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2015 NBA Playoffs

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,832 ✭✭✭NufcNavan


    I think that it could be argued that the Warriors season was a convergence of dozens of factors that fell in their favour. Kerr did the right things to keep the Curry/Klay/Iggy/Green healthy....most notably actually using Barnes/Livingston/Barbosa/Ezeli/Lee/Bogut for extended periods of time, but most importantly, those bench Players actually contributing at a very high level ( especially for Bench Players ) throughout the entire series. The Bench not only came in kept the Cavs "at bay", they pushed them back on a regular basis. Especially towards the end of the series. Livingston, Barbosa and Ezeli stepped in and scored at critical times.

    Ignoring the whole "Warriors Bench outperformed the Cavs Bench" argument, playing a good # of minutes allowed Curry/Klay/Iggy to rest. Halfway through the 3rd quarter, Lebron was gassed and deferring far more than he should have. To be fair, the guy pretty much played 99% of the game ( which I understand why ) but not having a reliable bench to allow for their Starters to rest doesn't help at all.

    On a side note, if it weren't for those early years where Curry had those season ending ankle injuries. I doubt that the Warriors would have been able to sign him to the extension that they got him at $11 mil per year ( a real cheap price considering his production ). Right after that signing, that's when he started to play relatively injury free and at the level that he's playing now.

    That $11 mil probably allowed them to free up Cap Space to make other key signings.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,148 ✭✭✭PizzamanIRL


    Great idea for the bracket, here's the link to the boards group for anyone trying to find it.Bracket competition

    Someone almost got a perfect bracket on the international leaderboard. The only prediction wrong was Spurs in 7. So close


  • Registered Users Posts: 28,710 ✭✭✭✭Paully D


    Paully D wrote: »
    Warriors in 6 over the Cavs in the final with the Golden State offense proving too much to handle.

    Meh, not bad. :pac:


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,832 ✭✭✭NufcNavan


    BTW, LeBron is NOT the first finals player to lead his team in all 3 categories. Don't know where that started but it's ********.

    Magic Johnson, 1987 vs. Boston: 26.2/8.0/13.0 plus 2.3 steals. And he shot 54.1% from the floor and 96% (24/25!) From the FT line. He had all that workload, and had just 13 total turnovers in 6 games.

    Not only did Magic lead LA in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals in that finals, but he was 2nd in FG%.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,519 ✭✭✭nerd69


    won the boards bracket victory lap :D



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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,700 ✭✭✭ec18


    NufcNavan wrote: »
    BTW, LeBron is NOT the first finals player to lead his team in all 3 categories. Don't know where that started but it's ********.

    Magic Johnson, 1987 vs. Boston: 26.2/8.0/13.0 plus 2.3 steals. And he shot 54.1% from the floor and 96% (24/25!) From the FT line. He had all that workload, and had just 13 total turnovers in 6 games.

    Not only did Magic lead LA in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals in that finals, but he was 2nd in FG%.

    and you know he won the championship :P


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,380 ✭✭✭The Reservoir Dubs Anchorman


    NufcNavan wrote: »
    BTW, LeBron is NOT the first finals player to lead his team in all 3 categories. Don't know where that started but it's ********.

    Magic Johnson, 1987 vs. Boston: 26.2/8.0/13.0 plus 2.3 steals. And he shot 54.1% from the floor and 96% (24/25!) From the FT line. He had all that workload, and had just 13 total turnovers in 6 games.

    Not only did Magic lead LA in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals in that finals, but he was 2nd in FG%.

    Lebron is the first player to lead BOTH teams in all 3 categories so I guess that is where it started..


