What is the point? There is literally no chance the NBA Finals will be anything other than Golden State vs Boston. Its inconceivable that another 2 teams will play for it. That will be a great series but as a casual fan who doesn't watch regular season NBA to begin with, I cant see why any casual fan would. The Finals are set.
NBA Regular Season
- Thread starter Sean Miller Fan
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Toronto says hi. The finals are absolutely not set in the east.
This is a bad post.
I’m a huge Boston fan this year, but they haven’t looked quite as good as I expected coming out of the gate. Of course, it’s only three games.
The casual fan watches to see the greatest players in the world do things we all could only dream of doing and I wouldn’t count out the Rockets, Thunder or Raptors just yet.
Toronto is the NBA version of Dixon I Pitt. A solid, disciplined team, will win a lot of regular season games then crap out in the playoffs because they have no stars.
Leonard isn’t a star? Really?
SMF's post is also stupid because not only does he not realize Kawhi Leonard, a top 5 player when healthy, plays for the Raptors, but he's in such a rush to be cute he doesn't realize context. He wants to make a cute joke about Dixon I. But, uh, there's a reason they fell short in the playoffs every year.
That reason now wears a Lakers jersey.
If you are so sure, bet on it now. I’m sure you’ll get odds worth while and can make money.
For the record I see GS around -275 to win the West and Boston as low as -120 to win the East.
I’m sure someone has odds on GS/Boston to be the exact matchup.
Holy crap, what? Kawhi is a top 10 player by just about every opinion and I'll put him in my personal top 5.
1 Mr Obvious
2 Steph
3 Steph's buddy
4 Harden
5 MAYBE Davis, but I'd take Kawhi
Throw in Russel Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Giannis, Embiid - he's still a top 10 player, but he's not a superstar? C'mon SMF
I’d put a healthy Kawhi above Harden because Kawhi is such a great two way player.
And I may be being unfair to SMF because Joe is probably right in that he doesn’t know Kawhi got traded.
And I may be being unfair to SMF because Joe is probably right in that he doesn’t know Kawhi got traded.
I watched Kawhi Leonard play probably 30-40 times at SDSU, including 5-6 times in person, and never thought he would turn out to be this type of player.
An NBA player sure, but nothing anywhere near this level. I actually saw him as a little bit of a tweener that didn’t have quite a good enough shot or quite enough size.
Could not have been more wrong.
An NBA player sure, but nothing anywhere near this level. I actually saw him as a little bit of a tweener that didn’t have quite a good enough shot or quite enough size.
Could not have been more wrong.
Fisher kind of an odd guy. Despite the fact he elevated the program to a level it had never seen he never seemed to get a lot of credit. He was a good recruiter, kind of an average gameday coach, but he really believed in that defensive system they ran and most teams just weren’t prepared for it.
He also really got the students into it and they always drew big crowds in a city that’s always been pretty apathetic to both college and pro sports.
I did forget. I went to Raptors/Cavs Game 3. Toronto reminded me so much like Pitt. Played hard, solid D, no stars. They do have a star now but no way they beat Boston. No way.
I still have hopes for the Sixers. Yes, even I tuned into that last week. I am old school and jonesing for and East Boston/Philly finals. That would be great.
When I sit down to watch an NBA game in October, November or February, I do so to enjoy that single game. I could care less what happens in June.
Philly needs to make a trade for a legit outside shooter. Fultz and Simmons are worthless from deep and I think that will doom them come playoff time.
Raptors are awesome. Like them out of the East. Leonard is a freak. If he didn't go down in Game 1 at GS years ago, Spurs realistically could've won that series.
He's much better than Harden. Top line guys in the NBA are James, Durant, Davis and Leonard. Maybe Giannis too. Then, you get into the next level with Westbrook, Curry, Harden, etc. Celtics have a wealth of talent but the East is much improved. Raptors and Sixers. Bucks are interesting too.
He's much better than Harden. Top line guys in the NBA are James, Durant, Davis and Leonard. Maybe Giannis too. Then, you get into the next level with Westbrook, Curry, Harden, etc. Celtics have a wealth of talent but the East is much improved. Raptors and Sixers. Bucks are interesting too.
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Why watch the regular season? For games like Jazz/Warriors earlier and Lakers/Spurs last night. Is this a serious post? You didn't even remember the biggest trade the NBA off-season? Didn't realize a Top 5 player was on a contender that's been lacking a Top 5 player?
Why watch the NFL... Pats make the SB just about every year. Rams far and away best in the NFC. Why watch college football? Alabama will win it. Clemson will easily win the ACC. ND will rollover their remaining schedule.
Why watch the NFL... Pats make the SB just about every year. Rams far and away best in the NFC. Why watch college football? Alabama will win it. Clemson will easily win the ACC. ND will rollover their remaining schedule.
Jokic joined Wilt as the only player with a 100% shooting game that led to a 30+ point triple double.
35 points on 11-11 shooting, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, 1 block.
23 years old.
Nuggets 3-0 including a win over the Warriors.
35 points on 11-11 shooting, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, 1 block.
23 years old.
Nuggets 3-0 including a win over the Warriors.
Do you really think Steph is the next level? I have him at #2 behind Lebron...
