NBA Season 2013-2014

Nex 0

After they embarrassed themselves in game 2 the Spurs have just dominated. Finally I won't have to listen to ESPN sing the Heat's glory all summer.

'ko

It's over!

great display of pure basketball joy by the Spurs. Games 3 and 4 were just perfection on the court.
And BTW Diaw has my vote for Finals MVP. He completely crashed Miami's plans

Green_vs_Red

@NateRich:

First the Superbowl, now this? Haha, what a letdown

Hey at least the Heat haters are having fun watching Lebron and company get spanked.

Nex 0

@NateRich:

First the Superbowl, now this? Haha, what a letdown

You should be a hockey fan. This years playoffs, and finals, were amazing.

'ko

well, watching the Spurs executing to perfection should be pretty enjoyable for any basketball fan. I know I'm having fun, despite the games not being anywhere as good as last year's

NateRich

@Nex:

You should be a hockey fan. This years playoffs, and finals, were amazing.

Not my cup of tea, but I can see how people find it entertaining. Now baseball on the other hand…

As for the NBA finals, I guess the only real letdown for me was Game 4, it was a carbon copy of Game 3. Watching eight straight quarters of ass-whooping is pretty disappointing. I am looking forward to who will be finals MVP though.

Green_vs_Red

@NateRich:

Watching eight straight quarters of ass-whooping is pretty disappointing.

Yeah pretty much my sentiments exactly I don't know what the Heat can do to make this series competitive again but they better do something. 2 blowout losses is enough for two games.

NateRich

Chalmers benched. hahah

Ginobli poster, new best play of the Finals!

killerbee1000

If the Spurs win tonight, I hope Kawhi wins Finals MVP.

loneassassin

Ginobili just posterized Bosh and Allen

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@killerbee1000:

If the Spurs win tonight, I hope Kawhi wins Finals MVP.

If he continues playing great in the second half then he probably will

NateRich

@loneassassin:

Ginobili just posterized Bosh and Allen

If he continues playing great in the second half then he probably will

I also would like Leonard to win it, but I change my vote to Ginobli for that dunk alone

loneassassin

Spurs have stepped in the throat via the raining of threes and Splitter murdering Wade with that block

NateRich

@loneassassin:

Spurs have stepped in the throat via the raining of threes and Splitter murdering Wade with that block

Replay showed it was a goaltend

You know the game's over when Spoelstra puts in Beasley haha.

loneassassin

@NateRich:

Replay showed it was a goaltend

You know the game's over when Spoelstra puts in Beasley haha.

No it will be over when Greg "No Knees" Oden comes in

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Spurs fans trolling the Heat with One Nation Army now

NateRich

Mario Chalmers sighting. If that's not a white flag, I don't know what is

ShinigamiKing

LeBron really should of done that in the 2nd quarter, it's too late now.

It's annoying to watch how passive and checked out he's been the last three games.

Sure it doesn't help that his supporting cast has been a joke, but it's no excuse for him to continue to pass it to them, even though he's actually playing well when he actually shoots the damn ball or plays defense.

What happened after the first quarter?

NateRich

He's not J.R. Smith, he doesn't think every shot is a good shot. And the defense is keyed in on him and daring the rest of the team to shoot. It's worked so far after the 1st quarter

ShinigamiKing

@NateRich:

He's not J.R. Smith, he doesn't think every shot is a good shot. And the defense is keyed in on him and daring the rest of the team to shoot. It's worked so far after the 1st quarter

All I'm saying is that Kobe and Jordan would have been more selfish than this.LeBron is just… ugh, there's just something about him that says "afraid".

loneassassin

@ShinigamiKing:

All I'm saying is that Kobe and Jordan would have been more selfish than this.LeBron is just… ugh, there's just something about him that says "afraid".

What? Lebron has taken over his team in the Finals, but instead of being fueled by him and helping him they let him take all the shots so when Lebron misses, the Heat can't back him up. I am saying this with 100% fact: Lebron did not fail the Heat in the Finals, the Heat absolutely failed Lebron.

Plus, Kobe and Jordan were selfish when the game is on the line, not down twenty three straight games.

NateRich

Kawhi!!! Well deserved!

ShinigamiKing

@loneassassin:

What? Lebron has taken over his team in the Finals, but instead of being fueled by him and helping him they let him take all the shots so when Lebron misses, the Heat can't back him up. I am saying this with 100% fact: Lebron did not fail the Heat in the Finals, the Heat absolutely failed Lebron.

Plus, Kobe and Jordan were selfish when the game is on the line, not down twenty three straight games.

