A single berserk reached us yesterday, after having come all the way over the mountains from the city of Willow, fourteen hundred miles away. He delivered to Alric a single package the size of a man's fist, wrapped in rags, and refuses to talk with anyone about events in the West.
Was skimming back through the thread quickly saw a few funny gems.
par73 wrote:as the season goes on one can only wonder how much weaker the cavaliers are going to appear, leaving skeptics mouths watering with saliva and criticism.
par73 wrote:I think the erection caused by the return of the former cleveland cavalier to his home team has caused you to suffer from an aneurism, perhaps you forget what team he is coming from since he's been gone. they're call the miami heat, they went to the finals the last four years and won two in a row. bosh is playing at an unbelievably high level and when wade was absent the heat would lose.
7-8 really? you're putting Milwaukee ahead of them ? jesus, consult a doctor because the blinding light that is lebron has been on the cavs for more than 4 hours.
Asmodian wrote: The East looks about right other than leaving out Miami. Miami will get the 4-5 seed and the Hawks will miss the playoffs.
Even the 2nd best myth 2 strategist all time gets it wrong sometimes. The Hawks have put together a strong team and have over achieved up to this point. For Miami I don't think the prediction was too bad; Bosh and most of the team have been in and out with injury as well as D.Wade (ok this one isn't a good excuse).
Asmodian wrote:Even the 2nd best myth 2 strategist all time gets it wrong sometimes. The Hawks have put together a strong team and have over achieved up to this point. For Miami I don't think the prediction was too bad; Bosh and most of the team have been in and out with injury as well as D.Wade (ok this one isn't a good excuse).
That's not even true of just point guards, much less the entire NBA. He's not even the top offensive player on his own team...
Curry scores more at higher percentages in fewer minutes with more assists (if you count that as offense, which you should). Even beyond offense, he's better than Irving in every statistical category; leads the league in steals.
Westbrook has highest points per game in the league right now & has been putting up triple doubles almost every night
Irving is very good though, and that was an amazing game. But he is an incredibly streaky shooter. I'd say he's about even with Lillard, I might even give him the edge since Lillard has slumped a bit in the late season. We'll have to see how he does in the playoffs for a real tie-breaker. But, provisionally:
Top 5 OFFENSE ONLY PGs:
1. Steph Curry
2. Russel Westbrook
3. Kyrie Irving
4. Damian Lillard
5. Isaiah Thomas!
who would have thought last year that the golden state warriors and the atlanta hawks would both have at least a 7 game lead over the other members of their conferences for 1st place?
no one in these forums
Are you starting to learn that Demarcus Cousins isn't a player you want to build your team around yet? He needs to go to a team that is established. Would love to see the Kings trade him to the Celitcs for a ton of draft picks.
Asmodian wrote:Are you starting to learn that Demarcus Cousins isn't a player you want to build your team around yet? He needs to go to a team that is established. Would love to see the Kings trade him to the Celitcs for a ton of draft picks.
I would want to build a team around Cousins, are you kidding?
Best Center in the NBA.
Has he played at PF at all besides that insanely huge Pakistani guy they got from the D league yet?
I wouldn't want Vivek or the Maloofs doing the rebuilding though.
I wish Portland could get him somehow, provided they keep LMA, think Kings would do Robin Lopez, CJ McCollum, and/or Meyers Leonard for Boogie?
No I'm not kidding. He has been there 5 years and the teams record hasn't improved at all despite having more talent on the roster around him. If I were Kings management I would trade him asap for any good trade package you could get that gives you good draft picks in return.
Not so much wrong about the Rockets, as the clippers pulled the biggest choke job of recent past. Chris Paul is clearly a bad leader and never brings the best out of his teammates, and Doc Rivers makes a horrible GM.
So you think Warriors sweep them, then?
Warriors in 6 is Howard isn't out, probably a sweep if he is...he's basically the only matchup issue.
Terry and Harden on D vs. Curry and Thompson? lol
c⁄J⁄Iılk c⁄J⁄Iån ◊§t◊ wrote:So you think Warriors sweep them, then?
