I think anointing Westbrook a top 5 player is a huge stretch. But even so, going through the western conference, it is quite hard getting to the finals, regardless of how many top players you have.Kliq said:
NBA 2014-2015 Game Thread
- Thread starter ifmanis5
- Start date
BigSoxFan said:
Someone talk me into Reggie Jackson. I see Marcus Thornton there.
The Thunder's depth is a problem, but not an unsurmountable one. The numbers for the bench guys are going to look terrible because they played half of the year without Durant. That said, Collison is not what he used to be, Perkins is really not what he used to be, and guys like Perry Jones, Dion Waiters, etc. are just garbage.
Yeah, we beat that to death already, my point was more that the core of Durant/Westbrook/Ibaka haven't lost a series they were all healthy for since the Finals against Miami when they still had Harden.
Anyway, OKC has more depth now than when that discussion began, so maybe a bit of a moot point.
Anyway, OKC has more depth now than when that discussion began, so maybe a bit of a moot point.
Pistons beat the Bulls. Thibodeau has gone 4-1 the last 5 games and he looks like a broken man walking off the court.
Cross posting from the Simmons thread but to limit the risk of it getting lost in the crowded Sunday night TV landscape, Bill and Jalen had Kobe as the guest for this week's Grantland Basketball Hour and he was simply fantastic. He came across as extremely insightful, honest and, at least to me, very likable. I have no doubt that Kobe's post-playing career is going to be very interesting. And if you aren't watching the GBH and you are a hoops-head, you should be. Its great stuff if only for Goldsberry's segments.
Finally, Pacers take down the Warriors in Indiana 104-98 behind Rodney Stuckey's 11-17 30 point night. The real story of the game was that Steph Curry didn't play due to a sore foot - doesn't sound serious but its worth watching. This game also argues strongly for Curry's MVP chances. The Warriors go from otherworldly to mediocre without him.
Finally, Pacers take down the Warriors in Indiana 104-98 behind Rodney Stuckey's 11-17 30 point night. The real story of the game was that Steph Curry didn't play due to a sore foot - doesn't sound serious but its worth watching. This game also argues strongly for Curry's MVP chances. The Warriors go from otherworldly to mediocre without him.
HRB will be in a Suite for tonight's Wizards-Warriors game. Last Wizards game I attended we got to see Jan and AJ Price play 30 minutes apiece. This should be better.
Thoughts from Verizon Center.....
* Curry is the best in the game at the PG position. John Wall is really good and Garrett Temple is an excellent defender.....and Curry still had his way. One move with a triple hesitation, between legs then behind the back dribble with the long looping scoop shot over Gortat and high off the backboard brought the house down!!! I mean WIZARD fans were standing and applauding it was that sick a move.
* Bogut it toast. Can't run up the floor, can't jump at all, can't even bend his knees. He shouldn't have been out on the floor.....I'm hurting just from watching him.
* David Lee isn't much better.
* Wizards need Bradley Beal healthy or their offense is Wall and Pierce. That's not good for the Wiz.
* Pierce was in Old Man Beast Mode tonight. The Warriors just had too much Curry while the Wiz had too much Kevin Seraphin and Garrett Temple.
* Curry is the best in the game at the PG position. John Wall is really good and Garrett Temple is an excellent defender.....and Curry still had his way. One move with a triple hesitation, between legs then behind the back dribble with the long looping scoop shot over Gortat and high off the backboard brought the house down!!! I mean WIZARD fans were standing and applauding it was that sick a move.
* Bogut it toast. Can't run up the floor, can't jump at all, can't even bend his knees. He shouldn't have been out on the floor.....I'm hurting just from watching him.
* David Lee isn't much better.
* Wizards need Bradley Beal healthy or their offense is Wall and Pierce. That's not good for the Wiz.
* Pierce was in Old Man Beast Mode tonight. The Warriors just had too much Curry while the Wiz had too much Kevin Seraphin and Garrett Temple.
HomeRunBaker said:
That is the way both Bogut and Lee have always moved. Bogut essentially looks like he is suffering for his art. He played good defense tonight though.
I am worried about Pierce. That didn't sound/look good at the end.
If you think the shot was sick now, check out the replay. It was an underhanded floater that was so high - higher than the backboard - that it looked like it hit glass but it DID NOT. It was an underhanded baseline floater swish that was so soft, it barely nestled through the net. Unreal.
Very true however in the first quarter alone Nene and Gortat beat Bogut down the floor on five separate occasions resulting in 3 dunks (and 2 turnovers on overthrows) until Kerr made an adjustment in dropping Thompson or Barnes back to cover. He looked real bad to me.DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
HomeRunBaker said:
Yeah well Bogut never has and never will be a guy to defend the run out on breaks. Hell, with him on the floor its like a compound fast break because the opposing team gets the run out and Bogut is likely to shatter something in the process of getting back. Kerr/Adams really try to draw shooters into the middle where Bogut does his best work. Bogut has his warts and is the player not named Derrick Rose most likely to collapse into a thousand pieces on any one sequence, however he is still a force around the rim and routinely forces guys to change their shots. When he and Draymond Green and Thompson are on the floor the opposing teams' options are very limited, especially with Curry's improved game.
However your point stands - Bogut is slow and one step away from a large orthapedic bill.
