The 2016-2017 NBA basketball thread

[santasquatcha]

Yea this year I saw no reason to pay attention to the regular season. Everyone knew a GS vs CLE final was the only answer.

 

Now last year I was gladly proven wrong, with CLE coming back from 3-1 down in the series to win. What I don't understand, is how the hell it even happened. I mean I watched the games, and Cleveland's entire offense was just Kyrie or LeBron isolation. That was it.

 

This year, I still feel that GS has the edge. (GS in 7 games).

GS has 4 legit players that can take over the game. CLE only has 2.

 

This means that CLE margin for error is very small compared to GS

[scratchswinger]

Durant keeps LeBron from bullying GS. That's the best way that I can describe the difference he makes.

[scratchswinger]

These playoffs continue to under-deliver. At this point I hope we get two close games....

[MtlJeff]

Boooooooooooring

[BoogieThumper]

Barnes is no longer there. Guess who plays that spot now. I would think KD might be a bit better than Barnes.

Exactly my point LBJ has to work HARD on both ends of the court. My family and I enjoyed the game last night, Im hoping for three more just like it. :clapping:

[sharkiesj]

I am a huge Warriors fan. I've posted this before but I'll say it again. I saw them win in 1975 and it was glorious. To see the franchise go into the depths of ugly, I mean seriously ugly, dysfunctional ownwership all the way down to the players (Sprewell choking Carlisimo), to see them rise again and win 40 years later in 2015 you guys don't understand the passion Dubs fans have for this new era of Warriors basketball.

 

So for them to be in 3 straight finals after not winning one for 40 years, I'll take it. I'm riding the wave as long as it goes and when it ends, and it will end, it'll be some other teams turn to shine in the limelight. The loss last year crushed me but Durant's decision to come here eased the pain. It's not over and the Cavs could win and come back, but that was a impressive win last night. But this is how the Dubs play. They build big leads and demoralize teams. They literally take away your will to keep fighting well before the game is over, usually before halftime. So for the games to be "boring", it just fits in their style to go up big time. And Klay's not even scoring and they're still rolling. Yeah I get the usual hater darts thrown back ny way but it's probably like how Patriot fans feel about their team and all the flak they get from all the haters about cheating, underflate-gate, Belichick etc.

[MtlJeff]

I don't hate on Warriors fans, if it's your team than of course you're going to cheer for them. Their crowds are great and loud.

 

It's just boring for me is all

[tocino]

If there was a way to get LBJ to rest on the defensive end I would agree. You just can't hide LBJ and Love vs Durant, Green, or Klay.

 

I do hope you're right. Heck I want the Cavs to win it all because still can't get over the league nixing the CP3 deal and now allowing KD to the dubs.

 

the league was wrong for nixing the CP3 trade but the league did NOT want KD to go to golden state (they actually prefer a teams' homegrown stars to stay with their original team or go to one of their marquee cities like NY and LA). Unfortunately there wasn't anything they could do about it since he came in as a free agent. You can blame KD's decision on the sizeable cap increase and the players' association wanting it all up front rather than slowly applying the increase over a 5-year period but the league had no say on this particular move.

 

as for marginalizing a championship for KD because he joined an already elite team? I mean if you say so. I get all the butt-hurtness but really if he wins this year (and even as a warrior fan I'm not saying its a given) and/or the next couple championships, ultimately no one's going to care that he joined a stacked team 10+ years from now. They're going to remember him as a HoFer, offensive savant, under-rated defender, 1 of the top 2 players in the league during his playing career, AND a multi-championship winner. It's kind of the same way I view kobe. I hated his guts and thought he rode the coat-tails of shaq for his first couple championships. Now I respect the hell out of him because he's a real-deal HoFer, top 5-player, and the closest thing we've seen to Jordan since.. well Jordan (still hate his guts though). People remember generational talents and championships, most don't care or remember how they got there

[scratchswinger]

We can talk about this until we are blue in the face and most of the time I would agree that 10+ years all people remember are the championships. I think Durant's case is different, I think he will always be remembered for the move. You make it sound like he joined a 55+ win team that was trying to get over the hump. He joined the best regular season team ever that had the 2x MVP and he just lost to being up 3-1. It's going to stick with him forever as anyone outside of GS will always tell their children, grandchildren about his team swap before they talk about his accomplishments.

 

I see GS being very hard to beat for the next 5+ years, I hope the ultra competitive players in the league don't site back and let it happen.... I hope some of these other guys get together and build something competitive because the West went from being deep to being extremely top heavy.

[pinhigh27]

If there was a way to get LBJ to rest on the defensive end I would agree. You just can't hide LBJ and Love vs Durant, Green, or Klay.

 

I do hope you're right. Heck I want the Cavs to win it all because still can't get over the league nixing the CP3 deal and now allowing KD to the dubs.

 

the league was wrong for nixing the CP3 trade but the league did NOT want KD to go to golden state (they actually prefer a teams' homegrown stars to stay with their original team or go to one of their marquee cities like NY and LA). Unfortunately there wasn't anything they could do about it since he came in as a free agent. You can blame KD's decision on the sizeable cap increase and the players' association wanting it all up front rather than slowly applying the increase over a 5-year period but the league had no say on this particular move.