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,343 ✭✭✭buyer95




  • Registered Users Posts: 53,028 ✭✭✭✭ButtersSuki


    My post from the 2nd November last:

    Just watched the Golden State - LA game - is there a more exciting (offensive) back court in the league than Curry and Thompson? Looking forward to seeing them in the flesh in a few weeks (PLEASE DO NOT GET INJURED IN THE INTERIM!). Ok, my overdue predictions for the year:
    East: 1) Cavs 2) Bulls 3) Wizards 4) Raptors 5) Hawks 6) Charlotte Hornets 7) Knicks 8) Heat( I really wanted to omit the Heat here, that pick comes down to how much you trust Bosh's ability to get back to his Toronto days.I think that Stan could find a way to get Detroit into the playoffs also.)

    West 1) Spurs 2) Clippers 3) Grizzlies 4)OKC 5) Warriors 6) Rockets 7) Mavs 8) Trail Blazers (Suns won't be far away. It's just hard to see any of last years teams slipping out of the playoffs. The Blazers are the most likely to have a regression year imo, and I have a sneaky feeling about the Pelicans. Davis could possible drag his team kicking and screaming into the 8th spot.


    MVP: It's too easy to say LeBron and though he is the best player in the league part of me thinks he will suffer from voter fatigue again. So, that, and Durant out for part of the season ruling him out I'd going to throw in a wild card - Joakim Noah. This is contingent on the Bulls winning the East (which I think they will) and the press hankering for a team player over individual style MVP a la the real old days. Wild card - either Chris Paul or Blake Griffin from the Clipps; and, and I'm not joking here - writer/cocah/commentator favourite Anthony Davis has a real shot at this if the Pelicans make the Playoffs.
    Rookie of the Year: Smart - I think he's going to get major minutes in Beantown and in the ROY race that's a huge factor.
    Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis
    Most Improved Player: Anthony Davis (again - if it's possible to win more than one award, this is the guy to do it). Or Blake Griffin (seriously).
    6th man: Isiah Thomas
    Breakout Player: Mason Plumlee (prob should have been ROY last year in hindsight - check the stats and the +/-)
    Coach of the year: Thibs (or potentially Blatt)

    East:
    1. Bulls - obviously contingent on the 1st 5 staying injury free.
    2. Cavs
    3. Raptors
    4. Wizards
    5. Atlanta
    6. Charlotte
    7. Miami
    8. Brooklyn

    West:
    1. San Antonio - you just can't knock them, the coach or their consistency.
    2. Clippers - have to improve on Year 2 with Doc
    3. GSW - I said they'd win the West last year, think they have a real shot this year again if Bogut in particular can stay healthy.
    4. Houston - only this high due to OKC losing ground early but on their day could beat anyone, Think the Parsons loss will ultimately be something they regret
    5. OKC - would have been way higher save for the current injuries, prob. 2nd to be fair but losing Durant and Westbrrok early will hurt them. That said, if you're going to lose guys to injury better now than any other time.
    6. Dallas - look seriously good offensively
    7. Memphis
    8. Portland

    The East will be a bit of a joke again this year with really only 2 teams competing for it while the West will see really good teams not make the Play Offs again - which is a shame.

    Finals:

    Bulls V someone from the West (lol). Really torn on this, my head says San Antonio but they're going to have to beat at least 2 really really good teams to get that far. I see anyone from San An, OKC, the Clippers or GSW legitimately have a shot at winning the West and ultimately, it all. I'm going to say San An or GSW, but this is a fricking coin toss.

    ______________________________________________________________
    I'm taking a bow for that, I've been on them for the last 2 seasons now as anyone who reads my posts will know.

    Thoughts on the Finals - yes LeBron was the sheet, but you can't win a series that way unless it's in the East. GS were too deep and ultimately too good to let one guy beat them. Though outside of Boston they're my favourite team now I think all the "legacy" talk is premature simply because they play in the West. Imagine how many games that team would have won in the East this year - they'd have put Chicago's 72-10 season under enormous pressure and likely have surpassed it. It'll be interesting to see what kind of moves they make in the off-season. Yes they've had some breaks as previous posters have alluded to but no team wins a Championship without some breaks. San An drafting Timmy when they already had Robinson, the Cavs getting 3 No. 1 picks in 4 drafts etc. etc. Everything clicked for them this year but like most elite teams they're one injury away from a Playoff exit.

