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NBA Playoffs Thread

Alaskan_Assassin_21 said:
Of-course it is impressive. The NBA has a major Conference imbalance though. Since Jordan retired in the late 90s (20 years) there were only a couple seasons where the Eastern Conference measured up to the West.

If the Rockets fall to the Warriors - Why should I be more impressed with the Cavs season than Houston if they both meet the same faith? Especially since the Jazz might be superior than any team in the East including Cleveland.

That's why we don't celebrate the first loser.
Click to expand...
Welllll part of the reason there is a conference imbalance is Lebron has murdered every contender in the East since 2010.
-The Pierce KG Allen Celtics: owned the East for a few years, Lebron beat them in 2011 and 2012 (the 2012 game 6 is one of his best performances ever). Danny Ainge then figured they were too old to compete with the Heat and traded those guys, BEST TRADE EVER btw.
-The Derek Rose Bulls were suppose to challenge Lebron: LOL, even before Rose's injury issues, the Bulls were favored to win the east in 2011, Lebron beat them in 6. The Bulls died from there.
- The PG13, Roy Hibbert, D West Pacers teams: always came close, Lebron ended them as well.
-The Hawks- Got a 1 seed back to back seasons, I believe Lebron swept them twice in a row, that is comical.
- The Raptors don't deserve a spot here, but Lebron has killed them as well.

Next up: The young Celtics and most likely the young sixers in the future: Best of luck, but nobody has slayed the dragon yet.
 
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Seasons
jwill133 said:
Welllll part of the reason there is a conference imbalance is Lebron has murdered every contender in the East since 2010.
-The Pierce KG Allen Celtics: owned the East for a few years, Lebron beat them in 2011 and 2012 (the 2012 game 6 is one of his best performances ever). Danny Ainge then figured they were too old to compete with the Heat and traded those guys, BEST TRADE EVER btw.
-The Derek Rose Bulls were suppose to challenge Lebron: LOL, even before Rose's injury issues, the Bulls were favored to win the east in 2011, Lebron beat them in 6. The Bulls died from there.
- The PG13, Roy Hibbert, D West Pacers teams: always came close, Lebron ended them as well.
-The Hawks- Got a 1 seed back to back seasons, I believe Lebron swept them twice in a row, that is comical.
- The Raptors don't deserve a spot here, but Lebron has killed them as well.

Next up: The young Celtics and most likely the young sixers in the future: Best of luck, but nobody has slayed the dragon yet.
Click to expand...
There is certainly truth to what you are saying I.E. Rose because of failure against James pushed himself and blew out his knee. Or the Celtics imploded because they knew they weren't getting passed James (Ray Allen jumped teams)


But there is a fundamental problem with how the NBA is structured. East vs West. MLB and NFL don't split geographically. I think this blunder was done to save on travel cost

QdM5Pd7.gif


Notice the imbalance in warm vs cold weather. Lifestyle is much higher on the list of importance to top tier NBA free agents than in MLB or NFL. Might as well throw out Toronto because of taxes, right off the bat that scares away most NBA free agents

Except for Boston, NYK and Cleveland (because of James - so maybe that is his most impressive accomplishment) none of those North-East teams attract free agents.

4 teams in California
3 teams in Texas
:: The East can't compete with only 2 teams in Florida

Not fair having both Los Angeles markets in the same Conference.
 
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Alaskan_Assassin_21 said:
Seasons

There is certainly truth to what you are saying I.E. Rose because of failure against James pushed himself and blew out his knee. Or the Celtics imploded because they knew they weren't getting passed James (Ray Allen jumped teams)


But there is a fundamental problem with how the NBA is structured. East vs West. MLB and NFL don't split geographically. I think this blunder was done to save on travel cost

QdM5Pd7.gif


Notice the imbalance in warm vs cold weather. Lifestyle is much higher on the list of importance to top tier NBA free agents than in MLB or NFL. Might as well throw out Toronto because of taxes, right off the bat that scares away most NBA free agents

Except for Boston, NYK and Cleveland (because of James - so maybe that is his most impressive accomplishment) none of those North-East teams attract free agents.

4 teams in California
3 teams in Texas
:: The East can't compete with only 2 teams in Florida

Not fair having both Los Angeles markets in the same Conference.
Click to expand...
The geographic imbalance we are definitely on the same page.
My theory as to why the west has been better than the East for the past 15 years is pretty basic...professional basketball is played in the Winter.
-There are many great cities to live in during January on the West coast, and most western conference cities for that matter.
-Your map shows why the East has been bad for so long, would you rather live up East in January or in Phoenix???

