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Men_in_Boxes
Snake Oil Salesman
26.7 ppg at .601 efg, 10.3 reb, 8.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks
Those are LeBron's playoff averages this year.
Zack Lowe said "LeBron should have been considered for first team all defense this year" on his podcast yesterday.
Those are LeBron's playoff averages this year.
Zack Lowe said "LeBron should have been considered for first team all defense this year" on his podcast yesterday.
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Cutty Flam
Banned
4th quarter is going to be something else
Elpidio Valdés
Member
And that's all she wrote baby! NBA finals here we go!!! Lequeen about to suffer the wrath and delicious revenge of the Godfather Riley.
GG to all the Celtics fan, you guys have a young team full of promise and if you keep that core together championships will come.
GG to all the Celtics fan, you guys have a young team full of promise and if you keep that core together championships will come.
Lionel Richie
Member
I think I felt like a parent watching this game, like you see your kid trying to walk but his head is too big and he can't keep in balance and you know he's going to fall. At the end, Boston did what young teams do. They couldn't take the pressure. Once Bam started going supernova and their shots just wouldn't go in, they felt that desperation and it showed. I didn't feel angry or sad or anything, I just didn't want my kid to break his head lol.
Anyway, great season! Crazy roster turnover, a huge new piece to fit in, some bad injuries and a couple of young superstars still rising. This team will go as far as Tatum and Brown will take them. I'm pleased with the results and happy that I got to watch great ball at times. Now please get a better guy to bang inside, get a proper backup PG and let's make another run at it.
Mad respect for the Heat, absolutely fantastic team. Now finish the job and beat LA.
Anyway, great season! Crazy roster turnover, a huge new piece to fit in, some bad injuries and a couple of young superstars still rising. This team will go as far as Tatum and Brown will take them. I'm pleased with the results and happy that I got to watch great ball at times. Now please get a better guy to bang inside, get a proper backup PG and let's make another run at it.
Mad respect for the Heat, absolutely fantastic team. Now finish the job and beat LA.
Cutty Flam
Banned
LeBron is going to be on a mission to fuck up the Heat, this should be fun to watch. Pat Riley is a mastermind, I know he's going for blood now. Probably briefing Spoelstra rn
German Hops
GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
Lakers in 3
bender
What time is it?
It usually takes LeBron until game 4 or 5 to quit on his team. Can't wait for Riley to start leaking South Beach gossip to the media anonymously.
Cutty Flam
Banned
In 2018 he gave up before even starting OT in gm 1. That was disgusting
LoV
Banned
They should have won that game but you know how the story goes.
EverythingsOverrated
Member
I'm pretty excited about this series.
Looking at it on paper the Lakers should win but this Heat team feels like the team of destiny this year. The story line is going to get old by game 3, but I'm excited for some awkward post game interviews with lebron about pat rilley
Looking at it on paper the Lakers should win but this Heat team feels like the team of destiny this year. The story line is going to get old by game 3, but I'm excited for some awkward post game interviews with lebron about pat rilley
UltimaKilo
Gold Member
Lebron makes sure to protect himself. If you were anywhere near him while at a club, you weren’t allowed to have your phone on you, so you’ll never see anything big come out.
Cutty Flam
Banned
Same here. I'm not invested into the story line unless the teams have a history or better yet, a rivalry but I do think this will be a great series. I don't think the Lakers are going to have their way at all. Everything is going to be hard earned and if they slip up at all their opportunity will gone in any given game they play. The only reassuring thing about the Lakers for me right now, is the fact that they have an immense amount of experienced veterans. There are seven (LeBron, Dwight Howard, JR Smith, Danny Green, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Quinn Cook) dudes on this roster who have reached the NBA Finals at least once and have some sort of knowledge as to what, at the very least, 4 games at this stage will be like. A lot of battle tested players on the Lakers. JR Smith and Jared Dudley have both played the Lakers during the Phil Jackson/Kobe/Pau years in the WCF so they have had a taste of what it's like to play against some of the best. I think the Los Angeles have a ton of great basketball minds, very high IQ players so I'm not worried about getting buckets. The true test will be, can they defend the perimeter and can AD use his size advantage on Bam Adebayo effectively, and LAL bigs, can they defend the three? I think Spoelstra will definitely be looking to shoot the Lakers out the building from every position so AD might have to play a ton of minutes on that fucked ankle of his
This will be no easy series. I think both teams are well prepared and it's clear they want it to the max. Bam playing with an injured wrist. AD playing with one ankle. And neither of the two are showing signs of letting it deter them. This should be good
Cutty Flam
Banned
Wtf, how you control an entire club from pulling out phones?
