Just skip to LeBron vs. Golden State in the Finals.
Haha, pretty much. The NBA has the most unwatchable and uninteresting regular season in sports. I'll be surprised if I watch 1 single Bulls game in its entirety.
to be the best American pro sports team ever assembled. I just don't see how anyone, including the Cavs, can beat them if they're healthy.
LeBron had the best Finals ever, Curry had a pathetic Finals, Kyrie went nuts, Draymond was suspended for a game, Harrison Barnes (who KEVIN DURANT!!! is replacing) didn't show up, and yet that Finals still went right down to the wire.
I just can't see even the Cavs standing a chance against a healthy GSW squad.
Westbrook and Harden both have a better than 0% chance of averaging Quadruple-Doubles (including turnovers) this year. Watching Angry Russ this year is going to be fun. I've always been a Durant > Westbrook guy, but I would love for nothing more than OKC taking down GSW in the playoffs behind an epic Russ series.
Mostly to see how Porzingis continues to develop and because they should be pretty exciting if Rose/Noah can stay on the court (which I'm not holding my breath for)
But at the end of the day, in a sport where you already know who's playing in the Finals before a regular season game is even tipped off, how excited can you really get? This has always been my major issue with the NBA. Knowing your team really doesn't have a chance from the get makes it pretty tough to get gassed up.
sports with a championship or bust mentality, then yea, you probably aren't going to care for the NBA. If you want to see excellent athletes and see how certain teams/players develop and who trends up/down, there's plenty of entertaining stuff to watch in the NBA this season.
I'd say the NBA regular season is more meaningful than the NHL's. The NBA regular season order of finish is far more predictive of playoff performance than the NHL's.
There's a massive difference between championship or bust and 90% of the league having absolutely, positively no chance of ever winning anything. At least in baseball or hockey you can dream of being an underdog that knocks off the powerhouses. That scenario has happened once in my memory in the NBA, in 2004.
There's a massive difference between championship or bust and 90% of the league having absolutely, positively no chance of ever winning anything. At least in baseball or hockey you can dream of being an underdog that knocks off the powerhouses. That scenario has happened once in my memory in the NBA, in 2004.
mavs over heat was an upset as well..
It's not about a "championship or bust" mentality...
It's knowing your team has no chance from the day the season starts. That's not the case with any other sport. 2013-14 Rangers, 2015 Mets or 2007/11 Giants type of seasons are what makes other sports so much more exciting for me. Even if the odds aren't great, being able to dream and have that hope that the team you root for can potentially get hot and make a run at it makes the regular seasons a lot more interesting.
I watch the NBA Finals every year and usually enjoy it but I don't see the appeal in the regular season when you already know 95% of the league has no chance at the trophy. That's not exciting to me.
but then i see these preseason games where they absolutely light it up...
my one concern with golden state is how much klay thompson and draymond will take a step back and let durant be 1b..
thompson and green are going to have to sacrifice a lot of shots, especially draymond he needs to realize the way he can help this team is by playing defense and rebounding...
now they are going to beat teams 130 to 100 a lot of nights...
weird because people constantly complain in NFL threads that there's too much parity and mediocrity and not enough great teams. Well... if you want to see greatness... the NBA is the place to be with an all-time great player and a potentially all-time great team.
Also, I don't think the Cavs are such a powerhouse that no one else in the East has a chance against them. Irving is hurt all the time and Lebron is a year older after playing another 100 or so games last year. Sure, Cleveland are the favorites but a bit too early to put them in the finals IMO.
weird because people constantly complain in NFL threads that there's too much parity and mediocrity and not enough great teams. Well... if you want to see greatness... the NBA is the place to be with an all-time great player and a potentially all-time great team.
Also, I don't think the Cavs are such a powerhouse that no one else in the East has a chance against them. Irving is hurt all the time and Lebron is a year older after playing another 100 or so games last year. Sure, Cleveland are the favorites but a bit too early to put them in the finals IMO.
The problem is the NFL teams are assembled and consist of 53 players. The NBA is very much an all star driven league and for many, just not all that compelling. When I watch Durant go to a 70 win team, I simply don't care.
A truly great NFL team can still lose, we see it all the time especially as Giants fans. In the NBA? Not really.
Golden State has the best regular season ever AND they add a guy who is gonna go down as one of the best ever? Ugh. I'm excited to watch the Knicks this year. Zinger in year 2...Noah hopefully doing Noah things...
weird because people constantly complain in NFL threads that there's too much parity and mediocrity and not enough great teams. Well... if you want to see greatness... the NBA is the place to be with an all-time great player and a potentially all-time great team.
