NBA Playoffs

[Robertelamin]

In what sense? I’d love to hear this one.

I’m just kidding, I didn’t even see the 2nd half but this whole thread devolved into a GOAT thread so why not throw some fire into it.

 

[tzznandrew]

If there's a path for Cleveland to get back into this series, it's on the offensive glass. 34 offensive rebounds in two games compared to 11 for Golden State (some of that is the Warriors hitting more shots, but it's still an enormous number). We know Golden State has better players across the board, but that's a really small margin for error.

The danger is if you crash the boards with Thompson and Love, you're gambling on the break, and the Warriors are deadly on the break. While the Cavs may be beating them on the boards, and so getting more second chance points (40-19 in favor of the Cavs), they're also getting beat on the break (45-30). That's a net +6 for them over 2 games, but's too much. They need to be getting far more points off TOs to make up for the breaks the Warriors are going to get from the all out offensive rebounding.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

You have to punish Curry on Defense. Not just with Lebron. Whomever he is guarding must attack the rim. You need to run him into every screen, including the one on grandma's back porch. If you do that. You bother his game. This was the way Houston saw some some success. The way Portland can hang with them at times.

So all you need is a backcourt as offensively talented as the CP3-Harden or Lillard-MCcollum combo and you are all set.

Of course, you might do that and KD or Klay drops 40 on you....................basically, it is hopeless.

 

[intlzncster]

I’m just kidding, I didn’t even see the 2nd half but this whole thread devolved into a GOAT thread so why not throw some fire into it.

It's what happens when there's 10 days between games. If it goes to 7 games (it won't), these playoffs would have lasted longer than 2 months. That's nuts.

 

[tzznandrew]

It's what happens when there's 10 days between games. If it goes to 7 games (it won't), these playoffs would have lasted longer than 2 months. That's nuts.

It's also what happens when someone puts up 51 points in an NBA Finals game for the first time since the person he's always compared to. It didn't spring out of nowhere.

 

[tzznandrew]

You have to punish Curry on Defense. Not just with Lebron. Whomever he is guarding must attack the rim. You need to run him into every screen, including the one on grandma's back porch. If you do that. You bother his game. This was the way Houston saw some some success. The way Portland can hang with them at times.

So all you need is a backcourt as offensively talented as the CP3-Harden or Lillard-MCcollum combo and you are all set.

Of course, you might do that and KD or Klay drops 40 on you.....basically, it is hopeless.

You're best bet is that you have, as you say, two creators (to punish Curry) and that you catch them a bit lazy. Houston did that in stealing Game 4. That could have been the series there if Paul didn't get injured. It was a game GS could have and should have won, but they gave it away.

 

[MadDogRevival]

Wouldve been so much more interesting if Cavs took game one.

if the refs let them take game 1

 

[MadDogRevival]

I'm a Celtics fan, so I don't have a dog in this fight.

Baloney. Your dog's name is "I hate LeBron."

 

[BleedHuskyBlu]

Top 5 players in the NBA.

1) Lebron
2) KD
3) Steph
4) Anthony Davis
5) James Harden (Kawhi when healthy)

 

[champs99and04]

The danger is if you crash the boards with Thompson and Love, you're gambling on the break, and the Warriors are deadly on the break. While the Cavs may be beating them on the boards, and so getting more second chance points (40-19 in favor of the Cavs), they're also getting beat on the break (45-30). That's a net +6 for them over 2 games, but's too much. They need to be getting far more points off TOs to make up for the breaks the Warriors are going to get from the all out offensive rebounding.

Fair point, but I'm not convinced they wouldn't just get crushed on the break anyway. It's what they do.

 

[MadDogRevival]

Top 5 players in the NBA.

1) Lebron
2) KD
3) Steph
4) Anthony Davis
5) James Harden (Kawhi when healthy)

Steph is more valuable than Durant. If you're looking to start a team, you start with James, then Curry, then Davis/Leonard. Durant just doesn't make his team that much better. Westbrook has gotta be in top 5.
Harden just shot .415 overall and .244 from 3 against the warriors. He doesn't make the top 5.

 

[champs99and04]

Top 5 players in the NBA.

