*** 2016 NBA Playoff thread ***

[manly]

And the cavs go down again by going cold for the final 3+.

I hate to be overly critical of LeBron because he's had some phenomenal playoff games, but sometimes he just is "off" late in games. He had the one strong drive where he missed a gimme but otherwise was strictly looking to pass.

Cavs are paying Kevin Love $20M (and heavy luxury taxes) so that he can ride the bench while Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye play all of crunch time? Did Ty Lue attend Arizona, or am I missing something??

 

[isekii]

I hate to be overly critical of LeBron because he's had some phenomenal playoff games, but sometimes he just is "off" late in games. He had the one strong drive where he missed a gimme but otherwise was strictly looking to pass.

Cavs are paying Kevin Love $20M (and heavy luxury taxes) so that he can ride the bench while Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye play all of crunch time? Did Ty Lue attend Arizona, or am I missing something??

Cavs would've been blown out if it weren't for Frye and Jefferson.

 

[Artorias]

I hate to be overly critical of LeBron because he's had some phenomenal playoff games, but sometimes he just is "off" late in games. He had the one strong drive where he missed a gimme but otherwise was strictly looking to pass.

Cavs are paying Kevin Love $20M (and heavy luxury taxes) so that he can ride the bench while Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye play all of crunch time? Did Ty Lue attend Arizona, or am I missing something??

Love had an issue with his ankle.

 

[lupi]

Putting the starters in near the end is what cooled them off. They weren't stopping Toronto much with that lineup, but Toronto also wasn't stopping them. More of the starters came back in and that all changed up.

 

[vi edit]

NBA office is probably getting a little rattled. OKC and Toronto matchups in the finals will probably be ratings nightmare. This wasn't how the season was supposed to go.

 

[Majes]

Really pumped for the NBA today! We finally have a series in the East and we get to see what the Warriors are made of tonight

 

[Blackjack200]

NBA office is probably getting a little rattled. OKC and Toronto matchups in the finals will probably be ratings nightmare. This wasn't how the season was supposed to go.

OKC definitely won't draw what GS would draw, but Westbrook and Durant are major starts that people will tune in to see. Similar in the East, but Canada doesn't have a hockey team in the NHL playoffs, so the Raptors have the attention of the sports fans there.

I think the ratings would be lower, but I doubt it would be a nightmare.

 

[vi edit]

If it happens, I bet it will be the lowest in close to 10 years. The lowest ever was Spurs vs Cavs in '07. I think this could potentially be even lower.

 

[digiram]

Cavs would've been blown out if it weren't for Frye and Jefferson.

QFT.. they shoulda left Kyrie's ass on the bench, lol. They made it worth watching the 4th qtr at least. There was some good offensive execution early in the qtr by both teams. How about Biyombo. Looking like Rodman for the Raptors.

 

[SP33Demon]

Some crazy parity in the NBA folks. When you have MVPs and past MVPs like Steph/Lebron getting neutralized in some of these games it's just an example of how much more cerebral the game is today vs yesteryear iso 1v1 BS. Not only cerebral, but the athleticism like KD's stride that is so large&explosive he takes one step into the paint and launches into a dunk.

Also interesting that some of you guys said that the size of OKC or CLE would give GS trouble when it was just the exact opposite. According to numberfire, all 3 teams have about an equal shot of winning the Finals.

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, whose single-season wins record was just broken, lost by 21 in Game 4 of the 1996 NBA Finals to the Seattle SuperSonics. They got blown out by 32 by the Knicks in the regular season, though.

The point is that other great teams have lost games to good teams (and some not so good teams) by big margins. It happens. It's not the end of the world.

After all, the only teams in the table above that didn't win the NBA Finals were the 1971-72 Bucks (because the Lakers were even better that season), the 2015-16 Spurs, who lost to the Thunder, and the 2015-16 Warriors, because they're still playing.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, though, their odds to win the NBA Finals after Game 3 (30.2%) are pretty even with the Thunder's (30.6%) and the Cleveland Cavaliers' (29.3%).

https://www.numberfire.com/nba/news...he-thunder-wasn-t-historically-unprecedented#

So yes, we have some pretty dam good parity this year. Tonight is a huge game for both teams but I would never doubt GS after what they did this year (and last).

 

[emperus]

wow...no suspension..what a load of horsecrap.

