@SanctionII said:
Golden State runs away from NO today to take a 3 to 1 lead. Absent a total collapse GS should advance to the Western Conference Finals.
@Justacommeman said:
That was a circus shot. If Cleveland would have missed it would have been said, “ was that the best shot they could muster?” Im sure Toronto would have rather him take that shot then have him take it all the way to the rack or pulling up for a 12 ft jump shot dumping it off to another player for a bunny. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat. Only a handful of players have the nerve to take that shot under pressure let alone make it.
Toronto has tried to guard him all series tight and it hasn’t worked.
m
What pressure! If he misses....you go to OT. Pressure is when you miss....you lose.
LOL, you keep proiving my point and you don't eevn realize it.
LOL.....how does this statement make your point! You don't even have a point! You're a joke...just like your Mets!!
You find fault or a reason to downplay anything James does. The joke is on you in this case, lol..
The Mets have won a pennant and reached the world championship in the past 20+ years (twice, actually)...unlike the Cowboys, LOL..
WOW...what a come back! First I wasn't downplaying James and Second I will take the Cowboys 5 SB's over your Met's 2 WS's anyday!
Ancient history, man. How many playoff games have you won in the past 20 years? Even the Jets have won more over that span.
You downplay James all the time. You just don't realize it. This was only the latest occasion.
It's not really debatable.
Sorry...they all count...all 5 of them! Sorry I corrected you on James......after all you are always right. LOL
You correcting anyone would be a first.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Jon, I hope this isn't hard for you to digest, but EVERYONE here isn't against you, we all just understand and accept the obvious that you continue to deny and, yes, you do have a very predictable and ridiculous bias against Lebron James.
I wish I could communicate with you here but it is pointless, so from here forward I am talking to the others.
when that last play began I was dumbfounded since I couldn't understand why Coach Lue chose the backcourt to begin. he explained in the postgame that it was to give Lebron as much speed coming up-court as possible. In hindsight, perhaps the Raptors should have fouled immediately and then inbounded after the foul shots, but consider --- Lebron makes the first shot and then INTENTIONALLY misses the second and the Raptors can't stop the clock.
the point being, they couldn't afford to foul Lebron which allowed him to get past half-court. then they double-teamed him and slowed him down, but he's too quick on the first step and after backing down he turned the corner and headed for home --- at this point a foul would have been the end of the game, they had to allow him to drive and shoot.
Kyle Korver explained in the postgame that he has seen James shoot that shot in practice countless times, just like probably every other conceivable shot from anywhere on the court. why?? Kyle explained that Lebron told him "for games like that" or something to that affect. Lebron practices, I always had the impression that Jordan was the greatest improviser of all time, but maybe he just practiced what he showed us on the court, the Great ones do that.
so to sum it up, with no time outs left and only eight seconds on the clock, there was little that Toronto could do but let the Cavaliers come to the basket, shoot and hope they missed. they couldn't foul or they would almost certainly lose
@Justacommeman said:
That was a circus shot. If Cleveland would have missed it would have been said, “ was that the best shot they could muster?” Im sure Toronto would have rather him take that shot then have him take it all the way to the rack or pulling up for a 12 ft jump shot dumping it off to another player for a bunny. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat. Only a handful of players have the nerve to take that shot under pressure let alone make it.
Toronto has tried to guard him all series tight and it hasn’t worked.
m
What pressure! If he misses....you go to OT. Pressure is when you miss....you lose.
LOL, you keep proiving my point and you don't eevn realize it.
LOL.....how does this statement make your point! You don't even have a point! You're a joke...just like your Mets!!
You find fault or a reason to downplay anything James does. The joke is on you in this case, lol..
The Mets have won a pennant and reached the world championship in the past 20+ years (twice, actually)...unlike the Cowboys, LOL..
WOW...what a come back! First I wasn't downplaying James and Second I will take the Cowboys 5 SB's over your Met's 2 WS's anyday!
Ancient history, man. How many playoff games have you won in the past 20 years? Even the Jets have won more over that span.
You downplay James all the time. You just don't realize it. This was only the latest occasion.
It's not really debatable.
Sorry...they all count...all 5 of them! Sorry I corrected you on James......after all you are always right. LOL
Keets...you are as bad as Grote here. I never said it wasn't a great shot. If you go back and read I even mentioned that he probably practiced that shot. All I have stated time after time is that you should at least put a hand in his face. I challenge you to find where I put James down anywhere in this post!
Jon, I hope this isn't hard for you to digest, but EVERYONE here isn't against you, we all just understand and accept the obvious that you continue to deny and, yes, you do have a very predictable and ridiculous bias against Lebron James
I wish I could communicate with you here but it is pointless, so from here forward I am talking to the others
I don't know what you think I said, but you are just sort of acting paranoid and defensive now. all that I posted after what I pasted above is an explanation TO EVERYONE ELSE about what I saw happening and what the HC and some of the Team said about the end of the game. nothing I said was directed at you or says that you put James down. you can read whatever you want to read into what I posted but it just isn't there.
Just heard on the radio that the earliest the Eastern Conference Finals can start is May 15th and if Boston & Cleveland both win tonight they'll have a week of rest before that series starts. There is probably a better chance that the NBA tries to prolong one or both series thru the refs. The officiating in that saturday C's-76ers game was horrendous and completely one-sided yet Boston managed to still win the game. Having it happen two games in a row might be too much to overcome.
