2017 NBA Playoffs Thread - CLE @ BOS Game 5 on TNT

[a-friend]

Sorry for clogging the thread with these long posts.

My season is over though.

Consider these my exit interviews.

 

[Peep Game]

I hope when CP finally retires, he goes off on David Stern for changing his career trajectory which led to him never winning a ring.


NBA landscape would look so much different. SMH

Had CP3 been a Laker, Kobe would still be playing, Kobe would've probably never hurt his achilles and extended his career, Dwight would've had two-three solid years with LAL instead, Nash would've never been signed, Kevin Durant and/or Aldridge would've probably come to Los Angeles as a free agent, and the Warriors would be without a title. It would've been LAL vs CLE in the Finals three straight years instead.

Imagine what could've been for the Lakers the last couple of years:

CP3
Kobe
Durant 
Aldridge

Stern knew what he was doing.

No.

Not a single bit of this would have enjoyed happened 2K franchise mode and ESPN trade machine got dudes screwed up

pacers beating the cavs was as likely as living after getting shot twenty times in the face with a shotgun

Lmaoooooooo

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Bolded is completely false.
Good question.

There's nothing false about saying Vic as your supposed second best player is forcing him into too big a role

 

[100027]

And his teammates do produce pretty well when he's in there.

He has no problem bringing out their best.

He has a problem closing games.
And this goes back further than this year.

Again, even we don't use the "team is built wrong" narrative, it doesn't make using the "he doesn't bring out the best" narrative the one we use either.

He is flawed player down the stretch, and that can't be fixed with a team "built right" or built for him.

I'm from the thought that, you could give OKC Klay and Korver next year, and he'd still play ISO in the last 5min.


That's a Russ problem, not an anything else problem.

He definitely had a good year, but in my eyes he's the same player.

He did not take that next step, and I'm dissapointed TBH.

That's an interesting take.  I sort of agree in that he's not incapable of involving others (*cough* Derrick rose *cough*) it's just that he loses his discipline down the stretch.  It's so tantalizing when he does it for 2+ quarters and then his iso ball in the 4th is so bad.  

Repping you because I agree with you and that's a new way to frame the discussion.

 

[rbk93]

There's nothing false about saying Vic as your supposed second best player is forcing him into too big a role

Yes it is, when he had pretty much the same season as last season playing alongside the supposed MVP winner.

I'm not saying they should take turns like they did when Durant was there, but someone has to get the ball out of Westbrook's hands.  Oladipo was a solid isolation player in Orlando and I've personally seen him shut down Harden while closing the game out there.

 

[jsindaa]

10th I think.

Ah ok. Thought they were closer to leave average, which is why I asked

 

[captaintuxable]

I think it's matter of trust with Russell and his teammates. Best believe he's paying attention to the narrative of what happened with OKC when he went to the bench so when the 4th quarter comes, he's already made up his mind that's win or lose, it's going to be him.

 

[C.Magneto]

I saw an article on ESPN that I think really spoke to the Russ situation. This was a hodge podge team. This team was tooled with having KD in mind, and potentially Hortdord. I'd go on a limb and say they almost over achieved. Now that they have a sample size, they can retool around Westbrook knowing what his strengths and weaknesses are. Everything in cycles. Someone said earlier we are expecting a super team because the precedent Lebron set. I could easily see the pendulum swing the other way and the Thunder rebuild similar to what GSW did through the draft and smart FA acquisitions. Why Not?

 

[Lovetohate3000]

It's not like they fare much better when he's off the court

Read that he was out of the game for 6 minutes last night and in that time,they got outscored 27-9 :x

you really surprised that they don't know what to do with themselves when the guy who had the most usage in NBA history is off the floor. No ish.. There is no real set offense. It's just Russ playing hero ball. If that's your o, of course it's going to look like ish when he ain't on the floor.

Why do the Cavs look like as when LeBron ain't on the floor. O is built for his style of play, dude was playing major Minutes all season.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

Role players would go back go being role players and not asked to be something their not. Doesn't answer your question but that's my take on it

What sense does this make?

In a PACE AND SPACE MODERN NBA WHERE SHOOTING IS VITAL....how does this problem go away with Kevin Durant?

You can stagger him and Westbrook all you want...you're still putting them out there with guys who can't shoot and relying on 2 superstars to play ISO ball. 

 

[100027]

 
I think it's matter of trust with Russell and his teammates. Best believe he's paying attention to the narrative of what happened with OKC when he went to the bench so when the 4th quarter comes, he's already made up his mind that's win or lose, it's going to be him.

And then he passes less than in the 3 previous quarters and therefore plays worse and they lose?  That doesn't really make sense whether thats his logic or not.

