NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
- Thread starter VF21
- Start date
est.1999
Starter
What does that have to do with liking or disliking superstar players?
jalfa
Starter
nobody here dislikes Rose, Durant, Paul, Love, Randolph, Parker, Duncan, Anthony (I think), etc. all those that are disliked around here are just as disliked in any other part of the NBA fanverse, with maybe a few exceptions.
est.1999
Starter
Fair enough, but if Lebron were on the kings you'd be licking his toes. Even if they were fungus infested.
Bingo, I don't love all of those guys, at least one I think is kind of a jerk (Love), but this "no superstars" thing is nonsense. It's one or two players who for very, very obvious reasons are universally disliked by a large swath of the basketball community.
If he were on the Kings he wouldn't have been the guy that ditched his hometown for Miami nightlife and a cheap ticket to multiple titles (or so it seemed?). I was never a huge fan but I rooted for him at times in Cleveland. Would have been a great story had he lead that franchise to a championship, one to be applauded by all.
TyFreak Evans
Bench
Thunder may have just won the game with that 3rd quarter comeback...
Oh please. Not everyone is as shallow as you are.
Big Cuz 15
All-Star
collison is an amazing defender! him & sefolosha playing some great d. westbrook playing under control unlike previous years. i didn't think OKC was going to make a come back. i was wrong-
jalfa
Starter
on point! Thabo's defense in the second half was amazing and I'm very impressed with Westbrook in these playoffs. I remember talking to a friend earlier this year about how OKC probably couldn't win it with Westbrook because of his poor decision making down the stretch. his growth in that department over just this season has been remarkable. as a whole, the Thunder have looked very good this game, everybody that took the floor contributed, even Fisher. they could maybe live with a little less Perkins, who once again doesn't have a good matchup, and Harden should be able to perform a tad better, but apart from them, their roleplayers have been on point and Durant&Westbrook have been just spectacular.
I would agree about Westbrook in the 3rd, but not so much in the 4th. I felt that he actually forced things a little in the 4th, but was fortunate to get fouled or have his shots go in. On many occasions he could have gotten the ball to Durant with a lob to the basket but didn't. Then again, maybe he was afraid to make slightly riskier passes due to Miami's length as well. Harden looked sluggish.
I dislike Lebron James because I think he's an arrogant stuck-up p*ick. However, I will not deny or belittle his basketball ability, which is among the best, if not THE best in the league. Of course if he were on the Kings I'd be forced to support him, because I am actually a Kings fan and if he makes us good why should I not support him?
I rooted for Miami and Wade back when they won a ring with Shaq. Unfortunately the way the 3 conspired to team up in Miami combined with my existing dislike for James as a player has caused me to root against them.
A good comparison would be Boston. You know, I dislike Boston, but that's because I also think Pierce is another arrogant thug. I have ZERO problems with how they were assembled, because that was a real work of GM-ing, and it was a move that actually brought risk (their window was very small. I doubt Boston wins another championship with them).
Boston started the whole recent fad of a "big 3", yet the entire media was not throwing dirt at them like they are with Miami. Why is it then that you single Kings fans out for being sensitive and whatever other condescending remarks your brilliant mind can come up with? It's simple - it's because none of the other teams have their superstars firstly CONSPIRE to come together through free agency (and they're all still in their prime), taking less money than they should be getting in order to play together, and then secondly throwing some giant parade to tell the world how great they are. On top of that, you have James who kinda left Cleveland in the dirt, not giving them any heads up or anything that he was leaving and embarrassing the city on national television with his little "1 hour all about what goes on in Lebron James' head" TV special.
Go OKC!
jalfa
Starter
I thought most of those shots were pretty good. that lob pass to Durant would have been pretty risky and you could actually see him looking for, but deciding against it after a couple of seconds because he, apparently, didn't feel confident in making it. they'll have to figure out a way to get Durant the ball in these situations, but having Westbrook attack/pnr isn't that bad an option. so yeah, I pretty much agree with you. Harden should be fine, just as he was after getting over his jitters against San Antonio. also, he wasn't getting many minutes because of Thabo's play. he should be fine.
rexb_kings
Bench
Great game by OKC! I think they grew as a team even more and matured coming from the Spurs series. Spurs actually is a harder team to beat than the Heat, tougher to guard and has post presence. OKC just needs to employ the same defensive scheme they used on Spurs, switch every screen, clog the lane (3-4 guy's other foot inside the shaded lane) and run down the shooters. Heat on Perkins was interesting since this allows Lebron to help out on defense. This eventually didn't when Collison came in as he got a lot of free dish-offs and dunks under the basket. But Durant on Lebron was i think pretty good. Durant taking away Lebron's driving ability and letting him shoot, and when he pulls up for that jumper Durant's length and outstretch arm can deflect or disturb Lebron's shot, and Lebron tends to brick those jumpers during clutch situations. Unless Wade and Lebron go into god mode (make every shot they throw at the rim) they can't make this a series. Hoping for a long well fought Finals!
It wasn't so much the quality of the shots as it was him being forced to take them. Because of his hesitation to give Durant the ball he ended up having to make his move with 7-8 seconds left on the clock, and was fortunate to have Haslem being switched onto him off a screen. Not going to win game 2 if he doesn't make the necessary adjustments. I felt he was at his best when he was dishing the ball off of penetration.
Refs will start calling a lot of fouls everytime Lebron drives as the series goes on. And those fouls are going to be on Durant/Westbrook/Thabo/Harden.
Big Cuz 15
All-Star
We need our own version of sefolosha. Jeff Taylor anybody? I think they are both from the same country
jalfa
Starter
honestly though, what they've been showing in the playoffs is way ahead of what they've done in the regular season. especially in that one game the Kings won.
rexb_kings
Bench
This argument requires the reader to believe that Kings Fans are always loyal to their stars, and never hate on them. Which would lead one to ask, where the hell were you hiding between 2002-2006? If you think that there aren't Kings Fans would would hate on LeBron James, if he were in a Kings uniform, you've had your head in the sand.
TyFreak Evans
Bench
Miami is lucky this series is tied 1-1. If KD hit that last shot, and if OKC had played shut down defense on the last possession....it woulda been VERY TOUGH for Miami to take it in OT...
est.1999
Starter
Miami has outplayed the thunder for 5 out of 8 quarters so far. Yeah, the thunder could have won tonight, but home teams usually make rallies like that. Especially a team who hasn't lost at home in the playoffs so far. I can't say for certain either team has an advantage at this point. But Miami is going home for 3 straight. We got ourselves a great series, that's for sure!
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Fouled or not, Durant has to hit that last shot. Just has to.
TyFreak Evans
Bench
Well, with the series being tied 1-1, I can't say for certain that either team has an advantage as well, so I agree with you there. I also agree with your last statement; we do have a great series going on, and I see this going 6 or 7 games. I originally predicted OKC in 6, but we shall see what happens in Miami...GO THUNDER GO!
est.1999
Starter
I get your point, but we never had a Lebron level superstar.
Webber is in the top 20 all time at his position. How good do you have to be not be hated by a significant portion of the Kings fan base? I am predicting the Boogie hate starting next season. Once fans get tired of their new toy, they always start complaining.
est.1999
Starter
Lol top 20 at your position all time does not equal "arguably the greatest raw talent in NBA history".
That is my point. How good do you have to be to not be hated by some fraction of Kings fans? Is it top 10 all time? Top 20? Top 100?
