2013-14 NBA thread v. Adam Silver Lays the Pipe on Donald Sterling ©2014antigoon

[ReaPsTA]

Kawhi Leonard defending Dwyane Wade.

I don't care if you're Jamal Crawford's handles.  What's Wade supposed to do here?

[Accelerando]

IF we win Game 5, Leonard will be handed that Finals MVP trophy

[Nekov]

Kawhi Leonard defending Dwyane Wade.

I don't care if you're Jamal Crawford's handles.  What's Wade supposed to do here?

There's nothing anyone can do

IF we win Game 5, Leonard will be handed that Finals MVP trophy

Yep, I was actually hoping Manu had a good series and he got the trophy but after the last 2 games it'll be hard not giving it to Leonard

[senecadawg2]

I didn't catch the game last night, but recorded it and had someone ruin the result for me this morning. Oh well- one less game to worry about. It will be interesting to see if the Heat still have any fight in them after losing back to back playoff games for the first time in a relatviely long time, at home no less.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

These Spurs are so good. I've been a die hard NBA fan since 2002 and can honestly say they could go up against anyone I've seen.

[Jamesman42]

The Heat look tired. I think they're still playing *pretty* well considering that they're facing a team on ultra-god mode. I give the Spurs props, they deserve the championship this year. They have been playing like a fucking championship team, whereas the Heat are kinda dead right now.

[KevShmev]

These Spurs are so good. I've been a die hard NBA fan since 2002 and can honestly say they could go up against anyone I've seen.

Agreed.  They are one of the best single season teams I've seen since I started watching in the mid 80s.  62 wins in the regular season in that tough Western Conference, and their destruction of the Heat in these Finals is really impressive.  Granted, the Heat aren't the team they were the last two years (Dwayne Wade is declining fast before our eyes), but still, what are they are doing is impressive as hell.  Their passing is just ridiculous.

[Nekov]

I'm not sure the Heat are tired, I think it has to do more with the fact that the East was so weak they didn't have to put much effort into reaching the finals and as Jamesman said, they are now facing a team playing God mode and they were not ready.

And speaking of the Spurs, last year we saw the losing team adjusting after each game to come back but this time around it was Pop who adjusted for last game running plays that the Spurs hadn't run all season, that's f*ing crazy! I don't think the Heat are strong enough to come back and take this and even if they did the Spurs are not gonna let this one slip away.

[KevShmev]

I think it's important to remember, too, that while these are the same teams as last year's Finals, they are not the same "teams."  The Spurs got better this year, and the Heat declined. 

[Azyiu]

Still though, if any team can remotely climb back from a 1-3 deficit and win in the Finals, it will likely be the Heat. That said, their body languages at the end of both game 3 & 4 suggested otherwise. I hope the Spurs just wrap it up on Sunday! 

This summer will be interesting for LBJ. While I think both Bosh and D-Wade will eventually stay put, LBJ is the mostly one to leave. Will he return to the Cavs? I think he would be viewed as a "hero" if he does, but he can also choose to sign with the Lakers (nearly $50M in cap space) or anywhere for no reasons at all... in a half joking kind of way, I really want to see a superstar going to a team like the Jazz or the Bucks just because he can.    So let's sit back and see.

[KevShmev]

He's not going back to Cleveland.  No how, no way.

And why we would he play for the Lakers?  If he would leave Miami, he'll wanna go to a team that's actually a contender.

[Jamesman42]

Yeah, Wade has declined a lot. And I feel like the absence of Mike Miller makes a huge difference.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I think LeBron will wait and see what Wade does. If Wade signs a long-term deal for Kobe money, LeBron should consider leaving.

[Azyiu]

He's not going back to Cleveland.  No how, no way.

And why we would he play for the Lakers?  If he would leave Miami, he'll wanna go to a team that's actually a contender.

From his prospective, IF he is not staying with the Heat; going to another big market team with cash to burn just seems to make the most sense. That is why I brought up the Lakers, or else returning to the Cavs would be the next logical move; or finding a way to do a sign-and-trade with the Bulls / 76ers would perhaps be a distance third option.

[KevShmev]

While I think Wade will be a Heat for life, I don't see Riley giving him that kind of money.  It would be incredibly foolish, since it would make it difficult to keep James AND put a good enough team around them to win it all again. 

Imagine James on the Bulls.  Even without a healthy Rose, he'd make them the top team in the East simply by signing. 

[Azyiu]

While I think Wade will be a Heat for life, I don't see Riley giving him that kind of money.  It would be incredibly foolish, since it would make it difficult to keep James AND put a good enough team around them to win it all again. 

Imagine James on the Bulls.  Even without a healthy Rose, he'd make them the top team in the East simply by signing. 

I think LeBron will wait and see what Wade does. If Wade signs a long-term deal for Kobe money, LeBron should consider leaving.

Agreed with you both. As much as I like D-Wade, at this stage of his career he simply just no longer deserve a max contract. That obviously won't stop him from asking for one though. 

