The 2017 NBA Playoffs: This Is A Recording

[JWhiz96]

3 hours ago, Lights Out said:

Additionally, the Warriors had won Game 3 by 35 against the Rockets. It was obvious that Game 4 was a blip on the radar. In contrast, in this series, the Warriors stole Game 3 by a hair and didn't look too impressive doing it. It feels like the momentum is shifting.

The momentum's not shifting. The Cavs needed 45 points in the first, 23 3-pointers, and Kyrie going nuclear to even win this one. The only way I see Golden State losing another game is due to their psyche from last year...but they didn't have Durant then either.

 

Also, :censored: Zaza Pachulia. First Kawhi, then he steps on LeBron's ankle, and for the kicker, he attempts to punch Shumpert in the nether regions. If this thug is not thrown out of this league, then something needs to change ASAP.

[dfwabel]

1 hour ago, DG_Now said:

Semi-serious question. Oracle Arena is tiny, so both fans and players are right on top of the game.

 

Here's a clip of highlights in Oakland, that should start in the right place (6:36):

 

The Warriors bench isn't technically on the court, but they're basically there. Is there any rule about how much room the bench should have? There are times when it looks like they completely crowd out the corner three on their side of the court.

Good question, but OTOH, the bench players at most arenas often don't have seats as they've been forced past the corner of the court for revenue.

 

That, and the Cavs floor is raised. Not like Mackey Arena (Purdue) or the Final Four, but when Steve Kerr sat down last night before tipoff, you couldn't see his shoes.

[Lights Out]

1 hour ago, JWhiz96 said:

The momentum's not shifting. The Cavs needed 45 points in the first, 23 3-pointers, and Kyrie going nuclear to even win this one. The only way I see Golden State losing another game is due to their psyche from last year...but they didn't have Durant then either.

The Cavs' passes per possession, secondary assists, offensive rating and eFG% have all increased in each game this series. The Warriors have gone from winning by blowout margins to losing by a blowout margin. It might be too little too late (losing Game 3 like that was a killer), but it looks like the Cavs' offense has started to figure out the Warriors' defense and the trends are going the Cavs' way. It's not just this game, Game 3 was extremely close and hard-fought without a historic offensive explosion from the Cavs. That's what I mean when I say that the momentum is shifting.

 

Of course, if Curry and Klay have one of their god-mode shooting games, it's all over.

[FiddySicks]

Also, those shifts tend to happen when changing from one court to another. You usually don't see quite the numbers in game 3s (especially for the Warriors over this run. Game 3 has always been rough for them) that you in games 1 and 2 because, for as arbitrary as it may be at times, home court does tend to give the advantage to the home team. 

 

If if we get another game where every single dumb shot Cleveland throws up goes in (like last night and the aforementioned game 5 in 2015 I was talking about vs Houston), then I'll be a bit more worried. But that's usually pretty far from sustainable. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

The Cavs were great from 3 this season, and they were dominant in the Celtics series.

 

I also think their defense is subpar and they need more from players not named LeBron. I fully expect the Warriors to close it out Monday, but it's fun to pretend for a moment that they won't.

[Lights Out]

It's a testament to how great LeBron is that anyone's even taking the idea of the Cavs coming back from 0-3 seriously.

[HedleyLamarr]

Only LeBron's groin-riders are talking about coming back from 3-down.  The bulk of the impartial media are talking about how poorly Game 4's officiating was (not necessarily favoring one team, just how sloppy it was in general).

[habsfan1]

Don't count out the Cavs yet. This series isn't over.

[VDizzle12]

I think most Cavs fans and players are acting like they are up 3-1 instead of the other way around. They aren't winning this series and really haven't done anything but avoid the sweep. As a Cleveland fan I'm happy with them winning 1 of 3 Finals and not getting swept this year. They blew any chance at this series after game 3. We could be looking at 0-3 and a heartbreaking World Series loss.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

3 hours ago, HedleyLamarr said:

Only LeBron's groin-riders are talking about coming back from 3-down.  The bulk of the impartial media are talking about how poorly Game 4's officiating was (not necessarily favoring one team, just how sloppy it was in general).

