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The Golden State Warriors (1971-), Western Conference, Pacific Division - 2015-2016's Record the NBA's All-Time Best at 73-9


DonRocks

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So… Golden State was like, gone right?  Playing Game 6 away, losing just about all game.  And then they weren't.  Holy crap… how composed and tough are these guys?!  I am officially even more impressed.  Cant wait for Game 7.

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2 hours ago, Steve R. said:

So… Golden State was like, gone right?  Playing Game 6 away, losing just about all game.  And then they weren't.  Holy crap… how composed and tough are these guys?!  I am officially even more impressed.  Cant wait for Game 7.

The #2 players (Klay Thomspon and Russell Westbrook) carried the workload during Game 6, waiting for the #1 players (Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant) to wake up. As if coming out of a slumber, it seemed as if Curry - who looked like he'd lost all his confidence, and spent an entire quarter watching Thompson single-handedly keeping the Warriors within striking distance - said, "Hey, wait a minute ... I can do this too," and then he nailed a couple huge 3's towards the end. Durant, however, seemed like he just buried his head further-and-further in the sand as the clock ticked towards zero, and never emerged from his funk.

Durant has done everything *but* win an NBA championship, and without a serious and immediate injection of self-confidence, he's not going to win one this year, either, because as good as Westbrook is, he can't do it without Durant's help (although he almost did). Durant needs to get angry, and the Thunder need to have a sports psychologist working with him for the next 48 hours - the first few minutes of Game 7 could be very revealing.

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Good emotional challenging series.   I have no worries about Durant's offense.  He is a machine, but also Golden State has one of the better defensive players in the game covering him most of the time, in Andre Iguadala.  If you watched the last game Iguadala played some great defense on Durant, and lest you forget last year Iguadala won the Playoff MVP, a significant part of that because of his defense on Lebron.  This series is being played with big boy intensity.

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Best series in recent memory and has a pretty good chance at repeating itself over the next few years as long as Durant doesn't jump ship (I don't believe he will- more money available in OKC as well as a better shot at a title than almost anywhere else)

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9 hours ago, Steve R. said:

Well, that was a fun game to watch.  And now, Cleveland.

8 hours ago, farmer john said:

Best series in recent memory and has a pretty good chance at repeating itself over the next few years as long as Durant doesn't jump ship (I don't believe he will- more money available in OKC as well as a better shot at a title than almost anywhere else)

I was exhausted at the end.  Damn good series.  

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Things have just gotten very interesting.

"Grades: Warriors Outdo Themselves with Kevin Durant Blockbuster Deal" by Ben Golliver on si.com

The Warriors have gone from having the greatest record of all-time, to possibly being the greatest *team* of all-time. The only question that remains is: chemistry - "There's only one ball to go around" - that type of thing.

I'm *so* glad that Cleveland won the title now; before this, I was somewhat indifferent. Durant could actually play *small* forward, although the traditional set-up seems to have gone out the window now. If it was any other superstar *but* Durant, I'd be super-skeptical, but Durant's skills seem to fit in with the Warriors' game plan - now it's a question of who will be willing to score less points, and will the Warriors "X-factors" (Green, Iguodala) step up into being pure defensive and rebounding role players, to an even greater extent than before.

This isn't a blockbuster; this is an earthquake. It's also an insurance policy against injury: If either Curry or Durant go down, the Warriors can *still* win.

"NBA Players React to Kevin Durant Signing with the Warriors" on si.com

Click

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Hopefully they will find a way to lose, same as Lebron,Wade, and Bosh the first year. Live by the jump shot, die by the jump shot still applies (probably even moreso than before) and the league will catch up to small ball to a degree. (Durant plays way smaller than he is)

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Live by the jumpshot die by the jumpshot doesn't apply when they are great shooters and wide-open every time, as they will be here.  Zach Lowe put it best: imagine Durant taking all those wide open threes Harrison Barnes clanked this finals.  They need some size to fill out down low, but they'll crush next season barring injuries.

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You are presuming they will be wide open all the time. Durant and ball movement have not exactly been synonymous to this point and if Durant were not busy clanking threes in Game 6 of the Western Finals last year the Warriors  were dead to rights there. They will also clearly not be as good defensively or on the boards without Bogut/Ezeli.

