phunkdaddy said:

I like the nastiness in the Celtics/Wizards series. You don't see a lot of that in today's NBA.

Whoever wins has the privilege of losing in 5 to the Cavs. Spurs won't last long against the Warriors either.

Western Conference Finals

Game 1

San Antonio Spurs 111 Golden State Warriors 113

The Golden State Warriors easily dispatched the Utah Jazz in four games while the San Antonio Spurs had a drag-out fight against the Houston Rockets, so while the Warriors were able to rest up before facing their next opponent, they had to worry about coming out rusty and allowing the Spurs to steal the opening game. Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard, who sat out game 6 of the conference semifinals against Houston, was back for this game.

Sure enough, the Warriors fears about being rusty were well warranted. The Spurs came out on fire while the Warirors looked out of sync for much of the first half didn't even make their first 3-point shot until about three minutes remaining in the second quarter, when Stephen Curry hit a shot that broke the Spurs' lead to under 20 points. The Spurs led by as much as 25 points in the game, powered by Kawhi Leonard, who would finish with 26 points and eight rebpounds. The Spurs would lead by 20 at halftime.

But then an inspired speech from their head coach Steve Kerr, who was present in the building but still not able to coach from the sidelines, plus some unfortunate events for the Spurs would start their comeback. Stephen Curry took it upon himself to get the Warriors back into the game, hitting his first threee shots in the third quarter including two 32-pointers. But more ominously for San Antonio, Kawhi Leonard would shoot a 3-pointer and landed on one of his teammates feet along the sideline, reaggravating his ankle injury from the last series. He would stay in the game, but about two minutes later he attempted another 3-point shot and landed on the foot of Warriors' reserve Zaza Pachulia, injuring that same ankle but this time was not able to put any weight on that foot and had to leave the game. His status for the remainder of this series is unknown.

Golden State immediately took advantage of Leonard's absence, going on an 18-0 run to get back within striking distance, led by Stephen Curry, who scored 19 of his 40 points in the third quarter. Kevn Durant would step up for Golden State in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points on a critical run that led to a Stephen Curry 3-pointer to tie the game at 106 with 1:48 remaining. Draymond Green would make a driving layup and foul shot to put the Warrirors ahead, and after a dunk from Manu Ginobili and a couple of free throws from Patty Mills to get the Spurs back within one with 31 seconds remaining, Curry would hit an open jumper to put the Warriors back up by three. The Spurs made a desperation 3-pointer to tie the game but missed, yet Patty Mills was fouled getting the rebound with five-tenths of a second remaining. He made his first free throw but had to miss the second and hope for a Spurs rebound, but Golden State tipped the rebound away to seal the victory. Kevin Durant scored 34 points for the Warriors while Zaza Pachulia added 11 points and Draymond Green added nine points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 28 points and eight rebounds while Manu Ginobili scored 17 points and Jonathon Simmons added 12 points.

Golden State leads series 1-0.

Even without Leonard, Spurs should have won - horrible execution down the stretch. Aldridge needed to get in the paint and dominate more, instead of setting up at the top of the key. At times, he's as frustrating to watch as Horford. Spurs will regret letting this one get away.

WCF Game 1: Can I say that this game was sooooo damn stressful to watch???!!!! I was relieved when it was over. I guess they say that the rust is real. I couldn't believe how awful GSW was playing in the first half, just sloppy, and the careless turnovers....I was pulling my hair out!!! But, I've seen this before. After the pep talk with Kerr during halftime, it was over, the boys got the fire lit under them and came through....long before Kawhi had to come out of the game. I needed a drink after watching. I know it's just game 1, but still.

East Semi-finals Game 7: I'm really hoping the Wizards will win. It all depends on how the game starts off. Either way, we know both teams won't be beating the Cavs in the ECF, but still, it would be nice to see a different opponent, the Wizards, play the Cavs.

uPtoWnNY said:

I like the nastiness in the Celtics/Wizards series. You don't see a lot of that in today's NBA.