Also, I don't think the Cavs are such a powerhouse that no one else in the East has a chance against them. Irving is hurt all the time and Lebron is a year older after playing another 100 or so games last year. Sure, Cleveland are the favorites but a bit too early to put them in the finals IMO.
LeBron will coast the first 60 games or so and then turn into super LeBron...it's a good strategy honestly.
to see if Brad Stevens and the Celtics can get over the early playoff hump and make a conference final. What a job he's done the first few years with decent talent but no real stars.
A great nba team lost in epic fashion last season. The warriors were defending champs with a 3-1 lead after winning 73 games.
I guess I don't consider a loss to Cleveland/LeBron that epic of an upset. If it was any other team then sure, but Cleveland was still putting out 2 of the top 3 or 4 players on the court. GS also blew their load going for the win record, so there's that too.
to see if Brad Stevens and the Celtics can get over the early playoff hump and make a conference final. What a job he's done the first few years with decent talent but no real stars.
I think that they are going to be a fun team to watch. I also think I am going to enjoy following Jaylen Brown's career.
Maybe the people "constantly complaining" in the NFL threads aren't the same people who find the NBA regular season to be incredibly unappealing?
Parity in the NFL isn't something I personally have an issue with. It's the over-saturation with the Thursday games, London games, etc, etc. which is leading to a crappy watered-down product and a lot of bad games.
Maybe the people "constantly complaining" in the NFL threads aren't the same people who find the NBA regular season to be incredibly unappealing?
Parity in the NFL isn't something I personally have an issue with. It's the over-saturation with the Thursday games, London games, etc, etc. which is leading to a crappy watered-down product and a lot of bad games.
Fair enough. I'm just excited for opening night and was trying to counter the negativity.
to see if Brad Stevens and the Celtics can get over the early playoff hump and make a conference final. What a job he's done the first few years with decent talent but no real stars.
i dont get the love with the celtics, yeah they overachieved last year, but i just see the hawks...
thomas and horford are good players but they are not superstars...
stevens is a fantastic coach and the team plays hard but i just dont see them as anything more than a hard working tough team that gets bounced in the 1st or 2nd round..
They should trade Lopez (who has quietly improved a lot as a player) before the deadline. But at least, after finishing with the worst record, they'll be able to draft Josh Jackson.
Oh, wait...
Well thank God we can watch Damian Lillard continue to develop into a superstar for the Nets. Shit, the eventual Lillard pick was traded for Gerald Wallace. Gerald. Wallace.
At least we can see Favors turn into a nice PF entering his prime. Fuck!
Pathetic, dumpster fire of a franchise with the worst name in sports.
I think we'll see some compelling match-ups despite the 2 powerhouse teams. More likely that Cleveland sleepwalks to the finals (Lebron, depite his epicness, benefits so much from that putrid conference. Not unlike Tom Brady in the AFC East), but the Pacers will surprise and probably reach the ECF. I'm really hoping Wade stays healthy and give us another potential legit playoff matchup.
Spurs & Clips will be good. And Jazz will probably fight for the 4th/5th seed.
Lebron has successfully transmogrified back into the good guy after the Heat villainy stage. It's rather apparent he didn't like being the "bad guy". Who is now decidedly in Golden State after that bitch ass move.
(Unrelated...after the Cavs championship, I say go Indians cause any city that has to endure the Browns deserve much happiness).
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Metnut: valid point...for some. I love parity, personally. Or, rather, the fairness, that causes it. The one change I'd like to see is that drafted players count less against the cap, but otherwise I think the NFL has it virtually perfect.
I'll enjoy Knicks games, especially if they're a 45-50 win team, but I won't be following the league the way I normally do because of Golden State. What's the point of watching some Rockets/Clippers TNT game on a Thursday night? I can't fathom watching any Western Conference games this season.
Russ vs Lebron vs Steph for MVP. If OKC ends up a top 4 seed (which I think they probably will) and Russ is averaging a triple double I don't see how he wouldn't get it.
Timberwolves get into the playoffs. Nothing bold, but year 3 of Wiggins and Levine topped with the best center in the league with Thibs coaching I think they get it done.
I think the Hawks return to a 55+ win team. No one likes Dwight but I think he's a better fit in Atlanta than horford. The Hawks got pummeled on the boards night in and night out and while horford is a solid defender, he's not nearly the rim protector that even old, lazy Dwight is.
I was high on the bucks as being a top 4 seed but I also thought Middleton was their best player. Still a solid team but they have a ceiling of sorts now. Still like the moves they made. Looks like I'm gonna be dead wrong on Maker.
