2025 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #6 Minnesota Timberwolves (OKC leads 1-0)

[thelead]

Some rivals should have given more than Giddey for Caruso. I just don't know how we got one of the best defenders in the NBA for such a low price.

Most GMs suck. Hartenstein should have been coveted more last summer too.

The most impressive thing Presti has done has been his cap management. You guys have most of your role players locked into reasonable deals and SGA is criminally underpaid compared to other all-nba'ers. It will make JDub's and Chet's max contracts easier to deal with for a few years.

[falcolombardi]

One team shot 50 3's

Another team shot 21 3's

The free throws were almost even

[Handlez]

Has any team been the darling and villain of the league at the same time?

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How soon we forget

Watch on YouTube

I bet it was rough around here when Kobe went to the finals b2b2b and won b2b titles without Shaq.

I wasn't here, but it must've been quite the sad fest.

And if I'm not mistaken, Kobe is the only player in history to win b2b titles without a fellow top 75 player all time on his team.

[ForeverTFC]

Did he also grab defenders arms and then collapse to the ground for no reason?
Or push off defenders then kick them on his jumper while snapping his head back when they try to get back in the play to contest?
Just so we are on the same page

Thoughts?
https://youtube.com/shorts/eulB5MtYTXI?si=PHD5aYTHTOgb7RVR

I don't see a player flopping and baiting in that video.

He didn’t need to flop. Jordan had one of the best whistles the league has ever seen:

Watch on YouTube

[stuporman]

Kobe worked hard, had the right mentality and played the right way in a more physical era, he didn't have the villain aura about him unless you were an opponent who couldn't beat him, then you hated him.

Nah, he was one of the most hated players in his era. That rape case did not help.


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I agree. For him to be able to play at a high level despite being in the middle of a criminal case and beefing with his superstar teammate is still a mystery to me.

Even if I were to accept your premise he was one of the biggest villains of the league which suggest a widespread fan hatred, my comment was about TEAM...not player.

Of course, we could also take the view there's only one player on the Thunder that is making them unlikable, with the rest of the team nondescript but scrappy.

I may have been a little hyperbolic but this is the internet. My point is the league seems to like them, but the fans really don't and yes, mostly because one guy's antics and whistle.

[ImmortalD24]

Has any team been the darling and villain of the league at the same time?

Read on Twitter

How soon we forget

Watch on YouTube

I bet it was rough around here when Kobe went to the finals b2b2b and won b2b titles without Shaq.

I wasn't here, but it must've been quite the sad fest.

And if I'm not mistaken, Kobe is the only player in history to win b2b titles without a fellow top 75 player all time on his team.

The entire board and mainstream media ie ESPN were crying when Kobe got Pau Gasol. The outrage they had was straight comedy.

[thelead]

Thoughts?
https://youtube.com/shorts/eulB5MtYTXI?si=PHD5aYTHTOgb7RVR

I don't see a player flopping and baiting in that video.

He didn’t need to flop. Jordan had one of the best whistles the league has ever seen:

Watch on YouTube

That can be true but there's a huge difference and you know it.

[ForeverTFC]

Did he also grab defenders arms and then collapse to the ground for no reason?
Or push off defenders then kick them on his jumper while snapping his head back when they try to get back in the play to contest?
Just so we are on the same page

Thoughts?
https://youtube.com/shorts/eulB5MtYTXI?si=PHD5aYTHTOgb7RVR

My thoughts would be that competitors complaining about the calls their opponent are getting are as old as the sport itself, but proof of nothing.
I just watched a game with my own two eyes with multiple instances of foul baiting from FTA. We all saw it.
Show me some video of MJ doing the same and I’ll watch it, not video of the guy he beat in the Finals complaining
And Magic isn’t even accusing him of flopping. Just saying he gets soft calls. It’s not even the same thing, which was your initial implication.

So your defense is that MJ didn’t need to flop to get soft/phantom calls? And that’s somehow better?

[Raps in 4]

One team shot 50 3's

Another team shot 21 3's

The free throws were almost even

Rigged for OKC!!!

[OldSchoolNoBull]

Has any team been the darling and villain of the league at the same time?

Read on Twitter

How soon we forget

Watch on YouTube

I bet it was rough around here when Kobe went to the finals b2b2b and won b2b titles without Shaq.

I wasn't here, but it must've been quite the sad fest.

And if I'm not mistaken, Kobe is the only player in history to win b2b titles without a fellow top 75 player all time on his team.

