Game Thread 2016 NBA Finals, Game 7, Warriors vs Cavaliers

[Boob-No-More]

Well, I have to say, that all worked out well. Of course, the Blazers winning it all would have been the most perfect outcome, but barring that, I got to see all the teams I despise lose in the playoffs - the last two snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in epic choke jobs after leading 3-1.

I got to see HOU lose in the 1st round - and that's always a good thing.

I got to see my Blazers oust the whiniest team in all of sports.

I got to see the player that jilted us lose in the second round.

I got to see OKC go up 3-1 only to revert to their ugly ass hero ball offense and suffer a demoralizing defeat that could send that bastard of a franchise into a tail spin if Durant and then Westbrook leave.

And, I got to see the smug, arrogant doucebag defending champs blow a 3-1 lead and lose the championship on their home floor in front of their douchebag, entitled fans. When the playoffs started, GSW would have been my second choice to win it all, behind the Blazers, but Draymond Green's antics, Klay's arrogance, Curry's temper tantrum and Kerr whining about the officcials made me grow to despise that team. It was also amazing how quickly their fan base (or at least the ones on the forums) acquired a massive sense of entitlement. All this talk of a dynasty after a single championship was ridiculously premature.

So, in the end, I'm happy for LeBron and the people of Cleveland, but even more happy that the arrogant douchebags got their asses handed to them on their home court.

BNM

 

[Mediocre Man]

Well, I have to say, that all worked out well. Of course, the Blazers winning it all would have been the most perfect outcome, but barring that, I got to see all the teams I despise lose in the playoffs - the last two snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in epic choke jobs after leading 3-1.

I got to see HOU lose in the 1st round - and that's always a good thing.

I got to see my Blazers oust the whiniest team in all of sports.

I got to see the player that jilted us lose in the second round.

I got to see OKC go up 3-1 only to revert to their ugly ass hero ball offense and suffer a demoralizing defeat that could send that bastard of a franchise into a tail spin if Durant and then Westbrook leave.

And, I got to see the smug, arrogant doucebag defending champs blow a 3-1 lead and lose the championship on their home floor in front of their douchebag, entitled fans. When the playoffs started, GSW would have been my second choice to win it all, behind the Blazers, but Draymond Green's antics, Klay's arrogance, Curry's temper tantrum and Kerr whining about the officcials made me grow to despise that team. It was also amazing how quickly their fan base (or at least the ones on the forums) acquired a massive sense of entitlement. All this talk of a dynasty after a single championship was ridiculously premature.

So, in the end, I'm happy for LeBron and the people of Cleveland, but even more happy that the arrogant douchebags got their asses handed to them on their home court.

BNM

I hated everyone not named Blazers, so I am only happy for the people of Cleveland. That could change, however, if they start getting cocky

 

[Boob-No-More]

One big example was when Curry was isolated with Kevin Love and despite every cross-over, step-back, jitterbug move he tried, he couldn't create space......ON KEVIN LOVE!

Once they got Love on Curry, GSW stood around expecting Curry to school Love. No more of their famous moving screens, no more player movement or ball movement, just Love on an island locking down Curry.

Way too much hero ball by GSW in the 4th quarter of Game 7. You think they would have learned a thing or two about the ineffectiveness of hero ball after watching OKC implode in the WCF. Nope, rather than learn from OKC's mistakes, they repeated them. It wasn't just blowing a 3-1 series lead that was similar, they blew that lead in the exact same manner as OKC. With the series on the line, Steph Curry became Russell Westbrook, playing one-on-one, committing stupid, unforced turnovers and forcing up bad shots.

BNM

 

[crandc]

Five points.

Had they scored five more points in Game 7 the Warriors would have been proclaimed one of the greatest teams of all times. Record setting wins. Taken to the limit by Portland, then OKC, and finally Cleveland. Winning an epic for the ages Game 7 by a single point.

For lack of just five points, they are now labeled chokers. Overrated.
Love it!

Haven't had time to read the box score; I wonder how many free throws GSW missed? If four or more, cue the Schonz!

BNM, great post.
Everyone where I work is looking very subdued.

 

[illmatic99]

Five points.

Had they scored five more points in Game 7 the Warriors would have been proclaimed one of the greatest teams of all times. Record setting wins. Taken to the limit by Portland, then OKC, and finally Cleveland. Winning an epic for the ages Game 7 by a single point.

