2017 NBA Finals: Warriors vs Cavalier

[jimmy40]

Real rivals in the finals

 

[JoeKing]

The balance of power in the NBA is off kilter with KD joining the Warriors. The commish should not have allowed it but as long as he's going to allow that to exist then he needs to allow the Akron Hammer to come to the RiverCity of San Antonio to challenge GS. Otherwise it will just be a League of 29 teams vs the Warriors and the Warriors will win.

 

[Elusive6thRing]

I know you're joking but you aren't getting Lebron, Chris Paul maybe but I think he stays in LA.

 

[Sarge]

IF THE NAME CALLING ETC. CONTINUES, THIS THREAD WILL BE CLOSED. CLEAN IT UP.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Agreed! No one tops MJ! This Finals is further proof. MJ wouldn't have this, he wouldn't let his team have this.

And his name is Nick Wright, BHF

Yes. Nick Wright.

Complete idiot. I'm not sure I've seen a person in the sports media who I feel is more clueless then he is.

 

[DallasDomination]

People are upset kd went to the gsw but fail to realize he did it because there's no other way to win now a days. Lebron is partially to blame for this for teaming up with wade and bosh.. The era of two superstars or a superstar and a sidekick are over.

By the way kd wouldn't of won in okc. Westbrook gets out of control at the end of games way too often, just jacking up shots. I don't blame kd to be honest.

 

[casmith07]

People are upset kd went to the gsw but fail to realize he did it because there's no other way to win now a days. Lebron is partially to blame for this for teaming up with wade and bosh.. The era of two superstars or a superstar and a sidekick are over.

By the way kd wouldn't of won in okc. Westbrook gets out of control at the end of games way too often, just jacking up shots. I don't blame kd to be honest.

Durant would not have won in Oklahoma City. I think there are a lot of other factors that people don't consider as well.

One that I suspect is that after being defeated by LeBron several years ago, he also wanted to go to the team that gave him the best chance to defeat his nemesis one on one. And he's been straight giving it to LeBron all series.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

People are upset kd went to the gsw but fail to realize he did it because there's no other way to win now a days. Lebron is partially to blame for this for teaming up with wade and bosh.. The era of two superstars or a superstar and a sidekick are over.

By the way kd wouldn't of won in okc. Westbrook gets out of control at the end of games way too often, just jacking up shots. I don't blame kd to be honest.

To be fair, Golden State was built the "right way" prior to this year when they were winning championships and winning 73 games in a season. They drafted all their star players and they weren't even consecutive top picks like teams like Philly and the Lakers get every year. They built their team from drafting well in the 5-10 range, which isn't very easy to do in the NBA. So, like you said, Durant had to go to a "super team" because there's no other way to win, but the team that nobody else could beat wasn't even a super team, they were all drafted. Ironically, Durant came from a team that also drafted well (KD, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka) but they weren't able to keep all their stars in town so they had to disperse to try to beat the Warriors.

 

[jterrell]

To be fair, Golden State was built the "right way" prior to this year when they were winning championships and winning 73 games in a season. They drafted all their star players and they weren't even consecutive top picks like teams like Philly and the Lakers get every year. They built their team from drafting well in the 5-10 range, which isn't very easy to do in the NBA. So, like you said, Durant had to go to a "super team" because there's no other way to win, but the team that nobody else could beat wasn't even a super team, they were all drafted. Ironically, Durant came from a team that also drafted well (KD, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka) but they weren't able to keep all their stars in town so they had to disperse to try to beat the Warriors.

ehhh... kinda.
Yes, they collected Curry and Thompson at great draft values.
But they brought Iggy in on a max deal when they luckily whiffed on DHoward.
They have been big spenders and above the cap for a good while now.

Teams "doing it the right way" means a long grind at the bottom.
So I fully support buying free agents.
But more has to be done to differentiate salaries.
A star taking a couple mil a year hit to go to a winner is ACTUALLY MAKING money.
Between playoff money and endorsements, his REAL earnings increases.

When the salary cap blew through the roof this happened. Guys with stars like Curry locked up longish term had lots of extra money to spend.
Guys want to play for winners so if money is near even it's a recipe for roster stacking.

 

[yimyammer]

Real rivals in the finals

damn, those were the days, loved basketball back then (both college and the pros). Now I never watch either

 

[Floatyworm]

My god...Cavs have scored 115 pts ..end of the 3rd quarter..up 18. And I'm worried the Warriors are still gonna make a run. Cavs set a new NBA record for made 3's in a game..and they still have a quarter to go. I'm 47 years old...have watched a lot of basketball....Have never seen a game like this. No matter how this ends...this is epic.

 

[jimmy40]

pretty amazing the refs protecting Draymond Green when he shows them up 20 times a game

 

[Silver Surfer]

Zaza should be out for the punch, but James should be out as well for pushing that referee after the same scrum. You shouldn't be able to put your hands on an official, much less push him around. I know there would have been riots, but the rules on that kind of stuff should be the same for every player, no matter who he is.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

ehhh... kinda.
Yes, they collected Curry and Thompson at great draft values.
But they brought Iggy in on a max deal when they luckily whiffed on DHoward.
They have been big spenders and above the cap for a good while now.

Teams "doing it the right way" means a long grind at the bottom.
So I fully support buying free agents.
But more has to be done to differentiate salaries.
A star taking a couple mil a year hit to go to a winner is ACTUALLY MAKING money.
Between playoff money and endorsements, his REAL earnings increases.

