The NBA

[Maximum Taco]

1 hour ago, SuburbanHangSuite said:

My 10yr old son calls him The NutKicker and this never fails to crack me up.  

There's an idea! 

Draymond Green and the Rockettes star in The NutKicker! It'll be a holiday smash!

[roamyn]

8 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I don't have a dog in this fight, but damn, I wonder how many Cavs fans had to be talked down from the ledge this morning? 

I think that was our best shot to grab one at Oakland.

I mean, there’s no way they’re gonna win, but to get a loss in that manner really sucks.  At least the game was pretty competitive (until OT)

[Magog]

The only positive from last night's game was that JR Smith didn't do anything idiotic & that's pushing it. Other than that, it pretty much sucked last night for the Cavaliers. 

The Cavaliers were down 59-46 at halftime & I was dumb enough to think they're still in this game. Little did I know that the game was basically over at halftime. They couldn't get closer than 7 points on those Warriors & you-know-who was his usual self in the 2nd half. They also showed his wife on several occasions. As if I need even more reasons to find those Warriors (except for Draymond Green, their coach Steve Kerr, & Swaggy P (Nick Young)) very loathsome. They are as rootable as the Dallas Cowboys.

I actually didn't crack a smile once during the entire game last night. JR Smith kept that frown on my face for 3 days & that frown will still be there when Game 3 comes around. 

 

The only people who are thrilled right now are those Warriors, those Warriors fans, that jack ass Michael Rapaport, & ESPN. I think ESPN would be ecstatic if those Warriors do a sweep, much might happen. They root for the Warriors all the time like they root for the Cowboys & Patriots in the NFL. 

[Kip Hackman]

19 minutes ago, Magog said:

The only positive from last night's game was that JR Smith didn't do anything idiotic & that's pushing it.

I'm not sure that's a positive. At this point, I'm only sticking around for the memes, and last night did not deliver.

[CheetaraThunder]

As much as Draymond Green can be an asshole, he makes me laugh. Shit, I can’t truly hate on him.

I didn’t think JR Smith was going to be academically eligible for Game 2, but he played and didn’t do anything stupid, so positive. 

Sadly, for the Cavs, unless they can clone Kyrie and the others actually get into double digits in points, I see a sweep, and that might be best to out Lebron and the Cavs fans out of their misery. Curry is playing like a fucking monster, and having Love trying to defend Curry is a fucking joke. Curry, might go down as my top 2 favorite shooters to watch, along with Dirk Nowitzki.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

6 hours ago, Magog said:

you-know-who was his usual self in the 2nd half. They also showed his wife on several occasions. 

Oh no! The horror of showing his wife at a home game! How dare they. :) You-know-who was his usual self alright, as in kicking ass and taking names and breaking records, without acting like a baby.

I hope LeBron packed extra tissues in his man purse. 

Also,

[twoods]

Other NBA players have their wives there, but only Curry’s is shown. It’s annoying, but I think showing anyone’s spouse continuously is unnecessary. As a Lakers fan, I could give a shit about Kobe’s wife, or Khloe when she was with Odom. I know it’s fun to pan on an excited fan or kid, but the same person is tiresome.

[Ohwell]

7 hours ago, CheetaraThunder said:

As much as Draymond Green can be an asshole, he makes me laugh. Shit, I can’t truly hate on him.

I can't tell you how many times I dreamed about slapping Draymond, lol.  But then he says something funny and I can't hate on him anymore.  Just don't fuck up and get thrown out of the game Draymond!

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

Other NBA players have their wives there, but only Curry’s is shown. It’s annoying, but I think showing anyone’s spouse continuously is unnecessary. As a Lakers fan, I could give a shit about Kobe’s wife, or Khloe when she was with Odom. I know it’s fun to pan on an excited fan or kid, but the same person is tiresome.

Ayesha has become a pretty annoying presence.  I guess we can't blame her for wanting to exploit her husband's success to launch her own celebrity career, but it would be nice if she would dial it back a little.  The networks aren't doing her any favors putting her smug mug onscreen multiple times every game.  Next game is in Cleveland, let's see how many times the cameras manage to catch Savannah James.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

His Highness King James whines and cries more than my nephew who is almost 2 years old. JFC, he needs a whole lot of cheese with all his whine and dramatics. 

