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NBA 2017 Playoffs |OT| WE DID IT

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Surfinn

Member
The main problem with this year's playoffs is not just because of Cavs and Warriors dominance, it's because just about every playoff team underwhelmed. You had the favorite to win MVP in Westbrook, and yet he only had 1 playoff win to show for. Harden, another MVP candidate, bailed out in an elimination game. Washington, who was boasting they can beat the Cavs, was destroyed by Olynyk of all people. And then you have Aldridge, a supposed to be superstar to carry the Spurs in the absence of Kawhi, looking like Javale's b*tch.
It seriously felt like everybody just stopped trying once we hit playoffs. Like they all just ran out of gas and were going through the motions. Aside from maybe like one series?

I dunno. Deflated is the word I would use. Teams are coming and going with a whimper, not a bang
 
Don't know if many of you caught the post game discussion last night, but when one of the ESPN talking heads (don't know his name) was talking about the league disparity with these super teams, Wilbon and Rose surprisingly went off on how the current league disparity that seems to be a hot topic is actually quite normal throughout league history. They cited the early Celtics dominance, 80s Celtics and Lakers, MJ Bulls, Shaq and Kobe Lakers, Timmy Spurs, etc.. The other dude was momentarily stunned and asked, "Well then why are we just discussing this now?!" Lol
 

Line_HTX

Member
Kawhi is "likely out" for Game 4.

Welp, it will be double 12-0's. We should've been there. Jesus, fuck no-shows, and fuck that fraudulent shit Lamarcus Fraudridge for not playing the post again. Piece of shit dead weight.
 

Teletraan1

Banned
The entire Eastern conference is a disgrace, its time conference seeding ended.

Only the matchups would have changed. The actual teams which made the postseason would be the same. Don't understand the complaint. One conference has like 2, maybe 3 teams with a realistic shot of winning, the other has one atm. The league's systemic problems concerning competition go a lot further than conference seeding.
 

maxxpower

Member
Maybe we shouldn't be blaming the Cavs and Dubs but rather the other playoff teams. They haven't been able to compete, not even one fucking game. I do believe that if Kawhi wasn't injured they could have beaten GS.
 
Only the matchups would have changed. The actual teams which made the postseason would be the same. Don't understand the complaint. One conference has like 2, maybe 3 teams with a realistic shot of winning, the other has one atm. The league's systemic problems concerning competition go a lot further than conference seeding.

Yup. Look at the wcfs you got the top two teams record wise and one team is about to sweep the other. So im not sure how getting rid of conferences would have made the playoffs better this year.
 
Maybe we shouldn't be blaming the Cavs and Dubs but rather the other playoff teams. They haven't been able to compete, not even one fucking game. I do believe that if Kawhi wasn't injured they could have beaten GS.

Aside from getting lucky through the draft talent wise, teams do have some of the blame. No one wants to open their wallet but they want to win rings. But I guess the Nets proved why that wasn't a good idea either. Then again, they were just stupid and bought corpses instead of players within or coming into their prime.

I guess you could look at Portland as a bad example too. Their pretty much maxed and over luxury and they were barely an 8th seed.
 

Jarmel

Banned
I don't think there's any way he leaves. Any team he would go to would just be a significant downgrade in talent.

Not to mention he's playing at his peak with the Warriors. He's moving around a lot more and is just more efficient. There's zero reason for him to leave other than money issues.
 

mashoutposse

Ante Up
The classiest organization in sports, everyone: https://streamable.com/ahogr

This is what 'intentional' looks like.

I'd rather have entertaining basketball for the first month and a half of the playoffs and a crappy two weeks of the Finals than the opposite. We had 19 amazing playoff games last year. This year we MIGHT get 8 if the Finals are as good as they were last year.

Whaaaaaat

The only way someone can get behind this is if they don't like basketball one bit or are one of those guys who remembers the nba when the finals start. Nothing is worth what we've been through. This shit has been atrocious. It can't be good for business. If anything I hope this shit stain allows to some changes in the future. The nba thrived throughout the world like no other US-sports-league cause of it's spectacle and competitive diversity. I know we bitch that the parity of the league has always been fucked up cause the same teams win over and over but a lot of that results on the specificity of the sport and how "easy" it is to dominate a 5-man lineup. But it was always competitive, with great series and different franchises. You have fans of most franchises and players all over the world. The league somewhat creating a deadweight called post-season is unimaginable. I haven't talked or read a nba fan who isn't pissed with what's happening. And you can't blame it all on the stupidity of Zaza.

What if the warriors sweep the cavs

Would this be the worst postseason ever

I agree that, up until this point, this is been a historically 'bad' postseason given that we have never seen two teams move this objectively quickly and easily through their respective conferences. While it has removed much of the suspense of those rounds, it has increased it for the most important round. This is a 'quality over quantity' year.

If you're a pure basketball fan, this is your ultimate matchup.

A sweep in the Finals will not automatically make it a bad series. If the games are close, there will still be the suspense of whether the Cavs/Warriors will make it to a historic 16-0.
 
Cavs have faced no opposition since the 1st round.
It's basically been Globetrotting exhibition games since the 1st series w/ the Pacers.

