These past few minutes are perfect examples of one team playing ONE ON ONE and the other team playing TEAM basketball.
I never had a doubt in this one. If CHOKC had come into the 4th with a twenty point lead I still would have thought they were going to lose. Just like I said, I gave them zero percent chance to win and wanted to bet on it.
Yup, phonetap was always skeptical of OKC. Will give them some credit because they managed to not choke against SA and took GS 7 games. But in the end they choked...
So is Durant gonna take the 2 year max extension or will he leave OKC which guts the team enough in order for it to move back to Seattle
The biggest issue for OKC isn't so much that they play iso ball, it's the fact they're not very good at it and that for their team it's easy to defend against. Steph and Klay play iso all the time but unlike Westbrook and Durant - who are both shaky shooters - they're great at it and it's actually who they are. The difference is GS also plays team ball, has a system in place, and have reliable role players. OKC's whole team are bad at shooting threes and most of their role players are hit and miss, so to be honest their team really needs to find a system or get a fucking shooting coach for crying out loud.
OKC loves the Thunder so they aren't going anywhere. Seattle has to start from scratch or lure another team to the city. KD should stay in OKC but phonetap doubts he will.
Yes, OKC needs shooters to relieve the pressure off KD and Russ. Hell, the Bulls had Paxton and Kerr. The Shaq/Kobe Laker teams had Horry hitting big threes in the clutch. Miami had Ray Allen drain that big three which laughed them to their last championship. If not the superstars, you need other guys to extend the defense to win it all.
I think Durant stays. In fact I never understood why people think he'd leave. First of all what better situation is there for him? OKC already has a top 5 player along with some of the best talent in the league. They're probably a top 3-5 run organization and Donovan is starting to look like he could become a top 3-5 coach. They just missed making the finals and since the reason they didn't is mostly on him, he can't say the team isn't heading in the right direction. I never thought Durant was leaving the Thunder and don't think so now.
The 2016 Warriors have to be one THE best teams in history crunch time. Honestly, outside of game 1, I can't remember the Dubs losing any close games. You literally have to blow out GS to beat them. In a close game, or in OT, 95% chance they're gonna win.
I think Coach Pop is too in love with Leonard to let KD come to SA. I dunno, I could still see KD going home and playing for the Wiz. KD + Wall could be awesome. Wall isn't a scorer like Westbrook, he'll defer to KD and let him do his thing. Downside to that being, Wall can't take over games the way Westy can.
Nor do I see Durant going to them. Why would he bitch out and jump ship like that? If Durant leaves OKC I'd have to believe it's because he has some kind of issue with Westbrook. Whether it's personal, he doesn't like playing with him, or whatever the case with him is, it is the only possible issue I can see Durant may have with the team.
Just think, had Steph suffered a level 2 knee injury instead of a level 1, OKC would be headed to the finals right now.
Westbrook is the one I see leaving. And I think most feel the same way. I think Russ needs his own team. He needs to be the focal point on offense. With him and Durant, the team just turns into a 'score score score' mentality and they forget team ball.
Your points are sound, can't disagree. Durant has to look at the big picture before deciding to stay in OKC. Right now, the TV analysts are saying Durant should stay because OKC is the best fit. agREED, for now, but what guarantees are there that Russ stays when he is eligible to leave the following season? KD has a big decision to make, not easy by any stretch of the imagination. If KD leaves stick a fork in OKC for years to come because there would be no way Russ then stays...perennial lottery team.
Westbrook is damn good, but he's not the type of guy who can carry a team deep in the playoffs as THE focal point on offense, the way a Lebron, Kobe, or Wade can (in their primes, obviously). If Westbrook is the main guy on a team, that team probably gets bounced in the first or second round of the PO's
Yeah but who wants to win that way? Then OKC would have critics wanting to put an asterisk next to their championship saying they only won because GS didn't have their MVP, and whether it's true or not there'd never be a damn thing they could do to disprove it. It'd be no different then how some had been saying GS got lucky last year because Love and Irving were hurt. That is the exact reason I was glad Green didn't get suspended for the jump kick. GSWs are actually very lucky because they're getting a rare opportunity to prove their first defeat of The Cavs wasn't luck.
That is why everyone expects Durant to sign a one year deal. It not only gives him the option of resigning a long term deal in the 17-18 season when the cap is at its highest, but it also allows him to resign the same time as Westbrook and Ibaka.
That would be the smart to do...for OKC that is. Guys tend to be afraid of one year deals because what if a major injury happens...then KD is screwed. Dude, for real, KD has a lot to think about. phonetap hopes he stays in OKC for the record.
Who says they win the championship? KD can never beat Lebron. It just seems like Bron always has KD's number. On the other hand, GS obliterated Cleveland both times this year. Yeah, I know, the playoffs are different, but GS will dispatch of the Cavs in 6, IMO.
As has been alluded to already. OKC needs a solid 3-point specialist to spread the floor for them. A Kyle Korver or a JR Smith type. I think they thought they might have had that in Morrow, but he never really panned out. Durant got upset last night when he kicked out to Roberson for a wiiiiide open 3, and he passed it up to give it to a guy who was covered in the corner, but Roberson shouldn't really be taking 3's to begin with.
Okc needs Roberson to develop into a guy like bowen who can hit open shots consistently so they can keep his defense on the floor
Lebron James vs Stephen Curry! Based on a discussion I saw on Facebook earlier today. One person said Lebron is the best player in the world and has been for a while the other disagreed and said Curry is the two time MVP from recent years. My thoughts ( with my limited basketball knowledge). Lebron James can be likened to. Zinedine Zidane in football ( soccer) in that he's the best overall player and the rock that holds the team together whereas Curry is likened more to a prolific goal scorer such as miroslav Klose of Germany. While I appreciate the talents of both players, the specific talents of each, Seems to me that NBA awards MVP to top point scorers in season ( especially final) vs the overall most valuable player ( which would be James ) Discuss
