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NBA Finals 2017 |OT| Same As It Ever Was
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BlazinSkatinAxel
Member
They swept the two time defending champs.
George Claw M.D.
Member
Speaking of underrated, seems like no one is noticing that Steph's been sort of a mini-demon on defense this postseason. I don't have any numbers on hand, but just watching every game Steph has turned it up on that end of the floor. Maybe all the sweeps have kept him fresh. Hopefully he can keep it up in what could be a physical Finals.
his defense has been improving steadily and you could already see it during the 2015 season
he may not be the best 1 on 1 defender but he's really smart with his positioning and playing to the strengths of his defense as a whole
Undoubtedly correct. Everyone calling KD a bitch for it is ridiculous. The man made the best decision for him. That people are so selfish to not like him for it shows how ridiculous sports "fans" are.
Also correct.
It's almost criminal how underrated Curry is due to his bad finals. The Warriors' prolific, game breaking offense is due to Curry's prolific, game breaking offensive game. Curry has, quite literally, the perfect skillset for this day's NBA. Due to fantastic coaching and management, the right people have been put around him to maximize the ancillary parts of his game as well.
Damn.. GAF consensus seems to be GSW
I have a good bet going on this for the CAVS...
Sorry to hear that. GSWs are the heavy favorites and I honestly wouldn't bet money on the Cavs unless I had some damn good odds, lol.
Yeah, that's the biggest thing I've learned from this whole thing. I'm a pretty competitive dude myself but you put me in KD's situation and I'm doing the exact same thing, fuck the haters. Get paid, play the game at the highest level, not live in Oklahoma, and have fun. Fuck making decisions to please "fans" that would say "Fuck KD" for not living your life how they expect you to.
LyleLanley
Banned
I like how everyone in this thread seems to forget how good that thunder team was when KD was on it
3-1 lead on the best regular season team of all time and people in here are pretending like they didn't have the talent to get it done and KD had no choice but to go to the warriors if he wanted to win
That OKC team had 2 top 10 players (KD and russ), 2 skilled 7 footers (kanter and adams), a great defensive stretch big in ibaka, and was statistically the most dominant rebounding team of all time. But yeah he was "handicapping" his career by choosing any team except the warriors, right?
3-1 lead on the best regular season team of all time and people in here are pretending like they didn't have the talent to get it done and KD had no choice but to go to the warriors if he wanted to win
That OKC team had 2 top 10 players (KD and russ), 2 skilled 7 footers (kanter and adams), a great defensive stretch big in ibaka, and was statistically the most dominant rebounding team of all time. But yeah he was "handicapping" his career by choosing any team except the warriors, right?
TheOfficeMut
Unconfirmed Member
Let's go Yankees
LyleLanley
Banned
Report: Multiple NBA teams willing to give Mavericks' Nerlens Noel a max contract
This is going to be one hell of an off-season.
I'm saying that if we consider the decision for him to leave okc a given it's silly to think he'd choose a less than ideal landing spot because of some pseudo macho bullshit
whether or not he should have left is another discussion but I think, whether anyone wants to admit it or not, there were some fit issues with he and russ
Nerlens is one of the best defensive big men in the league and what's more important is that he's excellent at perimeter defense in a league that is becoming more and more about having big men who are mobile enough to handle guards in pick and rolls around the 3 point line
he's also a young dude who hasn't hit his prime yet
why would you expect him to get anything less than the max? there aren't exactly a lot of guys in the league right now with his skillset that will be around for 10+ more years
edit: for those that payed attention to the mavs this season their acquisition of noel totally turned that whole team around
dallas had one of the top 5 defenses in the league after acquiring him, he's a game-changer defensively
Joei
Member
Had Durant himself played a little better in any one of 3 games, it would have been the Thunder in the Finals. But let's not mention that and turn the blame to Westbrook.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
If you guys want to blame anyone, blame Lebron for setting precedent. He's the one who has been on nothing but stacked rosters since The Decision and the Cavs are no exception.
Someone finally beats him at his own game and builds their own superior mega team and people lose their minds? What a joke.
Someone finally beats him at his own game and builds their own superior mega team and people lose their minds? What a joke.
Alot of people also need to learn to live in the moment. People letting skip bayless talking points and hot takes get them all worked up.
I really think that OKC could've played the Cavs to 7 last year if they had made it
That team was a fucking buzzsaw
Everyone likes to shitpost about westbrook being a ballhog, turnover machine, whatever
But as a Spurs fan that watched every single game the Spurs played last season, it was incredible to see how OKC torched them
That was one of the best overall Spurs teams that Pop has ever had and statistically one of the best defensive teams of all time and they just got fucked pounded on the glass and killed in transition
I genuinely think OKC could've been real deal championship contenders again this year if durant had stuck around
Give that team another year to gel and I don't see why it would be unreasonable at all to believe they could've taken down the warriors
Ah yes, I'm sure everyone feels the exact same way about things that they did 7 years ago.
I'm not sure I'd agree with things I thought 3 years ago. Are NBA players supposed to not mature/grow up?
Yes. That's right. The best option for him was the Warriors. This wasn't just a career decision, it was a life decision. Why is this so hard to understand?
