NBA Play-offs / Who ya got ?
Warrior15
Anywhere there are Titties.
The NBA's second season is upon us. The real games begin. Yes, Lebron James is not in them this year and is beginning his career as a TV producer and movie star. But who do you think will end up in the Finals ? Can the Warriors do it again ? Are the Bucks for real ? Who might beat them ?
I picked the Rockets at the beginning of the year and I'm sticking to that. All their key elements are healthy now, so I think they will make a run. If Chris Paul had not gotten hurt, they would have won last year. In the east, I'm going with the Raptors. Am I crazy ? Probably. But I think the change in personnel will be the difference this year.
Who ya got ?
I picked the Rockets at the beginning of the year and I'm sticking to that. All their key elements are healthy now, so I think they will make a run. If Chris Paul had not gotten hurt, they would have won last year. In the east, I'm going with the Raptors. Am I crazy ? Probably. But I think the change in personnel will be the difference this year.
Who ya got ?
415 comments
What I didn't see happening was the Bucks......to me they came out of the pack in the shadows.
#notthegoat
Golden State over Bucks in 6.
Bron deserves a break from the playoffs, but had he not got injured, he would dragged the Lakers to a playoff spot.
Warriors over Bucks (but could easily see Toronto or Philly as east reps).
Following Flagooners cooment:
I want the Clippers to win it all (they won't) as Los Angeles is the best mongering city in the playoffs.
Who will win? Likely GS
The Celtics were my pick at the beginning of the season. Maybe they are going to make up for a lackluster season now.
If Durant gives us a couple games a series of what he did last night it's curtains for the rest of the NBA anyway. Warrior you can hit the strip club with Harden while the Warriors prepare for another finals trip.
As for Durant and his technicals, he'd be out for a single game if he got 7, not the rest of the playoffs. A single game is still huge though.
I still believe that 3-1 blown lead we had on Cleveland in the 2016 finals would not have happened if Draymond Green didn't get suspended.
The Spurs/Nuggets series looks to be the most competitive. Whoever wins game 5 is winning that series IMO. Can't ever count the Spurs out with Pop at the helm.
Nuggets/Spurs is a battle. Nuggets have he young talent but those guys are not playoff experienced. Spurs have maybe the best coach in the NBA.
The Bucks are looking tough. I picked the Raptors in the East, but may wish I had gone with the Greek Freak.
Great time of year for a long time NBA fan!
I can see saying that someone has a chance to beat them, but to honestly think they will is more hopeful thinking than being real.
Rockets took the night off last night. James Harden has a history of doing that every once in a while. Game was too late for me to stay up and watch.
Three series have a chance to get closed out tonight. Only series that is competitive is the Nuggets/Spurs.
See all you NBA folks in this thread tomorrow!
They are not going to change the rules on that. Especially since in the early days of the NBA, a 3-pointer didn't exist (neither did dunking), and they changed the rules to implement a 3 point shot BECAUSE there were great long shot shooters.
Teams that stockpile three point shooters don't necessarily win championships; the Warriors just happen to have some of the best shooters ever. But, they don't just rely on a pick and roll three point shot. While it's effective, they have fantastic shooters that can create their own shots (most notably KD and Steph).
Besides KD, every core team member of this Warriors run with their several championships in the last few years, was drafted by the Warriors out of college. Steph, Klay, and Draymond. The Warriors' organization drafted these players, when critics said they had no chance to thrive in the NBA level. They said Steph was too small to make it in the NBA, and they said Draymond wasn't talk enough to play power forward but not skilled enough to be a small forward or a guard. The Warriors' organization obviously disagreed, as they drafted those men who everyone else thought would be useless in the NBA yet they became all stars, league MVP (Steph) DPOYs (Draymond), and champions.
KD is one of the best scorers that has ever graced the presence of the NBA. I remember even LeBron giving him credit for being such a great shooter while also being very tall, which is a unique skill/talent that even LeBron said was unique to the NBA. He was correct.
