NBA 2014-2015 Season Discussion

[Ar-Pharazon]

Not a huge BB fan here, but a Chicago fan.

The Bulls finally flex their muscles tonite with a 54 point win,120-66, closing out the Bucks.

The Bulls' starting 5 had more points than the whole Milwaukee team.

I hope this team is on an upswing. The Cavs aren't gonna be pushovers without Love & Smith.

 

[Borgminister]

Damn Spurs. Mr. Max Contract better do better than that if he wants the money.

Seriously.

Every other year is fine too. Clippers in 7.

 

[Kronos]

Colossal mistake by the Thunder, a college coach known to be hard on players? looking forward to that disaster.

 

[gblews]

Spurs have put themselves in the unenviable position of having to win 3 road games in order to advance. THAT is usually quite unlikely unless one team is head and shoulders better that the other. But OTOH, the Clippers, I believe, are a team that is susceptible to having their "will to win" broken.

In other words, I don't know who is going to win game 7. Suffice it to say, I won't be unhappy either way it turns out.

 

[Corran Horn]

Colossal mistake by the Thunder, a college coach known to be hard on players? looking forward to that disaster.

Does this mean Durant leaves? Or would he have left anyway? He's damaged goods, though. Westbrook is arguably the better player and if Durant leaves he will mostly likely stay. (Well, contractually, he'll have to stay longer than Durant but I mean in terms of re-signing)

Spurs have put themselves in the unenviable position of having to win 3 road games in order to advance. THAT is usually quite unlikely unless one team is head and shoulders better that the other. But OTOH, the Clippers, I believe, are a team that is susceptible to having their "will to win" broken.

In other words, I don't know who is going to win game 7. Suffice it to say, I won't be unhappy either way it turns out.

Spurs defy conventional wisdom. They don't fit the model.

 

[Jedi_Master]

Not a huge BB fan here, but a Chicago fan.

The Bulls finally flex their muscles tonite with a 54 point win,120-66, closing out the Bucks.

The Bulls' starting 5 had more points than the whole Milwaukee team.

I hope this team is on an upswing. The Cavs aren't gonna be pushovers without Love & Smith.

I hope so too. The Bucks rolled over in this game, but I think the Bulls have a chance to finally dethrone King James.

 

[Captrek]

If so, Olynyk will deserve some of the credit for the dethroning. It sucks to see a contender's chances compromised like that by a "bush league" play.

 

[Corran Horn]

If so, Olynyk will deserve some of the credit for the dethroning. It sucks to see a contender's chances compromised like that by a "bush league" play.

Bah - you could say the Heat only beat the Bulls (and later won the championship) because Rose was injured for the 2013 eastern semis. Deng was injured for that series too. Injuries happen. Enough people familiar with Olynyk have said he's not that type of player.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^And if he were, he wouldn't be playing for Brad Stevens, whose Butler teams were known for their physical defense (despite being undersized) but were never considered dirty.

--Sran

 

[gblews]

Colossal mistake by the Thunder, a college coach known to be hard on players? looking forward to that disaster.

Does this mean Durant leaves? Or would he have left anyway? He's damaged goods, though. Westbrook is arguably the better player and if Durant leaves he will mostly likely stay. (Well, contractually, he'll have to stay longer than Durant but I mean in terms of re-signing)

Spurs have put themselves in the unenviable position of having to win 3 road games in order to advance. THAT is usually quite unlikely unless one team is head and shoulders better that the other. But OTOH, the Clippers, I believe, are a team that is susceptible to having their "will to win" broken.

In other words, I don't know who is going to win game 7. Suffice it to say, I won't be unhappy either way it turns out.

Spurs defy conventional wisdom. They don't fit the model.

Yeah, so far they do. The Lakers and most recently, the Heat, are teams that have bucked conventional wisdom. They both have won multiple championships in a row. Spurs are still trying to get into that group.

 

[Corran Horn]

Colossal mistake by the Thunder, a college coach known to be hard on players? looking forward to that disaster.

Does this mean Durant leaves? Or would he have left anyway? He's damaged goods, though. Westbrook is arguably the better player and if Durant leaves he will mostly likely stay. (Well, contractually, he'll have to stay longer than Durant but I mean in terms of re-signing)

Spurs have put themselves in the unenviable position of having to win 3 road games in order to advance. THAT is usually quite unlikely unless one team is head and shoulders better that the other. But OTOH, the Clippers, I believe, are a team that is susceptible to having their "will to win" broken.

In other words, I don't know who is going to win game 7. Suffice it to say, I won't be unhappy either way it turns out.

Spurs defy conventional wisdom. They don't fit the model.

