NBA Regular Season & Playoffs 2017-18

Carcharodon

Lebron James, grown man v boys

LuckyLloyd

All 48 minutes.

The block on Rozier was my favourite play. They say he isn’t a closer: his game seven record is incredible.

ButtersSuki

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

All 48 minutes.

The block on Rozier was my favourite play. They say he isn’t a closer: his game seven record is incredible.

You do realise they’re losing the finals, right?

ButtersSuki

It wasn’t a great game but as I posted previously I had a feeling Cavs would win at least one of Games 5 or 7 in Boston for a variety of reasons.

Watched a lot of basketball yesterday (watched entire GS Houston G 6 before the Boston Cavs game) and paying for it today. Had a short nap between the games and dreamt Cavs won 87-86. Very weird that was their final points tally.

LuckyLloyd

ButtersSuki wrote: »

You do realise they’re losing the finals, right?

Sure, but so what? That was an exceptionally entertaining and compelling Eastern Conference Championship overall. Great series between Cavs / Pacers; Boston / Bucks; Boston / Philly. Cavs / Raptors was notable for how good the King was throughout.

You just have to enjoy what’s there to be enjoyed: LeBron’s post season performance has been an extraordinary privilege to behold. We have another championship game seven to look forward to tonight. So much great basketball to enjoy.

LuckyLloyd

Also, huge shout out to the Celtics. Their time is coming. They’ve done exceptional work the last few years and are in tremendous shape. They have the coach, they have the depth and the pieces to refill and extend a window. With Philly coming up also their could be a nice rivalry there for a half decade to come.

K.O.Kiki

I've been super impressed by Al Horford too; guy was balling down in the paint & is 31 years old.

ButtersSuki

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Sure, but so what? That was an exceptionally entertaining and compelling Eastern Conference Championship overall. Great series between Cavs / Pacers; Boston / Bucks; Boston / Philly. Cavs / Raptors was notable for how good the King was throughout.

You just have to enjoy what’s there to be enjoyed: LeBron’s post season performance has been an extraordinary privilege to behold. We have another championship game seven to look forward to tonight. So much great basketball to enjoy.

Ah, I do enjoy basketball..... I've watched every minute of each Boston Play Off game, every minute of each Conf. Finals game and more, often whilst knowing the score in advance etc.


What I don't get is the over the top fawning. What he's done has been exceptional and likely we'll never see another player go to 8 Finals consecutively again. We could do with less of the hyperbole and the "twitter fellatio" (not my quote, Chris Vernon's) around winning a Game 7 against a team destined to lose in the Finals. Yes his supporting cast is poor, and what he's doing is amazing but they're not winning it all.

ButtersSuki

These are the first Conf. Finals to both go to a Game 7 in the same year since 1979 - before the 3 point shot was introduced to the league - and yet bar a couple of games they've been very uncompetitive.

LuckyLloyd

ButtersSuki wrote: »

What I don't get is the over the top fawning. What he's done has been exceptional and likely we'll never see another player go to 8 Finals consecutively again. We could do with less of the hyperbole and the "twitter fellatio" (not my quote, Chris Vernon's) around winning a Game 7 against a team destined to lose in the Finals. Yes his supporting cast is poor, and what he's doing is amazing but they're not winning it all.

Listen man, everyone is entitled to their opinions. But the constant care and focus to not go 'over the top' is hilarious. His o / u points line last night was 38, the highest ever. He has reset expectations on personal performance in the post season and I am quite happy to 'fawn' over it. It's just absolutely incredible like! 48 minutes, in his 100th game of the season, after leading the league in minutes during the regular season, at 33 going 35 / 15 / 9. And there was just so much to enjoy last night about when he made his plays, how he contributed to building and stifling momentum shifts.

And that's after a semi final series where he completely overwhelmed the Raptors, and a first round series where he turned in massive performances again in games 5 and 7. I just love it, how could you not? I think there's no shame or fear in wallowing in the greatness of it. We'll miss it when it's gone, and this could be the last year he's physically capable of this sort of thing.

