2014 NBA Playoff thread

[Cheesebeef]

There's alot of problems with OKC one is the coach they have no offense at all. But KD is nowhere close to Lebron, KD has no half court game at all what's his go to move? He doesn't have one. He's 7 feet tall and gets pushed around. I'm not saying he's bad or not talented he needs to take advantage of his gifts

he really needs to develop a post game. he does that and he'll be unstoppable. Took Bron until he was about 27-28 to completely round out his game. It's only a matter of time before KD does also.

 

[SirStefan32]

he really needs to develop a post game. he does that and he'll be unstoppable. Took Bron until he was about 27-28 to completely round out his game. It's only a matter of time before KD does also.

While I agree with you, KD does have one disadvantage- unlike Lebron, he is not a physical beast that Lebron is. It is a lot easier to develop your post game when you are 240+lb, than when you are 210 or whatever Durant weighs. Don't really care about what their official or listed weights are, but eye test tells me James has 30 lb on him easily. I still think he will get there, but it's gonna take a lot of work.

 

[Cheesebeef]

While I agree with you, KD does have one disadvantage- unlike Lebron, he is not a physical beast that Lebron is. It is a lot easier to develop your post game when you are 240+lb, than when you are 210 or whatever Durant weighs. Don't really care about what their official or listed weights are, but eye test tells me James has 30 lb on him easily. I still think he will get there, but it's gonna take a lot of work.

true, but Durant has like a 3 or 4 inch advantage on almost every small forward that he plays. The fact that he can't post up a guy like Leonard or Allen is a problem that he's got to figure out how to overcome.

 

[SirStefan32]

true, but Durant has like a 3 or 4 inch advantage on almost every small forward that he plays. The fact that he can't post up a guy like Leonard or Allen is a problem that he's got to figure out how to overcome.

Fair enough. Also, not quite sure if this is just my perception, but his wingspan seems to be absolutely amazing for a small forward. Height combined with wingspan- his best bet is probably developing a hook shot or a turnaround jumper from the low post. I think something will just "click" at some point, much like it did with LeBron, or MJ for that matter.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Fair enough. Also, not quite sure if this is just my perception, but his wingspan seems to be absolutely amazing for a small forward. Height combined with wingspan- his best bet is probably developing a hook shot or a turnaround jumper from the low post. I think something will just "click" at some point, much like it did with LeBron, or MJ for that matter.

agreed. his wingspan makes it even more imperative for him to develop that. he's got height and length on everyone who guards him.

 

[Superbone]

I expect that if KD had the same bench that Lebron has on the Heat he would have already had a championship. No soul searching would be required.

The soul searching I'm talking about has nothing to do with anybody else or any external factors. LeBron imposes his will on people. Durant hasn't gotten there yet.

 

[Cheesebeef]

are people really not super geeked up for this finals? These are all-time heavyweights in a rematch from a legendary finals. Superstars across the board. No bad guys. Just great basketball players who do it the right way and have always stayed out of trouble. I can't wait to watch this unfold. Either Duncan cements himself as the absolute player of his era or LeBron makes a case for possibly being the second best player of all time.

 

[Absolute Zero]

...But KD is nowhere close to Lebron, KD has no half court game at all ...

This part of your post is way over the top. I would venture to say that well over half of KD's points are scored in his "half court game" which includes a variety of shots.

 

[SO91]

are people really not super geeked up for this finals? These are all-time heavyweights in a rematch from a legendary finals. Superstars across the board. No bad guys. Just great basketball players who do it the right way and have always stayed out of trouble. I can't wait to watch this unfold. Either Duncan cements himself as the absolute player of his era or LeBron makes a case for possibly being the second best player of all time.

I'm super excited to see this Finals. I've missed a lot of playoff ball so far, and have had to catch up with highlights/commentary or replays. But I disagree on the bad guys part of your post. I freaking hate Wade.

 

[AzStevenCal]

are people really not super geeked up for this finals? These are all-time heavyweights in a rematch from a legendary finals. Superstars across the board. No bad guys. Just great basketball players who do it the right way and have always stayed out of trouble. I can't wait to watch this unfold. Either Duncan cements himself as the absolute player of his era or LeBron makes a case for possibly being the second best player of all time.

I have no interest. It's not because it's the Spurs or the Heat or Lebron or because they were both there last year. For at least a little while, I've passed my breaking point with this league. When Indiana complained about the refereeing and the very next game, Lebron gets neutralized by quick foul calls I decided I'd had enough. Lebron could justifiably be fouled out in the first half of every game but the fact they chose to call him in that game while ignoring similar fouls by the Pacers really pissed me off.

I'm just so tired of watching referees decide who wins simply by the style with which they call the game. Picking and choosing which players they'll take out of the game by foul calls is just icing on the cake for the way they control the outcomes. In general, I don't believe in conspiracies but I'm tired of pretending this is actually competition in any form. It's a show and a bad one at that IMO.

Steve

 

[SO91]

What really gets me is how KD and Westbrook get all the heat while Brooks and Presti seem to never get criticized.