Whoever wins has the privilege of losing in 5 to the Cavs. Spurs won't last long against the Warriors either.

I know what you mean. It does make it more exciting to watch when two teams clearly don't like each other and show it on and off the court. I started getting into watching NBA games when I was in middle school, during the early-mid 90's. I remember watching the wars between the Knicks and Indiana and how Reggie Miller would get at John Starks and piss him off every time!

uPtoWnNY said:

Even without Leonard, Spurs should have won - horrible execution down the stretch. Aldridge needed to get in the paint and dominate more, instead of setting up at the top of the key. At times, he's as frustrating to watch as Horford. Spurs will regret letting this one get away.

You are one hundred percent right on all points made here.

Dasein said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Even without Leonard, Spurs should have won - horrible execution down the stretch. Aldridge needed to get in the paint and dominate more, instead of setting up at the top of the key. At times, he's as frustrating to watch as Horford. Spurs will regret letting this one get away.

You are one hundred percent right on all points made here.

Plus someone HAS to grab that rebound - you CAN'T give the Warriors three chances at that!

uPtoWnNY said:

Dasein said:

You are one hundred percent right on all points made here.

Plus someone HAS to grab that rebound - you CAN'T give the Warriors three chances at that!

A team with 4 All-Stars and 3 of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen spotted the Spurs 22 and won.

SAS was rolling in spite of its injuries. So this is the kind of game that could end the series before it starts.

namepeace said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Plus someone HAS to grab that rebound - you CAN'T give the Warriors three chances at that!

A team with 4 All-Stars and 3 of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen spotted the Spurs 22 and won.

SAS was rolling in spite of its injuries. So this is the kind of game that could end the series before it starts.

Spurs could have taken it to six, maybe seven games had they won. Now it's a short series.

namepeace said:

missfee said:

Urgh, Wizards choked big time last night. This was the crucial game they needed to win. If they have to play a game 7 in Boston, then the Celtics got it.....however, the Cavs will run right through them like a freight train. SMH.

That's where this is going. The Wiz will make a last stand in 6, wilt in 7, and then BOS may steal a game in the ECF but otherwise have no answer for LBJ.

....and this is surely what it has come to. Cavs in 4 in the ECF. Weak ass eastern conference.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 7

Washington Wizards 105 Boston Celtics 115

They say game 7 is the place where legends are born and unlikely heroes emerge to become stars. The Boston Celtics have a long history of legendary game 7 performances, and tonight would be no different. But the Washington Wizards would not go quietly into that good night.

The Celtics would jump out to a 10-2 lead to start the game, but the Wizards would come marching back, and it would remain tight through the the first half, with the Wizards holding a two point lead at the half thanks to Bradley Beal who scored a game high 38 points in this game. Beal would remain hot through the third quarter.

But then the Celtics would storm ahead thanks to a familiar face and a couple of unlikely heroes. Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart would combine to make three straight 3-point shots that launched an 18-2 run that would ultimately put the Celtics up for good. The Wizards would make a couple of mini-runs of their own, cutting the Celtics lead to five, but they had no answer for Kelly Olynyk, who scored 12 of his career playoff high 26 points over a three-and-a-half-minute stretch of the fourth quarter, partly from dominating inside the paint and partly from behind the 3-point line, as he shot 10 for 14 from the floor. John Wall would try to bring the Wizards back, but his shooting went cold in the fourth quarter, and he would finish with 18 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds but shot 8 for 23 from the floor. Al Horford scored 15 points, while Jae Crowder scored 14 points and Marcus Smart scored 13 points off the bench. Otto Porter Jr. scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Wizards while Markieff Morris scored 18 points. But the Wizards bench was MIA as coach Scott Brooks made a tactical decision to rely on his starters, which may have cost them this game and the series. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Boston wins series 4-3.

missfee said:

namepeace said:

That's where this is going. The Wiz will make a last stand in 6, wilt in 7, and then BOS may steal a game in the ECF but otherwise have no answer for LBJ.

