Maybe LeBron James is physically spent at half time since he has to do so much to keep the Cavs on track (or maybe he is not spent and chooses to downshift from high gear to conserve energy for the 4th quarter) and he hopes/expects his teammates to step up and play at a level where he does not have to be "ALL".
If his teammates (many who are young and not playoff experienced) do not come through and James can not (or chooses not) to play in high gear, that may be a/the reason why the Cavs are flat to start the second half.
Ignoring the Game 1 blowout this series has been close. Neither team has pulled away from the other at the end of the last three games, resulting in close contests that could have gone either way.
I have no idea what will happen in Games 5 and 6 (and myabe 7).
Rockets looked shaky in the first half and i was starting to think this series could extend to 6 or perhaps even 7. then they proceed to score 50 points in the 3rd quarter and i'm once again dreaming of a matchup with the Warriors.
i'm so thankful this roller coaster has a seat belt
@keets said:
Mark, any idea why the Cavs seem so flat after the Half??
I really don’t know but it’s a game of runs and desperation seems to be a great motivator.
m
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I believe the NBA is similar to the NFL in one major aspect: once a Team gets behind and the momentum shifts, that Team has to adjust how they play and often cannot recover.
Game One is a mystery to me, how Cleveland came out as flat as they did AT HOME in the opening game cannot really be explained. that game was over after the first period even though the Cavaliers played well enough to win the rest of the way. the trouble was that they played three-quarters and the Pacers played four.
the last three games have been close in the end but that is mostly attributed to the third quarter phenomenon. if you look at the box score it sort of highlights that. Game three is a good example. Cleveland built the big first half lead and came out flat in the third quarter, allowed the Pacers to catch them and almost couldn't get going again to win.
one thing I have noticed about the NBA, it is almost a given that any Team(especially the playoff Teams) will end up making about 45-47% of their shots on any given night. that means it comes down to two things --- whoever has the most possessions and whoever makes it to the FreeThrow line and scores there should win.
an interesting thing that the Cavs have done is to really slow down Oladipo, to prevent him from driving the lane from 30ft. by double teaming him. that swings the odds and forces another player to get hot. it was Bogdonavich in game three and in game four it was Myles, but Oladipo was held to his 20+ points and the Pacers had to play differently.
it has been the same with the Cavs, players that have been reliable during the season have sort of vanished, except for Lebron. also, the Pacers have effectively taken over the backboard, way too many offensive rebounds. we keep wondering why Kevin Love is in the game cold and Tristan Thompson sits on the bench.
was watching the Rockets and flipped over to see the Jazz up by 25 in the middle of the 3rd. after Houston put Minny away, i went back to see how profound the carnage was and OKC was seconds away from winning by 8. could someone please offer up a concise summary as to what in the living hell happened?
as for Cle-Indy, amazing d & 3-ball from LBJ in the final seconds. except for one slight problem: he goaltended on Oladipo's layup attempt. would it have changed the outcome of the game? we'll never know. but the refs blew that non-call and incredibly there was nary a review. scroll down to the slo-mo.
Yes, in slow-mo you can clearly see that it had hit the backboard before the block. I thought that in the game, but wasn't sure enough in regular speed to mention it before. I didn't want to sound like sour grapes.
Disturbing that the refs missed that goal tending call and didn’t even talk about it. But what a dagger by James. Cold blooded
m
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I didn't see the game and didn't see the replays till this morning but i gotta say the first thing i thought of after seeing both is Jordan stealing the ball from Karl Malone then going down court to hit the game winner over Byron Jackson in the Finals.
Those were some GOAT-like plays last night by Lebron. I know there is all the talk today about was it a goaltend or not but that's on the refs. Did they even look at replay during that timeout after the block?
edit: came across the answer to my last question
NBA Senior Vice President of Replay & Referee Operations Joe Borgia offered his take in an appearance on NBA TV on Wednesday night:
"Our rule is once the ball touches the glass, a defender cannot touch it," Borgia said. "... But in order to use replay, you must call goaltending on the court. And no call was made on the court, therefore they could not come over and look at it.
"In super slow motion, you just see the ball hit the glass, and maybe come off an inch and that's when LeBron got it. Like I said, once the ball touches the basketball, defenders cannot touch it and unfortunately James did."
i'm trying to make sense of not being able to review that play based on the fact that there was not a goaltending call on the court. that is utter bs and the rule needs to be changed. the magnitude of that non-call in a pivotal game 5 cannot be overstated.
but to keets' point, yes, there were other gaffes made by the refs. like, you know, the possession just before it when the ball actually went OB off of Thaddeus Young instead of LeBron? i can't even recall if that play was reviewed.
perhaps i need a comprehensive eye examination, because i continually see things that the officials obviously do not, and i am sick and freaking tired of great games being marred by incompetency
You would think the refs should have the authority to go to review in the final two minutes of a game on any play,what's the point of having replay available if not to go to it when the final outcome is on the line.