UltimaKilo
Gold Member
Many celebs do it. Phones go in envelope before you can go inside, much like comedy clubs do.
bender
What time is it?
Hinedorf
Banned
I'm fairly conflicted as everything the Heat has shown me is a team that should absolutely have the Lakers number in the Finals. Everything in me tells me the Heat should be the favorite because of their 3 point shooting ability which is far more consistent than the Lakers
Lakers have the 2 best players in the series in 1. Lebron and 2. AD but you could almost say 3-whatever is almost all Heat.
Who's the third best scorer on the Lakers? Tyler Herro as a rookie has played more reliable as the third or fifth option on the Heat better than the entire Lakers roster not named LeBron or AD. Can he continue that in the Finals? Herro is literally doing what no other rookie has ever done.
Do the Lakers have a bevy of players who can step up and be that #3 every night, normally but not always.
Defensively the Lakers are the better team, offensively it's a lot closer than some people think or it's flat out in the Heat's favor with their shooting ability.
Rooting for the Lakers but the betting man in me is staying far away from this series
Lakers have the 2 best players in the series in 1. Lebron and 2. AD but you could almost say 3-whatever is almost all Heat.
Who's the third best scorer on the Lakers? Tyler Herro as a rookie has played more reliable as the third or fifth option on the Heat better than the entire Lakers roster not named LeBron or AD. Can he continue that in the Finals? Herro is literally doing what no other rookie has ever done.
Do the Lakers have a bevy of players who can step up and be that #3 every night, normally but not always.
Defensively the Lakers are the better team, offensively it's a lot closer than some people think or it's flat out in the Heat's favor with their shooting ability.
Rooting for the Lakers but the betting man in me is staying far away from this series
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Mista
Banned
KO7
Member
Gotta get me the herro miami vice jersey
Let me know if you have any luck with that besides exorbitant ebay prices. Wish I had gotten a Bam City Edition (Miami Vice) jersey before.
vpance
Member
Yeah, could see that coming a mile away.
Lue is like Doc's protege. Don't think they'll want him for it.
Knitted Knight
Banned
Congrats to Miami fans. Hec of a run so far. Out of the blue for me.
Fuck Doc Rivers that's all.
Fuck Doc Rivers that's all.
EruditeHobo
Member
Lakers are shooting almost the exact same percentage from 3 as the Heat in these playoffs.
Lakers are shooting much better in FG% overall, they lead all playoff teams.
All of the Lakers' opponents have been better from 3 in the playoffs than the Heat.
The Heat are a nice story, but I'd be surprised if this even goes 6. Feels like LeBron and AD are going to pick this Heat team apart. They're somewhat limited defensively, not a lot of length... I don't see many advantages for them in this one. I'm not scared of Miami's shooters... for that to be convincing, they should have shot a better percentage so far. Lakers can own the paint, use their length, make them shoot tough shots all series, and will win the rebounding battle as Miami will be outsized and Bam outnumbered overall.
If the Heat win... honestly I wouldn't even be mad, I'm already as a fan playing with house money since the Celtics and Clippers are out, and the Lakers frankly were not expected to get this far by many (including me). In fact I kind of like Miami! I like Butler, I like their starting 5, I love Spo & Riley. If they won, I would tip my cap to them.
