***2019 NBA Finals Discussion: Drake Vs Dynasty***
- Thread starter B.A.R.
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divol
The Spurs can suck my manhood
Toronto did a hell of a job, but Bucks sure helped them. Dubs on the other hand, without KD, maybe even no better than the Bucks, but know how to win titles and how to close the series...
GSW without home court advantage, should be able to close it by Game 6. Very hard to believe we will see Game 7. Don't know the price of the series, but if GS -1.5 games will be above evens, it should be a very solid bet...
I also believe that home court advantage actually works against the Raptors here. It won't get to Game 7 regardless imo, but it puts a lot of pressure on the Raptors from Game 1. Instead of getting adjusted to the atmosphere in Oakland, where even 0 - 2 in two blowout losses wouldn't hurt too much, because they get to come home, now... first two games in Toronto and all the pressure is on them...
If they lose Game 1, it can turn in to a snowball...
If Iggy is fit, he can do a decent job in Kawhi and Nurse will have to decide if he wants to play Green and Kawhi on the Splash Brothers (and the way Green looks so far this post season, it's a huge problem on offense) or try to bring Powell/ VanVleet/ Lowry on Curry...
Also, wonder who covers Draymond - Gasol will struggle to guard him, but he is much more effective than Ibaka against the Dubs on offense and as far as team defense goes...
Kerr should have huge coach advantage against Nurse.
Still... This is a series that should really test the Warriors without KD. Iggy can't play more than 25 minutes on average (he can play 35 minutes one game, but will struggle to play 15 in the next). Toronto got Powell and Kawhi on wings and I do wonder if their shooting from the last three games will remain as hot. If so, Kerr will have to make a lot of adjustments, but if Toronto goes a bit cold (and I expect them to get cold, because of the time that will pass and because of the pressure)... Dubs can go to Oakland leading 2 - 0...
GSW without home court advantage, should be able to close it by Game 6. Very hard to believe we will see Game 7. Don't know the price of the series, but if GS -1.5 games will be above evens, it should be a very solid bet...
I also believe that home court advantage actually works against the Raptors here. It won't get to Game 7 regardless imo, but it puts a lot of pressure on the Raptors from Game 1. Instead of getting adjusted to the atmosphere in Oakland, where even 0 - 2 in two blowout losses wouldn't hurt too much, because they get to come home, now... first two games in Toronto and all the pressure is on them...
If they lose Game 1, it can turn in to a snowball...
If Iggy is fit, he can do a decent job in Kawhi and Nurse will have to decide if he wants to play Green and Kawhi on the Splash Brothers (and the way Green looks so far this post season, it's a huge problem on offense) or try to bring Powell/ VanVleet/ Lowry on Curry...
Also, wonder who covers Draymond - Gasol will struggle to guard him, but he is much more effective than Ibaka against the Dubs on offense and as far as team defense goes...
Kerr should have huge coach advantage against Nurse.
Still... This is a series that should really test the Warriors without KD. Iggy can't play more than 25 minutes on average (he can play 35 minutes one game, but will struggle to play 15 in the next). Toronto got Powell and Kawhi on wings and I do wonder if their shooting from the last three games will remain as hot. If so, Kerr will have to make a lot of adjustments, but if Toronto goes a bit cold (and I expect them to get cold, because of the time that will pass and because of the pressure)... Dubs can go to Oakland leading 2 - 0...
BetCrimes1984
CTG Big Brother
Toronto in the NBA finals is like the Detroit Lions making the Super Bowl. It just doesn't happen. It shouldn't happen. Things must be rotten in the sport for it to happen. They have as much chance of winning as any Canadian team does of winning the Stanley Cup anytime soon.
Oh, you went there
.
Inspekdah
My man, Michael Jordan!
Leonard is a Warrior killer. Remember that bad Spurs team was primed to take g1 before he got hurt years back.
He’s by far the best player on the court and it’s not close.
I didn’t see many open looks for the Bucks last series.
Curry can’t do it alone. I suspect Leonard to shut down whoever he guards.
That being said Dubz a 3-1 favorite so they’re expected to win.
But Leonard the best in the game since MJ, no doubt. Ability to completely erase an opponent with his defense is something the league hasn’t seen in 25 years.
He’s by far the best player on the court and it’s not close.
I didn’t see many open looks for the Bucks last series.
Curry can’t do it alone. I suspect Leonard to shut down whoever he guards.
That being said Dubz a 3-1 favorite so they’re expected to win.
But Leonard the best in the game since MJ, no doubt. Ability to completely erase an opponent with his defense is something the league hasn’t seen in 25 years.
BetCrimes1984
CTG Big Brother
It's as easy as: it's Canada vs the US in a US sport. Christ, Canada vs the US in a Canadian sport (NHL) has seen the US win 28 of the last 29 'ships that have gone up for grabs.