I agree on the incompetency at times,just the amount of travelling non-calls in the Celtics-Buck series by both teams has been mind-boggling.
i think traveling was formally abolished from the rule book many moons ago. whenever i see a player take 3.5 steps and get away with it, i repeat the following out loud: "ok, that was normal. nothing to see here."
seriously, if i played in the NBA i'd do this every time i got my hands on the ball
That was hilarious. Giannis had one on a fast break that seemed like he went from beyond the 3pt line to the hoop in 3 steps. Reading comments on ESPN the next day had people trying to write it off as "euro steps." its like refs these days just say the hell with it.
but to keets' point, yes, there were other gaffes made by the refs. like, you know, the possession just before it when the ball actually went OB off of Thaddeus Young instead of LeBron? i can't even recall if that play was reviewed.
I guess not calling goal tending was a "make up" non call. I can't see these officials moving on to the next round in the playoffs.
Four of the first round series (OKC/Utah, Cleveland/Indiana, Boston/Milwaukee and Toronto/Washington) will go 6 or 7 games and have been competitive and entertaining.
New Orleans swept Portland and the ease with which they did was impressive.
The 8 winners of round 1 will square off in what I hope are very entertaining series. I think that Philly will be a very tough team to beat. As far as the Western Conference goes, who knows.
Is a road team going to win a game in the Milwaukee-Boston series? I see the Bucks breaking through and getting game 7. Giannis will continue to show out. Milwaukee is the better team right now.
I find it surprising that we, as a group, don't feel the same about the NBA and the NFL when it comes to rules and replays. didn't we sort of agree a little while ago that the ability to break a play down and examine it frame by frame in the NFL regarding that "Football move" possession crap sort of ruins things??
it's the same in the NBA.
the Refs on the court have a lot to watch and on something like the blocked shot it is nearly impossible for the human eye and brain to recognize that play because it was so very close. the camera and technology can see it but a Ref in real time cannot. we either have to live with that or go over the cliff and extend games past any reasonable point. on most goaltending calls the Refs can easily see them, one like that are just too, too close to decipher in heartbeat.
--- a point I should add is that I believe Lebron James has now passed Michael Jordan in Playoff Game Winning Shots. there was a clip on the ESPN highlights that compared the two players and it is remarkable how alike they are in their careers. Lebron freely admits that he idolized MJ and modeled his game after him and it is spooky how good of a job he did.
I remember a saying: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
@cecropiamoth said:
Is a road team going to win a game in the Milwaukee-Boston series? I see the Bucks breaking through and getting game 7. Giannis will continue to show out. Milwaukee is the better team right now.
Hopefully it stays the course with the home team winning each game.
I can't see how Milwaukee could be considered the better team right now,Boston is without their two best players and still haven't given away home court advantage to the Bucks. Take Giannis alone away from the Bucks and this series would already be over.
@keets the NBA refs have the ability to right any play during the game with replay they just don't go to it when it really matters. Maybe less worrying about a shooter's foot touching the 3pt line on a first quarter shot and more paying attention in a tie game during the final seconds when the game is on the line. The NBA ref "main excuse" is they'll make it up on the next call,you better believe Indy is gonna probably have quite a few calls go their way in this next game after the league came out publicly saying they screwed up that call that cost the Pacers a loss.
Still don't see MJ's game in Lebron's and Lebron is gonna surpass Jordan in every career category just because he'll end up playing quite a few more years than MJ. The same will happen with Brady topping many QB career stats because his longevity will keep his totals rising with every additional year he plays.
edit: NFL refs get the call right 99% of the time by rule book standards its just fans blow up after a perceived bad call because no fan actually reads the NFL rule book.
NBA refs not only screw up more calls but all it takes is a team or player complaining publicly about the officiating in a game then those same refs try to make it up next time around. In a playoff series that can really just amplify the mistakes when it might look like they favor one team one night then the other the next. The closest comparison in the NFL is when two division teams play each other then later in the season they play each other again,any complaints from the the first game get brought up to the refs so it won't happen again. Not to mention come playoff time its just one game a round not a series.
**Lebron is gonna surpass Jordan in every career category just because he'll end up playing quite a few more years than MJ. **
hopefully we can all be fair to the two players and look at them equally. I suppose Lebron's career and his style of play has changed, that is primarily because of his size. as his boyhood idol, he imitated MJ in his style of play and if you could have seen him play in High School and before, how he emulated MJ and it showed. the two are probably more similar in their style than they are different with the biggest "equality" being the way they can/could take over a game when needed. it is an amazing thing.
when he was in school as a 12-18 year old his games drew literally thousands of fans who knew what they were seeing.
as to "gonna surpass" I will say this --- each has now played 15 seasons. I posted last year during a discussion about the two players that they had almost identical career statistics, close enough that any argument about "GOAT" always hinged on Championships, and MJ wins that everytime. Lebron's stats will almost certainly drop as he enters the Golden Years of his career. he is what he is.
sometimes, I wish we could all just talk about the two and how they are spectacular players without having to make the inevitable flawed comparison.
@keets I've continuously said that i consider Lebron an all-time top 3 player (w/Jordan & Russell) so i don't see how my comment can be taken as if I'm trying to knock the guy. Everyone has their own top player opinion list so there is no need to get all bent about it.