Joe Dog

Really hope Houston wins tonight, if it's another Warriors v Cavs final then I won't be bothering with it.

Great achievement by Lebron James to get to so many finals in a row but in reality it's probably as much to do with how poor the eastern conference is as it is to do with how great James has been so it's not quite as impressive as it might appear .

Gregk961

Joe Dog wrote: »

Really hope Houston wins tonight, if it's another Warriors v Cavs final then I won't be bothering with it.

Great achievement by Lebron James to get to so many finals in a row but in reality it's probably as much to do with how poor the eastern conference is as it is to do with how great James has been so it's not quite as impressive as it might appear .

I don't know about that, I think I'd rather see the Warriors in the finals. It probably won't be a competitive series either way but at least Warriors basketball Is easy on the eye. The Rockets are painful to watch, the Cavs aren't great either, it certainly wouldn't be a classic.

The Celtics must be sick today. Of all games to go Ice cold from deep a game 7 for a spot in the finals. They would have been long odds on to lose in the finals but it would have been a big step forward for a team being built to win championships.

Carcharodon

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Ah, I do enjoy basketball..... I've watched every minute of each Boston Play Off game, every minute of each Conf. Finals game and more, often whilst knowing the score in advance etc.


What I don't get is the over the top fawning. What he's done has been exceptional and likely we'll never see another player go to 8 Finals consecutively again. We could do with less of the hyperbole and the "twitter fellatio" (not my quote, Chris Vernon's) around winning a Game 7 against a team destined to lose in the Finals. Yes his supporting cast is poor, and what he's doing is amazing but they're not winning it all.

I get it, it’s either one extreme or the other with the media/ social media when it comes to lebron or anything really.
But you are already kind of putting a Debbie downer on it and they haven’t even played a finals game yet. Let’s just see the glass as half full for now

ButtersSuki

Had to laugh this evening, even Stephen A. Smith (World's biggest LeBron fanboy) said the praise for LeBron is way OTT. He said the 2007 Cavs team that got to the Finals was worse than the current team, and for once I agree with Stephen A.

On another note, sadly I ended up watching some Shannon Sharpe and Nick Wright videos this evening. Whoever introduced me to those muppets, I'll never forgive you! :pac:

Carcharodon

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Had to laugh this evening, even Stephen A. Smith (World's biggest LeBron fanboy) said the praise for LeBron is way OTT. He said the 2007 Cavs team that got to the Finals was worse than the current team, and for once I agree with Stephen A.

On another note, sadly I ended up watching some Shannon Sharpe and Nick Wright videos this evening. Whoever introduced me to those muppets, I'll never forgive you! :pac:

Nick wright is widely known as Nick Wrong, he hates the Warriors

Carcharodon

I will be surprised if Warriors lose this evening but not shocked. They slept walked through reg season and that has more or less carried on in to playoffs.
If Houston win I don’t think I will be as mad as I thought I would be, Houston have played hard and with a lot of passion.

Warriors better win, I got tickets for game 1 finals !!!

Gregk961

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Had to laugh this evening, even Stephen A. Smith (World's biggest LeBron fanboy) said the praise for LeBron is way OTT. He said the 2007 Cavs team that got to the Finals was worse than the current team, and for once I agree with Stephen A.

On another note, sadly I ended up watching some Shannon Sharpe and Nick Wright videos this evening. Whoever introduced me to those muppets, I'll never forgive you! :pac:

That 2007 team was pretty awful. I'd say without Kevin Love this team are pretty close, but definatly a more talented group of players overall. You've just reminded me of that Pistons-Cavs series that year, it was brilliant. I think all the games were decided by 5 points or less.

Sorry about mentioning Nick Wright!

ButtersSuki

Joe Dog wrote: »

Really hope Houston wins tonight, if it's another Warriors v Cavs final then I won't be bothering with it.

