Exclusive Official Around the NBA FINALS - 2015 Edition, Cavs vs Warriors

[Tunchi]

Cavs will adjust to Kerr's adjustments. Cavs will win the series. If they're going to stay with Green at center, Thompson, Mozgov, and James will have a field day over the rest of the series. All Cavs need is for Delly, Iman, or JR to get hot from 3 and they'll run away with it.

It's over. You'll be wrong again. They had their chance. You don't get to win often in oracle let alone more than once. They did that one time this series and then they promptly blew that opportunity.

Golden state warriors 2015 champions. As painful as that sounds.

 

[riverman]

If the warriors win, Iggy should be the MVP

 

[Orion Bailey]

Didnt Lebron pretty much just debunk this the other night??

Im more and more concerned about the 3 being our first offensive thought... or being a 3 and D team.

Stephan Curry was absolutely on fire at the end of the fourth in game three and brought them back, but it still wasn't enough. In Game two he was atrocious. Why? It wasn't better offense by Cleveland. IT was Cleveland's D that did it. In my opinion, it is easier to stick to a guy on the 3 line and get a hand in his face as he takes a stepback three, but it is much more difficult to defend a quality post up guy,. or a guy who can drive to the basket like Lebron.
Some might say, yeah, but its Lebron.
I know the stats about the teams that made it to the conference finals and their stats on 3pt shooting, but I still think we are seeing maybe the best ever team at shooting 3's and they arent going to win a championship on their best season.
Does anyone think GS can match this season or do better in the next couple years with regards to lack of injuries, domination of the regular season and record setting shooting?
The best 3 pt shooting team ever is STILL not gonna win.



Did that space get them a win in the last two games since Cleveland has pressured the 3pt line? Is that space gonna get them a ring? Sure doesn't look like it to me.

Great shooters will have streaks for sure, but they will also have slumps and slumps are 100% unpredictable.
A guy who pounds it into the paint or slashes to the basket is much more consistent than three point shooting will ever be.
I am starting to question my own logic in supporting the current offensive scheme Stotts has us doing. I want more interior post presence with some defensive fire. Where's the ANGST players in the paint? We have none.

With that said, I think the best offence is a balanced offence and the spurs over the years back that up.

I moved this here because it may be more relevant here overall.

SO... Am I gonna have to eat crow on this? LOL

I will say this. It wasn't 3pt shooting that really won game for. It was team ball and Iguodala. Do GS win game 4 if Cleveland is healthy?
Im still not sold that 3pt is the way to go. The ting is GS has a damned god interior game and a deep deep bench. When you have bench players that you can bring in to start to make adjustments and they perform like that?

What if the blazers had a player we could bring in off the bench that would perform like that in place of Batum when he slumps half the season away?

To reference these finals teams pertaining to the blazers, I think its clear that we have a solid starting 5 if we bring them all back, but it is the bench that is the key, and IF we do bring everyone back, we have an improving young bunch, but we still need that true 6th man like Iggy

 

[handiman]

But it's so true how the Warriors have faced injured teams all the way. I don't think they win this series if the Cavs have Irving and Love.

I said it last summer, LeBron, Irving, and Love is not a good pairing. Throughout these playoffs, Cleveland has gotten progressively better as each of their secondary stars went down. With Love and Irving healthy, Thompson and Deladadova would be getting a lot fewer minutes, and those two have been the biggest pains in the ass for GS.

I sort of wonder if LeBron is secretly an Allen Iverson clone, being unable to fully mesh with other stars. Miami struggled with how to get the most out of he and Wade, often having to take turns with them running the offense. The main reason it worked most of the time is they were both so good defensively. Offensively, LeBron + Wade isn't much greater than either by himself, and we're seeing the same thing in Cleveland. Iverson was at his best in their Finals run when surrounded with a bunch of blue-collared, offensive no-names.

 

[KingSpeed]

I moved this here because it may be more relevant here overall.

SO... Am I gonna have to eat crow on this? LOL

I will say this. It wasn't 3pt shooting that really won game for. It was team ball and Iguodala. Do GS win game 4 if Cleveland is healthy?
Im still not sold that 3pt is the way to go. The ting is GS has a damned god interior game and a deep deep bench. When you have bench players that you can bring in to start to make adjustments and they perform like that?

What if the blazers had a player we could bring in off the bench that would perform like that in place of Batum when he slumps half the season away?

To reference these finals teams pertaining to the blazers, I think its clear that we have a solid starting 5 if we bring them all back, but it is the bench that is the key, and IF we do bring everyone back, we have an improving young bunch, but we still need that true 6th man like Iggy

CJ will be that true 6th man.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

The old maxim "there's only one ball" holds true again. LeBron needs the rock A LOT to be amazing, so surround him with people who don't (garbage men, spot shooters, defensive stoppers)! Kyrie and Love (like Wade) need high usage to be effective too... But there's only one ball.