[Magog]

1 hour ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

His Highness King James whines and cries more than my nephew who is almost 2 years old. JFC, he needs a whole lot of cheese with all his whine and dramatics. 

Looks like somebody had a lot of fun watching this tonight because I sure didn't. 

 

The Cavaliers defense wasn't worth a damn (as it was for most of this season), Durant basically ran them over (43 points), & you-know-who was enjoyable to watch like an abscess on a tooth (1-9 from 3-pointer range, but hit the biggest one in the game to put those Warriors up by 4). This series is pretty much over & evil (those Warriors) has won again. Game 4 is going to be so fun to watch on Friday Night, that a nap may be in order.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Magog

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Evil? LOL.

[isalicat]

Saltiness! It prevails! I had a real good time tonight and will be always grateful for the Durantula addition to our glorious team. Too bad that anyone would see the evolution of basketball to the next level as "evil". Its about anticipating your weak points and filling them up with strength and fun, eh?

[twoods]

Durant is absolutely ridiculous. I despise the Warriors, but they really were the team to beat this season. If Curry is off, Durant and Klay pick up the slack, and vice versa. I really wish CP3 didn’t get injured because the Rockets had a chance, but then again Andre was injured. It’s crazy how stacked they are. Congrats Warriors fans, because this domination can go on for another 3-4 years. I’m just glad my Lakers suck because watching them get hammered every year by this team in the playoffs would be brutal.

Edited June 7, 2018 by twoods

[CheetaraThunder]

When you see Curry and Klay stats, you would think Warriors lose, but having another MVP like Durant in your back pocket is playing in dividends. Like it’s so fucking scary. Imagine when all 3 are on point in a game? It’s apocalyptic...I don’t even think if Lebron moved to the West, he would have any better luck. 

Edited June 7, 2018 by CheetaraThunder

[Fukui San]

I'm a Boston fan and I enjoy this Warriors run which I don't often do for opposing teams. They made good moves. They made fortunate moves. They made smart moves. And then they were the beneficiary of the Durant decision. I don't begrudge them. It might be that they might come apart somewhat naturally in the coming year(s). Their motivation is so stop and start. How long is Durant there for? Does Klay want to be the third wheel? Will Draymond ever hit threes regularly again? Can Steph stay healthy? Beyond the big four plus Iguadala, will they find anyone on their roster they aren't scared of playing? If they had lost to the Rockets there might have been big moves made and we'd nod our heads and acknowledge the issues. The issues are still there even as they close out the Cavs (presumably).

[CheetaraThunder]

I will say the best part of Durant’s Big 3 pointer was his non reaction at the end. He had that whole “sigh...oh well” look ? 

[Kip Hackman]

I don't begrudge the Warriors, The core of that 73-win team was built through the draft.

But when Durant jumped on board, I said "This is not good for the league." My opinion has not changed.

[Maximum Taco]

Just now, Kip Hackman said:

I don't begrudge the Warriors, The core of that 73-win team was built through the draft.

But when Durant jumped on board, I said "This is not good for the league." My opinion has not changed.

Agreed

I don't begrudge the Warriors their success, I begrudge the NBA for creating a system where this is even possible. 

The richest teams in the league should not be allowed to spend 50 million more than the most frugal. The soft cap is stupid, especially in a league where one player can take control of a game. 

[kathyk24]

1 hour ago, Fukui San said:

I'm a Boston fan and I enjoy this Warriors run which I don't often do for opposing teams. They made good moves. They made fortunate moves. They made smart moves. And then they were the beneficiary of the Durant decision. I don't begrudge them. It might be that they might come apart somewhat naturally in the coming year(s). Their motivation is so stop and start. How long is Durant there for? Does Klay want to be the third wheel? Will Draymond ever hit threes regularly again? Can Steph stay healthy? Beyond the big four plus Iguadala, will they find anyone on their roster they aren't scared of playing? If they had lost to the Rockets there might have been big moves made and we'd nod our heads and acknowledge the issues. The issues are still there even as they close out the Cavs (presumably).