On top of all that...most Western conference organizations seem to be ran better too (minus the Kings and Suns), whereas half of the East organizations are a disaster.
 
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Alaskan_Assassin_21 said:
Seasons

There is certainly truth to what you are saying I.E. Rose because of failure against James pushed himself and blew out his knee. Or the Celtics imploded because they knew they weren't getting passed James (Ray Allen jumped teams)


But there is a fundamental problem with how the NBA is structured. East vs West. MLB and NFL don't split geographically. I think this blunder was done to save on travel cost

QdM5Pd7.gif


Notice the imbalance in warm vs cold weather. Lifestyle is much higher on the list of importance to top tier NBA free agents than in MLB or NFL. Might as well throw out Toronto because of taxes, right off the bat that scares away most NBA free agents

Except for Boston, NYK and Cleveland (because of James - so maybe that is his most impressive accomplishment) none of those North-East teams attract free agents.

4 teams in California
3 teams in Texas
:: The East can't compete with only 2 teams in Florida

Not fair having both Los Angeles markets in the same Conference.
Click to expand...
Good stuff. I’m not much of an NBA guy, so I’ve never really given much thought to all that. They probably should consider some sort of realignment with the conferences.

And I’ll be pulling for LeBron to win it all. But I wouldn’t mind it if Houston won it.
 
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Yeah I was shocked when I heard about Casey. He lost to a red hot Lebron team. Seems short sighted to me. Although the Cavs are clearly in the Raptor's heads and have their number.
 
I was under the impression that once they lost...coach or star players (Lowry/Derozan) were gonna be gone. This is the NBA, it's a player's league...GM chose to get rid of the coach instead of Lowry/Derozan.
Nothing new here.
 
Last edited:
christophero said:
Yeah I was shocked when I heard about Casey. He lost to a red hot Lebron team. Seems short sighted to me. Although the Cavs are clearly in the Raptor's heads and have their number.
Click to expand...

That "red hot" Cavs team looked awful vs the Pacers in round 1, going 6 or 7 close games.
.
If the Cavs had taken 5-6 games to close out, Casey still has a job. But a sweep?
 
I honestly give the Celtics the benefit of the doubt to beat Houston in the Finals and to take Golden State to 6-7 games because of Stevens and the young guys Boston has to give Golden State fits.
 
KD is only problem for the Celtics. Brad Stevens said it best, "don't let youth be your excuse."
 
They just played more physical and made more shots. Cleveland will have to respond in kind. Lebron didn’t really exert himself. Maybe he was just off or letting this game be a feeler. I expect Cleveland to be much better on Tuesday.
 
One never knows, of course, but I don’t think there is a chance in he** that the Celtics Win it all this year. If they did I’d immediately label Brad Stevens as one of the best of all Time. He may still be that.

That said, man, I LOVE Jason Tatum. Favorite one and done Duke player of all time.
 
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jwill133 said:
Welllll part of the reason there is a conference imbalance is Lebron has murdered every contender in the East since 2010.
-The Pierce KG Allen Celtics: owned the East for a few years, Lebron beat them in 2011 and 2012 (the 2012 game 6 is one of his best performances ever). Danny Ainge then figured they were too old to compete with the Heat and traded those guys, BEST TRADE EVER btw.
-The Derek Rose Bulls were suppose to challenge Lebron: LOL, even before Rose's injury issues, the Bulls were favored to win the east in 2011, Lebron beat them in 6. The Bulls died from there.
- The PG13, Roy Hibbert, D West Pacers teams: always came close, Lebron ended them as well.
-The Hawks- Got a 1 seed back to back seasons, I believe Lebron swept them twice in a row, that is comical.
- The Raptors don't deserve a spot here, but Lebron has killed them as well.

Next up: The young Celtics and most likely the young sixers in the future: Best of luck, but nobody has slayed the dragon yet.
Click to expand...

Game of Zones sums this up pretty nicely. “The Feast of the East.” This was done last year, so you’ll Kyrie on the Cavs.