That was a clearly inadvertent leg kick. In fact I linked a compilation of his previous leg clips.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/05/draymond-green-kick-golden-state-warriors-videos

When I saw the play, it was clear to me it was Draymond flailing to try to get a foul. Then I saw the compilation of his leg kicks and it confirmed what I thought. It almost weird how his leg kicks out like that.

 

[zinfamous]

Some crazy parity in the NBA folks. When you have MVPs and past MVPs like Steph/Lebron getting neutralized in some of these games it's just an example of how much more cerebral the game is today vs yesteryear iso 1v1 BS. Not only cerebral, but the athleticism like KD's stride that is so large&explosive he takes one step into the paint and launches into a dunk.

Also interesting that some of you guys said that the size of OKC or CLE would give GS trouble when it was just the exact opposite. According to numberfire, all 3 teams have about an equal shot of winning the Finals.

https://www.numberfire.com/nba/news...he-thunder-wasn-t-historically-unprecedented#

So yes, we have some pretty dam good parity this year. Tonight is a huge game for both teams but I would never doubt GS after what they did this year (and last).

Except all this time you have been arguing that parity is greater than it has ever been and, yet again, you post more evidence showing that it is at least no different than it has been in the past, while claiming something quite different.

typical.

 

[SP33Demon]

Except all this time you have been arguing that parity is greater than it has ever been and, yet again, you post more evidence showing that it is at least no different than it has been in the past, while claiming something quite different.

typical.

Wrong, no team had even close to the same percent to win as the Bulls' championship years. But keep pontificating.

 

[SP33Demon]

That was a clearly inadvertent leg kick. In fact I linked a compilation of his previous leg clips.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/05/draymond-green-kick-golden-state-warriors-videos

When I saw the play, it was clear to me it was Draymond flailing to try to get a foul. Then I saw the compilation of his leg kicks and it confirmed what I thought. It almost weird how his leg kicks out like that.

yeah he is a strange dude. Kind of like a dennis rodman personality mixed with a gentler metta world peace or Dwayne wade.

 

[smackababy]

Crazy Toronto actually won two games.

 

[zinfamous]

Wrong, no team had even close to the same percent to win as the Bulls' championship years. But keep pontificating.

and yet the east was far more competitive then compared to now, and the Bulls were far better than the Cavs/Miami Lebron teams.

The west seems as equal then as now--basically better than all of the east sans the one team at the time (Bulls)

Now, it seems that the west is basically the same, but without the one team in the east that dominates a weaker east and a strong west.

It looks like at the very least, one less good team now than when the Bulls were banging.

 

[QueBert]

I know there's a lot of damn game left, but unless something changes before it's over. I don't think the Warriors will make it to see the finals. Un-fucking-believable.

 

[WT]

I know there's a lot of damn game left, but unless something changes before this game's over. I don't think the Warriors will make it to see the finals. Un-fucking-believable.

Indeed. When Steph missed that layup midway thru the 2nd quarter, I thought "This is not the GS team we watched tear up the regular season with ease".

 

[thesmokingman]

They are forcing Steph to play defense and he's doing everything he can to switch off. Shakes head. Kerr is reduced to hack'a'shaq lmao. I think GS and Kerr are done, there's nothing left in their grab bag. Their small lineup is getting beat by another small lineup. The most potent offense in the league is reduced to hack'a'shaq!

 

[DesiPower]

Seems like this chapter of WWNBA is scripted by GRR Martin, make a strong and lovable fairy tale character and then kill it. Not that I like Curry and GSW, I hate their guts, but all season long they were treated like princess, they could do whatever they want but if anybody came within 5ft radius while they were taking a shot they were fouled. But now NBA and turned the table... its fun for me, I am having a blast but in all honesty, officiating is unbelievable...

 

[thesmokingman]

The hack'a'shaq is GS kowtowing to OKC.

 

[DesiPower]

The hack'a'shaq is GS kowtowing to OKC.

After all the foul trouble, Kerr doesn't have options, can't stop it

 

[lupi]

Cavs screwed up...but at least they looked competitive.

 

[DesiPower]

Thompson's on fire... OKC's in trouble...

 

[DesiPower]

lil' bitch totally shut down... just gave up... goes to show how weak of a character he is. He is nothing when not surrounded by 3 referees.