NBA Finals

[matt72582]

I think Cleveland is going to win... Even without homecourt. Curry has had more open shots than anyone, will get exposed on defense.

I wonder what the odds were to win the series..

[doubledenim]

Cleveland is a huge underdog.

[seanc]

My youngest is going nuts for Curry right now. Going to be a fun series. Two cities pumped up.

[doubledenim]

Dell Curry was my favorite player growing up. It's hard to believe that Steph has made almost as many 3's as Dell did his entire career.

[seanc]

Dell Curry was my favorite player growing up. It's hard to believe that Steph has made almost as many 3's as Dell did his entire career.

Dell was a heck of a shot. He was mostly a 6 man for the Hornets though, no?

[doubledenim]

Yep. One of the quickest shots I've ever seen. Just a flick of the wrist.

[doubledenim]

Come on Lebron, no fade away 20 footer at the buzzer.

[seanc]

Come on Lebron, no fade away 20 footer at the buzzer.

Is it me or does everyone not named MJ wait to long to go on that type of possession? Drives me crazy. How about that Irvin block?

[doubledenim]

You got it. Just melt the clock down and throw something up.

Irving coming up big for his first finals.

[seanc]

You got it. Just melt the clock down and throw something up.

Irving coming up big for his first finals.

Not looking good now. Cleveland fans realizing why my Knicks don't miss Smith.

[seanc]

Real good game 1. Lebron is a vet, I don't think Cleveland will get too down about it.

[mojofilter]

Cavaliers will win the series in 7

[doubledenim]

I hope you guys are right. I have no idea why I am rooting for Cleveland, not really a big Lebron fan.

I think the Cavs really gave one away.

[Fabulous]

Rooting for the Warriors.

[doubledenim]

I get it now, it's because the Cavs are the underdog and the deck seems stacked against them. Then again, the odds are more about making the money lay right than talent evaluation.

I like how the "Lebron may be better than Jordan" comments are really starting to bubble up.

[puyo]

hardly going Cleveland to provide more than two wins ... with injury ruined team everything depends on LeBron ... even Irving hurt additionally last night .. briefly Cleveland is a below average team that in life holds one of the best players of all time .......but it will not be enough...

[matt72582]

Cavs have a lot of injuries... Hurts the game.. I also not a Lebron fan, maybe it's the underdog idea, but also for Cleveland. Never won an NBA title, haven't won anything in 51 yrs.

[Kaplan]

I like how the "Lebron may be better than Jordan" comments are really starting to bubble up.

I don't. Gets on my nerves. In no other sport is the sense of history so weak. Somebody always has to proclaim who ever is hot this minute now the greatest this, the greatest that, or even the greatest of all time. They act like everybody who played twenty years ago weren't able to dunk the ball, couldn't run a ten second 40 yard dash to save their grandmother's life, had to shoot free throws underhanded, and were all six foot tall white guys with bad knees.

I'm going for the Warriors all the way. They have the greatest shooter of all time, the greatest shooting back court of all time, the greatest 6th man to never win a title, and of course the greatest rookie coach of all time. So there you go. Warriors all the way.

[Yoda]

There'll never be another Jordan, but that's as much because the game has changed as it is a question of talent or drive.

That said, if James wins this series single-handedly, that's pretty freakin' ridiculous (even for a guy who regularly does pretty freakin' ridiculous things).

[seanc]

I don't. Gets on my nerves. In no other sport is the sense of history so weak.

In every other sport our sense of history is this weak. We are always claiming great athletes are the next so and so in every sport I have ever watched. This branches out into every aspect of pop culture as well. I don't know if our desire to rank things is healthy or not. I kind of enjoy it though, I think it creates interesting conversation.

[matt72582]

Cavs won an amazing game... Curry couldn't score one point on Delly... I've never been a Cavs or Lebron fan, but I'm rooting for the underdogs this time. It's also for the city of Cleveland. They could have been up 2-0, and there wouldn't have been an Irving injury.. He blocked two of Curry's shots, stole the ball 3 times from him, but they played HARD, and I respect that.

