NBA Finals Discussion thread

Shooting 2-12 or 3-13 isn't firepower. JR is an absolute dumpster fire right now. He needs to play about, um, ZERO minutes a game.
Now the debate is start him or bring off the bench...
Also, Cleveland can't suddenly not play JR. If he is out, who will play? Also, he can catch fire in any given game.
 
I'm also not sure how much Blatt needs to change things.
Curry still struggles a lot and Klay had few nice quarters, but not a big game yet.
Barnes, Green and Iggy gave probably their best game of the series, so GSW looked good. Are we sure they can repeat that?
One more day of rest for Cleveland and Bron is absolutely huge and can make a difference. Obviously, it's best of 7 games, so it's hard to risk and leave everything as is, with series tied 2 - 2, but it's something that Cleveland needs to consider.



He had 34 points in Game 2 dude
 
Playoffs have much shorter lineups. Much more strain on a fewer number of players

The regular season games don't come close to being the same intensity. It's like in baseball with pitchers. You can have a guy throw 110 pitches but they're "easy" innings. And you can have another guy pitch 90 tough pitches.

The playoffs are a completely different animal and it's on top of the regular season. And the players have more obligations when it comes to the media etc.


lol, I know all this and get it. I am still gonna go on the stance NBA players are bitches that have it pretty easy.
 
JR has run red hot and ice cold all season. You don't change it up in game five of the finals. He's still a weapon.
 
Now the debate is start him or bring off the bench...
Also, Cleveland can't suddenly not play JR. If he is out, who will play? Also, he can catch fire in any given game.


I too could catch fire, if someone lit me on fire. Anything is possible.

In reality I think one of the ultimate cockiest role players ever has lost his confidence. Perhaps changing it up and starting him would help?
 
So you guys are going into game 5 hoping JR catches fire.... JR and playoff basketball don't exactly go together well when he is expected to contribute
 
He can be good when he's expected to be good if that makes sense. Otherwise he just shoots way too much and it just looks ugly
 
I'm just mad about having to rip up my Cavs in five ticket. Plus the price of eggs. You have good days and bad days.
 
I feel that Cleveland have a decent shot here.
Can't put a percentage on it, but I really feel that two days rest can be huge for the Cavs.
 
Sorry ... while I am not comparing street ball to the level of intensity possession in and possession out of an nba playoff game..... we would play all day and barely feel it the next day .... give me three nights of rest and my body would literally not have remembered moving previously ... these are top of the line athletes .. no way they can use fatigue as an excuse (save the kid who got dehydrated maybe) in these games. I am not buying it.... I suppose there is an outside chance that Lebron is under so much pressure, with the weight of the hopes of an entire city on his shoulders or perceived as so, that he just isn't getting good rest. But if that athlete is tired after 40 something minutes of basketball three days later, then I just don't know what to say.

I can believe mental fatigue but not physical with this long of a break.
 
Sorry ... while I am not comparing street ball to the level of intensity possession in and possession out of an nba playoff game..... we would play all day and barely feel it the next day .... give me three nights of rest and my body would literally not have remembered moving previously ... these are top of the line athletes .. no way they can use fatigue as an excuse (save the kid who got dehydrated maybe) in these games. I am not buying it.... I suppose there is an outside chance that Lebron is under so much pressure, with the weight of the hopes of an entire city on his shoulders or perceived as so, that he just isn't getting good rest. But if that athlete is tired after 40 something minutes of basketball three days later, then I just don't know what to say.

I can believe mental fatigue but not physical with this long of a break.


:shake:
 
I don't get you guys.

I don't understand it myself, but it's clear that fatigue plays a huge factor and despite teams not playing B2B, they are simply falling off their feet.
I will take it face value...
 
That's pretty extreme.

It's really not.

You guys are wishing and hoping the Cavs make their shots. I see a really big problem with that.

other than Lebron... The cavs have nobody that can be relied on to create offense. There's a reason they are shooting 17% without LBJ on the floor. It's poor execution and bad shots. If you think Lebron somehow wills them to victory he is going have to go back to scoring and assisting on 70% of the possessions.

on the other side the Warriors have about 5-6 guys I would feel comfortable with to create an offensive play.

that is a big difference
 
If Marion sees the court.... Can the cavs just be given a white flag?

