NBA Finals Cleveland vs Golden State

[Russ Smith]

He's scoring way under his season average while playing 4mpg less than the regular season. The lack of scoring and worse shooting is disappointing, but I think the biggest issue I have is his overall game has gone to crap as well. He has more TO's than assists right now for the series. Other than acting as a decoy when he runs off screens, he's not affecting the game all that much when his shooting is off like it's been.

And apparently nobody likes the new shoes that's all over the media today.

 

[Russ Smith]

Game 4 getting dicey. Windhorst reporting on ESPN that Steph Curry "looked bad in practice" and people are wondering if he's still injured, sick or what.

They haven't elaborated so maybe just Windhorst's opinion but he didn't mean he shot bad or that he meant he looked bad wasn't moving well.

Weird that's all they're talking about on ESPN right now and probably for the next 6 hours.

 

[Russ Smith]

Now Windhorst saying Klay didn't practice yesterday and is limping and McGrady just said he fully expects Klay to struggle because the knee to the thigh is one of the more painful injuries you can try and play with.

Starting to think Windhorst is just hyping but he's a Cleveland guy not a Warrior guy but it sounds like he's setting up excuses for the Warriors.

 

[sunsfan88]

Now Windhorst saying Klay didn't practice yesterday and is limping and McGrady just said he fully expects Klay to struggle because the knee to the thigh is one of the more painful injuries you can try and play with.

Starting to think Windhorst is just hyping but he's a Cleveland guy not a Warrior guy but it sounds like he's setting up excuses for the Warriors.

Windhorst is probably the least reliable media insider at ESPN.

Now that he said all this, I completely expect Curry and Klay to both have their best games tonight.

 

[Russ Smith]

Windhorst is probably the least reliable media insider at ESPN.

Now that he said all this, I completely expect Curry and Klay to both have their best games tonight.

I sure hope so.

i will add on a local show here in the Bay area the host said that one of the Warriors team doctors said he is amazed Klay didn't break his leg. at the speed he was going and the size of Mozgov to hit his knee, he said the contusion is quite deep and painful and frankly we're lucky he didn't break the leg, I don't honestly know how he didn't.

After all that Windhorst said, McGrady then picked the Warriors tonight so I'm hoping he's right.

 

[82CardsGrad]

I think the postseason has shown quite the opposite. The Warriors are a good team without him but they've already lost 6 games (out of 20) with him out or playing at less than 100% and it would have been far worse if he hadn't played at all. Healthy they only lost 9 games all season, that's a huge difference and you can't explain it away by saying it's the playoffs and opponents are tougher because history says dominant teams dominate in the postseason too (barring injury etc).

I agree that James is more versatile but it's a huge stretch to say he can play all 5 positions. He can function in most roles for a very short stretch but he can't really play the point and he can't even pretend to play the shooting guard position. Maybe several years ago before he changed his body to handle the contact but not today.

And I'm not sure Lebron is flat out better at making his teammates better, look at Bosh and Love and players like that. He's capable of making some players better but he also takes away from some. He's an all time great but if today's Lebron was the best he's ever been, he wouldn't even be in the top 10 and probably not even the top 20 conversation IMO.

part of my comment can be explained easily like this. LeBron can guard Curry and do a reasonable job on him but Steph can't guard Lebron. I know that's a dumb way to evaluate it but that's part of it.

I'm also contradicting myself because I saw Steph quite often in college and he outright DID keep a team of 4 stiffs and himself in games. UCLA played him with Love and Westbrook and I think Davidson had like a 19 point lead in the first half, UCLA eventually wore them down and Steph had a tough shooting game but UCLA basically had Collison, and Westbrook guarding him the whole game. He did the same thing in the NCAA's against Kansas keeping a totally overmatched team in the game against the eventual national champs that year(if I have my years right).

But the NBA is a different beast.

Great player, love the guy, but I don't think his peak is what LeBron's peak was.

I think another key data-point regarding the separation between Curry and other alltime greats, is: He's now won back to back regular season MVP's. Yet, he wasn't the MVP of the Championship series last season, and odds are he won't be again this season. I haven't done the research, but I don't believe there have been many, if any, other players considered to be alltime greats that have fallen off in the Championship series as Steph has now done in back to back seasons...

 

[SO91]

And apparently nobody likes the new shoes that's all over the media today.

No kidding. The internet is roasting them hard, kind of hilarious actually.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...urry-s-new-shoes-is-relentless-145549601.html

 

[Russ Smith]

I think another key data-point regarding the separation between Curry and other alltime greats, is: He's now won back to back regular season MVP's. Yet, he wasn't the MVP of the Championship series last season, and odds are he won't be again this season. I haven't done the research, but I don't believe there have been many, if any, other players considered to be alltime greats that have fallen off in the Championship series as Steph has now done in back to back seasons...

True but with a caveat. Iggy won MVP last year because they didn't want to give it to Lebron on a losing team and thus the obvious guy to give it to was the guy who guarded Lebron and held him under 40%. It was an unusual situation because the dominant player in the series, by far, was on the losing team.

 

[Russ Smith]

No kidding. The internet is roasting them hard, kind of hilarious actually.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...urry-s-new-shoes-is-relentless-145549601.html

I have to admit I had a pair of shoes a few years back that looked like that and cost like 20 bucks on sale kind of surprising for their big name endorser to have shoes that look so plain.

 

[Ronin]

Al Iannazzone ‏@Al_Iannazzone 5m5 minutes ago
Lue said Kevin Love hasn't seen the doctor yet. He said he would play if he's cleared, but wouldn't say whether he would start.

 

[82CardsGrad]

True but with a caveat. Iggy won MVP last year because they didn't want to give it to Lebron on a losing team and thus the obvious guy to give it to was the guy who guarded Lebron and held him under 40%. It was an unusual situation because the dominant player in the series, by far, was on the losing team.

