Pack it in.It's all a formality. Warriors are winning the next three championships.
[PIC]BRAD STEVENS[/PIC]It's all a formality. Warriors are winning the next three championships.
Thompson is already talking about staying. Iggy is a role player at this point and figures to have a couple more solid years left.Thompson is a free agent after next season, Iguodala is 34. There’s some potential cracks there.
Ball, PG13, LeBron, Kawhi, ??. It might be enough, but their depth would be limited. I'm assuming Ingram would get shipped for Kawhi.Thompson is already talking about staying. Iggy is a role player at this point and figures to have a couple more solid years left.
Chris Paul just turned 33. Houston’s window is now and they just don’t have the horses. Nobody else in the West is even remotely close.
We’ll see what LeBron does but this Warriors run is basically going to have to be stopped by the Celtics, injuries, or LeBron going to the Lakers and bringing Kawhi with him or something.
LolHarden should be disqualified from the MVP voting for his defense or lack thereof tonight. That turnstile attempt at Livingston was awful.
And Trevor Ariza wants no part of fighting with Draymond. Talk about fake tough guys.
It amazes me how Harden is never really called out for how little effort he expends on defense. He'll flick at the ball as the guy is waltzing by, and that's it. To his credit, he's quite good at taking it away. But he won't stop anyone with his feet.Harden should be disqualified from the MVP voting for his defense or lack thereof tonight. That turnstile attempt at Livingston was awful.
And Trevor Ariza wants no part of fighting with Draymond. Talk about fake tough guys.
LBJ with PHI would be a candidate too.Thompson is already talking about staying. Iggy is a role player at this point and figures to have a couple more solid years left.
Chris Paul just turned 33. Houston’s window is now and they just don’t have the horses. Nobody else in the West is even remotely close.
We’ll see what LeBron does but this Warriors run is basically going to have to be stopped by the Celtics, injuries, or LeBron going to the Lakers and bringing Kawhi with him or something.
And they barely lost that one. It’s going to be ridiculously difficult to beat these guys 4 times in 7 tries in the next couple of years, particularly if you don’t have the best player in the league.Golden State hasn't lost a home playoff game since Game 7 versus the Cavs in 2016. That's 16 in a row now. Juggernaut.
Watched most of the game; I think he's moving okay. With regard to his shot, given how quick his release is during games, maybe the issue is that it takes a while to get his shot back to game speed and accuracy after not being able to shoot for several weeks?It's probably endurance but to me he just doesn't look great moving laterally.
I felt Curry's mobility improved noticeably with the extra rest. Aside from the shooting he was also moving much more fluidly in the first half from my seat. How much is home/away affect? How much is injury recovery? Probably a combination.Watched most of the game; I think he's moving okay. With regard to his shot, given how quick his release is during games, maybe the issue is that it takes a while to get his shot back to game speed and accuracy after not being able to shoot for several weeks?
Didn't look like he was favoring anything. I don't watch GSW much so not sure if Curry's lateral movement is off from pre-injury (or particularly pre-ankle injury).
Isn't Green mostly playing the 5 for them? Realizing of course that they have no actual center in their starting lineup.A fully loaded Celtics team next year could give GS a run. Other than Durant (not a small exception, obviously), they match up pretty well with the Warriors.
Curry - Kyrie
Thompson - Brown (that would be a great matchup)
Green - Hayward
Iguodala - Tatum
Durant - Horford (at least has the requisite length and is pretty nimble; Durant won't punish him in the post)
You bring Smart, Rozier, and Morris off the bench as your main subs against this team because they don't really pound you inside. Smart and Rozier, obviously, are very tough defensively and can get in guys' grills very well.
Yeah you make good points. I was just thinking that Horford moves pretty well for a guy his size, and his length would be important in putting up some kind of barrier to Durant's shooting. KD will just shoot over Brown pretty effortlessly. I mean, he's a total freak and he's basically Giannis with a deadly outside shot. No matter who the Celtics put on him, that's the matchup GS would need to exploit.Isn't Green mostly playing the 5 for them? Realizing of course that they have no actual center in their starting lineup.
I'd have put Brown on Durant, frankly. Horford can't get around screens fast enough to stop Durant's perimeter shooting. Put Horford (or Baynes / center-of-the-month) on Green, and let Tatum and Hayward take whoever, including Durant if that's the rotation they get.
What I like most about the matching up is that the Celtics' defensive style really suits perimeter defense, because of how well they help the helper and how rarely they make mental mistakes that leave an open perimeter shooter. They can adjust that style, as they obviously did for Milwaukee who had few outside shooting threats, but watching them just smother JJ Redick was a joy. And what is Klay Thompson but a rich man's JJ Redick?