 

I am also making declarative statements that are dismissive of an argument I don't agree with. While I'm at it, I'll make sure to insult what are otherwise perfectly reasonable opinions.

[HedleyLamarr]

21 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

 

I am also making declarative statements that are dismissive of an argument I don't agree with. While I'm at it, I'll make sure to insult what are otherwise perfectly reasonable opinions.

There's appreciating a guy's talents, and then there's putting a guy on a pedestal and defending him at every turn like he's your spouse.  Most basketball fans are the former.  It's the latter that you just can't reason with.

 

"LeBron went a distance of 34-35 feet while the ball hit the ground just once.  How is that not traveling?"

"Some people just don't appreciate athleticism."

 

"The Cavs needed a record-setting performance and a off night from the Warriors to win a game."

"Warriors are getting weak, they've been exposed, and Cleveland can win three more!"

 

"Jordan never lost an NBA Finals and has six rings."

"LeBron is better because the league is tougher now."

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I would say that winning arguments on the Internet is a lot easier when you argue with cartoon versions of what you think people said rather than what they actually did. Also, it's okay if sports talk is a conversation and not an argument.

[HedleyLamarr]

7 hours ago, DG_Now said:

I would say that winning arguments on the Internet is a lot easier when you argue with cartoon versions of what you think people said rather than what they actually did. Also, it's okay if sports talk is a conversation and not an argument.

 

On 6/7/2017 at 11:11 PM, HedleyLamarr said:

That final play by the Cavaliers in the third quarter....LeBron only dribbled the ball once between the center line and the point where he shot the ball, which was inside the free-throw line.  He managed to travel a distance of at least 33-34 feet with the ball only touching the ground once.  How the hell is that not traveling?

 

On 6/7/2017 at 11:39 PM, DG_Now said:

Two things about traveling in the NBA:

1. The players are often more athletic than people give them credit for

2. The players often travel

I didn't just imagine the "athletic" remark when asking how something wasn't traveling.  You also admitted he traveled.

[HedleyLamarr]

23 hours ago, Lights Out said:

Well, it's not over yet. Warriors seem to be getting worse as the series goes on, Cavs seem to be getting better. We may very well be witnessing history in the making again. I wouldn't be saying this with any other player or team, but LeBron can do this.

 

17 hours ago, Lights Out said:

The Cavs' passes per possession, secondary assists, offensive rating and eFG% have all increased in each game this series. The Warriors have gone from winning by blowout margins to losing by a blowout margin. It might be too little too late (losing Game 3 like that was a killer), but it looks like the Cavs' offense has started to figure out the Warriors' defense and the trends are going the Cavs' way. It's not just this game, Game 3 was extremely close and hard-fought without a historic offensive explosion from the Cavs. That's what I mean when I say that the momentum is shifting.

Didn't just imagine the "Warriors are regressing, Cleveland is improving, Cleveland has the momentum and can win three more" post(s), either.

[BBTV]

13 hours ago, HedleyLamarr said:

Only LeBron's groin-riders are talking about coming back from 3-down.  The bulk of the impartial media are talking about how poorly Game 4's officiating was (not necessarily favoring one team, just how sloppy it was in general).

 

So fans of a player (or team) are trying to be optimistic that their team can come back so they can enjoy at least one more game rather than packing it in and just being miserable?  The nerve of them.

 

Next thing you know, when asked by a reporter whether they are still in this series, Lebron will answer "no, we're just going to Oakland because the league is making us play the last game.  Can't wait to start the offseason."  Any other answer would be delusional.

[crashcarson15]

16 hours ago, Bucfan56 said:

Also, those shifts tend to happen when changing from one court to another. You usually don't see quite the numbers in game 3s (especially for the Warriors over this run. Game 3 has always been rough for them) that you in games 1 and 2 because, for as arbitrary as it may be at times, home court does tend to give the advantage to the home team. 

 

If if we get another game where every single dumb shot Cleveland throws up goes in (like last night and the aforementioned game 5 in 2015 I was talking about vs Houston), then I'll be a bit more worried. But that's usually pretty far from sustainable. 

Of course, I’d contest the Cavs shooting below 30 percent from 3-point range in the first three games of the series was more of an anomaly than the shooting performance Friday. Between the playoffs and regular season, the Cavs shot better than .533 from deep seven times; they shot .276 and .273 back-to-back in 2 and 3, despite doing that or worse just 11 times before.

