Minnesota Sports Forum

Seriously - Dwight what were you thinking?

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19339587/dwight-howard-atlanta-hawks-pulled-hours-game-6

bleedspeed177 wrote:Seriously - Dwight what were you thinking?

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19339587/dwight-howard-atlanta-hawks-pulled-hours-game-6

Eh, it's not that big of a deal in the context of what constitutes bad behavior by athletes. But it adds to the drip-drip-drip of character flaws in this dude. I wouldn't want him near our team.

monsterpile wrote:I just tuned back in for a couple minutes and Exum seems to have been a catalyst to this comeback to make it a game at the half.

Utah gave it their best and they weren't even close. Granted, losing George HIll was a big loss, but Golden State was basically playing an exhibition game out there - it was THAT lopsided throughout the series.

I'd love for Cleveland to win it all again, but I just don't see they do it this year. Effing Kevin Durant.....

monsterpile wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

monsterpile wrote:I was watching the last few minutes of the first half of the GS Jazz game just now.

It hit me while I was watching that how great would it have been if though Stockton Malone teams had a guy like Gobert instead of a guy like Greg Ostertag who actually wasn't terrible it was just solid at his best. Those were fun teams to watch though.

Draymond worked himself into a T and his final foul was so obvious that it was afpulnand then he got his T from the bench. I was surprised it was his first of the playoffs.

Go Jazz.

To be fair, they did have Mark Eaton.

Guy blocked 5.6 shots per game one year. He won 2 DPOY awards.

Remember, when the Jazz finally broke through and made the Finals... Stockton was already in his mid 30s and on the decline.

I did think of Eaton but that was before the time I referred to. I remeber him playing and that he was good but I was pretty young at the time. Stockton was fun to watch wasn't he?

One of my top 5 of all time.

Stockton
Bird
Zeke
Nash
Mullin

Q12543 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:I just tuned back in for a couple minutes and Exum seems to have been a catalyst to this comeback to make it a game at the half.

Utah gave it their best and they weren't even close. Granted, losing George HIll was a big loss, but Golden State was basically playing an exhibition game out there - it was THAT lopsided throughout the series.

I'd love for Cleveland to win it all again, but I just don't see they do it this year. Effing Kevin Durant.....

For us to agree on so many basketball takes... this where it all falls apart.

I love the way the Warriors play basketball. The way they move the ball is incredible. And it's one of the reasons a guy like Durant wanted to go there in the first place. Ironically, playing unselfishly as a team has inadvertently created a bevy of detractors along the way...

I am not a LeBron James fan... although I do think he's the game's best player and one of the top 5 players (and climbing) in NBA history. So I respect his game.

Q12543 wrote:

bleedspeed177 wrote:Seriously - Dwight what were you thinking?

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19339587/dwight-howard-atlanta-hawks-pulled-hours-game-6

Eh, it's not that big of a deal in the context of what constitutes bad behavior by athletes. But it adds to the drip-drip-drip of character flaws in this dude. I wouldn't want him near our team.

That is what I felt. He certainly is kind of a flake. He obviously has not become a functional adult or found the right people to surround himself with. I alway felt he kind of got a bad rap, but this just shows a lot of issues. For some reason it makes me lump him in with the Ricky Davis's of the world. Talented players that just have something missing mentally.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:I just tuned back in for a couple minutes and Exum seems to have been a catalyst to this comeback to make it a game at the half.

Utah gave it their best and they weren't even close. Granted, losing George HIll was a big loss, but Golden State was basically playing an exhibition game out there - it was THAT lopsided throughout the series.

I'd love for Cleveland to win it all again, but I just don't see they do it this year. Effing Kevin Durant.....

For us to agree on so many basketball takes... this where it all falls apart.

I love the way the Warriors play basketball. The way they move the ball is incredible. And it's one of the reasons a guy like Durant wanted to go there in the first place. Ironically, playing unselfishly as a team has inadvertently created a bevy of detractors along the way...

I am not a LeBron James fan... although I do think he's the game's best player and one of the top 5 players (and climbing) in NBA history. So I respect his game.

I don't disagree with you Abe and I do appreciate the beauty with which they play. There are a few reasons I don't root for the Warriors:

1. I'm jealous. How the eff did they hit the jackpot on SO many players: Curry, Klay, Green - all top 2 or 3 for their position.