They will certainly be the favorites next season (and likely beyond). 

 

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Durant is a better defender than Barnes.  The unique issue these three players cause for teams is nearly unlimited range.  You have to guard them 25 feet out, which means lanes will be WIDE open ... there's just no way around it.  Add to that that Durant or Curry can be on the court at all times and the fact that this team got to game 7 with a hurt Iggy, bogut and Steph and this is going to be scary.  I just hope it's competitive. Should be very interesting to watch either way.

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On 7/4/2016 at 6:30 PM, DonRocks said:

The Warriors have gone from having the greatest record of all-time, to possibly being the greatest *team* of all-time. The only question that remains is: chemistry - "There's only one ball to go around" - that type of thing.

The Warriors are now 4-2.

"Do the Warriors Have Too Many Superstars?" by Al Saracevic on sfchronicle.com

For most teams, 4-2 would be a good start; for the Warriors, it represents a total collapse. However, at the end of the day, the *only* thing that matters is that they make the playoffs. Then, Season #2 begins, and they'll have had 82 games to work out their chemistry issues.

I do not think that the Warriors are going to replicate their 72-win season - the "only one ball to go around" theory is another way of saying, "too many superstars," and this may be an object lesson about chemistry and balance being more important than "sheer individual greatness."

In baseball, you want as many great, individual superstars as possible; in basketball, you want balance. Easy to say now that the Warriors are 4-2 instead of 6-0; I wouldn't have bet on this. 

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On 11/5/2016 at 7:00 PM, DonRocks said:

The Warriors are now 4-2.

The Warriors are now 6-2, and I watched them beat the *snot* out of the Mavericks a couple nights ago. They may not win 73 games this year, but who's going to be able to take an entire series from them? 

Two days ago, I'm pretty sure I saw them employ the following strategy, which could work very well with them: They figure out early on (in the first few minutes) who has the hot hand (it could be Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green, or maybe even someone else), and they let that person keep it rolling until he cools off - then, when that happens, the next hot shooter takes over. They have so many superstars that the odds of one person being in-rhythm at any given moment are excellent, and they just need to figure out who that person is ... then tell them to let it fly without any pressure - that lack of pressure will auto-feed the hot hands, and knowing that someone else can pick up the slack will make everyone a better shooter. This is a pretty scary team; coaching them is going to be the biggest challenge.

I'd bet even money right now that the 2016-2017 Warriors will set the single-season mark for most 3-pointers.

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On 11/11/2016 at 8:57 PM, DonRocks said:

The Warriors are now 6-2, and I watched them beat the *snot* out of the Mavericks a couple nights ago. They may not win 73 games this year, but who's going to be able to take an entire series from them? 

Ummm... the same team that beat them last year when (imo) the Warriors were better? Scoring remains only a portion of a game rather than the whole enchilada. The Warriors were better defensively and on the boards last year unless Durant has gotten an infusion of toughness or willingness to play in the paint. Teams have had more time to figure out the Warriors as well- strategy in sports is not static.

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6 hours ago, farmer john said:

Ummm... the same team that beat them last year when (imo) the Warriors were better? 

They probably were better last year, but they weren't as dangerous, and I think they're better suited for playoff basketball this year (picture a baseball team with three *great* pitchers and a solid closer - they're perfectly suited to win the World Series even though they might have less good players than another team). 

A voice in the back of my head is saying, "Seaver, Koosman, Gentry, Ryan ..."

As an aside, how many people remember that Tug McGraw was on that same team? McGraw will always be a Philly to me, but damned if he didn't go 9-3 as a 69 Met.

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18 hours ago, DonRocks said:

They probably were better last year, but they weren't as dangerous, and I think they're better suited for playoff basketball this year (picture a baseball team with three *great* pitchers and a solid closer - they're perfectly suited to win the World Series even though they might have less good players than another team). 

A voice in the back of my head is saying, "Seaver, Koosman, Gentry, Ryan ..."

As an aside, how many people remember that Tug McGraw was on that same team? McGraw will always be a Philly to me, but damned if he didn't go 9-3 as a 69 Met.

I disagree that they are better suited to playoff basketball- they will still live and die by the 3 pointer and Durant has not really shown a "clutch gene" to this point in his career.