Mostly agreed, though Iguodala was always a quietly big part of what made them a juggernaut in the first place (Finals MVP, e.g.); and his defensive IQ and ability to guard 1-5 is especially useful against Houston. He was the primary defender on Harden yesterday, and did a better job on him than KD had done in games 1-2.Iguodala being out means they still have two MVP caliber players, and two other all-stars (one a DPOY and the other one of the greatest shooters in history). They'll be fine even if they lose Iguodala for the rest of the postseason. They were already a juggernaut before they added Kevin friggin Durant.
God help the Warriors without their 5th best player tomorrow night!Iguodala being out means they still have two MVP caliber players, and two other all-stars (one a DPOY and the other one of the greatest shooters in history). They'll be fine even if they lose Iguodala for the rest of the postseason. They were already a juggernaut before they added Kevin friggin Durant.
Besides being a great shooter, Klay is an an excellent defender (what, capable of defending 1 through 4, 4 in a pinch?). Looking it up, I was surprised he hasn’t made an all defensive second team.Isn't Green mostly playing the 5 for them? Realizing of course that they have no actual center in their starting lineup.
I'd have put Brown on Durant, frankly. Horford can't get around screens fast enough to stop Durant's perimeter shooting. Put Horford (or Baynes / center-of-the-month) on Green, and let Tatum and Hayward take whoever, including Durant if that's the rotation they get.
What I like most about the matching up is that the Celtics' defensive style really suits perimeter defense, because of how well they help the helper and how rarely they make mental mistakes that leave an open perimeter shooter. They can adjust that style, as they obviously did for Milwaukee who had few outside shooting threats, but watching them just smother JJ Redick was a joy. And what is Klay Thompson but a rich man's JJ Redick?
This post is perfect.God help the Warriors without their 5th best player tomorrow night!
I mean ... PJ Tucker (or maybe Ariza?) is Houston's 5th-best player — I'd feel marginally more confident with one of those two guys out.God help the Warriors without their 5th best player tomorrow night!
Of course you want everyone there, but when your #1 through #4 go by the names of Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Green, that's a slightly different thing.I mean ... PJ Tucker (or maybe Ariza?) is Houston's 5th-best player — I'd feel marginally more confident with one of those two guys out.
And I know the Cs are a poor comp since they've lost so many key guys, but Marcus Smart is probably their #5 guy (after Horford, Jaylen, Tatum, Rozier) and I'm pretty sure no one would relish going into a playoff battle without him!
True. But I’ll get back to you next year at this time when your fifth best player is Al Horford.Of course you want everyone there, but when your #1 through #4 go by the names of Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Green, that's a slightly different thing.
I came here to quote the first paragraph to say how much I agree with all of it. Then I read rest of post and agree with it in its entirety as well.Klay's an overrated defender. He's good, he tries hard; he's not bad or anything like that. Couldn't stop Kyrie if his life depended on it in the last two finals, though. Is typically the fourth-best defender in his own starting five (behind Green, Durant and Iggy) which is more a testament to how deep the Warriors are on defense; but still, if we are talking about great defenders, it has to be considered that when he is on the floor, he has an amazing cast of supporting players to help him out. He's good at defending bigger two-guards, but he isn't Draymond or even Iguodala on the defensive end.
I think people are slightly overreacting to last night's game. Yeah Golden State was amazing, but Houston also played horrible, terrifying basketball. Scroll up in this very thread and see the reactions after Game 1 of this series; people were saying the same thing they are saying after Game 3; that GS is going to roll through everybody and nobody stands a chance. The funny thing is that in Game 2; Houston played really well and obliterated Golden State, showing that they can in fact, hang with the Warriors.
Now the mark of a great team is not playing well, it is playing well on a consistent basis. Given their talent; Houston really shouldn't be crapping their pants like they did in Game 3. However, I believe that Houston has the talent and the playmakers to beat GS in this series. That doesn't mean I think they are going to, but it's a very real possibility that Houston comes out in Game 4; hits a bunch of three pointers and Harden goes for 38-10-15 and they head back to Houston with the series tied.
A role player who played him pretty damn well that series. And meanwhile Embiid is afraid of water slides. Like, for real, he's afraid of water slides.He's taken playful jabs at IT before, but it seems like the little guy is generally admired by the kids there. Kuzma seems pretty likable, which is annoying.
Embiid, on the other hand, is getting pretty tiresome:
Punching down to a role-player who's team is the reason you're tweeting from your couch is next-level salty. But it's nice to know that Baynes and the Celtics are in his head.
As far as I'm concerned, this just means that Embiid didn't understand Baynes's role in spacing the defense and shutting down passing lanes in transition.He's taken playful jabs at IT before, but it seems like the little guy is generally admired by the kids there. Kuzma seems pretty likable, which is annoying.
Embiid, on the other hand, is getting pretty tiresome:
Punching down to a role-player whose team is the reason you're tweeting from your couch is next-level salty. But it's nice to know that Baynes and the Celtics are in his head.