2016-2017 NBA Thread

[iamshack]

It doesn't matter who's saying it, I like to chat using common sense as my guide.

Well that belies about 30k of your posts here.

 

 

[Steve9347]

Well that belies about 30k of your posts here.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Yeah, that is why I qualified it as was still LeBron...it's difficult for me sometimes to give credit to him as a lot of his production comes from him being just so physically freakish. He gets by a lot on brute strength and size. The officials allow him to just charge into the lane and clear out with his off hand to get to the basket. Don't get me wrong - dude is a crazy gifted athlete and a great basketball mind, but in terms of his effort last night, he wasn't getting back on defense, he was letting smaller guys get rebounds he should have had, he was yelling at others like Kevin Love for not getting back in transition, he refused to go hard to the basket when he was fed the ball in the post in the second half when they needed him, etc.

 

And as Boogua said, finally when the game was out of reach, with about 3 minutes remaining, THEN he decides to take the ball to the basket. THEN he decides to take over for his team.

 

It was a bit of a curious effort from him.

 

You must've really had a hard time giving Shaq his credit during his prime. Anyway, LeBron definitely has a permanent residence inside your head - rent free.

[SoxAce]

Don't get me wrong, he played amazing in the series. He just absolutely pads his stats because he knows how numbers based fans are. Same reason he stopped half court heaves a few years ago when he wanted to shoot 60% from the field for the Heat.

 

Preach.

[iamshack]

You must've really had a hard time giving Shaq his credit during his prime. Anyway, LeBron definitely has a permanent residence inside your head - rent free.

Yeah, I'll be honest, I do.

 

I can appreciate watching someone like Kyrie, dominating more with skill and heart and effort than someone who is able to dominate partially as a result of sheer size.

 

And J4L, you spend half your life trying to discredit a guy for which you named yourself on this message board. Talk about rent f***ing free.

Edited June 13, 2017 by iamshack

[southsider2k5]

AAU culture reaches the NBA. Get used to it. These guys didn't grow up competing with the best. They grew up playing with the best.

 

That is a great connection. Good call.

[Steve9347]

Can we all just agree that LeBron is, with very little doubt, at least the 2nd greatest player of all-time. Let's stop criticizing every little thing and just enjoy the greatness.

[Steve9347]

Yeah, I'll be honest, I do.

 

I can appreciate watching someone like Kyrie, dominating more with skill and heart and effort than someone who is able to dominate partially as a result of sheer size.

 

And J4L, you spend half your life trying to discredit a guy for which you named yourself on this message board. Talk about rent f***ing free.

Pot meet kettle with regards to snarkiness.

 

Not only is LeBron just a monster physically, but he also works his ass off for it. There have been plenty of 6'9" guys out there who aren't build like he is. He's also the on court coach and one of the most gifted passers of all-time. He's developed an insane post game. He's continuing to improve at the age of 32 with tons of NBA miles.

 

He's f***ing awesome. He's a hard working monster. He's a model citizen. He's hilarious. He's honest.

 

Everyone needs to get over the decision already!

[Jordan4life_2007]

Yeah, I'll be honest, I do.

 

I can appreciate watching someone like Kyrie, dominating more with skill and heart and effort than someone who is able to dominate partially as a result of sheer size.

 

And J4L, you spend half your life trying to discredit a guy for which you named yourself on this message board. Talk about rent f***ing free.

 

Discredit? I have no recollection of this ever taking place. MJ is the GOAT. Because he dominated his era moreso than any other player dominated their era. But i'm almost 34 now. Not 15 or 21. I can be objective as where I couldn't 15-20 years ago. Back then, the game began and ended with mj. Wheaties, gatorade, hanes, air jordan shoes, etc, etc. That was my life. Well wheaties tastes like s*** but whatever. The game has evolved. Players have evolved. Everything about the game is just better than it was during jordan's era. And it will be better 20 years from now than it is today. If that's me discrediting mj then so be it.

 

[Rowand44]

I'm pretty sure there isn't a person out there right now who thinks LeBron is the goat at the moment. He's a distant two to me right now. I defend the guy now a days because people find the most ridiculous ways to try and discredit him. Bulls fans in particular are so defensive of the Bulls and Jordan's legacy for some reason that they go out of their way to try and knock LeBron(or this Warriors team) down.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

Pot meet kettle with regards to snarkiness.