 
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I was really impressed with the Celtics today. Idon't know what it is about them but Brad Stevens has them believing. I've read from different forums and sports talk shows of the possibility of trades in which Tatum and Irving being mentioned. Why? Can you imagine if Kyrie and Heyward were playing now they may be and I said maybe the best team in the NBA. I understand that some trades may be made in the off season because guys like Brown Rozier have really stepped up their game but moving Tatum or Kyrie would be really dumb plus to my understanding depending on how the lottery goes they may end up getting a high draft choice with the possibility of getting a Bagley or a Carter on a young team. Could the Celtics be a team that could dominate. The Sixers are a young team also and I see the East becoming the better conference. OFC
 
skysdad said:
I was really impressed with the Celtics today. Idon't know what it is about them but Brad Stevens has them believing. I've read from different forums and sports talk shows of the possibility of trades in which Tatum and Irving being mentioned. Why? Can you imagine if Kyrie and Heyward were playing now they may be and I said maybe the best team in the NBA. I understand that some trades may be made in the off season because guys like Brown Rozier have really stepped up their game but moving Tatum or Kyrie would be really dumb plus to my understanding depending on how the lottery goes they may end up getting a high draft choice with the possibility of getting a Bagley or a Carter on a young team. Could the Celtics be a team that could dominate. The Sixers are a young team also and I see the East becoming the better conference. OFC
Click to expand...

Stevens' demon but also his gift is being a college coach. Coaching based on chemistry and winning can go completely against selling seats and the NBA.

He reminds me of when the 2004 Pistons and coaching of Larry Brown, basic good basketball. This is something that does not sell in the NBA of 2018.
 
Swervin_Irvin_Duke said:
Brad Stevens will go down as one of the best coaches to coach regardless of level, maybe even best coach ever.
Click to expand...

Sure, but..........

What about Ainge? He built this team, and I'm not sure how much input Stevens had. I'm sure he was consulted, but Ainge seems to be some kind of savant when it comes to roster management and team building.
.
He took Jaylen Brown mostly on potential, drafting him higher (albeit slightly so) than many Draftniks predicted. He traded the Fan Favorite IT (and fan favorite is wildly, WILDLY understating how beloved he was), and other good players. He could have gone after anyone, but he went after Morris who is a LeBron Defender. Ainge got BLASTED for overpaying Al Horford, giving him superstar money when everyone agreed that AH was not a superstar. Now, Ainge looks like a genius.
.
And, of course, our own (now) beloved Tatum. Tatum is who Ainge wanted from the word Jump last year. A lot, and by that I mean every other GM, would have jumped all over Tatum after winning the lottery, publicly, and then just waited for the Draft. Instead, Ainge went out and fleeced the Sixers, and STILL got Tatum.
.
I'll grant that Stevens is coaching the heck out of this roster. But it is a deep and talented roster, so he's got options. He's getting credit for playing "positionless" hoops, but he's able to do so because he's got a bench full of versatile, athletic, skilled, and talented players. All credit to Stevens, but lets give credit to Ainge for his role.
.
After all, lots of college coaches fail in the pros. Who is the guy that hired Stevens in the first place? Oh, right.
 
skysdad said:
I was really impressed with the Celtics today. Idon't know what it is about them but Brad Stevens has them believing. I've read from different forums and sports talk shows of the possibility of trades in which Tatum and Irving being mentioned. Why? Can you imagine if Kyrie and Heyward were playing now they may be and I said maybe the best team in the NBA. I understand that some trades may be made in the off season because guys like Brown Rozier have really stepped up their game but moving Tatum or Kyrie would be really dumb plus to my understanding depending on how the lottery goes they may end up getting a high draft choice with the possibility of getting a Bagley or a Carter on a young team. Could the Celtics be a team that could dominate. The Sixers are a young team also and I see the East becoming the better conference. OFC
Click to expand...

