NFT: NBA Playoffs thread

Patty Mills was an absolute killer down the stretch, and Tim Duncan did Tim Duncan things.


Blake had a 29pt triple double, great game overall by him, but those two turnovers he had in the 4th and OT were absolute killers.

The Clippers starting 5 is a tremendous unit, but their lack of bench is going to kill them at some point in the playoffs. Win or Lose this series, I can't see a team with a bench that weak winning a title.

even if he's 38 years-old. Before he got tired, he was totally whipping the Clippers' asses.

Hack a DeAndre worked because he only made 35%, but the Spurs almost screwed up because they stopped making baskets while they were doing it.

I didn't realize until I watched the postgame how little minutes the Clippers' bench played.

Spurs bench played 103

With the game being played on Friday, the Spurs should be the fresher squad.

But Timmy did play 44 mins, I wouldn't expect a repeat performance in Game 3.

never count them out.

Vintage Duncan last night. They got a split. For their sake, Parker needs to be able to go tomorrow night.

The more I think Paul Pierce's criticisms were on the money. I think he can't cut it in a big market, and lost a lot of ambition as soon as he got paid.

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Over the past three seasons, in the final five minutes of playoff games in which the Nets are ahead or behind by five points or fewer, Williams is 2-for-17 from the field.

Rajon Rondo can't get along with coaches. Have to put the blame on the player in both instances.

barely beat out Draymond Green.

Green actually had more 1st place votes than Kawhi (45 to 37), but Kawhi won the overall vote (333 to 317). DeAndre Jordan was a close 3rd with 32 1st place votes and 261 overall vote points.

All due respect to Draymond Green. His ability to switch onto anyone is one of the main reasons why the Dubs are so damn good. Very good defender. And he played more games than Kawhi which matters.

But Kawhi at his best, is hands down the best wing defender in the league. He can just dictate an entire game with his D in a way Draymond just can't imo.

A fucking joke that Kawhi has more DPOYs than Duncan. Duncan deserved 2-5 DPOYs over the past 15 years.

are (in no particular order): Kawhi, Tony Allen, Chris Paul, Lebron, AD

this game. Stevens needs to stay big with Bradley, Turner, and Crowder.

but if the game is going to be officiated this way throughout the playoffs, just put Lebron in the finals. You cant touch him, and he can do whatever he wants when he has the ball or defends.

It's clear as day that Celtics team lacks talent. I have no idea how they are in these games, or in this position to begin with.

I wish the Knicks had him as a coach. Instead we have a vastly overpaid coach who looks completely lost.

Rose looks really good.

Rose ain't playin

any shot at the Cavs series?

.

is one of the worst in the league. Hold the ball til 3 seconds and throw up a prayer.

Rose has basically played the whole 4th quarter and is dead out there now when they need him.

They may blow this game but its actually not the end of the world.

Another game to get Mirotic back and for this team which has hardly played together to gel before facing the Cavs.

called that foul before there was any contact

In comment 12246795 MookGiants said:

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called that foul before there was any contact

It was clearly a foul though.

body to body, clear foul

you miss the foul, and the ball is now off Rose. No justice in this call whatsoever. Kenny Mauer continues to be a fucking worthless referee.

in the last 1 minute for the Bulls. 1 shot attempt in the last two minutes. Lebron will outcoach Thibs so bad next series.

Berman is now making the case that Jackson may wait until 2016 for the big free agency move. Of course, this is cross-purpose with having Melo on your roster at his age, but it is what it is.

There is also, of course, the possibility that Jackson is being more Zen than Berman gives him credit for, and just not showing his hand.


We'll see.
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thing about the nba is the timeouts at the end of a game. Great comeback by Golden State but the game has no flow ever at the end of a tight game, makes it brutal to watch.

And then they give each team 3 timeouts for overtime, which I'll never in my life understand. Give them 1 each and move on, would make for a lot better overtimes.

