Joei
Member
Yeah, but I don't see that happening again, with injuries, Cavs were playing like a 7 man rotation. They'll probably play 9 now.
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NBA Playoffs |OT| AKA Derrick Rose's family time
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Yeah, but I don't see that happening again, with injuries, Cavs were playing like a 7 man rotation. They'll probably play 9 now.
RedAssedApe
Banned
don't think you understood his post.
that trash played pretty damn good defense though, which is how you have to beat golden state
Cavs are probably better than OKC, but OKC matches up better against GSW.
Bingo. Delly is nowhere near the player Kyrie is, but he is better on defense.
that's going to be the series essentially, whether or not lue has the balls to have kyrie come off the bench and have delly on the floor with curry
Syphon Filter
Member
They have options now when they need offense or defense, how is that not better?
Cavs lost the 2 regular season games before the Frye acquisition, and more importantly LeBron was coasting in 3rd gear at best. Finals LeBron in 6th gear mode is obviously a different story. It's hilarious that many think it's a lock, an easy series ahead for GSW. You're absolutely dreaming, it'll go to 6/7 games guaranteed.
Joei
Member
It's gonna be a balancing act. Hopefully Delly doesn't hospitalize himself like last year.
eBay Huckster
Member
he won't be the only healthy PG left on the roster this time (and also just spent most of the CF on the bench because of an ankle sprain) so i imagine that won't happen again, for all the good it'll do them
rokkerkory
Member
PadWarrior
Member
Warriors in 5. They will lose game 3 like they did In all their previous series lol.
Draymond will feast on the cavs bigs.
Draymond will feast on the cavs bigs.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Lots of us don't think the Cavs have a chance to take the series. That doesn't mean they would be swept or anything. That doesn't necessarily make us GS "fans" either.
CopperPuppy
Member
I love all the posts with the reasoning that, since Cleveland took two from GS last year without Love and Irving, they will do better this year with Love and Irving. While anything is possible, that's not how team arithmetic works.
Last year, the Cavs started two better defenders in Irving's and Love's place, throwing the Warriors' usual offensive rotations off in the first half of that series. Coupled with nearly all scoring effort being hoisted on James and him actually playing out of his mind, the Cavs outperformed mostly due to how unprepared the Warriors were for the lineups Cleveland was forced to play.
This year? Irving and Love - especially Irving - are dreadful defensively. If they plan to go with their newfound small-ball game on top of that, the Warriors are literally the worst possible matchup for Cleveland.
Last year, the Cavs started two better defenders in Irving's and Love's place, throwing the Warriors' usual offensive rotations off in the first half of that series. Coupled with nearly all scoring effort being hoisted on James and him actually playing out of his mind, the Cavs outperformed mostly due to how unprepared the Warriors were for the lineups Cleveland was forced to play.
This year? Irving and Love - especially Irving - are dreadful defensively. If they plan to go with their newfound small-ball game on top of that, the Warriors are literally the worst possible matchup for Cleveland.
Diprosalic
Banned
good post, kudos.
i'm not gonna argue this match up anymore, i'm just gonna enjoy the shook CLE fans after game 1.
eBay Huckster
Member
my reasoning (for not expecting a sweep/5):
- they took two from GS with their primary offensive options being lebron, a slow plodding 7 footer who has spent every season before or since warming the bench, and matthew dellavedova. their series ORTG was under 100. basically, for all everyone says they shouldn't take more than a game this time, there's literally no goddamn reason they shouldn't have been swept last year.
- more to the point, OKC just took three games from them while running what's primarily the "durant and westbrook take turns isoing for 48 minutes" offense feat. the most telegraphed high PnRs in basketball this season.
- the frye signing by itself basically gives them an infinitely stronger bench than needing to trot out mike miller and 113 minutes of james jones. shumpert, for all his faults, isn't gonna be playing through a hamstring injury.
