NBA Playoffs Game Thread

[JohnnyTheBone]

So, I'm watching all-time great Celtic and future lead-pipe-cinch first-ballot Hall of Famer Paul Pierce absolutely tear up the Toronto Raptors in a first-round playoff match-up, and realized that we don't have a playoff game thread.  This is for that.

Bring it!

 

[Kliq]

Hearing what Love said about being sick, Paul Pierce, who guarded Minnesota’s power forward most of the game, had the diagnosis. “Pierce-itis,” he said, walking out of the locker room. “It’s getting around.”
 

 

[Blacken]

This game is Paul Pierce against reality and reality is losing.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Toronto, so dumb...
Never get in a smack talk war with Pierce. The Man feeds on Boos.
 
Of course the Drakes are a pathetic franchise so it shouldn't be a surprise.

 

[Dollar]

I don't know if my feed is really slow or what, but if this ball doesn't go back to the Wizards, it would be insane.  Clearly off the Toronto player last.

 

[shawnrbu]

Clutch 3 from GV.

 

[Cellar-Door]

That possession reminds me how awesome it is to be one of the 5-10 NBA teams with competent in-game coaching.
 
Both these teams are terrible, and poorly coached.

 

[Fishy1]

Getting home from work and realizing the playoffs are on was the best fucking thing.
 
So nice to see Pierce swagging out.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

That possession reminds me how awesome it is to be one of the 5-10 NBA teams with competent in-game coaching.
 
Both these teams are terrible, and poorly coached.

 
Actually I thought the Wizards did a bit better than usual today. Wittman at last went small, let Pierce play the 4 for large minutes, let also Potter play a lot, there was some more emphasis on kickouts for 3. Still some bad possessions and ill advised shots, but because they did better, they re into this game for so long I think.

 

[Cellar-Door]

Randy Wittman, Coaching Genius.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Steph Curry is good at basketball

 

[Kliq]

Bad game for the Pelicans, they got bad luck by having Evans go down early and having Davis get in foul trouble wasn't going to do them any favors either, but they played really slopily and Asik couldn't keep Bogut off the offensive glass, and I felt like it was clearly an effort thing. If they are going to compete with GS they are going to need to play close to perfect, and they were far, far away from that today.
 
I get that the GS crowd is always loud and into the game and that creates a fun atmosphere. My one qualm is that they overeact on things, particularly the behind the back dribble, the move gets the same reaction as a dunk or a big three pointer. Even if the play leads to nowhere, if Curry or Iggy goes behind the back, they react like a bunch of obnoxious schoolkids. I'm probably just a hater, but it gets annoying while watching the games.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

Anthony Davis is a monster.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

And I can't believe this game got so close. Warriors were up by 25 at some point.

 

[Blacken]

I can believe it. Anthony Davis is good.

 

[Blacken]

 

[JCizzle]

He's such the fucking man. 7/10 for 20. I love that guy.

Fuck the Drakes. Who can hate on this guy outside of LBJ?

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

National TV Rondo shows up in the 2nd quarter.

Charlie Villanueva finally gets to participate in the playoffs!

 

[simplyeric]

National TV Rondo shows up in the 2nd quarter.

Charlie Villanueva finally gets to participate in the playoffs!

I was just in the rondo thread mentioning: he's fun to watch.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

 
He is a God.  This much I know.
 
Oh, and I was at the Dubs/Pelicans game.  First, Anthony Davis is thisclose to being the most unstoppable player in the NBA.  I wouldn't be surprised if he is the MVP next year.  He took over that fourth quarter and its no fluke the game was close at the end.  The Pelicans supporting cast is relatively deep and pretty talented in NBA terms.  But Davis is otherworldly - I love his game.  He is one other star away from being on a title contending team.  Jimmy Butler or Goran Dragic would look real good as THAT guy.

 

[Blacken]

Dumping Tyreke's body into a swamp and getting Jimmy Butler? Uh...yeah. That would be a team. A team and a half.

 

[luckiestman]

Hawks are really good. That's going to be a tough matchup for the celtics in rd 3. I'm not too worried about the bulls

 

[JCizzle]

Deron's corpse has made an appearance

 

[Tony C]

The Western match-ups may give GS a pretty easy ride until the conference finals, since neither Port-Memph enter the playoffs looking nearly as strong as earlier in their seasons. But watching the Grizzlies this evening -- perhaps impacted by their hot start -- I wonder if they have the sort of inside game that might give the Warriors some problems, assuming that's the match-up next round. Particularly if they get healthier as the series goes on.
 
Not sure if there's been a thread to make series predictions, but in the West I like GS over NO in 5; Houston over Dallas in 4; Memphis over Portland in 5; San Antonio over L.A. in 7. In the East Cavs over Bos in 5; Washington in 6 over Toronto (I think I would have made that pick before yesterday's game, though perhaps impacted some by it, admittedly); Hawks over Nets in...5;  Bulls over Bucks in 4.
 
The only series that seems truly intriguing is Clippers-Spurs -- just a bit ago seemed might be some much better 1st round match-ups. Alas...should still be some fun basketball.

 

[JCizzle]

Clippers-Spurs starting at 10:30 is depressing. They should have found a way to get this game earlier in the day, easily the marquee matchup of the first round. 