Both the Rockets and the Cavs are currently making 3 pointers at a greater rate per game than the Warriors btw. I think the difference is that even though the Cavs have bought into the outside in offense they are not outside only- they can crank up the defense and rebounding a couple notches beyond the Warriors (and they still have the best player in the world).

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7 hours ago, farmer john said:

I disagree that they are better suited to playoff basketball- they will still live and die by the 3 pointer and Durant has not really shown a "clutch gene" to this point in his career.

Both the Rockets and the Cavs are currently making 3 pointers at a greater rate per game than the Warriors btw. I think the difference is that even though the Cavs have bought into the outside in offense they are not outside only- they can crank up the defense and rebounding a couple notches beyond the Warriors (and they still have the best player in the world).

I'm not sure if I failed to make my point, or if I succeeded in making it, but you just disagree (which is perfectly fine):

I think the Warriors have so many deadly shooters this year that it won't be "live or die by the 3"; it will be "live by the 3." And they'll start launching them early in games to figure out who's hot, and who's not. I think the odds of having every shooter ice cold in any one game are fairly small; the odds of having every shooter ice cold in an entire series are even more remote.

Don't forget that Durant is as good at driving and tomahawking as anyone in the game - I'd be very surprised if he wasn't the NBA's leading scorer so far this decade.

Their biggest opponent this year is their own egos - if they can keep them in check, and accept the fact that individual scoring averages will need to decrease, then I just don't see how they lose an entire playoff series (we can both agree that they'll at least *make* the playoffs, right?)

I know, I know ... defense is half the game.

I'm glad Cleveland won last year, but LeBron had to grunt up every milliliter of testosterone he had to do it - if James goes down, Cleveland goes down; Golden State can afford to lose their best player and still be favored to take it all.

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6 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I'm not sure if I failed to make my point, or if I succeeded in making it, but you just disagree (which is perfectly fine):

I think the Warriors have so many deadly shooters this year that it won't be "live or die by the 3"; it will be "live by the 3." And they'll start launching them early in games to figure out who's hot, and who's not. I think the odds of having every shooter ice cold in any one game are fairly small; the odds of having every shooter ice cold in an entire series are even more remote.

Don't forget that Durant is as good at driving and tomahawking as anyone in the game - I'd be very surprised if he wasn't the NBA's leading scorer so far this decade.

Their biggest opponent this year is their own egos - if they can keep them in check, and accept the fact that individual scoring averages will need to decrease, then I just don't see how they lose an entire playoff series (we can both agree that they'll at least *make* the playoffs, right?)

I know, I know ... defense is half the game.

I'm glad Cleveland won last year, but LeBron had to grunt up every milliliter of testosterone he had to do it - if James goes down, Cleveland goes down; Golden State can afford to lose their best player and still be favored to take it all.

You made your point and I disagree. Golden State should certainly be the co-favorite at this point (with Cleveland) but I'll take the Cavs in a 7 game series given both teams being healthy. I just don't think Durant adds anything to the Warriors mix that they actually needed- he plays shorter and softer than he is despite being clearly the most gifted scorer in the game. The ball also tends to stop when it rotates to him and this is something an unselfish team like the Warriors will not appreciate after a while. If Durant had not pulled an all time choke job in game 6 of last year's OKC/GS series (stopped the ball rotation and jacked up bad shot after bad shot) the Warriors wouldn't have made the finals last year.

It's nice to be able to disagree over something as harmless as basketball at this point.

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19 minutes ago, farmer john said:

I just don't think Durant adds anything to the Warriors mix that they actually needed

Health insurance!

19 minutes ago, farmer john said:

It's nice to be able to disagree over something as harmless as basketball at this point.

Agreed. If we were discussing college football, I'd be on my way over to your house with an AK-47.

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This play should have counted for about 10 points just on end to end style:

A block, a pass made while falling, a crazy between the legs, behind the back alley oop pass and a dunk.  ....and it was blown dead due to a foul.  I'd have given them 10 points for style and inventiveness.  Jazz musicians would find it thrilling:

 

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3 hours ago, DaveO said:

This play should have counted for about 10 points just on end to end style:

I felt like I was watching the Globetrotters (and I mean that as a compliment - and I'll bet big money you got excited as hell when they used to show up on Wide World of Sports - I know I sure did (that, and Demolition Derby)). We need to start a thread on the Globetrotters.