Not sure why that would be a valid caveat when my point is that the regular season MVP wasn't the choice? It doesn't matter who won or why... what matters, IMHO, is that Curry didn't rise to the occasion and win the MVP award... And again, it appears that this will be the case for a second straight year. Has that ever happened before??

 

[Ronin]

Ramona Shelburne ‏@ramonashelburne 14s15 seconds ago
From ESPN stats whiz @MicahAdams13 Steph is 1-12 from 30 feet and beyond in the playoffs. He's taken just one in Finals from 30+ (missed)

 

[Covert Rain]

Ramona Shelburne ‏@ramonashelburne 14s15 seconds ago
From ESPN stats whiz @MicahAdams13 Steph is 1-12 from 30 feet and beyond in the playoffs. He's taken just one in Finals from 30+ (missed)

This is the very thing I was asking in the thread talking about Steph being already the best shooter ever. I argued give me Jordan because of his midrange and game around the bucket. He didn't need 3 pointers to take over games. I don't know if in the games last round and this round people are just not letting him shoot them or if he simply isn't taking them. All I know is that when he isn't draining 3's he is not the same player IMO. It's a huge part of his game.

Lucky for Steph the rest of the team is pretty damn good.

 

[Russ Smith]

Not sure why that would be a valid caveat when my point is that the regular season MVP wasn't the choice? It doesn't matter who won or why... what matters, IMHO, is that Curry didn't rise to the occasion and win the MVP award... And again, it appears that this will be the case for a second straight year. Has that ever happened before??

I'm just saying in a normal series Curry's numbers were actually good enough to get the MVP last year. 26PPG 5.2 r 6.3 apg 44% overall 39 from 3 that's normally going to win you mvp over a guy who put up 16 6 and 4 in the same series.

But Iguodala's defense on LeBron was huge and going to the small lineup replacing Bogut with Iggy was the key to the series so he got the MVP even though Steph had better numbers. I'm glad they gave it to Iggy btw he earned it.

This year Steph is down 10PPG off last finals so it's far more understandable he's not currently inline to get MVP if they win.

 

[Russ Smith]

This is the very thing I was asking in the thread talking about Steph being already the best shooter ever. I argued give me Jordan because of his midrange and game around the bucket. He didn't need 3 pointers to take over games. I don't know if in the games last round and this round people are just not letting him shoot them or if he simply isn't taking them. All I know is that when he isn't draining 3's he is not the same player IMO. It's a huge part of his game.

Lucky for Steph the rest of the team is pretty damn good.

I don't know why the media isn't talkign about it more often are they not watching the same games I am? Steph is being face guarded and often in the backcourt. The last shot of teh first half by the Warriors they put him in and Delly literally faceguarded him and held his jersey from teh backcourt all the way to the foul line on the other end. It was so obvious the announcer even said no foul on Dellavadova? And then added "they have a foul to give." he actually thought Delly was trying to foul Curry he was guarding him so tight.

2 of those tie ups with LeBron in this series were not screens they were LeBron jumping onto Curry in the backcourt as he's crossing over the line and they got tangled up.

I've seen lots of Warrior games and lots of defenses but I've never seen anybody faceguard him in the backcourt before.

You can almost compare it to a game he had his last year in college against Loyola of Maryland. They decided they weren't going to let Curry go off as he was averaging 35 PPG so they doubled Curry the entire game, all over the court. Davidson at times didn't even have Steph cross halfcourt, they won by 30, Steph went 0-3 and had 0 points. Next game he had 44, game before he had 39. 32 minutes 3 shots it wasn't televised but was all over ESPN etc because it was so unusual.

I remember it because the 44 point game against Nc State was on tv and the announcers were making a big deal ripping Loyola for doing that saying when you have stuff like that it encourages a kid like Curry to turn pro and sure enough he left after that season.

 

[Russ Smith]

The good news Klay and Steph both look fine and healthy but 2 fouls for Klay.

Weird officiating there's been 3 really late whistles where they clearly weren't goign to call the foul until they saw the shot was missed.

Can't believe McAdoo is in.

 

[Russ Smith]

I hate NBA refs. Iggy clearly fouled shooting a 3 no call and then he T's up Kerr after the half is over.

Virtually ever T they call is the result of a terrible call and a ref thinking he has to be demonstrative or people will know he missed the call.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Wow are the refs letting this game get TOUGH! Old school style baby!! Luv it!

 

[TJ]

Good season, Cleveland

 

[Cheesebeef]

We are all witnesses... to the official end of LeBron's prime. Dude's still a great player, but he's not close to supernova force he was at his best.

Will be curious to see how fast his game drops off in the next couple years. Dude needs to FINALLY develop some kind of post game if he ever wants to have a chance at a title again.

 

[sunsfan88]

LeBron is so limited as a scorer.

 

[GatorAZ]

Green hits Lebron in the junk AGAIN. This guy has absolutely no shame.

 

[Covert Rain]

I am not sure I buy he still not in his prime but I am baffled why they don't take advantage of his size down low?!?!?

Either way GS is just wow. Their core is young. Who is going to beat them in the next couple?

 

[elindholm]

I know we're all supposed to prefer the more "physical" game of the playoffs, but this was the worst I ever remember seeing. There were multiple obvious fouls on practically every play, and the officials refused to call anything. It was like streetball without the honor system.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I know we're all supposed to prefer the more "physical" game of the playoffs, but this was the worst I ever remember seeing. There were multiple obvious fouls on practically every play, and the officials refused to call anything. It was like streetball without the honor system.

Yeah the only good thing I can say about the refereeing is that it wasn't one-sided when it came to allowing physical play. But man, how many times can they swing away on a guy's arms to knock them off the ball with no call?