Plus there's the old you got lose one before you('re ready to) win one, which is an adage that applies so much more when it's a best-of series and not a one-off affair. And when that adage doesn't pan out, it's usually because the newcomer faced a less than street-wise opponent, which is not something you can say about this Warriors team even (presumably) missing KD.
Toronto wins this, it will truly be one for the books.
Plus there's the old you got lose one before you('re ready to) win one, which is an adage that applies so much more when it's a best-of series and not a one-off affair. And when that adage doesn't pan out, it's usually because the newcomer faced a less than street-wise opponent, which is not something you can say about this Warriors team even (presumably) missing KD.
Toronto wins this, it will truly be one for the books.
Great thoughts BetCrimes. How many times have we seen that pan out in the Super Bowl. Experience pays.
Inspekdah
My man, Michael Jordan!
LBH here, this guy ain't winning the Finals.
Dude has faced Steve Clifford, Brett Brown and Mike Budenchoker.
Now he's up against Steve Kerr and his 8 rings. Kerr ain't great but he's multiple tiers higher than Dick Nurse.
Has to be considered a top tier coach now. Bud was top 3 and Raps won 4 in a row from them.
I don’t think Kerr could have won 60 games with the Bucks or made the finals with the Raptors.
1. Stevens
2. Bud
3. Nurse!
emkee
The Truth Is Out There
Bud in the top 3, come on Spek.
Dude a stubborn idiot that shit his pants every postseason.
Stevens, you know my take on this overrated dude. Guy can't coach stars, gets the best out of his role-players but his bland ass demeanour don't work with the glitter guys.
Nurse outdueled a bunch of shitty coaches because of 1 man who is playing like the reincarnation of Mike J.
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
No Pop!?!
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
I think a combo of Klay and Green will help hold Leonard in check for the most part... who else will carry the load? Lowry might have a couple good games... FVV might get hot in z couple... Siakem is up and down... Gasol MIGHT cause some problems, but i don't really trust any of them...
Pop is obviously the best coach in league and close to all-time.
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
And lest i forget E 40 should help neutralize the bitch drake.
Pyppurs
Pretty much a regular
The disrespect for Toronto is real
:confused3:...Toronto has 2 international players and the rest are American. Most if not all NHL teams have more Canadians on their roster than Americans/Europeans,
:confused3:...Toronto has 2 international players and the rest are American. Most if not all NHL teams have more Canadians on their roster than Americans/Europeans,
H.R. Pufnstuf
Pretty much a regular
GSW with Curry, without KD:
2018-19: 8-1 SU (5-3-1 ATS)
2017-18: 8-0 SU (7-1 ATS)
2016-17: 18-3 SU (10-8-3 ATS)
total: 34-4 SU (22-12-4 ATS)
*won 31 of their last 32 (21-7-4 ATS)
2018-19: 8-1 SU (5-3-1 ATS)
2017-18: 8-0 SU (7-1 ATS)
2016-17: 18-3 SU (10-8-3 ATS)
total: 34-4 SU (22-12-4 ATS)
*won 31 of their last 32 (21-7-4 ATS)
Warrior fans should hope for Durant to be ruled out
He’s the best player in the NBA. There is no level to quantify the silliness of this statement.
It‘s a team sport and it‘s about chemistry more than individual quality. The warriors clearly do without him
Here we go
Um, they've never lost a finals with him. They are 1-1 without him.
They won 73 games without him
Regular season doesn't matter. They rest guys the past few years. They could care less about the regular season.
You’re articulate with words, Cavs. You definitely know how to write. IF you have any freedom whatsoever to choose a topic, you defending this position would make for a good topic.
No one who knows how the NBA works will believe you, but it will make for an interesting article topic.
Have at it, kid.
jedi ninja
Larry the liberal
While it’s interesting to talk about US teams winning the Cup that much, and basketball being a US sport, the makeup of the players on the rosters make this a meaningless tidbit. It’s not like it’s Canadian players vs US players in this NBA Finals, nor is it US players on US teams in the NHL. It’s fun to rib Canada about the Stanley Cup fact and all, but it’s simply not really a thing in reality.
I look at toys as ideas to experiment with. I abandon some at some point and say some things i‘ll realize are dumb.
There is nothing wrong with going with that opinion if you want to sell that narrative.
Guys like Cowhard and Stephen A. do it for a living....selling unconventional takes.
Those kinds of opinions while not popular will get people to probably not like your ideas, but pay attention at the very least.
My point is that there is a world of sports media selling potentially "dumb" things. It's cool to state these kinds of things....but what makes them interesting and come to life is when you defend your stance.....that is where people pay attention and whether they like you or hate you, will notice you.
It's the Howard Stern phenomenon. Back in the 80s when Stern was getting huge on radio, his listenership wasn't dominated by people who loved him....he had something like a 2-1 audience of people WHO HATED HIM. My point is that people love polarizing figures.
Roll with your ideas....good, bad or otherwise.....it makes everything more interesting. It's all friendly banter anyway when someone agrees with you or shoots down a point you make....they're paying attention and that's good for everyone.
