NBA Finals 2018: Do Or Die For The Cleveland LeBrons

[sperry]

Just now, briantw said:

LeBron took two games from them with Delly and Mozgov as his two and three.  With Irving and Love, he absolutely wins that series. 

Hard to say. That Warriors team was still way better if both teams were healthy. They had to completely puke down their legs to lose the series the next year when everyone was healthy.

[briantw]

Just now, sperry said:

Hard to say. That Warriors team was still way better if both teams were healthy. They had to completely puke down their legs to lose the series the next year when everyone was healthy.

Eh...that Warriors team was still unproven and beatable.  No chance LeBron loses to them if his two and three are healthy.  Like I said, he took two games from them with absolute dog shit as his teammates.  He could have won four with stars like Love and Irving out there.

[sperry]

Like I said, Warriors were the better team, and probably would have won, but at least there was a discussion to be had. Kevin Durant joining this team and winning these complete joke titles is still such a bummer for the league.

[sperry]

Just now, Triskele said:

And tonight was a particular painful example of how much it created a pick-your-poison situation that made GS nigh-unbeatable.  Curry and Klay were relatively chill tonight but then KD who had been relatively chill in the previous games just went sadistic.  

It's just a joke. Had Durant resigned with OKC, or if he hated playing with Russ gone to Boston or Washington, the league would probably be the best it's ever been. Instead, despite the league having tons of amazing players and marketable stars, the league is in a really bad place.

[briantw]

4 minutes ago, sperry said:

Like I said, Warriors were the better team, and probably would have won, but at least there was a discussion to be had. Kevin Durant joining this team and winning these complete joke titles is still such a bummer for the league.

Personally, I don't think the Warriors go into those Finals as the favorites if the Cavs are fully healthy.  Losing Love was a big blow to that team, because they really lacked the depth they had the next year.

[KingintheNorth4]

Kevin Durant. Oh my fucking god. Ripped the Cavs hearts out two years in a row in eerily similar ways. Had JR Smith guarding him when he made the shot. Smfh. 

[Jaime L]

14 minutes ago, KingintheNorth4 said:

Kevin Durant. Oh my fucking god. Ripped the Cavs hearts out two years in a row in eerily similar ways. Had JR Smith guarding him when he made the shot. Smfh. 

This was the Durant I remember from last year's finals completely offsetting Lebron and making every big shot down the shot. With Curry's awful night it's pretty clear Durant's going to get Finals MVP again. Also any lingering question of who the Warriors' alpha is also seems over. 

[DireWolfSpirit]

5 hours ago, sperry said:

It's just a joke. Had Durant resigned with OKC, or if he hated playing with Russ gone to Boston or Washington, the league would probably be the best it's ever been. Instead, despite the league having tons of amazing players and marketable stars, the league is in a really bad place.

Its the least entertaining ive seen it in my lifetime. The LAST thing in the World the NBA needed after a Spurs dynasty was yet another Western Conference dynasty. With no changing of the guard and continuing lopsided competition like we are now stuck with, theres just very little appeal to the league for the majority of the fans left on the outside looking in.

Its a sad state of affairs.

[Red Tiger]

Im amazed at how poor the East is at building championship teams. Even Riley fucked up with the Heat by drafting like shit. Seriously, he could have turned Miami into at least a 4-time winner, if he had supplied them with fresh talent when the big three started aging.

[Relic]

I've never cared less about the NBA Finals than i do this year. Previous low was last year. The NBA needs to restructure its entire post-season to include the top 16 teams, regardless of conference. 

[Matrim Fox Cauthon]

6 hours ago, Triskele said:

Congrats to the Warriors for 3 titles in 4 years.  Still think that 3-1 comeback by Cleveland is one of the more miraculous things I've ever seen in sports.  So close to being a 4-peat right now.  

I respect and thank Lebron for making these finals interesting so far, but here we are at 3-0.

The Warriors losing Draymond Green for a game drastically changed the momentum of that series.

[Tywin et al.]

Crazy to think that if a few possessions went the other way, this series could be 2-1 Cavs.

Also, while I understand that he was hurt, why didn’t LeBron attack Curry more? All game Curry was switched onto LeBron and he would drive and dish. He should have been attacking and forcing Curry to either foul or give him an easy shot at the rim.

[Tywin et al.]

3 hours ago, Matrim Fox Cauthon said:

The Warriors losing Draymond Green for a game drastically changed the momentum of that series.

Bogut and Iggy also got hurt, and while we know the great value of the latter, we really underestimated that of the former.  

[Maithanet]

6 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Crazy to think that if a few possessions went the other way, this series could be 2-1 Cavs.

Also, while I understand that he was hurt, why didn’t LeBron attack Curry more? All game Curry was switched onto LeBron and he would drive and dish. He should have been attacking and forcing Curry to either foul or give him an easy shot at the rim.

Because Green and Durant were regularly leaving their guys to provide help at the basket, which made driving all the way really difficult.  None of the other Cavs could make their shots to punish this.  Thompson was the worst offender here, but there's plenty of blame.  The Cavs players just aren't good enough. 