Then we have Steph Curry, who clearly is an alien. The fact that he's a smaller guy compared to most players, but can literally create his own shot over 7-footers, is basically extraterrestrial. He is part alien. Fun fact, he's now made the most playoff 3's out of anyone in the history of the NBA.
Then we have Klay Thompson, any team's dream shooting guard. You guys should YouTube "Klay Thompson 37 point quarter," to see where he in fact did score a new NBA record of most points in a quarter at 37. And I promise you, you won't be disappointed if you watch video of all his shots made in that quarter. It's insane. He also had a 60+ point game in which he had the basketball in his hands for less than two minutes. Klay is absolutely one of the best pure shooters the league has ever seen.
Although Klay can surely create his own shots, he is the main one getting set up for shots, which makes sense, because he is a shooting guard. Steph and KD are nearly unstoppable at creating their own.
LOL when I played basketball in high school, I was the best 3 point shooter. Not only better than the boys, but better than the coaches as well. We'd always end practice having to run "suicides" (if you don't know what they are, look it up). But my coaches would always say, "if 'Nina' beats me at a three point contest, you girls don't have to run suicides today." Then I started beating him so much that he changed it to, "if 'Nina' can make a half court shot, you guys don't have to run suicides." I actually made a lot of half court shots.
The Warriors will still be a playoff team without KD just as they were before. But they won't be the same lock that they are now to win every year.
I'm excited to check out the new Chase center in SF though. I'm also wondering how traffic will be during games. No parking garage because they want everyone to use public transit to get to the games. Can't wait to see the logistics of the whole thing.
I’m heading out hope to catch the second game at a restaurant.
Rockets-Warriors is next.
It's my nature.
;-)
I've always respected his game, but it seems like he has lost it.
Iguadala kept us in the game with some big there's and Durant steadily carries us. But Curry picked a hell of a time to have bad execution.
And I called this loss. But didn't know it was gonna be that close. Warriors win the next game. Take that shit to the bank.
Once he leaves, this team will not win like this again. I'm a Warrior fan thru and thru but that's just reality.
The Bucks look strong. They now look like the East winners. Boston just doesn't have anyone that can guard the Greek freak.
KD should be back next week. The Warriors will win it all again.
The Warriors won? Without KD?!?!?!
Chris Paul kicked Steph Curry off court on the eve of Game 6, and now he'll have the gym to himself all summer long
After Steph Curry and the Warriors eliminated the Rockets in shocking fashion Friday night, an amazing story came to light. It came from The Athletic's Marcus Thompson, who tells amazing stories all the time. But this one, in fact, was an all-timer. From Thompson:
On the night before Friday's Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, after arriving from the Bay Area, Curry wanted to get some shots up at Toyota Center. The Warriors' do-it-all manager, Eric Housen, booked the court from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. so Curry could work on his shot. Somehow, Rockets guard Chris Paul got wind. He decided to go to Toyota Center to get shots up, nixing Curry's reservations. The Warriors' point guard offered to stick to half a court, but Paul wasn't having it. Curry was kicked off the Toyota Center court.
Is this incredible or what? I mean even for Chris Paul, who has an ocean of competitive pettiness swirling inside him, this is another level. Opposing players shoot in opposing gyms all the time. It's basically a time-honored NBA tradition, an absolute bare minimum display of professional hospitality. What Paul did was hilarious in one sense, a throwback to the Bill Laimbeer time of rivals actually hating one another rather than spending summers together frolicking on banana boats in the south of Spain.
It was also dangerous.
And man did it ever burn Paul and the Rockets.
There are just some giants you don't wake up when they're in a basketball slumber, and Steph Curry is one of them. Dude was in the middle of the worst shooting stretch of his career. Sure, he had a little run at the end of Game 5, but all in all this guy was sleeping on the job. And Paul just walks up to him and pokes him with a pointy stick? Seriously? You thought it was a good idea to stoke the fire of one of the fieriest competitors in the world?
