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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: black_biff_stadler on June 15, 2017, 10:53:36 PM
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The NBA media and its fans seem fairly close to considering this team the champs for at least the next 2-3 years without any legit chance of anyone stopping them. Obviously injuries, the free agent market, and other teams' improvements can affect this but aside from the Cavs and Spurs, the rest of the NBA appears to be a serious step behind them.
The Celtics and Rockets are probably the next closest teams with a chance to contend but they don't scare me in the least at the moment. If Isaiah Thomas can stay healthy, the C's have a great chance to make it back to the ECF and possibly knock off the Cavs if they get complacent or for whatever other reason don't play up to their potential. I think that a full-strength Cavs playing to their full potential, however, easily dispatches of them next season no matter what they do unless they pull something crazy and get a huge name in free agency but I'm not even aware of anyone huge being up for grabs this offseason (didn't research that so fill me in if I'm wrong.)
As for the west, the Rockets are the only remote threat to the Warriors/Spurs stranglehold on the conference. If Kawhi stays healthy, you can almost bet the farm on them getting 60 wins and either a 1 or 2 seed. The Warriors show no signs of slowing down either and have validated their strength as a team to the point where people were pondering whether or not they were the greatest team ever despite being 6 games worse than their previous season. Kinda reminds me of the current Spurs and Doc Rivers era Celtics in that they were confident enough in their postseason experience to not stress racking up the highest possible win total (though tying the 7th best regular season record is by no means a disappointment) as long as they stayed healthy and could floor it come April.
The unfortunate thing is that this makes the conversation about the potential 3-8 seeds in each conference a far less interesting conversation since it seems like there's a very minute chance of any of them making their conference's finals round let alone appearing in the finals or dare I say winning that.
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The NBA media and its fans seem fairly close to considering this team the champs for at least the next 2-3 years without any legit chance of anyone stopping them. Obviously injuries, the free agent market, and other teams' improvements can affect this but aside from the Cavs and Spurs, the rest of the NBA appears to be a serious step behind them.
That mindset is pretty typical after a championship, and that's pretty much true in every major sport. Moreso when the team has had proven success over successive seasons like the Warriors have now had and are in a position to keep their key pieces in place like the Warriors now are. Personally, I'd love to see them go on a three-peat run before this group starts to break up just because that is so rare and hard to do. But I think they have the ability, talent, coaching, and playing style to do it.
But as far as what other teams will do, hard to say. The Spurs will be there because they have the players and coach that can make something happen. I think the Celtics and Clippers will transform into completely different teams over the next few years, and they seem to have the will and the pieces in place to perhaps turn that into something successful. And you never know when another team is going to put something together and rise up.
All I can say for sure is, despite some SERIOUS organizational flaws at the highest levels, the NBA has become fun again over the last few years for the first time in a long time.
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I'll also say, old thread here: https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=47627.840
I locked it since Josh started this new one. But some good discussion was still ongoing at the end on the last page. If anyone wants to continue, feel free to copy/paste from that thread.
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How could you possibly start a new thread when the 2017 NBA Awards on TNT have yet to air? I'm really not ready to move on until I've seen Drake announce "assist of the year."
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If the Celtics can manage to lure Gordon Hayward they might have a chance, same thing for the Spurs if they can somehow get CP3. The rest of the league doesn't stand a chance.
As far as the Cavs, I think they can do better with the same team if they change the way they play. As I said in the last thread they were doing waaaaay too much ISO and not getting the bench involved properly and were not getting the warriors tired on defense. Lebron spent half the season complaining about how they needed another playmaker, they went ahead and got Deron Williams and during the playoffs he was basically a guy who stood in the corner waiting for a 3. They would be better off with a good coach but since Lebron likes Lue I don't think that will change.
So yeah, I think the Dubs are in for a couple more championships before anyone can really contest.
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If the Celtics can manage to lure Gordon Hayward they might have a chance, same thing for the Spurs if they can somehow get CP3. The rest of the league doesn't stand a chance.
As far as the Cavs, I think they can do better with the same team if they change the way they play. As I said in the last thread they were doing waaaaay too much ISO and not getting the bench involved properly and were not getting the warriors tired on defense. Lebron spent half the season complaining about how they needed another playmaker, they went ahead and got Deron Williams and during the playoffs he was basically a guy who stood in the corner waiting for a 3. They would be better off with a good coach but since Lebron likes Lue I don't think that will change.
So yeah, I think the Dubs are in for a couple more championships before anyone can really contest.
What was really interesting in the last 2 games is that the Warriors were playing GREAT defense, and the Cavs were STILL scoring out of their minds. I can't count how many times I would say, for example, Klay on Kyrie, LeBron, or whoever like a blanket, and he would play near-perfect defense and force them into a crazy shot, and they would STILL make the bucket. Or J.R. Smith covered on the perimeter to the point where, if your name isn't Curry, you do NOT launch that 3-pointer--and he would throw it up and have it go in anyway. There was a lot of that in the last 2 games. The question is, no matter what they do, can they sustain that in an entire series against the Warriors? If they can, I would give them a shot against anybody.
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But that's the thing, the Warriors were playing great 1 on 1 defense but were not getting tired. And imagine how Cleveland would fare if they played team basketball and in case that doesn't go you can still ISO and make impossible shots?
They need a new coach.
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But that's the thing, the Warriors were playing great 1 on 1 defense but were not getting tired. And imagine how Cleveland would fare if they played team basketball and in case that doesn't go you can still ISO and make impossible shots?
They need a new coach.
And above all LeBron cannot be their GM anymore.
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If the Celtics can manage to lure Gordon Hayward they might have a chance.
Talk is also Blake Griffin. The problem with the C's is that they get out rebounded. Two many second chances against the great teams and you see the result against the Cavs.
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But that's the thing, the Warriors were playing great 1 on 1 defense but were not getting tired. And imagine how Cleveland would fare if they played team basketball and in case that doesn't go you can still ISO and make impossible shots?
They need a new coach.
While I agree with everything you're saying, I also think that those improvements are band-aids for bullet wounds, so to speak. Despite their flaws, the Cavs were a great team this year, possibly even better than last year. They can make strategic changes and try to bolster their roster a bit, but as long as Golden State has four of the five best starters and the best bench player, it's going to be tough.
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If the Celtics can manage to lure Gordon Hayward they might have a chance.
Talk is also Blake Griffin. The problem with the C's is that they get out rebounded. Two many second chances against the great teams and you see the result against the Cavs.
Agreed, rebounding should be a concern for the Celtics but that doesn't mean you need to get bigger, just that you need to put more emphasis in not letting the other guys get rebounds so easily. Look at the dubs, they're small yet don't have a big problem with that. And I don't think Blake will make them better, I'd play Crowder as a stretch 4, Hordford at 5 and get rid of Amir Johnson
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But that's the thing, the Warriors were playing great 1 on 1 defense but were not getting tired. And imagine how Cleveland would fare if they played team basketball and in case that doesn't go you can still ISO and make impossible shots?
They need a new coach.
While I agree with everything you're saying, I also think that those improvements are band-aids for bullet wounds, so to speak. Despite their flaws, the Cavs were a great team this year, possibly even better than last year. They can make strategic changes and try to bolster their roster a bit, but as long as Golden State has four of the five best starters and the best bench player, it's going to be tough.
Just out of curiosity, what do you think are the main things the Cavs need to address?
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If the Celtics can manage to lure Gordon Hayward they might have a chance.
Talk is also Blake Griffin. The problem with the C's is that they get out rebounded. Two many second chances against the great teams and you see the result against the Cavs.
Agreed, rebounding should be a concern for the Celtics but that doesn't mean you need to get bigger, just that you need to put more emphasis in not letting the other guys get rebounds so easily. Look at the dubs, they're small yet don't have a big problem with that. And I don't think Blake will make them better, I'd play Crowder as a stretch 4, Hordford at 5 and get rid of Amir Johnson
Yeah, Johnson needs to go. brown has that athleticism to be a great rebounder but he needs time to mature. The kid can jump!
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But that's the thing, the Warriors were playing great 1 on 1 defense but were not getting tired. And imagine how Cleveland would fare if they played team basketball and in case that doesn't go you can still ISO and make impossible shots?
They need a new coach.
While I agree with everything you're saying, I also think that those improvements are band-aids for bullet wounds, so to speak. Despite their flaws, the Cavs were a great team this year, possibly even better than last year. They can make strategic changes and try to bolster their roster a bit, but as long as Golden State has four of the five best starters and the best bench player, it's going to be tough.
Just out of curiosity, what do you think are the main things the Cavs need to address?
I think that defense is their main concern. Maybe that means trying to trade Kevin Love for Paul George. Maybe it means flipping him for a couple of "three and D" players. If they can turn Shumpert into someone who actually plays defense, versus just having a defensive reputation, that would be nice. :lol
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Well, I think that's just a matter of coaching. Not everyone is good at playing defense and good teams can compensate having a guy that's not a great defender. Look at the Spurs, Parker has never been a good defender yet the rest of the team has always been able to rotate and cover for him because they defend as a team. The problem nowadays is that because the Warriors are a start studded team people are forgetting that they play great as a team, it's not just a collection of talent and think that by putting together a lot of good players you're automatically going to be a good team and that's just not true.
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I never liked the idea of CP3 coming to the Spurs. I guess this is me as a long time fan, seeing the drafted players that have come through that system, help win Championships, and succeed through development. Then I had this thought:
- Manu Ginobli still hasn't come out to say whether he is retiring or not. Even though he didn't have the numbers this season like he did 6 years ago, his presence on the court was uncanny (that block on James Harden this postseason is a classic). All season long, you saw him teaching and leading the up and comers like Jonathan Simmons and Dejounte Murray.
- Tony Parker had an on and off season, and who knows how much longer he has in the league. But he is the most important leader for that team. He gets people where they need to go. People talk about how Kawhi's injury was the reason why the Spurs got killed by the Warriors in the WCF. But no one talked about the role that Parker had, and how his injury also hurt the Spurs chances.
These veterans days are numbered. Pau Gasol as well. Losing these HOF's will be a huge blow. If we bring in CP3, it's not only to compete with GSW, but he's a veteran All-Star guard with more miles to go that can be a good role model and leader for the team. Plus, I think he can help spark LaMarcus Aldridge with some competitive gumption that was nowhere to be found most of this season.
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The last three posts nailed it. Just a couple of things in response:
I agree with Samsara's overall point, except the point about "begging" Durant to come. That isn't really accurate. For reasons Azyiu pointed out, and others, Durant was already dissatisfied with OKC. He was VERY seriously considering leaving no matter what. The Warriors already knew this, and Curry and Green had been talking to him about it for the past three years. Why pass up the opportunity on a free agent who is likely to go SOMEWHERE other than his current team? They didn't "beg," but presented him with an opportunity to mutually benefit. And it was a pretty unique opportunity. Not only because he was going to a team that was already a prohibitive favorite, but because he was going to a team that is unique in its unselfish style of play to the point where he could come without largely diminishing either his own amount of touches or anyone else's. And the proof is in the pudding that the experiment worked and wasn't merely lip service. He fit right in because of the unique style of play of this team.
As far as this somehow diminishing him as a competitor, I disagree with that as well. As far as the examples given, the problem is that those are different situations. Would Jordan have joined a rival team if the environment on the Bulls had become somewhat toxic and the front office showed little interest in developing and keeping a supporting cast around him? We'll never know because it didn't happen. But regardless, the environment wasn't good at OKC, and Durant wasn't happy. Should someone stubbornly stay in a toxic environment and stay on a team that the front office has torpedoed and placed on a downward trajectory just to stay a competitor? To me, that doesn't make sense.
Also, consider the fact that Durant not only wanted to win, but he wanted to challenge LeBron. He couldn't do that in OKC. He just couldn't. Again, going back to the front office not supporting building a strong enough team, the fact is that an OKC team couldn't challenge a LeBron-led team because the Cavs as a whole were much more stacked than OKC, which would have allowed the Cavs to disregard other OKC players and focus solely on RW and KD. For him to truly go toe-to-toe with LeBron, he had to be on a team with the talent to spread the Cavs. Yeah, he has an incredibly competitive nature. But the team he was on would not have allowed him to express that in the way he wanted due to the dynamic of the Warriors/Cavs-led league. He couldn't truly go at the one guy he views as his competitive rival in any meaningful way. He changed the dynamic to make that happen. And this year anyway, he came out on top.
All in all, I think Azyiu hit it on the head. Despite OKC managing to content this year even without KD, and despite them making and almost winning the WCC last year, they are and were a team on the decline and a team that, from my understanding, RW has made somewhat toxic. If I were on that team, I'd have been looking for an exit as well.
Anyhow, I'm going to lock this thread since Josh has started a new one. But if anyone wants to continue this discussion, feel free to copy/paste from here into that thread.
Just wanted to quickly respond to this bosk post from the old thread.
Fair point about the supposed "toxic" environment in OKC, but I never criticized Durant for leaving OKC. I think that was certainly the right decision for him and for his career: they had a team with enough talent and all the pieces that they should have been a perennial title contender, but repeatedly fell disappointingly short every single year. Seems many people blame the front office, perhaps rightly so. I attribute most of those shortcomings to coaching, but that's another discussion.
Disagree with your second paragraph about "challenging LeBron." First of all, in terms of talent, the Cavs were not remotely "much more stacked" than OKC; their rosters were actually very comparable. The Cavs were a better TEAM I think, maybe not by the widest of margins, but the reality was that OKC would never have been able to get past GS to face them. GS was the real insurmountable obstacle since 2014 or 2015.
Had he joined ANY other team, it could be argued that he went somewhere that couldn't make it to the next level without him, and earned success by coming in and toppling one of the giants who were formerly unbeatable. But instead, he joined the best team in the league, already well-equipped to face and beat LeBron's team annually, and surprise...they won again. Even from a "Durant versus LeBron" perspective, and even considering his great performance in some of the playoff games, how can a TRULY competitive individual think that he really got the best of him, going about it in such a way?
In truth, Durant is not on LeBron's level and never has been, nor is any other active player. He's great, for sure, one of the very best scorers in the game right now. But he remains among the Westbrooks, Hardens, etc of the league: while very good company to be mentioned alongside, none of them are actually LeBron's "rival" as an all-around individual player, regardless of how they may see themselves.
-J
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Fair enough. I disagree, but that's fine. I get where you are coming from.
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Would be interesting to see CP3 go to the Spurs this summer, and then Lebron join them after next year. Chris Paul, LBJ, Kawhi, and Pop; I think that team could def go toe-to-toe with Golden State.
As for next years Cavs, #1 priority is getting someone who can really defend Kevin Durant. Can they swing a trade for PG or Jimmy Butler? Anything less than that doesn't move the needle for the Cavs.
And while KD isn't quite on LeBron's level, he is in a category above the Westbrooks and Hardens and maybe even Steph because of how he's impacting the game on both ends. In fact, I'd put him and Kawhi a small step down from LeBron but above the rest... although only slightly above Curry.
I do wonder, though, how Lebron will age... will he ever accept not being the best player on a still championship squad, or will he go the Kobe route?
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I do wonder, though, how Lebron will age... will he ever accept not being the best player on a still championship squad, or will he go the Kobe route?
He is incredibly self-absorbed and narcissistic. But not in the way that is usual for athletes of his caliber. He appears to have no problem sharing or yielding the spotlight if it ultimately helps him and his team win. I would be surprised if he didn't shop himself around to be on championship contenders until the end of his career, even if he has to somewhat take a backseat to other players that may have surpassed him by then.
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In truth, Durant is not on LeBron's level and never has been, nor is any other active player. He's great, for sure, one of the very best scorers in the game right now. But he remains among the Westbrooks, Hardens, etc of the league: while very good company to be mentioned alongside, none of them are actually LeBron's "rival" as an all-around individual player, regardless of how they may see themselves.
I agree. Durant is an unbelievable player. It's actually a shame that it took this year's Finals for a lot of people to realize that. He's one of the best I've ever seen. And I like his confidence. You need that. But he is not on LeBron's level, at least career-wise. Even just looking at this year, LeBron was probably the more valuable player overall because Durant missed so many games. I also think a strong case could be made for Curry still being the Warriors' best player.
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It gets tricky comparing Curry and Durant because they are such different players that fill such different roles. Sure, they have a lot of skills that overlap. But still, they are just different. Each is incredibly valuable at his position and has different tools that benefit the team, and having both sets of tools to draw from is such an amazing asset.
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Looks like the 76ers / Celtics picks swap is going to happen. With this year's #3 + 2 first rounders from next year (via Lakers and Kings), it looks like the C's will stay very competitive in the long run. That's scary.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19665119/boston-celtics-philadelphia-76ers-agree-swap-nos-1-3-draft-picks (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19665119/boston-celtics-philadelphia-76ers-agree-swap-nos-1-3-draft-picks)
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8 - #1 picks with one protected from the Lakers. Sound like some will be flipped for Butler or George.
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8 - #1 picks with one protected from the Lakers. Sound like some will be flipped for Butler or George.
That's what I've been reading. It would seem they're not confident that they can get Hayward, or that they think that won't be enough to compete against the Cavs. What I do wonder is who they'll pick at #3. Wouldn't make a lot of sense to pick Josh Jackson if they'll go for Butler and have Jaylen Brown on the bench, I'm guessing they might go for Fox as a backup for IT
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Love that the Sixers moved up to get into position to take Fultz. Sixers have a chance to be really good really soon.
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Love that the Sixers moved up to get into position to take Fultz. Sixers have a chance to be really good really soon.
They really do. If Simmons and Embid can stay healthy, and that team gels with Fultz, and Covington playing a good role, it could be incredible. They are a few years away, but if they click pretty quickly, I see them as a playoff team in another couple of years.
Speaking of which, I'm waiting for the TWolves to make the next step. They have three PGs on their roster, and don't like any of them. So I am expecting something to happen with Rubio. I don't see them taking a PG in the draft. But I can see them being serious contenders for some FAs, and if they keep their pick, probably going to nab Jonathan Issac at 7, if the Magic or Suns don't get him first.
What I really DO NOT want to see is the Wolves getting Derrick Rose and plugging him in at the PG spot. The guy is always injured, and that whole leaving the team and missing a game fiasco this year with the Knicks really soured me. Former MVP or not, the guy is done as a prime time NBA player. Hoping the Wolves don't make that mistake...
I'm really interested to see if Ball is picked by the Lakers. I still think he will be, but I wonder how much of the rumors going around about him not going to LA is smoke and mirrors.
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^ what if the Wolves signed someone like Millsap? I was under the impression Minnesota had a lot of cap space but only this summer. Millsap can probably give you another couple near-all star years and also teach those youngins how to play defense. As a Hawks fan, I want him to go somewhere that I am interested in rooting for; Minnesota would be a good option.
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^ what if the Wolves signed someone like Millsap? I was under the impression Minnesota had a lot of cap space but only this summer. Millsap can probably give you another couple near-all star years and also teach those youngins how to play defense. As a Hawks fan, I want him to go somewhere that I am interested in rooting for; Minnesota would be a good option.
Totally a possibility. But what the Wolves are looking for is interior defense, rebounding and some toughness, so that Towns doesn't have to sit in the post and can roam. Milsap is 250 lbs., and what, 6'7"? So I am not sure he's that kind of guy. His stats were 18/7 last year. If he;s a rugged defender, and doesn't mind sacrificing his scoring, it could work.
The Wolves don't need scoring punch. With Wiggins, Towns, and Lavine, they will have three guys average 20+. What they need is really tough inside defensive presence, and a veteran floor general that can shoot from outside (and a couple guys coming off the bench that can light it up from 3 land).
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Just saw a tweet from Adrian Wojnarowski saying MInny and Chicago are talking about Butler.
I'm not sure Dunn and the #7 pick get it...done.
I'm thinking if they do acquire Butler, it would be for Rubio and the 7. But the problem then becomes, where do you play Lavine. So more likely, they'd do Lavine and the 7 for Butler. But personally, I don't think the Wolves really win in that scenario. They get older, which is fine, but don't solve the PG problem.
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The off season has become more interesting than the regular season
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When I woke up this morning, not only I wasn't on the wrong side of the bed... AND I found out Nick "Born Reble" Young is no longer a Laker... joy! :biggrin:
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The off season has become more interesting than the regular season
It has. I'm a draft/free agency junkie with the NBA. Can't get enough. Looking forward to 4 p.m. Pacific tonight. I hope there is a ton of activity beforehand and during.
I think my Wolves are going to stand pat and draft either Issac (if he falls) or Markkanen. I'm fine with either if that's the route they go.
With all the Porzingis talk (my second fav team is the Knicks, as I'm from New York and follow all the bullshit), I'm hoping the Wolves can package Rubio, the #7 pick, and next year's first rounder for KP and Noah. It gives Jackson what he wants, rids the Wolves of Rubio, and gives us that solid 4 to play next to Towns with KP, and a defensive minded backup center. But while it makes sense, I doubt it'll happen. Fingers crossed.
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The dude Phil Jackson's got to go...
Draft prospect says Phil Jackson dozed during his workout with Knicks
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19707432/draft-prospect-says-new-york-knicks-president-phil-jackson-fell-asleep-workout-team
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Well, I obviously wasn't there, but...to play devil's advocate, what if dude's workout was such that that was precisely the appropriate reaction? Just saying...
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Jackson is an embarrassment. The whole franchise is a joke. I was once very proud to be a Knicks fan. I always rooted for my Wolves, but the Knicks were my hometown team and I supported them (the fact the Wolves are in the West made it doable in my mind). But while I keep an eye on Knicks stuff, I pretty much washed my hands of things after Dolan strongarmed Donnie Walsh (who was doing a great job) into getting Carmelo. After that, I just focused on the Wolves.
The Knicks are a laughing stock. Last report was the Celtics giving them Crowder, Rozier, the third pick and next year's Brooklyn pick to the Knicks for Porzingis. No Knicks fan wants any of that. Porzingis is the real deal. He made a mistake disrespecting the organization by not bothering to show up for the exit interview. He made a mistake. He knows it. But Phil, in his "tough love" way has made the whole situation unbearable.
The whole organization is so behind the rest of the NBA. It's such crap. Here's hoping Phil gets fired. Or at the very least, the Wolves swoop in and gut them of Porzingis, so I can at least still root for the unicorn.
p.s. Knicks trading with Boston is a complete PR nightmare and fan suicide. YOU DO NOT TRADE WITH FUCKING BOSTON. EVER.
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Apparently the Spurs are looking to trade LMA. I hope they can do it soon so they can offer Millsap a good contract
The dude Phil Jackson's got to go...
Yeah, the Knicks have been a train wreck since he's been onboard.
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YOU DO NOT TRADE WITH FUCKING BOSTON. EVER.
Sam, I no sooner read that and then I see that it's being reported locally that the C's are talking to Minnesota about the 7th pick. :lol
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Phil is high if he thinks the C's would do that trade.
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YOU DO NOT TRADE WITH FUCKING BOSTON. EVER.
Sam, I no sooner read that and then I see that it's being reported locally that the C's are talking to Minnesota about the 7th pick. :lol
Well, the Wolves trading with them is fine. I just mean from a NY perspective, the Knicks never should.
What the Wolves would want is interesting. I mean, I look at the C's roster, and I don't see anything that really gives us something other than perhaps Bradley (assuming Thomas is untouchable).
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Man, Chicago fucked up real hard last night, I can't believe they actually went for that trade. It's good that they finally accepted to go into full rebuild mode but they could have gotten a better return for a top 10 guy like Buttler.
For the T-wolves, this was huge, they got the veteran experience they desperately needed and in the form of a great 2 way player. If they manage to trade Rubio and get Lowry in FA they will be one of the teams to watch this season for sure, they could even break into the 3rd spot in the west.
I'm still waiting for Ainge to stop being so freaking conservative and do a deal to improve the squad, Tatum is a great asset to trade for an all-star and a guy they don't need with Crowder and Brown already in them team. I can understand he doesn't want to give much for PG given he might be a 1 year rental but seeing how little Chicago ended up getting for Buttler they sure could have made a better offer.
I'm also very intrigued about the Spurs, they picked a PG in the first round already having Murray and Parker in the roster and supposedly interested in CP3, not sure why they want so much depth at that position. I would love if they could move LMA and Danny Green for a couple of peaks or cheap players and then sign Millsap, CP3 and re-sign Simmons, that would be one hell of a team.
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Can't really comment too much on the draft, since I don't follow these young players that closely. Just a few thoughts:
Lakers did what they were expected to do in acquiring Ball. Solid pick for them. Interested in seeing what they do.
By all accounts, the Kings did REALLY well with their 4 picks. They look to be one of the big winners in this draft, and it would be nice to see it pay off in terms of them being competitive.
Minnesota seems to have done really well with the Butler trade. Are they the next big winner after the first round? On the flip side...
Chicago... :lolpalm:
Not sure what to think of the Warriors' move. Picking up a big man seems like a pretty smart move. Just not sure about the price. Especially given that their salaries look to have them somewhat strapped for cash. This seems to imply that other moves are in the pipeline. I just have no idea what they are. They MUST keep their big 4 intact. They've reportedly locked up Iguodala, which is key. Personally, I think Livingston is a must as well. I hope they aren't dealing him.
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as a Bucks fan, I can't tell you how much I'm laughing at the Bulls right now.
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As the forum's only (I think) Timberwolves junkie, here's my perspective on Butler:
:metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
Dude is still young (turns 28 in September), signed for two more seasons (has a player option for third), and is in his prime. Two-way player. Exactly what the Wolves needed. Defense, still young, dynamic offensive player, and leader.
On the other side, Chicago fans shouldn't be so quick to dismiss this. I have watched LaVine play probably 40 times (four or five live, the rest on TV). He's a BEAST. He made so many strides last year before getting hurt. He has that killer instinct scoring mentality and elevation on his shot ala Kobe and MJ. He's got that knack. Mark my words, in an offense catered to him as the #1 option, he'll be 25-28 ppg next year. Book it right now. He's going to light up the league. Tireless worker. Freak athlete. Not afraid of taking the big shot.
Honestly, had Butler only had one year left on his deal, I wouldn't have wanted this to happen. The ONLY reason I am good with it, from a Wolves perspective, is that we have him for a solid two years, and then that player option for a third. LaVine is going to be THAT good. The problem was, with KAT and Wiggins, LaVine was always going to be the third banana in Minnesota. It would have come to a head soon, and everyone knew it. LaVine is too good to be a third option.
Remember when Harden left OKC, because OKC wouldn't pay him and he didn't want to come off the bench? Then he goes to Houston and lights it up? Well, consider Chicago to be LaVine's version of Houston. Because LaVine is going to take the league by storm and be a perennial All Star. Trust me.
Dunn has made strides. The jury is still out. I like his defensive intensity, but his offensive game needs work. I think this year will be the tell all year for him. If he's given the keys and starts at the point all year, you'll know by the end of the year if you need a future PG or not. My guess is Dunn will be fine. He'll be a 15 ppg, 7 ast guy, a bit in the Chauncey Billups mold, but with better defense.
As for Lauri Markannan -- best shooter in the draft. I think he's going to be something special. The Bulls did the right thing, and really got some good stuff for Butler. I wouldn't be depressed.
Honestly -- as a Wolves fan, had Butler only had one year left, I would have been really angry. LaVine, when it is all said and one, will be way better than Butler. Wait and see. You just got your REAL baby Jordan.
For the Wolves, the trade makes all kinds of sense, and positions the team for the playoffs. The next question is...will Thibs stick with Rubio. I think at this point, if Rubio can be the shooter he was the last two months of the season, they should stick with him. What the team needs now is shooting depth. A stretch 4, and a couple of combo guards with range.
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^ correct me if I am wrong, but isn't LaVine still recovering from a ACL injury? He might not be as explosive early on this coming season, assuming he is a 100% healed.
Also, I like Thib as a defensive minded coach, but I never appreciate his rotation / player minutes. I hope he won't run his starters to the ground this year... but that's a rather wishful thinking here. So good luck, but the T-Wolves do look good on paper and have a legit chance in making the playoffs.
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Michael Jordan fan has crying Lebron James image tattooed to leg https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/1...e-tattooed-leg (https://"https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19721845/michael-jordan-fan-crying-lebron-james-image-tattooed-leg")
via @ESPN App https://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn (https://"https://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn")
This is classic :biggrin: Man, the tattoo artist is awesome!! :tup
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Michael Jordan fan has crying Lebron James image tattooed to leg https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/1...e-tattooed-leg (https://"https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19721845/michael-jordan-fan-crying-lebron-james-image-tattooed-leg")
via @ESPN App https://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn (https://"https://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn")
This is classic :biggrin: Man, the tattoo artist is awesome!! :tup
Well that's bizarre. But I'm sure the super-successful, set for generations James is unaffected.
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I think it's funny how much James is in the head of MJ superfans who have elliptic seizures every time anyone even suggests that someone could ever be as great as their hero.
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Yep. They somehow think they aren't any less dignified of a person for freaking out 10 times as badly about him griping about calls or coming off the wrong way in press conferences. Jordan fans are worse than AIDS and their hero is by wide account a piece of shit to fans in real life. I lived in NC for 5 years and heard numerous accounts of him giving fans the cold shoulder at events that were specifically designed for fan interaction.
But let's keep giving LBJ shit for "chasing a ring" because he didn't do the honorable thing and wait in Cleveland for clones of Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson, Horace Grant, and John Paxson to arrive.
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I think the worst part about that is that it's headline news a over at ESPN. Like... Seriously?
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When you have 4 bad seasons in a row, you can't help but be caution about rooting for your team, lol! :lol :lol :lol
(https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A7HNfAtZ7z-dfXlv6_U_PPqxRM0=/0x547:962x1188/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55444047/DDM_Nb7UMAACN9h.0.jpg)
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^ correct me if I am wrong, but isn't LaVine still recovering from a ACL injury? He might not be as explosive early on this coming season, assuming he is a 100% healed.
Also, I like Thib as a defensive minded coach, but I never appreciate his rotation / player minutes. I hope he won't run his starters to the ground this year... but that's a rather wishful thinking here. So good luck, but the T-Wolves do look good on paper and have a legit chance in making the playoffs.
He is, but he's already on the court doing drills. He'll be ready. I really wish they would have taken Rubio instead of Lavine. Lavine is SO GOOD. But I get it. Makes absolute financial sense as well as playing sense. The Bulls got a cornerstone who will become a household name.
As for Thibs, I watched all year. All I can say is this -- he does rely on his starters too much, but he's also in a tough spot, because the Wolves weren't deep. He tried resting them earlier in the year, and the Wolves were getting crushed. So he just seemed to say the hell with it, and let the starters play 38 minutes a game. I don't think that contributed to Zach's injury. I think these guys are plenty conditioned. But I also think that Thibs will cut down the minutes once the team is deeper.
In regard to MJ and LBJ -- Michael will always be a more dominant scorer and better defender than Lebron. Lebron is a better playmaker, and overall athlete. Both are exceptional. But Lebron doesn't have the dominance that Michael did.
Michael dominated the game in an era known for defense. Lebron fills up the stat sheet in an era where offense is encouraged. Could Lebron have been as good in Michael's era? Possibly. I'd say yes, but he wouldn't be a 25-30 ppg scorer. He'd probably average 20-25, and then put up a line around 8/8. He'd probably be...I'd say he'd be a no. 1 guy on any team, but his stats would be just slightly better than Pippen (who is a top 50 NBA player).
I was reading SLAM and all the hoops mags back in the day, and I remember the small blurb on Lebron James as the next big thing when he was just a really young kid, probably jr. high school. Seventh, eighth grade maybe. It was a long time ago. He's justified the billing. But Michael Jordan (and I rooted for the Knicks in addition to the Wolves, so I am no MJ fanboy)...he has a killer lockdown mode that Lebron doesn't have. And that separates them.
And there's no shame in that. Magic didn't have that either. And Magic is a legend. LBJ is a legend for this era, and top 25 NBA all time. Where he sits on that list is always going to be subjective. I don't sell him short at all. He's one of the all-time best. But he's very different than Michael Jordan, and Jordan will always sit above LBJ for me on those lists.
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I still think Thibodeau is a good coach, a good defensive-minded coach. I understand the T-Wolves weren't deep or super talented, but isn't it what young team is all about? I can understand Thib wants to win as bad as any coach, so that's one of the reasons why he play his starters very heavy minutes. However as the coach, at least I thought so, should be the one to help develop them by giving them playing time and such. Sure, young players will make mistakes, but they won't learn from it if you only play the starters. This is something both Pop and Kerr are good at, by giving unproven rooks meaningful PTs... that's why we get to see guys like McCaw playing decent minutes in the Finals. All in all, I think he needs to spread the minutes more evenly in this upcoming season, even if it means a few more L's... I like Thib as a coach, and I think T-Wolves will be good in a long run, but he needs to look at long term instead of trying to win quick.
Also, I like your MJ / LBJ analogy, and you sir are pretty much spot on on all points there. Well said. :tup
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In regard to MJ and LBJ -- Michael will always be a more dominant scorer and better defender than Lebron. Lebron is a better playmaker, and overall athlete. Both are exceptional. But Lebron doesn't have the dominance that Michael did.
Michael dominated the game in an era known for defense. Lebron fills up the stat sheet in an era where offense is encouraged. Could Lebron have been as good in Michael's era? Possibly. I'd say yes, but he wouldn't be a 25-30 ppg scorer. He'd probably average 20-25, and then put up a line around 8/8. He'd probably be...I'd say he'd be a no. 1 guy on any team, but his stats would be just slightly better than Pippen (who is a top 50 NBA player).
I was reading SLAM and all the hoops mags back in the day, and I remember the small blurb on Lebron James as the next big thing when he was just a really young kid, probably jr. high school. Seventh, eighth grade maybe. It was a long time ago. He's justified the billing. But Michael Jordan (and I rooted for the Knicks in addition to the Wolves, so I am no MJ fanboy)...he has a killer lockdown mode that Lebron doesn't have. And that separates them.
And there's no shame in that. Magic didn't have that either. And Magic is a legend. LBJ is a legend for this era, and top 25 NBA all time. Where he sits on that list is always going to be subjective. I don't sell him short at all. He's one of the all-time best. But he's very different than Michael Jordan, and Jordan will always sit above LBJ for me on those lists.
Well put, Brian.
There's a tentativeness about Lebron, where MJ was all killer.
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Here is my beef with that argument: essentially saying, "Jordan will always be ahead of James (or any current player) no matter what," is basically, "I don't care what happens, I refuse to change my mind." Say James continues to play at at elite level, wins 2 more MVP awards and the next 4 championships. Would you still say Jordan is better? I don't see how. Now, we can sit here and say that probably won't happen, and feel pretty safe about that prediction, but it is possible. Jordan's career is over; James' is not. Saying one guy cannot never catch the other, when they are both in the same stratosphere, and one guy's career is over while the other's is not, just doesn't add up.
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LeBron is amazing but we can tangently say that Jordan willed his team's to win championships.
I admire James but at their scoring and level of excellence you have to look at things to separate them.
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Congratulations to Russell Westbrook, the 2016-2017 NBA MVP!
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Congratulations to Russell Westbrook, the 2016-2017 NBA MVP!
That was what I was feeling at the close of the season, so no surprise there. But this is all so late that I can't bring myself to care much. It just doesn't make any sense how late the NBA does this.
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Here is my beef with that argument: essentially saying, "Jordan will always be ahead of James (or any current player) no matter what," is basically, "I don't care what happens, I refuse to change my mind." Say James continues to play at at elite level, wins 2 more MVP awards and the next 4 championships. Would you still say Jordan is better? I don't see how. Now, we can sit here and say that probably won't happen, and feel pretty safe about that prediction, but it is possible. Jordan's career is over; James' is not. Saying one guy cannot never catch the other, when they are both in the same stratosphere, and one guy's career is over while the other's is not, just doesn't add up.
Kev, I think we've seen enough of Lebron now in what...13 seasons, to state that. He's played essentially an entire career already. Anything else he does is gravy. James likely won't ever win an MVP award again because he's hellbent on bringing in as many great players as he can so he can rest more, and the MVP voters are likely not to vote for him again. MAYBE he gets one more. MAYBE. He's not going to win four more championships. :lol He may get ONE, possibly. And that is an incredible career, and he's one of the best in the history of the game. But he's not on Jordan's level. He's just not there.
Honestly, I know you're a huge Lebron fan, and obviously, you have the right to disagree with me. But picking apart my very complimentary examination of Lebron by saying what you did, pretty much shows that your allegiance is to Lebron, instead of objectively looking at things. I'm not a Jordan fanboy. i hated Jordan. But the numbers and film don't lie.
Congratulations to Russell Westbrook, the 2016-2017 NBA MVP!
WELL deserved. The voters did the right thing. It was a season for the ages, and if OKC had lost Westbrook, the team would have struggled to win 30 games. Westbrook WAS that team. I don't think he'll win another one unless he brings OKC to the championship, but man what a season.
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Congratulations to Russell Westbrook, the 2016-2017 NBA MVP!
That was what I was feeling at the close of the season, so no surprise there. But this is all so late that I can't bring myself to care much. It just doesn't make any sense how late the NBA does this.
Agreed, doing this after the playoffs doesn't make sense, except when you think that this probably fills their pockets with money. Hell, maybe do it before the draft and it will probably get much more attention.
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Speaking of Lebron...Kev, don't read this..
I just took my kids to Five Guys and on the wall was a GQ magazine cover with Lebron when he was 24. Obviously, he looks younger, but his head seemed so much smaller. Like a Barry Bonds style transformation.
What is the NBA Drug Testing policy like? You really don't hear much about it.
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I think the policy is "smoke it if you got it!" :rollin :rollin
I honestly don't know what the policy is, but I do expect it to come up in the next CBA discussions. I am sure some players (not saying Lebron) are doing something to gain an edge...
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So, Phil is out of New York. Want to play a guess game of who's the next one to fuck up that franchise?
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So, Phil is out of New York. Want to play a guess game of who's the next one to fuck up that franchise?
Billy King sounds like a GREAT candidate. He used to run the Nets AND the Sixers to the ground, so he is experienced with a big market team... :lol
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So, Phil is out of New York. Want to play a guess game of who's the next one to fuck up that franchise?
The Knicks are my hometown team and second favorite. It's been painful to see and read what's been going on. I heard on Mike and Mike this morning Stephen A. Smith (who I can't stand) shout from the mountain top that the next coach should be Mark Jackson. I agree he should be the coach. He said to leave Steve Mills as GM. To be honest, that's fine too.
I think the move is to cut ties with Hornacek, bring in a New York Knicks legend in Mark Jackson (who finally has gotten credit for shaping the Warriors) as coach, and let things move forward. Carmelo does not want to leave, and I don't think he needs to. The Knicks just need to play more aggressively, and have less drama.
I liked the Knicks draft pick (Ntilkina), and think he'll probably be a solid starting PG in the league. Nothing flashy, but a 12-15/6 type guy stats wise. You can build off of Porzingis and Hermangomez at your 4 and 5 spots. Let Carmelo be Carmelo at the 3. Lee at the 2 is a decent filler. They need some rotation guys off the bench that are solid. But with the right coach at the helm, the Knicks should be a playoff team with that.
I know I am biased since I would like to remove Rubio from the Wolves' roster, but I honestly think Rubio would be a great fit in New York with his flashy style of play. He can't shoot (except for the last two months of this past season), but I think he would be a great mentor to Ntilkina for the next two or three seasons (the length of Rubio's current contract). I'm not sure the Knicks have any assets the Wolves would want however, with the exception of Porzingis, which is obviously now not happening (thank God from the Knicks point of view).
Time will tell, but the Knicks should be better. The whole "triangle" debacle was stupid.
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So, Phil is out of New York. Want to play a guess game of who's the next one to fuck up that franchise?
The Knicks are my hometown team and second favorite. It's been painful to see and read what's been going on. I heard on Mike and Mike this morning Stephen A. Smith (who I can't stand) shout from the mountain top that the next coach should be Mark Jackson. I agree he should be the coach. He said to leave Steve Mills as GM. To be honest, that's fine too.
I think the move is to cut ties with Hornacek, bring in a New York Knicks legend in Mark Jackson (who finally has gotten credit for shaping the Warriors) as coach, and let things move forward. Carmelo does not want to leave, and I don't think he needs to. The Knicks just need to play more aggressively, and have less drama.
I liked the Knicks draft pick (Ntilkina), and think he'll probably be a solid starting PG in the league. Nothing flashy, but a 12-15/6 type guy stats wise. You can build off of Porzingis and Hermangomez at your 4 and 5 spots. Let Carmelo be Carmelo at the 3. Lee at the 2 is a decent filler. They need some rotation guys off the bench that are solid. But with the right coach at the helm, the Knicks should be a playoff team with that.
I know I am biased since I would like to remove Rubio from the Wolves' roster, but I honestly think Rubio would be a great fit in New York with his flashy style of play. He can't shoot (except for the last two months of this past season), but I think he would be a great mentor to Ntilkina for the next two or three seasons (the length of Rubio's current contract). I'm not sure the Knicks have any assets the Wolves would want however, with the exception of Porzingis, which is obviously now not happening (thank God from the Knicks point of view).
Time will tell, but the Knicks should be better. The whole "triangle" debacle was stupid.
How about getting David Griffin as GM / team Prez? Perhaps some guy named LeBron may come the year after?
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Griffin sounds like a good idea but apparently they're going after Ujiri.
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Griffin sounds like a good idea but apparently they're going after Ujiri.
To be honest, I think Griffin's success is pretty much because he got the benefit of Lebron, nothing more. I haven't liked many of the moves he made (except for handing the Wolves Andrew Wiggins- thanks, Griff), and the Cavs are WAY over the cap. Once Lebron bolts again (and he will) that team will fall apart.
Ujiri is an interesting name. He's done a solid job with the Raptors. I'd applaud the move, but he better insist on complete franchise control from Dolan -- and be willing to walk away if Dolan tries to impose his will (like he did with Steve Walsh and made him trade for Carmelo, which was a mistake).
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Jackson's tenure with the Knicks was an absolute dumpster fire. From his questionable signings (Noah) to his obsession with the triangle, he's left them in pretty bad shape. I'm interested to see who they replace him with.
With regards to the Jordan vs LeBron debate: The two are very similar statistically. To me, if Jordan was a 100/100, LeBron is like a 97. It's really close. I think that there are a few important differences between them:
1) Despite what the media would have you believe, Jordan had bad games and mediocre series just like LeBron. However, Jordan never had a series like LeBron did against Dallas in 2011. That's the tiebreaker between them in terms of consistency.
2) LeBron will probably end up playing for a much longer time than Jordan. By the time LeBron hangs them up, he could end up playing 50% more All-NBA caliber seasons than Jordan did. So while Jordan was probably the better player in terms of prime performance, James' career might be more valuable.
3) LeBron played against significantly worse competition in his own conference, but significantly better competition in the Finals. I am not sure which is more favorable from a statistical standpoint, but I do have a lot of sympathy for LeBron for having to go through the juggernauts he has.
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This move seems interesting... Harden was playing at MVP level at the 1 spot... I know it is CP3, but why mess with it?
Adrian Wojnarowski @WojVerticalNBA
After Chris Paul agreed to opt-in on contract, Clippers are trading All-Star guard to the Houston Rockets
Sources: After Paul informed Clippers he'd sign w/ HOU in FA, teams agreed to deal sending Beverley, Decker, Williams and 2018 FRP for Paul.
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This move seems interesting... Harden was playing at MVP level at the 1 spot... I know it is CP3, but why mess with it?
Adrian Wojnarowski @WojVerticalNBA
After Chris Paul agreed to opt-in on contract, Clippers are trading All-Star guard to the Houston Rockets
Sources: After Paul informed Clippers he'd sign w/ HOU in FA, teams agreed to deal sending Beverley, Decker, Williams and 2018 FRP for Paul.
Wow. Why? Because remember what D'Antoni does with PGs. Chris Paul is going to average like 15 assists next year, and Harden is going to get even more easy buckets. They basically traded bench depth and a first round pick for a future Hall of Famer. Best backcourt in the NBA, bar none. Incredible, ballsy move.
Jackson's tenure with the Knicks was an absolute dumpster fire. From his questionable signings (Noah) to his obsession with the triangle, he's left them in pretty bad shape. I'm interested to see who they replace him with.
With regards to the Jordan vs LeBron debate: The two are very similar statistically. To me, if Jordan was a 100/100, LeBron is like a 97. It's really close. I think that there are a few important differences between them:
1) Despite what the media would have you believe, Jordan had bad games and mediocre series just like LeBron. However, Jordan never had a series like LeBron did against Dallas in 2011. That's the tiebreaker between them in terms of consistency.
2) LeBron will probably end up playing for a much longer time than Jordan. By the time LeBron hangs them up, he could end up playing 50% more All-NBA caliber seasons than Jordan did. So while Jordan was probably the better player in terms of prime performance, James' career might be more valuable.
3) LeBron played against significantly worse competition in his own conference, but significantly better competition in the Finals. I am not sure which is more favorable from a statistical standpoint, but I do have a lot of sympathy for LeBron for having to go through the juggernauts he has.
Great breakdown. I think the key is longevity. Jordan obviously had a couple seasons off, but in this era (which is why it is so hard to compare, because the eras are totally different), Lebron may play 20 years.
But, with each having played 13 seasons (taking the Wizards years out of the equation for Jordan), here is what you get:
Jordan - PPG - 31.5
James - PPG - 27.1
Jordan - FGM/FGA/% - 11.8/23.3/.505
James - FGM/FGA/% - 9.8 /19.6/.501
Jordan - APG - 5.4
James - APG - 7.0
Jordan - RPG - 6.3
James - RPG - 7.3
Jordan - Steals per game - 2.5
James - SPG - 1.6
Jordan - Turnovers per game - 2.8
James - TPG - 3.4
Jordan - FT/FTA/% - 7.3 8.7 .838
James - FT/FTA/% - 6.1 8.2 .740
Jordan - League MVP Awards - 5
James - League MVP Awards - 4
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>We could do this all day. Pretty much, through the same amount of years to this point, Jordan is the superior player. It's close, but he was the better guy. James will never score more, but yeah, at the end of the day, some more of the aggregate stats will be in Lebron's favor. But then you have to think of non-statistical things. Closing out a game, do you want Jordan or Lebron. Most take Jordan, hands-down. The guy has that killer instinct that Lebron does not have. Lebron is awesome, but he's below Jordan.
And I will say it again -- being a Knicks fan for Jordan's career -- I hate the guy. But I respect the hell out of his game.
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That's a strange move, more so considering that apparently he was very interested in going to the Spurs which would have made a lot more sense. I'm not sure how good a fit he will be in the D'antoni system but since he only has one year remaining in his contract maybe he's trying to test the waters and if things don't go the right way he can always go into FA next summer.
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This move seems interesting... Harden was playing at MVP level at the 1 spot... I know it is CP3, but why mess with it?
Adrian Wojnarowski @WojVerticalNBA
After Chris Paul agreed to opt-in on contract, Clippers are trading All-Star guard to the Houston Rockets
Sources: After Paul informed Clippers he'd sign w/ HOU in FA, teams agreed to deal sending Beverley, Decker, Williams and 2018 FRP for Paul.
Wow. Why? Because remember what D'Antoni does with PGs. Chris Paul is going to average like 15 assists next year, and Harden is going to get even more easy buckets. They basically traded bench depth and a first round pick for a future Hall of Famer. Best backcourt in the NBA, bar none. Incredible, ballsy move.