Warriors in 6 is Howard isn't out, probably a sweep if he is...he's basically the only matchup issue.
Terry and Harden on D vs. Curry and Thompson? lol
Ya it's pretty hilarious that Harden thinks of himself as an MVP but doesn't even take it upon himself to guard Curry, joke of a player.
Game 3 of the Cavs and Hawks is a perfect example of why Lebron is wayyyy better than Kobe Bryant was in his prime. Even when Lebron has an inefficient game shooting he still manages to dominate the game through the other facets of the game.
Why would Harden guard Curry? He's an SG, and a large one at that.
Might want to pump the brakes on the "wayyyy better" stuff. You going to compare success against the Vlade/Webber Kings, for example, to success against these beat up and deflated hawks? (One sec, excuse me while I dance around in the freshly reopened wound.) I'dl say that, by the end of his career, LeBron will be remembered as greater than Kobe, but mostly by virtue of his size and strength.
I wonder if even crun thinks the cavs will win a single game vs. the warriors...
If LeBron gets stomped even worse this year, will he leave Cleveland?
I would be shocked if this years finals is even close to what last years was, but I fully expect the warriors to win. They are the better team especially with the injuries that the Cavs have.
Just going to pretend I didn't see that Kings comment.
c⁄J⁄Iılk c⁄J⁄Iån ◊§t◊ wrote:Why would Harden guard Curry? He's an SG, and a large one at that.
Might want to pump the brakes on the "wayyyy better" stuff. You going to compare success against the Vlade/Webber Kings, for example, to success against these beat up and deflated hawks? (One sec, excuse me while I dance around in the freshly reopened wound.) I'dl say that, by the end of his career, LeBron will be remembered as greater than Kobe, but mostly by virtue of his size and strength.
I wonder if even crun thinks the cavs will win a single game vs. the warriors...
If LeBron gets stomped even worse this year, will he leave Cleveland?
I feel a very strong chance for the cavs to win the finals in 6. They clearly have the best player still and the best defense in the playoffs thus far. (Hawks had the best record in the east and 4 *FOUR* all-stars and they are getting decimated)
Harden would guard Curry because, that's what stars do they want the challenge. LeBron guards lots of PG's and has taken teague many times in this series at the end. Harden seems content to sit on the bench during 4th quarters and throw passes to Dwight Howard at the 3 pt line with 5 seconds left.
Yea but there's only four or five players that can guard so many positions. I can think of Le Bron, Kwahi Leonard, Draymond Green...and who else? Paul George?
They actually have been putting Harden on Draymond Green and on Barnes because he deals with size better than quickness.
He's not a good defender, I know, but by your logic Curry is a also not a star because he doesn't guard Harden...
It's kind of funny that you posted this right before the game last night.
Man it's weird that I'm defending Harden...wtf
And, yes, the Hawks had 4 All Stars...in the east...
Dubs over Cavs in 5.
The Hawks are the same as the Pacers of last year. They peeked to early and weren't able to maintain their best form headed into the playoffs. Golden State won't win in 5, the Cavs are a good team despite the weak eastern conference. It's going to go 6-7 games.
The Irving and Curry matchup will be fun, two best handles in the league (Chris Paul up there too) going at it.
But, Irving is basically a less good version of Curry who can't pass.
The Klay vs JR matchup will also be fun...
But, JR is basically a less good version of Klay who can't play defense...
I am a huge JR Smith fan by the way...
LeBron won't be as much of an advantage w. Draymond, Iguodala, etc. to guard him. They have a whole troop of big wing defenders for him, à la Kawhi Leonard last year. He will definately need to find his 3 point shot for this series.
Mozgov has looked good bullying the smaller hawks, but Bogut is as big a beast, but smarter and meaner...and if he can't stay on the floor during GS' small ball lineups GS is going to score a billion points.
Tristan Tompson could swing a couple games to Cleveland I guess (I can't believe I just wrote that) if he continues to play like this...he'll have to beast the offensive glass and lobs and whatnot enough to make Green guard him instead of LeBron.
Honestly just Golden State's bench could probably win a few games in a series against the Cavs.