Look at the very beginning of that clip - Thompson was beaten off the dribble ... I wonder at what precise moment his instincts told him to lay back and go for the block.

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1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

I felt like I was watching the Globetrotters (and I mean that as a compliment - and I'll bet big money you got excited as hell when they used to show up on Wide World of Sports - I know I sure did (that, and Demolition Derby)). We need to start a thread on the Globetrotters.

Look at the very beginning of that clip - Thompson was beaten off the dribble ... I wonder at what precise moment his instincts told him to lay back and go for the block.

Globetrotters:  Ha.  oooooh its been decades since I've thought about them.  Did see them live once. 

The above sequence caught my fancy;  each part of the play was entertaining, with that final pass being the ultimate; and that which turns the game into "show".  

And it didn't count.  Ha ha ha.

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21 hours ago, DaveO said:

Globetrotters:  Ha.  oooooh its been decades since I've thought about them.  Did see them live once. 

The above sequence caught my fancy;  each part of the play was entertaining, with that final pass being the ultimate; and that which turns the game into "show".  

And it didn't count.  Ha ha ha.

BTW, after I posted, I watched that sequence again, and while the buzzer blows, the announcer mentions "Globetrotters" - you have to listen carefully, but it's there.

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3 hours ago, DonRocks said:

BTW, after I posted, I watched that sequence again, and while the buzzer blows, the announcer mentions "Globetrotters" - you have to listen carefully, but it's there.

Competitive basketball includes globetrotter type plays.  It's an element of the game, which is one of several reasons why someone like Earl The Pearl Monroe is rated so highly (as an example)

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Some people don't like Draymond Green, but I think right now he's *exactly* the person the Warriors need - perhaps need most of all - as he's not only an "enforcer," but he's leading the team in rebounds, assists, steals, and is just barely second in blocks behind Kevin Durant. 

Off the top of my head, I can't remember a team whose third-leading scorer averaged 21.1 points-per-game, but that's exactly what Klay Thompson is doing right now. However, not only is Green doing all the things listed above, he's also the Warriors fourth-leading scorer at 10.8 points-per-game. 

I used to think Andre Iguodala was the Warriors' "X-factor," but right now, I think Draymond Green has stepped up and taken his place, is having an All-Star-level season, and deserves to be on the All-Star team. 

Man, I hated to see him disrespect LeBron James the way he did, but part of his job is akin to what Dennis Rodman did for the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls: to piss off the opponent, and allow the Gang Of Three (I just made that up) to get their 20+ points-per-game. 

Another thing I've noticed this year is that there's a certain entitlement in Stephen Curry's countenance that wasn't there in previous seasons - I'm talking about interviews; not his game performance. I think losing the finals last year was the end of his being Mr. Nice Guy, and I suspect that no team will be able to take them down in a seven-game series: How can you possibly take four games off of this team?

Last year, they won 73 games because they caught the rest of the league with their pants down; this year, the league was fully prepared for the Warriors' onslaught, so they're probably not going to duplicate the win total, but they're also a better team, and are going to be impossible to defeat in a playoff round. I don't know what the odds are for them to win the championship, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was even money.

The one person on this team that would hurt the Warriors the most with a season-ending injury is Draymond Green. 

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Some people don't like Draymond Green, but I think right now he's *exactly* the person the Warriors need - perhaps need most of all - as he's not only an "enforcer," but he's leading the team in rebounds, assists, steals, and is just barely second in blocks behind Kevin Durant. 

Off the top of my head, I can't remember a team whose third-leading scorer averaged 21.1 points-per-game, but that's exactly what Klay Thompson is doing right now. However, not only is Green doing all the things listed above, he's also the Warriors fourth-leading scorer at 10.8 points-per-game. 

I used to think Andre Iguodala was the Warriors' "X-factor," but right now, I think Draymond Green has stepped up and taken his place, is having an All-Star-level season, and deserves to be on the All-Star team. 

Man, I hated to see him disrespect LeBron James the way he did, but part of his job is akin to what Dennis Rodman did for the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls: to piss off the opponent, and allow the Gang Of Three (I just made that up) to get their 20+ points-per-game. 

