NBA Playoffs

[Dogdeacon]

Meh. They're stumbling, but what the hell did the Cavs do? The Warriors finished with 8 more wins in a more difficult conference. They've had the 2-seed locked up forever. We give LeBron slack for coasting, we should give anyone on the Warriors even more. They've won 2 of the last 3 titles (and if not for a Draymond Green suspension, 3 in a row). The Rockets look good, but if Curry is back healthy, they'll win again this spring.

LeBron is probably still the best player. Let's see what happens when Durant actually cares. He outplayed LeBron in the Finals last year, he may do so again.

The one place where LeBron is still vastly superior to Durant is mentally; both strategic play-thinking & his mental toughness. That's why Durant & the Warriors not caring or thinking there is an ON switch is a slippery slope. Durant hasn't carried a championship team by himself for anywhere near the quantities of playoff and regular season tenures of LeBron. We don't know what will happen if Curry isn't healthy and a Durant led Warriors team gets in a hole. The Warriors coasted because they think they are better than anyone else, but that is only true if Curry is 100% (as we've seen in past, with Curry at even 90% they aren't the same team).

Assuming Curry is hobbled this should be a really unpredictable, championship likelihood ascending order:
4. Cavs are vulnerable, defensively atrocious
3. Toronto untested, & LeBron owns them physically & mentally (my pick outta east)
2. Houston's leadership has at best a unproven playoff performances
1. Curry unhealthy rest of Warriors playing on/off gambit (my pick outta West)

I don't think anyone else has even a slim shot at championship, i.e. Philly is getting a lot of love (projected to make conf finals) before ever winning a single playoff game, color me skeptical

 

[tzznandrew]

Durant hasn't carried a championship team by himself for anywhere near the quantities of playoff and regular season tenures of LeBron.

Has LeBron? His without Wade, his team flamed out a number of times in the EC Playoffs. He had some great performances, but he was also in the East, which wasn't a particularly good conference.

Then, even with Wade, he lost to Dallas and SA, and only won once against GS when Kyrie hit a big shot, and only even had a chance there because Draymond kicked a guy in the nads.

Durant has always been in the West, and he led a team to the Finals against a great Spurs team only to lose to the Heat.

LeBron has been there (NBA Finals) more, and had some great performances. Greater historically than Durant. But we're talking right now. While I take Durant now, he won Finals MVP last year and outplayed James in end of game situations last year.

That's why Durant & the Warriors not caring or thinking there is an ON switch is a slippery slope.

I mean, again, the Cavs haven't cared in the regular season since James got back, and the Heat hardly did either after the first two years. I'm just not seeing a difference. When they match up against the Rockets, it'll be a tough matchup, but provided Curry is healthy, I'm taking the Warriors in 6, and probably Durant winning Finals MVP again.

He's got 24-8-7 right now and they're beating the Spurs by 30.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Warriors beat Rudy and the Spurs

Wizards at Toronto now

Heat at Sixers at 8

Shabazz vs Emeka at 10:30

 

[UConnSwag11]

Also John Wick is on. And Star Wars too.

 

[Mr. French]

What channels we got for the games? ESPN doesn’t have them all right? Turner fam?

 

[UConnSwag11]

What channels we got for the games? ESPN doesn’t have them all right? Turner fam?

Yeah. TNT later

 

[champs99and04]

Meh. They're stumbling, but what the hell did the Cavs do? The Warriors finished with 8 more wins in a more difficult conference. They've had the 2-seed locked up forever. We give LeBron slack for coasting, we should give anyone on the Warriors even more. They've won 2 of the last 3 titles (and if not for a Draymond Green suspension, 3 in a row). The Rockets look good, but if Curry is back healthy, they'll win again this spring.

LeBron is probably still the best player. Let's see what happens when Durant actually cares. He outplayed LeBron in the Finals last year, he may do so again.

LeBron dragged a nothing team playing without their second best player for a large chunk of time to 50 wins. He posted 31/10/10 on 54/39/72 shooting splits over the last 25 games or so while leading the league in minutes, propping up a putrid second unit, and destroying crunch-time to the point that they over-performed their expected wins by a bunch. Replace him with a mortal superstar like, say, Westbrook, and they're fighting to get in.

The Warriors on the other hand are so good without Durant that you have columns out there defending the idea that they miss him at all (the idea that they are as good without him is obviously dumb, but you get the sense that the Cavs would completely implode without LeBron - put LeBron with Steph, Klay, and Draymond and somebody might die).

Durant did outplay LeBron in the finals last year, but Durant really, really had things made for him there. LeBron put up 34, 12, and 10 on 56% from the floor and 39% from three against one of the best, most versatile defenses ever. Now that I think of it maybe Durant didn't outplay him.

 

[champs99and04]

The one place where LeBron is still vastly superior to Durant is mentally; both strategic play-thinking & his mental toughness. That's why Durant & the Warriors not caring or thinking there is an ON switch is a slippery slope. Durant hasn't carried a championship team by himself for anywhere near the quantities of playoff and regular season tenures of LeBron. We don't know what will happen if Curry isn't healthy and a Durant led Warriors team gets in a hole. The Warriors coasted because they think they are better than anyone else, but that is only true if Curry is 100% (as we've seen in past, with Curry at even 90% they aren't the same team).

Assuming Curry is hobbled this should be a really unpredictable, championship likelihood ascending order:
4. Cavs are vulnerable, defensively atrocious
3. Toronto untested, & LeBron owns them physically & mentally (my pick outta east)
2. Houston's leadership has at best a unproven playoff performances
1. Curry unhealthy rest of Warriors playing on/off gambit (my pick outta West)

I don't think anyone else has even a slim shot at championship, i.e. Philly is getting a lot of love (projected to make conf finals) before ever winning a single playoff game, color me skeptical

I really think the Sixers can get to the finals.

 

[intlzncster]

Durant did outplay LeBron in the finals last year, but Durant really, really had things made for him there. LeBron put up 34, 12, and 10 on 56% from the floor and 39% from three against one of the best, most versatile defenses ever. Now that I think of it maybe Durant didn't outplay him.

I'm an avowed LeBron dis-liker (can't really say hater), but I think that paragraph has it right.

I feel like LeBron can get whatever he needs to get on a given night. If he needs to get 15 assists/20 boards, he could. Triple double? No problem.

There's nothing he can't do as a player. Though, I'm not that impressed with him as a leader; he makes up for it with his game.

 

[Yardigan]

Also John Wick is on. And Star Wars too.

And Fast Five...one of the best Fast and Furious movies of one of the best series ever....

 

[UConnSwag11]

I hopped on the Sixers bandwagon.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Would like to see Embid play. Is he out for the series?

 

[gtcam]

I hopped on the Sixers bandwagon.

Nah
only vs the Cavs
Any team with JJ Reddick turns me off
My Celts aren't going anywhere so Toronto gets my vote then the Spurs

 

[Robertelamin]

Would like to see Embid play. Is he out for the series?

He may be back as soon as next game.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Yeah. TNT later

My bad. I think it’s on espn

 

[Dogdeacon]

I'm an avowed LeBron dis-liker (can't really say hater), but I think that paragraph has it right.

I feel like LeBron can get whatever he needs to get on a given night. If he needs to get 15 assists/20 boards, he could. Triple double? No problem.

There's nothing he can't do as a player. Though, I'm not that impressed with him as a leader; he makes up for it with his game.[/QU

I hated on LeBron For a year after the decision but that was a fools errand. He’s been the best player in the league for 10 years plus, unquestionably the 1st pick if you were drafting teams at start of playoffs.
Harden isn’t a terrible mvp choice and him v Durant is debatable & hopefully determined in Western Conf Finsls, but regardless LeBron is unquestionably the best player in basketball.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Bazz

 

[UconnU]

Nah
only vs the Cavs
Any team with JJ Reddick turns me off
My Celts aren't going anywhere so Toronto gets my vote then the Spurs

Speaking of JJ Reddick can you believe how long/good(?) of an NBA career he's had? I never would have thought he would spend 14 productive years in the league coming out of college.

 

[UconnU]

C'mon Bazz....terrible series there.

 

[Robertelamin]

Evan Turner is uh, not playing well.

 

[Scoe]

GS made out very well getting the 2 seed instead of the 1 seed. They have a very easy path to the WCF and might be able to rest Curry till then.

 

[Scoe]

Why is Emeka not playing now.

 

[Robertelamin]

Why is Emeka not paying now.

He's finishing up the team's tax returns. Hopefully next half.

 

[Scoe]

He's finishing up the team's tax returns. Hopefully next half.

I caught myself fixed it lol.

 

[KemBaller]

I was more willing to entertain that thought after the finals last year. In light of the Warriors stumbling down the stretch without Steph, and LeBron taking his game up a level after the all-star break, I don't think there's much of an argument right now that LeBron isn't the best player in the world.

We'll see what happens in the playoffs. I think Cleveland is more vulnerable than people realize - provided Durant plays all-NBA level defense again in the postseason, he will have to be considered. LeBron is not the same player defensively anymore and hasn't been for a while. I still think that for as good as he is now 2012 was his peak.

And yet the Warriors still won 8 more games, and finished 2nd in the stronger conference as opposed to 4th. But yeah, you're less willing to consider Durant the best player because his team played worse without arguably the 3rd best player in the league. While you're at it, let's retroactively ding LeBron for his team being worse without Kyrie, something that LeBron was at least partially responsible for.


Guess now that we've factored both situations in, Durant stands pretty clearly as the best player in the league.