This is last year's finals all over again...a deep well organized team vs LeBron...except now that team has even better players resulting in an even harsher spanking.
If Memphis could only take it to 6, I doubt that the Cavs can take it past 5.
Asmodian wrote:The Hawks are the same as the Pacers of last year. They peeked to early and weren't able to maintain their best form headed into the playoffs. Golden State won't win in 5, the Cavs are a good team despite the weak eastern conference. It's going to go 6-7 games.
2015 Hawks: Started 49-12. Finished 19-18
2014 Pacers: Started 46-13. Finished 20-22
James Harden 2-10 and 12 Turnovers (A Playoff all time record) while hiding from the ball the entire 4th quarter lol. Gonna shave his beard so he can hide in Houston.
Make that 2-11 with an airball and 13 Turnovers adding to the all time record.
lets not forget crun argued that james harden 'wouldn't get those foul calls' in the playoffs because as usual he has no idea what hes talking about
i remember harden missing a layup in the fourth of that final game against the warriors and me thinking how it's an afterthought to how much harden proved himself this season. he had over 10 turnovers and an ice cold shooting night going into that final quarter, so why anyone would have the expectations for mchale to tell his guys 'look we're just gunna give the ball to harden even though he's playing like cruniac on a high school court against the most stifling defense this year of the NBA has to offer' is plain foolish. if he had facilitated that whole quarter (i don't remember he even played the whole quarter) people would have noticed mchale has no control over his team and harden would be drawing selfish kobe bryant ego comparisons.
the fact that the rockets won a game vs the warriors was quite a feat and astounding! taking out the clippers in 7 and jumping to play the best team in the nba is excruciating and exhausting, and it's hard to say they would have won without james harden putting up 45; it's hard to say I expected them to win a game at all.
you should have heard me call the clippers collapse and the rockets coming back, it was a beautiful sight. josh smith hitting 3 after 3, I thought the TV switched to NBA2k15 and someone stacked his stats for a second, it was no josh smith I was familiar with!
ive been sporting the james harden beard in support of him over the last few months, yet we all know why I'm truly bearded : the only hope the red sox ever have of making the playoffs this year
the cavs can literally throw love away because lebron can carry the cavs on his own (hell kyrie is sadly an afterthought yet so entertaining to watch).
here's my take on the finals, as the 2015 NBA season wraps itself up with one final glorious match up. Where the baby faced good guy steph curry and his band of hobbits take the ring to evil saur-bron's castle and come home with 12 more. the orchestrated narration of the match up between the 'greatest player in the league' and the 'most valuable player in the league' is nothing short of stolen from ancient texts describing the battle between good and evil.
the finals match up is easily defined : nba all stars vs the harlem globe trotters.
i think its a bold statement to say the finals will go to 6-7 games, that sounds more like an association wish and a matthew delladova dream
lebron, the old knicks best guards, the old knicks center (mozgov), the freakish offensive rebounding sophmore thompson, a beat up kyrie who went INDIANA PACERS on his season and a benched Klove acknowledging his former team was the worst team in the league. oh and shawn marion, 40 years past his prime but not that many years after he guarded lebron in the finals. david 'blayt blayt' platt coaching his first season in the nba...
there's only one factor in that entire string of cleveland cavalier variables above that could bring them to game 6 or 7 in this series, and it's lebron james. unfortunately that is the same reason the warriors won't let the series go to 6 or 7 games, lebron james. you don't let a series get close with him, you make distance and keep pushing. steve kerr knows this, the warriors know this. if you're looking for 6-7 games, you're either a die hard cav/bron fan, gambling against the odds in vegas or optimistic to the point of denial. Or maybe you work for the association and realize 2 more days of media bullshit means that many more millions in revenue for all shareholders involved.
the cavaliers don't stand a chance at the moment, and it's just as unfortunate that playoff matchups are injury riddled fests all the way up until the season ends.
