Your 2017-18 GSW

The Warriors are probably going to win in 4 or 5 games, but it's amazing how much of a difference Iguodala's absence has on them. They basically have 6 guys that would get minutes for most good teams (the Hamptons 5 and Livingston). Livingston's injury history makes him a 15-20 minute guy at most.

When Igoudala is out, they have to find a way to distribute those 35 minutes a game to other guys. David West can't guard on the perimeter, so it forces them to try to steal minutes with Looney, McGee, Cook, and Nick Young. As historically good as Durant, Curry, and Klay are (and combined with an elite defender, rebounder, passing big guy in Green), their lack of any depth without Igoudala is keeping games and series close. They were on their way to a 5 game series win with the Rockets until he went out.

It's true - and that's why they paid him even at 35 years old. He's that "calming presence" that those lights out shooters sometimes need. Klay is starting to get there & they are winning without Iggy.

Last night, Javale McGee gave them some good tough minutes to open the 3rd Q. Kind of went unnoticed, except for that 1 play where he looked like White men can't jump & missed the dunk He tweeted about it after the game. Haha.

Cleveland needed that game real bad to make it a series - sucks for them but anyone blaming the "charge/block" call isn't seeing the bigger picture. For 1, that call should have never been called a charge & I'm glad they reversed it. Especially when 1 ref called charge & the other called block in real-time. L'Bron was moving & then turns his shoulder to avoid taking the charge. That's a blocking foul in 1960-1970-1980-1990 & yes even today! I don't give a **** who L'Bron is & how good of a player he is. I'd say the same thing if the situation was reversed too.

I expect a lot of tough playing from both teams on Sunday - It's going to be a war but if L'Bron has an off night, the Cavs will get blown out on Sunday.

The Cavs should have won the game but melted down at the end of regulation with the missed FT and then the inexplicable JR Smith play.  Hill makes the FT or JR Smith hits a very easy 6 foot shot and it’s likely the game is over.  

The block/charge on LeBron wasn’t as controversial as it’s being portrayed.  

Loved the NBA's explanation of the block/charge call. 

Bottom line - they got it RIGHT!

Can't wait to see the game on Sunday - It's going to be physical, no doubt!

Contrary to what some believe, the Warriors ain't soft

Oakland has 17 guys wot can shoot 3s.

Warriors just dropped the hammer in the 4th... white flag from Cleveland with 4 minutes to go. 

Yawwwwwn...

When the best defense you can design is one that ends up with 6'3" George Hill matched up 1x1 with Kevin Durant on the block, you know the odds are stacked against you. Durant is one of the 5 best 1X1 offensive players in history and if they don't come after him with a double he could score 80. If they do run at him with a double, then Klay and Curry get wide open looks.

The thing that's really keeping these games from being 40 point blowouts is LeBron's ability to shoot from 3. If he hits 3 pointers at this percentage, he is absolutely unguardable (even more than Durant). Boston basically let him shoot from deep and he was 12-22 from 3 in the 4 wins in that series and 6-22 in the 3 losses. It used to be you could treat him like Giannis - dare him to shoot outside. If you can't sag off of him, then it opens up their entire offense.

This is what the Bucks can be if Giannis can learn to shoot the 3.

Re: Bucks - I want Le'Bron & Kawhi on the team WITH Giannis - Time to kick Boston & the entire EC right in the NUTS.

Curry's ridiculous 3-pointer over Kevin Love. Oooooo....That one HAD TO hurt! I FELT IT!!

Here's all 9!

LINK

oshbaul posted:

Oakland has 17 guys wot can shoot 3s.

I'm not sure that Cleveland doesn't have as many guys that are decent 3 point shooters than the Warriors. Korver, JR Smith, and Kevin Love are all good from deep (so is LeBron in recent series). The Warriors have Durant, Curry, and Thompson (Green and Iguodala have their moments but you'll live with them shooting 3s all day). The difference is that Korver, Smith, and Love have trouble guarding anybody in space and Thompson and Durant are excellent defenders. Even Curry is not bad.

The big difference is that Curry and Durant can create their own 3 pointers off the dribble whereas Korver, Smith, Love, and Klay Thompson are catch and shoot guys.

When asked, Love said "we had good D for 23 and a half seconds".

In the first half, 3 fouls on Green (including a flop by Thompson who faked getting hit in the head) and 3 on Curry on a ridiculous overrule of a charge. 

If you are going to fix the games you have to be a little more subtle. 

By the way, as much as I get sick of Green's yapping, would LeBron have to shoot someone to get a technical? 

Kevin Durant keeps the Warriors in the game almost by himself. 24 at half. 

Curry had his arm

Hopefully he still has both arms .

Pikes Peak posted:

Curry had his arm

I thought that was after LeBron initiated the contact.

LeBron has to be hard to officiate. He gets hacked on every drive, but he also pushes off multiple times a quarter (and he's so strong a push that wouldn't move anyone else knocks guys down). 

Golden State is ahead 69-64 in a game where Klay and Steph have been terrible from the field (3-17 FG and 1-10 3 FG). 

Steph Curry 1-11 FG and Golden State is ahead.

Has an MVP level player ever played as poorly in a Finals game as Curry has tonight? 1-14, 0-9 from 3.

Um...Kevin Durant is pretty good 

Kevin Durant is an assassin.

