Game Thread The NBA 2020 Finals! Heat vs Lakers

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Typical Laker Trash

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Typical Laker Trash

You should bring the sword!

 

[THE HCP]

https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/...ing-favorite-win-next-season-nba-championship

 

[Buffalo Custard]

If/when the Heat fail to reach the NBA finals next year, I expect people to call it a disappointing season for them because the new expectation is that they'll over-achieve yet again. Really enjoyed watching Miami's run this playoffs.

OK, I'm going to put you on the spot. (grin)

Of the "final four" teams - Flakers, Heat, Nuggs, and Celts - which do you predict will go off the rails next season? Which do you predict will fall to 8th seed (or worse)?

 

[PHXBlazer1]

I don’t care if you all hate me for it..but we are witnessing the greatest player since MJ..I’m a Blazers fan first and foremost..but I’m a fan of basketball and Lebron is a joy to watch..I’m glad I got to watch this season to the end and I’m not pissed about it

 

[kjironman1]

Season over. No positive COVID tests. It happened.

We had a conversation about that when this all began. I certainly was not thinking that would happen. Got to say your enthusiasm was correct at the time. I still wish the Lakers would have been beat but the playoffs did happen as you said.

 

[kjironman1]

All of this Lakers hate is whack. You guys are being pathetic. Sour Grapes. Lame. I'm not a Lakers fan but they aren't our rival, they're just another team. The best team won and that's the way it should be and I always like it when the team that knocked us out wins it all because that means we may have been able to handle any other team. Again the negativity in here is just so disappointing.

I don't like the Lakers, I also don't like the Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys.
Because the Lakers won there is a big * by this championship!

Of course if the Blazers won that would not be the case.

 

[kjironman1]

This whole bubble experience might not have been perfect but i expect it to be a much more memorable season ending. Most of us who watched it will not forget the "Corona Bubble" season anytime soon.

 

[Road Ratt]

The bubble was sort of a bad joke. Fanless games literally change the outcome... of every single game played, due to the lack of actual home court advantage. I am finding that it is the same with the NFL. It is ruining the only two sports that I enjoy watching.

If sports are played with little to no fans from now on, I will start using pre-pandemic and post-pandemic for all sports talk. As there will be no legitimate way to ever compare the two eras.

 

[Chris Craig]

As much as I can't stand the Lakers I think it is cool they won one the same year Kobe passed. They won one for him.

 

[handiman]

If sports are played with little to no fans from now on, I will start using pre-pandemic and post-pandemic for all sports talk. As there will be no legitimate way to ever compare the two eras.

BC and AD still works ... Before Corona and "After Death".

 

[Natebishop3]

This is why I didn't want to restart the NBA season. This is why right here. I knew it was going to happen and I didn't want to see the NBA hand the Lakers another title.

 

[THE HCP]

I don’t care if you all hate me for it..but we are witnessing the greatest player since MJ..I’m a Blazers fan first and foremost..but I’m a fan of basketball and Lebron is a joy to watch..I’m glad I got to watch this season to the end and I’m not pissed about it

Preach muthafucka preach!

 

[THE HCP]

I don’t care if you all hate me for it..but we are witnessing the greatest player since MJ..I’m a Blazers fan first and foremost..but I’m a fan of basketball and Lebron is a joy to watch..I’m glad I got to watch this season to the end and I’m not pissed about it

What this dude said!

 

[THE HCP]

The bubble was sort of a bad joke. Fanless games literally change the outcome... of every single game played, due to the lack of actual home court advantage. I am finding that it is the same with the NFL. It is ruining the only two sports that I enjoy watching.

If sports are played with little to no fans from now on, I will start using pre-pandemic and post-pandemic for all sports talk. As there will be no legitimate way to ever compare the two eras.

What did you expect? Did you think the bubble was going to go differently. That literally was best case scenario for the league. And I'm not talking about who won, I'm talking about the players health, the ability to broadcast and to appease the sponsors AND real basketball fans.
I'm quite sure baseball and football wishes they had gone the bubble route for the logistics alone.

I have njo inside info, but I'd expect more of the same in the future. Regional bubbles is what I'm thinking.

 

[THE HCP]

BC and AD still works ... Before Corona and "After Death".

#TooSoon

 

[THE HCP]

This is why I didn't want to restart the NBA season. This is why right here. I knew it was going to happen and I didn't want to see the NBA hand the Lakers another title.

You always crack me up with your tinfoil hat scenarios son.

 

[blazerkor]

The bubble was sort of a bad joke. Fanless games literally change the outcome... of every single game played, due to the lack of actual home court advantage. I am finding that it is the same with the NFL. It is ruining the only two sports that I enjoy watching.

If sports are played with little to no fans from now on, I will start using pre-pandemic and post-pandemic for all sports talk. As there will be no legitimate way to ever compare the two eras.