The Raptors bent over an spread cheeks as soon as the Cavs showed up.
and the Celtics fell to their knees and opened wide as soon as Lebron approached them.

Warriors will not be doing any of that. It will actually be a competitive series, and I think the Cavs may be caught off guard when they not only get defended, but need to actually defend too. Dubs ain't missing from all these wide open looks everyone else is getting.
The raptors were a fucking disgrace.
 

Servbot24

Banned
It's hard to tell if the Cavs are amazing or the competition is horrible. At this point though Cavs are the only ones who look great. Even GSW is playing really sloppy.
 
If you're not a fan of either team you should probably hope that the Cavs beat the Warriors. That way, it's more likely one of them like Durant leaves, even if its still a pretty low chance...
I'm not a fan of either of them and I hope the Cavs get swept. Maybe Lebron will dump Cleveland again in search of his next dream team.
 

Anth0ny

Member
Golden State has: Durant, Draymond, Iggy AND Lebron's old coach.

If any team can even remotely slow down Lebron, it's these Warriors lol.








but they won't
 

yuraya

Member
Golden State has: Durant, Draymond, Iggy AND Lebron's old coach.

If any team can even remotely slow down Lebron, it's these Warriors lol.








but they won't

You don't need to slow him down to beat the cavs. You just have to disrupt and lock him down a tad bit so that he isn't efficient at getting his teammates involved when it really matters. Which is what Iguodala and Leonard did in recent finals. Which is why they both won finals mvp.
 

Tall4Life

Member
@CGaf, I saw that Yabusele signed with the Maine Red Claws at the end of March this year. Does that mean he most likely won't be coming in for us for the next season?
 

Bread

Banned
@CGaf, I saw that Yabusele signed with the Maine Red Claws at the end of March this year. Does that mean he most likely won't be coming in for us for the next season?
no that's our d-league team, that means he's back in the US and ready to join the team when we need him/when he's ready.
 

Joei

Member
You don't need to slow him down to beat the cavs. You just have to disrupt and lock him down a tad bit so that he isn't efficient at getting his teammates involved when it really matters. Which is what Iguodala and Leonard did in recent finals. Which is why they both won finals mvp.

Given their health, this team is better than the 2014 and 2015 teams he took to the finals. If Cavs are knocking down their shots, it's going to be incredibly difficult to stop him or slow him down.
 

Tall4Life

Member
no that's our d-league team, that means he's back in the US and ready to join the team when we need him/when he's ready.
Oh ok, thank you. I know they were our D-League team, but I didn't know if that meant that he was locked in with them for a bit or if that meant the Celtics can grab him anytime, thanks dude
 

Bread

Banned
Oh ok, thank you. I know they were our D-League team, but I didn't know if that meant that he was locked in with them for a bit or if that meant the Celtics can grab him anytime, thanks dude
Ahh I gotcha. Yeah we can call up guys from Maine whenever. He'll get burn on the summer league team and probably preseason but i doubt he's getting regular season minutes off the bat.
 

Sulik2

Member
So if they both sweep will the NBA be smart and move up the finals start? It feels like both teams having to sit for 9 days would be a great way to have both teams fall completely out of rhythm. They would get healthy though.
 

Bread

Banned
So if they both sweep will the NBA be smart and move up the finals start? It feels like both teams having to sit for 9 days would be a great way to have both teams fall completely out of rhythm. They would get healthy though.
This shit gets scheduled like a year in advance, they can't do that.
 
If KD can't beat LeBron on this Warriors squad, what chance does he have joining another team?



60Kmj58h.jpg
 
Not a fan of either team. But I do like Curry and Thompson. I look at the cavs roster and there's no one I like to root for. Personally wouldn't mind the Warriors to sweep them.
 
I just spent some time on both the Cavs' and Warriors' SB Nation blogs. It's interesting seeing the way both fanbases are confidant going into the Finals, but there's an underlying sense of respect and fear for the opposition.

Go Cavs, screw GSW lol
 
I thought Warriors were the strongest team but the Cavs are looking better and hungrier.

Don't mistake looking bored for being worse. After last nights game, the warriors were not smiling as they walked back, they looked bored. They don't even have to play well, and they are throttling SA.

They will not be bored during the finals. They will be fully engaged.
 

Umbooki

Member
If someone has to win out, let it be LeBron and the Cavs. We'll be one step closer to Broken KD and more basketball fuckery.

The GOAT discussion between LeBron stans, Kobe stans, and MJ stans won't hurt, either. 🤔
 

mashoutposse

Ante Up
Don't mistake looking bored for being worse. After last nights game, the warriors were not smiling as they walked back, they looked bored. They don't even have to play well, and they are throttling SA.

They will not be bored during the finals. They will be fully engaged.

Right.

I do expect them to come out ready to put this one away on Monday.
 
What's the line tonight? Cav by 17? Feels weird. Hopefully everything goes fine and everyone on both teams leaves uninjured. I know LeBron is gonna try to get those records tonight. Hopefully the game is in hand and the core players can sit for Q4.
 
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