It's true, too. Curry's competitiveness is legendary. Talk to anyone around the league and it's one of the first words that will come up about him. Competitor. This is a guy who has been internalizing disrespect and turning it into an Amazonian snake's venom from the time he was in high school. He was already motivated by all the people chirping about his struggles, saying he couldn't win without Kevin Durant and he's always been a postseason underachiever and blah blah blah. Dude was cooking hotter than a campfire, and Paul just willingly sprays gas on him?
And don't think for a second that this is just some made-up media reach that this even bothered Curry, all in the name of a good story. Every slight bothers Curry. And he remembers every detail. Again from Thompson:
Draymond Green stood outside the visiting locker room at the Toyota Center, greeting teammates as they came in. When Stephen Curry made his way through the crowd, he looked straight at Green — before they slapped hands and bumped chests — and screamed, "Kick me off the court again, boy!"
And Green replied to Curry's taunt by screaming, "Kick him off! Kick him off!"
Yeah, Chris Paul done messed up. Curry went from zero halftime points to 33 second-half points, 21 in the fourth quarter, 16 in the final five minutes to add to his long list of playoff heroics, and in the end, the Warriors once again ripped out the Rockets' heart and fed it to them. And now Chris Paul will have the gym all to himself all summer long.
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/chris…
Has anyone turned public perception around faster than the Bucks, though? After Game 1 they weren't ready for prime time and "this is why the Celtics brought in Kyrie and Hayward". A week and a half later, the Celtics are at a crossroads and the Bucks look like a real contender.
Dame can't say anything today: he went 3-17. CJ gave the Nuggets that work, though - he 'made' 17 shots and scored 37. I need KD to come back so he and CJ can rehash that podcast discussion from last summer.
I was rooting for the Blazers and Lillard, I think he's amazing. He had a rough game today but luckily CJ was red hot today. And now we get to see Curry vs Curry.
Warrior15 my friend, your Rockets are like Stockton and Malone's Jazz back in the day. Excellent team, probably could win a title if my Warriors weren't always in the way. Much like Jordan and the Bulls always stopped the Jazz from reaching the promise land.
Poor Embiid looked crushed.
I don't - IMO McCollum and Lillard would not only have to have good games but have multiple monster games - and that's not counting Durant possibly playing in the series (and maybe even Cousins).
I got the Bucks over the Rockets.
- i'll say the bucks win tonight. i also think the bucks will win the series.
raptors are too reliant on kawhi. in that game 7 of raptors vs sixers, none of the raptors besides kawhi seemed like they wanted to step up--which led to kawhi having to be too aggresive and yes they won---but they won't keep winning if they keep playing that style of basketball
So it’s nice to know one of them will make it
How did they possibly get by the Rockets without Durant?
Damn, Hannah Storm has a smoking hot body in that skin tight pink short dress. And she's gotta be 50.
Do you think the Rockets will get by the Blazers?
Surely Golden State couldn't have gotten past Houston this year after Kevin Durant got hurt still needing 2 wins to move on.
Seems like that's being proven right so far. Portland just doesn't match up well. Denver would have been a tougher matchup IMO. Still not as tough as Houston though.
I actually like the style of basketball the Warriors play with no Durant. Super up tempo, more ball movement, and finding the open man. Draymond seems to like it the most, his skills really shine without Durant on the floor.
Still, once Durant is healthy we need him back. With him on the floor we basically get to cheat if Steph and Klay aren't hitting shots. We go, ok shots ain't falling, give it to Durant and let him take over.
WOW
hopefully raptors win tonight. I don’t have a favorite team, I just want to see one of these 2 series be competitive, so I’m hoping Toronto turns things around tonight
Siakam must be sick after missing BOTH of those free throws. if he would have just made 1, the raptors probably would have won and overtime wouldn't have been played in this game
Who's next???!!!!
https://www.amazon.ca/Lakers-Jeanie-Play…
She was so hot back in the day and she still has preserved her MILF-like quality.
Hold on just a second...
The Warriors are still in contention?
I thought Kevin Durant got hurt.
That feat would have been unbelievable, but with the GOAT even the unbelievable is accepted as blase.
Also props to Cleveland for that but I'd have given them more props had they done it without LeBron crying to the league in the press conference about Draymond deserving a suspension.