I think the ECF will be Indy vs Cleveland.
I think Chicago will be a mess. They don't have one shooter in their starting lineup unless they are starting Mirotic. I don't see how you miss the playoffs with wade and butler but they're gonna be the ugliest team to watch. I think they're a bottom seed contender
Once Jackson comes back I think Detroit will be a powerhouse. I also like the Knicks winning 45+ this year. Factoring in a little injury issues too.
I like Boston's moves too, but struggling to see them as a serious contender still.
EC:
Cleveland
Indy
Boston
Toronto
Atlanta
NY
Detroit
Chicago
WC:
GS
SA
OKC
LAC
Utah
Portland
Houston
MIN or Memphis
I watched the Warriors game Friday night and to see a team
with Steph & Durant is breathtaking. Klay is the guy who needs to sacrifice the most, but he's such a good creator for other people that he'll be fine. Draymond bitched about shots when there was no Durant, so there's always a worry with him now. I think he'll handle it well though. It's easy to forget they still have Iggy and Livingston. If this sport still had real centers, the Warriors would have a problem there.
I shouldn't be surprised considering that hatred of the Knicks is rampant among basketball writers, but I'm a bit shocked at how many writers think the Knicks will be AWFUL. There was an article on espn.com saying the Nets will be better than the Knicks... c'mon man. The Courtney Lee signing didn't get many headlines, but he will be a massive improvement over Afflalo.
Steve Adams is my vote for MIP. I don't know if that's a cop out since he's only 22 and is expected to develop but I think he's gonna turn into a top 5 center. Average something like 12 and 12 and get votes for DPOY.
was voted the #1 player that GMs would draft to build a team around based on the annual Survey.
I'm surprised that Anthony Davis has been tossed to the side by GMs that quickly. Towns seems like a safer bet to stay healthy long-term and also is built more powerfully, but I'm still not ready to go Towns > AD to build a franchise around. Even in a down year, Davis still dropped a 60/20 game and had a good season. I wouldn't be surprised if he had the kind of year people like me expected him to have last year.
Embiid is a fucking freak of nature. Would be right there with these two right now if injuries didn't hurt him so much. His skillset at his size is nuts. Really hope this guy stays healthy.
Davis is my favorite player in the NBA but given the recent injury risks I would take KAT over him and Embiid. Embiid may have the highest ceiling out of the 3 as crazy as that sounds but also the biggest injury risk.
Even though I like Davis's impact a lot more, KAT is more of a go to guy. You can't really dump the ball to AD in crunch time. KAT looks more fluid with the ball in his hands and has more range (at least compared to Davis at the same point).
to be the best American pro sports team ever assembled. I just don't see how anyone, including the Cavs, can beat them if they're healthy.
I watched a few of their preseason games and the potential is absolutely mind blowing. There are instances in which the ball finds a guy like Klay Thompson with no defender within 8 feet. 3 of their starters can get hot like few other players in league history, and there will definitely be games in which 2 or even all 3 of them do so at the same time. And suddenly, now that they have Durant, they'll probably even get to the free throw line at an average or even above average pace.
They need to chill on the turnovers, but barring injury it will always be an upset when they lose, all season long.
is lack of rim protection. Bogut didn't pile up stats but he was so effective as a defender, and that will be missed. The first quarter of their last PS game against Portland was a layup line for Lillard and McCollum.
is lack of rim protection. Bogut didn't pile up stats but he was so effective as a defender, and that will be missed. The first quarter of their last PS game against Portland was a layup line for Lillard and McCollum.
I think the Bogut thing is a little over stated tho. I know he helped at rim protection but he played 16 minutes a game in the postseason and didn't provide much elsewhere, including getting back on fast breaks. Many people forget that Zaza and David West jumped on board for next to nothing. While I don't think Zaza is anywhere near the rim protector Bogut is, I think for 16 minutes a game they can get away with those 2.
Defensively, he gave everyone on the perimeter (especially Curry) the freedom to gamble a bit for steals. Offensively, he set incredible screens and would often handle the ball at the top of the key, finding cutters (or finding the guy who would then find the cutter). He may not have finished on many fast breaks, mostly because he often started them.
Going from Harrison Barnes to Kevin Durant is a significant enough upgrade to offset any downgrade losing Bogut presents, definitely. But it is still a downgrade.
I've been to a few preseason games, this is going to be a fun team to watch. While not a contender, this team is going to win more than Vegas predicted (27).
My point guard in college will get a ring tonight- I'm hoping it's on the telecast. One of the assistant gms and director of player personnel.
