2014-2015 NBA Season

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by C-Fan » 02 Jun 2015 06:20

Very cool drawing Asmus!

Game 1 of the Finals is still two days away. Honestly, with this much of a layoff between the conference finals and the actual finals, I've started to lose interest. I know the layoff has allowed some key players to rest and recover, but it really killed any momentum or excitement for me. A rare mis-step on the part of the Commissioner in my opinion.

From what I've been reading, it sounds like Klay is good to go, while Kyrie still isn't 100%. I think Warriors will take it in 6 games.

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by C-Fan » 05 Jun 2015 11:03

Some notes from Game 1 of the Finals:

:arrow: Kyrie played better than I expected, especially on the defensive end. If he plays the rest of the series like this, the Cavs have a chance. I still think they'd be underdogs, but they'd have a chance.

:arrow: Unfortunately, Kyrie also got hurt at the end of the game. If he misses any games, or if he's not close to 100% in any of the games, I think this series is over.

:arrow: With the Love and Kyrie injuries, the Cavs have had a very short player rotation all postseason. Even with elite athletes, they get tired. The Cavs looked great at the start of this game, but they also had over a week to rest up and prepare for it. They're not going to have a week off between games in the Finals though, and if they keep asking LeBron to carry their entire offense every night for 4 quarters (more last night), they're going to burn out. You can't win in the playoffs with a 6 man rotation. Warriors depth is going to seal this one.

:arrow: LeBron is doing all he can to carry his team, which is more than probably any human on earth could do. Even if he sustains his level of effort (which I don't think he physically can), I still don't think the Cavs can win the series.

:arrow:
C-Fan wrote: I think Warriors will take it in 6 games.
If Kyrie is injured, I'm revising this down to Warriors in 5. I think LeBron can win one in Cleveland with a monster game, but anything more than that feels like a stretch.

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by C-Fan » 09 Jun 2015 07:01

C-Fan wrote: I think LeBron can win one in Cleveland with a monster game, but anything more than that feels like a stretch.
So looks like LeBron won one in Oakland with a monster game. Impressive.

Apparently, this is the first Finals ever to start with two Overtime games. And really, credit to the Cavs, they could have won them both.

So does this change my predictions any? No. I still think the Warriors win in 5. LeBron is playing crazy minutes and basically doing everything possible every minute he's on the court. I just don't think you can sustain that. Their last game was Sunday night, and they're playing again tonight? I just can't see LeBron doing 3 games in a row of this production. It'd be neat to see him prove me wrong, but I don't expect it.

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by C-Fan » 10 Jun 2015 12:29

C-Fan wrote: I just can't see LeBron doing 3 games in a row of this production. It'd be neat to see him prove me wrong, but I don't expect it.
So that was neat. Through 3 games, LeBron is averaging 41 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. In 47 minutes a game. 8O

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by Asmus » 10 Jun 2015 23:38

What do you think is going on with Chef Curry with the Pot? I know he got it going in the fourth quarter but still.
- Head injury?
- Pressure?
- Outback Jesus on his back?

Speaking of Outback Jesus - that guy must be living the dream right now!

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by C-Fan » 11 Jun 2015 08:08

Good questions. Honestly, I think the only Warrior affected by inury at the moment is Draymond. I really don't know what's up with Curry, though I suspect its mental.

Outback Jesus...did not see this coming at all. This almost reminds of Linsanity, where an unknown 12th man raises his play unexpectedly and sustains it for a while.

I know the Warriors are down 2-1 now, but I don't think the series is over at all. If the Warriors win tonight, it becomes a 3 game series with Warriors homecourt advantage and LeBron that much more tired. In fact, I'm going to go on record saying I think the Warriors still win the whole thing.

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by C-Fan » 15 Jun 2015 10:38

C-Fan wrote: In fact, I'm going to go on record saying I think the Warriors still win the whole thing.
One win to go...

Great series so far. I didn't think LeBron could sustain the energy to keep averaging close to 40/12/9 every game, and looks like I was wrong about that. He's played 5 games so far, and 4 of them he was able to maintain that level. More than 4 really, since two of those games went to OT. He's only had one "human" level game in the Finals, which the Cavs predictably lost. But yeah, I thought he'd be wiped out by Game 3, and instead he's been beasting for 4 out of 5 games now.

It was nice to see Steph wake up last night and start playing the way we've enjoyed him play all season long. Make em dance Steph, make em dance.

If LeBron maintains his high level of play, and stays in the range of his series averages, I think he deserves MVP even if his team loses. It really feels like we're watching a historic performance every night from him. What a treat.

