whats everyone think? Game 2 tonight will be huge. I fully expect the Warriors to come out and win fairly easily but if they don't they're toast. Cavs are playing the best ball of the season and Vegas now has them as co favorites. Next few weeks should be fun.
NBA playoffs
- Thread starter QuaZ2002
- Start date
Oklahoma City's first game win was a shock, after a season of accolades Golden State's legacy is on the line. Or maybe not.
Toronto should be happy to still be playing, Cleveland's going to be rested the whole thing could fall into their laps.
Toronto should be happy to still be playing, Cleveland's going to be rested the whole thing could fall into their laps.
I knew it would be a 3 series playoffs - OKC/SA; WCF; Finals. I will say I assumed a Cavs/GS finals & a SA/GS WCF, but OKC is looking good. They're not pretty but they do well.
Cavs are playing the best ball since LBJ went back. That's a bummer as I'm a bit of a hater. I do respect Irving's game. He's blossomed. I wish Wedtbrook would play with that same control. If he did he might be taking some MVP votes from Curry. Still, Westbrook and Curry are my favorite players remaining in the playoffs.
Cavs are playing the best ball since LBJ went back. That's a bummer as I'm a bit of a hater. I do respect Irving's game. He's blossomed. I wish Wedtbrook would play with that same control. If he did he might be taking some MVP votes from Curry. Still, Westbrook and Curry are my favorite players remaining in the playoffs.
I don't get too excited until both teams have played at home. So far the Cavs haven't been challenged in the playoffs and they look good. The Heat series took a lot out of the Raptors. Lowry has been up and down so we'll have to see how they respond the next two games. Toronto needs to make some defensive adjustments quick. The Cavs seemed to be able to do whatever they wanted. It will be nice to see if Toronto really wants it or is just happy to be there.
The Thunder have been a big surprise so far this playoffs. We all know they have talent and are a good team, but they just didn't seem to be able to put it all together this season with the 4th quarter collapses. They responded well after what the Spurs did to them in game 1. They made adjustments and looked really go in the second half against the Warriors. I expect the Warriors to come out strong in game 2. Should be a really good series.
The Thunder have been a big surprise so far this playoffs. We all know they have talent and are a good team, but they just didn't seem to be able to put it all together this season with the 4th quarter collapses. They responded well after what the Spurs did to them in game 1. They made adjustments and looked really go in the second half against the Warriors. I expect the Warriors to come out strong in game 2. Should be a really good series.
Great playoffs thus far. GS/Portland was a terrific 4-1 series. That said, when Durant/Westbrook go 17/51 on the road, GS has to win that game. Curry just disappeared down the stretch (something Lebron got torched for at Miami).
San Antonio looked old and tired. They simply don't have a guy that can create his own shot.
San Antonio looked old and tired. They simply don't have a guy that can create his own shot.
I fully expect a Warriors blowout tonight. And so does Vegas. The line is higher tonight (-8.5) than it was for game one. I am hoping for a long series and a long Finals. The Eastern Conference is garbage. Save for a couple of the Heat-Raptors games every series has been unwatchable.
I'm pulling for OKC to win it all. I do like Steph Curry a lot but I find myself really pulling for Kevin Durant and the small market.
Originally I wanted Tim Duncan to win one more, with the Spurs gone and since I like Durant I'm pulling for the thunder.
I still think the Warriors win the series though.
Originally I wanted Tim Duncan to win one more, with the Spurs gone and since I like Durant I'm pulling for the thunder.
I still think the Warriors win the series though.
I don't like the Spurs, but I respect them. I would have been okay with Duncan getting one more ring. I like the Durant and the small market Thunder as well, but having Eddie Munster as their coach makes me now root against them.
Playoffs have been good so far. There was a lot of chatter to start the playoffs that the Eastern Conference was back, since most of their teams were over 0.500 for the first time in a while. Based on what I'm seeing out east, I don't think that's the case. Western Conference still looks like they have more "great" teams, whereas out East it's the Cavs and then everyone else.
At the start of the playoffs, it was always going to be GSW/Spurs/OKC coming out of the West and Cavs coming out of the east. So far nothing has changed from that prediction. OKC was getting hot heading into the playoffs and that's why home court advantage for GSW/Spurs was such a huge deal. The team that got stuck with #2 seed was going to have to play OKC to get to the WCF and that looked like a death kiss for an older Spurs team to me.
Historically, OKC has had a fragile mentality when it comes to the playoffs. While they have fantastic players and arguably 2 of the best 5 players in the league right now in KD and Russ, they can also be broken down if they get frustrated. Some credit goes to them, and the rest goes to Billy Donovan managing the egos and keeping the team from getting hot.