Another thing I've noticed this year is that there's a certain entitlement in Stephen Curry's countenance that wasn't there in previous seasons - I'm talking about interviews; not his game performance. I think losing the finals last year was the end of his being Mr. Nice Guy, and I suspect that no team will be able to take them down in a seven-game series: How can you possibly take four games off of this team?

Last year, they won 73 games because they caught the rest of the league with their pants down; this year, the league was fully prepared for the Warriors' onslaught, so they're probably not going to duplicate the win total, but they're also a better team, and are going to be impossible to defeat in a playoff round. I don't know what the odds are for them to win the championship, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was even money.

The one person on this team that would hurt the Warriors the most with a season-ending injury is Draymond Green. 

Warriors are -140 to win it all right now.

Zach lavine was averaging 20 ppg as the twolves third highest scorer (now at 19.8 ppg).  Obviously that team has lots of holes though.

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8 minutes ago, funkyfood said:

Warriors are -140 to win it all right now.

I'll tell you what: I don't bet on sports, but if I did, I'd be sorely tempted to take the Spurs at +800. There's too much time left for injuries to say with full confidence that the Warriors will take it all, and I think if the Spurs take down the Warriors - for whatever reason - then they'll also take down the Cavaliers. Of course, the X-factor in *that* series might be Kyle Korver.

Screenshot 2017-01-21 at 14.31.09.png

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Nobody is going to get in the Warriors' way of a title this year - it is an *unbelievable* testament to LeBron James that the Cavs did last year.

Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James <--- This thread was started before the minor addition of Kevin Durant.

I don't care if the Warriors don't lose a single game on their way to the title - there can be no individual taunting about LeBron James, not when you have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant on one team. Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving are great players, but the Warriors are like the 1927 Yankees.

The Warriors have the last 3 NBA MVPs, but in the last 8 seasons, LeBron James has won it 4 times by himself.

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On 5/7/2017 at 11:54 AM, DonRocks said:

Nobody is going to get in the Warriors' way of a title this year - it is an *unbelievable* testament to LeBron James that the Cavs did last year.

If the Cavs can take this year's series to six games, it's going to be a miracle. 

(As of this writing, the Warriors won Game 1, 123-91, and Lebron James had 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists - what more can he do? Kyrie Irving added 24 points, but he could (and must) certainly step it up in assists - he only had 2. Kevin Love had 21 rebounds, but only 1 assist)

Possible "nutritional supplements" aside, I have endless respect for James - six seven finals in a row? Ridiculous. And the first non-Celtic ever to do it.

Perhaps the biggest testament to James is that, as of right now, he honestly believes Cleveland can win this series - he's not just blowing smoke; he honestly thinks they can win.

They can't, but the fact that he thinks they can is remarkable. The fact that they won last year is beyond remarkable.

Kevin Love just isn't a good enough three-man to overcome Golden State, and after Kevin Love, Cleveland plummets off a cliff: Their #4 and #5 starters, Richard Jefferson and Tristan Thompson, had a combined 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in Game 1.

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4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

If the Cavs can take this year's series to six games, it's going to be a miracle. 

(As of this writing, the Warriors won Game 1, 123-91, and Lebron James had 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists - what more can he do? Kyrie Irving added 24 points, but he could (and must) certainly step it up in assists - he only had 2. Kevin Love had 21 rebounds, but only 1 assist)

Possible "nutritional supplements" aside, I have endless respect for James - six seven finals in a row? Ridiculous. And the first non-Celtic ever to do it.

Perhaps the biggest testament to James is that, as of right now, he honestly believes Cleveland can win this series - he's not just blowing smoke; he honestly thinks they can 

Kevin Love just isn't a good enough three-man to overcome Golden State, and after Kevin Love, Cleveland plummets off a cliff: Their #4 and #5 starters, Richard Jefferson and Tristan Thompson, had a combined 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists in Game 1.

JR Smith is the 5 Cav starter not Jefferson.  Smith hit his first 3 pointer at the very beginning of the game and then whiffed on all other shots. He didn't shoot often.  He was such a knucklehead for the knicks and now is a 3 year starter for the Cavs.  (It's good to play with Lebron) He is primarily a 3 pt weapon

The Warriors look great but after all Cleveland has  Lebron and last year the Cavs came back from 1-3.

