadDogRevival]

Boston had 19 more FG attempts. Let's give LeBron credit for that.

Try GoldBond for that butt hurt.

 

[MadDogRevival]

If they play GS, no chance in hell they win. You're about to see the difference between the East and the West.
If Houston without Paul, it's a possibility.

You contradict yourself. If LeBron and a laughable supporting cast can, "possibly" beat the Rockets, then how much difference is there, really?
The West is-so-much-better does not apply as much as it once may have applied.
After Houston and GS, the West in not substantially better than the East.
But hey . . . time will tell.

 

[intlzncster]

You contradict yourself. If LeBron and a laughable supporting cast can, "possibly" beat the Rockets, then how much difference is there, really?

That's fair, I just think Chris Paul is that important to that team. I'd still take Houston mind you.

The West is-so-much-better does not apply as much as it once may have applied.
After Houston and GS, the West in not substantially better than the East.

The rest of the west doesn't matter right now though. And with respect to those two teams, this year, I think the gap is further than it's been in a while.

 

[MadDogRevival]

And with respect to those two teams, this year, I think the gap is further than it's been in a while.

Yeah, I agree with that.
It's GS and Houston, Tier 1, and then the next team is far below.
But that concentration in GS and Houston is happenstance and doesn't parlay into a West v. East thing to me. For example, next year if LeBron is in Philly, I see Philly possibly winning it all. If Philly/GS/Houston go 1-2-3, and the Celtics and Wizards and Spurs and so on all scrap for sloppy seconds, then the East/West power difference isn't what it was back in the day when the Spurs were a power and the Clippers were a power and GS was GS and OKC had Durant.

Time will tell.

 

[HuskyHawk]

KING JAMES!!

Like I said over and over again, no matter who’s there, who’s not, who plays, who doesn’t...

One common result over the last decade, the KING will be playing i he NBA Finals!!

Greatest player I’ve ever seen besides MJ!

Blah blah. He’s an amazing player. His team blows. Watching them play is like having your nails pulled out by pliers. Ugly basketball. Put Kyrie and Hayward on the Celtics and they win this by 30. Lebron’s legacy is done. Cavs are about to lose in 5-6 games.

 

[MadDogRevival]

Blah blah. He’s an amazing player. His team blows. Watching them play is like having your nails pulled out by pliers. Ugly basketball.

Agree with everything but the bold. I thought it was thrilling. The team couldn't get out of its own way. It was intense watching the C's to see whether they could find a way, given all of the opportunities.

Put Kyrie and Hayward on the Celtics and they win this by 30.

So you're saying that, if it was different, then it wouldn't be the same? Kyrie is remarkably injury prone. Recall he got injured in the GS finals when they got their 1st. So, the Celtics knew what they were getting, and they'll know for sure when he gets injured again, which he will.

Lebron’s legacy is done. Cavs are about to lose in 5-6 games.

Wow. You're giving him 2, possibly? If it's GS and the Cavs win 2 games, that increases his legacy dramatically, in my view.

Of course, it's not over until it's over, and next year, if he goes to Philly, he has the chance to write a dramatic and unprecedented final chapter or two.

Imagine him going to Philly, getting to his 9th straight finals, and beating GS in the finals. That would be a monstrous achievement.

I don't think his legacy is set quite yet, and I'm hoping he has a couple more dominant years left - he's unreal, and he's the only reason I watch the NBA. Can't believe any true basketball fan doesn't love to watch him play.

 

[superjohn]

Blah blah. He’s an amazing player. His team blows. Watching them play is like having your nails pulled out by pliers. Ugly basketball. Put Kyrie and Hayward on the Celtics and they win this by 30. Lebron’s legacy is done. Cavs are about to lose in 5-6 games.

His legacy is done? Seems to me he's adding to it every night.

 

[superjohn]

Getting KD shots in crunch-time has been a problem his whole career. Russ was an easy scapegoat for a while, but how long can we continue to act like he's not a huge part of the problem? He gets pushed off his spot on the block and can't dribble through tight spaces. As a result, he tends to launch long, low-reward twos that don't make sense for an offense that's at its best when Curry is peeling through the paint.