Old OKC teams would have shut down and quit after the Spurs dismantled them in Game 1. Then again, in 2012 the Spurs were in a similar (even more favorable situation) situation having them down 0-2 (Spurs were on a 20+ game winning streak at the time) and OKC rattled off 4 straight wins after that. Having that history tends to put teams at ease, knowing they can bounce back.
I was more down on the Cavs at the start of the Playoffs, but like OKC, they are getting hot at the right time. That's really all it comes down to, having players gelling at the perfect time. This is further reminder that the regular season doesn't matter all that much.
WRT the Spurs (of course I'm biased as my avatar), the Spurs simply ran out of gas. It's hard to believe, watching those games and looking back, that they very well should have won Game 2. Up to that point, Lamarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard were torching OKC. The physical play from Adams/Kanter/Ibaka took it out of Aldridge and he went from shooting lights out to missing wide open jumpers.
All that said, as a Spurs fan, I didn't believe the Spurs could beat the Warriors even if they got past OKC so as far as I'm concerned them losing in 2nd round was just ending the inevitable one round sooner. It's always nice to make the conference finals, but realistically anything other than ending with the championship trophy is a failure of a season. All the regular season records they set are worthless and the same will be the case if the Warriors don't win the championship this year.
I was pretty happy at the thought of GSW winning their 2nd title, mostly because I also didn't think OKC would be able to hold their own for a best-of-7 game series. With OKC stealing the first game, it's anyones guess as to what is going to happen now. OKC isn't as dominant at home, so it's conceivable that GSW could rally and rattle off 4 straight. Then again, this series could easily go 7 games.
I don't think the same can be said about the ECF. I would love it if the Raptors could hold their own against the Cavs, but I just don't see it. They don't really have any favorable match-ups and once the Cavs get running, they are hard to stop.
I usually stop watching the NBA Playoffs once the Spurs are eliminated, but I'm definitely still watching the WCF and the NBA Finals this year.
At the start of the playoffs, it was always going to be GSW/Spurs/OKC coming out of the West and Cavs coming out of the east. So far nothing has changed from that prediction. OKC was getting hot heading into the playoffs and that's why home court advantage for GSW/Spurs was such a huge deal. The team that got stuck with #2 seed was going to have to play OKC to get to the WCF and that looked like a death kiss for an older Spurs team to me.
Historically, OKC has had a fragile mentality when it comes to the playoffs. While they have fantastic players and arguably 2 of the best 5 players in the league right now in KD and Russ, they can also be broken down if they get frustrated. Some credit goes to them, and the rest goes to Billy Donovan managing the egos and keeping the team from getting hot.
Old OKC teams would have shut down and quit after the Spurs dismantled them in Game 1. Then again, in 2012 the Spurs were in a similar (even more favorable situation) situation having them down 0-2 (Spurs were on a 20+ game winning streak at the time) and OKC rattled off 4 straight wins after that. Having that history tends to put teams at ease, knowing they can bounce back.
I was more down on the Cavs at the start of the Playoffs, but like OKC, they are getting hot at the right time. That's really all it comes down to, having players gelling at the perfect time. This is further reminder that the regular season doesn't matter all that much.
WRT the Spurs (of course I'm biased as my avatar), the Spurs simply ran out of gas. It's hard to believe, watching those games and looking back, that they very well should have won Game 2. Up to that point, Lamarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard were torching OKC. The physical play from Adams/Kanter/Ibaka took it out of Aldridge and he went from shooting lights out to missing wide open jumpers.
All that said, as a Spurs fan, I didn't believe the Spurs could beat the Warriors even if they got past OKC so as far as I'm concerned them losing in 2nd round was just ending the inevitable one round sooner. It's always nice to make the conference finals, but realistically anything other than ending with the championship trophy is a failure of a season. All the regular season records they set are worthless and the same will be the case if the Warriors don't win the championship this year.
I was pretty happy at the thought of GSW winning their 2nd title, mostly because I also didn't think OKC would be able to hold their own for a best-of-7 game series. With OKC stealing the first game, it's anyones guess as to what is going to happen now. OKC isn't as dominant at home, so it's conceivable that GSW could rally and rattle off 4 straight. Then again, this series could easily go 7 games.
I don't think the same can be said about the ECF. I would love it if the Raptors could hold their own against the Cavs, but I just don't see it. They don't really have any favorable match-ups and once the Cavs get running, they are hard to stop.
I usually stop watching the NBA Playoffs once the Spurs are eliminated, but I'm definitely still watching the WCF and the NBA Finals this year.
I think everyone the NBA would benefit if the season was shortened to say 50 games and the playoffs went from 8 teams per conference (16 teams total) to just top 8 teams regardless of conference. Make the season something worth playing for.
But purists and people that care about stats and records would never go for it. Less games played means less career scoring and less revenue from stadiums.