I agree. I'm old enough to remember when the NBA finals meant the Celtics and Lakers with maybe the Bulls or the Rockets thrown it. Instead of bashing Durant for going to the Warriors we should be praising the rest of the team for encouraging him to come. I'll never understand why its fine to trade away a player to win a title but not for a player to leave on his own.

[ganesh]

The thing is though, that was a winnable game for Cleveland with less than 4 minutes left. I think they went to the 3 pt well a little too early because it was only 1, 2 points and LeBron was getting into the lane easy and either hitting nice short fall aways or getting to the line. I don't know that I want Smith chucking up 3s v setting a pick to free up LeBron. 

Outside of Durant, I was impressed that the Warriors had a bunch of backdoor cuts for easy baskets instead of driving and kicking it out all the time. 

I remember when it was always Boston and the Lakers too. I won't argue that maybe the system should/shouldn't be changed, but the NBA has been all about dynasties since the 1960s. I mean, they invented the Larry Bird exception to keep Boston on top.  They've made their bed on that, so I don't know what will motivate them to change. 

To be fair, Houston was the #1 seed and had a game 7 at home. It's not the Warriors fault they didn't show up or couldn't make adjustments. 

Edited June 7, 2018 by ganesh

[LexieLily]

Yawn. Golden State wins again in a sweep or at most five games if they "take the night off" and let Cleveland have one. Everyone that said Warriors vs Rockets were the real Finals was right. 

[Danny Franks]

5 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

I agree. I'm old enough to remember when the NBA finals meant the Celtics and Lakers with maybe the Bulls or the Rockets thrown it. Instead of bashing Durant for going to the Warriors we should be praising the rest of the team for encouraging him to come. I'll never understand why its fine to trade away a player to win a title but not for a player to leave on his own.

Back in the mid-90s, Channel 4 in the UK got the rights to NBA programming, and it became popular, very quickly. I and the rest of the kids in my school quickly chose teams to follow. Some chose the Magic, because of Shaq and Penny Hardaway, some chose the Rockets because of Hakeem Olajuwon and Robert Horry. Most chose the Bulls, with their all-star team of Jordan, Pippen and Rodman. I, for reasons I don't even know myself, chose the New York Knicks. Just in time for the Bulls to go on their second run of three titles in a row. And then the Lakers to start winning back to back titles too.

Nothing kills a kid's enthusiasm for a new sport more than his chosen team being useless. But I digress, because really I'm just agreeing that the Warriors being "evil" for going to four championship finals in a row is a bit silly. The NBA is a sport where it's normal for teams to have periods of prolonged dominance. It's a sport where the Bulls had a team that was untouchable, then Shaq went to L.A. to join Kobe Bryant, Robert Horry and Glen Rice, and then Lebron James formed his own super-team in Miami. So Durant wants to go to win rings with the Warriors? That's fine. It's just carrying on the longstanding tradition in the NBA.

[Maximum Taco]

On 6/7/2018 at 4:01 PM, Danny Franks said:

Back in the mid-90s, Channel 4 in the UK got the rights to NBA programming, and it became popular, very quickly. I and the rest of the kids in my school quickly chose teams to follow. Some chose the Magic, because of Shaq and Penny Hardaway, some chose the Rockets because of Hakeem Olajuwon and Robert Horry. Most chose the Bulls, with their all-star team of Jordan, Pippen and Rodman. I, for reasons I don't even know myself, chose the New York Knicks. Just in time for the Bulls to go on their second run of three titles in a row. And then the Lakers to start winning back to back titles too.

Nothing kills a kid's enthusiasm for a new sport more than his chosen team being useless. But I digress, because really I'm just agreeing that the Warriors being "evil" for going to four championship finals in a row is a bit silly. The NBA is a sport where it's normal for teams to have periods of prolonged dominance. It's a sport where the Bulls had a team that was untouchable, then Shaq went to L.A. to join Kobe Bryant, Robert Horry and Glen Rice, and then Lebron James formed his own super-team in Miami. So Durant wants to go to win rings with the Warriors? That's fine. It's just carrying on the longstanding tradition in the NBA.

Yup, and people still watch so the NBA has no reason to change its format.

Turns out basketball fans (at least most of them) don't want parity, they just want to see the same two teams meet up year after year. 

