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Official NBA 15-16' Season Thread
- Thread starter trikx_insane
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we don't need to look at game 5 as a string of luck. indiana lost that game. their bench is shit and they are known to have shitty fourth quarters.
Toronto was the better team.
Toronto was the better team.
trying to imagine a scenario toronto wins that series and it's hard to come up with something i can take seriously
adding on MIA in 6
i had a cavs/hawks write-up and i forgot to save it... soooo fuck it.
lebron's breath is too much for the hawks because their defensive options amount to paperweight and some wirey dude who couldn't shoot a ball in the ocean. hawks not only stayed the same but actually regressed. only way hawks win is if they somehow bribe dellavedova to injure lebron by mistake in practice or something. lebron post-up can take this series on its own tbh.
teague and schroeder still both suck and irving isn't so bad defensively that either one outshine him. love wasn't here last year but maybe godsap can make a difference. doubt it though.
cavs in 5.
edit: nvm i found it
lebron's breath is too much for the hawks because their defensive options amount to paperweight and some wirey dude who couldn't shoot a ball in the ocean. hawks not only stayed the same but actually regressed. only way hawks win is if they somehow bribe dellavedova to injure lebron by mistake in practice or something. lebron post-up can take this series on its own tbh.
teague and schroeder still both suck and irving isn't so bad defensively that either one outshine him. love wasn't here last year but maybe godsap can make a difference. doubt it though.
cavs in 5.
edit: nvm i found it
"Obviously, walking in the locker room, it'll be good memories. Hopefully, it still smells a little bit like champagne." - Curry on re-visiting Cleveland.
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers versus (4) Atlanta Hawks
There’s a lot of possible noise surrounding this rematch yet I don’t really understand the reason for it. I’m not going to spend too much time explaining why I feel this will be one of the more lop-sided second round series.
Let’s admit a couple of things to ourselves, especially Atlanta fans out there since I’m a resident in the area. Number one, Atlanta has statistically regressed. Yes, the East got slightly better but that’s no excuse for a slightly worse record. There is almost zero reason to believe this team got better and more reason to believe they got worse. Offensive efficiency plummeted and defensively, they shrunk. Their rebounding is still horrible and thankfully wasn’t exposed because Boston was just as bad at doing it themselves.
Number two, they still don’t have an answer to LeBron James. Their guards are still puny and their only swing forward is a guy who can’t throw a ball in the ocean right now.
So, with these facts known, I have no reason to believe this series will go past four or five games. Cleveland now has a more versatile frontcourt (gone are the days of Mozgov and enter Love), Kyrie is healthy, and they are shooting lights out from distance. They can run through Atlanta just by posting up LeBron alone or reverting back to Thompson pounding them on the glass.
So then, how can Atlanta possibly win this? Well, they’re going to need Teague to play out of his mind. I don’t expect that to happen, but I know that’s what it would require. Kyrie isn’t the best defensively but offensively, he is leaps and bounds above Teague. Teague outplaying Kyrie is not something I expect to happen four out of seven times.
Kevin Love was absent from last year’s match-up, so they may want to take advantage of his presence on the floor somehow. He’s their best option to attack offensively with either Millsap or Horford, but is it worth it? Can he possibly kill Atlanta on the glass just as much? Can he match them point-for-point in efficiency?
Last but certainly not least, they have to have a different answer to LeBron. Bazemore is not my ideal starting defender. He’ll be like paper to LeBron... It’s almost insulting to think about. I guess they can try to wall him the best they can and go under all screen-and-rolls since he hasn’t been shooting too well outside lately but I don’t think that’s something you can hope for in 48 minutes. He has the hottest three-point shooters around him outside of Golden State. Millsap could possibly pull a Diaw if they go small but that’s what I said last year. He has the bulk to guard in the post and the quickness to guard him on the perimeter. However, it’s still a tall task for him to do it for extended minutes.
I just don’t see how this doesn’t end up being like last year again.
Cleveland wins if: LeBron breaths.
Atlanta wins if: They bribe Dellavedova into “injuring” LeBron. Godsap sighting.
Cleveland in five.
(1) Cleveland Cavaliers versus (4) Atlanta Hawks
There’s a lot of possible noise surrounding this rematch yet I don’t really understand the reason for it. I’m not going to spend too much time explaining why I feel this will be one of the more lop-sided second round series.
Let’s admit a couple of things to ourselves, especially Atlanta fans out there since I’m a resident in the area. Number one, Atlanta has statistically regressed. Yes, the East got slightly better but that’s no excuse for a slightly worse record. There is almost zero reason to believe this team got better and more reason to believe they got worse. Offensive efficiency plummeted and defensively, they shrunk. Their rebounding is still horrible and thankfully wasn’t exposed because Boston was just as bad at doing it themselves.
Number two, they still don’t have an answer to LeBron James. Their guards are still puny and their only swing forward is a guy who can’t throw a ball in the ocean right now.