Marion was very good defensively in the playoffs last year for the Mavs, one of the key reasons the Mavs made the Spurs go the full 7.

My only complaint about Blatt at this point is his refusal to use his bench. He knew Kyrie had a knee issue so what does he do...plays him over 40 minutes in game 1 and he gets hurt. He knew his team played maximum effort in game 3 and Delly had serious cramping issues, he needed to add a body to the rotation last night, if not Marion then Miller. Even with Iggy inserted into the starting lineup and Bogut giving nothing the Warriors still outscored the Cavs 18-4 in bench points outside of garbage time.
 
Oh defensively he's great. The cavs need offense because he's very unlikely to be the catalyst to make this a slow gritty game again. His shot is OFFENSive
 
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/201...feel-team-benefit-giving-more-players-minutes

CLEVELAND -- As midnight passed in the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room in the moments after their Game 4 loss to the Golden State Warriors, it almost seemed like there were two separate teams inhabiting the space.
LeBron James was in the training room getting stitches in his head. Matthew Dellavedova was getting his now-standard postgame full-body ice bath. Iman Shumpert had an enormous ice bag wrapped around his left shoulder. But there were others, many others, who were dressed and gone quickly with no need to even shower as they hadn't broken a sweat all night.
The Cavs are indeed playing with a lot of grit in these Finals -- that the series is tied 2-2 despite their decimating injuries is a statement. But there is also a strong feeling within the team, multiple sources said, that coach David Blatt could rely more on the veterans he's been leaving unused on the bench.
Blatt played only seven players in Game 4 before clearing the bench in the fourth quarter when the game turned into a blowout. He played eight in the first three games with Mike Miller getting a few minutes in Games 2 and 3. With several players, James and Dellavedova especially, looking worn down from the demands in the playoffs, players have begun to privately grumble that Blatt needs to use his whole roster.
<aside class="inline inline-photo float-l" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: BentonSans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: none; margin: 6px 18px 15px 0px; padding: 15px; width: 285px; min-height: 1px; position: relative; float: left; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;"><figure style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<source data-srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0612%2Fnba_g_lebron01jr_B_1296x729.jpg&w=267, http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/0612/nba_g_lebron01jr_B_1296x729.jpg&w=534 2x" media="(min-width: 376px)" srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0612%2Fnba_g_lebron01jr_B_1296x729.jpg&w=267, http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/0612/nba_g_lebron01jr_B_1296x729.jpg&w=534 2x" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><source data-srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0612%2Fnba_g_lebron01jr_B_1296x729.jpg&w=375, http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/0612/nba_g_lebron01jr_B_1296x729.jpg&w=750 2x" media="(max-width: 375px)" srcset="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2015%2F0612%2Fnba_g_lebron01jr_B_1296x729.jpg&w=375, http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/photo/2015/0612/nba_g_lebron01jr_B_1296x729.jpg&w=750 2x" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><img class="imageLoaded lazyloaded" data-image-container=".inline-photo" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; vertical-align: top; display: block; width: 253px;"></picture><figcaption class="photoCaption" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; padding-top: 10px; position: relative;">"I think it would help some of the guys that are playing some high minutes, for sure," LeBron James said of expanding the Cavs' rotation. <cite style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap;">Ronald Martinez/Getty Images</cite></figcaption></figure></aside>With Warriors coach Steve Kerr going to a perimeter-heavy offense withAndre Iguodala in for Andrew Bogut, the feel is Blatt could take another look at Miller and perhaps give veteran Shawn Marion, who has yet to play in the series, a look. With the Warriors' depth on the wing, the Cavs ended up being stretched exceedingly thin.
Several sources said Marion, who already has announced he'll retire following the season, is especially itching to get a chance. He's recently been bothered by a calf injury and also dealt with a hip injury in the regular season but is healthy and able to go.
"[It] was the third game in five days, including the trip back from the West Coast, and it seemed to have an impact on us," Blatt said after the 19-point Game 4 loss. "We're thinner now than we were, but that's not an excuse. We haven't used it as an excuse yet, and we won't start now. We've just all got to pick it up."
One of the reasons the Cavs turned things around at midseason was because Blatt shortened his rotation. After sometimes playing 10 players in the first quarter of games and playing 11 in his rotation early in the season, Blatt sliced his rotation to eight in January as the Cavs took off to a superb second half of the season.
Additionally, playing a so-called "big" lineup with both Timofey Mozgov andTristan Thompson has been effective since Kevin Love's injury. Considering the success, it is easy to understand why Blatt has been hesitant to go away from what has worked.
Miller has struggled shooting all season, hitting just 33 percent of his shots in the regular season. Marion made 24 starts but lost his spot in the rotation after midseason trades. Both have been non-factors in the playoffs, combining to score just eight points total.
When asked about the need to expand the rotation, LeBron James publicly yielded to Blatt after Game 4 but hinted it could help him and others get some more rest.
"That's the coach's decision if he decides he wants to go deeper in the bench," James said. "We haven't played many guys throughout this playoff run. I think it would help some of the guys that are playing some high minutes, for sure. Just give guys a couple minutes here, a couple minutes there. But I think the coaching staff will try to do what's best to help us be physically and mentally prepared for Sunday."
The idea that Marion and Miller, two players in their mid-30s who haven't contributed much all season, can be save-the-day stars is far-fetched. The idea, however, that a few minutes of them on the floor could help James or perhaps Dellavedova and Shumpert's minutes become more effective because they can be slightly more rested is something Blatt could look at.
"We don't have many options as far as lineups we can go to, but we can make adjustments," James said. "That's what you do throughout a series."
 