[ganesh]

On 6/7/2018 at 10:21 AM, LexieLily said:

Yawn. Golden State wins again in a sweep or at most five games if they "take the night off" and let Cleveland have one. Everyone that said Warriors vs Rockets were the real Finals was right. 

I don't know if it's ironic or whatever, but the actual quality of basketball seems much better to me in the finals though. 

[caracas1914]

I guess it's too much to argue that the Warriors are actually more homegrown and less "manufactured" as in Curry ,Klay Thompson and Draymond Green  were chosen or drafted by Golden State before any of them developed into the starters/stars they are today.   Curry was a huge question mark a few years back  and IIRC some asked why Klay Thomspon wasn't traded for Kevin Love.

Perish the thought they nurtured these players AND  then  pick up a KD, since Boston, LA, Miami, etc were all much more homegrown and less dependent on their success from picking up established stars.  It was all draft picks with those teams.

Wait What?  

Never mind.

ETA:  Plus every one  talks about the 73 win season but want to forget they LOST the NBA finals because it was exposed they didn't have the physical MAN on the team...so when the opportunity arose...

That2 2016  heartbreaking NBA finals loss ironically worked out for them.  Still there was no guarantee KD would jell with them for champs.

Edited June 9, 2018 by caracas1914

[DrSpaceman]

Well that's it for Lebron in Cleveland.  But we will get 4 weeks now of talk about it until free agency.  I think its Philly or LA though.  If he goes to LA he just has no chance in the west.  Much tougher to win out there than in the East.  Even if somehow the warriors core breaks up they would not beat Houston. 

As far as the Warriors, yes Durant was a huge signing for them, but every other part of the team they did with draft and smart moves.  And not top draft picks, just smart draft picks.  Its not like they had a bunch of top 5 picks and had easy choices. 

And they were good, but not champions, before Steve Kerr came along as coach.  Anyone could have chosen Kerr to coach their team, but the Warriors made the big decision to do so even though mark Jackson had made them into a good team and a contender, but just not a champion. 

Outside of Durant, its been all smart, savvy moves to build the team. 

[ganesh]

Not knocking on LeBron, the Cavs played 3 close games and they just didn't show up after the 1st quarter. Have some pride. You're at home. 

[LexieLily]

4 minutes ago, DrSpaceman said:

Well that's it for Lebron in Cleveland.  But we will get 4 weeks now of talk about it until free agency.  I think its Philly or LA though.  If he goes to LA he just has no chance in the west.  Much tougher to win out there than in the East.  Even if somehow the warriors core breaks up they would not beat Houston. 

I agree that LeBron is done with Cleveland unless they magically end up with Paul George or Kawhi or someone on that level, but I don't understand why Lebron-to-LA is being discussed in the media. Like you said, there's no chance of him dragging the Lakers through the West like he did for Cleveland in the East even if LA got Paul George. I actually don't understand why LeBron would want to go to any Western team besides the Rockets because it just puts him against the Warriors one round sooner.

It would be hilarious if he wanted to go to Boston and Danny Ainge traded Kyrie to accommodate him.

[BitterApple]

Wow, this is the most underwhelming finals game. You know it's bad when the entire fourth quarter is garbage time. 

Edited June 9, 2018 by BitterApple

[Ohwell]

The Cavs got curb stomped.  In the words of James Brown, "I feel good!"

Now Steph needs to shave that beard.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Yay, "evil" Warriors win! Looking forward to the parade.

I wish they'd had a little more competition though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

The announcers also could have talked about LeWhine just a taaaaaaaaaaaaad bit less during the game, JFC. You'll have several weeks to talk nonstop about where he's going. 

[caracas1914]

That was a pretty lackluster display by the Cavs.  It's almost af if they caved in once the Warriors stayed competitive in the first quarter.

4 Finals and 3 Championships.  Hate to use the "D" word, but fuck.

 

ETA: Houston players should have recurring  nightmares all the off season.

Edited June 9, 2018 by caracas1914

[ganesh]

21 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I actually don't understand why LeBron would want to go to any Western team besides the Rockets because it just puts him against the Warriors one round sooner.

Right. LeBron literally owns the eastern conference. There's no way he'd go to a western team. Why grind that out? You go to Philly, you're back in the finals again. 

