2017 NBA Playoffs

[manly]

He's not clueless, he can't rely on anybody else on his team. He literally can't depend reliably on anyone else on his team. It's why he should be automatic MVP. OKC would be a horrible team without him.

Before the season, OKC was widely projected to be a better team than the Rockets. So let's dispel this results-based notion that OKC is a crappy team dragged to the playoffs by RW's singular brilliance. He had a phenomenal regular season but if the voting was anything like the last 25 years, James Harden is the "real MVP." I'm not saying Harden is better and by many accounts, RW will win the award in June. Would've been cooler to see him win the award last week as his team gets dusted off.

And let's also dispense with the new notion that RW is a 4th quarter assassin, unless that means killing his own team's chances of winning. You can't really use the fatigue excuse if you start jacking up shots thinking you're Steph Curry but you're not.

I won't disagree that RW has the heaviest burden in the NBA. But as Kobe discovered at points in his career, your teammates don't get better over a season if you don't help them improve. And that's especially the case if you're a point guard.

So yes, he's a tremendous top 10 player and one on one is a mini version of Michael Jordan. But the brilliance was good for 47 regular season wins and just 1 playoff win. It would've been a 6 game series if not for him torpedoing two 4th quarters in close games. I'm taking a lot of guys over RW if I'm building a team from scratch.

The Rockets were 7 games better than OKC in the regular season, and I'm not sure if that's solely attributable to Mike D'Antoni. Even if it is, give his team credit for functioning as a more cohesive unit than the Thunder.

 

[purbeast0]

It is just unreal how bad the officiating in the NBA is.

 

[Majes]

It is just unreal how bad the officiating in the NBA is.

I've never taken it seriously since the Kings-Lakers series years ago. The officials determine how games are played, who is in foul trouble, and they have almost complete control of the end-game with foul calls on drives to the hoop. Whatever narrative the NBA wants to push is what they have the refs call for.

 

[purbeast0]

I've never taken it seriously since the Kings-Lakers series years ago. The officials determine how games are played, who is in foul trouble, and they have almost complete control of the end-game with foul calls on drives to the hoop. Whatever narrative the NBA wants to push is what they have the refs call for.

It is even worse with the refs up in Boston right now. It is borderline unwatchable. It's clear that the NBA does not want the Wizards to go anywhere.

 

[Majes]

It is even worse with the refs up in Boston right now. It is borderline unwatchable. It's clear that the NBA does not want the Wizards to go anywhere.

They would love a Cleveland-Boston match-up. The story lines write themselves for that one. Washington-Cleveland would be a harder sell. But the Cavs ultimately match up well vs both teams. Golden State still looked unstoppable last night, so if they can out shoot the Rockets or bury the Spurs we will see them against Cleveland and the NBA powers will be pleased.

 

[purbeast0]

They would love a Cleveland-Boston match-up. The story lines write themselves for that one. Washington-Cleveland would be a harder sell. But the Cavs ultimately match up well vs both teams. Golden State still looked unstoppable last night, so if they can out shoot the Rockets or bury the Spurs we will see them against Cleveland and the NBA powers will be pleased.

The NBA definitely wants the "Isiah Thomas lost his sister and has been inspired to take his team to the Eastern Conference finals" and they are going to do everything in their power to make it happen. I'm probably not even going to bother watching the Wiz/Celtics game tomorrow night just because the refs have made the game pretty much unwatchable to me.

I mean last night when the game was very tight within like 3 points, the Celtics player GRABBED AND HELD Wall's wrist and stole the ball then got a fast break. Then you have Thomas take a shot with Morris possibly graving his wrist, but even that wasn't conclusive from the only angle they showed on TV, where he gets the foul called and made the shot.

29 to 21 personal fouls called, and 3 of those on the Celtics were CLEARLY make up calls where they got 3 fouls called on them in the span of like 15 seconds, which were mostly awful calls as well, so it realistically should have been closer to 29 to 18 for fouls.

22 to 34 as far as free throws attempted goes.

The officiating is just awful. And it's not just this series, it was so bad in the Hawks series too. And not just against the Wizards, against the Hawks too. It is just so inconsistent. Flagrants that aren't called when they are by the book definition of a flagrant foul. Just a whole bunch of bullshit.

And no I'm not saying the Wizards lost because of this either. They had 2 decent attempts at the game winning shot last night. But damn the refs definitely aren't helping them out and clearly don't want them to win.

 

[Ackmed]

There was terrible calls against Washington, Celtics definitely got the better calls. I can remember several instances. It's a hot topic on talk radio atm. I don't really care who wins, just annoying how lopsided it is.

 

[Majes]

So have we reached the end of close NBA games?

Maybe it's always been this way and I'm just ignorant but it seems that most games now aren't close. Even when the best teams play it seems one comes out hot and just steam rolls the other, or just gradually pulls away. Out of all the post season games so far how many have been great games? There were a couple in the Pacers Cavs series, but they seem to be more and more rare...

Anyone else feel the same or have any ideas why?