Pretty Damn cool!
Second that.
The people in Cleveland care. While I agree the regular season is a waste of time, raising your first banner is a big deal.
Haha, pretty much. The NBA has the most unwatchable and uninteresting regular season in sports. I'll be surprised if I watch 1 single Bulls game in its entirety.
Go T-Wolves.
LeBron had the best Finals ever, Curry had a pathetic Finals, Kyrie went nuts, Draymond was suspended for a game, Harrison Barnes (who KEVIN DURANT!!! is replacing) didn't show up, and yet that Finals still went right down to the wire.
I just can't see even the Cavs standing a chance against a healthy GSW squad.
Westbrook and Harden both have a better than 0% chance of averaging Quadruple-Doubles (including turnovers) this year. Watching Angry Russ this year is going to be fun. I've always been a Durant > Westbrook guy, but I would love for nothing more than OKC taking down GSW in the playoffs behind an epic Russ series.
But at the end of the day, in a sport where you already know who's playing in the Finals before a regular season game is even tipped off, how excited can you really get? This has always been my major issue with the NBA. Knowing your team really doesn't have a chance from the get makes it pretty tough to get gassed up.
I'd say the NBA regular season is more meaningful than the NHL's. The NBA regular season order of finish is far more predictive of playoff performance than the NHL's.
Yup. The vast majority of the season is nothing more than window dressing.
mavs over heat was an upset as well..
I watch the NBA Finals every year and usually enjoy it but I don't see the appeal in the regular season when you already know 95% of the league has no chance at the trophy. That's not exciting to me.
He will always be in our hearts.
my one concern with golden state is how much klay thompson and draymond will take a step back and let durant be 1b..
thompson and green are going to have to sacrifice a lot of shots, especially draymond he needs to realize the way he can help this team is by playing defense and rebounding...
now they are going to beat teams 130 to 100 a lot of nights...
and as a nets fan... I am trilled to watch a motion offense instead of Iso ball in Brooklyn.
Russ for MVP
Also, I don't think the Cavs are such a powerhouse that no one else in the East has a chance against them. Irving is hurt all the time and Lebron is a year older after playing another 100 or so games last year. Sure, Cleveland are the favorites but a bit too early to put them in the finals IMO.
Also, I don't think the Cavs are such a powerhouse that no one else in the East has a chance against them. Irving is hurt all the time and Lebron is a year older after playing another 100 or so games last year. Sure, Cleveland are the favorites but a bit too early to put them in the finals IMO.
The problem is the NFL teams are assembled and consist of 53 players. The NBA is very much an all star driven league and for many, just not all that compelling. When I watch Durant go to a 70 win team, I simply don't care.
A truly great NFL team can still lose, we see it all the time especially as Giants fans. In the NBA? Not really.
Also, I don't think the Cavs are such a powerhouse that no one else in the East has a chance against them. Irving is hurt all the time and Lebron is a year older after playing another 100 or so games last year. Sure, Cleveland are the favorites but a bit too early to put them in the finals IMO.
LeBron will coast the first 60 games or so and then turn into super LeBron...it's a good strategy honestly.
I guess I don't consider a loss to Cleveland/LeBron that epic of an upset. If it was any other team then sure, but Cleveland was still putting out 2 of the top 3 or 4 players on the court. GS also blew their load going for the win record, so there's that too.
Parity in the NFL isn't something I personally have an issue with. It's the over-saturation with the Thursday games, London games, etc, etc. which is leading to a crappy watered-down product and a lot of bad games.
Parity in the NFL isn't something I personally have an issue with. It's the over-saturation with the Thursday games, London games, etc, etc. which is leading to a crappy watered-down product and a lot of bad games.
Fair enough. I'm just excited for opening night and was trying to counter the negativity.
i dont get the love with the celtics, yeah they overachieved last year, but i just see the hawks...
thomas and horford are good players but they are not superstars...
stevens is a fantastic coach and the team plays hard but i just dont see them as anything more than a hard working tough team that gets bounced in the 1st or 2nd round..
Oh, wait...
Well thank God we can watch Damian Lillard continue to develop into a superstar for the Nets. Shit, the eventual Lillard pick was traded for Gerald Wallace. Gerald. Wallace.
At least we can see Favors turn into a nice PF entering his prime. Fuck!
Pathetic, dumpster fire of a franchise with the worst name in sports.