Second best back court. ;) But, yeah, they definitely sacrificed depth for talent, and I'm not sure that will pay off. The Warriors owned the Rockets, but the Rockets were able to keep it respectable by the Warriors still obviously respecting Harden, but still having to respect the other players on the court enough to stay spread out. But they are so solid on defense that they are build to demolish teams with 2 all-stars on no depth anywhere else on the court.
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That's a strange move, more so considering that apparently he was very interested in going to the Spurs which would have made a lot more sense. I'm not sure how good a fit he will be in the D'antoni system but since he only has one year remaining in his contract maybe he's trying to test the waters and if things don't go the right way he can always go into FA next summer.
He will be an EXCELLENT fit in D'Antoni's system. The system is based off of highlighting the point guard. Every PG that has ever played for D'Antoni has had career seasons. Trust me. If I had to bet, whatever the record for assists per game average is, it will be broken by Chris Paul next year.
No, bosk1, BEST back court in the NBA. Stop being a homer. :lol
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That's a strange move, more so considering that apparently he was very interested in going to the Spurs which would have made a lot more sense. I'm not sure how good a fit he will be in the D'antoni system but since he only has one year remaining in his contract maybe he's trying to test the waters and if things don't go the right way he can always go into FA next summer.
He will be an EXCELLENT fit in D'Antoni's system. The system is based off of highlighting the point guard. Every PG that has ever played for D'Antoni has had career seasons. Trust me. If I had to bet, whatever the record for assists per game average is, it will be broken by Chris Paul next year.
Well, Harden and Nash are more similar with each other than Paul, he's a different kind of player. Not saying he won't thrive and break records next season, just that I see him more as a floor general than a 7 second offense guy and I feel his game is more in line with a team like the Spurs.
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No, bosk1, BEST back court in the NBA. Stop being a homer. :lol
We'll see. With Curry and Thompson frequently being referred to as the best back court of all time, forgive me for having my doubts.
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No, bosk1, BEST back court in the NBA. Stop being a homer. :lol
We'll see. With Curry and Thompson frequently being referred to as the best back court of all time, forgive me for having my doubts.
Bah. Best shooting back court of all time, yes. But from an all-around perspective? Absolutely not. I'd put Thomas and Dumars ahead of them from an all-around standpoint. Defensively, those two were underrated terrors.
Well, Harden and Nash are more similar with each other than Paul, he's a different kind of player. Not saying he won't thrive and break records next season, just that I see him more as a floor general than a 7 second offense guy and I feel his game is more in line with a team like the Spurs.
That's a really good point about Chris Paul. But I think he'll adapt pretty well. D'Antoni's system is also dependent on quick court vision, and Paul is way up there on that. I guess we'll find out. Great drama to watch for next season!
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No, bosk1, BEST back court in the NBA. Stop being a homer. :lol
We'll see. With Curry and Thompson frequently being referred to as the best back court of all time, forgive me for having my doubts.
Bah. Best shooting back court of all time, yes. But from an all-around perspective? Absolutely not. I'd put Thomas and Dumars ahead of them from an all-around standpoint. Defensively, those two were underrated terrors.
It's hard enough to compare guys that play against each other. I'm not touching comparisons with prior eras. :lol
But I will say, don't sleep on the Warriors' defense either. Their entire defense, as well as just the back court defense of Curry and Thompson, has been at the top of the league for the past 4 years. But anyway, as to Harden/CP3, that will be a great combo. But I can't call it the "best" until they prove it. So we'll see.
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I will say that Curry/Thompson is one of the best of all time. I'm just not ready to put them on top. I know they play defense (thank you to Knicks legend Mark Jackson). But I mean defensively, huge difference between them and the guys back in the day.
You're right though, hard to compare eras. I'll say Curry/Thompson is the best I've seen in the last 20 years.
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Bosk when someone says that some other player/team is/was better than the warriors
(https://cdn2.cagepotato.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/lalala.gif)
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:lol Nice try, but you're thinking of Kev's reaction to "player X is better than LeBron."
But the thing is, is there a team that has been a better team than them for the last three years?
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Ok, now that CP3 trade suddenly makes more "sense"... but... but his son ain't no big baller... just trade his butt away! That's why the Clippers will always be the Clippers. Lol! :lol :lol :lol
Here's some information on the Chris Paul trade. First the MICRO:
Paul's relationship with Doc Rivers started to deteriorate rapidly after the Clippers acquired Austin Rivers. Several members of the team felt Austin acted entitled because his dad was both the coach and the President of Basketball Operations. In the view of the tenured players, Austin Rivers never tried to fit in, and when players tried to address the situation with him, he still did not respond the way the core of the team wanted him to. It led to resentment within the locker room, which often played out during games. One of Paul's biggest contentions with Doc was that Paul, and other players, felt Doc treated Austin more favorably than other players. He would yell at guys for certain things during games and practices, but not get on Austin in the same manner for similar transgressions.
But what really solidified Paul's dissatisfaction with Doc was a proposed trade involving Carmelo Anthony last season. New York offered Carmelo and Sasha Vujacic to the Clippers in exchange for Jamal Crawford, Paul Pierce and Austin Rivers, a deal to which Rivers ultimately said no. That event led Paul to feel that keeping his son on the roster was more important to Doc than improving the team. So, ultimately, Paul lost both trust and faith in Doc. As one league executive put it, "Chris despises Doc."
(I was also told that when Paul met with the team to inform them of his plans, Jerry West was not in attendance. It was only Doc and Lawrence Frank.)
MACRO
This move is a win-win for Chris Paul, and it was all part of a master plan. By opting into the final year of his current contract and pressuring the Clippers to trade him to Houston, Paul will be in the exact same situation next summer. He can re-sign with the Rockets for 5 years and $200+ million or sign a 4-year deal for about $150 million with another team. In addition, he will save several million dollars in state income tax.
Also, by being committed to the Rockets for only one season, it gives him a year to see if he can actually co-exist and pursue a title with James Harden. But even beyond that, this move gives Paul more flexibility to join LeBron James in 2018. If he stayed in LA or signed the max deal with the Clippers and forced them to do a sign-and-trade with the Rockets, Paul and LeBron could only join forces at one location. Now, they will have the ability to pick and choose wherever they want to go as a tandem, which could be Houston, LA {Lakers or Clippers (provided Doc is no longer with organization)}, or any other destination in-between.
https://www.facebook.com/MrMichaelEaves/posts/1239427866166362
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But the thing is, is there a team that has been a better team than them for the last three years?
Just this past 3 years, of course not! But their 3 year run, while possibly the 2nd best of all-time, still falls short of the 96-98 Bulls in my view because the Bulls won the championship all three years.
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But the thing is, is there a team that has been a better team than them for the last three years?
Just this past 3 years, of course not! But their 3 year run, while possibly the 2nd best of all-time, still falls short of the 96-98 Bulls in my view because the Bulls won the championship all three years.
And that's all fine. I'm not saying there was never anyone better.
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Ok, now that CP3 trade suddenly makes more "sense"... but... but his son ain't no big baller... just trade his butt away! That's why the Clippers will always be the Clippers. Lol! :lol :lol :lol
Here's some information on the Chris Paul trade. First the MICRO:
Paul's relationship with Doc Rivers started to deteriorate rapidly after the Clippers acquired Austin Rivers. Several members of the team felt Austin acted entitled because his dad was both the coach and the President of Basketball Operations. In the view of the tenured players, Austin Rivers never tried to fit in, and when players tried to address the situation with him, he still did not respond the way the core of the team wanted him to. It led to resentment within the locker room, which often played out during games. One of Paul's biggest contentions with Doc was that Paul, and other players, felt Doc treated Austin more favorably than other players. He would yell at guys for certain things during games and practices, but not get on Austin in the same manner for similar transgressions.
But what really solidified Paul's dissatisfaction with Doc was a proposed trade involving Carmelo Anthony last season. New York offered Carmelo and Sasha Vujacic to the Clippers in exchange for Jamal Crawford, Paul Pierce and Austin Rivers, a deal to which Rivers ultimately said no. That event led Paul to feel that keeping his son on the roster was more important to Doc than improving the team. So, ultimately, Paul lost both trust and faith in Doc. As one league executive put it, "Chris despises Doc."
(I was also told that when Paul met with the team to inform them of his plans, Jerry West was not in attendance. It was only Doc and Lawrence Frank.)
MACRO
This move is a win-win for Chris Paul, and it was all part of a master plan. By opting into the final year of his current contract and pressuring the Clippers to trade him to Houston, Paul will be in the exact same situation next summer. He can re-sign with the Rockets for 5 years and $200+ million or sign a 4-year deal for about $150 million with another team. In addition, he will save several million dollars in state income tax.
Also, by being committed to the Rockets for only one season, it gives him a year to see if he can actually co-exist and pursue a title with James Harden. But even beyond that, this move gives Paul more flexibility to join LeBron James in 2018. If he stayed in LA or signed the max deal with the Clippers and forced them to do a sign-and-trade with the Rockets, Paul and LeBron could only join forces at one location. Now, they will have the ability to pick and choose wherever they want to go as a tandem, which could be Houston, LA {Lakers or Clippers (provided Doc is no longer with organization)}, or any other destination in-between.
https://www.facebook.com/MrMichaelEaves/posts/1239427866166362
I didn;t hear the part about Rivers, so that was new, thank you. Not surprising. And a shame, honestly. Doc should never had brought his son in.
As for the reasoning for Paul, yep. On Mike and Mike this morning, they pretty much said the whole banana boat crew were angling for a 2018 reunion of sorts. Last I heard, Melo wanted a buyout and would join either Lebron or CP3 on a 2 year deal (with the second year a player option), and then the banana boat guys would look to reunite somewhere. Not sure how feasible it is, but they are going to make that happen to a degree, I guarantee it.
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WOLVES on the prowl! Rubio gone for a first rounder (strangely, it is top 14 protected, so what happens if that happens) from Utah (via OKC). AND...hearing from ESPN and a couple other places Teague is set to sign with the Wolves to run point!
:metal :metal :metal :metal
Christmas in July would be...Blake Griffin at the 4. I might pass out if that happens.
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WOLVES on the prowl! Rubio gone for a first rounder (strangely, it is top 14 protected, so what happens if that happens) from Utah (via OKC). AND...hearing from ESPN and a couple other places Teague is set to sign with the Wolves to run point!
:metal :metal :metal :metal
Christmas in July would be...Blake Griffin at the 4. I might pass out if that happens.
The T-Wolves starting five suddenly looks pretty damn good, and I am certain they can at least contend for a 7th or better seeding.
By the way, I really wished Lakers' rookie Thomas Bryant would wear #8 instead of #31... that would have confused the hack out of fans, lol! :lol :lol :lol
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Paul George traded to OKC!!! HOLY SHIT!
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Paul George traded to OKC!!! HOLY SHIT!
I heard that too, but so far there seems to be very little detail... my bet is Oladipo + ?? ???
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Yes plus Sabonis.
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I bet he will just be a one-year rental for the Thunder. He is definitely going somewhere else (Lakers or not) next summer.
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No doubt but OCK made the leap while the C's baulked.
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Ainge wasn't paying anything substantial to their future for a one year rental and I don't blame him.
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I agree. But was it on Indiana's end wanting younger players? Who knows.
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Tweet from sports radio personality in Boston.
Per @GoodmanESPN, #Celtics offered #Pacers 4 1st Rd picks (including '17 #Nets pick - No. 1) for George at trade deadline. Ainge's fault?"
Sounds like young NBA players is what mattered.
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Tweet from sports radio personality in Boston.
Who tweeted that?
No way the Celtics offered 4 first round picks plus the Nets Pick. Until Woj says so.
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Adam Kaufman. 98.5.
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So basically Kaufman was reporting what Goodman was claiming. So it's not like Kaufman was reporting that. He has appeared to be plugged in, but like I said, unless Kaufman is actually reporting that per his sources, I cannot believe that.
Again, where is Woj on this?
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There is more tweets from reliable sources. Also it's also being reported on Sports Tonight. If say it's true and they wanted young players todsy not aging players or draft picks.I'm
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I really hate the media breaking stories of any kind so soon with no details, or couldn't quote a source, for being the first to report it.
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Yet I'm seeing multiple sources. I agree with the media but multiple sources end the speculation.
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Watching Sports Tonight now. Goodman's tweet was a Trade Deadline offer, not tonight.
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Wrong. I followed the tweets from many sports reporters and they said it was a done deal and this morning it is confirmed.
The C's offer was better.
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Wolves had a shot at Milsap, but it didn't happen. So Thibs goes to Taj Gibson to be a backup PF/C. I'm OK with that. So right now, it looks as if the Wolves' starting 5 is:
C - Towns (25/12)
PF - Dieng (10/7)
SF - Butler (20/5/5)
SG - Wiggins (22/3/3)
PG - Teague (15/8)
That starting five should produce 92 points a night, on average. The bench still needs to be solidified. Right now they have Taj Gibson, Tyus Jones, and...nobody. But I think Thibs will probably bring in a few shooters to bolster the 3 point output for sure.
It'll probably take a year for these guys to gel, but I think the Wolves are going to jump from 31 wins to 52. Huge jump.
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Warriors are in good shape. I expected them to lock up Curry, Durant, and Iguodala, and was hoping they would lock up Livingston as well. Great that they were able to do all that and lock up David West as well, although they paid a bit more for some of those guys than I was expecting.
That leaves McGee, Pachulia, Clark, McAdoo, and Barnes still unresolved. Ideally, I'd probably like most or all of those guys to stay, but that's probably not realistic. I love that McGee's career basically got a second chance with the Warriors, and I'd love to see him come back. I think he filled a valuable role. Of all the guys left on the list, he's probably the one I would most like to see them keep.
Pachulia was up and down. He made a few very visible mistakes in the playoffs that hurt them at times. But on the other hand, he brought a lot to the table, and most of what he did that brought value to the team isn't something that directly shows up on the stat sheets (those screens that he set to free up other players, creating space under the rim, etc.). I expect that he will be on the chopping block, and I cannot disagree too much with that, but I'm not sure how they find another option as good or better at that position.
Clark is probably the one I would most like to see stay behind McGee, but I think he is also the most easily expendable, and they can get decent value for him based on his performance this year.
McAdoo played well for them, but can be replaced.
I think Barnes is likely to go as well. I'm not that attached to keeping him on the roster, but I appreciate what he brought this year. He is another one where it was cool to see him be able to rejuvenate his career, especially on a team that he originally played on way in the past.
But anyhow, with the heavy lifting now done, it'll be interesting to see what moves they make. I'll probably have no idea who some of the guys are that they bring in until I see them play a few games.
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^ aren't the Dubs interested in signing Nick "Born Reble" Young? I thought they were engaging in a contract talks?
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all the rumors of Derrick Rose meeting with the Bucks is the worst thing ever.
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I heard they were taking him on a tour of the local hospitals as part of his recruiting visit.
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:lol
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Hayward to the C's.
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Not sure what to do with my Crowder shirt!
We still can't rebound. Zizic looked not ready in yesterday's summer league game.
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Scoring is valued over rebounding these days.
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Z-Bo going to Sacramento. He belongs in Memphis, otherwise deserves to go to a better organization than freakin Sacramento
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^ no arguement there on Z-Bo should be in a better place, but the reality is, no team is going to offer him that much money ($24M for 2 years) when he is going to turn 36 soon. At this point of his career, I think he knows his window for a title has closed and it is better off to go for the money one last time before he has to retire.
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Yep. Don't wanna be Z-Broke :lol
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Hayward to the C's.
The Cs are gonna be really fun to watch. Let's see who they get rid off in order to make space for that contract.
Not sure what to do with my Crowder shirt!
We still can't rebound. Zizic looked not ready in yesterday's summer league game.
I think Stevens will figure this one out. The Cs have a nice combination of forwards which will be very interesting to watch, they're going full small ball this year it seems.
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Yup, Speed and transition.
Olynuk was not tendered a contract so he's a one piece. Amir Johnson signed elsewhere. There's the second piece so far.
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Z-Bo going to Sacramento. He belongs in Memphis, otherwise deserves to go to a better organization than freakin Sacramento
To be fair, Sacramento made the right move trading Demarcus Cousins, and got a lot of good talent in return. Buddy Hield is going to be a star. They also had a great draft. So the Kings are young, but they have a really good coach, a bunch of talent, and now an established vet like Z-Bo to set the tone. I think they are on the way up.
I will say, however, I agree that Z-Bo should have retired in Memphis. But he wants to start, and his options for that (and that contract) were limited, most likely. In Sac, he gets paid, gets another rabid fanbase behind him, and he is the starting PF. Pretty much a no-brainer for him.
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C - Karl-Anthony Towns
PF - Gorgui Dieng
SF - Andrew Wiggins
SG - Jimmy Butler
PG - Jeff Teague
6th - Jamal Crawford (SG)
7th - Taj Gibson (PF/C)
8th - Tyus Jones (PG)
9th - Justin Patton (PF/C) -- if he heals in time to play.
>>>>And we're not done yet. GO WOLVES!!!!
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I think Kevin Durant left his sense of humor in OKC...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry3bJ6IL0SY
:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol
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After the crazy free agency period, this is actually a fun read... Ranking the Worst Max Contracts in NBA History
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2720354-ranking-the-worst-max-contracts-in-nba-history
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I think Kevin Durant left his sense of humor in OKC...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry3bJ6IL0SY
:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol
We were watching that last night. What a douche.
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I think Kevin Durant left his sense of humor in OKC...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry3bJ6IL0SY
:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol
Meanwhile his mom is right next to him laughing at him :lol
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(https://i.imgur.com/BkQySCF.jpg)
-- via r/nba
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:rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin
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Watch out Warriors and the Cavs, the Lakers are the champion... in the Summer League! :lol :lol :lol
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So we watched a lot of the summer league. Lonzo Ball was excellent, but the Lakers made a steal with Kyle Kuzma.
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So we watched a lot of the summer league. Lonzo Ball was excellent, but the Lakers made a steal with Kyle Kuzma.
Lonzo obviously has skills, but it is summer league and means absolutely nothing. We'll see how he does when the actual regular season tips off, and he's lined up against guys such as Westbrook, Lillard, Thomas, Irving, Paul, Teague, etc. I think Ball is going to be good, but there's going to be a learning curve. He's not going 15-10-10 every night against the best PGs in the world...at least not yet.
Glad to see Boston got Hayward. Although with that glut at small forward, they gotta figure it out...doesn't Brown play SF too? Don't want to stunt that guy's growth...but not sure he's big enough to play the 4...
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So there's talk that Brown will play guard along with Isaiah. Nothing has been definitively set though.
As far as Lonzo, yes, definitely it's only summer league, but still, his skills really stood out. That's all.
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So there's talk that Brown will play guard along with Isaiah. Nothing has been definitively set though.
IT, Brown, Hayward, Morris, Horford? That sounds interesting. Rozier, Smart, Crowder, Taytum, Zizic as backup should be pretty solid, I see a lot of small ball in the Celtic's future.
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Zizic has a loooooong way to go.
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Zizic has a loooooong way to go.
For sure, but given he's the only other center in the team he will probably get decent minutes this season unless Ainge pulls another move. Also why I think they'll be playing a lot of small ball, they don't have enough bigs to do anything else.
I've been reading some reports about the Celtics planning to make a run for Anthony Davis before the trade deadline which would make a lot of sense, they're clearly betting on the Davies/cousins experiment failing miserably which I think is a safe bet.
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Well, we'll see. The last report was by Chris Mannix of The Vertical, but you've got to remember that Mannix is a Boston guy. He said people were talking about that in Vegas. To me, he's a pipe dream. Ainge has to figure out what he's going to do with Isaiah first.
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Ainge has to figure out what he's going to do with Isaiah first.
He's in a tough spot. IT is a liability on defense just because of his size. He can score with anyone, at any time. But at some point, that speed and lift starts to go, and he will have trouble. I love IT. Wish he was on my team. Tons of heart and hustle, which you can't teach. But I'm not sure you hand a max deal to a guy his size. You'd be paying for past performance, which is going to decline. IT had his pinnacle season. He'll probably put up good numbers for the next few years for sure, but he won't replicate almost 30 ppg again. That was a season for the ages.
I don't envy Ainge. He knows he needs to move IT. But he also knows he'll be crucified by the fans if he does.
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Ainge has to figure out what he's going to do with Isaiah first.
He's in a tough spot. IT is a liability on defense just because of his size. He can score with anyone, at any time. But at some point, that speed and lift starts to go, and he will have trouble. I love IT. Wish he was on my team. Tons of heart and hustle, which you can't teach. But I'm not sure you hand a max deal to a guy his size. You'd be paying for past performance, which is going to decline. IT had his pinnacle season. He'll probably put up good numbers for the next few years for sure, but he won't replicate almost 30 ppg again. That was a season for the ages.
I don't envy Ainge. He knows he needs to move IT. But he also knows he'll be crucified by the fans if he does.
Let's wait and see how this season goes, IT should be able to keep this up the way he's progressed throughout his career, but he might also slow down in which case Danny could have it easier.
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dafuq is happening in cleveland?
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20124505/kyrie-irving-seeking-trade-cleveland-cavaliers
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Irving sees the writing on the wall. He sees James not committing to staying in Cleveland beyond next season and doesn't want to be stuck on the dumpster fire that will be the LBJ-less Cleveland Cavaliers.
Plus, I always get the sense that he is one of those guys who would rather win 40 games while being the best player, rather than winning 55 on a team that can contend for the title while being the 2nd best player.
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Cleveland is officially the fat, booty call girl.
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The slumpbuster!!
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The chumpbuster.
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Plus, I always get the sense that he is one of those guys who would rather win 40 games while being the best player, rather than winning 55 on a team that can contend for the title while being the 2nd best player.
Not sure this is the case, Irving probably believes he is good enough to lead a team to a championship but as long as he's in the shadow of LBJ he won't get the credit he thinks he deserves. Plus, it's been reported for some time now that the situation in Cleveland is bad with players recommending Jimmy Buttler and PG13 not to go there so that is probably a factor as well
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I remember reading a couple years ago that Irving was not at all pleased that Lebron came back to Cleveland, because he (Irving) was wanting to be the lead banana. But he kept his mouth shut for the most part because they won a title and LBJ was the favored son. But with Cleveland not doing anything this offseason, and the GM leaving, Irving probably sees the writing on the wall. For example:
If LBJ leaves in free agency, the whole team is still way over the cap with nowhere near good enough players to truthfully win win, and Irving would be stuck (like Westbrook) on a mediocre team.
If LBJ stays, Irving will never be able to get out of LBJ's shadow like he wants to, and chances are, the team is so strapped cash-wise, and so void of seriously high end talent after LBJ and himself, they likely won't win again.
So, I get it, honestly.
I think the teams rumored (including Minnesota) to be his favored destinations are a longshot, except for Miami and San Antonio. Those two seem plausible to me. New York won't part with Porzingis, and Cleveland wants more than Carmelo and a first rounder. And Minnesota -- the Wolves can't part with Teague until Dec. 15, since he was signed as a free agent, and there's no way they are parting with Wiggins. So, I think that's a nonstarter. As for Boston -- I don't see Cleveland wanting Thomas, and I don't think you pair Irving and Thomas in the backcourt. While Boston has the picks and young talent Cleveland might want, I just don't think they'd pull the trigger.
It'd be interesting if San Antonio offered Aldridge, a first rounder, and say Patty Mills. *I* wouldn't do that trade if I was Cleveland's GM, but I could see them wanting to get something. Miami doesn't have enough talent, IMO, to get Irving. Unless, of course, the Heat decide to just ante up their next couple of first round picks and Whiteside. But Whiteside has to be someone that Irving would want to play with, so that makes no sense.
Simply put, I think LBJ and Irving are GONE. The franchise knows it, and now other teams know it, and guys want out. Would not surprise me one iota of Dan Gilbert gave the OK on a complete fire sale with the eye on picks and young talent.
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The Cavs know Irving is a goner, like most have suggested already... that's why they signed D-Rose for $2.1M to the IL...
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I don't blame Irving for wanting out of Cleveland. The team's management is a disaster and it's likely that LeBron jumps ship next summer.
In hindsight, letting David Griffin go might have been the beginning of the end. What an incredibly bad move by Dan Gilbert. By not giving Griffin that extra $3 or $4 million a year, the team's value is going to decrease by like 50% over the next couple of years because of star-player departures. :facepalm:
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I don't blame Irving for wanting out of Cleveland. The team's management is a disaster and it's likely that LeBron jumps ship next summer.
In hindsight, letting David Griffin go might have been the beginning of the end. What an incredibly bad move by Dan Gilbert. By not giving Griffin that extra $3 or $4 million a year, the team's value is going to decrease by like 50% over the next couple of years because of star-player departures. :facepalm:
Yeah, not giving Griffin the autonomy and money he wanted was dumb. Apparently Gilbert underpays a lot of staff (according to the idiot that is Stephen A. Smith). So, I am not surprised. Cleveland is done. Lebron is going to leave, using Griffin, the drama with Irving, etc., as an excuse to leave. Irving will follow suit (whether as a FA, or through a trade). And all those bloated contracts on the roster is going to sink Cleveland once it happens.
If they are smart, they start shedding now. They are losing Lebron. Everyone knows it. So clean house and get the franchise under better fiscal terms.
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Yeah, not giving Griffin the autonomy and money he wanted was dumb. Apparently Gilbert underpays a lot of staff (according to the idiot that is Stephen A. Smith). So, I am not surprised. Cleveland is done. Lebron is going to leave, using Griffin, the drama with Irving, etc., as an excuse to leave. Irving will follow suit (whether as a FA, or through a trade). And all those bloated contracts on the roster is going to sink Cleveland once it happens.
If they are smart, they start shedding now. They are losing Lebron. Everyone knows it. So clean house and get the franchise under better fiscal terms.
They are, or in particular, Gilbert is anything but smart ever since they got LBJ back.
By the way, feel free to correct me if I am wrong, one Kyrie trade rumor I heard involves Eric Bledsoe to the Cavs... why would anyone want Bledsoe? For one thing, he needs the ball to be effective, yet his D is iffy at best...
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If the Cavs traded for Bledsoe, my understanding is that they would also want Josh Jackson. So they get a second-rate version of Kyrie for the short term and a good prospect for the long term. However, I just read that the Suns are refusing to trade Jackson, so maybe this is all moot.
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Yeah, Jackson is one of the best prospects in this draft class (if he can improve his shot) so it makes sense that the Suns don't want to part ways with him. Cleveland will have a hard time moving Kyrie since most teams won't be willing to trade their current players and CAP space all around the league is almost non-existent
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Apparently the Suns won't part with Jackson, so until they do, or the Cavs back down, I think that's dead in the water.
The Wolves, however, are seriously in play. They are willing to part with Wiggins to make this happen. Aside from being a hardcore Wolves fan, I'm really big on Wiggins. I think he can be the NBA's leading scorer at some point soon. I honestly don't want him leaving.
However, if you can get Kyrie Irving for Wiggins, a salary (Cole Aldrich) and a lottery protected pick, I think you do that. The problem is the lineup. The Wolves just signed Jeff Teague to play PG and he can't be traded before Dec. 15. Having a starting backcourt with two guys under 6'3"...hmm. I mean, the Pistons pulled it off back in the day, but you don't see it much now.
Personally, I would hold on to Wiggins because of this. Sure, Irving is a champion, and an All Star. But Wiggins' improvement each year and star ability is right there. Plus he's more versatile than Irving, because Wiggins can play SG or SF. And with Teague on the roster, I think you need Wiggins' versatility and length.
It'll be interesting to see what they do. Thibs is really high on Wiggins. It would NOT surprise me if Thibs decided to offer the next two or three first round picks at Cleveland (if that is permitted by rules) and a salary (Aldrich) and see if he could simply add Irving for that. I doubt Cleveland would take that, however. But if they want to get younger, that's a way to do it.
Given the youth of the Wolves' roster, that would work for them. They don't have to worry too much about bringing in any more young guys. But again, I doubt Cleveland makes a trade with the Wolves like that. They'll probably demand Wiggins. If it was me, I wouldn't, but I could see Thibs doing it depending on how it is structured. The Wolves would need a swingman (SG/SF) too.
It'd be REALLY interesting if they decided to trade Irving AND Love to the Wolves for Wiggins, three first rounders, and Dieng (the latter would make the salary work, I believe). I think that trade is plausible, but not entirely sure either side would do it. Dieng is a lot better than people think.
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I'm curious to see how Irving does in a lead role. His regular season statistical profile paints a picture of someone who is slightly overrated offensively and a massive minus defensively. However, his playoff value is huge because of his ability to make tough shots and swing a series if he gets hot. I could see him relishing the new opportunity to become a top-ten player, but I could also see him becoming this generation's Allen Iverson, scoring lots of baskets but not impacting winning in a meaningful way.
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I'm curious to see how Irving does in a lead role. His regular season statistical profile paints a picture of someone who is slightly overrated offensively and a massive minus defensively. However, his playoff value is huge because of his ability to make tough shots and swing a series if he gets hot. I could see him relishing the new opportunity to become a top-ten player, but I could also see him becoming this generation's Allen Iverson, scoring lots of baskets but not impacting winning in a meaningful way.
You're dead on here. Which is why I'm curious why the Wolves (who lack defense) are eyeing this. Teague is a better defender, which was one of the areas the team needed to improve on. If they can't significantly improve on D or from the perimeter, why entertain this move? Irving does not shoot better than Teague from 3, and he's a lesser defender.
Seems to me the smart play would be to stand pat.
The Knicks, on the other hand...I'd be interested to see if they'd nix all the Houston talk and re-engage with Cleveland. I could see something like Carmelo, the rookie point guard the Knicks just drafted, and the next two first round picks for Irving, and a bench guy if they needed it for salary considerations.
It would be a perfect fit for NY, who would then pair Irving with Porzingis and Hermangomez, giving them a young big 3 to build around, and give Cleveland Lebron, Carmelo, Love, and Rose, which, if Rose plays up to his potential and stays healthy (the big IF), that's pretty formidable.
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I was not aware that Vince McMahon was running ADIDAS.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/report-adidas-told-referees-to-lay-off-lavar-ball-in-vegas/ar-AAoZeTx?li=BBnb7Kz
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Fuckin disgusting. Though I feel bad for his son having to live in his shadow, I could easily deal with him being a bust if that's what it takes to make his dad fade into obscurity asap.
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Oh, come on, Z-Bo, you have been a model citizen for such a long time down in Memphis, and now this?! I am very disappointed at you. :'(
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20302443/zach-randolph-sacramento-kings-arrested-charges-marijuana-possession-intent-sell
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It is just a matter of time before we go all paperless.
I've been to a few events that went paperless. It felt weird (and somewhat unsecured) at first, but I can see the convenience side of things.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20306283/miami-heat-become-first-nba-team-mobile-only-entry
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It is just a matter of time before we go all paperless.
I've been to a few events that went paperless. It felt weird (and somewhat unsecured) at first, but I can see the convenience side of things.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20306283/miami-heat-become-first-nba-team-mobile-only-entry
I love paperless for most of life, traditional book reading an exception for a couple of reasons. I absolutely adore paperless tickets for events. I have always had weird anxiety of "did I remember the ticket(s)!?!? *checkes for the 6th time*. This is even sometimes with something like a parking garage ticket. So having a paperless ticket solves this issue for me completely. I still preload the ticket into the tickets/passbook or whatever, but I wouldn't have significant anxiety if I didn't. Because it's a simple going to my purchase, and a few taps and there it is.
Plus I'm a tree hugger, so there is that too. ;D That said, for those that like to collect tickets/scrapbook, this sucks. It's nearly the equivalent of not being able to have physical media for music and etc.
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I love paperless for most of life, traditional book reading an exception for a couple of reasons. I absolutely adore paperless tickets for events. I have always had weird anxiety of "did I remember the ticket(s)!?!? *checkes for the 6th time*. This is even sometimes with something like a parking garage ticket. So having a paperless ticket solves this issue for me completely. I still preload the ticket into the tickets/passbook or whatever, but I wouldn't have significant anxiety if I didn't. Because it's a simple going to my purchase, and a few taps and there it is.
Plus I'm a tree hugger, so there is that too. ;D That said, for those that like to collect tickets/scrapbook, this sucks. It's nearly the equivalent of not being able to have physical media for music and etc.
I agreed with you on most points above, but it does suck for me since I am a ticket collector. I have tickets of concerts, games and other events from as far back as the late 80's... that Animals As Leaders concert I attend this Feb was the first one I used a digital ticket. It was convenience, but I could no longer have a ticket to keep... oh well, guess that's something I have to accept in this digital age, huh?
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Anyone here play NBA on PS4 or other gaming systems?
I used to play NBA Live all the time, switched to NBA2k, and then bought NBA Live 2016. But, here we are, before the new season, and I am not sure if I should get Live 2018, or 2k18. Any thoughts from players on which series they prefer and why, generally?
I went with NBA Live 2016 last time, if I remember right, because I felt the marketing for 2k16's story mode was really stupid, and pointed at players who wanted to live to "the life" of an NBA player. That wasn't for me. I just wanted a fun, but realistic game and franchise mode.
But people seem to really gravitate to one game or another, so I was looking for some perspective.
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I haven't played Live in many years. The NBA 2K series has been generally good, in my opinion, so I think that's the safer bet. I personally felt as though they took a step back with 2K17, but it was still a fun game. If you can manage to hold off on buying it until it drops in price a bit, it's even more worth it.
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I haven't played Live in many years. The NBA 2K series has been generally good, in my opinion, so I think that's the safer bet. I personally felt as though they took a step back with 2K17, but it was still a fun game. If you can manage to hold off on buying it until it drops in price a bit, it's even more worth it.
I played the NBA Live 18 Demo last night. Unfortunately, it requires you to do the one thing I am not interested in (which is why I bought NBA Live 2016 instead of 2k16 a couple years ago) - doing "the life/the one" story mode. At least the demo does. It's like the game is catering tot hose that want to do that.
I just want a realistic franchise mode. I am sure Live 2018 has it, but with the demo, I haven't unlocked it yet. These games though...to me, they are taking a bend to cater to much younger folks (20-somethings) which sorta sucks for old schoolers who just want to play with their favorite teams and lead them to championships.
And when will they do a historic game where they go back in time and add in all the old franchises? I am waiting for my expansion 89-90 T-Wovles! :lol
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NBA 2K actually has some pretty good historical teams available. They don't have the 89-90 Wolves, but I believe they do have the 03-04 Wolves. They also have the Vince Carter Raptors, Kobe/Shaq Lakers, Steve Nash Suns, and other fun teams from the 2000s, which is the decade I grew up on.
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Where's my 70s Bullets?!!!
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Celts trade Isiah, Crowder, Zizic, and the Nets pick for Kyrie!!!
https://twitter.com/wojverticalnba
https://www.csnne.com/
:omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg:
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Celts trade Isiah, Crowder, Zizic, and the Nets pick for Kyrie!!!
https://twitter.com/wojverticalnba
https://www.csnne.com/
:omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg:
At first I was a little surprised, but IT4 is still recovering from a hip injury with no firm return time table. Plus, he will be a free agent next June. I guess Ainge wants to try to win NOW instead of investing another year to develop the young core. It is especially a welcome move for the C's to be able to dismantle the Cavs' big 3 in the process. The East will be more interesting to watch with this one move. In the end I think it is a win-win move for both teams. :tup
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I guess Ainge wants to try to win NOW instead of investing another year to develop the young core.
If anything he extends the window.
The Celtics return only:
Marcus Smart
Al Horford
Terry Rozier
Jaylen Brown
Four players!!!
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I'm surprised that Celtics were willing to trade IT4, after all he gave that franchise last season, especially when his sister died, and he still played his heart out to get them in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. IT4 did not want to be traded too! He was at a Patriots training camp, and was interviewed, and he seemed so excited to lace back up and bring Gordon Hayward into the fold.
Business over gratitude.
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I'm surprised that Celtics were willing to trade IT4, after all he gave that franchise last season, especially when his sister died, and he still played his heart out to get them in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. IT4 did not want to be traded too! He was at a Patriots training camp, and was interviewed, and he seemed so excited to lace back up and bring Gordon Hayward into the fold.
Business over gratitude.
To those who wonder why players nowadays tend to go where they want and almost never stick around with just one franchise their entire careers... This is why. Front offices won't hesitate to trade you if they get a good offer, so you need to look out for yourself.
I think that this trade makes sense for both sides. I could see the upcoming season going a million different ways for Boston and Cleveland, but no matter what happens, I think that the thought process behind everything was sound.
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I love, love, live IT.
They still needed to make this trade. He's in his last year of his contract and Kyrie is almost 4 years younger with 2 years left. No doubt the C's pay him super max contract.
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I love, love, live IT.
They still needed to make this trade. He's in his last year of his contract and Kyrie is almost 4 years younger with 2 years left. No doubt the C's pay him super max contract.
I'm an NBA junkie, and I fully agree. That was my first thought when I heard it. IT is one of my favorite players, but truth be told, he's a liability at 5'9" on the defensive end. Kyrie is younger, just as able a scorer, with similar issues on defense, but he's at least of solid height and stature to avoid being taken advantage of by larger PGs. I hate to say that, because I'm vertically challenged myself :lol but IT is just at a plain disadvantage. And you don't pay a guy like that the max. You just don't.
So brilliant move by the hated Celtics. I grew up a Wolves and Knicks fan. I have no love of the Celtics, but I respect the hell out of them. Ainge pulled off a great deal...IF Kyrie re-signs. He should...but if this year doesn't go as planned, I could easily see Kyrie getting out of there and going to New York (where he's from) or some other destination. (Interestingly, he mentioned the Wolves as a preferred spot.)
Cleveland did the absolute right thing. If Lebron stays, you are good with him, IT, Love, and that first round draft pick (and I very much believe Wade will be bought out in Chicago and sign with Cleveland, giving the Cavs a hell of a starting five of IT, Wade, Lebron, Love, Thompson. If Lebron leaves, you still have Brooklyn's lottery pick to completely restart the franchise (and it is another good draft next year).
Win-win for both those teams. If this works out for Boston, they will be the team to beat the next six or seven years (assuming Kyrie re-signs). Big time move from Ainge.
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I'm an NBA junkie
??? I thought you were a hot spot junkie.
It's a very interesting trade; that's for sure. Great for Boston that they got Kyrie. But I'm not sure what this does for them. It's practically a brand new team. No matter how much talent, I'm not sure how well such a new team can do right out of the gate. I guess we'll see.
Thomas should blossom even further with LeBron and Love to open things up for him.
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I'm skeptical of whether a Wade signing would actually be good for Cleveland. I think that a closing lineup of IT / JR / Crowder / James / Thompson or Love would be better than anything with Wade because he can't shoot or defend.
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Boston overpaid.
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just read the Bucks may have offered Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and a 1st for Kyrie. As a Bucks fan, I'm glad that didn't happen.
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just read the Bucks may have offered Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon and a 1st for Kyrie. As a Bucks fan, I'm glad that didn't happen.
THAT would have been overpaying. I pay a lot of attention to the Bucks, because I love the players on that team. If they are all healthy, I'd love to see what they can do. But there is some player overlap. Middleton and the Freak play the same position (SF) -- and no, I am not attempting to spell the Freak's name. Can Middleton play SG?
Jabari Parker is a SF, but is he big enough to play PF, so Freak can stay at the 3?
I mean a lineup like:
PG - Brogdon
SG - Middleton
SF - Greek Freak
PF - Parker
C - whoever - I personally would consider Monroe if he's tall enough (I didn't look), and didn't like how they made him a bench guy last year.
Is scary good.
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the Bucks like to refer to their players as "positionless". Middleton can play the SG, SF or even PF at times. Giannis can play SF, PF or C. Jabari can play SF and PF. Brogdon can be PG or SG.
It'd be nice if they all could be healthy at the same time, hasn't happened in 2+ years.
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Bucks are ridiculously dangerous. I know from past discussions (now that I think about it) that Monroe is thought to be better off the bench, but I like him as a starter. If that bench develops, and the Greek Freak continues to ascend, Milwaukee is going to shock a lot of people who haven't been paying attention. I fully expect them to go deep in the playoffs this year if they are healthy.
When is that new arena opening? Next season?
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Bucks are ridiculously dangerous. I know from past discussions (now that I think about it) that Monroe is thought to be better off the bench, but I like him as a starter. If that bench develops, and the Greek Freak continues to ascend, Milwaukee is going to shock a lot of people who haven't been paying attention. I fully expect them to go deep in the playoffs this year if they are healthy.
When is that new arena opening? Next season?
yep, new arena start of 2018 season.
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Jae Crowder's mom passed away yesterday from cancer. I can only imagine what he's going through right now.
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Jae Crowder's mom passed away yesterday from cancer. I can only imagine what he's going through right now.
Oh shit!
I freaking love Jae Crowder.
So between my kids and I, we all have jerseys of guys no longer here. My kids have Thomas and Bradley, and I have a Crowder shirt. :facepalm:
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If you were on the Celtics' roster last season, is anyone in your family actually safe?
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This off season has been ridiculous. On what planet does a #1 Seed * get blown up?
Truth is, that roster was maxed out. I think they were willing to go max with Isaiah even though the end of his next contract could be ugly. Kyrie kind of fell in their laps, so it's really a no brainer at that point.
The Celts team had become beloved in this town because they were selfless and overachieving. And Isaiah became an iconic sports figure in this city. His season was one to behold. he was breathtaking. Especially through the playoffs. He made plays that were amazing, and he put that team on his back. I feel bad for him, because he truly seemed to love it here. And the town loved him.
Because of Lebron, the Cavs have to be the team to beat, but this move is for the next 3-f years.
* Cuz the Cavs let them...
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Lebron is gone after this year in Cleveland. There is no way he stays. He hates Dan Gilbert, won a title in Cleveland, and wants to assemble some sort of super team. And I know it is a long shot, but I have a feeling it is going to happen. The question is...where?
I look at the Lakers, and that...it makes sense and it doesn't. Personally, I think both PG 13 and Westbrook are headed to the Lakers as a combo next year. I think Westbrook can opt-out, and PG 13 is a FA. Imagine those two teaming up with Ball and Ingram. So I can't see a Lebron-led "super team" happening there.
The next place that comes to mind is...strangely, Miami. With Bosh off the books, and Wade needing to reconcile with Riley, and some other roster flexibility, imagine James being able to bring himself, Wade, CP3 and Carmelo to Miami for a run. Wade will at best, a sixth man at that point, which will suit him and his balky knees. Lebron will still be a 20-8-8 guy, CP3 still a legit 15-10, and Carmelo will be an 18 ppg guy. And Whiteside plays center. It would be Miami v. Boston for a couple of years.
Plus, while all those guys would need to play on cheaper contracts -- there's no state income tax in Florida, so they do save quite a bit. If they all took say...15 million, you'd have 60 million wrapped up in them, 20 million in Whiteside, and then fill out the rest of the roster. It's totally doable if my memory is right on Miami's expiring deals.
From a storytelling and legacy side, it repairs Wade's connection with the Heat and Riley, it also heals the wounds of Lebron leaving them, gives CP3 and Carmelo the best shot of getting to the NBA finals, and lets Whiteside take on more of a role as he is ready (he is very young even though he's been in the league a few years now).
But even if it is NOT Miami, I just know that some how, some way, Lebron, Wade, Carmelo and CP3 are going to play together. And it isn't going to be in Cleveland.
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Lebron is gone after this year in Cleveland. There is no way he stays. He hates Dan Gilbert, won a title in Cleveland, and wants to assemble some sort of super team. And I know it is a long shot, but I have a feeling it is going to happen. The question is...where?
I look at the Lakers, and that...it makes sense and it doesn't. Personally, I think both PG 13 and Westbrook are headed to the Lakers as a combo next year. I think Westbrook can opt-out, and PG 13 is a FA. Imagine those two teaming up with Ball and Ingram. So I can't see a Lebron-led "super team" happening there.
The next place that comes to mind is...strangely, Miami. With Bosh off the books, and Wade needing to reconcile with Riley, and some other roster flexibility, imagine James being able to bring himself, Wade, CP3 and Carmelo to Miami for a run. Wade will at best, a sixth man at that point, which will suit him and his balky knees. Lebron will still be a 20-8-8 guy, CP3 still a legit 15-10, and Carmelo will be an 18 ppg guy. And Whiteside plays center. It would be Miami v. Boston for a couple of years.
Plus, while all those guys would need to play on cheaper contracts -- there's no state income tax in Florida, so they do save quite a bit. If they all took say...15 million, you'd have 60 million wrapped up in them, 20 million in Whiteside, and then fill out the rest of the roster. It's totally doable if my memory is right on Miami's expiring deals.
From a storytelling and legacy side, it repairs Wade's connection with the Heat and Riley, it also heals the wounds of Lebron leaving them, gives CP3 and Carmelo the best shot of getting to the NBA finals, and lets Whiteside take on more of a role as he is ready (he is very young even though he's been in the league a few years now).
But even if it is NOT Miami, I just know that some how, some way, Lebron, Wade, Carmelo and CP3 are going to play together. And it isn't going to be in Cleveland.
If I were LBJ, and if the Lakers scenario doesn't work out, I would actually look at the 76ers instead of Miami instead. The 76ers are in the east, plus they have a TON of talented young players to surround himself that, the Heat can't offer LBJ. Imagine the 76ers with LBJ on the roster. That team suddenly becomes a contender overnight!
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If I were LBJ, and if the Lakers scenario doesn't work out, I would actually look at the 76ers instead of Miami instead. The 76ers are in the east, plus they have a TON of talented young players to surround himself that, the Heat can't offer LBJ. Imagine the 76ers with LBJ on the roster. That team suddenly becomes a contender overnight!
Well, I playoff contender, yes. But I don't think they'd be a legitimate championship contender. At least, not without adding another couple of pieces in addition to LeBron. 76ers+LBJ still isn't enough to beat the top 3 teams in the west, IMO.
But as far as this coming year, the Cavs suddenly look scary again. Despite losing Kyrie, I think they are the absolute winners in this trade in the short run. I think Boston wins that trade in the long run because I think they can consistently contend with what they are building around. But for this season coming up, I think the Cavs are going to be REALLY tough to beat. If Thomas can stay healthy, I think he will really thrive with having things opened up for him by LeBron and Love. Barring injury, I will be shocked to not see Cleveland make it at least to the East Finals this year.
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Barring injury, I will be shocked to not see Cleveland make it at least to the East Finals this year.
Way to go out on a limb there Bosky! :lol
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What will be most interesting is if the Cavs decide to try and flip that Brooklyn pick at the trade deadline for, say, Paul George. If you're OKC, you know George is leaving anyway. Unless you're on pace for an incredible like 60 win season, that Brooklyn pick is certainly better long-term than one year of PG13. Who knows? Maybe there's some other disgruntled superstar, like a Boogie Cousins. I think the Cavs just might throw everything in one more time to make a real run, especially if LeBron seems like he might be leaving. I think adding a Paul George level wing defender is the only way they have a shot at Golden State.
On the other hand, if it seems LeBron might be out the door, maybe you're keeping the pick to jump-start the rebuild.
Interesting question: say you knew ahead of time that trading for PG would win you the title but also that both he and Lebron were leaving after the season. Do you take the title but have no pieces for the rebuild? Or do you keep the pick and hope you just get REALLY lucky against the Dubs?
