*** 2016 NBA Playoff thread ***

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purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
52,834
5,713
126
Yeah, I think we've all seen Curry knock down unbelievable 3's against all kind of odds and defenses in the past. This series, those 3's just didn't fall.

I wonder if Curry gassed out at the end of the regular season + the injury v Houston, idk. There's still no doubt in my mind that he's the greatest shooter of all time, and deserves all the accolades for what he did in the regular season. I think at this point, we just need to see him deliver in the playoff and in the finals b/c last year, his performance wasn't great in the finals either.

it's because he is soft and mentally weak. when they face a little adversity and more agressive play they don't know what to do. i mean give cleveland their credit too, they completely changed their gameplay the last few games, giving wide open shots to barnes and green so that they could keep tighter d on klay and curry.

it's incredible how bad the shots that curry and klay take look when they aren't dropping. they are shots that pretty much any coach from youth to the nba would tell you are terrible shots, but when they make them it's okay. when they don't though, it makes you scratch your head like wtf were they thinking?

you live by the 3, you die by the 3. this is nothing new.
 

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,547
651
126
Glad for Lebron and fulfilling my "Cavs in 7" prophecy (post 428). My friends were like, how the fuck did you call that before the series started? Well I figured it was going to go 7 since GS needed 6 to win it last year without playing against Kyrie/Love. Then in a Game 7 anything can happen and the hungrier team usually wins. Combine that with GS losing Draymond for a game + Bogut for 2 + Kyrie's hot streak and it's not that improbable IF Lebron did what he had to do (and be more efficient than last year). Didn't think the Cavs would ever be down 3-1 though, that was improbable. Glad the final game was a nailbiter, about time. Parity, bitches. :biggrin:

Hahaha! Yet, you called the GSW the GOAT. Way to cover yourself!
 

thesmokingman

Platinum Member
May 6, 2010
2,307
231
106
Yeah, I think we've all seen Curry knock down unbelievable 3's against all kind of odds and defenses in the past. This series, those 3's just didn't fall.

I wonder if Curry gassed out at the end of the regular season + the injury v Houston, idk. There's still no doubt in my mind that he's the greatest shooter of all time, and deserves all the accolades for what he did in the regular season. I think at this point, we just need to see him deliver in the playoff and in the finals b/c last year, his performance wasn't great in the finals either.


Haha, still pushing that lame agenda?


From his wife's tweeter...

"I could build Trump's wall with all the bricks Steph Curry threw this series"
 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,929
142
106
Yeah, I actually jumped out of my chair expecting him to finish that. It would have been the dunk of the decade. Great foul by Draymond though. Someone should compile a list of all time greatest missed dunks.

Another great but forgotten play, Kevin Love's incredible defense on Curry on the last full GSW possession.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL4KgZ_oxzo
Curry was obviously not 100% for the entire playoffs so you're giving Love credit where it ain't due. Curry hitting only 1 or 2 single floaters (his bread and butter) in the finals and not being able to hit a pregame tunnel shot for the first time in 87 games should have been a good indication that he's just not where he needs to be right now. It's most likely that sprained MCL which doesn't just heal in the couple weeks he rested it. So it's good he's not going to Rio. Kerr should just rest him more next year (if they aren't going to win 74 lol) and guard the MVP's minutes like a hawk to keep him fresh.

On that note, the NBA could easily be using better technology to find wet spots on the floor. Hook up a remote sensing sensor on the ceiling and run change detection software that will sound the alarm and have a play stoppage. Some other players who have slipped:
D Wade -
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/tnt_overtime/2015/04/02/0021401124-mia-cle-play7.nba/
Kobe -
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/3/10/4087056/kobe-bryant-fall-bulls-lakers
V Carter -
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...ndy-time-warner-cable-arena-charlotte-bobcats
Westbrook -
https://youtu.be/CwXZcN199EM
 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,929
142
106
it's because he is soft and mentally weak. when they face a little adversity and more agressive play they don't know what to do. i mean give cleveland their credit too, they completely changed their gameplay the last few games, giving wide open shots to barnes and green so that they could keep tighter d on klay and curry.

it's incredible how bad the shots that curry and klay take look when they aren't dropping. they are shots that pretty much any coach from youth to the nba would tell you are terrible shots, but when they make them it's okay. when they don't though, it makes you scratch your head like wtf were they thinking?

you live by the 3, you die by the 3. this is nothing new.
Curry also missed wide open shots that he normally hits. This is nothing new.