I didn't get to watch the entire Boston Game 3, but if what you describe took place it has me wondering why the Refs allow it to take place?? what I have seen in the Cavs vs. Pacers(really bad) and the Cavs vs. Raptors(sort of bad) games is Teams choosing to play extremely physical because they have evidently come to a conclusion --- they can't play the Cavs and Lebron James based on skill.
I hope I'm not deluding myself, but I haven't seen Cleveland play with that style, mainly because they don't have a player who will mug people. Tristan Thompson is closest they have to an "enforcer" and he's lame by comparison. both Teams tried to run on the Cavs and score of Cleveland misses, because they can be horrible in transition getting back.
it begs the question --- if the Cavs and Celtics play, what choice will Boston make??
@keets said:
I didn't get to watch the entire Boston Game 3, but if what you describe took place it has me wondering why the Refs allow it to take place?? what I have seen in the Cavs vs. Pacers(really bad) and the Cavs vs. Raptors(sort of bad) games is Teams choosing to play extremely physical because they have evidently come to a conclusion --- they can't play the Cavs and Lebron James based on skill.
I hope I'm not deluding myself, but I haven't seen Cleveland play with that style, mainly because they don't have a player who will mug people. Tristan Thompson is closest they have to an "enforcer" and he's lame by comparison. both Teams tried to run on the Cavs and score of Cleveland misses, because they can be horrible in transition getting back.
it begs the question --- if the Cavs and Celtics play, what choice will Boston make??
Boston has one guy that plays the enforcer role,Marcus Smart, and he's good enough on defense where he doesn't have to mug the guy he's covering. I watched how the Pacers played against the Cavs in that series and that isn't how Boston plays defense so I'm not too worried about what you're asking. Boston is loaded with great wing defenders and they're very good in getting back in transition or switching up on the pick & role. Thats not saying they'll be able to stop Lebron or even slow him down though.
That game saturday night was unlike any of the previous games. Maybe it was because it was in Philly,maybe its because the league wants to extend the series or maybe it was just because Philly was desperate for a win but the 76ers got away with hacking any offensive player driving to the hoop then on the other end got all the calls. On defense,Tatum,Smart & Brown each had 3 first half fouls then got manhandled on offense going to the basket and combined for 8 early turnovers.
At one point in the 4th quarter the foul situation was Tatum 3,Brown 4,Baynes 5 & Smart 5 and the only guy that had more than one on the Sixers was Embiid with 2. You had to have seen the game to see how bad it was.
My only guess is the league wants to make sure this series goes the distance and had the refs give Philly the benefit of the whistles.
that explanation is almost unbelievable. my Dad used to say that in the NFL the Officials could call holding on almost every play, apparently the NBA is no different. they also tend to be biased sometimes. in that Indiana series it was rough from the start which is almost like telling the players to play that way.
odds are that Philly will come out with the same thing.
@keets said:
that explanation is almost unbelievable. my Dad used to say that in the NFL the Officials could call holding on almost every play, apparently the NBA is no different. they also tend to be biased sometimes. in that Indiana series it was rough from the start which is almost like telling the players to play that way.
odds are that Philly will come out with the same thing.
But thats how Indiana played all year including against the Cavs in their 4 regular season games going 3-1 against them. It just looked worse because it was a 7 game series and Indy had Stephenson & his antics on Lebron for most of it. The Pacers played their game plus its the playoffs where there's no easy baskets.
The refs in that C's game held off on calling anything on Philly until the final minutes of the 4th & OT where they had to call fouls because the game was on the line. Just look at Embiid,2 fouls in the first 46-ish minutes then 4 total in the final minute of regulation & OT. Nothing changed from earlier in the game as far as Embiid & Boston offensive players going at him, the refs just finally blew some whistles. It was so one-sided all game it looked intentional. Tonight will probably be even worse.
i've been immersed in golf the past few days, but i still managed to catch the Cavs-Raps games. this is all about sheer greatness, fellas. i'll even go so far to say that OG Anunoby has guarded LeBron about as well as a professional basketball player possibly can. to wit: if you're Toronto and someone were to tell you, "On this final shot in G3 with the game tied, LeBron is going to attempt a mid-range floater without being squared up to the basket and it's going to smooch the glass first"........would you take it? of course you freaking would, in a heartbeat. this discussion should not be about what Toronto did or did not do; he took a very difficult shot. instead, this discussion should be about an all-time great doing what all-time greats regularly do.
here's another example from G1. scroll to :56 of this clip and watch Anunoby. how could anyone possibly play better defense than that? no air space......hand directly in the face......forcing LBJ into a fadeway j as opposed to him rocking the rim or getting hacked............it's exceptional d but an even better shot.
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......
galaxy, just don't bring up MJ or Dimeman will have a coronary.
eric, will you be watching both games?? I cleared things and will gain control of the Firestick remote. I think I'll post at the quarter breaks for both games as it looks to be a fun night. sorry, Honey, no Law and Order this evening!!