....and this is surely what it has come to. Cavs in 4 in the ECF. Weak ass eastern conference.

The Jazz and the Blazers aren't exactly the cream of the crop when it comes to NBA teams, so this idea
that the East is so drastically inferior as a conference is probably a canard.

728huey said:

Eastern Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 7

Washington Wizards 105 Boston Celtics 115

They say game 7 is the place where legends are born and unlikely heroes emerge to become stars. The Boston Celtics have a long history of legendary game 7 performances, and tonight would be no different. But the Washington Wizards would not go quietly into that good night.

The Celtics would jump out to a 10-2 lead to start the game, but the Wizards would come marching back, and it would remain tight through the the first half, with the Wizards holding a two point lead at the half thanks to Bradley Beal who scored a game high 38 points in this game. Beal would remain hot through the third quarter.

But then the Celtics would storm ahead thanks to a familiar face and a couple of unlikely heroes. Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart would combine to make three straight 3-point shots that launched an 18-2 run that would ultimately put the Celtics up for good. The Wizards would make a couple of mini-runs of their own, cutting the Celtics lead to five, but they had no answer for Kelly Olynyk, who scored 12 of his career playoff high 26 points over a three-and-a-half-minute stretch of the fourth quarter, partly from dominating inside the paint and partly from behind the 3-point line, as he shot 10 for 14 from the floor. John Wall would try to bring the Wizards back, but his shooting went cold in the fourth quarter, and he would finish with 18 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds but shot 8 for 23 from the floor. Al Horford scored 15 points, while Jae Crowder scored 14 points and Marcus Smart scored 13 points off the bench. Otto Porter Jr. scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Wizards while Markieff Morris scored 18 points. But the Wizards bench was MIA as coach Scott Brooks made a tactical decision to rely on his starters, which may have cost them this game and the series. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Boston wins series 4-3.

I live in Boston and root for most Boston based teams (minus Pats), so I was pleased with the outcome
of this series. But I prefer the LeBron James narrative, who is actively chasing Michael Jordan's legacy,
and so I hope the Cavs advance.

Nick Wright presents a pretty decent argument as to why we can start to suggest that James was a
better player than Jordan statistically speaking and that our contemporary sporting culture is obsess-
ed with ranking "greatness" according to championships won.

Dasein said:

missfee said:

....and this is surely what it has come to. Cavs in 4 in the ECF. Weak ass eastern conference.

The Jazz and the Blazers aren't exactly the cream of the crop when it comes to NBA teams, so this idea
that the East is so drastically inferior as a conference is probably a canard.

Incorrect. The Jazz and Blazers aren't up there on the scale, but they are higher than Toronto and Indiana. At least they showed up to play and didn't crumble because they didn't think they could win. They tried. I can't say the same for Indiana nor Toronto...going by what I saw during those games. And now we have the Celtics...I'm pretty sure they won't play substandard as if they are scared of Lebitch, but I don't really see them as a challenge to the Cavs either. It's another cake walk for Cleveland. GSW doesn't have the same path down the yellow brick road like the Cavs.

[Edited 5/16/17 9:40am]

missfee said:

Dasein said:

The Jazz and the Blazers aren't exactly the cream of the crop when it comes to NBA teams, so this idea
that the East is so drastically inferior as a conference is probably a canard.

Incorrect. The Jazz and Blazers aren't up there on the scale, but they are higher than Toronto and Indiana. At least they showed up to play and didn't crumble because they didn't think they could win. They tried. I can't say the same for Indiana nor Toronto...going by what I saw during those games. And now we have the Celtics...I'm pretty sure they won't play substandard as if they are scared of Lebitch, but I don't really see them as a challenge to the Cavs either. It's another cake walk for Cleveland. GSW doesn't have the same path down the yellow brick road like the Cavs.

Now Fee . . . that's homerism (and some saltiness) sinking in. The roads are about the same.