Why Barnes was still allowed to shoot in G7 was baffling. Glad he will be gone along with the dopey Ezeli.
 

lupi

Lifer
Apr 8, 2001
32,539
260
126
I just loved the last couple seconds of the game. Someone should cut that up and use it as an example of how the last three games went for the warriors. Slow lumbering guy grabs rebound from an errant shot and begins to slowly dribble to the three point line, entire cavs team on the floor falls to their knees knowing they've won and ignore the ball, meaningless shot goes up and clanks with time run out.
 
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Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,547
651
126
And I called Cavs in 7 as my prediction in this thread. GSW are only the GOAT if they win the Finals, duh

Your post #605

hahahahaha let the excuses begin! 88 bitches, soon to be 89. Nobody will remember what the 95-96 Bulls did now. Only 2015/16 Golden State Warriors - most. wins. ever. :D

"Soon to be" means that you're predicting GSW to win after you already picked the Cavs to win. Way to call both teams winning the Finals!!!!!! Hahaha!!!!!

Your post #600

No he was still hurt, and the Cavs let him drop 38 on em hurt. Semi-circle pick n rolls and all. RIP Cavs, RIP Lebron's legacy at 2-5 with Golden State as his daddy (just like the Yankees were Pedro's daddy).

Yeah, you don't sound like an idiot. Yep, those Cavs in 7!!!!
 
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zerocool84

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
36,041
472
126
Curry also missed wide open shots that he normally hits. This is nothing new.

Why Barnes was still allowed to shoot in G7 was baffling. Glad he will be gone along with the dopey Ezeli.

Like I said before, Curry's game is only 3's and during the regular season they will call every little foul and not letting them play physical. Finals are infinitely more physical than the regular season. Warriors can't play physical and it showed in the OKC series as well. They are a one trick pony.
 

Adrenaline

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2005
5,320
8
81
4GknVGp.jpg
 

Ban Bot

Senior member
Jun 1, 2010
796
1
76
That block by James. Oh my.

That block by James was one of the best non-fluke plays I have seen in the finals.

It reminds me of Jordan's hand switch against the Lakers. Jordan switched hands mid shot... because he could and no one was going to stop him.

When James came screaming down the court trailing the 2-on-1 she was moving at another speed and deliberate determination. It didn't matter if Curry or Iggy was going to shoot James was going to blow the 2-on-1 up. Not just amazing skill and determination, but James is an absolute "hustle" player. How many super stars have had the ability and effort to dominate at both ends of the floor and do all parts of the game at a high level?

I think I read James did end up leading all final players in Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks (was tied on Rebounds entering the game).

I think it is too easy to get lulled into scorers, especially shooters, and forget defense and all the dirty little stuff matters. Those blocks on Curry and the last one on Iggy were huge mood/game changers. And getting +rebounds and +assists every night on top of scoring from whatever position James is playing is big. The fact he is the best player 1-5, probably on both sides of the court, and moves around to maximize matchups is huge. Unbelievable player. Glad he is 3-4 in the finals now, not 2-5, so we can stop hearing the negative Lebron narratives. The guy flat out balls and plays like a "bench effort player" who is scrapping for every minute of game time. But the dude is the best player on his time--and in the league--and played nearly every minute in most of the finals.
 

Adrenaline

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2005
5,320
8
81
That block by James was one of the best non-fluke plays I have seen in the finals.

It reminds me of Jordan's hand switch against the Lakers. Jordan switched hands mid shot... because he could and no one was going to stop him.

When James came screaming down the court trailing the 2-on-1 she was moving at another speed and deliberate determination. It didn't matter if Curry or Iggy was going to shoot James was going to blow the 2-on-1 up. Not just amazing skill and determination, but James is an absolute "hustle" player. How many super stars have had the ability and effort to dominate at both ends of the floor and do all parts of the game at a high level?

When that block happened, that Jordan move was the first thing that came to my mind. That block was the best Finals play since then to me.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,381
8,130
126
That block by James was one of the best non-fluke plays I have seen in the finals.

It reminds me of Jordan's hand switch against the Lakers. Jordan switched hands mid shot... because he could and no one was going to stop him.

When James came screaming down the court trailing the 2-on-1 she was moving at another speed and deliberate determination. It didn't matter if Curry or Iggy was going to shoot James was going to blow the 2-on-1 up. Not just amazing skill and determination, but James is an absolute "hustle" player. How many super stars have had the ability and effort to dominate at both ends of the floor and do all parts of the game at a high level?