The reason they play is to see who is better on the court, not in my head.  I'm going to watch.

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I was rooting for a competitive finals.  Game 3 was very competitive but from the perspective of a possible long series the results didn't work out as I would have preferred.

Durant has raised his entire game to include defense shot blocking rebounding passing and rim protecting and oh boy what a shooter.  Surprised he isn't selling popcorn in the stands.

I suspect the Cavs were tuckered out at the end.  Boy they wilted.  

Back to Durant and add the magnificent teammates and team game and even Lebron and Kyrie when hitting his sporadic magnificence can't beat Golden State.  Whew!!  Golden State is a real powerhouse.

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Best team ever under today's rules. If only Durant hadn't fallen apart last year at the end of Game 6 Thunder/Warriors the NBA would be a more interesting place. Hopefully Klay will leave when his contract is up. 

Tristan Thompson should have to pay back some of his ridiculous salary.

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17 hours ago, farmer john said:

Best team ever under today's rules. If only Durant hadn't fallen apart last year at the end of Game 6 Thunder/Warriors the NBA would be a more interesting place. Hopefully Klay will leave when his contract is up. 

Tristan Thompson should have to pay back some of his ridiculous salary.

I'm not rooting for or against either team but was hoping for a more competitive matchup.  Durant has elevated an already great team.  

In the only game that remained competitive Green sat out extra minutes b/c of fouls.  Might not have been as competitive if Green had had an extra 10 minutes on the court

Meanwhile as the division titles were being wrapped up I was reading how Eastern division teams are all planning around when LeBron starts to lose effectiveness...and the Cavs are being dominate in that division  That adds more context to the "best team ever under today's rules"

GS is playing at a level that leaves everyone in the dust.

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Perhaps the biggest testament to James is that, as of right now, he honestly believes Cleveland can win this series - he's not just blowing smoke; he honestly thinks they can win.

They can't, but the fact that he thinks they can is remarkable.

On 6/4/2017 at 4:01 PM, DaveO said:

The reason they play is to see who is better on the court, not in my head.  I'm going to watch.

Be sure and catch Nadal-Thiem in the French Open semis as well. The suspense is *killing* me.

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18 hours ago, farmer john said:

Best team ever under today's rules. If only Durant hadn't fallen apart last year at the end of Game 6 Thunder/Warriors the NBA would be a more interesting place. Hopefully Klay will leave when his contract is up. 

Tristan Thompson should have to pay back some of his ridiculous salary.

Here is an interesting article that touches on one of the elements of their possible "best team ever under today's rules" status:  Article

I don't really care who wins but I would like to see Cleveland win one or two....or more.  I really think that Lebron is the closest player ever to Jordan...the one most capable of taking a team to championships...and here he is with Kyrie Irving, who is both one of the most dangerous and talented offensive players in the game, yet too inconsistent to provide it every game...and another stud in Love.  And yet Golden State is remarkably better.  Whew.   Talk about raising the bar......

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On 6/8/2017 at 7:33 PM, farmer john said:

Best team ever under today's rules. If only Durant hadn't fallen apart last year at the end of Game 6 Thunder/Warriors the NBA would be a more interesting place. Hopefully Klay will leave when his contract is up. 

Tristan Thompson should have to pay back some of his ridiculous salary.

Fierce rivalry. I enjoyed the last game only in so far as it was reasonably competitive with Cleveland more or less in striking distance from the time they fell behind in the 2nd quarter.  They couldn't get over the hump.  Lebron carried them again.  Thompson actually scored some points, JR Smith did about as well as he can do, Kyrie seemed to falter and reported that he hurt his leg then back, and Love sucked on the scoring front.  Cavs reserves did nothing of note.

GS played their death squad of the 5 best players most of the game and ultimately all that talent was unmatchable with Durant being a killer.  Even with GS being so good I still think its a potentially competitive match up but to get there it requires the best Cleveland has to offer all the time.  Durant really rounded out his game this series with points, effective scoring, defense and rebounding.  He rose to the occasion.   He was like Lebron.  In this generation of basketball I think that is the ultimate compliment.

