Okay, actually I have been a loyal fan of KB (Kwame Brown) for about twelve years ? And I told my friends that I'm not gonna watch NBA again except the Grand Finals. However I've been following some news.
Would Spurs get into the Grand Final without Pachulia? Arguable.
Kawhi Leonard has already become at least a top 5 player in the league. DPOY, 25.5 ppts, 5.8 reb per game at age 25. Although the Spurs lost TD, there are still TP and Manu. Unfortunately we are not able to see Tony Parker or Kawhi because both got injured. This might also be the last season for Ginobili. I like this guy.
Would Spurs be a better team than the Warriors? Probably not. After all Warriors have splash brothers, Green, Iguodala (yes Iguodala) and: KD.
As Manu said during an interview: it's almost impossible to expect Curry, Klay and KD lose their shots at the same time in the same game. They also have McGee to cover the paint, but whether McGee, Pachulia and Green can overwhelm TT is a problem. T.Thompson is strong this year.
Cavaliers has the a pretty good PG Kyrie Irving, along with some league veterans: Deron Williams, J.R., Korver, Richardson, Channing Frye, Kevin Love. Not to mention LBJ, who is still the best player (?) in the league.
IMO KD lacks something that LBJ has. KD is definitely a superstar, but still a little bit away from a ring (assuming he's leading a team, for example if he's still in the Thunders). So WheyOfLife's comments.
And honestly I think the West is stronger than the East. Cavaliers did not have to fight any damn hard battles. They have better rest.
What's your thought on the NBA Grand Final/FMVP/Winner?
Ahhh Kobe Brown, the Demigod child of Kwame Brown and Kobe Bryant
LuL
lol, i haven't been following the nba for awhile but i know there wasn't a kobe brown in the league
Okay no Kobe Brown...
In all seriousness, no I don't think KD is overvalued. LeBron is (and I think nearly everyone would agree here), undoubtedly a better overall player, but KD is friggin lethal and one of the best scorers of all time.
As far as what KD lacks compared to LeBron, I'd say he lacks 2 things. (1) LeBron's leadership which makes his teammates significantly better, and (2) LeBron's passing.
You should consider making this a dedicated finals thread instead of focusing on KD, I was thinking about making one myself but you could just change a few things and viola.
Good point. Just finished my Econ homework. Will do it.
"Is the 2nd best basketball player in the world overvalued because the 2nd best basketball player of all time is better"
Dude he is like 35 feet tall and makes every three pointer he shoots, yeah nevermind you are right he is overvalued!
Just changed this to a Grand Final Thread. Yea IMO KD still needs to prove himself.
Thanks for making this thread. I say Warriors in 6, the firepower on that team is insane.
That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see it go to game 7. LeBron is a man on a mission and the Cavs are on a roll. I think that if LeBron and Kyrie perform as expected (wouldn't be surprised to see Kyrie with a game winner) and the Love and Thompson perform then it could be Cavs in 7.
Either way, I expect a great series and a game 7 could very well be on the books.
Haha Kwoy Leonard. I love it
haha, just correct the name
LeGOAT James will destroy Kevin DurCUNT and Stephanie Curry.
warriors in 6, too many weapons, cavs sneak a win in tonight though
Most Star Studded NBA Finals in history. What's not to love
Idk about win in six games. Last year Green got banned for two games. I always have a feeling that LBJ can turn things around.
Hoping for Cavs in 6.
However, two MVPs on one team is insane and ridiculously hard to beat. My head says GSW in 6, but my gut says Cavs in 6. I don't think it goes to a game 7 this year.
Of course, my gut was that Lehman would survive 2008, so don't trust my gut. My head didn't have much to add that year either.
Dubs in 7
And W or C ?
Just checked the news. 113-91. KD 38 pts. Definitely "Not Bad"
KD also looked good in last years WCF on the way to the Thunder going up 3-1 on GSW then he shot 30% from the field in the last 4 games, including 1-8 in the 4th quarter of game 6 when Klay Thompson was raining 3s all over OKC.