What i said about surpassing Jordan in most career categories isn't an opinion,its a fact. He's already played more games than Jordan and doesn't look like he's stopping anytime soon. More years equals more career stats,that's just the reality of how this will end up.
As for your last comment,you're the one that brought up Lebron passing MJ in game-winning shots and started the debate back up. Maybe you should take your own advice.
edit: I can't say this enough but they have totally different skill sets yet you still want to convince everyone they're comparable while saying we shouldn't compare them. No one compared John Stockton to Kobe Bryant or Jason Kidd to Karl Malone. Lebron will always be the point forward for whatever team he plays for, the offense will always run thru him. That isn't how it went down in Chicago with Jordan who had Pippen,Paxson,Armstrong,Kerr among other players that handle the ball.
Most of us know how great a player Lebron really is so there isn't a reason why he has to get a verbal handy everytime his name gets mentioned in this blog.
Its no coincidence that most of the leaders in career points scored are also the leaders in games played.
Career scoring leaders:
1 Kareem
2 Malone
3 Kobe
6 Dirk
Career games played leaders
2 Kareem
3 Malone
5 Dirk
14 Kobe
Unless Lebron decides to hang them up anytime soon he'll be the near or at the top of every major career statistic. He's only 33 and realistically could probably play another 6-7 more years if not more.
my comment where you think I "brought it up" is what happens at chatrooms since we aren't talking face to face. go watch the ESPN clip if you can find it, the whole thing was a nice comparison about what the two did in game winners, more weighted towards Lebron because he had just made one. my intent wasn't to pit one against the other, but to show how they could both dominate and take over/finish a game.
as for style, of course they are different. but if you read what I wrote and had the opportunity to see him play when he was younger you would know where I'm coming from.
For much of the OKC Utah game tonight the OKC offense consisted of Westbrook bringing the ball up, not passing at all, playing isolation ball, shooting the ball (18 for 43 on the night) and other players standing around and watching.
I expect that Paul George will sign with another team next season.
granted, there are certain times when it works, like when the defense can't stop a specific player or to set the pace of a game, but overall I think it affects games in an adverse way. the Cavs do it with Lebron when they get the right switch but other players on the Team will also do it and it generally isn't a good thing.
Kevin, you might recall that during the Championship when the Cavs won that I didn't watch games 4-5-6 because the officiating was so terrible. what do you think so far this season??? I don't think anything would have helped the Cavs last night, they shot poorly and the Pacers shot lights out, 56% overall and 50% from the arc. the games from the Pacers have been very physical with the Refs not really doing much.
the first possession of the game for Cleveland set the tone --- Lebron was in the low post against Bogdonavic, he made the turn at the baseline and drove, only to be dragged down by both arms at the shoulders. common foul. both Teams were whistled numerous times for holding with an arm around the waist, but the way Bogdonavic leans into James is a bit over the top and nothing is done.
I told my girlfriend a few games ago that if nothing is done someone will get hurt and it finally happened. Lebron took an elbow to the left eye that left him with a bandaged cut and Kevin Love took an elbow to the bridge of his nose and sat out for awhile. I don't think there was a foul called on either.
around the end of the third quarter when the game was all but over Stephenson started doing what he does best, flap his jaw. he was in Lebrons ear constantly and finally got what he asked for --- a knee to the leg/groin and a left hand to the mouth that sent him to the floor. I thought he deserved it but I also thought Lebron should have been ejected.
the end result was a common foul. these Refs seem afraid to call anything flagrant. I predict that there will be a fight at the game on Sunday, probably with Lebron James and Lance Stephenson being the combatants. if it gets to that point I expect to see Tristan Thompson in the game to lay Stephenson out and take the ejection. he put a hard hip-check on him last night, a message, that Stephenson never saw coming. he went to the floor and never said a thing.
lol the elbow that Lebron took was all Lebron's fault for running into the defender while his arms were straight up. I'll give you the Love hit but Lebron's hit was on him,it was his bad luck that his face was level with Young's elbow on that play.
You can't brag about the guy's physicality all the time then complain when a team gets physical with him. If I were a Cavs fan i'd worry less about a couple foul calls and more on why my favorite team lost by 30+points when you have the best basketball player on the planet.
It also says much about Ty Lue the head coach when his team concedes the game after 3 quarters when Cleveland had plenty of time to get back in it. Al Horford & a bunch of 1st & 2nd year players have come back from 20+ more than once in their series but when the Cavs have "the GOAT",another All-Star and plenty of young players/vets they just give up?
The NBA is a rough tough game. The Pacers are evidently rougher and tougher. Cavs need to play the game and stop complaining to the Refs. It's time to make the Pacers cry to the officials.
