A lot of fun subplots:
1) Kyrie going against his old team.
2) Zinger too going against his old team.
3) Luka's first Finals.
4) A lot of talk about who is 'the man' on the Cs...Tatum or Brown? I find this talk silly, as Tatum is a top 6-7 player in the NBA & has made three straight All NBA First Teams. Brown is a helluva player no doubt, winning ECF MVP.
4) Cs have been knocking on the door of an NBA title for awhile now. Is this the year they break down that door?
I'm rooting for Dallas. I fucking love Luka. I love his game & his intensity. That said, Boston has been the best team since the jump this season. They're 78-20, including the postseason. I'm going Boston in 7, with Tatum winning Finals MVP.
What say you?
Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are some of the most likeable players in the league
Every star pushes off. It’s allowed by the refs.
But Doncic was getting two hands on him every time he drove and it was rarely called. He didn’t get a fair whistle last night - his bitching aside. If you let Boston to be physical, then don’t call the same on him.
Putting two hands on an offense player while he drives is an automatic foul. Not calling it is a perfect example of bad reffing. Not moving your feet - yes is bad defense. But so is using both hands on a driver.
One was called last night A the other wasn’t. That’s bad reffing. It has to be called both ways or not at all. Doncic last foul was a flop by brown and the refs fell for it. And I would argue so was the fifth foul on a post up.
Luka has really been exposed on the defensive end this series and throughout the playoffs. To reach that next level, he needs to fix his deficiencies on this end. Right now he’s basically just a bigger and clutcher Harden with a better middy.
As of today, I think I’d still say Jokic is pretty clearly still the best player in the league ahead of him and others. Luka is close though. Hope he figures it out because his shot-making is maybe the best since Kobe I’ve seen besides Curry. So fun to watch when he’s on.
& I love Luka. Outside of Brunson, he might be my favorite star in the league.
Now that Tatum and Brown have broken through, I wouldn't be surprised to see them back here next year. This could be the start of a two or three year run in which their season ends with a championship.
Mavs are on a roll now. Kristaps's health has me worried if I'm Beantown.
NBA.com - NBA Finals schedule - ( New Window )
Boy, was I wrong! lol ☝️🙈🤭
Agreed
also glad to see horford get a ring, one of my favorite players in the last couple decades.
boston's build was extremely impressive and diligent. they earned that championship. would have preferred to see denver in the finals though, mavs disappointed and were clearly over matched.
Brown deserved the Finals MVP, but Tatum was the best player on the team and solidified himself as an elite player. Tatum shot poorly but he led this dominant team in Points/Assists/Rebounds during the playoffs which is nothing to sneeze at, I believe only Hakeem/Duncan/Bird/Jokic/LeBron have ever done that (maybe I’m missing someone) for a title team. Hell of a start to both Tatum and Brown’s careers, and they are set up to be a great team for the next handful of years. Jrue Holiday has also solidified himself as a truly great supporting player, 2 rings on 2 different teams as a key piece. I’m sure some Bucks fans are feeling weird today.
Luka is a great player, I’d rank him 2nd/3rd with Giannis as the best players in the game behind Jokic. But he’s clearly behind Jokic imo. He’s an awesome shot-maker and creator but he needs to become a more well-rounded player, defensively first but also needs to become more diverse offensively. I think health is the only thing keeping him from winning a ring down the line though, awesome young player with a chance to go down as a great.
Kyrie is an amazingly skilled ball-handler, shooter, and finisher at the rim. The most aesthetically pleasing game in the league, which is why so many players praise him. But he was awful in these Finals and really let down Luka and the Mavs who are built around him and Luka averaging like 55 PPG combined. I hope all these kids and casual fans calm down with the talk about how Kyrie is one of the best PGs ever, he’s great but there are plenty of guys ahead of him.
Next year should be fun. I feel like the league almost expects Wemby to become the next all-time great who runs the league, so they’re going really hard to try and win these next 2-3 years before he becomes impossible.
riding shot gun to lebron, tatum/brown, kd, luka he had a chance to get championships but sabotaged those teams every step of the way with the exception of the one year with lebron.
perhaps he hasnt sabotaged dallas since they did get to a final this year...though with 2 years left there's still time.
It took Billups a while to get in and he was a better player than Jrue. Kyle Lowry is ahead of Jrue in terms of HOF resume, and he feels borderline.
I don't think either Horford or Jrue become HOFers. Hall of Very Good for sure though.
Quote:
Horford undoubtedly becomes a HOF now. Does Jrue?
It took Billups a while to get in and he was a better player than Jrue. Kyle Lowry is ahead of Jrue in terms of HOF resume, and he feels borderline.
I don't think either Horford or Jrue become HOFers. Hall of Very Good for sure though.
Horfords 2 NCAA titles will help his cause IMO
You beat me to it.
Cousin-big time Celts fan, but watches a ton of hoops-has been banging that drum with Luka for awhile. And I don't disagree.
No. & I love the Knicks.