The 2014-2015 NBA Season Thread. Lock It Up Please: The Golden State Warriors Are The Champions

[ryanjumpman420]

One game sample sizes are the best sample sizes.

which is why I said over the month without the comfort of playing at home.

 

[a-friend]

How can anyone not think the Hawks are contenders at this point is incredible. Hell, they were right there last year until Hortford went down. They probably end up facing Miami in the ECF last year because outside of Miami, no one was better than the Hawks pre hortford injury. This team is legit and it's been that way.

They could get knocked out in the 2nd round, but that doesn't make them any less of a "contender." (Which is so arbitrary and subjective to begin with) Only two teams can make the finals anyway. But in a general sense, if you're asking right now, the hawks are not only clear contenders, they are "the" class of the east and any talk with regards to who's representing the east at this point starts and stops with ATL.

I think it just boils down to definition of contender honestly. But like you said about arbitrary and subjective, so is your opinion of them being contenders. No shade, I'm sure you already know this.

 
I've been waiting for the Antidope v Ryan showdown

Unless it's already happened and I missed it

You missed it.

antidope hit him with about 2357 words a couple of days back. Then threatened to ban him. 

 ryan was like, "meh, not impressed", and kept posting

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Lol at JVG and Mark Jackson calling the Kansas/Oklahoma State game right now. I'm assuming this is because they'll call the OKC game tomorrow 

 

[ryanjumpman420]

You're slowly taking that turn aren't you. Shame

Just saying Warriors only have 1 home game this month. And the long road streak may test their D.

 

[mgrand15]

He has no better destination and Cavs are willing to give him the max.

He'd be stupid to leave IMO.

Any team would give him the max.

If Cleveland doesn't make it to the Finals, you better believe Love is going to weigh his options. He's out there as a decoy - as the 3rd/4th option behind even JR Smith at times. He's clearly not enjoying himself.

Winning is important to players but they need to play a big role in winning. They can't just be bystanders and the guys getting the blame anytime the team loses.

Plenty of great options for Love. Couple BIG market teams with stars + very high draft picks.

 

[ryanjumpman420]

I think it just boils down to definition of contender honestly. But like you said about arbitrary and subjective, so is your opinion of them being contenders. No shade, I'm sure you already know this.
You missed it.
antidope hit him with about 2357 words a couple of days back. Then threatened to ban him.   ryan was like, "meh, not impressed", and kept posting

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

He has no better destination and Cavs are willing to give him the max.

He'd be stupid to leave IMO.

He'll get the max anywhere he lands, depending on where he'd land it might not be stupid

 

[victor page]

You know Kevin Love isn't having fun playing. He can be diplomatic with his words but his body language says it all. Even in wins he looks down. in this new "Big 3"...He's had to sacrifice the most.

if he has a chance to go somewhere and be a #1 option...you know damn well he's going to consider it.

If he's not having fun...getting left off the all star team...AND he has to live in Cleveland...you know he has to be wondering if it was all worth it.

 

[a-friend]

 
How are the Cavaliers favored over the Hawks by half of you guys?

Y'all that into LeBum?

Hawks have the best record for a reason. A 7-Game series won't change that. The Cavaliers have problems meshing. The Fifth best record in the East shows that.

A lot of you bring up "postseason experience" and say the Hawks are notorious "second round exits" but say that a team that neglects playoff experience outside of JR and LeBron and the Bulls have more experience...

I don't see how bringing up Ryan not being here last year changes the fact that the Hawks are a good team. You guys need to start scrutinizing and criticizing teams based on their ability in games instead of your experience with their fanbase.

This is obviously a guy who hasn't seen one minute of Cavs on the tele. Just peeped the EC Standings, records, and came in an posted.

But since you asked, Cavs> Hawks simply because of Lebron yes. And if you think they are having problems meshing, well, then I know you have not only not watched Cavs, but you probably haven't watched the Hawks either.

