Series Thread: WCF: 1) Golden State Warriors vs 3) Portland Trail Blazers

[Tapey]

You just said the Blazers are good but not great team and they made ECF and are down 0-3 to a team missing Durant. Explain that

The Warriors are still the best team in the NBA without Durant

 

[Wishbone]

The Warriors are still the best team in the NBA without Durant

Thats why there will always be an * next to Durants championships. He won't get any respect until he can prove that he can win a title with his own team.

 

[tlance]

Matchups don't explain how the Blazers got all the way to the conference finals. Portland really isn't that good outside of Lillard and CJ, but they got the conference finals beating the team with the 2nd best record and an OKC team that was suppose to give the GSW's problems. If these teams were good then Portland wouldn't have made it to the conference finals. Them making it to the conf finals just proves how weak the west is.

Portland, Denver, Utah, or OKC would have lost to 76ers, Bucks, Raptors, Celts...heck even the Pacers with Oladipo would have probably beaten a couple of those teams.

Toronto required 7 games because the 76ers have a hell of a lot of talent and would be a tough out for any team. There is no shame in needing 7 games to beat the 76ers.

GS is very good without KD but they still are much better with him. I don't expect Portland to beat this GS team but I would think they could manage 1 game out of 3 if they were worthy of being in the conference finals because they beat a bunch of great teams to get there.

LOL.

What are you basing that on?

The Celtics just aren't that good. Very similar to OKC. The 6ers aren't as good as they should be either. Yeah, they have talent, but their talent doesn't show up for every game and their pieces don't fit that well. Or at least, their coach doesn't know how to use the pieces he has.

You asked how Portland is down 0-3? The answer to that is match-ups. They don't match up well with the Warriors.

But also, if you are able to be even slightly objective here, just about every criticism you had for the West teams applies to the East.

Seriously. Make a list of the top 15 players in the NBA. It is probably going to look something like this:

(In no particular order)

KD
Giannis
Kawhi
Curry
Harden
LeBron
A. Davis
George
Lillard
Russ
Jokic
Embiid
Kyrie
KAT
Klay
Butler

I did this quickly and off the top of my head, but that is 11 of 16 from the West.

But you want to say the East is better and deeper?

Hell no.

There is 1 special team in both conferences that nobody else can beat. There are a lot of pretty good basketball teams after that. More reside in the West.

But because they can't beat GS without KD, that doesn't prove a damn thing. After all, GS won championship without him and are still a top 3 team without him.

That is the reason so many were upset when he signed there.

 

[tlance]

Thats why there will always be an * next to Durants championships. He won't get any respect until he can prove that he can win a title with his own team.

Nope.

Still no asterisk.

20 years from now, GS will be discussed as an all time great dynasty and there will not be any mention of the circumstance that brought them together.

And KD will be remembered as a top 15, maybe even top 10 player of all time when his career is over, depending on what else he is able to accomplish.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Thats why there will always be an * next to Durants championships. He won't get any respect until he can prove that he can win a title with his own team.

You're entitled to your opinion...but...most non OKC fans disagree.
When the Warriors are complete, Durant is their best player who won the Finals MVP's.

 

[thunderc]

Nope.

Still no asterisk.

20 years from now, GS will be discussed as an all time great dynasty and there will not be any mention of the circumstance that brought them together.

And KD will be remembered as a top 15, maybe even top 10 player of all time when his career is over, depending on what else he is able to accomplish.

He’s definitely going to end up a top 10 player, at least. You can talk technicalities all you want, yes he will have the titles and no one can argue that. There have been way too many people point out that he went title searching though for there not to be an asterisk, it’s there right now. Way too many people have spoke out about it for that not to be the case. Other players and people like Stephen Smith are on the list. The most important is Durant himself, he knows these titles are not full share titles, I guarantee you that.

 

[Black Adam]

You're entitled to your opinion...but...most non OKC fans disagree.
When the Warriors are complete, Durant is their best player who won the Finals MVP's.

yep. best player in the league right now according to some...

team game, though...

