DURANTULA
In other news, Kobe goes 1-8 in the 4th. Not clutch.
ALSO
two teams screwed by LA refs have managed to fight the LA refs and come back to win!
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Official NBA 2011-12 Season Thread
- Thread starter -RatCheesy
- Start date
In other news, Kobe goes 1-8 in the 4th. Not clutch.
ALSO
two teams screwed by LA refs have managed to fight the LA refs and come back to win!
Agreed on the team part. Can't wait to see what they'll do when someone gives Harden a max offer sheet and have to give Ibaka a new contract.
If we had a starting lineup of Paul/Kobe/MWP/Jordan Hill/Bynum, I'm pretty sure that this series would almost be done and dusted, seeing as the upgrade from Sessions to Paul is larger then the downgrade from Gasol to Hill, not to mention he's an elite defender. Then again 2 7 footers is cool to have lol.
BBALLBREAKDOWN @bballSource I know Lakers feel like they could be up 3-1, but the best team always ends up on top. That's what's happening here.
I wouldn't be shocked to see the spurs start out 10-0 and end up 16-4. The way they've been playing. They're making the clippers look like children. I can't see OKC beating the spurs any more. Durant (despite surpassing all other players in the league after today's game as the player who I want with the ball with 3 seconds left ie most clutch player in the league) won't be able to stop the spurs 4 times. Duncan can bully them in the post not because he's better than Ibaka or Perkins (well, he is, but thats because those two cant play offense), but because they will have to play help defense AND defend Duncan. They didn't have to do that with the Mavs and Kobe has been taking a lot of jump shots this series. If Dallas can take this team to the brink 3 times, and LA can be a couple shots away from being up 3-1, then the Spurs, who haven't lost in god knows how long, will overwhelm them. Also, I want to see how long the streak of only LA, Dallas, and SA winning the west can last. its been, what, 13 years and counting?
Also, I can't wait to see Maimi lost to Indiana. My school is filled with Lebron supporters, and despite sticking to them during and after last year's finals, they still would take Lebron over Jordan (not kidding, they said that).
Also, I can't wait to see Maimi lost to Indiana. My school is filled with Lebron supporters, and despite sticking to them during and after last year's finals, they still would take Lebron over Jordan (not kidding, they said that).
Daily dime sums it up well, I reckon that Kevin Durant is the best player in the NBA (yes, better then LeBron - regular season only means so much) and that the Spurs are the best team. I will be rooting for a Spurs/Pacers final every day unless the Lakers win this series in 7.
The Spurs won't cruise to a finals bid (I don't think they'll win but that's because I want Kevin Durant to get a ring :/). They don't have the defense to pull away from the Thunder and the Lakers and Mavs didn't have the offense to pull away. Besides that, the Thunder haven't played well outside of game 1 of the Mavs/Lakers series. They've shown flashes of brilliance but no breakout games outside of those. They're due for another one of those explosions in San Antonio to take home advantage from the Spurs!!!
Why are you hating on seemingly loyal Lebron supporters? I would take Lebron over Jordan too. Jordan is an old man .-.
To be fair, both teams have great offense statistically (though the Spurs have a better system by far).
I fear for the Spurs, but I have a good feeling about them winning still.
I fear for the Spurs, but I have a good feeling about them winning still.
The trade block was preposterous, but do you really think a team of Paul/Bynum/Kobe as your best three players necessarily is superior to a team of Bynum/Gasol/Kobe as your best three? It does seem like the team needs a shakeup, but Bynum/Gasol is still a great combination...the problems come from how cashed strapped Kobe has made the team.
so does this mean the heat will never win a championship
personally I think the thunder would win in 7 vs. the spurs becuase of their youth and scoring production from Westbrook, Harden, and Durant
Dreams can come true ;)
But seriously, the way they are currently constructed I don't think so. It's definitely possible (same with the Thunder), but all the championship teams in recent memory have had a combination of excellent individuals and an excellent system (or an excellent system if they're lacking in superstars such as the Mavs who had only one and a lot of good role players, or the Pistons who were a team of above average role players). One might point to the Lakers or Celtics of a few years ago as a star studded team, which would be accurate. However, did you see the offensive sets that either of those teams ran? They were pretty damn good and maximised the players talents. The Thunder offense consists almost solely of the high pick and roll and creating off that with one of their three go to players. They win a lot of games doing that because they're freak talents but I question whether they can ever win a championship this way. Having said that, I think Durant is the best scorer in the league so if any team can do that, it's them. As for the Heat, their offense is even more limited. James and Wade are incredible (and Bosh goes alright too) but they are average shooters at best (Durant and Harden are way above average and so is Westbrook from midrange, not so much three) and running nothing but iso's without a really good offense system isn't going to win them a title. They have the right idea in terms of the type of personnel they're looking for (tough big men, deadly shooters) but they haven't meshed as well as they could have this year. Meanwhile I don't need to say anything about the offense the Spurs run, probably the best system I've seen in a long time. Not saying that the Thunder can't beat them but I think the Spurs will dispatch them in 6, winning games 1,2,4 and 6. I haven't watched enough Pacers basketball to know how their offensive sets work but to me they seem like a worse Spurs that aren't quite as deep or have as many shot creators. You could do a lot worse then being a "worse Spurs" though, so while I expected Miami to win its not exactly a shock to me if they don't.
The Celtics were actually kinda like the Pistons. Not many would consider any of those guys "superstars". Just really great players.
Anyway, that's pretty much why I favor Spurs > OKC. I've been talking about it all season. OKC have definitely shot over my expectations though on individual talent. I think the biggest reason they're in the WCF is simply because they're hitting mid-ranged jumpers consistently and the defense of Ibaka and Perkins is absolutely terrifying.
But things are different when you space those guys out.
And honestly, isolation and individual talent will last you so long, man.
Edit: After watching the Sixers/Celtics again, Kirby is right that rebounding is a decent indicator but... Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams and/or Evan Turner are better indicators on why that series is the way that is.
But in general, Young seemed to have a pretty big impact in that second half whether it was blocking, rolling, or passing.
Anyway, that's pretty much why I favor Spurs > OKC. I've been talking about it all season. OKC have definitely shot over my expectations though on individual talent. I think the biggest reason they're in the WCF is simply because they're hitting mid-ranged jumpers consistently and the defense of Ibaka and Perkins is absolutely terrifying.
But things are different when you space those guys out.
And honestly, isolation and individual talent will last you so long, man.
Edit: After watching the Sixers/Celtics again, Kirby is right that rebounding is a decent indicator but... Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams and/or Evan Turner are better indicators on why that series is the way that is.
But in general, Young seemed to have a pretty big impact in that second half whether it was blocking, rolling, or passing.