Great achievement by Lebron James to get to so many finals in a row but in reality it's probably as much to do with how poor the eastern conference is as it is to do with how great James has been so it's not quite as impressive as it might appear .

This point exactly made on Dunc'd on today....and further elaborated on when they said at least 10 of the 15 All NBA players in each of the years he's gone to the Finals have been in the West. It does showcase the difference in talent in each conference, and particularly at the Elite level.

Carcharodon

Warriors playing like crap again down by 11.
Durrant is all over the place on both ends
Looking for one of those big 3rd quarters by the warriors

vetinari

Yep, and again it happens.
Harden is showing again tonight that he's not a top level superstar.
Can't carry a team the way LeBron or Curry can.

Carcharodon

vetinari wrote: »

Yep, and again it happens.
Harden is showing again tonight that he's not a top level superstar.
Can't carry a team the way LeBron or James can.

Lebron or James ???
Bit harsh on Harden, he had an amazing season, glass half full again people. He did come up against one of the greatest teams ever

Carcharodon

Warriors just too strong, made hard work of it at times but looked comfortable in the end
Roll on thursday

LuckyLloyd

7 of 44 and 0 of 14 from three in the third quarter. That game will torment Houston for a long time to come. They had enough last night - even without Paul - to get there.

5star02707

Well another gsw and cavs finals. We all know gsw will win the series, too much for LeBron to handle.

I would've love to see another finals instead either rockets or celtics but both lost their game 7

bot43

sake

NufcNavan

Yawn.

K.O.Kiki

Can't wait to wear my Steph jersey for another summer! :pac:

mjavi

That's what happens when your offense depends a lot on flailing your arms and lock it on the defender like you are shot to get a foul on all your ISO. Harden's antics only work on the regular season, it will not (and hopefully NEVER) get you a ticket to the finals. 
Also helps that GSW is an all-world team.

ButtersSuki

mjavi wrote: »

That's what happens when your offense depends a lot on flailing your arms and lock it on the defender like you are shot to get a foul on all your ISO. Harden's antics only work on the regular season, it will not (and hopefully NEVER) get you a ticket to the finals.
Also helps that GSW is an all-world team.

Yeah...but...if they hadn't missed a Play Off record 37 3's (incl. an All NBA Record 27 straight) and all the free throws too who knows?


Don't get me wrong, I absolutely HATE watching the Rockets play. I find the over-reliance on iso-ball and 3's too much (and I love 3's), but it's awful basketball to watch - even when they're winning.


That said, they really had a lot more chances in this than I ever thought they would. Their defence in stiffling GS has been as good as any team has ever produced against them, possibly the best ever - and they are by no means a defensive team. I won't go as far as to say they should have won this series, but they very definitely could have. Someone said post game last night that the Warriors won a 7 game series by essentially playing at their best for 6 quarters. It's oversimplistic, but there is somethjing there.



Harden was poor. All his stats (bar 3's attempted which was about the same) were down on regular season. Crucially he was considerably down on FTs attempted (and made obviously). Those are easy points, but they add up and are often momentum stoppers or builders. Someone posted a stat whereby with Harden it's pretty much steadily downhill with him after Game 1 in every Play Off series. It's not strictly true, but there's something there. Whether he gets tired, or teams figure him out, or the refs stop calling all the fouls, he does seem to fade over the course of a series.


The one take away I have from all of it is GS are not as good as I thought. They'll win their 3rd in 4 years sure (and should really be 4 straight), but they should have lost to OKC a couple of years ago, and they were almost caught by Houston this year. The gap is closing. Part of is is KD. Part of it is undoubtedly psychological with them taking teams for granted etc., but they're going to have an interesting summer bench wise deciding what to do.

LuckyLloyd

NufcNavan wrote: »

Yawn.

Yawn away, but the playoffs has been great this year to date! There's been great series at every round. Getting to the inevitable conclusion was far more entertaining than promised.