No other Warriors player has more than 10 points

MichiganPacker2 posted:

No other Warriors player has more than 10 points

Although Curry will get some garbage time FTs

As much of an abomination as the Warriors are, I want this thing over. Durant was just ruthless out there tonight, and James can’t do anything against this defense if he can’t shoot. He has to expend too much just to score, and now he doesn’t have Kyrie to take off plays.

Hope it’s over Friday night.  

Still cant believe the NBA allowed Durant to Golden State.

Not interested in watching.  Bleh

It's all set up now. Cavaliers in 7.

Packdog posted:

Still cant believe the NBA allowed Durant to Golden State.

Not interested in watching.  Bleh

Sometimes fans forget it is still just about business decisions. 

Is it far fetched to think LBJ could end up in Suds City?  I know nothing about the money end of it, but he will want to be in the finals again.  How does he achieve that?   He is not needed in Boston, the Philly situation with the GM is a bit sketchy, would he go out west and have to go thru GS to get there?  And the money, contract situation in Cleveland is dire and it will be hard to attract players.

Milwaukee makes sense.

Packdog posted:

Still cant believe the NBA allowed Durant to Golden State.

Not interested in watching.  Bleh

Durant is almost unguardable in any situation. With the Thunder, he was a Hall of Fame level player. With the Warriors, he's absolutely unguardable. If he were on any other team you'd be running 2 or 3 guys at him to make him give up the ball no matter what. On the Warriors, Curry and Klay's defenders have to stay plastered to them. That means if you double Durant, your other defender has to play 2 guys. In crunch time, your one defender has to guard two multiple time All-Stars who are good finishers (Draymond and Igoudala).

At other times of the game, it's just D League guys, but even they look good. That's why a bunch of role players shoot 83% from the field in the Finals. In the 3 games, Livingston is 13-14 FG, McGee is 13-16, Jordan Bell is 8-11, and Looney is 4-5. Those 4 guys (3 of whom are D League material - (not Livingston)) are 38-46 from the floor and some of the misses have been wide open layups.  

Pikes Peak posted:

Is it far fetched to think LBJ could end up in Suds City?  I know nothing about the money end of it, but he will want to be in the finals again.  How does he achieve that?   He is not needed in Boston, the Philly situation with the GM is a bit sketchy, would he go out west and have to go thru GS to get there?  And the money, contract situation in Cleveland is dire and it will be hard to attract players.

Milwaukee makes sense.

Milwaukee is a good fit talent wise. What the Bucks lack the most is the Draymond Green/Igoudala type who can play tough defense and move the ball well on offense. LeBron is the best combination of that in history (plus one of the top 3 scorers in history at this point).

I think LeBron goes to the Lakers with Paul George.

Hungry5 posted:

Packdog posted:

Still cant believe the NBA allowed Durant to Golden State.

Not interested in watching.  Bleh

Sometimes fans forget it is still just about business decisions. 

Have no problem with the contract. Just the League Dilution. Prefer competitive balance more like what the NFL offers. 

Just wondering if the trade deadline has passed? (cc: @cavs) pic.twitter.com/V0Ctjk8y79

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) June 7, 2018

Green > Leuer 

Maybe Leuer is the missing piece of the puzzle the Bucks need to put them over be top 

Tschmack posted:

Green > Leuer 

Maybe Leuer is the missing piece of the puzzle the Bucks need to put them over be top 

 

He's a poor man's version of Kevin Love. I'd rather have him that Telly. He's a good backup stretch 4. 

Hungry5 posted:

Packdog posted:

Still cant believe the NBA allowed Durant to Golden State.

Not interested in watching.  Bleh

Sometimes fans forget it is still just about business decisions. 

Like the business decision where OKC traded away Harden in 2012 when he wouldn't take 4 years for 55 million instead of the 5 years and 80 million he wanted? No way Durant leaves OKC if they have Harden, Westbrook, and Ibaka. 

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/...rden-houston-rockets

GBFanForLife posted:

It's all set up now. Cavaliers in 7.

Short of the big 4 all getting seriously injured, If that happens I will never watch the NBA ever again.

Why do you watch it now?      It's really not basketball, more like WWE with a ball.

Champs!! 3 out of 4!! Impressive stuff. 

I watch because the Warriors remind me of the Harlem Globetrotters. 

.....and I can't stand ISO ball aka Houston / Cleveland & a handful of other teams.

Warriors are fun & now they are like the "dark side"

Good... it’s over. 

It just goes to show the importance of good scouting and player development - not to mention some luck in the draft. 

If Minnesota doesn’t make arguably the dumbest 1st round selections of all time going Rubio and Jonny Flynn back to back I really doubt Curry ends up with Golden State.  Golden State also nailed the Klay Thompson pick and got Draymond Green in round 2.  

Very reminiscent of the Spurs that tanked in one year- one year only- and got the best player of his generation in Duncan then Parker (like Thompson) late in round 1 and Ginobili (like Draymond) in round 2.  The Spurs parlayed those moves into 4 titles in 8 years.   They got a 5th ring later due to Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard who was the 15th overall pick in 2011. 

The Bucks nailed their one pick with Giannis in 2013 but they need to hit on another one of these picks.  I like the Brogdon selection in round 2 and Parker was a solid pick but Rashad Vaughn was forgettable, Thon Maker is wildly inconsistent, and John Henson is who he is which isn’t much.  The jury is out on DJ Wilson as well. 

Trouble in Paradise??

“Shot our to Steve Kerr for dealing with all our B.S. this year,” Warriors guard Shaun Livingston said.

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) June 9, 2018

If you remember Steve had the players actually "coach" the game vs. the Suns.