I think some of the Tatum talk is wishful thinking by other teams, as well as some agents/execs trying to drive up the trade value of their assets. I mean players. Oops.
.
Guys like George and Kawhi are available, to say nothing of LeBron. If Tatum is available via trade, it drives up what other teams are willing to offer for other guys. It is a whisper campaign with no substance. Tatum is their leading scorer in the playoffs, and has played amazing two way hoops. He's an ideal SF in today's game, capable of guarding the 2-4 at a high level, as well as being an option on the 1 and 5 (not vs top tier guys at those positions, but vs the backups, and that ain't nothing). Other teams want Tatum to be available, but he probably isn't.
.
Conversely, next year is liable to be Kyrie's last in Boston. Rozier is playing too well, and is younger and less often on the IR. Boston will keep Kyrie on the roster to make sure Rozier is legit next year, but then probably move Kyrie for yet more pieces. Heyward is likely to be in the same boat. Probably next summer, but I can see both guys being moved for multiple assets. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are both likely to be better overall players than Heyward. Both are likely to be nearly as good as Kyrie (with JB and JT being better defenders), and healthier. When doing the math, JB and JT will need to command the lion share of cap space. Kyrie, and Heyward, can be turned into the necessary supporting players and quality vets (who will take a discount to chase rings) that it takes to win titles.
.
Oh, and if the Celts pick that high this year, it won't be Carter or Bags. They'll take Bamba. I wouldn't be surprised if, like last year and Tatum, Bamba isn't their number 1. I thing they'd be happy with Carter, aka Horford part 2, but Bamba makes their dangley bits hard. He's that rim protecting C that would let them continue to be an elite D for the next decade.
 
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PatrickYates said:
I think some of the Tatum talk is wishful thinking by other teams, as well as some agents/execs trying to drive up the trade value of their assets. I mean players. Oops.
.
Guys like George and Kawhi are available, to say nothing of LeBron. If Tatum is available via trade, it drives up what other teams are willing to offer for other guys. It is a whisper campaign with no substance. Tatum is their leading scorer in the playoffs, and has played amazing two way hoops. He's an ideal SF in today's game, capable of guarding the 2-4 at a high level, as well as being an option on the 1 and 5 (not vs top tier guys at those positions, but vs the backups, and that ain't nothing). Other teams want Tatum to be available, but he probably isn't.
.
Conversely, next year is liable to be Kyrie's last in Boston. Rozier is playing too well, and is younger and less often on the IR. Boston will keep Kyrie on the roster to make sure Rozier is legit next year, but then probably move Kyrie for yet more pieces. Heyward is likely to be in the same boat. Probably next summer, but I can see both guys being moved for multiple assets. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are both likely to be better overall players than Heyward. Both are likely to be nearly as good as Kyrie (with JB and JT being better defenders), and healthier. When doing the math, JB and JT will need to command the lion share of cap space. Kyrie, and Heyward, can be turned into the necessary supporting players and quality vets (who will take a discount to chase rings) that it takes to win titles.
.
Oh, and if the Celts pick that high this year, it won't be Carter or Bags. They'll take Bamba. I wouldn't be surprised if, like last year and Tatum, Bamba isn't their number 1. I thing they'd be happy with Carter, aka Horford part 2, but Bamba makes their dangley bits hard. He's that rim protecting C that would let them continue to be an elite D for the next decade.
Click to expand...
What Boston has done well in recent seasons is get great role players that don't cost very much and don't offer ridiculously long contracts to 33-year-olds. They played the Isaiah Thomas thing beautifully. They've got to figure out how to navigate the rising costs of their core for the next two years. Tatum, Hayward, Kyrie, Horford, and jaylen all get more expensive during that time. They should let go of Baynes or resign him on a 2 year for cheap (depends on his offers). Marcus Smart could get a decent size contract from somewhere; I think it would be a mistake to pay him more than 5 mill per year for 3 years. He's played his butt off in this contract year, but signing him to a 5 year deal is just too darn risky and expensive. I'd save that money and see if Rozier pans out or just draft/sign free agent some replacements.

Long term, I'd be planning for signing Jaylen, Kyrie and Tatum to big deals, let Hayward's contract run its course, and try and draft well to fill in gaps.
 
Its REALLY GREAT to see Tatum having some POST SEASON success, especially in light of last year's disappointing FAR TOO EARLY exit with our own Blue Devils.

OFC
 
PatrickYates said:
Sure, but..........

What about Ainge? He built this team, and I'm not sure how much input Stevens had. I'm sure he was consulted, but Ainge seems to be some kind of savant when it comes to roster management and team building.
.
He took Jaylen Brown mostly on potential, drafting him higher (albeit slightly so) than many Draftniks predicted. He traded the Fan Favorite IT (and fan favorite is wildly, WILDLY understating how beloved he was), and other good players. He could have gone after anyone, but he went after Morris who is a LeBron Defender. Ainge got BLASTED for overpaying Al Horford, giving him superstar money when everyone agreed that AH was not a superstar. Now, Ainge looks like a genius.
.
And, of course, our own (now) beloved Tatum. Tatum is who Ainge wanted from the word Jump last year. A lot, and by that I mean every other GM, would have jumped all over Tatum after winning the lottery, publicly, and then just waited for the Draft. Instead, Ainge went out and fleeced the Sixers, and STILL got Tatum.
.
I'll grant that Stevens is coaching the heck out of this roster. But it is a deep and talented roster, so he's got options. He's getting credit for playing "positionless" hoops, but he's able to do so because he's got a bench full of versatile, athletic, skilled, and talented players. All credit to Stevens, but lets give credit to Ainge for his role.
.
After all, lots of college coaches fail in the pros. Who is the guy that hired Stevens in the first place? Oh, right.
Click to expand...

