they didnt have mike conley either. thats 40% of the starting line up. and 66% of their 3 best players
What game by Durant, started 1/6 then hit 11 of his next 14 and finished with 39, 16 and 5. Adams and Collison really were the difference. Such nice pieces to be able to bring off the bench. Interesting to find out the extent of Ibakas injury.
I don't see why not. Why? Because the Spurs destroyed the Blazers? OKC would have destroyed Portland also. Spurs went 7 with the Mavs. Why in the world have people forgotten about this? It seems like OKC going 7 with the Grizz is the only thing that gets mentioned. Thunder are gonna beat the Spurs. Watch. Parker and WB will play eachother to a standstill. In fact, I think WB will have the edge there. Younger, and less banged up. I think KD is about to kick it into another gear, and the Spurs won't have much of an answer for him. OKC in 6. And Heat over the Pacers in 6. And then, I basically see OKC vs Miami as a toss up.
It's almost a crime to say this in the NBA it seems, but I'll say it regardless: Chris Paul is overrated. ALWAYS has been. And for some reason, it's always taboo to say that. People can call Durant, Wade, Lebron, Melo, Westbrook, and Kobe overrated, and never get flack for it, but CP3 is always some untouchable. Granted, he'll go down as a top 10 all time PG. But at some point, it'll be remembered that this guy just could not get it done in the playoffs. Stat geeks LOVE Paul, but really, where are CP3's epic playoff runs at? They don't exist. I hate the little French fuck Tony Parker. And I do believe that Paul is overall a better player than Parker. But, Parker has more killer instinct and desire than CP3, and is a more unstoppable scorer when he gets it going. If I was looking to a lead a team come PLAYOFF time and I had a choice between Paul and Parker, I'd take the everytime. I think this is the Clips problem: Their system is built around Paul, with Griffin as the side kick. That needs to reverse. Goin forward, Blake should be considered the focal point of the team. CP3 needs to become the Robin to Blake's Batman, cause CP3 as Batman will NEVER win them a ring. Blake is the one who's coming into his own, whereas we've already seen everything Paul has to offer.
I don't know, bro. OKC seem to fold every time they play Miami. I don't trust them in the least. And Durant is a bit of a mental midget.
We all called Lebron a mental midget every year until he finally won it in 2012. KD was 23 last time he faced the Heat in the finals. He's better now, and I'm sure he'll perform better. Perhaps it still won't enough. Lebron is playing at an INSANE level in these playoffs. I think it'll be a close series.
Parker will be playing hurt, strained his hamstring. That spells doom for the Spurs. I'd hate to see OKC - MIA again. Going by their first finals, it's gonna be a boring non-competitive free throw fest.
In 2012, two things were different. KD and WB were more inexperienced, and Wade had more left in the tank. KD had elevated his game, WB has elevated his game in the PO's, and now Bron has to shoulder MOST of the load. I guarantee you the Heat won't destroy them this time.
6 games wouldn't surprise me. But they would be 6 tough, competitive games. It would have to be 6 games. In a 7th game in OKC, I think the Thunder would win. NBA finals history isn't kind for road teams in a game 7.
On the other side, Ibaka will be playing hurt as well and his defense in the paint is a key to OKC's success against the Spurs. And the puts more pressure on their perimeter defense which isn't that good. I still pick OKC but it could come down to the wire.
Hell yea OKC has HCA! They won 59 games this year. Heat only won 54. OKC had HCA in 2012 as well, but they were just overwhelmed. As you would expect, it was their first time in the finals.
Health, or LACK Thereof, is Part of the NBA Playoff Grind...OKC Doesn't Need to Apologize for Conley's Injury... Besides, OKC Beat Memphis WITH Conley AND ZBo, so Again, There was NO Guarantee Whatsoever Memphis Wins 7... REED:nono:
Neil didn't think that OKC would beat Memphis, or LA. But I had a feeling that Chris "Never wins a goddamn thing" Paul could never out-duel KD.