The way I’m guessing this line up goes at the start is
Curry guards Danny Green
Thompson guards Lowry
Iggy guards Kawhi
Looney/Bogut guards Gasol/Ibaka
Draymond guards Siakam
Up until the subs come into the game, I don’t see much advantage for the Raptors in these match-ups. In 2-3 years I believe Siakam will have the experience he needs to handle Draymond, but not this year. In the playoffs so far, Danny Green has pretty much been guarding himself, so Curry shouldn’t be stretched too far on defense. Nobody can really stop Kawhi but if Iggy is healthy enough he should at least be able to get Kawhi’s attention. On a good day Gasol/Ibaka could edge out Looney/Bogut, but I don’t see Gasol/Ibaka being particularly dominant.
My recollection is that before Kawhi ever developed injury issues, the Spurs tried having him guard Curry. But Curry ran circles around him.
But everything is such a moving target. How strong is Iggy feeling? Livingston and Cook and McKinnie have all been service-able recently, but the Warriors will still need luck to get those guys in and out of a game without suffering a big deficit, especially with Powell and Van Vleet starting to spread their wings.
I’m leaning toward making a big bet on the Warriors for the first quarter of the first game, but maybe I’m better off not committing any funds until I see a sample of the live action...
Curry guards Danny Green
Thompson guards Lowry
Iggy guards Kawhi
Looney/Bogut guards Gasol/Ibaka
Draymond guards Siakam
Up until the subs come into the game, I don’t see much advantage for the Raptors in these match-ups. In 2-3 years I believe Siakam will have the experience he needs to handle Draymond, but not this year. In the playoffs so far, Danny Green has pretty much been guarding himself, so Curry shouldn’t be stretched too far on defense. Nobody can really stop Kawhi but if Iggy is healthy enough he should at least be able to get Kawhi’s attention. On a good day Gasol/Ibaka could edge out Looney/Bogut, but I don’t see Gasol/Ibaka being particularly dominant.
My recollection is that before Kawhi ever developed injury issues, the Spurs tried having him guard Curry. But Curry ran circles around him.
But everything is such a moving target. How strong is Iggy feeling? Livingston and Cook and McKinnie have all been service-able recently, but the Warriors will still need luck to get those guys in and out of a game without suffering a big deficit, especially with Powell and Van Vleet starting to spread their wings.
I’m leaning toward making a big bet on the Warriors for the first quarter of the first game, but maybe I’m better off not committing any funds until I see a sample of the live action...
Stew Baker
Pretty much a regular
Raptors needed that fortuitous bounce on that incredible last second shot to get by Phila. in Gm. 7 at home. If Embiid wasn't real sick in gm. 4, likely there is no gm, 7. Is Toronto that much better now by virtue of having played the Milwaukee series?
Lest anyone confuse Golden State with Philly, please let me know.
Lest anyone confuse Golden State with Philly, please let me know.
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That is some transitive property thinking right there „Warriors > Sixers > Raptors“
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Lol. Though I'd say Toronto's home court means more to them than Cleveland's, and this Toronto team is deeper than those Cavs teams. With that being said, I agree that the result will be similar.
skanless13
Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Im thinking they get 2.
Good point.
On the other hand...
The Blazers are the weakest WCF opponent of the GSW era, and it isn't even close. Houston, a very good team, but not as good as last years squad ultimately. The Clippers played very hard but that series was basically the Warriors treating several games like it was the middle of January.
Stew Baker
Pretty much a regular
The Warriors' series wins were all clear wins, so we don't know what the ceiling is. I'll leave it to Golden State to be Golden State. They seem to be able to ultimately impose their will on any game they really want to. I don't think Toronto will be the exception.
Pyppurs
Pretty much a regular
TOR has been 2nd in playoff DEFENSE ratings and 9th in playoff OFFENSE ratings
GSW has been 1st in playoff OFFENSE ratings and 9th in playoff DEFENSE ratings
If GSW spots TOR 15 point leads (like they have multiple times in the playoffs) into the 3rdQ, I doubt TOR would collapse like HOU, POR, and LAC
GSW has been 1st in playoff OFFENSE ratings and 9th in playoff DEFENSE ratings
If GSW spots TOR 15 point leads (like they have multiple times in the playoffs) into the 3rdQ, I doubt TOR would collapse like HOU, POR, and LAC
Stew Baker
Pretty much a regular
Sometimes its best to keep it simple.
Thanks for reminding me about transitivity. Many years ago, I played around with some reverse transitive thinking in the regular season NFL and it worked pretty well. It went like this: If, earlier in the season, team A beats team B, and team B beats team C, team C covers against team A. C would have to be a dog, or at worst a home favorite less than 3 pts; wjhich it would be most of the time, anyway. If A and B covered as well in the qualifying games, that might be a good tightener. I don't remember whether I used A and B covering as criteria, it was a long time ago. When football gets closer, I may want to check how this has been doing in the intervening years.
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