Yeah, so far they do. The Lakers and most recently, the Heat, are teams that have bucked conventional wisdom. They both have won multiple championships in a row. Spurs are still trying to get into that group.

I don't think the Spurs have to learn how to win in that way. I think they have enough guys that've been there before as opposed to the Clippers. I simply meant that it might seem like the younger team might have the upper hand in a long series and I don't think that's the case. We shall see.

 

[Borgminister]

Probably one of the best 7 game series ever played. Much as I love the Spurs, it's almost a foregone conclusion that the Rockets would've been just as tough, and the Warriors almost impossible for a team that's gone twice to the finals these last two years.

Spurs have a tendency to win every two years when they win multiple titles. So reload for next year.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^The Spurs will be back. The question is whether they'll have LaMarcus Aldridge in the fold next season. This series aside, the results of the first round serve as somewhat compelling evidence that it's time to go back to a best-of-five format for the first round. If Commissioner Silver wants to tweak the schedule and have fewer back-to-backs, one option might involve shortening the first round of the playoffs.

--Sran

 

[gblews]

Probably one of the best 7 game series ever played. Much as I love the Spurs,

Spurs have a tendency to win every two years when they win multiple titles. So reload for next year.

Same old Spurs. Not ready for All-Time. And how does 5 championships scattered over 17 years translate to "every other year"?

On their way to being the "greatest dynasty of it's generation", as I read some idiot ESPN writer call the Spurs last week, they once again showed their recent little dynasty is still playing second fiddle to the Lakers' since 1999.

Repeating as champs takes focus, poise, mental and physical toughness. It takes "twitchy", brash, and dynamic players and coaches with the audacity to go for it. Talking about guys like Kobe, LeBron, Shaq, Hakeem, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley. The Spurs are steady, consistent, low key, reliable, but they just don't have guys like the aforementioned.

Perhaps one day the Spurs will acquire this type of player or coach but for now, they'll have to settle for being 'a' champion, rather than THE champion.

This series aside, the results of the first round serve as somewhat compelling evidence that it's time to go back to a best-of-five format for the first round. If Commissioner Silver wants to tweak the schedule and have fewer back-to-backs, one option might involve shortening the first round of the playoffs.

--Sran

Shortening the first round is never going to happen because it's a money issue. Neither the owners or players union would go for it.

 

[Borgminister]

1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007 are close enough. Had luck gone their way in 2013, would've been back to back.

As for the rest of your observations, genuflect to the Lakers all you want. It's just a game, and to each their own.

In any event, I sure think the Spurs have a good chance next year, depending on off-season moves. By some miracle I'd like to see my 2 favorite teams in there--Karl's Sacramento at the 8 and Pop's San Antonio at the 1.

 

[Starbreaker]

Why can't the Hawks play a decent 4th quarter? So annoying.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Why can't the Hawks play a decent 4th quarter? So annoying.

They lack a great player. Horford, Millsap, Teague and Korver are good players but not great players (and Korver does only one thing well). Washington, by contrast, has Wall--who looks like he may eventually be a great player--and Beal, who can't seem to stay healthy but is nonetheless an effective player. Paul Pierce's experience has been huge for the Wizards, as well.

--Sran

 

[gblews]

1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007 are close enough. Had luck gone their way in 2013, would've been back to back.]/quote]
Apparently close enough for Spurs organization as well. When the Lakers have a contender, the organization's aim is to win every championship every year that team is together. The Spurs, I think, are satisfied with one and don't mind stepping aside the next year so "someone else can have a chance". It is a fundamental difference between the organizations.

As for the rest of your observations, genuflect to the Lakers all you want. It's just a game, and to each their own.

I think we saw ample evidence last week of why it makes more sense to genuflect to the Lakers than to the Spurs.

In any event, I sure think the Spurs have a good chance next year, depending on off-season moves. By some miracle I'd like to see my 2 favorite teams in there--Karl's Sacramento at the 8 and Pop's San Antonio at the 1.

If you will recall, I told you during the preseason that the Spurs have shown an apparent "distaste" for doing what is required to repeat as champs, despite their recent back to back Finals appearances, and this lowered their chances for a championship in 2015. Because it's not a back to back situation, they actually have a better chance next year than they did this past year.

But don't get me wrong. I actually like the Spurs. Timmy is one of my all time favorite NBA players. Pop is one of my all time favorite coaches. But I recognize the organizations' weaknesses, where other people (especially after that last championship), don't.

 

[Borgminister]

Truce dude--I loved the Shaq/Kobe/Phil combo of yore.

With the rest, wondering if Memphis actually has a chance? Got to give props to Conley.

 

[Borgminister]

Some pivotal game 4's coming up!