I would take the title, but I could see the other side of the argument as well. Of course, in real life they have no way of knowing if such a gamble would pay off...
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But as far as this coming year, the Cavs suddenly look scary again. Despite losing Kyrie, I think they are the absolute winners in this trade in the short run. I think Boston wins that trade in the long run because I think they can consistently contend with what they are building around. But for this season coming up, I think the Cavs are going to be REALLY tough to beat. If Thomas can stay healthy, I think he will really thrive with having things opened up for him by LeBron and Love. Barring injury, I will be shocked to not see Cleveland make it at least to the East Finals this year.
Most people here feel the same way.
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Barring injury, I will be shocked to not see Cleveland make it at least to the East Finals this year.
Way to go out on a limb there Bosky! :lol
:lol Well, I wasn't trying to say anything profound. I know it's fairly obvious. I'm just commenting on how they are right back in position as the East favorites with a VERY late move when it looked like the team was imploding and might be on the ropes a few weeks ago.
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Barring injury, I will be shocked to not see Cleveland make it at least to the East Finals this year.
Way to go out on a limb there Bosky! :lol
:lol Well, I wasn't trying to say anything profound. I know it's fairly obvious. I'm just commenting on how they are right back in position as the East favorites with a VERY late move when it looked like the team was imploding and might be on the ropes a few weeks ago.
Yea, you're totally right. Just giving you a hard time. I hope that they're challenged by the Celtics or anyone else in the East this year. Their series against my Raptors a couple of years ago wasn't as competitive as it felt and their series against Boston last year was an absolute joke. I'm ready for something more tightly contested.
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Not so fast Boston... Cavs weighing options after evaluating Isaiah Thomas' hip following his physical
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/901281166191321089
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Well, the NBA is addressing the issue of the West being more loaded than the East (kind of) and are changing the format of the All Star Game
https://sports.yahoo.com/captains-will-now-pick-teams-nbas-revamped-star-game-format-192511244.html (https://sports.yahoo.com/captains-will-now-pick-teams-nbas-revamped-star-game-format-192511244.html)
Truth is, I haven't watched the ASG in a while now so this really doesn't change anything for me. I think on top of that they should change the voting system and get rid of voting for east and west since now you'll have bad players in there. Well, given that Gortat has been an All Star in the past I should say you'll get even worse players...
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I think this is silly, honestly. So, the captains pick the teams of the fan-voted guys. Woo.
Snore...
Lebron -- "I pick Wade, Anthony, and CP3. Fuck Kyrie."
Steph - "I pick Durant, Klay, Green. And my wife picks Westbrook. Woo."
ZZZ...ZZZ...ZZZ.
This isn't the way to fix the all star game. The way to fix it is to have it mean something. Winning team take-all, 150 million. 15 guys per squad. Cash is king. They'd play, and play hard. You have it sponsored by a handful of huge companies.
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I honestly don't have an issue with it the way it is, or any of the other sports. A cash bonus? That's fine. I like that. Much better than what baseball did.
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Well, the team that wins will donate money to a charity of their choosing so that's an incentive. And their rationale is that by guys playing with their "friends" things might get interesting. Also, can you imagine Lebron and KD being captains, Lebron picking Westbrook, KD picking Kyrie? That would stir things up in an interesting way
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It would be nice if Adam Silver sat down with the players, told them to play semi-respectable ball, and everyone listened. Unfortunately, things are never quite that simple. While this new format will improve the game in some ways, it will still probably be a completely unwatchable dunk-fest. :lol
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It would be nice if Adam Silver sat down with the players, told them to play semi-respectable ball, and everyone listened. Unfortunately, things are never quite that simple. While this new format will improve the game in some ways, it will still probably be a completely unwatchable dunk-fest. :lol
They actually did that after last year's game. The players said they would put more effort into it this time. We´ll have to wait and see if that's true.
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It would be nice if Adam Silver sat down with the players, told them to play semi-respectable ball, and everyone listened. Unfortunately, things are never quite that simple. While this new format will improve the game in some ways, it will still probably be a completely unwatchable dunk-fest. :lol
Apparently all Silver needs to do is make it a rule, then send a memo reminding everyone about it.
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It would be nice if Adam Silver sat down with the players, told them to play semi-respectable ball, and everyone listened. Unfortunately, things are never quite that simple. While this new format will improve the game in some ways, it will still probably be a completely unwatchable dunk-fest. :lol
Apparently all Silver needs to do is make it a rule, then send a memo reminding everyone about it.
That whole lottery reform situation was super sketch. I was listening to a podcast with Zach Lowe and Jeff Van Gundy the other day, and they basically said that a ton of teams actually opposed the league's proposal, but they voted for it anyway because they were afraid of blowback. Call me naive, but it shouldn't work that way. Teams shouldn't be afraid to vote truthfully. :police:
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Looking forward to opening night tonight. A couple of great games for what may very well end up being the final four come this Spring.
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Definitely.
Sucks not having Isiah playing. Has anything definitive been said on Lebron's status?
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Definitely.
Sucks not having Isiah playing. Has anything definitive been said on Lebron's status?
Status: Best Player in the League
Good enough for ya?
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That. Is. Amazing.
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Go Milwaukee Antetokounmpos!
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Not that anyone puts a ton of stock into power rankings, especially before a single regular season game has been played, but did anyone notice how high the Wolves are ranked? ESPN has them at #9 overall and #4 in the east. I hope they can live up to that.
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:omg:
OUCH!
:omg: :omg: :omg:
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There goes the Celtics season.
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That is one of the ugliest things I've ever seen in sports. My God.
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As gruesome a sports injury as you'll see, This was the basketball version of Joe Theisman.
It makes Lebron's foot up the Celtics ass not seem quite so bad.
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As gruesome a sports injury as you'll see, This was the basketball version of Joe Theisman.
Not sure I want to see a replay of that. Yikes.
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You don't. I was actually going to rewind it and post a pic, but I had switched over to the baseball game.
Edit. The Internet FTW!!
(https://pmchollywoodlife.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/asap-gordon-hayward-break-his-leg-in-absolutely-brutal-crash-during-nba-opening-game-vs-cavs-ftr-1.jpg?w=620)
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On Twitter they have the reaction from the Cavaliers bench when they see the injury and they all turn away in disgust it's actually scary.
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WTF is Twitter? Post an image, jerk.
;D
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Check out @bubbaprog’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/920448092889145348?s=09
Good luck non Twitter old man!
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Oh my God, that is an awesome reaction. Wow.
Who the fuck is bubba prog?? :lol
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:lol
I know right! That is gruesome just watching their reaction.
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I actually have my (Celtics) Crowder shirt on. I love that guy.
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Tough grinder. He was the ultimate team player.
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Celtics WTF??
Wow what a great game. The Celts shot very cold after Hayward's injury.
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TSN showed the replay of the full play, but only once. The snap was quite audible. :|
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(https://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images/team_logos/328x328/minnesota_timberwolves.png)
Remember that logo well. Tonight starts the march toward June! Go Wolves!!!
>>>>>>>>Awful on the Gordon Hayward injury. I was watching, but had looked away on that play. Glad I did, after I saw the replay. Wishing Gordon a speedy recovery. Man...
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I don't ever want to see the Hayward injury. Sounds horrific. I hope that he recovers well and can continue with his great career.
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I was watching the game last night and the moment were Hayward got injured was just horrific. The Celtics were clearly hit by that but seemed to recover after half time. I was eally hoping this would the year we would see a different finals matchup but I guess it won't be happening.
I guess I'll have to just enjoy teams that I think will be great in the future like the wolves or the bucks.
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Like everyone has said it, I too wish Hayward a speedy recovery.
Back to the game itself, the Dubs played way too loose last night especially in the 4th qtr; as if this was still a pre-season game. I think they will be fine down the road, but it was still a terrible effort by the defending champs... against supposedly the team that could challenge them in the West. Also, I hope D-Green is ok after he strained his knee late in the 3rd qtr...
The T-Wolves... not exactly disappointed at them, I know they are young despite their depth. I am most interested to see Thib's rotation. He is known for running his starters to the ground, but this year the T-Wolves are supposed to be much deeper than ever.
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Charles had it right the other day when he said we can talk about this and talk about that for the next six months, but it's gonna be Warriors/Cavs again, and everybody knows it. Boston would have had a puncher's chance with Hayward, but now they have no chance.
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The T-Wolves... not exactly disappointed at them, I know they are young despite their depth. I am most interested to see Thib's rotation. He is known for running his starters to the ground, but this year the T-Wolves are supposed to be much deeper than ever.
The Wolves looked sloppy, which I expected. I am completely shocked at Thibs not playing Jeff Teague in the 4th. You paid the man to be your floor general, he was having a good game (a couple of costly turnovers, but who hasn't done that), and then you bench him for Tyus Jones in the 4th when trying to rally? ???
That was, frankly, dumb, and I don't understand it at all. You don't have to send a message to Teague -- dude is a vet. He gets it. And Thibs sat Butler WAY too long. It is one game, and I am sure the rotation will work itself out. But I can't help but put that loss on Thibs' rotation decisions in the 4th. Really poor.
Hopefully, that is NOT a sign of things to come. That was a game the Wolves should have won, particularly without Leonard playing.
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Jeremy Lin also out for the season with patellar tendon rupture...
This season blows so far!!!
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Jeremy Lin also out for the season with patellar tendon rupture...
This season blows so far!!!
Horrible. That guy cannot get a break. Seriously. I am pulling for him, but to be honest, I thought the Nets were likely going to be his last chance as a starter. And by the time he gets back next season, they'll have probably moved on, and he'll be a bench guy once again.
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Giannis put up 37/13 and didn't play that great in the Bucks win over the Celtics.
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Giannis put up 37/13 and didn't play that great in the Bucks win over the Celtics.
What do you mean he didn't play that great?? Looked pretty great to me.
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Man oh man... I knew Ball won't have an easy one going into tonight, but what a rude welcome he received, lol. :lol Poor guy, he has a target on his back and everyone is going to try to beat him AND make him look bad.
On the other hand, Ingram, Ball and Kuzma only scored 23 points combined? Good luck winning any game like that... :facepalm:
On second thought, maybe I should exclude Kuzma from the list... the dude played less than 20 minutes but scored 8pts himself... still, it was not a good outing, and I am sure there will be many nights like this going forward until Ball and Ingram can find ways to attack and score consistently.
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Being fair to ball, he had to play all night against one of the toughest defenders in the league and it was his first NBA game ever, this game shouldn't be indicative of anything.
As far as the Lakers overall, does anyone really expect them to be good this season? They're still too young and getting to know each other. In 2 or 3 years they'll be a threat, untill then people should be patient with them.
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Being fair to ball, he had to play all night against one of the toughest defenders in the league and it was his first NBA game ever, this game shouldn't be indicative of anything.
As far as the Lakers overall, does anyone really expect them to be good this season? They're still too young and getting to know each other. In 2 or 3 years they'll be a threat, untill then people should be patient with them.
As a long time Lakers fan, I don't think I was being too critical on Ball last time, lol! :lol Either way, love the efforts @ Suns tonight, and I especially love Ingram's aggressiveness. That's the way to go, guy! Lonzo was spectacular tonight, and hopefully he can keep things steady and don't force anything even when we are losing. :hat
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Giannis’ first 3 games 2017-18
13-22 FG, 37 PTS
15-22 FG, 34 PTS
17-23 FG, 44 PTS
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I doubt it will happen, but Curry should get suspended for at least a game or two. Just like the NFL suspended Marshawn Lynch because you can't have players grabbing and pushing officials, the NBA cannot have star players thinking they can throw things at officials. A message has to be sent.
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I doubt it will happen, but Curry should get suspended for at least a game or two. Just like the NFL suspended Marshawn Lynch because you can't have players grabbing and pushing officials, the NBA cannot have star players thinking they can throw things at officials. A message has to be sent.
Totally agree.
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Watson got fired in Phoenix and broke Mike Brown's record of 5 games when he was still with the Lakers, lol. :lol
On second thought, I don't feel too bad for him. The Suns aren't ready for the season, nor I see any improvement over the past 2 plus years in AZ. Dan Majerle might be the man for this gig?
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Nah, he should coach the Thunder.
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Nah, he should coach the Thunder.
Lol! Thunder Dan! :lol Good one... :lol
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Glad you got it.
:floydapproves:
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Ball shot a bit too many times, and I thought Ingram could have been a bit more assertive with his game. Oh well, live and learn...
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Watson got fired in Phoenix and broke Mike Brown's record of 5 games when he was still with the Lakers, lol. :lol
On second thought, I don't feel too bad for him. The Suns aren't ready for the season, nor I see any improvement over the past 2 plus years in AZ. Dan Majerle might be the man for this gig?
Him being hired as the coach was ridiculous to begin with. He hadn't even been an assistant coach for a full year. The only thing they've been doing good is drafting players. They need to get a coach like Jason Kidd who is able to develop young players
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Wow, the Knicks suck! WTF?? Who is running this team? How can a NY team suck this bad?
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Wow, the Knicks suck! WTF?? Who is running this team? How can a NY team suck this bad?
:lol Have you been in a coma for the past decade?
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Wow, the Knicks suck! WTF?? Who is running this team? How can a NY team suck this bad?
Haven't been watching the Rangers this month, have you?
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Wow, the Knicks suck! WTF?? Who is running this team? How can a NY team suck this bad?
Haven't been watching the Rangers this month, have you?
Haven't been watching the Jest since 2011, have you?
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Thanks Gortat for the added motivation, lol. :lol
Torture Ball they did... but they forgot how to beat us as a team!!
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Thanks Gortat for the added motivation, lol. :lol
Torture Ball they did... but they forgot how to beat us as a team!!
Scott Brooks is an awful coach, I don't know how he gets to coach such good teams. His offense is basically pick and roll or Iso plays which means if wall or beal are not having a good game you're done which is the same thing that happened when he was in OKC. I like this wizards team but they are in need of some good coaching if they want to make it far in the playoffs
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Great road win by the Celts at Milwaukee. They ran a play near the end of the 4th quarter, and they shot to Kidd, and he had that "WTF did they just do" look on his face. :lol
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Great road win by the Celts at Milwaukee. They ran a play near the end of the 4th quarter, and they shot to Kidd, and he had that "WTF did they just do" look on his face. :lol
Kidd is a bad coach and many Milwaukee fans want him gone.
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Great road win by the Celts at Milwaukee. They ran a play near the end of the 4th quarter, and they shot to Kidd, and he had that "WTF did they just do" look on his face. :lol
Kidd is a bad coach and many Milwaukee fans want him gone.
What was funny was that they did a mike'd up in the huddle, and he says something like "If you guys got nothing, just dribble it out". I was thinking why put them in a position to have nothing. It sounded defeatist.
And yes, the Celts benefitted early from some calls. It's like when officiating can't get any worse, it does.
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Wow! First the Cavs, now the Spurs?! The Magic is ready for the playoffs! Lol! :lol
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/thunder-plane-damaged-during-flight-no-one-hurt/ar-AAuacIs?li=BBnb7Kz
:omg:
Holy shit!
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Another game, another L for my Lakers...
Our problem this year ain't Ball's poor shooting. Rather collectively we fail to execute transition D, and we can't defend pick and roll plays to save our lives. And for whatever weird reasons, we don't seem to box out very well either. Combining with all of that, we keep turning the ball over are what kill us thus far in this young season. Like tonight, the Jazz ain't even playing well at all, but we keep giving them second or even third possession each time down the court! Or, we would make a mini run and did good on D for a few possessions, and suddenly we stood around collectively for no good reasons.
I think Luke might seriously have to consider playing Lopez off the bench and start Bogut. Our offense seemed smoother and we rebounded better in the few minutes Bogut was on the floor in the 3rd qtr.
By the way, I am going to keep an eye on the Jazz' rookie Donavan Mitchell from now on. That dude is awesome in this game!
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Azyiu, how is Kuzma doing? I don't think that guy missed a shot in summer league.
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Azyiu, how is Kuzma doing? I don't think that guy missed a shot in summer league.
Kuzma has been great coming off the bench, and he has pretty good basketball IQ on the offensive end I'd like to see him against the basketball slightly more instead of jacking up jumpers. As a team we don't attack the hoop enough! Again, not sure if it is a team thing, I thought he could have been more assertive on D. Overall, I love this kid and I think he will have a long career in this league.
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I think he was the steal of the draft.
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By the way, I am going to keep an eye on the Jazz' rookie Donavan Mitchell from now on. That dude is awesome in this game!
Already has a sure-fire "dunk of the year" entry:
https://streamable.com/3dld7 (https://streamable.com/3dld7)
Alt angles: https://streamable.com/03gqz (https://streamable.com/03gqz)
JUST DAMN
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https://www.facebook.com/notes/gordon-hayward/in-an-instant/729977353869385/
A really great read.
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The Cavaliers really stink but LeBron is awesome. A 57-point game during his age 33 season and 15 years in? What the hell? That just doesn't happen. I just wish he was on a better team, which is ironic because LeBron is at fault for a lot of their terrible roster decisions.
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The Dubs were so cruel @ Denver tonight... after leading 36-23 after the 1st qtr, they actually "let" the Nuggets to make a 20+ to 3 run in the 2nd qtr, and let them have the lead for a while... and then they promptly went on to score 43pts in the 3rd qtr alone and erased all hopes for the Nuggets... damn! That's cruel basketball, lol! :biggrin: :hefdaddy :omg:
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Eric Bledsoe to Milwaukee for center Greg Monroe and a first-round pick!!
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21326383/phoenix-suns-finalizing-deal-send-eric-bledsoe-milwaukee-bucks (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21326383/phoenix-suns-finalizing-deal-send-eric-bledsoe-milwaukee-bucks)
On second thought, why would the Suns want another center who can't really shoot? They got some other deals in the work? Either that, or they just wanted to let his final year to run out, and rid themselves that $17M off of their book.
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Well, Bledsoe didn't want to be there anymore so getting rid of him and getting return is already a plus. They don't really need another big man but he can provide some scoring and as you said, he's next year is an option so they can just sit him and expect him not to opt in so they can save some cap space. I'm not sure how Bledsoe will do in the Bucks given he's a ball dominant player but mayber Kidd can find a way to put him in the rotation without hurting the team.
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Ball becomes the youngest player to earn a triple-doubles in the NBA @ Bucks tonight... :hat, but we suck as a team!! Can someone make a gd FT? And stop f-ing turn the ball over or something? >:(
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13 in a row for the C's. Very impressive.
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13 in a row for the C's. Very impressive.
I'm amazed by this to be honest. I know Stevens is a good coach but losing Hayward and then go on this winning streak missing Horford and Irving for a couple of games and still be able to keep it going is just incredible. I think this is the year he gets COTY
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13 in a row for the C's. Very impressive.
I'm amazed by this to be honest. I know Stevens is a good coach but losing Hayward and then go on this winning streak missing Horford and Irving for a couple of games and still be able to keep it going is just incredible. I think this is the year he gets COTY
He has to, at least if this continues. The Celtics are playing incredible defense, which has a lot to do with personnel, but a lot to do with coaching as well. Stevens has done a great job of setting up a Spurs-like culture that will probably continue pumping out 50-win seasons for the foreseeable future.
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Big game tonight.
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Go Warriors. :lol :lol
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I wish the Celtics suck for eternity... just kidding, but as a life-long Lakers fan, y'all expect me to wish them well? Lol! :biggrin:
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Go Warriors. :lol :lol
Wow Kev! Is it a Boston thing with you?
Celts can't hit the ocean tonight.
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Go Warriors. :lol :lol
What do you know about basketball? LOL
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How is St.Louis doing this year?
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Wow Kev! Is it a Boston thing with you?
No, it's a "giving you guys" shit thing. :lol :lol
What do you know about basketball? LOL
I know that LeBron is the GOAT.
How is St.Louis doing this year?
0-0 against the Oilers in the 1st period.
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;D :lol
What a run by the C's right now.
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They can't fucking shoot! Get Brown back in the game!
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Smart is a brick machine.
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Even on layups! :facepalm: :lol
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No shit! :rollin
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Been a great game. Too many turnovers here at the end.
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Holy crap. 4 point lead with 6.7 seconds left!
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Great win by the C's!
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Joe, the best part is watching Kyle Draper lose his mind on CSNNE.
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Talking to he White Mamba. :lol
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Wow @ the Dubs! Coming back from a 22 pts halftime deficit and then lead by 10pts at the end of 3rd qtr @ 76ers. No disrespecting the 76ers, but this shows you how good the Dubs are... IF they put their collective minds in the game!! They know they are good, and it seems to me sometimes they just give half effort in some games :hat
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Manu Ginobli is playing incredible basketball for someone who is 40 and has had a history of ankle and knee problems!
Spurs offense is solid, but im worried about their defense. Maybe that will change when Kawhi and Tony comes back.
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Manu Ginobli is playing incredible basketball for someone who is 40 and has had a history of ankle and knee problems!
Spurs offense is solid, but im worried about their defense. Maybe that will change when Kawhi and Tony comes back.
Exactly, but I am more worried about Kawhi's health.
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No Curry. No Green. No Pachulia. No Livingston. No problem. :lol
Yeah, that was a narrow win. But down 3 starters and their backup PG, and STILL pulling out the win? Come ON!
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Quite right, we suck, lol!!
By the way, I know y'all don't give a damn, but Kobe didn't even stay for OT at the Warriors @ Lakers game last night in LA... that's real support for the team, what a jerk? Lol!! :lol
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Yeah, I saw that he left early. SMH
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I absolutely hate those NBA Officiating Last Two Minute Reports!! IMO, they ain't doing anything good but to throw those refs off the bus!!
The NBA needs to learn from the NFL, and allow refs to reverse calls, call fouls after video reviews and what not. Otherwise these reports do nothing good to the game.
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New 4th uniforms for each team based on their city.
https://news.sportslogos.net/2017/12/27/nba-city-edition-uniforms-official-unveiled-by-nike/
I LOVE the Heat's and Clippers retro look. I wish teams had the balls to wear those colors full time.
Disappointed on my team the Hornets uniform. Their previous black jersey was black and teal which I loved. I like the colored pattern down the side of this one but the rest is blah.
I also like Dallas, Utah, Orlando and Atlanta's uniforms.
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James Harden gave that game to the C's!!! What a comeback from 26 down!!
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James Harden gave that game to the C's!!! What a comeback from 26 down!!
My thoughts exactly!! Talk about giving the game away in spectacular fashion!! :hat
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James Harden gave that game to the C's!!! What a comeback from 26 down!!
Great game. Even the Bruins grabbed a point in Washington on the second night of a back to back.
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The Caps are the B's Ravens versus the Pats. What a damn win for the C's crazy!
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Oh boy, you can't give away a game like that. There's some good acting by Smart to get those offensive fouls on Harden because let's be honest, every player shoves the defender like that to get some space to receive the ball. But still, Houson should have had that one in the bag a lot earlier
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New 4th uniforms for each team based on their city.
https://news.sportslogos.net/2017/12/27/nba-city-edition-uniforms-official-unveiled-by-nike/
I LOVE the Heat's and Clippers retro look. I wish teams had the balls to wear those colors full time.
Disappointed on my team the Hornets uniform. Their previous black jersey was black and teal which I loved. I like the colored pattern down the side of this one but the rest is blah.
I also like Dallas, Utah, Orlando and Atlanta's uniforms.
Yeah, some of them are pretty cool. Others not so much. Overall, I like the Warriors' new one, even if the colors might generally be a bit too bold for my tastes. I read the explanations for some of them, and there are a few that don't immediately resonate, but that are really cool once you discover some of the subtle callbacks to the local culture that are embedded in them. One that I did immediately pick up on that isn't mentioned in the article is that the lines on the sides of the shorts are a reference to the new Bay Bridge span, and its very iconic construction. Kind of similar to how the striping on the Nets' uniform is a reference to the Brooklyn Bridge. I would consider buying it if there was a sleeved version (not into wearing tank tops much, except around the house). I have the 2016 Chinese New Year jersey, and think it looks really cool (this one, but Curry: https://www.warriorsteamstore.com/product/Klay_Thompson_Jersey:_adidas_2016_Chinese_Heritage__11_Swingman_Jersey_-_Slate ) Charlotte, Cleveland, and Indiana look cool too.
I do NOT like Antlanta's or Utah's. Or Miami's.
In general, some of the more plain throwback designs don't do it for me. Some do. But I think a lot of them are just TOO simple and understated for my tastes. Maybe that's just a product of where we are with uniforms now and me liking the familiar. But I just don't care for many of the overly-simple ones.
Oh boy, you can't give away a game like that. There's some good acting by Smart to get those offensive fouls on Harden because let's be honest, every player shoves the defender like that to get some space to receive the ball. But still, Houson should have had that one in the bag a lot earlier
Yes and no in terms of acting. Harden was just too aggressive. Smart smartly planted his feel. You can't just bulldoze through a player like that and knock him to the ground. You just can't. And the fact that he had been called on the exact same thing a minute earlier made it even more stupid. Harden just bugs me. And every time I hear about him doing something cool in his community and start to maybe think I'll feel differently about him, he does something on court or says something in a presser that just makes me shake my head and dislike the guy all over again.
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Okay, item #2 in this article is amazing! :lol https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21906021/zach-lowe-10-things-like-including-warriors-thunder-nba
2. Ghost free throw high-fives
DeMar DeRozan is the new master of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkIIJyMEQ60
Marvel at the level of craft! DeRozan doesn't just high-five random pockets of air. He strides forward, as he would after a normal free throw, looks to his left at one imaginary low-five recipient, and then does the same to his ghost teammate on the right. That is borderline Method.
Joel Embiid is also doing this on technical free throws, and it's awesome. I don't even care if they are mocking the tradition or paying homage to it. It's an easy thing poke fun at, but at least some studies have shown winning teams high-five more. I don't buy the cause-and-effect there, but maybe ritualized high-fiving makes free throw shooters feel comfortable. The whole thing is kind of charming -- a bit of grade-school sportsmanship so ingrained, it persists within a billion-dollar business. No one is too cool for a high-five.
Also, no one will ever beat Andrew Bogut's rapid-fire air high-fives when no teammate offered one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc11PUnFgkQ). That is the Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" of the genre.
And, yeah, you HAVE TO watch the DeRozan and Bogut clips for full effect.
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As far as the new jerseys, I like the Denver and Indiana ones the best.
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I love the subtle details in the Lakers' Black Mamba one.
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Oh, is that why it's black? I didn't make the connection. Oh, and fuck Kobe! ;D
Oh, and Avery "I'm going to pay you off even though I didn't do anything" Bradley. :lol
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Oh, is that why it's black? I didn't make the connection. Oh, and fuck Kobe! ;D
Oh, and Avery "I'm going to pay you off even though I didn't do anything" Bradley. :lol
You sir are funny! :lol
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F-ing NBA, why bother with video replay late in game, if you ain't going to correct yet another missed call?!
Antetokounmpo clearly stepped out of bound for his "winning" lay in, but the refs refused to look at the video replay and correct that missed call!! The game should have gone to OT, you MFs!! >:( :censored >:( :censored
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We just watched that. The official was clearly not looking at the feet, and was looking for an upper body foul, but watching it live, it was out of bounds.
I just said to my son, that the NBA officiating is the absolute worst. Last night's Celtics game was atrocious, as it is every game.
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Pretty sure the rules only allow for reviewing to overturn or not overturn a possible poor call, not a non-call. Since there was no call on the play, no way to review it. Had they called him out of bounds then it could have been reviewed. Still awful though. Perhaps each team should get 1 challenge per NBA game that can review any aspect of the play in question. And maybe it costs the team 1 free throw if it's not overturned... who knows? But they have to do something different bc it's getting ridiculous!
Okay, item #2 in this article is amazing! :lol https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21906021/zach-lowe-10-things-like-including-warriors-thunder-nba
Zach Lowe is the best NBA writer, hands down!
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F-ing NBA, why bother with video replay late in game, if you ain't going to correct yet another missed call?!
Antetokounmpo clearly stepped out of bound for his "winning" lay in, but the refs refused to look at the video replay and correct that missed call!! The game should have gone to OT, you MFs!! >:( :censored >:( :censored
Looked good to me. ;)
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Looked good to me. ;)
You funny Bucks fan, you lol! :lol
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I love the subtle details in the Lakers' Black Mamba one.
Yeah, that's one where I wouldn't have picked up on what they were going for had I not read the description. But knowing what it is, it's pretty cool.
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Bucks fired Jason Kidd.
Hallelujah.
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Bucks fired Jason Kidd.
Hallelujah.
Do you think Mark Jackson will be a good replacement?
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Bucks fired Jason Kidd.
Hallelujah.
Do you think Mark Jackson will be a good replacement?
Absolutely not.
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Bucks fired Jason Kidd.
Hallelujah.
Do you think Mark Jackson will be a good replacement?
Absolutely not.
Just out of curiosity, why not? Although he only coached for a short time, he established a pretty good track record. He took a team that had a losing record and had only made the playoffs once in the prior 17 years, and within a year, took them to the playoffs two years in a row and improved their regular season record each year. Notwithstanding what Kerr has been able to do in taking the Warriors to the next level, fans here were furious when Jackson was let go.
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Bucks fired Jason Kidd.
Hallelujah.
Do you think Mark Jackson will be a good replacement?
Absolutely not.
Just out of curiosity, why not? Although he only coached for a short time, he established a pretty good track record. He took a team that had a losing record and had only made the playoffs once in the prior 17 years, and within a year, took them to the playoffs two years in a row and improved their regular season record each year. Notwithstanding what Kerr has been able to do in taking the Warriors to the next level, fans here were furious when Jackson was let go.
Did Mark Jackson make the Warriors better or did Curry and Thompson make the Warriors better? I'm guessing the later otherwise Jackson would still be the coach. I could also ask you why hasn't Jackson been hired by any other team over the last three seasons?
Personally I want to see an Eric Spoelstra type coach end up in Milwaukee. What that guy has done in Miami after losing Lebron, Wade and Bosh has been amazing.
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Bucks fired Jason Kidd.
Hallelujah.
Do you think Mark Jackson will be a good replacement?
Absolutely not.
Just out of curiosity, why not? Although he only coached for a short time, he established a pretty good track record. He took a team that had a losing record and had only made the playoffs once in the prior 17 years, and within a year, took them to the playoffs two years in a row and improved their regular season record each year. Notwithstanding what Kerr has been able to do in taking the Warriors to the next level, fans here were furious when Jackson was let go.
Did Mark Jackson make the Warriors better or did Curry and Thompson make the Warriors better? I'm guessing the later otherwise Jackson would still be the coach. I could also ask you why hasn't Jackson been hired by any other team over the last three seasons?
That's always the question in these situations, right? I suspect that both sides of that played into it (as well as other factors as well). I'm not saying Jackson is solely responsible for their success. Just pointing out that he does deserve some of the credit. His players and the Kerr regime (including Kerr himself) certainly credit him with being instrumental in the team's rise. If you don't think he is a good coach, or just don't think he's a good fit for the team, that's fine. I'm just asking why, that's all.
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I read that Monty Williams is the nr 1 candidate to take the spot. I was thinking maybe Fitzdale is also a good option.
Regarding the Mark Jackson discussion, maybe he doesn't want to coach anymore and that's why he hasn't been hired? Also, maybe he's viewed as a coach to rebuild a franchise but not one that can lead a team to a championship. Who knows
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Dear Little King, you are the best. Be humble and rejoice in your accomplishments. Signed Big King, posting on Instagram. :facepalm:
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While I'm sure that the Raptors will crumble in the playoffs like always, I am cautiously hoping that they actually do well this year. Now is the time to make it to the Finals. Boston is awesome but not quite as good as their record, at least in my opinion, and everyone else in the East is only "pretty good" at best so far.
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While I'm sure that the Raptors will crumble in the playoffs like always, I am cautiously hoping that they actually do well this year. Now is the time to make it to the Finals. Boston is awesome but not quite as good as their record, at least in my opinion, and everyone else in the East is only "pretty good" at best so far.
Yep, looks like the Raptors have a good chance. Boston needs to get things sorted out, they've been out of form lately but I think they're still the nr 1 candidate to lose to the warriors in the finals.
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My two favorite uniforms went head to head tonight: Heat's new Miami Vice vs. Hornets' teal. Looked great. I LOVE the Heat's vice colors, with the 80's theme branding.
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My two favorite uniforms went head to head tonight: Heat's new Miami Vice vs. Hornets' teal. Looked great. I LOVE the Heat's vice colors, with the 80's theme branding.
How about the Mavs and the T-Wolves? They have two of the ugliest alternate jerseys I have ever seen... geez... :tdwn
(https://s3media.247sports.com/Uploads/Assets/948/989/7989948.jpg)
(https://www.nbajerseyonline.shop/images/minnesota-timberwolves/jimmy-butler-men's-2017-18-statement-timberwolves-green-jersey.jpg)
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I totally disagree, I love those colors. That's partially why I'm a Seahawks fan.
I usually dislike boring basic uniforms with traditional colors.
I loved the Hornets black & teal unis in the last couple of seasons, but now it's mainly black & white. Too basic for my liking. Without the colored pattern on the sides, it would basically be the Nets.
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First the Hornets can't get back to the playoffs, then Baylor goes 3-10 in Big 12 play, now the Heat can barely get a win. I just should stop following basketball. ::)
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Toronto v Boston: Different sport.
Hopefully a different outcome.
:bringiton:
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Should be a great game.
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Should be a great game.
Indeed it was!
(https://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/layeth-the-smacketh-down-.png)
Revenge for Saturday night. :D
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The Raptors own us.
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The Cavs' meltdown continues... :corn
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Porzingis goes down with an ACL tear.
Injuries have really wrecked havoc this season.
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Porzingis goes down with an ACL tear.
Injuries have really wrecked havoc this season.
Yes. It's hard that the NBA changed the schedule to try and prevent them and we still see lots of players going down for the whole season, and so many being starts, Connelley, Hayward, Poringis, Cousins.
I don't know what else they can do about this issue, maybe teams need to take a closer look at how the players are preparing phisically, I have a feeling that pre-season conditioning is not being done right.
The Cavs' meltdown continues... :corn
This has been the most interesting thing to wath this season to be honest.
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Bucks 7-1 since firing Kidd.
Not stunned.
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the Cavs have traded half of their roster today.
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Yeah, they have a brand new team.
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the Cavs have traded half of their roster today.
Yea, maybe getting Wade back will be the wake up call the Heat need. I mean losing to the Magic? Cmon man. And hopefully Kemba can still stay with the Hornets.
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I am shocked that Zaza Pachulia tried to intentionally injure someone again, said no one with any objectivity ever.
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In basketball terms, Zaza is the scum of the earth. The only reason why he has a job with the Dubs is because of his dirty works, or else he has nearly zero basketball value.
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I find it funny that some people believe it was not intentional. Yes he got hit at the back of his knee but he starts falling very slowly and looks like he is aiming where he is going.
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I find it funny that some people claim to be sure what somebody else's intent is.
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For those who have Twitter. Looks like his leg was hooked pulling him down.
Check out @GreggDoyelStar’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/GreggDoyelStar/status/967787927613988865?s=09
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Bosk's real name is Gregg? :neverusethis:
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:lol
That's an Indianapolis sports writer.
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Hornets win their 5th in a row and Wade gives the Heat the game winner! I'm feeling good after the break!
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I tuned in to the last 5 mins and OT of the Raptors/Pistons on Wednesday... damn that was an amazing stretch of b-ball.
Raptors killed it in the first quarter tonight, and then coasted to a narrow victory to break the Rockets' 17 game winning streak.
There could be a deep playoff run in the making
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The Raptors are legitimately great. If they keep it up, they have a good chance at the Finals. What usually happens though is that they drop a level and the Cavaliers go up a level.
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The Raptors are legitimately great. If they keep it up, they have a good chance at the Finals. What usually happens though is that they drop a level and the Cavaliers go up a level.
They spent most of the off-season working on their 3-point game, cuz that's where the Cavs killed us last year. I think they're 4th in the league in attempts per game. It was certainly the difference last night - Houston was throwing up bricks from beyond the arc.
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Huge win by my Wolves yesterday. They played great, except for that stretch with Derrick Rose. I supported the latter's signing, but if he's going to play like that, he should sit on the bench with Cole Aldrich.
I really thought the defense against the Ws was outstanding.
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And in other news, Isaiah Thomas handed out 9 dimes in win over the Cavs!! I bet even the Cavs didn't know he could or would pass the rock, lol!! :lol Not bad for a guy auditioning for a big contract this summer. :tup
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And in other news, Isaiah Thomas handed out 9 dimes in win over the Cavs!! I bet even the Cavs didn't know he could or would pass the rock, lol!! :lol Not bad for a guy auditioning for a big contract this summer. :tup
I love IT. Been following him since he was on the Kings. For me, he is the most intriguing story line for this summer. Will someone give him a big deal? If so, where? Looking at the NBA landscape, he's a ball dominant guard, who depends on his legs and speed, and now hitting 30. I can't imagine most teams would turn around and give him that big five year, 150 million deal. I just don't.
And what teams have an opening for a ball dominant point guard who is a bit of a defensive liability? I mean, San Antonio would sign him if it was reasonable, to replace Tony Parker who is probably going to hang it up. But where else are viable locations? I just don't really see any. If IT is willing to do a reasonable contract, something four years, and say 80 million (yeah, that's reasonable), maybe Boston would re-sign him as a sixth man, but Thomas doesn't want that.
I just don't see a starting PG job out there for him. Not one that would make sense, anyway. The Clippers, perhaps?
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I would think he will just shop and take the best deal he can make, even if it means a compromise on his part in terms of his role. I could be wrong, but I just think that he has to have known that, given his size, he had a fairly limited window to be a super star, and that window is closing. If he's smart, he will suck it up and take the longest-term, biggest guaranteed dollar contract he can get, regardless of role, and take care of his money so that he is set up nicely when he has to hang it up.
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I would think he will just shop and take the best deal he can make, even if it means a compromise on his part in terms of his role. I could be wrong, but I just think that he has to have known that, given his size, he had a fairly limited window to be a super star, and that window is closing. If he's smart, he will suck it up and take the longest-term, biggest guaranteed dollar contract he can get, regardless of role, and take care of his money so that he is set up nicely when he has to hang it up.
That would be the smart financial decision. But again, what team is going to shell out for IT? He's talking up the Lakers real nice and embracing his 6th man role with them, but they obviously can offer more than anyone else. So that's pretty smart on his part. But don't tell me ego won't play into this. Of course it will.
I love IT and his game. Guy shows guts and lays it out there like every game is his last. But I just don't see him getting what he wants, role-wise, or money-wise.
Part of me really wants him to sign with my Timberwolves. We need a guy like him off the bench that can shoot 3s and be a playmaker. But with Towns up for a max deal, wiggins about to start his, and Butler only having another year before he's up (not to mention the dumb contract they shelled out to Dieng), I don't think they can bring him on. Crawford is likely going to retire, and I think IT can step right into that role.
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For those interested in ultimately meaningless basketball discussions: There is a series going on over at Back Picks that ranks the top 40 players in NBA history. It's the most thorough list of its kind I've ever seen. Thought I'd share in case anyone is interested. Even if you vehemently disagree with his rankings, his write-ups are really informative.
https://www.backpicks.com/
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The Heat's Miami Vice campaign is over. Back to boring black and red. Well, that was fun while it lasted. They had jersey purchases from 100+ countries! They're backordered until July.
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The Heat's Miami Vice campaign is over. Back to boring black and red. Well, that was fun while it lasted. They had jersey purchases from 100+ countries! They're backordered until July.
Everytime I see that jersey, I immediately think of GTA : Vice City... great game for its time! :tup :lol
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Those Miami Vice jerseys are bad ass. If they made retro player replicas, I might have picked up one for Sherman Douglas. Loved that guy.
So, yeah, I'm a TWolves diehard, and they've been my favorite team since their expansion year in 1989 with my man Tony Campbell leading the way for them. But as a native New Yorker, obviously I root for the Knicks as well. And I gotta tell you...Hornacek needs to go. Tell me why Trey Burke, who has completely resurrected his career, is not the starting PG for the Knicks.
He's 25, putting up the best stats of any of the Knicks PGs, yet HOrnacek doesn't give him any starts. I don't get it. Is this how the Knicks are tanking? By not starting their best PG. Frankie N (not going to bother trying to spell it) and Emanuel Mudiay are both terrible. Burke comes in, lights it up, gets the other guys great shots, he literally could be THE MAN. Oh, and by the way, he's getting paid pennies.
I just have no idea (other than tanking) why Burke isn't starting.
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For those interested in ultimately meaningless basketball discussions: There is a series going on over at Back Picks that ranks the top 40 players in NBA history. It's the most thorough list of its kind I've ever seen. Thought I'd share in case anyone is interested. Even if you vehemently disagree with his rankings, his write-ups are really informative.
https://www.backpicks.com/
Agree or disagree with various placements, hard to argue that his conclusions aren't based on extremely rigorous analysis. The profiles with video are worth it just for the videos themselves, as even the most devoted, say, Celtics fan will undoubtedly discover new Larry Bird footage. The author also devotes a healthy amount of analysis to these players' weaknesses, which is also pretty unique for a best-of list.
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We all know Ty Lue isn't a very good coach, and he is possibly the worst one in the league right now. See this video if you are interested : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrjKveSP5LM&t=20s
Even LBJ can't stand him anymore and screams at him tonight @ Blazers :lol : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMbkDnAXPqs
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Tony Parker just moved up to 7th in All-Time Wins. IF he can play a couple more seasons (I think next year will be his final year), he can either tie with former teammate Tim Duncan at #3 or crack it. Manu Ginobli is about to crack the top ten. The winningest trio ever will eventually be in the top ten All Time Wins. This is the most exciting news this season for us Spurs fans since we're probably going to miss the playoffs for the first time in 20 years :'( :'( :'(
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11 straight from the Raps. Down by 8 with 4.5 to go in the fourth, and they came back. Had the chance to put it away with the last possession, but after a slow start in OT, they closed it out with a 9-0 run.
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Raptors are going to the finals this year.
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Raptors are going to the finals this year.
Well... it was both the Pistons and Mavs that took them to OT, so ... yeah.
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It's a long season. But they are the best team right now in the East.
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The Raptors are a good regular season team, but with the Cavs slimping and the C's suffering from a ton of key injuries; I think they have a chance to get out of the East this year.
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The door is definitely open for them.
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I truly want to see them do well in the playoffs, but until either or both Lowry and DeRozan perform well this Spring; I am still a little skeptical about them getting out of the East.
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Unless Lebron takes over, I'm not sure who else there is. The Celts are just too wounded to make a run.
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Don't under-estimate the Pacers.
And if the Heat's injuries are somewhat resolved, they should give the Raptors a very tough first round series. I will judge them then.
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Don't under-estimate the Pacers.
Yeah, good point. They have owned the Celtics this year. But I think the Raptors are stronger.
And if the Heat's injuries are somewhat resolved, they should give the Raptors a very tough first round series. I will judge them then.
No chance the Heat beat Toronto.
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The Raps have been using a 10-man team all season. Their depth has been quite impressive, with the bench putting in some solid minutes. They are far more than the DeRozan/Lowry show that they have had to be the past few seasons. I really don't see the Cavs turning their fortunes around.
Of course, anything can happen, but things look good for the Raps.
The Mavs were on fire tonight, shooting 50%+ in regular time, and only 7 turnovers... just ran out of steam in OT, and made some sloppy mistakes, right when the Raps got hot.
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Heat with the 2OT win v. Nugs last night. For regulation and first OT, the per-quarter total was AT MOST 2 point difference. Tight to the end!
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Melo misses 2 free throws to ice the game. Melo, you are supposed to be elite. Morris them hits the 3.
Thank you Melo.
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Pssh, Carmelo Anthony is not elite. Never has been. The most overrated player of the 21st century.
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That was my underlying theme. He's not and cost them a road win.
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I know I am going to upset someone here, but... LOL @ talks about the Raptors being a better, tougher team. :lol
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For sure... I mean, they're only 11 games up on the Cavs in the standings, are 21-4 in their last 25 games, have beat the Rockets twice, whooped the Cavs by 34 earlier, and their two losses to GS were by 5 and 2.
But surely them being better is lol-worthy. Cleveland was better tonight, but I'll take the Raps overall.
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For sure... I mean, they're only 11 games up on the Cavs in the standings, are 21-4 in their last 25 games, have beat the Rockets twice, whooped the Cavs by 34 earlier, and their two losses to GS were by 5 and 2.
But surely them being better is lol-worthy. Cleveland was better tonight, but I'll take the Raps overall.
I would love to see the Raps do good, as I am not a Cavs fan... but until either they could get out of the East or beating a healthy Cavs (come on, the Cavs were depleted tonight) in the playoffs; they are just another good regular season team. :hat
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For sure... I mean, they're only 11 games up on the Cavs in the standings, are 21-4 in their last 25 games, have beat the Rockets twice, whooped the Cavs by 34 earlier, and their two losses to GS were by 5 and 2.
But surely them being better is lol-worthy. Cleveland was better tonight, but I'll take the Raps overall.
I would love to see the Raps do good, as I am not a Cavs fan... but until either they could get out of the East or beating a healthy Cavs (come on, the Cavs were depleted tonight) in the playoffs; they are just another good regular season team. :hat
They did beat a healthy Cavs back in Jan... quite handily too - without Lowry and Ibaka.
2 years ago, they went to the EC finals and no one gave them a chance to even make it close... yet they took 2 games from the eventual champs.
Last year against the Cavs, fouls and 3-point shooting was the difference... Cavs hit 61 three pointers (@ 46%); Raps hit 27 (@ 30%). That's 102 point difference in a series that had 61 point differential ... plus the 29 incremental FT points the Cavs had. The Raptors are ahead of the Cavs in those areas this year (albeit marginally), but the difference is in the D... Cavs are 4th worst in the league where the Raps are #6, and I'm not sure I see anything that suggests the Cavs can turn that around in the next 12 games.
The way spots 3-8 are bunched up right now in the east, it's plausible this could be a first round matchup!
Regardless, I like our chances.
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How Toronto fans see the raptors
(https://ohfact2-cyberpanthers.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/velociraptor.jpg)
What they actually look like
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/custom-stuff/images/c/cb/Barney_personajes_barney.png/revision/latest?cb=20160526002731)
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:lol
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:lol x2
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:lol
I believe your C's are looking UP at them in the standings.
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:lol
I believe your C's are looking UP at them in the standings.
Yup...looking up their skirts! ;D
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:lol
I believe your C's are looking UP at them in the standings.
Yup...looking up their skirts! ;D
Two more games against you guys down the stretch... we'll see who's really packin the heat.
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Kemba Walker scored 46 points and made 10 consecutive three-pointers — by the third quarter — to lead the Hornets over the Memphis Grizzlies, 140-79.
The 61-point win marked the largest margin of victory in the NBA in 20 years, and the most lopsided in franchise history.
Walker scored 17 points in the first quarter, 18 in the second and 11 in the third before being pulled with 1:48 left in the period.
It's been a tough year, but that's awesome!
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Ya'll can suck it. 30-6 and the best home record in the league. The Nets were shooting 57% at one point towards the end of the 1st half, and the Raps still overcame a 7 point, 4th quarter deficit. Granted it was the Nets, and that high shooting % had a bit to do with some crappy Raptors defence, but they were nailing a lot of good shots.