Wait no, I'm not saying Lebron failed the Heat.

Lebron was the only competent player.

But in the second quarter of this game 5, they were down by 15, but Lebron stopped taking shots, and instead stared to pass to the players that have been bad the whole series.

Overall, what I'm trying to say is that it's not Lebron's fault why they lost, but he didn't really do what I expected GOAT-like players to do in certain situations.

killerbee1000

And to think, had TMac stayed this year, he would finally have a championship now, lol.

The Spurs organization is so classy and well-built, the Bulls front office could learn something from them.

If anybody in here has there own NBA Mt. Rushmore, you can make a VERY strong case for Duncan. Congrats Spurs, you can finally put Game 6 behind you.

For the Miami Heat, I only have one word for them: Schnedenfreude.

Now Bulls, time to pursue Melo.

Urouge

Lebron isn't the kind of player who can go off for 60+ like Jordan or Kobe could. They're focused scorers, but Lebron may as well be a point guard. I've rooted against him ever since he made a TV show out of leaving his team to go to Miami, but these games really weren't his fault. He did his thing for the most part. Wade and Bosh just didn't look like the players he ran away to Miami to play with.

In this series, Miami probably needed Lebron to change his mindset and try to go off for 60. I would have liked to at least seen him change his level of aggression or something to try to rock the boat in game 5. Almost half his shots were 3's, and he scored 31 shooting nearly 50% anyways. Take more shots and attack the rim more, and you never know.

Not really a big Spurs fan either. Too many cases in which they sacrifice entertainment value for wins. "Hey, I have an idea, let's employ the hack-a-shaq strategy at the beginning of the 3rd quarter!" Grats to Duncan, though. I've always liked that guy.

ShinigamiKing

@Urouge:

Lebron isn't the kind of player who can go off for 60+ like Jordan or Kobe could. They're focused scorers, but Lebron may as well be a point guard. I've rooted against him ever since he made a TV show out of leaving his team to go to Miami, but these games really weren't his fault. He did his thing for the most part. Wade and Bosh just didn't look like the players he ran away to Miami to play with.

In this series, Miami probably needed Lebron to change his mindset and try to go off for 60. I would have liked to at least seen him change his level of aggression or something to try to rock the boat in game 5. Almost half his shots were 3's, and he scored 31 shooting nearly 50% anyways. Take more shots and attack the rim more, and you never know.

But he's scored 60 quite a few times, and we've seen him take over a game (like game 6 at Boston during 2012) several times when he's had to. I expected him to do that here.

Overall, the bolded part of your post describes what I wanted him to do, Yes.

Even then, I still won't blame him for the loss, I just simply wished he did more.

GuetaMinute

I'm so happy right now.

Lebron just can't do everything. He's still a human.

NateRich

I'm pretty sure that Lebron only scored 60 once before and that was a few months ago. As for Jordan and Kobe going off for 60+ that kind of stuff almost NEVER happens in the playoffs.

As for Lebron taking over in 2012 game 6, that was an entirely different story. I remember it very well. Celtics were up 3-2, ready to clinch the series at home and completely allowed Lebron to go 1v1 the entire first half since it sorta worked the past 4 games. Unlike the Spurs with Leonard, the Celtics best 1v1 defender Lebron's size was Bass, and he's not elite by any means. Lebron put up 30 in the first half, making multiple turnaround mid-range jumpers while the Celtics defense made sure to give the rest of the team little to no airspace. The difference this year is that the defense was focused on Lebron and allowed the others open shots, which they all missed for the most part. Coach Pop isn't going to stay on a line-up if it's losing ground, he's been quick to make adjustments and load up on James when necessary to force him to be a distributor (which he might be to a fault at times)

Another reason the Celtics lost that year was a severe lack of healthy bodies.

@killerbee1000:

Now Bulls, time to pursue Melo.

Cool you guys get Melo, Celtics get Love

Urouge

@ShinigamiKing:

But he's scored 60 quite a few times, and we've seen him take over a game (like game 6 at Boston during 2012) several times when he's had to. I expected him to do that here.

He's scored 60 once. Ever. Once. 61 points this year with Wade out of the lineup, 8/10 from 3 point range against the Bobcats in the regular season.

Lebron has a point guard's mindset. He'd probably rather get 30 points and 10 assists than 60 points and 0 assists, even though the math works out to less points overall. Kobe and Jordan didn't worry about teammate politics and such. If 60 and 0 will get the best results, so be it.

