obijkenobi
Member
Don't forget their owner putting the cosmic jinx on the team right before the playoffs started.
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Steph Curry Supernova
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Don't forget their owner putting the cosmic jinx on the team right before the playoffs started.
Or, better yet, Dion Waiters, Randy Foye, and Enes Kanter.
I think he's talking about Curry being a unanimous MVP. I personally thought some votes should have went to Westbrook.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
Westbrook's status as most valuable isn't even clear on his own team. Durant is clearly the leader and player they go to first.
thetruth1983
Banned
In my mind, it's a mistake because unanimous would mean that he excels in absolutely every category on the court. It means that even if he isn't hitting 40 foot 3's, he can contribute in some other way for the team to win. Whether its, drawing the double to get a teammate open, working hard on D to get more steals, there should be something else that he can do for his team besides jacking up 3's. This series has shown that if he isn't hitting his shot, there is nothing left for him to offer. Look at his body language during these blowouts. It surely isn't the body language of a leader.
Now I'm not saying that he's a shitty player. He's far from shitty. I just think he needs to be humbled. He needs to realize that while he's showboating halfway through his shot, somebody is out there breaking down their offense and figuring out how to stop him.
This hasn't been remotely true in the playoffs?
As an FYI, Westbrook is posting a GOAT-tier and league-leading BPM in this playoff run at +13.0 (higher than all but 2 Jordan postseasons). Durant, while still a net positive on his team, is only at +1.6 (compared to Adams at +3.9, Ibaka at +4.3, and even Dion fucking Waiters at +1.1). Keep in mind that Westbrook is doing this at a league-leading usage rate.
I love me some Durant, but Westbrook is clearly the best player on this team right now.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
Who the hell would describe the Thunder as Westbrook's team if you asked them? It's Durant's team first and foremost.
Most anyone watching these playoffs would.
Westbrook initiates the offense, is the primary ball handler, and is responsible - through points and passes - for more than 50% of the points scored by the Thunder offense. 76 goddamn points last night were attributable to his playmaking.
If you're asking who acts as the de jure leader and makes sure the Thunder play with poise and aplomb, I think it's fair to make a case that this is Durant's team. At the end of the day, though, the Thunder only go as far as Westbrook is willing to take them, and this postseason is proving that out.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
MVP is a regular season award. What do these playoffs have to do with it?
thetruth1983
Banned
And I get what you are saying that it's a regular season award. However, unanimous implies that he is perfect when these playoffs are showing that he is not. It's like saying a game is perfect when in fact, even the best game in the world has its flaws.
MVP does not imply perfect. Nor does getting the award unanimously. It implies that curry had the best regular season overall, and by a large enough margin that no one with a vote thought otherwise.
You're asking who the MVP of this team is, which isn't a regular season award.
In any case, Westbrook posted similarly gaudy numbers in the regular season (+10 BPM trailing only Curry, 3rd in PER, etc.) and was the offensive engine for them as well.
I do think this has been Durant's team before he incurred the Jones fracture, but Westbrook's been more mission critical since.
Gully State
Member
But it does not imply perfection..Unanimous implies he had a better regular season than everyone else.. Which is true. He was putting up numbers and winning in a way that had never been seen before. Anyways it doesn't matter right now since he's not playing at that level.. Also, in his Portland return performance, we all forget that even though he was brilliant in the fourth and OT. He was 0-10 from the 3 before finally hitting one. I think his shooting hasn't been as consistent. But what really worries me is that he was passing up shots in the 4th quarter of the last two games.
thetruth1983
Banned
Right but my point is that even before Curry, there have been numerous players that have won in ways "never seen before". So now this new kid comes along and unanimously wins the MVP reward. It kind of rubs us older guys the wrong way when he isn't contributing anything in a blowout loss. Anyway, win or lose, I hope they get it together this next game and at least make it respectable. These past few blowouts on both sides of the conference have been painful to watch.
So the voters should have got together and decided between them that one of them would vote for another player that they didn't think was the MVP just so Curry wouldn't get it unanimously?
jediyoshi
Member
..unanimous implies its literal textbook definition. How else do you describe the event of something being unanimous without people using their own loaded definition of it?
Westbrook has had a great season. He's earned what should have been some votes, maybe Durant as well. The point of my post was that Curry should not have had unanimous. There were clearly other players in the league who were playing great as well. If Durant and Westbrook have to split some votes because they are both so good then so be it. Curry shouldn't have gotten all of them and these playoffs have proved that so far.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/m...ists-took-over-the-golden-state-warriors.html
Joe Lacob deserves every bit of the negative karma that's coming to him.
Personally I think Westbrook should have won MVP last season, but I take a more literal stance of the "Most Valuable Player" discussion.
Curry was the best player this season, everyone agreed. That's all unanimous is.
He's also been preening a lot more this season and grew a gross goatee, so that's kind of why I like seeing him taken down a peg. Warriors still have a fighting chance in this series, though.