When the salary cap blew through the roof this happened. Guys with stars like Curry locked up longish term had lots of extra money to spend.
Guys want to play for winners so if money is near even it's a recipe for roster stacking.

They also hit on Draymond as a second round pick. And past key contributors like Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli were also their own picks.

They spent big on Iguodala in 2013 because back then no prime free agents would sign with Golden State.

Outside of him and KD, how have they been big spenders?

 

[Floatyworm]

People are upset kd went to the gsw but fail to realize he did it because there's no other way to win now a days. Lebron is partially to blame for this for teaming up with wade and bosh.. The era of two superstars or a superstar and a sidekick are over.

By the way kd wouldn't of won in okc. Westbrook gets out of control at the end of games way too often, just jacking up shots. I don't blame kd to be honest.

Just stop...in 2012 that OKC team was so young....the average age of everyone was 24. It just wasn't their time. Everyone is wondering why KD 's game is so much better now...well duh...He's in his prime...and Lebron is getting older. That's why he looks so much better now...OKC should have been a dynasty. Greed destroyed that team. Everyone wanted to get paid...and in the end..everyone did. Sad really. If they were all willing to just give up a little bit for the greater good of the team...who knows how great this team could have been. There is something to be learned here...And I hope the Cowboys are taking notice. They are about to face the very same problem w/ all their young talent.

 

[DallasDomination]

I'm glad the Cavs didn't get swept so I don't have to hear stephen A. Talk his nonsense.

 

[DallasDomination]

Just stop...in 2012 that OKC team was so young....the average age of everyone was 24. It just wasn't their time. Everyone is wondering why KD 's game is so much better now...well duh...He's in his prime...and Lebron is getting older. That's why he looks so much better now...OKC should have been a dynasty. Greed destroyed that team. Everyone wanted to get paid...and in the end..everyone did. Sad really. If they were all willing to just give up a little bit for the greater good of the team...who knows how great this team could have been. There is something to be learned here...And I hope the Cowboys are taking notice. They are about to face the very same problem w/ all their young talent.

I'm not talking about the okc team that had Harden, obviously that team could of been special. Its a damn shame like you said. However I think he made the smart move to leave okc. There's no guarantee they get past the Spurs or Grizzles to begin with, and those teams are getting better...then you have golden state and the Cavs in the finals. It's just too much uncertainty. KD made the right decision at the end of the day.

 

[Floatyworm]

pretty amazing the refs protecting Draymond Green when he shows them up 20 times a game

Guys got more lives than a cat. Honestly...if the Cavs were smart....they should send someone in game 5 and just goon Green into a fight. Someone expendable. And seriously...just let him have it. I haven't hated a player this much since T.O. danced on the star. Cavs should sign me up...I'll be that huckleberry for a game.

 

[jterrell]

ehhh... kinda.
Yes, they collected Curry and Thompson at great draft values.
But they brought Iggy in on a max deal when they luckily whiffed on DHoward.
They have been big spenders and above the cap for a good while now.

Teams "doing it the right way" means a long grind at the bottom.
So I fully support buying free agents.
But more has to be done to differentiate salaries.
A star taking a couple mil a year hit to go to a winner is ACTUALLY MAKING money.
Between playoff money and endorsements, his REAL earnings increases.

When the salary cap blew through the roof this happened. Guys with stars like Curry locked up longish term had lots of extra money to spend.
Guys want to play for winners so if money is near even it's a recipe for roster stacking.

Again, as I stated, kinda.
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-warriors-built-their-team-2017-6

They hit on Curry and signed him before he hit MVP form. They got Thompson signed before the large cap escalations.

Green, I am not giving them special credit for. Mainly because I watched Green play at MSU in the NCAA Tourney and would have drafted him by pick 20. No kidding. Getting him in round 2 was insane. So that was dumb luck.

So they've now signed two max guys in Iggy and KD. And they had a huge assist from salary cap timing.

Great team, but they got lucky too.

from above link:


As Lowe mentioned on his podcast, "The Lowe Post," in May, the league must have some regret for not imposing the cap smoothing, particularly with the way the Warriors have run through the playoffs.

"That foundation, combined with several other lucky variables, like the cap spike — which the league absolutely has to regret at this point, not smoothing it out, and the [players] union maybe, too, though I don't think so — and Steph Curry's ankles, which made his extension ridiculously cheap — that foundation gave them the ability to sign Kevin Durant. And here we are, they haven't lost a game. They've lost one game in 70-something days."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently shot down the idea that the Warriors' dominance is bad for the NBA, noting there have always been teams that dominate the league — the Celtics and Lakers in the 1980s, the Bulls in the '90s, the Lakers and Spurs in the '00s.

But this Warriors team seems different. They appear unguardable. Their games haven't even been competitive. The offensive talent is so great that even against good defense (which the Cavs haven't played), they can reliably turn broken plays into efficient offense.

Furthermore, they have a plan to keep the team together. Curry, Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston are all free agents this summer. The Warriors can retain all four players, so long as Durant takes slightly less than a max salary, which he is reportedly willing to do.

If all goes according to plan for the Warriors, the reigning champions will lock up a core of four All-Stars in their primes, with nearly a pitch-perfect supporting cast, long term. As ********'s Tom Ley argued, the NBA might be broken.

 

[DFWJC]

3-1
A temporary stay of the inevitable execution