I will. I love that they've been setting up the Celtics & Cavs games back to back on the same nights,it makes catching the Cleveland games easier for me.
hard to believe that at two minutes left in the quarter the score was 16-14, both Teams shot terrible and seemed to just be running the length of the court for most of the period. I thought the Refs were even-tempered, they called fouls on both Teams and missed some stuff on both Teams. looks to me like the player who isn't getting the benefit of the doubt is Covington for Philly.
I can't think of that Boston guys(Larkin) name who left, but I figure it's a separated or dislocated shoulder.
@keets said:
hard to believe that at two minutes left in the quarter the score was 16-14, both Teams shot terrible and seemed to just be running the length of the court for most of the period. I thought the Refs were even-tempered, they called fouls on both Teams and missed some stuff on both Teams. looks to me like the player who isn't getting the benefit of the doubt is Covington for Philly.
I can't think of that Boston guys(Larkin) name who left, but I figure it's a separated or dislocated shoulder.
That shot block attempt from Covington on Baynes was definitely a foul. His coach should have had him out of there after two. Tatum got 2 quick fouls minutes into the game and had to be pulled. its been pretty even so far.
after one half I will say that it isn't a case of Philly not getting whistled for fouls as much as Boston just playing sloppy. some of the fouls were silly and unnecessary. with that said, I can't really blame them because Philly is only shooting 64% from the line. amazing.
I would have to question Terry Rozier's judgment after complimenting him on his courage!!! what was he thinking, he's goes and tangles with Embid??? really?? what was funny was Rozier going behind the back so Joel couldn't have the ball.
I am wondering if both Teams will end up under 90 points.
This game hasn't been as blatantly as bad as saturday but still Boston is getting called for everything. There's gonna be multiple fouled-outs in the 4th,its just heading that way.
Rozier's offensive foul was legit but none of that would have happened without Embiid instigating that which he's sneakily becoming Worm-like in between plays. It was cool to see Rozier nail that three right after Embiid's.
I don't care if they score 70,90 or 120....just win.
mark the time, 2:37 left in the 3rd quarter and Boston is beaten, going back to Beantown up 3-1 to finish it at home. I don't know what the two T's were, they usually explain or show with a replay, but nothing.
the one thing that is starting to really bug me --- the announcers and the general media have been talking up Brad Stevens as the new Guru. I'm not saying he isn't a good coach but the hype is a bit much. perhaps he can coax another comeback from the Team.
The Stevens hype has been warranted. What he's gotten out of this team without Kyrie & Heyward has been huge not to mention his play calling in the final mins of regulation & OT from that last game were what won the game.
The two T's were Brown then Stevens going to bat for Brown.
I have always hated the double T's. Embiid should have got a T on the Rozier foul. Rozier got the foul then Embiid started messing and knocked the ball out. Rozier should pick on someone his own size.
it seems that the desperation energy of the 76'ers was just higher than the close-out energy of the Celtics. I thought it was a well played, well fought game but Boston allowed way too many points in the lane. it seemed like the 76'ers were able to drive the lane AND turn the corner and beat Boston to the bucket. McConnell really had a big game for Philly.
what was the injury to Larkin, I never heard a report??
It was pretty much what i expected tonight. Philly was the 3 seed for a reason and they finally played with some pride. Boston just couldn't get that lead under 10. They can close them out at home wednesday.
No clue on the Larkin injury. Probably a separated shoulder with the way he ran right to the locker room.
@DIMEMAN said:
I didn't get to see the shot last night. I haven't been able to watch the last few nights because of other stuff going on. I did see the shot James made at the buzzer against the Pacers. He is no doubt a great player, but I and the people making the list still have Jordan at #1 and it is stated in the list that they don't see anyway for Mike to lose the spot. And Kobe is more like Jordan than James is. Those three are all super players.
Why didn't someone pick him up and attempt to guard him!? Looks like they all backed away and let him have a free shot.
How in the world did the Raptors end up with the best record in the East???!!!
The Raptors are one tip and one circus shot away from possibly being up 2-1 in this series. Sports can be cruel. They had their chances
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......
eric, the Boston game ended with the 76'ers being whistled for fouls with frequency so I'll stick with my initial assessment that they were fair but Boston seemed sloppy.
to the Cavs/Raptors first quarter, the Cavs seem to have a game plan to have James as a facilitator and not a scorer. starting the second quarter with a mix of guys who either haven't played or have seen spot action. Love is on the bench resting.
well, about 53 seconds left in the half and the Cavs seem to be playing well, the Raptors have fallen victim to few switches and bad match-ups for the players on the floor. in the meantime, Lebron is doing what he does when he isn't scoring --- lobbing to the rim, passing behind his back, driving/drawing defense and making the passes to the shooters on the perimeter. the main guys out there, JR Smith and Kyle Korver have been almost perfect with threes.
the Cavs have also seemed to step it up on defense, Lebron just cut across the paint and deflected a pass. the dude is feelin' it tonight!!
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'm a little nervous saying it, but mark the time at 5:48 in the third quarter and barring a total collapse the Cavs should win. the Raptors right now LOOK BEATEN by the way they are playing. the Cavs seem to have found a different level this game and are scoring easily while Toronto has to work through the double Teams between the arc and mid-court.
maybe Casey will find something out of the time-out but it's not looking good for them right now.