Magic was better than Lebron too. 5 rings and with stiff competition. I think 9 finals? And a career cut short by HIV?
Back on topic, a GS MIL series should be fun. With Draymond guarding Giannis. If KD comes back it will be interesting to see if he hogs the ball due to impending FA even though he will get max no matter what.
Oh, and it's not like those 2 years were taken away from him like what happened to Ted Williams. It wasn't even due to injury. It was either a secret ban or it was because he was a pussy.
LJ is the first legendary player of the Internet/Twitter/IG era, so that's why he is so hyped. And he gave us Brian Windhorst.... *rolls eyes*
The net worth of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, is approximately $3.1 billion according to Forbes as of 5 March 2019, whereas Bloomberg estimated his wealth at $2.8 billion.
I guess that makes him the Greatest President Of All Time.
Nuff said !!!
I don't think anyone would be so filled with blind rage that they would respond to it.
;-)
And building that awesome school for the underprivileged youth of Akron.
And building that awesome school for the underprivileged youth of Akron.
1. I gotta admit that I never gave Kwanzaa Leonard the credit he deserves. I didn't realize he was this good.
2. Who is that douchebag they keep calling Drake? What a fucking attention whore. He and Nicole are meant for each other.
The series itself? I'm going to guess that KD returns in Game 3, Boogie returns in Game 4, and the Warriors win in 6.
And no comments from Fruit Loops about how did the Warriors beat the Rockets without KD !
"Does anyone really think GSW won't win it, or are you just lying to yourselves?"
What have you been smoking?
;-)
I watched the first half. Made the mistake of moving to my bedroom to watch the 2nd half. Didn't see a lick of it. Damn late starts on the East Coast.
In past years I'd notice a team get off a tough series and play the next team 2 days later whom had been sitting around b/c they had swept their previous opponent - it was like the team that just got off the tough-series came in with a killer-instinct and the team that had been sitting-around waiting was kinda not as jacked-up - but it was a 5-day rest for the Raptors thus my theory did not necessarily apply - with both teams w/ good layovers I thought GS would have been the more-prepared team and would have won.
What prompted that?
I meant the Warriors.
I keep getting confused that they are still in it. I didn't think there was any way they could get by the Rockets once KD got hurt.
But I'm not sure that any of the Warriors stars are completely healthy now.
This will be a good series. I think Toronto will manage to take a game at Oracle though. That team is good.
I don't think anyone found it super funny enough that you made a mistake to warrant you dragging it out for, again, three weeks now.
It's not entertaining, it's not clever trolling, it brings nothing to this discussion topic. It's lame and boring.
Give it a rest.
How? KD got hurt.
Durant is out of Game 4...
Klay is doubtful for Game 4...
Do you think the Raptors can win the series in 6?
They're both married.
kawhi is so stoic. he probably got that from tim duncan
“We don’t need KD”
Apparently they do now...
Who are we to opine on things we know so little about?
;-)
Like that’s ever stoped you before lol
My only interest in this championship is that I would not like seeing a Canadian city take home the championship of this American sport.
On the flip side, I love that the Stanley Cup will be in the US instead of Canada, although I am hoping in Boston. HOMER!!!
If you like we could build a wall on the Canadian border also, that’ll keep the caribou and grizzly bears from stealing American forage lol
Toronto is just playing better, plain and simple. It's the same scenario as the 2016 season. Without Durant we're a great team but not quite enough to be dominant in the postseason.
The old desperation factor....
The more desperate the more likely to win.
Works the opposite way in clubbing.
It's just a matter of time. And probably will happen tonight. Canada gets it's first NBA crown.
I have a strange feeling that this gets to Sunday, but that Toronto wins it then.
And who's that tall, skinny guy playing for them?
Thanks flag
Without KD I think it's a wrap. You saw how different the first quarter was with him. Without him though, just not enough firepower. And I gotta give Toronto props. Their defense is solid as hell. You have to be air tight with the ball against them or they will get the steal. And Kawhi. Damn. Dude is top 3 player in the NBA easily. IMO it goes Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James for top 3.
