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NBA Playoffs 2015: No headband edition


Ramsay B.

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I take back any bad thing I said about Rockets-Warriors as a series. Getting to watch Harden and Curry do battle is worth the price of admission alone. And though Curry put up 30+, Harden absolutely outplayed him in game 2. He just got little help. The effiiciency of his performance is what blew me away. And he almost led them back from 8 down with 2 minutes to go just with his sheer force of will.

I honestly never thought Harden would become this good. An all-star, sure. But a guy putting up peak playoff Lebron lines against the best defense in the NBA is otherworldly.

Did they get the MVP wrong?

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Andy Glockner ‎@AndyGlockner

You can't win titles with a center who's afraid to pull up from 25 for the win.

I don't think that's fair. Sure, Howard can't shoot but that would have been a very difficult shot for any big man. It's not a catch and shoot and he barely had time to react.

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I don't think that's fair. Sure, Howard can't shoot but that would have been a very difficult shot for any big man. It's not a catch and shoot and he barely had time to react.

Agreed. Harden should have shot it when he stepped back instead of passing to Howard. You HAVE to get a shot up at least in that situation.

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Howard had a pretty clear lane while Thompson/Curry stayed with Harden. Howard then handed the ball off to Harden, who proceeded to lose control of the ball thus ending the game. If Howard took two steps and pulled up, he would have had a great look.

Great look for someone else, not for him. He can't shoot at all.

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OK, as Warrior Fanboy let me put in my 2 cents.



I think the Dubs did an amazingly textbook job of killing this play off. Steph wisely decides to join Klay in defending Harden as opposed to dropping into the corner to guard Arriza because he sees that Barnes has made an incredible recovery after the missed lay up to lock down the corner. Further, I didn't see any really good paths to the basket for Harden to take because of the double team, so I think his best option was probably to take a long fade away 3, with perhaps a chance for Howard to follow on a possible miss.



As for Harden trying to draw a foul in that situation? This is the end of game 2 of the WCF. Back in game 3 of the first round against the Pelicans, Curry drops a sick trey at the end of regulation to tie it, being tackled by 3 Pelicans in the process. IMO, Steph should have been at the line for the win, but it didn't happen. Short of getting punched in the face going to the rim, I don't think it's realistic for Harden to think he can get that call.



I will say this, Harden has been amazing. I'am not sure the Dubs have a real answer for him, and that scares me if we should advance to the Finals to face you know who.


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Anyone think the Cavs win game 2 in Atlanta tonight?

I'd say it's a tall task if Kyrie isn't a factor. Hawks probably win tonight but lose both in Cleveland

I think I'd sit Kyrie. They already have a split with him essentially a non-factor. I give them better than even odds to win even without Kyrie.

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I think I'd sit Kyrie. They already have a split with him essentially a non-factor. I give them better than even odds to win even without Kyrie.

That may not be a bad call, particularly if Carroll can't go for Atlanta.

I swear, the way he went down and the way he came off the court , I thought his knee must have turned to spaghetti. :ack:

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I will say this, Harden has been amazing. I'am not sure the Dubs have a real answer for him, and that scares me if we should advance to the Finals to face you know who.

The Warriors should defend him the same way they had until now. It's very unlikely he'd continue to make stepback jumpshots at such a high percentage. Keep him from shooting 12+ FTs and you should be fine or setting up Howard for easy dunks time and time again and you should be fine.

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OK, as Warrior Fanboy let me put in my 2 cents.

I think the Dubs did an amazingly textbook job of killing this play off. Steph wisely decides to join Klay in defending Harden as opposed to dropping into the corner to guard Arriza because he sees that Barnes has made an incredible recovery after the missed lay up to lock down the corner. Further, I didn't see any really good paths to the basket for Harden to take because of the double team, so I think his best option was probably to take a long fade away 3, with perhaps a chance for Howard to follow on a possible miss.

Yeah, I mean both Thompson and Curry deserve a lot of credit for how heady they were with their positioning to thwart Harden's initial drive. One guy alone wouldn't have been able to turn Harden away with a head of steam. And keeping the double team on him even after he passed it away was 100% the right play.

And you're right that there appeared to be no good paths to the basket. Except that's seemingly never stopped Harden before. No one's better at slithering his way to basket in tight spaces and basically forcing you to foul him due to his exceptional body control. Just like it feels like Lebron cannot be denied when he attacks the basket, I feel the same way about Harden. It's only their methods are different.

But clearly that's just what it looks like. Harden looks unstoppable because he's so good at picking when to attack and when not to and he probably knew better than any of us that if he attacked there, he would have been out of control.

But gotta say, I'm really enjoying all these playoff games that are now being decided on split second decisions. Been some incredible drama from the 2nd round on.

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Isn't Carrol out? I think the Hawks have no chance without him.

I think he's in ICU. Could still come back for a Willis Reed type performance.

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This is coming completely out of the blue, but....don't you guys think it's weird that Tim Duncan will retire (in a couple of years) without ever having won a Defensive Player of the Year award?

Marcus Camby won it one year by blocking shots from guards that always seemed to end up in the hands of the wide open big he should have been guarding.

I don't think much of that award most years.

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