The Official 2016 NBA Playoffs Thread

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

Wow, did not think that was possible. Not much more than a casual Cavs fan, but really happy for my Cleveland sports fan friends.

Same. So many of my friends from high school and college -- so happy for them. Remember them being inconsolable after the 97 World Series. This will help some.

[Atocep]

One of a kind performance from James in this series. I can't think of another player that carried a team to a title with the odds stacked against them like this. Oddsmakers and Anayltics had the Warriors with a 70-75% chance to win the series and James did most of the work.

[Groundhog]

I don't know what to say. Plenty to criticize about how the Cavs ended that game on on offense, but right now as a fan I'm just over the moon. The team with the best player won.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I don't know what to say. Plenty to criticize about how the Cavs ended that game on on offense, but right now as a fan I'm just over the moon. The team with the best player won.

You damn bandwagon... oh wait. That will be for others down the line. Special congrats to you and stevew. Way to stick with your team. Enjoy the championship.

[stevew]

Anderson Varejao gets a ring, right?

And I only got to see the end, but it was sweet--that block doe.

[Neon_Chaos]

Aw. So sad I'm going to be retiring my signature.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by stevew

Anderson Varejao gets a ring, right?

And I only got to see the end, but it was sweet--that block doe.

Yep, he actually got a ring either way, so it was a win-win series for him. I would have loved to see him get on in a Cleveland uniform, though.

[Thomkal]

Congrats to the Cavs on their 1st championship in all those years! Guess you are a man of your word LeBron

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

You damn bandwagon... oh wait. That will be for others down the line. Special congrats to you and stevew. Way to stick with your team. Enjoy the championship.

Thanks! It's been a long, stressful wait. But hey, all worth it on a day like this.

Watching the interviews, from the start of the playoffs to now Kerr looks like he's aged 10 years to me. I guess the OKC and CLE series have probably been the toughest stretch they've had had since he came on-board - not a lot of smiling and joking around on the sidelines.

[Arles]

Congrats to Lebron and the city of Cleveland. What a series by the king!

[mckerney]

This will go down as the greatest day in history or Crying Jordan memes.

[Groundhog]

I can't open twitter because of Game of Thrones spoilers, but I can just imagine I'll be scrolling through 12 hours of Curry and Green Crying Jordan memes later tonight.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I think something that is being (and will be forever) overlooked is the defense Cleveland played. The Warriors missed plenty of open shots in games 5 & 6, but not very many tonight.

[Groundhog]

Yeah, and somehow Love didn't look too terrible on that end and even led the game in +/- too. To his credit he rebounded well tonight, and put in the effort even if he looks completely drained of confidence.

I'm grateful Livingston didn't play more these past couple of games, too. He kills us on both ends and even plays OK D on LeBron in the post.

[wustin]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Yeah, and somehow Love didn't look too terrible on that end and even led the game in +/- too. To his credit he rebounded well tonight, and put in the effort even if he looks completely drained of confidence.

I'm grateful Livingston didn't play more these past couple of games, too. He kills us on both ends and even plays OK D on LeBron in the post.

How grateful have you been whenever Kerr decides to put in Ezeli lol.

[Groundhog]

I don't think the problem was Ezeli as much as it was their reluctance to stop switching that kept putting him in bad positions.

[Groundhog]

dola

Although I'm grateful Speights didn't claim those mins instead, yes.

[wustin]

Even in the first quarter when he pulled down a rebound, Love managed to snatch it out of his hand. He missed a lot of good looks too. Speights or Varejao would not have bitten the pump fake and give Lebron 3 free throw attempts

I've been ragging on Ezeli this entire postseason and I just want to vent it all out now.

[stevew]

Ezeli is a max player? Is his biological father Jon Koncak? I mean, I'd much rather overpay Biyombo who is younger and doesn't have the scary injury history.

[Abe Sargent]

Welcome to 2016, the Year of Leicester City and Cleveland.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by wustin

Literally take Ezeli out right now. He's been awful in the post season.

Edit: lmao some team is going to give Ezeli a near max contract.

Funny you say this. Max Kellerman suggested on his local radio show that the Lakers give Ezeli 3 yrs, $51 M.

Of course, when Kellerman is talking anything but boxing, he's an utter moron.

[wustin]

NBA Draft is this Thursday.

