Topic: NBA Discussion

[Broad Spectrum]

Seen this on twitter regarding the incident:

https://mobile.twitter.com/nbaofficial/status/873423159424430081

[Doc Red]

3-1, again.
2 of the next 3 games away at Golden State, again.
Massive Game 5 coming up. The Warriors dare not lose that one, and the Cavs cannot under any circumstance start the game hesitant, tense, or slow.

That Game 4 back breaking 3 in the last 40 secs by Durant might well have been the difference between the Warriors choking a 2-0 lead or winning.
At least now there's some pressure on the Warriors, let's see how they manage. They've already lost 4 consecutive elimination opportunities against the Cavs.

Edit: That's 4 consecutive championship games that the Warriors had to clinch a title and they failed to do so.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Cavs will have to make another 20 plus 3's to beat the Warriors again.

[elsewhere]

Cavs will have to make another 20 plus 3's to beat the Warriors again.

And refs need to give 22 FT's in the 1st quarter

[elsewhere]

NBA Likely To Enact Set Of Guidelines On Player Rest For 17-18

Adam Silver was asked whether the NBA may put a set of rules into play to restrict teams from resting players.

The NBA's broadcast partners and fans were upset with how teams rested healthy players.

"We're not ready to go there yet," said Silver. "We had a conference call with the competition committee earlier today, and as I had said the other day, where we're heading is the adoption of a set of guidelines that will be in place for next season which will strongly recommend that the extent players are rested, they're rested at home and not rest multiple starters on the same night.

"Let's see how that plays out.

"I'm reluctant to get into the business of directing these great coaches on minutes because players are often injured during the season but not to the point where they otherwise can play but maybe shouldn't play but it's a function of league doctors versus team doctors on how healthy a player is and whether it's appropriate the player be out on the floor on that night.

"I would like to come up with a system that relies on the good faith of our teams that the extent rest is necessary and it's done in an appropriate way."

[SandyShore]

God imagine if the Warriors threw away this lead, might as well stick a fork in the franchise if that happens

Being honest though, they will close out in game 5

[lorenzo]

Nah come on King all the way.

[LFC_1981]

Hopefully Cavs keep this series going.

[GreatEx]

Checked in to see who won today, but they're not playing until Monday. Get on with it! If it goes to 7 games, it'll be an 18-day series. That's just stupidly long, it's practically a mini-season in itself.

[Shaved Crossbar]

Win tonight, and the Cavs win the series.

[lorenzo]

Win tonight, and the Cavs win the series.

[The North Bank]

Checked in to see who won today, but they're not playing until Monday. Get on with it! If it goes to 7 games, it'll be an 18-day series. That's just stupidly long, it's practically a mini-season in itself.

Woke up at 2am this morning , couldn't find the game on tv. Annoying as fuck .
Warriors will win today , handily. Cavs will need to hit another 20 three pointers to have a chance, highly unlikely.

[elsewhere]

3 hours to go. Come on Warriors, let's get a big lead early and smash them, win by 20+

[Daniel Cabbaggio]

if cavs win what night is game 6?

[elsewhere]

if cavs win what night is game 6?

Thursday night eastern time, Friday 2 am in UK.

[Sh0rty]

if when the cavs win what night is game 6?

[Doc Red]

What an epic game!
Great win by the Cavs, 3-2 and heading to Cleveland.
Dare I say, déjà vu. 

[Gods_Left_Boot]

Horrible refereeing so far. Calling an ultra tight game with some outright bogus calls really ruins the game.

[Doc Red]

Congrats to the Warriors.
Heck of a playoff run, and Durant was their closer for each of their 4 wins.
If they can keep their core intact, they'll be a formidable team to usurper.
Only team I can see even coming close gotta be the Knicks!

[elsewhere]

Well done and congrats to my Warriors and the fellow Warriors fans in here!

[Shaved Crossbar]

I don't think they're unbeatable. Cavs need an upgrade on Love - good on the boards and a decent scorer but he's the 7th best player in the matchup at best. He's a liability against both Durant and Curry, slow on switches and help D, can't create anything for himself. Can barely post up Klay Thompson ffs. 

[elsewhere]

I don't think they're unbeatable. Cavs need an upgrade on Love - good on the boards and a decent scorer but he's the 7th best player in the matchup at best. He's a liability against both Durant and Curry, slow on switches and help D, can't create anything for himself. Can barely post up Klay Thompson ffs. 