I dont lol
This has been such a boring bullshit season. Think about how perfect and balanced the league would be if Durant would have gone home to the Wizards
Not sure if Wizard can beat Cavs even with Durant... The East doesn't really have a team who can do it.
Still. Legitimate competition in the East and a much more balanced West
It would've been a worthy matchup. John Wall and KD attacking on the break would be a nightmare for any team. They're already one of the fastest teams out there. They only don't win now, because Beal and Wall have to play unblemished for four quarters, or else they'd get creamed. Imagine KD on that team, it'd be perfect. He would add an actual shooter to the perimeter, which would open up more lanes for J Wall. And Beal would have more options and spacing on the pick and roll. LeBron has no comp in the East and he still didn't win the Conference.
I predict PENGUINS in 5. The NBA MVP will be SID CROSBY!
Any projections for G2?
I'm so hoping that the Cavs win so I can talk shit to any person over 35 that feels Michael Jordan is the untouchable god of basketball.
Because LBJ would instantly become the greatest player to ever play basketball. Don't @ me b/c it's facts, b.
But GSW is going to run them out of town. This will be worse than the last year against the Spurs.
Game 2 is going to be a lot of the same.
..
Nice G2
G3, Warriors beat Cavs again. Last year Cavs made a 1-3 comeback. Putting the possibility of a 0-3 comeback aside, a 4-0 NBA Finals is not fun to watch.
Ok dude what the hell is a grand final lmao please stop calling it that
Fun if you hate Cleveland.
Yeah, I don't really like or watch much basketball, but watching LeBron get swept is entertaining me.
if the cavs and lebron come back from 0-3, and win in 7, Lebron James will the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) and surpass MJ
I mean I'm not sure if he's better than MJ. We need to keep in mind that he's been in the East for year and there's really no teams who could/can stop him/his team to get into the Final/Conference Final...and "what happened to Kobe Bryant? Is he de*d?" (Charles Barkley, 201X, Sports News)
lol Kobe Bryant? Lol man, Kobe Bryant averaged 16 ppg on 35% shooting and won a final. Kobe Bryant shot 25% from the field in the game 7 of his final championship. Kobe Bryant has a 29% fg with 5 seconds to go in the 4th/OT with the game tied or with his team in position to tie it in the playoffs. Kobe Bryant is not a top 10 player of all-time, not to even speak of comparable to Lebron and MJ.
As much as I want to see LeBron win, I just can't imagine a way to stop the GSW when every player on the team can shoot lights out from behind the 3 line....people can't hate on LeBron for not winning when MJ didn't have to defeat a team nearly this good
Yeah, it will be really tough/impossible. MJ had Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and Lakers and Celtics though.
How old were Magic and Larry during those Finals? Like 36? Come on now
ABC just reported game 3 viewing up 14% from last year. I guess dominance is paying off for the advertisers.
definitely
I think SID CROSBY is absolutely ON FIRE. PENGUINS in 6!
My name is gold stein?
Trolling is gay
Sidney Crosby plays hockey like his name portrays....a GIRL
The singular strategy to beat jump shooting teams has always been physical, uncomfortable defense. In today's league, teams seem to have forgotten that. If the Cavs employed an "in your face", no-room-to-shoot, 90s style gritty defense, game 3 would be locked up and they may have even stolen one in Golden State. Drive to the paint all game against the small Warriors lineup (not just the first half), and don't let them breath on defense.
I'm really disappointed with the Cavs and their coaching staff. Defense wins championships. The Cavs lost this series by trying to out jump-shoot the greatest jump shooting team of all time.
They don't have the personnel to play that kind of defense outside of a 32 yr. old LeBron in his 14th season. Additionally, this ignores the true reason for GSW's greatness, they have been a top 3 defensive team for 3 seasons in a row. So yea, I agree that defense wins championships, it is a big part of the reason GS is about to win 2 in 3 years (I will say that LeBron would've beaten them 2 years ago with Kyrie & Love but he probably shouldn't have won last year so it evened out).