Edit: I think a lot of teams will re-evaluate how they feel about Ezeli in the upcoming weeks. There are two things he does well: run the floor and catch lobs. I mean at least he's better than Javale McGee. He'll only be a RFA this summer and I don't think any team is going to give him a big contract. If it's reasonable...Warriors may match begrudgingly.

[Groundhog]

Lakers giving Ezeli that money sounds like exactly the kind of thing they'd do. LA, or NYK.

[MrBug708]

3 years isn't so bad, though I'd stay away from him personally. If they do that, they are keeping the young guys.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Lakers giving Ezeli that money sounds like exactly the kind of thing they'd do. LA, or NYK.

No kidding, right?

I laughed when I heard Kellerman say it, but it was also with a bit of a cringe (even as a Clips fan).

[nol]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I don't know what to say. Plenty to criticize about how the Cavs ended that game on on offense, but right now as a fan I'm just over the moon. The team with the best player won.

If only David Blatt had been there to coach them up. Probably looking at 16-0 for the playoffs in that case.

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I think something that is being (and will be forever) overlooked is the defense Cleveland played. The Warriors missed plenty of open shots in games 5 & 6, but not very many tonight.

The "if only we had made wide-open shots" card is a tough one to play against a LeBron James team. He's an 8-time NBA champion if you apply that to his team as well. One would certainly expect the Warriors to have less legs on their jumpers by the end of two intense seven-game series.

Originally Posted by stevew

Ezeli is a max player? Is his biological father Jon Koncak? I mean, I'd much rather overpay Biyombo who is younger and doesn't have the scary injury history.

Yes, Biyombo is certainly "younger" than Ezeli. Anyway they'll both get paid the max or close to it because both are very good defenders.

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

No kidding, right?

I laughed when I heard Kellerman say it, but it was also with a bit of a cringe (even as a Clips fan).

Says the guy who literally tried to tell me I overrate defense when I said Draymond Green was a better player than Kevin Love last season I'm certainly fine with Festus Ezeli making the same amount Greg Monroe got last year when the salary cap is 30 percent higher. Plus the Lakers are very unlikely to make the playoffs next season regardless, so by the time anyone would even start to consider him a disappointment, he'd almost be an expiring contract.

[wustin]

Ezeli and his impact when he's on and off the court during this playoffs.

Festus Ezeli 2015-16 On/Off | Basketball-Reference.com

Can be summed to: He was a liability on most facets except rebounding. I think the most glaring issue is that the Warriors turn the ball over more whenever he's on the court

Edit: Bismack for comparison

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...1/on-off/2016/

[nol]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

BTW, let's now forget. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce your NBA champion...JR Smith!

JR Smith: "Everything I do is for my parents and for my family." https://t.co/iRAobCNr0o

— NBA Stats (@StatisticsNBA) June 20, 2016

And he certainly earned it. There was some point earlier in the game (probably late first or early second... memories are a bit fuzzy due to watching the game with some big Cleveland fans) when he got called for a moving screen and then the camera cut in to JR conversing with the referee. I immediately thought "oh shit" but JR was just actually more cool and collected than his teammates seemed to be at the time. After all the "you know JR Smith will screw his team over at some point" stuff over the years, that was very cool to see.

Even towards the end of the regular season I read quite a few articles (some of them about JR/the Cavs and some about more NBA-wide stuff) and some of the quotes JR had were some of the more cerebral things about the game you're likely to hear about the NBA from someone on the record. He's certainly a fascinating guy who's been his own worst enemy for much of his career.

When he first came into the NBA after LeBron's rookie year, I remember thinking he'd have been such a good fit to spread the floor in Cleveland, who then drafted Luke Jackson. For all the criticism lobbed at LeBron for his leadership style, you'd be hard-pressed to find another player (maybe Magic) whose teammates not only respect him for his work ethic and how he competes but genuinely like to be around him. JR Smith has obviously been around a lot of different players and coaches in his career, but you can tell that when he was traded to Cleveland, it was a totally new outlook for him.

[nol]

Originally Posted by wustin

Ezeli and his impact when he's on and off the court during this playoffs.

