NBA Playoffs 2019 - Kawhi So Serious?!

[ESPOMAN]

I am a fool for thinking Houston would have been able to do it this year and last year. They had a really good chance this year no KD for games 6 and 7. But the Warriors are just too good.

[Relic]

Noooooooooo! Just saw the score. Fuck fuck 

[Relic]

On 5/9/2019 at 11:42 PM, Relic said:

It's name is steph curry

Told you 

[Relic]

Kyrie to Lakers is gold. Plz let that happen. 

 

Having a mini party at my place tomorrow night for the Denver Portland game. Stoked, but really wish the rockets had forced a game 7

[IamMe90]

Honestly, I'm kinda glad I don't have to witness another inevitable Game 7 meltdown in that series again. 0/27 was already frustrating enough to watch last year, lol. 

[SkynJay]

Welp monkey, it is nervous time.  I am i  arena preparing to scream my ass off hoping to break your heart.

But no matter which way this goes I gotta say this could be the start of something.  I would not be shocked to see these two teams fighting it out in the WCF multiple times. 

It has been a wild ride, i just hope home court wins out.

[Ramsay B.]

What a game. McCollum cold-blooded.

[Ramsay B.]

Friendliest bounce ever.

[SkynJay]

Two fucking three point baskets all game.  Both by Jokic.  Take nothing against CJ, who singlehandedly won this game.  But a team that thrives on inside-out basketball missing open threes will not win anything, let along game 7 against a three seed.  This one hurt.  My kid went to bed early and still has tears.  Murray's final line doesn't look bad but he played horrible after four straight games of consistency.  Once again Malone gave away seven points of a lead by putting Plumlee in to start a quarter.  And not one person off the bench gave Denver a damn thing. 

Still trying to digest it, but two thoughts.  Portland is in trouble (not that Denver wouldn't have been against the Warriors but that no longer matters).  Dame was ineffective for most the series with the high trap Denver ran.  He got points but not effectively.  I know Kerr took notes, and he has the benefit of Klay to put on CJ.  Portland's depth isn't scary at all without Hood.  I am rooting for Portland but I am not sure this will be even be a series.  Any three point shooting would have put Portland away with ease, I don't think we can expect GS to miss open threes at the rate Denver just did. 

Second, I know the chances are 0.00% but how fucking good would Kawhi look playing with Jokic?  He doesn't need to control the ball to score and I think he would look sick on the DHO.  I haven't looked at upcoming FA to see who Denver could realistically get but I know what my unrealistic dream is.

God I hope I am wrong about Portland and Torrey Craig is just that good on Defense. 

[The Mother of The Others]

So with Denver another example of how you don't want to win the first quarter.   The Kings' advanced technique for this was to spot teams an 18 point lead at the start so Sac never had to worry about a collapse as they were already behind.  CJ is a nut.  But Murray is too.   I didn't want his season to end.  Rules change! - -Murray should get to keep playing.  As you beat teams in the playoffs you should get to take their most fun players to add to your roster, so the finals would be another allstar game.

  And it's tough to cheer for Kawhi who's like the arnold terminator of basketball, but Ibaca's forehead inspires and I want to see its journey continue.   Feels wrong, though.   The East has always been about teams taking turns sending Toronto home.  This was Phily's turn.   I feel robbed of all the antics they would have pulled against the Bucks.  Now it'll just be basketball, which isn't a must see by itself.

[IamMe90]

One of the most legendary game-winning shots of all time. Kawhi Leonard is a fucking legend. That was the most exciting game this postseason. FUCK

[Proudfeet]

I didn't watch the game, but wow, Portland was 4/26 and Denver was 2/19 on three pointers. I don't think that is something that you would expect out of either team. 

Hopefully, Golden State takes more time to let Durant recover from his injury. Not sure how healthy Kanter and Hood are, but it'd be nice if it could at least be more even from the injury standpoint. 

[briantw]

Was pulling for Denver but I like Portland too.  Hopefully they can somehow take down Golden State but I don't have high hopes. 

[BigFatCoward]

Must be nice for Mam and Dad Curry, to know either way you are getting someone to the finals.

