HoopDreams said:
Ws shutting down Lillard, and he's the heart of that team.
But Lillard has been really classy. Compare him to CP3 (hint: no comparison)
This series is over, but now we need to worry about Igoudala?!??!
sycasey said:
New strategy for Portland: maybe try trailing at the half.
sonofabear51 said:
Igoudala getting an MRI for an Achilles issue that has been apparently ongoing for some time. That coming from ESPN. My guess is he doesn't play for a game or 2. Think Milwaukee will be a totally different animal. Think Toronto would be also,but I don't see the Raptors beating the Deer.
bearister said:
My favorite biased commentary of the night:
1. Draymond's layup was clearly descending into the basket when the defender slapped the ball away. Official called a goal tend. Van Gundy: "Bad call, clearly a block."
2. Jackson and Van Gundy opine that a Durantless Warriors would be a significant and justified underdog to the Bucks. I would like to get points from those two homers on that match up.
If they gave out an MVP for the conference finals, Curry would likely win it for his scoring, but I actually think Draymond has been the MVP for the last two games. He has been a monster on both ends.sonofabear51 said:
Draymond was amazing tonight. The continuous pushes with the ball up the floor put a ton of pressure on Portland that appeared to be unexpected. He had quite the game. Also, I think the Dubs are better conditioned than Portland. This was a game the Blazers absolutely needed, and they failed miserably in the 2nd half.
I know some folks don't like Draymond for whatever reason, but he is one of my favorite players, ever. Gosh, Cal could use a player like that (do everything there is to do on the court, huge hoops IQ, intense competitor). I hope Andre Kelly is watching and wondering how he could be more like Draymond. Not that he could ever be close, but just more in that direction. (Important to remember that Draymond was a different player at MSU than he is today. It's a process.)HoopDreams said:
agree with all the green praise. dude plays so hard on both sides of the court.
and today he was playing fast break point guard and making all the right decisions.
Steph, Thompson, Green (and Iggi) are the Warriors
The Finals are set to start on May 30 regardless.NVGolfingBear said:
Sure would like Toronto to wake up and stretch that series to 6 or 7 games and let the W's rest for awhile...
ducky23 said:sycasey said:
New strategy for Portland: maybe try trailing at the half.
I hear you. It's hard man, cause the warriors save everything for the end. It's almost like Portland needs to be at least 10 points up in crunch time (last five mins). Cause the dubs just save the pnr for the entire game and then just unleash it and Portland has zero answers for it.
It's anazing how precise the dubs are running that Steph pnr and how bad Portland is at defending it. Way too easy at the end. At least they realized they have to go small during the pnr onslaught at the end, but too little too late.
sycasey said:
New strategy for Portland: maybe try trailing at the half.
HoopDreams said:
Portland played perhaps their best game offensively this season. They stretch 4 hit every shot. Certainly his best game of his life.
The refs did not call the blatant hacks on curry and Klay in closing minute of regulation
Warriors won
If I'm a blazer, think I'd just tip my hat
That HACK(!!!!) on Curry at the end, right before he traveled going for the 3, was JFG at his annoying annoyingest. He said something "that shot looked sort of funny..." I actually thought the refs did a fine job, let them play within reason which is what I like... but man, that was a HACK on Steph.HoopDreams said:
Portland played perhaps their best game offensively this season. They stretch 4 hit every shot. Certainly his best game of his life.
The refs did not call the blatant hacks on curry and Klay in closing minute of regulation
Warriors won
If I'm a blazer, think I'd just tip my hat
Charles, Charles, Charles.OaktownBear said:Barkley is a moron.GBear4Life said:
Barkley gets it right. Maybe only slightly hyperbolic. The 'no Durant, no dynasty' part is on point.
The Warriors won a championship without Durant.
The Warriors put up the best record ever without Durant and then lost a close game 7 in the championship.
Curry was two time MVP. He didn't suddenly become a lesser player. He reduced his role to make room for Durant.
The Warriors would have been considered the favorite going into 2016 if they kept the team as it was. Durant made them a prohibitive favorite, but they still would have been the favorite.
The Warriors ate 26-1 with Curry playing and Durant not playing. Without Durant they are still an amazing team.
You can't just say "The Warriors rate 100 with Durant. He is worth 30. So they are 70 without him." It ain't that way. Curry, Green, Thompson, and Igoudala would all have contributed more if they never had Durant. Relevant to this moment, yes it is true that Current Warriors without Durant are not as good as 2015 Warriors. They essentially traded Barnes and a much more productive bench for Durant. But the core 4 players are still there.
IMO, the main obstacle for this team the last 2 years has been their ennui. I thought that might bite them last year and it almost did. It has continued this season. IMO, if they were challenged in the regular season last year, the Rocket series is never as close as it was. I think there is a reason their record is so good without Durant. They know they need to bring it.
We will never know, but my suspicion is that if Durant never came here, the Warriors would still be favorites though much closer. Dependent largely on how good the team who landed Durant would have been.
Houston is a very good team. IMO, Houston is a 60-40 favorite at home and those numbers flip in Oakland. I'd expect two close games, with either potentially going either way.
I'll add this. The mental intangibles are all on the Warriors side now. If the Warriors lose, everyone will say it is because of Durant. The downside is a lot lower for them. Also, they believe they can win without him because they have.
If the Rockets lose they will get massacred. It is potentially the end for them. If they can't beat the Warriors now, when will they ever do it? Losing yesterday already plants that doubt. It is time for Paul and Harden to rise to the biggest moment. If they do, it will be a first for them.
I also think a lot of the comments on the Warriors are based on the assumption that somehow their chances of winning should be 100%. So if they become a 60% favorite, somehow that equates to "they are going to lose". With 2 games to win one, the Warriors are a strong favorite to survive long enough to get Durant back. And if the injury turns out worse than it appears, they will be the favorites in the Western Conference Finals. They may be underdogs if they get to the finals, but they will have an excellent shot.
