Playoffs thread

[BloopOracle]

The Celtics better hope there are some good big man prospects next year with Brooklyn's pick if they even want to dent the Cavs

[Lipoli390]

Holy crap, I've never seen a total destruction of a team like this. The Cavs just took the lifeforce out of the Garden.

LeBron's first half stats: 22 pts, 3 rebs, 6 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, and a +40

Mmmm, perhaps he should have been an MVP finalist.

Any other game I'd turn off and do something else. The way LeBron and the Cavs are playing makes me want to keep watching. He is the most talented player i have seen and may ever see.

Yeah, it's funny, I kind of feel the same way. I am transfixed by the sheer ferocity of the take down.

I personally think this is a message to Golden State. They aren't playing Boston anymore.

I was in the same boat tonight. I couldn't stop watching. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a blowout before. Watching LeBron at the top of his game is such a treat. It's both his individual dominance and the way he makes the players around him better. Kyrie and Kevin Love are no slouches either. I agree completely that the Cavs had the Warriors on their minds tonight. I'm actually starting to get excited about the upcoming finals. The battle of the titans. I just want the Cavs to stay healthy since they have a smaller margin for error. If Durant goes down, the Warriors are still a titan. If Kyrie or even Love goes down I can't see the Cavs holding up against a fully healthy Warriors team. And of course, if LeBron goes down it's not worth watching.

[Lipoli390]

Also, Boston really does have a dilemma when it comes to IT. He is an inspirational and beloved figure, but he just isn't cut out to be THE guy at this stage in the playoffs. I figured eventually his diminutive stature would catch up with him.

This isn't just on IT. Let's be flat out honest here. The Cavs if they play well are miles more talented than the Celtics. They do have a dilemma though. It sucks IT is to me a type of guy sports are really fun to cheer for.

You might be right Monster. The Celtics have one legit shot creator and that's Thomas, the shortest player in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Cavs' #2 option is hitting pull up 20-foot bank shots....on purpose! And nailing 3's right in people's faces. Freakin' Irving is a ridiculous shot maker.

I think Brad Stevens might be the Celtics MVP. I'm not sure that's more than a 45-win roster with an average coach.

I was thinking they might trade their #1 pick for Butler, but now I think they will go with Fultz and perhaps even take a half step back next year as they look to groom him and Brown as core guys going forward.

I absolutely think Monster's right. No doubt in my mind the Celtics overachieved this season. Credit Brad Stevens. IT is the closest thing to an all-star caliber player on that team and he's borderline. Compare that to the Cavs roster, which has three bona fide all-star caliber players in LeBron, Kyrie and Love. And one of those three is the best player on the planet. It should go without saying that, in the end, it's about talent and a lot of very good players won't beat a few great players surrounded by a decent supporting cast. In fact, historically, the team with the single best player tends to win head to head in the NBA playoffs. The Bulls had MJ and repeatedly beat the Jazz, Knicks and others who had great players but none as great as Jordan. We'll see if that holds in the upcoming match between the Cavs and Warriors. The Cavs will have the single best player, but he and his teammates, including two all-star caliber players, will be up against a team with 4 all-stars and two former all-stars.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Holy crap, I've never seen a total destruction of a team like this. The Cavs just took the lifeforce out of the Garden.

LeBron's first half stats: 22 pts, 3 rebs, 6 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, and a +40

Mmmm, perhaps he should have been an MVP finalist.

Any other game I'd turn off and do something else. The way LeBron and the Cavs are playing makes me want to keep watching. He is the most talented player i have seen and may ever see.

Absolutely. That was unbelievable. Boston was terrible, and Cleveland dominated them like I've never seen in an NBA game, and I'm a Wolves fan. Plus, they did it in front of their victims' own fans in a conference finals game. Most lopsided half of basketball in NBA playoff history and the game was over at that point.

Boston fans are some of the most rabid in the league; they cheer even when they're down 20. Midway through the second quarter last night they looked ready to throw their Celtics gear in the trash, go home, curl up in a ball in the corner, and contemplate the pointlessness of their lives. I hope they had crisis counselors there last night.

And we will definitely be telling our grandkids we watched LeBron James in his prime. He has everything--versatile offense, versatile defense, strength/quickness/athleticism, BB IQ. He does almost everything better than anybody else when he's on the court. And he's playing like man possessed right now.

[Monster]

Also, Boston really does have a dilemma when it comes to IT. He is an inspirational and beloved figure, but he just isn't cut out to be THE guy at this stage in the playoffs. I figured eventually his diminutive stature would catch up with him.

