Agreed. Fully expect Spurs to pull it out though.This game feels like the thunder's make or break. They are playing their fn asses off.
Agreed overall, though I think Toronto gives Cleveland a harder time if Valanciunas isn't hurt too badly. Kyle Lowry was great this game - I hope he is back. Toronto is fun to root for and I know I speak for other C's fans when I say its a joy to see him taking down Wade. My only problem is that though Wade is a good player, Toronto's defense seems to fold every time he makes a move to the basket. Wade never gets the looks he had this game if defenders move their feet.This Toronto/Cleveland series is terrible; Cleveland may go fo-fo-fo to the finals.
Lillard is a beast. I take him over Westbrook right now.
They literally had to have a five second mute on ESPN so they didn't catch the expletives that were coming out of his mouth after being whistled for a foul.I don't know about whether Draymond Green gets away with anything but aside from Lillard, Aminu has been brilliant tonight.
Green had a great game but he was left open on a lot of 3-pointers by design. Not sure this game belongs in that sort of company.Lillard has got to be the 2nd most entertaining player in the league
That said Draymond put up a Larryesque effort tonight
Can't remember such a great game as a loss other than Jordans 63 in 86 and Barkleys Game 2 Finals in 93
I've said this since Barnes was at UNC.......he's Jeff Green. He'll get paid by someone this summer and he'll underachiever wherever he ends up. A complete tease.Very disappointed in Harrison Barnes, it's pretty hard to call someone out for underachieving on a 73-9 team but they needed him to step up as their #3 option tonight and he was nowhere to be found.
The cavs would have swept the raptors anyway. Lowry, because of injury and being Lowry, and derozan have been awful.Jonas Valanciunas out for series. God I hate Miami and their luck.
My angst was mostly borne out of my hatred for the Heat. Clearly, nobody left can contest the Cavs before the Spurs/Warriors smack them around in 5.The cavs would have swept the raptors anyway. Lowry, because of injury and being Lowry, and derozan have been awful.
Miami will at least put up a scrap on the way to being smacked up.
Talk about a lucky franchise. Is Wade the only player in the franchise history to be drafted by the Heat and make an All Star team or the All NBA team while playing for the Heat?Jonas Valanciunas out for series. God I hate Miami and their luck.
Barnes clearly doesn't play as well as most of us would expect but comparing him to Jeff Green isn't fair. Barnes is a far better player than Green in virtually every aspect of the game - its not even close. JA's observation that he doesn't step up as the second or third option is the same complaint that Warriors fans (and I suspect some in the organization) have had over his time in a Golden State uniform. Setting aside expectations, if you look at his numbers, the guy is generally an efficient scorer who can hit from deep, a good rebounder and an adequate defender. He fits the Warriors scheme very well and I think they will try to retain him. That said, anyone expecting him to see him step up to be a second or third star is going to be sorely disappointed. He seems to be a decent player who has no desire and limited skills to be an alpha dog.I've said this since Barnes was at UNC.......he's Jeff Green. He'll get paid by someone this summer and he'll underachiever wherever he ends up. A complete tease.
Preach. Lowry has clearly been hurting and it hampered him until yesterday's game so they needed Valanciunas for his scoring and rebounding. I don't hate the Heat overall - just D(irty)-Wade and their bandwagon fans - but if they bounce Toronto at least we'll get the satisfaction of LeBron rubbing his move back to the 'Land back in their faces.Jonas Valanciunas out for series. God I hate Miami and their luck.
Well, he has in the past, especially during last year's title run, it seemed like there were 4 or 6 minute crucial stretches where he'd carry the team fairly often. With Green taking on more of the scoring load, there are even fewer chances for this when the big three are playing, but if you want to be paid like a max guy, last night was exhibit #1 of when to step up.Barnes clearly doesn't play as well as most of us would expect but comparing him to Jeff Green isn't fair. Barnes is a far better player than Green in virtually every aspect of the game - its not even close. JA's observation that he doesn't step up as the second or third option is the same complaint that Warriors fans (and I suspect some in the organization) have had over his time in a Golden State uniform. Setting aside expectations, if you look at his numbers, the guy is generally an efficient scorer who can hit from deep, a good rebounder and an adequate defender. He fits the Warriors scheme very well and I think they will try to retain him. That said, anyone expecting him to see him step up to be a second or third star is going to be sorely disappointed. He seems to be a decent player who has no desire and limited skills to be an alpha dog.
Ok, let's take a closer look without expectations in play and see how much better. Here are the numbers of each player while starting and playing in the shadow of megastars during their 4th season and contract year when one year apart in age. Which set belongs to whom?Barnes clearly doesn't play as well as most of us would expect but comparing him to Jeff Green isn't fair. Barnes is a far better player than Green in virtually every aspect of the game - its not even close. JA's observation that he doesn't step up as the second or third option is the same complaint that Warriors fans (and I suspect some in the organization) have had over his time in a Golden State uniform. Setting aside expectations, if you look at his numbers, the guy is generally an efficient scorer who can hit from deep, a good rebounder and an adequate defender.
Wasn't this the identical criticism of Green when he was on his way out at OKC and why the Thunder choose not to retain him when up against the luxury tax line? Barnes production is limited by his role in Oakland in a somewhat similar way that Ray Allen and Kevin Love's numbers are limited by the role they played in Boston and Cleveland. You don't need to pay premium value for role player level production (Allen's was different as we needed him to convince KG to come here).....which isn't the players fault it is the system that they are in.He fits the Warriors scheme very well and I think they will try to retain him. That said, anyone expecting him to see him step up to be a second or third star is going to be sorely disappointed. He seems to be a decent player who has no desire and limited skills to be an alpha dog.