But, while I could be wrong, this doesn't feel like Pistons in 04... honestly, feels more like Magic in 09.
Should be entertaining no matter what happens, but for me... pretty easy call to say Lakers in 5.
Maaaaaybe 6...
Cutty Flam
Banned
Great take. I'm not as confident with the Lakers for these reasons
-AD is now injured, ankle of all areas. If he is in pain, he might be more hesitant to take the lead, which is going to be crucial especially since his presence before the injury was the one clear advantage to rely on if he was playing aggressive. There is no guarantee he will be able to play all of the games if it ends up being 6-7 game series. He may injure it further and have to sit out. He has to deal with extreme pain while playing in a series that would be tough enough for anyone even in their best shape and best health. This is also his first NBA Finals. We don't know how he will handle the pressure and it's going to be a different type of pressure in many ways than the previous three rounds
-Rondo has been making a lot of threes. I'm nervous about this trend. I hope it continues, but if he starts missing them then that's one or two, three possessions that could have been given to a better player. It works because he's hitting them and this is a major advantage for the LAL to make the Heat pay whenever they sag off, but if he cannot continue then that will make it tougher on the team. He's been the x-factor lately. Who would have thought that Rajon Rondo would be one of the greatest 3pt shooters on the team since his return to form?
-KCP's level of play, can he sustain it in the NBA Finals? Confidence was always the issue for KCP it seems. If he goes back to his old self, and doesn't play with full confidence and belief in his play, that's going to hurt like no other. Lakers need him to sustain his high level of play to win this series. Defense is always sound, but lately his offense has been just what they've needed. He stepped up this year, I just hope he doesn't regress right when it counts the most
-Kyle Kuzma similar situation to KCP. It's incredible that he's contributing a great deal considering this is his first playoff run in his young career. He might not show up, might be the player to fuck everything up for the team in the end. His defense is spotty, and he's not the greatest scorer at times
-Heat have better sharpshooters. The Lakers hit a lot of threes as well, but if Spoelstra wants to run small ball all series long and try to shoot the Lakers out the gym every game then there will be less opportunity to utilize Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. AD will be forced to stay in longer, play somewhere past 40 minutes because the Heat have Kelly O who can hit from outside, Bam can't shoot threes but his jumpshot might prove true and the Lakers cannot sag off him just in case...it's going to be interesting to see the battle of matchups going on throughout this series. Vogel and Kidd will have their work cut out for them to maximize what they can get on the court. Spoelstra was basically Pat Riley's protege so I think we can assume that the Miami Heat are very well prepared and ready to go
I think Lakers in 6 most likely, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Heat upset either. Wouldn't be a bit surprised to see it play out like that
EruditeHobo
Member
A Heat upset would be surprising to me. BUT if AD is truly in pain, that could no doubt change the dynamic of the series. I think he's gonna be okay, he's been resting for days before game one... think he'll be fine.
As for pressure... honestly, the bubble is about having leaders that have been there before IMO, sure there's pressure but this is unprecedented and because of that I suspect it's a different kind of pressure. If AD was THE GUY on the squad... it might be an issue. LeBron leading the way, having been there so many times and playing for his legacy, they're gonna figure it out. Throw in the other positives from this playoffs run; the role players doing what they've been doing defensively, and with the consistent rotating hat re: surprise offensive bursts/shots when needed; the coaching staff showing they can make the smart adjustments; the fact that relatively AD & LeBron have been nicely rotated and not been playing 43 mins a game, and also have kept all series short... at this point, feel like it is what it is and am not feeling super worried. And ordinarily I would be.
But I think you make good points, so we will see. Really just happy to be back in the Finals, wish I could be there in staples for one of the games... but I'll take this.
Let's go get Carushow a ring!
