This is really a well done piece: http://www.sbnation.com/2016/6/17/1...n-screens-nba-finals-2016-cavaliers-breakdown
Game 7's usually don't go over because they are usually deliberate slower pace games (actually has benefited Dubs this series, Cavs have won the 3 highest paced games in this series) one team bricks everything, gets blown out and doesn't contribute to the score total. The Heat-Spurs Classic Game 7 in 13' was an ANOMALY. Game 7's are usually drama free and decided rather early.
If this crew are whistle happy wouldn't that work against the Dubs for their constant use of moving screens?
No. Because the Cavs are resorting to that clutch and grab screen game while the Dubs are running more motion stuff. Anyway, Whistle happy refs usually favor home teams, because they tend to get "involved" with the emotion and flow of the game. Then they do the obligatory "even out the calls in garbage time move".
Let me be clear once again. Tony Brothers was in my suspicion...a definite crook and actively worked against the Heat during the Big 3 era. But that's it...the ISSUE is that they are the very worst officials in ALL OF SPORTS...so when you get screwed by a call that is so obviously wrong, you begin to believe that they are rigging the game against you. They are just really really really incompetent. Every once and a while, they fall into a rhythm that works against you. (Heat-Hornets 1st rd. comes to mind) But they usually correct course. The Mark of incompetence. Fix your mistakes by artificially altering your behavior.
Anything can happen in this type of game. It just takes one guy having an outlier of a game to shift things. I am going to assume that Curry and Klay Thompson will shoot well. I'll also assume that the GS role players play better than they have recently. But I think the Cavs have the mental edge right now. LeBron is 10x mentally stronger than anyone on GS. Every time GS made a run in game 6, LeBron stopped the run. All he needs is one other guy on the Cavs to go off from 3, and they can win. It doesn't matter who - Irving, Love, JR Smith. The Iguodala injury could be big. Between Green and Iguodala, those are two guys that are tremendous at running down shooters. Cleveland was able to get great looks from outside the past two games with Green out and Iguodala injured. I wouldn't be surprised to see Channing Frye get some minutes. I was surprised he didn't in Game 5 with Green out.
There is no shift from one game to the next. Momentum does not exist. As far as mental edge? Only LeBron has any experience playing pressure games. Dubs won 73 getting everybody's best shot, are defending champs and came back from 3-1 down to OKC. They are also at home. A Cavs win is gonna take more than a LeBron eruption. LeBron once scored 45 in a game 7 on the road, and lost to the Celtics. I continue to be floored with the Cavs response and the Dubs indifference and sloppy play at times...but these things seem to correct themselves in a game 7. Winning this game 7 would be LeBron's greatest achievement, that he will NEVER top and better than anything Michael Jordan ever produced. It is that much of a longshot.
Shouldn't we be rooting for the Cavs to win? I know #TeamPetty and all but Stephen A basically says that if LeBron wins one for Cleveland he's booking it out of town quick as possible.
I think Igoudala is a major key. If he can't defend LeBron it's going to be REALLY hard for Golden State. With Bogut out they don't have much rim protection. Green is great but those lobs to Tristan are probably going to be hard to stop just due to Green's height disadvantage. But you have to assume GS gets more from non-Steph or Klay guys. Steph and Klay averaged 58.5 combined points over the last 2 games - just aren't getting much from anyone else (which is a flip from the start of the series). Cavs shooting 52.5% and Dubs 38.2% over the last two games. What happens if that normalizes?