This isn't a new opinion because I've said this about KD forever. He's a brilliant, brilliant basketball player who has never developed into the one on one killer people wanted him to be. That doesn't mean he isn't still one of the best iso players in the league, but he's not the dude who busts through the residential gates to hold your kids for ransom. Without Russ five years ago, the Thunder lost to Memphis in 5 and he shot 42%. Four years ago against Memphis he shot 44% and turned it over more than he assisted. Two years ago against Golden State he shot 42%. If you want to go back to Dallas in 2011, he shot 43%. (He shot a remarkable 55% against Miami in the finals six years ago, but turned it over twice as often as he assisted).

He's not LeBron. He needs structure to succeed. If Houston begging him to beat them one on one hasn't proven that, I don't know what will. Unless your name is LeBron James, every player has strengths and weaknesses. KD's struggles are likely to mimic the struggles of the Warriors as a whole, and vice versa. He might be the best player on the floor but right now he would not be the best offensive player on either team. When you're talking about a sample of four minutes, it's hard for me to call it moronic that he didn't get a shot. Teams are obviously going to guard him. At that point, it becomes a matter of whether you want Steph or Draymond creating or KD. I'll take Steph on a big or Draymond probing a 4 on 3 before I take a KD turnaround from the baseline.

Durant is obviously a brilliant player but as you point out he gets pushed off his spot in the post and has never really developed his go to move to get you the needed bucket in crunch time. He may be more talented but I'll take Dirk over him any day. Leadership and that go to post game when it matters gives Dirk the edge IMO.

 

[Stainmaster]

His legacy is done? Seems to me he's adding to it every night.

Give the Celtics fans some time to cool off.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Blah blah. He’s an amazing player. His team blows. Watching them play is like having your nails pulled out by pliers. Ugly basketball. Put Kyrie and Hayward on the Celtics and they win this by 30. Lebron’s legacy is done. Cavs are about to lose in 5-6 games.

LOL

 

[champs99and04]

The way Cleveland approached that game, LeBron in particular, was unlike anything I've ever seen. It wasn't just that he played all 48 minutes at the age of 33; it was the way he paced himself so that he'd be able to deliver for his team in the fourth quarter. He's been doing it all season, and all great players do it to a point (there is a reason no one player can take all the shots), but this was taking it to an extreme, in a winning cause, that I'm not sure has an equivalent in the modern era. That Cavs team, minus Love, was so limited on offense that everything needed to be spoon fed for them. Brad Stevens acknowledged in his postgame presser that their strategy was to make LeBron exert as much energy as humanly possible on both ends. It makes a lot of sense because no player is capable of being that high usage for a full 48 minutes. It has no precedent.

But that's what makes his performance tonight so fascinating. He knew he had to break the sports cardinal if his team was going to have any chance. He needed to conserve energy, and if you were watching this game from an objective point of view, that hurt the team at times. They conceded a couple offensive rebounds that LeBron didn't fully invest in, they gave up clean looks that LeBron could have contested, and they wasted a hell of a lot of clock with empty dribbling when they could have been getting into something sooner. None of that mentions the 8 turnovers or the 8 threes, a couple of which were ill-advised. The team and the player were both knee-deep in bad habits that would have come back to bite them if Boston could throw the ball in the ocean. The sequence late in the fourth quarter where LeBron surrendered a rebound to Smart off a free throw, then another rebound, then coughed up a wide open Rozier three, was especially egregious. That team doesn't play the right way and if you were new to the league you'd think 23 was part of the problem.

On the other hand, he needed to play that way and they needed to play that way. Maximizing your lifespan from a state of vulnerability is a skill. It's a skill he may not have had at 23 but sure as hell has now. He needed to shut it down at times on defense just like he needed to pound the ball and throw reckless passes on offense. LeBron is not dumb. In fact, he is a genius, which is why every seemingly ill-advised perimeter launch represents a calculation, an analysis of his own body's preservation in relation to the arch of game. Every one of his careless micro transgressions is justified in the big picture by an unconscionable muscle memory that instantly converts every detail of intel into an algorithm. Everyone knows that if you can get multiple defenders to commit to stopping a drive, you can eventually get an open three. Only he knows how much battery it takes to make that move, if its expected outcome makes it worthwhile, and whether he can bait a young player with his eyes for just long enough to flick a high risk pass across the court that he knows is less profitable on average but must be made in an attempt to save some charge for later.