[Dimitrius]

Fun stat I just read. The Spurs finished the regular season with 95 possessions per 48 minutes and an offensive rating of 110.5... The run-and-gun, 7-seconds-or-less 05-06 Suns played at a pace of 95.8 with a offensive rate of 111.5.

This ain't your father's "boring basketball" Spurs!

[Azyiu]

Fun stat I just read. The Spurs finished the regular season with 95 possessions per 48 minutes and an offensive rating of 110.5... The run-and-gun, 7-seconds-or-less 05-06 Suns played at a pace of 95.8 with a offensive rate of 111.5.

This ain't your father's "boring basketball" Spurs!

Seriously, even though I am a Lakers fan I've always enjoyed watching the Spurs play (as long as we ain't playing them  ) and I really have no idea where that "boring" label come from. If playing good structured basketball and great D equal to being boring? Damn, these people know jack, and shouldn't be watching the NBA at all. If I have to pick a boring team, I honestly think the 04-08 or so Pistons were pretty boring to watch! 

[Dimitrius]

I guess people say that they were boring because they weren't making highlight reel plays game in and game out. Pop just built the offense around Duncan's post game and a dominant defense, but as Timmy's gotten older the Spurs front office has surrounded him with ball-handlers, up-tempo players, a move-the-ball system and perimeter marksmen.

I've been watching the last two games with a smile on my face, not because I want Miami to lose, but because of how nonchalantly the Spurs have eviscerate them!

[Jaq]

If you want the cynical answer, the Spurs haven't been historically a team full of flashy Nike pitchmen who are coached by a coach that carries themselves as being bigger than the game they coach.  Tim Duncan is one of the best players in the history of the league, but he's not a celebrity player like Lebron or Kobe. Pop isn't like Phil Jackson, who the media tends to portray as being as big if not bigger a part of the success of his teams. They're boring because ESPN can't turn them into a minute long highlight reel every night on Sportscenter for just winning with a solid system built around the players they have.

The Spurs just win.

[KevShmev]

The funny thing is, often times you'll see a home team get behind like they did last night, but you just know a run is coming and they'll get back in it, but I never thought Miami would once they got down by 19 at the half.  For one, they don't have a lot of shooters (Ray Allen is the only one who is gonna rain a bunch of 3s down, and the Spurs weren't gonna let him get open all night), and you need shooters to get back in a game like that, and for two, the Spurs were getting too many open looks, and they weren't suddenly gonna start missing every open shot.  It looked like a mismatch from the start.  Pretty amazing when you consider how the teams looked the first two games (when you could argue that Miami was the slightly better team, aside from that stretch at the end of Game 1 when James was playing or missing time with cramps).

[ReaPsTA]

I think Kev mentioned how ridiculous the Spurs passing is, and it's true.

I remember during one of the Celtics' series against the Heat, Doc said something like 'we cannot throw cross-court passes against the Heat.  They're gonna get picked off.'

The Spurs just do it and it works.  It lets them find open shooters in places the Heat wouldn't think to rotate.

[KevShmev]

Okay seriously, I think I am gonna choke the next person who says that James having (with one more loss) three finals losses counts against him in GOAT arguments.  Uh, what?  Oh, so it's better to lose earlier in the playoffs than later?

Think of it this way: let's say James wins four more rings before his career.  His 6-3 Finals record would actually be more impressive on his resume than Jordan's 6-0 record would be, unless James going farther than Jordan in at least three of his non-championship-winning seasons magically makes him worse. 

It makes no logical sense.

[Dimitrius]

But Jordan is undefeated!!

[KevShmev]

Haha, exactly. We'll just ignore those 9 other seasons where he didn't win the title or even get to the finals.  And those four other seasons where Jordan's team either didn't make the playoffs or won zero playoff games...yeah, those never happened either.

[Accelerando]

Well if the number of Championships dictates the greatest player to ever play, than Bill Russell will be the GOAT because he has more championship rings than anyone   

[Dimitrius]

And Rick Horry is better than MJ.

[Syzzle]

LeBron has never lost in the first round of the playoffs while Jordan has, but you will never hear anyone bring that up because it makes Jordan look bad and we can't have that now can we?

[black_biff_stadler]

And Rick Horry is better than MJ.

Still ain't got shit on Robert Fox.

[Azyiu]

And Rick Horry is better than MJ.

Still ain't got shit on Robert Fox.

[King Postwhore]

 

[ReaPsTA]

I normally don't care about anything kids do, because it's a less good version of what adults do.  But these kids do a better job interviewing Kevin Love than most professional reporters.

[Nekov]

I normally don't care about anything kids do, because it's a less good version of what adults do.  But these kids do a better job interviewing Kevin Love than most professional reporters.

K Love is a cool guy

[Accelerando]

I was browsing Spurs videos on YouTube this morning, and I came across this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-eUU8j3ab4

I still have this on video Does anyone remember VHS tapes? Crazy how outdated this is. Pop even looked young lol

Man...The Admiral....Avery Johnson...Sean Elliot.....I grew up in San Antonio watching these guys. They were San Antonio's big three before Timmy, and especially Manu and Tony, came into picture.

[ReaPsTA]

If those threes weren't daggers, I don't know what a dagger is.