Brick, I don't think fighting back is the way to go but I figure it might be what will happen now that it's win or go home. I never much the enjoyed the style of play that Rodman or Laimbeer used. sure, it gets rough under the basket but contact to the head is a little overboard. despite what some others might think, I'm not whining, I just don't see going tit for tat is the thing to do.
you are right, though, they have suffered at their own hand all season and been beaten bad in transition.
didn't see the Pacers' annihilation of the Cavs, but I caught the tail end of Jazz-Thunder. can't wait to hear the 2-min report on that bad boy, cuz there was another absolutely horrific no-call. final minute and the Thunder were down by 3. they seemingly got 4 or 5 offensive rebounds after bombing away from 3-land trying to tie the game. Paul George fired the last bullet and was clipped on the hip by Rudy Gobert (who had left his feet), but the refs inexplicably swallowed their whistles. i have seen James Harden get that exact call probably 4256907245890662890457689024578690724580967890 times this season.
what is happening at the end of these games is becoming an absurd misrepresentation of professional basketball; you can pretty much do whatever you'd like without any fear of repercussions. decide for yourself.
@erikthredd said:
lol the elbow that Lebron took was all Lebron's fault for running into the defender while his arms were straight up. I'll give you the Love hit but Lebron's hit was on him,it was his bad luck that his face was level with Young's elbow on that play.
You can't brag about the guy's physicality all the time then complain when a team gets physical with him. If I were a Cavs fan i'd worry less about a couple foul calls and more on why my favorite team lost by 30+points when you have the best basketball player on the planet.
It also says much about Ty Lue the head coach when his team concedes the game after 3 quarters when Cleveland had plenty of time to get back in it. Al Horford & a bunch of 1st & 2nd year players have come back from 20+ more than once in their series but when the Cavs have "the GOAT",another All-Star and plenty of young players/vets they just give up?
Please don't call Lebron the GOAT. He is a great player, but that (GOAT) goes to Jordan. And there style is NOT the same. Bryant was more like Jordan.
I agree with the fact that the Ref's are losing control in this series and a fight is sure to break out in game 7. And that is a shame because these 2 teams are so evenly matched. If stuff happens and players start getting ejected it will ruin the ending no matter who wins.
And keets that block was definitely a goal tend. And should have been called. That would have changed the last play for the Cavs a lot. They might have still won, but it would have been a whole different mind set on the last shot.
@erikthredd said:
lol the elbow that Lebron took was all Lebron's fault for running into the defender while his arms were straight up. I'll give you the Love hit but Lebron's hit was on him,it was his bad luck that his face was level with Young's elbow on that play.
You can't brag about the guy's physicality all the time then complain when a team gets physical with him. If I were a Cavs fan i'd worry less about a couple foul calls and more on why my favorite team lost by 30+points when you have the best basketball player on the planet.
It also says much about Ty Lue the head coach when his team concedes the game after 3 quarters when Cleveland had plenty of time to get back in it. Al Horford & a bunch of 1st & 2nd year players have come back from 20+ more than once in their series but when the Cavs have "the GOAT",another All-Star and plenty of young players/vets they just give up?
Please don't call Lebron the GOAT. He is a great player, but that (GOAT) goes to Jordan. And there style is NOT the same. Bryant was more like Jordan.
I agree with the fact that the Ref's are losing control in this series and a fight is sure to break out in game 7. And that is a shame because these 2 teams are so evenly matched. If stuff happens and players start getting ejected it will ruin the ending no matter who wins.
And keets that block was definitely a goal tend. And should have been called. That would have changed the last play for the Cavs a lot. They might have still won, but it would have been a whole different mind set on the last shot.
I was being facetious with the GOAT comment. i do agree about the refs but this is the playoffs and stuff like this happens when you face the same team 4-7 times over a couple weeks. No one should have been surprised that the Pacers would get some home cooking from the refs after the admittedly blew the call on the LBJ block in game 5. Cleveland will probably get the same in game 7 and win.
I do gotta say though that Lebron is a saint for not having knocked out Lance Stephenson by now after all his antics over the years. Lance plays that Bill Laimbeer,Dennis Rodman/Ron Artest role perfectly as the instigator.
@galaxy27 said:
didn't see the Pacers' annihilation of the Cavs, but I caught the tail end of Jazz-Thunder. can't wait to hear the 2-min report on that bad boy, cuz there was another absolutely horrific no-call. final minute and the Thunder were down by 3. they seemingly got 4 or 5 offensive rebounds after bombing away from 3-land trying to tie the game. Paul George fired the last bullet and was clipped on the hip by Rudy Gobert (who had left his feet), but the refs inexplicably swallowed their whistles. i have seen James Harden get that exact call probably 4256907245890662890457689024578690724580967890 times this season.
what is happening at the end of these games is becoming an absurd misrepresentation of professional basketball; you can pretty much do whatever you'd like without any fear of repercussions. decide for yourself.
Out of all the shots we see where the shooter leans into the defender to initiate contact i think that Paul George shot was one with minimal contact compared to most others we see.
thoughts on G7 tonight, erik? i'm a Greek Freak fan and this is his chance to really shine and ascend even farther, but i don't think the Bucks as a whole have it in them to come up big on the road. Boston simply appears to be the better team from my vantage point; those guys are resilient and have refused to die after being faced with some major adversity. i think they will ride the positive energy from the crowd and move on to play Philly.