Next two games in Cleveland... Tomorrow night! I'm missing a Robert Plant to see the game (I saw Plant 13 yrs ago anyway, can't sound any better)

[Kaplan]

In every other sport our sense of history is this weak. We are always claiming great athletes are the next so and so in every sport I have ever watched. This branches out into every aspect of pop culture as well. I don't know if our desire to rank things is healthy or not. I kind of enjoy it though, I think it creates interesting conversation.

Maybe you're right, but I've never noticed it as bad with other sports. Baseball fans seem to have a great sense of history, and I've never notice them jumping the gun on a player because they have a great season or trying to disparage past players. Even with football fans I don't notice it. It doesn't seem like the quarterback or running back or whatever is suddenly the best ever at their position just because they have a great season. But it seems really bad with basketball. From what I've seen.

[Fabulous]

Cleveland takes a 2-1 series lead. I still think the Warriors will take it though.

[Yoda]

Either way, what James is doing here is insane. It's just him and a bunch of dudes at this point against one of the best regular season teams of all-time, and not only are they ahead, but their only loss was in overtime. That is, as the kids say, bananas.

[matt72582]

Amazing game. They won despite Blatt. Once they stopped trapping Curry, he started taking open but long 3's. Also, Blatt had a Center (Thompson or Mosgov) to switch on him. Good defenders, but a center can't guard a point guard.

I never thought I'd root for the Cavs (I thought it would have been them against the Spurs), but I really want this for the city, and for them being underdogs, with players out, I'm loving the hustle. Lebron is Lebron, but I knew Matthew D would show up. Curry has had it easy with all the pg's injured, except a geriatric Jason Terry who was never a good defender. Curry has also had the most open 3's, which is odd...

I just don't want any more injuries - I'd rather have the best team win.

[seanc]

Only was able to watch the first half last night but the 10 quarters of basketball I have seen have been great. A lot of mistakes by both teams but the intensity has been tremendous and I will trade that for clean play every time. Been very impressed at how Cleveland has thrown Curry off his game the last two. I hadn't seen that in the playoffs thus far. I enjoy watching Curry and James so I really don't have a rooting interest. I just wanted a good series and I am getting one.

[Kaplan]

Dellavedova had to be taken to the hospital after the game for severe dehydration and cramping. Curry caught fire in the 4th, despite missing the most open jumper he had in this series off the turnover, so if things are going to turn it's gotta be now. I'm afraid the Warriors need to win the next three if they want to take this series, because I don't see them winning game 7 even though it's at home. Of course I've been wrong on these assessments many, many times.

[matt72582]

All they need to do is trap and make sure they don't have a Center on the switch... David Blatt is a pretty crappy coach.

They gotta win 3 out of 4, and I can't see that happening.

[Kaplan]

All they need to do is trap and make sure they don't have a Center on the switch... David Blatt is a pretty crappy coach.


I don't know, the guy's won championships in Europe and his team is now up 2-1 in the Finals. Not sure how that makes him a "crappy coach." I think the idea that all the Cavs need to do is trap Curry and they'll shut him down for an entire series is a bit naive. Curry will find a way to score and given Dellavedova literally had to spend the night in a hospital after game 3 shows the limitations of any perfect plan: a human only has so much in them to give. Even given the numbers Lebron has put up shows he only has so much to give, and thus his efficiency is way down and he's resorted to what I consider the ugliest style of basketball ever witnessed in modern times, which is straight up isolation basketball of the most boring caliber. It's like video game basketball where you keep running the same simple play over and over because it's the only way to beat the computer. Watching the Cavs run their offense makes the 90s Knicks look like heroes of run-and-gun basketball. As ugly as it all is, and as much as Blatt has been blessed with guys who are giving more than ever could have been expected, the coach is still a big part of where they are right now. It's silly to act like the Cavs are where they are in spite of him.

[seanc]

Plus when they shut down Curry in game 2, Thompson had 34 and they went to OT. Not only was that because of Thompson but when they were guarding almost exclusively against the three towards the end of the game the Warriors walked the ball to the basket about four times in a row. GS depends on Curry but they are not a one trick pony. You don't win this many games in a year with one scorer.

[matt72582]

Anyone want to make a guess as to who wins tonight?

[seanc]

I'll go GS. They have played very tough. I would hate to see the series get away from them.

[matt72582]

I want Cleveland, but I think GS wins... I wonder how the lineup change works.