Toronto is just going thru the motions at this point. This series ended after game 2. Kudos to Cleveland for closing out and gaining a week's worth of rest time before the ECF. Hopefully Boston closes out at home and give Brown,Smart & Larkin a week to heal-up.
wow, a Flagrant 2 and ejection for that!!??!! I thought they'd call it a common foul. the question now is when does Coach Lue sit players and let the bench finish?? this game has been strange, the Cavs shooting what it has been is an aberration, no one, no Team shoots 60+%. what I'd like to see is a Lebron James windmill dunk dedicated to Dimeman.
eric, me and my girlfriend both cringed when Smart was rolling around on mid-court.
@erikthredd said:
The Stevens hype has been warranted. What he's gotten out of this team without Kyrie & Heyward has been huge not to mention his play calling in the final mins of regulation & OT from that last game were what won the game.
Kobe Bryant is considered one of the smartest NBA players of his time, but even the Los Angeles Lakers legend is floored by the basketball genius that is Brad Stevens. Stevens put on a coaching masterclass Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center, guiding the Boston Celtics to a thrilling overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of the teams’ second-round NBA playoff series. As has been the case since his arrival in Boston, Stevens was at his best in crunch time. With the Celtics trailing by one late in the overtime period, the C’s head coach drew up a perfect after-timeout play for Al Horford, who scored the go-ahead basket with 5.5 seconds remaining in OT. During an appearance on Fox Sports Radio’s “Chris & Caron Show,” Bryant gushed over Stevens’ feel for the game while reacting to the Celtics coach’s Game 3 performance. “I think he observes a lot better,” Bryant said, as transcribed by Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Mannix. “He observes the game, the flow of the game. And tendencies. He can look at players and their tendencies. And then you can file that away. “That last play (in Game 3), I had to laugh. He just pulled everybody up. It was prime misdirection. Al Horford just held … he just vacated the backside. If you simply put everybody there, it’s a dead giveaway for what’s going to happen. He used Philly’s aggressiveness and youth against them. He knew they were going to be aggressive defensively, he knew they were going to overplay, and now you have Horford on the backside. He’s able to look at the game and make adjustments on the fly. He’s a great coach, man.” “To be able to see the game like that requires a lot of film study. Watching film over and over and over. Studying over and over and over. To then be able to observe things in real time. That can only be done by a person who has that level of commitment to the game. Which I’m sure he does.” It’s safe to say Stevens does his homework, which is a leading factor in Boston being one win away from the Eastern Conference finals.
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......
Great read. I can't remember if it was the timeout for the Brown layup or the Horford clearout layup but they had a cameraman in the huddle filming Stevens and after explaining the play he just had this confident look on his face like "this is what we're gonna do and they won't be able to stop it" then they went and scored.
He's an absolute great X's & O's coach who hasn't had the star players needed to go win a Finals yet but he's on the verge of taking two entirely different teams to the ECF in back to back seasons.
one thing about Brad Stevens that strikes me is his apparent calm during the stress of the game. Tyronne Lue is the same, he doesn't seem to get upset even when things are going bad. above all other things, I believe an even temper like that and the ability to teach are a Coach's biggest asset. if you watch both Stevens and Lue during a time-out they don't seem to have any problem holding the huddle, they have everyone's attention.
if we assume that Boston eliminates Philly it will be an intriguing match between the Celtics and the Cavs. I know there are people, some members here, who don't respect or appreciate Lue. consider that series between two pretty god Teams and two pretty good Coaches.
I admit i'm not Lue's biggest fan but people said the same about Spoelstra in Miami when Lebron was there and he turned into a pretty good coach with a C.O.Y award on his resume since LBJ left. I could end up being totally wrong on Lue in the end.
I wanted this matchup before the playoffs even started just to see how these current C's handle playing the best player in basketball and his team which has hit their stride right now. Boston's kids are gonna have to bring it each game but they still got one more to go with Philly. They can't let the 76ers back into the series with a loss at home.
@keets said:
wow, a Flagrant 2 and ejection for that!!??!! I thought they'd call it a common foul. the question now is when does Coach Lue sit players and let the bench finish?? this game has been strange, the Cavs shooting what it has been is an aberration, no one, no Team shoots 60+%. what I'd like to see is a Lebron James windmill dunk dedicated to Dimeman.
eric, me and my girlfriend both cringed when Smart was rolling around on mid-court.
I agree on the Flagrant 2. Didn't look intentional. He was going for the ball and missed it badly. And he did hit the head. I guess it is automatic. It didn't matter the game was way over. James doesn't have to do a windmill dunk to impress me. The fade away jumper going out of bounds hitting nothing but net was way harder than a dunk. Not only did James have another great game, but everybody else did also. They have a lot of weapons. Then the 2nd string came in and pounded the Raptors 2nd strings. Sometimes it should be like boxing and just throw the towel in.
@galaxy27 said:
i wonder what is going to happen first -- Toronto's plane landing back home or Dwane Casey being canned
And the craziest thing is just a few weeks ago he was considered a top 2-3 candidate to win Coach of the Year. The consensus was it would be Casey,Stevens & Quin Snyder as the top 3 choices for the award.
Casey has improved the Team record every year for the past 3-4, I don't think it should be a negative just because his Teams can't advance to the finals, but that is typical for pretty much any sport.