3D from Lowry, and 5-6 from three-point land. Bring on anyone come the playoffs. Home court advantage will be sweet.
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Process trusted.
Playoffs clinched.
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Ya'll can suck it. 30-6 and the best home record in the league. The Nets were shooting 57% at one point towards the end of the 1st half, and the Raps still overcame a 7 point, 4th quarter deficit. Granted it was the Nets, and that high shooting % had a bit to do with some crappy Raptors defence, but they were nailing a lot of good shots.
3D from Lowry, and 5-6 from three-point land. Bring on anyone come the playoffs. Home court advantage will be sweet.
And then an ugly loss with the Clippers. I watched a bit of the 3rd and 4th quarters and it seemed to me the Raptors were not trying hard enough on defense.
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Ya'll can suck it. 30-6 and the best home record in the league. The Nets were shooting 57% at one point towards the end of the 1st half, and the Raps still overcame a 7 point, 4th quarter deficit. Granted it was the Nets, and that high shooting % had a bit to do with some crappy Raptors defence, but they were nailing a lot of good shots.
3D from Lowry, and 5-6 from three-point land. Bring on anyone come the playoffs. Home court advantage will be sweet.
And then an ugly loss with the Clippers. I watched a bit of the 3rd and 4th quarters and it seemed to me the Raptors were not trying hard enough on defense.
Yeah, it was ugly. They got schooled in the 2nd half - the second unit dropped the ball on that one, and then both DDR and Lowry had 'off' nights. Shit happens.
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Ya'll can suck it. 30-6 and the best home record in the league. The Nets were shooting 57% at one point towards the end of the 1st half, and the Raps still overcame a 7 point, 4th quarter deficit. Granted it was the Nets, and that high shooting % had a bit to do with some crappy Raptors defence, but they were nailing a lot of good shots.
3D from Lowry, and 5-6 from three-point land. Bring on anyone come the playoffs. Home court advantage will be sweet.
Unless "Playoff Raptors" show up. You know, like they have for the last what, five seasons? :lol
Seriously though, I hope they do well. I like the Raptors a lot. Rooting for them to come out of the east, actually.
My Timberwolves are in a dog fight. Doesn't help when they roll over for teams (Philly). They are really pissing me off with the inconsistency. Even if healthy, I don't expect a long run from the Wolves in the playoffs. If fully healthy, and if they have the 6th seed, I can see them beating whoever is the third seed. But if they get stuck with the 7th or 8th, I don't think they roll the Warriors or Rockets, respectively. Even if Curry is out the first round (which he will be). Durant-Thompson-Green is, in my estimation, pretty much equal with Butler-Towns-Wiggins. Which means the series would be decided by the bench play. And in that case, the Warriors are by far superior.
So it is 6th seed or higher, or bust for the Wolves. Fingers crossed.
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My Timberwolves are in a dog fight. Doesn't help when they roll over for teams (Philly). They are really pissing me off with the inconsistency. Even if healthy, I don't expect a long run from the Wolves in the playoffs. If fully healthy, and if they have the 6th seed, I can see them beating whoever is the third seed. But if they get stuck with the 7th or 8th, I don't think they roll the Warriors or Rockets, respectively. Even if Curry is out the first round (which he will be). Durant-Thompson-Green is, in my estimation, pretty much equal with Butler-Towns-Wiggins. Which means the series would be decided by the bench play. And in that case, the Warriors are by far superior.
So it is 6th seed or higher, or bust for the Wolves. Fingers crossed.
Butler and Towns, ok... but you are telling me Wiggins plays good consistent D? Or he is clutch like KD or Thompson? Lol! :lol :lol :lol
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Unless "Playoff Raptors" show up. You know, like they have for the last what, five seasons? :lol
I'll grant you they choked in the sweep vs the Wizards, and should've beat the Nets. They did well to take 2 games from the Cavs 2 years ago, but got schooled last year against another dominant Cavs team. Hard to know what "Playoff Raptors" really look like - and beyond DDR/Lowry/Valanciunas, it's been pretty much a complete lineup changeover.
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My Timberwolves are in a dog fight. Doesn't help when they roll over for teams (Philly). They are really pissing me off with the inconsistency. Even if healthy, I don't expect a long run from the Wolves in the playoffs. If fully healthy, and if they have the 6th seed, I can see them beating whoever is the third seed. But if they get stuck with the 7th or 8th, I don't think they roll the Warriors or Rockets, respectively. Even if Curry is out the first round (which he will be). Durant-Thompson-Green is, in my estimation, pretty much equal with Butler-Towns-Wiggins. Which means the series would be decided by the bench play. And in that case, the Warriors are by far superior.
So it is 6th seed or higher, or bust for the Wolves. Fingers crossed.
Butler and Towns, ok... but you are telling me Wiggins plays good consistent D? Or he is clutch like KD or Thompson? Lol! :lol :lol :lol
No, what I am saying is that the collective ability of the Wolves' big 3 is close to that of the Warriors best three available for THAT series (it'd be different if Curry was playing and healthy).
Towns will be on Green -- Green is vastly overrated, and is no match for Towns. Butler vs. Durant -- Durant wins, but not as big a gap as some think. Thompson is better than Wiggins by far, but Wiggins is the most athletic guy on the court. If he gets hot, and gets fired up to drive the lane, there aren't many people in the league that can stop him. His defense is not good, but that athleticism...man.
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No, what I am saying is that the collective ability of the Wolves' big 3 is close to that of the Warriors best three available for THAT series (it'd be different if Curry was playing and healthy).
Towns will be on Green -- Green is vastly overrated, and is no match for Towns. Butler vs. Durant -- Durant wins, but not as big a gap as some think. Thompson is better than Wiggins by far, but Wiggins is the most athletic guy on the court. If he gets hot, and gets fired up to drive the lane, there aren't many people in the league that can stop him. His defense is not good, but that athleticism...man.
Ok, let's talk offense. Assuming Wiggins gets hot (you really want to count on that in a 7-game series?!), and beyond Jamal Crawford; who else on your T-Wolves could become a reliable scoring source against the Dubs? GS off the bench has Iguodala, Nick Young, D-West, Livingston. Towns will be a beast on the defensive end for sure, yet the Dubs don't need to score from the paint to beat you. Could you do the same? If Towns is the only inside scoring threat...
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No, what I am saying is that the collective ability of the Wolves' big 3 is close to that of the Warriors best three available for THAT series (it'd be different if Curry was playing and healthy).
Towns will be on Green -- Green is vastly overrated, and is no match for Towns. Butler vs. Durant -- Durant wins, but not as big a gap as some think. Thompson is better than Wiggins by far, but Wiggins is the most athletic guy on the court. If he gets hot, and gets fired up to drive the lane, there aren't many people in the league that can stop him. His defense is not good, but that athleticism...man.
Ok, let's talk offense. Assuming Wiggins gets hot (you really want to count on that in a 7-game series?!), and beyond Jamal Crawford; who else on your T-Wolves could become a reliable scoring source against the Dubs? GS off the bench has Iguodala, Nick Young, D-West, Livingston. Towns will be a beast on the defensive end for sure, yet the Dubs don't need to score from the paint to beat you. Could you do the same? If Towns is the only inside scoring threat...
I never claimed the Wolves had a bench. That's why if they played the Ws, I think they'd make it a series, but they'd lose in the first round. I think the Wolves can legitimately beat any team from #3 to #8. They will ultimately lose to the Rockets or Dubs in the first round. That's why it is so important they avoid the 8 and 7 seeds. They need to be 6 or better to come out of the first round.
The Warriors are The Warriors. I'd never bet against them, even with Curry on the sideline. But if you want to talk strictly offense:
I'd take Teague over that backup running PG for the Ws right now (even though I like the kid).
At SG, Butler is generally considered the team's SG. So between him and Thompson...Thompson is a better shooter, Butler is a better all around player. I call that a wash.
At SF, Durant is leaps and bounds better than Wiggins on both ends of the floor.
At PF, I honestly think Gibson and Green are close. Green is the better defender, so Green gets the edge. But Green is so overrated it is not even funny.
At C - Towns destroys anyone not named Davis or Cousins.
So then we go to the bench. The Wolves will run out:
Bejilica (spelling is bad)
Rose
Crawford
Dieng
Jones
>>I don't know the bench depth of the Ws. Remember, we are talking first round, so no Curry. But I would say that the Wolves have work to do. Rose played well his last two games before getting hurt, and he's playoff tested and still drives to the cup. Crawford is Crawford. Bejilica know one knows about, but if you leave him open, he'll crush you. He's a liability on defense though. Not athletic at all. Dieng is a waste of space that does too many fakes for his own good. Jones is scrappy, but not fast enough on defense, and is afraid to take his shot.
So my guess is, the Ws bench is superior, but I don't know the roster.
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Two things:
1. On Thompson, I think you are overlooking his defense, which seems to indicate that you haven't really seen him play much. He is an elite defender, and his defense is worth MUCH more to the Warriors overall than his offense. He can be a deadly scorer when he is on. But his scoring is actually pretty sporadic. It is his elite defending that makes him such an asset to the team. I think you are selling him way short on that side of the ball.
2. What do you mean by Green being overrated? This isn't meant to be argumentative. I'm just asking the question, because just saying "overrated" doesn't tell me what you actually think about him. Like Thompson, he is an elite defender. On offense, he's better than average, and can be a very reliable option when the primary scorers are either covered or cold. But it is his defense and passing ability that put him over the top as an all star.
Looking ahead to the playoffs, I'm kind of alarmed at how beat up the Warriors are all of a sudden. They didn't play even a single starter the other night. Given the health of the team right now, they should be really thankful for the position they are in, as far as having the #2 seed locked up and not really needing to worry about #1. They can afford to rest everybody, thankfully. And even without Curry, they should have little problem getting past the first two rounds in the playoffs. Hopefully, they get him back sometime in the second round. Houston is going to be tough either way, but it's a much taller order getting past them without Curry in the lineup.
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Agreed with bosk1 on both points... plus:
Gibson might be just as big and as athletic as Green, do not under-estimate Green's ball handling and outside shooting. Two areas Gibson clearly not as good at.
I don't doubt Teague as a good ball handling PG, but as a team the T-Wolves just don't pass around the ball as fluently as the Dubs (even minus Curry). By that I mean, the T-Wolves must still find a way to get Towns the ball inside, or to create open opportunities for Butler to be successful. And speaking of Butler, he will just be coming off the IR, we will see about his timing and explosiveness. The best the T-Wolves can do to have a remote chance against the Dubs would be attacking the rim via Towns. He is one dude the Dubs have no real answer for, but he HAS to be in beast mode and keep wanting the ball and attack.
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I was asked to focus on offense. That's what I did.
I am not overlooking Thompson's D. I just think Butler is better defensively. I have seen Klay play many times. I think he's slightly below Butler on the defensive end, is not as good a rebounder as Butler either.
Regarding Green - I think he is good offensively because he's surrounded by many all star/hall of fame level offensive players. Take away a couple of those guys...and Green is average, at best, on offense. Look at the stats when he ends up having to be a primary scorer...he's not that good. Sorry. He was only an all star this year because of popularity. Not because of his actual game. He should never have been there, and has ridden the coattails of better players his entire career.
About Butler -- he'll be fine. He's already doing on court drills and jumping. Not concerned at all. I'd be more concerned with how severe Curry's ankle is. He won't be back until second round at the earliest.
But again I say -- I still say the Wolves would lose to the Ws in a first round series, even without Curry. So not sure why I am getting pushed on this. LOL. Wolves have to take the 6th seed or higher to get out of the first round.
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I was asked to focus on offense. That's what I did.
Oh, okay. Fair enough.
But again I say -- I still say the Wolves would lose to the Ws in a first round series, even without Curry. So not sure why I am getting pushed on this. LOL. Wolves have to take the 6th seed or higher to get out of the first round.
Like I said, I'm not arguing. I just saw a few things that jumped out at me as not quite being on point about the W's, so I'm asking, that's all. Not trying to take anything at all away from the Wolves. I like them as a team, and I'm not really discounting anything you are saying about them.
I am not overlooking Thompson's D. I just think Butler is better defensively. I have seen Klay play many times. I think he's slightly below Butler on the defensive end, is not as good a rebounder as Butler either.
I'll give you the rebounds. But otherwise, I would still put Thompson above just about anybody on D in most other categories, including Butler. That isn't to take anything away from Butler at all. It's just that Thompson is truly an elite defender in just about every way. He looks like just a tall, lanky, skinny dude. But he has both the strength and the speed to shut down just about anybody.
Regarding Green - I think he is good offensively because he's surrounded by many all star/hall of fame level offensive players. Take away a couple of those guys...and Green is average, at best, on offense. Look at the stats when he ends up having to be a primary scorer...he's not that good. Sorry. He was only an all star this year because of popularity. Not because of his actual game. He should never have been there, and has ridden the coattails of better players his entire career.
We'll just have to disagree on that then. I mean, I don't disagree on the fact that he will never be an offensive powerhouse, he cannot and should not ever be the primary guy on offense, and that he is made a lot better by the guys around him. But that's his role on offense. He's a facilitator, not a primary scorer. His value to the team and what makes him an all star has little to do with his scoring ability.
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Green is a poor man's Charles Oakley. Where Oak was a better rebounder and mid range shooter, Green has better passing ability and court vision. I'd take Oak, even in today's NBA, over Green any day and twice on Sunday. (Whatever the heck that saying means.)
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Green is a good system player. If he gets taken out of his comfort zone he would not be as efffective. He benefits from having great shooters around him for his assists and “court vision”. On a different team with not as many great players, he would still get his rebounds, but his assist would see a massive drop.
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Green is a good system player. If he gets taken out of his comfort zone he would not be as efffective. He benefits from having great shooters around him for his assists and “court vision”. On a different team with not as many great players, he would still get his rebounds, but his assist would see a massive drop.
Not necessarily... Sounds to me like you are under the impression that he only passes to perimeter shooters. As an exceptional passer, as long as his teammates keep moving and cutting. He will eventually find the open man either in the perimeter or under the hoops. Another factor is how a different coach would utilize his unique passing skills or not.
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I love how there was this discussion of the Wolves giving the Warriors a run for their money, then they loose to the beyond awful Grizzlies :lol
Seriously, Thibs is one hell of a coach but his lack of rotation hurts his team's chances to have a deep run in the playoffs.
Green is a good system player. If he gets taken out of his comfort zone he would not be as efffective. He benefits from having great shooters around him for his assists and “court vision”. On a different team with not as many great players, he would still get his rebounds, but his assist would see a massive drop.
Not necessarily... Sounds to me like you are under the impression that he only passes to perimeter shooters. As an exceptional passer, as long as his teammates keep moving and cutting. He will eventually find the open man either in the perimeter or under the hoops. Another factor is how a different coach would utilize his unique passing skills or not.
I think it's a bit of both, Green is a good passer but he benefits from the great team movement the warriors have, he's able to pass to the open man whether it's an open shooter or someone cutting to the paint. I'm not sure he can "thread needles" as it is often called.
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For the record, F my Wolves. You don't lose at home to freakin' MEMPHIS while in the hunt for the playoffs. I am so disgusted by the Timberwolves now. I hope Thibs screamed his f'ing head off at them in the locker room. What a crock of crap. They don't deserve anything this year. So disappointed. At this rate, I hope they miss the playoffs. Because they don't deserve to be in losing like that to Memphis down the stretch.
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For the record, F my Wolves. You don't lose at home to freakin' MEMPHIS while in the hunt for the playoffs. I am so disgusted by the Timberwolves now. I hope Thibs screamed his f'ing head off at them in the locker room. What a crock of crap. They don't deserve anything this year. So disappointed. At this rate, I hope they miss the playoffs. Because they don't deserve to be in losing like that to Memphis down the stretch.
Worry not, you've got the Hawks coming into town next... and you will get the Grizzlies once more at home... just watch out for my Lakers. Lol! :lol
Ok, seriously, you get to play the Nuggets twice more, and you are 2 games up over them. So you control your playoffs chances. Good luck.
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Thibs can scream at them all he wants, but he is complaining that his guys were not up to it in the final stretch, and he had them play more than 40 minutes, using only 8 guys. That's all on him.
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Worry not, you've got the Hawks coming into town next... and you will get the Grizzlies once more at home... just watch out for my Lakers. Lol! :lol
Ok, seriously, you get to play the Nuggets twice more, and you are 2 games up over them. So you control your playoffs chances. Good luck.
I know. But I am so mad right now at them.
Thibs can scream at them all he wants, but he is complaining that his guys were not up to it in the final stretch, and he had them play more than 40 minutes, using only 8 guys. That's all on him.
That's what happens when you're missing two rotation guys (Butler and Rose) and your bench (outside of Crawford) hasn't been as good as you had hoped. They just called up our first round pick, Justin Patton, from the G-League. A little late now, but he'll be a solid rotation player next season.
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Thibs can scream at them all he wants, but he is complaining that his guys were not up to it in the final stretch, and he had them play more than 40 minutes, using only 8 guys. That's all on him.
That's what happens when you're missing two rotation guys (Butler and Rose) and your bench (outside of Crawford) hasn't been as good as you had hoped. They just called up our first round pick, Justin Patton, from the G-League. A little late now, but he'll be a solid rotation player next season.
This is nothing new. He has been doing it since the season started, he did it last season too and he did it when he was in Chicago, he runs his main guys to the ground, he doesn't trust the bench. That may have worked in the past but nowadays there's a lot of transition game, a lot more possessions and you need more rotation to keep up.
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Yes and no. I watch more Wolves games than anyone on here. I've watched his rotation patterns closely. He's old school - he doesn't trust his rotation players (with good reason) to hold games while the starters are out. That's his fault -- he gave Dieng a bad contract, and didn't improve his bench (other than Crawford) from last year. But he plays to win. He typically subs Towns out with four minutes left in the first quarter, but plays Wiggins all of the first quarter. He brings Wiggins back with four minutes to go in the second quarter.
Yes, he plays his starters old school minutes. But he has made an effort to limit those minutes this year, only to find his bench players let him down. So I get it. It is his fault, but he has no choice if he wants to win games.
I hope this off season, they find a way to offload that Dieng contract, and restock the bench. Rose was a key piece of this. His last two games before getting hurt, he was exactly what I was hoping (a confident scorer off the bench that could push the tempo and be dangerous). Him and crawford make an undersized backcourt, but could spelling Wiggins and Teague (and Butler). But then, of course, Butler and Rose go down. So yeah, you gotta play Wiggins and Towns a lot.
Look, Thibs is the guy in control, so it is his fault as an executive. But as a coach, with what he has, I don't blame him right now. I just hope he gets the team a better bench next season, because the toll of 38 a night on these guys is going to hit them soon.
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Well, as you said, you watch a lot of games so you surely have more information than I do. Stat wise around the league, Butler is the player with the most minutes per game in the whole league, Teague is 42 and the other 3 starters are in between. That's a lot. Wiggins, 12th in MPG, has played the most minutes overall since he hasn't missed a single game.
I can understand that the bench guys are under-performing, but as a coach you should on one hand give them more minutes so they can improve and give you more, and on the other hand you should find the right combination of players to get the most out of everyone, not just keep a regular rotation for the starters.
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Well, as you said, you watch a lot of games so you surely have more information than I do. Stat wise around the league, Butler is the player with the most minutes per game in the whole league, Teague is 42 and the other 3 starters are in between. That's a lot. Wiggins, 12th in MPG, has played the most minutes overall since he hasn't missed a single game.
I can understand that the bench guys are under-performing, but as a coach you should on one hand give them more minutes so they can improve and give you more, and on the other hand you should find the right combination of players to get the most out of everyone, not just keep a regular rotation for the starters.
In a perfect world, the Wolves would rotate 10 guys, with the starters all being around 34 MPG. But when your #1 guy (Butler) is hurt, and your 7th man (Rose) is hurt, and you don't really like your 8-12 guys to hold the game, I get it, from a coaching perspective. You gotta play the best dudes to win.
That is hurting Minnesota now. But they wouldn't be in the hunt had they played those rotation guys all year. So, the answer is, get five subs you like a lot, and trust, and make this happen. But that's next year. Not this year. For this year, they just gotta run. When fully healthy, this year (if they make the playoffs), this is what the rotation should look like:
C - Towns - 34 mpg
PF - Gibson - 34 mpg
SF - Wiggins - 34 mpg
SG - Butler - 34 mpg
PG - Teague - 34 mpg
6th - Crawford (spelling both Butler, Wiggins) - 20 mpg
7th - Rose (spelling Wiggins and Teague) - 15 mpg
8th - Beijlicia (spelling Gibson and Wiggins) - 20 mpg
9th - Dieng (spelling Towns and Gibson) - 10 mpg
10th - Jones (spelling Teague or Butler) 5 mpg
>>>>>>>>>>>>>Do you see the problem there? You have three guards coming off the bench. There's no playmaking SF. They dumped Muhammed because he sucked, but they replaced him with Rose who is a guard. Bejilicia is a stretch 4, not a SF. So what ends up happening is that the Wolves go small, which then requires that Wiggins or Towns be in the game for size purposes (and because Dieng and Jones are shitty).
The roster is messed up, and that's on Thibs.
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Nice to see a guy on my Wolves show his true colors. Karl Anthony Towns stepped up in a monumental way last night. I was waiting to see if he had it in him. I suspected he did, but it was nice to finally see that "give me the ball, get the fuck out of my way" game. I don't expect 56/15 every night from the guy, but if he could just be as aggressive as he was last night ALL THE TIME, this team would be on the rise.
Towns should be (always) a lock for 25/12+ every single game. Just like Anthony Davis and Demarcus Cousins. Towns is dominant, and he needs to be the Wolves' closer. Butler should be #2, with 22-25 ppg and guarding the best non-center on the other teams. Wiggins will always be #3 with this team the way it is constructed, and should never be lower (but he seems to consistently be) than 18-20 per game.
Huge win last night against a shitty team. Here's hoping the Towns domination continues this weekend.
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5 game winning streak for the C's missing some key players during this run.
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Warriors locked up the #2 in the west last night with Portland losing. That helps in terms of not feeling like their starters have to rush back. I know they should still be fine, but it's hard as a fan to not freak out a little when your team is 4-6 over the last 10 this late in the season.
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5 game winning streak for the C's missing some key players during this run.
As a born and bred New Yorker, who fell in love with hoops in 1989, and rooted for the Wolves and my hometown Knicks, I am not supposed to like the Celtics. But I have to admit, I love Brad Stevens, and I love the grit and fight of the Celtics this year (and last year). I really enjoy watching them play a lot.
On another note:
re: Isaiah Thomas - I love this guy. Loved him when he was with the Kings and have followed his career rooting for him ever since. Love the fire in him. Undersized, go for broke. Man, I am just crushed his hip needs more work. I knew it was going to happen. This hip injury has happened to big guys, and they've never been the same. But a small guy who needs his speed? Eh...dicey. And IT just hasn't been the same. Flashes, but not all the way. I feel so bad for him.
I really hope my Wolves, the Lakers who he is with now, or Celtics, give him a contract to rehab and come off the bench next year as he recovers from the clean up surgery and has a "reset" year. It sucks so much after a brilliant run, so many bad things have happened to him.
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The problem with IT is, he doesn't think he is a bench guy... :hat
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The problem with IT is, he doesn't think he is a bench guy... :hat
He's not, so I don't blame him. But I think he just wants on a roster next year. I expect him to take a 8 mil exception, play it out, and bet on himself playing so well he can command a big contract NEXT offseason...as a starter.
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5 game winning streak for the C's missing some key players during this run.
As a born and bred New Yorker, who fell in love with hoops in 1989, and rooted for the Wolves and my hometown Knicks, I am not supposed to like the Celtics. But I have to admit, I love Brad Stevens, and I love the grit and fight of the Celtics this year (and last year). I really enjoy watching them play a lot.
On another note:
re: Isaiah Thomas - I love this guy. Loved him when he was with the Kings and have followed his career rooting for him ever since. Love the fire in him. Undersized, go for broke. Man, I am just crushed his hip needs more work. I knew it was going to happen. This hip injury has happened to big guys, and they've never been the same. But a small guy who needs his speed? Eh...dicey. And IT just hasn't been the same. Flashes, but not all the way. I feel so bad for him.
I really hope my Wolves, the Lakers who he is with now, or Celtics, give him a contract to rehab and come off the bench next year as he recovers from the clean up surgery and has a "reset" year. It sucks so much after a brilliant run, so many bad things have happened to him.
Stevens was a great catch after our great run with Doc Rivers. Stevens brings the best out of your 7 through 10 players. The grit is real. I can't wait to see what they are like with Hayward next season.
I feel bad for IT. He was killing it for us and what happened to him this year will hurt him in the pocket.
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Joel Embid is out with facial surgery??
I mean, I know he's ugly, but surgery??
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Joel Embid is out with facial surgery??
I mean, I know he's ugly, but surgery??
Seriously. Poor dude. :lol
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Ok, two REGULAR season road games don't necessarily mean anything, but can the Raptors really get out of the East for once this Spring? I surely hope they at least put up a tough fight against the Cavs, should they meet at all.
On the other hand, why the hell is LBJ playing 35+ mins tonight? The Cavs' coaching staff want to run him to the ground before the playoffs? I don't get it.
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Ok, two REGULAR season road games don't necessarily mean anything, but can the Raptors really get out of the East for once this Spring? I surely hope they at least put up a tough fight against the Cavs, should they meet at all.
On the other hand, why the hell is LBJ playing 35+ mins tonight? The Cavs' coaching staff want to run him to the ground before the playoffs? I don't get it.
I think they want to keep that 3rd place safe, Philly is on a role and just 1 game behind. Although I'm not sure if 3rd or 4th makes a big difference in the east.
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Not the best time for the Raptors to be in a funk, but I suppose it's better than 2 weeks from now. Tonight's game should be a doozy.
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Not the best time for the Raptors to be in a funk, but I suppose it's better than 2 weeks from now. Tonight's game should be a doozy.
If the Raptors find a way to lose this game, that would be embarrassing. the Celts played last night in Milwaukee without their top 4 guards and still only lost by 4.
Getting a shorthanded team on the second of a B2B, this should be a cakewalk for Toronto.
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We played the Cavs last night, so we're B2B too. Only lost by 6, and Lowry played worse than a high-schooler - 1-7 from 3-point land, and 1-22 overall. DDR was held under 20 points as well.
I hope they come out angry, and the crowd gives them a boost.
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Here we go Chad.
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We played the Cavs last night, so we're B2B too. Only lost by 6, and Lowry played worse than a high-schooler - 1-7 from 3-point land, and 1-22 overall. DDR was held under 20 points as well.
I hope they come out angry, and the crowd gives them a boost.
Well, true... y'all played @ Celtics the night before... BUT, they were without their top 4 guards, and y'all still managed to blow a decent lead and lost... then came the game @ Cavs... just saying... :biggrin:
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Fugly game tonight. But, a W is a W. One step closer to home court. Solid defense kept them in it after a very shaky first quarter.
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LeBron was missing his 2nd and 3rd best players and still took the all-world Warriors to 6 games in the 2015 finals. Do we really think any team in the East right now can win 4 games out of 7 against a team with LeBron James?
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Why not? They've only got a .600 winning percentage for the season. The 'non' all-world Warriors took them down rather easily last year. Love can be a streaky player and IT =/= Irving. Maybe I'm being a homer, but I think they're beatable. Their last two wins over the Raptors were by 3 and 6 respectively, when the Raps were not 'on' their game for either.
With all the injuries the Celtics have, it's hard to see them advancing, and I don't know enough about any of the other teams. Doesn't matter though, whoever comes out of the east is going to likely going to be cannon fodder for whoever GSW or Houston.
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Kyrie out for year with knee infection. Needs another surgery to clear it out. Man. That sucks for basketball.
Mark it down now - Celtics are going 62-20 next year (man that hurts to say).
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The top 2 C's go down this year. Toronto better beat the Cavaliers.
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Kyrie out for year with knee infection. Needs another surgery to clear it out. Man. That sucks for basketball.
Mark it down now - Celtics are going 62-20 next year (man that hurts to say).
Assuming everyone comes back healthy, 60+ wins is not out of the question.
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Kyrie out for year with knee infection. Needs another surgery to clear it out. Man. That sucks for basketball.
Mark it down now - Celtics are going 62-20 next year (man that hurts to say).
Assuming everyone comes back healthy, 60+ wins is not out of the question.
Especially if Lebron heads west, and the Raptors come back down to earth.
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I don't see Lebron going West. He's comfortable avoiding the bloodbath that happens there each year. My money is on the 6ers, they are proving to be very good time, albeit young, which could wreak havoc with Lebron on their side.
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I don't see Lebron going West. He's comfortable avoiding the bloodbath that happens there each year. My money is on the 6ers, they are proving to be very good time, albeit young, which could wreak havoc with Lebron on their side.
I don't see him going to the Sixers. He has no connection with anyone there. I think his choices are Cleveland and LA, in that order. And I think LA is a distinct possibility. The young Lakers have shown a lot of growth. If you install him and PG 13 on that team...wow.
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I don't see him going to the Sixers. He has no connection with anyone there. I think his choices are Cleveland and LA, in that order. And I think LA is a distinct possibility. The young Lakers have shown a lot of growth. If you install him and PG 13 on that team...wow.
I may be wrong, but I believe he and Ben Simmons have the same agent.
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Why not? They've only got a .600 winning percentage for the season.
The Cavs were a mess for a while before all of the trades, but James' Cavs have shown that they know how to crank it up once the playoffs start. Remember when the Hawks were the 1 seed a few years back and allegedly a real threat to block LeBron from getting to the finals? And then they got swept. That is what this year's Raptors feel like.
The 'non' all-world Warriors took them down rather easily last year.
What do you mean the 'non' all-world Warriors? That was a 73-win team that added Kevin Durant. One could argue that last year's Warriors was the greatest single season team ever assembled.
Until I see otherwise, I just assume that LeBron will go all-world when he has to and the only way to take his team down is to have a ridiculously stacked team, which no one in the East has. If the Celtics were healthy, I think they could have been the one team to take 4 out of 7 from the Cavs, but they are missing their two best players.
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Remember when the Hawks were the 1 seed a few years back and allegedly a real threat to block LeBron from getting to the finals? And then they got swept. That is what this year's Raptors feel like.
As a good Georgia boy I try to be a Hawks fan when they're watchable (spent this year hoping for that number 1 pick, lol)... and in 2015 me and my brother went to Hawks v Cavs sometime in March, so: late regular season. Hawks won by 10, and boy I was SURE we would give the Cavs all they handle in the playoffs, if not outright win.
We then proceeded to be swept, not just once, but the following year as well by The King. I didn't understand, but now I do, you see:
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/3e206c3fa375c049c92d80a979f4f6c2/tenor.gif)
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I don't see him going to the Sixers. He has no connection with anyone there. I think his choices are Cleveland and LA, in that order. And I think LA is a distinct possibility. The young Lakers have shown a lot of growth. If you install him and PG 13 on that team...wow.
I may be wrong, but I believe he and Ben Simmons have the same agent.
You are correct. But I mean Lebron having a connection with the front office and the guys on the team. Not that one guy on the team shares the same agent. Lebron's not going to Philly.
BTW - F my Timberwolves. I couldn't believe what I saw last night. Towns fouling out on a stupid attempt at blocking a three pointer...with THREE MINUTES LEFT? And then, of course, Wiggins is nowhere to be found, just camping on the outside, letting Gibson take shots. Yeah...time to trade Wiggins. This guy...I loved him, but he just has absolutely no fire in him.
Wolves play the Lakers tonight, and Jimmy Butler returns. Hopefully we get the win, but honestly, the way this team has looked the last month and a half, they don't deserve to make the playoffs. And trade Wiggins. Hell, send him back to the Cavs for Love. :lol
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BTW - F my Timberwolves. I couldn't believe what I saw last night. Towns fouling out on a stupid attempt at blocking a three pointer...with THREE MINUTES LEFT? And then, of course, Wiggins is nowhere to be found, just camping on the outside, letting Gibson take shots. Yeah...time to trade Wiggins. This guy...I loved him, but he just has absolutely no fire in him.
Wolves play the Lakers tonight, and Jimmy Butler returns. Hopefully we get the win, but honestly, the way this team has looked the last month and a half, they don't deserve to make the playoffs. And trade Wiggins. Hell, send him back to the Cavs for Love. :lol
Well, both Ball and Ingram, and possibly Lopez are out tonight... so if y'all can't beat what remains of us... :loser: :lol
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BTW - F my Timberwolves. I couldn't believe what I saw last night. Towns fouling out on a stupid attempt at blocking a three pointer...with THREE MINUTES LEFT? And then, of course, Wiggins is nowhere to be found, just camping on the outside, letting Gibson take shots. Yeah...time to trade Wiggins. This guy...I loved him, but he just has absolutely no fire in him.
Wolves play the Lakers tonight, and Jimmy Butler returns. Hopefully we get the win, but honestly, the way this team has looked the last month and a half, they don't deserve to make the playoffs. And trade Wiggins. Hell, send him back to the Cavs for Love. :lol
Well, both Ball and Ingram, and possibly Lopez are out tonight... so if y'all can't beat what remains of us... :loser: :lol
The Spurs couldn't....
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Well, both Ball and Ingram, and possibly Lopez are out tonight... so if y'all can't beat what remains of us... :loser: :lol
:rollin
Dude, it's bad. The Wolves are imploding. Wiggins has finished in single digits, point-wise, two of the last three games, and literally just stands on the perimeter and doesn't move. What in the hell is wrong with this guy?! He can score on anyone, at any time, but he just stands there. I really hope they trade his ass. This is bullshit.
I fully expect them to win tonight, but hey, I expected them to beat Memphis too, and look what happened there. The Wolves honestly do not deserve the playoffs the way they are playing.
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Samsara, you are to the NBA thread as gmillerdrake is to the NHL thread. :lol
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Samsara, you are to the NBA thread as gmillerdrake is to the NHL thread. :lol
I don't visit the NHL reference, so I don't get the reference. :lol
Does he whine about his shitty team too? (Assuming they are as shitty as the Wolves?)
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Samsara, you are to the NBA thread as gmillerdrake is to the NHL thread. :lol
I don't visit the NHL reference, so I don't get the reference. :lol
Does he whine about his shitty team too? (Assuming they are as shitty as the Wolves?)
Yeah... he's up-and-down with the praise and hate of his team (Blues) as they perform well or shit the bed.
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Samsara, you are to the NBA thread as gmillerdrake is to the NHL thread. :lol
:lol
That's funny.
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Sixers barely escape... tough last second FT misses by a certain future Laker / Sixer... :lol
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Ben Simmons is as good as advertised. Hoping that LeBron joins him and Embid this summer.
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After the busy Saturday night out west, the T-Wolves are in good shape right now, as they have the Grizzlies at home next.
The Nuggets are playing against the Blazers next. Sure, the Blazers could rest both Dime and CJ, since they can't go up or down in the seeding now. Still, should both the T-Wolves and Nuggets end up having an identical record, the former owns the tie-breaker.
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Sure, the Blazers could rest both Dime and CJ, since they can't go up or down in the seeding now.
Actually, if Utah wins their remaining two games, they would get the 3rd seed and Portland would go down to the 4th.
They play each other on the last day of the season.
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Actually, if Utah wins their remaining two games, they would get the 3rd seed and Portland would go down to the 4th.
They play each other on the last day of the season.
Thanks for that info... I can't recall when was the last time the final 3-4 days of the season were as much fun as this season's.
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the West playoff scenario right now is as crazy as I've ever seen, so many even teams after Golden State and Houston.
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the West playoff scenario right now is as crazy as I've ever seen, so many even teams after Golden State and Houston.
True... but as KD is in "hero ball" mode of late, I don't know if the Dubs could go far enough to the WCF, if Curry isn't back in time and at relatively full strength.
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Fun stat:
Kevin Durant is 12-8 in his last 20 games without Steph Curry.
Steph Curry is 20-0 in his last 20 games without Kevin Durant.
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^ where the hell did you pull that stat, KevShmev? :lol
But that's exactly what I meant, thank you. Seriously, I cannot stand both D'Antoni and CP3... so please, Warriors, stop messing around and pull yourself together! :facepalm:
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Cowherd showed it today on the show he does on FS1 with Whitlock. I only watched the opening segment today, but that stat was there.
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Heat held OKC for three quarters, then fell apart. Damn. At least they wore the awesome Vice unis again.
Hopefully Kupchak can do some good in Charlotte. They need to keep Kemba.
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Heat held OKC for three quarters, then fell apart. Damn. At least they wore the awesome Vice unis again.
Hopefully Kupchak can do some good in Charlotte. They need to keep Kemba.
One thing Kupchak will do in a hurry will be either finding a taker for D-Howard, or find a way to unload him, lol! :lol
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Would be nice if ESPN could flex their 8PM EST game from game 0 of the EC 3-6 series for game 7 of the WC 8-9 series.
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Time to crush the Nuggets on Wednesday!
And p.s. to Thibs - offseason trade of Wiggins please. Dude is more passive than a Buddhist monk.
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And p.s. to Thibs - offseason trade of Wiggins please. Dude is more passive than a Buddhist monk.
Didn't he get a max contract recently? That will make it quite difficult to trade him. He's still young and has potential, he just needs someone to wake him up to that fact.
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And p.s. to Thibs - offseason trade of Wiggins please. Dude is more passive than a Buddhist monk.
Didn't he get a max contract recently? That will make it quite difficult to trade him. He's still young and has potential, he just needs someone to wake him up to that fact.
Yes, and I know. Wishful thinking on my part. I don't think he is going to wake up in Minnesota. With Buckets and KAT the #1 and 1A options, respectfully, and Teague now right behind them, I think Wiggins' passive nature is going to bury him.
I look for Thibs to find a way to take on another max guy in the offseason, in exchange for Wiggins and a pick. Would not surprise me if a sign and trade happens with another team. Just not sure who yet. Haven't thought about it enough, and whether it is realistic.
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Yes, and I know. Wishful thinking on my part. I don't think he is going to wake up in Minnesota. With Buckets and KAT the #1 and 1A options, respectfully, and Teague now right behind them, I think Wiggins' passive nature is going to bury him.
I look for Thibs to find a way to take on another max guy in the offseason, in exchange for Wiggins and a pick. Would not surprise me if a sign and trade happens with another team. Just not sure who yet. Haven't thought about it enough, and whether it is realistic.
I do not have any number in front of me right now, but isn't Wiggins' new contract kicks in next season? Correct me if I am wrong, but in case LBJ does leave Cleveland and brings his talents elsewhere again, doesn't it make sense for the Cavs to get Wiggins back for K-Love? ???
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Andre Ingram debuting at age 32 and dropping 19 points is my feel good story of the day.
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Andre Ingram debuting at age 32 and dropping 19 points is my feel good story of the day.
As a Lakers fan I certainly feel good about his story, but realistically speaking, how could someone stuck with the G League for 10 years and live off just 26K a year?! Did he have other means of income that we don't know about? Is he the real Heisenberg or something? Lol! :lol :yeahright ???
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Yes, and I know. Wishful thinking on my part. I don't think he is going to wake up in Minnesota. With Buckets and KAT the #1 and 1A options, respectfully, and Teague now right behind them, I think Wiggins' passive nature is going to bury him.
I look for Thibs to find a way to take on another max guy in the offseason, in exchange for Wiggins and a pick. Would not surprise me if a sign and trade happens with another team. Just not sure who yet. Haven't thought about it enough, and whether it is realistic.
I do not have any number in front of me right now, but isn't Wiggins' new contract kicks in next season? Correct me if I am wrong, but in case LBJ does leave Cleveland and brings his talents elsewhere again, doesn't it make sense for the Cavs to get Wiggins back for K-Love? ???
Does K-Love fit Minnesota? They could probably use the shooting and rebounding and Cleveland rebuilding around Wiggins sounds like a good idea so I can see this scenario happening.
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I don't think very highly of Wiggins. I wouldn't rebuild around him, personally. His scoring inefficiency kills me. :lol
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re: Love back to Minnesota for Wiggins
>>>>Yes, Wiggs' contract kicks in next year, and yes, it does make sense to bring in Kevin Love to play the 4. Love and ownership parted on bad terms, but they can probably patch things up. If Cleveland gave us Love back for Wiggins, I'd do it. It would help Wiggins thrive (if LBJ is no longer there), and would enable Love to have a redemption/return story in Minnesota. And he'd fit perfectly alongside Towns.
But the Wolves would need something else from the Cavs. Wiggins is 22, Love will be 30 in September. I'm not saying it has to be the world, but a pick of some sort, or another young piece would be necessary. Wiggins has the potential to be a superstar if he gets his head on straight.
But make no mistake about it, even if they offered Love straight up for Wiggins, I'd probably take it for fit reasons. Thibs wasn't waiting around for Towns-Wiggins-Lavine to mature. He wants to win now. And to do that, you need guys who can shoot and be aggressive. That isn't Wiggins...yet. That is Love.
Towns
Love
SF
Butler
Teague
>>>>I like how that looks.
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So, Gibson goes back to being a great bench guy, you can try to offload Dieng and Bjelica becomes your starting SF? I guess that could work but the lack at SF position would really hurt them even if Butler can play there.
In other imagined trade scenarios, I've read a lot about there being rumors of teams calling the Spurs about Leonard. I try to think of that happening and can't fathom something like that going on in the Spurs, but the whole situation has been very weird throughout the season and I can't help but think, if it actually happens, where does he go? What do you guys think?
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So, Gibson goes back to being a great bench guy, you can try to offload Dieng and Bjelica becomes your starting SF? I guess that could work but the lack at SF position would really hurt them even if Butler can play there.
Exactly. Bjelica is not ideal as a starter. He's not athletic enough to handle some SFs. But I also think you could play around with Butler sliding to the 3, depending on the opposing SF. The NBA is full of tons of switching these days anyway, so you could theoretically bring in Derrick Rose (if they re-sign him) and play small in the backcourt. not ideal, but having Love-Towns-Butler is theoretically a monster you want to have. All three of those guys are not passive. It'll be interesting to see what Thibs does. But yeah, Wiggins has to go. I don't care if he has 45 tonight, unless he shows that aggression every time out, he's just not going to gel. He has to go at it. And if that's not his personality, then we need to ship him out.
In other imagined trade scenarios, I've read a lot about there being rumors of teams calling the Spurs about Leonard. I try to think of that happening and can't fathom something like that going on in the Spurs, but the whole situation has been very weird throughout the season and I can't help but think, if it actually happens, where does he go? What do you guys think?
Not sure what happens with Leonard. I think it is pretty clear at this point that unless something dramatic happens, his relationship with the Spurs is not repairable. I do expect the Spurs to reboot this summer. I expect them to trade Leonard before the draft and try and secure a top pick. I think Pop is going to retire too, which will then signal the complete reboot.
There's not a lot of young talent on the Spurs. They have some young decent rotation players, but for the first time since pre-David Robinson, I don't see any young star or superstar (other than Leonard) in the pipeline. That has to change, and it only changes with Leonard being traded.
I think you'll see Leonard being traded for one of the top picks, Pop then announces retirement (with Becky Hammon potentially being promoted to head coach, being the first NBA team to have a woman as a head coach), and then the reboot will start I am not sure of Aldridge's contract, and whether he is a FA next year or the year after, but I am going to surmise that he might get shipped off too. And then you'll see Parker and Ginobli retire along with Pop.
San Antonio is a really intriguing storyline this summer. I love the offseason drama with the NBA.
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I'm kinda bummed for the Wolves. They were really shaping up to be a solid up-and-coming team this year. But the second half of the season has not been kind to them. As a 7 or 8 seed (I think they still have a shot at the #7, as they hold the tiebreaker over OKC, right?), I think they are going to get destroyed in the first round. As bad as the Warriors have been playing this last month, I think they will remember how to play D and get through the first round without too much trouble. If they can pull themselves back together and become even a reasonable facsimile of themselves, they should get through round 2 as well. And if they make it that far, with Steph back in the lineup, they are a solid threat beyond that as well. I guess we'll see. But back to the Wolves, I was really expecting them to go farther. If they had played more consistently, they should have had a higher seed and would have gone farther in the playoffs.
Regarding San Antonio, I wasn't aware of the issues with Leonard. I'm not sure what the realistic options for him are. But with some of the precedents set in recent years, the possibility of another "super team" somewhere with him on it are certainly there (assuming, of course, that he can stay healthy).
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What. A. Game. Incredible finale. I watched every second. Team played hard from the tip. Never let up. Pretty proud of the Wolves right now. Yeah, Houston is going to beat us. But we may steal a couple of games. Rockets in 6.
I think Butler can keep Harden from going 40-10-10. I'm thinking 25-5-5. Teague is a better defender than Chris Paul at this stage of their careers, so I think Paul will be around 15-10. The key matchup will be Towns versus Capella. Towns wins that, but Capella is no slouch. But Towns needs to elevate his game and shut him down defensively, and be aggressive offensively. As for Wiggins -- if he can play like he did last night, he'll be solid against whatever SF he is matched up against.
Still, Houston is incredible, and I see them finally getting it done this year. So if the Wolves can push them to 6, I'll be a happy Wolves fan.
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What. A. Game. Incredible finale. I watched every second. Team played hard from the tip. Never let up. Pretty proud of the Wolves right now. Yeah, Houston is going to beat us. But we may steal a couple of games. Rockets in 6.
I think Butler can keep Harden from going 40-10-10. I'm thinking 25-5-5. Teague is a better defender than Chris Paul at this stage of their careers, so I think Paul will be around 15-10. The key matchup will be Towns versus Capella. Towns wins that, but Capella is no slouch. But Towns needs to elevate his game and shut him down defensively, and be aggressive offensively. As for Wiggins -- if he can play like he did last night, he'll be solid against whatever SF he is matched up against.
Still, Houston is incredible, and I see them finally getting it done this year. So if the Wolves can push them to 6, I'll be a happy Wolves fan.
Luc Mbah a Moute, one of the key rotation wings for the Rockets got hurt (shoulder) @ Lakers the other night. And he will likely miss the first round. The Wolves could really do some damage from the wing position (I am staring at you, Wiggins). :hat
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Damn... Miami might have been better off losing last night so they face the C's instead of the 16-straight game winning 6rs.
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Luc Mbah a Moute, one of the key rotation wings for the Rockets got hurt (shoulder) @ Lakers the other night. And he will likely miss the first round. The Wolves could really do some damage from the wing position (I am staring at you, Wiggins). :hat
But the Rockets are deadly when they bring in Gordon and go small, and that's where I think Wiggins will be eaten alive. I hope I am wrong, obviously. Wigs needs to deliver. Last night was honestly...Wiggins' best game in a couple months. He only took 9 shots, but made 5 of them, and actually got physical going for rebounds and playing the best D he could. If he stays in that mode...we can push the Rockets a bit. I still say Rockets in 6. But if we can get to game 7, you just never know. But realistically, even if the Wolves lose, but win a couple games, I'll still be happy.
The roster tinkering needs to happen this offseason. The more I keep thinking about it, the more I feel like getting Love back for Wiggins and a pick...might just be the move that puts us over the top (offensively). Defensively, I really think the Wolves need to groom a couple young guys. I've got my eye on Justin Patton, who better be watching how Gibson plays...