You root for whoever is hot on FirstTake, dont you? (GSW was your team when they were streaking huh)

 

[awwsome]

He'll get the max anywhere he lands, depending on where he'd land it might not be stupid

Where are the other destinations that have close to what the Cavs offer from a team talent standpoint?


You think he's going to go back to a team that didn't make the playoffs but has picks?

 

[Bert.]

He's on the first thing smoking outta Cleveland next year

He has no better destination and Cavs are willing to give him the max.

He'd be stupid to leave IMO.

Hes taking the money. if he cares about stats that much then.. idk

i know he wants to play well and have it look good. most guys do but some dudes care more about the money. Idk about him but good luck to him either way

 

[a-friend]

 

There are reports that if Amar'e is bought out, Dallas are front-runners to land him.

That, and they would still want to sign Jermaine O'Neal.

Would be incredibly pleased if landed BOTH of them, but would take either of the two. Preferably JO.

If we did land both, that would really shake things up in terms of our versatility, and keep guys like Charlie V on the bench.

I think you meant to post this in 2004.

Personally I still think Stat has something to offer if it's cheap enough. NO clue about JO. I'd roll dice on Stat though.  Never play that dude in back to back games though. 

Stat is going to be next years version of Pau this year in terms of people calling him done and a bum, and then he's traded, shows up and shows out.

 

[a-friend]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

The Kevin Love story is simple: a star goes to play with other stars, finds fewer opportunities to score, his percentages go down, is constantly asked about his individual struggles. Love keeps trying to keep the focus on the team, which is winning more than any he's ever been on, but the questions keep coming. Here's the latest, which came on Friday after Love scored five points on 2-for-8 shooting in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 103-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Chris Haynes:

"I felt last game I got in the post and got myself going and got to the free-throw line," Love said of his 24-point effort against Los Angeles. "Tonight I was more of a spacer so I wasn't necessarily being asked to score the ball tonight, but I felt LeBron [James] and Kyrie [Irving] and Timo [Mozgov] and those guys did a great job."

…

When is he actually asked to be a scorer?

"That's tough to answer," he responded. "I don't know. I just kind of go out there and play and affect the game. Right now, I'm trying to find my way."

Love's facial expression said it all. This up and down rollercoaster of a season is wearing on him.

"Oh yeah, definitely frustrating," he admitted. "Yeah, I think it's one of the toughest situations I've had to deal with, but at the end of the day we're winning basketball games. I know tonight was different. At the same time, there's no blueprint for what I should be doing, but I'll try my best to figure it out."

The best blueprint, as we all know, is what Chris Bosh  did alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade  with the Miami Heat. Before the season, Bosh said that it was never easy  to play in a reduced role, even in his fourth season of it. He recently shared some more insight as to what Love is going through, via the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman:

"I can empathize," he said, with emphasis on the word. "But I don't feel sorry for him. They've got more wins than us. That comes with the territory."

The first rule of LeBron's fight club is that LeBron sets the agenda, Bosh said. It was the case with the Heat; it now appears to be the same with the Cavaliers.

"Yeah, pretty much. That's how it goes," Bosh said. "That's the pecking order. And as long as you don't fight it, things will be better for you."

…

"It's hard, it's very hard," Bosh said of the adjustment. "And I know, for Kevin, it's different looks. It's a different kind of thing, and I'm sure he's probably dealing with the same thing as far not having as many play calls where he knows, 'OK, I'm going to get the ball in this spot.' It's more of just a fast, reactionary thing, and that's extremely tough to deal with."

Bosh was able to be extremely effective in that situation, while Love is not close to consistently comfortable yet. And "yet" is still the key word here. Love looked great in parts of the Cavs' 12-game winning streak that ended in Indiana, but he had some off nights, too. While it's fair to say that Love hasn't fit in as seamlessly as Cleveland hoped, it's not as if this just isn't working. Love is too good a player and a scorer to not find ways to contribute offensively, and it'll continue to be a collective effort for the Cavs to get him more involved. He should never score only five points.

