Series Thread: Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers NBA Finals Thread

[gordontrue]

Kind of funny... this is from a SLAM interview with Bradley Beal from last off-season

SLAM: You also draw the other team’s best defender most nights. Who’s the best one-on-one defender out there?

BB: [Thinking] [Matthew] Dellavedova from Cleveland is a great defender. He’s a pest, he annoys you. I give credit where it’s due, man, ’cause he’s definitely one of the toughest that I’ve been against. [Iman] Shumpert from New York, he’s a great defender as well.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Beasley is one of the worst busts in NBA history. What a pathetic waste of talent. I can give a guy like Thabeet a pass because he never should have been drafted that high. Beasley was just an asshole and squandered his talent.

Just shows that once again you don't know what you're talking about.

What talent did he waste?
He was always an undersized PF and he never in HIS LIFE before being drafted was asked to or expected to play much defense.

He was a scorer, period, through high school and college.
So, he comes into the NBA and brings that same game. Results obviously aren't the same because the competition is 100x tougher. His skill set is stil there and he uses it to the best of his ability.


He's an asshole?
Do you know him? Been around him?
Name anyone who knows him that would define him as that.

You want an asshole, look no further than the fuckwad whose jersey you were all burning 5 years ago.

Beasley, yes , he's a 'free spirit', and yes he smoked weed, etc ( no others in the NBA smoke, right?)
The Heat had to know that from the interview , tryout process.
If they didn't, then they didn't do a very good job because Beasley will be the first to tell you, if you ask him, that he isn't changing his personality for anyone.

The man has B Easy tattooed on his body. What more would one need to see or know?


Now Thabeet. Wasn't he basically drafted where he went because of his size?
Did he shrink?
He really didn't have many basketball skills.
He never developed any.
That's on him and his coaches.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Do you guys agree with me that if LeBron could pull off a win without Kyrie, Love and Varejao- and win a title against a team like the Warriors who where a heavy favorite BEFORE Kyrie went down- that only lost 3 home games all season before last night- that have the reigning MVP- that had an offense and defense ranked in the top 2 in the league-

that this win- if he gets it (which admittedly is a LONG LONG LONG LONG....LONG LONG LONG...LOGN SUPER LONG way away) will go down as LeBron's greatest accomplishment?

I do. I without a doubt think this would be, thus far, and likely ever, the defining and top moment of his entire career. If he comes back to Cleveland, loses his 2 all star teammates and Varejao (who is the only person he had any chemistry with coming into the year), and beats the heavily favored Warriors- and does it the same year he returns to Cleveland and gives the City its first championship in over 50 years- it will raise his status to previously unreached levels. -In my opinion anyway....

So far- when I think of LeBron- I think of two moments and neither are in the NBa Finals. I think of Game 5 in Detroit where he scored 28 of the Cavs last 30 points and was super human- AND I remember Game 6 in Boston where he finally broke the Celtics with one of the best performances in NBA history where he went for 45, 15 and 4 on 19/26 shooting on a great Celtics defense.

Game 2 was pretty damn impressive though. 39, 16 and 11 on the road in the Finals is pretty crazy. I rarely see LeBron's emotion- and he went nuts after the win.

If he wins, it's a great team accomplishment and since James is the sole reason it would be possible, he deserves a ton of credit.


Tell me though, after watching this, win or lose...because James controls basically every aspect of the game, is so ball dominant, etc.., that if you're the Cavs, aren't you better off having no other max or near max type players ( other than Kyrie) and just pool all your salary and surrounding him with an entire roster of mid salary players?


Proof is in the pudding. We've seen it with our own eyes.

In other words, why have 4 useless bodies buried at the end of the bench?
You fill the roster my way, no couple of injuries would deplete you.

 

[logic]

If he wins, it's a great team accomplishment and since James is the sole reason it would be possible, he deserves a ton of credit.


Tell me though, after watching this, win or lose...because James controls basically every aspect of the game, is so ball dominant, etc.., that if you're the Cavs, aren't you better off having no other max or near max type players ( other than Kyrie) and just pool all your salary and surrounding him with an entire roster of mid salary players?


Proof is in the pudding. We've seen it with our own eyes.

In other words, why have 4 useless bodies buried at the end of the bench?
You fill the roster my way, no couple of injuries would deplete you.

Isn't that basically what they did with him for his first stint in Cleveland? While it did get them to the Finals one time, it was not enough to win it all. It is a long season and that would put a lot of burden on LeBron for the entirety of it. It may work if Kyrie could stay healthy, but that is yet to happen in his entire career. Clearly, getting other stars around him works; the results in Miami were much better than the results with his first stay in Cleveland.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Just shows that once again you don't know what you're talking about.