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Damn... Miami might have been better off losing last night so they face the C's instead of the 16-straight game winning 6rs.
they did just fine. ;)
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Now that's a crowd!
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Now that's a crowd!
First half was fun!
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130 pts scored by the Sixers! Wow! Impressive win for a bunch of playoffs first timers. :tup
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The Raptors made it interesting for a while - 15 turnovers in 3 quarters will do that. Their defense finally stepped up in the fourth (as they have all year long). The flagrant foul (at 90-91) woke them the fuck up, and they held the Wizards to 15 points in the final 10 minutes.
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The Cavs lost game 1, love it. :lol As well as the Pacers played today, I still doubt they could beat the Cavs 3 more times, even with home court. It will be interesting to see how the Pacers performance when the game is close throughout, or if the Cavs jump out to a big lead early on. :hat
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The Cavs lost game 1, love it. :lol As well as the Pacers played today, I still doubt they could beat the Cavs 3 more times, even with home court. It will be interesting to see how the Pacers performance when the game is close throughout, or if the Cavs jump out to a big lead early on. :hat
Le Ron almost outscored the rest of the starters combined! :rollin
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I have the Cavs winning this one, but Lebron is really all alone this time around. And you know how they say it's defense that wins championships, well the Cavs defense has been AWOL the whole year. Not sure how far they'll get.
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I have the Cavs winning this one, but Lebron is really all alone this time around. And you know how they say it's defense that wins championships, well the Cavs defense has been AWOL the whole year. Not sure how far they'll get.
With 80 points, it wasn't their defense that lost the game for them yesterday.
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Despite his triple-doubles, I thought LBJ was unusually passive yesterday. He wasn't looking to attack, let alone to score, during most of the game. I expect he will bounce back for one of those 40 pts "monster" game in Game 2 though.
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I have the Cavs winning this one, but Lebron is really all alone this time around. And you know how they say it's defense that wins championships, well the Cavs defense has been AWOL the whole year. Not sure how far they'll get.
With 80 points, it wasn't their defense that lost the game for them yesterday.
I know, I'm just saying that even if they get their offense together they won't go very far with the defense they showed throughout the year.
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It's too bad about the C's injuries this year. This is the year they could have come out of the east.
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It's too bad about the C's injuries this year. This is the year they could have come out of the east.
Yeah... shame about that! :biggrin: I certainly don't wish ill-will on anyone, but your bad fortune is our good fortune.
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The Wolves game was so frustrating to watch. The Rockets were off from 3, and the Wolves had a golden opportunity...and blew it.
CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHY KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS IS NOT INVOLVED IN THE OFFENSE?!!?!?!? Christ, I almost lost it last night. I just don't understand why Thibs seems to be running his offense through Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson. Hello, you have arguably the finest big man in the league aside from Anthony Davis, and he takes NINE shots? And it wasn't Rockets defense...they just never got him the ball!!!
Same with Butler. They focused on him, but it seemed like nothing was designed to run through him. INstead, we get Gibson getting the ball in the post. GIBSON?! C'mon! And Wiggins was hot early, and then disappeared until the 4th...again.
So frustrated with the teams horrid offensive system. The Rockets were misfiring last night, and the T-Wolves had a shot, and let it get away. Really sucks. I knew Harden would go off, and that's fine, but c'mon. Towns and Butler should both be around 20 shot attempts per game, minimum, with Teague and Wiggins bother around 15-18.
But nope, lets let Gibson and Dieng shoot. :angry: ::)
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It's too bad about the C's injuries this year. This is the year they could have come out of the east.
Yeah... shame about that! :biggrin: I certainly don't wish ill-will on anyone, but your bad fortune is our good fortune.
Oh I forgot you have a basketball team. :lol
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It's too bad about the C's injuries this year. This is the year they could have come out of the east.
Yeah... shame about that! :biggrin: I certainly don't wish ill-will on anyone, but your bad fortune is our good fortune.
Oh I forgot you have a basketball team. :lol
Pretty soon, you're gonna forget YOU have a basketball team.
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No U.
:biggrin:
I'm not confident they will get by Toronto with all the injuries this year.
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No U.
:biggrin:
I'm not confident they will get by Toronto with all the injuries this year.
You just worry about getting out of the first round. ;D
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No U.
:biggrin:
I'm not confident they will get by Toronto with all the injuries this year.
You just worry about getting out of the first round. ;D
Your NHL team is calling you! ;D ;D
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Yeah, I don't like Boston's chances much at the present moment.
So, Chad, who you want next? Cavs or Pacers?
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I think the Pacers are for real.
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No U.
:biggrin:
I'm not confident they will get by Toronto with all the injuries this year.
You just worry about getting out of the first round. ;D
Your NHL team is calling you! ;D ;D
Disney is calling you.
BTW, I knew I was setting myself up for that response.
@ Bosk... dunno. I don't think Lebron has enough support to put everyone on his back and drag them too far into the playoffs - but he is The King; and I don't know jack about the Pacers. The 6rs are the real threat, and they are fuckin legit - 24-1 at home in 2018. :omg:
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Disney is calling you.
Disney is always calling me! :lol
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I predict two teams will be 2-0 after tonight.
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I predict two teams will be 2-0 after tonight.
Not if the Heat have anything to say about it. They are making it interesting.
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If Kawhi is not playing because he’s playing diva, I’m going to be PISSED.
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If Kawhi is not playing because he’s playing diva, I’m going to be PISSED.
That whole drama thing is very unlike him and unlike the Spurs as an organization. I'm not sure what to think of it.
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And Embiid is taking the opposite approach of Leonard.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23208816/joel-embiid-philadelphia-76ers-takes-instagram-express-frustration-not-playing
"F---ing sick and tired of being babied," Embiid wrote on his Instagram account.
Embiid has been sidelined since March 28 after suffering a broken orbital bone and concussion in a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz. He underwent surgery to repair the fracture.
When asked about the Instagram post, Embiid told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne: "I promised the city the playoffs and I'm not on the court and I may not be on Thursday either. I wish more than anything that I was out there. I just want the green light to play."
Sixers coach Brett Brown said there is no specific timetable for Embiid's return.
Brown said Monday that he did not have a problem with Embiid showing frustration about his absence.
"He just wants to play basketball. He wants to be with his team. He wants to play in front of the fans, and he wants to see this through," the coach said after the Sixers' 113-103 loss. "And when he's not able to do that, he gets frustrated, and we respect his frustration. It's born out of competitiveness, and it's born out of him wanting to be with his team."
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I predict two teams will be 2-0 after tonight.
Oh, well. I got the most important one anyway. :lol
But the NBA needs to go back and revisit the tape and issue a flagrant on Bertans. Idiot should have been ejected. >:(
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That whole drama thing is very unlike him and unlike the Spurs as an organization. I'm not sure what to think of it.
This whole thing reminds me of a former colleague of mine who just left last week. He was once a team player, a very good programmer; possibly the best one at my company. Yet underneath all these, he kept everything to himself good or BAD... and mostly the bad things. And he also tended to over thinking things. In the end he just shut himself from everyone and decided to leave for no good reasons.
Not sure if this is the case for Leonard, instead of money or whether he is the alpha dog or what not.
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If Kawhi is not playing because he’s playing diva, I’m going to be PISSED.
That whole drama thing is very unlike him and unlike the Spurs as an organization. I'm not sure what to think of it.
My read on it is this:
Leonard clearly has an issue with Pop. He knows he'll never win that in the court of public opinion. He has an injury that is likely healed, but he went to his own doctors, so that he has a built in "it's not right" scenario, so he can just claim it is a medical reason, so that he looks good in front of the public, and his teammates. The problem is, the vets on the team are all loyal to Popovich, who has probably told them it is personal, not medical. It's like a walking soap opera.
The end result will be Leonard being traded this summer. My guess would be to the Lakers, for Ingram, Lopez (through sign and trade), and a pick. Because Kawaii is still young, they won't mind trading Ingram, and Lopez is young enough and still good enough to have value...and the Spurs have cap room, particularly if guys are let go and/or retire.
Spurs then are re-loaded a little bit, with a young star SF in the making, a solid center, and Aldridge. And the Lakers have a young two-way superstar SF to pair up with Kuzma, Ball, Hart, and whatever other FA they bring in (Lebron or PG 13). Win-win for everyone involved. And if I remember right, Leonard is from San Diego...so SoCal is home...
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If I'm the Spurs, I don't make a deal with the Lakers that does not include Kuzma.
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If I'm the Spurs, I don't make a deal with the Lakers that does not include Kuzma.
As a Lakers fan I am thinking about the same. Kuzma will have to be included for a Leonard deal to happen. In fact, I won't be surprised if the Spurs also want Lonzo Ball, as they need a good ball handler / floor general in the worst way possible.
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Not sure Pop would want the Big Baller circus.
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Not sure Pop would want the Big Baller circus.
If the Leonard situation isn't resolved swiftly, other teams will sell the Spurs low... so it is not like Pop has much of a choice, IF the Lakers indeed willing to part ways with both Kuz and Ball for Leonard.
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I predict two teams will be 2-0 after tonight.
But the NBA needs to go back and revisit the tape and issue a flagrant on Bertans. Idiot should have been ejected. >:(
You mean when Draymond popped Bertans in the throat? Why would Bertans get thrown out? All he did was hold Draymond. That does not warrant anyone getting hit in the throat.
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I predict two teams will be 2-0 after tonight.
But the NBA needs to go back and revisit the tape and issue a flagrant on Bertans. Idiot should have been ejected. >:(
You mean when Draymond popped Bertans in the throat? Why would Bertans get thrown out? All he did was hold Draymond. That does not warrant anyone getting hit in the throat.
You can't see it in the slow-mo replay because they cut to it too late, but back up to just before that where you can see the whole play in real time. Bertans runs into Draymond and leads with his arm to Draymond's neck, and then wraps Draymond's arm, shoulder, and neck with both arms, which prompts Draymond to throw the elbow to get him off. Yes, Bertans should have gotten called and thrown out (or at least called) for that. He's also lucky Draymond didn't turn around and knock him out.*
*And, yes, the Warriors as a team are also lucky he didn't do that, since he would have rightly received a flagrant 2 and been tossed if he went that far.
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Draymond Green would never commit a dirty act on another NBA player, said no one ever.
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Good, because nobody is saying that. Try sticking to the facts instead of your tired schtick.
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I don't think anything more than a common foul should've been called on either player, and that would be Bertans for the hold.
I watched the video and, honestly, I thought it looked worse in slow-mo.
This is just a case of Draymond's reputation working against him.
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^I can agree with all of that. And I think what also worked against Draymond was the fact that Bertans flopped and was writhing on the ground, and then Draymond turned around to angrily confront him, not realizing he was on the ground. The elbow was just a simple "get off me!" extrication type move that, often times, will just be seen as some aggressive extra contact that gets a common foul. It looks worse when followed by Draymond then whipping around looking for him, which looks like, "Let's throw down!"
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I agree Bertans committed the foul. But, Bertans isn't a dirty player, and it looks like a typical tangle up big men find themselves down in the post. I found myself in those situations blocking out for a rebound when I played in college. It's part of the game. Whether Bertans sold the foul or not, Draymond still went for the throat in retaliation. Getting hit in the throat still hurts lol.
I don't think anything will come of this. They both will move on to Game 3 in San Antonio wondering WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS KAWHI LEONARD DOING.
I never thought I'd be praising Lamarcus Aldridge during the playoffs, who pouted the past few post seasons, and glaring at Kawhi Leonard, who seemed like he had the stature of Robinson and Duncan.
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I love that when Igoudola stared down Ginobli (after a wide open dunk too btw), Ginobli gave him a look that said "What are you doing? I'm a four time champion and an Argentina LEGEND. There's nothing you can do to me." :lol
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I agree Bertans committed the foul. But, Bertans isn't a dirty player, and it looks like a typical tangle up big men find themselves down in the post. I found myself in those situations blocking out for a rebound when I played in college. It's part of the game. Whether Bertans sold the foul or not, Draymond still went for the throat in retaliation. Getting hit in the throat still hurts lol.
I don't think he got hit in the throat. I thought he got hit in the face (but I could be wrong).
In any case, I don't think you can say Draymond "went for the throat"--he wasn't even looking and just threw the elbow back.
I haven't followed Bertans, so I'll take your word that he isn't a dirty player. From the manner of the contact in this game--especially what he did on THAT specific play, as well as Draymond's reaction to it (say what you will about Draymond, but he doesn't typically overreact to a player that is very physical, but is clean), I drew the conclusion that he was actually pretty dirty. But, again, I haven't watched them much and don't know anything about him other than what I've seen this series, so I'll take your word for it. If that's truly the case, then, yeah, it is just a one-time unfortunate incident of a typical tangle up of big men down in the post that just got a bit heated. I think the refs got it wrong, but at the same time, they did mostly just let guys play in that game without calling every ticky-tack bit of contact, which I prefer.
I don't think anything will come of this. They both will move on to Game 3 in San Antonio...
Yeah. Except for the "points" system that can get a player ejected for something relatively minor farther along in the playoffs. That's what I hate about this. Now, he has a point against him, so some guys and some teams may start to target him with extra physicality to see if they can push his buttons and make him snap again. The problem then is, when a guy plays with as much physicality and as much emotion as Draymond, with his reputation, refs aren't as inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt on a play where someone else instigates something, and he ups the physicality in a way that might look a lot worse than it actually is.
But anyway...
I love that when Igoudola stared down Ginobli (after a wide open dunk too btw), Ginobli gave him a look that said "What are you doing? I'm a four time champion and an Argentina LEGEND. There's nothing you can do to me." :lol
I must have missed that. :lol
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@ Bosk... dunno. I don't think Lebron has enough support to put everyone on his back and drag them too far into the playoffs - but he is The King; and I don't know jack about the Pacers. The 6rs are the real threat, and they are fuckin legit - 24-1 at home in 2018. :omg:
Aside from every fiber of my being wanting the Cavs to go down in flames, I actually don't think they will get past the Raptors in the second round (assuming they turn the present series around and get past Indiana). But we'll see...
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I love that when Igoudola stared down Ginobli (after a wide open dunk too btw), Ginobli gave him a look that said "What are you doing? I'm a four time champion and an Argentina LEGEND. There's nothing you can do to me." :lol
Manu is one of my all-time favorites. It will be a sad day when he retires.
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Hard to believe this is the first time the Raps have ever had a 2-0 series lead.
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Hard to believe this is the first time the Raps have ever had a 2-0 series lead.
Well, they have never been a dominate team... let's see if they can build on this, and possibly go for a 4-0 sweep. :hat
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Hard to believe this is the first time the Raps have ever had a 2-0 series lead.
I am trying to be cautious about the playoffs, but Toronto's regular season performance was legitimately great. Having the second-best record and second-best point differential in the whole league is no joke. The only two teams that I feel are clearly better are Golden State and Houston. It really just comes down to whether or not the Raptors maintain their level in the postseason, which they never do, but this is also a very different team from the usual.
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It's easy to say this about a #1 seed, but they really are the team in the east that looks most likely to be a threat to go all the way.
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Who in the East is going to beat them?
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If I'm the Spurs, I don't make a deal with the Lakers that does not include Kuzma.
I agree. All it may take is Ingram, Lopez (with Lakers signing and trading to Spurs), and a pick. There may be other pieces to make the salary work, of course.
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Who in the East is going to beat them?
I am legitimately scared of Philly. Otherwise... Maybe the Cavs. But they are not very good. They have one transcendent player surrounded by offense-only players who are completely reliant on him. Also, Tyrone Lue is probably one of the worst coaches in the league. I am so thankful for Dwane Casey.
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When Philly is "on", they are scary. How much they can sustain that in a 7-game series is the question.
'twill be interesting to see how the Cavs respond. Could be catastrophic if they go down 2-0 at home.
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'twill be interesting to see how the Cavs respond. Could be catastrophic if they go down 2-0 at home.
The amount of noise this would generate would be deafening. And if the go out in the first round all the narrative around James leaving changes. Not sure if this it makes him look better or worse, but we won't hear the end of it for months.
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I don't think Lue will have a job after this season concludes...at least not a head coaching position. Lebron is gone, and it will be a rebuild with a young coach. Watch.
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I don't think Lue will have a job after this season concludes...at least not a head coaching position. Lebron is gone, and it will be a rebuild with a young coach. Watch.
I'm actually surprised Lue still has a coaching job :lol.
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'twill be interesting to see how the Cavs respond. Could be catastrophic if they go down 2-0 at home.
The amount of noise this would generate would be deafening. And if the go out in the first round all the narrative around James leaving changes. Not sure if this it makes him look better or worse, but we won't hear the end of it for months.
The blame game will be strong if Cleveland loses in the first round. Most analysts picked them to win the series decisively, so shows like First Take will try to frame the defeat in a way that doesn't make them look like morons for ignoring a full 82-game body of evidence that clearly demonstrated how mediocre the Cavaliers are.
Let me be clear: I also thought the Cavaliers would win decisively. I'm just not afraid to admit it when I do dumb things. :lol
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But in fairness, Indiana wasn't really showing much. And no matter how mediocre the supporting cast, it's tough to beat a LeBron team. I don't think that prediction was out of line.
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But in fairness, Indiana wasn't really showing much. And no matter how mediocre the supporting cast, it's tough to beat a LeBron team. I don't think that prediction was out of line.
Indiana's play in game one didn't surprise me. They are a good team with a lot of spring in their step and a chip on their shoulders. I think they will push Cleveland hard, but ultimately, I can't see Lebron letting the Cavs lose. The Cavs are more talented overall. But Indiana perhaps may be the better TEAM. Intriguing serious. I still think Cavs in 7, but won't be surprised if Oladipo and the Pacers win. It'd be an upset, but not a surprising upset. In fact, I think all the East first round matchups are similar in that regard.
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The Pacers are sneaky good.
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Is it just me? I still feel good about the Pacers' chances, despite their game 2 loss. With Oladipo got hit with 2 quick fouls early, and being down by as much as 18 @ Cavs, they still manage to out score the Cavs in the other 3 qtrs and barely lost.
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LBJ shows again last night why he is the GOAT.
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LBJ shows again last night why he is the GOAT.
He was the Greatest of the 1st Quarter, I'll grant you that.
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LBJ shows again last night why he is the GOAT.
What he's doing A. At his age B. With those teammates C. With that coach, is unbelievable.
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Is it just me? I still feel good about the Pacers' chances, despite their game 2 loss. With Oladipo got hit with 2 quick fouls early, and being down by as much as 18 @ Cavs, they still manage to out score the Cavs in the other 3 qtrs and barely lost.
I'm not sure. I definitely don't feel bad about their chances. They took a game in Cleveland and are going home for two games. I don't see them getting swept at home. Not the way they have played so far. I can still see this series going either way. To put it another way, I feel much better about their chances than Minnesota's. Hate to say it, but I don't see that team getting past game 4 or game 5 the way they are playing.
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I didn't watch the game, but just looking at the post-game stats, seeing that the Rockets blew out the Wolves with Harden going just 2-18 is scary.
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Being I think the lone Wolves diehard on here, I did, and I wish I didn't. I have been a fan since the the 1989-1990 expansion year. Tony Campbell is my favorite all-time player (Wolves' leading scorer first three years). Loved him paired with Pooh Richardson in the back court. And all I can say about last night is - after what, 29 years now...that is the most embarrassed I have ever felt as a fan.
Say what you want about the Rockets' defense (which was good, not great). The Wolves played like absolute dog shit. They should be ashamed of themselves. And that's really all I have to say.
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I can't really add much to that. I didn't see the whole game. But what I did see was really disappointing. There was zero fire and next to zero effort from the team for most of what I saw. From the middle of the third quarter on, Houston was just playing around with them. And perhaps most disappointing of all is that they let Houston do it. I feel bad for the Wolves fans.
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I didn't watch that game, but when I saw the stats I was pretty surprised, first of all by the low numbers the Wolves starters posted, which was sort of explained by the amount of minutes they played. I was then surprised than Harden scored sow low yet there was a 20 point difference. I can imagine the Wolves locker room mustn't have been a nice place after the game, or even at half time.
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Paul was on an absolute tear. When he wasn't shooting, he was orchestrating all kinds of plays. A lot of it was just goofy, Globe Trotter stuff, too. But the Wolves were letting them do it and score at will. As Samsara said, just embarrassing.
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OMG, I am liking both the Sixers and Pels in the first round. They are fun to watch!
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Trailblazers are completely laying down. Their performance is incredibly disappointing. Not to take anything away from NOLA, but the Blazers just didn't show up. At all. I'm hoping they wake up and at least stretch the series out a bit so the Warriors can get in some rest and get closer to having Curry back, assuming they can pull the sweep against San Antonio (which is looking pretty likely now after they took what I think was San Antonio's best punch last night, and still managed to win pretty decisively).
For tonight, I'm predicting Pacers over Cavs. Notwithstanding "Playoff LeBron," Indy was a missed 3 away from a tie with a few second left in game 2 on Cleveland's floor. Back in Indy, I give them the edge.
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...meanwhile.
Purple Dinos get no love again.
tsk tsk basketball fans....you know who's scary good. The Raptor's bench.
"getthatgawbageouttahere!!"
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...meanwhile.
Purple Dinos get no love again.
??? How do you figure?
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Trailblazers are completely laying down. Their performance is incredibly disappointing. Not to take anything away from NOLA, but the Blazers just didn't show up. At all. I'm hoping they wake up and at least stretch the series out a bit so the Warriors can get in some rest and get closer to having Curry back, assuming they can pull the sweep against San Antonio (which is looking pretty likely now after they took what I think was San Antonio's best punch last night, and still managed to win pretty decisively).
For tonight, I'm predicting Pacers over Cavs. Notwithstanding "Playoff LeBron," Indy was a missed 3 away from a tie with a few second left in game 2 on Cleveland's floor. Back in Indy, I give them the edge.
Not sure that was the Spurs best punch, everyone was pretty rattled by what happened with Pop's wife. Manu had been one of their best players so far and he was just awful last night. I wouldn't count them out just yet.
As far as the Blazers go I think they're not playoff material, plain and simple. That team needs an emotional leader if you will, like Rondo is doing for NOLA.
...meanwhile.
Purple Dinos get no love again.
tsk tsk basketball fans....you know who's scary good. The Raptor's bench.
"getthatgawbageouttahere!!"
Hi there, long time no see. Purple dinos are playing good but people have seen them fall to pieces during the playoffs before and they are facing a Washington team that is performing nowhere near the level they showed in previous years. We'll see what happens when they have to face Philly or Boston
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...meanwhile.
Purple Dinos get no love again.
??? How do you figure?
they just don't.
I'm in Ottawa so naturally I take all things Toronto "complaint" with a huge grain of salt. The American media really ignore this team entirely. Now is some of it warranted? Being unreliable in the playoffs.....ok. Granted. But wow they're a great group of really interesting characters. The comedy routine during press conferences between DeRozan and Lowry is TV GOLD. The home grown talent.
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Hi there, long time no see. Purple dinos are playing good but people have seen them fall to pieces during the playoffs before and they are facing a Washington team that is performing nowhere near the level they showed in previous years. We'll see what happens when they have to face Philly or Boston
This schtick again? Other than JV, Lowry and DDR, this is a complete turnover of the lineup from 3-4 years ago when they 'fell to pieces' against the Wizards and Nets (which I will grant you, they did). But, they took 2 from the Cavs 2 years ago when no one gave them a shot at any; last year's sweep they were outscored immensely from beyond the arc.
Try to look at them as they are now, not as they were. Do you measure Houston based on their 41-41 season 2 years ago? Or their exit at the hands of the eventual champion GSW's?
C'mon... this is getting old.
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We'll see what happens when they have to face Philly or Boston
No chance they lose to Boston, but there's also no chance Boston even makes it that far. Seems even if the Celt's win, they're playing Philly, which looks quite daunting at this point.
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Hi there, long time no see. Purple dinos are playing good but people have seen them fall to pieces during the playoffs before and they are facing a Washington team that is performing nowhere near the level they showed in previous years. We'll see what happens when they have to face Philly or Boston
This schtick again? Other than JV, Lowry and DDR, this is a complete turnover of the lineup from 3-4 years ago when they 'fell to pieces' against the Wizards and Nets (which I will grant you, they did). But, they took 2 from the Cavs 2 years ago when no one gave them a shot at any; last year's sweep they were outscored immensely from beyond the arc.
Try to look at them as they are now, not as they were. Do you measure Houston based on their 41-41 season 2 years ago? Or their exit at the hands of the eventual champion GSW's?
C'mon... this is getting old.
For that matter, look at how Portland did during the regular season and how they seem to be G-League team during the playoffs. Some players kill it during the regular season but succumb to the pressure of the playoffs. I think the raptors are a more mature group and are playing like a team now instead of going hero ball, but I won't put my money on them just yet. I want to see Lowry and DeRozan reacting to a difficult situation under pressure.
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Hi there, long time no see. Purple dinos are playing good but people have seen them fall to pieces during the playoffs before and they are facing a Washington team that is performing nowhere near the level they showed in previous years. We'll see what happens when they have to face Philly or Boston
This schtick again? Other than JV, Lowry and DDR, this is a complete turnover of the lineup from 3-4 years ago when they 'fell to pieces' against the Wizards and Nets (which I will grant you, they did). But, they took 2 from the Cavs 2 years ago when no one gave them a shot at any; last year's sweep they were outscored immensely from beyond the arc.
Try to look at them as they are now, not as they were. Do you measure Houston based on their 41-41 season 2 years ago? Or their exit at the hands of the eventual champion GSW's?
C'mon... this is getting old.
For that matter, look at how Portland did during the regular season and how they seem to be G-League team during the playoffs. Some players kill it during the regular season but succumb to the pressure of the playoffs. I think the raptors are a more mature group and are playing like a team now instead of going hero ball, but I won't put my money on them just yet. I want to see Lowry and DeRozan reacting to a difficult situation under pressure.
I'd say being up by as much as 23 over the Wiz's in game 2... then seeing that lead shrink to 5... then going on a 14-2 run at the end of the 4th should start to convince demonstrate that, no? Sure, it's only the Wiz, but they've been the best Q4 defense in the league all season.
I get you're a skeptic, but your continual justification is rear-view thinking - WAY BACK rear-view too. Maybe I'm being a Homer, but the eyeball test doesn't quite warrant the skepticism you're giving them.
If they choke it out and don't get over the EC finals hump, fee free to rub my nose in it
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As an outsider, they look pretty solid to me. I'm going to be surprised if they don't make it at least to the ECF, if not to the NBA finals.
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*please don't let the Wolves be swept*
>>>>That's all I can say. :lol
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You see, that example you give there is exactly why I won't put my money on them yet. The fact that they let a Wizards team almost come back from 23 point difference in a playoff game is not good. They managed to get out of it, yes, but they shouldn't have been in that position to begin with.
To be honest, it would be very refreshing to the see a Conference final between the Raptors and the 6ers, I'd love that because it would show the NBA is moving forward and I sure hope the raptors make it that far because of the change they went through this season. Any team that is able to evolve the way they did is a good team in my book. But still, I need to see them show that killer instinct they haven't had before.
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I think it's inevitable that my Spurs will get swept. That being said, I am optimistic about the future of our team. If Kawhi doesn't come back, Aldridge is playing well enough to be the face of the team, and I'm really liking what I'm seeing from our younger players like Dejounte Murray and Kyle Anderson. We need to get rid of Gasol, and grab Kristaps Porzingis! We've been playing all season without a true Center. I think Ginobli will play one more season before retiring, and Parker has a few more years with us.
I have to say though...the Pelicans are looking real good...like push the Warriors and Rockets to game 6 or 7 good.
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The Pelicans are an interesting team. I think that right now, anybody would look good against Portland. They are pretenders, and are showing that they have no heart or grit. I don't think the Pelicans are as good as their performance in this series might seem to indicate. That said, they pose a decent threat to the Warriors because of how they play. The matchup just isn't good for the Warriors, at least, not without Curry back. Smaller teams don't fare as well against the Pelicans, and that is true of the Warriors as well. But with Curry, the speed at which the Warriors team moves, both on offense and defense, changes things and I think would eventually wear NOLA down. Having him in the lineup also really allows them to change speeds and show a lot of variation. But without him, it's going to be a really tough series. If they go "big" (for them), they are out of their element and will get ground down by a team that has a much better big man. If they go small without Curry, they play into the Pelicans' strength. I hope Curry can come back during that series.
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You see, that example you give there is exactly why I won't put my money on them yet. The fact that they let a Wizards team almost come back from 23 point difference in a playoff game is not good. They managed to get out of it, yes, but they shouldn't have been in that position to begin with.
To be honest, it would be very refreshing to the see a Conference final between the Raptors and the 6ers, I'd love that because it would show the NBA is moving forward and I sure hope the raptors make it that far because of the change they went through this season. Any team that is able to evolve the way they did is a good team in my book. But still, I need to see them show that killer instinct they haven't had before.
Eh, I wouldn't worry about that. Basketball is a game of runs, and even all-time great teams blow big leads, or almost blow them. Sure, the Raptors are an unproven playoff commodity, but I don't buy your talking point that nearly blowing a big lead to an 8 seed is relevant in regards to their chances down the road and/or not having a killer instinct.
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EPIC finish by the Pacers! Wow!!!
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EPIC finish by the Pacers! Wow!!!
Impressive? Yes! But I will save the EPIC tag for now until they win the series.
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40+ points a piece for AD and Jrue Holliday. What an exciting duo to watch. I will be actively rooting for the Pelicans once the Dubs sweep my Spurs :'(
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40+ points a piece for AD and Jrue Holliday. What an exciting duo to watch. I will be actively rooting for the Pelicans once the Dubs sweep my Spurs :'(
Dude, this is just not the Spurs' year... as for the Pels, they will be a tough match up for the Dubs, though I still think the Dubs will still win the series by a hair.
Meanwhile in the east, Oladipo has been figure out how to break the Cavs' double teams, and then getting the ball back, because Bogdanovic won't go for another 30 pts or be shooting 7 for 9 from 3s in game 4 or beyond.
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Well...at least we won’t get swept! :lol
That was some inspirational play from the Spurs, especially from Ginobli and Rudy Gay. Aldridge hit a huge 3 pointer that put more gas the engine in the 4th quarter. Good defensive plays from Danny Green. Dejounte Murray showed why they gave him the starting spot over the aging TP9. Warriors turned it on in the 4th, and cut down our lead by 2. I love my Spurs, but I am a realist. Warriors will close out the series at Oracle arena.
Obviously they didn’t want to get swept, but this game (and last game), they played with a lot of passion for Pop. I don’t think Pop will return to coach Game 5.
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Also, with today’s win, Manu and Tony have become the winningest duo in NBA Playoff History! :metal Go Spurs Go!
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The lack of patient is what costed the Pacers game 4. Why kept jacking up jumpers in the 4th and stopped moving the ball around?
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It's interesting that the Toronro fans are nowhere near this thread... ::)
Obviously they didn’t want to get swept, but this game (and last game), they played with a lot of passion for Pop. I don’t think Pop will return to coach Game 5.
It wouldn't surprise me if they did it so that Manu didn't get retired by the crowd like last year, he didn't like that at all :lol
The lack of patient is what costed the Pacers game 4. Why kept jacking up jumpers in the 4th and stopped moving the ball around?
Didn't watch the game but that sounds like the kind of thing an inexperienced team would do. I believe they can take down the Cavs in the next couple of games but they need to keep the energy up. Also, LBJ played 46 out of the 48 minutes of the game which is not unheard of, but having to play that many minutes in the first round will take a toll on the whole team.
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Yeah... not a great couple of games. Defense was terrific in the 1st half, but then the Wizards went and shot 65% in the 3rd. Again, hard to say how much that was the Wizards heating up, or the defense cooling off. I think (hope) this game will be a wakeup call for them - and hopefully they get Fred VanFleet back - him running the 2nd unit has been a key part of much of their success.
Not worried though. There's more parity in the league this year than in previous years. Even the Rockets and Warriors are not infallible.
Cavs are only winning (by a total of 7 points) as Lebron carries them. Even when he's having a King-like performance, they're still just squeaking by. Wait until he has a less-than Kingly game.
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Didn't watch the game but that sounds like the kind of thing an inexperienced team would do. I believe they can take down the Cavs in the next couple of games but they need to keep the energy up. Also, LBJ played 46 out of the 48 minutes of the game which is not unheard of, but having to play that many minutes in the first round will take a toll on the whole team.
The game was quite competitive and fun to watch until around with 6 minutes or so left in the 4th qtr. The Pacers suddenly stopped moving the ball around and/or jacking up long 2s or even rushed 3s. I just knew they weren't going to win playing like that...
Cavs are only winning (by a total of 7 points) as Lebron carries them. Even when he's having a King-like performance, they're still just squeaking by. Wait until he has a less-than Kingly game.
Agreed, but a win is a win. I think LBJ will at least will them a series win in this first round. Even if they get pass the Pacers, I doubt he could keep doing it for later rounds though. I still hope the Pacers can pick themselves up and try and steal one more at Cleveland.
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Cavs are only winning (by a total of 7 points) as Lebron carries them. Even when he's having a King-like performance, they're still just squeaking by. Wait until he has a less-than Kingly game.
I don't think he had a very Kingly game on Sunday, and they still got the win. I'm not sure the Pacers can win this series by giving away games like that. You don't keep getting that many chances against a LeBron-led team.
Didn't watch the game but that sounds like the kind of thing an inexperienced team would do. I believe they can take down the Cavs in the next couple of games but they need to keep the energy up. Also, LBJ played 46 out of the 48 minutes of the game which is not unheard of, but having to play that many minutes in the first round will take a toll on the whole team.
The game was quite competitive and fun to watch until around with 6 minutes or so left in the 4th qtr. The Pacers suddenly stopped moving the ball around and/or jacking up long 2s or even rushed 3s. I just knew they weren't going to win playing like that...
Agreed. Even before they would launch the shot, I just found myself asking what they were doing on offense (or not doing, actually). It was fairly baffling.
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Yeah... not a great couple of games. Defense was terrific in the 1st half, but then the Wizards went and shot 65% in the 3rd. Again, hard to say how much that was the Wizards heating up, or the defense cooling off. I think (hope) this game will be a wakeup call for them - and hopefully they get Fred VanFleet back - him running the 2nd unit has been a key part of much of their success.
I watched a good chunk of the game and I don't think the Raptors defense was bad, the Wizards just caught fire. Bradley Beal was shooting 3s like he was Steph. Their offense though, during some stretches it seemed like they were reverting to the hero ball of old days and that's what I would be worried about if I was a fan.
Cavs are only winning (by a total of 7 points) as Lebron carries them. Even when he's having a King-like performance, they're still just squeaking by. Wait until he has a less-than Kingly game.
I don't think he had a very Kingly game on Sunday, and they still got the win. I'm not sure the Pacers can win this series by giving away games like that. You don't keep getting that many chances against a LeBron-led team.
32pts, 13rbs, 7as, on 54% shooting. That is not kingly? I'm a big critic of Lebron but come on, that's one hell of a game.
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No, those are great stats. But they aren't the type of stats that show him completely taking over a game, as he is capable of doing. If he continued to have games with that exact same output, I don't think the Cavs win the series. It's a "great" game by the standards of most. But it's not "LeBron-great," if you know what I mean. And given where the rest of his team is, he needs to have some better games for them to take the series, because I don't think the rest of his team will give him much help.
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And given where the rest of his team is, he needs to have some better games for them to take the series, because I don't think the rest of his team will give him much help.
I think we all agree on that part. If Indiana stops missing those important shots the Cavs are done.
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But to bring it back to what I was originally trying to say, I think Indiana is potentially in trouble for not putting away a game they should have. Yeah, LeBron put up some good numbers. But he is capable of putting up better. And even with the shortcomings of the rest of the Cavs team, the team is capable of playing better than they did. The Pacers let one slip away that they should have grabbed. It would not surprise me if that will prove to be their undoing. But we'll see. I mean, maybe the Cavs just don't have enough. We'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
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Maybe I should just shut the hell up.
I come in trying to pump the tires of the Raptors and they go and poop the bed.
Never mind I was ever here.
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Crossing fingers, toes, and everything else that tonight evens the series between the Wolves and Rockets.
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Me too. I am skeptical about whether they can pull it off, but I hope I am wrong.
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Yeah... not a great couple of games. Defense was terrific in the 1st half, but then the Wizards went and shot 65% in the 3rd. Again, hard to say how much that was the Wizards heating up, or the defense cooling off. I think (hope) this game will be a wakeup call for them - and hopefully they get Fred VanFleet back - him running the 2nd unit has been a key part of much of their success.
I watched a good chunk of the game and I don't think the Raptors defense was bad, the Wizards just caught fire. Bradley Beal was shooting 3s like he was Steph. Their offense though, during some stretches it seemed like they were reverting to the hero ball of old days and that's what I would be worried about if I was a fan.
True on all accounts - 40 points in 1H; then 40 points in 3Q!!! And as the lead shrunk, DDR tried to do too much himself - sometimes it paid off, sometimes not - but when he's only shooting 35% (and the team only had 9 OREB's), he can't keep tossing it up. They have been guilty of some VERY sloppy turnovers all series too, but especially yesterday. 19 t/u's I think I heard? In the 4th were a couple of questionable non-calls for the Wiz, and a couple of soft fouls called against the Raps. Doesn't matter though... the #1 seed should never be in the position to have that be a difference maker.
Cavs are only winning (by a total of 7 points) as Lebron carries them. Even when he's having a King-like performance, they're still just squeaking by. Wait until he has a less-than Kingly game.
I don't think he had a very Kingly game on Sunday, and they still got the win. I'm not sure the Pacers can win this series by giving away games like that. You don't keep getting that many chances against a LeBron-led team.
32pts, 13rbs, 7as, on 54% shooting. That is not kingly? I'm a big critic of Lebron but come on, that's one hell of a game.
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Me too. I am skeptical about whether they can pull it off, but I hope I am wrong.
Their effort game 3 was astounding. If they can play like that the rest of the series...win or lose, I think the Wolves and fellow fans can walk away hopeful.
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Their effort game 3 was astounding. If they can play like that the rest of the series...win or lose, I think the Wolves and fellow fans can walk away hopeful.
Yeah well, that 3rd quarter wasn't exactly what you were hoping for was it? That was painful to watch even as a non wolves fan.
So how about Utah? I knew they were doing good towards the end of the season and I really thought they had a chance against the Thunder but they are doing even better than I expected. The Rockets should start taking note of them, that will be a fun series to watch.
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Their effort game 3 was astounding. If they can play like that the rest of the series...win or lose, I think the Wolves and fellow fans can walk away hopeful.
Yeah well, that 3rd quarter wasn't exactly what you were hoping for was it? That was painful to watch even as a non wolves fan.
The third? How about the first and second when Houston couldn't get it going, and the Wolves simply refused to capitalize? Hate to say it, but I knew it was over at halftime. If Houston is playing that badly and you can barely catch up, what are you going to do once they start hitting their shots? And they WILL start hitting those wide-open shots. Game frustrated me to no end.
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I caught the game during the 3rd, I don't know what happened before that but based on the numbers I thought it was just an evenly fought match. Did the wolves miss too many open shots?
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:facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :tdwn
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I caught the game during the 3rd, I don't know what happened before that but based on the numbers I thought it was just an evenly fought match. Did the wolves miss too many open shots?
Not necessarily, but they jacked up contested shots and committed stupid turnovers. Every now and then, you would see them push and get easy buckets in the paint. And then, within a possession or two, they would seemingly forget that that strategy worked, and go back to jacking up contested shots and going one-on-one. And they were playing pretty pedestrian defense as well, letting Houston shoot wide-open shots. It's just that Houston couldn't get anything to fall in the first half.
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Oh sweet Moses... both the Raptors and Leafs are playing tomorrow night! :facepalm:
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Oh sweet Moses... both the Raptors and Leafs are playing tomorrow night! :facepalm:
I would also be worried if I was going to be disappointed twice the same day...
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So how about Utah? I knew they were doing good towards the end of the season and I really thought they had a chance against the Thunder but they are doing even better than I expected. The Rockets should start taking note of them, that will be a fun series to watch.
The Jazz are a lot of fun to watch. Donovan Mitchell is a beast.
And Russell Westbrook is who I thought he was along. He is the Terrell Owens of the NBA.
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I was thinking "Cam Newton." But "Terrell Owens" fits too, I suppose.
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Congrats Bosk1, even though I knew along the Dubs were going to knock us out in the first. Hopefully next season the Spurs will be able to compete on the same level.
That being said, Go Spurs Go!
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Trust the Process!!!!
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I'm happy the Spurs went down fighting like they did, they showed they still have that fire in them. I hope they shuffle things a little bit next year, trade Danny and drop Parkers minutes even more with only a minimum vet contract. And of course resolve the situation with Kawhi so he can come back and wreak havoc once again.
Trust the Process!!!!
They are my candidates for the Eastern Conference Championship. The late additions of Bellinelli and Ilyasova are making a big difference. Great move by the front office.
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Holy crap, where the Spurs tenacious or what? Unbelievable game! And it was cool seeing and hearing afterward how much respect these two teams have for one another.
On to the Pelicans. I don't have a really good feeling about how this series will go. The Warriors' offensive philosophy relies heavily on constant passing/ball movement until something breaks down in the defense. When they do that, they are just about unstoppable. This last series, we saw them do that a lot, and saw it work. But then we would also see them get away from it just as often. If they stick with it, I don't see the series going past 5 games. If they don't, I'm not sure. But from what I saw of the Pelicans this last series, they destroyed Portland using variations of the exact same tactic, and doing it VERY well. The Warriors tend to defend well against those kinds of teams, but I am interested in seeing how this series goes.
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After watching Philly do their thing...I think they are coming out of the East.
As for the Wolves tonight...I expect a loss. But it better be going down swinging and a close game. Gotta show the heart.
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Pels, especially AD, will destroy the Dubs' interior D, and I just hope Curry will come back soon and relatively healthy. Whoever is assigned to Rondo will have a long series. That being said, I think Kerr will out coach Gentry. :biggrin:
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Pels, especially AD, will destroy the Dubs' interior D, and I just hope Curry will come back soon and relatively healthy. Whoever is assigned to Rondo will have a long series.
I wouldn't assume either of those things. Don't forget that the Warriors defense is elite, and has been for several years now. They stop big teams, small teams, fast teams, slow teams, you name it. That isn't to take anything away from the Pelicans at all. But there is no reason to assume the Warriors D will struggle.
Let's also not forget that the Warriors beat the Pelicans 3 out of 4 times this season. The only loss was by only 6 points, the Warriors were missing two starters, and they had already locked up the #2 seed and pretty much conceded the #1. It was a 2 point game with a minute left.
I'm assuming a good series. But I don't see any part of the Warriors D getting "destroyed" in the process.
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The pelis will probably take a game or two but the warriors should come out victorious. Nonetheless, I don't think any of these will be easy games, specially considering what Ayizu mentioned. Playoff Rondo is a mayor threat and the Warriors will struggle to contain him, plus AD is playing incredibly well and I'm sure Green will suffer that matchup. All in all these should be fun to watch.
My girlfriend is thinking of attending game 2 of the series since she will be in the bay area around that time. I'm super jelly right now.
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I'm gonna say the Raptors kill the Wizards tonight, but a small part of me won't be surprised if Nekov gets to rub my nose in that comment tomorrow morning.
Doesn't matter though, I'll be watching the Leafs.
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(https://media.giphy.com/media/Dps6uX4XPOKeA/giphy.gif)
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:lol And here I was getting ready to jump in and defend Nekov as not being the "nose-rubbing type."
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The Pelicans are going to get crushed. Particularly if Curry returns. If he does, Warriors in 5. If he doesn't, Warriors in 6.
AD can go 40/20 every game if he wants, but the rest of the team pales in comparison to the Warriors, and I'm nowhere close to being a Ws fan. It is just how it is. Here's hoping the Pels pull the upset, but I wouldn't bet on it.
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:lol And here I was getting ready to jump in and defend Nekov as not being the "nose-rubbing type."
Well, with the Spurs gone, it's understandable that he'll only take joy in the misery of others too. :biggrin:
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Playoffs Rondo, the suddenly red-hot; sometimes hero-ball Holiday; and the without-Cousins-but-becomes-very-active AD roaming all over the court... man, win or lose they will give the Dubs all they can handle.
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Well, it wasn't big, but they turned it on to finish out the game.
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Well, it wasn't big, but they turned it on to finish out the game.
:neverusethis:
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LeGOAT does it again. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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Lucky for him the refs all took the night off for the possession before than and didn't call that goal tend.
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Well, it wasn't big, but they turned it on to finish out the game.
Great 4th quarter by them. Toronto will probably take this one because of home court advantage, but they still have a long way to go if they want to get to the ECF.
Lucky for him the refs all took the night off for the possession before than and didn't call that goal tend.
This. That goal tending was pretty obvious. Also, Oladipo is MIA, he needs to step up if the Pacers want to take this one home.
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I appreciate all the love that the Sixers are getting from the media, but by NO means do I consider them to be the favorites to win the East. I can see them losing a series to any of the remaining teams save the Pacers and Wizards. Do I think they're set up for a 3-4 year championship window in the near future? Absolutely. But I think that Heat series was closer than anyone cares to admit. And the Sixers will be exposed as early as next round.
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Well, it wasn't big, but they turned it on to finish out the game.
Great 4th quarter by them. Toronto will probably take this one because of home court advantage, but they still have a long way to go if they want to get to the ECF.
You may be right, but the Cavs (sans LeBron) have looked downright awful against the Pacers. Hard to see how they might take 4 from the Raptors if they're struggling this much - and JUST eeking out wins - vs the Pacers... who themselves haven't played great.
One thing the Raptors have shown all season is the ability to get out of a mini-slump pretty quick.... and dominate at home. Took a few quarters to do so last night, but they have been clutch all year in the 4th.
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The Lebron play on Oladipo was a clear goal tend. But the shot LBJ took to win it...pure guts. Tip of the cap, as much as I dislike the guy (tremendous respect for his basketball talent).
The Wolves....do we have a shit emoji available?
Good season by the Wolves, clearly, this was the end result I expected. I said Rockets in five or six. Glad the Wolves got a game in, and they did fight the last game like I hoped they would. They really need to address a bunch of issues this off season:
1. Create sets that maximize playing faster. That four guard lineup of Rose-Crawford-Teague-Butler_Towns showed itself to be deadly. They need to focus on playing faster, stop with the half court, get out and run, cutting to the basket more, etc., and get personnel to do that, who have some height.
2. The obvious need for 3 point shooting. I still think they should trade Wiggins back to the Cavs (if Lebron leaves) for Love. Love has shown he can be effective as a third option, and his ego doesn't take a hit. He'd be a great third option behind Butler and Towns, and give the Wolves shooting, rebounding and length at the four spot. Wiggns needs to have the ball in his hands to be effective. he won't get that in MInnesota. Makes sense to go to a place where he can be the #1 option.
3. If Crawford retires, make it a point to bring in a SG/SF in the same mold who can shoot. They need that energy.
4. Re-sign Rose to a sixth man deal. He's proven he's healthy, and he showed in the playoffs how effective he can be against other top players (he made Chris Paul and Harden look foolish at times). If the 2012 Rose is back (to a degree), then sign him up, as long as he's fine getting 26-28 minutes a game off the bench backing up the guard spots.