The Raptors are one tip and one circus shot away from possibly being up 2-1 in this series
this is "if your Aunt had balls" logic, but we all do it. the 76'ers are in the same boat, a shot or two away from being even 2-2 or up 3-1. after having watched al four Cavs/Raptors games and two-and-a-half Philly/Boston games, I have to say each series is exactly where it should be.
the Cavs certainly won based on a lot of the play by Lebron, but go look at the stat line for DeRozan, he was pretty much shut down and restricted by the Cavs in what he was able to do. with the other series, Philly was on fire but that is unsustainable. I think they were 20-1 before Boston?? insane!! now the Celtics are playing good.
one thing to remember(and I said earlier in the thread that I didn't think the Cavs could win in the Conference Finals) is that just as Cleveland struggled against the Pacers the Celtics struggled against Washington, and they were the number eight seed. don't misread the rest of this, but if Stevens is the new guru why did he struggle against Washington?? did he just figure out his Team in the last week??
I think it is a little less complex than that for both Teams, the Cavs and Celtics. they both have Coaches capable of winning the NBA Championship but as these things move along the players find there true selves. that is what makes the Warriors so good, they seem to be able to pull out something extra as the playoffs arrive and proceed.
Coaches can only do so much and these ones do a lot, but it ultimately comes down to the players. no matter how well Stevens draws up the plays, if Horford doesn't make space and the inbounds pass isn't perfect thay don't win. if the 76'ers make a routine in-bounds pass that Horford can't steal they might still be playing.
Steve Kerr is a great Coach, but that Team has proven that they can still play at a very high level without him. so it is with most other Teams, the HC can only do so much.
oops! all the same, you get my point, right?? all the stuff about Brad Stevens only started to be talked about in the mainstream because Boston was putting the lid down on Philly. he was good before that, but now the hype comes. if Philly comes back and wins 1-2 games it won't mean anything in terms of how good he is as a Coach, at least not to me. it's all hot air for the media.
Comments
I totally agree. They are looking good.
You correcting anyone would be a first.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Jon, I hope this isn't hard for you to digest, but EVERYONE here isn't against you, we all just understand and accept the obvious that you continue to deny and, yes, you do have a very predictable and ridiculous bias against Lebron James.
I wish I could communicate with you here but it is pointless, so from here forward I am talking to the others.
when that last play began I was dumbfounded since I couldn't understand why Coach Lue chose the backcourt to begin. he explained in the postgame that it was to give Lebron as much speed coming up-court as possible. In hindsight, perhaps the Raptors should have fouled immediately and then inbounded after the foul shots, but consider --- Lebron makes the first shot and then INTENTIONALLY misses the second and the Raptors can't stop the clock.
the point being, they couldn't afford to foul Lebron which allowed him to get past half-court. then they double-teamed him and slowed him down, but he's too quick on the first step and after backing down he turned the corner and headed for home --- at this point a foul would have been the end of the game, they had to allow him to drive and shoot.
Kyle Korver explained in the postgame that he has seen James shoot that shot in practice countless times, just like probably every other conceivable shot from anywhere on the court. why?? Kyle explained that Lebron told him "for games like that" or something to that affect. Lebron practices, I always had the impression that Jordan was the greatest improviser of all time, but maybe he just practiced what he showed us on the court, the Great ones do that.
so to sum it up, with no time outs left and only eight seconds on the clock, there was little that Toronto could do but let the Cavaliers come to the basket, shoot and hope they missed. they couldn't foul or they would almost certainly lose
I'm just glad you were the First.
Keets...you are as bad as Grote here. I never said it wasn't a great shot. If you go back and read I even mentioned that he probably practiced that shot. All I have stated time after time is that you should at least put a hand in his face. I challenge you to find where I put James down anywhere in this post!
hey Dimester, you are so lost it is really fascinating.
Evidently you can't read!!!! Again SHOW me where I put James down in this post!!! Just admit you can't and stop with the stupid talk.
Jon, I hope this isn't hard for you to digest, but EVERYONE here isn't against you, we all just understand and accept the obvious that you continue to deny and, yes, you do have a very predictable and ridiculous bias against Lebron James
I wish I could communicate with you here but it is pointless, so from here forward I am talking to the others
I don't know what you think I said, but you are just sort of acting paranoid and defensive now. all that I posted after what I pasted above is an explanation TO EVERYONE ELSE about what I saw happening and what the HC and some of the Team said about the end of the game. nothing I said was directed at you or says that you put James down. you can read whatever you want to read into what I posted but it just isn't there.
you should go and get some sleep.
Just heard on the radio that the earliest the Eastern Conference Finals can start is May 15th and if Boston & Cleveland both win tonight they'll have a week of rest before that series starts. There is probably a better chance that the NBA tries to prolong one or both series thru the refs. The officiating in that saturday C's-76ers game was horrendous and completely one-sided yet Boston managed to still win the game. Having it happen two games in a row might be too much to overcome.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
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I didn't get to watch the entire Boston Game 3, but if what you describe took place it has me wondering why the Refs allow it to take place?? what I have seen in the Cavs vs. Pacers(really bad) and the Cavs vs. Raptors(sort of bad) games is Teams choosing to play extremely physical because they have evidently come to a conclusion --- they can't play the Cavs and Lebron James based on skill.