NateRich

The disparity this year has been historically bad. After reading this, I noticed that the 2007 Cavs that got swept by the Spurs only lost by an average of 6. I'm sure we all remember it as an absolute pounding, but that was not the case. The 4 wins for the Spurs this year had an average margin of 18 points!! Even if you want to put an asterisk on Game 1 because of the 20+ points the Spurs made in the last 5-6 minutes, this would still be the biggest beatdown in 30 years. This just shows how dominant the Spurs have been the past 5 games.

GuetaMinute

Wade's body just downright giving up on him. He was nowhere to be found.

And Leonard made Lebron his bitch. I'm sorry. Even so, Lebron played incredibly well, but one man can't do it all. Still get that "afraid" feeling from him, as well. And lol @ him answering Wade's questions for him in the conference. GTFO, Wade.

killerbee1000

@NateRich:

The disparity this year has been historically bad. After reading this, I noticed that the 2007 Cavs that got swept by the Spurs only lost by an average of 6. I'm sure we all remember it as an absolute pounding, but that was not the case. The 4 wins for the Spurs this year had an average margin of 18 points!! Even if you want to put an asterisk on Game 1 because of the 20+ points the Spurs made in the last 5-6 minutes, this would still be the biggest beatdown in 30 years. This just shows how dominant the Spurs have been the past 5 games.

Hey, great ball movement and teamwork is a bitch.
In hindsight, it really isn't surprising with the Heat, they were the big fish in the little pond that is the East.

NateRich

@GuetaMinute:

GTFO, Wade.

He's the only one I hate on the Heat. And Chalmers.

GuetaMinute

I hate Shuttlesworth, too.

NateRich

Flashback to a few ~~decades~~hours ago

GuetaMinute

NateRich

Wow I forgot how well Parker ages. That's him from a decade ago right? Just add some stubble and poof.

'ko

Some people seem to forget that basketball is a TEAM sport, and this Spurs win should prove it to them once more.
You can't win a title by yourself, you just can't. Kobe didn't do that, and neither Jordan did. They always had a great supporting cast everytime they won.
Lebron is a great player and there's no doubt about this. He did all he could trying to involve his teammates but they just failed to rise to the occasion. And I also have seen him make some pretty ridiculous shots in these 5 games.
I'm talking from a neutral point of view, just as a lover of the game, the Spurs absolutely deserved to win, they just played some of the best ball I've ever seen. Also they had a burning fire inside them to get revenge for last year, nobody could have stopped them from winning it all this season.
So happy for Duncan and Pop (and my man Belinelli!), and I can't wait to see how much Leonard can still grow, he's amazing

Urouge

Lebron has to be the only player in history who can play with two other all stars and then get media statements like "if only he had more help." It's going to be all the Cleveland excuses all over again, but this time with a lot of added comedic value. But to have all these better players and get so thoroughly destroyed, I think that Cleveland team was probably better than people gave it credit for.

NateRich

^This isn't all about what the Heat did or didn't do, you have to give a bunch of credit to the Spurs. It can be argued that the huge margins of victory are attributed to the NBA's increased reliance on the 3-point shot, but to win by an average of 18 points is unheard of. When they have that lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Leonard, Diaw, and Duncan all playing at a high level and shots are going in, not many teams from any era are going to be able to keep up offensively. To put things in further perspective, after the series with the Mavs, 11 of the Spurs 12 wins were by at least 15 points. Sure they did also get blown out the Thunder in that stretch, but their level of dominance is incomparable.

ShinigamiKing

Yeah, and you can' really say "he already had enough help" since, well, Wade and Ray Allen and Bosh were pretty bad (moreso the first two).

@Urouge:

He's scored 60 once. Ever. Once. 61 points this year with Wade out of the lineup, 8/10 from 3 point range against the Bobcats in the regular season.

Lebron has a point guard's mindset. He'd probably rather get 30 points and 10 assists than 60 points and 0 assists, even though the math works out to less points overall. Kobe and Jordan didn't worry about teammate politics and such. If 60 and 0 will get the best results, so be it.

My fault for thinking that then. I guess that's what happens when everybody tries to call him MJ I guess, heh

Urouge

@NateRich:

^This isn't all about what the Heat did or didn't do, you have to give a bunch of credit to the Spurs. It can be argued that the huge margins of victory are attributed to the NBA's increased reliance on the 3-point shot, but to win by an average of 18 points is unheard of. When they have that lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Leonard, Diaw, and Duncan all playing at a high level and shots are going in, not many teams from any era are going to be able to keep up offensively. To put things in further perspective, after the series with the Mavs, 11 of the Spurs 12 wins were by at least 15 points. Sure they did also get blown out the Thunder in that stretch, but their level of dominance is incomparable.