Sort of reminds me of the mid 80's with great Celtic and Laker teams consistently competing at the top of the sport.  Its simply the competitiveness that is similar; the nature of the game and the types of stars and skills are extremely different. 

I sort of hope they do it again next year....except if the Wiz steal a star or two from somewhere and break in from the East.

 

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11 hours ago, DaveO said:

Fierce rivalry. I enjoyed the last game only in so far as it was reasonably competitive with Cleveland more or less in striking distance from the time they fell behind in the 2nd quarter.  They couldn't get over the hump.  Lebron carried them again.  Thompson actually scored some points, JR Smith did about as well as he can do, Kyrie seemed to falter and reported that he hurt his leg then back, and Love sucked on the scoring front.  Cavs reserves did nothing of note.

GS played their death squad of the 5 best players most of the game and ultimately all that talent was unmatchable with Durant being a killer.  Even with GS being so good I still think its a potentially competitive match up but to get there it requires the best Cleveland has to offer all the time.  Durant really rounded out his game this series with points, effective scoring, defense and rebounding.  He rose to the occasion.   He was like Lebron.  In this generation of basketball I think that is the ultimate compliment.

Sort of reminds me of the mid 80's with great Celtic and Laker teams consistently competing at the top of the sport.  Its simply the competitiveness that is similar; the nature of the game and the types of stars and skills are extremely different. 

I sort of hope they do it again next year....except if the Wiz steal a star or two from somewhere and break in from the East.

Pretty likely we see it again next year with the exact same results. I question whether anyone can beat the Warriors in their current makeup playing as much isolation on offense as the Cavs do, despite the fact that Lebron and Kyrie are probably the 2 most effective players in the league at it. It's too much work. Cleveland looks a lot like Miami was beginning to look when Lebron left- all the role players are getting old and not particularly athletic. They could use some young long springy guys but Lebron has shown repeatedly he trusts older guys. 

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5 hours ago, farmer john said:

Pretty likely we see it again next year with the exact same results. I question whether anyone can beat the Warriors in their current makeup playing as much isolation on offense as the Cavs do, despite the fact that Lebron and Kyrie are probably the 2 most effective players in the league at it. It's too much work. Cleveland looks a lot like Miami was beginning to look when Lebron left- all the role players are getting old and not particularly athletic. They could use some young long springy guys but Lebron has shown repeatedly he trusts older guys. 

Yep. As the series progressed the Cavs seemed to give fewer minutes to reserves.  Over the season they were leaders among 3 pt shots attempted and made but I guess GS defenses that too well and so Lebron and Kyrie went more and more to drives and isolation and as talented as Kyrie is I doubt he's been consistently great.... ever.  I don't think he can sustain the necessary greatness needed against GS

Lebron was a better distributor than scorer when he started but he's never played with a James Worthy kind of finisher.

They'll likely meet again next yr. I agree with you.

Right now GS is a freaking monster team with ridiculous talent.

What other team could put 4-5 all stars on the court w/ 2 of them being among the top 5 in the league??  Ever

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On 6/13/2017 at 7:51 PM, farmer john said:

Pretty likely we see it again next year with the exact same results. I question whether anyone can beat the Warriors in their current makeup playing as much isolation on offense as the Cavs do, despite the fact that Lebron and Kyrie are probably the 2 most effective players in the league at it. It's too much work. Cleveland looks a lot like Miami was beginning to look when Lebron left- all the role players are getting old and not particularly athletic. They could use some young long springy guys but Lebron has shown repeatedly he trusts older guys. 

Aside from injuries or some other unplanned event I can't see a change from another GS/Cleveland match up.  That being said here is the one kind of change/evolution that can change things:  Its called the evolution of Giannis/ the Greek Freak....sort of well described by this story in Sports Illustrated

Giannis improved so much, got so good, became so dominant...it was freaky to see how great he became.  (admittedly I only saw him a couple of times...but geez!!!)

He is talented on many levels and has a unique physical package.  But boy he got good fast this past season.  As the story describes he needs to improve his outside/3 pt shooting....and then uh oh!!!!   Others before him have done so.

Even if he improves at the same rate the rest of his team might still not be good enough.  But if he improves and some other players improve at a level that nobody can see or predict than of course many things can change. 