What talent did he waste?
He was always an undersized PF and he never in HIS LIFE before being drafted was asked to or expected to play much defense.

He was a scorer, period, through high school and college.
So, he comes into the NBA and brings that same game. Results obviously aren't the same because the competition is 100x tougher. His skill set is stil there and he uses it to the best of his ability.


He's an asshole?
Do you know him? Been around him?
Name anyone who knows him that would define him as that.

You want an asshole, look no further than the fuckwad whose jersey you were all burning 5 years ago.

Beasley, yes , he's a 'free spirit', and yes he smoked weed, etc ( no others in the NBA smoke, right?)
The Heat had to know that from the interview , tryout process.
If they didn't, then they didn't do a very good job because Beasley will be the first to tell you, if you ask him, that he isn't changing his personality for anyone.

The man has B Easy tattooed on his body. What more would one need to see or know?


Now Thabeet. Wasn't he basically drafted where he went because of his size?
Did he shrink?
He really didn't have many basketball skills.
He never developed any.
That's on him and his coaches.

hes- Beasley is a complete asshole- anyone that costs themselves millions of dollars because they cant stop smoking stuff they shouldnt be smoking is in my book a complete asshole. And as a #2 overall pick he has obviously been a complete and utter failure. How could you possibly characterize it any differently?

 

[WiggyRuss]

Isn't that basically what they did with him for his first stint in Cleveland? While it did get them to the Finals one time, it was not enough to win it all. It is a long season and that would put a lot of burden on LeBron for the entirety of it. It may work if Kyrie could stay healthy, but that is yet to happen in his entire career. Clearly, getting other stars around him works; the results in Miami were much better than the results with his first stay in Cleveland.

exactly- very very great point. The team he has around him now with the injuries is very similar to the team he had in Cleveland- a good team defense and some good 3 pt shooting- its just not enough. What teams in NBA history won with 1 all star on their roster? lol.....right off the top of my head I cannot think of any. If LeBron can win against the Warriors with this decimated roster it will be the single greatest accomplishment of his career bar none.

 

[trojanfan12]

Anyone notice how GS completely lost momentum after JR Smith fouled out?

He was GSW's best player.

 

[gordontrue]

You fill the roster my way, no couple of injuries would deplete you.

The Cavs definitely have depth issues... but I don't care how deep of a bench you have or how you fill any roster... when you lose your 2nd and 3rd best scorers - both all-star caliber players - to injuries... that'll deplete anyone. If that's not depletion, I don't know what is.

 

[gordontrue]

He was GSW's best player.

lol, yeah Cavs traded JR to the Dubs for Curry for Game 2. Good trade for the Cavs.

 

[Nooone]

If he wins, it's a great team accomplishment and since James is the sole reason it would be possible, he deserves a ton of credit.


Tell me though, after watching this, win or lose...because James controls basically every aspect of the game, is so ball dominant, etc.., that if you're the Cavs, aren't you better off having no other max or near max type players ( other than Kyrie) and just pool all your salary and surrounding him with an entire roster of mid salary players?


Proof is in the pudding. We've seen it with our own eyes.

In other words, why have 4 useless bodies buried at the end of the bench?
You fill the roster my way, no couple of injuries would deplete you.

If you can find a suitable stretch 4 to replace love, and keep TT, JR, Shump, Mozgov then yes. But they do need a floor spacing 4 to add some versatility IMO.

 

[Black Adam]

I think dubs win still cavs are way to short handed

exactly. imo that's how it'll shake out. again we'll see...

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

You want an asshole, look no further than the fuckwad whose jersey you were all burning 5 years ago.

He's an asshole?
Do you know him? Been around him?
Name anyone who knows him that would define him as that.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

hes- Beasley is a complete asshole- anyone that costs themselves millions of dollars because they cant stop smoking stuff they shouldnt be smoking is in my book a complete asshole. And as a #2 overall pick he has obviously been a complete and utter failure. How could you possibly characterize it any differently?

Maybe Turn Up The Heat is Beasley's grandma?

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

We need to pump the brakes on the James legacy for carrying this roster to a title (if he does).
It would be a great upset. It would be very impressive.

But, its not the same as Akeem 94/95, Dirk 11, or Duncan 03.

It would only be a single series without help.
Lebron did in fact have 2 STAR running mates in their prime all the way to the 2nd round.
Lebron still had 1 STAR running mate all the way to the finals.

That enabled them to get a #2 seed, homecourt, and some playoff wins.
It also enabled them to save a little bit of LBJ in the regular season energy-wise.

I am rooting for the guy, but I am not suddenly labelling this "LEBRON winning a title by himself" if it happens.