So, with these facts known, I have no reason to believe this series will go past four or five games. Cleveland now has a more versatile frontcourt (gone are the days of Mozgov and enter Love), Kyrie is healthy, and they are shooting lights out from distance. They can run through Atlanta just by posting up LeBron alone or reverting back to Thompson pounding them on the glass.
So then, how can Atlanta possibly win this? Well, they’re going to need Teague to play out of his mind. I don’t expect that to happen, but I know that’s what it would require. Kyrie isn’t the best defensively but offensively, he is leaps and bounds above Teague. Teague outplaying Kyrie is not something I expect to happen four out of seven times.
Kevin Love was absent from last year’s match-up, so they may want to take advantage of his presence on the floor somehow. He’s their best option to attack offensively with either Millsap or Horford, but is it worth it? Can he possibly kill Atlanta on the glass just as much? Can he match them point-for-point in efficiency?
Last but certainly not least, they have to have a different answer to LeBron. Bazemore is not my ideal starting defender. He’ll be like paper to LeBron... It’s almost insulting to think about. I guess they can try to wall him the best they can and go under all screen-and-rolls since he hasn’t been shooting too well outside lately but I don’t think that’s something you can hope for in 48 minutes. He has the hottest three-point shooters around him outside of Golden State. Millsap could possibly pull a Diaw if they go small but that’s what I said last year. He has the bulk to guard in the post and the quickness to guard him on the perimeter. However, it’s still a tall task for him to do it for extended minutes.
I just don’t see how this doesn’t end up being like last year again.
Cleveland wins if: LeBron breaths.
Atlanta wins if: They bribe Dellavedova into “injuring” LeBron. Godsap sighting.
Cleveland in five.
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(2) Toronto Raptors versus (3) Miami Heat
http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/nba-season-2009-2010.62102/page-34
i get nostalgia from reading these posts about myself. ahh, the days where I swore small ball was never going to win anybody a ring.
“I’m just trying to get my NBA 2K rating up.” - Hassan Whiteside
Toronto finally did it. They got over that hump. I bet Toronto fans feel really, really good right now. Three whole regular seasons of success and only one playoff series win in three years. Only to be met with Joe Johnson once again in the playoffs.
And that’s one aspect of this match-up I find most peculiar. Joe Johnson is back, the guy who haunted them two years ago.
So, Miami’s starting backcourt is essentially Dragic, Wade, and Johnson versus Toronto’s which is Lowry, DeRozan, and Carroll. Three years ago, they had nobody to match Johnson’s size. Now, they do. Problem is, Miami’s backcourt are full of guys who can take advantage of their match-ups. All three of these guys on the other end are going to have to defend at a high level. DeRozan has to make sure Wade/Johnson don’t go off on them. That also assumes Lowry’s as good at defending Dragic as Kemba was down the stretch. Will Toronto’s backcourt also continue to struggle in efficiency? You could do that against Indiana, but do that against Miami and as we’ve seen in their last series, you’re as good as toast.
Whiteside will dominate Valanciunas. Guarantee it. Too physical, too fast, too tough. Ian Mahinmi was garbage and Turner was a rookie. If Miami manages to take Valanciunas out of the series, it won’t least too long. He’s pretty much the only reason they stayed in the Indiana series. His rebounding and finishes at the rim gave Lowry and DeRozan the occasional space but if he’s not scoring, then Toronto’s going to have a tough time scoring with him on the floor. Al Jefferson could at least shoot jumpers but his shots got occasionally altered and blocked. Valanciusnas is simply outmatched at an athletic and skilled level.
If there’s one advantage I will concede to Toronto, it’s their bench. They have an amazing group of athletic and quick guys. Ross has grown, Cory Joseph is speedy, Biyombo brings the defense and Powell has the craziest dunks. Miami’s bench is trash sometimes. Justice Winslow can be a force on the defensive end but that’s about it.
If this series is for Toronto to win, I say it starts with their bench, Patterson, and the combined defense of Lowry/DeRozan/Carroll. I can’t expect Valanciunas to do anything against Whiteside. Deng is playing so much better than Patterson right now so I’m inclined to believe Miami will have more consistent spacing. How Casey plays Wade/Johnson will decide a lot of things, because DeRozan will have to guard one of those guys while simultaneously not scoring 30+ points in 30+ shots. You simply cannot give Miami too many opportunities like that to run. Ask Kemba. Paul George had his way last series and now the problem with Miami is that it’s not only compounded but their paint defense is actually pretty good.
Toronto wins if: Casey figures out how to curb Wade/Johnson production, Miami’s bench is ass enough to lose them a series, Whiteside can’t stay on the court
Miami wins if: They can’t hide DeRozan, Whiteside is too athletic, they play small better than Toronto since Deng can actually shoot from three right now.
Miami in six.
Toronto finally did it. They got over that hump. I bet Toronto fans feel really, really good right now. Three whole regular seasons of success and only one playoff series win in three years. Only to be met with Joe Johnson once again in the playoffs.
And that’s one aspect of this match-up I find most peculiar. Joe Johnson is back, the guy who haunted them two years ago.
