[2016] The Finals
- Thread starter Mr. S£im Citrus
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K
That's because they were facing teams not built for the playoffs that Portland would have probably thrashed or swept. There's a difference playing GS than it is average at best teams like Toronto/Pistons/Atlanta who don't have a player or players who are elite or even in the top 20 (Lowry/Derozan are not playoff performers). The East improved regular season wise but probably when it comes to the playoffs is the worst it's ever been.
The Cavs had 2 months of playing uncompetitive basketball prior to making the finals where as the Warriors were gunning for the 73 wins than having to comeback from a 3-1 deficit against a elite Thunder squad.
The Cavs had 2 months of playing uncompetitive basketball prior to making the finals where as the Warriors were gunning for the 73 wins than having to comeback from a 3-1 deficit against a elite Thunder squad.
They were a completely different team. Right now their offense is gone. Before they were chaotic, up and down, firing off 3's faster than you could blink. Now, they're struggling with their own identity. They are far from perfect but ditching the one thing that made them interesting is a bad move. If it's coaching Lue is cementing a quick end to his tenure as an NBA coach. Channing Frye was a huge piece up to this point but instead they are trying to beat down the Warriors with two 6'8" PF's, one can't shoot, and neither can defend very well. They need to accept they either live by the 3 or die by it. They either start moving and get open off the ball like the Warriors do or they die. That is what turned the corner for them later in the year whether they like it or not. They have to play the Warriors in a game the Warriors like, not try and slow the pace and overwhelm them with their half court talent.
The Warriors handled business so the series isn't over however the Cavs really needed to steal one of those games. My original prediction was Cavs in 6 but now I'm thinking Warriors in 7.
I honestly think that as bad as the Cavs have looked that they will still win games 3 and 4 at home. It is hard to win in Oracle.
I honestly think that as bad as the Cavs have looked that they will still win games 3 and 4 at home. It is hard to win in Oracle.
I don't believe that and, with all due respect, I feel like there's a lot of "playing the results" in that point of view. How do we know that this isn't just matchups? I mean, I hate Golden State, and everything that they're about, but let's not pretend that they didn't beat everybody. How do we know that they don't just happen to be the one team that Cleveland can't beat?
That's fair, but I really expected more from San Antonio honestly, and OKC caught me by surprise. You're right about match ups, or maybe the same traps that caused OKC to choke/wither down the stretch after going up 3-1 would haunt them vs. Cleveland, but I feel pretty good that San Antonio would also be up 2-0 right now. So I'm giving OKC the benefit of the doubt for having beaten the Spurs and just throttling GS a few times. Fact is Cleveland looked invincible during that 10-0 start but didn't look very impressive on the road vs. Toronto either.
Okay, but why does everybody seem to take that as evidence that Cleveland was overrated, or whatever, instead of consider that maybe Toronto was a little more resilient than people thought? It just seems to me that people seem incapable of passing up any and every opportunity to **** on the eastern conference.
Why would I think they'd do better? They didn't win the east. My point is that I feel like the "leastern" quality of the eastern conference is greatly exaggerated. I don't think that any team in the eastern conference could have beaten the Warriors in a seven-game series; I just don't consider that to be an indictment of the eastern conference, any more than the fact that no team in the western conference managed to beat the Warriors in a seven-game series is an indictment of the western conference.
In the abstract, I suppose that I think that a hypothetical Hawks/Thunder, Hawks/Spurs, Raptors/Thunder or Raptors/Spurs Finals would have quite entertaining to watch indeed. Maybe a little lacking in star power, but I don't have a vested interest in giving a **** about such things.
In the abstract, I suppose that I think that a hypothetical Hawks/Thunder, Hawks/Spurs, Raptors/Thunder or Raptors/Spurs Finals would have quite entertaining to watch indeed. Maybe a little lacking in star power, but I don't have a vested interest in giving a **** about such things.
But I never went for the "leastern" thing, acknowledging that I bought into the Cavs strong run through the East and bought into the hype that the West was down this year. It's only in hindsight that I'm coming to the conclusion that maybe the East not so good and made Cleveland look stronger than they were. My first post in the thread said I thought the Cavs would win.