LegendofDragoonLives
Member
He was garbage defensively in the first few weeks of the season but has been one of the best defenders as a pg this year. It helps that vs 4-5 teams, Steph guards the SG instead of PG though. Dude is getting 2011 level Lebron disrespect this year though. I still dkn how KD became the 2nd best player. Curry has owned him for 2 years, last ps even injured and has oytplayed him in the PS this year.
I forget the article but there is a very lengthy article on Steph on his MVP case for this year (he's not worthy but that's not the point). They picked 5 writers and each did a piece on Lebron, WB, Harden and Kawhi also. Basically some points showed that Curry greatly improves an already really good team, both individual and team level, which is much harder than doing so with a poor team. Forget the name of the article thoug 😒🙄 maybe someone here can recall what I'm talking about..
Lionel Richie
Member
Agreed, last year's Thunder was pretty special. They could have beaten the Cavs in the Finals and I feel like there's a much better alternate dimension where they did do that and Durant left anyway to team form a different kind of superteam with Amir and Swedish Larry Bird on the Celtics.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
How I feel about it as well. If this was any other industry or career move, it would be a no brainer. The reactions to it in sports is super super dumb and does nothing more than bloat discussions with tons of garbage posts.
LeBron is literally the only player I could see that stands any chance whatsoever of stopping them multiple times over a consecutive game series. If the Cavs manage to somehow win this series, I don't think there can be any doubt that LeBron is the greatest ever.
Dreams-Visions
Member
Are you suggesting wanting to continue to compete against teams that JUST ELIMINATED YOU AGAIN instead joining them is a sign of immaturity?
I think most would disagree with you, with their ultimate desire as a competitor being to get better and slay the beasts.
But I mean...I guess Jordan could have bolted Chicago to play SF with Isaiah, Joe, Dennis, Vinny and Bill in Detroit after they eliminated him in consecutive years on the way to 2 chips. Would have been more "mature", right? He might have won an extra ring or two.
Maybe Karl and John should have left Utah for Chicago after the first finals L. Better to have a ring than a legacy. Maybe Charles, Penny and Dominique should have done the same in the primes of their careers. Would have been signs of maturity, amirite.
BlazinSkatinAxel
Member
That and starting Seth Curry.
If you actually read my post you'd know that nowhere did I say that. You mean going to a team with the best shooting backcourt of all time, the only unanimous MVP ever, the DPOY (this year's DPOY), and one of the strongest benches in the league was the best career option?! No way.
This is ground breaking analysis.
My post was specifically addressed at the idea, which again, if you go and read through this thread you'll see it brought up post after post, that there were no viable options for Durant outside of the Warriors, with many posters going as far as insinuating that he would be intentionally handicapping his career by choosing anything other than Golden State. As my post detailed, this is blatantly false. The team that he was already on and had played his entire career for up until that point was not only a viable option, with him still around they were absolutely poised to take down the Warriors and Spurs and get him back to the finals.
While this Golden State team with him on it is obviously the better option, in part because of the talent that was already on the roster and because him leaving severely handicapped the Thunder as a western conference contender, sticking with that Thunder team was comparatively speaking, from a basketball standpoint, a very very good option as well.
As for all the speculation and armchair analysis about extracurricular reasons also influencing his decision, I don't pretend to care about Durant's personal life or off the court bullshit anymore than Durant would ever pretend to care about the personal lives of random NBA fans discussing this bullshit over the internet.
LyleLanley
Banned
I don't think you can so directly compare working as a competitive athlete to most other industries. Going to the team that just beat you in the playoffs isn't like just going to a competing accounting firm.
If GSW can handle Kyrie and T. Thompson, then it will be a win for them. I know Lebron is a top-tier player, but Kyrie sparks the Cleveland offense, while Tristan provides a good rebounding ability. Klay also needs to step up and bring back his offensive game.
GSW in 4, but I want at least 5 games.
GSW in 4, but I want at least 5 games.
The sports industry is severely unlike and different than every other career path/industry. Of course the reactions to it are going to be different. The average joe working for some accounting or engineering firm doesn't have millions of global fans reading about his life decisions on the internet every day nor does this person have fans watching him compete on a near nightly basis.
Man, I ain't gonna say Durant's move to GSW a bitch move or whatever, but when KD talked about new challenges with GSW, that always amuses me. Like come on, bruh, you joined 73-9 team with 3 All stars. Challenges? You mean the ride? lol
I also don't buy for a single moment that if GSW won last year, then KD wouldn't have joined. That's straight up BS. Ya'll know KD would still join GSW, even if he denies it. I mean, there's still wouldn't be any better option than GSW.
I also don't buy for a single moment that if GSW won last year, then KD wouldn't have joined. That's straight up BS. Ya'll know KD would still join GSW, even if he denies it. I mean, there's still wouldn't be any better option than GSW.
Toxic masculinity at work.
LyleLanley
Banned
Markelle Fultz has talked to Danny Ainge 'a few times,' wants to be No. 1
It's too bad Ainge is drafting Lauri.