Just about every pro sport would be bettef if the regular season was shorter. But like you said, there's no way the owners are going to give up any revenue. Baseball would be much better with 125 games and NBA would be better 60 or so. It will never happen. I do think the NBA playoffs are obnoxiously long, they won't be over til Mid June. I don't really see why the first round has to be 7 games.
Yep, used to be that way up until 2003. And I agree 1st two rounds should really be best of 5. Save the 7-game series for the conference and overall finals.
The danger in that is fluky results. As much as people like seeing upsets in the NCAA tourney, can you imagine if Cleveland had been bounced by Detroit or something in the first round?
I'm in the minority but the fluky result is why I like the NBA better than college bball. I get sick thinking about how the NCAA crowns the bball champ...
It's not as exciting but Premier League does it right. After the regular season one with most points with. Crowns the best team for the whole length of the season not who just gets hot for 2 months. It's really sad when people talk about playoffs and always writing it's important to make sure be playing your best ball at the end of the season like the whole rest of the season didn't matter.
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Agreed about the Premier League. Naturally US based leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) do it different to garner as much money as possibly can be squeezed out.... and yeah the playoffs all come down to money as usual.
Only caught halfway through the third to the end of the game. By then GS was up 20 points. Figured GS was going to be a tad more focused after the game one disappointment.
Hopefully that trend will continue. Nothing against OKC but please do not let BD get a NBA trophy as well.
Hopefully that trend will continue. Nothing against OKC but please do not let BD get a NBA trophy as well.
Pretty much this.
On one had would somewhat feel better if Spurs lost to the eventual champs. Then again, I can't stand the "BD is god" chatter I'm hearing from Gator fans on my other Sports group.
Other than that, I really wouldn't really mind either WC teams to win this year.
I never understand why people hate LeBron. I guess it's because he's perceived to have every physical advantage.
Yep and if they win the gate fans will claim it as one of their championships. I root against them solely because of that and hope Durant and Westbrook both leave.
Never had a problem with Eddie, I mean Billy. Wish our administration put as much effort and money into the hoops program as UF.
I didn't either until he became uf's coach and now all gate fans are pulling for him.
Eh. I try not to take my UF hatred to irrational levels. Other than being very good, Donovan has done little to warrant my hatred. He's not a smug, arrogant prick like their football coaches tend to be. Also, I like that he knocked UK and their obnoxious Bama-like fans down a peg or two for a while.
I really like Durant and the small market OKC story so I'm rooting for them. BD isn't Urvin Meyers...
I don't think Billy D has done anything significantly different over Scott Brooks. FU fans thumping their chest are the same ones that screamed when Tebow wasn't given a fair shot in the NFL.
OKC is good/great because they have 2 of the top 5 players in the league, Scott Brooks isn't a top tier coach but he was also screwed with 2.5 years of injuries from his top 3 players and had to rebuild after loosing Harden when they made it to the championship game.
OKC still lost a record number of games that the led in the 4th quarter, they still play too much hero ball, they still don't run offensive sets, they still give death stares to each other when they pound the ball into the floor at the top of the key, they still struggle to play defense consistently, they still bitched about splitting time with one of KD or RW always on the court.
OKC is good/great because they have 2 of the top 5 players in the league, Scott Brooks isn't a top tier coach but he was also screwed with 2.5 years of injuries from his top 3 players and had to rebuild after loosing Harden when they made it to the championship game.
OKC still lost a record number of games that the led in the 4th quarter, they still play too much hero ball, they still don't run offensive sets, they still give death stares to each other when they pound the ball into the floor at the top of the key, they still struggle to play defense consistently, they still bitched about splitting time with one of KD or RW always on the court.
Only thing I'll give Donovan credit for (maybe unfairly) is getting OKC to fight their loser blood instincts to shrink away and play the blame game. They were never able to overcome that with Scott Brooks, but this could also just be a function of time rather than actually due to anything Donovan has implemented, as you pointed out they still lose a record number of 4th quarter leads.
I still think they have time to return to their true selves and have an epic collapse. If there were ever a team to force them to revert, it's GSW. Westbrook and Durant want to try and follow every ridiculous Curry or Thompson make with one of their own. With a streaky team like GSW, that can lead to 10-20 pt swings in a heartbeat. See the 3rd quarter of last night's game as a good example. All it takes is a couple of misses from OKC and it becomes an avalanche. Same thing happened in Game 1 against the Spurs.
I think both OKC and GSW create mismatch problems with the Cavs, although OKC's superior size probably would give the Cavs more fits matchup wise, as they have more people that can guard Lebron and protect the rim. Besides Bogut and maybe Green, the Warriors lack rim protectors.
BTW, how effing good as Steven Adams been? I forget that he's only 24, mainly because he looks like a caveman. The guy has been a godsend for OKC, as Ibaka has shifted his style of play to perimeter play.