#Shallow - I'm a Doris fan.

[LexieLily]

7 minutes ago, caracas1914 said:

That was a pretty lackluster display by the Cavs.  It's almost af if they caved in once the Warriors stayed competitive in the first quarter.

4 Finals and 3 Championships.  Hate to use the "D" word, but fuck.

 

ETA: Houston players should have recurring  nightmares all the off season.

As a Houston native and fan, trust me that we will. Recurring nightmares and "what ifs?"

[roamyn]

5 minutes ago, caracas1914 said:

That was a pretty lackluster display by the Cavs.  It's almost af if they caved in once the Warriors stayed competitive in the first quarter.

4 Finals and 3 Championships.  Hate to use the "D" word, but fuck.

 

ETA: Houston players should have recurring  nightmares all the off season.

They caved after the fiasco loss of Game 1.

This precisely why I didn’t want the Cavs in the Finals.  Thanks for embarrassing us and yourselves.

Thank you, LeBron for our first Championship (not counting The Force or the Monsters), in 52 years.  Good luck wherever you go, but please don’t let it be LA.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Meanwhile JR Smith is packing his bags for game 5 in Oakland.

[meep.meep]

On ‎6‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 1:01 PM, Danny Franks said:

Nothing kills a kid's enthusiasm for a new sport more than his chosen team being useless. But I digress, because really I'm just agreeing that the Warriors being "evil" for going to four championship finals in a row is a bit silly. The NBA is a sport where it's normal for teams to have periods of prolonged dominance. It's a sport where the Bulls had a team that was untouchable, then Shaq went to L.A. to join Kobe Bryant, Robert Horry and Glen Rice, and then Lebron James formed his own super-team in Miami. So Durant wants to go to win rings with the Warriors? That's fine. It's just carrying on the longstanding tradition in the NBA.

Anyone who thinks the Dubs are evil for going to four finals in a row doesn't remember that for decades they didn't even make the playoffs.  In the mean time the Bulls, the Lakers, the Knicks were all on top for years at a time.  You put together a good team who all play well together, and they can dominate.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I'm really proud of the team. And that's what they are, a TEAM. Not a "King" and his minions. A joy to watch and the fun they have while playing the game just radiates. The smiles and the camaraderie, I dig it all. They deserve the praise they get. It is a happy night in the bay!! :)

[kathyk24]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

Anyone who thinks the Dubs are evil for going to four finals in a row doesn't remember that for decades they didn't even make the playoffs.  In the mean time the Bulls, the Lakers, the Knicks were all on top for years at a time.  You put together a good team who all play well together, and they can dominate.

I wonder if the same people who think the Warriors are bad for basketball thought the Bulls winning three in row was bad for the NBA. On Twitter there is a debate going on about who is better Lebron or Michael Jordan. Jordan fans bring up that he never lost in the Finals  they forget that for many years he never made the Finals.

[CheetaraThunder]

I don’t care abou this super team shit...you got the money and can get the people you need, then get them. Now, that doesn’t mean the pieces will all gel together. Warriors are a complete team. Sad thing for Lebron, Steph curry has won more titles in Cleveland then Lebron haha. I wish Boston didn’t choke in Game 7 cause at least that would have made for a more competitive finals

 

And, if fans are still mad about Durant going to GSW...Durant looks happier and just calmer. Helps when you win back to back titles and back to back MVP awards. Man is fucking sick.

Now the Lebron vs MJ debate can be put to rest for good. Lebron is still one of the best ever, but the only way he will come close to Jordan is if he leaves Cleveland and joins the Hornets.

[roamyn]

2 hours ago, CheetaraThunder said:

 

I don’t care abou this super team shit...you got the money and can get the people you need, then get them. Now, that doesn’t mean the pieces will all gel together. Warriors are a complete team. Sad thing for Lebron, Steph curry has won more titles in Cleveland then Lebron haha. I wish Boston didn’t choke in Game 7 cause at least that would have made for a more competitive finals

 

But that’s the disparity.  A lot of teams don’t have that kind of money to pay those high luxury taxes.  The cap is a joke, and means nothing.

[Maximum Taco]

Gee what a fantastic finals, NBA. 