And so to me, it was obvious that LeBron could do whatever the hell he wanted on that court. The gap between him and everyone else is actually understated because of the fact that it looked like he did do whatever he wanted. Oh no. LeBron has a gear that we haven't even seen. He essentially just beat a team single-handedly at half-speed. After all, he could get to the rim whenever he wanted when he was a kid playing grown men. Now that he is a grown man playing children, it is safe to say he's capable of dominating segments of games in a way we haven't seen since, I don't know, Wilt? I'm sure so and so held LeBron to 40% shooting as the primary defender. Forget it. He took a 40% shot because he wanted to.

The prevailing narrative will be that he is a physical freak, but what this is really indicative of is his mental dominance and his will to win. He could have thrown three hitless innings but instead he gave you a scoreless nine. It was a game of cat and mouse you may never see again. The only other athlete I have seen in my lifetime like this - dudes who can find a way to beat you from their deathbed - is Tom Brady.

 

[BleedHuskyBlu]

Greatest of all time

 

[EBonz30]

Blah blah. He’s an amazing player. His team blows. Watching them play is like having your nails pulled out by pliers. Ugly basketball. Put Kyrie and Hayward on the Celtics and they win this by 30. Lebron’s legacy is done. Cavs are about to lose in 5-6 games.

This whole playoff has been miserable, the KING has been the only player worth watching, without him it’s unwatchable so far.

Like I said before, no matter who’s on the court, who plays, who doesn’t, who’s hurt, who isn’t, there has been one constant & that is LeBron is going to play and be in the NBA Finals, that is quite a feat.

As far as Kyrie and Hayward, again read the statement above, you never know who’s going to be healthy and who isn’t during the playoffs so I wouldn’t automatically pencil the Celtics into the Finals year after year, like LeBron has over the last decade.

Add this off-season and it should be interesting to see how the East pans out, LeBron opts to sign with the Sixers the Celtics might never make the NBA Finals...

 

[EBonz30]

Quote of the night from Brad Stevens;

“I thought we played an outstanding defensive game, um, and um, he still got 35/15 & 9, it’s a joke.”

 

[superjohn]

The way Cleveland approached that game, LeBron in particular, was unlike anything I've ever seen. It wasn't just that he played all 48 minutes at the age of 33; it was the way he paced himself so that he'd be able to deliver for his team in the fourth quarter. He's been doing it all season, and all great players do it to a point (there is a reason no one player can take all the shots), but this was taking it to an extreme, in a winning cause, that I'm not sure has an equivalent in the modern era. That Cavs team, minus Love, was so limited on offense that everything needed to be spoon fed for them. Brad Stevens acknowledged in his postgame presser that their strategy was to make LeBron exert as much energy as humanly possible on both ends. It makes a lot of sense because no player is capable of being that high usage for a full 48 minutes. It has no precedent.

But that's what makes his performance tonight so fascinating. He knew he had to break the sports cardinal if his team was going to have any chance. He needed to conserve energy, and if you were watching this game from an objective point of view, that hurt the team at times. They conceded a couple offensive rebounds that LeBron didn't fully invest in, they gave up clean looks that LeBron could have contested, and they wasted a hell of a lot of clock with empty dribbling when they could have been getting into something sooner. None of that mentions the 8 turnovers or the 8 threes, a couple of which were ill-advised. The team and the player were both knee-deep in bad habits that would have come back to bite them if Boston could throw the ball in the ocean. The sequence late in the fourth quarter where LeBron surrendered a rebound to Smart off a free throw, then another rebound, then coughed up a wide open Rozier three, was especially egregious. That team doesn't play the right way and if you were new to the league you'd think 23 was part of the problem.

On the other hand, he needed to play that way and they needed to play that way. Maximizing your lifespan from a state of vulnerability is a skill. It's a skill he may not have had at 23 but sure as hell has now. He needed to shut it down at times on defense just like he needed to pound the ball and throw reckless passes on offense. LeBron is not dumb. In fact, he is a genius, which is why every seemingly ill-advised perimeter launch represents a calculation, an analysis of his own body's preservation in relation to the arch of game. Every one of his careless micro transgressions is justified in the big picture by an unconscionable muscle memory that instantly converts every detail of intel into an algorithm. Everyone knows that if you can get multiple defenders to commit to stopping a drive, you can eventually get an open three. Only he knows how much battery it takes to make that move, if its expected outcome makes it worthwhile, and whether he can bait a young player with his eyes for just long enough to flick a high risk pass across the court that he knows is less profitable on average but must be made in an attempt to save some charge for later.

