*** 2016 NBA Playoff thread ***

[Majes]

The first two games will be the key to the finals. If Golden State wins both then I see the series ending in 5. If they lose one then I think it goes 7 games.

I see a lot of people picking Cavs to win... The thing is, after watching Golden State play all year and in the playoffs I'm sure they can take 4 of 7 from the Cavs. I'm honestly not sure the Cavs can beat them 4 out of 7. So I think I'd take GSW in 5 games if I had to put money on it.

The Cavs could very well shoot the lights out and take the series though. I'm confident, but not super confident as a Warriors fan. It's always tough when the other team has the best player on the court...

 

[SP33Demon]

James probably wants it worse than he did last year. And last year he single handedly lead to team to 2 and almost a 3rd win. As good of a shooter as Curry is, when he's motivated James is the best all around player ever. What he did in last years finals was a man possessed. It was one of those rare performances where a loser really did deserve the finals MVP.

No, Lebron didn't deserve it. He racked up the points but with horrible shooting percentages. You don't shoot 33% off 40+ shots and get to be the MVP playing "Hero Ball", sorry.

That said I'm calling Cavs in 7. They are outclassed in experience and have been challenged way less than GS but somehow I think they will put it together with their torrid 3pt shooting and out "3pt" GS. And then Cleveland won't win another championship for 50 years in any sport. :biggrin:

 

[SP33Demon]

It looks like GSW is going to take the finals. If you compare player by player, OKC has a far better team than cleveland.

Westbrook >>>> Irving
Durant > James
Love < Adams/Ibaka

Three-peat next year?

What you're missing is that Love have been on fire beyond the arc. So I think that Love id better than Adams/Ibaka because they aren't a 3pt threat and Love is a better defender than both (according to Defensive Win Shares and what I've seen).

Also, Durant/James are a push since James is a better defender and forces contact/fouls better (GS' weakness) while Durant = better 3pt threat. So I'd put it as:

Westbrook >>>> Irving
Durant == James
Love >> Adams/Ibaka

 

[darkewaffle]

Goddamnit OKC

 

[Red Storm]

Billy did a great job coaching this entire playoffs until game 7. Why was Roberson on the floor at the end? You either need a guy who's going to shoot and make shots (he passed up an open 3 because he rightly had no confidence in his shot) or you go big to get rebounds. Adams should have been on the floor at the end, along with Kanter or Ibaka, and Durant, Westbrook, and Waiters.

 

[bigrash]

What a game last night. I'm rooting for GSW in the finals.

 

[stlc8tr]

What you're missing is that Love have been on fire beyond the arc. So I think that Love id better than Adams/Ibaka because they aren't a 3pt threat and Love is a better defender than both (according to Defensive Win Shares and what I've seen).

DWS stats not withstanding, Irving and Love have really bad defensive reps. Especially against the PNR.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15700317/toronto-exposed-cavaliers-weakest-link

And guess what the Warriors like to run?

 

[maddogchen]

warriors in 4!

 

[Bird222]

warriors in 4!

Keep dreamin' this is going 7.

 

[SP33Demon]

DWS stats not withstanding, Irving and Love have really bad defensive reps. Especially against the PNR.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15700317/toronto-exposed-cavaliers-weakest-link

And guess what the Warriors like to run?

Yeah he's not an elite defender and has struggled with the PnR but he's still playing decent defense.
http://www.sbnation.com/2016/5/20/1...fense-effort-breakdown-cavaliers-nba-playoffs

It was obvious in Game 2 that this version of Love cares. The Raptors attacked him relentlessly on pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs, like most teams do. Since he was guarding pick-and-pop threats, Love had to hedge and recover over and over again and he did a solid job at it. He also showed good awareness as to when the perimeter defender was going to go under the screen and made sure he wasn't in the way. That's basic stuff, but it does require consistent effort and focus that have not always been there in the past.

He was also game for switching -- but only when necessary -- and did a good job of containing perimeter players when he was on them. He conceded the mid-range jumper, but also moved his feet when he was attacked and contested those shots well. When his teammates got caught on a screen, he got a hand up on the perimeter player pulling up. With the exception of one instance in which Cory Joseph blew by him for a layup, he held his own against quicker perimeter players.

It seems like familiarity with his teammates, public embarrassment and a real shot at a title have done wonders for his effort level and understanding. Again, he's not Marc Gasol out there, shutting down passing lanes and providing a safety net for everyone else. However, he's making the right reads and anticipating the offense's moves at times, and not giving up on plays in which he would have in the past.

and

Mark Jackson, the former Warriors coach who sits alongside Van Gundy as a TV analyst, suggested the Cavaliers' defense in the Eastern Conference finals against the Toronto Raptors was the best he has seen them play.

But will it be enough against the high-powered Warriors, with their ability to spread the floor, shoot 3-pointers and carve up defenses with their pick-and-roll action?

"Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, even though they're not elite defenders, they bought in and they competed on the defensive end. And that's all you can ask for from a guy whose strength is probably not defending," Jackson said.

"If they play that way, obviously they're tough to beat. But they're going to be up for some tremendous challenges because of the type of challenges Golden State presents offensively."

http://www.mercurynews.com/warriors/ci_29961012/warriors-present-big-defensive-challenge-cavaliers

So if new and improved Love shows up, this series could get a lot tighter. He's still not going to stop Steph's PnR (who can in the NBA anyway?) but he's at least doing some things better like making the right reads and that will make Cleveland more formidable than last year considering what Love can do on the other end.

