Board 8 > NBA Playoffs topic 3: nerf the Warriors

(+) Yeah! (+)

MZero11 posted...

Celtics won the second half!

and the Spurs won the first half

so congrats
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triggered
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but yeah the Celtics better win game 2 because the Cavs will waste them in Cleveland
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yeah and I don't think the Spurs get swept if Kawhi is healthy
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MZero11 posted...

yeah and I don't think the Spurs get swept if Kawhi is healthy

well the Spurs are a really good team

the Celtics are just kinda good and so they'll still get swept even though they're healthy
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I mean, San Antonio with Kawhi looked like legitimate threats to win a road game. That first half was awesome, and more than anything that's why the injury sucked so much. GSW was still heavily favored to go to the Finals but real basketball drama was happening.

Anyway, our performance was similar to SAS's in Game 2, so basically, we're missing our Kawhi Leonard. Hopefully he returns for Game 2.
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LeonhartFour posted...

Also, I feel like if the Celtics were going to steal one, this was it. The Cavs have barely played in a month, and they should've taken advantage of it. The Spurs should've stolen Game 1 under the same circumstances.

i think game 1 was really weird due to the short layover from game 7 plus the emotion from the draft lottery. it's just... really weird.

also, adjusting to the lebron + kyrie + love + thompson is just... i mean, we've been dealing with wall/beal/porter/gortat... which... yeah
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So obviously the Celtics are not one superstar away from beating this team, so hopefully this series convinces them to keep the pick (unless they get a GREAT deal for it)
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The Celtics will be smarter to stay young and just wait out LeBron a few more years because he has to start getting old eventually.
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well we might be one superstar away, but that superstar's name is probably steph curry, kevin durant, anthony davis, or kawhi leonard

but paul george or jimmy butler is very clearly not enough. maaaybe one of those plus gordon hayward? but lebron and kyrie might still be the two best scorers on the court, and you still need to answer kevin love and tristan thompson

i love al horford, but he is BAD at rebounding, and that is a problem. also he fouled love on a corner 3 in like the first 2nd half play ugh
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They also have the Nets pick next year, which let's be honest... it's going to be a high pick.

I'm reading an article from when that trade was made and it is making for a good laugh

Yes, Brooklyn is also getting Kevin Garnett - and a real shot at contending for a championship.

"I would say ending today it's a good day for the organization," King said Friday on a conference call.

"Today, the basketball gods smiled on the Nets," team owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement.

oh how wrong they were
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they smiled because they were trying to hold back their laughter
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Teams don't tank guys! It's stupid to suggest they do!

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.oregonlive.com/v1/articles/20692518/mark_cuban_mavericks_tanked.amp


Oh...

that Brooklyn trade was a fleecing the day it was announced. the prokorov era was really something.
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ShatteredElysium posted...

Teams don't tank guys! It's stupid to suggest they do!

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.oregonlive.com/v1/articles/20692518/mark_cuban_mavericks_tanked.amp


Oh...

that's a little different, they only tanked after being eliminated from the playoffs, not the whole year. On top of that, all they did was play the young guys, which is fair in that situation. Might as well give them some experience and see what they can do
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MZero11 posted...

that's a little different, they only tanked after being eliminated from the playoffs, not the whole year. On top of that, all they did was play the young guys, which is fair in that situation. Might as well give them some experience and see what they can do

I'd still call that tanking, and I honestly don't see a problem with it. No one (apart from network executives who care about ratings) calls out the Warriors or Spurs when they rest stars at the end of the regular season. They're strategizing for the playoffs, and struggling teams are strategizing for the next season by giving greener guys experience and by hoping for a better draft pick.
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The Spurs have been getting called out for years for resting players.
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Hmm... I disagree with those people then. I mean, sure I get it from a marketing or money point of view (if I pay a bazillion dollars for Warrior tickets just to see Curry sitting out, I'm an unhappy pappy), but I don't get it when argued from that "spirit of the game" angle. When your spot is secured (either in the playoffs or out of contention), there's not much benefit to falling on your sword for the rest of the regular season.
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I'm a Spurs fan and I think it's a smart strategy. There are only a few teams in the NBA who can actually afford to regularly rest their players anyway.
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I'm not saying there's a problem with what they did, just saying that teams clearly do tank which was disputed when we were discussing it.

Of course no team is going to come out and say 'we tanked the full year for draft picks'. But I imagine quite a few teams decide very early on that they aren't going to try their best to win.

transcience posted...

that Brooklyn trade was a fleecing the day it was announced. the prokorov era was really something.

For whatever reason, they literally thought they would win the title in 2014 with that trade. The Heat utterly demolished them.
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Am I the only one that thinks Lonzo ball is way over-hyped? I keep hearing he's "transcendent" and "generational" and I just don't see it
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are those words coming from Lavar or someone else
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ninkendo posted...

are those words coming from Lavar or someone else

Quite a few people actually!
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No one bothered bumping this topic for the game.

Fitting, really.
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dear boston,

you didn't win the nba championship against washington.

sincerely,
fans
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man this is a jv team
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i don't know if i'm more annoyed by the defense or the offense
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they're getting decent looks, they shots just are not going in. 26% shooting is so many deviations from the average that you don't even have to be watching to know that there is bad ball luck all over the place.

it's not like the rebounding, turnovers, and FG attempts are particularly divergent. it's like +5, +3, +1 or so
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I'm enjoying this preseason game
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I'm seeing a lot of bad shots from Boston, it's not just exclusively "they're just not going in."
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Dear Boston,

Hang onto your draft pick and hope LeBron is human. He'll age out eventually... right?
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i don't think it's pure variance

there are tired legs and frustrated shooters here

also jonas jerebko
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Indiana is # 2 in the east x-stats btw.

Just a reminder.
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i'm near turning this off at halftime
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boston's getting butt blasted


but at least we have the #1 pick
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This isn't in relation to anything that just happened but... Oh my god. Wow.
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and boston scores!
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DoomTheGyarados posted...

Indiana is # 2 in the east x-stats btw.

Just a reminder.

Toronto just HAD to win two games at home against them last year or else we would have been #2 in East X-Stats.
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I just turned it off. this is embarrassing

31-6 in the quarter huh
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Lebron is +36 in 20 minutes
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Lebron James is exorcising iterally all his Boston demons in 2 games here this year.
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Cavs hit 70 before Celtics hit 30.
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Lebron: SIT DOWN. BE HUMBLE.
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I can't fucking believe Boston has home court
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Lebron has scored or assisted on more points than the Celtics have.
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this is why they're getting the #1 pick! look at this 'team'
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KommunistKoala posted...

this is why they're getting the #1 pick! look at this 'team'

I mean yeah, it literally looks as if a lottery team is playing the Eastern Conference Champs.
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the cavs could play their bottom 8 guys in the rotation, walk into the playoffs as the 8 seed, and do this. it doesn't matter who they play as long as LeBron is this good

(probably didn't hurt them that he got the MVP snub today too)
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Go pistons
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