4 hours ago, Relic said:

I've never cared less about the NBA Finals than i do this year. Previous low was last year. The NBA needs to restructure its entire post-season to include the top 16 teams, regardless of conference. 

How would restructuring the post-season solve this problem?  The problem is that GSW is noncompetitively better than the rest of the league, such that even when they aren't playing well they can defeat the next best team (Houston, albeit with an assist from injury due to the Rockets 6 man rotation wearing down).  Why would the season be significantly more exciting if GSW vs Houston were the Finals rather than the Semi-Finals? 

[Jaime L]

21 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

How would restructuring the post-season solve this problem?  The problem is that GSW is noncompetitively better than the rest of the league, such that even when they aren't playing well they can defeat the next best team (Houston, albeit with an assist from injury due to the Rockets 6 man rotation wearing down).  Why would the season be significantly more exciting if GSW vs Houston were the Finals rather than the Semi-Finals? 

GSW is at the moment but who knows what next year holds?

Houston took them to 7 games this year. Boston has built a roster that on paper is a pretty good Warriors counter. 4 6'8"-6'10" switchable wings with 3 and D skillsets and a clutch shotmaking PG. And they still have more moves they can make to further load up. Lebron seems likely to reload with a superteam somewhere. Kawhi and George moving could shift power in the league depending where they end up. This is setting up to be the most interesting offseason since 2010.

[Tywin et al.]

50 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

Because Green and Durant were regularly leaving their guys to provide help at the basket, which made driving all the way really difficult.  None of the other Cavs could make their shots to punish this.  Thompson was the worst offender here, but there's plenty of blame.  The Cavs players just aren't good enough. 

I get that, but the same thing was happening in game one and in that game LeBron was being aggressive. It just felt like he had an opportunity to take the game over and he didn’t.  

[Tywin et al.]

22 minutes ago, Jaime L said:

GSW is at the moment but who knows what next year holds?

Houston took them to 7 games this year. Boston has built a roster that on paper is a pretty good Warriors counter. 4 6'8"-6'10" switchable wings with 3 and D skillsets and a clutch shotmaking PG. And they still have more moves they can make to further load up. Lebron seems likely to reload with a superteam somewhere. Kawhi and George moving could shift power in the league depending where they end up. This is setting up to be the most interesting offseason since 2010.

Does George really move the needle though unless you’re a team like the Rockets, Sixers or Celtics? The other day I was trying to list the top 10 players in the league, which George is not, and really only the top six players really make a difference:

1. James

2. Durant

3. AD

4. Kawhi

5. Curry

6. Harden

The other guys, while fun to watch, at this moment are just good enough to get you knocked out early in the playoffs.

(I know AD hasn’t advanced that far yes, but he is insanely talent)

[sperry]

1 minute ago, Tywin et al. said:

Does George really move the needle though unless you’re a team like the Rockets, Sixers or Celtics? The other day I was trying to list the top 10 players in the league, which George is not, and really only the top six players really make a difference:

1. James

2. Durant

3. AD

4. Kawhi

5. Curry

6. Harden

The other guys, while fun to watch, at this moment are just good enough to get you knocked out early in the playoffs.

(I know AD hasn’t advanced that far yes, but he is insanely talent)

 

George makes a huge difference to the right team. He's an elite defender and a great 3 point shooter. He's basically a better Klay Thompson in the right situation. The problem is if you put him in a situation where he has to create his own shots. George would honestly be the perfect fit in Philly, and I think would advance them to the point of legitimate contender.

[Tywin et al.]

10 minutes ago, sperry said:

 

George makes a huge difference to the right team. He's an elite defender and a great 3 point shooter. He's basically a better Klay Thompson in the right situation. The problem is if you put him in a situation where he has to create his own shots. George would honestly be the perfect fit in Philly, and I think would advance them to the point of legitimate contender.

George was paired with Westbrook, who I’ve got as the 7^th best player, and they did nothing. They lost to the Jazz, who were led by rookie, in the first freaking round. He’s a nice player, but I don’t think he’s a difference maker in a significant way. And as far as comparing him to Klay goes, I think they’re both in that 13-15^th best player range with Kyrie.

[sperry]

3 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

George was paired with Westbrook, who I’ve got as the 7^th best player, and they did nothing. They lost to the Jazz, who were led by rookie, in the first freaking round. He’s a nice player, but I don’t think he’s a difference maker in a significant way. And as far as comparing him to Klay goes, I think they’re both in that 13-15^th best player range with Kyrie.

 

Thunder's problem was Andre Roberson (who is a fantastic and extremely underrated player) going down with nobody better than replacement level to fill in. That would have gotten them out of the first round, although they still had no shot against the Rockets.

 

But I'm not sure what you're saying. Adding the 13th-15th best player to an already really good team is a huge deal. It definitely moves the needle. You just can't put Paul George on an average team and expect them to be great.