This isn't just on IT. Let's be flat out honest here. The Cavs if they play well are miles more talented than the Celtics. They do have a dilemma though. It sucks IT is to me a type of guy sports are really fun to cheer for.

You might be right Monster. The Celtics have one legit shot creator and that's Thomas, the shortest player in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Cavs' #2 option is hitting pull up 20-foot bank shots....on purpose! And nailing 3's right in people's faces. Freakin' Irving is a ridiculous shot maker.

I think Brad Stevens might be the Celtics MVP. I'm not sure that's more than a 45-win roster with an average coach.

I was thinking they might trade their #1 pick for Butler, but now I think they will go with Fultz and perhaps even take a half step back next year as they look to groom him and Brown as core guys going forward.

I absolutely think Monster's right. No doubt in my mind the Celtics overachieved this season. Credit Brad Stevens. IT is the closest thing to an all-star caliber player on that team and he's borderline. Compare that to the Cavs roster, which has three bona fide all-star caliber players in LeBron, Kyrie and Love. And one of those three is the best player on the planet. It should go without saying that, in the end, it's about talent and a lot of very good players won't beat a few great players surrounded by a decent supporting cast. In fact, historically, the team with the single best player tends to win head to head in the NBA playoffs. The Bulls had MJ and repeatedly beat the Jazz, Knicks and others who had great players but none as great as Jordan. We'll see if that holds in the upcoming match between the Cavs and Warriors. The Cavs will have the single best player, but he and his teammates, including two all-star caliber players, will be up against a team with 4 all-stars and two former all-stars.

Come on now Thomas is an all star. He isn't playing with chimps but no they aren't like the Cavs high level players. Tristen Thompson is not even mentioned here and he is so much more impactful than any big on the Celtics after Horford. They have a bunch of guys and that is fine against some teams but Channing Frye comes off the bench. Deron Williams comes off the bench Kyle Korver the names just keep coming. For the Celtics Avery Bradley is moving towards Redick level of impact player because he is actually a threat to score plus he is a high level defensive player. Crowder is a really good starter. Horford is fantastic for them and you have other guys like Smart who do lots of good things. Remember they are also playing a 20 year old rookie legit minutes and it's been 2 blowout losses but he has put up some nice stats.

So the point is that while the Cavs are the better team top to bottom damn what they have done to a legit good team in the Celtics who are absolutely well coached should be big time credit to the Cavs. I thought they might start out slow that first game with a big layoff. Nope 2nd game crushed the Celtics and now Thomas may be injured of course based on what we have seen so far it doesn't matter although hip injuries are concerning.

Also I know it's Lebrun and they are title contenders and all that but Griffin or Lebrun or some combination of those guys pulling the strings to add to the rest of the roster should be getting credit big time and if the Cavs keep firing on all cyclinders lie and his staff should get a ton of credit too for facilitating all this together. Oh and that Lebrun guy is pretty good. :)

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

LeBron's Per Game Playoff stats this year:

Points - 34.3
FG% - 57%
Rebs - 8.5
Assts - 7.1
Stls - 2.3
Blks - 1.5
PER - 32.7
WS/48 - .336


For some perspective, Russell Westbrook, an MVP candidate who averaged a triple double, had a regular season PER of 30.6 and WS/48 of .224.

[Lipoli390]

Also, Boston really does have a dilemma when it comes to IT. He is an inspirational and beloved figure, but he just isn't cut out to be THE guy at this stage in the playoffs. I figured eventually his diminutive stature would catch up with him.

This isn't just on IT. Let's be flat out honest here. The Cavs if they play well are miles more talented than the Celtics. They do have a dilemma though. It sucks IT is to me a type of guy sports are really fun to cheer for.

You might be right Monster. The Celtics have one legit shot creator and that's Thomas, the shortest player in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Cavs' #2 option is hitting pull up 20-foot bank shots....on purpose! And nailing 3's right in people's faces. Freakin' Irving is a ridiculous shot maker.

I think Brad Stevens might be the Celtics MVP. I'm not sure that's more than a 45-win roster with an average coach.

I was thinking they might trade their #1 pick for Butler, but now I think they will go with Fultz and perhaps even take a half step back next year as they look to groom him and Brown as core guys going forward.

