hate to say it because he's one of my favorite people and players, but dirk nowitzki against gs the year he won the mvp. of course, gs was basically allowed to foul him with impunity, so... yeah, used to say the same about wade, too. it's not just that every whistle turns a turnover or missed shot into 2 points on zero FGAs (btw, this is HUGE for efficiency stats--this happens twice a game and you go from being totally inefficient to wowzers efficient!), it's the confidence you have knowing that you can take risks and are likely to get bailed out. most players don't have that luxury and thus can't push the envelope, either. the ref bias just seeps in everywhere. the fascinating question for me is why? why does every once in a while the league decide one guy is going to get "the treatment"? in each case, it's been a star scoring guard with some sort of unique style to their game and a weird kind of charisma that casual fans go bananas for. who's going to be next? we should draft that guy! if you ask me the archetype is like young ron harper but more charismatic. if keaton wagler had more heft, it'd be him, lol.
^I would guess it's for controversy purposes, which generates interest. Same as why SAS, the entire First Take squad and the likes are still around and are actually making lots of money from spewing nonsense. It riles some people up which in a way is good for the NBA, unfortunately. It stopped being about the quality of the product a loooong time ago. My brother used to say the NBA is just like the WWF. Sadly, there may come a day when he's proven right.
SGA isn't in Luka tier as an offensive player .. This series has been dissapointing after Game 1 . I hope Game 7 will be a close one but I think OKC will win it by 15+
Depends on what you mean by "just like." But to some degree, he's already been proven right, by Silver's own admission. I posted this yesterday in another thread: Silver is manufacturing outrage in order to get you and me to be mad and be engaged. He says "it's part of the theater of the game" and that people getting mad and chanting "F*** you!" is part of "what fans come there for.” Silver is intentionally WWE'ing the league for "engagement." It is no longer a conspiracy theory, he admits it.
^That’s exactly what I meant. I was actually thinking specifically about the information you posted. We’re heading in the direction of WWF, but we haven’t gotten there yet—let’s hope the people in charge come to their senses in time.
Furthermore, shooting efficiency stats are going to look pretty high when defenders have their hands at the waists or are jumping out of your way because they’re scared to pick up fouls.
Thrilling Game 7, and not just because the Spurs knocked off the constantly-fouling OKC/I dare ya, refs to call a foul on us every time OKC...okay, maybe that's why it was thrilling: they lost despite all that. What a 4th Q by SA, too. I see OKC and SA as very similar, with two exceptions: 1.) SA has an alien; OKC does, too, but he's not nearly as good and failed to show up for them in Game 7, when they really needed him. It could stick to Chet for a long-azzed time, at that; 2.) OKC's "awe shucks we just a team" seems like a pose, while no way can you fake the florid emotion of SA and its alien after Game 7. The dogma of they're good but no playoff experience, so they can't get far in the post-season: Spurs have completely laid waste to that idea. So far. Can they hold up against New York and the glitz of the Finals?
i thought the refs tried to let okc back in the game on a couple different occasions (their 7-0 FT run to close the gap near the half was egregious, imo), but SA just kept making just enough perimeter shots so that the refs couldn't control the game. i know that sounds tinfoil, but it's the way you can beat the refs--they can't stop you from making perimeter shots. they can shut down the paint for you, no problem. they can make off-ball cuts impossible. but they can't stop you from hitting a shot in space. didn't mention it earlier, but harper played with a lot of poise for a rookie down the stretch. took and made a big, tough shot, got that big putback, and really put his body on the defensive boards (something reaves does that should but doesn't impress people, btw).
Man, I usually have a fairly strong feeling going into the non-Lakers Finals: I either want one team to NOT win, or I feel one team might sweep the other. This year, with 3 hours to go before opening tip of Game 1, I just don't know. I'm going with Knicks in Six, simply because it rhymes. Which is a terrible reason for a pick. 6 weeks ago, if you appeared in a puff of smoke and said Yo I'm from the future: it's gonna be Spurs-Knicks in the Finals, I'd've immediately said, Spurs will kill because the Knicks kinda suck...but they have not sucked in the playoffs. I get the feeling they think they can't lose now. I've got no strong emotional reason to root for one team over the other. I suspect Silver wd like the Knicks 'cuz Big Market, they haven't won it all since 1973, etc. But maybe Europe and the rest of the world like SA 'cuz of Wemby? Maybe Castle will give Brunson fits and the Knicks will shrivel up like a stack of dimes, who knows.
Good game 1. Knicks are well rested, and took game 1 on the road. Hart beasted. I can’t say I have a dog in this fight or really care who wins, but it’s nice to see highly competitive basketball with two defensive Powerhouses. Solid efforts. Finals worthy.
Yeah. But. Another thread title this page in NBA discussion below. Anthony Davis Discussion: Thanks For The Ring AD!!!
having the knicks win should give everyone hope. It is all about matchups and teams we have a tough time with could be taken down by someone else. If we were healthy, I would like our chances against the knicks. If they beat the Spurs, heck, we could win it all too.
Yeah I've been down on the title aspirations of this team but it seems closer than I thought. OKC run to the title last year wasn't seamless and they had a couple game 7 against imperfect teams. This year they swept twice in a row but didn't win against the 1st playoff run of the Spurs. They were down J-Dub and Ajay but that's what happens in postseason. It's a lot about execution at the right time, health and a bit of luck. We can definitely put together a roster next year that can be competitive in the playoff and then wait for the chips to fall in our favour. If we keep Luka, AR, Bron and Smart, we are 2 perimeter defenders and a center away of a tight playoff rotation that can compete with anyone. Then we need x-factors of low contracts who play over their value like DJJ with Mavs, Ajay Mitchell and so on. This can be Thiero, Ellis or some other guy. We also need to put some emphasis in managing Luka, AR and Bron's load. They played too many minutes this year when healthy and we gotta bring those down.