I hope I'm not deluding myself, but I haven't seen Cleveland play with that style, mainly because they don't have a player who will mug people. Tristan Thompson is closest they have to an "enforcer" and he's lame by comparison. both Teams tried to run on the Cavs and score of Cleveland misses, because they can be horrible in transition getting back.
it begs the question --- if the Cavs and Celtics play, what choice will Boston make??
Boston has one guy that plays the enforcer role,Marcus Smart, and he's good enough on defense where he doesn't have to mug the guy he's covering. I watched how the Pacers played against the Cavs in that series and that isn't how Boston plays defense so I'm not too worried about what you're asking. Boston is loaded with great wing defenders and they're very good in getting back in transition or switching up on the pick & role. Thats not saying they'll be able to stop Lebron or even slow him down though.
That game saturday night was unlike any of the previous games. Maybe it was because it was in Philly,maybe its because the league wants to extend the series or maybe it was just because Philly was desperate for a win but the 76ers got away with hacking any offensive player driving to the hoop then on the other end got all the calls. On defense,Tatum,Smart & Brown each had 3 first half fouls then got manhandled on offense going to the basket and combined for 8 early turnovers.
At one point in the 4th quarter the foul situation was Tatum 3,Brown 4,Baynes 5 & Smart 5 and the only guy that had more than one on the Sixers was Embiid with 2. You had to have seen the game to see how bad it was.
My only guess is the league wants to make sure this series goes the distance and had the refs give Philly the benefit of the whistles.
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
that explanation is almost unbelievable. my Dad used to say that in the NFL the Officials could call holding on almost every play, apparently the NBA is no different. they also tend to be biased sometimes. in that Indiana series it was rough from the start which is almost like telling the players to play that way.
odds are that Philly will come out with the same thing.
But thats how Indiana played all year including against the Cavs in their 4 regular season games going 3-1 against them. It just looked worse because it was a 7 game series and Indy had Stephenson & his antics on Lebron for most of it. The Pacers played their game plus its the playoffs where there's no easy baskets.
The refs in that C's game held off on calling anything on Philly until the final minutes of the 4th & OT where they had to call fouls because the game was on the line. Just look at Embiid,2 fouls in the first 46-ish minutes then 4 total in the final minute of regulation & OT. Nothing changed from earlier in the game as far as Embiid & Boston offensive players going at him, the refs just finally blew some whistles. It was so one-sided all game it looked intentional. Tonight will probably be even worse.
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've been immersed in golf the past few days, but i still managed to catch the Cavs-Raps games. this is all about sheer greatness, fellas. i'll even go so far to say that OG Anunoby has guarded LeBron about as well as a professional basketball player possibly can. to wit: if you're Toronto and someone were to tell you, "On this final shot in G3 with the game tied, LeBron is going to attempt a mid-range floater without being squared up to the basket and it's going to smooch the glass first"........would you take it? of course you freaking would, in a heartbeat. this discussion should not be about what Toronto did or did not do; he took a very difficult shot. instead, this discussion should be about an all-time great doing what all-time greats regularly do.
here's another example from G1. scroll to :56 of this clip and watch Anunoby. how could anyone possibly play better defense than that? no air space......hand directly in the face......forcing LBJ into a fadeway j as opposed to him rocking the rim or getting hacked............it's exceptional d but an even better shot.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7M8iTGpRibM
bottom line: there is nothing for the Raptors to do but be the Cavaliers' bitch, per usual
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
@galaxy27 indeed
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......
galaxy, just don't bring up MJ or Dimeman will have a coronary.
eric, will you be watching both games?? I cleared things and will gain control of the Firestick remote. I think I'll post at the quarter breaks for both games as it looks to be a fun night. sorry, Honey, no Law and Order this evening!!
I will. I love that they've been setting up the Celtics & Cavs games back to back on the same nights,it makes catching the Cleveland games easier for me.
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
hard to believe that at two minutes left in the quarter the score was 16-14, both Teams shot terrible and seemed to just be running the length of the court for most of the period. I thought the Refs were even-tempered, they called fouls on both Teams and missed some stuff on both Teams. looks to me like the player who isn't getting the benefit of the doubt is Covington for Philly.
I can't think of that Boston guys(Larkin) name who left, but I figure it's a separated or dislocated shoulder.
That shot block attempt from Covington on Baynes was definitely a foul. His coach should have had him out of there after two. Tatum got 2 quick fouls minutes into the game and had to be pulled. its been pretty even so far.
edit: Tatum just got #3
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
Shane Larkin is former Reds SS Barry Larkin's son.
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
after one half I will say that it isn't a case of Philly not getting whistled for fouls as much as Boston just playing sloppy. some of the fouls were silly and unnecessary. with that said, I can't really blame them because Philly is only shooting 64% from the line. amazing.
I would have to question Terry Rozier's judgment after complimenting him on his courage!!! what was he thinking, he's goes and tangles with Embid??? really?? what was funny was Rozier going behind the back so Joel couldn't have the ball.
I am wondering if both Teams will end up under 90 points.
This game hasn't been as blatantly as bad as saturday but still Boston is getting called for everything. There's gonna be multiple fouled-outs in the 4th,its just heading that way.