I love that its in Boston but its gonna definitely be a tough game for the C's. They played great defense on Giannis in game 5 throwing 2 sometimes 3 defenders at him and he had a pretty average game, I'd love to see them do it again. Middleton has been lights out this series and i doubt they shut him down but if they can slow down guys like Parker,Bledsoe & Brogdon i'd say they have a good chance tonight. If i was Stevens i would tell the Boston players to take it right at Thon Maker on offense and try to get him in foul trouble early on putting him on the bench. Between him & Giannis on defense its pretty hard taking it to the basket because they're both shot-blocking monters lol. When they start bombing three after three its usually when they get behind if they're not falling for them that night. Hopefully the Boston fans show up and home court is to their advantage.
Watched tonight's game between GS and NO. GS played lock down defense in the second quarter which triggered a 41 to 21 second quarter rout. In the second half GS stretched its lead to 31 points. Bench players took over to finish a 22 point blow out.
Comments
Keets.
A wild guess on my part.
Maybe LeBron James is physically spent at half time since he has to do so much to keep the Cavs on track (or maybe he is not spent and chooses to downshift from high gear to conserve energy for the 4th quarter) and he hopes/expects his teammates to step up and play at a level where he does not have to be "ALL".
If his teammates (many who are young and not playoff experienced) do not come through and James can not (or chooses not) to play in high gear, that may be a/the reason why the Cavs are flat to start the second half.
Ignoring the Game 1 blowout this series has been close. Neither team has pulled away from the other at the end of the last three games, resulting in close contests that could have gone either way.
I have no idea what will happen in Games 5 and 6 (and myabe 7).
Rockets looked shaky in the first half and i was starting to think this series could extend to 6 or perhaps even 7. then they proceed to score 50 points in the 3rd quarter and i'm once again dreaming of a matchup with the Warriors.
i'm so thankful this roller coaster has a seat belt
I really don’t know but it’s a game of runs and desperation seems to be a great motivator.
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I believe the NBA is similar to the NFL in one major aspect: once a Team gets behind and the momentum shifts, that Team has to adjust how they play and often cannot recover.
Game One is a mystery to me, how Cleveland came out as flat as they did AT HOME in the opening game cannot really be explained. that game was over after the first period even though the Cavaliers played well enough to win the rest of the way. the trouble was that they played three-quarters and the Pacers played four.
the last three games have been close in the end but that is mostly attributed to the third quarter phenomenon. if you look at the box score it sort of highlights that. Game three is a good example. Cleveland built the big first half lead and came out flat in the third quarter, allowed the Pacers to catch them and almost couldn't get going again to win.
one thing I have noticed about the NBA, it is almost a given that any Team(especially the playoff Teams) will end up making about 45-47% of their shots on any given night. that means it comes down to two things --- whoever has the most possessions and whoever makes it to the FreeThrow line and scores there should win.
an interesting thing that the Cavs have done is to really slow down Oladipo, to prevent him from driving the lane from 30ft. by double teaming him. that swings the odds and forces another player to get hot. it was Bogdonavich in game three and in game four it was Myles, but Oladipo was held to his 20+ points and the Pacers had to play differently.
it has been the same with the Cavs, players that have been reliable during the season have sort of vanished, except for Lebron. also, the Pacers have effectively taken over the backboard, way too many offensive rebounds. we keep wondering why Kevin Love is in the game cold and Tristan Thompson sits on the bench.
They are 4 and 5 seeds.....so it should be close.
Marcus Smart is a go for tonight's game barring any picture frames assaulting him before tip-off.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Getting real chippy in the the C's/Bucks game
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Big win! Boston's defense came to play tonight,now just one more to go. Probably coming back to Boston for a game 7.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Boy the Pacers are making the Cavs look good tonite. I don't think the Pacers have what it takes yet.
WOW....what an ending. That looked like a Jordan move!
Lebron is the true MVP.
He definitely won that game tonite.
insane night of games.
was watching the Rockets and flipped over to see the Jazz up by 25 in the middle of the 3rd. after Houston put Minny away, i went back to see how profound the carnage was and OKC was seconds away from winning by 8. could someone please offer up a concise summary as to what in the living hell happened?
as for Cle-Indy, amazing d & 3-ball from LBJ in the final seconds. except for one slight problem: he goaltended on Oladipo's layup attempt. would it have changed the outcome of the game? we'll never know. but the refs blew that non-call and incredibly there was nary a review. scroll down to the slo-mo.
https://sbnation.com/2018/4/25/17283280/lebron-james-block-goaltend-video-cavs-vs-pacers-game-5-nba-playoffs-2018-victor-oladipo
not defending or denying anything that happened, but the refs blow a multitude of calls during every game.
Yes, in slow-mo you can clearly see that it had hit the backboard before the block. I thought that in the game, but wasn't sure enough in regular speed to mention it before. I didn't want to sound like sour grapes.
Disturbing that the refs missed that goal tending call and didn’t even talk about it. But what a dagger by James. Cold blooded
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I didn't see the game and didn't see the replays till this morning but i gotta say the first thing i thought of after seeing both is Jordan stealing the ball from Karl Malone then going down court to hit the game winner over Byron Jackson in the Finals.