Don't worry about that, as soon as it won't be a PR nightmare if there is a huge outbreak due to sickness these leagues will gladly take back close to half of their revenue and the added interest in their sports that live attendance provides. The players are showmen, they want to here cheers and boos more than we do. Everyone is eager to get things back to the way you want them and it will happen by 2022. The only distinction you'll have to make will be during pandemic and everything else.

 

[blazerkor]

This is why I didn't want to restart the NBA season. This is why right here. I knew it was going to happen and I didn't want to see the NBA hand the Lakers another title.

This is nuts. The Lakers showed that they were the very best team in the league. No one handed them anything. They were actually the team that had the biggest disadvantage due to the pandemic after the Bucks got beat. The Lakers would have had HCA in every series they played in and yet with no crowd to cheer them on they still won all but 5 games... pure domination. The scary thing is, as long as AD re-signs, they will be better next year.

 

[Tince]

OK, I'm going to put you on the spot. (grin)

Of the "final four" teams - Flakers, Heat, Nuggs, and Celts - which do you predict will go off the rails next season? Which do you predict will fall to 8th seed (or worse)?

Good question. I don't think I would predict any of them to to fall to the 8th seed. I think the Fakers and Celtics probably have the best odds to return to the conference finals. I'd probably give the Heat an edge over the Nuggets. I would bet against the Heat reaching the finals next season.

What do you think?

 

[Road Ratt]

What did you expect? Did you think the bubble was going to go differently. That literally was best case scenario for the league. And I'm not talking about who won, I'm talking about the players health, the ability to broadcast and to appease the sponsors AND real basketball fans.
I'm quite sure baseball and football wishes they had gone the bubble route for the logistics alone.

I have njo inside info, but I'd expect more of the same in the future. Regional bubbles is what I'm thinking.

I had no idea what to expect of the bubble until it had gotten going, of course. After enough time, and with the addition of watching NFL games without fans, it became glaringly obvious that sports without fans takes away home court advantage. I understand they did what they did for the money, and the NBA games did help lower my anxiety. But, my main point, at least from my perspective, is that sports will never be the same without fans. For me, it takes away some of the excitement of the season, just knowing the outcomes of the games are being affected is all. I will still watch the games and try to enjoy them though.

 

[Tince]

I had no idea what to expect of the bubble until it had gotten going, of course. After enough time, and with the addition of watching NFL games without fans, it became glaringly obvious that sports without fans takes away home court advantage. I understand they did what they did for the money, and the NBA games did help lower my anxiety. But, my main point, at least from my perspective, is that sports will never be the same without fans. For me, it takes away some of the excitement of the season, just knowing the outcomes of the games are being affected is all. I will still watch the games and try to enjoy them though.

You bring up an interesting point. 33% of the series were won by the lower seed. I would assume that was slightly higher than most years. The #1 seed in the West did win it all, which is pretty standard.

 

[Buffalo Custard]

Good question. I don't think I would predict any of them to to fall to the 8th seed. I think the Fakers and Celtics probably have the best odds to return to the conference finals. I'd probably give the Heat an edge over the Nuggets. I would bet against the Heat reaching the finals next season.

What do you think?

I think watching how Butler responds is going to be real interesting. Has he finally evolved into a leader, or will he be the locker-room arsonist he was in Philly and Mini? (the guy is older than Dame, but about half as mature!) The Celts are a good team as is, but I wonder if they have maxed out their current roster? (I'm not that impressed with Walker)

If any of these teams has not yet reached their prime, I would say it is Denver. Their success will be defined by their continued improvement, even if they are still not quite good enough to get past LBJAD.

 

[blazerkor]

I think watching how Butler responds is going to be real interesting. Has he finally evolved into a leader, or will he be the locker-room arsonist he was in Philly and Mini? (the guy is older than Dame, but about half as mature!) The Celts are a good team as is, but I wonder if they have maxed out their current roster? (I'm not that impressed with Walker)

If any of these teams has not yet reached their prime, I would say it is Denver. Their success will be defined by their continued improvement, even if they are still not quite good enough to get past LBJAD.

The problem with Denver is that I don't know if they are even better than us next season let alone the Clippers who they beat by the skin of their teeth, Dallas, Golden State, and obviously the Lakers, hell even Utah should be pretty damn good. The west will be a dogfight. So I agree that the question can't be answered which team is most likely to drop to the eighth seed but Denver is the most likely to be the lowest seed out of those for teams. I do realize that Denver has the most potential with their current roster to get better but you just can't count on that, you have to assume that they'll be as good as their most recent performance.

 

[kjironman1]

You always crack me up with your tinfoil hat scenarios son.

They lost 5 games and won it in 21 games. Nobody handed that team the chip. I still don't like the Lakers but they deserved that ring.

 

[BigGameDamian]