Series Thread: ECF: Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavs

[Wamu]

I'm with you on the Duke and Yankees hate though...fuck them.

My only issue w/ Tommy Boy is where he went to college. ann arbor's a whore.

 

[flyerhawk]

Im sure the "path of least resistance" knowing Lebron

Not that I expect a rational response from you but which players in the history of professional sports chose the path of harder resistance?

Houston or New Orleans would be my bet. They would be the two best bets to take down the Warriors next year.

Well we can strike those two teams off the list.

 

[flyerhawk]

Yeah, if they can entice Lebron to stay, they obviously have to. But the best thing for them long term may just be for him to leave and get started on rebuilding.

Yup. Staying with the Cavs makes sense. Going to Philly makes sense. Going to the Lakers makes sense.

Hell going to the Clippers makes sense. Going to the Knicks makes sense. Going to the Spurs makes sense.

Going to the Rockets makes absolutely no sense.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

I'm with you on the Duke and Yankees hate though...fuck them.

Fuck you

 

[Raw_Bee808]

@Wamu your worst nightmare right here, lol.

I want it to happen just to get a good ol' fashioned blood feud in the league again.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Not that I expect a rational response from you but which players in the history of professional sports chose the path of harder resistance?




Well we can strike those two teams off the list.

People that revise history forget that Jordan waited till the end of the Celtics and Piston runs to finally beat them

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Exactly right. The problem with the Cavs isn't Clarkson or Hood or Nance.

The problem is the starters. JR Smith is a paycheck thief at the salary he is making. George Hill is wildly overpaid. Kevin Love still is super hot and cold as his game is defined almost exclusively on whether his jump shot is hitting.

So it comes down to Lebron being super human every game. That is not a recipe for rings.

Perfect recipe for rings

Spoiler

if you’re the Warriors

 

[Raw_Bee808]

Fuck you

goddamn Yankee fans...

(I'm a Red Sox fan)

 

[Montalban]

I won't speak for @tlance but, IMO, the Celtics are a better team with Kyrie and Hayward BUT that doesn't mean that they would be playing BETTER than they have over the past 2-3 weeks. Maybe a little but they were getting max effort/output from guys like Rozier and Smart and Brown and Tatum. Irving is definitely a better player than Rozier or Smart but he is no where near the defensive player that Smart is. And would Irving be demonstrably better at shooting than Rozier has been?

I've seen this sort of thing before. Lose your star player and still play and fans then expect the team to elevate once they return only to be disappointed that the team regressed. Bill Simmons has had a theory about this for a long time..

Sports Guy: Ewing Theory 101 - ESPN Page 2

interesting.

 

[Wamu]

That is a really interesting and random list of teams.

BTW, honorable mention for is is the Fuckeyes. College football is pretty low on my list of sports which is why they aren't higher.

Not random @ all. As a lifelong Ohio State fan all things meeeechegan make me sick. I have family that went to Carolina & went to my 1st game in Chapel Hill the year before MJ got there ('80-'81 season). I was a UNLV season ticket holder when I lived in Vegas, that's why reno & byu are mentioned. Kent State. Went to Akron U. That's our main rival. Never liked the Lakers & they stole the '85, '87 & '10 titles from Boston. Golden State. Just don't like their team. And the Bengals. Being originally from Ohio fuck that team & fuck that city.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

goddamn Yankee fans...

(I'm a Red Sox fan)

I know, Im just busting...Good Luck in that Wildcard game

 

[trojanfan12]

I would imagine that Lebron already has a plan for what he is going to do in the offseason. I sure as hell don't know what it is. But to argue that there are no obvious landing places presumes that you know what Lebron wants.

I think he's talking more about obvious, no brainer landing spots.

Houston has already been discussed.

The Sixers have Simmons who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Is he going to want Lebron being the primary ball handler? Heck, do the Sixers want to risk slowing his development by taking the ball out of his hands and giving it to Lebron? Is Lebron going to be willing to play off of Simmons?

He may have to be patient if he chooses the Lakers. Adding him and PG to the roster would definitely make the Lakers a very strong team, but it may take the youngsters a couple of playoff appearances before they're true contenders. So unless they are able to add the right role player type vets looking for a ring, he's likely looking at, at least 1 year of waiting for them to develop.

I think his preference would be to stay in Cleveland, but I just don't see how they can improve enough to close the gap with a healthy Sixers and Celtics, let alone the Warriors.

 

[Wamu]

@Wamu your worst nightmare right here, lol.

I want it to happen just to get a good ol' fashioned blood feud in the league again.

I don't like you.

 

[Raw_Bee808]

I don't like you.