 

as for marginalizing a championship for KD because he joined an already elite team? I mean if you say so. I get all the butt-hurtness but really if he wins this year (and even as a warrior fan I'm not saying its a given) and/or the next couple championships, ultimately no one's going to care that he joined a stacked team 10+ years from now. They're going to remember him as a HoFer, offensive savant, under-rated defender, 1 of the top 2 players in the league during his playing career, AND a multi-championship winner. It's kind of the same way I view kobe. I hated his guts and thought he rode the coat-tails of shaq for his first couple championships. Now I respect the hell out of him because he's a real-deal HoFer, top 5-player, and the closest thing we've seen to Jordan since.. well Jordan (still hate his guts though). People remember generational talents and championships, most don't care or remember how they got there

 

it wasn't just an elite team it was literally the best team in NBA history.

 

I don't understand the kobe comparison at all. kobe was putting up high 20s- 30 a game with shaq in playoffs. how is that riding coat-tails? they both equally dominated and led the team to titles. it's not like kobe was shooting 20 % and 10 TO a game.

 

this is a team that should have had 2 titles when durant joined it (I'm a cavs fan and CLE native but i'll admit GSW last year wins that series 8/10). I have no idea how that comparison makes sense at all. he's a HOFer joining literally the best team ever.

[tocino]

ok, I guess in 10+ years we'll see. I harbor serious doubts that non-gs fans will care at all two to three generations from now. The only thing those generations will care about is if their chosen team is winning/champions or complaining about the current top-tier team(s) that's dominating the league.

[scratchswinger]

If there was a way to get LBJ to rest on the defensive end I would agree. You just can't hide LBJ and Love vs Durant, Green, or Klay.

 

I do hope you're right. Heck I want the Cavs to win it all because still can't get over the league nixing the CP3 deal and now allowing KD to the dubs.

 

the league was wrong for nixing the CP3 trade but the league did NOT want KD to go to golden state (they actually prefer a teams' homegrown stars to stay with their original team or go to one of their marquee cities like NY and LA). Unfortunately there wasn't anything they could do about it since he came in as a free agent. You can blame KD's decision on the sizeable cap increase and the players' association wanting it all up front rather than slowly applying the increase over a 5-year period but the league had no say on this particular move.

 

as for marginalizing a championship for KD because he joined an already elite team? I mean if you say so. I get all the butt-hurtness but really if he wins this year (and even as a warrior fan I'm not saying its a given) and/or the next couple championships, ultimately no one's going to care that he joined a stacked team 10+ years from now. They're going to remember him as a HoFer, offensive savant, under-rated defender, 1 of the top 2 players in the league during his playing career, AND a multi-championship winner. It's kind of the same way I view kobe. I hated his guts and thought he rode the coat-tails of shaq for his first couple championships. Now I respect the hell out of him because he's a real-deal HoFer, top 5-player, and the closest thing we've seen to Jordan since.. well Jordan (still hate his guts though). People remember generational talents and championships, most don't care or remember how they got there

 

it wasn't just an elite team it was literally the best team in NBA history.

 

I don't understand the kobe comparison at all. kobe was putting up high 20s- 30 a game with shaq in playoffs. how is that riding coat-tails? they both equally dominated and led the team to titles. it's not like kobe was shooting 20 % and 10 TO a game.

 

this is a team that should have had 2 titles when durant joined it (I'm a cavs fan and CLE native but i'll admit GSW last year wins that series 8/10). I have no idea how that comparison makes sense at all. he's a HOFer joining literally the best team ever.

 

[xxio]

I find it funny that a lot of GSW fans (not necessarily here on WRX) try to play the it's a close series or try to make it seem like GSW is not the favored team by far.

 

Maybe trying to recover from the overconfidence of last year?

 

GSW is favored by a lot. They should be.

 

LBJ has to play noticeably better than last year for them to win. He already led all stats last year, how's he going to top that?

 

LBJ fan saying unless there are injuries or nut kicking, this won't last long.

[MtlJeff]

I still think Cleveland wins 2 games.

[scratchswinger]

I still think Cleveland wins 2 games.

 

I think they need to make Curry work on the defensive end, get physical with him, and try to get him to use some energy. Clay's shot looks flat to me and I can't help but think it's partially because of how hard he is playing D. Cleveland had like 4 points between Smith, Thompson, Dwill and Korver, that needs to change.... Last night their D looked broken, lots of things need to change. Lol....

[Peanut191]

I still think Cleveland wins 2 games.

 

I think they need to make Curry work on the defensive end, get physical with him, and try to get him to use some energy. Clay's shot looks flat to me and I can't help but think it's partially because of how hard he is playing D. Cleveland had like 4 points between Smith, Thompson, Dwill and Korver, that needs to change.... Last night their D looked broken, lots of things need to change. Lol....