I absolutely think Monster's right. No doubt in my mind the Celtics overachieved this season. Credit Brad Stevens. IT is the closest thing to an all-star caliber player on that team and he's borderline. Compare that to the Cavs roster, which has three bona fide all-star caliber players in LeBron, Kyrie and Love. And one of those three is the best player on the planet. It should go without saying that, in the end, it's about talent and a lot of very good players won't beat a few great players surrounded by a decent supporting cast. In fact, historically, the team with the single best player tends to win head to head in the NBA playoffs. The Bulls had MJ and repeatedly beat the Jazz, Knicks and others who had great players but none as great as Jordan. We'll see if that holds in the upcoming match between the Cavs and Warriors. The Cavs will have the single best player, but he and his teammates, including two all-star caliber players, will be up against a team with 4 all-stars and two former all-stars.

Come on now Thomas is an all star. He isn't playing with chimps but no they aren't like the Cavs high level players. Tristen Thompson is not even mentioned here and he is so much more impactful than any big on the Celtics after Horford. They have a bunch of guys and that is fine against some teams but Channing Frye comes off the bench. Deron Williams comes off the bench Kyle Korver the names just keep coming. For the Celtics Avery Bradley is moving towards Redick level of impact player because he is actually a threat to score plus he is a high level defensive player. Crowder is a really good starter. Horford is fantastic for them and you have other guys like Smart who do lots of good things. Remember they are also playing a 20 year old rookie legit minutes and it's been 2 blowout losses but he has put up some nice stats.

So the point is that while the Cavs are the better team top to bottom damn what they have done to a legit good team in the Celtics who are absolutely well coached should be big time credit to the Cavs. I thought they might start out slow that first game with a big layoff. Nope 2nd game crushed the Celtics and now Thomas may be injured of course based on what we have seen so far it doesn't matter although hip injuries are concerning.

Also I know it's Lebrun and they are title contenders and all that but Griffin or Lebrun or some combination of those guys pulling the strings to add to the rest of the roster should be getting credit big time and if the Cavs keep firing on all cyclinders lie and his staff should get a ton of credit too for facilitating all this together. Oh and that Lebrun guy is pretty good. :)

Monster -- I said Thomas was an allstar caliber player. We can argue the term borderline. But the point is that he's the only allstar on the Celtics roster. And that's not enough to win NBA championships or get into the NBA finals -- never has been. Of course the Celtics have a lot of very good players. Combined with a great coach, the result was the best record in the East. But Danny Ainge has to be thinking right now about the allstar caliber player or playes he can add to the roster this summer. The Celtics #1 draft pick will be the key for him.

[TheFuture]

LeBron's Per Game Playoff stats this year:

Points - 34.3
FG% - 57%
Rebs - 8.5
Assts - 7.1
Stls - 2.3
Blks - 1.5
PER - 32.7
WS/48 - .336


For some perspective, Russell Westbrook, an MVP candidate who averaged a triple double, had a regular season PER of 30.6 and WS/48 of .224.

Those are amazing numbers. LeBron can't make a mistake on either end. There was one offensive play where LeBron was fighting for position on the low block, not looking at the ball,l. The ball was at the top of the key, LeBron was facing the side of the court. I think it was JR smith who threw the ball into James and I was 100% certain it was going out of bounds. Somehow LeBron managed to snatch it about a split second after it entered his field of vision. It was amazing to me.

And the LeBron can do anything he wants whenever he wants play. Horford had an amazing block. LeBron gets pissed, decides he won't be shown up like that, and blocks with the left hand on the other end. Is it just me or does he seem to do this every time he gets blocked??

[TheFuture]

As for IT, I agree he is a borderline all-star. His size and skill make for a feel good story. But I never have seen him as a horse come playoff time. He can't pass over Anyone when they show a double team. He does not have an easy time when met at the rim. And he does not orchestrate the offense when his offense isn't falling. I won't even mention his defense. I don't even think adding another star to IT makes a huge difference. He's a regular season stud, sixth man in the playoffs (I expect heat on this one). If Boston didn't have Bradley, Smart, Crowder, and Brown, then ITs deficiencies would be glaring.

The most obvious issue are the Celtics big men. They don't rebound, protect the rim, and they aren't agile enough to be effective guarding the perimeter on switches. On offense, none are skilled enough to make up for it. Essentially, they are all useless in today's top end playoffs, even Horford.