Series has turned. Cavs needed Game 4

NBA model has the better team winning this shit 9/10 times, it's how it is. Parity in the NBA is a myth.

Cavs with Delly, JR, Shump, Timo, Thompson and Cramps.

They run 6-deep with a team of misfits outside of Cramps and depend on him so much they shouldn't win it all.

Dubs are an abyss of talent.

The series is tied because the better team played with a sense of entitlement rather than effort through the first 3 games.
 
In other words, emkee got one right so forget about all that ref stuff.
 
As I see it, Cleveland got zero shot if they go small.
They can't outgun the Warriors. I doubt they can outgun them with Love and Kyrie, but zero chances to outgun them without the two.
Love and Kyrie both really missed obviously by Cleveland.
So, Blatt has to force Kerr to go big as well or at least big enough (Lee + Green or Speights + Green).
Kerr wasn't scared when Cleveland started strong or by the fact they owned the boards.
Blatt needs to focus on Iggy and Green - force Kerr to look for others to contribute. It's very scary thought to allow Curry or Thompson to get going, especially at home, but if Iggy keeps making those open looks... Cleveland doesn't stand a chance.
Mozgov was defending Iggy and it makes a lot of sense, but if Iggy is good, I would consider playing Mozgov on Green and Tristan on Iggy. It's very problematic, as Green is the main screener for Curry and each screen will leave Mozgov on Curry, but off ball help or some other solution can solve that or at least it's worth a try.
At some point, Cleveland have to realize that everyone is right. They are underdogs in this series. Not just an underdog, but probably the biggest underdog since Lakers - Orlando Finals if not more.
If they realize that they got nothing to lose, it can make them simply try everything, hoping it will stick and switching Mozgov and Tristan on defense is such an option.
I also think that they can play Bron on Curry. Again, many minuses, but few very obvious pluses.
 
Was gonna throw in something about the officiating in the above post but preaching to the ignorant gets a little tiresome.

Let's watch games five and six, see how it goes. The Cavs are blessed to be tied, I think I get the jist of your whining diatribes.
 
The Iggy arm thing after he got hacked was a clear shot at LeBron's drama queen antics.

Cramps squirming on the ground in the fetal position like he took a bullet when he initiated contact with the camera man.

That and the dive-tackle by Cramps on Curry in Game 3, dude should be playing soccer.
 
Let's watch games five and six, see how it goes. The Cavs are blessed to be tied, I think I get the jist of your whining diatribes.

Whining diatribes ?

That describes virtually every post you've made in this forum since you found out that the Cavs were your city's basketball franchise 2 months ago.
 
Back
Top