BobTheBaker, Golden State's greatness is not dictated by their defense. They are great because they have 4 starters that on any given night can hit the 3 at a 50%+ clip. While their defense may be stellar, that's not why they're up 3-0 in this series.
They've been killing teams because nobody has bodied them up and played physical ball. What happens in virtually every single game is Golden State gets going from 3, their opponent tries to match them and inevitably can't, and from that point the game is pretty much over.
The Cavs may or may not have the personnel to play 90s defense. We will never know because they have not even attempted this strategy. The thing with this brand of basketball is, it's not so much talent but requires an entire team to buy into it, put in the effort and commit. Defense is more effort than talent.
They attempted, and largely succeeded, at that strategy past two finals. They slowed the game down and made it a grind. Reality is Shumpert isn't playing D anywhere near that level anymore and LBJ is getting old. Golden State's offense may get the headlines but their D is why they seem unstoppable. Cavs didn't score in like the last 4 minutes of game 3, game 7 Cavs didn't score for like 3-4 minutes at the end of the fourth, Golden State just happened to ALSO not score during that period. Don't underestimate Golden State's defensive greatness. Klay Thompson is a 6'8 defensive beast, Draymond is 2nd only to Kawhi on defense in this league, KD is 7 foot tall and has improved his defense dramatically, they had Bogut last year who was one of the best defensive CS in the league. Golden State's offense grabs the headline but their D is just as worthy of the task.
Nobody is disputing that they are a good defensive team, but that is not why they are "unstoppable". Teams do not employ the right strategy when playing GS.
Golden Staten is a SMALL team. Their defensive unit for all intents and purposes does NOT stack up well against teams who drive to the paint and abuse them inside. This has clearly been evidenced in the 1st half of the series when Lebron and Kyrie drive and score at will in the paint. The problem is they get away from this strategy when they fall behind, and they virtually stop in the 2nd half. When the pressure is on in the 4th quarter, they revert to getting into a 3-point contest.
KD is tall but soft on defense. Steph is tiny. Klay Thompson is great. Draymond is unstable and gets into foul trouble easily. This team does not have a true center.
Teams need to stop trying to out shoot GS and abuse them inside all game. And play some defense.
Golden State is not small... Curry is 6'3, KD is 7 ft, Klay is 6'8, Iggy is 6'6, Draymond is basically the only undersized player for his position but, obviously, that is no problem for him, he guards centers that have 5 inches on him and shuts them down consistently. Have you been watching KD this year? He isn't soft on defense any more apparently. Additionally, if you have a C that can't guard wings, Golden State will pick and roll you to oblivion, especially when they put Draymond at center, forcing you to take your traditional big man off the court. GS is not a "good defensivce team", they are a great defensive team. Idk how else to say it. Many teams have good shooters and good offenses (the Cavs, for example, had the 2nd best 3 pt% in the regular season) but lack the defense to make their slumps in shooting unnoticeable (the Cavs had a horrible regular season D and they are missing 3s this finals, and you see the result). This team is a juggernaut man, I am not a fan of them but I am a fan of reality, simply "getting physical" might get you a game or two in a 7 game series (LBJ did just this and won 2 games without Kyrie and Love) but it won't be enough to beat them.
My whole point from the beginning is that GS opponents use the wrong offensive strategy. By extension, this elevates Golden State's defensive numbers statistically. **GS is VERY susceptible to a pound-it-inside strategy. **We have seen the success of this strategy play out with our very eyes in the first half of series. Lebron was 10/11 driving to the basket in the first quarter and change of game 3.
It is clear that GS opponents at some point in the game fall in love with the 3. If you are the Cavs and you jack up FORTY-FOUR 3 pointers (44!) and make them at a 27% clip in game 3, that is a recipe for disaster. My god, if they were to even take 10 less 3s and use those possessions to drive in the paint, game 3 wouldn't have been close.
