Official 2016 NBA Playoffs Thread: Conference Finals: Warriors / Thunder | Cavs / Raptors

[rck3sactown]

Cavs lose in 5 vs GS.
Cavs lose in 6 vs OKC.

how man the Cavs losing in to the Raptors? 

I'll be sick the whole summer if GSW loose tonight.

its one thing if they loose.... but what if they lose??

 

 

[superflyinchopstickninja]

cavs would get creamed if they match up against the warriors this year. Their defense is porous and their scoring has been fool's gold. And if they assume that they would try and have a shoot out with 2 of the greatest shooters to ever touch the hardwood, they'd be brought back down to earth very fast. The defensive flaws with kyrie/love/jr on the floor will be exascerbated, and then when they switch to their defensive lineup with delly and shump, their offense will lack. The dubs would be a matchup nightmare for them. Thunder looking like they'll offer much of the same problem, except body wise their defense, at least against the cavs wont be as effective as gsw's would be. They dont really have the players to beat up lebron with. Russ would get caught on the pnr with kyrie.

Agreed. Cavs would get bodied by the Warriors. They match up much better against the Thunder.

 

[freeze]

sample size too small to think it would be consistent though. and curry is better than he was then. kyrie is the same. steph can guard him though. just like cory joseph is.

Joseph has done a decent job on Kyrie, but a porous one on Delly in Pick and Roll situations

facts. cojo having a harder time with dellymeat than locking kyrie lol. mild sauce washed

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Agreed. Cavs would get bodied by the Warriors. They match up much better against the Thunder.

As much as I dislike Lebron. It would be wonderful to see KD lose to him again

 

[datznasty]

https://theundefeated.com/features/mission-impossible-african-americans-analytics/

Somewhat controversial article Wilbon wrote about blacks and analytics. Came off kind of Whitlock-ish to me, but whatever.


http://uproxx.com/dimemag/serge-ibaka-daughter-reunite-congo/

Story about how Serge found out about and reunited with his daughter in the Congo. LoL, it's like 3 sentences.


KD ain't scared of LeBron anymore. The 2012 version of LeBron could make a jump shot and was even respectable from 3. 2016 version can't, you could legit put Ibaka on him and negate him in the post if you want, mix it up with Dre and some KD and you can live with that result. Mike Millers isn't limping through that door!

 

[silverbackhoney]

Should've had NBA fan legend Sting record the Finals song

 

[rck3sactown]

https://theundefeated.com/features/mission-impossible-african-americans-analytics/

Somewhat controversial article Wilbon wrote about blacks and analytics. Came off kind of Whitlock-ish to me, but whatever.

FWIW, Whitlock was pegged to lead The Undefeated before ESPN I think realized he had went of the deep end, and nabbed Spears for Yahoo! to lead The Undefeated

really digging what they are doing there at The Undefeated

 

[jpzx]

Who cares if Kyrie can't guard Curry.

1. Nobody can guard Curry
2. Nobody can guard Curry
3. Nobody can gurad Curry

Of course from the most general sense "no one can guard Steph Curry" is true, but when you consider the natural urge to keep Kyrie on the floor due to his overall talent level next to the potential Warriors he'd be chasing - if NOT Curry - we're starting to seriously consider scenarios where he'd be guarding SG's and SF's at 6-feet-3-inches tall ... or Stephen Curry. And believe that Curry would certainly make sure that Kyrie's running around everywhere prior to a shot even going up, and that's even if Kyrie can manage to keep up with or alongside Curry through those screens and consistent movement leading up to a shot attempt. Whatever is the amount needed to exert in order to try to stop Curry means Kyrie would not be at his full capacity as an offensive contributor, his main and obvious strength. There's more to it than just 'no one can guard Steph' ... it's 'if that's true, and that includes Kyrie, and Kyrie would have to guard someone else then' and you look at the potential scenarios it becomes grim.