 

[flyerhawk]

I think he's talking more about obvious, no brainer landing spots.

Houston has already been discussed.

The Sixers have Simmons who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Is he going to want Lebron being the primary ball handler? Heck, do the Sixers want to risk slowing his development by taking the ball out of his hands and giving it to Lebron? Is Lebron going to be willing to play off of Simmons?

He may have to be patient if he chooses the Lakers. Adding him and PG to the roster would definitely make the Lakers a very strong team, but it may take the youngsters a couple of playoff appearances before they're true contenders. So unless they are able to add the right role player type vets looking for a ring, he's likely looking at, at least 1 year of waiting for them to develop.

I think his preference would be to stay in Cleveland, but I just don't see how they can improve enough to close the gap with a healthy Sixers and Celtics, let alone the Warriors.

I really do think it depends on how important it is for him to win titles and how much he is willing to play off the ball as he gets older. When I ask how important is it for him to win titles, I'm not suggesting it isn't very important because of course it is. What I mean by that is how much does winning titles supersede other priorities like protecting his perceived legacy, being near his family, building his post hoops business, or what his wife wants him to do. None of us really know the answer to that.

If winning titles is paramount then I would think the Sixers make the most sense for him. But that doesn't mean it is paramount.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

I think he's talking more about obvious, no brainer landing spots.

Houston has already been discussed.

The Sixers have Simmons who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Is he going to want Lebron being the primary ball handler? Heck, do the Sixers want to risk slowing his development by taking the ball out of his hands and giving it to Lebron? Is Lebron going to be willing to play off of Simmons?

He may have to be patient if he chooses the Lakers. Adding him and PG to the roster would definitely make the Lakers a very strong team, but it may take the youngsters a couple of playoff appearances before they're true contenders. So unless they are able to add the right role player type vets looking for a ring, he's likely looking at, at least 1 year of waiting for them to develop.

I think his preference would be to stay in Cleveland, but I just don't see how they can improve enough to close the gap with a healthy Sixers and Celtics, let alone the Warriors.

Fair points for sure on the Sixers, but I look at the construction of that roster, and they strike me as a team that will be the bridesmaids to the Celtics for the next upteen years unless they add something of real significance

I know Paul George will come up a lot, I just personally hate George and think he is one of the most overrated "Superstars" ive ever seen in the league

 

[flyerhawk]

Fair points for sure on the Sixers, but I look at the construction of that roster, and they strike me as a team that will be the bridesmaids to the Celtics for the next upteen years unless they add something of real significance

It really boils down to whether Simmons and Embiid become the players they can be. If they do, then the Sixers are going to be a dominant force. If they don't and remain merely very good player then the Sixers will likely be just another team.

And honestly for me it boils down to how much work both of them put in during the offseason.

I know Paul George will come up a lot, I just personally hate George and think he is one of the most overrated "Superstars" ive ever seen in the league

Paul George as The Man is not something you want. Honestly his skill set just doesn't allow for that.

Paul George as a 2nd or 3rd banana, otoh, is something just about ANY team wants*.

* - The Thunder are too weird of a team to define. Their best player demands the ball too much to be truly great and Carmelo stinks at this point of his career.

 

[trojanfan12]

I really do think it depends on how important it is for him to win titles and how much he is willing to play off the ball as he gets older. When I ask how important is it for him to win titles, I'm not suggesting it isn't very important because of course it is. What I mean by that is how much does winning titles supersede other priorities like protecting his perceived legacy, being near his family, building his post hoops business, or what his wife wants him to do. None of us really know the answer to that.

If winning titles is paramount then I would think the Sixers make the most sense for him. But that doesn't mean it is paramount.

Agree. from a pure titles perspective, if they can get things figured out between him and Simmons and Embiid is healthy, that's a team that could win a title right now.

As I said, the Lakers would likely require some patience on his part. But even though it's not completely necessary anymore, his outside interests would be easier to do in LA. The fact that he already owns homes out here isn't insignificant. But it's not like several players, who aren't on the Lakers, don't have homes in LA.

I guess we'll know in about a month and a half or so. lol

 

[trojanfan12]

Fair points for sure on the Sixers, but I look at the construction of that roster, and they strike me as a team that will be the bridesmaids to the Celtics for the next upteen years unless they add something of real significance

I know Paul George will come up a lot, I just personally hate George and think he is one of the most overrated "Superstars" ive ever seen in the league

Agree with @flyerhawk, it's all about the development of Embiid and Simmons.

 

[Ickey Shuffle]

Never speak ill of the king again.

Lol at the idea of LeBron ever being in danger