 

I think they need to confuse Pachulia into thinking that Durant is on the other team and have him undercut Durant's ankle for the Cavs to have a chance.

[MtlJeff]

I understand game 1 was a blowout, but we've seen blowouts before. The first series between the Spurs and Heat that Miami won in 7 had like 4 blowouts in it. There were 3 consecutive games at one point that were 20+ point wins if i recall

 

The Warriors are obviously ridiculous. But i just think the Cavs are too talented to be swept. They have too much shooting, individual creativeness, and too much Lebronness. There's gonna be a game or two where they just blitz you

[MtlJeff]

I still think Cleveland wins 2 games.

 

I think they need to make Curry work on the defensive end, get physical with him, and try to get him to use some energy. Clay's shot looks flat to me and I can't help but think it's partially because of how hard he is playing D. Cleveland had like 4 points between Smith, Thompson, Dwill and Korver, that needs to change.... Last night their D looked broken, lots of things need to change. Lol....

 

That's pretty much the game plan yeah, run screens with whoever Curry is guarding. They had a lot of success with that last year.

 

Cavs aren't gonna shoot 35% from the floor in the series either

[F171615]

I think they need to make Curry work on the defensive end, get physical with him, and try to get him to use some energy. Clay's shot looks flat to me and I can't help but think it's partially because of how hard he is playing D. Cleveland had like 4 points between Smith, Thompson, Dwill and Korver, that needs to change.... Last night their D looked broken, lots of things need to change. Lol....

 

I think that Klay's shooting is being affected b/c of his effort level on defense. Then again, the Warriors force all perimeter players to exert more energy on defense than any team that has ever been. It's not surprising the Warriors have been the best team in defending 3 point shooting for the last few years.

[F171615]

I don't hate on Warriors fans, if it's your team than of course you're going to cheer for them. Their crowds are great and loud.

 

It's just boring for me is all

 

The level of competition I can understand as boring. But I am truly a fan of basketball, and I feel like I am watching basketball nirvana. As a true basketball fan I don't understand how you can say this revolutionizing basketball, which is the most beautiful ball that has even been played, could be boring.

The Warriors are a team of smart and unselfish players, that are playing a different level of team basketball on both offense and defense. As Popovich told us, this Warriors team plays beautiful basketball not because they are talented, what makes it beautiful is that it’s the smartest and most unselfish team we have ever seen.

The Warriors have truly elevated the game with their basketball iq and unselfishness. These two traits have never been realized on a team to such depth before, and it has yielded the most beautiful basketball I have ever seen. If you are a fan of basketball, I feel you would love seeing this, and eagerly await the rest of the league to follow suit.

Kobe Bryant described Popovich’s ideas of iq and unselfishness nicely in the “Golden Democracy” piece he narrated.

Stating that you’re bored when you’re so blessed to watch Golden State is truly hating, b/c anyone who is a basketball fan, regardless of which team they root for, can’t possible help but enjoy seeing this next level of basketball - enjoy it, it's beautiful.

[MtlJeff]

It's boring because they are 13-0 in the playoffs

 

It's like watching a movie when i have already read the script.

[scratchswinger]

It's boring because they are 13-0 in the playoffs

 

It's like watching a movie when i have already read the script.

 

You are such a hater.

[F171615]

It's boring because they are 13-0 in the playoffs

 

It's like watching a movie when i have already read the script.

 

You are such a hater.

I don't understand someone who loves the game who doesn't love watching this most beautiful version of the game we've ever seen.

[MtlJeff]

It's like, i love the movie Goodfellas , but after having seen it 100 times a new movie that's as well done will always be more interesting.

 

I've watched, i don't know....maybe 25 Warriors games this year. I've seen the way they move the ball and knock down shots and it's amazing to watch. But there's no conflict yet, it's just them winning by 20pts. I've seen this movie before. I want a new movie, one where maybe there's some kind of struggle for them to win a game

[scratchswinger]

It's like, i love the movie Goodfellas , but after having seen it 100 times a new movie that's as well done will always be more interesting.

 

I've watched, i don't know....maybe 25 Warriors games this year. I've seen the way they move the ball and knock down shots and it's amazing to watch. But there's no conflict yet, it's just them winning by 20pts. I've seen this movie before. I want a new movie, one where maybe there's some kind of struggle for them to win a game

 

Now your hating on Goodfellas and basketball nirvana! Be careful bro you are crossing the line.

[tocino]

It's boring because they are 13-0 in the playoffs

 

It's like watching a movie when i have already read the script.

 

Everyone pretty much knew the ending of Rogue One, it still ended up being a great movie. Knowing the outcome doesn't necessarily ruin the whole story

[mosesgolf]

IMO Cleveland would've beaten the Warriors again this year but not with KD on that team.

[pinhigh27]

Meh last year's team was still better than cavs. They win series 8/10 times.

 

-cavs fan

[MtlJeff]

I'm watching WWE tonight lol.

 

It's less scripted than the NBA

[onlyomar]

GS doesn't need any help to win. So why do the refs let them set moving screens on almost every possession? It's ridiculous how many they get away with.