The Pierce injury didn't look too bad to me on replay. Basically looked like banged knees hard, which smarts but isn't usually serious (knocking wood).
I wouldn't judge Bogut on one game. He was awful tonight, but he's been a huge part of a lot of Warrior wins this season, not just defensively, but also with his slick passing and high hoops IQ on offense. The Ws are still +8.3 points better per 100 possessions when he's in the game.
That said, I kinda love it when Kerr runs out the Warriors' "Smallball Death Squad" of Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Barnes and Green. Somehow, more often than not that group exploits more than it's exploited. I wouldn't be surprised to see it occasionally in the playoffs, depending on matchup. The Warriors are still pretty much auditioning for the 20-24 available minutes at backup C; and I kinda think when push comes to shove Kerr trusts the 6'7" Green over Lee or Speights (though I suspect we'll see a little of all of them).
I wouldn't judge Bogut on one game. He was awful tonight, but he's been a huge part of a lot of Warrior wins this season, not just defensively, but also with his slick passing and high hoops IQ on offense. The Ws are still +8.3 points better per 100 possessions when he's in the game.
That said, I kinda love it when Kerr runs out the Warriors' "Smallball Death Squad" of Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Barnes and Green. Somehow, more often than not that group exploits more than it's exploited. I wouldn't be surprised to see it occasionally in the playoffs, depending on matchup. The Warriors are still pretty much auditioning for the 20-24 available minutes at backup C; and I kinda think when push comes to shove Kerr trusts the 6'7" Green over Lee or Speights (though I suspect we'll see a little of all of them).
Drove from my friends office in Springfield. 395 wasn't bad at all until you got within a mile of the arena then it was hell. He's a season ticket holder so he got me a parking pass to the garage on 6th St which is an elevator ride to the arena so can't comment on the parking. He has like club seats of something so we had the all you can eat stations where we could bring the dishes right to our seats. Very good time.Dan to Theo to Ben said:
Actually, both have looked pretty good in their limited minutes. It's just that between Lee, born-again-hard Mo Speezy, Bogut and Kerr's preference for Green/Barnes at stretch 4, there hasn't been a lot of minutes for them.Kliq said:
Point of my post was that even when Bogut is healthy, Kerr sometimes like to buck tradition and run Green at C. (Pretty sure most people here were aware that Bogut is fragile, but of course feel free to remind them).
jon abbey said:
While Smith and Shumpert are clearly helping (and better than Waiters...ugh) Mozgov was the game-changer. He can clog the middle and get rebounds and tap-backs to the perimeter where Bron, Irving, Love and Smith then either get a look or swing it around until someone gets a clear shot at a three. If they win it all this season, the Mozgov trade is going to be the biggest in-season driver.
Where do you see them thin? They should have a cakewalk to The Finals now that they added the Russian, JR and Shumpert to go along with Tristan to supplement The Big Three.Devizier said:
All I know is they're close to passing the Clippers in the standings for good. Every slot counts!
ifmanis5 said:
meh...If I was a fan of the Cavs and I found out Lebron was NOT taking PEDs, I would be seriously pissed off. I want the players for my team to be on the best stuff available, stuff I don't even know about.
Warriors 98 Drakes 57.
After just three periods. NBA back to backs. Where extended garbage time happens
As a side note, in a surprising turn of events Tyler Hansbrough and Festus Ezeli got ejected after Ezeli shoved Hansbrough in his punchable face.
After just three periods. NBA back to backs. Where extended garbage time happens
As a side note, in a surprising turn of events Tyler Hansbrough and Festus Ezeli got ejected after Ezeli shoved Hansbrough in his punchable face.
I'm still in awe that a guy of his size and talent was passed over by so many teams.
I heard some member about him being horrible as either a person or to coach I'm not sure. Anyone know the real story?
I heard some member about him being horrible as either a person or to coach I'm not sure. Anyone know the real story?
I'm very familiar with his story coming out of HS and as a freshman at Marshall.LondonSox said:
Pros: Long athletic freak, showed amazing defensive ability specifically weak side shot blocking. Tons of room for growth so he's always had the upside to add size.
Cons: where to begin...... Rail thin as a 21-year old freshman, dumb as rocks (surprised everyone to even be eligible at Marshall), horrific passer with no court sense on the offensive end, immature off the court (showed up for pre-draft measurements in flip-flops), high maintence with attitude.
He's your prototypical high-risk, high-upside guy similar to a Rudy Gobert however his additional baggage was why he wasn't a mid-first round pick.
HomeRunBaker said:
To add on, I read somewhere that numerous teams said he was the worst pre-draft interview they ever had. Totally disinterested, and when he said anything, it came off as incredibly arrogant and immature.
When you haven't really done anything of note to that point, that's an easy way to slide down the draft board. People aren't always falling over themselves to draft a project they view as a total jerk.
He was pretty terrible his first few years, just useless on both ends of the court. That alone might have been enough, but he had a rep as a guy who didn't work hard, in the D-League in particular. So not many teams want to put time into a raw guy who isn't that young anymore and has a crappy work ethic when they can get a younger raw guy who busts his ass. He appears to have gotten the jolt from being cut a few times and he really started working hard at learning how to play, and it is paying off. Thing is maybe that never happens if the Kings don't cut him.LondonSox said:
Also in the draft he slipped to the second because he had terrible interviews and reportedly refused to take medicine for his ADD which scared teams off even more.