I saw an article on ESPN that I think really spoke to the Russ situation. This was a hodge podge team. This team was tooled with having KD in mind, and potentially Hortdord. I'd go on a limb and say they almost over achieved. Now that they have a sample size, they can retool around Westbrook knowing what his strengths and weaknesses are. Everything in cycles. Someone said earlier we are expecting a super team because the precedent Lebron set. I could easily see the pendulum swing the other way and the Thunder rebuild similar to what GSW did through the draft and smart FA acquisitions. Why Not?

I just want to say again that Vegas had OKC at 45.5 wins.  They did not overachieve.  This narrative started near the end of the season.

 

[big j 33]

I'm bummed that Russ went out the way he did, but I 100% expected him to go down in a blaze of missed 3's, ill-advised drives, and frustrated faces. Incredible season and it was an insane amount of fun to watch him produce and deliver like he did all year.

 

[C.Magneto]

And then he passes less than in the 3 previous quarters and therefore plays worse and they lose?  That doesn't really make sense whether thats his logic or not.


I just want to say again that Vegas had OKC at 45.5 wins.  They did not overachieve.  This narrative started near the end of the season.

Even then, did we really having them taking it all? They pretty much performed as expected. It's not like they were up 3-1 and blew the series. The flaws in the team that were expected before the season panned out. Russ played beyond what I anticipated of him, shortcomings and all. I'm aware not a lot of players will be clamoring to play in OKC, but I doubt they were in Indiana before bird got there, or in SA before TD was there. All I'm saying is it's not as bleek as people are making it seem for OKC. The potential is there if management handles things correctly and the core unit they have continues to grow.

 

[Jokegeta]

Get off Bron ****.

Nobody likes LeBron so it was easy to call out.

Russ is that dude.

He gets a pass.

DEAL WITH IT.

I can actually accept this.

I never understand why people get mad that people hate lebron. If they hate him let them hate him. All you have to do is flaunt his wins their face when they are mad. Thats it. Just because one person likes bron doesn't mean his accomplishments will make other like him.

No one gets treated the same and people really need to accept that.

in all tho...
View media item 2362108

 

[squatchnt]

Role players would go back go being role players and not asked to be something their not. Doesn't answer your question but that's my take on it

What sense does this make?

In a PACE AND SPACE MODERN NBA WHERE SHOOTING IS VITAL....how does this problem go away with Kevin Durant?

You can stagger him and Westbrook all you want...you're still putting them out there with guys who can't shoot and relying on 2 superstars to play ISO ball. 

And those 2 stars were a game away from playing for the chip last year so it must make a little bit of sense

 

[captaintuxable]

 
And then he passes less than in the 3 previous quarters and therefore plays worse and they lose?  That doesn't really make sense whether thats his logic or not.

It's a matter of pacing himself. OKC really only got washed in game 1. Even with Russ gunning, they still were competitive. Game 3 arguably was his best game and the game where he paced himself. IF he plays that way in the other games and abandons his 3, this series might've been different.

Honestly, I was expecting Houston to look more dominant in this series but they really weren't head and shoulders better in this series.

 

[Peep Game]

I'm bummed that Russ went out the way he did, but I 100% expected him to go down in a blaze of missed 3's, ill-advised drives, and frustrated faces. Incredible season and it was an insane amount of fun to watch him produce and deliver like he did all year.

I knew once he started pulling up from 3 and making them, that he'd keep pulling up from 3 and start bricking

 

[hoosierdaddy317]

Just glad the Russ MVP d Riding is over. 

 

[captaintuxable]

This series changed nothing. He's still the MVP.

 

[Jokegeta]

One of the biggest mistakes the NBA made over the last 10+ years was failing to ensure a Kobe vs. Lebron meeting in the Finals.

In '69, we had Wilt vs Russell
In the 80s we had Magic vs Bird and Magic vs Isiah
In the 90s we had Jordan vs Magic and Jordan vs Mailman

Since 2000, the only thing remotely close to a Finals rivalry that we've seen has been Lebron vs Duncan and Lebron vs. Curry, but neither of these are on the epic scale that a Lebron vs Kobe matchup brings to the table.

But this is more Kobe and Lebrons fault tho.

Lebrons fault in 09-2010
Kobes fault in 2011-2012

Those were the times they both had good enough teams to play in he finals.

They just couldn't meet each other. Sucks we were never blessed with this match up in the finals. I guess we can always watch the Christmas games....smh

 

[niceshoes247]

That laker Orlando finals was so trash [emoji]128686[/emoji]

 

[noblekane]

it wasso lovely

 

[niceshoes247]

How so papi?

 

[100027]

That laker Orlando finals was so trash [emoji]128686[/emoji]

Playoffs leading up to it was incredible though.



Ohhhhh yeah

 

[niceshoes247]

That Orlando team had 3pts shooters man...