Festus Ezeli 2015-16 On/Off | Basketball-Reference.com

Can be summed to: He was a liability on most facets except rebounding. I think the most glaring issue is that the Warriors turn the ball over more whenever he's on the court

No, that can actually be summed to: When he's not in, the Warriors are either playing Andrew Bogut or the small lineup that's probably the best/most feared lineup in league history, so no shit they do better. So he's worse than Andrew Bogut but 5 years younger. Also pretty convenient to ignore the on/off numbers for the regular season on the exact same page there. You do realize that his on/off numbers show that the Warriors still outscored their opponents when Ezeli was in the game, right?

[Antmeister]

Not a Cavs fan, but I was happy to witness NBA history, see a city in a championship drought win a championship. Then witness a team who let go of a coach, have an opportunity for two players, who were injured in last year's Finals, get their redemption (Kyrie and Kevin), see a team with the best record lose to the very same team they handled last year and see some temporary silence for the critics of Lebron.

That image of Craig Ehlo falling on the ground after Michael Jordan hit that shot will finally be a distant memory.

And, just wow, to see a former player of my team, Tyronn Lue, coach his way to an NBA championship is still something to get used to.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Antmeister

And, just wow, to see a former player of my team, Tyronn Lue, coach his way to an NBA championship is still something to get used to.

Finals or not, nothing makes me feel older than seeing Tyronn Lue, a guy who I clearly remember on his draft day, coaching an NBA team.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by nol

If only David Blatt had been there to coach them up. Probably looking at 16-0 for the playoffs in that case.



The "if only we had made wide-open shots" card is a tough one to play against a LeBron James team. He's an 8-time NBA champion if you apply that to his team as well. One would certainly expect the Warriors to have less legs on their jumpers by the end of two intense seven-game series.



Yes, Biyombo is certainly "younger" than Ezeli. Anyway they'll both get paid the max or close to it because both are very good defenders.



Says the guy who literally tried to tell me I overrate defense when I said Draymond Green was a better player than Kevin Love last season I'm certainly fine with Festus Ezeli making the same amount Greg Monroe got last year when the salary cap is 30 percent higher. Plus the Lakers are very unlikely to make the playoffs next season regardless, so by the time anyone would even start to consider him a disappointment, he'd almost be an expiring contract.

You do overrate defense and underrate offense.

Your top 15 player or whatever you thought cost his team a championship by failing to control his emotions.

[nol]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

You do overrate defense and underrate offense.

Your top 15 player or whatever you thought cost his team a championship by failing to control his emotions.

Yeah, almost like a player would have to be good for his absence to adversely affect his team's ability to win games in the NBA Finals; otherwise his team could just sub in 35-year-old Richard Jefferson and be none the worse for wear. "Whatever I thought" LOL the guy ended up 2nd team all-NBA and is on the USA Olympic team; surely I'm the only one who holds such an extreme opinion. How much stupider do you need to make yourself look?

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Finals or not, nothing makes me feel older than seeing Tyronn Lue, a guy who I clearly remember on his draft day, coaching an NBA team.

Heh, I can say the same for Shaq and Kobe and it was already weird for me to see a number of coaches who I used to watch play including Kerr. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised since that is the natural evolution of things, but you begin to realize how long ago they played. Tyronn Lue is strange for me only because he is not that far removed from his NBA playing days and he is already a head coach that won an NBA championship.

[Kodos]

I was rooting for Golden State, but seeing Cleveland finally win a championship in something wasn't bad. Congratulations to Cavs fans.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I was rooting for Golden State, but seeing Cleveland finally win a championship in something wasn't bad. Congratulations to Cavs fans.

Agreed.. so happy for Cleveland!

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I don't think the problem was Ezeli as much as it was their reluctance to stop switching that kept putting him in bad positions.

I didn't think there was a way they could avoid switching. Every time Thompson picked Green is was an illegal screen and he was holding him.

[cubboyroy1826]

Okay so Leicester City, the Cavs and the Cubs?

[Dutch]

Congrats to Cleveland and LeBron. Job well done!

[Mantle2600]

On behalf of Cleveland, we say thank you for the support!

[Calis]

Didn't really have a rooting interest but was slightly pulling for Golden State to win just to cap off season they had. Really fun game to end the series. Loved the effort by Lebron and Green. That block in transition Lebron had on Iguodola was one of the better plays I've ever seen. That was the point I was pretty positive Cleveland was going to win it.

Seems like Irving's contributions has been devalued a little bit with all the comments about Lebron. Obviously Lebron was MVP of Series and amazing, but he had some damn nice contributions from others also.