As for pressure... honestly, the bubble is about having leaders that have been there before IMO, sure there's pressure but this is unprecedented and because of that I suspect it's a different kind of pressure. If AD was THE GUY on the squad... it might be an issue. LeBron leading the way, having been there so many times and playing for his legacy, they're gonna figure it out. Throw in the other positives from this playoffs run; the role players doing what they've been doing defensively, and with the consistent rotating hat re: surprise offensive bursts/shots when needed; the coaching staff showing they can make the smart adjustments; the fact that relatively AD & LeBron have been nicely rotated and not been playing 43 mins a game, and also have kept all series short... at this point, feel like it is what it is and am not feeling super worried. And ordinarily I would be.
But I think you make good points, so we will see. Really just happy to be back in the Finals, wish I could be there in staples for one of the games... but I'll take this.
Let's go get Carushow a ring!
Hinedorf
Banned
Cutty Flam
Banned
Historically, LeBron has had a lot of trouble when evenly matched in the NBA Finals
2013 = Victory barely escaped defeat
2014 = Embarrassed
2016 = Victory, miraculously escaping defeat a second time
2017 = More in GSW favor, but still two great teams, Cavs get destroyed
2018 = Sweep, Cavs defeated
The interesting bit here is that now he has the upper hand, undoubtedly, and it is evenly matched. Even from a coaching standpoint, this year it’s basically all even
Game 1 of the NBA Finals at 6pm Pacific Time, 9/30/2020
Alex Caruso to be interviewed by Joe Rogan discussing how he earned his first of many Finals MVP award. Soon after that, the Nobel Peace Prize inevitably awaits him
2013 = Victory barely escaped defeat
2014 = Embarrassed
2016 = Victory, miraculously escaping defeat a second time
2017 = More in GSW favor, but still two great teams, Cavs get destroyed
2018 = Sweep, Cavs defeated
The interesting bit here is that now he has the upper hand, undoubtedly, and it is evenly matched. Even from a coaching standpoint, this year it’s basically all even
Game 1 of the NBA Finals at 6pm Pacific Time, 9/30/2020
Alex Caruso to be interviewed by Joe Rogan discussing how he earned his first of many Finals MVP award. Soon after that, the Nobel Peace Prize inevitably awaits him
Mista
Banned
Its not Doc's fault. Its the overhyped cunts he got in the team
Knitted Knight
Banned
Playoff P disappointed greatly but Doc's inability as a coach to call plays and direct late in 4ths, specially what should have been a Game 4 series close out was jarring bad coaching. He's had it due.
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EruditeHobo
Member
He's a great man manager, but a shitty coach.
This isn't about 1 time, or 1 set of players, that have caused this.
Hopefully they sign up another clown to run those players out of town.
This isn't about 1 time, or 1 set of players, that have caused this.
Hopefully they sign up another clown to run those players out of town.
Cutty Flam
Banned
A lot of injuries this game
Edit: Lakers taking full advantage of their toughness inside
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Lionel Richie
Member
I'm going to call series. Dragic was huge against the Celtics and he was balling out of his mind. Lakers were already the much stronger side to begin with, now with Dragic out this is basically a formality at this point. Unless the Lakers either choke or get AD or Lebron injured.
Cutty Flam
Banned
Wow, that is horrific. Plantar fasciitis is bad enough, if he decides to play through it he is truly one of the toughest guards I’ve seen play. Big fan of Dragic’s game since the Phoenix Suns days alongside Nash and them when he was a scrappy young player taking anybody on. This was his most dominant showing yet, the guy was attacking hard every time the defense let up and allowed him a pocket to maneuver and operate
This is reminding me of the 2008 Lakers and last years Warriors. They’ll probably fight hard as fuck to get theirs but it’s looking kind of bad—a serious uphill battle that likely wont pay off. They’ve suffered the more serious injuries at this point
bender
What time is it?
2011 isn't listed because the Mavs were far superior, right?
Lionel Richie
Member
Are you saying the 2008 Lakers had to deal with comparable injuries to what the Warriors did last year? Because that is flat out not true, they were down Andrew Bynum and while that's not insignificant, he was 20 years old and just not there yet. Paul Pierce played that series injured, and don't get me started on the KG injury next season that killed what should have been a Celtics dynasty.
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