For lack of just five points, they are now labeled chokers. Overrated.
Love it!

Haven't had time to read the box score; I wonder how many free throws GSW missed? If four or more, cue the Schonz!

BNM, great post.
Everyone where I work is looking very subdued.

It's maddening how close they were to being dubbed the greatest team of all time.

 

[riverman]

For all the free-flowing offense and 'Splash Brothers' brilliance, the last shot outside of 1' that the entire team made was a Klay Thompson jumper at the 6:18 mark. In the Playoffs when you can hold, body, impede and hand-check much more without fouls being called, (especially in the last few minutes of the 4th quarter of Game 7) all of that finesse and outside shooting ground to a halt.

One big example was when Curry was isolated with Kevin Love and despite every cross-over, step-back, jitterbug move he tried, he couldn't create space......ON KEVIN LOVE! He ended up chucking up a couple of horrible shots in the last few minutes that either barely drew iron or in one case, just clanked off the backboard. The only baskets in the last 6 minutes were an offensive put back lay-in and a Klay Thompson drive for a lay-in....that's it.

They desperately needed someone who could create down low, cause a double-team....anything. That makes me a bit nervous for Stott's offense as it is designed in similar fashion. Free flowing ball movement and tons of 3's but when things tighten up and there are enough defensive players that can switch and cover, the shots ended up with r not quality looks at all.

The amount of clutching and holding in the last quarter were something the Blazers need to watch over and over to understand what real success will take as they continue to grow.

Actually losing Bogut really hurt them in game 7 but Curry shouldn't have played either if they were fair...throwing a mouth piece is a suspension for everyone else. They got killed on the boards and James could drive the paint at will...it was about as ISO ball as you can play from Cleveland

 

[crandc]

Agree, Curry got away with one. Can you imagine if Rasheed Wallace had not just thrown a mouthpiece but hit a fan? Need I ask?

I also think he wore down. He's had a history of nagging injuries. When a team relies heavily on a big man (or woman, of course) size and strength can prevail even with nagging injuries, but a player like Curry relies on speed and agility. Lose just half a step and he's lost his advantage.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

I was rooting for GS, but only meekly.

Congrats to the Fans of Cleveland, maybe an even more tortured fan base than us. I would love to have seen the Price-Nance-Daugherty teams healthy, but it seemed one of the 3 was injured every year.

Congrats to LBJ. I hate all that backseat GMming, coaching..., but he played really hard. He shook off the finals choker label, and has solidified himself as one of the greatest players ever.

Congrats to the Cavs team. They'll save a lot of $$$, because this playoffs showed, at least to me, that they don't need Kevin Love.

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

LMAO! Cavs fan dabs Dell Curry.

 

[Sedatedfork]

Fuck Skip Bayless

 

[BLAZINGGIANTS]

What tweet are you trying to post? Post the link and I will show you how to do it.

Stren is used to flying solo, he's not sure what to do when others are involved.

 

[crandc]

Fuck Skip Bayless

LOL!!!
Well, maybe bigger headache, bigger problem, bigger police file...

 

[Sedatedfork]

Thank you to @crandc for beheading so many snakes

 

[handiman]

Lost amidst everything, was LeBron faking it on the landing on that last possession? He sure looked to be in a lot of pain, like a broken wrist or something, but the replay showed absolutely nothing and he shook it off awfully fast. Was he trying to bait the refs into suspending Draymond Groin for Game 8?

 

[HolyBackboard]

Steph Curry had 30 turnovers to just 26 assists for the entire Finals ... Surprised this isn't being talked about more.

 

[Natebishop3]

Steph Curry had 30 turnovers to just 26 assists for the entire Finals ... Surprised this isn't being talked about more.

He's just not really a point guard. Not in the older sense of the term. He's a REALLY REALLY great scorer.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Steph Curry had 30 turnovers to just 26 assists for the entire Finals ... Surprised this isn't being talked about more.

And many (perhaps most) of those TOVs were of the unforced, showboating kind. It's one thing to play with a flashy style, it's quite another when you start to value style more than results. Hey Steph, this isn't figure skating. There are no style points in basketball. You might want to focus more on protecting the ball than attempting fancy passes that might make SportsCenter if you connect, but cost your team when they don't.

BNM

 

[Orion Bailey]

GSW is an aberration in that they don't have, nor do they need a true point guard.