 

[gordontrue]

We need to pump the brakes on the James legacy for carrying this roster to a title (if he does).
It would be a great upset. It would be very impressive.

But, its not the same as Akeem 94/95, Dirk 11, or Duncan 03.

It would only be a single series without help.
Lebron did in fact have 2 STAR running mates in their prime all the way to the 2nd round.
Lebron still had 1 STAR running mate all the way to the finals.

That enabled them to get a #2 seed, homecourt, and some playoff wins.
It also enabled them to save a little bit of LBJ in the regular season energy-wise.

I am rooting for the guy, but I am not suddenly labelling this "LEBRON winning a title by himself" if it happens.

I'll agree in terms of the regular season. Love and Kyrie were critical to turning the season around from 19-20 to getting the #2 seed. They had a better record than the Warriors over the last few months... no way that happens without those guys.

But the playoffs? Kyrie played a total of 48 minutes against the #1 seed, 60 win Hawks. Love played 0 minutes against the ECF favorite Bulls or the Hawks. Kyrie obviously helped in the Bulls series, but he hasn't been near his normal level since Game 2 of the Boston series.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

He's an asshole?
Do you know him? Been around him?
Name anyone who knows him that would define him as that.

You picked the wrong person to ask that question.

Do I KNOW him? Nope.

Been around him. YES. Numerous times and he was a complete asshole each and every time.
Documented it here and on CBS throughout the years.
And no, it was never a case of groupies or people bothering him in a public forum.

Anyone else at these exclusive events could and would tell you the same thing.

I can tell you FACTUALLY that the Heat told other players to be a little less interactive so James didn't stand out so much as being a total dick.

Once he was gone this year, total 360.
Matter of fact, this year, they had Wade as the greeter, trying to change the perception back to what it was before James brought his act here.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

exactly- very very great point. The team he has around him now with the injuries is very similar to the team he had in Cleveland- a good team defense and some good 3 pt shooting- its just not enough. What teams in NBA history won with 1 all star on their roster? lol.....right off the top of my head I cannot think of any. If LeBron can win against the Warriors with this decimated roster it will be the single greatest accomplishment of his career bar none.

I said keep Kyrie. Didn't I.
That's 2 all stars if he can stay healthy.
My opinion is I'd rather turn Love's max dollars into 2-3 solid players who can mix and match similar skill sets.

People here often suggested the same thing with Boshs' salary.

 

[Shanemansj13]

They were thisclose to losing both home games to James Harden who has an even worse defense around him compared to LeBron with Steph playing great in both games. With Houston missing the better defending PG in Beverly and their second best offensive player in the regular season in DMo.

That was VERY concerning. But, I trust Kerr and co to make adjustments. This Cavs team barely won with Bogut, Green, Curry and Barnes playing like crap.

While they might not have shot well. Green, Barnes, and Bogut arent exactly playing well anyway. Barnes had one breakout game and Green has his hands full.
Lebron shot basically 30%. The team didnt shoot good from 3. Delly, Moz, and James are the only guys who played well and Lebron shot horrible. So it goes both ways.

Hopefully Game 3 is a good one.

 

[gordontrue]

You picked the wrong person to ask that question.

Do I KNOW him? Nope.

Been around him. YES. Numerous times and he was a complete asshole each and every time.
Documented it here and on CBS throughout the years.
And no, it was never a case of groupies or people bothering him in a public forum.

Anyone else at these exclusive events could and would tell you the same thing.

I can tell you FACTUALLY that the Heat told other players to be a little less interactive so James didn't stand out so much as being a total dick.

Once he was gone this year, total 360.
Matter of fact, this year, they had Wade as the greeter, trying to change the perception back to what it was before James brought his act here.

Give me any celebrity and I can find you several people who met them and "know" they are an asshole.

Then I'll find you several people who met them and "know" they are the nicest human being you'll ever meet.


I hope you'll excuse me for taking your "Factual" inside information with a giant grain of salt.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

You picked the wrong person to ask that question.

Do I KNOW him? Nope.

Been around him. YES. Numerous times and he was a complete asshole each and every time.
Documented it here and on CBS throughout the years.
And no, it was never a case of groupies or people bothering him in a public forum.

Anyone else at these exclusive events could and would tell you the same thing.

I can tell you FACTUALLY that the Heat told other players to be a little less interactive so James didn't stand out so much as being a total dick.

Once he was gone this year, total 360.
Matter of fact, this year, they had Wade as the greeter, trying to change the perception back to what it was before James brought his act here.

Yes, I'm sure you're right. In addition to being Beasley's grandmother, you're also the Heat's GM. GTFO.