The 2017 NBA Finals Thread

[Finito]

I see it totally different. This is about what Cavs aren't doing than what GS is doing.

Cavs are ice cold there turning it over like crazy, I seen at least 5 blatant non calls on GS yet only down 8 at half.

 

[hsandhu]

The young teams building for post warriors are doing it right.... anybody trying to win a title the next 4 years is wasting time a healthy warriors team is winning them all.

Example, I'd much rather be us now than houston. Even if they are a near 60 win team, they have no chance at a title while their great player is in his prime.

 

[elindholm]

Everyone is talking about the winning team being a 'dynasty'. Like two wins is a dynasty now.

Here's a dynasty: The Celtics won the Eastern Conference and went to the Finals in

1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969.

(and won them all, except 1958)

True, but the league had like six teams then, and much less player movement. The Celtics got a dominant team and sat on it, and no one else had a way to catch up.

 

[TJ]

Transition defense for Cleveland was awful. Ball handling was careless. Rim protection was nonexistent. Ty Lue got his ass worked by Mike Brown (lol) in this game.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I have to imagine Silver breaks this whole thing up after next season if not before.

 

[hsandhu]

I have to imagine Silver breaks this whole thing up after next season if not before.

He's not a dictator, the cba governs what happens.

Have to wait for them to get old, steph is 29, durant will be 29 in sept.... definitely have 3 more, maybe 4 more titles in them. Good thing is suns young guns will only be in mid twenties then.

Bledsoe will be 28 in Dec, when a good deal presents itself for him, you do it

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

I have to imagine Silver breaks this whole thing up after next season if not before.

Why? The Dubs built this team primarily organically. Unless folks want to gripe about Cleveland structuring their team by getting Lebron back and trading for for Love, I don't want to hear it from anyone.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Expansion draft before '18-19 season takes care of 1 of their big 4.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Why? The Dubs built this team primarily organically. Unless folks want to gripe about Cleveland structuring their team be getting Lebron back and trading for for Love, I don't want to hear it from anyone.

They were borderline great then used a flukey cap spike to sign Kevin Durant. They'd still be good without him but at least 29 other fan bases would care. The cap spike was the problem, expansion can somewhat even that out.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I have to imagine Silver breaks this whole thing up after next season if not before.

I'd agree if the playoffs weren't getting boffo ratings which they've been getting somehow this year.

I think it's an awful time for the league right now. There's literally ZERO drama in both conferences and I won't be shocked if the Finals ends in a sweeep.

 

[AZBALLER]

Durant is a monster, he's been tuning it down just to fit in. I say Warriors in 5, only because Lebron is great enough to win one game on his own.

 

[hsandhu]

I'd agree if the playoffs weren't getting boffo ratings which they've been getting somehow this year.

I think it's an awful time for the league right now. There's literally ZERO drama in both conferences and I won't be shocked if the Finals ends in a sweeep.

Ratings were good until conference finals, then they fell off big. Wcf got half the ratings as last year.

 

[GatorAZ]

Durant is a bitch for joining the team he choked against but it was clearly the right decision. He will end up with more rings than most superstars.

I'm guessing he signs another 1 + 1 and Curry gets the supermax after taking a paycut his first time around. Wouldn't be surprised if they move Klay for the right deal.

 

[Sunburn]

They were borderline great then used a flukey cap spike to sign Kevin Durant. They'd still be good without him but at least 29 other fan bases would care. The cap spike was the problem, expansion can somewhat even that out.

Borderline great? They won more games than any team in history last year.

 

[pokerface]

Durant is a bitch for joining the team he choked against but it was clearly the right decision..

If it's the right decision then why call him names? He has a right to play where wants...he never married the Thunder for life. Durant going to GS was a smart move.

 

[sunsfan88]

I just don't understand how people think the Warriors are gonna run over the Cavs

I hope you understand it better now.

 

[sunsfan88]

Durant is a bitch for joining the team he choked against but it was clearly the right decision. He will end up with more rings than most superstars.

I'm guessing he signs another 1 + 1 and Curry gets the supermax after taking a paycut his first time around. Wouldn't be surprised if they move Klay for the right deal.

