He's basically the definition of average.
GM Bron giving him a max this summer tho.
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2015 NBA Finals |OT| the deli is closed
- Thread starter UnObtainium17
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GM Bron giving him a max this summer tho.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Why is it a fear if it's true? If Kyrie is out and Love is already out, you don't consider that a banged up team? You wouldn't be putting an asterisk on the Cavs if Golden State had the same level of injuries? Come on.
Jag
Member
I'm the same. Don't deny the King's greatness and I love to watch it. But fuck the Cavs.
Vicetrailia
Banned
I think that GS will 4-1 this series. GS has too many weapons. Curry can check out and they'll still win, especially since Love is gone and Kyrie won't last.
I do love Curry's skillset with those handles and shot, he's just unstoppable if he chooses to be.
I do love Curry's skillset with those handles and shot, he's just unstoppable if he chooses to be.
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I think the Cavs had their best chance for a win last night, with Kyrie still being somewhat functional. Now, he's totally injured and even more of a liability on defense if he gets back out there. And I don't expect GS to have too many more slow starts like the ones they had last night.
If the series is 2-0 by the end of Sunday night I give the cavs 0 chance to avoid a sweep.
If the series is 2-0 by the end of Sunday night I give the cavs 0 chance to avoid a sweep.
The Last Wizard
Member
Same, I've no qualms with lebron anymore. But fuck Cleveland, they shitted on him for leaving then he comes back and they act like they didn't make a fool of themselves. Not to mention the owner acting like a fucking child with that letter. They basically had the east handed to them in a silver platter this season.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
Golden state's defense is perfect. They just need to get their offense back on track to make it even more effective. Their offense has to force Lebron to chuck shots to get them out of a deep hole. He can back down and run time off the shot clock all day if its a tight 5 point game or he's up by a few points.
You want the Lebron from OT who jacks up 3s.
You want the Lebron from OT who jacks up 3s.
bigmit3737
Member
I think Kerr also told his players to reach in when Harden starts dribbling and that's how they were able to get a lot of steals in the last game against the Rockets. He seems legit .
I thought Shumpeet should have taken more shots. He was hitting his early threes but the he just stopped shooting . I would like to see more of feeding the ball to the Clevand center and see what he can do in the post.
diffusionx
Gold Member
I don't think this really happens. Golden State can only beat the the teams in front of them, that banged up Cavs team still beat a more-or-less healthy Bulls team and well, whatever the Hawks were. Yes champion teams get breaks but that happens every year. Remember when the Bulls looked like a steamroller and then Rose's knee blew up? That sort of thing. No asterisks.
ryutaro's mama
Member
I'm still salty we had an injured Ariza and Bynum in 2008 vs. the Czzz and had to have Luke Walton and Vlad Rad trying to guard Wheelchair Pierce.
Jag
Member
That's the tradeoff when your star hits 40+ points, less touches for the outside shooters. Pick which poison you can live with and leaving it with Lebron to shoot works more often than not.
Calling it, Lebron will have his headband on next game.
Will tie the game 1-1.
Will accept being a shitlord if wrong (on both counts)
at least we can stop hearing about how the cavs are going to storm in and take the first game.
i thought the cavs would take 1 game, but maybe it was the first game. they just couldn't though. the warriors are too good. I'm going sweep. Warriors in 4.
sooperkool
Member
I don't know how they afford it.
It's the Russell Westbrook with no Durant game plan. Let the guy dominant the offense for three and half quarters, pressure him defensively but focus on keeping his outlets out of the game. Exerting all his energy scoring and trying to be the hero, leaving his teammates out of rhythm and tuned out when they are suddenly needed late in the game because their star is gassed. That or the gassed star still tries to win but his shots begin to fall short and he can't out shoot the other team any more.
It took til overtime in game 1 for it to fully materialize but I can't see Lebron having 38 attempts on 47% the rest of the series.
With all that said GS really should of kept that shit to themselves. Sure the Cavs probably speculated but now it's bulletein board material for the rest of the time feeling slighted.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
40 points...only 6 assists.
Warriors will take that all day.
Warriors will take that all day.
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The issue with spreading the touches is that GSW is best defensively when the ball is moving. It nets them more steals which leads to more fast breaks. So iso ball is actually a decent strategy, to slow them down and reduce your risks offensively.