When Hoop Pundits Refer to Paul as a "Top 3" or "MVP Caliber" Player, they're Overrating Him... What Paul Is is a Lower Level Top 10 Guy & the Best PURE PG in the League, Easily...He's Also an UNDERRATED Scorer, has a RIDICULOUS Assist to T.O. Ratio & is Good for 2 Steals PER Game... The Clippers Game 4 Comeback Win Over OKC is ALL You Need to Know about Chris Paul...He WILLED his Team to Victory, Even Taking On the Task of GUARDING Kevin Durant, Despite Being a Fucking FOOT Shorter... REED Doesn't Hold CP3's Playoff Shortcomings Against Him Because he NEVER had a LEGITIMATE Chance Until Coming to LA...Those Hornets Teams of Paul's Early Career were Doing Good by just MAKING the Playoffs... REED:hammert:
Bron's Gotta Do that WHILE Trying to Somewhat Contain Durant, Simultaneously... Bron Will have to Play EXTREMELY Hard on BOTH Ends of the Floor, for Miami to 1nce Again Beat OKC in the Finals... REED:hammert:
Let's compare CP3 to AI, Brotha REED. Considering they were both 6'0 phenoms. The media always DESTROYED AI for not winning, and calling him a "cancer". Yet AI carried that team all the way to the finals, and managed to win a game off arguably the best Playoff Team in NBA history. Compare that to CP3, who's never seen a 3rd round in his career, yet is a media DARLING. Clear double-standard. I might also add, AI wasn't a flopping, whining bitch. I would have loved to have seen what AI could have done in his prime with a team as talented as the Clips. Whereas, CP3 wouldn't have done JACK SHIT with that Sixers team. He woulda had to shoulder more of an offensive load than he was ever capable of handling.
i'm not saying that pacers will beat miami, but i can see them losing game 1, but also winning 1 in miami and forcing a game 7 heading back to indiana. they might get blown out in games they lose, but they've shown throughout the ATL and DC series that they're able to use their experience and finish strong. it's going to be a 6 game series at the very least.
REED Peeps Neil's Game... He's NOT a Fan of OKC AND Wants them to Do Worse Now that Harden's Gone... REED:hammert:
Deron Williams is rumored to be on the trading block. Houston might still be interested. Lin plus Asik would be a good trade for both teams IMO.
D-Will is past his prime, and will NEVER again reach the form he had in Utah. He's still a lot better than that bum Lin.
DWill is still in his prime, he just need to rest/treat those ankles this summer. He's only 29 years old.
There's been PLENTY of players in history that have washed up early due to injury. Add D-Will to the list. Always been a D-Will fan, but the FACT is, he's a fat/lazy souvabitch. Maybe if he kept himself in better shape, his prime woulda lasted longer. He went from being on the same tier as CP3, and Parker, to now being on the same tier as Jrue Holiday. That's sad.
You CAN'T Compare them Though, Brother X... CP3 is the Quintessential, TEXTBOOK Point Guard...A.I. was an UNDERSIZED 2-Guard... Paul Could NEVER Score to the Degree Iverson Did, but Iverson Could NEVER Facilitate w/as FEW T.O.'s as Paul Routinely Does, Either... For as Much as REED Looooooooooooved A.I., Guys like Griffin & Jordan Would've NEVER Blossomed Under Him, the Way they Have Under CP3...The Clippers are Soooooooooooo Deeeeeeeeeep, Sooooooooooo LOADED, they NEED a Pass 1st PG like Paul...A.I. was Anything BUT That... History Should & WILL Treat Allen Iverson More Favorably, but his Game was Completely DIFFERENT from Chris Paul's... REED:hammert:
REED Can See Why Brooklyn's Interested in TRADING DWill, Given his Salary vs. his Level of Production...But REED Can't See Brooklyn Being Interested in Lin & Asik, Bro... They ALREADY Have Lopez, Presuming he's Healthy, Plumlee & KG...Granted, KG Needs to Hang 'em Up, but Brooklyn DOESN'T Really Need a Big like Asik... & Lin's Stock Continues to DIP...REED Isn't Sure Lin Beats Out Shaun Livingston for the Starting PG Spot in Brooklyn... REED:hammert:
I hope history remembers AI more favorably. Only one of them has a fuckin MVP! But I fear that CP3 is such a media darling that he'll be remembered in a better light. I just mean in general, CP3 is the LEAST criticized superstar the league has ever seen. Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Dirk, Howard, KD, all these guys get raked over the coles when they don't win. But not Paul. BTW, AI was a very underrated playmaker. Was he as good a playmaker as Paul? No. But as far as scoring guards go, AI was a HELLUVA lot better as a playmaker than guys like Westbrook, Rose, and Lillard. Iverson's court vision was far superior to those guys'. He NEVER EVER had a side-kick as good as Blake. Melo doesn't count, because AI was past his prime by time he got to Denver.
You Should've Seen DWill in High School...VERY Chubby Motherfucker...He WASN'T Even the Best Player on his High School Team, Believe it or Not... He's Actually Worked Himself into TREMENDOUS Shape, Compared to How he USED to Look... REED::