Those were some GOAT-like plays last night by Lebron. I know there is all the talk today about was it a goaltend or not but that's on the refs. Did they even look at replay during that timeout after the block?
edit: came across the answer to my last question
NBA Senior Vice President of Replay & Referee Operations Joe Borgia offered his take in an appearance on NBA TV on Wednesday night:
"Our rule is once the ball touches the glass, a defender cannot touch it," Borgia said. "... But in order to use replay, you must call goaltending on the court. And no call was made on the court, therefore they could not come over and look at it.
"In super slow motion, you just see the ball hit the glass, and maybe come off an inch and that's when LeBron got it. Like I said, once the ball touches the basketball, defenders cannot touch it and unfortunately James did."
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
i'm trying to make sense of not being able to review that play based on the fact that there was not a goaltending call on the court. that is utter bs and the rule needs to be changed. the magnitude of that non-call in a pivotal game 5 cannot be overstated.
but to keets' point, yes, there were other gaffes made by the refs. like, you know, the possession just before it when the ball actually went OB off of Thaddeus Young instead of LeBron? i can't even recall if that play was reviewed.
perhaps i need a comprehensive eye examination, because i continually see things that the officials obviously do not, and i am sick and freaking tired of great games being marred by incompetency
You would think the refs should have the authority to go to review in the final two minutes of a game on any play,what's the point of having replay available if not to go to it when the final outcome is on the line.
I agree on the incompetency at times,just the amount of travelling non-calls in the Celtics-Buck series by both teams has been mind-boggling.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
i think traveling was formally abolished from the rule book many moons ago. whenever i see a player take 3.5 steps and get away with it, i repeat the following out loud: "ok, that was normal. nothing to see here."
seriously, if i played in the NBA i'd do this every time i got my hands on the ball
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8GnJ7xe-2MY
That was hilarious. Giannis had one on a fast break that seemed like he went from beyond the 3pt line to the hoop in 3 steps. Reading comments on ESPN the next day had people trying to write it off as "euro steps." its like refs these days just say the hell with it.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I guess not calling goal tending was a "make up" non call. I can't see these officials moving on to the next round in the playoffs.
http://www.unisquare.com/store/brick/
Ralph
Four of the first round series (OKC/Utah, Cleveland/Indiana, Boston/Milwaukee and Toronto/Washington) will go 6 or 7 games and have been competitive and entertaining.
New Orleans swept Portland and the ease with which they did was impressive.
The 8 winners of round 1 will square off in what I hope are very entertaining series. I think that Philly will be a very tough team to beat. As far as the Western Conference goes, who knows.
Looks like game 7 in Boston on saturday.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Is a road team going to win a game in the Milwaukee-Boston series? I see the Bucks breaking through and getting game 7. Giannis will continue to show out. Milwaukee is the better team right now.
I find it surprising that we, as a group, don't feel the same about the NBA and the NFL when it comes to rules and replays. didn't we sort of agree a little while ago that the ability to break a play down and examine it frame by frame in the NFL regarding that "Football move" possession crap sort of ruins things??
it's the same in the NBA.
the Refs on the court have a lot to watch and on something like the blocked shot it is nearly impossible for the human eye and brain to recognize that play because it was so very close. the camera and technology can see it but a Ref in real time cannot. we either have to live with that or go over the cliff and extend games past any reasonable point. on most goaltending calls the Refs can easily see them, one like that are just too, too close to decipher in heartbeat.
--- a point I should add is that I believe Lebron James has now passed Michael Jordan in Playoff Game Winning Shots. there was a clip on the ESPN highlights that compared the two players and it is remarkable how alike they are in their careers. Lebron freely admits that he idolized MJ and modeled his game after him and it is spooky how good of a job he did.
I remember a saying: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Hopefully it stays the course with the home team winning each game.
I can't see how Milwaukee could be considered the better team right now,Boston is without their two best players and still haven't given away home court advantage to the Bucks. Take Giannis alone away from the Bucks and this series would already be over.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
@keets the NBA refs have the ability to right any play during the game with replay they just don't go to it when it really matters. Maybe less worrying about a shooter's foot touching the 3pt line on a first quarter shot and more paying attention in a tie game during the final seconds when the game is on the line. The NBA ref "main excuse" is they'll make it up on the next call,you better believe Indy is gonna probably have quite a few calls go their way in this next game after the league came out publicly saying they screwed up that call that cost the Pacers a loss.
Still don't see MJ's game in Lebron's and Lebron is gonna surpass Jordan in every career category just because he'll end up playing quite a few more years than MJ. The same will happen with Brady topping many QB career stats because his longevity will keep his totals rising with every additional year he plays.
edit: NFL refs get the call right 99% of the time by rule book standards its just fans blow up after a perceived bad call because no fan actually reads the NFL rule book.
NBA refs not only screw up more calls but all it takes is a team or player complaining publicly about the officiating in a game then those same refs try to make it up next time around. In a playoff series that can really just amplify the mistakes when it might look like they favor one team one night then the other the next. The closest comparison in the NFL is when two division teams play each other then later in the season they play each other again,any complaints from the the first game get brought up to the refs so it won't happen again. Not to mention come playoff time its just one game a round not a series.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
If James had a shot blocked against the glass like this no call you would never hear the end of it from King James.
