Official NBA Playoffs Thread

[dobrojim]

20 straight and they aren't about to lose 4 of the next 5.

Spurs advance where hopefully they end up going out on 26 straight.

I was in complete agreement with you when you posted this but I couldn't
help but think about it as SAN was unable to stop Durant or Harden in key
situations in game 5. The series isn't over, but it could be soon.

Pretty remarkable turn of events.

[dobrojim]

I found myself rooting for San Antonio because I'd love to see the "good guy dynasty" continue, but I like OKC a lot too. If nothing else, an OKC victory here should teach them enough about how to win so that they can go on and defeat Miami. And that is, or course, the primary goal: defeat Miami.

And James Harden is a superstar. I'd trade our #3 pick for him without hesitation.

I am so conflicted about OKC. I love the players and the team, but I hate their owners so much and I hate that they and the NBA stole that team from Seattle. #Sonicsgate.

Plus one Fish. Plus one.

[dobrojim]

Watching Kawvhi(sp?) Leonard do work in the playoffs, I can't believe Grunfeld passed on him for Jan **** Vesley.

2 things

1. EG wasn't the only GM to pass on KL.

2. ^ this wasn't surprising considering there were several questions about KL,
his size, how well he could shoot being 2 principal ones.

[tontoz]

Some of the shooting in this series has been very impressive. That 3 Harden made at the end was a jaw dropper.

[DCZards]

Watching Kawvhi(sp?) Leonard do work in the playoffs, I can't believe Grunfeld passed on him for Jan **** Vesley.

I wanted the Zards to draft Leonard and said so last year at the time. But keep in mind that he benefits tremendously by being on the floor with guys like Parker, Duncan and Ginobli. Guys like that help to make any rookie's job easier because all Leonard (and a guy like Danny Green) has to do is play his well-defined role.

Having said that, I believe Vesely has a much higher cieling than Leonard and 2-3 years from now no Zard fan will be complaining about the fact that EG passed on Kawhi for Jan.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

20 straight and they aren't about to lose 4 of the next 5.

Spurs advance where hopefully they end up going out on 26 straight.

I was in complete agreement with you when you posted this but I couldn't
help but think about it as SAN was unable to stop Durant or Harden in key
situations in game 5. The series isn't over, but it could be soon.

Pretty remarkable turn of events.

Looks like I was good and wrong!

After game 3, I was amazed to see how much better OKC looked than SA. When guys like Ibaka, Perkins, and Collison started contributing offense and defense in big ways that changed everything to OKC's favor. Their athleticism and size exposes where SA is weak. The Spurs do not have big guys with mobility to hang with the Thunder's big guys. Bonner and even Blair (but I'm not sure, yet) seem to be overmatched. Splitter cannot run with the OKC bigs. There is only one Tim Duncan, and Ebaka, Perkins, and Collison are making him work on defense. Also, Sefolosha hitting shots adds even more to OKC's advantages. After he started burning them from outside, the Spurs can no longer collapse inside as much to deny dribble penetration by Westbrook, Durant, and Harden. The Thunder have answers for the Spurs, but the Spurs do not seem to be able to solve problems the Thunder pose to them.

It has been an amazing turnaround, jim. In addition to the above, Westbrook has locked down Parker defensively, while Durant and Harden have each stepped up offensively. Suddently, SA is in a world of trouble.

[dobrojim]

Ibaka's outside shooting has been the real eye-opener to me.

Since when was this guy a pure shooter? He's making jumpers
like Kevin Durant. Well almost like Kevin without the 3 pt range.

[Ruzious]

Ibaka's outside shooting has been the real eye-opener to me.

Since when was this guy a pure shooter? He's making jumpers
like Kevin Durant. Well almost like Kevin without the 3 pt range.

Yeah, Ibaka and Thabo changed the equation in the series starting in game 3. I though SA would win in 5 games.

[closg00]

Watching Kawvhi(sp?) Leonard do work in the playoffs, I can't believe Grunfeld passed on him for Jan **** Vesley.

2 things

1. EG wasn't the only GM to pass on KL.

2. ^ this wasn't surprising considering there were several questions about KL,
his size, how well he could shoot being 2 principal ones.

*Leonard was the first SF taken in the draft, there was a run on every other position before his selection.

* You cannot deny that the Spurs are superior evaluators of talent, how they identified, targeted, and traded for Leonard is the stuff of spy movies, brilliant!!

* Donatas at #20 will probably be better than Jan @ 6, does Jan have any of these skills?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf6NOKWty84&sns=em[/youtube]

http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Don ... eLogs/2314
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/21 ... ing_Record

[tontoz]

Green has made only 4 of his last 25 three pointers.

[AFM]

Rondo is crazy good at basketball...unselfish to a fault really. There are times when I'm screaming at the TV "shoot it!!!!!!!!!" because he's always looking to pass, even when hes in the paint

[GhostsOfGil]

Rondo is 1-9 AND is still having the biggest impact on this game. Hope your watching this John...

[sfam]

Miami's butt cheeks are seriously puckering right now. They look tight coming into the 4th.

[Benjammin]

I dislike Boston greatly, but I loved it when Pierce just shot that 3 in the Queen's face.

[hands11]

Miami's butt cheeks are seriously puckering right now. They look tight coming into the 4th.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=320605014

Sweet.

Boston talk game 5 in Miami

Goes up 3-2 heading back to Boston.

They could be one game away from the end of the three bambinos

[theboomking]

Woooooh Boston!!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a game 6 win by Boston. It would be oh, so sweet to see the Heat bow out of the playoffs again.

On an unrelated note, go Nats!

[Upper Decker]

I dislike Boston greatly, but I loved it when Pierce just shot that 3 in the Queen's face.

Cold blooded, sign it LeQueen.

[hands11]

Just goes to show that you can have great players or at least players who put up great stats....
and still not have a great team.

Miami is getting beat by the old guys.

Why ? They have a better team, they are smarter and they have more heart.

How will LeBron recover from the emotional trauma of losing yet again. Eventually, you just start to expect to lose. That's tough to overcome.

[jivelikenice]

I'm glad these failed experiments in NY and Mia are happening and hope players take notice. Its fine if you want to play w/ other stars, but that doesn't mean you don't have to claw to win a title. It also makes sense to pair up with players that have complimentary talent and leave some $ for a bench!

[miller31time]

I'm glad these failed experiments in NY and Mia are happening and hope players take notice. Its fine if you want to play w/ other stars, but that doesn't mean you don't have to claw to win a title. It also makes sense to pair up with players that have complimentary talent and leave some $ for a bench!

That's what I'm most enjoying.

Also, it sends a message that there are consequences to playing with other superstars -- the media and fans start salivating at the mere thought of failure. I don't think Wade, Bosh or LeBron would classify themselves as "happier" now than when they were the big dog for their respective teams. I think life was a lot simpler, fun and less pressure-packed. People actually rooted for them rather than against. I don't care who you are, how much money you make or how bright the spotlight is -- people want to be liked.