 

[crandc]

Funny, the Warriors seriously considered a Klay Thompson for Kevin Love trade, and were roasted by some for not doing it.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

It's not much different than Jordan; his championship teams had defensive stoppers like pippen, spot shooters like bJ and Kerr, garbage men like Rodman. You didn't have Jordan with Bird and Kevin Johnson.

 

[HailBlazers]

The old maxim "there's only one ball" holds true again. LeBron needs the rock A LOT to be amazing, so surround him with people who don't (garbage men, spot shooters, defensive stoppers)! Kyrie and Love (like Wade) need high usage to be effective too... But there's only one ball.

Yup, exactly why I thought they were stupid for giving up Wiggins for Love.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

It's not much different than Jordan; his championship teams had defensive stoppers like pippen, spot shooters like bJ and Kerr, garbage men like Rodman. You didn't have Jordan with Bird and Kevin Johnson.

Dude. Pippen is one of the greatest players of all time. And Rodman is the greatest rebounder of all time, and an elite defensive player. Kukoc for crying out loud is better than anyone LeBron is playing with in these finals

 

[Orion Bailey]

CJ will be that true 6th man.

Not that I don't disagree with this, but I would like that 6th man to be a big like Meyers honestly.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

Not that I don't disagree with this, but I would like that 6th man to be a big like Meyers honestly.

I rather gave a person that can create for himself, Meyers isn't there yet.

 

[Orion Bailey]

I rather gave a person that can create for himself, Meyers isn't there yet.

I know. That's why I don't disagree about it probably being CJ. But IF it were Meyers dominating the paint with rebounds and putting up 15-18 pts in post ups and 3pt shooting. All the while being a defensive wall on the opponent's main big? I think the team as a whole would benefit from that more. You put that with CJ running the second unit and a healthy starting lineup all year, and I really think all hats left is a solid backup for Nic, or put Nic in the second unit and try to find his starting replacement. (already noted in many threads, not many players available that could replace him).

 

[riverman]

I just want the entire bench to be the 6th man of the year whenever they get on the court. Defenses will figure out Meyers and CJ after the last few playoff games. The element of surprise is gone now.I kind of give Meyers the edge if only for the fact that he can shoot over anybody and CJ can't

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I'm trying to think of a good metaphor for LeBron vs. the Warriors. Obviously there's 300, with LeBron as Sparta. But I'm thinking maybe the death of Boromir in LotR: he fights valiantly against overwhelming odds and even appears to be winning in the early going, but inevitably goes down with a million arrows sticking out of him. Also relevant: he just wants that ring SO BAD. In fact, he betrays his little hobbit friends (Mo Williams, Booby Gibson) to get it but then comes around in the end and realizes his error - before dying.

Either way: Warriors in six.

 

[PDXFonz]

I'm trying to think of a good metaphor for LeBron vs. the Warriors. Obviously there's 300, with LeBron as Sparta. But I'm thinking maybe the death of Boromir in LotR: he fights valiantly against overwhelming odds and even appears to be winning in the early going, but inevitably goes down with a million arrows sticking out of him. Also relevant: he just wants that ring SO BAD. In fact, he betrays his little hobbit friends (Mo Williams, Booby Gibson) to get it but then comes around in the end and realizes his error - before dying.

Either way: Warriors in six.

I was hoping for more of a Jodie Foster/Accused kind of situation.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Well Cleveland look like complete dogshit. LBJ looks like he's given up.

 

[BigGameDamian]

6 TO 2 points in the first 6 minutes for Cavs

 

[Rastapopoulos]

JR SMITH IS ALIVE!

But just to compensate, Shumpert is total crap.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Emboldened by not missing every shot, JR decides to commit a stupid foul.

But in fairness, I bet it felt real good to hit Green like that.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Cavs gonna get slaughtered. This could get ugly.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Lebron James decides to give up on saving himself for the fourth quarter and try to stem the bleeding before it gets fatal.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

JAMES JONES IS THE DIFFERENCE!

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Am I the only one watching? Hellooooo?

Does everybody else have HBO, is that what this is? I gave up on that show when it got a bit too rapey.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Which ex-Blazer do you love more: Steve Kerr or James Jones?

Well Rasta, since you ask, I do like Steve Kerr a lot, but I'm going to side with James Jones because the Warriors just rub me wrong.

It's so good talking to you, Rasta.

Thanks man.

 

[KingSpeed]

This is going very well for Cleveland. Even when they were turning the ball over, GS didn't take advantage and only got a 6 point lead. It's a low scoring game. Favors Cleveland.

 

[KingSpeed]

Cavs gonna get slaughtered. This could get ugly.

Not.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Where have you been, JR Smith?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Could Mike Miller have been the difference?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Not.

We shall see. I live in hope.