Asmodian wrote:Golden State won't win in 5, the Cavs are a good team despite the weak eastern conference. It's going to go 6-7 games.
the best bet out there is that golden state wins in 5, lebron has a full game win-share on his own in a 7-game series statistically. a sweep would be un-lebron like, going 6-7 games would be giving the cavaliers too much.
oh and the comment about the cavs not being as bad as the rest of the eastern conference : you really have no idea or repressed all memories what the cavs looked like without lebron huh
c⁄J⁄Iılk c⁄J⁄Iån ◊§t◊ wrote:LeBron won't be as much of an advantage w. Draymond, Iguodala, etc. to guard him. They have a whole troop of big wing defenders for him, à la Kawhi Leonard last year. He will definately need to find his 3 point shot for this series.
People like basketball? This is the biggest non-myth thread based on the worst subject....wtf people. Quit liking tall black men that jump a lot to throw balls in hoops.
Asmodian wrote:Golden State won't win in 5, the Cavs are a good team despite the weak eastern conference. It's going to go 6-7 games.
the best bet out there is that golden state wins in 5, lebron has a full game win-share on his own in a 7-game series statistically. a sweep would be un-lebron like, going 6-7 games would be giving the cavaliers too much.
oh and the comment about the cavs not being as bad as the rest of the eastern conference : you really have no idea or repressed all memories what the cavs looked like without lebron huh
Sup buddy. Sorry, but I'm smarter than Vegas when it comes to basketball.
Curry is the GOAT when it comes to shooting. Those shots he was making were just unreal.
The warriors walked right into the cavaliers trap and they are officially in the danger zone. I doubt you're smarter than Vegas, in that case you would have put your money where your mouth was (which I imagine you did not). 4-1 golden state was still the best bet at the start of the series, they are tired as fuck though and those shots don't fall forever.
Lebron playing at godly level, averaging 40 points a game so far. You have to respect that. Tonight he earned the title of the most points individually scored in first 3 games in NBA history, and he has to for this Cleveland team to be able to beat these formidable warriors. Golden state has basically shown up to the finals with a forum post advertising Mwc but no website, while Cleveland is playing like their lives are at risk.
Lackadaisical effort on the warriors part, I watch golden state attempt the pass-pass-pass strategy the spurs beat Lebron with last year against these cavs, but the cavs are much younger than last years heat team and it's much less effective and less refined.
Curry, despite making shots or not, needs to be taking shots. He's been second guessing himself and he looks like a different curry than the one everyone has critically acclaimed.
c⁄J⁄Iılk c⁄J⁄Iån ◊§t◊ wrote:LeBron won't be as much of an advantage w. Draymond, Iguodala, etc. to guard him. They have a whole troop of big wing defenders for him, à la Kawhi Leonard last year. He will definately need to find his 3 point shot for this series.
Game 1. 44/8/6
Game 2. 39/16/11
I was wrong...
He is moving people around like ragdolls....even Iguadola who is fuckin jacked is getting worked like a little girl in heat.
I guess there is only one Kawhi Leonard...
I still think Warriors win the series though. Pretty happy this series is amazing so far and might go to 7!
I agree that Curry needs to shoot more, put the team on his back!
Draymond still hasn't guarded LeBron except on switches though. I bet they try it tonight. Will be a fun matchup...but how can they keep TT off the boards? I wonder if we'll see a super big lineup...Bogut/Lee/Draymond...
Cleveland's strengths would be to play a big line up, golden state should be pushing smaller line ups for the remainder of the tournament.
It's 5 minutes left in the 4th golden state up by more than ten and why Cleveland are continuing to play Lebron is beyond me, they do not need him more worn out than he already is.
he was easily the best candidate, he practically shut down the best player in the world. lebron only had 20 shot attempts combined in the final half of his season because this mother fucker was on him like a hawk. his offensive production went up to where it would normally be as a starter as well.
totally lol though, did you also get a flash back to when he was on the 76ers?
this golden state warriors team will only be here itself for a flash, their contracts are skewed everywhere.
lord scary owl go be miserable playing golf somewhere else
Now that this shit is over can this thread be locked? Only in the NBA can a team from fucking Oakland win anything. I mean..Oakland...that is arguably the shittiest place I've ever been, and I've been to fucking Cambodia and Laos.....
