Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

[Smallville102001]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

Yeah, entire team has given up at this point. Harden was in the post game questioning the strategy they played with.

This one is done. Think i'll be going for a Memphis/Cavs finals.

Am I the only one who thinks that golden state is still going to beat grizzles? I still don't really think that grizzles are that good. It is very rare that my preseason predictions are way off and already grizzles have gotten farther then I thought they would.

[The 24th Letter]

Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

Its the Rockets tho.. not like Memphis or GS who gives them major problems.



This team is literally not even competing with them.

but they beat San Antonio to get here

[CMH]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

As someone who's been a Clipper fan since they were the San Diego Clippers and had Bill Walton on the roster, I still don't know how to react to them getting this deep in the playoffs and being this close to not only the Conference Finals but the NBA Finals. I am not sure how to process this.

My wife loves basketball and we went to the game on Friday night, and that may have been the most fun I've ever had at a sporting event. I don't know how far this train is going to go, but I am going to enjoy the ride.

Did Simmons look sad or freeeeee!

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[jeebs9]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

DeAndre on the hack-a-jordan
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q5hWGLoT3YA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Vni]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

DeAndre on the hack-a-jordan
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q5hWGLoT3YA" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>

I like De Andre more and more. He's gonna be a prime target this summer.

[coogrfan]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

Nobody else wearing Rocket Red had an MVP caliber season.


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Come on. Houston isn't losing close, we're getting destroyed. To attempt to blame that on any one guy is just dumb.

[ojandpizza]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

Come on. Houston isn't losing close, we're getting destroyed. To attempt to blame that on any one guy is just dumb.

I'm not blaming losing this series on one guy




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[Vni]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

The rockets corner stones are ready to go fishing.

[ehh]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

James Harden man.. Dude just can't show up in the playoffs.

All season long I was quietly chuckling at the MVP talk for this dude. Sure, it's a regular season award and all and that's fine, but I kept thinking about how things were going to go down once we got to the playoffs. To his credit though he has taken a step forward this year, at least he got his FG% over 40%, and well above for that matter. He's so very firmly entrenched in that second banana category though.

[JODYE]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

All season long I was quietly chuckling at the MVP talk for this dude. Sure, it's a regular season award and all and that's fine, but I kept thinking about how things were going to go down once we got to the playoffs. To his credit though he has taken a step forward this year, at least he got his FG% over 40%, and well above for that matter. He's so very firmly entrenched in that second banana category though.

This is so LOL worthy it's not even funny. Averaged 28-8-4 against Dallas and is averaging 25-9-5 against LA being about the only guy who can do anything on offense consistently at this point.

Just going to ignore that Josh Smith and Corey Brewer have been absolutely atrocious on both ends of the floor for 4 games. Or that McHale keeps trying to drive the round peg into the square hole and has made no adjustments in this series and hasn't realized yet that giving Harden the ball and trying to let him go one on one and get to the paint isn't going to work all game, because LA has the athletes to switch off, pack the paint and play the passing lanes? Harden went from taking nearly 43% of his shots from 10 feet and in to only 30% in the playoffs.

When your offense is that predicated on one guy doing everything, it is going to catch up to you at some point. Defenses can adjust, and take you away. We saw it in 2011 with Derrick Rose. This was bound to happen at some stage in the playoffs, just didn't think it would be the Clippers to do it.

You can also add the fact that the Clippers bench, the same group that was statistically the worst bench in the entire league this season has now looked like the best bench left in the playoffs in this series and have significantly outscored Houston pretty much every game.

But let's wait until the second round of the playoffs, when one guy is down to kick him while he's there and discredit what he did this year. I hope that you have the same critique of Steph Curry who has looked much worse in his series against Memphis.

[ehh]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

But let's wait until the second round of the playoffs, when one guy is down to kick him while he's there and discredit what he did this year. I hope that you have the same critique of Steph Curry who has looked much worse in his series against Memphis.

