NBA playoffs 2018
- Thread starter DeJesus Built My Hotrod
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I thought that was a really disappointing Durant game. In a game where Houston was forcing them to play iso, Durant is supposed to be the x-factor. And he was in Game 1. But last night he was too passive and settled for too many difficult jump shots from the perimeter, especially in a game where he shot wasn't falling. He needed to get inside more, either driving or posting up smaller players, maybe draw some fouls. Houston shot twice as many free throws.
I also thought it was not a good game from Kerr. He sat Curry for too long with 3 fouls in the second quarter, and Curry finished the game with 3 fouls. Why did Nick Young play almost as many minutes as Shaun Livingston? He played the stars all together for too long in the third, when he needed to stagger them.
That said, they missed Iggy more on offense than defense, which I would not have expected. Bell/Looney held up ok on D but were black holes on offense (apart from offensive rebounding). Neither provides any spacing, ball handling, or ball movement. That + Klay being hobbled was a big factor in their problems on offense.
I also thought it was not a good game from Kerr. He sat Curry for too long with 3 fouls in the second quarter, and Curry finished the game with 3 fouls. Why did Nick Young play almost as many minutes as Shaun Livingston? He played the stars all together for too long in the third, when he needed to stagger them.
That said, they missed Iggy more on offense than defense, which I would not have expected. Bell/Looney held up ok on D but were black holes on offense (apart from offensive rebounding). Neither provides any spacing, ball handling, or ball movement. That + Klay being hobbled was a big factor in their problems on offense.
I'd like to also throw a bit of appreciation for Chris Paul's corner-to-corner pass, setting up the bucket that finally let them take their first lead halfway through the 4th. I'm not his biggest fan, but that was one of the more impressive passes I've ever seen - had to be a bounce to get around Green, and it traveled the entire width of the court in one trip down to the floor and back, while precisely hugging the baseline. Margin of error on that one is miniscule. Far more impressive than any basket I saw last night.
I was watching on a feed that showed it from the baseline, and it looked even crazier from there. Can't find a clip from that perspective unfortunately, but it basically blew my mind, I thought it'd been deflected out of bounds.
I was watching on a feed that showed it from the baseline, and it looked even crazier from there. Can't find a clip from that perspective unfortunately, but it basically blew my mind, I thought it'd been deflected out of bounds.
I really hope it happens, as well. The Warriors are basically the anti-Mid Aughts Pistons, and it would amuse me to no end to see the three superstar team assembled to make titles easy finish its run with a single title to its name.
Great post. Agreed that the Warriors missed Iguodala more on offense than defense too.
Saw Kerr saying that this is what the NBA has come to - force a switch and then go ISO.
For all those who talk about the Cs switching less, that's not going to happen.
In the Game 5 closeout of the Pelicans, the Warriors (as they are wont to do) lost focus in the final frame and let a 23-point lead with 7:40 left dwindle to 7 points with two minutes left. When Kerr was asked after the game wtf had happened, he said wryly "we were missing the Babysitter" — i.e. Iguodala, whom he had benched late in the 3rd quarter with the game seemingly out of reach.
Kerr has a special fondness for Andre that goes beyond his on-court impact — maybe partly the U of A / Lute Olson connection — but that Pels game and last night's game were just the latest examples of how lost the team can look, as talented as they are, without their "babysitter" / glue guy / coach on the floor. They're now 0-3 v. the Rockets this season without Andre and 3-1 with him. Dude leads all NBA non-little guys in assist/turnover ratio pretty much every season. Think Al Horford in terms of the way he calms everyone down and gets everyone in their proper spots on both sides of the floor.
I'll feel a lot more confident in Game 5 with him around. Fingers crossed.
Kerr has a special fondness for Andre that goes beyond his on-court impact — maybe partly the U of A / Lute Olson connection — but that Pels game and last night's game were just the latest examples of how lost the team can look, as talented as they are, without their "babysitter" / glue guy / coach on the floor. They're now 0-3 v. the Rockets this season without Andre and 3-1 with him. Dude leads all NBA non-little guys in assist/turnover ratio pretty much every season. Think Al Horford in terms of the way he calms everyone down and gets everyone in their proper spots on both sides of the floor.
I'll feel a lot more confident in Game 5 with him around. Fingers crossed.
You said "The Warriors", not "These Warriors". They won a title before Durant came to (o-)town with largely the same roster that lost to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
Your original post was:
I can see how you might have meant "the present team, this year", which is fair enough. You're welcome to believe them invincible against all but Cleveland. But a team composed primarily of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson have lost to teams other than the fightin' Lebrons. You've seen it. They added Durant, but also several more years of aging and luxury-tax noose.
I thought Curry took some good shots but was off line.
Durant made some terrible decisions, though.
THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO WIN THIS SHIT TONIGHT.
Just advance and you never know what could happen.
And if they’d all been in their 20s, rather than their early to mid thirties, it’d be a better comparison.
(Plus, Ray and Kev didn’t sign with Boston to take the easy way to a title, they were traded there.)
Thompson is likely to play.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23593901/steve-kerr-expects-klay-thompson-play-andre-iguodala-game-decision
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23593901/steve-kerr-expects-klay-thompson-play-andre-iguodala-game-decision
I still have PTSD from KG's knee injury in 2009 and game 7 in 2010.
Fuck.
Guess who got 4 minutes of game action in the Orlando series
Tyronn Lue, in his final year in the league
No Andre, though. Ugh.
Oh, and for the Port Cellar record: I was just funnin’ with the pic. I loved that Celtics team, and was crushed when they lost in 2010. The Cs have been #2 in my heart since 1987 or so, and were #1 for 11 years or so before that.
This intro is really tough. Kudos on the Rockets and Fertitta for doing this. And I suspect the Rockets are going to come out on fire off the back of it.
Its painful listening to Marv Albert. He is most definitely losing it a bit.
And the Warriors are extremely lucky they aren't getting run thus far. Houston's shots aren't falling but they have had a ton of open looks.
And the Warriors are extremely lucky they aren't getting run thus far. Houston's shots aren't falling but they have had a ton of open looks.
“Durant’s first basket” when he’d gotten one half a minute before. He still gets all excited over three point attempts too.
PJ Tucker is such a great NBA story. The guy essentially fought his way into the league. Now he is playing in the WCF and has a legit shot to win a ring.
Honestly both teams are laying a ton of bricks on what should be (relatively speaking) gimmes. It does seem like all the remaining players are exhausted.
The worst part about that call was that just before he said this, he said "Curry with the pass to Durant AGAIN!" So he knew that he had just seen that same exact play before but he didn't quite make the connection.
But you’d take an ugly win though, right?
Around these threads, GS had been awarded the championship, for this year and at least one more. Not so fast.