If only Melo would waive his NTC to go to Detroit.
It's too bad Ainge is drafting Lauri.
@ESPNSteinLine said:
If only Melo would waive his NTC to go to Detroit.
Lionel Richie
Member
Yes and I love when people compare athletes to other industries as if athletes aren't very well compensated for the idiosyncrasies of their line of work. They're paid so well because the product they're selling is entertaining, it's not like they're being paid to play basketball because God put them on the Earth to do that. It's because people watch the games and buy the merch. The post-Decision super teaming is probably not bad for the product, but it's not without merit to discuss if the ridiculous continuing dominance of the Cavs and the Warriors, two franchises most people don't give a flying fuck about, makes the product less desirable. It probably doesn't, but questioning it isn't as stupid as some people here like to make it out to be.
The reactions are goofy and dramatic but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. The meta is half the entertainment of live sports. Debating about legacy and self inserting your own sensibilities onto larger than life personalities and talents: there's nothing quite like it in the entertainment busunless.
my name is ed
Banned
funny thing about this
he talked about it on one of the times he was on Bill Simmons's podcast. He said he made that tweet in response to a story about Penny Hardaway talking about joining the Heat
Macadinho94
Member
Why does this shit get reposted all the time? KD said on the Bill Simmons podcast it was about fake rumours that Penny Hardaway was gonna come out of retirement to get a ring with the Heat super team. Also look at the time stamp on it, it's like 2 weeks after LeBron joined the Heat.
I'll try find the timestamp on the podcast for it.
MegaManTrigger
Banned
Yeah but the point is people who latch in KG and Allen in the same conversation as Lebron and Durant when they're not alike. I was hasty in saying "no autonomy", but like your source showed, KG's ability to move was limited to the teams interested in trading for him, as well as the Timberwolves being interested in the package that they were getting from the trading partner. That's not the same as signing a contract with a team during your free agency.
You don't think there are challenges to joining a great team? Not to say that KD isn't going along for the ride, but I think you're underestimating how difficult it is to adjust to GSW's playstyle when KD was used to being the primary/secondary scoring option in OKC. That means swallowing your ego and pride and realizing that you won't always get touches and shots.
Latvian Hitman
Member
Agreed. This isn't a Facebook database administrator taking a better job offer at Google. Star players become the face of the cities they play in. People identify with them. Players' legacies matter over the course of their careers, etc.
The real issue here though, IMO, is that the league and the PA screwed up. The last CBA + the explosion in the cap made this possible, and it got exploited. There's no way that the winningest team of all time, already loaded with three all-stars and the reigning, two-time MVP should be able to add the previous MVP to their roster as a free agent. If you care about competitive balance in the league at all and happen to not be a GSW fan, there's no way you can support what happened. It shouldn't have been feasible to do it without giving up something more important than Harrison Barnes and a four-pack of athletic socks.
Durant was directly responsible for no less than 50% of the hero ball that got played in OKC during his time there.
Dreams-Visions
Member
I'm pretty sure everyone would agree with that. 6-pack of athletic socks at least.
While I quoted you, I was more following up on the general consensus that KD is a bitch for doing what he feels is best for him.
But again, just because of what my post said doesn't mean I didn't read yours. In fact, I did. And I agree that the OKC team he was on was definitely good, with opportunities to even be great. But that doesn't change what I said, KD felt that GS was the best option for him.
Maybe we have different definitions of what "handicapping" means, but in my opinion, yes, not choosing the best option is handicapping your career. And it's as simple as that. I mean, it looks as though GS is better than every other team in every single way besides how random NBA fans discuss him over the internet. System, money, environment, teammates, coaching staff, ownership, outside opportunities, living situation, the list goes on.
In any other career situation, choosing between multiple job offers is often a list of weighing pros and cons. Usually, making that choice is a personal one. But when one job is clearly better than all of the others in nearly every situation and metric imaginable, not choosing that job can clearly be seen as one handicapping their own career.
A LOT of things had to align in terms of timing, luck, players, situation, and more for KD to be able to sign with this Warriors nucleus when he did, and he took advantage. He didn't want "viable"...he wanted "the best"...and I don't blame him and I feel like it's ridiculous to.
Not at all, I was responding specifically to the tweet and how it seems out of context because it's a quote from 7 years ago and it's highly probable that his views on the league and life have changed...just like anyone else who goes from being age 22 to 28. Basketball or not.
You seem to equate "leaving" to maturity. I never made that claim. Again, I was talking about the tweet and how his feelings may have changed over time on such matters.
Anyway, who knows what KD's ultimate desire was? From afar, it seems to have been to enjoy playing basketball as much as he could. It seems like he is enjoying basketball more on Golden State than he did with OKC. He even recently said that he 100% made the right decision. That could be him puffing smoke but from the limited amount of FaceTime us fans can see of them, he seems happier more often (of course, winning helps).
It's crazy that such a simple concept of someone doing what's in their best interest gets thrown out the window to push a narrative that he's a bitch for not going somewhere else that's clearly sub optimal.
I'm still getting used to max contracts being thrown around. I like Nerlens though, so I'm not really mad. Makes sense.
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