2015 NBA Playoffs

[Murat Baslamisli]

Cali's favorite steals the game for the Cavs so Hawks lose home again. Let's see how they will respond this time around.

 

[DarthFed]

And Carroll is almost certainly done for season. That injury did not look good. They have the MRI today for a sprained knee but I'm sure there was some ligament damage there unfortunately. Hawks needed to win the first 2 to have a decent chance.

I was thinking how happy Cali must have been to watch that last night from his boy. Those were some crazy shots he was knocking down too.

 

[DarthFed]

So T-Wolves score the number one pick in the lottery. After getting Wiggins, another numero uno for them. Future might be really bright for that team if they play their cards correctly.

Totally forgot about the lottery and I guess it's due to the fact the Bucks actually made the playoffs for a change. And I'm sure there were no Mallory Edens types on stage this time :cry

 

[kskate2]

Finally back home for a spell. Hawks are done. Korver is shooting somewhere in the 30's after lighting it up in the reg season. Their defense has been subpar this post-season and as Darth said, they are likely going to be w/o their best player. It'll be Curry vs Lebron in the finals.

 

[DarthFed]

It appears to be heading towards the obvious matchup but I figured the Cleveland series would be more competitive. The Warriors-Rockets games have been good ones and right down to the wire so Houston might be able to turn things around at home. I still think the Warriors steal one in Houston and close it out in 5 but the Rockets continue to battle. They are an annoyingly good team if that makes sense. Cavs will probably sweep Atlanta now, and I'm sure they will rest Kyrie for game 3 at least. If Hawks win game 3 they probably bring him back for game 4. When you look at that series one thing really stands out; the team that has the best player on the court has a big advantage in the playoffs, and if a team has the best player on the court by a country mile then it is an enormous advantage that seems dang near insurmountable. That's a big part of the Hawks' problem here.

 

[the AntiPusher]

This playoffs season sucks , even when the Bulls were still playing. Both east/west series are about exciting as if I was taking a doze of EXLAX to solve "north&south " internal issues

 

[brokenshoelace]

Yeah, with the exception of Spurs-Clippers (which ultimately hurt the playoffs' competitiveness as the Spurs would have made things more interesting had they advanced), and a couple of games in the Hawks-Wizards series/Bulls-Cavs series, these playoffs have been a dud. Hell, even the two game winners hit by Rose and Lebron in the Bulls-Cavs series came after a pretty poor game on the whole.

Injuries have affected things, because let's be honest, the playoffs is where you want to see stars shine. Props to Steph Curry and Lebron for delivering (especially the former, who's having an all-time great season), but injuries to Kyrie, Paul, Wall, and I can throw in Durant and Westbrook in there since injuries are the reason they're not present in the playoffs, really hurt things.

Here's hoping GSW win it all.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Yeah, with the exception of Spurs-Clippers (which ultimately hurt the playoffs' competitiveness and the Spurs would have made things more interesting had they advanced), and a couple of games in the Hawks-Wizards series/Bulls-Cavs series, these playoffs have been a dud. Hell, even the two game winners hit by Rose and Lebron in the Bulls-Cavs series came after a pretty poor game on the whole.

Injuries have affected things, because let's be honest, the playoffs is where you want to see stars shine. Props to Steph Curry and Lebron for delivering (especially the former, who's having an all-time great season), but injuries to Kyrie, Paul, Wall, and I can throw in Durant and Westbrook in there since injuries are the reason they're not present in the playoffs, really hurt things.

Here's hoping GSW win it all.

I think the Warriors will take it regardless if the finals probably won't began before sometime after June 1st, The long break will definitely benefit the Cavs and may cool down Step and company just a bit .

 

[DarthFed]

I think the finals start June 4th which means 10 days for the Warriors after today and 9 for the Cavs after tomorrow. Pretty crazy. Lebron will have to learn how to shoot if they will make it a series vs. Golden State. Even then I'm thinking a 6-7 game loss vs. 5.

BS is right that this has been a horrid playoffs. The two biggest failures are the Clips and Bulls. And I figured the Hawks would make this a series. Their defense on Bron is horrid, doubling him everywhere on the court even though he is literally shooting 15% from behind the arc these playoffs.