I've been saying this about Harden for the last three years and Curry as well. This is nothing new from me, I'm not waiting to kick him while he's down.

Going into this season he was shooting something like 37% from the field during his postseason career in Houston plus you have the Finals disaster in OKC as well. Thus far, baring a miracle comeback here, he's won exactly one series in three seasons in Houston. And you're damn right I'll have the exact same critique of Curry if they get bounced by Memphis, just like I have in the past. Why wouldn't I? Both of them have an enormous amount to prove in the postseason. I've seen more than enough NBA basketball in my life that regular season stats and awards don't excite me. Show me something in the playoffs.

I didn't completely rip the guy either, as I said he did finally get his FG% out of the 30s and he finally won a series. It's progress...

[JODYE]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

I've been saying this about Harden for the last three years and Curry as well. This is nothing new from me, I'm not waiting to kick him while he's down.

Going into this season he was shooting something like 37% from the field during his postseason career in Houston plus you have the Finals disaster in OKC as well. Thus far, baring a miracle comeback here, he's won exactly one series in three seasons in Houston. And you're damn right I'll have the exact same critique of Curry if they get bounced by Memphis, just like I have in the past. Why wouldn't I? Both of them have an enormous amount to prove in the postseason. I've seen more than enough NBA basketball in my life that regular season stats and awards don't excite me. Show me something in the playoffs.

I didn't completely rip the guy either, as I said he did finally get his FG% out of the 30s and he finally won a series. It's progress...

Based upon the post you quoted, there seemed to be an insinuation that you agreed that Harden "didn't show up" and that he was a "second banana" because of the results of this series, both of which couldn't be further from the truth.

Are you also calling Curry a second banana?

[ojandpizza]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

Harden just looks much "lesser".. He almost looks useless unless he's getting to the free throw line. I just thought this might finally be the year he broke out and went crazy in the playoffs, after having a regular season that I didn't think he would ever be capable of having.


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[Boltman]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

Curry & Harden are third bananas.

[ehh]

Re: Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round Discussion Thread

Based upon the post you quoted, there seemed to be an insinuation that you agreed that Harden "didn't show up" and that he was a "second banana" because of the results of this series, both of which couldn't be further from the truth.

Are you also calling Curry a second banana?

I didn't mean that he didn't show up, that's way too big of an exaggeration. What OJ said below is how I feel, he just doesn't blow you away when you watch him in the playoffs. He isn't taking over and going crazy. He's not enforcing his will on a game or series. He's going to put up numbers because of his usage and Houston's offense but the eye test, I dunno, I'm just not there and I don't think I ever will be.

As for Curry, yeah I'm definitely calling him a second banana for now. Hell I still consider CP3 a second banana until proven otherwise, he hasn't gotten to even the Conference Finals in his decade-long career. But I don't throw around "first banana" loosely, there are only a couple in the league. The Spurs have obviously showed that you don't need one to win the title but good luck replicating that masterpiece of a franchise.

Hell it's not just CP3 either, it's all these point/combo guards. I've beaten this to death over the years on OS but these guards just don't win titles. You still need a great big man or a generational talent like LeBron, Kobe or MJ. I did the research, last year I believe, and I think Tony Parker is the only point/combo guard to make the All-Star team and win a title in the same season since Isiah Thomas with the Bad Boys.

This is why the playoffs are so intriguing this year. Since the Spurs are already gone is LeBron, even short-handed, going to keep this trend going? Or will a guy like CP3 or Curry finally win a title? There are always your outliers once a decade or so ('04 Detroit, '11 Mavs) that have several fortunate breaks go their way, maybe we'll get that this year. We might since things are wide open and the Cavs are a bit of a mess.

Harden just looks much "lesser".. He almost looks useless unless he's getting to the free throw line. I just thought this might finally be the year he broke out and went crazy in the playoffs, after having a regular season that I didn't think he would ever be capable of having.

Agreed.