[Maithanet]

Hell of a shot by Kawhi!  I'm pretty excited about the Bucks v Raptors, those are going to be some great defensive games, and I enjoy defense.  On paper the Bucks look to have a (very) slight edge, mostly by virtue of having home court.  But we'll see if they're ready for this big moment.  They responded well in the Celtics series, but I think that this Raptors team is made of tougher stuff. 

I am likewise very unexcited about Blazers v Warriors.  Even without Durant for some/all of the series, I don't feel like this one is in doubt.

[DMC]

1 hour ago, Maithanet said:

I am likewise very unexcited about Blazers v Warriors.  Even without Durant for some/all of the series, I don't feel like this one is in doubt.

Where will the NBA Finals be played?  Not in Portland:

 

[SkynJay]

23 hours ago, The Mother of The Others said:

.  But Murray is too.   I didn't want his season to end.  Rules change! - -Murray should get to keep playing.  As you beat teams in the playoffs you should get to take their most fun players to add to your roster, so the finals would be another allstar game.

 

I love this idea so much that I have thought about it all day.  And I am running with it with a slight change.  When you win you get to take one player from the team you beat.  Here it goes.

Blazers.

Now starting Dame, CJ, Jokic, Paul George, Aminu.  They now have the best starting linup in the NBA.  Jokic picks take away the traps that work so well on Dame plus he and CJ both get to run downhill on DHOs.  George is obviously a major upgrade to their D along with being able to provide a major threat off ball.  Kantor isn't completely useless off the bench so Jokic can actually get a few minutes rest.

Golden State

A bit harder.  Lou Williams is now coming off their bench and teams can't ever breath.  A controversial pick, PJ Tucker is taken from the Rockets.  A good 3 and D guy coming off the bench who will play better in their system than Harden would.  Assuming KD comes back the starting lineup doesn't actually change.  Alternativaly they take Gobet, who the Rockets previously stole from Utah, because they don't think Cousins is actually coming back.

Bucks

The Bucks reluctantly take Blake and start him over Mirotic but have him on a short leash.  They snag Kyrie and bring him off the bench and probably close games with him, using him as a true sixth man.  They are not as excited about this new rule as the other teams are.

Raptors

Nicola V will fit in nicely on the raptors, providing some nice bench minutes.  I also assume they fill Embiid with every drug, legal or not, they can find and take the easy pick there.  They give Gasol a nice heart to heart about being benched.

This set up seems to really favor the Western side of the bracket, showing that the depth is still stronger on that side of the bracket. 

[SkynJay]

I rewatched that game (I recorded it and finally am not angry) and man was it ugly, and not just because my team lost.

Dame, the most marketable guy on the floor, played horrible.  Jokic, best known as a passer, had no one around him making shots and thus had 3 assists or so, all very basic with no fancy passing.  Murray got most his points from the foul line and joined Dame in the hardly showed up club.  Really the second half was CJ and Jokic trading points with technically sound shots, very little highlight type stuff.  The 17 point comeback wasn't even dramatic because it was something the blazers chipped away at in the second quarter; no dramatic 'can they really come all the way back' thing in the third or forth.  The refs were horrible both ways; way too many foul shots yet major missed calls.  It seems they just wanted to make sure the flow of the game sucked, not get anything right at all for either team.

For a series with so many highlights, what a let down.  Fans in Portland and wherever the hell Lehigh is are the only people who could have enjoyed that game 7.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Funny Warriors stats:

They are 26-1 in their past 27 games in which Curry starts and KD does not play.

They are 26-26 over the last three seasons when KD starts and Curry does not play.

Being the better player does not mean you’re more important to the team.

[Proudfeet]

10 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Funny Warriors stats:

They are 26-1 in their past 27 games in which Curry starts and KD does not play.

They are 26-26 over the last three seasons when KD starts and Curry does not play.

Being the better player does not mean you’re more important to the team.

They are also probably 26-2 in their past 28 games where KD does not play. 

I'm sure Curry's win/loss stats compares favourably regardless, but I honestly can't take these kind of comparisons seriously. Just use the last three seasons for both.