 

[Black Adam]

He’s definitely going to end up a top 10 player, at least. You can talk technicalities all you want, yes he will have the titles and no one can argue that. There have been way too many people point out that he went title searching though for there not to be an asterisk, it’s there right now. Way too many people have spoke out about it for that not to be the case. Other players and people like Stephen Smith are on the list. The most important is Durant himself, he knows these titles are not full share titles, I guarantee you that.

no one seems to hold that against LeClown...

 

[thunderc]

no one seems to hold that against LeClown...

I do, he was a sidekick to Wade. But no it wasn’t close to the same situation, in fact no one has even came close to doing what Durant did. Hence the asterisk.

 

[Black Adam]

I do, he was a sidekick to Wade. But no it wasn’t close to the same situation, in fact no one has even came close to doing what Durant did. Hence the asterisk.

care to explain how it wasn't the same...?

 

[Shane_O_Mac812]

Weird, looked in the 2019 Sports Almanac, says KD has two titles and Finals MVPs and there is not an asterick by his name on either stat. Just because you put one there doesn't mean it's true. I could put a Anna Kendrick mask on my wife, doesn't mean I'm fucking a movie star.

 

[Wamu]

care to explain how it wasn't the same...?

I got this.

LeBron went to Miami & teamed up w/ 2 All Stars. KD went to a team he couldn't beat. That had the current 2x League MVP. That were the 2x defending conference champs. And he teamed up w/ 3 All Stars.

 

[thunderc]

care to explain how it wasn't the same...?

The Heat were not going to win anymore titles the way they were assembled when Lebron went there, no chance. And Lebron hadn’t just lost to them before he joined them, that’s the worst look for Durant.

 

[tlance]

Weird, looked in the 2019 Sports Almanac, says KD has two titles and Finals MVPs and there is not an asterick by his name on either stat. Just because you put one there doesn't mean it's true. I could put a Anna Kendrick mask on my wife, doesn't mean I'm fucking a movie star.

LMAO.

You should defintely try that last part though. Let me know how your wife takes to that idea.

 

[tlance]

I got this.

LeBron went to Miami & teamed up w/ 2 All Stars. KD went to a team he couldn't beat. That had the current 2x League MVP. That were the 2x defending conference champs. And he teamed up w/ 3 All Stars.

That was also enough under the cap to sign a max player and retain all their core guys.

This is a once in a gereration situation.

No asterisk required. KD is an all time great player with 2 titles and counting.

 

[Montalban]

Reminds me of the '75 championship team; get way behind as a matter of course and then make a stunning second-half come back to win.

 

[Wamu]

That was also enough under the cap to sign a max player and retain all their core guys.

This is a once in a gereration situation.

No asterisk required. KD is an all time great player with 2 titles and counting.

Never said KD wasn't an all time great. But I think his move to G.S. was 100x worse than LeBron going to Miami.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

That was also enough under the cap to sign a max player and retain all their core guys.

This is a once in a gereration situation.

No asterisk required. KD is an all time great player with 2 titles and counting.

Everything aligned perfectly for the Warriors to have done what they did and are still doing.
Like you said, once in a generation, if ever again, but it is what it is.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Never said KD wasn't an all time great. But I think his move to G.S. was 100x worse than LeBron going to Miami.

Why?
You think Durant and the others enjoyed watching James for the most part , having a free pass to the Finals every year while they were beating each others brains out trying to get there?
These guys all have more money then they could ever spend unless they totally mismanage it.
So, what can't they buy?
Answer is NBA titles.
Why not try to get yours when the opportunity arrises?

 

[Wamu]

Why?
You think Durant and the others enjoyed watching James for the most part , having a free pass to the Finals every year while they were beating each others brains out trying to get there?
These guys all have more money then they could ever spend unless they totally mismanage it.
So, what can't they buy?
Answer is NBA titles.
Why not try to get yours when the opportunity arrises?

Why? Read comment # 912.