The 2017 NBA Playoffs: This Is A Recording

[crashcarson15]

4 minutes ago, ozzyman314 said:

Is that why he has a 3-5 record in The Finals? 

 

Plus what makes you think a team with Giannis or John Wall can stand a better chance than a stacked team like The Celtics? 

 

I mean, I'm trying not to. But outside of "Lebron is unstoppable" I haven't heard a legitimate reason why The Celtics, with all their current & future assets, aren't the #1 team in the east to beat Lebron. 

“Stacked team like The Celtics” is a great line.

 

Look, I’m not sitting here saying that either Milwaukee or Washington will beat the Cavs in either of the next two playoffs. I find it unlikely either will.

 

But LeBron’s track record throughout the playoffs doesn’t suggest he’s going to lose to this Celtics team in 2018 or 2019, which was your original assertion. You want a “legitimate reason?” The Celtics aren’t good enough, and won’t be good enough in the short-term to do so.* There isn’t a current asset that scares me with that team. Perhaps Fultz gets there at some point, but it’s not going to be within the next two seasons.

 

*Offer maybe ceases to be valid if they actually give up some of their future assets to land the type of player (e.g. Paul George or Jimmy Butler) I’ve spent the whole discussion talking about. And even then, I still wouldn’t consider it likely they get through.

[dfwabel]

1 hour ago, ozzyman314 said:

Is that why he has a 3-5 record in The Finals? 

 

Plus what makes you think a team with Giannis or John Wall can stand a better chance than a stacked team like The Celtics? 

I mean, I'm trying not to. But outside of "Lebron is unstoppable" I haven't heard a legitimate reason why The Celtics, with all their current & future assets, aren't the #1 team in the east to beat Lebron. 

When you use capitals such as, The Celtics,yet not use that for most other teams....you are a homer.

 

2 hours ago, ozzyman314 said:

I don't see Bucks having the assets to beat Lebron. Wizards maybe, but I'd still put Celtics ahead of them as Teams most likely to topple The Cavs. 

 

[ozzyman314]

1 minute ago, crashcarson15 said:

“Stacked team like The Celtics” is a great line.

 

Look, I’m not sitting here saying that either Milwaukee or Washington will beat the Cavs in either of the next two playoffs. I find it unlikely either will.

 

But LeBron’s track record throughout the playoffs doesn’t suggest he’s going to lose to this Celtics team in 2018 or 2019, which was your original assertion. You want a “legitimate reason?” The Celtics aren’t good enough, and won’t be good enough in the short-term to do so.* There isn’t a current asset that scares me with that team. Perhaps Fultz gets there at some point, but it’s not going to be within the next two seasons.

 

*Offer maybe ceases to be valid if they actually give up some of their future assets to land the type of player (e.g. Paul George or Jimmy Butler) I’ve spent the whole discussion talking about. And even then, I still wouldn’t consider it likely they get through.

Youngest team in the playoffs in years, Future top picks in the Draft, how exactly is this team not stacked for the future? 

Lebron isn't unstoppable, sooner or later the tires start to fall off. And if Cleveland loses any of their other top players like Love or Irving Lebron won't be able to carry the team through an entire series, especially against a team like The Celtics. 

 

This Celtics team is only going to get better, and if they can stand toe to toe with The Cavs now, I see no reason why they don't have a legitimate shot at beating them within the next 3-5 years. 

[dfwabel]

1 hour ago, ozzyman314 said:

Youngest team in the playoffs in years, Future top picks in the Draft, how exactly is this team not stacked for the future? 

Lebron isn't unstoppable, sooner or later the tires start to fall off. And if Cleveland loses any of their other top players like Love or Irving Lebron won't be able to carry the team through an entire series, especially against a team like The Celtics. 

 

This Celtics team is only going to get better, and if they can stand toe to toe with The Cavs now, I see no reason why they don't have a legitimate shot at beating them within the next 3-5 years. 

And was nearly taken down by a past his prime Rajon Rondo and Wade. 

 

Draft picks, no ,matter how high, do not always transition well to the NBA and generational players such as LeBron are just that...generational.

 

There is no guarantee that the Celtics will "get better" past this.  Even with the #1 overall, they may just be the 2012-14 Pacers.  While currently is cap room, the salary cap will still come into play with Marcus Smart, IT, Bradley and Olynyk if you really believe in this core.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Smart is a great bench player. Olynyk is fine off the bench. Avery Bradley is good. Jae Crowder is good. Hayward will be good. Isaiah Thomas can be great but there will always be what ifs around him due to his size.

 

The biggest problem with the Celtics is that they're kind of an actualized version of The Process. They've hit doubles with all of their picks (compared to a bunch of IRs, to mix metaphors), but outside of KAT and maybe Porzingis, there haven't been any home runs available to them.

 

So they may always have a solid team and may always be able to add solid players, but winning an NBA title (excepting the 2004 Pistons) requires Hall of Fame talent.

 

[ozzyman314]

Rather than spend the day going around in circles, let's agree to disagree. 

 

Regardless, I'm ecstatic at what this Celtics team has been able to accomplish, and I do believe they have a bright future ahead of them. I guess we'll just have to wait & see.  

But as KG said: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcz_kDCBTBk

[Rockstar Matt]

15 hours ago, ozzyman314 said:

Why do people keep thinking this? First people said they'd get swept by The Bulls, then lose to Wizards. 