- fuck it, kevin love has a positive DBPM. anything is possible.
i'm expecting a dubs win in 6 again but hoping cleveland wins in 6, but all of this sounds eerily like the cavalcade of "it won't even be close" from last year
ProvenDeadly
Member
You literally just saw this in the last series. Great defense bothers the Warriors. That's how the Cavs were able to bother the Warriors last year. Now the Cavs are an offensive focused team but took a step back in defense. So basically the Cavs have to keep up offensively with an all time great offense, and somehow manage to be not trash defensively. This is why the Warriors are an all time great team. Their players play great offense AND great defense. There is no compromise.
PadWarrior
Member
Tommy Beer
Tommy Beer Verified account ‏@TommyBeer
Steph Curry scored 98 points in Games 5 through 7. Per Elias, that the most ever scored by a player leading his team back from a 3-1 deficit
7:51 AM - 31 May 2016
69 RETWEETS54 LIKES
Tommy Beer Verified account ‏@TommyBeer
Steph Curry scored 98 points in Games 5 through 7. Per Elias, that the most ever scored by a player leading his team back from a 3-1 deficit
7:51 AM - 31 May 2016
69 RETWEETS54 LIKES
MetalFearSolid
Banned
Just saw this and remembered ..Damn..
eBay Huckster
Member
so is this thread getting closed on thursday?
one of those meaningless stats that everybody seems to love
CopperPuppy
Member
I agree that there is a bit too much underestimating going on, and that Frye and Love will more than likely be the X factors, from a 3-point shooting and rebounding standpoint, respectively.
Regarding your first point, it's absolutely true that Cleveland has more offensive options than last year. Unfortunately, these additional options are defensive sieves, so a balancing act will be necessary, and not something a rookie coach is traditionally good at. To answer another poster above, this is why the Cavs aren't automatically that much better with the addition of better offensive options. You can't put seven players on the court at once, so it's going to be necessary to balance these better scorers, who will be taking touches away from LeBron and are generally dreadful defensively, with better defensive players that will make LeBron the go-to scorer. Balancing between these schemes is going to be difficult for Lue, who isn't above rookie coaching foibles.
Regarding your second point, I'll note that OKC took those three games because they weren't primarily running Durant and Westbrook isolations. When their ball movement was on point and Adams-Ibaka-Waiters-Roberson were contributing, they were off to the races. When they fell into their typical hero ball tendencies, they collapsed. In Game 6, for instance, the Thunder had 13 possessions in the last 5 or so minutes. They only passed the ball more than once on one of those possessions. Shit like that is why they lost 4. Decent coaching that kept them away from iso-ball is why they took those 3.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Today once the Finals thread goes up.
mashoutposse
Ante Up
Went to the game yesterday. Amazing vibe during that second half. Just incredible. Two specific moments stand out - Curry's dagger and Shaun with the vicious +1 slam.
I think the guys are out of their funk. Warriors in 5. Win both at home, lose one in Cleveland, close it out at home.
I think the guys are out of their funk. Warriors in 5. Win both at home, lose one in Cleveland, close it out at home.
Kyrie played great defense on Steph in G1. Kyrie might be one of the best in the league at not biting on Stephs fakes and different moves and can hit him back with his.
And what exactly do you mean Warriors were unprepared? Love went down way earlier in the playoffs. Kyrie only went down in the first OT. Warriors suffered last year because their half court offense was stagnant when the threes weren't falling and because LeBron slowed the game all the way down. Only thing that Cleveland team lacked last year was the offense to back it and they've been the best offense in the post season.
There's a reason every GSW player has pretty much said that they've been watching Cleveland and how good they look. This GS in 4 or 5 narrative just isn't realistic.
kaiju
Member
You're killing me man lol. Best offense in the post season, what a joke.
The Warriors are breaking playoff records, coming back down 3-1, while Cavs are losing games to the Raptors FFS. And they're the best offense in the post season?
Gotdatmoney
Member
This + Kyrie, Love, and Frye. But yeah GSW will win easily. Lmao.
Yeah cause Lebron is gonna put those numbers up this year :/
Its like people didnt even watch the finals last year. Lebron put those numbers up because he had absolutely no choice but to be the scoing option with no love no kyrie and shumpert and JR doing their best trash bros impression.