That's more of a dire situation than say, 'no one can guard Steph Curry' and Patrick Beverley's offensive output isn't available ... you know, because no one cares about Beverley's offensive output to begin with. So every situation/series means 'no one can guard Steph Curry' is differently defined.

This is the Finals-championship scenario, what everything's been building to, so the stakes are different than in the broad brush of scenarios you're devil's advocating for, plus, at the potential cost of the second- or third-best player on the Cavs who is also one of the top 20-25 players in the entire league. The problem of not being able to guard Curry is amplified when no other feasible matchups present themselves.

All of that means Lue either must throw Kyrie at Curry, grit his teeth and hope his PG can be a 100-percent contributor at both ends (obviously through some unnatural pregame Germanic remedies where he literally can't grasp how tired he is for a night or something) OR you're looking at the prospect of HAVING to take your best player off the court in maybe significant or long stretches of games potentially depending on the opposing five players on the court at a given time by the opposition.

 

[freeze]

yeah, i think this thunder team can beat the cavs if they meet. kd doesnt look shook of the moment. and bron cant score the way he used to nor guard the way he used to.

i just found out last dude had no 40 pt games this year. season high was 37. hasnt scored 40 since '15 finals.

i understand that their offense has been better and not necessarily predicated on him having big numbers, but still, every star has a big night here and there. unless you washed. dubs play team ball, averaging like 28.8 assists a game and curry still had a bunch of big nights.

 

[IATT]

 
Should've had NBA fan legend Sting record the Finals song

have no clue how drake wasn't performing at the all-star game

 

[a-friend]

 
Should've had NBA fan legend Sting record the Finals song

 

[datznasty]

a-friend You watching the game at Red Pin tonight? Low key spot for the white womenz, although it's Bricktown so they're everywhere anyways. My jawn from Tulsa who used to d tease me was into Whisky Chics too. Stay away from Deep Duece though and that Hookah loungue

 

[everysingletime]

I'm kinda sick that I can't watch the game live tonight.

The best I can do is just read the NT play by play

 

[a-friend]

 

Who cares if Kyrie can't guard Curry.

1. Nobody can guard Curry
2. Nobody can guard Curry
3. Nobody can gurad Curry

Of course from the most general sense "no one can guard Steph Curry" is true, but when you consider the natural urge to keep Kyrie on the floor due to his overall talent level next to the potential Warriors he'd be chasing - if NOT Curry - we're starting to seriously consider scenarios where he'd be guarding SG's and SF's at 6-feet-3-inches tall ... or Stephen Curry. And believe that Curry would certainly make sure that Kyrie's running around everywhere prior to a shot even going up, and that's even if Kyrie can manage to keep up with or alongside Curry through those screens and consistent movement leading up to a shot attempt. Whatever is the amount needed to exert in order to try to stop Curry means Kyrie would not be at his full capacity as an offensive contributor, his main and obvious strength. There's more to it than just 'no one can guard Steph' ... it's 'if that's true, and that includes Kyrie, and Kyrie would have to guard someone else then' and you look at the potential scenarios it becomes grim.

That's more of a dire situation than say, 'no one can guard Steph Curry' and Patrick Beverley's offensive output isn't available because no one cares about Beverley's offensive outputs to begin with.

This is the Finals-championship scenario, what everything's been building to, so the stakes are different than in the broad brush of scenarios you're devil's advocating for, plus, at the potential cost of the second- or third-best player on the Cavs who is also one of the top 20-25 players in the entire league. The problem of not being able to guard Curry is amplified when no other feasible matchups present themselves so you either have to grit your teeth and hope he can be a 100-percent contributor at both ends (through some unnatural pregame Germanic remedies where he literally can't grasp how tired he is for a night or something) OR you're looking at the prospect of HAVING to take your best player off the court in maybe significant or long stretches of games potentially depending on the opposing five players on the court at a given time by the opposition.

Well...let me say, instead of "nobody can guard Steph"

Kyrie won't have to guard Steph.

Yea, how about that.

