Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

[King_B_Mack]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

Team thought Jackson and Martin would provide everything Harden gave them off the bench without hurting their lineup. And that’s exactly what happened. They won 13 more games the following season and were the 1 seed for the only time with that group. Would have made it back to the finals had Westbrook not gotten hurt in the playoffs.


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There is no guarantee at all that they would have made it back to the Finals. They lost to the Grizzlies in 5 in the second round and even if they did beat them, they would have had to make it past the Spurs in the conference finals to get there. You know, the squad that came within a Ray Allen miracle 3 of winning the title that year.

[cam21224]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

Stop it OJ. Stop bro. There is no defending that trade.

Spoiler

First of all, Harden was not tired of being in OKC. He wanted to either start or get paid what he thought he was worth and OKC wasn't willing to do either because they ****ed up with Kendrick Perkins. They offered Harden 4 years $54 million. His max would have been $60 million. So they let $6 million dollars decide to move him because they were too stupid not to sign Kendrick Perkins to a contract extension before he ever put on an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey. All that mess you just laid out about rim protection and what they gained with Ibaka is irrelevant because they could have still gotten that and kept Harden but they blew it by paying Perkins for no damn reason.

Everybody knew the league was headed towards a lockout and looking to make it harder for teams in big markets to just spend and spend and were going to do something with the luxury tax. They knew that, knew Harden and Ibaka still needed to get paid and yet they STILL paid Perkins. With Perkins' salary and Harden's qualifying offer, the Thunder were looking at nearly $73 million dollars in payroll heading into 2013-14 close to $3 million over the luxury tax line. Looking at 2014-15 where Harden's salary technically comes off the books the Thunder were at $64.5 million in salaries. If he accepted the contract they offered him they'd be paying him around $13.5 million annually and put their total salary at around $78 million. Had they given him the $60 million max that he wanted with what they were giving Perkins his average annual salary would have been $15 million and put their salaries at $80 million for the year, now $22 million over the salary cap and $10 million into the luxury tax. With the new luxury tax provisions in the CBA they would have been paying about $25 million or more on top of the $80 million they already owed bringing them to $105 million in payroll.

Whereas if you take Perkins' $9.2 million that he was owed off the books and gave Harden the max he was asking for, their salary goes to $71 million so they only have to pay $1.50 for every dollar over the tax they spend. They very well could have kept Harden and Ibaka addressing the issues you talked about.

According to Oj getting rid of a strength because said strength can't defend LeBron, block shots or rebound was the right move.

As if any one man can defend LeBron or any superstar for that matter, when big men who can rebound and block shots are easier to find then guys with Hardens potential and in the era of small ball no less.

Bruh just has to take the L.

Back then and now I still would of rolled with having those three guys grow together and finding those missing parts over what's transpired since that trade.

[ojandpizza]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

If it was almost any other circumstance other than one where we could blame OKC’s front office this scenario would result in the player being selfish. You want to leave a team that just made the finals because you want more touches and 6 mil? He wanted the money, he wanted the minutes and touches.

OKC, for as much some want to bash them here, have been a top 5 team over the course of a decade. If all their moves were so awful that wouldn’t be the case.


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[ojandpizza]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

There is no guarantee at all that they would have made it back to the Finals. They lost to the Grizzlies in 5 in the second round and even if they did beat them, they would have had to make it past the Spurs in the conference finals to get there. You know, the squad that came within a Ray Allen miracle 3 of winning the title that year.

You mean kinda like keeping Harden you still have no guarantee of anything either? They had the matchups for San Antonio, that was the point of paying Ibaka and Perk. They had just beat them.

.

As if any one man can defend LeBron or any superstar for that matter, when big men who can rebound and block shots are easier to find then guys with Hardens potential and in the era of small ball no less.

The “era of smallball” wasn’t nearly as prevalent then. Dirk just won a title as a big and that was perceived to be Miami’s weakness. San Antonio was still built to win rings based on their front court, Memphis was giving teams first because of their front court. Golden State wasn’t yet rolling through the West. And they were getting everting they got from Harden out of Jackson/Martin, it’s not like losing his role killed them. They won 13 more games the next season.


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[King_B_Mack]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

You mean kinda like keeping Harden you still have no guarantee of anything either? They had the matchups for San Antonio, that was the point of paying Ibaka and Perk. They had just beat them.


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Except they ACTUALLY DID win the western conference with Harden, so we KNOW what the team as constructed was capable of. So yeah, they had the matchups to beat them because they had just done it...WITH Harden genius. How’d those matchups minus Harden fare against the Spurs? Yeah, exactly they won 2 games and went home.


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[dubcity]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

Simmons gets 5 rebounds and 5 assists rolling out of bed in the morning.

[CMH]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

Why roll the ball to half court in order to force up a bad shot with 18 on the clock?

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[ojandpizza]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

Except they ACTUALLY DID win the western conference with Harden, so we KNOW what the team as constructed was capable of. So yeah, they had the matchups to beat them because they had just done it...WITH Harden genius. How’d those matchups minus Harden fare against the Spurs? Yeah, exactly they won 2 games and went home.


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That team didn’t still have Sef, and not only did it not have Harden it didn’t have the player they traded him for either.. thus no bench scoring. Not to mention what Kawhi had developed into.


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[superjames1992]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

That almost got out of hand.

[Vni]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

This game is getting crazy.

[dubcity]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

Why roll the ball to half court in order to force up a bad shot with 18 on the clock?

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That is something I see every game and it baffles me. It's like they want as much of the 24 clock as possible, but then they remember it's 2018 and only use like 6 seconds.

[ggsimmonds]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

All the momentum is with Miami, but they are only up 9.

Feels like they should be up by much more.

This could be dangerous for the Heat.

[Vni]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

26 turnovers and the sixers tie it.

[georgiafan]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

Heat should be up by more

Must win game for them
They are at home
Embiid is 2 for 10 and saric 3 for 9
Dragic and whitside playing well
76 have 9 more turnovers (25 total)
They are shooting 9 % higher from 3

[Vni]

Re: Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round Discussion Thread

Simmons with the big dunk.