• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

NBA Finals 2016 |OT| - The King demands seconds. The Chef delivers.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Definitely cements James' legacy. He played his ass off and was insane in the last 3 games. Irving was also fantastic and Love showed up to play, doing the dirty work as opposed to jacking up threes. Also goes to show you how valuable those secondary players are. Draymond showed up today and kept GSW in the game, honestly. It shows how much of a loss Irving/Love were last year and Delavadova, while a terrier and tenacious player, is no Kyrie. I don't thiink MJ would have ever won 6 if Pippen and Rodman/Grant were hurt for the whole finals like Irving/Love were last year.

Lebron has been playing in the NBA since he was 18 years old. Constantly having deep playoff runs and NEVER missing games.

That dude has logged an awful lot of minutes, what we just saw these past two weeks, we may never see again. He's an insane physical specimen, but still human. Don't get me wrong, he can be a really good player for a long time, because he is so damn smart and has great vision and court awareness, but putting a team on his back like he just did? I'm not sure how many of those he has left.

If he wants to go chill with Melo, Wade, and Paul on some lucky team for a few years, I say go for it.

He should take the summer off and skip Rio. He already has two golds
and one bronze
medals.
 

jimdoha

Neo Member
i was downtown in cleveland tonight. the place was bananas til like 3 and then it was just mildly insane. took my dad to see his first title since he was six. fun night guys

go cavs
 
Okay my last post (i think).

Almost as good as watching this live is reading every post this thread starting from 19,000.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1226092&page=190 (100ppp)


I felt everyone's emotions, and Sushi's GIFs made it all so much more entertaining (thank you for your continued work, Sushi).

I leave with the most appropriate GIF I can find:

pOHFkGP.gif


Because that's what he looked like to me in Games 5, 6 and 7.

Cheers all. Grats on a great year to all the GSW fans that aren't douchebags (that means you, Bam). Grats again to the rest of CAVS-GAF. I still can't believe it and am half way avoiding going to sleep for fear of finding out I'm dreaming. We did it, against all odds. WHEW. Catch some of you at the parade.
3AQmK.gif
 

Sandfox

Member
Proven talent, especially of Kevin Love's level (admittedly pre-cavs) is worth more than a pick. Especially when the only good Number 2 picks in the last 20 years have been Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge. Looking at the list of #2 picks I don't even know half of them and the rest have been busts.

No team is going to give up the #2 pick for Kevin Love just because past teams didn't have much luck at the spot.
 

pislit

Member
Love will not get traded. LOL. They'll stick to this team and find another veteran ringchaser that will channel the Richard Jeffersons, PJ Browns, of the universe.
 

Mortemis

Banned
Game 7 truly was incredible. All I asked for was a game that comes down to the wire and maybe LeBron winning, and I got all of that and more.

Crazy series.

btw, RIP Bam Bam. Your hot takes and hostileness will not be missed.
 
No team is going to give up the #2 pick for Kevin Love just because past teams didn't have much luck at the spot.

We get two picks back, the Knicks one might be valuable. I only do the trade if the Knicks give up an almost unprotected (maybe top 3-5) near future first round pick.
 

Forceatowulf

G***n S**n*bi
LeBron is legit. I've disliked this dude for years (still do) because he's a stat padding, flopping, cry baby who gets rammed down our throats by the media as the second coming of Jesus.

But... he is undeniably an amazing athlete and talent. He earned this series and deserves every piece of praise he will receive for winning it till the day he dies.

Congratulations to the city of Cleveland and their fans as well. Enjoy it!
 

pislit

Member
In terms of degree of difficulty in a championship run, which teams had it the most difficult road to NBA championship,

1995 Houston Rockets
2004 Detroit Pistons
2011 Dallas Mavericks
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers

I give at a tie between Dallas and Cavs.
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
In terms of degree of difficulty in a championship run, which teams had it the most difficult road to NBA championship,

1995 Houston Rockets
2004 Detroit Pistons
2011 Dallas Mavericks
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers

I give at a tie between Dallas and Cavs.

Not the cavs - they sleepwalked to the finals.
 

overcast

Member
Incredible game to see live. I've always liked Lebron and been a pretty big defender of him despite his mistakes. Seeing him win this chip makes me really happy cause it further proves what I've known since he's been in the league, he is a once in a generation type talent.

Being that I'm 23 and have been a huge fan of basketball since the early childhood Kobe and Lebron were the two growing up. Always liked Lebron just a bit more. I had to talk shit to everyone seeing as I'm from LA.

Also it's nice to see Klay being shut the fuck down by Lebron after saying its a mans game.
 

Forceatowulf

G***n S**n*bi
In terms of degree of difficulty in a championship run, which teams had it the most difficult road to NBA championship,

1995 Houston Rockets
2004 Detroit Pistons
2011 Dallas Mavericks
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers

I give at a tie between Dallas and Cavs.