I still have a glimmer of hope. It depends on if we have one of those classic Warriors 3rd quarter runs. Without Durant it's a lot tougher but we did it in game 2. Why not now??
Post says it all
the problem with golden state, especially with durant out, is that they have nobody in their front-court who scares you
and their bench isn't what it use to be, either
The old saying was that you live and die by the jump-shot - and until GS came around the consensus was that a jump-shooting team could not win a championship - GS is an anomaly at least for most of NBA history
I don’t foresee a circumstance whereby the Raptors loose three back to back games to the Warriors...
My Prediction is the Raptors still manages to win either Game 6 OR Game 7 to lift the Trophy...
Maybe Maybe the Warriors would have lost if not for the little input from Durant?
What do you think?
Dreymund and Iguodala have really deteriorated offensively and Cousins looks like a 40 y/o man.
"Wow can't believe GS pulled it out"
Were you hoping for a creampie?
The question will be why was Durant cleared to play.
If there's any silver-lining is that it showed what kinda player and person Durant is.
He just underwent successful surgery for his Achilles and posted a post-op picture of him from his hospital bed and it is a sad looking photo. I believe this type of injury has a 6 to 9 month healing process, so he is going to be out for a while and has a tough healing process ahead of him.
I do think this raises his chances of staying in GS one more season. I won't hold my breath though, because I was pretty sure he was a leaving prior to this recent development. Plus, any team that was interested in him would probably still sign him, especially a team like the Knicks who need to rebuild anyway. They'll take a season-long injury if it means they'll have him for years afterwards.
No one can question that guy's heart now. He basically sacrificed his body to try to help us pull this series out. His 1st quarter contribution won us the game IMO. We barely hung on to win by 1 after we built an 11 point lead with his service on the floor.
https://youtu.be/KMKavKEKX2Q
https://youtu.be/n_HxVuFJZeI
They got by Houston even after KD got hurt?
Dayum
+ GS doesn't seem to have an answer for Kawahi
+ TOR has a lot of different players they can count on for offense (more than HOU IMO)
+ TOR's length and size has been problematic for GS - Ibaka has been big on the boards including timely offensive rebounds (Kawahi as well); and Ibaka has also blocked a lot of shots
Go Warriors!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeEbtiru…
Will the Raptors be crowned NBA Champions Tonight? OR
Do the Warriors have enough manpower to force a Game 7?
Time will tell...
I'm nervous.
Freaking Steph often makes the laziest f'ing passes as if the ball was too-heavy for him (and he's also often lazy/sloppy with his dribbling)
And GS needs to more guys to step-up other than just Klay and Steph.
I see some have moved to Miami too
Like wtf. KD, out. Klay, out at least for the rest of think game (but he's a G for coming out and shooting those free throws - lives up to being a "Warrior").
The Warriors are just beat up. Several players out, Boogie coming off an injury, Kevin Looney getting re-injured last game, Iggy coming off an injury... half the team is injured and still trying. It's sad to watch one of the most talented teams in sports history to be plagued with so many injuries.
What the hell does that mean?
Guard? Goblin? Grenade? Gerrymanderer?
What the fuck kinda fake ass ghetto talk you smackin?
The ironic thing about the Warriors injuries is that many of the years the Warriors won the title it was the OTHER teams who had injuries that benefited the Warriors
I’m not taking anything away from the Warriors, but they caught some nice breaks in recent years
And I watched the game with my sister, at her apartment, which is right above a bar. I'd go downstairs and get tanked out of sadness, but I quit drinking over a month ago so no alcohol for me.
Drinking sparkling cider instead, with a nod to all the Warriors, especially the two who had to leave the court injured this game and last game, as well as the others who suffered through their injuries and did the best they could.
The Warriors are the better team when healthy, but their health was nowhere near what it should have been for a finals series.
Sorry Toronto fans, but there will always be a huge asterisk next to their 2019 championship title.
