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05-26-2019, 12:37 AM | #221 |
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Bucks need to get Giannis an upgrade in teammate. He and the rest of the team shrinks when the pressure gets highest. They were on fire in the 1st period. But M.I.A. in the 4th.
Kahwi meanwhile showed what a superstar should do. He found a way to be extra. And van Fleet somehow borrowed something from Steph Curry's aura.
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05-26-2019, 02:36 AM | #222 |
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Giannis charging into 3-4 Raptors will be an enduring sight for me of this series.
He is still an incomplete player. If he is shoot 35% from three, 75% from the line and become a more accurate passer then his teams will become almost unstoppable. I dont see the Finals being all that interesting. Golden State has the weird narrative of being the underdog and is playing unreal at the moment. I think they win in five. I also think we have already seen the last game of Durant in a Warriors uniform. |
05-26-2019, 01:09 PM | #223 |
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Golden State, au contraire, are the heavy favorites to beat the Raptors and a 1 point fave for the opener in Toronto. If I were a gambling man, I'd sure as f*ck take that bet. If the Raptors play as well against Golden State as they did against the NBA's best team, why the hell wouldn't they win the title. Still, maintaining that level of performance is never a given. That's why they play the games. But, the idea that these Warriors are as great as ever is, IMO, a silly notion.
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05-26-2019, 01:18 PM | #224 |
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Rated by SRS, the Finals are a matchup of the 2nd (Warriors) and 3rd (Raptors) best teams in the NBA, but Toronto have home advantage and the best player (Kawhi). The Raptors should feel good about their chances. I hope they play magnificently and destroy the illusion that Golden State are still a powerhouse.
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"The Human Torch was denied a bank loan." Last edited by darkhorse; 05-27-2019 at 12:17 PM. Reason: raptors |
05-26-2019, 01:34 PM | #225 |
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I hope we get KD/Kawhi in the finals, but he's not available until Game 3. oh well
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05-27-2019, 09:22 AM | #226 |
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I love Toronto. It's a wonderfully diverse and welcoming city. But I don't think the Raptors have a chance. They have some great players, but I don't think any team that does not have LeBron James in his prime can beat today's Golden State Warriors.
All dynasties come to an end, but I don't see the Warriors' dynasty coming to an end in 2019.
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05-27-2019, 12:20 PM | #227 |
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IMO, it's not that difficult to beat a team (Golden State) with mediocre defense (13th) in the playoffs where that plays an even more powerful factor in success.
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"The Human Torch was denied a bank loan." Last edited by darkhorse; 05-27-2019 at 05:30 PM. Reason: factors |
05-27-2019, 01:41 PM | #228 |
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I haven't followed basketball very closely for a couple years now but it's my understanding from people I know that Golden State essentially coasted the regular season knowing they'd make the postseason. At the least, I wouldn't trust regular season statistics for a team that has been this good for this long over this long of a season, they're bound to take their foot off the gas in situations that don't mean that much. Considering all the in-depth youtube videos I've seen pop up about the brilliance of Golden State's rotation defense in the postseason and their ability to hide Steph on defense I figure they'll hold up just fine. Those first games without KD will be tough but once he comes back I don't see Toronto beating them.
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05-27-2019, 05:46 PM | #229 |
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I'd find it fanciful to think throwing out an 82 game sample of performance is reasonable. The Warriors haven't played like a dominant team in the regular season since 2017 because they are unable to rather than they don't want to. Last year against Houston (the best team in the NBA) they won because of Paul's game 5 injury and took the Finals because Cleveland were a joke (14th best team in the NBA). This year their path to the finals has been against the Clippers (21st on defense), Houston (ranked 17th on defense), and Portland (16th on D). This Warriors team is past its peak, doesn't play high quality D anymore, and its recent playoff success has been aided by matchups and luck. That's why I'm certain that it's possible that Toronto (5th on defense) could have the "experts" scratching their heads wondering what happened. I'd definitely have favored Milwaukee over Golden State with their brilliant, league best defense. The worm may be turning with the East having a run of humiliating the West. This Final could be a great and f*cking delicious start to that trend.
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"The Human Torch was denied a bank loan." Last edited by darkhorse; 05-27-2019 at 05:48 PM. |
05-27-2019, 11:25 PM | #230 |
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I remember one year in the 80's, the Lakers looked vulnerable. After dominating the west for so many years, they barely won home court advantage. So it was expected LA would struggle a bit. I think they ended up sweeping all 3 series in the west. And I think it was the Suns who they beat in the WCF. They asked Tom Chambers why was it that none of the west could give the Lakers a fight after it seemed like they were weakening. And he said if you were in the finals every year, how much effort and desire are you going to muster up for a regular season game?
That's where GS is. Particularly since they won 73 one year but lost the trophy. It is hard to get up for every game in an 82 game season when you know what a grind it is after Tax Day.
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05-28-2019, 12:16 AM | #231 |
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And, that Lakers team was swept 4-0 by the Pistons in the Finals.
Every team has that predicament since they're all playing an 82 game schedule with tons of travel.
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05-28-2019, 09:53 AM | #232 | |
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Quote:
2. No, every team doesn't have the luxury of having played so many games in June that games before the all star break seem meaningless. Warriors last half decade have had 500+ games. The majority of the league has played a full regular season less.
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05-28-2019, 11:12 AM | #233 |
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Right, tough minded; elite athletes just turn it off and on mentally and find that the optimal strategy for playing at the highest level, garnering the largest contracts, and winning championships. That is also a fanciful notion, IMO.
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05-28-2019, 12:24 PM | #234 |
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Not saying it is a positive or negative. I'm saying it is the natural order of things. Very few players can turn it up 100% for a whole season, let alone a whole franchise. The less sense of urgency, the less effort usually is put out. If you've never made the playoffs, you count games before Xmas as important. If you've lost in the playoffs, you make home court advantage a priority. When you've lost/won titles you get juiced up for only the most important matches.
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05-28-2019, 01:40 PM | #235 |
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If that were true, you'd get your ass handed to you on a regular basis. This is not college or high school where the difference in talent between the best and worst is immense. And teams at lower levels still lose when they come out flat against teams they expect to roll over. This notion doesn't pass the smell test for me.
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05-28-2019, 02:10 PM | #236 | |
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Quote:
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05-28-2019, 02:49 PM | #237 |
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Ehh, you were proposing that teams take off the regular season as it isn't important.
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05-28-2019, 04:27 PM | #238 |
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No I didn't. That was you reading the fine print that didn't exist.
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05-28-2019, 05:18 PM | #239 | |
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Quote:
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05-28-2019, 05:58 PM | #240 |
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Feel free to point out where I advocated they not take it as important.
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