The only thing is that with Kyrie appearing to be out, JR reverting back to his mean, well, Lebron can't be the entirety of your offense. And Lebron seemed gassed when OT came around while those young upstarts on the Ws side looked like they were just starting a pickup game at the park. They'll take Lebron scoring 50-60 points if that means the rest of the offense is nonexistent.
The only thing is that with Kyrie appearing to be out, JR reverting back to his mean, well, Lebron can't be the entirety of your offense. And Lebron seemed gassed when OT came around while those young upstarts on the Ws side looked like they were just starting a pickup game at the park. They'll take Lebron scoring 50-60 points if that means the rest of the offense is nonexistent.
As a warriors fan, don't matter what other people think if it's asterisked or not. If they win it, they beat everybody fair and square. They didn't cheat or do anything like that.
Not sure why the warriors don't pressure LeBron when he walks the ball up the floor. Make him work and delay getting into what constitutes an offense for them for another 4-5 seconds. If the Cavs want him to do everything I'd make him pay for it every step of the way.
I don't know. For whatever reason(I could probably narrow many down to people still thinking high paced, guard dominated, jump shooting teams can't win it all) people are reluctant to crown GS. Up until last night you still had people basically calling them frauds, about to get exposed. For those people( more people then should exist) I think it will just shift to a new narrative of GS being a flash in the pan team or lucking into a championship.
Whatever they did last night worked perfectly.
They made him into a jump shooter into most of the game. He made a lot of them last night but you are ok as a defender if he beats you that way. He was not getting into the paint and wrecking havoc the way he normally does.
Hope Irving is healthy. I wanted to see what Blatt was made of. As much as people shit on him I think he did a pretty good job with the Cavs in the playoffs considering all of their injuries. I still think Kerr is a better coach but if Irving is out we won't get to really see much of that.
Huh? They aren't gambling here...they are making a calculated choice. Lebron (as amazing as he is) can't win a championship by himself and he is NOT going to outscore the team with the better offense over (7) games.
Consider the fact that he scored 44 points yesterday and that still wasn't enough...and now Irving is down. LOL.
Lionel Richie
Member
0 offensive boards, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 38 shots, 60% from the line. Despite the scoring they managed to make Lebron less of a thread. Terrific job by Kerr.
sooperkool
Member
If you pressure him with a single player then he outlets or charges up the court. if you double him in the backcourt he's a great passer and it will take the ball out of his hands. You want him walking it up and facing a set defense so he pounds the rock until late in the clock and then tries to back his man down.
As i have been saying since before the game, thats the plan.
Red Blaster
Member
that was a very kobe-esque performance from lebron
i expect better from him
i expect better from him
Light pressure just means more mental and physical work he has to do as well without compromising your defense at all. If he outlets and sprints that is more work he has to do. This will also give them less time to run their iso sets when they do get down to the other end. Warriors should make them pay every step of the way if they want to play hero ball.
Shmeagatory94
Member
I've actually met him since he is from St. Pete Florida (which is where I am from
). He came with some friends and was pretty quiet. He came to LA Fitness to play basketball and I played on his team and goddamn he dominated, which is not that surprising since he is an NBA player but still, he was hitting pull-up 3's and jumpers, and did a few dunks off spin moves lolKobe would score 100 points if teams sagged off of him the way they do against Lebron.
They are different players and teams defend them differently. When you play Kobe your goal was to get the ball out of his hand and to live with bad shots (double or triple teamed in a bad spot, etc). With Lebron you want to keep him out of the paint so he can't pick your defense apart with passes to guys wide open for 3s. Teams were happy when Kobe passed the ball and get killed when Lebron passes it.
The game is also a lot different now than it was when Kobe played (for most of his prime). Before the Nash Suns no one really played like that (drive and dish for the wide open 3).
MushroomSamba
Member
If they play a man on him up tight full-court, he's just gonna blow by and break down the D. Ends in a dish to open shooter if someone else jumps in or a trip to the FT line. If they send another man up court to help, that leaves the rest of the D exposed for Bron to pass, which is the opposite of making him expend energy and plays into his style.
Having him walk up the court and hold the ball is the ideal scenario. Give him a bit of space to prevent the drive. Allow him the jump shot if he wants...Ws will take a jumpshooting contest with him all day, every day. The only concern is if he decides to work his post up game.