GS has had an even easier road in '17 than they did in '16. KD's signing shifted the balance of power heavily in GS' favor. The Jazz and Blazers simply didn't have the horses, but neither did the Rockets and Blazers last year.

Plus, GS drew a depleted Spurs team in the WCF. Last year, they were fighting for their lives against the Thunder, led by their '17 teammate, KD.

The Cavs' opponents in the East are a combined 146-100.

The Warriors opponents in the West are a combined 153-93.

The East isn't "drastically inferior" in comparison.

namepeace said:

missfee said:

Incorrect. The Jazz and Blazers aren't up there on the scale, but they are higher than Toronto and Indiana. At least they showed up to play and didn't crumble because they didn't think they could win. They tried. I can't say the same for Indiana nor Toronto...going by what I saw during those games. And now we have the Celtics...I'm pretty sure they won't play substandard as if they are scared of Lebitch, but I don't really see them as a challenge to the Cavs either. It's another cake walk for Cleveland. GSW doesn't have the same path down the yellow brick road like the Cavs.

Now Fee . . . that's homerism (and some saltiness) sinking in. The roads are about the same.

You know, I always respect your opinons NP, but I'm sorry, I disagree.

GS has had an even easier road in '17 than they did in '16. KD's signing shifted the balance of power heavily in GS' favor. The Jazz and Blazers simply didn't have the horses, but neither did the Rockets and Blazers last year.

GSW might've swept but they didn't just walk through Utah and Portland. When you compare Paul George's close-out troubles, Kyle Lowry's injury woes and Demar DeRozen's "sometimey" performance, does that really compare with the Lilliard & CJ show? So Hayward and Joe Johnson didn't show up at all?

Plus, GS drew a depleted Spurs team in the WCF. Last year, they were fighting for their lives against the Thunder, led by their '17 teammate, KD.

Didn't GSW just fight for their lives in game 1 after trailing nearly 30 points in the first half? With an injured Kawhi playing in the game? But wait, weren't people crying last year and the year before that GSW never had to face the Spurs in the playoffs? Unfortunate as it is that Kawhi isn't 100%, there's still the chatter "only reason why GSW is highly favored to win is because Kawhi is injured". GSW gets shitted on either way. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

The East isn't "drastically inferior" in comparison.

They are. I'm not underrating the Spurs at all...even with an injured Kawhi. I could still see the WCF going about 6 games. Do you really believe that Boston is going to cause the Cavs that much trouble to take them to a 7 game series? I think not. Maybe 5, if that, just because Isaiah Thomas is a beast, but I honestly think the Cavs will sweep yet again.

[Edited 5/16/17 10:07am]

missfee said:

namepeace said:

Now Fee . . . that's homerism (and some saltiness) sinking in. The roads are about the same.

You know, I always respect your opinons NP, but I'm sorry, I disagree.

GS has had an even easier road in '17 than they did in '16. KD's signing shifted the balance of power heavily in GS' favor. The Jazz and Blazers simply didn't have the horses, but neither did the Rockets and Blazers last year.

GSW might've swept but they didn't just walk through Utah and Portland. When you compare Paul George's close-out troubles, Kyle Lowry's injury woes and Demar DeRozen's "sometimey" performance, does that really compare with the Lilliard & CJ show? So Hayward and Joe Johnson didn't show up at all?

Plus, GS drew a depleted Spurs team in the WCF. Last year, they were fighting for their lives against the Thunder, led by their '17 teammate, KD.

Didn't GSW just fight for their lives in game 1 after trailing nearly 30 points in the first half? With an injured Kawhi playing in the game? But wait, weren't people crying last year and the year before that GSW never had to face the Spurs in the playoffs? Unfortunate as it is that Kawhi isn't 100%, there's still the chatter "only reason why GSW is highly favored to win is because Kawhi is injured". GSW gets shitted on either way. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

The East isn't "drastically inferior" in comparison.