They need a better coach to begin with.

[Gods_Left_Boot]

Congrats to the Warriors. It could only end one way, unless something major got in the way. Interesting to see what the Cavs will do, as they have no cap room and limited draft assets. There have been rumours of a Love-George trade, and that could actually be a way to go, as they would add a top drawer two-way wing player while Love, albeit talented, has always been a tricky fit for them. Still, that would probably not be enough to get over the Warriors unless they also find a way to upgrade the JR/Shumpert spot, but it'll be exceedingly difficult.

[elsewhere]

Damn, only the NBA draft left until the NBA starts, will be a long wait.

As for my Warriors, i think we are in a pretty good shape, just replace Zaza with Anthony Davis and that will do it for me

Realistically though, maybe we lose Livingston and McGee. I can see teams paying for Livingston and we may not match. McGee has been good but i think because of his asthma, he can't play for over 15 mins so he won't get many offers. Expecting Livingston gone unfortunately. Thankfully Iggy is 34 so he won't get crazy offers we can't match. Iggy has been crazy good since he joined us, he was key in our 1st championship and yesterday he showed his clutch genes again with 20 points. He is much more vital to us than he can be to any other NBA team and i don't think he will be bothered to go to a lottery team for a few millions. I see Ian Clark gone as teams will pay him to be the main back up PG. We will probably draft a backup PG and a big for inside presence. A veteran like Vince Carter can be a good fit for us. Matt Barnes gone which i wouldn't mind, he's been useless. If we sign Zaza on veteran's minimum, keep him or else time for goodbye. We will probay play McCaw a lot more next year.

[elsewhere]

Last but not least, These two teams faced each other in the finals 3 years in a row now and bar injuries; unless there are some big trades, noone will be surprised if they face each other a few times more in the upcoming years. Lebron is aging but he is still playing like he is the best, Kyrie is still young and no need to tell how dominant Warriors are.

So, obviously not to a historical Celtics-Lakers extent yet but I'd say this is a new born rivalry in the NBA and we should embrace it.

[SandyShore]

Congrats to the Warriors, fully deserved NBA championship win for them

Fair play to Durant for emphatically shutting up the haters, his performance in these finals is right up their with the greatest in finals history.

Also now people know why Durant couldn't ever win a title with Westbrook, Curry's unselfish nature in allowing Durant to take over the mantle in games is why he's a far better teammate for Durant than Russ ever was.

[Doc Red]

Last but not least, These two teams faced each other in the finals 3 years in a row now and bar injuries; unless there are some big trades, noone will be surprised if they face each other a few times more in the upcoming years. Lebron is aging but he is still playing like he is the best, Kyrie is still young and no need to tell how dominant Warriors are.

So, obviously not to a historical Celtics-Lakers extent yet but I'd say this is a new born rivalry in the NBA and we should embrace it.

Why should we embrace it?
I found it boring, really put me off watching the playoffs. Never have we had two teams that were so dominant in their divisions. The Celtics and Lakers weren't facing off every Finals. In fact, the Lakers dominated the 80s with 7 Finals appearances (Celtics had 5) but they only played the Celtics 3 times in 10 seasons. Don't forget the Sixers in the East were formidable as were the Pistons towards the late 80s, and the West had the Rockets causing problems.

Last two seasons we've all been waiting for the Finals to roll in and the Cavs to play the Warriors. 3 consecutive Finals vs one another is a record, and not the sort of positive record many will enjoy (unless they're fans of either team). Unfortunately, I don't see anything changing next season unless one or both teams suffer injuries.

Yawn.

[Doc Red]

Congrats to the Warriors, fully deserved NBA championship win for them

Fair play to Durant for emphatically shutting up the haters, his performance in these finals is right up their with the greatest in finals history.

Also now people know why Durant couldn't ever win a title with Westbrook, Curry's unselfish nature in allowing Durant to take over the mantle in games is why he's a far better teammate for Durant than Russ ever was.

