***Official NBA Thread***

[OverratedSanity]

I think he's a no-brainer. Had a great peak, won the scoring title twice, and played on some pretty crappy teams early on. If Hill and Yao had been more healthy, he could've had much more playoff success too.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I also may be biased because he used to be one of my favourite players

 

[duffer]

Love the guy, happy for him.

 

[duffer]

Final Four games were badass this morning.

So up for the final. Let's go Zags!

 

[OverratedSanity]

I also see moncrief didn't make it again. Kind of becoming a joke now.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

yeah agreed...he is the difference maker and it is a pretty big difference, that...a full-strength warriors and maybe the spurs can stay with him...but there is no one else in either conference who can beat him...

I definitely think the Rockets would beat them in the finals. Health or no health the Cavs are a bad defensive team, especially with their best 5 players on the field. The Rockets play an offensive style that will really hurt the Cavs on defence. They only have one guy who can stay with Harden in the PnR and that's Lebron, who is definitely not going to guard Harden 1 on 1 for more than a few minutes a game. The Cavs have no rim protection (except for Lebron, who cannot play help defence off any Rockets player because they all shoot 3's exceptionally well, or off Harden in the PnR.) and will be lost. Now, the Cavs will score as well, but the Rockets are better on D than most people think and will do enough.

That said, I don't see the Rockets making the finals, but I think they'd be quite heavy favourites going in.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

what does everyone think about mcgrady getting into the h.o.f? do you think he belongs there?

I'm not against it, but to me he didn't have long enough of a prime to make it. That said, the Basketball HoF is a joke and everyone gets in. McGrady was one of the best 5 guys in the league for a 3-5 season stretch which I guess is enough in the end. He didn't have playoff success but also had his career cut short by multitude of injuries in his prime. I have no doubt that if he'd remained healthy (and Yao, I guess) that Rockets team would've gone deep at least once.

 

[Anil]

I definitely think the Rockets would beat them in the finals. Health or no health the Cavs are a bad defensive team, especially with their best 5 players on the field. The Rockets play an offensive style that will really hurt the Cavs on defence. They only have one guy who can stay with Harden in the PnR and that's Lebron, who is definitely not going to guard Harden 1 on 1 for more than a few minutes a game. The Cavs have no rim protection (except for Lebron, who cannot play help defence off any Rockets player because they all shoot 3's exceptionally well, or off Harden in the PnR.) and will be lost. Now, the Cavs will score as well, but the Rockets are better on D than most people think and will do enough.

That said, I don't see the Rockets making the finals, but I think they'd be quite heavy favourites going in.

you don't think tristan thompson is/will be an effective rim protector? i agree that love and fry won't do much in that area...

also i think they will get their act together and improve on the defensive end in the playoffs...get the feeling they have been coasting so far this year, still under the delirium of last season's historic win, hence lebron's frustration...

 

[Anil]

I'm not against it, but to me he didn't have long enough of a prime to make it. That said, the Basketball HoF is a joke and everyone gets in. McGrady was one of the best 5 guys in the league for a 3-5 season stretch which I guess is enough in the end. He didn't have playoff success but also had his career cut short by multitude of injuries in his prime. I have no doubt that if he'd remained healthy (and Yao, I guess) that Rockets team would've gone deep at least once.

yeah the rockets were his best chance...and if the team had stayed healthy, they could have made a run in the west playoffs...but his career is all about the could've/should've...anyway...

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

you don't think tristan thompson is/will be an effective rim protector? i agree that love and fry won't do much in that area...

also i think they will get their act together and improve on the defensive end in the playoffs...get the feeling they have been coasting so far this year, still under the delirium of last season's historic win, hence lebron's frustration...

TT has been better this year (has also seen a bump in minutes) but he's serviceable at best as a rim protector. Plus I'm not sure he's even in their best 5.

I do think they've coasted defensively and will improve, but they're going to need to improve so massively that I just don't think it can happen. I think they're 22nd in defensive efficiency for the season and 30th over the last two weeks. I don't think there's ever been a team that made the finals (maybe it was won the championship) with a defensive rating ranking in the twenties, even the Shaq-Kobe Lakers that famously used to cruise through the regular season were in the teens. Would be unprecedented for the Cavs to go all the way.

 

[andruid]

for now...in any case, it doesn't matter all that much from an eastern conference perspective unless you think they can beat a healthy cavs team in a 7 game series...

I have a quiet confidence that given a week to scheme for it Coach Brad Stevens could plot the downfall od the Cavs. All 4 games were damn close in 2015 and the Cs are better this season Not very likely but not ruling it out.

 

[Anil]

Westbrook ties Robertson!

 

[andruid]

Cavs back in front

 

[Anil]

now that he has passed robertson and is going to average a triple-double for the season, westbrook will be the mvp...

 

[Anil]

Cavs back in front

all tied up with 2 games to go...neither are exactly surging right now...

 

[Anil]

denver...!

 

[Anil]

westbrook sits out a game!

 

[andruid]

all tied up with 2 games to go...neither are exactly surging right now...

Boston clinch the Conference but with just 53 wins :sad:

 

[Anil]

the cavs are healthy (more or less) and i expect them to ramp it up on both ends in the playoffs...if they do, i don't see either the raptors or boston beating them...

 

[andruid]

the cavs are healthy (more or less) and i expect them to ramp it up on both ends in the playoffs...if they do, i don't see either the raptors or boston beating them...

Indeed. But James has really had to play a heck of alot of minutes this season. Let us see what happens...