Rozier's offensive foul was legit but none of that would have happened without Embiid instigating that which he's sneakily becoming Worm-like in between plays. It was cool to see Rozier nail that three right after Embiid's.
I don't care if they score 70,90 or 120....just win.
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
mark the time, 2:37 left in the 3rd quarter and Boston is beaten, going back to Beantown up 3-1 to finish it at home. I don't know what the two T's were, they usually explain or show with a replay, but nothing.
the one thing that is starting to really bug me --- the announcers and the general media have been talking up Brad Stevens as the new Guru. I'm not saying he isn't a good coach but the hype is a bit much. perhaps he can coax another comeback from the Team.
The Stevens hype has been warranted. What he's gotten out of this team without Kyrie & Heyward has been huge not to mention his play calling in the final mins of regulation & OT from that last game were what won the game.
The two T's were Brown then Stevens going to bat for Brown.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
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I have always hated the double T's. Embiid should have got a T on the Rozier foul. Rozier got the foul then Embiid started messing and knocked the ball out. Rozier should pick on someone his own size.
JMHO
brainfart
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
it seems that the desperation energy of the 76'ers was just higher than the close-out energy of the Celtics. I thought it was a well played, well fought game but Boston allowed way too many points in the lane. it seemed like the 76'ers were able to drive the lane AND turn the corner and beat Boston to the bucket. McConnell really had a big game for Philly.
what was the injury to Larkin, I never heard a report??
It was pretty much what i expected tonight. Philly was the 3 seed for a reason and they finally played with some pride. Boston just couldn't get that lead under 10. They can close them out at home wednesday.
No clue on the Larkin injury. Probably a separated shoulder with the way he ran right to the locker room.
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 Raptors are one tip and one circus shot away from possibly being up 2-1 in this series. Sports can be cruel. They had their chances
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......
Watching Raptors/Cavs tonight. The 2 early dunks by Hill were impressive. The Cavs are looking better each series. I look for a close out tonight.
eric, the Boston game ended with the 76'ers being whistled for fouls with frequency so I'll stick with my initial assessment that they were fair but Boston seemed sloppy.
to the Cavs/Raptors first quarter, the Cavs seem to have a game plan to have James as a facilitator and not a scorer. starting the second quarter with a mix of guys who either haven't played or have seen spot action. Love is on the bench resting.
Why didn't someone pick him up and attempt to guard him!? Looks like they all backed away and let him have a free shot
you don't know what you're talking about, just let it go.
well, about 53 seconds left in the half and the Cavs seem to be playing well, the Raptors have fallen victim to few switches and bad match-ups for the players on the floor. in the meantime, Lebron is doing what he does when he isn't scoring --- lobbing to the rim, passing behind his back, driving/drawing defense and making the passes to the shooters on the perimeter. the main guys out there, JR Smith and Kyle Korver have been almost perfect with threes.
the Cavs have also seemed to step it up on defense, Lebron just cut across the paint and deflected a pass. the dude is feelin' it tonight!!
the dude is the man
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'm a little nervous saying it, but mark the time at 5:48 in the third quarter and barring a total collapse the Cavs should win. the Raptors right now LOOK BEATEN by the way they are playing. the Cavs seem to have found a different level this game and are scoring easily while Toronto has to work through the double Teams between the arc and mid-court.
maybe Casey will find something out of the time-out but it's not looking good for them right now.
Toronto is just going thru the motions at this point. This series ended after game 2. Kudos to Cleveland for closing out and gaining a week's worth of rest time before the ECF. Hopefully Boston closes out at home and give Brown,Smart & Larkin a week to heal-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
wow, a Flagrant 2 and ejection for that!!??!! I thought they'd call it a common foul. the question now is when does Coach Lue sit players and let the bench finish?? this game has been strange, the Cavs shooting what it has been is an aberration, no one, no Team shoots 60+%. what I'd like to see is a Lebron James windmill dunk dedicated to Dimeman.
eric, me and my girlfriend both cringed when Smart was rolling around on mid-court.
Me too. Reports on Larkin are he's due for imaging testing tomorrow morning.
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
Kobe Bryant is considered one of the smartest NBA players of his time, but even the Los Angeles Lakers legend is floored by the basketball genius that is Brad Stevens. Stevens put on a coaching masterclass Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center, guiding the Boston Celtics to a thrilling overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of the teams’ second-round NBA playoff series. As has been the case since his arrival in Boston, Stevens was at his best in crunch time. With the Celtics trailing by one late in the overtime period, the C’s head coach drew up a perfect after-timeout play for Al Horford, who scored the go-ahead basket with 5.5 seconds remaining in OT. During an appearance on Fox Sports Radio’s “Chris & Caron Show,” Bryant gushed over Stevens’ feel for the game while reacting to the Celtics coach’s Game 3 performance. “I think he observes a lot better,” Bryant said, as transcribed by Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Mannix. “He observes the game, the flow of the game. And tendencies. He can look at players and their tendencies. And then you can file that away. “That last play (in Game 3), I had to laugh. He just pulled everybody up. It was prime misdirection. Al Horford just held … he just vacated the backside. If you simply put everybody there, it’s a dead giveaway for what’s going to happen. He used Philly’s aggressiveness and youth against them. He knew they were going to be aggressive defensively, he knew they were going to overplay, and now you have Horford on the backside. He’s able to look at the game and make adjustments on the fly. He’s a great coach, man.” “To be able to see the game like that requires a lot of film study. Watching film over and over and over. Studying over and over and over. To then be able to observe things in real time. That can only be done by a person who has that level of commitment to the game. Which I’m sure he does.” It’s safe to say Stevens does his homework, which is a leading factor in Boston being one win away from the Eastern Conference finals.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2018/05/why-kobe-bryant-couldnt-help-but-laugh-at-brad-stevens-coaching-in-game-3/
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......