I think we'll see some compelling match-ups despite the 2 powerhouse teams. More likely that Cleveland sleepwalks to the finals (Lebron, depite his epicness, benefits so much from that putrid conference. Not unlike Tom Brady in the AFC East), but the Pacers will surprise and probably reach the ECF. I'm really hoping Wade stays healthy and give us another potential legit playoff matchup.
Spurs & Clips will be good. And Jazz will probably fight for the 4th/5th seed.
Lebron has successfully transmogrified back into the good guy after the Heat villainy stage. It's rather apparent he didn't like being the "bad guy". Who is now decidedly in Golden State after that bitch ass move.
(Unrelated...after the Cavs championship, I say go Indians cause any city that has to endure the Browns deserve much happiness).
--
Metnut: valid point...for some. I love parity, personally. Or, rather, the fairness, that causes it. The one change I'd like to see is that drafted players count less against the cap, but otherwise I think the NFL has it virtually perfect.
I doubt anyone cares but a few of my thoughts:
Russ vs Lebron vs Steph for MVP. If OKC ends up a top 4 seed (which I think they probably will) and Russ is averaging a triple double I don't see how he wouldn't get it.
Timberwolves get into the playoffs. Nothing bold, but year 3 of Wiggins and Levine topped with the best center in the league with Thibs coaching I think they get it done.
I think the Hawks return to a 55+ win team. No one likes Dwight but I think he's a better fit in Atlanta than horford. The Hawks got pummeled on the boards night in and night out and while horford is a solid defender, he's not nearly the rim protector that even old, lazy Dwight is.
I was high on the bucks as being a top 4 seed but I also thought Middleton was their best player. Still a solid team but they have a ceiling of sorts now. Still like the moves they made. Looks like I'm gonna be dead wrong on Maker.
I think the ECF will be Indy vs Cleveland.
I think Chicago will be a mess. They don't have one shooter in their starting lineup unless they are starting Mirotic. I don't see how you miss the playoffs with wade and butler but they're gonna be the ugliest team to watch. I think they're a bottom seed contender
Once Jackson comes back I think Detroit will be a powerhouse. I also like the Knicks winning 45+ this year. Factoring in a little injury issues too.
I like Boston's moves too, but struggling to see them as a serious contender still.
EC:
Cleveland
Indy
Boston
Toronto
Atlanta
NY
Detroit
Chicago
WC:
GS
SA
OKC
LAC
Utah
Portland
Houston
MIN or Memphis
I shouldn't be surprised considering that hatred of the Knicks is rampant among basketball writers, but I'm a bit shocked at how many writers think the Knicks will be AWFUL. There was an article on espn.com saying the Nets will be better than the Knicks... c'mon man. The Courtney Lee signing didn't get many headlines, but he will be a massive improvement over Afflalo.
I'm surprised that Anthony Davis has been tossed to the side by GMs that quickly. Towns seems like a safer bet to stay healthy long-term and also is built more powerfully, but I'm still not ready to go Towns > AD to build a franchise around. Even in a down year, Davis still dropped a 60/20 game and had a good season. I wouldn't be surprised if he had the kind of year people like me expected him to have last year.
Embiid is a fucking freak of nature. Would be right there with these two right now if injuries didn't hurt him so much. His skillset at his size is nuts. Really hope this guy stays healthy.
Even though I like Davis's impact a lot more, KAT is more of a go to guy. You can't really dump the ball to AD in crunch time. KAT looks more fluid with the ball in his hands and has more range (at least compared to Davis at the same point).
I watched a few of their preseason games and the potential is absolutely mind blowing. There are instances in which the ball finds a guy like Klay Thompson with no defender within 8 feet. 3 of their starters can get hot like few other players in league history, and there will definitely be games in which 2 or even all 3 of them do so at the same time. And suddenly, now that they have Durant, they'll probably even get to the free throw line at an average or even above average pace.
They need to chill on the turnovers, but barring injury it will always be an upset when they lose, all season long.
I think the Bogut thing is a little over stated tho. I know he helped at rim protection but he played 16 minutes a game in the postseason and didn't provide much elsewhere, including getting back on fast breaks. Many people forget that Zaza and David West jumped on board for next to nothing. While I don't think Zaza is anywhere near the rim protector Bogut is, I think for 16 minutes a game they can get away with those 2.
Going from Harrison Barnes to Kevin Durant is a significant enough upgrade to offset any downgrade losing Bogut presents, definitely. But it is still a downgrade.
I meant Bogut getting back on defense on fast breaks.
I think come playoff time they are going to run death lineup almost entirely.
I've been to a few preseason games, this is going to be a fun team to watch. While not a contender, this team is going to win more than Vegas predicted (27).
Pretty Damn cool!