 

[lupi]

Well, you do have the factor that in preseason everyone expected a third year final repeat and we haven't seen anything to move away from that yet.

 

[lupi]

Raptors getting gutted in the fourth.

 

[smackababy]

So have we reached the end of close NBA games?

Maybe it's always been this way and I'm just ignorant but it seems that most games now aren't close. Even when the best teams play it seems one comes out hot and just steam rolls the other, or just gradually pulls away. Out of all the post season games so far how many have been great games? There were a couple in the Pacers Cavs series, but they seem to be more and more rare...

Anyone else feel the same or have any ideas why?

Yea, but in reality, there aren't a ton of games actually decided on buzzer beaters. Even iconic ones like Jordan's "Last Shot" in the 98 finals still gave another possession to the Jazz.

 

[Carson Dyle]

So have we reached the end of close NBA games?

Maybe it's always been this way and I'm just ignorant but it seems that most games now aren't close. Even when the best teams play it seems one comes out hot and just steam rolls the other, or just gradually pulls away.

You can start with the fact that more than half the teams in the NBA make the playoffs. So in the first round or two, there are going to be some mismatches. Often big mismatches.

I think maybe there's also the philosophy of not trying to kill yourself thinking you're going to overcome a second half 30 point deficit, or a 10 point deficit in the final 45 seconds of a game. Games that might have been closer in the past. The NBA playoffs are a thankless grind, and the same self-preserving approaches that teams now take in the regular season are being seen in the playoffs. If a team gets down by a lot, they let it go and pull their starters, knowing that it's just one game and they'll be fresher for the next one.

 

[Majes]

No real good games this weekend either... Spurs Rockets on Friday was okay. The Jazz hung with the Warriors most of the game Saturday, and Cavs Raptors on Sunday was close score-wise even though it felt like a blowout.

It's just really strange right now. The Cavs and Warriors should be blowing their opponents out. I understand that. But Celtics Wizards and Spurs Rockets are actually really good series and should logically have close games. But they don't. There hasn't been one game under a 10 point spread. Shouldn't we have had at least one real good game in one of these series?

Spurs 99
Rockets 126

Spurs 126
Rockets 96

Spurs 103
Rockets 92

Spurs104
Rockets125

Celtics 123
Wizards 111

Celtics 129
Wizards 119

Celtics 89
Wizards 116

Celtics102
Wizard121

 

[purbeast0]

Game 2 score of the Wiz/Celtics is misleading. The game went to overtime and had 2 buzzer beater attempts by the Wiz that they missed.

 

[BudAshes]

No real good games this weekend either... Spurs Rockets on Friday was okay. The Jazz hung with the Warriors most of the game Saturday, and Cavs Raptors on Sunday was close score-wise even though it felt like a blowout.

It's just really strange right now. The Cavs and Warriors should be blowing their opponents out. I understand that. But Celtics Wizards and Spurs Rockets are actually really good series and should logically have close games. But they don't. There hasn't been one game under a 10 point spread. Shouldn't we have had at least one real good game in one of these series?

Spurs 99
Rockets 126

Spurs 126
Rockets 96

Spurs 103
Rockets 92

Spurs104
Rockets125

Celtics 123
Wizards 111

Celtics 129
Wizards 119

Celtics 89
Wizards 116

Celtics102
Wizard121

I think with the speed of the games nowadays 15 or less is a close game. Most of these teams are balls out shooting teams so the swings happen so quickly that it can be back and forth all game even though a team wins by 15.

 

[lupi]

Just got home and checked the score, wow. That's some relegation level of effort there.

 

[smackababy]

The Cavs are just able to stop everything the Celtics put out offensively.

 

[lupi]

49 point lead with under a minute in the 3rd.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Starters pulled from both teams with about 2 minutes left in the third. Celtics never really showed up.

 

[smackababy]

If only Kawhi didn't get injured, we might have had this happen to both #1 seeds.

 

[tynopik]

Adam Schefter‏Verified account @AdamSchefter 4h4 hours ago
Cavaliers crushed the Celtics 130-86 in a game not as close as the score would indicate.


Michael Rosenberg‏Verified account @Rosenberg_Mike 5h5 hours ago
The Celtics are the first team ever to tank AFTER winning the lottery.

 

[smackababy]

Adam Schefter‏Verified account @AdamSchefter 4h4 hours ago
Cavaliers crushed the Celtics 130-86 in a game not as close as the score would indicate.

Harsh as shit, but true.

 

[mxnerd]

With Eastern & Western Conference Final lopsided games, this year's NBA really not worth watching at all until Warriors & Cavaliers duke it out.

 

[smackababy]

With Eastern & Western Conference Final lopsided games, this year's NBA really not worth watching at all until Warriors & Cavaliers duke it out.

The Spurs v Warriors would have been good, but Spurs got destroyed by injuries.

 

[mxnerd]

The Spurs v Warriors would have been good, but Spurs got destroyed by injuries.

Yep. Kawei still not able to play tonight's game.

I enjoyed Spurs vs Rockets games very much though.