 

[flyerthandelta]

I'm kinda sick that I can't watch the game live tonight.

Better call in

 

[datznasty]

download WatchTNT app on your phone

Happy 37th Birthday to TMac

 

[everysingletime]

I'm kinda sick that I can't watch the game live tonight.

Better call in

I'm already at work. Lol.

 

[jpzx]

Kyrie (6'3") guarding Klay (6'7") is weighing a significant problem against the significant, different problem that's associated with putting him on Curry. H.Barnes (6'8"), almost a half-foot taller, and if Livingston was in for whatever reason when Kyrie was in the game, hey, there's a PG that's not Curry... oh **** he's 6-foot-7.

 

[a-friend]

@a-friend You watching the game at Red Pin tonight? Low key spot for the white womenz, although it's Bricktown so they're everywhere anyways. My jawn from Tulsa who used to d tease me was into Whisky Chics too. Stay away from Deep Duece though and that Hookah loungue

Nah, I'm in Dallas right now finishing a project. 

To be real, man I will probably watch the Game @ Applebee's across from the Hotel G. It's smoking and I like to fire up some ciggy's when I got the brew in me.

You hitting Red Pin? 

And why stay away from Deep Duece? ( I hear that's where the Male and Female groupies hang, is this why or something else?)

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Kyrie (6'3") guarding Klay (6'7") is weighing a significant problem against the significant, different problem that's associated with putting him on Curry. H.Barnes (6'8"), almost a half-foot taller, and if Livingston was in for whatever reason when Kyrie was in the game, hey, there's a PG that's not Curry... oh **** he's 6-foot-7.

It's not the height that's going to debilitate Kyrie's offensive output. It's the energy exerted running around trying to stay in front of either player.

Maybe Kyrie on Barnes is the better alternative. That still doesn't give you an answer for Klay though. Shumpert would have to stick him, but then you lose shooting.

Cleveland is def in a precarious situation, if they meet GS in the Finals.

 

[MVP]

yeah, i think this thunder team can beat the cavs if they meet. kd doesnt look shook of the moment. and bron cant score the way he used to nor guard the way he used to.

i just found out last dude had no 40 pt games this year. season high was 37. hasnt scored 40 since '15 finals.

i understand that their offense has been better and not necessarily predicated on him having big numbers, but still, every star has a big night here and there. unless you washed. dubs play team ball, averaging like 28.8 assists a game and curry still had a bunch of big nights.

He hasn't even scored 30 points once this entire plaoffs.

 

[noblekane]

have no clue how drake wasn't performing at the all-star game

Because even Canadians know drake is wet trash

 

[Peep Game]

LeBron knows his shot is at a Junior High level

This is true. So why in the world then, did y'all criticize him for passing to better, more open shooters in the 4th ?

Stop it. You're using your brain. We don't do that in here

Contested fadeaway brick = "LOL not clutch"

Passing to the open man = "LOL shrinks in the moment, doesn't want the ball in his hands"

 

[Chester McFloppy]

Caping.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Contested fadeaway brick = "LOL not clutch"

Passing to the open man = "LOL shrinks in the moment, doesn't want the ball in his hands"

It's not encapsulating him to just those two moments.

It's more about him not exerting his physical will against teams and exploiting his advantages. Like some people have already said, If LeBron went to the post and bulldozed his way to the basket each and every time--he'd probably have more success in the post season.

But I guess subscribing to that is the cyanide pill. You then start to see teams sagging off Lebron and daring him to shoot, because they know they like their chances if he jack ups jumpers.

We should just accept LeBron for the player he is and will never be. Probably the most physically gifted player to step foot on an NBA court, but has serious deficiencies that he's never really addressed. I remember NT belly aching over how he needs to develop a post game and he eventually did. But I don't think anyone has ever mentioned him needing to develop a mid-range jumper.

Not sure if it's too late for Lebron now, considering it's his 13 season. But he'd certainly be unguardable if he couldn't sag off of him either.