There is a complete unpredictability to know which players burst through an existing level and vault to the next level.  There are always players that leap into greatness and players that simply never substantially improve. 

I'd like to see Giannis continue to get better and hopefully see some others make similar improvements.  Heck, Green, Curry, and Thompson did not come into the league with the highest of expectations nor were the most coveted first picks in the draft.  Now look at them.

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It will be Cleveland/GS (barring Lebron injury or injury to 2 of Golden State's big 4) until Lebron packs up and moves to LA to play for the Clippers where he and Chris Paul try to figure out how to each have a basketball when there is only one available. (Jerry West to the Clippers and Steve Ballmer's commitment to building his own digs instead of staying in Staples Center had me thinking about this earlier today on deliveries.)

Lebron will be retired by the time the Freak is ready to compete for a championship.

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20 hours ago, farmer john said:

It will be Cleveland/GS (barring Lebron injury or injury to 2 of Golden State's big 4) until Lebron packs up and moves to LA to play for the Clippers where he and Chris Paul try to figure out how to each have a basketball when there is only one available. (Jerry West to the Clippers and Steve Ballmer's commitment to building his own digs instead of staying in Staples Center had me thinking about this earlier today on deliveries.)

Lebron will be retired by the time the Freak is ready to compete for a championship.

Barring injuries (the specific injuries you outline above) I completely agree.  Having said that I'm just sort of meandering looking at other possibilities.  The post above that mentions Giannis, the Greek Freak, is actually not the specific point I've been contemplating.

Giannis is a THE prime example of a star that comes out of nowhere, or who makes an incredible leap, way beyond anyone ever imagined.  I really mean him as an example...not the only option.

A different example is the now starting center at Denver, Nikola Jokic.  Did you see him this year?  He was a sub/starter last year, was the opening game starter for Denver, was replaced as a starter then won the job back.   Then he went bananas and is looking like a future BIG STAR.   He is an incredible passer from the center position.  Is easily the best most creative such passer in the NBA from that position and is similarly a quality scorer and rebounder.

I caught him on some highlights, heard about him from a friend in Denver and saw him play in the 2nd half of the season.  Whoa!!!  A budding super star on the make,

Where did that come from?   His progress is similar to that of Giannis....and also similar to Curry and Green on the Warriors....players who explode into super stardom. 

Nobody saw Curry's development.  He was about a 7th or 8th pick in a weak draft, was obviously a shooter but had only 1 year of playing point guard.  He came into the league far far different than he is now.  My lord he developed.  Green was a 2nd round draft choice, a sub who got to start through injury to the starter.  Bam Bam Bam.  He became the great missing link that with Curry completely changed that team.

Where do these guys come from???  

Anyway this is just hypothesis, and my hope for more than 2 dominant teams.  Houston soared this year and I think the creative move on their part came from their coach, D'antoni who changed the nature of their team.  His coaching career is both creative and mostly successful when he matches skills to his style.  Speaking of coaches Popovich with the Spurs creates winners and has done so with changing teams and leaders.......and we can always hope for that explosion with the Wiz.....

But I demur....GS and Cleveland are the clear favorites.  I'd just like to see 2 or 3 other teams challenge them at that level.

 

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On 6/16/2017 at 5:03 PM, DaveO said:

A different example is the now starting center at Denver, Nikola Jokic.  Did you see him this year?  He was a sub/starter last year, was the opening game starter for Denver, was replaced as a starter then won the job back.   Then he went bananas and is looking like a future BIG STAR.   He is an incredible passer from the center position.  Is easily the best most creative such passer in the NBA from that position and is similarly a quality scorer and rebounder.

Jokic was crucial to Serbia winning silver at the Olympics last year.  Coincidentally, we were in Vail for a wedding last August and he walked past us on the street between the terminal and parking lot at DEN (ostensibly having just returned from Rio).  The problem is his sub-par defense and tendency to miss lots of minutes with early foul trouble.  That said, the Nuggets blitzed many top teams in the last few months, including a 22-point win over GS and double-digit wins over Cleveland and Boston.  Unfortunately their inconsistency, inexperience, and poor defense don't match up well with playoff basketball so they're at least another couple years away.

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