Of course but there's no storyline with the Spurs. Duncan might retire, while Parker and Ginobili are only getting older. The Spurs storyline has been about their window shutting for about 5 years now and it's getting boring. They always do the same thing and they got hot at the right time. With the Heat it's not just that they lost, but that they couldn't even compete like the Mavs and Thunder did, yet they're supposed to be the most superior, most talented team in the entire league.

The more I think about it, the more I think Lebron should go back to Cleveland. Miami's roster is a barren wasteland that they simply try to plug all the leaks through free agency and trading away their draft picks. It's not something that can be easily overhauled in a year without draft picks, even with the influence they have. Cleveland's roster, on the other hand, is loaded top to bottom with top flight prospects, not to mention the number one overall pick this year. And pulling in another star free agent with Lebron there like Love or Carmelo wouldn't even be a challenge. That team's window would be open for the rest of Lebron's career.

@ShinigamiKing:

Yeah, and you can' really say "he already had enough help" since, well, Wade and Ray Allen and Bosh were pretty bad (moreso the first two).

They were just fine until the finals. The Spurs made them bad. When Bosh parts with Lebron and goes back to the 4 as a first or second option, he'll return to being a perennial all star.

NateRich

@Urouge:

Of course but there's no storyline with the Spurs. Duncan might retire, while Parker and Ginobili are only getting older. The Spurs storyline has been about their window shutting for about 5 years now and it's getting boring. They always do the same thing and they got hot at the right time. With the Heat it's not just that they lost, but that they couldn't even compete like the Mavs and Thunder did, yet they're supposed to be the most superior, most talented team in the entire league.

That's a good of a storyline as any, the Spurs been a highly competitive team for 16 straight seasons and along with the Lakers have put away some really good West teams that never got to see the Finals. And the Spurs didn't just get hot at the right time this year. They've been hot since May 4th.

The more I think about it, the more I think Lebron should go back to Cleveland. Miami's roster is a barren wasteland that they simply try to plug all the leaks through free agency and trading away their draft picks. It's not something that can be easily overhauled in a year without draft picks, even with the influence they have. Cleveland's roster, on the other hand, is loaded top to bottom with top flight prospects, not to mention the number one overall pick this year. And pulling in another star free agent with Lebron there like Love or Carmelo wouldn't even be a challenge. That team's window would be open for the rest of Lebron's career.

It would be cool to see Lebron, Irving, and whoever else play together but I don't think the butthurt city of Cleveland deserves it. He's staying put in Miami for the rest of the contract. Leaving next offseason is ideal because that's when the real fireworks will happen; it'll be 2010 all over again.

ShinigamiKing

I just read the first post, and wow NateRich, I didn't know you were a C's fan!

NateRich

@ShinigamiKing:

I just read the first post, and wow NateRich, I didn't know you were a C's fan!

Yup, Pierce/Garnett are royalty and Rondo can do no wrong, but other than that I'm very objective

Green_vs_Red

@killerbee1000:

And to think, had TMac stayed this year, he would finally have a championship now, lol.

McGrady didn't have time to play on a basketball team built to win championships he wanted to chase his dream of becoming a baseball player…..on a minor league team. Son messed up bad.

killerbee1000

Melo has decided to opt out of the final year of his contract and will become a free agent.

I have a good feeling about this

NateRich

@killerbee1000:

Melo has decided to opt out of the final year of his contract and will become a free agent.

I have a good feeling about this

Chicago will finally have some offense!

loneassassin

Lebron has opted out of his last year and will leave the Heat, according to ESPN and Yahoo Sports

Ladies and gentlemen, the flood gates have open

NateRich

Well that's a surprise. I didn't know that it was a 6 year contract with player options on the last 2 years. It would've been more fun if he left during what should be a hectic 2015 offseason, but this works too.

Haha, does that report really claim that he'll leave the Heat? Just opting out doesn't set anything in stone.

Urouge

As I said. Miami's roster is a barren wasteland with no draft picks to even make use of. If Lebron is singularly focused on winning, then leaving the Heat now that they've been milked completely bone dry makes the most sense. He can use his influence to bring in free agents on literally any team, but he has zero control over young prospects and draft picks. So the team he goes to needs to have those things, and Miami's probably in the worst shape there of any team in the entire league. Even the Nets are in better shape there, and they're like a running joke.

killerbee1000

Class act by Adam Silver and the NBA for letting Isaiah Austin take the stage and shake Silver's hand.