LOL

Most difficult road... the Cavs? They literally faced one good team and one great one out of the 4 teams they had to face. That's a mildly difficult road at best...
 

pislit

Member
LOL

Most difficult road... the Cavs? They literally faced one good team and one great one out of the 4 teams they had to face. That's a mildly difficult road at best...

Being down 3-1 against a 73-9 team dubbed as the best team in the history of NBA does not count for anything?

Edit: Also the pressure of winning a championship for a city having a 50-year drought is totally immense. These players are still human too.
 
Being down 3-1 against a 73-9 team dubbed as the best team in the history of NBA does not count for anything?

Edit: Also the pressure of winning a championship for a city having a 50-year drought is totally immense. These players are still human too.

Plus he carried JR Smith and Shumpert to a championship, which still blows my mind. He won with fuckball.
 
I thought I'd be K.O at work (watched from germany, so 2 am to 5 am for me) but this was such an exciting match I'm still having energy
and some Monster helps out just in case
, glad I stayed up to see this historic match.
 
LeBron is legit. I've disliked this dude for years (still do) because he's a stat padding, flopping, cry baby who gets rammed down our throats by the media as the second coming of Jesus.

But... he is undeniably an amazing athlete and talent. He earned this series and deserves every piece of praise he will receive for winning it till the day he dies.

Congratulations to the city of Cleveland and their fans as well. Enjoy it!

This.

Also now that this thread has slowed down, I wanted to formally congratulate K.Jack, Dreams-Vision, and the rest of the old school Cavs-age. The guys who were around during Lebron's first run with the Cavs and stuck with the Cavs even when Bron Bron took his talents to South Beach. I still can't stand Lebron but I'm glad this moment finally came for you guys. You guys can't be accused of being fairweather Lebron fans, you guys are legit Cavs fans, so congrats.

As a Lebron-hater and observer all these years, there's one thing I've noticed. Lebron plays much more relaxed when he is in the underdog position. 8 times out of 10 when his team is the favorite or it's an even series, he plays a bit tentative and nervous, and tends to over defer if there is a bump in the road. But put him in the underdog position (while still having a plausible chance) that's often when he shines.

The last three games were a perfect storm for Lebron. The last three games he was essentially playing with house-money. There were no more expectations on him. No team had come back from 3-1 deficit, nevermind not having home court advantage. You could tell GSW had already planned the parade and were no longer as dialed in. Lebron came out with a monster game in game 5 with nothing to lose. Repeat for game 6. By game 7 now the pressure is on Curry while Lebron still is in the underdog position with nothing to lose. Win game 7, great. Lose game 7, oh well, no one has come back from a 3-1 deficit anyway. Again, perfect storm for Lebron while Curry just completely collapsed under the pressure. Also Lebron had enough help around him to help take him over the finish line. The 3 by Irvine was legendary.

Though it was the chase down block Lebron did that won the game. With that play, he finally displayed a hint of that killer-instinct that many of us said he lacked, which guys like MJ, Kobe, Bird, and Magic had in spades. Lebron could smell blood and didn't want the opportunity to slip away to make history.

That said, the Cavs were leading most of the 4th quarter and especially the final two minutes. I really believe if GSW managed to take a 3-4 point lead with two minutes left then maybe Lebron would have had a mental breakdown. But instead it was GSW (or rather Curry specifically) who broke down and Bron Bron was able to stay in a comfort zone.

I also would like to see Bron Bron goto the Knicks. If he can deliver the Knicks a championship, then even I would have to give Lebron his props. That or actually go to a Western conference team. He's had a free ride to the Finals the last 6 years almost entirely because the East is just so weak.

It'll be interesting to see how Curry bounces back from this. Curry reminds me a lot of Derrick Rose. Rose also won a regular season MVP but then committed a choke-job in the playoffs and he never has been quite the same again. I haven't been following basketball as closely the last couple of years, but Curry always seemed to me to be a Reggie Miller on steroids. A lights-out shooter, but a bit one-dimensional. I like my MVPs to have an inside and outside game, whether it's through shooting, assists, or defense.

Entertaining Finals, but it still feels like there's only 3 teams in the NBA who have a shot at winning a championship and the rest are hot garbage. I thought 2005-09 was a good era. In the East you had the Pistons, Celtics, Orlando, Miami, and to a lesser extent the Cavs all battling it out. The West had the Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Mavs, and other strong mid-level teams going at it. You had star power in both conferences and Finals and Conference Finals matchups were unpredictable. Oh well, I guess we're in the middle of another talent lull or team GMs are just incapable of assembling quality rosters.