I find it fascinating that when the Cavs win(no matter the score) they weren't tested and it was easy.
But when the Warriors lose, that makes them battle tested.
Uh huh. If Lillard could hit the side of a barn in the 4th those 44 win Blazers would hsve won 2-3 games.
Still think Warriors are favorites but im pleasantly surprised the Cavs are playing good ball and the Thunder don't appear afraid of the Warriors.
But when the Warriors lose, that makes them battle tested.
Uh huh. If Lillard could hit the side of a barn in the 4th those 44 win Blazers would hsve won 2-3 games.
Still think Warriors are favorites but im pleasantly surprised the Cavs are playing good ball and the Thunder don't appear afraid of the Warriors.
Huh? Warriors are not battle tested because they lost. They're battle tested because they're playing good teams more frequently throughout the entire year. Cavs play EC teams 4 times a year, vs as few as 2 times per year with WC teams, and vice versa for the Warriors.
It's not been the same road at all, and that's been true for Lebron's team since he got into the league. Pistons and Celtics were last really good teams other than Lebron's Cavs/Heat to push for title. The rest have been good teams, but nothing more than that. Raptors fall into that category as well.
Your argument about Illard makes it even more of a point about WC talent vs EC talent. Put the top 4 teams from the WC into the East (picking Blazers as 4th best, given the injuries from the Clippers) and have one of them play the Cavs before the finals and the Cavs would have a battle-tested feeling as well.
Cavs will have played 1 good/decent team (Raptors) before the NBA finals. Warriors will have played 1 good team (Blazers) and 1 great team (OKC).
I really don't think the Blazers were anything to write home about. They would have lost to the Clippers had Paul and Griffin not gone out and could only get 1 W v. GS who played most of the series without Curry. I think the top 3 out West were elite teams and the Clips could have been when healthy. After that the bottom half of the west was no better than the bottom of the East.
I am pretty sure it is that Dothraki blood that makes him look older.
dmm,
The west after the top 4(3 after clipper injuries) was way down this year. That helped the Warriors and Spurs win record games.
The rockets and grizz made the plsyoffs, no comment needed. Blazers were not good imho.
I get the top 4 played each other 4 times out west, but west nearly had only 5 teams with a winning record until the last week of the season, which i cant recall ever seeing.
funny stat, the lowly Sixers won 3 vs the East and 7 vs the West.
But its regular season and it doesn't matter now. Should be interesting now.
The west after the top 4(3 after clipper injuries) was way down this year. That helped the Warriors and Spurs win record games.
The rockets and grizz made the plsyoffs, no comment needed. Blazers were not good imho.
I get the top 4 played each other 4 times out west, but west nearly had only 5 teams with a winning record until the last week of the season, which i cant recall ever seeing.
funny stat, the lowly Sixers won 3 vs the East and 7 vs the West.
But its regular season and it doesn't matter now. Should be interesting now.
I think most of us knew Lebron was actually trying to do the coaching while David Blatt was the Cavs official "coach".
Apparently Tyronn Lue isn't standing for it....Is this another reason why people don't like King James nowadays?
Snippet:
In a new report by CBS Sports' Ken Berger, part of the Cavs' initial problems this season was Blatt losing control of his players. One team source told Burger the Cavs were a "fractured team" and they just didn't function properly.
Per the report:
By letting James overwhelm him in the huddle during timeouts, Blatt unwittingly ceded control — and demoralized the rest of the team. By not being comfortable enough to rein in James, the dynamic of the team became one of LeBron and then everybody else.
"They felt they were doing this for LeBron," the person familiar with the internal workings of the team said, "instead of with LeBron."
Lue changed that the moment he first told James in a huddle, "Shut the [expletive up]. I got this," according to a person who heard the exchange -- and a few others like it.
Full article: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/report-tyronn-lue-told-lebron-191300700.html
Apparently Tyronn Lue isn't standing for it....Is this another reason why people don't like King James nowadays?
Snippet:
In a new report by CBS Sports' Ken Berger, part of the Cavs' initial problems this season was Blatt losing control of his players. One team source told Burger the Cavs were a "fractured team" and they just didn't function properly.
Per the report:
By letting James overwhelm him in the huddle during timeouts, Blatt unwittingly ceded control — and demoralized the rest of the team. By not being comfortable enough to rein in James, the dynamic of the team became one of LeBron and then everybody else.
"They felt they were doing this for LeBron," the person familiar with the internal workings of the team said, "instead of with LeBron."
Lue changed that the moment he first told James in a huddle, "Shut the [expletive up]. I got this," according to a person who heard the exchange -- and a few others like it.
Full article: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/report-tyronn-lue-told-lebron-191300700.html