That's equally taxing for the defender and likely just messes with defensive assignments. Also leads to lots of cheap fouls. There's a reason you very rarely see full court press in the NBA.
With the current Cavs team you can live with that.
It is a lot easier to defend Bron on the block in the post than it is when he is in the paint going to the rim. Especially if you can get Lebron to post up late in the shot clock.
I still think the Cavs are one year away. Next year if they get a bench and can find some shooters who can play D to surround Lebron and Kyrie they will be one of the best teams in the league. I also see a big leap for OKC assuming Durant can come back 100%. They stuck with their stupid coach for way too long.
sti4thewin
Member
Great game last night but to me this series seems like a sweep is coming from warriors. I think they will adjust and come out doubling LeBron and do anything to get the ball out of his hands. And it doesn't look good for kyrie at all.
It would really change the legacy of LeBron if he can pull out and win this series with this team.
It would really change the legacy of LeBron if he can pull out and win this series with this team.
There are never asterisks when people talk about past championships, they only remember the W's & L's. Also, the reason Warriors are not as hurt as many of the teams is because of more balanced minutes throughout the year. Giving players rest helps prevents injuries....except for those freak ones. This healthy team is just a reflection of great coaching.
Kobe would've went down firing in OT
MushroomSamba
Member
Yep, just saying that would be LeBron's most effective move if he's put in that situation. Still don't think it'd be enough to beat the Warriors though.
Kinda disagree on the second part though...I think they actually had a better shot this year than they will next year. I suspect KLove will go elsewhere, they'll end up overpaying for TT, and the Cavs have historically been awful finding pieces to play with LeBron through FA. And sad to say, it looks like a season with injured Kyrie is more likely than a season with healthy Kyrie. That duo is lethal when they're both on the floor, but the Cavs will need to get lucky for that to happen for extended period of time.
EDIT: Not to mention that I think the East will also be better overall next year as well. It's not like they can get any worse at this point.
FallingEdge
Member
ryutaro's mama
Member
2009 still got you all mad faces.
Don't worry...Dwight is still a champion then and now.
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Kobe is one of the least clutch players to be deemed a clutch player
Lebron has been the best clutch playoff player for almost a decade
of course, no one makes those shots 100% of the time. but cmon now, Kobe ain't all that.
Nah - he would just chuck no matter what.
If the warriors defensive scheme is so obvious now, I wonder what kind of adjustment the cavs will bring in game 2
ryutaro's mama
Member
Dellavadova will try and "play harder".
MushroomSamba
Member
Pray that JR is on the positive side of the standard deviation rather than the negative.
I'm not sure they have to do that much different. They just have to shoot a little better. I do expect we'll see a little more LeBron off the ball and more Kyrie based PnRs.
I wouldn't be shocked to see them go small and play LeBron at the 4, taking Thompson off the floor for a few minutes to get another shooter in there.
Haha. Mozgov had a decent game though. If they can figure out something with him there could be a threat.
Lol Kyrie is playing ?
ryutaro's mama
Member
The problem for Cleveland is, I doubt the Warriors will play as shitty as they did to start the 1st quarter again in this series and miss as many bunnies as they did. This was, IMO, Cleveland's best chance to steal one.
Using stats of old Kobe versus Lebron is a great way to start an honest debate.
Also, with the game on the line in OT Lebron deferred to that robot they got from Russia how many times instead of going out firing when his team needed him? That preserves his SG% and helps make for retarded stat arguments like this!
The truth is that unless you win you can never win when you are a superstar like Lebron or Kobe. If you pass and the scrub misses than you were afraid. If you shoot and you miss it than you are selfish.
That's really all it boils down to a lot of the time. If Kyrie or J.R. make a couple of those good open looks they got in the 4th, they probably win - particularly the one with 3:30 or so where JR missed a great look from the corner on a great set, leading to Curry's go ahead jumper.
ryutaro's mama
Member
Those 2004-05 through 2006-07 rosters Kobe was on were brutal. I wasn't shocked dude was having all those 50 point games. Forget Smush and Kwamers...the entire teams were garbage.
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if you go back to 2000, he's still a below average clutch shooter.
people just tend to remember the ones he made and forget the ones he missed, for whatever reason. Regardless, i just wanted let the air out of the argument that lebron's miss would've been Kobe's make. at Kobe's best, he's about as good as Lebron is when it comes to clutch shots.
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