Give him his credit, but let's not overdue anything. Durant joined a team that won 73 games the season before, had reached 2 consecutive Finals without him, and were leading 3-1 on the verge of 2 consecutive titles before their collapse. He joined a well oiled team that was already amongst the greatest in history even before he shifted there. To dismiss it as simply "Curry's unselfish nature vs Russ's selfish nature" is the reason why Durant won a title, is to ignore the massive elephant in the room. Durant joined a better squad, a more succesful team, that was in the midst of one of the most dominant 2-3 seasons in history.

[elsewhere]

Doc,

Lakers made the finals 7 times out of 10 between 2000-2010 and won 5 of them, Heat did it 4 times in a row, Spurs were there 5 times in 12 years and won 4 of them. Noone complained about seeing those teams in the final. So what's good for the league, Lakers-Celtics have to be there to make it less boring just because they were historically best teams? Warriors won their first title just 3 years ago, Cavs won their first in their history only a year ago. If anything, i think that's good for the league. It shows the other teams that if you draft well (Curry,Green,Klay or Lebron,Kyrie) and add one piece (Durant/Love), you have a shot at this. I think it's encouraging for other teams and good for the league that there are new teams that are relevant.

Regardless, you found it boring and it's your right but each year TV ratings got better, so maybe it is working.

[Shaved Crossbar]

Congrats to the Warriors. It could only end one way, unless something major got in the way. Interesting to see what the Cavs will do, as they have no cap room and limited draft assets. There have been rumours of a Love-George trade, and that could actually be a way to go, as they would add a top drawer two-way wing player while Love, albeit talented, has always been a tricky fit for them. Still, that would probably not be enough to get over the Warriors unless they also find a way to upgrade the JR/Shumpert spot, but it'll be exceedingly difficult.

I think PG13 gets them over the Dubs. Good spot up shooter, good playmaker, creates his own, and close to All-NBA defence. Cavs would need to look for a centre that's better on the boards, maybe that's Bogut.

The Cavs' entire roster needs to be built around this one series. I can't think of many players better at guarding KD and Curry in one game.

[Ray K]

Downtown Josh Brown‏  @ReformedBroker
NBA champion Warriors skipping the White House visit, as a unanimous team decision per reports.

[Doc Red]

Doc,

Lakers made the finals 7 times out of 10 between 2000-2010 and won 5 of them, Heat did it 4 times in a row, Spurs were there 5 times in 12 years and won 4 of them. Noone complained about seeing those teams in the final. So what's good for the league, Lakers-Celtics have to be there to make it less boring just because they were historically best teams? Warriors won their first title just 3 years ago, Cavs won their first in their history only a year ago. If anything, i think that's good for the league. It shows the other teams that if you draft well (Curry,Green,Klay or Lebron,Kyrie) and add one piece (Durant/Love), you have a shot at this. I think it's encouraging for other teams and good for the league that there are new teams that are relevant.

Regardless, you found it boring and it's your right but each year TV ratings got better, so maybe it is working.

You're misunderstanding my point. One team making the Finals "X" amount of times isn't my issue. It's two teams making it "X" amount of times that's my issue. Especially 3 consecutive and by all acounts possibly even 4. That's what makes it boring in my eyes. The 80s was exciting because even though the Lakers made it to many Finals, they lost to 3 different teams in the Finals and only faced the Celtics 3 times in 10 years (when both were in their dominant or 2nd most dominant eras). We look back and tend to talk about the Celtics and Lakers, but the Celtics and Sixers had a heated rivalry, as did the Celtics and Pistons, and Pistons and Lakers.

I can't see any team beyond the Spurs making headway against the Cavs and Warriors. That shouldn't be taken as a criticism of those two (or three) teams, but rather at the abject level of team management overseeing the other teams in the NBA. I'm bored because it seems only 5 teams or so are actively recruiting, building, and drafting, with a blueprint that makes sense. The rest seem to be there to make up the numbers.

As you pointed out, the Warriors and Cavs didn't cheat, swindle, or hoodwink, their way to building their teams. Smart moves, with the obvious dose of luck.
In the meantime in New York, the aim is to make the playoffs once every decade.

[trimore]

Give him his credit, but let's not overdue anything. Durant joined a team that won 73 games the season before, had reached 2 consecutive Finals without him, and were leading 3-1 on the verge of 2 consecutive titles before their collapse. He joined a well oiled team that was already amongst the greatest in history even before he shifted there. To dismiss it as simply "Curry's unselfish nature vs Russ's selfish nature" is the reason why Durant won a title, is to ignore the massive elephant in the room. Durant joined a better squad, a more succesful team, that was in the midst of one of the most dominant 2-3 seasons in history.