I think I read James did end up leading all final players in Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks (was tied on Rebounds entering the game).

I think it is too easy to get lulled into scorers, especially shooters, and forget defense and all the dirty little stuff matters. Those blocks on Curry and the last one on Iggy were huge mood/game changers. And getting +rebounds and +assists every night on top of scoring from whatever position James is playing is big. The fact he is the best player 1-5, probably on both sides of the court, and moves around to maximize matchups is huge. Unbelievable player. Glad he is 3-4 in the finals now, not 2-5, so we can stop hearing the negative Lebron narratives. The guy flat out balls and plays like a "bench effort player" who is scrapping for every minute of game time. But the dude is the best player on his time--and in the league--and played nearly every minute in most of the finals.

I went back and re-watched the play again. There's a re-cap on ESPN's website on the main page. He wasn't just trailing. He came in from the opposite side of the court and lept from the middle of the lane to do that. Watching it in real time and then slow motion...the effort and timing. Insane. That was a debt he repaid to Iggy from a few possessions earlier when there was no call on the "block" Iggy had that showed all hand..no ball on replay. Lebron got "all ball" on his. :D

I'm sure the blocks he had on Curry seriously rattled him. I bet Steph was always hesitant that Lebron was coming from the weakside to swat away those floaters and reverse lobs he was used to getting. Lebron made it person this game.
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
10,907
2,057
126
The chase down block is being called the best defensive play in NBA history. One interesting aspect is that JR Smith actually hustled to contest the shot, forcing Iggy to slowly bring the ball up at the last moment. That small timing shift was needed for LeBron to fly into the picture. If Iggy could have attempted a dunk, Smith probably hacks him at best. Some wonder if Iggy's bad back played into it, but who knows.

As an aside, it's a little amazing to see Smith and Kyrie Irving play pretty good defense for most of the series!

it's because he is soft and mentally weak. when they face a little adversity and more agressive play they don't know what to do. i mean give cleveland their credit too, they completely changed their gameplay the last few games, giving wide open shots to barnes and green so that they could keep tighter d on klay and curry.

it's incredible how bad the shots that curry and klay take look when they aren't dropping. they are shots that pretty much any coach from youth to the nba would tell you are terrible shots, but when they make them it's okay. when they don't though, it makes you scratch your head like wtf were they thinking?

you live by the 3, you die by the 3. this is nothing new.
I was pulling for LeBron, but you're just making shit up as you go. I question whether any ballplayer can win back to back MVP awards while being soft and mentally weak. Sure, Curry is a finesse player and you're referring to a poor Finals performance in particular. He kept playing to the final horn, nobody will ever admit or know but he was no better than 90% after spraining a knee ligament. The turnovers were mental mistakes, no excusing that.

I don't think it was anything the Cavs did, he was just missing shots he normally makes. As you yourself said, live and die by the 3. He's had a great 2 year run, let's not shift the inane LeBron hatred over to Steph after one bad series. I will admit that what Cleveland finally figured out in games 6 & 7 is you have to force the D to switch and create a 1-on-1 mismatch. They did exploit Curry in that respect over and over with great success.

And Klay generally doesn't take bad shots. He's known for extremely good form, and he's usually taking uncontested shots after some other coordinated action. Curry on the other hand... ;)
 

Bird222

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2004
3,650
132
106
I hear people complain about 'bandwagon fans'. Who do you know that picked a sorry team to be a fan of when it wasn't their city's team? I'm sure if you traced it back, most people's favorite team started out because the team was good. I.e. aren't most of us 'bandwagon fans'?
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
52,834
5,713
126
The chase down block is being called the best defensive play in NBA history. One interesting aspect is that JR Smith actually hustled to contest the shot, forcing Iggy to slowly bring the ball up at the last moment. That small timing shift was needed for LeBron to fly into the picture. If Iggy could have attempted a dunk, Smith probably hacks him at best. Some wonder if Iggy's bad back played into it, but who knows.

As an aside, it's a little amazing to see Smith and Kyrie Irving play pretty good defense for most of the series!


I was pulling for LeBron, but you're just making shit up as you go. I question whether any ballplayer can win back to back MVP awards while being soft and mentally weak. Sure, Curry is a finesse player and you're referring to a poor Finals performance in particular. He kept playing to the final horn, nobody will ever admit or know but he was no better than 90% after spraining a knee ligament. The turnovers were mental mistakes, no excusing that.