2. Their owner is an arrogant "we know best because we're in the Bay Area/Silicon Valley" wiener.

3. Draymond Green. His histrionics are too much for me to take.

4. Durant jumping on the bandwagon. What a bold move......

5. Zaza signing for barely $3M to chase a ring.

Yes, Cleveland plays an ugly brand of isolation ball. But they represent a down-trodden fan base from a far more depressed part of the country.

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:I just tuned back in for a couple minutes and Exum seems to have been a catalyst to this comeback to make it a game at the half.

Utah gave it their best and they weren't even close. Granted, losing George HIll was a big loss, but Golden State was basically playing an exhibition game out there - it was THAT lopsided throughout the series.

I'd love for Cleveland to win it all again, but I just don't see they do it this year. Effing Kevin Durant.....

For us to agree on so many basketball takes... this where it all falls apart.

I love the way the Warriors play basketball. The way they move the ball is incredible. And it's one of the reasons a guy like Durant wanted to go there in the first place. Ironically, playing unselfishly as a team has inadvertently created a bevy of detractors along the way...

I am not a LeBron James fan... although I do think he's the game's best player and one of the top 5 players (and climbing) in NBA history. So I respect his game.

I don't disagree with you Abe and I do appreciate the beauty with which they play. There are a few reasons I don't root for the Warriors:

1. I'm jealous. How the eff did they hit the jackpot on SO many players: Curry, Klay, Green - all top 2 or 3 for their position.

2. Their owner is an arrogant "we know best because we're in the Bay Area/Silicon Valley" wiener.

3. Draymond Green. His histrionics are too much for me to take.

4. Durant jumping on the bandwagon. What a bold move......

5. Zaza signing for barely $3M to chase a ring.

Yes, Cleveland plays an ugly brand of isolation ball. But they represent a down-trodden fan base from a far more depressed part of the country.

Fair.
BUT...

1. Golden State should be punished for drafting very very well? Remember, the Wolves had 2 chances at Curry. And passed on Thompson too. Blame the Wolves ... not the Warriors.

2. Yes. Lacob is a pretentious, entitled, smug dink. It's fair to hate him. BUT... Dan Gilbert? The comic sans guy who ripped James over and over... and then kowtowed to him immediately when CLE was fortunate enough to be on James list of promising teams to jump to? That's like saying you hate The Simpsons because it's a crudely drawn cartoon... but love South Park.

3. I get it. Amazing player. But annoying. He's added some more fuel to that fire with his "weak competition" comments today.

4. I mentioned the Durant thing already. He wanted to play in a team atmosphere. Unselfish basketball with people he liked. AND.. the second part to this is the recent trend toward "title or bust." The superstars are judged on rings. James isn't knocked anymore for collaborating with Bosh and Wade. People only care about the rings. Durant was in a position to find the best place for rings. Much like James was when he left Cleveland. This is the new way of the NBA.

5. To be fair... both teams have their fair share of ring-chasers. West and Zaza in Golden State. But look at Cleveland... you don't think Deron Williams is chasing a ring? Andrew Bogut wasn't chasing a ring? The only difference is that they negotiated a buyout to get paid 2x while Pachulia and West took pay cuts.

6. Even fanbases aren't that different. Remember, Golden State missed the playoffs 17 out of 18 years (#8 seed in 2007) from 1995 - 2012. Cleveland made the playoffs 8 times during that stretch.

Abe, I'm not trying to debate the merits of why one team is more worthy of one's fandom than the other. All of your arguments make sense. I guess it's a bit of the contrarian in me - I like the flawed team with the flawed owner with the flawed aesthetics against the perfect team with the perfect owner and the perfect aesthetics. It just feels like Cleveland is the underdog in more ways than one. But that's just me. I hold nothing against someone that is rooting for Golden State.

Q12543 wrote:Abe, I'm not trying to debate the merits of why one team is more worthy of one's fandom than the other. All of your arguments make sense. I guess it's a bit of the contrarian in me - I like the flawed team with the flawed owner with the flawed aesthetics against the perfect team with the perfect owner and the perfect aesthetics. It just feels like Cleveland is the underdog in more ways than one. But that's just me. I hold nothing against someone that is rooting for Golden State.

Yeah. I get it. And I didn't mean to come off as a GSW fanboy.

We all have our own reasons to like/dislike a team. Some are legit. Some are not. Some are personal preference. Some are rooted in the deep recesses of our unconscious. Et al.

That's the beauty of sports, right? If everybody agreed who to root for... it would be pretty boring.


[Note: After all, we're all on a forum of Timberwolves fans. If that doesn't tell us that we're all a bit fucked in the head... I don't know what does.]