Lafayette Grading Set
**Lebron is gonna surpass Jordan in every career category just because he'll end up playing quite a few more years than MJ. **
hopefully we can all be fair to the two players and look at them equally. I suppose Lebron's career and his style of play has changed, that is primarily because of his size. as his boyhood idol, he imitated MJ in his style of play and if you could have seen him play in High School and before, how he emulated MJ and it showed. the two are probably more similar in their style than they are different with the biggest "equality" being the way they can/could take over a game when needed. it is an amazing thing.
when he was in school as a 12-18 year old his games drew literally thousands of fans who knew what they were seeing.
as to "gonna surpass" I will say this --- each has now played 15 seasons. I posted last year during a discussion about the two players that they had almost identical career statistics, close enough that any argument about "GOAT" always hinged on Championships, and MJ wins that everytime. Lebron's stats will almost certainly drop as he enters the Golden Years of his career. he is what he is.
sometimes, I wish we could all just talk about the two and how they are spectacular players without having to make the inevitable flawed comparison.
@keets I've continuously said that i consider Lebron an all-time top 3 player (w/Jordan & Russell) so i don't see how my comment can be taken as if I'm trying to knock the guy. Everyone has their own top player opinion list so there is no need to get all bent about it.
What i said about surpassing Jordan in most career categories isn't an opinion,its a fact. He's already played more games than Jordan and doesn't look like he's stopping anytime soon. More years equals more career stats,that's just the reality of how this will end up.
As for your last comment,you're the one that brought up Lebron passing MJ in game-winning shots and started the debate back up. Maybe you should take your own advice.
edit: I can't say this enough but they have totally different skill sets yet you still want to convince everyone they're comparable while saying we shouldn't compare them. No one compared John Stockton to Kobe Bryant or Jason Kidd to Karl Malone. Lebron will always be the point forward for whatever team he plays for, the offense will always run thru him. That isn't how it went down in Chicago with Jordan who had Pippen,Paxson,Armstrong,Kerr among other players that handle the ball.
Most of us know how great a player Lebron really is so there isn't a reason why he has to get a verbal handy everytime his name gets mentioned in this blog.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Its no coincidence that most of the leaders in career points scored are also the leaders in games played.
Career scoring leaders:
1 Kareem
2 Malone
3 Kobe
6 Dirk
Career games played leaders
2 Kareem
3 Malone
5 Dirk
14 Kobe
Unless Lebron decides to hang them up anytime soon he'll be the near or at the top of every major career statistic. He's only 33 and realistically could probably play another 6-7 more years if not more.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
my comment where you think I "brought it up" is what happens at chatrooms since we aren't talking face to face. go watch the ESPN clip if you can find it, the whole thing was a nice comparison about what the two did in game winners, more weighted towards Lebron because he had just made one. my intent wasn't to pit one against the other, but to show how they could both dominate and take over/finish a game.
as for style, of course they are different. but if you read what I wrote and had the opportunity to see him play when he was younger you would know where I'm coming from.
"my comment where you think I "brought it up" is what happens at chatrooms since we aren't talking face to face."
Thanks Captain Obvious
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Cavs playing poorly and getting absolutely walloped by the Pacers.
For much of the OKC Utah game tonight the OKC offense consisted of Westbrook bringing the ball up, not passing at all, playing isolation ball, shooting the ball (18 for 43 on the night) and other players standing around and watching.
I expect that Paul George will sign with another team next season.
IsoBall makes me nuts.
granted, there are certain times when it works, like when the defense can't stop a specific player or to set the pace of a game, but overall I think it affects games in an adverse way. the Cavs do it with Lebron when they get the right switch but other players on the Team will also do it and it generally isn't a good thing.
Kevin, you might recall that during the Championship when the Cavs won that I didn't watch games 4-5-6 because the officiating was so terrible. what do you think so far this season??? I don't think anything would have helped the Cavs last night, they shot poorly and the Pacers shot lights out, 56% overall and 50% from the arc. the games from the Pacers have been very physical with the Refs not really doing much.
the first possession of the game for Cleveland set the tone --- Lebron was in the low post against Bogdonavic, he made the turn at the baseline and drove, only to be dragged down by both arms at the shoulders. common foul. both Teams were whistled numerous times for holding with an arm around the waist, but the way Bogdonavic leans into James is a bit over the top and nothing is done.
I told my girlfriend a few games ago that if nothing is done someone will get hurt and it finally happened. Lebron took an elbow to the left eye that left him with a bandaged cut and Kevin Love took an elbow to the bridge of his nose and sat out for awhile. I don't think there was a foul called on either.
around the end of the third quarter when the game was all but over Stephenson started doing what he does best, flap his jaw. he was in Lebrons ear constantly and finally got what he asked for --- a knee to the leg/groin and a left hand to the mouth that sent him to the floor. I thought he deserved it but I also thought Lebron should have been ejected.
the end result was a common foul. these Refs seem afraid to call anything flagrant. I predict that there will be a fight at the game on Sunday, probably with Lebron James and Lance Stephenson being the combatants. if it gets to that point I expect to see Tristan Thompson in the game to lay Stephenson out and take the ejection. he put a hard hip-check on him last night, a message, that Stephenson never saw coming. he went to the floor and never said a thing.
this is not how to play or how to officiate.
lol the elbow that Lebron took was all Lebron's fault for running into the defender while his arms were straight up. I'll give you the Love hit but Lebron's hit was on him,it was his bad luck that his face was level with Young's elbow on that play.