    Re. the LeBron/Blatt thing, it's one of the many reasons I can't warm fully to the guy. I'd believe that article fully having seen his behaviour courtside in the flesh in the past. I understand his frustration on some levels, but he has to learn to park it in public at least. He's had bum coaches previously (the All Smiling Bluffer Mike Brown springs to mind) but Blatt is no joke and deserves some respect. You look at the way the GS players sacrificed everything for the common good and the dividends it paid, I can't see LeBron doing that unless someone like Riley, Phil Jackson or maybe a Larry Bird gets his hands on him - though I doubt any of those have the energy or the appetite at this stage of their loves. Even Riley was a backseat passenger in Miami, but you could see he had some clout over LeBron at least.

    I posted previously about LeBron being part of the problem for the Finals and here's why. It's a catch 22. When you have a guy who's dominating like that and taking more shots than the rest of the team combined it becomes a cycle where the role players just eventually start thinking what's the point...he's just going to go ISO or 1 v 5 again. And it's deflating for everyone. I said often throughout the series GS were more than happy to let LeBron chew up the stats and to the average fan it looks like he's controlling things when the reality is it's the opposition. Look, they did exceptionally well to win 2 games in the Finals given the roster - but I think that's down to some butterflies on GS's part in the first few games as it was unchartered territory for all their players (I don't think any of the roster had even been to a Final Four in college previously) so it's understandable I think to give them some slack, as much as LeBron's supposed dominance. Put simply, the Cavs were never going to win with LeBron scoring 40+ per game. What they needed was Lebrong scoring 25+ and someone else consistently scoring 20ish and 2 more guys in double figures. That's how you win at this level.


  • Registered Users Posts: 232 ✭✭Feenix


    sorry to go off topic, but does anybody have any idea how i cancel NBA league pass? Really starting to annoy me now


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,148 ✭✭✭PizzamanIRL


    Feenix wrote: »
    sorry to go off topic, but does anybody have any idea how i cancel NBA league pass? Really starting to annoy me now

    It's been ages since I had one but you log in and go to billing or my package and just cancel it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,519 ✭✭✭nerd69


    Feenix wrote: »
    sorry to go off topic, but does anybody have any idea how i cancel NBA league pass? Really starting to annoy me now

    i had to email them there was no option there for me at the time


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,832 ✭✭✭NufcNavan


    Final post on Lebron and what transpired with the Cavs.

    He's the best player in the NBA. If anyone doesn't like it, they're free to prove otherwise.

    However, Since Lebron has returned to run/play for/coach the Cavs, he has forced one of the worst trades in recent NBA history and turned his coach into a punchline.

    I'll ask if he's not making the same mistakes he made during his last Cavs run where he influenced every personnel decision, but the Cavs made that bed when they brought him back and essentially gave him full control. If they didn't want to deal with that they could have said no, and we all know they would rather have what they have now than go back to how they were from 2011-2014.

    This 'competitive league' nonsense is rubbish. LeBron James tips the scales of any team he's on regardless of how the other 450 players are distributed among the other 29 teams. He's a walking competitive advantage similar to how Jordan, Bird, Magic and Shaq were. If he wasn't that good, he wouldn't have as much power as he does. The NBA will never have true parity as long as the rules allow only 5 players on the court for each team at a time. That's just basketball. The potential will always be there for a special talent to come in and overpower entire teams by himself.

    Blatt IS largely irrelevant. He isn't 1/100000000th as valuable to the Cavs as LeBron James. But he also knew that coming in. He could have offered to resign and find less brutal job, and I'm sure the Cavs would have been happy to accept and spend that money on a more established coach. But he took the money, didn't he?


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 4,940 Mod ✭✭✭✭GoldFour4


    Loved seeing this story pop up on reddit today. It's cool how engrained in the NBA Curry has been all his life.

    Curry Donating jersey


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