 

[ElUno20]

The hawks didn't impress me. The nets gave one of the most half assed playoff efforts ive seen in a while, especially for a game 1, and it was still pretty close down the stretch

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

The Clippers' bench is horrendous for a team that has championship aspirations. Spurs should take this series in 5 or 6.

And yet the Clips start the fourth up 15.  That said, I agree with you - its awful.
 
Austin Rivers drives right into the teeth of the Spurs defense in the paint - I have seen this in about four games this weekend.  A guy thinks its the regular season and the bigs are slow to rotate - nope son, its the fucking playoffs and the defense is here to play.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Chris Paul looks unstoppable.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

The Clippers win in a blowout. They definitely shot the ball well while the Spurs didn't, but I thought that their defense dealt with the Spurs offense pretty well.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

And who knew that this game was going to have the largest point differential.

 

[Tony C]

Clippers top 6 rotation is as good as any team in the league. If they can withstand giving minutes to Hawes, Turk, Austin Rivers....they can go someplace. But, while I wouldn't be surprised if they beat the Spurs -- they can beat anyone -- over the course of a playoff run won't they need beach (edit: bench contributions, too) contributions from someone other than Jamal Crawford?

 

[Blacken]

The Spurs shot like shit. If that happens again, they'll be in trouble, but I have a lot of trouble believing they will.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Yeah its hard to see San Antonio shooting like that again.  

 

[Devizier]

Sadly, I'm not as optimistic as you guys are about the fate of the Celtics' draft pick here.

 

[Tony C]

Remember when there was some talk in this forum that the Clippers might not make the playoffs?
 
For a team that had the 2nd or 3rd best season in the Association, top offense, and top defense over the last two months, they haven't received a whole lot of respect this year. In re the playoffs, I guess I may have started the pile-on in re their lack of depth, and it's true enough that I have a hard time seeing them go through the Spurs, Rockets, Dubs, and Cavs (at least as I'd project it) with such a weak bench. That said, their top 6 is dynamite and matches up well with anyone they'll face, especially now that Jamal Crawford looks to be healthy again.

 

[Blacken]

They haven't gotten a lot of respect because they are a nothing-special team even with Paul and Griffin. They have excellent talent and good coaching and are somehow lesser than the sum of its parts.
 
And, yes, their bench is shit.

 

[Tony C]

3rd best record. 2nd best point differential. Best offensive efficiency. And whatever stat it was they were citing last night on the broadcast about defense over the last few months of the season (2nd best or something?).
 
On what planet are those not excellent results or less than the sum of their parts? The Clippers in no way underachieved. They did all that with a crap bench and injuries to core players including Griffin, Redick, and Crawford. That they weren't #1 overall isn't underachieving...they just don't have the same talent (or coaching. or GM-ing) as the Warriors.

 

[luckiestman]

This might be the worst quarter of playoff basketball I have ever seen

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Ballgame in Oakland through three.  All I know is that Anthony Davis is going to be talked about as the best player in the NBA as soon as next November.  He is so, so unstoppable and he is just figuring that out now.

 

[Blacken]

I'm off the Dubs bus. Anthony Davis, KILL.

 

[Al Zarilla]

Warriors bench guys have been big tonight.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Draymond Green has been big.  
 

I'm off the Dubs bus. Anthony Davis, KILL.

 
Its hard to fault you.  He is otherworldly.  He is not of this world.  What I am trying to say is the guy is not human.

 

[shawnrbu]

Ballgame in Oakland through three.  All I know is that Anthony Davis is going to be talked about as the best player in the NBA as soon as next November.  He is so, so unstoppable and he is just figuring that out now.

 
The Brow has the raw talent to be the best, but he will need to do at least 2 of the following 3 things to be in consideration for best player in the NBA:
 
a.  Be a passive aggressive a-hole in the media towards teammates and/or the coach
b.  Get the coach fired
c.  Become the de facto GM

 

[Dollar]

The last four or five Pelicans possessions have been some of the worst I have ever seen.  Just out of control drives and terrible shots, neither of which you can have at this point in a playoff series.

 

[radsoxfan]

Monte Williams going with the "play Anthony Davis 45 minutes and refuse to use any timeouts to get him a rest" strategy.
 
I love Davis as much as everyone else here, but he is, in fact, human.  Hence, this is a dumb plan. 

 

[Al Zarilla]

It was the other guard tonight that clinched it for the Warriors, although Curry was no slouch.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

The last four or five Pelicans possessions have been some of the worst I have ever seen.  Just out of control drives and terrible shots, neither of which you can have at this point in a playoff series.

Yup, that sums it up.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Klay Thompson was a beast in the fourth but the Warriors don't win this game without my binky Draymond Green.  He wreaked havoc on the Pelicans just about every possession during the second half.  He also made shots when he had to and pulled down 12 boards.  He isn't even 6'6"

 

[shawnrbu]

Home teams are 9-1 in the playoffs through the first three days.  The one road win required overtime.  Not exactly a big surprise considering many of these matchups look one sided.  I figure a good number of people had the Spurs winning on the road last night.
 
Does Vegas even bother posting the moneyline for all games in the NBA playoffs?

 

[Al Zarilla]

How do you name a team the Pelicans?