[NBA] Western Conference Semifinals

Who advances to the Western Conference Finals?


  • Total voters
    12
  • Poll closed .
KD might be out the rest of the season still. No one's chirping about Cousins because he makes them worse and it's painfully obvious, but this will absolutely be used as an excuse if the Warriors don't go all the way.
 
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Sheesh, I’ve seen multiple
HOU possessions in this 4th quarter where Harden just stands thirty feet away from the basket without moving or touching the ball like Kings era Nick Anderson.

I happen to know that’s not in the HOU playbook so I’m assuming he’s turning into prime time Harden in the clutch yet again
 
No one's chirping about Cousins because he makes them worse and it's painfully obvious, but this will absolutely be used as an excuse if the Warriors go all the way.
It's painfully obvious that you didn't catch the Warriors-Rockets final regular season game in mid-March when DeMarcus Cousins enjoyed one of his best performances of a shortened season. The Warriors won in HOU w/o Durant for their only win of the series. The Rockets couldn't handle Boogie.

You might be the only one that doesn't realize the impact he might have had in this playoff series.
 
That team also had Iggy closer to his prime, an Andrew Bogut that could still play 20 mins a night, and Harrison Barnes. Oh, and Steph Curry probably having his best season.
Great points. W/O KD, this isn't close to the same team that won 73 (or the one that actually won a title before it). No Barnes aside, Bogut and Iggy aren't close to the same players they were then. Also, no Livingston, no Ezeli, no Speights, no Barbosa. The bench is much thinner.

**EDIT** Livingston IS playing. I forgot he had returned.
 
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I'd like to see either Denver or Toronto win it all, but I support wanting both the Rockets and the Warriors to lose.
I'd like to see both lose too. But since that's not an option in this round, I find myself in the rare position of rooting for GSW.

Can't stand DEN. At all. So, from a Western Conference perspective, it's the Damian Lilliard's or bust for me.

From the East, I'd be cool with TOR or MIL. Although I'm not really big on MIL, I do really like Giannis and he doesn't have a title. Kawhi does. So I'd probably lean that way.

As for winning it all, I'd be fine with PORT, TOR or MIL.
 
The only problem for the Rockets is the Warriors without Durant are more of a catch and shoot team which I think in theory matches up better than Durant iso balling his team to victory. The Rockets kind of started figuring out how to defend the Warriors and now they'll have to change up some things. They've been semi-trapping a lot of pick and roll before leading into the switch and I don't think they can afford to leave the corners like they have been unless Draymond and Iggy miss their spot shots left and right.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
The only problem for the Rockets is the Warriors without Durant are more of a catch and shoot team which I think in theory matches up better than Durant iso balling his team to victory. The Rockets kind of started figuring out how to defend the Warriors and now they'll have to change up some things. They've been semi-trapping a lot of pick and roll before leading into the switch and I don't think they can afford to leave the corners like they have been unless Draymond and Iggy miss their spot shots left and right.
One thing that was helping the Rockets was that they were able to stick PJ Tucker on Durant all game and essentially "hide" Harden on Klay since KD would take so many touches. Now that the hierarchy is sorta back to the classic GSW Steph/Klay/Dray trio, we might see Klay light Harden up in the next game.