1) Lebron
2) KD
3) Steph
4) Anthony Davis
5) James Harden (Kawhi when healthy)

I want to say KD's losing his grip on that #2 slot because I don't think he's played his best ball in the postseason, but he's still so ridiculous that I don't know if I could drop him. Steph is a better defender than people think, but he still gets targeted relentlessly. That has to mean something. Davis is still missing that extra dimension to his game - the three ball - that makes him adaptable to playing anywhere on the floor. Same with Giannis. Harden has to do so much that sometimes it's difficult to properly evaluate him.

I could see Embiid eventually supplanting him if he starts playing 36 minutes per game and hitting the three at a better clip. But I wouldn't bet on that falling into place by next year.

 

[champs99and04]

Steph is more valuable than Durant. If you're looking to start a team, you start with James, then Curry, then Davis/Leonard. Durant just doesn't make his team that much better. Westbrook has gotta be in top 5.
Harden just shot .415 overall and .244 from 3 against the warriors. He doesn't make the top 5.

I definitely don't come away from that series thinking less of James Harden. His coach sort of hung him out to dry (which might have been the best decision for the team, but not him) by putting the ball in his hands every single possession. To me, the only thing we learned there is that he's not LeBron (nobody is).

That being said, he's not that much fun to watch and the effort isn't always there defensively even when he's not being overworked. I'd definitely take him over Westbrook, though. No doubt.

Edit: And I think the Durant thing is tough because you can only make a 73 win team so much better. OKC certainly took a major step back without him, plus, he's proven in the past that he could carry them for stretches without Russ where to my knowledge the opposite was never true. It also doesn't hurt that they took care of the Spurs in 5 and won the first two against New Orleans without Steph.

 

[tzznandrew]

Baloney. Your dog's name is "I hate LeBron."

No, I'm just not given to hystrionics like others.

I don't know how anyone can read my comments in this thread about his greatness and come to that conclusion, except that you've drank the LeBron-is-infallible Kool-aid and the Kevin Durant is trash Kool-aid.

 

[tzznandrew]

Edit: And I think the Durant thing is tough because you can only make a 73 win team so much better. OKC certainly took a major step back without him, plus, he's proven in the past that he could carry them for stretches without Russ where to my knowledge the opposite was never true. It also doesn't hurt that they took care of the Spurs in 5 and won the first two against New Orleans without Steph.

For all the trashing KD has taken for being "soft," he was essentially a Spurs-killer, beating two of their better teams in the last decade. He also took a too-young OKC to the Finals. Westbrook was very good and all, but those were KD's teams.

 

[MadDogRevival]

For all the trashing KD has taken for being "soft," he was essentially a Spurs-killer,

Lol. Durant didn't kill anybody. He decided to take a ride on the Reading, not pass go, and freeload off of Steph and Klay and Green.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Lol. Durant didn't kill anybody. He decided to take a ride on the Reading, not pass go, and freeload off of Steph and Klay and Green.

Up 3-1 against arguably the greatest team ever, he blows it, then decides to join them. I used to love him, but it’s so hard to respect him now.

 

[Waquoit]

How can you blame a guy for not wanting to play with Westbrook?

 

[tzznandrew]

How can you blame a guy for not wanting to play with Westbrook?

How can you not give KD credit for beating the Spurs team in 2011 that won 50 games in a lockout shortened season, went 24-3 to end the regular season, and then won it's first 10 playoff games: 34-3 over last 37 games, and a 20 game win streak into the conference finals before KD--at 23--took them out.

And people forget, the 73 win Warriors were in the same league as the 67 win San Antonio team. He beat San Antonio and then almost beat the Warriors.

We can knock him for joining the Warriors, that's fair. Though I still don't get why people seem to have forgiven LeBron for joining up with Wade and Bosh (something something Miami with just Wade wasn't good?), Durant's was more flagrant. But to deny that he has been a killer is crazy. Again, all these hottakes about KD this year seem to forget that he put up 35-5-8 on 55% shooting in the Finals last year, including the dagger that gave the Warriors the lead late in Game 3, and therefore ultimately the series (he doesn't hit that, it might be 2-2 going back to Oakland).

