NBA 2012-13 Discussion

[gblews]

Interesting stat - the Bulls have a 9-8 record against the Heat since the "Big 3" came together.

THAT is impressive. I'd be willing to bet that no other team has a winning record against the Heat in the last 2 years.

In the upper echelon's of the NBA playoffs, upsets are extremely rare. When they do happen though, many times it is in the first round. Could we be seeing another Warriors-Mavs or Nuggets-Sonics? God, I hope so. I'm not really hating on LeBron and the Heat, it would just be so cool.

 

[gblews]

Ominous stat lines for the Thunder in game 2 (the important one):

R. Jackson - 10 pts on 3-8 shooting in 30 min.
K. Martin - 6 pts on 2-11 shooting in 29 min
D. Fish - 19 pts. on 6-9 shooting in 26 min

And no James Harden to pick up the scoring slack. Trouble with "depth" is that it is great until you actually have to use it.

 

[Dream]

Interesting stat - the Bulls have a 9-8 record against the Heat since the "Big 3" came together.

The Bulls are the Heat's kryptonite.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

For fuck's sake, Durant, you miss both free throws that could pull your team within 2 with a minute three seconds left?

No excuse. Absolutely zero excuse for that and I won't make excuses for him. He's far too accustomed to pressure. Missing both is unacceptable for a player of his caliber. After Jackson's offensive foul on the previous possession when he could have passed it to Fisher to go in for the shot and tie up the game, maybe Durant said "fuck it" and gave up. No excuse.

If I didn't know that Ibaka and Martin were capable of scoring effectively I wouldn't be so pissed off about it. They were both pitiful offensively and no, I still don't think the Thunder should have gone 24 million over the luxury tax and mortgaged the future to keep Harden. Harden sure as hell didn't help during the finals last season.

One thing's evident. The Thunder won't win a championship with Perkins at center.

 

[gblews]

They were both pitiful offensively and no, I still don't think the Thunder should have gone 24 million over the luxury tax and mortgaged the future to keep Harden. Harden sure as hell didn't help during the finals last season.

This kind of thinking is why the Thunder's championship will probably remain "in the future".

What you miss without Harden this season, is a player who can score and make up for the loss of Westbrook. Last season with Harden, the Thunder had 3 players who commanded a double team and who at various times depending on the competition, were virtually unstoppable on offense. Most of the elite teams have only one of those players, two at the most.

With Durant and Harden, the Thunder would still have been a very formidable offense, but without Westbrook AND Harden, they are a middle of the pack offense facing a tough defense that is able to guard the rim. With Harden, the Thunder had a championship combination. That no longer appears to be the case. It is about winning now -- who the frack cares about "the future".

But they are by no means out of this series yet -- we'll know after game 4.

If the Thunder does lose this series, Scottie Brooks' seat on the bench is going to start heating up. And if that happens it will be more fall out fron the Harden situation.

 

[Borgminister]

Break out the Geritol, Spurs!

 

[Dream]

Looks like the Bulls and the Thunder are done...

 

[Dorian Thompson]

And if that happens it will be more fall out fron the Harden situation.

No, it won't. His seat may heat up, but it is *not* from the Harden situation. Sam Presti fully approved of trading Harden. He encouraged it. He wasn't going to mortgage the future for the present. You're not here. You don't understand Presti's mindset. If Brooks seat gets warm, it's because he plays Perkins too god damned long and didn't go with a smaller line up against Miami in the finals last year. It isn't because he traded James Harden. People have dealt with that and moved on.

 

[gblews]

And if that happens it will be more fall out fron the Harden situation.

No, it won't. His seat may heat up, but it is *not* from the Harden situation. Sam Presti fully approved of trading Harden.

No, the point I'm making is that a team's failure can only haqppen so many times before the blame falls on the head coach, whether it actually is his fault or not. It happens even after the GM trades the team's second most valuable player as in this case. It doesn't matter that it was Presti's decision (or the owner or whoever) to trade Harden, even if it was over Brooks' objections. What will matter is if the perception becomes that the Thunder won't win a championship under Brooks.

The reality is that the Thunder (with Harden and Westbrook) had a championship team together that might have challenged the Heat this season and probably next, with more Finals experience and more incentive. That "championship potential" was traded, "for the future". Now they have to start over trying to put together that champioship puzzle -- one that was very likley already solved -- all they had to do was shell out the money.

You're not here.

It's the NBA Dorian, believe me, "I'm there".

 

[gblews]

Spurs have realized that they aren't going to beat the Warriors playing the Warriors' game. Now that they have, an have started to play defense kinda like they used to, Mark Jackson's team is in trouble. The Warriors missed their chance last night in game 5. But I still believe this one is going 7 with the Spurs winning.

 

[Borgminister]

Geritol Plus!

 

[Thestral]

Well, time to see if the Grit n' Grind can handle the Spurs. I'm thinking... yes. But they're crafty old bastards.

 

[Neroon]

What is the NBA's stance on concussions and when a player may return to action? I heard a quick snippet on the radio the other morning, about George Hill's concussion and whether he'd be able to return for the Pacers. It sounded as if he wouldnt' have a chance to play again until the next round... yet he played last night.

 

[gblews]

^^According to an NYT article, the NBA concussion policy includes pulling a player from all competition and he must pass a "battery" of tests before being allowed to return to competition. Apparently there is no set number of games or days off in the policy. So Hill must be a fast healer.

 

[Borgminister]

Three full days of rest for the oldsters...

 

[gblews]

Memphis is definitley not ready for prime time. Here is another illustration of the reason game 1 is the least important in a 7 game series. By winning, the Spurs have placed a stranglehold on the Grizz. Had Memphis won, they would be sitting pretty heading back home with HCA.

However, regardless of the outcome of game 3, I think it will be the Spurs who are given the opportunity get ground up by the Heat. Actually though, I expect the Spurs to give the Heat a decent series. I don't mind seeing the Spurs lose (even if it is to the Heat) -- it keeps the Lakers with the most championships in the millenium.

 

[Neroon]

Holy smokes.... if game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals is any indication......
First Paul George sinks a 30+ footer to tie it at the end of regulation. Then LeBron does this:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jYB9-7zXIk&feature=player_embedded[/yt]


ETA: Here is George's game-tieing shot at the end of regularion

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jujM-M85IY&feature=player_embedded[/yt]

 

[Borgminister]

Vogel's no Pop.

 

[gblews]

I didn't see any of that game. Man, Pacers score then play matador D and give up a game deciding lay up -- in overtime. LeBron just turned and the lane was wide open. That's terrible. In the Conference Finals as well as the NBA Finals, teams who let games that they have a good chance of winning slip away ususally don't end up winning the series. Did Hibbert foul out?

Heat, OTOH, are inexperienced at repeating. Winning the NBA championship is the hardest championship of the major sports to win, IMO. It is topped in difficulty only by repeating as NBA champs. Heat had better keep their heads down and work their asses off until they get that 16th win in the Finals.

 

[Neroon]

Why else do you think LeBron looked so po'ed after that winning shot, when the rest of the team wanted to celebrate?