They are. I'm not underrating the Spurs at all...even with an injured Kawhi. I could still see the WCF going about 6 games. Do you really believe that Boston is going to cause the Cavs that much trouble to take them to a 7 game series? I think not. Maybe 5, if that, just because Isaiah Thomas is a beast, but I honestly think the Cavs will sweep yet again.

[Edited 5/16/17 10:07am]

Um, no the Eastern Conference is not drastically inferior to the Western Conference if the combined
record of the Cavs opponents in the Eastern Conference features seven less in the wins-column than
the combined record of the Warriors opponents in the Western Conference! Statistically speaking, the
Cavs' opponents won 59% of their games while the Warriors' opponents won 62% of their games. In
this context, 3% is hardly "drastic."

Your argument doesn't address this fact directly, Fee.

missfee said:

namepeace said:

Now Fee . . . that's homerism (and some saltiness) sinking in. The roads are about the same.

You know, I always respect your opinons NP, but I'm sorry, I disagree.

GS has had an even easier road in '17 than they did in '16. KD's signing shifted the balance of power heavily in GS' favor. The Jazz and Blazers simply didn't have the horses, but neither did the Rockets and Blazers last year.

GSW might've swept but they didn't just walk through Utah and Portland. When you compare Paul George's close-out troubles, Kyle Lowry's injury woes and Demar DeRozen's "sometimey" performance, does that really compare with the Lilliard & CJ show? So Hayward and Joe Johnson didn't show up at all?

Plus, GS drew a depleted Spurs team in the WCF. Last year, they were fighting for their lives against the Thunder, led by their '17 teammate, KD.

Didn't GSW just fight for their lives in game 1 after trailing nearly 30 points in the first half? With an injured Kawhi playing in the game? But wait, weren't people crying last year and the year before that GSW never had to face the Spurs in the playoffs? Unfortunate as it is that Kawhi isn't 100%, there's still the chatter "only reason why GSW is highly favored to win is because Kawhi is injured". GSW gets shitted on either way. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

The East isn't "drastically inferior" in comparison.

They are. I'm not underrating the Spurs at all...even with an injured Kawhi. I could still see the WCF going about 6 games. Do you really believe that Boston is going to cause the Cavs that much trouble to take them to a 7 game series? I think not. Maybe 5, if that, just because Isaiah Thomas is a beast, but I honestly think the Cavs will sweep yet again.

[Edited 5/16/17 10:07am]

Utah was 51-31 during the regular season. Portland was 41-41.

Toronto was 51-31 during the regular season. Indiana was 42-40.

And you referred to LeBron James as "lebitch". . .


I think we can safely conclude that you are as NP wondered, a salty homer!

Dasein said:

missfee said:

[Edited 5/16/17 10:07am]

Utah was 51-31 during the regular season. Portland was 41-41.

Toronto was 51-31 during the regular season. Indiana was 42-40.

And you referred to LeBron James as "lebitch". . .


I think we can safely conclude that you are as NP wondered, a salty homer!

The numbers you just posted proves my point.

Salty about what exactly? That he's a whiny bitch? I'm not a Lebron hater like some people, I recognize that he's a great player and currently the best right now, but that doesn't mean I don't have a right to my opinion....as everyone else does around here.

[Edited 5/16/17 11:42am]

Dasein said:

missfee said:

[Edited 5/16/17 10:07am]

Um, no the Eastern Conference is not drastically inferior to the Western Conference if the combined
record of the Cavs opponents in the Eastern Conference features seven less in the wins-column than
the combined record of the Warriors opponents in the Western Conference! Statistically speaking, the
Cavs' opponents won 59% of their games while the Warriors' opponents won 62% of their games. In
this context, 3% is hardly "drastic."

Your argument doesn't address this fact directly, Fee.

It does, but we can agree to disagree.

missfee said:

namepeace said:

Now Fee . . . that's homerism (and some saltiness) sinking in. The roads are about the same.