I don't think it was anything the Cavs did, he was just missing shots he normally makes. As you yourself said, live and die by the 3. He's had a great 2 year run, let's not shift the inane LeBron hatred over to Steph after one bad series. I will admit that what Cleveland finally figured out in games 6 & 7 is you have to force the D to switch and create a 1-on-1 mismatch. They did exploit Curry in that respect over and over with great success.

And Klay generally doesn't take bad shots. He's known for extremely good form, and he's usually taking uncontested shots after some other coordinated action. Curry on the other hand... ;)

as we see now, regular season mvp means jack shit. and it's not like this is the only series in the playoffs that curry has been missing from. it stems back to last year too.

i still lol @ people making up the injury excuse though. everyone only seems to bring it up when he has off nights in the playoffs, not when he has his regular nights in the playoffs scoring in the 30's.
 

Adrenaline

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2005
5,320
8
81
as we see now, regular season mvp means jack shit. and it's not like this is the only series in the playoffs that curry has been missing from. it stems back to last year too.

i still lol @ people making up the injury excuse though. everyone only seems to bring it up when he has off nights in the playoffs, not when he has his regular nights in the playoffs scoring in the 30's.

In Curry's press conference last night, he would not blame anything on injuries.
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
10,907
2,057
126
as we see now, regular season mvp means jack shit. and it's not like this is the only series in the playoffs that curry has been missing from. it stems back to last year too.

i still lol @ people making up the injury excuse though. everyone only seems to bring it up when he has off nights in the playoffs, not when he has his regular nights in the playoffs scoring in the 30's.
last year he scored 26 PPG in the Finals and was one of the 2 best players on his team. If you're telling me Curry isn't LeBron James, we all know that now. ;)

To my eye, Curry doesn't look impaired. Yes, he's had some good games in the past month. Yes, most players are dinged up at this stage of the playoffs. But it was still an MCL sprain; so I'm not trying to excuse poor play but explain how it could be a factor.

I just think calling him soft and mentally weak is silly; at one time similar things were bandied out about LeBron James (although for somewhat different reasons). For the record, Klay had an awful game last night despite a lot of folks here saying he was the Dubs' best player this series.

As for Harrison Barnes, Steve Kerr should've benched him but he was running out of options. He should've benched Varejao and Ezeli too, but his only other big man option was McAdoo. So as it turns out, the Bogut injury was pretty important in game 7. I think some idiot GM will lavish Barnes with an $18M per year contract. In theory, the Warriors' front office is too smart to match such a ridiculous offer sheet.
 

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
as we see now, regular season mvp means jack shit. and it's not like this is the only series in the playoffs that curry has been missing from. it stems back to last year too.

i still lol @ people making up the injury excuse though. everyone only seems to bring it up when he has off nights in the playoffs, not when he has his regular nights in the playoffs scoring in the 30's.

Well the regular season and the playoffs are two entirely different things. Even if someone like Lebron was regular season MVP it would mean jack shit in the playoffs. The regular season is a marathon where you're facing so many different opponents that you don't have proper time to spend studying and preparing for them all, and there's back to backs and 4 games in 5 nights scenarios, etc. whereas a 7 game series is against a single opponent, and it's all about matchups and adjustments. Coaching matters a lot more in the playoffs too.

It's why the 1st seed Mavs lost to the Warriors that one year. They had the best record, but they never beat the Warriors during the regular season, so their amazing record meant jack shit in the playoffs.
 

RagingBITCH

Lifer
Sep 27, 2003
17,619
2
76
Well the regular season and the playoffs are two entirely different things. Even if someone like Lebron was regular season MVP it would mean jack shit in the playoffs. The regular season is a marathon where you're facing so many different opponents that you don't have proper time to spend studying and preparing for them all, and there's back to backs and 4 games in 5 nights scenarios, etc. whereas a 7 game series is against a single opponent, and it's all about matchups and adjustments. Coaching matters a lot more in the playoffs too.

It's why the 1st seed Mavs lost to the Warriors that one year. They had the best record, but they never beat the Warriors during the regular season, so their amazing record meant jack shit in the playoffs.

I agree with you on your argument, but the Warriors swept the Cavs in the reg season. Big diff from the Mavs and Warriors. (I'm a Mavs fan so that one was not lost on me)
 

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
30,160
3,300
126
So why did lebron return to Cleveland after so much hate from cavs owner?

He could have gone to any # of less hostile and better teams after miami