Thrilling and unpredictable. Thanks for encouraging teams to skyrocket over the salary cap and not doing anything to encourage parity in this league. 

[Jx223]

That NBA Finals was every bit as awful as I thought it would be. This was one of the worst finals the NBA has had in a while.  Very lopsided and noncompetitive. I wonder how much money the NBA lost due to this series being a sweep.

I do think that Free agency will be interesting. I don't think it will be quite as eventual and entertaining as last summer's,, but I think that some big moves will be made. I think that this was LeBron's last game as a Cavs. I wonder which team he will go to.. I heard he will visit at least four teams and that the Warriors was actually one of them. I think that Houston could be a good landing spot for him. Or the 76ers. Or even the Celtics, though I wonder what would happen with Kyrie Irving if LeBron decided to join them.

Edited June 9, 2018 by Jx223

[shoregirl]

8 minutes ago, Jx223 said:

 Or the 76ers. 

Joel Embiid is on it.

[Danny Franks]

Wherever LeBron James goes next, I hope that team gets every bit of the criticism the Warriors have had for signing Durant. Because he's not taking some team of scrubs and trying to mold them into a championship team (which he only had to do with the Cavs after they made a mess of their roster, after turning it over entirely to suit James' requirements). He's going to Houston or Philly or some other team that already has a strong core, ready to challenge.

But I'm sure that what will actually happen is that a team that drafted three of its starting all-stars and signed one will still be loathed. While James joins the Houston Rockets, a team put together completely through free agency, and they will be lauded as saviours of the league.

[BitterApple]

I feel like we've gotten ripped off as far as spring sports. The Stanley Cup was over in the blink of an eye and the NBA finals were an embarrassing disaster. How many days left til football?

[Magog]

On 6/7/2018 at 11:11 AM, ganesh said:

To be fair, Houston was the #1 seed and had a game 7 at home. It's not the Warriors fault they didn't show up or couldn't make adjustments. 

The Rockets were not going to win that game or beat those Warriors in the playoffs. I said that on the first night of the season. 

 

As for last night's massacre, it was 13-3 Warriors in the middle of the 1st Quarter & it was over. That 3 hour nap I had after that was more tolerable than watching one of ESPN's & Darth Vader's favorite team strolling through the park & lifting that trophy with ease. Somehow, I didn't throw up after the post game show, but there was plenty of dry heaving. The only person from the Dark Side that I'm happy for is one of my favorite players, Swaggy P (Nick Young). He didn't do much for those Warriors this season, but he did more to earn his ring than their idiot dunce Assistant Coach Mike Brown did in his 2 rings that he shamefully got from those Warriors. Swaggy P always puts a smile on my face & unlike JaVale McGee, he is very classy & not a whiny unfunny crybaby. Overall, I find Swaggy P to be the complete opposite of (especially) Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, & most certainly JaVale McGee.

 

Quote

Meanwhile JR Smith is packing his bags for game 5 in Oakland.

He should be worry about LeBron kicking his sorry ass to a pulp after what he did in Game 1 & pretty much ended the series for Cavaliers. I wouldn't have a problem with that & I would personally help LeBron kick JR Smith's ass. He also needs to worry about being a part of NBA Finals infamy. I'm sure that idiot Nick Anderson (Orlando Magic) can tell him about that. He should never show his face in public again. 

Speaking of idiots, I had to hear IT (that clown who sucked for the Cavaliers this season) talking smack about the Cavaliers getting swept & being very gleeful about it. Frankly, he needs to be quiet & worry about that $200 Million contract that he is not going to get this offseason. I hope this jerk signs with the Knicks because that is where he belongs. 

Edited June 9, 2018 by Magog

[ganesh]

10 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

Jordan fans bring up that he never lost in the Finals  they forget that for many years he never made the Finals.

Detroit owned Jordan for years before Phil and Tex invented the triangle to maximize his talents. Didn't the coach write a book about it? 

Before that Boston always beat them. Everything is context. I can appreciate as a sports fan that I've been able to see some of the best players ever in my life. 

[Fukui San]

The Triangle existed for a long time before Jackson got a hold of it. Tex Winter wrote the book on it in the 1960’s, IIRC. 

Edited June 9, 2018 by Fukui San