- They gave up 10 offensive boards in the 4th quarter.
- Davis missed a free throw to put them up 4 late.
- They didn't foul up 3 late.

Curry just whipped fuckin' ass late. Bogut's defense was really good in the 4th and Draymond murdered the offensive glass.

with the shot...

Is so max-contract bound it isn't even funny anymore.

In comment 12246870 santacruzom said:

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Is so max-contract bound it isn't even funny anymore.

Knicks.

the max is going to regret it.

If so, Bulls can definitely beat Cleveland.

Figured he would be back for the playoffs.

In comment 12246873 chris r said:

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the max is going to regret it.

Yeah, because the best way to describe the guy who just finished second in DPOY voting (with the most 1st place votes) and is 11th in the entire league in adjusted plus-minus is "a 12 and 8 player". Because that's an accurate reflection of his value. Okay.

and it'll be a mistake.

Awesome defensive player though. Not someone you build a team around.

In comment 12247012 Ten Ton Hammer said:

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and it'll be a mistake. Awesome defensive player though. Not someone you build a team around.

Keep in mind that the cap is projected to have huge jumps in two consecutive offseasons after this one. A max this offseason will be 25% of the cap this year, but it will only be about 20% of the cap next year and 15% of the cap the following year. Green doesn't have to be an alpha dog on a team at that price.

And it's important to consider who is offering the max deal. Golden State can and will match any offer Green gets. I can agree with someone saying that a team like, say, Charlotte might not want to offer Green the max because their offense is completely broken and he can't do much to fix it. But he's an incredible fit for GSW.
Salary cap projection for 2016 and 2017. - ( New Window )

I was thinking more along the lines of a rebuilding team like the Knicks spending that much on him.


He's a better fit for a team that needs one or two more parts to complete the puzzle, than a team that is going to lean on his ability to take them somewhere.

In comment 12247012 Ten Ton Hammer said:

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and it'll be a mistake. Awesome defensive player though. Not someone you build a team around.

greg Monroe a much better max candidate...

"maxing out" a player doesn't always mean 80-100m

Plus, if you're going to spend money, spend money on size, not wings.

these late Western Conference games have been the highlight of the NBA this year.

As great as Steph Curry's shot was (and three point shooting to close out the game), it was really Barnes/Draymond and the role players who did work attacking the offensive glass that won the game for the Warriors last night.

The GM (name escapes me) and Kerr have done a fantastic job building and utilizing an incredibly well-rounded and deep bench this season.

In comment 12246999 Audible said:

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In comment 12246873 chris r said: Quote: the max is going to regret it. Yeah, because the best way to describe the guy who just finished second in DPOY voting (with the most 1st place votes) and is 11th in the entire league in adjusted plus-minus is "a 12 and 8 player". Because that's an accurate reflection of his value. Okay.

It's not accurate, but it sure is chrisesque!

In comment 12247099 Ten Ton Hammer said:

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I was thinking more along the lines of a rebuilding team like the Knicks spending that much on him. He's a better fit for a team that needs one or two more parts to complete the puzzle, than a team that is going to lean on his ability to take them somewhere.

I don't think anyone is signing him to be the alpha dog on offense. But the Knicks wouldn't need him to be. They wouldn't even need to sign him to be the #2 option on offense. The whole reason Melo is on the team is to be the primary scoring option - if he's not in that role he's not maximizing his value. If I'm going to pick a guy to pair with him, I want to pick a guy who complements his skills as the 3/4 as well as possible, and to me that means I want a defensive superstar. If I could choose literally anyone whose contract is up I'd probably choose Kawhi, but really I'm looking for someone who can change the game without needing the ball in his hands and who complements Melo's weaknesses.

It's a moot point anyway because the only way I see Green leaving Golden State is if he gets charged with a felony or something. There's no way they break this team up.