You know, I always respect your opinons NP, but I'm sorry, I disagree.

And I yours.

GS has had an even easier road in '17 than they did in '16. KD's signing shifted the balance of power heavily in GS' favor. The Jazz and Blazers simply didn't have the horses, but neither did the Rockets and Blazers last year.

GSW might've swept but they didn't just walk through Utah and Portland.

The numbers disprove that. GS' average margin of victory in their POR sweep was 18 points. Their average margin of victory in their UT sweep was 17.5 points. They've had only one game in the Playoffs decided by less than 11 points.

When you compare Paul George's close-out troubles, Kyle Lowry's injury woes and Demar DeRozen's "sometimey" performance, does that really compare with the Lilliard & CJ show? So Hayward and Joe Johnson didn't show up at all?

The numbers answer both questions decisively -- yes, and not enough to make GS' road harder than CLE's.

All of the games in the CLE-IND series were decided in single digits and went to the wire. TOR didn't show up, but CLE's average margin of victory was a shade over 15 points in that series . . . STILL less than GS' average margins of victory vs. the Iso Joe-Hayward Jazz.


Plus, GS drew a depleted Spurs team in the WCF. Last year, they were fighting for their lives against the Thunder, led by their '17 teammate, KD.

Didn't GSW just fight for their lives in game 1 after trailing nearly 30 points in the first half? With an injured Kawhi playing in the game?

Last year, GS was heavily favored and went down 3-1. This year, GS was heavily favored in this series BEFORE KL went down, with SAS already short Tony Parker. One game does not a series make. But KL's injury has greased the skids for GS to sweep.

But wait, weren't people crying last year and the year before that GSW never had to face the Spurs in the playoffs? Unfortunate as it is that Kawhi isn't 100%, there's still the chatter "only reason why GSW is highly favored to win is because Kawhi is injured".

Vegas didn't think so, and I'm not one of those people chattering. The Spurs were MAYBE going to take the series to 6 if they were at 100%. How Kahwi got hurt is my only beef, Pachulia's play was borderline. Had SA won Game 1, then we'd be talking about a competitive series, but I doubt they'd push GS to the brink like the the Thunder did in '16.

GSW gets shitted on either way. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

The Heatles had it MUCH worse.

The East isn't "drastically inferior" in comparison.

They are.

The stats and win totals don't bear that out in 2016-17. It was a down year for the West and it showed in the playoffs.

I'm not underrating the Spurs at all...even with an injured Kawhi. I could still see the WCF going about 6 games. Do you really believe that Boston is going to cause the Cavs that much trouble to take them to a 7 game series? I think not. Maybe 5, if that, just because Isaiah Thomas is a beast, but I honestly think the Cavs will sweep yet again.

The Spurs could take it to 6 with a healthy KL, 5 without. BOS may steal a game, that's it.

My problem is that you seem to be overstating GS' road and understating CLE's road. They're about the same and the numbers show the Cavs have had a slightly harder road. The problem GS fans have is that the expectations are so high, and rightfully so.

[Edited 5/16/17 10:07am]

[Edited 5/16/17 13:57pm]

I agree that this season after assessing the playoffs in the second round that the

East wasn't vastly weaker than the West this year. The Paper Clips and Utah were

glorified 51 win teams this season and weren't any better than Boston this year.

I'll admit I underestimated Boston team but never underestimated Brad Stevens who is

an excellent coach. Portland and Memphis were basically 500 teams this year.

Houston meh won 55 games but they weren't seriously a threat either to GS or San Antonio. To me they were last year's Toronto Raptors pretenders more than contenders.

Cleveland did kind of sleepwalk through the East. They just have 2 great superstars who are

a cut above what other teams in the East have but the East is slowly but surely getting better.

This isn't the Western Conference of the last 2 seasons. The NBA this season has been a 3 team race

between the Warriors, Spurs, and Cavs. Point blank.

If LeBron James truly cared about the regular season, the Cavs would have won 60+ games. And,
you're right, Phunk: the West had a couple of paper tigers this year.