I don't think GS has ever had this type of pressure. Even against OKC, they were down 3-1, which took a lot of pressure off of them - they were playing with house money to a degree. Curry looked like a kid that had his lunch money stolen yesterday. This is after GS took a 3-1 lead, and basically proceeded to ask LeBron how their collective asses tasted. Curry has never had this pressure before. He wasn't a high profile player until last season. He has played below his standards this series, and now the world is questioning itself for believing he was better than LeBron. LeBron has had the most pressure of any athlete in history. Since HS, every thing he has done has been under a microscope and called into question. His greatness on the court has been called into question. We have heard he is a choker, he doesn't want to take big shots, he had to team up with Wade to win, he shouldn't have had a TV special, etc. I said before the series that I thought LeBron would have a historic one, primarily because he has never been as motivated and rested. This isn't the LeBron we have seen before - he isn't trying to sneak in rest every chance he gets. He isn't cramping at the end of games. His floor game is as energized as I have seen it in the Finals. He is running circles around a GS team that is injured and running out of gas. Can he do it alone? Probably not. I think he needs someone else to step up and hit shots. But if we were to ever see LeBron live up to the expectation of winning on his own, it will happen on Sunday. Tune into ABC Sunday night at 8pm ET
I am rooting for the Cavs because I think it would re-inforce the greatness of the Heat organization, and because I always love to see difficult feats accomplished. I also think Jordan is very much overrated, and I would love to see LeBron surpass him.
Tristan Thompson played like ...what his contract says he should play like lol....in Game 6. Fluke or is GS's front court just so bad right now that he could put up a 20 pt 15 reb game on Sunday? I'll tell you, with Lebron and Kyrie playing well, if Tristan can get 15+ pts in the paint and pull down some big offensive rebounds Cleveland could actually win this game.
If Lebron beats the Warriors on Sunday its the Greatest achievement in a series...ever. He enters back into the GOAT discussion and Steph goes to being #2 in the league. Lebron's last two games have been up there with anything any player has ever done in the NBA. He's going to win the Finals MVP regardless of what happens on Sunday unless he puts up a stinker and the Dubs win by 30.
Reports that the league had advised teams the salary cap will rise to $94 million next year, up from the projected $92 million. A little more wiggle room for Heat if we can dump McUseless
Lebron is the best player in the league by a VERY wide margin. Idc if Steph scores 60 and Lebron 10 Sunday. He does sooo much more than Curry on a consistent basis. Not to mention, Curry has defended BADLY the whole playoffs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I agree about Lebron, I would have voted for Steph this year for MVP but to me Lebron's been the best player in the league for a very long time. That game last night was off the charts, if there are any haters left out there they need to go away.
Curry is very valuable, because teams need to score more to win, and Curry specializes in the most valuable shot in the game at a rate that exceeds shooting high percentages on two point shots. LeBron is a better player though. In 20 years when there's a guy with LeBron physicals and Curry's shot, the NBA will need to ban him. Sent from my SM-J500M using Tapatalk
I am curious to see how Curry's career progresses. He wasn't a dominant scorer until the last couple of years. I'm not sure he is the type of player that can a bad team and make them good. It will be interesting to see how he does if/when GS regresses some.
Absolutely. Although I will say...seeing a 3rd year player in Dwyane Wade go Neck first at the rim for 6 games while setting an efficiency record for a finals is still the best performance I have ever seen. Bron brings it home, it will be in the conversation, or a very close second.
People don;t understand why Steph is so good. His gravitational PULL on a defense due to his insane shooting, opens up your offense by itself. He is a one man spacing machine. LeBron is the better player. But Steph is the better offensive player due to his scoring of course, but moreso to his gravitational pull. At one time, it was Kobe due to his elbow game...then Wade was that guy, due to his dribble drive ability. Then it was LeBron due to the same. Steph is the new breed. Doing it with an outside shot.
That performance was up there no doubt. This could be so historic because this GS team is one of the very best teams of all time. This is like someone coming back down by 30 against the 85 Bears in the Superbowl.
This will be the single most amazing feat accomplished in NBA history Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
So is he going to stand there celebrating with the Warriors if he loses and accept the trophy with their confetti falling all over his hairline? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
More likely is either Curry, Thompson, or Green go off and they give it to one of them to avoid the awkwardness. Assuming GSW wins of course. Sent from my SM-J500M using Tapatalk