I don't think there was that much hate when he won in 09 and 10. He was kind of repairing his image by then. Between 02/03 and 07 is when he was most disliked, in my recollection.

[ImmortalD24]

Nah, he was one of the most hated players in his era. That rape case did not help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree. For him to be able to play at a high level despite being in the middle of a criminal case and beefing with his superstar teammate is still a mystery to me.

Even if I were to accept your premise he was one of the biggest villains of the league which suggest a widespread fan hatred, my comment was about TEAM...not player.

Of course, we could also take the view there's only one player on the Thunder that is making them unlikable, with the rest of the team nondescript but scrappy.

My point may have been a little hyperbolic but this is the internet. My point is the league seems to like them, but the fans really don't and yes, mostly because one guy's antics and whistle.

Watch on YouTube

[Dadouv47]

Some rivals should have given more than Giddey for Caruso. I just don't know how we got one of the best defenders in the NBA for such a low price.

Most GMs suck. Hartenstein should have been coveted more last summer too.

The most impressive thing Presti has done has been his cap management. You guys have most of your role players locked into reasonable deals and SGA is criminally underpaid compared to other all-nba'ers. It will make JDub's and Chet's max contracts easier to deal with for a few years.

well I think we still paid A LOT of money to Hartenstein...not a single contender could financially afford giving that much money to him. The Caruso situation was different.

[Dadouv47]

Read on Twitter

[stuporman]

I agree. For him to be able to play at a high level despite being in the middle of a criminal case and beefing with his superstar teammate is still a mystery to me.

Even if I were to accept your premise he was one of the biggest villains of the league which suggest a widespread fan hatred, my comment was about TEAM...not player.

Of course, we could also take the view there's only one player on the Thunder that is making them unlikable, with the rest of the team nondescript but scrappy.

My point may have been a little hyperbolic but this is the internet. My point is the league seems to like them, but the fans really don't and yes, mostly because one guy's antics and whistle.

Watch on YouTube

Thanks for proving my point that it's fans of teams who couldn't beat him would hate him, now when will you prove your point?

[Chuck Everett]

Some rivals should have given more than Giddey for Caruso. I just don't know how we got one of the best defenders in the NBA for such a low price.

Most GMs suck. Hartenstein should have been coveted more last summer too.

The most impressive thing Presti has done has been his cap management. You guys have most of your role players locked into reasonable deals and SGA is criminally underpaid compared to other all-nba'ers. It will make JDub's and Chet's max contracts easier to deal with for a few years.

well I think we still paid A LOT of money to Hartenstein...not a single contender could financially afford giving that much money to him. The Caruso situation was different.

The Knicks were going to be pay him 4 years/72. If the Thunder didn't pony up, he'd still be in NYC.

[thelead]

Some rivals should have given more than Giddey for Caruso. I just don't know how we got one of the best defenders in the NBA for such a low price.

Most GMs suck. Hartenstein should have been coveted more last summer too.

The most impressive thing Presti has done has been his cap management. You guys have most of your role players locked into reasonable deals and SGA is criminally underpaid compared to other all-nba'ers. It will make JDub's and Chet's max contracts easier to deal with for a few years.

well I think we still paid A LOT of money to Hartenstein...not a single contender could financially afford giving that much money to him. The Caruso situation was different.

If I was running the Magic, I would have overpaid Hartenstein. He was who I wanted the magic to target (and they had the money) but if I'm being honest, Orlando probably had little shot at landing him since OKC was an actual contender even without Hartenstein.

[stuporman]

Read on Twitter

Does that mean the league didn't want to expose the national viewing public to such an uncharitable, foul merchant display on a family oriented day of peace and goodwill? Hm...something to consider...

[Raps in 4]

Read on Twitter

I'd be willing to bet that 9/10 Americans have no idea where the state of Oklahoma is on a map, let alone the city.

[ImmortalD24]

Thanks for proving my point that it's fans of teams who couldn't beat him would hate him, now when will you prove your point?

I don't know where you grew up.. but you can go anywhere in America and half of the people loved Kobe and the other half despised him. Non NBA fans even. He transcended the sport and was polarizing in a lot of ways. As time went by and he started to decline and also garnered some more championships along the way (without Shaq), people stopped wasting their energy hating on him and LeBron then took that mantle via going to the Heat (with fans.. Media ride or die for Bron)

[Capn'O]

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I'd be willing to bet that 9/10 Americans have no idea where the state of Oklahoma is on a map, let alone the city.

Unnecessary.