In comment 12247217 PaulBlakeTSU said:

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these late Western Conference games have been the highlight of the NBA this year. As great as Steph Curry's shot was (and three point shooting to close out the game), it was really Barnes/Draymond and the role players who did work attacking the offensive glass that won the game for the Warriors last night. The GM (name escapes me) and Kerr have done a fantastic job building and utilizing an incredibly well-rounded and deep bench this season.

This may be an unfair nitpick and it certainly isn't a lone reason, but I think the Pelicans win if not for one dumb, incredibly tone deaf play by Evans.

With Anderson in the middle of a hot streak and up by about fifteen with six minutes left, Evans goes coast to coast, drives to the basket against 3 Warriors (with a fourth rotating to help), and gets blocked. The Warriors score on free throws on the other end.

If Thompson, Curry, or even Speights were shooting as Anderson had been, the rest of the team would have force fed the ball to him almost to a fault.

Fun game, especially if you're a Warriors fan. Steph got crunched on his last-second, game-tying three, and it really should have been a four-point play attempt. Anyway, epic game for SF, and the Pelicans just showed their inexperience in numerous ways.

In comment 12247287 santacruzom said:

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In comment 12247217 PaulBlakeTSU said: Quote: these late Western Conference games have been the highlight of the NBA this year. As great as Steph Curry's shot was (and three point shooting to close out the game), it was really Barnes/Draymond and the role players who did work attacking the offensive glass that won the game for the Warriors last night. The GM (name escapes me) and Kerr have done a fantastic job building and utilizing an incredibly well-rounded and deep bench this season. This may be an unfair nitpick and it certainly isn't a lone reason, but I think the Pelicans win if not for one dumb, incredibly tone deaf play by Evans. With Anderson in the middle of a hot streak and up by about fifteen with six minutes left, Evans goes coast to coast, drives to the basket against 3 Warriors (with a fourth rotating to help), and gets blocked. The Warriors score on free throws on the other end. If Thompson, Curry, or even Speights were shooting as Anderson had been, the rest of the team would have force fed the ball to him almost to a fault.

Agreed, Evans is good at driving to the basket, but has low BBIQ. He should have been feeding Anderson and Davis all through the fourth quarter. And Monty Williams should have made him do so, or subbed in someone who would.

Also, the Pels gave up way too many offensive rebounds in the 4th quarter. The Warriors were still missing shots, but they were cleaning up on the boards. And that was with a small line-up.

player to be a stretch four for than Anthony Davis and so when Kelly was hitting his shots, it was fantastic for New Orleans. It was foolish basketball to not feed Kelly when he was hot and let him open things up even on his misses.

In comment 12247217 PaulBlakeTSU said:

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As great as Steph Curry's shot was (and three point shooting to close out the game), it was really Barnes/Draymond and the role players who did work attacking the offensive glass that won the game for the Warriors last night.

Draymond not only had two huge put-backs in the final quarter, but he also made a great steal of a pass to Davis that started a fastbreak and resulted in two free throw attempts, which he made.

great game, was really hoping the Pelicans could steal it and make it a series.

LeBron with another 30/10 playoff game, ho-hum. But Kevin Love hit 6 big threes and finished with 23. For all the blame Love gets, the Cavs are a dominant team when Love is on the court. The Celtics arne't much of a challenge but it's still nice to see Love play well in the playoffs.

Rockets vs. Mavs
Raptors vs. Wizards
Clippers vs. Spurs

I really hope the Rockets win tonight and go ahead 3-0, I want this series to be over asap. Raptors on the ropes in Washington, but I think they have a chance to come back if thieir All-Star backcourt plays like it. Spurs vs. Clippers should be great.

Spurs.

to go up 3-0 in the series. The stars came to play in this one. Dirk and Monta had 34 points each, Harden dropped an efficient 42/9 and Dwight had a 26 rebound night in the middle. Let's get the brooms out, I don't want Dallas taking even a single game. The D needs to step it up.

Toronto-Washington in a tight one early in the 4th. Spurs jumped out to an early lead on the Clips.

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