Curry was the best player this season, everyone agreed. That's all unanimous is.
He's also been preening a lot more this season and grew a gross goatee, so that's kind of why I like seeing him taken down a peg. Warriors still have a fighting chance in this series, though.
Jag
Member
Yeah, Lebron missed by one vote from a writer in Boston who even said he didn't vote for Lebron just to avoid a unanimous decision. Not sure if that was before or after Boston's Game 6.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
Steph Curry benefited from being liked by everyone. Nobody voted for Carmelo because fuck Steph Curry like they did with Lebron.
Team Alucard
Banned
Westbrook wasn't even the most valuable player on his own team.
So who was?
nevermind Ralemont had to spoil my fun and clue in some clown that the greatest player of all time, Durant, was injured
Last season? When Durant was injured? Who was?
Yeah I'm sure the guy who played 27 games last season was more valuable
It still cracks me up that some dude thinks his management of the team is the prime reason for his teams success when the biggest piece was already there. Can't even account for a minor knee injury and that same prime piece slumping a little bit. Biggest jinx ever.
This isn't even anywhere near how bad it could have been. But it was my management guys, it was me all along!
Team Alucard
Banned
Sorry. reading comprehension fail. I thought you were talking about this season.
Future PhaZe
Member
i dont like lacob but you'd be surprised how many owners can't even be assed to make the right hires
teams spend literal decades in the trashbin because owners don't do their due diligence like lacob did so he deserves credit
Randolph Freelander
Member
How in the world do you get that unanimous implies perfection? Just how? It only means that everyone agreed about one thing, that Curry was the most valuable player. That's it. It doesn't mean he could do no wrong, it doesn't mean that maybe someone else might be stronger in an area or two, all it means is that on the whole, everyone said he was more valuable this season than anyone else. That's not a stretch or hard to believe.
I mean, it is hard to believe that Jordan never won unanimously, but that's an argument against voters from other years. There always has to be one jerk that goes against the grain, we see it all the time in all kinds of sports voting. Curry winning unanimously doesn't make him perfect, and it doesn't diminish other players that didn't get all the votes. It just means that, for once, there wasn't some moron with a ridiculous vote.
Taking credit for other people's work is what VCs do.
elrechazado
Banned
I like how you ignored facts (funny given your usually holier than thou "your opinion" snark at people) and used the utterly useless and meaningless "it's Durant's team" metric. Appeals to non specific public perception are so superior to facts.
Very valid point, but I'm REALLY enjoying seeing the Warriors and Curry fail like this. The most annoying thing about Curry for me has always been that he's kind of a dick on the court but gets a complete pass for it. Seeing him humbled by the robot alien unicorn that is Westbrook has been really satisfying to watch. I also think it'll be great for the Warriors to have broken the Bulls record but not even make the finals, as a Giants fan who got to see the Patriots perfect season ruined I'm enjoying living through a similar event.
I'm a hater, I know, but I can't help how them failing makes me feel. Very good point about the reverse bandwagoning though, that's truly what it is.
The Interrobanger
Member
Holy shit at the people in this thread who don't know what "unanimous" means.
A dick to who exactly?
Just his general humblebrag showboating.
bigmit3737
Member
If if they lose tonight? I would like to see Curry more aggressive.
I wonder how he's knee is... OKC has been roughing him up.
Okc's energy has been fantastic tho entire series I think they are going for the kill tonight. They are playin legit. I would like to see the Warriors play with much more energy but it doesn't seem they can keep up with OkC.
60/40 in favor of OKC tonight.
I want the Warriors to win, but by outplaying the OkC playing on the level thu have been playing . If they can't they deserve to lose.
I wonder how he's knee is... OKC has been roughing him up.
Okc's energy has been fantastic tho entire series I think they are going for the kill tonight. They are playin legit. I would like to see the Warriors play with much more energy but it doesn't seem they can keep up with OkC.
60/40 in favor of OKC tonight.
I want the Warriors to win, but by outplaying the OkC playing on the level thu have been playing . If they can't they deserve to lose.
lord forbid professional competitors do professional competitor things
ratcliffja
Member
That's like 90% of NBA all-stars. It's hard not to get caught up in the excitement when you're knocking down the shots he does. I'm pulling for anybody but GSW since I want somebody new to win the title, but I don't think Curry has done anything to make him deserving of ire other than be really, really good for a while. If anything, his main "problem" when being compared to the all-time greats is that he's not enough of a psychopath like Kobe or MJ. They obsessed over winning and never seemed to be satisfied with anything. Honestly, I don't want there to be more people like that because as fun as they may have been to watch, they are not the best role models. The world could use more Dikembe Mutombos and Dirk Nowitskis, though.
lol. ok.
LyleLanley
Banned
There's not much that's humble about Steph's showboating.
This has the potential to be one of the biggest Crying MJ nights of all time.
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