Golden State's defensive numbers are boosted by teams taking low-percentage shots because they want to emulate GS from behind the arc. This gives GS the ostensible appearance of being a great defensive team, but what it's really doing is letting them off the hook.
Agree to disagree.
Everyone is turning into a 3 pt shooting team, Cavs shot a ton of 3s against everyone this past year, they were second only to Houston in 3 point rate over the regular season (percentage of points that come from threes). Maybe you should wonder why a team that shot 38.8% from 3 in the regular season and (I believe, I can't find the numbers) shot even better through the eastern conference finals is shooting so horribly against GSW. I think.... wait for it... it's the fact that Golden State plays great defense (plus some bad luck of course).
Them NBA teams struggling to win just 1 game against GS and all they needed to do was read this post. A bunch of overpaid coaches, is what it is.
If the Cavs win this series, Lebron should be crowned leader of the free world and I will quit my job and work as a snack vendor at the Q (Cavs stadium) for the rest of my life.
I'm just looking forward to the offseason. The Celtics are poised to make a big jump this summer. There's a lot of buzz regarding Gordon Hayward signing with Boston to reunite with his former coach from his Butler days. Also, the Celtics look like they have enough cap room and assets (even after signing Hayward) to pursue a trade for either Jimmy Butler or Paul George. There's lots of rumors about Chris Paul signing with San Antonio, as well. Basically, it's now an arms race thanks to the massive spike in the salary cap. I just hope someone can dethrone the Warriors. I do not want to see a GSW dynasty for the next 5 seasons...
Celtics need to add Hayward AND Butler to have a chance to beat GSW. A good rebounder (better than Horford) might also be necessary. CP3 alone will not be enough to beat GSW unless Kawhi plays the best D of his life on KD & CP3 does the same with Curry & Aldridge learns how to play bball again.
I think San Antonio's potential hinges on Kawhi's health. The Spurs were up by 20+ against the Warriors in Game 1 of the Conference Finals before Leonard got injured taking a jump shot and landing on Zaza's foot. Then the Spurs pissed the lead away and never recovered. I'm not worried about Kawhi's D. He locked down both KD and LeBron in back-to-back series en route to the 2014 championship. It's really just everyone that Kawhi is not guarding that will pose a problem.
Yea, this is one of the best comments so far. I'm not sure why there are only two SBs ( including mine). I do not want to see that either. If CP3 goes to Spurs I'd expect Spurs to challenge Warriors. However, in the east, I really want to see at least one team that can challenge Cavs. If Paul George goes to Celtics that's pretty good
"Okay, actually I have been a loyal fan of KB (Kwame Brown) for about twelve years ?"
as some comments said, Warriors is really hard to beat. Tough fight for Cavs and LBJ. That's why the referees are trying so hard to help Cavs to win. Will upload some gifs later next week. Some are just hilarious
Cavs attempted 25 free throws vs. Warriors attempting 24 last game.... Game 2 Warriors attempted 24 and Cavs attempted 19....
And some Cavalier fans only look a cold data instead of the whole game to know what's going on. That's also very funny. Travel is not uncommon in Cavs. There are a lot of videos on YouTube and PEOPLE KNOW THAT
I am not a Cavs fan by any means. Traveling is prevalent across the NBA and refs don't call it, also know refs make mistakes, which is far more likely than some conspiracy to help the Cavs win.
Hey guys, G4 is down the road (actually it's today). It's legit to expect that G4 will be another close fight, given what G3 was like. KD has been doing well. It won't be a surprise if KD gets the FMVP. But probably some people will vote for Pachulia though. Especially Kawhi.
Update: 1-3. 0-3 ---> Championship does not seem to be impossible.
Okay, the (last) day of the NBA Final. KD FMVP or Game 6?
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