I think you are dismissing just how good the Cavs are when everyone is healthy and firing. JR, Love, Kyrie and Lebron and posibly the GM doing a better job at filling out the bench could have easily won this year and the next three years after this year if KD never went to GSW. Plus GSW would have been stuck with Harrison Barnes and a severly deteriating Bogut. And Draymond would have been in even worse foul trouble than he already was this year having to do extra defending. That's if they would have gotten by OKC or the Spurs, the latter I have no doubt will provide them some trouble over the coming years.

We are just trading one uncompetitive dynasty for another.

I can see why people find it boring, but when you have easily a top two all time player like Lebron willing to team up with other stars then this outcome was inevitable. There is no one to blame or get angry at, just the way it is. It'll pass eventually.

Anyways congrats to the Warriors. While enjoy competative series I also take some pleasure from a team striking a killer blow as vicious as the Warriors signing KD and everyone performing to expectations. And obviously I'm a Raps fan and have no natural beef with GSW helps a lot in that area.

[Gerry Attrick]

As a Raps fan I didn't really give a shit which team won the finals, I didn't see any of the games and haven't really read about them either. Congrats to the Warriors but I'm looking forward to a time when more than 2 teams can actually compete to win it all again.

[elsewhere]

As a Raps fan I didn't really give a shit which team won the finals, I didn't see any of the games and haven't really read about them either. Congrats to the Warriors but I'm looking forward to a time when more than 2 teams can actually compete to win it all again.

You could've drafted Klay instead of Valenciunas and obviously also Draymond 2 years later and be in the finals

[elsewhere]

In the post game interview, a reporter asked Lebron a question about " if he is fan of the concept of super teams", Lebron immediately shut down by saying he doesn't believe he ever played for a super team.

Come on LeBron, Wade and you were Top 5 players and Bosh was arguably best PF and top 10 player in the league, and why did you predict not 1, not 2, not 3 etc titles? I'd love to take his words as "I never had a team as strong as Warriors' " but he is getting roasted now for that interview.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

To me I dont see how its boring when there is quality basketball on display.

[The North Bank]

I actually really enjoyed the play offs, the only sad part was the injury to  kawhi Leonard when the spurs were on top against warriors, I think that series could have been more interesting had he stayed fit. He is a young player who will get better and possibly become the best player in the league. Cavs are not going anywhere either, they do need to do something about their defence which is non existent, even rubbish teams regularly get over 100 points against them.
Warriors play great basketball, some of their assists this season have been amazing, Durant is a scoring machine and Curry is a magician.
How do transfers work in the NBA, its a draft system, then there are trades, no fees change hands right? so how is it possible that so much of talent ends up in one team. Do all teams spend the same on wages or is it related to income? It used to be the Lakers back in the day, then Miami, now Golden state.

[elsewhere]

I actually really enjoyed the play offs, the only sad part was the injury to  kawhi Leonard when the spurs were on top against warriors, I think that series could have been more interesting had he stayed fit. He is a young player who will get better and possibly become the best player in the league. Cavs are not going anywhere either, they do need to do something about their defence which is non existent, even rubbish teams regularly get over 100 points against them.
Warriors play great basketball, some of their assists this season have been amazing, Durant is a scoring machine and Curry is a magician.
How do transfers work in the NBA, its a draft system, then there are trades, no fees change hands right? so how is it possible that so much of talent ends up in one team. Do all teams spend the same on wages or is it related to income? It used to be the Lakers back in the day, then Miami, now Golden state.

Currently 3 of the 4 best players of both Warriors and Cavs ( teams who made the finals last 3 years) is through drafting.

Warriors drafted Curry, Klay and Green; signed Durant in offseason. Cavs drafted Lebron, Kyrie and Tristan Thompson and got Kevin Love from a trade (gave away their 2014 #1 pick). So, good recruiting can do miracles in this league imo.

[Kopenhagen]

As a Raps fan I didn't really give a shit which team won the finals, I didn't see any of the games and haven't really read about them either. Congrats to the Warriors but I'm looking forward to a time when more than 2 teams can actually compete to win it all again.

Same. It's really awful.