 

Not only is LeBron just a monster physically, but he also works his ass off for it. There have been plenty of 6'9" guys out there who aren't build like he is. He's also the on court coach and one of the most gifted passers of all-time. He's developed an insane post game. He's continuing to improve at the age of 32 with tons of NBA miles.

 

He's f***ing awesome. He's a hard working monster. He's a model citizen. He's hilarious. He's honest.

 

Everyone needs to get over the decision already!

 

"The decision" led more directly to the kd move. It can be said that lebron is a big cause for the demise of a competitive NBA with this superteam bulls***. This was the most noncompetitive Finals ever

 

And kd is cementing his legacy as a little b****

[Dick Allen]

Superteams suck unless GarPax puts it together.

 

It is what it is. Lebron is awesome, but he isn't Jordan. The Warriors are great, and make win 3 or 4 more in a row, but to try to compare today with 20 years ago, it's a lot different. 20 years ago, Lebron never leaves Cleveland, KD doesn't leave OKC, but that is how it is done today.

 

The sad thing is, there is more than enough talent to have several contenders, but the way it's dispersed, the regular season is barely moe important than preseason games, as is the first 2 or 3 rounds of the playoffs.

[iamshack]

I'm pretty sure there isn't a person out there right now who thinks LeBron is the goat at the moment. He's a distant two to me right now. I defend the guy now a days because people find the most ridiculous ways to try and discredit him. Bulls fans in particular are so defensive of the Bulls and Jordan's legacy for some reason that they go out of their way to try and knock LeBron(or this Warriors team) down.

At the same time, I feel like I can't be critical of anything the guy does because then it means I'm saying he's a terrible player. I've mentioned a few things over the past week that have been widely voiced by various commentators almost in unison, and posters here have responded as if I'm the only one being critical of him.

 

To be frank, he's an all-time great, and all-time greats are subject to additional criticism at times...that comes with the territory.

[Rowand44]

At the same time, I feel like I can't be critical of anything the guy does because then it means I'm saying he's a terrible player. I've mentioned a few things over the past week that have been widely voiced by various commentators almost in unison, and posters here have responded as if I'm the only one being critical of him.

 

To be frank, he's an all-time great, and all-time greats are subject to additional criticism at times...that comes with the territory.

Of course he can and should be criticized but as I said I think these last few games you guys are getting at him for very bizarre reasons imo. The stat padding people got on him for being too passive in the 4th in game 3 and now he's just being aggressive to stat pad. He had 14 in the 4th last night so he already had 27 through the first 3, dude was trying to do everything in his power to keep up when his team was just overmatched.

[Steve9347]

"The decision" led more directly to the kd move. It can be said that lebron is a big cause for the demise of a competitive NBA with this superteam bulls***. This was the most noncompetitive Finals ever

 

And kd is cementing his legacy as a little b****

Eh. The Lakers and Celtics of the 80s. The Bulls of the 90s. The Big 3 Celtics of the 2000s. LeBron is not to blame.

 

There have been 11 different NBA Champions over the last 38 years. Better yet, 8 teams have won 35 of the last 38. This is the NBA.

Edited June 13, 2017 by Steve9347

[iamshack]

Of course he can and should be criticized but as I said I think these last few games you guys are getting at him for very bizarre reasons imo. The stat padding people got on him for being too passive in the 4th in game 3 and now he's just being aggressive to stat pad. He had 14 in the 4th last night so he already had 27 through the first 3, dude was trying to do everything in his power to keep up when his team was just overmatched.

This just isn't true. They kept feeding him in the post with Durant and he wanted no part of him. He kept passing out of it or shooting some bizarre f***ing step backs (one which incredibly went in, to his credit, but still was a dumb ass shot). If they don't double him in the post, he has to go to the hoop. It wasn't until the very end of the game that suddenly he started taking it with authority to the basket.

 

Secondly, he was not getting back in transition himself, but then openly yelling at his teammates when they missed assignments.

 

Thirdly, there were three or four times when he had position on rebounds and he let guys like Pat McCall or Iggy get the rebound over him, which should never happen.