You forgot the best line from the article:

This is the third time Brad Stevens has taken a midmajor to the Final Four.
 
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Will next year's Celtics, with everyone presumably healthy, be a real threat to GSW? I would think so, and I would love to see that series.
 
DukeDenver said:
What Boston has done well in recent seasons is get great role players that don't cost very much and don't offer ridiculously long contracts to 33-year-olds. They played the Isaiah Thomas thing beautifully. They've got to figure out how to navigate the rising costs of their core for the next two years. Tatum, Hayward, Kyrie, Horford, and jaylen all get more expensive during that time. They should let go of Baynes or resign him on a 2 year for cheap (depends on his offers). Marcus Smart could get a decent size contract from somewhere; I think it would be a mistake to pay him more than 5 mill per year for 3 years. He's played his butt off in this contract year, but signing him to a 5 year deal is just too darn risky and expensive. I'd save that money and see if Rozier pans out or just draft/sign free agent some replacements.

Long term, I'd be planning for signing Jaylen, Kyrie and Tatum to big deals, let Hayward's contract run its course, and try and draft well to fill in gaps.
Click to expand...

Kyrie's injury history, combined with his relatively poor play on D, COMBINED with Rozier's emergence, don't seem to indicate a long term stay in Boston. I think there are too many teams with GMs in desperate need of IMMEDIATE success and playoff berths. These teams need immediate offensive help in the form of Kyrie, and are likely to overpay in a trade.
.
I'd love for KI to have a nice run in Beantown, win some titles, and boost Duke's profile and reputation even higher than it already is. But I just don't see it. Ainge will pay the young assets. Brown and Tatum will get max deals, and Rozier could get a nice chunk soon.
.
Marcus Smart is about to walk in FA with the Celts likely getting nothing in return. Heyward and Irving are two guys that CLEARLY aren't necessary to upper level success, while also being valuable enough to secure the type of supporting assets that Boston WILL need at some point in the near future. I think Boston stays put through next year, but by next July, the Celts will have some hard decisions to make.
 
PatrickYates said:
Kyrie's injury history, combined with his relatively poor play on D, COMBINED with Rozier's emergence, don't seem to indicate a long term stay in Boston. I think there are too many teams with GMs in desperate need of IMMEDIATE success and playoff berths. These teams need immediate offensive help in the form of Kyrie, and are likely to overpay in a trade.
.
I'd love for KI to have a nice run in Beantown, win some titles, and boost Duke's profile and reputation even higher than it already is. But I just don't see it. Ainge will pay the young assets. Brown and Tatum will get max deals, and Rozier could get a nice chunk soon.
.
Marcus Smart is about to walk in FA with the Celts likely getting nothing in return. Heyward and Irving are two guys that CLEARLY aren't necessary to upper level success, while also being valuable enough to secure the type of supporting assets that Boston WILL need at some point in the near future. I think Boston stays put through next year, but by next July, the Celts will have some hard decisions to make.
Click to expand...
Kyrie would be worth the 30 mil/year IMO. His defense is good enough. Rozier has played well, but let’s see him do it all year long before we start projecting too high.
 
jwill133 said:
Cavs in 6.
Click to expand...
There's reports that Tristan Thompson may be starting game 2. I think that's a must. With Boston's positionless basketball, the lineup that Cleveland rolled with game one just won't work IMO. That lineup played great last series against the Raptors, but is not nearly versatile enough defensively to compete against Boston's lineup. Thompson will give them another big that could make it tougher on Horford, switch onto the perimeter, and just give them some needed toughness after getting smacked in the mouth game 1.
 
My cousin who is a huge LBJ fan and I are going to Game 3 on Saturday. Looking forward to the atmosphere while wearing my Tatum Celtics jersey and watching LeBron play in person for the 1st time ever.
 
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