>>>>Good building block year. The Wolves need to take the next step in the 2018-2019 season, with 50+ wins and a playoff series win.
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The Lebron play on Oladipo was a clear goal tend. But the shot LBJ took to win it...pure guts. Tip of the cap, as much as I dislike the guy (tremendous respect for his basketball talent).
Agreed with all of that. The Cavs shouldn't have even been in a position to win the game in the first place, and that blown call opened the door. But that shot...my reaction was two things simultaneously: (1) I SO dislike LeBron that words can't express it; and (2) Good lord, LeBron's talent is otherworldly sometimes!
As for the Wolves, they so pissed me off. I didn't think they could beat Houston. But I so wanted them to. And they so could have, but completely laid down in games or for long stretches in games, and just made boneheaded decisions.
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has anyone witnessed and NBA game that was officiated well?
its ridiculous.
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Haha, and let's be honest: the "goal tend" last night was barely a goal tend, not an obvious one, and easy to not call in real time. Sure, if we slow it down on our HD TV, we can see that it was a goal tend by a hair, but making calls like that in real time are not easy.
I did get a kick out of all of the James haters last night losing their minds about that non-call on Twitter last night. I guess it just kills some to give him credit for anything ever. He makes a buzzer beater to win a playoff game and all they can kick and scream is, "BUT THE GOAL TEND!!" :lol :lol :lol
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You are to Lebron as Stadler is to Trump. :lol
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NBA's 2 minute report, while agreeing about the goaltend, also (rightly) noted that the previous play was incorrectly called out on LBJ instead of Thad Young. So, you could also argue the Pacers shouldn't have had their final possession, either.
https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/04/L2M-IND-CLE-04-25-2018.pdf (https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/04/L2M-IND-CLE-04-25-2018.pdf)
Just sayin...
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The Raptors *will* end the series tonight.
#OpensUpForExtremeRidiculeTomorrow.
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The Raptors *will* end the series tonight.
#OpensUpForExtremeRidiculeTomorrow.
Rooting for them. But...Raptors. :facepalm:
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Great game by Oladipo and the Pacers... where were you in Game 5?! Lol! :loser: :lol
Anyway, Game 7 on Sunday will be crazy! :tup
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The Raptors *will* end the series tonight.
#OpensUpForExtremeRidiculeTomorrow.
(https://www.tacomaworld.com/gallery/data/500/booyah.gif)
Once again, killer fourth quarter for the Raps. It's truly amazing the difference that Steady-Freddie makes to the 2nd unit. He was the reason they stayed close. The Wiz had every opportunity to pull away, but couldn't sustain a significant run, and then completely ran out of gas in the 4th.
Go Pacers! Cleveland is looks ripe for the taking. When LeGOAT plays LeOrdinary, Cleveland doesn't even look like a playoff-worthy team.
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For sure. James played really well (he sat most of the 4th), but even that couldn't stop the Pacers from destroying them. This is like watching Jordan on some of those teams he had early in his career where it really feels like 1 on 5.
Loved seeing the Jazz knock out the Thunder, even if they tried like hell to give it away at the end.
I will be curious to see what the league does about Russell Westbrook does about swatting at a fan on his way out. Yeah, the fan was holding his phone out a bit too far, but wasn't doing anything else. You, as an NBA player, cannot do what Westbrook did, plain and simple.
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once again Bucks fans come away disappointed.
2 playoff series wins since 1990, and they both happened in 2001.
send help.
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Pels, especially AD, will destroy the Dubs' interior D, and I just hope Curry will come back soon and relatively healthy. Whoever is assigned to Rondo will have a long series. That being said, I think Kerr will out coach Gentry. :biggrin:
Not trying to rub your nose in anything because (1) I don't do that,* and (2) we're only one game in. But I think game 1 really showed a Warriors team that is more consistent with what I posted here:
Pels, especially AD, will destroy the Dubs' interior D, and I just hope Curry will come back soon and relatively healthy. Whoever is assigned to Rondo will have a long series.
I wouldn't assume either of those things. Don't forget that the Warriors defense is elite, and has been for several years now. They stop big teams, small teams, fast teams, slow teams, you name it. That isn't to take anything away from the Pelicans at all. But there is no reason to assume the Warriors D will struggle.
Let's also not forget that the Warriors beat the Pelicans 3 out of 4 times this season. The only loss was by only 6 points, the Warriors were missing two starters, and they had already locked up the #2 seed and pretty much conceded the #1. It was a 2 point game with a minute left.
I'm assuming a good series. But I don't see any part of the Warriors D getting "destroyed" in the process.
And Curry is coming back. I mean, I'm trying not to read TOO MUCH into just one game. I think the Pelicans will take a game or two. But I don't see any part of their team getting "destroyed" in any of those games.
*That said, I'm not above gloating at all when the Cavs get knocked out.
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once again Bucks fans come away disappointed.
2 playoff series wins since 1990, and they both happened in 2001.
send help.
The new arena is next year, right? And the head coaching job will look attractive to top candidates. Is Parker a free agent? If not, he has a ton of trade value. He played well, despite coming off the pine.
As for my Wolves...if Lebron leaves Cleveland, and they blow it up, I could see them trading Wiggins for Love and other pieces...
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once again Bucks fans come away disappointed.
2 playoff series wins since 1990, and they both happened in 2001.
send help.
The new arena is next year, right? And the head coaching job will look attractive to top candidates. Is Parker a free agent? If not, he has a ton of trade value. He played well, despite coming off the pine.
As for my Wolves...if Lebron leaves Cleveland, and they blow it up, I could see them trading Wiggins for Love and other pieces...
new arena for the Bucks next season is correct. no doubt the head coaching position should be a hot item this off season, unfortunately the new ownership group has proven time and time again they don't know anything about the actual basketball side of the business so fingers crossed on that one. Jabari is a restricted free agent but personally I hope he ends up elsewhere. he is a head case and I can't trust his knees at this point.
wasn't Love traded for Wiggins initially? full circle on that one.
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new arena for the Bucks next season is correct. no doubt the head coaching position should be a hot item this off season, unfortunately the new ownership group has proven time and time again they don't know anything about the actual basketball side of the business so fingers crossed on that one. Jabari is a restricted free agent but personally I hope he ends up elsewhere. he is a head case and I can't trust his knees at this point.
wasn't Love traded for Wiggins initially? full circle on that one.
Yeah, Love was. That's just me spouting off, The Wolves need a true stretch four, who can shoot the three, rebound, and be OK not being the first or second option. And Love was able to do all three of those for the Cavs. With Wiggins entering his max deal next year, if Lebron leaves Cleveland, it makes sense to me to get Love back and pair him with Towns and Butler, and give Wiggins the fresh start with a team that in that Lebron-less scenario, would need a #1 option.
Could happen. As long as the Wolves got more than just Love, I'd be OK with it. Wiggins just needs the ball in his hands, and the motivation to drive to the paint all the time, and he doesn't have it. I wish he did.
That Bucks job is going to be popular.
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Not trying to rub your nose in anything because (1) I don't do that,* and (2) we're only one game in. But I think game 1 really showed a Warriors team that is more consistent with what I posted here:
Meh... I knew the Dubs are at another level if or when they turn it on. Oh well, would LOVE to see them doing the same to the Rockets and the annoying Harden and CPS though, lol! :lol
Meanwhile, are the C's THAT good? Or the Sixers just didn't play good enough D and missing a ton of open shots? I expect a closer game in Game 2 though. :hat
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C's missing 3 of their top 4 players and win like this? I expected a loss.
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C's missing 3 of their top 4 players and win like this? I expected a loss.
Brad Stevens.
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Yup. Every player has bought into him. For sure.
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C's missing 3 of their top 4 players and win like this? I expected a loss.
Brad Stevens.
As I've said a few times in the past, as a native New Yorker, it pains me to give Boston sports teams credit. But the Celtics are playing with such desire. Brad Stevens should be coach of the year. Watching them play, I think the C's could very well win this series, and potentially come out of the East, even shorthanded. They just need to stay hot.
I love the matchup between Embiid and Al Horford. Embiid doesn't want to come too far out on the perimeter, so Horford is just nailing shots. Dude has to come out and guard, but if he does, Horford is faster, and can go around him. Really bad matchup for Embiid.
At PG, Rozier is showing they have an eventual star in the making. It's just crazy how deep the C's are. They are primed for the next decade if both Irving (his injury should have C's fans nervous) and Hayward come back at full strength. Tatum and Brown are going to be stars as well. Just crazy.
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Raptors, lol!!! What a weak play at the end... :loser:
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4th quarter defense let them down tonight - whereas the Cavs defense in the fourth was like a blanket. Solid comeback win by the Cavs.
The whole fourth quarter I had a bad feeling. While Love shat the bed, Green, Smith and Korver were on fire. The Raptors should've put it away at the end of regulation - they had what... 4 additional putback attempts? Again, way too many turnovers giving Cleveland a 21-4 point advantage; plus the Cavs won the 3-point shots by 15.
Raptors, lol!!! What a weak play at the end... :loser:
Perhaps you're not giving Cleveland's defense enough credit? They were a swarm at the end of Q4 and OT.
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I think that both the Cavs and the Raps played well. Hurt to see JV and co. miss so many chances right at the end. Game 2 will essentially decide the series. Weird that it starts at 6 PM...
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Indeed. Down 2-0 going to Cleveland would be devastating. I disagree that both played well though. Cleveland got excellent contributions from Korver/Green/Smith to support Lebron. Love was shit, but overall it was a very good team effort (after Q1 that is). Toronto was strong on the boards and from the free throw line, but again ... lost it from turnovers, and 3pt-land. They can do better - and will. Cleveland has not shown they can put forth this kind of team effort consistently for some time. I just hope that the Cavs aren't Kryptonite for the Raptors.
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So disappointed in the Raptors. They just didn't look like they were all there.
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So disappointed in the Raptors. They just didn't look like they were all there.
Q1 they were. Q4, not so much.
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What a weird game last night. The Jazz started firing on all cylinders, then blew up a huge lead but somehow stopped the bleeding and ended up taking it home. I thought the Rubioless jazz could take one or 2 games in the series, but I never expected them to do it in Houston. This year is proving to be full of surprises.
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What a weird game last night. The Jazz started firing on all cylinders, then blew up a huge lead but somehow stopped the bleeding and ended up taking it home. I thought the Rubioless jazz could take one or 2 games in the series, but I never expected them to do it in Houston. This year is proving to be full of surprises.
I re-watched the game, and I thought in the first half up until the 6 minutes mark, the Rockets played like they could win Game 2 by simply showing up. The game became more interesting once they got their acts together. It is not surprising a team couldn't hang on to their huge lead, especially if the lead was done in the first half. This is the NBA and teams make runs, and it is hard to keep up with the same kind of intensity and maintain a huge lead through out the entire game. Still, the Jazz hung on to beat the Rockets. Don't forget, the Jazz went 31-10 in the "second half" of the season, just behind the Rockets, I think. The rest of this series will be tight!
All in all, Mitchell, wow! Though he didn't score a ton, but his decision making and passing looked like works of a 5-year vet, not a rookie, man! :hefdaddy
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What? No 'Lol-Rockets'? :biggrin:
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Lol-Rockets!
:biggrin:
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*anyone but the Warriors or Cavaliers*
:biggrin:
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YOU JUST SHUT UP RIGHT NOW! >:(
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GO PELICANS! (although they are going to get swept)
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*warning issued*
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We were talking hoops at work the other day and my conclusion was simple: if Curry is healthy, no team has a shot to beat them, including Houston.
Now, I don't mean "Houston will get swept" no shot...they might win a game or two. But they have no shot at beating them 4 out of 7 if Curry is healthy.
Remember, this team is coached by Mike D'Antoni, whose teams are never as good in the playoffs as they are in the regular season.
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Houston genuinely does worry me though. Objectively speaking, I tend to agree with you. There is every reason to believe that that conclusion is the correct one. But Houston is a genuinely talented team, and they are scary good when they catch fire. I would be disappointed, but not at all surprised, if they got on enough of a hot streak to take 4 out of 7. They shouldn't. But they could.
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So, apparently, even if Toronto goes down 2-0 after tonight, Max Kellerman believes they will come back and win the series. I think he makes good points about how close game 1 was, and how it took them uncharacteristically missing their last 11 shots AND a flagrant against Kevin Love NOT being called, AND the Cavs playing perhaps their best ALL SEASON, to have them lose by 1 point in overtime. I get all that. BUT notwithstanding all of that, if they go down 0-2, having dropped 2 games AT HOME, and then having to win the next 4 out of 5 against a LeBron-led team...I dunno. I'm not sure I can agree. I know this isn't exactly a controversial call, but I think they are in serious trouble if they drop tonight's game and have to go into Cleveland 0-2.
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If the Raptors go 0-2 against Cleveland they might as well start thinking about the next one. They are a better team that Cleveland, but I don't think they have the mental strength to come out of that hole. Watching the 4th quarter the other day I noticed that Dwayne Casey was getting too caught up in Toronto's awful shooting, he seemed distraught and that is probably trickling down to the players.
As far as the Houston talk, I don't think they can beat a healthy warriors team, I don't even think they can beat the warriors with Curry at 50%. They've shown to be an erratic team and as Kev says, D'antoni's teams are not as good in the playoffs, mostly because he's not such a good coach in my opinion.
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So, apparently, even if Toronto goes down 2-0 after tonight, Max Kellerman believes they will come back and win the series.
Max Kellerman willingly does a show with Stephen A. Smith, therefore he is not to be taken seriously.
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Well, I hope the dude knows what he's talking about, cuz it looks like the Raptors are about to put his theory to the test! Last time they lost 2-straight at home.... to the Cavs last playoffs. :facepalm:
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He's been saying Tom Brady will hit the cliff the last 4 years. He's always wrong.
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Rockets?! LOL @ Rockets! :lol
What? No 'Lol-Rockets'? :biggrin:
There you go, lol! :biggrin:
Man, what happened in Toronto tonight? I feel bad for those Raptors fans, it is time to either break up that team or hire a different coach.
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Well, I'm hoping he knows something here. Cavs are having their way on offense, and playing like a Championship caliber team (finally); Raptors are not. They've been out-played, and out-coached. 31 points by Love tonight!?! 8 straight playoff losses to the Cavs - I think they are kryptonite to the Raptors.
I'm kinda glad it was a bit of a blow-out loss, and it snaps the Raptors back to form.
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I felt bad for Raptors fans in the second half of the game. Their team looked totally overmatched.
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22 points down and came back to win this game. Hell of a comeback C's.
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I hate basketball so much. Worst sport ever.
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Man, what happened in Toronto tonight? I feel bad for those Raptors fans, it is time to either break up that team or hire a different coach.
I would go with a different coach before dismantling that team. Casey has done good revamping their system but he clearly falters under the pressure of the playoffs.
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Man, what happened in Toronto tonight? I feel bad for those Raptors fans, it is time to either break up that team or hire a different coach.
I would go with a different coach before dismantling that team. Casey has done good revamping their system but he clearly falters under the pressure of the playoffs.
They've got the players, and they've got the talent. Last night their defense crumbled - way to many easy buckets for the Cavs.
And this series should be 1-1. Nice of the NBA to assess a Flagrant-1 to Love THE MORNING AFTER! Sure would've been nice to get free throws AND possession with a 4-point lead and just over a minute to go. ::)
I'm not calling ref-conspiracy (and it certainly wouldn't have made a difference in last night's game), but Cleveland is getting some favorable calls on both ends of the court. The block called on Lowry (for his 3rd foul) at the end of the 1st half was CLEARLY a charge. Then he grabs an early foul in the 3rd, and he now has to be a little more conscious of how he attacks and defends. Like I said, it wouldn't have made a difference last night. Maybe I'm being a Homer, but it looks like borderline calls are going *for* the Cavs more often than not.
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I'll tell you what--if someone had told me that 3 of the four semis playoff series would be 2-0, the only one I would have gotten correct would be the Warriors/Pelicans series. Honestly, who saw the Cavs going 2-0 on the road???? Or the Celtics, even though at home? And as much as I hate it, LeBron is the playoffs MVP right now, without question.
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And as much as I hate it, LeBron is the playoffs MVP right now, without question.
That's a given. Without him, they don't advance past Indiana. The Raptors focused too much on him, and still he put back 43 ... along with 14 helpers.
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I was so looking forward to Raptors making the finals too. :(
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I was genuinely sad watching the game last night. The Raptors are a good team that cares. No one was phoning it in. But DeRozan and Lowry simply aren't top-20 caliber players and the Cavaliers clearly have a mental edge over them. I don't want to say the series is over, but it ain't looking good right now.
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I would love to be surprised, but I have no problem saying it's over.
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I would love to be surprised, but I have no problem saying it's over.
You don't know that. Canadian customs could prevent LeBron from entering the US in time for tip-off. :justjen
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The Raptors will win two games this series. And that sucks, because seriously, someone please bump Lebron the hell off his high and mighty perch.
I have crazy respect for how good Lebron is...but I just don't like the way he conducts himself on the court (every time the whistle blows, God forbid he commits a foul), and his smugness in interviews. Dude is one of the best guys to ever play the game, but he doesn't need to parade around like he knows it.
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The thing I hate that he does is his soccer player-like reactions to fouls sometimes. Dude took a forearm to the head the other night, and reacted like it was an elbow from Jon Jones.
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Toronto should've just stayed home and forfeited these two games. Great time to put forth the worst performances of the entire season. 4 points in the first 6 minutes? Close the half giving up a 16-2 run (aided a little bit by some Cleveland friendly officiating). 11 turnovers? Sloppy fucking play. They look like a high-school team.
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Toronto should've just stayed home and forfeited these two games. Great time to put forth the worst performances of the entire season. 4 points in the first 6 minutes? Close the half giving up a 16-2 run (aided a little bit by some Cleveland friendly officiating). 11 turnovers? Sloppy fucking play. They look like a high-school team.
The Canadian custom services should have detained LBJ for beating their Raptors... that way the Raptors might have a shot at tying the series up, lol! :lol
All jokes away, I am done with watching this series... not just game 3, but this series. :tdwn
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The Canadian custom services should have detained LBJ for beating their Raptors... that way the Raptors might have a shot at tying the series up, lol! :lol
They could've gotten him on any number of charges...Stealing, Bullying, Giving 5 guys a wedgie at one time....
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Wow. I had a feeling that LeBron was going to carry them over the finish line and preserve the victory. Crazy winning bucket. :hefdaddy
Well... when you give up a 16-4 run to start the game, and a 16-2 run to end the 1st half, it's amazing that it came down to a buzzer beating shot.
As I said, the couldn't have picked a worse time to play the worst they have all season - never lost 2 in a row at home, and the only team not to lose 3 in a row all season. DDR was ice-cold. Sooooo disappointing.
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Toronto deserved a better fate after fighting their way back like that, but LeGOAT hits them with a dagger. Unbelievable.
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Now I'm wishing the C's had Irving & Hayward.
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Just depressing to see the Cavs playing better than they have all season, while the Raptors are worse than they have been all season - and still it should be a 2-1 series and took a buzzer beater to win tonight. Again... not calling ref-conspiracy, but what the hell were the refs reviewing on that Lowry/Lebron tie up... but not reviewing the Love's flagrant-1 from game 1 (which would've more than likely secured a Raptor victory). Lots of other questionable calls - going both ways, but seemed to me that Cleveland had the edge in that department again this game - including a re-called continuation bucket Ibaka had in the 1st half, and an all-ball strip Ibaka had on LeBron. Not saying the Raptors didn't have a few go there way, but Cleveland was the net-beneficiary.
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Just depressing to see the Cavs playing better than they have all season, while the Raptors are worse than they have been all season - and still it should be a 2-1 series and took a buzzer beater to win tonight. Again... not calling ref-conspiracy, but what the hell were the refs reviewing on that Lowry/Lebron tie up... but not reviewing the Love's flagrant-1 from game 1 (which would've more than likely secured a Raptor victory). Lots of other questionable calls - going both ways, but seemed to me that Cleveland had the edge in that department again this game - including a re-called continuation bucket Ibaka had in the 1st half, and an all-ball strip Ibaka had on LeBron. Not saying the Raptors didn't have a few go there way, but Cleveland was the net-beneficiary.
Hmmm, I wonder who saw that coming...
Why not? They've only got a .600 winning percentage for the season.
The Cavs were a mess for a while before all of the trades, but James' Cavs have shown that they know how to crank it up once the playoffs start. Remember when the Hawks were the 1 seed a few years back and allegedly a real threat to block LeBron from getting to the finals? And then they got swept. That is what this year's Raptors feel like.
The 'non' all-world Warriors took them down rather easily last year.
What do you mean the 'non' all-world Warriors? That was a 73-win team that added Kevin Durant. One could argue that last year's Warriors was the greatest single season team ever assembled.
Until I see otherwise, I just assume that LeBron will go all-world when he has to and the only way to take his team down is to have a ridiculously stacked team, which no one in the East has. If the Celtics were healthy, I think they could have been the one team to take 4 out of 7 from the Cavs, but they are missing their two best players.
:corn :corn :biggrin: :biggrin:
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Touche. Your man-love for James seems to have rubbed his smugness on to you as well. :biggrin:
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Nah, just having a little fun with ya. When the Raptors tied it up, I was kinda hoping they would win the game so we'd get a more competitive series...and then the shot happened.
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If the Celtics and cavaliers wrap things up tomorrow night, does anyone know when the ECF starts and if they will play on Friday, May 11? Thanks
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I’m Assuming if both teams win tomorrow, they will play Saturday or Sunday.
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In truth, I don't think the Raptors are quite as bad as they look. They are a 59-win team that is playing 10% below their regular season level, which is due in part to the 50-win Cavs playing 10% above their regular season level. At the end of the day, they two teams are somewhat comparable ground, except that one of them has the best player in the sport and he is firing on all cylinders.
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In truth, I don't think the Raptors are quite as bad as they look. They are a 59-win team that is playing 10% below their regular season level, which is due in part to the 50-win Cavs playing 10% above their regular season level. At the end of the day, they two teams are somewhat comparable ground, except that one of them has the best player in the sport and he is firing on all cylinders.
I agree. It took 3 buzzer beaters (end of Reg AND OT missed by the Raps in Game 1; a ridiculous shot made by Lebron) for 2 of the Cavs victories.
Hey, some team has to be the first to come back from 3-0 down, right!?!?! Maybe both Philly and Toronto can do it simultaneously, cuz I can't cheer for either Cleveland or Boston if that's the ECF
(https://img.picturequotes.com/2/5/4385/never-deprive-someone-of-hope-it-might-be-all-they-have-quote-1.jpg)
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You love Boston. :natalieportman:
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You love Boston. :natalieportman:
Your teams can go choke on a sack of flaccid dildos.
(https://i.imgflip.com/29t33y.jpg)
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I don't hate this Boston team....at all. Love Brad Stevens, and like the players on the team.
There's no way I'd root for the LeBrons over this Boston team and no way I'd want Draymond Green getting another ring at their expense.
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I don't hate this Boston team....at all. Love Brad Stevens, and like the players on the team.
There's no way I'd root for the LeBrons over this Boston team and no way I'd want Draymond Green getting another ring at their expense.
Push comes to shove, I'd rather not see another Warriors/Cavs final, so I'll be rooting against them - but that DOES NOT mean I'm rooting FOR Boston. :biggrin:
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I don't hate this Boston team....at all. Love Brad Stevens, and like the players on the team.
There's no way I'd root for the LeBrons over this Boston team and no way I'd want Draymond Green getting another ring at their expense.
Push comes to shove, I'd rather not see another Warriors/Cavs final, so I'll be rooting against them - but that DOES NOT mean I'm rooting FOR Boston. :biggrin:
Um yeah...technically it does. :P :P :P
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Not in English.
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I don't hate this Boston team....at all. Love Brad Stevens, and like the players on the team.
There's no way I'd root for the LeBrons over this Boston team and no way I'd want Draymond Green getting another ring at their expense.
Push comes to shove, I'd rather not see another Warriors/Cavs final, so I'll be rooting against them - but that DOES NOT mean I'm rooting FOR Boston. :biggrin:
Um yeah...technically it does. :P :P :P
Oh trust me, I'm rooting against BOTH of them if that's the ECF. Sadly, one of them must win.
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Boston is going to be so good next year, assuming full health. Which is probably a risky assumption. But if it happens, they will be loaded.
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They are going to have to make a decision on Rozier vs Smart.
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They are going to have to make a decision on Rozier vs Smart.
Hopefully they make a ..... smart decision.
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Good on the 6rs to come thru. Raptors... not so much. Once again, give up a big run to close out the 1/2, and now the game is pretty much out of reach. :-\
Serve me up a cup of homer-crow. Cleveland is on fire - 64%!?! All starters in double-digits. Do the Raptors even defense??
Time to flip it over to the Jets game. Just please - PLEASE - don't let it be ANOTHER Warriors/Cavs final. Anything but that.
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This C's fan hates to say it but I think it will happen again.
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So angry/disappointed in the Raptors. Way to lay down. :/
Just please - PLEASE - don't let it be ANOTHER Warriors/Cavs final. Anything but that.
You know, I actually don't mind and would kind of like seeing LeBron perennially get beat by the same team and have to live with that.
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So angry/disappointed in the Raptors. Way to lay down. :/
Just please - PLEASE - don't let it be ANOTHER Warriors/Cavs final. Anything but that.
You know, I actually don't mind and would kind of like seeing LeBron perennially get beat by the same team and have to live with that.
I think it was a combo of lay down, and beat down. The Cavs were not simply making easy shots. They were 60% from the field, 45% from 3-pt - hell, Smith was 100%; Korver was 75%. That fadeaway by Lebron OVER THE TOP OF THE BACKBOARD was just sick, and indicative of the entire series.
I hope the murmurs of blowing up the team don't happen - look at where Atlanta is now after doing that. It was mentioned that the Raptors were the youngest of the 8 remaining teams, and with Lowry/DDR still locked up for 2 and 3 more years respectively, there's still reason to feel good - plus, who knows where Lebron will land next year.
Sadly, it's only going to get tougher with Boston and Philly both set to improve next year. This year was likely as good a chance as any to come out of the east - yet the Cavalier wall stood tall.
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I don't think the Raptors will be able to blow the team even if they want to. There aren't many teams that have available cap space, and the ones who do are probably going to use it trying to lire free agents. Also, who's gonna give the raptors picks for their players? Other than Lowry and DDR, the other players don't have a ton of value.
I would bring in a new coaching staff, make some small adjustments to the team and go from there. Then, if it doesn't work you can blow up the team all you want.
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So angry/disappointed in the Raptors. Way to lay down. :/
Just please - PLEASE - don't let it be ANOTHER Warriors/Cavs final. Anything but that.
You know, I actually don't mind and would kind of like seeing LeBron perennially get beat by the same team and have to live with that.
LeBron can be an arrogant prick, but you make him out to be the most unlikable athlete that ever lived. :lol
Off the top of my head, I can think of quite a few guys who are more insufferable. For whatever reason, I get most annoyed by the guys who are straight-up rude to reporters. I totally understand that it must be annoying to get asked the same questions over and over, but Popovich and Westbrook are consistently a-holes.
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3 of the 4 teams are up 3-1. In all 3 losses there was one key note to bring up. Scott Foster was the head ref in all 3 games.
Do you know who was Scott Foster's friend a decade ago who called him 136 times one year? Tim Donaghy. Sounds very fishy. Get what? He didnt ref in the Cavs/Raptors series.
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Hmm, I didn't know that. But you know what's really fishy to me? Sardines. Those little bastards are as fishy as it gets.
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And get them off my pizza. They are only allowed in my caeser salad.
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You're thinking of anchovies, not sardines. And to that I say: No way. They are great on pizza. But it's gotta be the right combo. They go well with pepperoni or sausage. But you can't just have them out there doing their own thing.
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Oops. *makes derogitory joke about smelly fish*
I tried. Just wasn't my cup of tea.
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LeBron can be an arrogant prick, but you make him out to be the most unlikable athlete that ever lived. :lol
Off the top of my head, I can think of quite a few guys who are more insufferable. For whatever reason, I get most annoyed by the guys who are straight-up rude to reporters. I totally understand that it must be annoying to get asked the same questions over and over, but Popovich and Westbrook are consistently a-holes.
Aside from The Decision (the way he did it, not leaving itself), James has almost always done things the right way. He is a model citizen off the court and is a rare unselfish superstar in a sport that has more selfish stars than you can shake a stick at.
That said, he is severely lacking in charisma, which is why he will never be as universally beloved as Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, both of whom just oozed with charisma.
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Well, tweeting to himself when hitting 30,000 points as well.
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Wow, I've heard of looking at your idols through rose-colored glasses, but that is borderline delusional.
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Check it out.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/550x300q90/924/2FIemn.png) (https://imageshack.com/f/po2FIemnp)
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Wow, I've heard of looking at your idols through rose-colored glasses, but that is borderline delusional.
Hey now... you didn't like it when I said that about you and the 9rs!! ;D
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It's too bad Mitchell has to suffer from a knee injury to end his sensational rookie season. Still, I thought the Jazz played well enough in Game 5, and I tip my hat to them.
Can't believe this is CP3's first career conference finals
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Well, tweeting to himself when hitting 30,000 points as well.
That is why I said “almost” always. ;)
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Almost. Lol
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I'm sure MJ would have put some crazier stuff on social media if it were a thing during his playing days.
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It's too bad Mitchell has to suffer from a knee injury to end his sensational rookie season. Still, I thought the Jazz played well enough in Game 5, and I tip my hat to them.
Can't believe this is CP3's first career conference finals
He has been such a wonderful player his whole career. I know it's more entertaining to tear guys apart and call them "chokers" when their team doesn't win, but usually that's just because the other guys were better. Unfortunately for Paul, he has run into a lot of better teams (as well as injuries). Nice to see him breaking through.
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Warriors/Celtics finals? :biggrin:
That Warriors game was not perfect, but man what a win! Those two 3rd quarter fast breaks with Curry epitomize this team. First one, Curry has a layup and makes one of the nastiest fakes ever to let Durant take the slam instead. On the next one, Thompson has a pretty sure layup and instead passes it outside to Curry for an open 3. Nobody does that. Nobody.
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So, Warriors vs. Rockets is pretty much the NBA finals. Should be/hope it will be an epic series that goes down to the last shot in game 7. As much as I don't like the Rockets (and yes, I am bitter regarding the Wolves), and I can't stand Harden (do your research on what this guy has allegedly done off the court...the nba has tried hard to bury it), I do want to see the Rockets win, just so I don't have to see the damn Warriors again in the finals. :lol
But I know the Warriors will likely win. My guess is, Warriors-Cavs again. Yawn. But I really hope it is Rockets-Celtics. No way Boston loses this series against the Sixers.
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Game 1 of the ECF starts this Sunday, fine... but the WCF won't begin until NEXT Monday?! WTF?! :yeahright
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They have a schedule they follow. Usually each round goes for 2 weeks, even if all series are sweeps.
With that saiid, I don’t think Boston will beat The Cavs. I see the Cavs winning in 6. Out west is another story as it could go either way. My heart wants Houston to win, but my brain tells me GSW in 6.
For the Finals, if it’s GSW-Cavs, GSW win in 5-6. If it is the Rockets-Cavs I think Cavs take it in 6. If the Celtics make it they lose in 4-5 to either team from West.
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I will say Cleveland in 6 and GS in 5.
Brad Stevens is too great of a coach for them not to have a great chance to win this series, but the Cavs role players are playing better now and James just doesn't lose playoff series to teams lacking a true superstar.
The Rockets wanted the Warriors, but be careful of what you wish for. I suspect the Warriors have been laughing to themselves about it and will bring their A game. It could be ugly.
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Agreed from a C's fan. I hope we are wrong.
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I will say Cleveland in 6 and GS in 5.
Brad Stevens is too great of a coach for them not to have a great chance to win this series, but the Cavs role players are playing better now and James just doesn't lose playoff series to teams lacking a true superstar.
The Rockets wanted the Warriors, but be careful of what you wish for. I suspect the Warriors have been laughing to themselves about it and will bring their A game. It could be ugly.
Like you have mentioned, Brad Stevens is such a great coach; and he'd already found ways to neutralize Antetokounmpo, Embiid and Simmons, I am certain he will find ways to do the same to LBJ. Or, , maybe they will "let" LBJ to go off... as long as no other Cavs can become effective. The Celtics fought them hard last year in the ECF even without IT, so despite not having Kyrie this year; I expect an even tighter series. I give the C's a slight edge over the Cavs, though I must admit LBJ hasn't lost to an eastern team since 2010...
As for the WCF, I just know it will be a FUN series... a ton of scoring and even a fight or two along the way.... but at the end of the day, I think the Dubs have an edge over the Rockets (more fire power, better coaching, slightly deeper bench etc.), and I cannot stand Harden's way of selling fouls to say the least. And, both the Warriors and the Rockets are great 3rd qtr teams... it will be interesting to see how they play each other coming out of half time, especially if the scores are tight.
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LBJ will score at will. It's shutting down the other players that's the key. Let him get 50.
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In the east, I refuse to predict a winner. Unless it's the Warriors playing him, I can't bet against LeBron. If there is a way to win, he is the best there is at finding it. But one thing I cannot discount is that the rest of the team have been playing above their ability for these past two series, AND LeBron has been playing just about flawless. AND things have just been falling their way. Can they sustain that for another series? I'm not so sure. I will not be surprised no matter who wins the east.
In the west, I think Capella is going to be the X factor for the Rockets. If they manage to win (and I don't think they will), I think he will be the tipping point. Harden is going to be Harden. But he has been a bit out of sync. And, honestly, I think the Warriors are inside his head, which will have an impact if things don't go his way early. As for CP3, although he has been playing out of his mind, the Warriors are BIG TIME in his head.
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In the east, I refuse to predict a winner. Unless it's the Warriors playing him, I can't bet against LeBron. If there is a way to win, he is the best there is at finding it. But one thing I cannot discount is that the rest of the team have been playing above their ability for these past two series, AND LeBron has been playing just about flawless. AND things have just been falling their way. Can they sustain that for another series? I'm not so sure. I will not be surprised no matter who wins the east.
I disagree on the bolded. Love was a disaster against Indiana, and Hill (maybe it was Green??) was ineffective from back spasms (or so I heard). They all brought it together against the Raps - though Love was a mess in Game 1 (-13 thru Game 1 vs Raps; +72 in the three games after that). After the Raptors snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, I think the Cavs were in their head - hence the blowout wins in games 2 and 4.
I think Boston can and will pose a challenge to them.
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Challenge yes. But in the end LeBron is too much I think. I predict 4-2 Cavs but a hard fought series.
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LBJ will score at will. It's shutting down the other players that's the key. Let him get 50.
That won't work, the same way it didn't work with MJ.
The advantage the Celtics have over other teams is that they can throw between 4 and 5 different players at Lebron which means fresh legs to deal with him. Lebron will score, but it will take a higher toll on him than it did in previous series. And, the Celtics can shut down the rest of the Cavs while doing that. I think the C's have a great chance of making it to the finals.
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The one player that can truly guard him (Jaylen Brown) has been dealing with a hamstring pull. That will make it tough. No one else on the C's can really guard LeBron.
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The one player that can truly guard him (Jaylen Brown) has been dealing with a hamstring pull. That will make it tough. No one else on the C's can really guard LeBron.
Again, I'm not saying they can stop him, but they can slow him down. You put Brown on him first, then when he gets a bit tired you go to Tatum, they you can put Morris there and even Horford for a bit. Lebron will still score, but he will get tired a lot faster having to deal with different players all the time. Indiana did something similar during the first round and for the most part it worked. Their problem was that they didn't take the chances they had. You should have more faith in Stevens.
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Plus he has been playing 44 minutes a game in the playoffs. That's a ton of minutes for his age.
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And the Raptors fire their head coach.
Yeah.... it was his fault....
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Pretty LONG article, but an excellent analysis of what the Warriors do that makes them so lethal: https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/23453684/nba-secret-warriors-dominance
This is probably the best overall summary I have seen of what this team is about and why it works.
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We get it Bosk, you're a warriors fan, they're best team...
(https://media.giphy.com/media/Rhhr8D5mKSX7O/giphy.gif)
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:lol Well, I've made no bones about the fact that I am a "bandwagon" fan. I'm a fan of this Warriors team because they are SO fun to watch. I am, at best, a casual basketball fan whose interest waxes and wanes depending on whether there are players I want to watch on any given team any given season. But them being so fun to watch is at the crux of that article, which is why I posted it. I think it is a great balance of analytics and just basic, common sense stuff that puts into words what a lot of people find so intriguing about what they do and how.
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In my opinion, they were most fun to watch during the first championship season. They took a giant leap from the prior year and started the season on fire. If memory serves, they were the top-rated defense and offense in the league, which they didn't even replicate during the 73-win season. And they played so fast. Everyone else looked like they were trudging through molasses. Plus, they had so much joy.
They are still amazing - probably better than a few years ago - but they don't play quite the same style because of Durant. And the wear and tear of four consecutive playoff runs has reduced the "joy factor". Plus, I'm just tired of them whipping everyone. :lol
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Since I follow the Patriots I have no comment. :lol
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Yeah, I hear you. I think Playoffs Dubs still exude that joy. During the regular season, not so much. But yeah, they are a different team with Durant for sure. He integrated well into the system, and in many ways, helped preserve it. But they also tweaked it and made it different with his arrival.
One of the things I thought was fascinating was the discussion of the Steph "dagger," and the subtle cues his teammates pick up on when it is about to happen. Stuff like that really helps break down, to me as a fan, the "basketball IQ" of these guys. It isn't just about going out and physically playing as hard as you can for these guys, but there's also a huge mental game going on, and that article gave a good window into some of that.
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Current order of want:
Boston
Cleveland
Houston
GS
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And the Raptors fire their head coach.
Yeah.... it was his fault....
I'm not sure this was the right move. Time will tell, but my worry is that there sure-as-shit isn't anyone demonstrably better - unless Masai has something already mapped out, or he thinks Rex or some other assistant is ready to step up. Not a lot of positive comments in the basketball community from what I can tell.
Two of the games were highly win-able. The other two, I firmly believe it was a combination of A) Raps playing 10-20% below their regular season capacity and Cavs playing 10-20% above their regular season pace; B) The Raps as a whole had the 'yips' when it came to LeBron and the Cavs... and C) Lowry was inconsistent; DDR was a virtual no-show, Ibaka was a no-show - some good D, but a wreck offensively.
Sucks for Casey to be the scapegoat, and I just don't have confidence there is anyone out there that is tangibly better.
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That's crazy news, unless there's an actual issue there that the Raptor's brass is not happy with.
The Celts are going to get steamrolled by the LeCavs for the second year in a row. Should they fire Stevens?
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And the Raptors fire their head coach.
Yeah.... it was his fault....
I'm not sure this was the right move. Time will tell, but my worry is that there sure-as-shit isn't anyone demonstrably better - unless Masai has something already mapped out, or he thinks Rex or some other assistant is ready to step up. Not a lot of positive comments in the basketball community from what I can tell.
Two of the games were highly win-able. The other two, I firmly believe it was a combination of A) Raps playing 10-20% below their regular season capacity and Cavs playing 10-20% above their regular season pace; B) The Raps as a whole had the 'yips' when it came to LeBron and the Cavs... and C) Lowry was inconsistent; DDR was a virtual no-show, Ibaka was a no-show - some good D, but a wreck offensively.
Sucks for Casey to be the scapegoat, and I just don't have confidence there is anyone out there that is tangibly better.
I pretty much agree with all of that. I just feel so bad for that team. They really had the makings of something, but I fear that this whole series of events may have wrecked them permanently.
As far as coaches, what do you think of Jackson, assuming he would leave the broadcast booth and go back to coaching?
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I read that Buddenholzer is in the conversation.
As I said before, I think that was the only thing the Raps could do. They're tied with high contracts and can't really go into rebuild mode. Casey hasn't been able to get the best out of them during the playoffs, so bring someone new and see if that new guy can elevate these guys when it matters, because you are stuck with those guys for a couple more seasons.
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And the Raptors fire their head coach.
Yeah.... it was his fault....
I'm not sure this was the right move. Time will tell, but my worry is that there sure-as-shit isn't anyone demonstrably better - unless Masai has something already mapped out, or he thinks Rex or some other assistant is ready to step up. Not a lot of positive comments in the basketball community from what I can tell.
Two of the games were highly win-able. The other two, I firmly believe it was a combination of A) Raps playing 10-20% below their regular season capacity and Cavs playing 10-20% above their regular season pace; B) The Raps as a whole had the 'yips' when it came to LeBron and the Cavs... and C) Lowry was inconsistent; DDR was a virtual no-show, Ibaka was a no-show - some good D, but a wreck offensively.
Sucks for Casey to be the scapegoat, and I just don't have confidence there is anyone out there that is tangibly better.
I pretty much agree with all of that. I just feel so bad for that team. They really had the makings of something, but I fear that this whole series of events may have wrecked them permanently.
As far as coaches, what do you think of Jackson, assuming he would leave the broadcast booth and go back to coaching?
If Jackson became the Raptors' coach, I would be pretty angry (as angry as one can be over something that trivial, at least). He doesn't have a great offensive mind and he also strikes me as a pretty miserable person and leader.
Buddenholzer on the other hand... I'd be alright with that.
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you Raptors stay away from Budz....he needs to come to Milwaukee.
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I read that Buddenholzer is in the conversation.
As I said before, I think that was the only thing the Raps could do. They're tied with high contracts and can't really go into rebuild mode. Casey hasn't been able to get the best out of them during the playoffs, so bring someone new and see if that new guy can elevate these guys when it matters, because you are stuck with those guys for a couple more seasons.
While I do think *something* had to be done to change/improve, I don't believe Casey was the right first step. When you're perennially losing to the eventual finalists/champs, you're not *that* far from being Top-tier. And the 2nd/3rd best regular season in the league, they were still making strides/improvements. Still a young team - OG and Steady-Freddie were rookies FFS. The only contracts that are really an issue are Ibaka (over-paid for his production), and Norm Powell getting an $8M bump this year. Otherwise, they still have room to do things - they're only the #5 highest team for next year, and the following year, JV has fairly affordable option - which he might not take, which frees up that room.
GSW should be more worried... they have $117M tied up in their top 5 players for next year... a collective $7M-ish raise.
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You have young players that can develop but Lowry is 32 so he'll probably start declining. As you said, that Ibaka contract is not good, there is no more cap space available for them and they don't have good trading assets in picks.
Also, you saw the games, you must have seen how Casey looked when his team was not performing. Even Tyron Lue, who I think is one of the worst coaches in the league, still manages to keep calm during complicated situations. Casey is a good coach to develop a team but I don't think he has what it takes to bring out the best from his team during tough situations because he himself seems to be burdened by the pressure at those times, and that probably is trickling down to the team.
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GSW should be more worried... they have $117M tied up in their top 5 players for next year... a collective $7M-ish raise.
I am curious to see what they end up doing.
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GSW should be more worried... they have $117M tied up in their top 5 players for next year... a collective $7M-ish raise.
I am curious to see what they end up doing.
Pay a shitload of money in tax, keep finding gems in the draft?
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Doesn't the cap go up next year though so that they wouldn't be hit with the tax? I remember reading an article awhile back about how their situation isn't nearly as dire as it appears because of the coming cap increase and the way a lot of contracts can be structured, etc.
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It goes up but not that much. The problem is that once you are above the cap you are very limited in what you can offer players. So unless they have some exceptions available they can't bring free agents, and if they want to do trades they can't bring more money than goes out. And those 117M will be over the cap, so, not much room to play with. Maybe Durant opting out helps them for a bit, nor sure how that works.
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Also, you saw the games, you must have seen how Casey looked when his team was not performing.
Oh dear god, yes. In game 3, I actually yelled at the TV at one point "Stop whining so much and FUCKING COACH!!!" That 1st 1/2 was frustrating to watch - not just the players... Casey was unhinged. Same with the end of game 1.
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Relevant: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/klay-thompson-warriors-reportedly-discussing-team-friendly-contract-extension-192105938.html
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Well, since Coach Bud only got dominated twice by LeBron in the playoffs, whereas Casey has lost to him three times, I guess that might represent a slight upgrade for Toronto, lol...
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Did not expect that.
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Did not expect that.
:omg: :metal
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Could the Cavs have blown their load agains the Raptors? Why didn't we see that Cavs team at all in the last 4 games !?!?!?
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From what I saw, it looked like everything the Celtics did worked, and everything the Cavs did did not. The ball movement by the Celtics is something to behold. It feels like Brad Stevens could insert me, Joe and Chad into the starting lineup and they'd still make the ECF. :lol :lol
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It feels like Brad Stevens could insert me, Joe and Chad into the starting lineup and they'd still make the ECF. :lol :lol
(https://redwoodcityparksblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/dd-obsession24_p_0502805078.jpg)
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:lol
I can set a mean pick. For now on call me, Rick Robey.
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Did not expect that.
Again, I'm not saying they can stop him, but they can slow him down. You put Brown on him first, then when he gets a bit tired you go to Tatum, they you can put Morris there and even Horford for a bit. Lebron will still score, but he will get tired a lot faster having to deal with different players all the time. Indiana did something similar during the first round and for the most part it worked. Their problem was that they didn't take the chances they had. You should have more faith in Stevens.
::)
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Settle down Bevis. :lol LeBron had a bad game. I do not expect the same for game 2 though the C's need to win is since they've been bad on the road in the first 2 rounds.
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I agree with Cowherd's point today that James never shows his cards in Game 1 of a series. Notice that three of his four bad (by his standards) games in the playoffs have been in all three Game 1's. He hangs back to see how the other team is going to play them/him and makes adjustments. Now, this series won't be easy as "he will adjust and the other team is screwed" because Brad Stevens will keep making adjustments as well, but I wouldn't read a lot into yesterday's blowout. It was one game in a series where you have to win four.
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I agree with Cowherd's point today that James never shows his cards in Game 1 of a series. Notice that three of his four bad (by his standards) games in the playoffs have been in all three Game 1's. He hangs back to see how the other team is going to play them/him and makes adjustments. Now, this series won't be easy as "he will adjust and the other team is screwed" because Brad Stevens will keep making adjustments as well, but I wouldn't read a lot into yesterday's blowout. It was one game in a series where you have to win four.
The Cavs simply didn't show up. None of them. Tomorrow night will be vastly different for sure.
They had a stat today on the radio that Lebron is 2-12 in Road Game 1's.
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That is crazy.
And the poor Rockets fans convinced themselves they had a shot. They have no shot to win this series (barring injuries to Durant or Curry).
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They DO have a shot. Houston is a great team. But the Warriors showed tonight why they SHOULD win this.
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The Rockets have no answer for KD... plus, how about Klay in the 3rd qtr? That's when the game was broke open!
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Yeah, the third quarter is where they usually come out and just put the dagger in other teams.
The thing about the Rockets is, they spent this whole season putting together this new offensive scheme that can be pretty deadly when it is working. But last night, they didn't stick to it at all after the opening minutes. It was almost always Harden iso with the rest of the team standing around. If they want to have any hope, they need to get back to that crazy pick-and-roll-you-to-death offense that got them where they are. Not sure why they abandoned it last night. Don't get me wrong--I have no problem with watching them collapse. But it was baffling watching them do it by turning into something so unlike what they spent the year building.
