This sport gets very little coverage on The Skybox. For good reason; it sucks. About as boring and unemotional as you can get and the basketball skill levels have steadily eroded and given way to acrobatics and gymnastics. I don't watch it and have not since the Bird-Jordan-Jabbar-Johnson years. So I see Cleveland is hammering a depleted and defenseless Boston Celtic team by record margins and then all of sudden Lebron James pulls a horrendous game out of his hat and the Celtics win one. My daddy always used to tell that pro basketball was fixed, that series were manipulated for TV revenue and scheduling symmetry. Well....
I used to be a big NBA fan, but over the years my enthusiasm has declined and even though the Rockets had a good team and a great player in James Harden I rarely watched any games. I like the college game much more these days.
Stu, LOL! An extended comment: I follow the Pacers and the Celtics, the latter because I, like thousands of Indy-area BB fans, really like Brad Stevens, former Butler head coach. However, I rarely, if ever, watch an entire game, especially when LeBron is single-handedly destroying the Pacers. Can you believe the money the top players are getting with these "max" contracts? Even below the max level? I'm going to start working with my grandsons on stretching exercises to get taller. Screw the genes. :lol:
I may watch some of the final series between Golden State and Cleveland, but I really don't care all that much.
Guess I am in the minority camp on this but I am looking forward to the GS-Clev. seriers. Last year's match-up produced a memorable Game 7 and this is the third year in a row they meet for the title. Both teams have several future HOF players on their roster and the teams have deveoped a nasty rivalry comparable to the rivalries of LA-Bos or the Pistons-Bulls of years past although neither GS or Cleveland are as unlikeable as Phil Jackson's Bulls. 8)
Big layoff before the finals start at Golden State. I guess both teams will be well rested and minor knicks and boo boo's will be healed. Of course they could both be rusty as well. First time in NBA history that the same 2 teams have met for the championship 3 years in a row. I heard somebody say it's been done in other sports but I can't remember who and what sport. I'm guessing we'll see another 7 game series.
Biggest difference this year will be Durant. Last year Cavs did a great job of doubling guys and getting the ball out of Steph's hands. Took some shots from Green and Thompson but this year they also have Durant to go to...that will require some added defense that we just might not have the manpower for...not sure anybody does. Injuries (and flagrant foul ineligibility) played a role in both of the last two series.
I guess I lost a lot of interest in the NBA when it went from a league where teams were built on trades and drafts to a league where players decided which teams would be stacked and other teams would be left non competitive.
Mike, despite the truth of your statement (LeBron's Miami fling and Durant's signing on with the Dubs)...I would opine that LeBron's returning to Cleveland was a bit of a leap of faith rather than "stacking the team" and David Griffin has done a rather remarkable job...not so much in trading for Love (which was great) but in filling out the rest of the supporting cast puzzle with players like Shumpert, JR Smith, Korver, Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson, and Deron Williams. And let's not forget that Irving was indeed obtained via the draft. A lot of his ability to get those guys rested on the owner's williigness to spend...but I think this is a "win now" kind of thing and I don't think the heavy over-the-cap spending will continue...but who knows? I'm biased but I do think that the finals will be a very interesting clash...Golden State this year might be just a little too tall of a mountain for my guys to climb. But I'm not writing us off. 8)
Warriors up 2-0 heading back to Cleveland. I doubt if they sweep the Cav's though. It would be historic if they do and sweep the whole NBA playoffs and not a good sign for the near future of teams (like the Rockets) trying to catch them in the Western Conference.
Not sure the Cavs have enough weapons. They pretty much fixed all the things they did wrong in Game 1 (not stopping the ball, making turnovers, being out-rebounded, and losing 22 of 28 50/50 balls)...and still got killed. Looked like they ran out of gas in the second half. I was not nearly as frustrated with their play in the second game as I was in the first. Durant's talent just adds so much in terms of opening it up for Curry and Thompson. Quote from today's Cleveland paper; he's driving the bandwagon he hopped on. Irving has to figure out how to free himself up better from Thompson's defense. He got loose on a few switches but not enough. Cavs need big games from him.
That's a good one! I see that he's going to restructure his contract to allow the Warriors to make better offers to some of the non-stars on the team.
I predict this seriies will go 6 or 7 games. I have no reason whasoever to make this prediction other than that is what I think will happen, mysteriously. Right now it appears a total mismatch but in the NBA things have a way of reversing in no time . 8)
Well GS up 3-0 now, I can't see it going past 5 games now and a sweep is not out of the question. GS is pretty much an All-Star team and while James is the best player on the planet, that's not enough this year. Adding Kevin Durant made the Warriors incredible, so deep, so talented.