 

[shawnbm]

LeBron went 0 for his first 10 shots in the victory on Sunday evening, and then ended up dominating the rest of the game. His jumper has been a bit off the last two series, but he has come through in the clutch. One does not discontinue doubling down on him; he will score forty or more one-on-one if he wishes, just by driving to the hoop. If anything, mix it up on him so he is forced to shoot from outside the paint more often, but he will start synching in with the jump-shot at some point. Hence, you do what you can to contain James, but you can only succeed so much. Better to box out better on D so that the Cavs stop dominating on the offensive boards--that is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Like everyone else, I am not thrilled with the playoffs so far, but I am hoping and expecting an epic final. I hope I am not disappointed.

 

[DarthFed]

Best way to beat Lebron is to stop everyone else. Kind of goes against the notion of "letting the non-superstars" beat you but in Lebron's case he is just too good of a passer. It's different from guys like MJ and Kobe who were looking for their own shots and could go for 50+ easy if they get it going. Those are the guys you double all over the court and just beg for the others to try and beat you. And though MJ and Kobe could hurt you with the pass they are not Lebron in that respect. It is suicide what the Hawks are doing and given how Lebron has shot the ball these playoffs it is extra stupid.

The teams that are most successful against him do a good job of packing the paint and they also have a premier defender to check him on the perimeter.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I am impressed by Tristan Thompson in this series. He is coming along. He will be a key piece in Canada's national team if he chooses to play.

 

[shawnbm]

So far tonight, it looks as though Cleveland is, once again, dominating on the offense of rebounds. This makes a very big difference in the playoff game. They get so many extra penalties in the point differential is probably 60 or 70% So far tonight, it looks as though Cleveland is, once again, dominating on the offense of rebounds. This makes a very big difference in the playoff game. They get so many extra penalties in the point differential is probably 60 or 70% of the point differential is related to Cleveland doing so good with offense of rebounds.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I have to be Honest and admit the truth, Cali was correct about JR Smithangel: Dude, I have to give you your props, I didn't believe that JR could step up and he has thus far. ( I am still rooting for the Warriors)

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I have to be Honest and admit the truth, Cali was correct about JR Smithangel: Dude, I have to give you your props, I didn't believe that JR could step up and he has thus far. ( I am still rooting for the Warriors)

Sometimes the presence of a Lebron makes the whole difference for a guy like JR. We all knew he had talent but he had no direction. Just like MJ kept Rodman focused (to a point), maybe Bron is doing that to JR.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I have to be Honest and admit the truth, Cali was correct about JR Smithangel: Dude, I have to give you your props, I didn't believe that JR could step up and he has thus far. ( I am still rooting for the Warriors)

Sometimes the presence of a Lebron makes the whole difference for a guy like JR. We all knew he had talent but he had no direction. Just like MJ kept Rodman focused (to a point), maybe Bron is doing that to JR.

Yeah, its amazing to see what he has achieved. Muhat, I recall seeing LBJ in Chicago at the Mcdonald's all American game when he was a high school senior. I thought that all he would be is a dunker and a wild beast driving to the basket. Never knew he would be such a complete talent. Not fair to compare him to MJ, Kobe or even Bird because those guys were all street tough basketball assassins. I think that LBJ is different version of Magic but on steroids(not implying that LBJ juices). He is by far the best player in the league and he will make it tough for GS in the finals. Go Blackhawks

 

[kskate2]

GSW has so many offensive weapons. When they are hitting their shots, they will be difficult to stop. I can't see Cavs (even w/ their good defense) containing them enough to win 4 games. If Lebron keeps shooting so poorly, I can't see them putting up enough points to outscore GS.

 

[kskate2]

I knew this would happen:

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/id/12968728/chicago-bulls-fire-tom-thibodeau-coach-five-seasons

He's done and so are the Bulls. They will blow up this team in the off-season and Thibs will be coaching somewhere else.

 

[DarthFed]

I don't think they are making a mistake believe it or not even though Thibs is a solid coach. Sometimes a good coach can lose his team and that's what's happened in Chicago. Whether it be a spat with the owners or playing his starters too long it is clear the Bulls underachieved this year and might be better off changing things up. You can argue whether it's the players or the coach but the result is the same. IMO, that's the reason they aren't in the Finals. Lebron has never been more vulnerable as he was this year aside from his rookie season...and the Bulls still couldn't get over the hump and it looked like they gave up in game 6. They won't see Lebron shoot 40% and average 7 TO's over a 6 game period again...