LeBron going to a bad/average Miami team to join Wade along with Bosh isn’t the same thing as Durant going to an all time great team that he had just lost to in 7 games (while blowing a 3-1 lead) in the conference finals. A comparable situation would have been LeBron joining KG, Pierce and Allen in Boston. Durant took the easiest way out possible.
2018 NBA Playoffs-
- Thread starter given2fly
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KD will never reach Lebron's status b/c GSW is Curry's team. Heat were Lebron's team, Wade was on backside of career and always injured. Don't have a real issue with trio's merging but a true alpha wants to lead his team to a title. KD had that in OKC but left to play second fiddle with Steph. KD took alpha role in last Olympics, would have liked to see him & Russ take on GSW.
Please don't mention Melo, hands down the most overrated NBA player in last 15 years.
Did KD not win the MVP last year in the finals?
When Lebron went to the heat and they were introduced, might want to check out that little introduction with the # they thought they were gonna win. Wade was still one of the best at his position in the league and had experience winning a championship. I am not arguing Lebron isn't great as he is. If he was the Alpha you stated he would have never went to Miami and stayed in Cleveland. Dirk won one in Dallas. That was more impressive to me than anything Lebron has done in the playoffs. Does that mean I think Dirk is better than Lebron? Absolutely not, but that championship was certainly unexpected and he may be the most underrated player because of all the greats that played during his time.
And KD choosing them hurts his legacy if comparing to others. And I agree it should but it doesn't mean he isn't a great player and when he is done he shouldn't be considered one of the all time greats.
IMO even if Curry was out for the remainder of the playoffs and finals, Golden State still wins it all. Even though yes it is his team. But the only reason i think they could do it without Curry is because they have KD. Curry could also do it without KD as he has already proven. I am surprised Boston is winning without Kyrie or Hayward.
Lebron had to leave Cleveland, organization & roster were a mess.
Celtics are fun to watch, Stevens is an amazing coach.
Celtics are fun to watch, Stevens is an amazing coach.
Ben Simmons, I don’t know what that was. If he doesn’t play in 4th do Sixers hang on?
McConnell. +16
Simmons. -23
Simmons is only 21, and last night was possibly the first time that someone older, physically bigger and more experienced, really got into his head. It will be interesting to see how he responds in Game 3, at home.
That’s the thing— I would have loved to see KD and Russell Westbrook take on GS as the years went on. Remember they had them down 3-1 in the their last playoff series together....it would have been fun to watch to see what other pieces OKC could pick up or improve on in the off-season. But we don’t do things like this in today’s NBA anymore... :-(
What would OKC look like with KD, Harden and Westbrook, and only 1 basketball?
I honestly thought that the Olympic Camelot was going to show up in OKC, but he didn't show at all. Paul George might have played him out of a max contract.
Westbrook put up 43 shots in an elimination game with George and Camelot on the team, makes me wonder if that was one of the reason KD, he couldn't play with Westbrook, and why go to Sacremento's when he can go to GS.
I honestly thought that the Olympic Camelot was going to show up in OKC, but he didn't show at all. Paul George might have played him out of a max contract.
Westbrook put up 43 shots in an elimination game with George and Camelot on the team, makes me wonder if that was one of the reason KD, he couldn't play with Westbrook, and why go to Sacremento's when he can go to GS.
Not sure how long it lasts but my Celtics are really impressing me. Not many teams can lose their 2 best players and still look pretty darn good. I am expecting a special year from them next year.
Yea he is. Rare a good college coach has success in the NBA. He is not just a good X & O's guy but he seems to do a great job of managing personalities as well. Which IMO is as hard as coaching a game.
Ridiculous all time shot.
Raptors an epic 7/9 from 3 in 4th and lose on an all time buzzer beater.
Raptors an epic 7/9 from 3 in 4th and lose on an all time buzzer beater.
It was a low percentage toss up in a tie game. Doubt that goes down the same way if Cavs were down. Nice make and win, but not that much on the line there to call it an all time buzzer beater.
According to skip bayless (biggest clown on tv) he’s just never had that clutch gene that Michael has...
A few observations from yesterday. I watched an ESPN.com clip of Stephen A. destroy Bretton Brown, and Stephen A. kind of stuttered out the wrong word a couple of times, for instance, twice he said "never in all my coaching...never in my career". I'm OK with a journalist doing that on live TV, bUT when I just watched the same clip on Sportscenter, they cleaned up the clip.
Also, LeBron just turning it on come playoff time reminds of the 2009 Celtics when they walked through the regular season but turned it on for the playoffs. Not many teams/players can do that.
Not a LeBron fan, but he just owns it right now. If Brad Stevens was coaching Cleveland right now, they'd be my favorites to win the championship this year. Some people tell me that coaching is overrated in the NBA, just ask Philly if that's true.
Also, LeBron just turning it on come playoff time reminds of the 2009 Celtics when they walked through the regular season but turned it on for the playoffs. Not many teams/players can do that.