Here's a good article from The Ringer about the Raptors:
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/10/23/18014538/toronto-raptors-kawhi-leonard-kyle-lowry-hot-start
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/10/23/18014538/toronto-raptors-kawhi-leonard-kyle-lowry-hot-start
Yeah I have him very high as well. The Warriors record with Steph but not Durant is much better than their record with Durant but not Steph.
I know in theory Durant is just the better player. Clearly a better defender. Can shoot over anyone whenever he wants. But when you look at +/- and wins and losses, Steph somehow is the more important player to his team actually winning than Durant by a wide margin. Curry's chemistry with Green and Thompson is just incredible.
The team was 6-0 during the 2017-2018 regular season when Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green were playing without Durant. The Warriors' record with Durant, Thompson, and Green without Curry was 10-7. It's obvious that Curry is still the MVP of this super team.
Here is what Joon Lee, staff writer at Bleacher Report, told The Tylt:
Steph is the real leader of the Warriors. He's the OG...the culture of that team. He's the one who dictates the pace of the offense and who the offense is centered around. He's the guy who set the tone with the rapid number of threes, as the greatest shooter of all time. Kevin Durant may be the most skilled player, but Steph is what makes that team click.
Here is what Joon Lee, staff writer at Bleacher Report, told The Tylt:
Steph is the real leader of the Warriors. He's the OG...the culture of that team. He's the one who dictates the pace of the offense and who the offense is centered around. He's the guy who set the tone with the rapid number of threes, as the greatest shooter of all time. Kevin Durant may be the most skilled player, but Steph is what makes that team click.
I guess it's the context that matters. Steph may be the better player within the GSW system. But if you're drafting an expansion team, I'd wager KD goes first before Steph.
Not close for me. KD well above Curry. For just about every reason. He easily showed out the Finals much, much more than Curry too. Curry is great. Maybe the best pure scorer in the league.
In theory that makes a lot of sense. You watch the guy and he looks like the most dominant player this side of Lebron. Or the most dominant, period.
In practice:
In the two seasons with Durant Golden State is 26-3 straight up and with an average scoring margin of +13.4 points in games that Curry played in and Durant did not play (8-0 SU this past season) while the Warriors are 23-10 with an average scoring margin of just +3.7 points when Durant has played and Curry did not play (21-10 SU this past season).
Golden State’s win percentage and average scoring margin with Curry and without Durant the last two years (26-3 is a win percentage of .897) is higher than the Warriors’ win percentage and average scoring margin in games when Curry and Durant have both played (107-26 SU is a win percentage of .805 with a scoring margin of +10.8). Also, remember that the Warriors had the best record in NBA history in 2015-16 before Durant joined the team and they were 82-15 SU (.845) that season when Curry played. So, in the last 3 seasons when Curry plays without Durant Golden State is 108-18 straight up, which is better than the 107-26 record in games when Curry and Durant have both played for the Warriors and much better than the 23-10 record in games Durant has played without Curry.
In two seasons combined with Durant on the team, Curry has had a plus-minus of +530 points in 1714.8 minutes when he’s been on the court without Durant, which is an incredible +14.8 points per 48 minutes. Durant, on the other hand, has a total plus-minus of just +75 points in his 2022.9 minutes on the court without Curry the past two season, which is an unremarkable +1.8 points per 48 minutes.
Just seeing the Finals with and without Durant. Curry wasn't able to much a dominant mark like Durant. If the Cavs weren't missing Love and Kyrie, they would maybe have won back to back Finals. In the Finals that they've won with Durant, he's the one hitting biggest shots in the biggest situations and leading the team in scoring. Curry is likely rather easily the worst defender that starts for GS too. Obviously, Thompson and Green are better. Durant is better as well. Iggy by a wide margin too.
Curry IS without a doubt their worst defender and teams attack him frequently. The funny thing is how much effort teams put into spending the entire shot clock trying to get switches on to Curry before hoisting up inefficient shots regardless. So it doesn't seem to hurt them as much as he benefits them so greatly on offense.
I do think the more "challenging" thing for Steve Kerr will be if teams go pick and roll against Curry and Cousins, because that will be a line up with two mediocre defenders. In crunch time they made need to bench Boogie to get Iggy (one of my 10 favorite players EVER) back in there for defense.
Funny to call maybe the most talented starting five ever a "challenge."
-No one in todays NBA plays any defense. Defense doesnt exist anymore in the NBA. The current NBA dream team would be piledrived into the ground and annihilated from the original dream team with Jordan, Magic, and Bird. And if the Jordan led Bulls played any team with Laflop James or the current Warriors, Im taking the Bulls in 5, if not 4 in a sweep with total domination by Jordan.
-Its great for the average fan to watch NBA basketball and the final score is 148-146 with non existent defense.. These players today put in the 80s or 90s would get thrown to the ground trying to take the ball into the paint in old school basketball. NBA is soft as a weak flower now a days.
Curry this year is starting so hot.
Through 5 games:
34.6 points per game
6.8 assists
4.6 rebounds
91% foul line
55% from the field
52% from three (!)
Last two games was +18 and +19 in 29 and 31 minutes. Scored 51 points last night in those 31 minutes on 11 from 16 from three and 10 for 10 from the line.
Through 5 games:
34.6 points per game
6.8 assists
4.6 rebounds
91% foul line
55% from the field
52% from three (!)
Last two games was +18 and +19 in 29 and 31 minutes. Scored 51 points last night in those 31 minutes on 11 from 16 from three and 10 for 10 from the line.