And so to me, it was obvious that LeBron could do whatever the hell he wanted on that court. The gap between him and everyone else is actually understated because of the fact that it looked like he did do whatever he wanted. Oh no. LeBron has a gear that we haven't even seen. He essentially just beat a team single-handedly at half-speed. After all, he could get to the rim whenever he wanted when he was a kid playing grown men. Now that he is a grown man playing children, it is safe to say he's capable of dominating segments of games in a way we haven't seen since, I don't know, Wilt? I'm sure so and so held LeBron to 40% shooting as the primary defender. Forget it. He took a 40% shot because he wanted to.

The prevailing narrative will be that he is a physical freak, but what this is really indicative of is his mental dominance and his will to win. He could have thrown three hitless innings but instead he gave you a scoreless nine. It was a game of cat and mouse you may never see again. The only other athlete I have seen in my lifetime like this - dudes who can find a way to beat you from their deathbed - is Tom Brady.

My lord, do you get paid by the word?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Quote of the night from Brad Stevens;

“I thought we played an outstanding defensive game, um, and um, he still got 35/15 & 9, it’s a joke.”

Don’t mistake my comments as suggesting that Lebron has lost it. He carried his team to the finals on the road last night. He’s among the greatest of all time.

I’ll be rooting for the west, whoever it is. The worst era in NBA history was the Jordan era. It was boring. I appreciate team basketball. I like seeing team concepts win out over individual skill. I believe that the NBA is trending in that direction. Last night was a setback. Hopefully the Cavs get steamrolled.

 

[EBonz30]

Don’t mistake my comments as suggesting that Lebron has lost it. He carried his team to the finals on the road last night. He’s among the greatest of all time.

I’ll be rooting for the west, whoever it is. The worst era in NBA history was the Jordan era. It was boring. I appreciate team basketball. I like seeing team concepts win out over individual skill. I believe that the NBA is trending in that direction. Last night was a setback. Hopefully the Cavs get steamrolled.

Fact of the matter is if LeBron was on the Knicks this year the Knicks would be in the NBA Finals right now...

For the last 7 years LeBron has become like Jordan in where every time you watch him in a big moment he never ever lets you down, you definitely get your money worth, especially over the last 7 years...

 

[Mr. French]

Don’t mistake my comments as suggesting that Lebron has lost it. He carried his team to the finals on the road last night. He’s among the greatest of all time.

I’ll be rooting for the west, whoever it is. The worst era in NBA history was the Jordan era. It was boring. I appreciate team basketball. I like seeing team concepts win out over individual skill. I believe that the NBA is trending in that direction. Last night was a setback. Hopefully the Cavs get steamrolled.

I’ll agree that the possessions get boring. That’s the worst part about nba ball to me, period, but definitely this iteration of the Cavs and Rockets.

The guy is incredible. I get a little bored watching them pass to him at half court, hold for 20 then shoot a fadeaway.

It is also a testament to his greatness, though, because all I think is like watching a dominant 8th grader against the other 8th graders, just give him the ball and get out of the way.

 

[huskypantz]

Great run by the Celtics - to get to game seven of the conference finals without two of their top 3 players was well beyond reasonable expectations. I'll be curious to see what happens with Smart - I like him off the bench more than Rozier and I don't think they can afford both, but 12-14m seems pretty steep. C's missed a LOT of shots - I cringed every time Rozier took a 3 in the second half. There was some good defense by the Cavs but lots of open misses and some poor decisions. Tatum was excellent - it will be fun watching him develop with Kyrie, Al and Hayward on the floor.

Lebron was an absolute monster. The breakaway where he still got to the rim with someone trying to wrap their arms around him (and a goaltend) pretty much epitomized the game - strong, tough, unstoppable. There was nothing the C's could do. That is where the C's needed a go-to bona fide all star and both were sitting in street clothes on the bench. Tatum is going to be great and he might be a top 10-20 guy, but he's physically overmatched at times and the refs don't give him the star treatment yet.

If the Rockets somehow pull out game 7 and Paul's not healthy for the finals I'd give the Cavs a shot to win it all. Otherwise GS or healthy Houston just has too much firepower for the King.