 

I get it, these are not the largest of transgressions, but they are things that needed to be done to win a game against GS in Oakland, and he wasn't entirely focused enough to pull it off.

 

Probably physically and mentally exhausted by the second half of that game last night...but very bizarre criticisms, I don't think so. If they were so bizarre, I don't think they would be so widely held.

[caulfield12]

This just isn't true. They kept feeding him in the post with Durant and he wanted no part of him. He kept passing out of it or shooting some bizarre f***ing step backs (one which incredibly went in, to his credit, but still was a dumb ass shot). If they don't double him in the post, he has to go to the hoop. It wasn't until the very end of the game that suddenly he started taking it with authority to the basket.

 

Secondly, he was not getting back in transition himself, but then openly yelling at his teammates when they missed assignments.

 

Thirdly, there were three or four times when he had position on rebounds and he let guys like Pat McCall or Iggy get the rebound over him, which should never happen.

 

I get it, these are not the largest of transgressions, but they are things that needed to be done to win a game against GS in Oakland, and he wasn't entirely focused enough to pull it off.

 

Probably physically and mentally exhausted by the second half of that game last night...but very bizarre criticisms, I don't think so. If they were so bizarre, I don't think they would be so widely held.

 

Green outhustled him for a key rebound in the second half too.

 

I wish I could find the article defending the assists for LeBron, with argument that only John Stockton had ever been responsible for a higher percentage of his team's points in the finals...and that Jordan actually picked up his assist numbers similarly in his last three finals.

 

Passes to BJ, Kerr and Paxson come to mind.

 

 

 

 

 

[LittleHurt05]

Lost a little respect for Durant seeing his celebration:

 

http://deadspin.com/kevin-durant-defeated-by-beer-1796056172

[SleepyWhiteSox]

Eh. The Lakers and Celtics of the 80s. The Bulls of the 90s. The Big 3 Celtics of the 2000s. LeBron is not to blame.

 

There have been 11 different NBA Champions over the last 38 years. Better yet, 8 teams have won 35 of the last 38. This is the NBA.

 

There is very little to no comparison to how the heat team was put together and absolutely zero precedent to kd to the warriors, which, again, can be based largely on what lebron set in motion. He orchestrated it, and now, even worse, essentially runs the cavs as the gm/coach/president/vp/etc.

 

And you literally named TWO teams in an era that were actually COMPETING. This year's Finals was a joke and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. It's embarrassing and boring to watch.

 

 

 

[Boogua]

Of course he can and should be criticized but as I said I think these last few games you guys are getting at him for very bizarre reasons imo. The stat padding people got on him for being too passive in the 4th in game 3 and now he's just being aggressive to stat pad. He had 14 in the 4th last night so he already had 27 through the first 3, dude was trying to do everything in his power to keep up when his team was just overmatched.

Game 3 was much closer and they had a shot at winning that game if he wasn't as passive in the fourth. It isn't really possible to stat pad late in the fourth quarter of a highly contested game.

 

It is easy to stat pad when you're not playing defense in the fourth quarter of a blowout and taking easy baskets late.

 

 

[Steve9347]

There is very little to no comparison to how the heat team was put together and absolutely zero precedent to kd to the warriors, which, again, can be based largely on what lebron set in motion. He orchestrated it, and now, even worse, essentially runs the cavs as the gm/coach/president/vp/etc.

 

And you literally named TWO teams in an era that were actually COMPETING. This year's Finals was a joke and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. It's embarrassing and boring to watch.

Yeah, I can't disagree with you.

[bmags]

Seems like nowadays no mans land is increasingly bigger. Basically every playoff team that is not GS or Cleveland is wasting their time.

[Steve9347]

Seems like nowadays no mans land is increasingly bigger. Basically every playoff team that is not GS or Cleveland is wasting their time.

That's really the issue. There's absolutely nothing to surprise anymore. At least last year, even with the Warriors going 73-9, you felt like a suped up Cavs team could compete (and they did in 7). This year there was no chance.

[chw42]

The NBA is becoming more and more like European soccer, even though it has a salary cap.

 

 

[BigSqwert]

So what's the solution? No salary cap?