TOR most of the time had 5 guys on the floor that could hit a shot- GS is top-heavy w/ the contracts they have for their super-stars which pretty-much means it's feast-or-famine based on the availability/no-availability of their stars - GS's bench is D-league-ish and outside of Durant, Curry, and Klay; seems they can't count on anyone else for offense - so if those guys are not 100% it's too much an uphill battle especially against a team that can put 5-guys on the floor that can score (plus they are well-coached and were bigger)
If the Lakers are not in the playoffs, I like competitive series.
The was a good series.
It's too bad for all the injuries but that is part of the game.
Understatement.
At least the dude I was rooting for on Project Runway won tonight.
Imagine LeBron being injured the whole conference finals, then through the finals until game 5, only to be injured AGAIN after 12 minutes. Imagine what that would do to the psyche of the team. Because that's basically what happened, except it was KD and not LeBron. (I use LeBron as an example because at this point I think there's just as good an argument for a healthy KD being the best basketball player on the planet as there is for LeBron). Then Klay, a player renowned for his wonderful game 6 performances, goes down too after scoring 30+ points.
Since this is unprecedented, the winner being a Canadian team, I wonder if the team is just going to visit Trudeau and skip the White House. Not that I really care, since I am unhappy with the results either way.
It's a sign of the end of the world - you all been warned
Here you go again...
I really don’t wanna hear about how the Raptors beat the Warriors because of the injuries
That’s all excuses...
The Raptors beat the Warriors during the regular season...
IMHO the Raptors were definitely a better team than the Warriors period...
The Warriors didn’t complain in 2015 when they beat a short handed CAVS team...
They shouldn’t complain now either...
They need to take their loss quietly & in peace...
Let the Raptors enjoy their Championship...
Isn’t ridiculous that the Warriors never complained when the beat Cleveland without Love & Irving?
Then all of a sudden they wanna complain because of KD & Klay injury...
If Warriors were that Good, they should have at least won 1 home Game at Oracle Arena but they didn’t...
The Raptors deserves the NBA Championship period...
And you're right, the Warriors didn't complain when they beat the Cavs in 2015 when the Cavs were lacking Love and Irving. No shit. Why would they complain after they won?
The too aren't mutually exclusive, so why can't it be both?
And it's not like they were just down one star player. KD (arguably the best bball player in the league) was out the whole series besides the 12 minutes he played in game 5. Then Klay, the best shooting guard in the league (imo) and one of the best shooters of all time, goes down in the 3rd quarter of an elimination game. Meanwhile, Cousins, Looney, Iggy, are all playing off of injuries and are banged up. Teams sometimes have bad luck regarding injuries, but this was overkill. I wouldn't have imagined for the health of the team to get as bad as it did.
Oh well. There's always next year.
But hey, when GS lost to Cleveland I basically cried myself to sleep. So I've made a lot of progress since then. No tears tonight.
Warriors fans said they didn't need Kevin Durant to win the NBA Championship? Didn't they?
Lol why the complaints?
Heck even Draymond Green told Kevin Durant that they have won before even before he came to San Antonio
Why can't they win it again without him?
I hope Kevin Durant leave the warriors during the Transfer window so we all can see the fraud they are...
This warriors team shouldn't even be called a dynasty...
By the time Lebron James assembles his own Superb team at Lakers they will decimate this warrior team to oblivion...
Lol...
I'm an American...
Drake is going crazy tonight...
He might decide to probably go to the strip club & make it rain on the Dancers...
Alternatively, He might stay home & get him some pussy, a threesome OR foursome wouldn't be a bad idea afterall...
Only if he writes reviews for Chippendales and La Bare.
ahh no. does not have to prove shit. this guy is the main reason why the warriors are the best. without him this team would regularly get bounced out in the first or second round of a playoff series.
Steph absolutely has a lot to prove. It's "his" team, which he has gotta plenty of credit for carrying (and I give him plenty of credit, he's one of my favorite players of all time and I love him, but I'm just being honest. No KD next year and no Klay for most of the season means Steph has to step the fuck up and prove that he can carry HIS team.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication…
We'll see what happens...
LOL