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That's a bad habit you see a lot during the playoffs. Something similar happened to the Raptors and to the Wizards to some extent. Some teams just go hero-ball when they feel pressure, maybe because the role-players are not as confident, maybe because superstars feel like it's their time to shine.
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Although the Rockets had a great regular season, this is their biggest problem when facing the Warriors:
Their improved defense was middle of the pack in the NBA
That, combined with the fact that the Warriors DO play excellent defense that, over the course of a 7-game series, WILL be effective against even the best the Rockets can throw at them, will ultimately be the Rockets' undoing. I still think the Warriors are the better team, but the Rockets CAN make it a very tough series if they get back to ball movement and running the offense through CP3, and get back on D to do a better job limiting easy transition points.
I think the biggest problem for the Rockets now will be getting out of their own heads. They have been up front about this being an "all-in" season and them putting all their chips on designing a machine to beat the Warriors. When a team has been beaten perennially by a certain other team and goes all-in on beating that one team in a season, a defeat like last night can be incredibly demoralizing. And you could see it in their body language in the second quarter. They came out of the gate at the beginning of the game throwing haymaker after haymaker, and after throwing their best shots, the Warriors were right there, tied up at halftime, and poised to make their trademark third quarter run to pull ahead. It was like that scene in The Last Jedi with the Last Order firing all guns at Luke, only to have Kylo lose his friggin' mind when the dust clear a few seconds later and Luke was standing there unscathed. I hate to draw any conclusions after game 1 in a 7 game series. But in terms of psychology, I think the Rockets are in a BAD place in their heads right now, and that is going to be a big problem for them.
EDIT: Oh, and CP3 is lucky he didn't get a flagrant for that elbow between Durant's legs toward the end of the second.
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^ middle paragraph could've been written about the Raptors/Cavs.
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Yeah, I guess that's true in a sense. But did they really make wholesale changes this season? I don't follow them, but I was under the impression that they are basically who they were last season, and just had tightened things up and matured as a team.
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Yeah, I guess that's true in a sense. But did they really make wholesale changes this season? I don't follow them, but I was under the impression that they are basically who they were last season, and just had tightened things up and matured as a team.
Not wholesale - the top-4 (Lowry, DDR, JV and Ibaka) stayed their top-4. But there were big changes to the 2nd unit - almost complete turnover there - and they contributed a lot this year.
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That's what makes this Celtic's run so unbelievable. They had 4 players return from last years team. Lost their #2 guy in the first game. Lost their #1 the last month of the season yet they are back in the Conference finals.
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Fuck Boston.
:biggrin:
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Fuck Boston.
:biggrin:
I soak in all your hate.
Because it will go someday and I will miss the attention.
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Too bad Stephen Hawking died before he could explain why when Boston shits, it actually flows upstream and lands on Toronto.
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Too bad Stephen Hawking died before he could explain why when Boston shits, it actually flows upstream and lands on Toronto.
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/67/2b/03/672b0340d532fc41ce24ac5de40a9903.gif)
Just cuz you can last one round longer than us is nothing to be overtly proud of. Nobody remembers who lost in the 2nd or 3rd round of the playoffs either.
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GIRL FIGHT!!
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:lol
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Kev, if you ever wonder why as great as Lebron is, hes so hated it's this kind of response after a game that has fans hating him.
https://youtu.be/_zjegZOC4w0
"It's a feel out game for me".
So you're telling me Lebron that you never give effort in game 1's of series because you have to feel them out? How about they took it to you and we including myself need to play much better?
I could have played harder but I need to feel them out. Yet you've seen everything already. That you have so why do you need to feel it out?
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Joe, Lebron is going to kick their ass tonight.
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And we all know it but don't bullshit me that he didn't play to his potential because he was feeling them out.
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Joe, Lebron is going to kick their ass tonight.
I'm not so sure. Yeah, game 1 was an anomaly in that Boston played REALLY well and Cleveland played REALLY poorly. But I feel like it is also the game where Cleveland's true lack of depth and ability outside of LeBron was exposed, and I'm not sure they overcome that.
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Joe, Lebron is going to kick their ass tonight.
I'm not so sure. Yeah, game 1 was an anomaly in that Boston played REALLY well and Cleveland played REALLY poorly. But I feel like it is also the game where Cleveland's true lack of depth and ability outside of LeBron was exposed, and I'm not sure they overcome that.
This team really feeds off of Lebron. Every member of the LeCavs will double their effort. I know the Celts are expecting it.
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I'll tell you what, the C's have been bad in the road during this run so it's very important to win the home games.
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I'll tell you what, the C's have been bad in the road during this run so it's very important to win the home games.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSf3pZUcT2XriS6D_gXmsO-N2v1ltdyag4JArqoVLlaR_YUIEID)
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You turd. You follow the team. Of course you know that. :lol
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You turd.
That much is obvious, innit? :lol
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Kev, if you ever wonder why as great as Lebron is, hes so hated it's this kind of response after a game that has fans hating him.
https://youtu.be/_zjegZOC4w0
"It's a feel out game for me".
So you're telling me Lebron that you never give effort in game 1's of series because you have to feel them out? How about they took it to you and we including myself need to play much better?
I could have played harder but I need to feel them out. Yet you've seen everything already. That you have so why do you need to feel it out?
That's not what he said.
He obviously means he is not going to show his hand early. He is smart enough to realize that this will be a long series. He is playing a long game instead of going all-in and showing all of his cards in Game 1.
Not sure what the issue is.
And really, with the exception of Tim Duncan and maybe Kareem, every mega NBA star since I have been watching the NBA has been both loved and hated by a lot fans.
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Show your hand? Come on now. I won't show my hand and take a loss. The dude is the best player in the league. He doesn't have to play games. Teams know what he can do. Can they stop him doing it? Realistically, his team was bad around him and that hurts your game even if you are a superstar.
LeBron is very polarizing because of this. more than other superstars.
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I doubt he wants to take a loss, but it just happens.
Sure, he is polarizing, but, again, find me an NBA superstar in the 21st century, aside from Tim Duncan, who isn't.
I get why Boston fans hate him, though, as the Celtics have been his personal whipping boy for the better part of a decade. :lol :biggrin:
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Not really. We owned him before. We are even. :lol
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As expected, James came to play tonight.
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As expected, James came to play tonight.
Plus the Cs don't move the ball as much and can't seem to make their shots. Their defense doesn't seem as tough as in Game 1 either.
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C's take the lead. It will go down to the last shot tonight.
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C's take the lead.
GTFO the internet. Jinx!
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I've been on the whole night. Unlike you, I'm on more than DTF.
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Then get off of DTF! :lol
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:lol
You saw my post earlier. Last shot. I feel it.
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The Cavs are trying to make a run with less than 5 mins left... just don't choke, Celtics, lol! :lol
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JR Smith is a shit bag.
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I guess I was wrong.
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Green just gave up on that play defensively. Man, the Cavs are soft.
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Yup.
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Wow!!!
I love Jeff Van Gundy. Always have.
He's right. At least go down trying.
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Love seeing the Cavs being down 0-2... but still, I wouldn't completely bet against LBJ just yet.
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Now to get 1 in Cleveland.
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Now to get 1 in Cleveland.
I wouldn't mind both, lol :lol
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Now to get 1 in Cleveland.
I wouldn't mind both, lol :lol
My wish is that it goes to a game 7, and both teams lose.
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Raptors be like :facepalm:
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Now to get 1 in Cleveland.
I wouldn't mind both, lol :lol
My wish is that it goes to a game 7, and both teams lose.
A man can dream..
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Raptors be like :facepalm:
No, it is more like Raptors FANS be like... :lol
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Raptors be like :facepalm:
No, it is more like Raptors FANS be like... :lol
Both... where the hell was that awful shooting from the Cavs last week!?!?!? Take away LeBron's 55% FG%, and the rest of the team was 41%. :zeltar: Don't tell me it was all the Cs defense that earned that shooting %.
It would seem that the Cavs blew their load against the Raps.
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As much as it pains me to say this, I am excited to see if Boston can legitimately challenge Golden State next year. A lineup of Irving / Brown / Hayward / Tatum / Horford is perhaps a tad small but extremely talented. Health is obviously a major concern, but that could be good series.
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Sure, he is polarizing, but, again, find me an NBA superstar in the 21st century, aside from Tim Duncan, who isn't.
He is not polarizing because he is an NBA superstar. He is polarizing because he is obnoxious.
And as for NBA superstars who are not: for example, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis (I was going to add Klay Thompson, but despite his abilities, I think he is maybe too much of the silent background killer to have the "superstar" persona).
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Durant? Really? You don't have social media evidently.
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Durant is definitely obnoxious. :lol
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No, I don't pay much attention to social media. I'll take your word for it on Durant. I haven't seen that myself and wasn't aware. I have always seen him speak very highly of others or, at the very least, avoid speaking negatively when the media has tried to bait him into doing so and he might be justified in doing so. And I have seen him spoken of pretty highly by others as well. I guess, come to think of it, he did become somewhat of a by-word to OKC who felt like he was a traitor for leaving. Okay, even though Durant is a class act toward...well, pretty much everybody, I'll give you that one. But still, plenty of other examples we could look to, two obvious ones of which I mention above.
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I guess, come to think of it, he did become somewhat of a by-word to OKC who felt like he was a traitor for leaving.
There's that, and the way he conducts in social media with fans which has been pretty bad. Also, remember when one comedian made a joke about some college football team being so good that Durant was thinking of joining them? His reaction to that was also pretty lame.
Curry and AD I would agree are guys that seem pretty cool and I don't thing have done anything bad. I do know some people who resent Curry a little bit but it's because of the KD situation which he is in no way responsible for. Those people are idiots if you ask me
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I have always thought highly of Durant, but that changed this season. It started with some social media gaffes. Then he became the league leader in ejections. Then I listened to a podcast with Bill Simmons where Durant was basically drunk and/or unintelligible the whole time. I think that the backlash from going to Golden State really affected him, which I understand, but he should probably calm down a bit.
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Becky Hammon is to interview for the Bucks head coaching job. I hope it happens, even though personally I wish she would take over for Pop when he retires.
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She has to be better than Tyronn Lue.
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Too late, it looks like the Bucks just hired former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2018/05/16/milwaukee-bucks-hire-former-hawks-coach-mike-budenholzer/617702002/
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Durant is definitely obnoxious. :lol
His persona completely changed about 4-5 years ago where he went from the nice guy to the guy who seemed angry and pissy all the time. And in a podcast with Bill Simmons a few months back, he laughed at how people thought the Kevin Durant who accepted the MVP award years ago (when he cried and appeared humble) was the "real" Kevin Durant, when, in fact, the current one is the real one (his words). In other words, "people bought my nice guy act and I am laughing at them now."
The sad thing for Durant is, he is a tremendous player, but likely will never get his full due now since whatever rings he wins will have that "he had to jump on the bandwagon of a 73-win team that had already won a title to get them" asterisk next to it. But hey, I am sure he knew that ahead of time and is fine with how things are playing out.
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Durant is definitely obnoxious. :lol
His persona completely changed about 4-5 years ago where he went from the nice guy to the guy who seemed angry and pissy all the time. And in a podcast with Bill Simmons a few months back, he laughed at how people thought the Kevin Durant who accepted the MVP award years ago (when he cried and appeared humble) was the "real" Kevin Durant, when, in fact, the current one is the real one (his words). In other words, "people bought my nice guy act and I am laughing at them now."
The sad thing for Durant is, he is a tremendous player, but likely will never get his full due now since whatever rings he wins will have that "he had to jump on the bandwagon of a 73-win team that had already won a title to get them" asterisk next to it. But hey, I am sure he knew that ahead of time and is fine with how things are playing out.
In my opinion, the bigger problem with going to Golden State is that it limits what he needs to do as a basketball player; therefore, he simply doesn't contribute as much value as he's capable of contributing. This year has been a really good example. During the regular season, the whole team got bored because they basically only play for June now, so Durant had a very ho-hum campaign. He'll probably make All-NBA Second Team, which is great, but nowhere near what he's capable of. Thus far in the playoffs, I would subjectively deem his "great game to decent game" ratio at like 1:3. LeBron is at like 2:1 or something absurd.
Chances are, the Warriors make the Finals, at which point Durant turns it on and averages 40 PPG en route to a championship. But it will feel pretty hollow considering he has been so uninspiring for the 90% of the season leading up to that point.
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^ I'm as much a Durant "hater" as anyone, and I don't disagree his regular season (and the Warriors' in general) was a bit uninspired -- BUT -- one could also argue that being in GS has allowed Durant to grow in ways that would not have happened in OKC: namely his off ball work as a part of a motion offense and his defense, both of which have improved and are more consistent.
I get what you're saying, though, in that he doesn't have to "LeBron" it every game for GS to win: Steph or Klay can go off instead. However, when he does LeBron it, they're still virtually unbeatable, assuming health, of course.
One interesting sub-plot to the WCF will be how healthy Steph can get. IMO he never got completely right in 2016, and it contributed to the them taking the L against the Cavs that season. No excuses: injuries are part of the game -- but we may see Durant have to step it up if Steph can't regularly get back to his peak form.
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A change of topic... so Luka Doncic won't commit to playing in the NBA next season. Can someone enlighten me on this whole "declaring for the draft" thingy, especially for foreign players. I mean, if you ain't ready / willing to play in the US next season or two, why bother declaring?
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NBA 2018 Award Nominees
Kia NBA Most Valuable Player
- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
- James Harden, Houston Rockets
- LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kia NBA Rookie of the Year
- Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
- Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Kia NBA Sixth Man Award
- Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
- Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
- Lou Williams, LA Clippers
Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
- Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
- Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Kia NBA Most Improved Player
- Clint Capela, Houston Rockets
- Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets
- Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
NBA Coach of the Year
- Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors
- Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz
- Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
My Picks:
- L. James (MVP)
- B. Simmons (ROY)
- L. Williams (6th Man)
- J. Embiid (Defensive Player)
- V. Oladipo (Most Improved)
- B. Stevens (Coach)
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A change of topic... so Luka Doncic won't commit to playing in the NBA next season. Can someone enlighten me on this whole "declaring for the draft" thingy, especially for foreign players. I mean, if you ain't ready / willing to play in the US next season or two, why bother declaring?
There are 2 things regarding what he said:
1) He is currently playing so it makes sense that he would say what he said since he needs to concentrate on today's Euroleague semifinal. If he says he's thinking about going to the NBA it sends the wrong kind of message to his teammates.
2) Since he is currently under contract and several teams in Europe would be willing to pay him handsomely, he can basically wait and see who drafts him and then decide what to do. I guess he would jump in if Phoenix picks him since that's an interesting young team and they just hired his national team coach. However, if let's say, Sacramento were to pick him then he might decide to stay in Europe a little longer until the Kings trade his draft rights to some other team that has more promise.
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Teams as incompetent as the Kings should be banned from getting a high draft pick. I'm pretty sure they would even screw up Michael Jordan's career if he came into the NBA today. :lol
-
NBA 2018 Award Nominees
Kia NBA Most Valuable Player
- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
- James Harden, Houston Rockets
- LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Kia NBA Rookie of the Year
- Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
- Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Kia NBA Sixth Man Award
- Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
- Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
- Lou Williams, LA Clippers
Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
- Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
- Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Kia NBA Most Improved Player
- Clint Capela, Houston Rockets
- Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets
- Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
NBA Coach of the Year
- Dwane Casey, Toronto Raptors
- Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz
- Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
My Picks:
- L. James (MVP)
- B. Simmons (ROY)
- L. Williams (6th Man)
- J. Embiid (Defensive Player)
- V. Oladipo (Most Improved)
- B. Stevens (Coach)
Winners of these kinds of awards often make me wince, but NBA ones are often the worst.
Consider that Steve Nash was the regular season MVP as many times as Shaq and Kobe were COMBINED. :lol :lol
And Mike D'Antoni has been Coach of the Year twice as many times as Phil Jackson. :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin
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I'd vote Donovan Mitchell for ROY.
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Winners of these kinds of awards often make me wince, but NBA ones are often the worst.
Consider that Steve Nash was the regular season MVP as many times as Shaq and Kobe were COMBINED. :lol :lol
And Mike D'Antoni has been Coach of the Year twice as many times as Phil Jackson. :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin
Hey, no argument from me there.
Let's face it though, sports related awards are usually partly based on season performance and partly a glorified popularity contest. While we are at it, why not have a little fun. :lol
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Celtics WTF??
-
now you know how it feels.
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Makes you wonder when we'll actually get a good game in the conference finals that goes down to the wire.
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Not surprising. We'll see Monday.
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I just want Boston to win man, getting tired of seeing the Cavs in the finals. We need some new blood from the East.
The blood from the west is just fine thank you very much go Dubs.
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:lol
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Don't you worry RJ. Fans will want you blood from the West soon enough. :lol
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:biggrin:
(https://i.imgur.com/LMSAIRX.png)
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That's not the real Deathstar.
Bill Belichick is not in it. ;D
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Oh we're gonna have some fun if it comes down to Dubs-Celtics my friend...
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Oh we're gonna have some fun if it comes down to Dubs-Celtics my friend...
I expect the Dubs to win. I'm just happy missing out 2 best players that we've got this far.
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I'm just happy missing out 2 best players that we've got this far.
No kidding. It's amazing they're doing this without Daniel Theis and Shane Larkin.
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I have a feeling I can go do something more fun by halftime for the second game in a row in these ECF, LOL! :lol
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I'm just happy missing out 2 best players that we've got this far.
No kidding. It's amazing they're doing this without Daniel Theis and Shane Larkin.
You so silly.
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Celtics have to be within 10 at halftime.
Officially watching hockey for the rest of the night.
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The Rockets basically went on a 53-34 run, after the Dubs led 12-0... Two things happened since then. The Dubs seem to have gotten very careless with the ball; and somehow the Rockets start making their shots. I expect the Dubs to play with more sense of urgency in the 2nd half.
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I expect the Dubs to play with more sense of urgency in the 2nd half.
That’s usually how it goes for them. Their next quarter is usually the 3rd.
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Uh oh, Steph is starting to Steph.....
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Uh oh, Steph is starting to Steph.....
Well, the Rockets just wouldn't die... late in the 4th qtr, the Rockets could actually steal this game. :facepalm:
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Houston showed more heart than I thought they had, after a gutless start tonight. Bad shooting night for the Warriors.
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Houston showed more heart than I thought they had, after a gutless start tonight. Bad shooting night for the Warriors.
I am not too sure about a so-called "bad shooting" night by the Warriors, rather I thought they just played too causally and at times very carelessly for most of the night.
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Houston showed more heart than I thought they had, after a gutless start tonight. Bad shooting night for the Warriors.
Yeah, they went dead cold in the 4th,and they looked a bit gassed to me as well after that hot run in the 3rd.
Seems we got a series folks...
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Houston showed more heart than I thought they had, after a gutless start tonight. Bad shooting night for the Warriors.
I am not too sure about a so-called "bad shooting" night by the Warriors, rather I thought they just played too causally and at times very carelessly for most of the night.
Shooting 39.3% as a team is a bad night, especially when you are a team known for shooting. And that is with Curry going ballistic in the 2nd half. Durant and Klay were a combined 13 for 37.
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Meanwhile in the East, I expect the now awaken Cavs to steamroll the Celtics, and winning the next two. :hat
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Shooting 39.3% as a team is a bad night, especially when you are a team known for shooting. And that is with Curry going ballistic in the 2nd half. Durant and Klay were a combined 13 for 37.
Yes and no. The Rockets were shooting at 39% themselves too, so I think the shooting % alone is pretty much equal for both teams. What stood out to me are the FT attempts and fast break points. The Rockets have the advantage in those areas, and I thought the Warriors just couldn't catch up in the 4th qtr despite having a 10-pt lead.
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It seemed to me that the ticky tack fouls weren't called a lot (generally speaking, as I am sure someone will point out one that was called :lol), meaning the Rockets were allowed to play a physical game, which wore on the Warriors, who are a finesse team and looked tired in the 4th quarter. I still expect the Warriors to take the next two games, regardless.
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That's a pretty good analysis, we were commenting on how they let them plaand how physical the game was.
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It's amazing that none of the games have been close, but both series' are close.
Da fuq?
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Can we like skip Game 6 and go ahead to play a Game 7? I don't think either team wants to win on the road in the ECF anyway, lol! :lol
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At least this game was closer than the rest :lol
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Even the star players on each team seem to have less effort on the road. Crazy.
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Houston wins again, but Chris Paul got hurt at the end. It is series over if he can't play the rest of the series.
Golden St is playing like paper champions.
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Not going to over analyze the final 1 minute of the game, and we will see CP3' status later. Assuming he is ok, I am not looking forward to seeing a boring series between the Rockets and Celtics... cannot stand potentially seeing Harden and CP3 winning a title.
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I wouldn't assume that; I think both are going 7.
I know I had said the Rockets had no shot to win this series, and I was dead wrong, but if Paul is too hurt to play, I don't see any way they win either of the next two. Plus, Game 7 is Memorial Day evening, a ratings bonanza and major showcase, so don't be surprised when Game 6 is officiated more tightly, which will prevent Houston from roughing the Warriors up. The NBA can always find a way to tilt the game with certain refs officiating certain games.
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I wouldn't assume that; I think both are going 7.
I know I had said the Rockets had no shot to win this series, and I was dead wrong, but if Paul is too hurt to play, I don't see any way they win either of the next two. Plus, Game 7 is Memorial Day evening, a ratings bonanza and major showcase, so don't be surprised when Game 6 is officiated more tightly, which will prevent Houston from roughing the Warriors up. The NBA can always find a way to tilt the game with certain refs officiating certain games.
Game 6 of the 2002 WCF... good times... :lol
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Yeah, that was bad. :lol
To clarify, no, I do not think the NBA fixes games or tells res to call games a certain way, but they know which refs call games certain ways, and can assign certain refs to a game that will benefit one team over another. Do I think they would do that? Absolutely.
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Pulling for the Rockets. Hoping that Paul's injury isn't too bad.
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Pulling for the Rockets.
Yeah, I don't understand why ANYONE would do this, so I must just assume trolling.
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Bosk1, as a Pats fan I have insight to this. Fans get tired of great teams and root against them. Not hard to understand.
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Bosk1, as a Pats fan I have insight to this. Fans get tired of great seeing the same fucking team in the championship games and root against them just want a little diversity. Not hard to understand.
Fix'd
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:lol
:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
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Yeah, not in the spirit of trolling. If my team is out, tend to root for the underdog. I don't think I could ever root for a Draymond Green/Kevin Durant team even though I do respect Curry and Kerr.
Would much rather Chris Paul finally make it to the Finals.
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Pulling for the Rockets. Hoping that Paul's injury isn't too bad.
Given how lucky the Warriors have been with injuries to opposing teams in the last four years (I have never seen a team get so lucky year after year with key injuries to the other team), I fully expect Paul to either not play in Game 7 or play and clearly be hampered.
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Celtics are like... why bother playing well on the road? We like living dangerously and push our luck in Game 7, lol. :lol
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C's played so well in the 1st quarter. Too many turnovers and passive in the second quarter.
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Morris has sucked.
How many 3's can they miss? Easiest way to get blown out.
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The C's deserve to lose this one... you get to the line, but y'all keep missing those FTs... :loser:
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Yup. They could have had this game. Btw, I can't wait to see Lebron play tired again this Sunday.
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Yup. They could have had this game. Btw, I can't wait to see Lebron play tired again this Sunday.
Not a LeBron fan, but I wouldn't bet against him in a HUGE game like that... as much as I hate to see this happen, but I bet the Cavs will win in Game 7.
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Another ridiculous performance. Imagine if he had a team worth a damn around him.
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That was sarcasm. Those last 2 - 3 pointers were ridiculous. I did rag on him for the drama. He's a soap opera star. So was Paul Pierce. I hate that.
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That is one thing I find annoying about basketball: most of the players whine about calls (or non-calls) way too much. Heck, Jayson Tatum is a great young player, but is already a veteran when it comes to whining for calls. James does it way too much as well.
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Yeah they all do. What's worse is when they are not even touched or they actually foul someone and complain.
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That's almost as bad as certain quarterbacks who beg for flags when a defender breathes on them...
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Elway? Manning?
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Elway?
No, the more recent QB with 3 Super Bowl losses. :P
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That's almost as bad as certain quarterbacks who beg for flags when a defender breathes on them...
Only one has a website called Manningface. :biggrin:
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Well, Boston fans have to think of something to do in between hurling racial slurs. ;)
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I'm sorry. What state rioted recently? Tee Hee.
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South Carolina? :biggrin:
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:lol
Looks like we've started the game 7 smack talk!
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The Celtics are the one Boston I don't mind. Plus, my 13-year old nephew loves the Celtics because he is a big Jayson Tatum fan, so I sorta hope they win so he gets some enjoyment out of watching. Even though I am a LeBron fan, I am not sure how much fun it will be seeing him get drilled in the finals since the team he would have dragged there would have no chance, only to have idiots everywhere needling him for having another finals loss, as if losing earlier in the playoffs is better (although it actually is for your legacy).
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It would be a feather in the C's cap if the get to the finals with their 2 top players out.
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What's gonna be really scary is next year, assuming Irving and Hayward return and stay healthy. That deep roster with that coach...yikes.
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What's gonna be really scary is next year, assuming Irving and Hayward return and stay healthy. That deep roster with that coach...yikes.
Tell me about it. The Raps missed their window. And witht he 6rs coming on strong, just finishing 3rd would be an accomplishment. They surely aren't winning the East next year - especially with a new coach coming in ... whoever that might be.
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It would be a feather in the C's cap if the get to the finals with their 2 top players out.
It seems very similar to the Eagles season.
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It would be a feather in the C's cap if the get to the finals with their 2 top players out.
It seems very similar to the Eagles season.
No doubt. As long a Wentz can stay healthy you're in for a long run.
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Just tuned into the game.... uh oh....
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As long as the Rockets can keep the same focus and intensity in the second half, I seriously doubt the Dubs can come back and force a game 7. The Rockets, especially Eric Gordon, look like they come to WIN this game; but the Dubs look to me like they are playing like not to lose. :hat
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Klay and Curry bombing shots left and right now. Durant having another mediocre game.
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Wow! What a great great 3rd qtr! Intensity and tension the ECF can't offer... :metal
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Damn! The Dubs tuned it ON in the second half on both ends, something I haven't seen in 2 full games... now let's see how the Rockets adjust for Game 7 at home.
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They better pray to the basketball gods that Chris Paul's hamstring heals fast. It is hard to imagine them winning a game 7 against a team with that much shooting talent. They balled like crazy tonight and still got their doors blown off.
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Damn man, when those boys get rolling, they are in a whole other dimension. Here's hoping they can stay hot through Monday.
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Jesus... I went to bed when it was tied at 74. Da fuq Houston?? More points in the 1st Q than the entire 2nd half?? 9 points in the 4th!?!?!?!?
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Kevin Love is out tonight.
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Damn good first quarter for the C's. Their defense is the key.
Lebron can't do it all and needs others to step up their game. Big I'm the C's key on James and make the others beat you. Also, do what Smart did. James bulls his way to the hoop. Pick up a charge.
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Not a LBJ fan, but I sincerely feel sorry for the guy. He is trying to win it all by himself with virtually no help... no one on the Cavs bother to step up? Really?
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It's all on him. He could score 50 and it wouldn't matter.
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The Cavs starting guards have combined to average 7 points a game on the road this series. That is beyond pathetic.
They have zero tonight so far.
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Here comes the Cavs. Other players stepping up.
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Way too many wasted offensive possessions by the Celtics.
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Here comes the Cavs. Other players stepping up.
They read my post, lol! :lol
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Stop fucking posting! :lol
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Here comes the Cavs. Other players stepping up.
They read my post, lol! :lol
Stop posting then! Signed a C's fan! :lol
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Here comes the Cavs. Other players stepping up.
They read my post, lol! :lol
Stop posting then! Signed a C's fan! :lol
Why should I care? I am a Lakers fan, lol! :lol
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Nice flop by Smart. :lol :lol
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Smart flop.
Get it?! :lol
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Smart flop.
Get it?! :lol
:lol :rollin :lol
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Nice flop by Smart. :lol :lol
I don't know. Seemed that the wind from Lebron's elbow generated a gale force breeze by Smart's face.
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In all honesty, players need to try against him. He's like the bull in a Colt 45 commercial and the C's players need to be Billy Dee Williams .
#oldschoolcred
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One quarter left. Down by 3..
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So many missed 3’s. So many bad calls both ways...I don’t know what to think
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Jesus. Ugly game AF.
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Not looking good...
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Most of Holford’s defense is grabbing and holding
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It feels like the Cavs will win.
Prove me wrong C's!
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Most of Holford’s defense is grabbing and holding
Most of everything Lebron does offensively is a foul.
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Also Celtics. Your 20 year old is leading you in the 4th. Others, STEP UP!
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If Lebron made a porno, a ref would show up and call a foul on the chick.
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If Lebron made a porno, a ref would show up and call a foul on the chick.
Why do you assume it is not a gay porno? :lol
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Well..as expected. So fucking close....
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He's Lebron. Please. :lol
Game over. I know we were missing our best 2 players but I'm still disappointed. They played great these playoffs.
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I might sound bad here, but teams that cannot win on the road during the playoffs, have no business making it to the Finals.
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Most of Holford’s defense is grabbing and holding
Most of everything Lebron does offensively is a foul.
These posts are ironic given your stance when officiating goes the Patriots way in football. :P
OVERCOME THE CALLS!!! :biggrin:
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You'll see that result next series.
Well, the C's future looks so damn bright. See you next yr ear.
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Most of Holford’s defense is grabbing and holding
Most of everything Lebron does offensively is a foul.
These posts are ironic given your stance when officiating goes the Patriots way in football. :P
OVERCOME THE CALLS!!! :biggrin:
I'm asking for a drug test after this post.
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Just speaking truth. ;)
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True or False?
LBJ is the undisputed GOAT, IF, even with this team and possibly without K-Love, LBJ still manage to win the title.
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:lol
Still. Give me your blood.
Bedtime. I've got to work tomorrow.
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True or False?
LBJ is the undisputed GOAT, IF, even with this team and possibly without K-Love, LBJ still manage to win the title.
That will not happen.
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By dragging this group of clowns to the finals, I'm starting to get on board with the idea of him being GOAT. Jordan always had Pippen and a decent supporting cast, and never once did he drag a group of useless tits to the Finals. Lebron has done it again.
Goddamn... please at least let Houston win so it's not ANOTHER GSW/Cavs final.
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Please no Rockets, lol!! I want Golden State / Cleveland round 4!!
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Please no Rockets, lol!! I want Golden State / Cleveland round 4!!
If it's round 4, I will have exactly zero fuck's to give, and will watch precisely 0 minutes of the finals.
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By dragging this group of clowns to the finals, I'm starting to get on board with the idea of him being GOAT. Jordan always had Pippen and a decent supporting cast, and never once did he drag a group of useless tits to the Finals. Lebron has done it again.
Agreed. It's a shame it has to be such a disgusting individual. But, man, it's hard to deny that 8 straight NBA finals with so many different personnel configurations, including this year's dog of a team, doesn't put him at the top of the mountain alone. I mean, I guess you can argue that the present-day east is so weak that that is a major contributing factor in his success. But while there is some truth to that, it's still pretty hard to deny that what he has done is incredible.
Please no Rockets, lol!! I want Golden State / Cleveland round 4!!
If it's round 4, I will have exactly zero fuck's to give, and will watch precisely 0 minutes of the finals.
If it's a team you like, I don't see why you wouldn't want them in there 10 times in a row, or 20, or...
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Bosk1. You answered your own question. :lol
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By dragging this group of clowns to the finals, I'm starting to get on board with the idea of him being GOAT. Jordan always had Pippen and a decent supporting cast, and never once did he drag a group of useless tits to the Finals. Lebron has done it again.
Goddamn... please at least let Houston win so it's not ANOTHER GSW/Cavs final.
Even if Chris Paul plays, he won't be healthy, and I think that pretty much cripples their chances at winning tonight. You have to marvel at the deal the Warriors made with the basketball gods, to get so lucky year after year with injuries to other teams in the playoffs.
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Pathetic early effort for GS, but some timely 3's and some horrific officiating keep them in it.
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Not even watching the rest of this. A handful of horrific calls (or non-calls) completely changed the game. A Rocket was literally tackled taking it to the hoop and nothing was called. GS will win. It has been decreed by the big dogs. :tdwn :tdwn
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I hate the refs more than anyone. But NO ONE is winning anything missing 25 straight 3s.
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Yeah the Rockets look like they gave up already. I am not the one to blame refs for any bad games as I know how hard it is to officiate a basketball game, but so many illegal screens, holding and pushing not being call is helping GSW. Regardless, we all knew they would win but didn’t want it to go down this way. The “MVP” needs to play better the rest of the game if they don’t wanna lose by 15+
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I should stay away from the game, lol! :lol Those moments I could watch the game, the Dubs are always in trouble; but then I was in a quick meeting in the third and early 4th qtr, they took the lead! Lol! :lol
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Left my meeting with the Dubs down 8, 10 minute drive and they're up 12. Wth man...
Didn't watch the game so I can't comment on the officiating, but of the previous games I've seen the officials have been letting them play.
Edit: and done, Dubs v. Cavs V 4.0
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Wow! What a game... the NBA... oops, I mean the Dubs did it again! Cavs / Warriors round 4! Love it!
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Edit: and done, Dubs v. Cavs V 4.0
(https://replygif.net/i/312.gif)
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Bottom line . CP shimmied too soon .
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It was boring last time. I guess lebron might take one out of sheer force of will but no more than that.
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These playoffs have really stunk. Cavs or Celtics versus Houston would have been genuinely interesting, at least for me. Instead, we're probably getting a 4-0 massacre.
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These playoffs have really stunk. Cavs or Celtics versus Houston would have been genuinely interesting, at least for me. Instead, we're probably getting a 4-0 massacre.
The end result stinks, but Cleveland going to 7 games with the Pacers was fun, seeing the young 6ers was fun, the Celtics games were fun, seeing Jingle Boy crying when his Raptors were destroyed was definitely fun.
The first round in the west was interesting with the pelis and Utah mostly.
All of this gives me a glimmer of hope that next year things won't be the same with some of these young teams being more mature and having their stars in the post-season.
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Watch out y'all, my Lakers will come back strong next season... I hope, lol!! :lol
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I can't wait to see the C's gel with Hayward next year. I also wonder if teams will overpay for Smart or not. He's a restricted free agent.
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I can't wait to see the C's gel with Hayward next year. I also wonder if teams will overpay for Smart or not. He's a restricted free agent.
There aren't that many teams that have the cap space and need a PG like Smart. But there's also teams that do stupid things come free agency so you never know.
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It's the stupid side I'm leaning to. :lol Smart came out after the game and said he's looking for more than the rumor mill is up here at 12 to 14 mil. He can't hit mid jump shots to get that kind of money. He does everything well except for shooting.
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I can't wait to see the C's gel with Hayward next year. I also wonder if teams will overpay for Smart or not. He's a restricted free agent.
There aren't that many teams that have the cap space and need a PG like Smart. But there's also teams that do stupid things come free agency so you never know.
Smart is asking for $12-14M per season, and like Nekov said there ain't that many teams will that cap space AND in need of a role guy like him. It will be a smart move (pun intended) for him to just suck it up, and take the qualifying offer for one season. Wait til the 2019 free agency before he go for a better deal. I am afraid he won't get anything more than $10M per, and end up stuck with a bad team for the rest of his career.
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Oh, I agree but we have seen stupid owners before spend stupid money.
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Oh, I agree but we have seen stupid owners before spend stupid money.
You mean James Dolan? :lol
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Ding! Ding! :lol
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A handful of horrific calls (or non-calls) completely changed the game.
Yes. You mean, like, the fact that Houston was called for 5 less fouls than GS the entire game (despite some OBVIOUS hacking, holding, an whatnot)? Or the fact that Klay Thompson had to be benched because 3 phantom calls in like the first 2 minutes of the game put him in foul trouble before the Warriors could even get going? :lol Yeah, the Warriors CLEARLY benefitted from biased officiating. ::) Like you've said more times than I can count: don't whine about bad calls; play better and overcome them. Spending YEARS telling people to shut up about bad officiating and then whining about "bad officiating" is a poor look.
Props to the Warriors for overcoming the loss of their former NBA Finals MVP to win this. And props to LeBron for carrying his team to an unprecedented 8-straight finals appearance. And the end of the Warriors/Houston series also reminded me of another reason LeBron deserves props: In good times and in bad, he ALWAYS stands up as the leader of his team and deals with the media, as well as handling other leadership responsibilities. He doesn't disappear in times of adversity like some. At least in that respect, he truly gets what it is to be a leader.
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While I'm not all that warm on the notion that LeBron is a self-less "leader" off the court, the media has a hand in portraying his selfishness. Case in point... the announce crew went on about what we all know - how he carried this team through the playoffs and in to the finals. In the post-game interview, he was specifically asked (I'm paraphrasing) 'is this your most satisfying finals because of the shit-ass crew you had to play with?' I mean, he's often had a 'me' complex, but clearly he's maturing. Classy response:
I think what people don’t understand, people that never played the game of basketball and never played team sports, is that in order to succeed, it has to be a team effort. I know I get a lot of the headlines — win, lose or draw, whatever the case may be — but in order to be successful, it’s a team game. I learned that from since I first started picking up a basketball to play organized basketball at age 9. So, you get all the doubters and people — who have never stepped in an arena, who’s never played basketball, who’s never put on a tank-top and shorts, who’ve never played anything organized — always want to try and kill my teammates. It’s unfair to them. But I’ll always stay true to the game of basketball because the game of basketball always stays true to me. That’s why we’re going to another Finals because my teammates played a hell of a game
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Yeah, agreed. And while I don't like him, I think in probably a minority of those in that camp who don't really blast him too much for his "me" comments, simply because (1) often, it really IS him who is far and away THE reason his teams are successful when they really shouldn't be, and (2) if you really sit and watch him play, he really doesn't have a "selfish" style of basketball. Yeah, there are games (and sometimes long stretches of several games) where he takes over and, for lack of a better term, plays "hero ball." But usually, when he does that, it's because he HAS TO because nobody else is stepping up, or because that is just what the team needs. But you don't have to look very hard to also find stretches of minutes or even games where he is passing like crazy and taking a backseat to try to get the rest of his team involved, even when they may not be up to the task.
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Going back to the Warriors/Rockets series as a whole, this was a strange series. I missed a few of the games because I was in Mexico. But of the ones I saw, including games 6 and 7, which the Warriors won, they didn't really look in synch. Honestly, I didn't feel like we got to see the best that either of these teams has to offer, at least not on a consistent basis.
EDIT: Looking ahead, I have no idea how to predict the Finals. I think the "smart money" is on what I have heard most saying: Warriors in 5, and the 5 is only because a LeBron-led team isn't likely to get swept by anybody. But the thing is, this LeBron-led team keeps on defying the odds and doing what they shouldn't be able to do. I'm just kind of left shrugging my shoulders and telling myself that, although I expect the Warriors to win, it is anybody's guess how it is going to play out.
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There is no way the Warriors win that series if Paul was healthy. It amazes me that NBA continues to grow in popularity when the same two teams are in the finals for 4 straight years.
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There is no way the Warriors win that series if Paul was healthy. It amazes me that NBA continues to grow in popularity when the same two teams are in the finals for 4 straight years.
Mind you, the Dubs won the series without Iguodala for the last 4 games as well. Both teams had their adversity, the better one overcame it. As to popularity, if everyone is tired of the Cavs v. Dubs, maybe the rest of the league should improve their game.
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I definitely don't think it was a given that Houston wins if Paul is healthy.
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There is no way the Warriors win that series if Paul was healthy. It amazes me that NBA continues to grow in popularity when the same two teams are in the finals for 4 straight years.
Mind you, the Dubs won the series without Iguodala for the last 4 games as well. Both teams had their adversity, the better one overcame it. As to popularity, if everyone is tired of the Cavs v. Dubs, maybe the rest of the league should improve their game blow thru the cap by $16M+ if they want to be competitive.
:biggrin:
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I definitely don't think it was a given that Houston wins if Paul is healthy.
Completely agreed. The Warriors had already won 2 games handily with Paul healthy, and lost another two that were very close games. If both teams are at full strength (i.e. Rockets have CP3 and Warriors have Iguodala), I still think the Warriors win, and probably more easily. CP3 is perhaps the better all around player between him and Iguodala, but Iguodala is SUCH a key piece of how the Warriors do things. Don't forget that he was the finals MVP 3 years ago against the LeBron-led Cavs.
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I wonder if the Cavs should keep starting Jeff Green even once Love is ready. If he can give them 10-15 pts a game, I think he might be their best option to guard Durant (other than LeBron in some crunch-time possessions). Certainly, the Cavs were way better defensively without Love, and they're going to have to play some decent defense to have any shot in this series. Last year the Cavs could conceivably outscore the Dubs if they went crazy from 3 (see game 4); this year not so much. Hopefully, they'll take a page from Houston's switching defense and ride a defense-first lineup of LBJ, Hill, Thompson, Smith, and Green for a large amount of minutes. That, and Kyle Korver HAS to get off from 3 coming off the bench. Maybe Love can be more successful coming of the bench, too, since the Dubs' second unit is pretty poor.
I think the Warriors are actually more beatable this year than last (especially if Iggy is not available to guard LeBron), but unfortunately this Cavs team is also worse than last year. Who knows, though? Maybe LeBron puts up 40 a game. Nothing would surprise me at this point from him. And he knows that somehow winning it all this year with THIS squad would in the minds of many put him equal to MJ. I feel like we'll get peak Lebron in this series; I guess we'll see what his teammates can bring.
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Maybe LeBron puts up 40 a game. Nothing would surprise me at this point from him. And he knows that somehow winning it all this year with THIS squad would in the minds of many put him equal to MJ.
Two things:
I don't think LBJ putting up 40 points is enough. I think he needs >40 per game AND his teammates have to come through big time.
If the Cavs win this, I don't think "LBJ=Jordan" is the discussion anymore. I think any reasonable person has to concede that LBJ>Jordan if they win this. I mean, whether they do or not, the discussion is still valid. But if they win? Jordan NEVER had to lead such a squad to a championship. And he arguably NEVER had to face a team as talented as the Warriors. If LeBron can pull off a championship with both of those factors at the same time, taken together with his prior body of work, he is unequivocally the greatest of all time, no discussion.
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I think it's already a lot closer between the two than most people would care to admit. This is a crude way of looking at it, but Jordan was like a 9.7/10 for eleven seasons. James has been like a 9.2 for fifteen. Jordan's career might look a lot better from 30,000 feet, but when you really drill into it, you realize that his edge in team success is partly due to having better teammates and facing worse competition. If James leads the Cavaliers to a championship, he will be the GOAT in my eyes. That said, it's probably impossible.
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Yeah, I mean, that's basically what I was trying to say.
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The following comment is completely unrelated to the LBJ-MJ conversation.
I hate this narrative about Lebron leading a bunch of clowns to the Finals. The Celtics have been getting killed on talk radio about choking against this group. I don't buy it, I mean both teams were brutal offensively in Game 7. Yes, it was definitely a game the Celtics could've won, but they didn't. It's not like Lebron scored 70 of the Cav's 79 points. But he did control the game when the Celtics couldn't get a grasp on it.
I think the margins, especially in the East are so small.
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But I think the point is a legitimate one: that that roster doesn't even sniff the playoffs without LeBron, whereas with him, they are in the NBA finals. What's the disagreement? That seems pretty accurate to me. I'm not following you.
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But I think the point is a legitimate one: that that roster doesn't even sniff the playoffs without LeBron, whereas with him, they are in the NBA finals. What's the disagreement? That seems pretty accurate to me. I'm not following you.
Maybe I'm not putting it into words properly.
Well, take away every team's best player. Then reseed the league. You still don't think this group of Cavs make the playoffs?
Straight up without Lebron, and leaving every other team alone, give the Cavs a decent coach and they could be a bubble team.
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I hate this narrative about Lebron leading a bunch of clowns to the Finals. The Celtics have been getting killed on talk radio about choking against this group. I don't buy it, I mean both teams were brutal offensively in Game 7. Yes, it was definitely a game the Celtics could've won, but they didn't. It's not like Lebron scored 70 of the Cav's 79 points. But he did control the game when the Celtics couldn't get a grasp on it.
I think the margins, especially in the East are so small.
Maybe LBJ didn't drag them thru game 7, but he very much did against Indiana, Games 1-3 against Toronto, and the entire series against the Cs. Look at his PPG vs Love (the #2 PPG):
Indiana - 34.4 / 11.4 ; LBJ was 36% of total points + 7.7 Assists/Game
Toronto - 34.8 / 20.5; LBJ was 29% of total points + 11.3 Assists/Game
Boston - 33.6 / 12.5; LBJ was 34% of total points + 8.4 Assists/Game
Love was the only other player against Indiana and Boston to average double-digit ppg.
The only time his team-mates stepped to make an offensive difference in victory was in Game 2 and 4 vs Toronto, and some sporadic help in a couple of the Indiana wins. I mean ffs... he scored 46 of Cleveland's 100 in one of the wins against Indiana.
There is zero balance to the team offensively.
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Yes, but that doesn't count because...well...it makes it look like people other than TAC are right.
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Why, do I look right?? ;D
I'm just not sure how to word it.
I'll get back to you..
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I made a chart using Basketball Reference
I listed the teams in order of record, listed their top scorer, The top scorer's PPG/Team PPG, Top Scorer's % of Team PPG, and the last column shows the Team PPG minus each team's leading scorer.
1. Toronto Derozen 23/112 20.5% 89
2. Boston Irving 24/104 23.1% 80
3. Philly Embid 23/110 20.9% 87
4. Clev James 28/111 25.2% 83
5. Ind Oladipo 23/105 21.9% 82
6. Miami Dragic 17/103 16.5% 86
7. Milwauk Ant 27/106 25.4% 79
8. Wash Beal 23/106 21.7% 83
9. Det Griffin 20/104 19.2% 84
10. Char Walker 22/108 20.4% 86
11. NYK Porz 22/104 21.2% 82
12. Brook Lin 18/106 17.0% 78
13. Chic Mirotec 17/103 16.5% 86
14 Orl Fournier 18/103 17.5% 85
15. Atl Schroder 19/103 18.4% 84
The Cavs finished the season scoring the second most PPG. Labron was the East's Leading scorer in PPG, and second to Giannis in % of Team PPG.
Subtracting out each team's leading scorer, the Cav's are T-8 in Team PPG.
Shuffling the deck on Team Leading Scorer's, Lebron would take any team to the Finals.
I am not trying to in anyway diminish Lebron's achievements, and if it comes accross that way, that is not my intention.
My original point was that the rest of the Cavs do not suck. They are an average team. Nothing more, and nothing less.
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An average lottery team, maybe. :lol
Just wait till next year when James is playing somewhere else. I will set the Cavs over/under win total now at 30...and I will take the under.
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That's next year.
He's the reason they're there, no doubt. But everything goes through him, as it would on any other team. The current Cavs, with a better coach, would be a bubble team.
Let me scratch that.. Kev, they could very well be a lottery team next year if nothing changes. Maybe the get a real coach that actually installs a system, and the #8 pick pans out...