Keep the playoff conversation going folks. If the final four are Cleveland, Boston, Houston and Golden State the conference finals will be compelling.
i wonder what is going to happen first -- Toronto's plane landing back home or Dwane Casey being canned
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Great read. I can't remember if it was the timeout for the Brown layup or the Horford clearout layup but they had a cameraman in the huddle filming Stevens and after explaining the play he just had this confident look on his face like "this is what we're gonna do and they won't be able to stop it" then they went and scored.
He's an absolute great X's & O's coach who hasn't had the star players needed to go win a Finals yet but he's on the verge of taking two entirely different teams to the ECF in back to back seasons.
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
one thing about Brad Stevens that strikes me is his apparent calm during the stress of the game. Tyronne Lue is the same, he doesn't seem to get upset even when things are going bad. above all other things, I believe an even temper like that and the ability to teach are a Coach's biggest asset. if you watch both Stevens and Lue during a time-out they don't seem to have any problem holding the huddle, they have everyone's attention.
if we assume that Boston eliminates Philly it will be an intriguing match between the Celtics and the Cavs. I know there are people, some members here, who don't respect or appreciate Lue. consider that series between two pretty god Teams and two pretty good Coaches.
it should be good.
I admit i'm not Lue's biggest fan but people said the same about Spoelstra in Miami when Lebron was there and he turned into a pretty good coach with a C.O.Y award on his resume since LBJ left. I could end up being totally wrong on Lue in the end.
I wanted this matchup before the playoffs even started just to see how these current C's handle playing the best player in basketball and his team which has hit their stride right now. Boston's kids are gonna have to bring it each game but they still got one more to go with Philly. They can't let the 76ers back into the series with a loss at home.
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 agree on the Flagrant 2. Didn't look intentional. He was going for the ball and missed it badly. And he did hit the head. I guess it is automatic. It didn't matter the game was way over. James doesn't have to do a windmill dunk to impress me. The fade away jumper going out of bounds hitting nothing but net was way harder than a dunk. Not only did James have another great game, but everybody else did also. They have a lot of weapons. Then the 2nd string came in and pounded the Raptors 2nd strings. Sometimes it should be like boxing and just throw the towel in.
And the craziest thing is just a few weeks ago he was considered a top 2-3 candidate to win Coach of the Year. The consensus was it would be Casey,Stevens & Quin Snyder as the top 3 choices for the award.
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
Casey has improved the Team record every year for the past 3-4, I don't think it should be a negative just because his Teams can't advance to the finals, but that is typical for pretty much any sport.
The Raptors are one tip and one circus shot away from possibly being up 2-1 in this series
this is "if your Aunt had balls" logic, but we all do it. the 76'ers are in the same boat, a shot or two away from being even 2-2 or up 3-1. after having watched al four Cavs/Raptors games and two-and-a-half Philly/Boston games, I have to say each series is exactly where it should be.
the Cavs certainly won based on a lot of the play by Lebron, but go look at the stat line for DeRozan, he was pretty much shut down and restricted by the Cavs in what he was able to do. with the other series, Philly was on fire but that is unsustainable. I think they were 20-1 before Boston?? insane!! now the Celtics are playing good.
one thing to remember(and I said earlier in the thread that I didn't think the Cavs could win in the Conference Finals) is that just as Cleveland struggled against the Pacers the Celtics struggled against Washington, and they were the number eight seed. don't misread the rest of this, but if Stevens is the new guru why did he struggle against Washington?? did he just figure out his Team in the last week??
I think it is a little less complex than that for both Teams, the Cavs and Celtics. they both have Coaches capable of winning the NBA Championship but as these things move along the players find there true selves. that is what makes the Warriors so good, they seem to be able to pull out something extra as the playoffs arrive and proceed.
Coaches can only do so much and these ones do a lot, but it ultimately comes down to the players. no matter how well Stevens draws up the plays, if Horford doesn't make space and the inbounds pass isn't perfect thay don't win. if the 76'ers make a routine in-bounds pass that Horford can't steal they might still be playing.
Steve Kerr is a great Coach, but that Team has proven that they can still play at a very high level without him. so it is with most other Teams, the HC can only do so much.
Boston didn't play the 8th seed Washington Wizards, Toronto did in round 1.
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
oops!
all the same, you get my point, right?? all the stuff about Brad Stevens only started to be talked about in the mainstream because Boston was putting the lid down on Philly. he was good before that, but now the hype comes. if Philly comes back and wins 1-2 games it won't mean anything in terms of how good he is as a Coach, at least not to me. it's all hot air for the media.
he's a good Coach, period.