 

[stlc8tr]

Yeah he's not an elite defender and has struggled with the PnR but he's still playing decent defense.
http://www.sbnation.com/2016/5/20/1...fense-effort-breakdown-cavaliers-nba-playoffs

Haha. I think that article was written a bit too early since Love got roasted in G3 and G4. From that Zach Lowe article.

But Irving and Love have been the central players in Cleveland's worst breakdowns. Opponents in the playoffs have scored 1.09 points per chance when they involve those two as the primary pick-and-roll defenders in a play that leads directly to a shot attempt, drawn foul or turnover, per SportVU data provided to ESPN.com. That would have ranked last by a mile among 119 two-man combos that defended at least 250 pick-and-rolls in the regular season, per that SportVU data set.

Zoom out to include any trip that features a pick-and-roll targeting Irving and Love at any time, and the number gets worse: a hideous 1.207 points allowed per possession, stingier than only one of those 119 duos -- the Jrue Holiday/Ryan Anderson pairing in New Orleans.

Opponents know this stuff. They are putting Irving and Love into twice as many pick-and-rolls each game as they averaged in the regular-season, a massive jump out of proportion to the slight uptick in minutes the two are playing together. These are the sort of numbers that had members of the Golden State Warriors' coaching staff quietly fretting when both Love and Irving missed last year's NBA Finals, forcing the Cavs to play superior defenders in their place.

Love started this series well, hanging in as the Raptors dragged him through two or three pick-and-rolls on every possession. But he is starting to wilt. DeRozan has even targeted him. DeRozan knows the Cavs are going to duck under picks against him, daring him to launch from 20 feet, but he's not settling. He calls for an immediate re-screen, and any defender will tell you it's hard to go back and forth under multiple picks without eventually breaking apart.

That second screen often forces Love to switch onto DeRozan, and DeRozan just rams the ball down Love's throat for layups -- especially when Love experiences a blip of confusion that leaves him a hair behind and on the wrong foot:

But who knows. As the GS/OKC series showed, you can't really predict what's going to happen. We'll just have to see when the actual play starts.

 

[Muse]

What a game last night. I'm rooting for GSW in the finals.

I caught it in Kip's (Berkeley), at the end the screaming was deafening! Never heard anything like it before. I can pick up on the finals at home in HD time shifted on my ~ 6 foot projector system.

Rick Barry said Curry's the "most entertaining" BB player he's ever seen, "you never know what he's going to do."

I figured GSW for stick a fork in 'em after game 4, really, no chance. :\

I figure the finals to be interesting!

Cavs are obviously stronger than last year, having Love and Irving. But GSW is stronger too. Steph stepped up his game a whole lot, Klay is playing fantastic now, the best two way player of the playoffs, and Bogut didn't play much due to GSW's success with small units against the Cavs. I figure Iguodala or Thompson will be on Lebron, he won't run roughshod. And Green's not exactly a liability on defense either! Any of those three will make it tough on Lebron. I think Kerr may start Iggy instead of Barnes like he did last night.

 

[brianmanahan]

That said I'm calling Cavs in 7. They are outclassed in experience and have been challenged way less than GS but somehow I think they will put it together with their torrid 3pt shooting and out "3pt" GS. And then Cleveland won't win another championship for 50 years in any sport. :biggrin:

shens, i am a firm believer that the cavs, indians, or browns will not win until the year after i die.

when the 97 indians blew the 9th inning of game 7 to the marlins, that did it.

 

[JujuFish]

shens, i am a firm believer that the cavs, indians, or browns will not win until the year after i die.

when the 97 indians blew the 9th inning of game 7 to the marlins, that did it.

The Indians were looking pretty good in '07 too, up 3-1 on Boston in the ALCS after taking out the Yankees 3-1 in the ALDS. Woops.

 

[RossMAN]

Muse, are you watching the game? It's on ABC, no cable required!

 

[zinfamous]

It's still happy hour on the west coast.

...damn I miss west coast sports time.

 

[RossMAN]

Ouch Andre Iguodala hit in the ... hopefully won't be a flagrant foul.

 

[DesiPower]

mediocrity is strong in the Cavs... they just showed up for 5 minutes in the game

 

[SP33Demon]

Shaun Livingston carrying them with 3 buckets with Curry on the bench, dear Lord. It's always someone different stepping up for the Warriors. They are virtually unbeatable at home, their real test will be @CLE.

 

[brianmanahan]

there is no hope for the cavs, unfortunately

i would love for them to win it all, but it won't happen in my lifetime

warriors in 5

 

[RossMAN]

Shaun Livingston carrying them with 3 buckets with Curry on the bench, dear Lord. It's always someone different stepping up for the Warriors. They are virtually unbeatable at home, their real test will be @CLE.

GSW is doing awesome especially the bench, I'm used to Klay and Steph carrying the team. Nice to see everyone else step up.

Green, Barbosa and especially Livingston were awesome today.

 

[Ns1]

Cleveland getting destroyed here in the 4th

 

[smackababy]

Cavs forgot to show up in the Bay Area it seems. They better sneak one out here, otherwise Warriors will take the series.

 

[lupi]

Great D by cavs for the comeback in the 3rd, then they decide to pause for an intermission and cavs apparently forgot to return to the court after that.

 

[Ns1]

It's so frustrating watching the cavs right now