The ILF-ILNBA Basketball Thread

[rustywire]

I was confident the series would wrap even in the 3rd...until Bogut went down. "It's going back to Cleveland" was my immediate reaction and sure enough the Warriors started chucking and thunking, but most crucially nobody knew how to defend or communicate anymore. Lebron & Kyrie embarrassed them. 2 players dropping 40? You got punked.

[rustywire]

And comparing different eras of basketball is silly with "which team would win" hypothetical scenarios. Warriors would get punked in the 80s and the Lakers would get punked with the present rules. Kareem would have his way with skyhooks all day but so would Steph & Klay out on the perimeter. Which rules & officiating style would be the deciding factor more often than not, in tipping the scales either way.

[hbombgraphics]

And comparing different eras of basketball is silly with "which team would win" hypothetical scenarios. Warriors would get punked in the 80s and the Lakers would get punked with the present rules. Kareem would have his way with skyhooks all day but so would Steph & Klay out on the perimeter. Which rules & officiating style would be the deciding factor more often than not, in tipping the scales either way.

refs and rules would play a huge factor.

[D.o.S.]

Yeah, the illegal defense rules would totally shift it one direction or the other -- I'm not even talking about hand checking, but the double team rules, etc.

[hbombgraphics]

Just an observation from last night's game, but where I come from if you take 5 steps and then elbow me on your way to the basket you don't get to cry when I smack you in the face.

[rustywire]

Yeah, the illegal defense rules would totally shift it one direction or the other -- I'm not even talking about hand checking, but the double team rules, etc.

Yup. 3s, 5s, zone d all spring to mind

[hbombgraphics]

no clue what to make of last night, this series is a hot mess, I don't buy into any type of conspiracy theories though, no way the NBA wants games this ugly

[rustywire]

No doubt. The whole "NBA is rigged!" "the outcome is determined!" argument doesn't fly post-Donaghy. Yet somehow officiating influence is both overrated and underrated at once.
When a team is putting together a run, a 50-50 call can facilitate or disrupt that rhythm & change the tone of the game in an instant.
Brian Windhorst made a great argument in response to Mrs. Curry's spicy (now deleted) tweet. Paraphrasing "If this league is rigged you should thank your lucky stars for it making your husband worth 100million dollars" Also where was she with these theories when GSW came back from 1-3 in the WCF?
The thing to remember is NBA loves storylines which increase ratings. Who doesn't? Each additional game played is a financial boost to the home team and local economy...but most crucially higher ratings means more $ per ad. Ugly games with lots of dead balls do allow for more commercial breaks. These things do matter on the back-end when it comes to negotiating TV deals. What makes for bad ratings? Blowouts. As in the record number of them these playoffs. Uncompetitive games/series are boring.

While these finals have been the ugliest to watch in recent memory, I'm still fascinated by the potential for upset storylines. That's how I generally root...for the underdog. Sports spite rulz #1. The historic 73 win Warriors losing at home in a game 7 after being up 3-1 would produce the most humbling of salt surges & an insane turnaround-turnaround from the WCF comeback. Also because it would likely result in a better Warriors team going forward. They're too loose with the ball & try to get cute with the razzledazzle passing. Similarly, as prev mentioned I really like the idea of Varejao getting that ring while no one else on the Cavs does. But man is it great seeing Lebron play angry with that all-out game. I only wish for a game 7 where both teams actually play well & hit shots in the same 48 min bloc. I'm good with either outcome. Who woulda thought it'd be Curry to lose his composure last night & not Draymond? Leads me to believe we've slipped back into the Bizarro universe & Cleveland is actually going to win a championship on the road in game 7
Still I'm no gambling man, and would advise against betting the house on that happening. However if you're going to break a curse you gotta do it like that. 2004 Red Sox steez. Completely crush the competition's spirit. What bugs me about the Warriors fans is they're low key frontrunners. I cant recall hearing that drawn-out WARRRRRRRRRRRRIORRRRRRRRRRS chant at any point when they're down on the scoreboard. Also in game 5 people were leaving early with several minutes left. But that's mostly the wine & cheese crowd in the lower bowl. Cameras don't capture the diehard fans sticking it out.

If Cavs win I cant wait to see the post-game media availability with Draymond. WHEW.

[rustywire]

Incredible. 10/10 game 7. Redemption for the worst playoffs ever. Greatest upset I've seen in NBA history. Wish I could be a fly on the wall in the press room. Lebron far and away mvp it not even close. Grats to the Cavs!

Bizarro universe confirmed.

[D.o.S.]

What bugs me about the Warriors fans is they're low key frontrunners. I cant recall hearing that drawn-out WARRRRRRRRRRRRIORRRRRRRRRRS chant at any point when they're down on the scoreboard. Also in game 5 people were leaving early with several minutes left. But that's mostly the wine & cheese crowd in the lower bowl. Cameras don't capture the diehard fans sticking it out.

Yeah unfortunately as they've improved the Warriors fanbase has taken a turn away from the folks that made them some of the best fans in the league, financially speaking. Some dude paid $49,500 apiece for a pair of courtside tickets... something something gentrification.

[rustywire]

I think I'm happiest for (Jersey's own) J.R. Smith.
His post-game was special. If you missed it you'll be hearing about it tomorrow.
So glad I got to watch the game with my dad.

[hbombgraphics]

Happy for the Cavs and for cleveland, and the JR smith press conference was pretty sweet

Finally a great game,

Lebron does some things on both ends of the floor that still blow my mind,
the block near the end when everything was tied up was magical

[pelliott]

man

holy shit

all i've been able to think the last few days has been "they really fucking did it"

and there's been a lot of tearing up and wandering around in a daze

[D.o.S.]

Pelly I made this for you.

And by made I mean I saw it on the internet:

[pelliott]

SAVAGE

also cry emojis on dank dank memes will never not be ironically funny