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I don't think removing every team's top player is a valid way to compare. Swap LeBron with the top player on any other team, and I don't think you DO get even a "bubble team" with that iteration of the Cavs. But even if they are, at best, a "bubble team," a bubble team in the east is NOT a good team.
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So with Giannis, the Cavs couldn't get into the playoffs?
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Not to mention saying "give them a better coach" changes another variable in the equation. I thought it was, "this Cavs team could still make the playoffs with LeBron," and now it's, "this Cavs team could still make the playoffs without LeBron AND if they had a better coach." I now wait for TAC's next addition to this equation. :P
Edit: you snuck it in on me before I hit post. :lol :lol :lol :lol
"This cavs team could still make the playoffs without LeBron, if they had a better coach, and if they had Giannis." :rollin :rollin
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I don't think removing every team's top player is a valid way to compare.
Well, that's the research I did because I just wanted to see the remaining Cavs stacked up against everyone else minus their top scorer. It's kind of what I expected. I mean, I'm not ready to do a college thesis on it. I'm just saying that the Cavs are better than they're being given credit for.
Not to mention saying "give them a better coach" changes another variable in the equation.
Without Lebron, Lue is not the coach.
"This cavs team could still make the playoffs without LeBron, if they had a better coach, and if they had Giannis." :rollin :rollin
Why is that funny? I believe that.
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It's funny because you basically went from "this team could make the playoffs without LeBron" by repeatedly adding more qualifiers to it.
"This Cavs team could still make the playoffs without LeBron, if they had a better coach, if they had Giannis, and if Magic Johnson comes out of retirement to give them 15 minutes a game."
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I don't think removing every team's top player is a valid way to compare.
Well, that's the research I did because I just wanted to see the remaining Cavs stacked up against everyone else minus their top scorer. It's kind of what I expected. I mean, I'm not ready to do a college thesis on it. I'm just saying that the Cavs are better than they're being given credit for.
Except that having LeBron on the team changes their stats as well. For example, he is one of the best passers/assisters in the league, and definitely the best in the east, which inflates his teammates' stats. Another example is that he commands more attention than any other player in the east, which gets his teammates more open looks and easy baskets. You really can't compare just by taking him out of the equation as if he doesn't exist when his teammates' stats are what they are, in large part, because he is there.
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I don't think removing every team's top player is a valid way to compare.
Well, that's the research I did because I just wanted to see the remaining Cavs stacked up against everyone else minus their top scorer. It's kind of what I expected. I mean, I'm not ready to do a college thesis on it. I'm just saying that the Cavs are better than they're being given credit for.
Except that having LeBron on the team changes their stats as well. For example, he is one of the best passers/assisters in the league, and definitely the best in the east, which inflates his teammates' stats. Another example is that he commands more attention than any other player in the east, which gets his teammates more open looks and easy baskets. You really can't compare just by taking him out of the equation as if he doesn't exist when his teammates' stats are what they are, in large part, because he is there.
Well, that's why the first (and only) comparison was to remove every team's best player. Like I said, I'm not digging any deeper. When he's on the floor vs off, etc... Just making a 30,000 foot observation.
I'm just a dude on a couch with an opinion. :lol
It's funny because you basically went from "this team could make the playoffs without LeBron" by repeatedly adding more qualifiers to it.
The original qualifier included a different coach. :P
"This Cavs team could still make the playoffs without LeBron, if they had a better coach, if they had Giannis, and if Magic Johnson comes out of retirement to give them 15 minutes a game."
I agree. ;D
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I'm just saying that the Cavs are better than they're being given credit for.
And this is where you're wrong. They're not. I'm just looking at their playoff performance. They are the only team to have one series, let alone TWO, with only 2 players in double-digit ppg. And the #2 guy barely made double-digits.
Lebron is leading the playoffs in minutes (by 47... almost a full fucking game more than the #2 guy (Rozier) - and Boston played one more game than Cleveland!!!), FG, FGA, FT, FTA, Ast, Points (by 125!), and a shit ton of other advanced stats I have no clue what they mean. And there is isn't a single one where it's even close.
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TAC's theory just went: :mrlol:
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Rite? In 18 games, he's 125 points ahead of Durant; 132 ahead of Harden; 261 ahead of Tatum. To be fair, LBJ has an extra game up on KD and Harden, but still. Using TAC's methodology and swap Durant or Harden for LeBron, and the Cavs don't even make Game 7 against Indiana.
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Holy crap! Even remove a "standard" (for LeBron) 40 point game, and he's still 85 points ahead of Durant and 92 ahead of Harden. Those numbers are insane.
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I watched this Cavs team a lot this season. Replace LeBron with another top 5 player (Durant, Giannis, AD, etc.) and they MIGHT be an 8 seed. However, just a regular all-star (a Horford, a Demar), and nah, they probably don't even make the playoffs. Without LBJ, they have very little creation/playmaking ability at all. I mean, hell, they couldn't break 100 points half the time against Boston WITH LeBron.
That said, I don't think people should be killing Boston. Boston overachieved quite well with no Kyrie and no Hayward. No need to falsely elevate the Cavs squad to affirm that Boston did about as well as could possibly be expected. Yeah, the youngsters kinda blew Game 7, but that was to be expected against LeBron. Tatum balled out, though; Celtics probably win if they fed him more down the stretch rather than continue launching threes.
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I felt the same about the 3's. Problem was the Cavs packed the paint, and dared the C's to hit their 3's and they choked. Rosier who is normally lights out from behind the ark was affected by the spotlight.
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Interesting article: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/andre-iguodala-injury-opens-door-164001895.html
It basically makes the point that Iguodala's injury makes the series a lot more interesting, and that is born out by numbers showing that LeBron's and the Cavs' overall efficiency is MUCH greater with Iguodala off the court than on. They do make the point that Durant and Green can also guard LeBron, but:
But putting Green on LeBron would remove the Warriors’ best help defender from that role. Putting Durant on LeBron would sap Durant’s energy for offense.
I get what they are saying. But here's the thing with regard to Green: They don't really need him in the role of "help defender" in this series, IMO. If he is assigned directly to LeBron, that's fine. Thompson, McGee, and others can come over to "help" when doubles are needed or whatever. Shifting and switching is a big part of the W's defense, whether Iguodala is present or not. And the Cavs have far fewer weapons to worry about outside of LeBron than the past three years. So I don't think that is an issue.
With regard to Durant, I don't think it is much of an issue either. He can do just fine without worrying about "sapping his energy for offense." And the W's can run the offense through Curry just fine, as they most often do anyway, so that Durant can do less at that end.
Honestly, I don't see Iguodala's absence being a huge factor, despite his value to the team. I think it was a big issue with Houston. But the Cavs' offense is far less potent outside of LeBron. Even if he were to miss the whole series, I don't see it as a huge problem.
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TAC's theory just went: :mrlol:
(https://media.giphy.com/media/XGk3JJwHDfxGU/giphy.gif)
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A bit of a long but easy read... these 25 points give the Warriors / Cavs round 4 some unique prospectives.
Cavs-Warriors IV: A rivalry for the ages https://es.pn/2kvJkB7
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Does anyone here believes the whole “The NBA is rigged” idea? I personally don’t, and feel that people who think it’s rigged it’s because they never played the sport, or at least never played organized basketball.
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I've never believed in any sport rigged to get 2 teams to the finals be I do believe like the ref scandal in the NBA, single games can be manipulated.
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Does anyone here believes the whole “The NBA is rigged” idea? I personally don’t, and feel that people who think it’s rigged it’s because they never played the sport, or at least never played organized basketball.
I truly believe the 92 playoffs were rigged.
My details might be fuzzy because I’m going off a 26-year-old memory.
It was Barkley’s last year and the sonics were young and hungry team who was out playing them every step of the way. Suddenly, every tiny little itty bitty touch foul got called against the sonics. It was the most embarrassing display of officiating I had ever seen in my entire life.
But Barkley got to go to the finals....whatever.
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As poorly as the Dubs played (or as well as the Cavs played) in the first half, the game is tied at HT... crazy... that being said, I just think the Dubs didn't play with any positive energy at all. They could lose Game 1 if they don't pull themselves together.
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James is on fire
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That’s was an awful call
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The Dubs just could not get a rebound of any kind... if they lose, they deserve it...
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Not sure who sucks more tonight, JR Smith or the refs. Might as well not even try to defend Durant because they call a foul even if it's a clean strip.
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Not sure who sucks more tonight, JR Smith or the refs. Might as well not even try to defend Durant because they call a foul even if it's a clean strip.
The Dubs are lucky to have JR Smith on their side, lol! :lol
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Kev, how am I supposed to like LeBron after seeing what he wore walking into the stadium last night?! :lol
Search for it! Lol
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I know the narrative is that LeBron is trying to do the unthinkable with a cast of nobodies, but WOW... who would have thought one of his teammates would make a Seattle Seahawks level blunder at the most crucial part of the game.
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1. The refs ruined that game.
2. JR Smith made a HUGE mistake BUT.... why did Lebron not have the ball with 4 seconds left?
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1. The refs ruined that game.
2. JR Smith made a HUGE mistake BUT.... why did Lebron not have the ball with 4 seconds left?
Because JR Smith rebounded the ball and went into run the clock out mode......
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1. The refs ruined that game.
2. JR Smith made a HUGE mistake BUT.... why did Lebron not have the ball with 4 seconds left?
The refs definitely ruined that game and JR... my gosh
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In case anyone thinks the refs were pro-Dubs... How many non-calls does Curry get in a game? How lucky are GSW that JR's "slip" didn't seriously injure Klay?
The refs last night were terrible with GSW if you look at their records so I don't think these refs were pro Warriors... if that's what some of you guys think. :hat
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That game was a lot more interesting than it should have been. :lol I was intrigued going into it when they announced the starting lineups and I was listening to some pregame analysis on local radio. It was an unexpected lineup because, while it gave the Cavs a HUGE rebounding advantage, it created defensive liabilities that would leave them exposed. Basically, it could work and give the Cavs an unexpected advantage, but only if (1) the Warriors uncharacteristically missed shots; (2) the Cavs took advantage of the advantage and rebounded well; and (3) Love stepped up his offense and scored in the 20-pt. range to make up for the defensive liability.
The stars aligned and it almost worked.
The Warriors DID uncharacteristically miss shots. Look at the 3-pt. shooting, for example:
Green: 2 of 5 (okay, not too surprising there)
Durant: 1 of 7 (VERY surprising)
Curry: 5 of 11
Thompson: 5 of 10
The Cavs DID take advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Warriors 53 to 38.
Love scored 21. And he played better defense than is typical. So he exceeded expectations on BOTH ends of the court.
All in all, I have to give Lue props for putting together such a game plan, and the Cavs for executing it. The stars aligned. The Cavs threw their biggest, best haymaker. And they still couldn't get the win. It would have been huge if they did. But they didn't. I'm not sure where they go from here. Despite this first game being close, I don't expect a close series. The Cavs gave--and probably exceeded--their best, and the Warriors AGAIN came out with frustrating lack of intensity and focus. I don't see either of those trends being sustainable over the remaining 6 games. I just don't.
Some other notes:
Poor J.R. He is getting ROASTED. And I get it. But in the moment, it's perfectly understandable how he could have done what he did. Yeah, the Warriors got "lucky" that J.R. had a mental lapse. But it's not nearly the egregious lapse that it's easy to make it out to be. It's just an egregious result. And it's a blunder that seems glaring for anyone who is not actually on the floor, in the action on court. But in the heat of the moment, on court, what happened isn't that unreasonable.
Javale :heart J.R.: That inexplicably botched open slam by McGee was destined to end up on a blooper reel or Shaqtin a Fool. ...until J.R. happened. I'm sure McGee is thrilled that the spotlight quickly moved to someone else. Thanks, J.R.! :lol
J.R. dodges a bullet: When J.R. submarined Thompson, it looked like Joe Lacob and Jeremy Renner were going to rush him from the bleachers and shank him when Klay went down. It was pretty clear that it was unintentional, and that he realized right away that Klay was hurt and felt bad. I think Warriors fans AND J.R. breathed a sigh of relief when Klay came back.
LeBron: Wow. What a game. What a performance. [also, what a typically narcissistic post-game interview, but I digress] I can't stand him. But I also can't deny that he is the greatest of all time and is STILL doing things that are mind-boggling. And in many ways, he is playing better now than he EVER has. It is just mindblowing. :hefdaddy BUT...
Curry's D: I haven't seen it talked about, and I think it largely went unnoticed, but Curry played OUTSTANDING defense. That shouldn't really be surprising, because he is an exceptional defender. But his defense is SO underrated. Last night, he got switched onto LeBron pretty frequently. And, yes, there were plenty of times LeBron took him. That's fine. There is elite; and then there is LeBron. He's going to do what he's going to do. And he's going to do it even more against a smaller player. That's just reality. But Stef almost always knew where his help man would be, and consistently battled for position to force LeBron to the help so that LeBron had to pass instead of shoot. If anyone goes back and watches the game again, I invite you to watch for that specific aspect of the game. Watch how many times Curry was on LeBron and forced LeBron into coverage that made him pass instead of shoot. It's not flashy because it's not rife with blocks, stuffs, and steals. But it's incredibly solid defense. Yes, it is team defense. But it takes tremendous basketball IQ AND the physical and mental ability to understand and execute the team defense game plan for that to happen, and Curry demonstrates that over and over and over.
Durant no-show: Okay, yeah, it may seem silly to call a "no-show" on a guy who had 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. But Durant was frustratingly unfocused, and despite those numbers, felt like a liability far too often. He went to iso plays when ball movement was needed. He took poor shots when he was on cold streaks and the Warriors needed points. He failed to box out the smaller J.R. Smith on that infamous play at the end of regulation. I dunno. He didn't have a bad game. But he did not play within the Warriors' system, and I kept feeling like it cost them SEVERAL opportunities to take control of the game like they should have.
I know the narrative is that LeBron is trying to do the unthinkable with a cast of nobodies, but WOW... who would have thought one of his teammates would make a Seattle Seahawks level blunder at the most crucial part of the game.
::) Not really accurate at all, and the same can be said about the Seahawks call. That just shows a lack of understanding of sports. It's easy to be an armchair quarterback, but when you aren't on the field/court, you really have no standing to second-guess a split-second judgment call that, in the mind of the person making it, is well reasoned and well intentioned.
1. The refs ruined that game.
Not really seeing it. Overall, I thought it was a pretty well-officiated (but not perfect) game. The only thing that stands out is the Durant/LeBron play toward the end of the game. And there, the right process was followed, and the right call was made. It only stands out because (1) it came at a crucial point in the game; (2) whichever way the call went, it would give a big advantage to whichever team benefitted; (3) it looked like an extremely CLOSE call; and (4) the process was very atypical and ended in a reversal of what was called on court. Admittedly, yes, that does make it open to criticism and debate. I get why people will focus on it. Heck, you even had the NBA rules analyst in the moment saying it should have gone the other way. But at the end of the day, they followed the right process and made the right call, IMO. Here is what the league said:
Clarity on blk/charge review: The trigger is that if in the last 2 minutes of the 4th or overtime officials have doubt whether the defender was in the restricted area. While reviewing, they may also confirm if the defender was in legal guarding position when the contact occurred.
So, what triggered the review was simply the question of whether LeBron was in the restricted area. From just about any angle, it sure looks to us the fans [or the commentators, or the coaches, or...] that he wasn't close enough to the restricted area to make it a close call. But in the moment, to the refs that are right there and are trying to look at a bunch of different things in real time, I can see how they might have been unsure. And given the conflicting calls on the court in the split second after the call, and the officials' body language as they were making the call, it is clear that they weren't sure. Durant had seen the same restricted area in the final 2:00 issue come up in the regular season, so he immediately lobbied for review. So they did. We can armchair QB it and say they shouldn't have reviewed. But if they were unsure--and they clearly were--the review is legitimate.
And going back to the rule, once they are reviewing that, reviewing whether it is a charge or a blocking foul is also fair game. They did so. And they reached the conclusion that it as a blocking foul. Close call. I think they were right, and nobody but LeBron is saying otherwise. But what LeBron is also ignoring is that even if the benefit of the call should go in his favor, Durant was in a position to maneuver around LeBron, but for Green coming in from the side and running into Durant's right (shooting) arm before the Durant/LeBron contact. That should have been the basis for the defensive foul call, and not LeBron, IMO. But at the end of the day, although it was a VERY close call, it looks like they made the correct (i.e. defensive) call.
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Kev, how am I supposed to like LeBron after seeing what he wore walking into the stadium last night?! :lol
Search for it! Lol
That was just BAD. According to Dan Patrick, James's man purse cost over $40k!
P.S. "Dubs" might be the dumbest sounding nickname I've ever heard.
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I just had a good laugh with this.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/tanyachen/the-pain-of-being-lebron?utm_term=.yxap0XzAY#.fhGz5vDwV
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Great stuff, especially the Thanos one and the Chopped one.
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I liked Ambien the best.
And because I have 2 dogs.. the dog walking one.
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Great stuff, especially the Thanos one and the Chopped one.
NEVER go to the Ice Cream machine on Chopped :lol
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(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/550x300q90/921/Xcxoxx.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/f/plXcxoxxj)
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The refs definitely ruined that game and JR... my gosh
This is pretty much the sentiment by almost everyone today.
JR Smith is the dumbest person ever, and the officials ruined the game (this has been the sentiment nearly everywhere).
But this is the NBA. I can, off the top of my head, think of countless playoff games over the last 30+ years that were ruined by the officiating, and this is right near the top of the list (along with 2002 Kings/Lakers game 6 and some of the games in the '06 finals).
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I am pretty confident that few people other than LeBron and two people on this forum think the officials ruined the game, and none of those appear to be objective.
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I think the refs ruin every playoff game but bad calls will balance out.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DenAbApUcAADX_Q.jpg)
:lol :lol :lol
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:rollin
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DenxY80U0AA1X5V.jpg)
:rollin :rollin :rollin
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Poor LeBron :lol
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Random thoughts from a former NBA fan who lost interest around the time the weasel Howard Schultz sold the Sonics to the first person who came along with a checkbook when the city didn't grace him with a new arena, knowing full well the buyers had no intention of keeping the team in Seattle, and the worm David Stern told Seattle to kiss their team goodbye when we didn't greet him with a red carpet and waving palm fronds when he came here demanding a new arena:
OKC isn't winning the finals, so I can't be bothered with who does. I am happy.
Draymond Green and players like him is why fans are losing interest in pro sports.
These JR Smith memes are amazing. And that's coming from a guy who generally hates when something gets meme'd.
JR Smith has a future in politics "After thinking about it a lot after the last 24 hours and however long it's been since the game was over, I can't say I was sure of anything at that point," Smith said. "I might have said that, I'm not for sure, but I might have."
People say Jordan would never have lost a game like this. Then they say Jordan never played with teammates who would have let it happen.
Pro sports are getting too fast and for refs to officiate properly. I don't know what the solution is.
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Pro sports are getting too fast and for refs to officiate properly. I don't know what the solution is.
Yeah, this is a real issue. In hockey too.
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Basketball is a tough sport to officiate. I definitely acknowledge that.
My beef with the block call the other day was the way it was handled. First, it is absurd that a judgment call can be reviewed and changed. A judgment is made on the fly in real time, and something should only be changed on review if it is definitive (not still a judgment). And the only way a foul like that can be reviewed in the NBA is if they are looking to see if the defender was in the restricted area, which was their excuse. The refs had no balls. James was like two feet out of the restricted area, so there was no need to review that, but one ref called it a block one and one ref (the one closest to the play) called it a charge, and instead of talking it out on the court, they used the restricted area loophole as an excuse to review the block/charge and determine then what they were going to call.
That is a tough call to make in real time, for sure, but they get paid to make those tough calls. Make the call instead of being gutless and using a loophole to review something that cannot be reviewed on its own.
As for the "Jordan wouldn't have lost that game" or nonsense like that, at this point I assume anyone who says stuff like that is a troll or someone who doesn't want to talk the GOAT issue, so they throw out a quick hit-and-run comment (like, "Jordan is better than James because 6 > 3") instead of having a nuanced conversation about it. Gotta love the internet. :lol :lol
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When Jordan had those teams like Lebron does now he didn't make the finals. Though the other teams in the east were stronger all around in the Jordan era.
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As for the "Jordan wouldn't have lost that game" or nonsense like that, at this point I assume anyone who says stuff like that is a troll or someone who doesn't want to talk the GOAT issue, so they throw out a quick hit-and-run comment (like, "Jordan is better than James because 6 > 3") instead of having a nuanced conversation about it. Gotta love the internet. :lol :lol
Yup, like saying Montana is undefeated in the SB except that he went to half as many as Brady.
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When Jordan had those teams like Lebron does now he didn't make the finals. Though the other teams in the east were stronger all around in the Jordan era.
Yep. Heck, Bill Russell won 11 rings, but no one calls him the GOAT. Rings matter, but they aren't everything. Karl Malone and Charles Barkley are two of best 15 players I ever saw play, and neither won a ring.
Since I have been watching the NBA (mid 80's), Jordan and James have the longest tenures (by far) are being the best player.
Bird was the best player when I first started watching around 1984-1985.
Magic took the batton briefly before Jordan grabbed it in the late 80's and held on to it before retiring in 1993.
Hakeem was probably the best player for the next years before Jordan came back and took it back until he retired again in 1998.
Then, Shaq was the best player for probably 4-5 seasons.
Once Shaq got took fat(ter), Duncan took over as the best player and stayed it until probably 2007-2008 when LeBron took the title and has pretty much held it since (regardless of the fact that voters give the MVP award to someone else more often than not).
And right now, the gap between LeBron and the 2nd best player (most say Durant, but I would still argue that Curry is better and more valuable) is still massive.
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In my opinion, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are discussed with the least nuance of any basketball players. Jordan is almost always deified to a ridiculous degree, whereas Kobe is either way overrated or underrated.
Regarding Jordan, here are some fun facts I've learned over the years that are rarely discussed in the mainstream:
- Before Scottie Pippen joined the Bulls, they were only 1-9 in the playoffs with Jordan
- Like all other players, Jordan had bad games from time to time. For example, he shot 4/8 in a loss to the Pistons in 1989
- The Bulls were stacked on stacked for most of the 90s. In the season after Jordan's first retirement, they replaced him with Toni Kukoc and still won 55 games
- Jordan had some rough Finals performances too. In 1996, he shot 42% in a series where Shawn Kemp was the best player statistically
I want to be clear that Jordan was freaking amazing, and that every bullet point I mentioned above isn't really that significant in the grand scheme of things. All I'm saying is that Jordan was amazing in a human way. The Bulls may have been 6-0 in the Finals with him at the helm, but that doesn't mean he, as an individual player, was perfect. It really annoys me when people nitpick guys like Stephen Curry or Chris Paul but treat the players of yesteryear with kid gloves. :lol
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Players of years past always get romanticized as if they never made mistakes and were these perfect players. The same will happen in 10-20 years with the current greats of the sport. It's just the way it goes.
I tend to always like the less selfish players, which is probably why I never liked Jordan, Iverson and Bryant, and do not like current selfish stars like Westbook and Anthony. That could stem from my huge fandom of the Bad Boy Pistons, who went 9 deep in 1989 and were a very unselfish team dedicated to winning (by doing whatever they had to do :lol). Players who play hero ball make me yawn.
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I saw a newer fan arguing that he had watched an older game (Magic Johnson era) where the game was "too tight" and how players today were so much "more advanced" that they would run circles around the older guys.
I pointed out (I think factually) that the games are called much more "loose" these days. Lane violations, 3-second violations, "palming"....and many other rules used to be enforced a lot more. He of course countered that the game was better for not calling these things because who wants to see 80 free throws per game.
That argument blew my mind because it never occurred to this guy that the old guys didn't have to shoot 80 free throws *because they followed the rules*!!!
I don't think a more disciplined game equates to the game becoming "more advanced"....in fact, I'd say it was a step backwards, not forwards.
Newer players would have an extremely difficult time playing ball in the 80s because they would be getting constantly called on their lack of disciplined play.
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(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/850x400q90/922/LueAXd.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/f/pmLueAXdj)
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Poor LeBron... Curry fouled him during that fast break in the 3rd qtr and the refs didn't call that...
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I always rooted against LeBron when he was a Heat. Now, I can't help but root for him against this stupid....err super team. Funny how things change.
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I’m the opposite. Can’t stand LeBron, no matter of a great player he is. Rubs me the wrong way.
And right now, the gap between LeBron and the 2nd best player (KAWHI LEONARD) is closing
Fixed :xbones
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Haha, look who has jokes early on a Monday! :lol
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I want to say AGAIN with respect to last night's game that Steph's defense was SOLID. Even when switched onto LeBron, he was lights out (as much as anyone possibly can be "lights out" when defending LeBron). As with game 1, he didn't do it all himself. He held his own individually, but also knew where his help would come from, and regularly pressured LeBron to the help side, often resulting in passes or missed shots.
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Steph is incredible. I actually have a buddy who used to play pickup basketball with him over in Charlotte, and believe it or not, he wasn't very good in high school. Now he is probably the scariest offensive player on Earth. When the Warriors inevitably win, I would love to see him get the Finals MVP because he is their engine, heart, and soul.
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I would love to see him get it as well. I think he is truly deserving. And I also strongly dislike the narrative about some in the NBA that he isn't a "real" basketball player. That alone makes me really want him to get that to put alongside his championship rings and regular season MVP trophy.
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I thought Curry should have been the Finals MVP in 2015, so getting it this year will be some poetic justice.
Seems like many think Durant is better, but I will take Curry over him. He is more valuable and lights up that crowd way more than Durant ever could.
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For some reason, I still don't see Durant as a core member of GSW. He still feels like a 'hired gun' vs part of the team. That's just my perception.
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Yeah, I get that. I think fans here somewhat feel that way as well, but to a lesser degree. Part of the issue is that their true core was together for SEVERAL years and already proved they could get to the go all the way before he got here. Another part of it is that he is a longtime veteran player with ties to another community. And yet another part of it is that there are still streaks when he gets away from that part of the "team ball" aspect of what the Warriors do. Granted, the rest of the team is guilty of that too when they get lazy. But since he was an "outsider," it feels different when he does it. I think when this contract is up will be telling. If he sticks around, especially if he again sacrifices some money to do it, will make him feel like more of the then-existing core of the team. If he bolts, he will cement his "hired gun" status. We'll see.
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I don't see why he would bolt unless they start struggling financially. He has a poor reputation in the rest of the league for jumping into that team already. Unless he is soooo desperate to prove that he can win a championship without a super-duper team around him. But still, I don't think that will happen.
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Who knows? What if, for example, L.A. or Miami wanted to put together a super team with him and LeBron and were able to make it more financially attractive than what the Warriors have to offer? I'm not sure where his heart would lie in such circumstances. Steph, Klay, and Draymond want to be "Warriors 'til death." I'm not sure KD feels nearly that much of a tie to the team.
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For some reason, I still don't see Durant as a core member of GSW. He still feels like a 'hired gun' vs part of the team. That's just my perception.
He feels like icing on the cake to me, in that they really don't need him, but he is there to sweeten thinks up. They'd still be the best team without him, but he's an extra treat that makes them that much better.
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And insurance when somebody else goes down. And I'm glad. It isn't talked about much, but every single one of the true "core" lineup that was here from the beginning of the championship run through this season (Curry, Thompson, Green, Iguodala, and Livingston), as well as Durant, have been injured and missed multiple games this year in the regular season and/or playoffs. It's good to have an extra deep team.
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I would love to see him get it as well. I think he is truly deserving. And I also strongly dislike the narrative about some in the NBA that he isn't a "real" basketball player. That alone makes me really want him to get that to put alongside his championship rings and regular season MVP trophy.
Hmm... makes me wonder what or who is considered as real then...
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Revisiting a couple of things from game 1: Screw LeBron James and screw the Cleveland Cavaliers team. Despite my obvious dislike of both, I've tried to give the benefit of the doubt. I mean, concerning LeBron in particular, I have to acknowledge that someone in his shoes is naturally going to be challenged in a lot of ways because of what an abnormal life he has led. Even as a kid, he was told he was going to be great and would be a superstar. He has had celebrity status and money all his adult life. Of course he is going to be challenged in being a "grounded" "down-to-earth" person. I get that, and I give a lot of credit to how he has still managed to come across as decent in a lot of situations.
1. The play. The uncut footage after J.R. Smith's gaffe is pretty telling. For those who haven't seen it: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/m/2bdae06b-9d08-30fc-93c4-c2b3f04c942c/ss_uncut-footage-shows-just-how.html And this is where I have to criticize LeBron and the Cavs team and coaches as a whole. Smith knew he screwed up. And I can understand LeBron being upset. But during that short span after the play and before overtime, NOBODY came to him to try to pick him up and rally him. In fact, nobody tried to rally the team, really. Right at the very last second, Corver and Thompson did a little bit. But mostly, the team, including their self-declared leader, sat there moping. No wonder they lost in overtime, and lost huge (what was it, a 17-7 overtime?). There was NO sense of unity, NO sense of team, and NO sense of leadership whatsoever. LeBron was asked some more questions about it yesterday, I think it was. And his response was along the lines of, "You're going to criticize ME? It's not on ME to pick up my team. This is the NBA finals." Uh, yeah, it totally IS on YOU. You are the team leader, both because you have asserted and proclaimed yourself to have that role in every way possible, and because you are the team's veteran superstar. It is COMPLETELY on you to rally your team and prepare them for that overtime. You failed them, LeBron. And they failed each other. They acted like the game was over, when there was still an overtime period left to play. Pick up your teammates and PLAY THE GAME. You were fortunate to even be in the finals. You were even more fortunate to still be in a position to steal game 1 in Oakland heading into overtime. Suck it up and PLAY THE GAME. And especially, rally to J.R. Smith so that he can get his head back in the game instead of him almost assuredly having his head on that final 4.6 of regulation. Most people would be a basket case after that. It's on his teammates, and especially LeBron, to let him know they have his back and that they need to get out there and PLAY until the final buzzer. Newsflash--J.R. Smith did not LOSE that game! Hill needed to make his freethrows. He didn't. Smith made a brilliant rebound by evading Durant's box out, and at least prevented the Warriors from taking a buzzer-beater win. He could have taken the ball right back up. Maybe he gets fouled and puts the game away. Or maybe he makes the shot. But maybe Durant, who was in position, blocks the shot. Or he could have quickly kicked it to LeBron. Maybe LeBron makes the buzzer beater. Maybe not. But the game was tied. Yes, J.R. made a gaffe. It would have been an inexcusable one if the Cavs were trailing. But it was tied. They were assured overtime in any case. J.R. didn't lose the game. He just kept the Cavs from winning it in regulation. If the team had any heart and any leadership, they should have come out on fire in overtime and competed. They didn't. That's on them as a team. That's on the coaching staff. And that's on LeBron. If I'm a Cavs fan, I would be more pissed at him than at Smith. Yes, his 51 points and his leadership put them in position to win it in the first place. But his completely and utter failure to lead his team heading into overtime cost them, and that is all on him.
2. The foul. Golden State got lucky it was reviewed. But Cleveland got lucky the initial call was charging anyway. A careful look at the review shows that it wasn't. As to whether LeBron had his feet planted, it is a VERY close call. And that is what most are focusing on. But his upper body really is the key. His shoulders were FAR from being square, and he threw his upper body into Durant. That's a blocking foul, plain and simple. They ultimately got the call right. And although there isn't talk about it, Green smashing into Durant's right arm and shoulder was also a foul.
The only issue is the review. Again, Golden State got lucky. Acknowledged. But both refs on the floor were focused on the body contact. They weren't focused on where LeBron's feet were. In the split second it took for that all to go down, they missed it, and then saw three bodies lying on the ground in the restricted area. They were deciding whether to review, when Durant, who had seen the exact same situation play out at the end of regulation in a regular season game, and thus knew the rule, properly lobbied them to review it. So they did. The decision to review, under the circumstances, is hardly an egregious one.
It felt like that call was the backbreaker. I'm tempted to just repeat what Kev has said in various other sports threads and just say "So what? Blown calls don't win/lose games. If you're good enough to win, you have to show it and play well enough to overcome the bad call. If you can't do that, then you AREN'T really that good." But I don't think that's realistic. Sports games are highly situational, and momentum is real. A call by the refs in a key moment of a game can alter the course of events significantly. This is one of those, and I think that should be acknowledged. Golden State got the rare break from the officials, and it had a big impact on the Cavs not winning. But at the end of the day, the refs unquestionably made the right call.
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For some reason, I still don't see Durant as a core member of GSW. He still feels like a 'hired gun' vs part of the team. That's just my perception.
He feels like icing on the cake to me, in that they really don't need him, but he is there to sweeten thinks up. They'd still be the best team without him, but he's an extra treat that makes them that much better.
There's no way of knowing if they win last years' championship with out him, or if they even sneak by the Rockets without him this year. Sure they'd be perennial contenders without him and they accomplished a lot before he got there, but he is certainly a huge part of their success since joining the team.
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For some reason, I still don't see Durant as a core member of GSW. He still feels like a 'hired gun' vs part of the team. That's just my perception.
He feels like icing on the cake to me, in that they really don't need him, but he is there to sweeten thinks up. They'd still be the best team without him, but he's an extra treat that makes them that much better.
There's no way of knowing if they win last years' championship with out him, or if they even sneak by the Rockets without him this year. Sure they'd be perennial contenders without him and they accomplished a lot before he got there, but he is certainly a huge part of their success since joining the team.
It's an interesting discussion to have. When he is playing the Warriors way, he definitely takes them to another level. And interestingly enough, he often shines the most when he lets the offense run through Curry and lets Curry be the engine. But he often does not, and when he doesn't, I feel like he is a detriment, and despite putting up good numbers, takes the team down a notch.
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For some reason, I still don't see Durant as a core member of GSW. He still feels like a 'hired gun' vs part of the team. That's just my perception.
He feels like icing on the cake to me, in that they really don't need him, but he is there to sweeten thinks up. They'd still be the best team without him, but he's an extra treat that makes them that much better.
There's no way of knowing if they win last years' championship with out him, or if they even sneak by the Rockets without him this year. Sure they'd be perennial contenders without him and they accomplished a lot before he got there, but he is certainly a huge part of their success since joining the team.
True. With both teams pretty much at full strength two years ago, the Cavs beat the Warriors, and then it took the Warriors running out and begging who many call the 2nd best player in the league to join their team because they knew they couldn't beat James without stacking their team more than any team has ever been stacked.
As for the quote, ""So what? Blown calls don't win/lose games. If you're good enough to win, you have to show it and play well enough to overcome the bad call. If you can't do that, then you AREN'T really that good." I have never said that or anything close to that. The "you have to overcome bad calls" mantra is Joe's phrase, not mine.
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True. With both teams pretty much at full strength two years ago, the Cavs beat the Warriors, and then it took the Warriors running out and begging who many call the 2nd best player in the league to join their team because they knew they couldn't beat James without stacking their team more than any team has ever been stacked.
That's an interesting bit of revisionist history there.
As for the quote, ""So what? Blown calls don't win/lose games. If you're good enough to win, you have to show it and play well enough to overcome the bad call. If you can't do that, then you AREN'T really that good." I have never said that or anything close to that. The "you have to overcome bad calls" mantra is Joe's phrase, not mine.
It is a paraphrase, as I said. And I've seen you make that argument plenty of times in the various iterations of the NFL threads.
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Nope.
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Even though I do not watch him, I do enjoy reading stories about Skip Bayless making an ass out of himself. To wit:
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/06/nba-finals-lebron-james-tired-michael-jordan-skip-bayless
:lol :lol :lol
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I was wondering where Bayless had disappeared to. As far as the article, I dunno. Yeah, Bayless says some stupid things. But that article seems to miss the point of what Bayless was saying almost as much as Bayless misses the point about...well, pretty much everything.
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Is it just me? The Warriors don't seem to be pushing the ball as much as they did in Game 1 & 2.... are they saving energy? Or are they trying to give the LeBrons' one game or something? ???
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Golden St seems to have one of these games a series, where it seems like they just show up instead of looking motivated to win. The good news for them is that they can shoot their way back into any game.
And just when we were ready to give Curry the Finals MVP award, he comes out and looks awful tonight. Meanwhile, Durant looks great.
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There has been a few missed calls so far for both teams but 13FT to nothing is a bit much when Cle has more drives and 2 point shots.
I expect the warriors to take the lead in the 3 but ultimately losing the game.
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Even though I do not watch him, I do enjoy reading stories about Skip Bayless making an ass out of himself. To wit:
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/06/nba-finals-lebron-james-tired-michael-jordan-skip-bayless
:lol :lol :lol
My all-time favorite Skip Bayless moment was a week or two ago: The Warriors were losing to Houston at halftime. Bayless tweets that Golden State won't turn it around because Steve Kerr is too nice to light a fire under them. Never mind that the Warriors were the best third-quarter team all season. Armchair psychology is obviously much more relevant.
What ended up happening? Golden State held the Rockets to like 30 points in the second half and drubbed them. :lol
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Golden St seems to have one of these games a series, where it seems like they just show up instead of looking motivated to win. The good news for them is that they can shoot their way back into any game.
And just when we were ready to give Curry the Finals MVP award, he comes out and looks awful tonight. Meanwhile, Durant looks great.
Agreed with all of that. This was NOT a good game for them. The bad news for the Cavs is that, despite the Warriors (and Curry!) playing horribly most of the night, they still won.
And yeah, Curry was VERY flat. Uncharacteristically so. But still hits his characteristic late-game dagger to help put the game away. Amazing.
And to double down on my long ranty post above, where was LeBron? I mean, game-play-wise, I can't criticize. His numbers speak for themselves. But I swear, every time there was a break, and for the brief time he was on the bench, he was a "no-show" in terms of NOT being there to encourage his team. He didn't talk them up. He didn't motivate. He really didn't lead at all. He may be the greatest basketball player of all time. But other than that, no thanks.
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Golden St seems to have one of these games a series, where it seems like they just show up instead of looking motivated to win. The good news for them is that they can shoot their way back into any game.
And just when we were ready to give Curry the Finals MVP award, he comes out and looks awful tonight. Meanwhile, Durant looks great.
Agreed with all of that. This was NOT a good game for them. The bad news for the Cavs is that, despite the Warriors (and Curry!) playing horribly most of the night, they still won.
And yeah, Curry was VERY flat. Uncharacteristically so. But still hits his characteristic late-game dagger to help put the game away. Amazing.
And to double down on my long ranty post above, where was LeBron? I mean, game-play-wise, I can't criticize. His numbers speak for themselves. But I swear, every time there was a break, and for the brief time he was on the bench, he was a "no-show" in terms of NOT being there to encourage his team. He didn't talk them up. He didn't motivate. He really didn't lead at all. He may be the greatest basketball player of all time. But other than that, no thanks.
I agree. He's a tremendous talent. But he's no leader.
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Colangelo "resigns". Good riddance!
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I think LBJ’s frustration is boiling over. I think he’s sick of carrying this subpar roster. He’s bitching at the officials waaaay too much. It was almost embarrassing how many times he threw his arms up looking for a whistle last night. That’s what playing the Warriors can do to ya.
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I think LBJ’s frustration is boiling over. I think he’s sick of carrying this subpar roster. He’s bitching at the officials waaaay too much. It was almost embarrassing how many times he threw his arms up looking for a whistle last night.
I couldn't agree more. His tank has got to be running dry. 47:52 last night!?!?!?
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I agree that LBJ has probably reached his boiling point. It's one of those situations where you empathize but still cannot condone. All that whining doesn't help anyone, least of all him.
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He’s bitching at the officials waaaay too much. It was almost embarrassing how many times he threw his arms up looking for a whistle last night.
This happens every single game. Lebron is one of the players that complains the most to refs, I don't think this has anything to do with frustration against the warriors.
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This kind of sums up why Klay Thompson is probably my favorite all-time NBA player, and perhaps my favorite all-time professional athlete: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23707867/klay-thompson-glue-holds-golden-state-warriors-together-nba-finals
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:hat
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Congratulations to the Warriors, and all other Dubs fans. James played great in these playoffs. All in all, this off season will be fun.
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Wake me up when more than 3-4 teams have a legit chance to win a championship in a given season.
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Wake me up when more than 3-4 teams have a legit chance to win a championship in a given season.
If not for those untimely injuries, we already have the Cavs, Warriors, Celtics and thr Rockets this year. Add one more next year... my Lakers... :hat :metal :lol
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LeGone
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Foregone conclusion plays itself out. My only solace is that the Cavs got done to them what they did to the Raptors - sweep with game 4 being a blowout.
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Wake me up when more than 3-4 teams have a legit chance to win a championship in a given season.
Sadly, the NBA is like that most of the time, although you will occasionally get a surprise champion like the '04 Pistons or '11 Mavericks. By and large, however, the champion is almost always one of a handful of teams discussed at the beginning of the season as being one of the teams with a great chance to win it.
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nothing impressive about this title!
As far as only 4 or so teams being able to win each year...
this has been the NBA going back to the beginning???
80s... Lakers, Pistons, Celtics, 76ers
90s Bulls, Rockets, Spurs, Lakers
2000s Lakers, Spurs, Heat, Pistons, Celtics
2010s Mavericks, Spurs, Heat, Warriors, Cavaliers
Am I missing anything?
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nothing impressive about this title!
As far as only 4 or so teams being able to win each year...
this has been the NBA going back to the beginning???
80s... Lakers, Pistons, Celtics, 76ers
90s Bulls, Rockets, Spurs, Lakers
2000s Lakers, Spurs, Heat, Pistons, Celtics
2010s Mavericks, Spurs, Heat, Warriors, Cavaliers
Am I missing anything?
I have a lot of criticisms about the NBA, but I will defend this one. I like the way the NBA is setup with the sortof "rotating dynasty" thing. I mean, if a league has a different dominant team EVERY year, then you may as well pass out participation trophies. But if a dynasty lasted more than a decade, and that team was just able to keep buying the best player all the time, that would get boring too. But the NBA (I don't know if it's by design, or by accident) seems to have this system where a team is able to experiment like a chemist with putting all the right "elements" together. When they finally nail it, they are able to ride it out through the entire career of their core players careers. Then, after a decade or so, things dissolve, and some other team is able to pull things together.
And what's even cooler about it is that it's usually not JUST one team, but a decent base of 8-10 really decent competitive teams that create fantastic rivalries. And usually, you have one sortof dark horse squad that doesn't seem to be that great....but for some reason (either good matchups, or just being in their heads) they are able to play the dominant team strongly.
I think it all makes for the perfect balance between too much rotation of the championships, and too little.
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Yeah, it's pretty cool. And I don't get the hate for dynasties either. If you enjoy the game, whether it be football, basketball, or whatever, and a team goes on an unprecedented run of success, why is it seemingly hard to sit back and just be impressed at getting to witness historical greatness?
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Yeah, it's pretty cool. And I don't get the hate for dynasties either. If you enjoy the game, whether it be football, basketball, or whatever, and a team goes on an unprecedented run of success, why is it seemingly hard to sit back and just be impressed at getting to witness historical greatness?
Says the guy who's team is in the midst of one of those dynasties. If you lived a few hundred miles south, and were (or tried to be) a Clippers fan, how would you be feeling? Do you eat your favorite meal 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, or do you like a little variety?
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Yeah, it's pretty cool. And I don't get the hate for dynasties either. If you enjoy the game, whether it be football, basketball, or whatever, and a team goes on an unprecedented run of success, why is it seemingly hard to sit back and just be impressed at getting to witness historical greatness?
Says the guy who's team is in the midst of one of those dynasties. If you lived a few hundred miles south, and were (or tried to be) a Clippers fan, how would you be feeling? Do you eat your favorite meal 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, or do you like a little variety?
Yes, but I have had to watch numerous sports dynasties that I at best couldn't care less about or at worst hated. And I can't say I have ever felt like, "Well, I hate this sport now because I can't bear to watch the [Bulls/Lakers/Cowboys/Bills/Patriots/etc.] win all the time."
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Yeah, it's pretty cool. And I don't get the hate for dynasties either. If you enjoy the game, whether it be football, basketball, or whatever, and a team goes on an unprecedented run of success, why is it seemingly hard to sit back and just be impressed at getting to witness historical greatness?
Says the guy who's team is in the midst of one of those dynasties. If you lived a few hundred miles south, and were (or tried to be) a Clippers fan, how would you be feeling? Do you eat your favorite meal 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, or do you like a little variety?
Yes, but I have had to watch numerous sports dynasties that I at best couldn't care less about or at worst hated. And I can't say I have ever felt like, "Well, I hate this sport now because I can't bear to watch the [Bulls/Lakers/Cowboys/Bills/Patriots/etc.] win all the time."
I wouldn't say I hate the sport, just incredibly uninterested in seeing the same ole same ole. At least with many of those dynasties, there were different opponents, so some variety in those championships. When has any other sport (other than pre 70s when there weren't as many teams) had the same final championship opponents for four straight years? I'm just tired of it.
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Dwayne Casey landed right on his feet with a 5 year deal in Detroit!
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Dwayne Casey landed right on his feet with a 5 year deal in Detroit!
It's a step back but maybe the players the Pistons have are a better fit to the type of game he wants to play. And not having that much pressure might help him do a better job.
I wouldn't say I hate the sport, just incredibly uninterested in seeing the same ole same ole. At least with many of those dynasties, there were different opponents, so some variety in those championships. When has any other sport (other than pre 70s when there weren't as many teams) had the same final championship opponents for four straight years? I'm just tired of it.
This is what I've been feeling for the past 2 seasons. Having the same finals 4 years in a row is just boring. When Miami got there 4 times in a row at least they played against 3 different opponents which was more fun. And I feel both series against the Spurs were much more entertaining than the ones against the warriors because it was two good teams competing and not one super-team against one superhuman.
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Dwayne Casey landed right on his feet with a 5 year deal in Detroit!
It's a step back but maybe the players the Pistons have are a better fit to the type of game he wants to play. And not having that much pressure might help him do a better job.
I mean... this Detroit team is a lot better than the Toronto team that he started out with. I think it's a good fit and that we'll see the Pistons trending upwards while the Raptors trend downward.
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Dwayne Casey landed right on his feet with a 5 year deal in Detroit!
It's a step back but maybe the players the Pistons have are a better fit to the type of game he wants to play. And not having that much pressure might help him do a better job.
I mean... this Detroit team is a lot better than the Toronto team that he started out with. I think it's a good fit and that we'll see the Pistons trending upwards while the Raptors trend downward.
Sadly, I think you're spot on with this.
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I wouldn't say I hate the sport, just incredibly uninterested in seeing the same ole same ole. At least with many of those dynasties, there were different opponents, so some variety in those championships. When has any other sport (other than pre 70s when there weren't as many teams) had the same final championship opponents for four straight years? I'm just tired of it.
This is what I've been feeling for the past 2 seasons. Having the same finals 4 years in a row is just boring. When Miami got there 4 times in a row at least they played against 3 different opponents which was more fun. And I feel both series against the Spurs were much more entertaining than the ones against the warriors because it was two good teams competing and not one super-team against one superhuman.
I think more people would be fine with the same teams playing every year if it felt competitive. Even though they never played four years in a row in the finals in the 80's, Celtics/Lakers was always awesome because you knew either team could win. And even when the Bulls were winning 6 titles in 8 years, half of those finals felt like they could have gone the other way if just this play or that play had played out differently (both Utah series and the Phoenix one).