I would take both KD and Westbrook on my team every day of the week. They are both fantastic players.

I remember when everyone was calling Presti a genius for building this team.

How genius do you have to be when your team sucks and you get high draft picks 3 straight years.

2007 Durant - 2nd pick
2008 Westbrook - 4th pick
2009 Harden - 3rd pick

Why does Presti get so much credit for building this team? Drafting these guys, was a no brainer? I know he accumulated picks with some good trades to get these guys, so hats off to him for that. However why does he get so little criticism for not keeping James Harden. When Harden was on their team they went to the finals. Ibaka is a very good player, Harden will probably be in the HOF when all is said and done. You do not ever let players like him get away, never. I really doubt that they would have lost to the Spurs with him on that team.

Why does Scott Brooks get so much credit? If his name was D'Antoni he would get fired even if he does win around 60 games every year.

When your bench produces only 5 points, from a guy that will probably retire within the next week, the blame should be pointed directly at both Brooks and Presti. If I were the owner I would be having a come to Jesus meeting with both of those guys, not Durant or Westbrook.

I guess he still has time to get better/do something impressive in the league, but I really don't see this happening.

 

[elindholm]

I'm just so tired of watching referees decide who wins simply by the style with which they call the game. Picking and choosing which players they'll take out of the game by foul calls is just icing on the cake for the way they control the outcomes.

I was thinking that maybe the solution is for fouls to be less punitive, so that referees aren't so reluctant to call them in cases where they know they should. Steve Javie's little side commentaries for TNT were very revealing. He kept talking about how referees need to "know the game situation" as part of the equation for whether to make a foul call. He made no apology whatsoever for the sliding scale of what does or does not constitute a foul: If it's a star's sixth foul, or even his fifth, you have to know that, and you have to officiate accordingly.

What if fouling out were impossible? Instead, you could have other penalties for excessive fouling: For example, after a player's sixth foul, the other team gets a technical free throw. Maybe at the eighth foul the penalty gets larger, two free throws or whatever. Excessive foulers would still be punished, but we wouldn't have these huge swings in which one bad call -- say, for example, the third foul on LeBron James early in the second quarter -- completely changes the complexion of a game.

As for referees swallowing their whistles when the game is on the line, this wouldn't help that, but it could at least be a start.

 

[Mainstreet]

I was thinking that maybe the solution is for fouls to be less punitive, so that referees aren't so reluctant to call them in cases where they know they should. Steve Javie's little side commentaries for TNT were very revealing. He kept talking about how referees need to "know the game situation" as part of the equation for whether to make a foul call. He made no apology whatsoever for the sliding scale of what does or does not constitute a foul: If it's a star's sixth foul, or even his fifth, you have to know that, and you have to officiate accordingly.

What if fouling out were impossible? Instead, you could have other penalties for excessive fouling: For example, after a player's sixth foul, the other team gets a technical free throw. Maybe at the eighth foul the penalty gets larger, two free throws or whatever. Excessive foulers would still be punished, but we wouldn't have these huge swings in which one bad call -- say, for example, the third foul on LeBron James early in the second quarter -- completely changes the complexion of a game.

As for referees swallowing their whistles when the game is on the line, this wouldn't help that, but it could at least be a start.

Your ideas are good, but the referees need to make the calls no matter who is the player. Otherwise, it makes the game a sham. It begs the credibility of the game. A big step for the NBA would be to realize the game is more important than the names on a jersey.

 

[Mainstreet]

I have no interest. It's not because it's the Spurs or the Heat or Lebron or because they were both there last year. For at least a little while, I've passed my breaking point with this league. When Indiana complained about the refereeing and the very next game, Lebron gets neutralized by quick foul calls I decided I'd had enough. Lebron could justifiably be fouled out in the first half of every game but the fact they chose to call him in that game while ignoring similar fouls by the Pacers really pissed me off.

I'm just so tired of watching referees decide who wins simply by the style with which they call the game. Picking and choosing which players they'll take out of the game by foul calls is just icing on the cake for the way they control the outcomes. In general, I don't believe in conspiracies but I'm tired of pretending this is actually competition in any form. It's a show and a bad one at that IMO.

Steve

Totally agree.

 

[SirStefan32]

Didn't Stern openly say that people pay to watch stars, not scrubs? Stars in foul trouble= not good for the league (financially.)
It's no surprise that the league is doing extremely well financially, but has zero credibility left. It is one step away from "Sports Entertainment."

 

[82CardsGrad]

just remember, it was only three years ago that LeBron did the exact same thing in the Finals (and in his last season in Cleveland too).

Very true. And for the record, I am not a KD hater... I really like the kid... a lot!
I would also suggest that even when Lebron was being attacked for the same things that are being thrown at KD, you could just see the incredible, all-world potential of Lebron. You just knew the dude could take over a game on both ends of the court...
With KD, I dunno... I just don't see the type of power, speed and athletic ability we saw in Lebron. I guess what I'm saying is that I just don't believe KD's upside will ever come close to what we now see out of Lebron. Time will tell of course and for KD's sake, I hope I'm wrong...