Cleveland head coach David Blatt reiterated on Friday that "there's not a problem" with Love, and you have to imagine he's tired of talking about it. But with the forward saying he's frustrated, it's a real issue.

People wanted to blow up the Heat mid season and even after they lost in the Finals in year one.

Thought Lebron was leaving, Bosh was leaving etc. None of that happened. Love won't leave. They will win.

 

[bowb4me]

Oh and don't forget G, when you start feeling down about the Wiz, crack a beer man.

Ha ha ha. I may not make it through the night if we lose to BK.

For those who maybe still confused the AD Love thing was a joke. Most of my post are. Besides Wiz talk and D Howard/CP3/Bulls slander.

 

[victor page]

People wanted to blow up the Heat mid season and even after they lost in the Finals in year one.
Thought Lebron was leaving, Bosh was leaving etc. None of that happened. Love won't leave. They will win.

Huh?

None of those guys were Free Agents so how is that situation comparable to Love's?

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Where are the other destinations that have close to what the Cavs offer from a team talent standpoint?


You think he's going to go back to a team that didn't make the playoffs but has picks?

Landscape changes so quickly it's hard to say at this point

Getting a read on Love is not so easy. He comes from a wealthy family so money may not be that big of a factor (like I said he'll get the max wherever he goes anyway). He spent a ton of years rotting in Minny so it seems like he'd want to stay with a contending team. At the same time for some reason I could see him going to say, the Lakers

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Stat is going to be next years version of Pau this year in terms of people calling him done and a bum, and then he's traded, shows up and shows out.

You don't believe this 

Amare's health is shot unlike Pau, who's mental mind state was shot (not his body)

 

[a-friend]

 Huh?

None of those guys were Free Agents so how is that situation comparable to Love's?

You don't see how the situation is comparable? Man you're either trolling or I gave you too much credit.

Elementary Breakdown.

Things weren't going perfect for Heat. People said Lebron was leaving. Bosh was leaving.

Things aren't going perfect fot Cavs. People are saying Love will Leave.

Simple as that, don't make it harder than it looks G.

 

[julius wrek]

FYI: Westbrook had the best game of the season last night, by Gamescore and likely by single game BPM as well (don't have full DB of that)

The points columns are actual points in this game that the player was worth, vs. an average NBA player.

Perk and Waiters...

Ugh.

Info courtesy of Daniel Meyers (@Dsmok1)

 

[Arthur Shelby]

Hold your head Kev

 

[MVP]

Landscape changes so quickly it's hard to say at this point

Getting a read on Love is not so easy. He comes from a wealthy family so money may not be that big of a factor (like I said he'll get the max wherever he goes anyway). He spent a ton of years rotting in Minny so it seems like he'd want to stay with a contending team. At the same time for some reason I could see him going to say, the Lakers

Nah we good send his *** to the Knicks. We'll roll with Okafor and Julius the Great.

 

[a-friend]

 

Stat is going to be next years version of Pau this year in terms of people calling him done and a bum, and then he's traded, shows up and shows out.

You don't believe this 

Amare's health is shot unlike Pau, who's mental mind state was shot (not his body)

That's why I didn't say Stat is going to be Pau. I said Stat will be like Pau in "terms of"

It's comparing two things, and specifically mentioning the likeness of the two, so you know that a part of the whole is being likened, not the whole.

Come on, you guys haven't had your coffee or what.

 

[a-friend]

But yea, I don't think Stat is done.

I think he could help a team heaps, if cheap enough. I think Dallas getting him is extremely bad news for everyone else, TBH. 

 

[noblekane]

Going back to the spurs and not having home court im pretty sure and correct me if im wrong in every championship run they have had either the one or two playoff seed so yes homecourt does matter for them

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Nah we good send his *** to the Knicks. We'll roll with Okafor and Julius the Great.

Yall tank game aint strong enough to land Okafor