You can't brag about the guy's physicality all the time then complain when a team gets physical with him. If I were a Cavs fan i'd worry less about a couple foul calls and more on why my favorite team lost by 30+points when you have the best basketball player on the planet.
It also says much about Ty Lue the head coach when his team concedes the game after 3 quarters when Cleveland had plenty of time to get back in it. Al Horford & a bunch of 1st & 2nd year players have come back from 20+ more than once in their series but when the Cavs have "the GOAT",another All-Star and plenty of young players/vets they just give up?
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
The NBA is a rough tough game. The Pacers are evidently rougher and tougher. Cavs need to play the game and stop complaining to the Refs. It's time to make the Pacers cry to the officials.
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Ralph
Keets.
I have not watched much of the playoffs thus far. So I cannot comment of the quality of the officiating.
Brick, I don't think fighting back is the way to go but I figure it might be what will happen now that it's win or go home. I never much the enjoyed the style of play that Rodman or Laimbeer used. sure, it gets rough under the basket but contact to the head is a little overboard. despite what some others might think, I'm not whining, I just don't see going tit for tat is the thing to do.
you are right, though, they have suffered at their own hand all season and been beaten bad in transition.
didn't see the Pacers' annihilation of the Cavs, but I caught the tail end of Jazz-Thunder. can't wait to hear the 2-min report on that bad boy, cuz there was another absolutely horrific no-call. final minute and the Thunder were down by 3. they seemingly got 4 or 5 offensive rebounds after bombing away from 3-land trying to tie the game. Paul George fired the last bullet and was clipped on the hip by Rudy Gobert (who had left his feet), but the refs inexplicably swallowed their whistles. i have seen James Harden get that exact call probably 4256907245890662890457689024578690724580967890 times this season.
what is happening at the end of these games is becoming an absurd misrepresentation of professional basketball; you can pretty much do whatever you'd like without any fear of repercussions. decide for yourself.
https://cbssports.com/nba/news/thunder-vs-jazz-controversial-no-call-on-paul-george-has-nba-players-irate-on-twitter/
Please don't call Lebron the GOAT. He is a great player, but that (GOAT) goes to Jordan. And there style is NOT the same. Bryant was more like Jordan.
I agree with the fact that the Ref's are losing control in this series and a fight is sure to break out in game 7. And that is a shame because these 2 teams are so evenly matched. If stuff happens and players start getting ejected it will ruin the ending no matter who wins.
And keets that block was definitely a goal tend. And should have been called. That would have changed the last play for the Cavs a lot. They might have still won, but it would have been a whole different mind set on the last shot.
I was being facetious with the GOAT comment. i do agree about the refs but this is the playoffs and stuff like this happens when you face the same team 4-7 times over a couple weeks. No one should have been surprised that the Pacers would get some home cooking from the refs after the admittedly blew the call on the LBJ block in game 5. Cleveland will probably get the same in game 7 and win.
I do gotta say though that Lebron is a saint for not having knocked out Lance Stephenson by now after all his antics over the years. Lance plays that Bill Laimbeer,Dennis Rodman/Ron Artest role perfectly as the instigator.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Out of all the shots we see where the shooter leans into the defender to initiate contact i think that Paul George shot was one with minimal contact compared to most others we see.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
thoughts on G7 tonight, erik? i'm a Greek Freak fan and this is his chance to really shine and ascend even farther, but i don't think the Bucks as a whole have it in them to come up big on the road. Boston simply appears to be the better team from my vantage point; those guys are resilient and have refused to die after being faced with some major adversity. i think they will ride the positive energy from the crowd and move on to play Philly.
I love that its in Boston but its gonna definitely be a tough game for the C's. They played great defense on Giannis in game 5 throwing 2 sometimes 3 defenders at him and he had a pretty average game, I'd love to see them do it again. Middleton has been lights out this series and i doubt they shut him down but if they can slow down guys like Parker,Bledsoe & Brogdon i'd say they have a good chance tonight. If i was Stevens i would tell the Boston players to take it right at Thon Maker on offense and try to get him in foul trouble early on putting him on the bench. Between him & Giannis on defense its pretty hard taking it to the basket because they're both shot-blocking monters lol. When they start bombing three after three its usually when they get behind if they're not falling for them that night. Hopefully the Boston fans show up and home court is to their advantage.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
So frustrating being a sports fan in Wisconsin.
Watched tonight's game between GS and NO. GS played lock down defense in the second quarter which triggered a 41 to 21 second quarter rout. In the second half GS stretched its lead to 31 points. Bench players took over to finish a 22 point blow out.
GS played like a champion tonight.