Down 0-2 without IT, Celtics stood toe to toe with the Cavs (one their home court no less) even handing them their first playoff loss. With someone like Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball, they are in a better position than any team in The East to topple The Cavs. 

 

Lol. Literally no one said they'd get swept by the Bulls before the series started. C'mon man. That is revisionist's history at its finest. 

 

And not to diminish the achievement of beating the Cavs in Cleveland (although I'm about to), but y'all only won by 3 and it took LeBron having one of his worst playoff games in recent memory to do so. If LeBron had even had an average game, by his standards, the Cavs would have won. He didn't, and they lost, so good on the Celtics for not bowing out despite the huge talent gap between the two teams and the huge deficit they faced in that game. 

 

In addition, if anything this series has taught us, or hell, the whole Eastern Conference Playoffs, is that no East team is even close to being able to compete with the Cavs, let alone topple them. There's only one team in the NBA who the Cavaliers would be underdogs to and that's the Warriors.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Like Kawhi, had Rondo continued the Bulls/Celtics series would likely have looked dramatically different. Playoff Rondo was in full effect and he looked brilliant. If its and butts and all that, of course.

 

Sure would have been nice if Cleveland's support could have lifted a bum game by LeBron. Love, Kyrie and Tristan Thompson make superstar money so they should have been able to superstarly rise to the occasion.

[EvilChameleon]

Celtics win one game where LeBron played like :censored: and suddenly the Celtics are "right there" and the closest to "toppling" them.

 

Hey, the Raptors won two games in the last ECF, added a player, and then got swept right the :censored: outta here in 2017.

[ozzyman314]

5 minutes ago, EvilChameleon said:

Celtics win one game where LeBron played like and suddenly the Celtics are "right there" and the closest to "toppling" them.

 

Hey, the Raptors won two games in the last ECF, added a player, and then got swept right the outta here in 2017.

Raptors don't have a young core with room to build on & top draft picks to add on to that. Celtics do. 

Raptors peaked last year, Celtics haven't even begun to yet. 

[EvilChameleon]

Ssh Raggedy Man, ssh.

[JWhiz96]

5 hours ago, ozzyman314 said:

Smart,Crowder, next year you can probably add Fultz. 

 

I don't see Bucks having the assets to beat Lebron. Wizards maybe, but I'd still put Celtics ahead of them as Teams most likely to topple The Cavs. 

A Celtics homer? Let me extend a warm welcome to these boards 

 

As to your points, I do believe that the C's have the best opportunity to take down LBJ in the coming years; however, I only give them something like a 3% to actually do it. LeBron is coming off his best season and until game 3 of the ECF has shown no signs of slowing down (in all honesty, game 3 was more than likely an aberration). It will be very difficult to take down the Cavs unless LBJ pulls a Jordan and retires.

 

The Bucks have a nice opportunity to rise, but they need players like Jabari Parker to step up. Even before the injury, he had improved but not to that sharpshooting 2-guard necessary to compliment Antetokunmpo. They should be better next year and their size might give the Cavs some resistance, but the latter simply have too many weapons.

 

The Wiz have no shot. Wall is a superstar, Beal is a knockdown shooter, and Morris and Porter are good in their roles, but they lack a bench. There's no way they'll last 7 against the Cavs with amateurs playing backup minutes.

[Sport]

"Lebron is only 3-4 in the finals" is not the burn some people want it to be. 

 

[FiddySicks]

56 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

"Lebron is only 3-4 in the finals" is not the burn some people want it to be. 

 

 

It definitely doesn't have quite the heft it used to. Had they not pulled off the win last year vs the Warriors, it probably would still hit pretty hard because his only two titles would've been with the Miami SuperFriends, and he would've been 0-3 without Cleveland. Now though? It's just one of those classicly go to Lebron knocks that missed an update somewhere along the line. Even if they get torched this season (which I think they will), it still won't change that. 3-5 is still better than 2-6. 

 

 

I remember in 2014/2015 I was cool with the Pats making the Superb Owl because Brady being .500 was such a good knock. We all saw how that turned out (:censored:ing Seahawks and Falcons) and he's back to being God like again. 

[ozzyman314]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2711630-tyronn-lue-says-celtics-offense-harder-than-warriors-to-defend-for-cavaliers

 

Food for thought. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

8 minutes ago, ozzyman314 said:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2711630-tyronn-lue-says-celtics-offense-harder-than-warriors-to-defend-for-cavaliers

 

Food for thought. 

 

Yeah. He's wrong.

[EvilChameleon]

LeBron broke the Cleveland curse. He could win zero more titles and still be considered the best player of all time in my book.

[JWhiz96]

20 minutes ago, EvilChameleon said:

LeBron broke the Cleveland curse. He could win zero more titles and still be considered the best player of all time in my book my favorite player.

I know you're a Cleveland fan, but his Airness is #1 until Lebron wins at least six.

[Rockstar Matt]

25 minutes ago, JWhiz96 said:

I know you're a Cleveland fan, but his Airness is #1 until Lebron wins at least six.

 

LeBron is the closest to Jordan though. He's the only one who has an argument when comparing him to Jordan. 

[EvilChameleon]

33 minutes ago, JWhiz96 said:

I know you're a Cleveland fan, but his Airness is #1 until Lebron wins at least six.

 

Well no, that's an incorrect "fix", because LeBron isn't my favorite player, Kyrie is.