 

[CardiacAndre7]

How can you not give KD credit for beating the Spurs team in 2011 that won 50 games in a lockout shortened season, went 24-3 to end the regular season, and then won it's first 10 playoff games: 34-3 over last 34 games, and a 20 game win streak into the conference finals before KD--at 23--took them out.

And people forget, the 73 win Warriors were in the same league as the 67 win San Antonio team. He beat San Antonio and then almost beat the Warriors.

We can knock him for joining the Warriors, that's fair. Though I still don't get why people seem to have forgiven LeBron for joining up with Wade and Bosh (something something Miami with just Wade wasn't good?), Durant's was more flagrant. But to deny that he has been a killer is crazy. Again, all these hottakes about KD this year seem to forget that he put up 35-5-8 on 55% shooting in the Finals last year, including the dagger that gave the Warriors the lead late in Game 3, and therefore ultimately the series (he doesn't hit that, it might be 2-2 going back to Oakland).

People compare the situations, which is fine, but they aren’t remotely the same in my opinion. LeBron joined up to establish a dynasty, I don’t agree with what he did necessarily but that’s what happened, while KD joined his rival team who had just embarrassed them, and they were already established as an all time great team.

 

[auror]

People compare the situations, which is fine, but they aren’t remotely the same in my opinion. LeBron joined up to establish a dynasty, I don’t agree with what he did necessarily but that’s what happened, while KD joined his rival team who had just embarrassed them, and they were already established as an all time great team.

Care to explain why that makes it worse for you?

 

[Rocktheworld]

Care to explain why that makes it worse for you?

Because competition and the competitive spirit is what drives sports. And while both moves:

Taking three stars from different teams and forming a new super-team (Bron)

Joining a dynastic power that just won 73 games with 3 HOFer and a unanimous MVP, who just came back from being down 3-1 on you in conference finals

May be on the same spectrum of actions that betray that competitive spirit, there is substantial distance between them on that spectrum.

 

[ihatepants]

"They dominated,' someone behind me said, before rattling off a bunch of statistics in the way someone might run through a catechism. The same man then said that LeBron 'kinda sucked,' a hilarious bit of extremely quick revisionist history. Nobody was talking about J.R. Smith, not one person around me. The story was that the 'scrappy' Warriors—I heard the word twice!—had won against all the odds. Fans do things like this—tell themselves stories, explain inexplicable things after the fact until they make more sense.

https://deadspin.com/watching-the-nba-finals-at-oracle-arena-with-the-overlo-1826500031

Here's something some of us can agree on, Dubs fans are the worst fans in all of sports. The team itself is literally trying to make “Hamptons Five” a thing. They have this strain of “f' you” classism that make me think the Pats aren’t so bad. The team leaving behind its Oakland fans is just like the indicative cherry on top a whole bunch of Silicon Valley vibe classism and pretension.

 

[Rocktheworld]

https://deadspin.com/watching-the-nba-finals-at-oracle-arena-with-the-overlo-1826500031

Here's something some of us can agree on, Dubs fans are the worst fans in all of sports. The team itself is literally trying to make “Hamptons Five” a thing. They have this strain of “f' you” classism that make me think the Pats aren’t so bad. The team leaving behind its Oakland fans is just like the indicative cherry on top a whole bunch of Silicon Valley vibe classism and pretension.

I was at the bar and the game was muted but I heard that GSW fans were chanting MVP for JR when he went to the line last night

Gotta give them credit for that

 

[superjohn]

https://deadspin.com/watching-the-nba-finals-at-oracle-arena-with-the-overlo-1826500031

Here's something some of us can agree on, Dubs fans are the worst fans in all of sports. The team itself is literally trying to make “Hamptons Five” a thing. They have this strain of “f' you” classism that make me think the Pats aren’t so bad. The team leaving behind its Oakland fans is just like the indicative cherry on top a whole bunch of Silicon Valley vibe classism and pretension.

I can understand hating on the millionaire and billionaire tech fans and they should never leave Oakland but I think the Curry and Klay hate is bordering on the ridiculous. Curry is a transcendent player and they are two of the greatest shooters ever, I find them a marvel to watch. I think some of the hate is because they are kids of former players, goes along with the elitism/silver spoon thing which I find silly.