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

[Shanemansj13]

It would be a wasted opportunity and upset for G.S.,for sure, but far less of a bust IMO, then James flaming out again.

James is the one who has made a career out of trying his best to cherry pick teams/ titles in a way no other superstar ever has.

The Warriors stars are still very young and if the owner is willing to spend, they have the foundation to be very good for a long time.

James, while still a monster, is on the decline and isn't getting any younger.

I have a feeling that once some team gets by him in the East (which IMO isn't far away), that it will be the end of him as it was for the Celts, Pistons, etc.. when their runs ended.

Five straight finals is an amazing, long run.

The wear and tear will catch up to him.

He wont be flaming out, it will be carrying his team to the Finals AGAIN, a theme we have all seen over and over. There is no reason GS should not win this series with a star being out and another star gimpy on the Cavs.

The Cavs are younger or just as young than the Warriors, the guys who play. Like I said Kyrie is a huge factor.

They are on the rise, the team is young while he is not, but he can still play at a very high level. The players around him are young and they will have experience in time.

 

[Hambombs]

GS has nobody, I repeat nobody, on the roster that can even remotely begin to contain Lebron, unless you're planning on constantly double- or triple-teaming him, which will obviously leave other Cavs players open, so that won't work. You guys already tried to put Green on earlier this season him 1-on-1 and Lebron absolutely went off.

On the other hand, we can put Shumpert on Curry and Lebron on Thompson. This won't completely stop them, but it would definitely contain them to a point where we can control the tempo of the game. Green isn't near the scorer needed to take over a game, and after those three, who is left to score? If Curry and Thompson are held to 50-55 points combined, GS is cooked.

Mozgov and Tristan Thompson >>> Bogut and Festus. That one is easy. If you think GS has a better post presence than Atlanta does in Horford and Millsap, you're the delusional one.

50-55 points is ALOT of points imo. It's not just them but everybody on the team they need to stop. Kerr runs a great offense with a lot of off ball movement, it's not about who can shut down who it's about how you do it as a team. Curry and Thompson are most likely not goin to drive or dribble the ball 1 on 1. That's not our offense

 

[Hambombs]

Cavs in 3.

Curry is a good defender lol wut

 

[Shanemansj13]

What broke right for them that can't be repeated?
Their young players are getting better.
You don't think they resign their FA's?

One might say that having the Clippers/Spurs in round 1 made the path easier, but I don't necessarily agree.
Memphis is a damn good team. The Rockets are a damn good team.
They faced some adversity with Memphis, but regrouped as you would expect a potential championship roster to do.

That series reminded me of the Heat/Pacers a couple years back when Bosh got hurt.
We know how that season ended.

I think it will be a good series.
I think it will be series of close games.
Warriors eventually win though.
Its karma. Its destiny.

First off, SA is a horrible matchup for them. ANd they will be back again.
Memphis is slow and had injuries, not a good matchup for Mem.
The Rockets are too inconsistent and no discipline.
KD was out for OKC, they will be back.
And again the Clip will be back, who they should have faced.

 

[bksballer89]

This years Spurs weren't last years Spurs. Seasons don't carry over. They were vulnerable.
Them losing 2 home games to the Clippers proved that.

The Clippers have no bench, Griffin is usually nowhere to be found late in games. There C can't make Ft's.
They are flawed.

One could easily make a case that Memphis and or Houston was better then either.


Cavs play better without Love.
Their D improves.
Their 3 pt shooting has been as good or better.
They lose a rotation player, but in the playoffs, the rotations shrink anyway.
I doubt the Cavs even WANT him back.

I'm pretty sure Warriors fans/players were much happier facing Memphis and Houston instead of the Clippers and Spurs. I never said seasons carry over but you're crazy if you think offensively challenged or defensively challenged Houston were more of a challenge than the Spurs & Clips would have been

 

[LAD]

He wont be flaming out, it will be carrying his team to the Finals AGAIN, a theme we have all seen over and over. There is no reason GS should not win this series with a star being out and another star gimpy on the Cavs.

The Cavs are younger or just as young than the Warriors, the guys who play. Like I said Kyrie is a huge factor.

They are on the rise, the team is young while he is not, but he can still play at a very high level. The players around him are young and they will have experience in time.

Well I wouldn't bet on LBJ playing at a high level for many more years with all the cramping in his legs, the ankle & shoulder issues. He's not a spring chicken anymore in regards to basketball years so you better enjoy what little he has left in his tank now. I also think playing all those years in Cleveland early in his career without much help took a toll & certainly carrying Wade & the Heat the last for seasons didn't help.

 

[gordontrue]

50-55 points is ALOT of points imo. It's not just them but everybody on the team they need to stop. Kerr runs a great offense with a lot of off ball movement, it's not about who can shut down who it's about how you do it as a team. Curry and Thompson are most likely not goin to drive or dribble the ball 1 on 1. That's not our offense

Exactly my thoughts as I've been reading all of these Curry/Thompson matchup posts.

Its not about putting a defender on Curry or Thompson. They don't play like that. They score using screens, ball movement, and movement away from the ball.

Its going to take team perimeter defense, helping with switches, fighting through screens, rotation to open guys on the perimeter, communication, etc to defend these guys.