 

It’s an 11th percentile performance immediately followed by a 10th percentile one; to me, that’s more unsustainable than a single 93rd percentile one.

 

Obviously, if the Cavs hit shots at anything that approaches a standard level for them in 3, this series could be 2-2. It isn’t, and that’s fine, and it’s difficult to say how the calculus for 4 is altered if the Cavs would’ve won Wednesday. Hell, a lot of the Cavs’ problems from 1 and 2 would’ve simply been solved by average shooting days; you (effectively) can’t give up a transition bucket when you score.

 

It is entirely plausible that the Cavs come back and win this series. They’ve shown in 3 and 4 that they’re more than capable of beating this Warriors team. Will they? Almost certainly not — my hunch is that the Warriors get cooking from the field tomorrow and win comfortably. But hey, it’s a neat thing to think about, at least for a little bit.

[CLEstones]

We were at Game 4 on Friday.  It was a fantastic atmosphere.  The crowd was electric - as I am sure most were able to pick up on TV.

 

The section we were in was one of the sections that the Warriors bought up some tickets and flew employees in the marketing/sales/facilities/etc. departments.  Classy move.  I would say we were surrounded by 15 Warriors fans, the rest were Cavs.

 

The Warriors fans were all very cool, very understanding - except for 2 people.  1 girl couldn't even tell you what sport they were playing on the court, but she knew that everything the Cavs did was wrong and a foul and everything the Warriors did was right and not a foul.  The other guy was wearing a "CURRANT", #3.5 custom jersey.  He was nauseating.  He didn't make it through the first quarter.

 

The rest of the GSW fans were great.  We talked basketball, we talked where they were staying/eating at, we talked officiating, pace of play, coaches.  I prefaced the start of the night that I was going to ride them all night and not to take it personally, but since they were up 3-0, I was allowed to give them crap.  I also told them that if/when they take the lead in the game, or even win, I fully expect them to give it back to me and bust my chops.  We all kept it clean, no cursing, no personal insults, it was a lot of fun... I hope they didn't think I was too annoying.  I hope they had a great time, even though they literally just had enough time to get dinner and go to the game before they had to leave.

 

What a great night.  I don't think it changes anything in this series or changes Golden State's legacy in the "All Time" discussion.  But man, it was great to show fight.  The city looked great, the fans were great, and the team responded.  I was proud of my team and my city.

[OnWis97]

I noticed the atmosphere as I thought it might  be more subdued.  The mood down 0-3 could have been sour.  Of course, even then, it's a bigger deal than a regular season game.

 

The series is obviously over.  It really makes the game 3 collapse disappointing.  This coulda been a series.

[Lights Out]

God forbid anyone hopes for the Cavs to make this series interesting! The regular season and playoffs have been terrible this year, so the fans at least deserve one good series. But I guess we all need to give up and hope for the Warriors to finish it off in 5 or else we're "groin riders." 

[Lights Out]

3 hours ago, HedleyLamarr said:

 

Didn't just imagine the "Warriors are regressing, Cleveland is improving, Cleveland has the momentum and can win three more" post(s), either.

Nice job glossing over the parts where I said it might be too little too late, that losing Game 3 like they did was probably a killer, and that all it would take is a hot shooting night from Curry and Klay to make all the trends shift right back. You didn't even bother quoting that last part because you knew full well that it contradicted what you were about to post.

 

The stats are what they are. The Warriors have clearly not played as well in Games 3 and 4 as they did in the first two games. The Cavs have clearly played better since the Game 2 shellacking. It's not unreasonable to point out any of these facts, especially since the series isn't actually over yet.

 

Can the Cavs come back? Sure - they still have the best player on the court. Will they come back? Probably not, because it's insanely difficult to come back from an 0-3 deficit. Are fans wrong for wanting to see the Cavs make history? Absolutely not. The alternative is the Warriors getting crowned in boring, predictable fashion to complete a boring, predictable season. Compared to that, I think most people would at least rather see this go 7. In fact, unless you're a Warriors fan, I'd question how much you even like this sport if you don't want this series to get interesting.