By winning the last game of the season, Knicks cost themselves two spots in the draft lottery. Those clowns can't even tank right. And Phil Jackson has officially lost it with his quote, "We're good at what we do"....what's that, Phil, lose?

http://bleacherreport.com...draft-pick

Dasein said:

If LeBron James truly cared about the regular season, the Cavs would have won 60+ games. And,
you're right, Phunk: the West had a couple of paper tigers this year.

That's true, but he's played approximately 20-25 more playoff games for the last 7 years, and the Olympics in 2012. That's approaching 200 postseason games not including practices, etc.

That's approximately 10 seasons worth of basketball in 7 years.

He's GOT to pace himself, especially on a team that lacks quality depth.

uPtoWnNY said:

By winning the last game of the season, Knicks cost themselves two spots in the draft lottery. Those clowns can't even tank right. And Phil Jackson has officially lost it with his quote, "We're good at what we do"....what's that, Phil, lose?

http://bleacherreport.com...draft-pick

You have my sympathies . . . the Knicks, who have never won anything in my lifetime, are fucking
woeful to watch. I did enjoy the Linsanity era while it lasted (three weeks, or so) and I quite enjoyed
watching the Knicks play the Bulls on NBC back in the 90s.

namepeace said:

Dasein said:

If LeBron James truly cared about the regular season, the Cavs would have won 60+ games. And,
you're right, Phunk: the West had a couple of paper tigers this year.

That's true, but he's played approximately 20-25 more playoff games for the last 7 years, and the Olympics in 2012. That's approaching 200 postseason games not including practices, etc.

That's approximately 10 seasons worth of basketball in 7 years.

He's GOT to pace himself, especially on a team that lacks quality depth.

Yep!

Western Conference Finals

Game 2

San Antonio Spurs 100 Golden State Warriors 136

The Golden State Warriors found themselves rusty and disoriented in the first half of game 1 and had to use all of their drive and skills to make a tremendous comeback that was partly enabled by the injury to Kawhi Leonard. Steve Kerr implored his team from the locker room prior to this game to play with a sense of urgency from the opening tip. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs had to find something and someone to step up in Leonard's absence if they were going to compete in this series.

This time around the Warriors exploded out of the gate and never looked back. They took advantage of the injury-depleted Spurs and laid down the hammer. Stephen Curry scored 29 points in just 30 minutes of action while Kevin Durant scored 16 points and Patrick McCaw scored 18 points off the bench. Draymond Green added 13 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in 28 minutes of action. The Spurs looked out of sorts without their star player Kawhi Leonard, as only two players finsihed in double digits in scoring, with Johnathon Simmons scoring 22 points and Davis Bertans scoring 13 points. LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green struggled in particular, scoring only eight and five points respectively. The Spurs will need to regroup and find some way to step up in their next game at home, or else this will most likely be another sweep for Golden State.

Golden State leads series 2-0.

Eastern Conference Finals

Game 1

Cleveland Cavaliers 117 Boston Celtics 104

Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers went a week and a half off from their last playoff game against the Toronto Raptors while the Boston Celtics just got out of a bruising seven game series against the Washington Wizards. They also were well aware of the difficulties the Golden State Warriors faced in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with being rusty to start out, and they were hoping not to suffer the same fate against the Celtics.

The Cavs came storming out of the opening tip and never looked back. They would jump out to an 11 point lead in the first quarter and extended that lead to 26 in the second quarter. The Cavs looked fresh and athletic while the Celtics looked flat, probably a hangover from their last game. Cleveland would cruise to victory behind Lebron James, who scored 38 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out seven assists. Kevin Love scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Tristan Thompson scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder led the Celtics with 21 points apiece while Isaiah Thomas scored 17 points and dished out 10 assists. But Al Horford struggled in this game, scoring just 11 points but got manhandled in the paint by Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson.

Cleveland leads series 1-0.