 

[SO91]

Very true. And for the record, I am not a KD hater... I really like the kid... a lot!
I would also suggest that even when Lebron was being attacked for the same things that are being thrown at KD, you could just see the incredible, all-world potential of Lebron. You just knew the dude could take over a game on both ends of the court...
With KD, I dunno... I just don't see the type of power, speed and athletic ability we saw in Lebron. I guess what I'm saying is that I just don't believe KD's upside will ever come close to what we now see out of Lebron. Time will tell of course and for KD's sake, I hope I'm wrong...

Thing is, he doesn't have to match Lebron's brilliance, IMO. He does need a better coach and/or system to take better advantage of his unbelievable talent. I have no idea who coached him in HS, but he hasn't had a good coach since most of us first heard of him. I look at what Spo was able to do in MIA after that first year, and some of the things they're able to do to generate offense for other guys, and the contrast is amazing.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Thing is, he doesn't have to match Lebron's brilliance, IMO. He does need a better coach and/or system to take better advantage of his unbelievable talent. I have no idea who coached him in HS, but he hasn't had a good coach since most of us first heard of him. I look at what Spo was able to do in MIA after that first year, and some of the things they're able to do to generate offense for other guys, and the contrast is amazing.

Oh, I agree he doesn't have to "match" Lebron. Who can? But, when you think about KD and what he is capable of doing... I just don't see him even coming close to being able to take over a game, particularly in the post season, anywhere close to the level of Lebron. Or, maybe even to the level of Westbrook!
I mean, can KD play post-season defense like Lebron, or even Westbrook? Because if he can, he hasn't shown it yet... Can KD get to the basket whenever he wants, the way Lebron, or even Westbrook can?

Again, I really like KD... I think he's incredibly gifted and is an incredible person offt he court. But, I am really struggling to see where he can take his game from here.

 

[Mainstreet]

Didn't Stern openly say that people pay to watch stars, not scrubs? Stars in foul trouble= not good for the league (financially.)
It's no surprise that the league is doing extremely well financially, but has zero credibility left. It is one step away from "Sports Entertainment."

IMO, the NBA is very close to being "Sports Entertainment" as you say. It is sad when basketball has grown to be nearly a word wide sport and the NBA is still treating it like it can't stand upon it's own two feet. The integrity of the game should be first. There will always be stars.

 

[elindholm]

Your ideas are good, but the referees need to make the calls no matter who is the player. Otherwise, it makes the game a sham. It begs the credibility of the game. A big step for the NBA would be to realize the game is more important than the names on a jersey.

Good luck with that. It ain't happening.

Didn't Stern openly say that people pay to watch stars, not scrubs? Stars in foul trouble= not good for the league (financially.)
It's no surprise that the league is doing extremely well financially, but has zero credibility left. It is one step away from "Sports Entertainment."

I'm not sure it's as far as one step away. People say, "Well then why do you watch," and my answer is (a) I don't, very much, and (b) when I do, it can still be entertaining, just as any other scripted drama is. It's not like I think the outcome on a Law and Order episode is a mystery to the people who wrote the script!

 

[Finito]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ujPuJ1Lb8_8

Lebatards series rants are the best thing going on sports radio hilarious for those that don't listen

 

[SO91]

Oh, I agree he doesn't have to "match" Lebron. Who can? But, when you think about KD and what he is capable of doing... I just don't see him even coming close to being able to take over a game, particularly in the post season, anywhere close to the level of Lebron. Or, maybe even to the level of Westbrook!
I mean, can KD play post-season defense like Lebron, or even Westbrook? Because if he can, he hasn't shown it yet... Can KD get to the basket whenever he wants, the way Lebron, or even Westbrook can?

Again, I really like KD... I think he's incredibly gifted and is an incredible person offt he court. But, I am really struggling to see where he can take his game from here.

I guess it's a matter of opinion, but I see him being able to take over games, even in the post season. He needs to get stronger, and he needs a coach that can use him properly. He should be practically unguardable given his size and skills, very much like Dirk when he's at his best. It was maddening to watch Chris Paul body him up and neutralize him in the last round, but he has time to fix those issues. There's nobody in the league that can match what Lebron can do offensively and defensively, but IMO, he doesn't have to play that level of defense to win it all.

 

[SO91]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ujPuJ1Lb8_8

Lebatards series rants are the best thing going on sports radio hilarious for those that don't listen

LOL, I laughed my ass off...thanks

 

[Finito]

Spurs played horrible I don't think I've ever seen then look worse than in that 3rd. 23 turnovers for the game and yet they still win by 15.

Come on Lebron. I understand cramping and all that I've had them but man this dude acted like he got shot they literally had to carry him off the floor. I've never seen that.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Spurs played horrible I don't think I've ever seen then look worse than in that 3rd. 23 turnovers for the game and yet they still win by 15.

Come on Lebron. I understand cramping and all that I've had them but man this dude acted like he got shot they literally had to carry him off the floor. I've never seen that.

Not all cramps are created equal.

Steve