Not a LeBron fan, but he just owns it right now. If Brad Stevens was coaching Cleveland right now, they'd be my favorites to win the championship this year. Some people tell me that coaching is overrated in the NBA, just ask Philly if that's true.
I'm not sure about that. They would absolutely be the favorites to win the east... But I just don't see how this team the way it sits right now can beat Golden State or Houston.. Any other team in the west, then I pick Cleveland. That being said, if this team still had Kyrie with Stevens as coach, then I would agree they would be favorites to win the title.
Raptors players look on their faces after the shot , priceless. As stated previously, this team has to be dismantled
to weigh in on the MJ vs Lebron debate
Lebron is the most physically gifted player I have ever seen play. In a seven game series , I would rather have MJ on my team. . IMO that is the difference between the two players.
to weigh in on the MJ vs Lebron debate
Lebron is the most physically gifted player I have ever seen play. In a seven game series , I would rather have MJ on my team. . IMO that is the difference between the two players.
I more or less said that, tongue in cheek, about the Cavs being the favorites.
Also, being a Celtics fan, I went over this morning and read the Philadelphia Enquirer and kudos to them, other than Embid complaining about Horford not collecting any fouls while guarding him, the writers at the PE gave credit to the Celtics instead of blaming Philly's youth. Stevens, Horford and Tatum received a lot of praise, and they said that Boston is full of youth too. Brett Brown did have the finger pointed at him, some.
Impressive performance today by the Celtics. This should be a very good series
Is this finally going to be the series that Lebron can't single handedly carry his team to victory?
He might not get another call the rest of this series if he doesn't stop his incessant whining on every call.
So GS thumps Houston on the road in game 1. Looking like it’s the same ole same ole. Maybe the warriors can add Lebron in the offseason...
They don’t need him. KD is probably better at this point in James’ career. Although Harden was great he just doesn’t get his team involved; however watching them play, it’s hard to blame him.
My point about Lebron was more tongue in cheek about the current state of the NBA. Stars team up or just join the powerhouse.... not good for the game.
Although I've defended KD's move to GS, agree that it's not good for the game. I was really interested in the conference finals, but my interest is waning pretty quickly.
The season is over and it was before it started. No one will beat a healthy GS.
It sure doesn't look that way. Heck even if they were missing either Curry or KD, they would probably still win, so they probably don't even need to be 100% healthy.
I do wonder how good the Celtics would be if they had Kyrie and Hayward healthy and playing.
Although last night's game is does not support the following theory, I tend to disagree. The Rocket's bench shot 8-28 and CP3 disappeared. Green did a very good job at playing Capela really physical and, after he got his first early tech, he was pretty much free to act like classic Green because the refs were not going to kick him out on a 2nd technical. If the Rocket's bench and Capela played like they did in the first two rounds, last night might have been a different outcome. That being said, I don't think the Rockets have the mental strength to avoid mistakes and play hardcore defense for 4 quarters and 7 games. They played good defense for stretches and then get lost on transition and switching.
Klay Thompson is an assassin. He works so little in small spaces and gets his shot off so fast. Plus, KD can do pretty much what he wants against anyone.
A few folks have referenced / taken issue with KD moving to GSW. I get the argument that it's not great for the game but what is KD supposed to do once he's decided to leave OKC/Basketcase-Russ?
Does he intentionally opt to go to a lower tier team to protect the game, at his own expense?
All thing$ being equal, it would be illogical for him to go anywhere that gives him less than the best chance to win a ring.
Folks are blaming KD for something that is the league's fault and not his own.
Does he intentionally opt to go to a lower tier team to protect the game, at his own expense?
All thing$ being equal, it would be illogical for him to go anywhere that gives him less than the best chance to win a ring.
Folks are blaming KD for something that is the league's fault and not his own.
I think the main criticism is that KD chose to leave OKC when they wanted him to stay and he could have stayed and continued to try to challenge GS with Westbrook. It gives the appearance that he decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
It's less of a "if you can't beat em, join em" thing than it is a "I'll never win anything with Russ" thing.
Once he realized he couldn't coexist w/ Russ, he had little choice but to leave and at that point he'd be naive not to go to the best team out there that could offer him max money - and he did exactly that.
I can understand how fans thing it's a wimp move and/or damages the sport but those things aren't his responsibility.
Why is all the "blame" on KD and not the GSW organization who won a record 73 games, lost a ring on a miracle block by LBJ, and then turned around and signed a top 3 player in the league a few weeks later. Didn't they damage the game and make a wimp move?
Full disclosure, I'm a Warriors fan and I admittedly felt a bit dirty when KD signed. I like him but wanted to win rings with the core squad. That said, I don't begrudge him or the organization one bit. Pro sports are a business and you play to win.
the base of the Warriors was assembled through the draft--Curry, Thompson & Green. That wasn't sufficient to beat Lebron--although Curry was allegedly not 100%--so they added another superstar with KD. It's not as if the Warriors signed the "Big Three" like Miami. So tough to "blame" anyone. The reality is that there are not a lt of really good players in the NBA these days. A lot of the lottery picks fizzle out or become JAGs.
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