I have a feeling if I take a year-long nap, we'll probably see another GSW/Cavs Final. Or possibly Thunder/Cavs if Curry ends up having a breakdown.
 

mxgt

Banned
This one will haunt the Warriors for a long time.

Best record doesn't even matter now. All that anyone will remember is them choking a 3-1 lead, including 2 straight games on their home floor.

Unanimous MVP? shit the bed and massively outplayed by Kyrie all series.

Congrats to Cleveland, can't imagine how amazing it must feel to finally get that title.

LeBron haters just got fucked, they have nothing against him now.
 

shintoki

sparkle this bitch
Every Cavs player for Game 7 came to deliver. Smith became hot right when they needed it the most when GS was pulling away in the beginning of the third to come from 9 points down, to leading by 2.

Irving, while being a dumbass at times with rushing the ball. He hit the shots they needed the most and took a lot of heat off LeBron.

While LeBron was cold in the first half with shooting, he continually set up his team.

Even Love was was attacking those boards and getting a lot of Rebounds and at the end with how Curry could just not shake him off.

It is also amazing how much GS relies on Green and Iggy when the game is on the line. It's not to downplay Curry or Thompson. But Iggy was doing extremely well at controlling LeBron every time he was on him. And Green was the best full court player out there tonight.
 
This.

Also now that this thread has slowed down, I wanted to formally congratulate K.Jack, Dreams-Vision, and the rest of the old school Cavs-age. The guys who were around during Lebron's first run with the Cavs and stuck with the Cavs even when Bron Bron took his talents to South Beach. I still can't stand Lebron but I'm glad this moment finally came for you guys. You guys can't be accused of being fairweather Lebron fans, you guys are legit Cavs fans, so congrats.

As a Lebron-hater and observer all these years, there's one thing I've noticed. Lebron plays much more relaxed when he is in the underdog position. 8 times out of 10 when his team is the favorite or it's an even series, he plays a bit tentative and nervous, and tends to over defer if there is a bump in the road. But put him in the underdog position (while still having a plausible chance) that's often when he shines.

The last three games were a perfect storm for Lebron. The last three games he was essentially playing with house-money. There were no more expectations on him. No team had come back from 3-1 deficit, nevermind not having home court advantage. You could tell GSW had already planned the parade and were no longer as dialed in. Lebron came out with a monster game in game 5 with nothing to lose. Repeat for game 6. By game 7 now the pressure is on Curry while Lebron still is in the underdog position with nothing to lose. Win game 7, great. Lose game 7, oh well, no one has come back from a 3-1 deficit anyway. Again, perfect storm for Lebron while Curry just completely collapsed under the pressure. Also Lebron had enough help around him to help take him over the finish line. The 3 by Irvine was legendary.

Though it was the chase down block Lebron did that won the game. With that play, he finally displayed a hint of that killer-instinct that many of us said he lacked, which guys like MJ, Kobe, Bird, and Magic had in spades. Lebron could smell blood and didn't want the opportunity to slip away to make history.

That said, the Cavs were leading most of the 4th quarter and especially the final two minutes. I really believe if GSW managed to take a 3-4 point lead with two minutes left then maybe Lebron would have had a mental breakdown. But instead it was GSW (or rather Curry specifically) who broke down and Bron Bron was able to stay in a comfort zone.

I also would like to see Bron Bron goto the Knicks. If he can deliver the Knicks a championship, then even I would have to give Lebron his props. That or actually go to a Western conference team. He's had a free ride to the Finals the last 6 years almost entirely because the East is just so weak.

It'll be interesting to see how Curry bounces back from this. Curry reminds me a lot of Derrick Rose. Rose also won a regular season MVP but then committed a choke-job in the playoffs and he never has been quite the same again. I haven't been following basketball as closely the last couple of years, but Curry always seemed to me to be a Reggie Miller on steroids. A lights-out shooter, but a bit one-dimensional. I like my MVPs to have an inside and outside game, whether it's through shooting, assists, or defense.

Entertaining Finals, but it still feels like there's only 3 teams in the NBA who have a shot at winning a championship and the rest are hot garbage. I thought 2005-09 was a good era. In the East you had the Pistons, Celtics, Orlando, Miami, and to a lesser extent the Cavs all battling it out. The West had the Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Mavs, and other strong mid-level teams going at it. You had star power in both conferences and Finals and Conference Finals matchups were unpredictable. Oh well, I guess we're in the middle of another talent lull or team GMs are just incapable of assembling quality rosters.

I have a feeling if I take a year-long nap, we'll probably see another GSW/Cavs Final. Or possibly Thunder/Cavs if Curry ends up having a breakdown.

As a Bulls fan, I'll tell you that Curry is 3 times the player Rose is. Rose only won the MVP because of Lebron fatigue and taking that team to 62 wins without any other superstars. He's never been a great defender and had the 5th best PER that year.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom