NBA Thread

[HoosierAloha 30,058]

3 hours ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

I see Cleveland and Golden State both winning pretty easily.. I think Boston and Houston might get a game each.

I would like Cleveland to lose, though. I think there's no way for Houston to beat Golden State, and the only way Cleveland beats Golden State is if they suffer injuries. So, I see no point in LeBron putting together another all-time Finals performance just to lose and hear the "3-6 in the finals, he sucks" stuff. He averaged 33.6/12/10 last year but still gets crap for losing. The same talking heads that were gassing him up in the eastern conference playoffs last year went straight to "oh this is a black mark on his legacy, losing this series means he'll never be better than Jordan", etc. I would rather him not even make the finals, honestly. It would be a wasted effort. 

I can't see the West being that decisive.  Houston doesn't have conference finals experience but they can light it up only like Golden State is capable.  I think Cleveland gets through the East quickly and waits on the West. 

I don't understand that line of thinking but I guess it's more common these days than in the past.

[Hoosierfan2017 21,160]

21 minutes ago, HoosierAloha said:

I can't see the West being that decisive.  Houston doesn't have conference finals experience but they can light it up only like Golden State is capable.  I think Cleveland gets through the East quickly and waits on the West. 

I don't understand that line of thinking but I guess it's more common these days than in the past.

After Houston got beat 114-75 in a home elimination game by the Kawhi-less Spurs last year I won't believe they're legit until I see it in the playoffs. Like Toronto just showed, regular season success only means so much.

The only reason I feel that way is because I'm tired of all the jokes about LeBron's finals record. They're not on Golden State's level so I don't see the point in making the finals just to get beat down again and add another finals loss. 

[HoosierAloha 30,058]

7 minutes ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

After Houston got beat 114-75 in a home elimination game by the Kawhi-less Spurs last year I won't believe they're legit until I see it in the playoffs. Like Toronto just showed, regular season success only means so much.

The only reason I feel that way is because I'm tired of all the jokes about LeBron's finals record. They're not on Golden State's level so I don't see the point in making the finals just to get beat down again and add another finals loss. 

Houston is interesting because they can tighten up their defense and go on huge runs.  Is there defense that much different than previous years under Dantoni?  We'll get to find out.  I do see them putting together some crazy runs just because they shoot the 3 ball so well.

You would rather lose to the team that lost in the Finals?  I could see that providing even more jokes.  If Boston can somehow get past Cleveland with all these injuries I don't see Cleveland or any other team in the East getting to the Finals for awhile.  Stevens can coach and he should have the horses back next season.

[Hoosierfan2017 21,160]

13 minutes ago, HoosierAloha said:

Houston is interesting because they can tighten up their defense and go on huge runs.  Is there defense that much different than previous years under Dantoni?  We'll get to find out.  I do see them putting together some crazy runs just because they shoot the 3 ball so well.

You would rather lose to the team that lost in the Finals?  I could see that providing even more jokes.  If Boston can somehow get past Cleveland with all these injuries I don't see Cleveland or any other team in the East getting to the Finals for awhile.  Stevens can coach and he should have the horses back next season.

Having Chris Paul this year should help a lot. James Harden has struggled a bit in the playoffs (compared to the regular season, at least), so we'll see if he can fix that. 

The fan in me wants LeBron to get to the finals every year. I think they have no chance of winning a championship this year, but you never know. It would be ironic though if Boston made the finals without Kyrie after he left Cleveland because he wanted to be "the man" on his team. I think Philly will challenge Boston in the years to come if their guys stay healthy and they use their cap space on a big name in free agency.

[HoosierAloha 30,058]

47 minutes ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

Having Chris Paul this year should help a lot. James Harden has struggled a bit in the playoffs (compared to the regular season, at least), so we'll see if he can fix that. 

The fan in me wants LeBron to get to the finals every year. I think they have no chance of winning a championship this year, but you never know. It would be ironic though if Boston made the finals without Kyrie after he left Cleveland because he wanted to be "the man" on his team. I think Philly will challenge Boston in the years to come if their guys stay healthy and they use their cap space on a big name in free agency.

Philly will have to get a lot better on the sideline.  The difference between plays at the end of games was laughable.  Philly has a good young nucleus that, if healthy, should challenge Boston but will they stay together if they're not winning big?

[mdn82 25,510]

Philly will have to get a lot better on the sideline.  The difference between plays at the end of games was laughable.  Philly has a good young nucleus that, if healthy, should challenge Boston but will they stay together if they're not winning big?

If they took Tatum instead of Fultz it would be scary where that team would be in 3-5.


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[HoosierAloha 30,058]

2 minutes ago, mdn82 said:

If they took Tatum instead of Fultz it would be scary where that team would be in 3-5.


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That would have been ridiculous.  Tall, long, an athletic.  The Celtics definitely got the better talent.

I've been high on Brown for awhile.  Tatum and Brown could be the best wing duo in another few years, add a healthy Hayward and they're rock solid on the wing.  Not that I need much convincing, Stevens could go coach in the EPL next season and I would expect his team to be contending. 