So, Miami’s starting backcourt is essentially Dragic, Wade, and Johnson versus Toronto’s which is Lowry, DeRozan, and Carroll. Three years ago, they had nobody to match Johnson’s size. Now, they do. Problem is, Miami’s backcourt are full of guys who can take advantage of their match-ups. All three of these guys on the other end are going to have to defend at a high level. DeRozan has to make sure Wade/Johnson don’t go off on them. That also assumes Lowry’s as good at defending Dragic as Kemba was down the stretch. Will Toronto’s backcourt also continue to struggle in efficiency? You could do that against Indiana, but do that against Miami and as we’ve seen in their last series, you’re as good as toast.
Whiteside will dominate Valanciunas. Guarantee it. Too physical, too fast, too tough. Ian Mahinmi was garbage and Turner was a rookie. If Miami manages to take Valanciunas out of the series, it won’t least too long. He’s pretty much the only reason they stayed in the Indiana series. His rebounding and finishes at the rim gave Lowry and DeRozan the occasional space but if he’s not scoring, then Toronto’s going to have a tough time scoring with him on the floor. Al Jefferson could at least shoot jumpers but his shots got occasionally altered and blocked. Valanciusnas is simply outmatched at an athletic and skilled level.
If there’s one advantage I will concede to Toronto, it’s their bench. They have an amazing group of athletic and quick guys. Ross has grown, Cory Joseph is speedy, Biyombo brings the defense and Powell has the craziest dunks. Miami’s bench is trash sometimes. Justice Winslow can be a force on the defensive end but that’s about it.
If this series is for Toronto to win, I say it starts with their bench, Patterson, and the combined defense of Lowry/DeRozan/Carroll. I can’t expect Valanciunas to do anything against Whiteside. Deng is playing so much better than Patterson right now so I’m inclined to believe Miami will have more consistent spacing. How Casey plays Wade/Johnson will decide a lot of things, because DeRozan will have to guard one of those guys while simultaneously not scoring 30+ points in 30+ shots. You simply cannot give Miami too many opportunities like that to run. Ask Kemba. Paul George had his way last series and now the problem with Miami is that it’s not only compounded but their paint defense is actually pretty good.
Toronto wins if: Casey figures out how to curb Wade/Johnson production, Miami’s bench is ass enough to lose them a series, Whiteside can’t stay on the court
Miami wins if: They can’t hide DeRozan, Whiteside is too athletic, they play small better than Toronto since Deng can actually shoot from three right now.
Miami in six.
http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/nba-season-2009-2010.62102/page-34
i get nostalgia from reading these posts about myself. ahh, the days where I swore small ball was never going to win anybody a ring.
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holy fuck, did kyle lowry just do that?
sorry ass raptors idgaf if they win this game
what a waste of a game tying shot at buzzer :/
edit: Damian Lillard is coldddd bloodeddd
edit: Damian Lillard is coldddd bloodeddd
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Sub-25-point leads against Golden State are never safe.
Still, it wasn't just one effort of a comeback by them; Portland stifled multiple attempts to tie the game up until the middle of the fourth quarter, and that actually gave me some hope. Lillard--along with Clarkson--has been my favorite new player coming into the NBA, and unlike Brandon Roy or Greg Oden, he hasn't been plagued by injuries.
Still, it wasn't just one effort of a comeback by them; Portland stifled multiple attempts to tie the game up until the middle of the fourth quarter, and that actually gave me some hope. Lillard--along with Clarkson--has been my favorite new player coming into the NBA, and unlike Brandon Roy or Greg Oden, he hasn't been plagued by injuries.
if it ain't my dude gsninja from brawlcentral
Yeeee buddy, how've you been?
And how about Atlanta getting dickstomped by Cleveland, to the surprise of no one? Does the NBA even need to play this series out
lol idk
whiteside isn't dominating his match up as much as he should be. i honestly don't get it. i guess valacunias is the real deal near the rim.
whiteside has never really been a great 1v1 defender (especially when he's in foul trouble since he'll just give up on plays), but he's probably the best help defender in the league. you could tell he was in lowry's and derozan's heads because they were simply terrified to hoist shots in traffic last night
this lends itself to the super obvious conclusion that JV should be taking 20 shots a game, but for whatever reason casey is gonna ride or die with his guards. i'm happy we squeaked out a win but i just can't wrap my head around toronto's game plan. is casey actually as bad as i think he is or am i missing something??
The Hawks just can't guard anyone individually. They don't have any good individual defenders or help defenders. These threes aren't flukes or lucky shots. Cavaliers are spacing them out with one 7 footer in the middle. Hawks constantly need two guys covering one almost all the time, and with a floor that spaced out, of course they're going to shoot lights out. You just can't constantly play 4 on 5.
Atlanta Hawks, a bunch of sorry ass n*****
lowry, is that you? great to see him back tho :]
still inefficient as fuck. this series is literally just a war of long 2's. i just figure wade/johnson were better at it than these young bucks.
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