OT: NBA Playoffs Conference Finals Discussion
Brad Stevens is the best coach in basketball
In the NBA yes. JB is number one overall in basketball. I don’t care if it’s true, that’s how I feel lol.
Stevens wins it all with 2013 team. Just keeping it real
Haha.... maybe.
Would he have worked the refs better?
Eh, he's 1B. Pop is still the best especially after the coaching job he did this year trying to get a bunch of old guys and bench players into the playoffs without Kawhi.
I'm rooting for the rockets for a change of pace. Harden is an incredible player and wouldn't mind seeing him win one, even if he doesn't play defense. It's hard for me to choose between the other three teams.
Harden is definitely underrated. He is incredible indeed.
Underrated? Never heard of Harden being underrated. He’s probably top 4-5 in the league.
Boston gets their two best players back next year and they will likely have another top 5 pick. Danny Ainge is a genius.
gets the Laker pick if it is 2 or 3 (can't be 4 or 5 based on the lottery)
if not, they get Sacramentos pick in 2019
Doubling up the Cavs in the 1st quarter, 36-18. Horford is going to dominate Love in this series when they’re matched up.
Golden State and Boston
Celtics starting off really well. Waiting for Lebron to take over whether that's today or Game 2.
Don’t want Lebron and the state of ohio to have a good time under any circumstance
Cavs getting run out of the gym.
Fuck Lebron. MJ is and always will be the GOAT.
He gets it
I’d be quite happy if the Cavs did indeed leave the gym for the rest of the game.
Are we still talking about how LeBron has surpassed Jordan? Lol. Games like this where he displays no emotion or on court leadership are examples of the intangibles Jordan possessed that rarely if ever allowed a 25 point 1st half deficit in Game 1 of a conference finals.
Jordan had the flu that game. Still put up better numbers than LeBron than did on Sunday. And MJ was probably still showing more emotion and fire than LeBron.
Vanderbilt is better than the Cavs
hear! hear!
I don't like Boston (still hate Ainge) but can't root for a Cleveland team. Let's go Western Conference winner!
Cavs and Rockets. I love watching Lebron play in big games, and I’m tired of GS.
Jordan>Magic>Kareem>Durant>Labron
What an idiotic thought process. Not a huge Bron fan, but wow, this is so off its unreal
A couple of Cleveland homers here.
Sure Durant is a stretch. Statistically they are neck and neck. It’s there for a little fun provocation mostly. But watch the Durant vs James youtube video in the MJ vs LJ Goat thread and then weigh in.
Not a Cavs fan, I just love watching the best play and that's LJ. In fact, I'd like to see Cavs lose because I can't stand their fans and they don't deserve LJ.
Its simple: MJ or LJ for GOAT. Including those other players is nonsense. They don't stand a chance against the two. I am willing to throw money that if any of them played in today's league, they would look elite but not the best of the NBA currently. League is so much more competitive and the players are athletic freaks.
Durant. lmao.
CEltics are a complete team. cavaliers are one player. best player usually wins the series. however...he's getting NO help. I wouldn't show much emotion either.
I do think LeBron could've been more aggressive to prevent being down big.
Lebron out there playing 1 v 5.
Next was Clemson-Bama. I'd love to see a very similar budding rivalry of two juggernaut dynasties sharing and deciding national titles among themselves start between us and Nova in CBB
People who say Boston will be so much better with Hayward and Irving forget the fact that they weren't any better when Irving was playing and adding Hayward will take minutes away from Tatum/Brown. Also Utah let Hayward go and got better. And Marcus Smart also will have priced himself out of Boston at the end of the year.
As Golden State has shown it’s ok to have multiple good players at the same position. Brown and Hayward can both defend and rebound, Tatum will only get better, and most importantly you have the best coach in the league at finding a role for everyone. I think the Celtics keep ascending next year.
Hahahaha hey everyone Utah let Hayward go. And hey everyone the Celtics will be WORSE next year when they lose no one and get their 2 best players back. No way the best coach in the league will know how to use a deep roster.
You a philly fan or a Cleveland fan? The east is Boston’s for years to come. Suck it.
Hoo boy what a blowout. Al Horford was dialed in during that first quarter (How great has he been all postseason?) and Marcus Morris (I miss him as a Piston) did what he said he would, locked down LBJ, and chipped in 21 and 11 himself. I want the Celtics to win this series, they are a good embodiment of what a team should be. I like and respect LeBron but him being in the Finals every year (especially if he were to make it this year, where that team would get swept FAST) is getting tiresome. I would rather see Boston try its best (but likely fail) against the (assumed) Warriors.
Celtics +245 was good money from an analytics perspective - better than the+190 against Philadelphia. This is purely from an analytics perspective looking at variance across all aggregated metrics. From a basketball perspective, I have no idea what the Cavs are going to do to counter the Celtics being able to switch on wings constantly. Stevens is brilliant because he is amazing at avoiding down screens on his defenders making it really hard to do any sideline action at all. And he gets his shooters clean looks by forcing big centers to cover tons of ground and using Horford whenever other teams to go to small ball. Cavs only chance would be too put Thompson and love out there together - let Thompson get screen action going to the rim and love going away to force Boston to make choice. It also gets you a guy in Thompson who can play switches effectively.
Frankly, Celtics should win this series and it shouldn’t be close by the numbers. Lebron will make it close but the Celtics having the ability to neutralize with Horford makes this a celts series win. Unfortunately the numbers say as long as draymond green plays (yes draymond green) they aren’t beating the warriors. Draymond green is THE statistical nightmare of the NBA driving all the variance in every regression model. Him vs Capela is the match up of the entire NBA playoffs and the Rockets are the only team with a chance against the warriors. It will require chris Paul to be 4-5 points more efficient than Steph curry which ultimately means who will manage the switch better - Capella or Green.
Will be a repeat from last year.
GSW for the title.
I think most people want to see the celtics in this one. Enough LeBron superteams in the finals, it needs to end. Clearly the celtics can do it, based on game 1. But they need to come out swinging in game 2. Cavs are known to get on a roll.
easier to root for if their fans weren't so insufferable.
Cavs were probably feeling a little too good about themselves after taking out #1 Toronto 4-0. They got blitzed. Boston was more ready and motivated in this game. The rest of the games will probably be tighter. I still think Boston will likely win the series.
Also, it seemed that whoever Lebron was guarding, they weren't afraid to take it to the rim. Sure, you're going to get the ball swat into the fifth row sometimes, but you have to make him work. You don't see many teams attack Lebron. It's like Boston has a coach that knows something.
LBJ's defense isn't what it once was. He's in the bottom third DRPM for his position. It could be team dynamics as well, but I've seen opposing teams attack him more than in the past and the Cavs trying to "hide" him on a lesser offensive player. With BOS, that's tough to find - you have Brown, Tatum, Morris and Horford who are all capable offensive players. TOR had a half-dead cat at SF.
I’d like Lebron to lose, not a fan of Harden or the Warriors either, so I guess go Boston? Eh... it’s the NBA, I don’t really care