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by h0ag3yb3atZ » 17 Jun 2015 11:37

Suck it Jim Penske! Steph Curry got his ring :D :D :D :D :D :D

The warriors were such a fun team to watch the whole season, really stoked they braved lebron and won it all. Cant believe i just found this thread now :evil:
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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by C-Fan » 17 Jun 2015 13:46

So the season is over. It was a good one for sure. Some parting thoughts:

:arrow: I'm just always happy any time the season ends and the champions are not from San Antonio or LA. So yeah, once San Antonio was eliminated in the first round, I was pretty much guaranteed to be happy with whoever won. That said, I was happy to see the Warriors break their 40 year streak of zero championships.

:arrow: LeBron's performance in the Finals was crazy. I really felt like I was witnessing something historic from him every night, and the fact that he got 2 wins in the Finals by himself, against the best team in recent NBA history, that only speaks to his greatness.

:arrow: LeBron's Finals performance also makes me question the way the Cavs are built. On one hand, many people point to the injured Kyrie and Kevin Love, and use that as justification that the Cavs will be better when they return. I'm not sure thats the correct conclusion to draw here though. Seeing LeBron carry the team by himself showed to me how effective he is as the main user of possessions. Having a ball dominant wing like Kyrie takes the ball out of LBJs hands, which may not be desirable. If anything, I'd rather spend money on wings that can shoot when LBJ draws in the defense, or bigs who can crash the board after LBJ misses on drives. I don't think Kyrie or Love fit either mold, and at their current sticker prices, that money could be better spent elsewhere.

:arrow: After the 2011 Mavs and the 2015 Warriors won championships, hopefully people can finally bury the false narrative that jump shooting teams can't win championships. They can, and they have. Shooting is getting more valuable with the new rules and understanding of the game.

:arrow: I think Iggy deserved Finals MVP. Making him a starter, and having him be the primary defender on LeBron are the two things that turned the series. If those moves aren't made, I don't think the Warriors win, no matter what Curry does. And to be clear, Curry wasn't dominant throughout the series. Or maybe I'm just happy to see a grizzled vet unexpectedly win one of the biggest prizes on the biggest stage, so late in his career. :wink:

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by C-Fan » 17 Jun 2015 14:19

I also want to weigh in on the whole question of LeBron's Finals record being 2 for 6. Yeah, 2 for 6 sounds like a bad percentage, but its completely misleading. You look at the playoff roster of the 2007 and 2015 Cavs, and in both cases the ONLY reason they made the Finals is because LeBron is an alien. Replace LeBron with any other good player in those years, and the team doesn't even make it to the Finals. So lets imagine a hypothetical alternate reality, where LeBron is only 90% as good as the one in our reality. That LeBron doesn't even make the Finals in 2007 or 2015, so assuming he still wins twice in Miami, that'd put his record at 2 wins and 2 losses in the Finals. Is that more or less impressive than creating 2 additional Finals appearances, even if he lost those appearances? Dirk is 1 for 2 in the Finals. While that's a better win percentage than Bron's 2 for 6, I think Bron's record is more impressive, given the weakness of some of his teams, and the fact that he dragged them to the Finals anyway.

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by C-Fan » 06 Jul 2015 09:01

So the season is done, but Free Agency has started and its been fun to follow. Some quick thoughts:

:arrow: Knicks and Lakers have had pretty horrid offseasons. They weren't able to get any of the big free agents (LaMarcus, DeAndre), or any of the next tier of free agents (Middleton, Greg Monroe). Unless the Lakers manage to get DeMarcus Cousins from the Kings this summer, you'd have to give both of these franchises failing grades for free agency.

:arrow: I like that the Suns were so aggressive trying to get LaMarcus Aldridge. Apparently, they were the silver medalists in that derby. Unfortunately, they didn't get him...and they gave away some assets for nothing to free space to get him. The Suns pickup of Tyson Chandler doesn't really excite me. Maybe 3-5 years ago, but at this stage in his career? I don't see it moving the needle much in the West.

:arrow: Clippers lost DeAndre for nothing, despite being able to offer him more years and money than any other team. Ouch. That really hurts. Especially since the two best replacements on the market for that skillset (Tyson Chandler and Brandan Wright) were already snapped up by other teams. Throw in the fact that both those teams (Suns and Grizz) are conference rivals, and that's even worse. Yeah, the Clips still have Blake and Chris Paul, but if depth and defense were problems for them last year, losing DeAndre for nothing is only going to make things worse. I think the Clips have had the worst offseason of anybody.

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Re: 2014-2015 NBA Season

Post by h0ag3yb3atZ » 10 Jul 2015 12:15

C-Fan wrote: :arrow: Clippers lost DeAndre for nothing, despite being able to offer him more years and money than any other team.
or did they? :D
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