I doubt they move Klay or any of their big 4 considering that they have zero reason to. KD already said he's open to taking a paycut too to help the Warriors keep their core players.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I'd agree if the playoffs weren't getting boffo ratings which they've been getting somehow this year.

I think it's an awful time for the league right now. There's literally ZERO drama in both conferences and I won't be shocked if the Finals ends in a sweeep.

Ratings have been down all season, big drops especially with local ratings. The NBA will never be the NFL or MLB, everyone knows this. But it needs at least 4-5 teams capable if winning it all every year and then another half dozen or so up and comers then another half dozen youth projects with long-term upside. You can't be a successful league with 1-2 great teams, a handful of teams that might be a half decade away, and a 25 teams in purgatory.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Klay is more like the +1 in the 3+1. I wouldn't be surprised to see him move along. Kinda sucks for him. It went from Splash Brothers for a year or two, then Green really established himself as alpha male (not best player) last year at it became the big 3. Then KD joins and easily supplants Thompson in the big 3. I see it now as 3+1.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Ratings have been down all season, big drops especially with local ratings. The NBA will never be the NFL or MLB, everyone knows this. But it needs at least 4-5 teams capable if winning it all every year and then another half dozen or so up and comers then another half dozen youth projects with long-term upside. You can't be a successful league with 1-2 great teams, a handful of teams that might be a half decade away, and a 25 teams in purgatory.

And that's what you had this year. Houston certainly thought they had a chance, a slim one perhaps, but a chance nonetheless. The Spurs did too. It doesn't matter if sometime during the playoffs it became obvious that only two teams were really contenders, that also happens each year (eventually).

As for the idea they are in dire straits, the league set regular attendance ratings again this season. Local ratings went down some but you're making it into something it wasn't, it was a very good year for the NBA. The average dropped a little for the major partners but that was due to a substantial increase in the number of nationally televised game. NBA TV viewership more than held its own in comparison to the other sports league, each of whom have seen a live viewership decline due to streaming.

Anyway, the league is in great shape and will likely continue to prosper at least until the next TV deal. It's a very safe bet that the next contract will be significantly less than this one which will smash the happy alliance that currently exists between the league and the players union. Each side gave up on key issues solely because the money just talked so loudly no one else could hear a thing. When ESPN's next offer is a whisper, then, perhaps, a lack of championship parity might actually mean something.

 

[GatorAZ]

If it's the right decision then why call him names? He has a right to play where wants...he never married the Thunder for life. Durant going to GS was a smart move.

It would be like Barkley going to the Bulls after losing to them in 93'.

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[GatorAZ]

I doubt they move Klay or any of their big 4 considering that they have zero reason to. KD already said he's open to taking a paycut too to help the Warriors keep their core players.

We'll see if he does take an actual paycut. Steph already took a paycut on his last deal so he'll probably want the supermax.

 

[AzStevenCal]

It would be like Barkley going to the Bulls after losing to them in 93'.

He should have just quit on his team and demanded they trade him so he could go the Rockets, the team that knocked him out of the conference finals one season removed.

 

[Cheesebeef]

He should have just quit on his team and demanded they trade him so he could go the Rockets, the team that knocked him out of the conference finals one season removed.

Not even close to being the same considering that a) Barkley was 34 when that happened and clearly not the same player and b) that Suns team was FINISHED after a 41-41 season and c) The Rockets had just gotten their asses swept in the 2nd round of the playoffs.

KD was in his prime... playing for a team that was up 3-1 in the WCF against GS... who not only had the best record of all time but lost in Game 7 of the Finals.

Sorry Steve... but the devil is in the details on that rather lazy comparison.

 

[AzStevenCal]

We'll see if he does take an actual paycut. Steph already took a paycut on his last deal so he'll probably want the supermax.

Hardly. He got a huge raise on his last deal, not a paycut. I'm sure you mean he signed for less than he could have but even that's debatable. He'd just come off a season where his ankle cost him more than 50 games and remember, he had yet to really make a name for himself when he signed the new deal.