If I'm the Celtics I'd trade IT for a big man or picks this summer. Im paying Bradley before IT. I'd also look to trade horford, but I'm not sure the return would be worth it. Next year, start Fultz at pg guarding sgs, Bradley at SG guarding the pg, Brown at sf. Smart and Crowder would be the super subs. Throw big money at Millsap or Griffin to play PF next to Horford. Still a playoff team, with a ton of assets to add to gear up for contending in the 2020's.

[Monster]

Also, Boston really does have a dilemma when it comes to IT. He is an inspirational and beloved figure, but he just isn't cut out to be THE guy at this stage in the playoffs. I figured eventually his diminutive stature would catch up with him.

This isn't just on IT. Let's be flat out honest here. The Cavs if they play well are miles more talented than the Celtics. They do have a dilemma though. It sucks IT is to me a type of guy sports are really fun to cheer for.

You might be right Monster. The Celtics have one legit shot creator and that's Thomas, the shortest player in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Cavs' #2 option is hitting pull up 20-foot bank shots....on purpose! And nailing 3's right in people's faces. Freakin' Irving is a ridiculous shot maker.

I think Brad Stevens might be the Celtics MVP. I'm not sure that's more than a 45-win roster with an average coach.

I was thinking they might trade their #1 pick for Butler, but now I think they will go with Fultz and perhaps even take a half step back next year as they look to groom him and Brown as core guys going forward.

I absolutely think Monster's right. No doubt in my mind the Celtics overachieved this season. Credit Brad Stevens. IT is the closest thing to an all-star caliber player on that team and he's borderline. Compare that to the Cavs roster, which has three bona fide all-star caliber players in LeBron, Kyrie and Love. And one of those three is the best player on the planet. It should go without saying that, in the end, it's about talent and a lot of very good players won't beat a few great players surrounded by a decent supporting cast. In fact, historically, the team with the single best player tends to win head to head in the NBA playoffs. The Bulls had MJ and repeatedly beat the Jazz, Knicks and others who had great players but none as great as Jordan. We'll see if that holds in the upcoming match between the Cavs and Warriors. The Cavs will have the single best player, but he and his teammates, including two all-star caliber players, will be up against a team with 4 all-stars and two former all-stars.

Come on now Thomas is an all star. He isn't playing with chimps but no they aren't like the Cavs high level players. Tristen Thompson is not even mentioned here and he is so much more impactful than any big on the Celtics after Horford. They have a bunch of guys and that is fine against some teams but Channing Frye comes off the bench. Deron Williams comes off the bench Kyle Korver the names just keep coming. For the Celtics Avery Bradley is moving towards Redick level of impact player because he is actually a threat to score plus he is a high level defensive player. Crowder is a really good starter. Horford is fantastic for them and you have other guys like Smart who do lots of good things. Remember they are also playing a 20 year old rookie legit minutes and it's been 2 blowout losses but he has put up some nice stats.

So the point is that while the Cavs are the better team top to bottom damn what they have done to a legit good team in the Celtics who are absolutely well coached should be big time credit to the Cavs. I thought they might start out slow that first game with a big layoff. Nope 2nd game crushed the Celtics and now Thomas may be injured of course based on what we have seen so far it doesn't matter although hip injuries are concerning.

Also I know it's Lebrun and they are title contenders and all that but Griffin or Lebrun or some combination of those guys pulling the strings to add to the rest of the roster should be getting credit big time and if the Cavs keep firing on all cyclinders lie and his staff should get a ton of credit too for facilitating all this together. Oh and that Lebrun guy is pretty good. :)

Monster -- I said Thomas was an allstar caliber player. We can argue the term borderline. But the point is that he's the only allstar on the Celtics roster. And that's not enough to win NBA championships or get into the NBA finals -- never has been. Of course the Celtics have a lot of very good players. Combined with a great coach, the result was the best record in the East. But Danny Ainge has to be thinking right now about the allstar caliber player or playes he can add to the roster this summer. The Celtics #1 draft pick will be the key for him.

wel if you want ot bring up sematics youu did not say he was an all star. You said he was the closest thing to an all-star and then boarderline all star. Then in this latest replay you say said he was an allstar and say we can ague on borderline. Which is it? I can't argue if you are taking both sides! :) I'm just gioving you a hard time at this point. Soorry I couldn't help it.

Here is the deal. was both the MVP of this team because he was so good and because the guys around him complimented him. He both helped them be better than they were and they helped him because they made his deficiencies better like a later post mentions. Wasn't it you that was one of the guys saying a couple weeks ago he was a stud or whatever? Did the last couple weeks change your mind? If so thats cool. :)