Yup. Clearly shooting jumpers while everyone else was lined up. The lesson, as always, is that Dwyane Wade is a giant douche.Didn't watch the game but many here in Canada are referring to Wade as being a classless, ignorant jerk. They say that while the Canadian anthem was being played, he continued to shoot baskets while everyone else was behaving like you would expect. Did anyone see this?
PER? And just comparing single seasons (when any number of factors might have influenced either guys numbers)? Ok, I will play:Ok, let's take a closer look without expectations in play and see how much better. Here are the numbers of each player while starting and playing in the shadow of megastars during their 4th season and contract year when one year apart in age. Which set belongs to whom?
PER 12.3 - 12.9
TS% 56 - 54
Reb% 8.6 - 8.8
Ast% 7.8 - 7.2
Stl% 1.1 - 1.0
PPG 11.7 - 13.3
RPG 4.9 - 4.8
Yup. I think they'll be raising a banner in SA in November. They counter punch as well as any team I've seen in a long time.The spurs are incredible. OKC has these huge emotional plays and every time the spurs just come down and answer to shut everyone up
I think it still ends in 6 but hell of a quarter by OKC. And Westbrook has played pretty poorly for the most part. I hope we get a Game 7.Total OKC domination from the Thunder in the 4th. 40 for Durant. This series will probably go the distance.
Westbrook has 15 assists. The Thunder play best when he's assisting, not scoring.I think it still ends in 6 but hell of a quarter by OKC. And Westbrook has played pretty poorly for the most part. I hope we get a Game 7.
He shot 5-18 and is shooting 33% for the series on high volume. I agree that OKC is better when he's in creator mode but he is fully capable of doing both. Obviously, they can't beat the Spurs when he's in chucker mode like he was in Game 3.Westbrook has 15 assists. The Thunder play best when he's assisting, not scoring.
Eh, but Westbrook (15) had more assists than the Spurs (12). Re: the bench -- how about that Dion Waiters? 17 points on 7-11 shooting. And 3 assists! Waiters Island isn't as isolated as it once was....He shot 5-18 and is shooting 33% for the series on high volume. I agree that OKC is better when he's in creator mode but he is fully capable of doing both. Obviously, they can't beat the Spurs when he's in chucker mode like he was in Game 3.
But OKC won this game because 1) KD is awesome and 2) their bench actually produced for once.
Agreed. It may just be the Thunder, though, and their relatively young bigs (Adams/Ibaka/Kanter). Duncan might look better against another veteran. Papi? After two home runs tonight? He's going out in a blaze of glory....Every time I pump up the Spurs, they have an off game and when I rip on a guy (Waiters), he tends to do well.
In other news, it hasn't gotten much play but you have to wonder about Duncan's status. 4 points in the last 3 games and he's starting to finally look like an old man. Maybe he's fine hanging on as a bit player but it's getting kind of depressing to watch. I don't ever want to see Papi/Brady like this.
Disagree, he keeps such constant pressure on the other team that his shooting percentage matters less than with other people, also it seems like OKC gets a lot of easy putbacks off his misses because he draws so much attention. What I thought cost them game 3 was he had a few totally needless turnovers late, and still they were a defensive board away from having a shot to tie at the end.Obviously, they can't beat the Spurs when he's in chucker mode like he was in Game 3.
The problem with Westbrook assisting is that guys like Waiters and Adams need to make shots as they did tonight. When that isn't happening the only chance OKC has against a team like the Spurs is when Durant and Westbrook are carrying the offense.Westbrook has 15 assists. The Thunder play best when he's assisting, not scoring.
That's on the OKC GM for letting their third perimeter option go from Harden to Jackson to Waiters (yikes!). The entire non-Westbrook OKC team had a whopping 6 assists in game 3 and 8 tonight, and since Durant doesn't do too much playmaking these days, a huge amount of the offensive burden is on Westbrook. He doesn't have too many chances to stand down much if he doesn't want his team run out of the gym against an opponent this good.The problem with Westbrook assisting is that guys like Waiters and Adams need to make shots as they did tonight. When that isn't happening the only chance OKC has against a team like the Spurs is when Durant and Westbrook are carrying the offense.
He showed flashes during the season of turning back the clock but i was skeptical it would last. There were several plays where he was jumping as high as he did during his first few years. The weight loss has really benefitted him.For all the hate 12-time All-Star Dwyane Wade gets around here he's been nothing short of sensational during these playoffs for Miami and has aged much better than I thought he would 3-4 years ago when he was having so many knee problems in the playoffs. Now as this series gets smaller with no Jonas and presumably no Hassan it is going to change how these games are played with coaches/players strategy and approach changing. Tonight should be a very interesting game of small and smaller ball.
The hate of Wade has nothing to do with his performance.For all the hate 12-time All-Star Dwyane Wade gets around here he's been nothing short of sensational during these playoffs for Miami and has aged much better than I thought he would 3-4 years ago when he was having so many knee problems in the playoffs. Now as this series gets smaller with no Jonas and presumably no Hassan it is going to change how these games are played with coaches/players strategy and approach changing. Tonight should be a very interesting game of small and smaller ball.
Is it his charity work in Chicago and Miami then?The hate of Wade has nothing to do with his performance.
I thought we were talking about why Wade was hated on this board. And it's pretty obvious why Wade is hated by Celtics fans. Dirty player who intentionally injured Rondo among other plays that I'm surely forgetting.Is it his charity work in Chicago and Miami then?
I just never understood in a league of so many nutcases and (some truly) bad people two of the most hated are two of the most talented and entertaining who have never been in trouble with the law in Wade and LeBron.