This is ONLY because their 1-8 are all exceptional ball handlers and passers. Don't need one key guy to do it if your team can do it by committee.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

Steph Curry had 30 turnovers to just 26 assists for the entire Finals ... Surprised this isn't being talked about more.

The media doesn't like talking shit to Curry for some reason.

 

[Natebishop3]

So do the Warriors win the title last year if Kyrie/Love aren't injured?

 

[craigehlo]

So do the Warriors win the title last year if Kyrie/Love aren't injured?

Yes. No question.

 

[Natebishop3]

Yes. No question.

Why would last year be any different than this year?

 

[Orion Bailey]

Why would last year be any different than this year?

Two reasons. Cleveland has now had another year to figure themselves out. They were better this year than last regardless of their injuries. I mean with regards to team ball. At the same time GSW was the opposite. They were completely healthy in the finals last year. Not this year.

GSW was 1:07 minutes away from winning it this year even when LBJ played like a monster, Cleveland was completely healthy and GSW was beat up.

Put both healthy teams against each other and I think GSW wins 8 out of 10 matchups.

 

[Boob-No-More]

So do the Warriors win the title last year if Kyrie/Love aren't injured?

Impossible to say. Does CLE with the title this year if Bogut isn't injured? Probably not.

I think many fans underestimate Boguts contributions based on his limited minutes, but without him in the middle, it opens up the lane for some easy baskets. He blocked 10 shots in only 60 minutes played in the finals. Without him in the game, it made t much easier for CLE to score in the paint in games 5, 6 and 7.

BNM

 

[crandc]

In fairness, @Sedatedfork it was my cat Zoey who beheaded the snakes.

 

[Boob-No-More]

He's just not really a point guard. Not in the older sense of the term.

Actually, he was. Under Mark Jackson, Curry averaged 8.5 APG (5th in the league). But, that was the problem. Jackson was asking Curry to do too much, He was their leading scorer, and their primary ballhandler and leading playmaker. He was asked to create for himself and the rest of the team, as well. It wore him down too much.

He's a REALLY REALLY great scorer.

Under Steve Kerr, the ballhandling and distribution is divided among multiple players offloading much of that responsibility from Curry. Under Kerr, Curry is no longer a traditional PG, he's a scoring guard who can focus more of his energy on creating for himself while Green and Livingston divvy up the ballhandling and distribution duties. As a result, Curry's scoring has jumped by 8.0 points per 36 minutes, and his scoring average jumped from 24.0 ppg to 30.1 ppg while playing fewer minutes per game. Curry's apg has dropped from 8.5 to 6.7, but the Warriors as a team have seen their apg jump from 23.3 to 28.9.

So, Curry can play the traditional PG role, but that wears him down and doesn't take full advantage of his unique scoring ability.

BNM

 

[HolyBackboard]

The media doesn't like talking shit to Curry for some reason.

It's weird the media isn't putting more heat on the Warriors (Steph in particular) for their historic choke job ... If Bron had those Curry numbers and Cleveland was the team to blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals (let alone being 73-9 in the regular season), there would be non-stop, wall-to-wall ESPN programming on it.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

It's weird the media isn't putting more heat on the Warriors (Steph in particular) for their historic choke job ... If Bron had those Curry numbers and Cleveland was the team to blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals (let alone being 73-9 in the regular season), there would be non-stop, wall-to-wall ESPN programming on it.

22.6 ppg on 40% shooting, with 3.7 a/g, 0.9 s/g, & 4.3 to/g, and a cumulative -7 over the series, and a positive plus/minus in just 2 of 7 games. Yeah, definitely deserves a bit of attention.

 

[BBert]

It's weird the media isn't putting more heat on the Warriors (Steph in particular) for their historic choke job ... If Bron had those Curry numbers and Cleveland was the team to blow a 3-1 lead in the Finals (let alone being 73-9 in the regular season), there would be non-stop, wall-to-wall ESPN programming on it.

Christ, they still bring up the Blazers losing in 2000 whenever they get the chance. Hard to believe the 'greatest team of all time' gets a pass.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Does anyone really think the Warriors don't win in 5 without the Green suspension? I admit it was poetic justice for it to happen, but they had all the momentum and were going home. I actually picked it to go 7, but after game 4, I admitted I was wrong......until the NBA office got involved.