That isnt happening this year. Cleveland's defense has been shit all post season. They actually got exposed on the defensive end by the Raptors last series. Raps missed tons of wide open looks. You think the Warriors are going to miss those?
PeregrinSe7en
Member
lol now ive heard everything from the gsw haters
either this is some low level trolling or you clearly haven't been watching gs throughout the season
you should take a closer look at that exchange, I wasn't talking about the warriors ;p
Agent_Carnage
Member
Im going with Cavs in 6. Got this feeling in me...
rokkerkory
Member
Kerr gonna put this guy on King James again?
you better believe it
Joei
Member
Kerr gonna put this guy on King James again?
He can try, LeBron actually has people to pass it to this year though. Didn't stop Lebron from still being considered by media personnel an MVP last year with his numbers though.
Dubs in 7.
It'll be a close series both ways. Neither team is gonna run away with it. Everything obviously rides on if the Cavs can continue to stroke the 3 at the ungodly rate they've been hitting at for the past three rounds. Guys like Jefferson/Frye/Delly will also need to keep producing and providing that key secondary scoring that gives Cleveland that little bit extra. And if they can get Love and Irving going in any game they're near impossible to beat. LeBron will get his regardless, Iggy or not. But Irving/Love's scoring is absolutely key to the Cavs' success.
That being said, it's hard to bet against the defending champs that just came back against a extremely good OKC squad. They'll be battle tested and ready. And the Cavs don't have the defensive weapons to stop Curry/Klay from getting theirs.
Either way, this finals will be a fucking barrage of 3s. This is what the sport is now.
It'll be a close series both ways. Neither team is gonna run away with it. Everything obviously rides on if the Cavs can continue to stroke the 3 at the ungodly rate they've been hitting at for the past three rounds. Guys like Jefferson/Frye/Delly will also need to keep producing and providing that key secondary scoring that gives Cleveland that little bit extra. And if they can get Love and Irving going in any game they're near impossible to beat. LeBron will get his regardless, Iggy or not. But Irving/Love's scoring is absolutely key to the Cavs' success.
That being said, it's hard to bet against the defending champs that just came back against a extremely good OKC squad. They'll be battle tested and ready. And the Cavs don't have the defensive weapons to stop Curry/Klay from getting theirs.
Either way, this finals will be a fucking barrage of 3s. This is what the sport is now.
Did you miss Cle breaking GSW record for threes or just missing it multiple times? Against league leading defenses?
PeregrinSe7en
Member
oh shit my bad.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
Yeah? Who were they playing against?
Joei
Member
I think the number 2 defense in the league
Diprosalic
Banned
Lebron shot terrible that series, they were very happy with him taking all the shots.
dude averaged 32 FGA.
Hawks were the second best defensive team behind the Spurs this year. Toronto was 11th, so just out of the top ten.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
Didn't look like it to me. WIDE OPEN THREES.
But by all means, get into a shootout with the Warriors. Let JR Smith do most of the shooting too.
metalslimer
Member
If Lebron can consistenly hit the jumper that he had in the 2012-13 year with Miami I think they have a shot. They are probably going to get in a shootout and hope GS goes cold long enough because there is no way in hell they are going to slow the games down with their lineup
beat
Member
Eric Apricot on Steph getting closer to full health in game 7: http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/20...-2016-stephen-curry-game-7-warriors-17-threes
perfectchaos007
Member
What is Lebron's finals series record? 2-4?
Hawks and Raps defensive ranking is skewed by the shittiest of playing in the east. I just wanna see Lebron lose again so fucking badly like when the spurs murdered him in miami, that he bails again.
And please get rid of this bullshit conference system next year so this balding fucknut stops sleepwalking to the finals.
And please get rid of this bullshit conference system next year so this balding fucknut stops sleepwalking to the finals.
I don't think I will ever truly understand this kind of childish hatred of Lebron James.
Diprosalic
Banned
yes but i don't hold it against him. some of his teams had no business being there and wouldn't have made it out of round 1 in the west, not his problem the east is garbage.
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