[HoosierAloha 30,058]

Definitely not what I expected. I thought the Rockets would hold serve in the first two games at home. I do think the Cavs take the next game in Boston.

If the Warriors can get the first two in Houston it might be over.


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[HoosierDYT 1,748]

I would just like to see more parity in the NBA...and I despise the Warriors because of their greatness. Steph had a pretty poor night and KD - while he played very well - had like 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Yet they still beat the second best team in the NBA on their home court with the MVP delivering an MVP-like performance by 13. The Warriors have had talent, coaching, and luck (no significant injuries at crucial times) on their side and have formed a true dynasty. Hopefully Klay or Draymond becomes sick of being third or fourth in the spotlight and leaves in FA to equalize the field. Oh well, sorry for the rant!

[HoosierDYT 1,748]

35 minutes ago, Joe DeLow said:

The Warriors have done it exactly how every team wants to. They drafted Curry, Thompson and Green. Got Iguoadala and Durant in FA. They took a chance with guys Livingston and McGee. Livingston has worked out amazingly for them because he can play 1-3. They've built a system with Kerr that just works. It is fun to watch as teams build up their franchises to beat the Warriors and you're seeing the league get better because of it. The talent you see in Boston and Philly is a good thing as they each become amazing teams. The Warriors are good for the NBA. Just like the Patriots are good for the NFL. You need that team because of people wanting to take them down. And the only way to take them down is to beat them.

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Oh there’s no doubt they play beautiful basketball and I marvel at how they drafted the bulk of their players and developed a system that actually fits the style of their players - and they play team basketball. However, I despise Durant joining the warriors...what’s the point of a salary cap if 2 top 4 players and 4 top 20 players can all be on the same team? I don’t mean to loathe, but the Warriors are head and shoulders above any other team and they are not like the Patriots. The Pats have proven to be beatable and often demonstrate in game adjustments to win. The warriors are significantly more talented than any team in the NBA (they deserve praise for this) but it makes a sport in which the off season is the most enjoyable. Everyone knew the warriors would win it this year. Nobody realistically believed the Cavs could beat them, and nobody really believed the rockets would beat them in a 7 games series 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,346]

Marc Stein‏Verified account @TheSteinLine

No team has kept its coaching search quieter than Orlando, but there is a growing belief among league insiders gathered in Chicago this week that University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has emerged as the Magic's prime target.

 

So if Sampson leaves Houston are NCAA sanctions on the horizon?

 

[Hoosierfan2017 21,160]

1 minute ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Marc Stein‏Verified account @TheSteinLine

No team has kept its coaching search quieter than Orlando, but there is a growing belief among league insiders gathered in Chicago this week that University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has emerged as the Magic's prime target.

 

So if Sampson leaves Houston are NCAA sanctions on the horizon?

 

Wow! I wonder how he'd do in the NBA. Orlando doesn't have much to work with. If he had lasted at IU I think we would have banner #6 by now.  

[WayneFleekHoosier 48,171]

There is no question Sampson is a great basketball coach.

Not sure how he would do in the NBA but it makes a lot of sense to me.




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[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,346]

11 minutes ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

Wow! I wonder how he'd do in the NBA. Orlando doesn't have much to work with. If he had lasted at IU I think we would have banner #6 by now.  

During his "sabbatical" from college basketball was he not a bench coach for an NBA team (Bucks?) so he would have at least some familiarity with the NBA game vs. a cold jump from college to the NBA.

[Hoosierfan2017 21,160]

12 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

During his "sabbatical" from college basketball was he not a bench coach for an NBA team (Bucks?) so he would have at least some familiarity with the NBA game vs. a cold jump from college to the NBA.

From his Wikipedia page it says that he was an assistant coach for the Bucks from 2008-2011 and the Rockets from 2011-2014. And he worked for the Spurs in an "advisory role" for a couple months in 2008. 

That's a good point though that I had forgotten about. With 5+ years of NBA coaching experience he should have a decent idea of the landscape. 

[HoosierDYT 1,748]

57 minutes ago, Joe DeLow said:

So the NBA should have told KD he can't go to Golden State? Because that would be boring. There is a salary cap, but players can still take pay cuts to win. Just like KD did.

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I never said that. All I’m saying is the “salary cap” is useless. But maybe the league should have acted similarly to when Chris Paul tried to join the Lakers, I’m not sure though. 

[BtownBanner6 1,298]

I never said that. All I’m saying is the “salary cap” is useless. But maybe the league should have acted similarly to when Chris Paul tried to join the Lakers, I’m not sure though. 

They only could do that cause they owned New Orleans at the time.


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[Hoosierfan2017 21,160]

28 minutes ago, BtownBanner6 said:

They only could do that cause they owned New Orleans at the time.


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Thank you! That detail gets lost in so many discussions. 

[Walking Boot of Doom 18,170]

No problem with KD going to the Warriors. He’s a winner who wants to win. Screw the concept of having to carry your own team. No sport works that way.


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[Dalton26 16,892]

They only could do that cause they owned New Orleans at the time.


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They can do that in any trade actually.

The difference is KD was a free agent, Chris Paul wasn’t.