NBA Playoffs Round Two Game Thread

Brickowski

Banned
Feb 15, 2011
3,755
Maybe Indiana ought to stop playing hero ball on offense and try guarding Washington's shooters, e.g. Ariza, or at least waving a token hand in his face.  The Pacers are lucky to be down only 13 at the half.
 

Brickowski

Banned
Feb 15, 2011
3,755
I really dislike watching George and Stephenson play.  Oh, they're both extremely talented, but they pound their chests (literally and figuratively) when they make a good play, smirk at the opponents, complain about every call and play one-on-one basketball.  In today's NBA, they call it "creating your own shot."  Well, they created plenty of shots, but also plenty of turnovers.  They don't box out either.  I don't know what the Wizards' rebounding differential is at the moment, but it's substantial..
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
This was the series coming into the playoffs I was most anticipating, Chris Paul too it seems. 

it is crazy that all four teams left in the West have legit top ten overall player candidates at PG (Paul, Westbrook, Parker, Lillard), Paul gets in the first punch. 
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
I have always hated the recent trend towards uni-color dressed crowds at NBA playoff games, but when OKC gets their fans to wear the exact same shade of blue as the visiting team, that seems pretty counterproductive. I've seen this in the past from OKC too, so inexplicable to me.
 

SoxFanInPdx

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
3,246
Portland, OR
I don't see how this series goes 7. With the exception of Durant, I just don't think OKC has anyone that can beat you. Perkins and Ibaka won't slow down Griffin and Jordan. Westbrook, well I'll never trust that guy. The Clippers bench I like way more than the Thunder's.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,671
OKC has two great players, but I sometimes thinks that masks the fact that this is a really shallow team. Ibaka is sketchy, Perkins is a one-way player, Jackson is inconsistent, Butler isn't good enough anymore to be a third scoring option, Lamb is a waste, Sefalosha is the perimeter version of Perkins, Collison and Fisher are specialists, Adams best skill right now is being annoying, they just don't have enough right now. When they run into all the other remaining West teams, teams that all go 7-8 players deep, you seem them really struggle.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
So much of it is matchups, OKC beat the Spurs all four games this year. Let's not write obits after one game, please.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,671
I still think OKC can win, but they need Westbrook and Durant to both be Great with a capital G in order to fight off the Clippers. They probably need both guys to combine for 65 points or so and then maybe get one random game where Reggie Jackson or Caron Butler scores 25+ points.
 

SoxFanInPdx

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
3,246
Portland, OR
Of the four regular season games the Blazers and Spurs played, here were the outcomes..

Blazers Win: 115-105
Blazers Win : 109-100
Spurs Win : 111-109
Spurs Win : 103-90

TTL Pts: Blazers=423 Spurs=419

Think that's about as dead even as two teams can get. Pretty excited about tonight.
 

Nick Kaufman

protector of human kind from spoilers
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 2, 2003
13,410
A Lost Time
Ok, it's halftime and I am starting to get pumped up as if the Celtics are playing the Heat.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
It doesn't always work like this, but the two teams that managed to close their first round series out early won their game 1s (WAS and MIA), the game 2s in those series should be more telling. POR got a couple of days extra rest because of that Lillard shot, we'll see if it helps them against the Spurs juggernaut. 
 

86spike

Currently enjoying "Arli$$"
SoSH Member
Apr 17, 2002
25,082
Procrasti Nation
Man, Kidd's move to sit his starters the entire fourth and surrender the game better fucking result in great play from that unit in Game 2.

I can't believe he threw in the towel with 8 minutes left down 13. There was plenty of time to make a run and at least force Miami to play hard D.

Worst coaching move I've seen him make so far.

It better pay dividends on Thursday.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
86spike said:
Man, Kidd's move to sit his starters the entire fourth and surrender the game better fucking result in great play from that unit in Game 2.

I can't believe he threw in the towel with 8 minutes left down 13. There was plenty of time to make a run and at least force Miami to play hard D.

Worst coaching move I've seen him make so far.

It better pay dividends on Thursday.
Before he could get his starters back in the lead was up to 19. He already had brought KG into the game then removed him once the game got out of hand again. Either way Miami was well in control even before they went up 19 with 6 left which is when he'd normally bring everyone in for the stretch run.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
And besides Johnson, none of those guys have been too impressive recently.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Ah, finally, it was clear it was something along those lines. 
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
Hibbert 4-4 with 10 early and Lance 0-5. Maybe Roy said screw this shit I'm banging Lance's girl and sending him a snapchat!!
 

Tony C

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Apr 13, 2000
13,694
I don't know who wins this Indy-Washington game, it's tight as can be. But while I suspect the Wizards will win, even if they don't they simply look like the better team for the series as a whole. For all the talk of Indy's issues, the Wizards have really developed over the season.
 
Going to be a fun final 4 minutes here.
 

Julius.R

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 23, 2010
212
Indiana signs Bynum, they start to suck. Once they release him Hibbert is a beast again (at least for this game). Bynum better buy his agent a car if he can ever get him a contract again.
 

Tony C

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Apr 13, 2000
13,694
The Social Chair said:
This is great basketball.
 
Yep. I feel like I'm watching a high school double-header. Indy-Washington were the JV opener, and now the big kids are playing. Great battle so far.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,671
I said that Westbrook and Durant needed to be GREAT to win this series, and tonight they were. Durant dropped 32 and Westbrook added 31 and was downright destructive on the defensive end. Also, OKC got what is likely going to be the best game of the playoffs out of Thabo and Perk. Perkins has been great against Jordan so far. Jordan was able to bully his way around smaller defenders in Golden State, but Perkins is having none of that. He actually looks like a viable NBA Center during this series.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Hideous basketball so far tonight, just brutal. There has never been a better argument for taking the top 16 teams in the league and reseeding 1-16 than the Eastern Conference playoffs so far this season. 
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
jon abbey said:
Hideous basketball so far tonight, just brutal. There has never been a better argument for taking the top 16 teams in the league and reseeding 1-16 than the Eastern Conference playoffs so far this season. 
You would still probably end up with a Miami-Brooklyn matchup though. The Nets are just brutal basketball to watch regardless of the opponent......a very fan unfriendly brand of basketball.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Nah, under my system the Heat would have been seeded between 5 and 7 and Brooklyn would have been 15, so OKC would have ended Brooklyn's season quickly in the first round.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Second quarter was better, Teletovic keeping the Nets in it.
 

Nick Kaufman

protector of human kind from spoilers
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 2, 2003
13,410
A Lost Time
It's depressing that out of the big 3 Ray Allen seems to be the one in the best shape. Pierce has trouble penetrating so far.
 

Tony C

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Apr 13, 2000
13,694
heh....good to see the 225 million $ team can't bother to hustle after rebounds -- must be all that moxie they're constantly talking about having.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
Embarrasing game for Deron Williams, as Bill Simmons just said, "Brook Lopez had a better game than Deron Williams". 
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,715
I wouldn't rule out OKC yet (they swept the Spurs 4-0 in the regular season and knocked them out of the playoffs two years ago) or even the Clippers, but basically yeah. 
 
On the bright side, I just learned I'm going to my first playoff game ever in 30+ years of being a NBA fan, Nets/Heat tomorrow night, in free killer seats no less.