[Atocep]

Johnny Football will one day be bigger in Cleveland than his buddy LeBron ever was.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 9, 2014

Just a reminder of how big of an idiot Skip Bayless is.

EDIT: Out of curiosity I checked his twitter and it looks like he's doubled down on his Lebron hate. Apparently it's unbelievable that Kyrie wasn't finals MVP.

[nol]

It was pretty neat to see it come down to Kevin Love trying to guard Curry on the perimeter and forcing a tough shot. For all he went through with getting injured, getting benched, being picked on defensively (switching LeBron onto Green was the coaching adjustment of the series), and struggling offensively, he gave the kind of effort that you simply couldn't have expected from his time in Minnesota.

I have no idea what that does to Cleveland's perception of Love's fit going forward or how it affects what other teams would be willing to trade for him because with all that said, he averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds on 36% shooting, and the Cavs' biggest win of the series came when he was out with a concussion. I almost hope on his behalf there's some other underlying injury he's been playing through because when he joined Cleveland, I figured he'd be a glorified stretch 4 who's a minus on defense but could at least dominate wing defenders in the post (in contrast to Ryan Anderson or Ersan Ilyasova), but he could just get nothing going against guys like Klay Thompson or even Shawn Livingston. Othewise, I think he's at the age where what you see is what you get.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by nol

Yeah, almost like a player would have to be good for his absence to adversely affect his team's ability to win games in the NBA Finals; otherwise his team could just sub in 35-year-old Richard Jefferson and be none the worse for wear. "Whatever I thought" LOL the guy ended up 2nd team all-NBA and is on the USA Olympic team; surely I'm the only one who holds such an extreme opinion. How much stupider do you need to make yourself look?

I feel sorry for you, whatever you have gone through in your life, that you treat people who disagree with you this way.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Johnny Football will one day be bigger in Cleveland than his buddy LeBron ever was.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 9, 2014

Just a reminder of how big of an idiot Skip Bayless is.

EDIT: Out of curiosity I checked his twitter and it looks like he's doubled down on his Lebron hate. Apparently it's unbelievable that Kyrie wasn't finals MVP.

It's a common cognitive bias. When something with a strongly held opinion comes across evidence that suggests they are wrong, they usually use that evidence to strengthen their belief. Skip is just doing what we all do, it's a basic cognitive bias.


EDIT - In this case, a form of conformation bias:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Johnny Football will one day be bigger in Cleveland than his buddy LeBron ever was.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 9, 2014

Just a reminder of how big of an idiot Skip Bayless is.

EDIT: Out of curiosity I checked his twitter and it looks like he's doubled down on his Lebron hate. Apparently it's unbelievable that Kyrie wasn't finals MVP.

Well it's a match made in heaven then...

[PilotMan]

This was beautiful and from great perspective.

LeBron's Block Still Doesn't Seem Possible

But forget the stakes. Consider the circumstances! LeBron played another 2,700 minutes this regular season, the 11th time he’s crossed that threshold in his 13 seasons in the NBA. He’s now topped 38,000 regular season minutes, good for 42nd all-time. He’s played the 7th-most minutes per game in NBA history, at just under 39 a night. Add another 8,300 or so playoff minutes, including 822 in these playoffs. Consider that every one of the minutes he’s played in his career has been as the best and most important player on the floor. Consider that the last 10,533 of those minutes—those accrued over the last three seasons and playoffs—have come after what most have agreed was the crest of LeBron’s athletic prime. Consider that the last 291 or so of those minutes came against the best regular season team in the history of the NBA. Consider that the last 131 or so of those minutes came after his team fell into a 3-1 deficit, one from which no team has ever recovered. Consider that the last 47 or so of those minutes came in the biggest game of his career, on the road, in the loudest arena in the league. Consider that, with two minutes left in the game, he’d spent the previous 289 minutes accruing more minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks than every other player. On both teams.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

It's a common cognitive bias. When something with a strongly held opinion comes across evidence that suggests they are wrong, they usually use that evidence to strengthen their belief. Skip is just doing what we all do, it's a basic cognitive bias.


EDIT - In this case, a form of conformation bias:


Confirmation bias - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this case, I think it's simply "look at me and please give me clicks/retweets", nothing more. Just one of the many morons who rely on controversy rather than good reporting and who pass for sports commentators these days