 

[Shanemansj13]

2 biggest challengers in the west being eliminated before getting to them and Love being out for Cleveland

The Love injury has seemed to inspire the Cavs so far, we will see how inspired they are in these Finals.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

Curry is a good defender lol wut

 

[Shanemansj13]

Well I wouldn't bet on LBJ playing at a high level for many more years with all the cramping in his legs, the ankle & shoulder issues. He's not a spring chicken anymore in regards to basketball years so you better enjoy what little he has left in his tank now. I also think playing all those years in Cleveland early in his career without much help took a toll & certainly carrying Wade & the Heat the last for seasons didn't help.

Well of course, it happens to every player. His offseason work and fitness can make him last longer than others. He still can dunk on guys lol

 

[LAD]

First off, SA is a horrible matchup for them. ANd they will be back again.
Memphis is slow and had injuries, not a good matchup for Mem.
The Rockets are too inconsistent and no discipline.
KD was out for OKC, they will be back.
And again the Clip will be back, who they should have faced.

I agree that the Rockets are inconsistent. And I also agree that SA is a horrible match up for GS, hence them losing to SA a couple seasons ago in the second round. OKC won't be back until they figure out that KD & Westbrook need to learn to use their role players rather than just the two man game. The Clippers have been stagnant in pretty much the same place in the WC since Doc & Paul took over the team. They can't seem to get over the hump like a lot of other teams. They need more guys that can create their own shot & display leadership when Paul is on the bench. Paul is always hurt and isn't getting younger. Memphis needs to add shooters and they will be beasts because of the option of using the inside-out approach.

 

[LAD]

I'm pretty sure Warriors fans/players were much happier facing Memphis and Houston instead of the Clippers and Spurs. I never said seasons carry over but you're crazy if you think offensively challenged or defensively challenged Houston were more of a challenge than the Spurs & Clips would have been

Actually, as a Warrior fan I would've rather face the Clippers than Memphis. I agree, Houston was a better match up for them rather than SA.

 

[Shanemansj13]

I agree that the Rockets are inconsistent. And I also agree that SA is a horrible match up for GS, hence them losing to SA a couple seasons ago in the second round. OKC won't be back until they figure out that KD & Westbrook need to learn to use their role players rather than just the two man game. The Clippers have been stagnant in pretty much the same place in the WC since Doc & Paul took over the team. They can't seem to get over the hump like a lot of other teams. They need more guys that can create their own shot & display leadership when Paul is on the bench. Paul is always hurt and isn't getting younger. Memphis needs to add shooters and they will be beasts because of the option of using the inside-out approach.

I agree with everything except I think the Clip did get over a hump beating the champs and then they fell back down. They had a chance to make a real turning point and get to the WCF and blew it. I really they would of had a chance against GS too. It's too bad.

Memphis needs more offense and shooter like you said.

OKC has the talent and they are young, they need more chemistry and discipline as well.

 

[LAD]

Well of course, it happens to every player. His offseason work and fitness can make him last longer than others. He still can dunk on guys lol

LOL ok. And I agree, he can still dunk and still get dunked on as well.

 

[Shanemansj13]

LOL ok. And I agree, he can still dunk and still get dunked on as well.

I have never seen him actually get dunked on, except that one fluke kid in the gym video lol

 

[Hambombs]

FWIW Curry had a better defensive RPM than Chris Paul

 

[Hambombs]

Spurs were my only worry and somewhat Memphis for whatever that's worth by the way. Was not scarred of clips or Houston at all

 

[Across The Field]

50-55 points is ALOT of points imo. It's not just them but everybody on the team they need to stop. Kerr runs a great offense with a lot of off ball movement, it's not about who can shut down who it's about how you do it as a team. Curry and Thompson are most likely not goin to drive or dribble the ball 1 on 1. That's not our offense

It depends who is guarding them I guess. Cleveland can definitely score, and we have more guys capable of scoring the ball at a high rate than GS (for example, Iggy is the 5th leading scorer for GS in the playoffs; he'd be 7th on the Cavs, and 8th if you include Love).

 

[LAD]

I agree with everything except I think the Clip did get over a hump beating the champs and then they fell back down. They had a chance to make a real turning point and get to the WCF and blew it. I really they would of had a chance against GS too. It's too bad.

Memphis needs more offense and shooter like you said.

OKC has the talent and they are young, they need more chemistry and discipline as well.

Yea they beat the Spurs but went home the very next series. Now, had they beat the champs AND won something, a WC title, a championship, then yes they would've made it over that hump. LOL

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

He wont be flaming out, it will be carrying his team to the Finals AGAIN, a theme we have all seen over and over. There is no reason GS should not win this series with a star being out and another star gimpy on the Cavs.

The Cavs are younger or just as young than the Warriors, the guys who play. Like I said Kyrie is a huge factor.

They are on the rise, the team is young while he is not, but he can still play at a very high level. The players around him are young and they will have experience in time.

How many straight Finals are you guessing he makes?

As far as Kyrie. Yes, nice scorer, but ONCE AGAIN injured.
I think thats just going to be his M.O.
Never did shit without James.
It's no coincidence.

As far as the 'younger' Cavs...please.
The only one that MATTERS is James.
Without him that roster is questionable to even make the playoffs.

As I've said, and nobody disagrees with, put him on any other top 8-9 roster in the East and they are where the Cavs are today.