Can Melo Get His Ring Next?

[wwharton]

Re: Can Melo Get His Ring Next?

If he couldn't score in the post he wouldn't be doubled. He established in prior series that he had the ability to play down low as a traditional 4, and there was no way Durant was going to guard him without help, therefore forcing the double, which he then beat with passing (which isn't something every big can do-see Andrew Bynum).

If he wasn't a threat from the post they would have felt comfortable singling him. Obviously they didn't.

So, if he had been a non-threat from the post, or insisting on playing on the perimeter (ala the Dallas series), the defensive situation for OKC would have been much different.

While it was not the *one* thing that changed (and I feel in general LeBron's post play was overblown), it was certainly a primary factor (one of a handful) in the series, the ignoring of which kicked off this whole discussion.

Making a lot of assumptions here... unless you're Scott Brooks. The Thunder showed in many ways they weren't quite ready for the big stage, and that includes coaching. Not at all uncommon with a young team on their first trip to the finals. Hell, we can point to plenty of similar "duh" moments from the Heat last year.

But no one ignored his post play in this discussion. The statement was that his improved post game was why they won the championship. That's what got this started and is a very different statement. Even if we go with your assumptions, that would be the threat of his improved post game having a big impact. The Thunder never adjusted to see if it actually was improved enough to be a major factor. They just continued to put him position to be the same Lebron from the post we've seen for years. His play in the post most definitely had a significant effect... but not an improved post game.