2018 NBA Playoffs

BOS with GH and KI next year is a championship team... and should be able to compete / beat GSW. They just don?t have enough this year to beat the WC squad.

HOU should be up 2-0... they got nada from the supporting cast in game 1... Paul is just meh too... not good enough (but he?s always been this way in playoffs). 39 points on 31 shots with just 9 assists in the series so far... again, not good enough.
 
tiger0330 said:
Cavs are done. Celts are destroying the Cavs not just beating them, 25 pt margin of victory game 1, 13 pt game 2. Celts are 9-0 at home these playoffs and have never lost a series after being up 2-0. Cavs don't have Kyrie this year or the horses to come back and beat a clearly better Celts team, Lebron scoring 40 in a loss tells me he won't be enough to get them to the finals. Celts in 5-6 before moving on. I said early in the year that it may be a special season for them even w/o Hayward but I didn't think they could do it w/o Kyrie.
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Mark Stein thinks like me the Cavs are done. If Lebron does drag the Cavs to the NBA finals, give him the GOAT over MJ. Celts are 37-0 in winning a series after being up 2-0 and are 9-0 at home in these playoffs, even the legend of Lebron can't beat those numbers.

When Even LeBron James’s Best Might Not Be Enough

LeBron James always seems to find a way to get his team to the finals, but right now a seven-season streak appears to be in jeopardy.CreditCharles Krupa/Associated Press
By Marc Stein
May 18, 2018
Basketball historians will rightfully tell you that digging his team out of a 3-1 N.B.A. Finals ditch, winning a Game 7 on Golden State’s floor and lifting the so-called Cleveland Curse to deliver title glory to a long-suffering city adds up to peak LeBron James.
Two short years later, in the 2018 N.B.A. playoffs, James realistically has to be better now than he was then just to get back to the finals.
That is how deep the hole suddenly is for James and his Cleveland Cavaliers entering Saturday night’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the relentless Boston Celtics. Dragging this raggedy collection out of a 2-0 deficit to clinch the eighth consecutive finals appearance of James’ career, with no Kyrie Irving at his side to share the burden, would have to rank as the second-shiniest entry on his resume.

Some league observers are bound to contest that view. Drew Gooden, who was a key member of Cleveland’s 2006-07 squad that James unexpectedly hauled to the finals in just his fourth pro season, did contest it loudly when he hopped on the phone with me this week, insisting that those Cavaliers were an even longer shot to get to the title round because of their collective lack of experience.

“You can’t compare this group to ours,” Gooden said. “This group has already won a championship. We were like a deer in headlights.”
Good points from Gooden, but I’m not budging. For all it supposedly lacked in terms of know-how, that Cleveland team ranked fifth in the league in defensive efficiency. It muscled past the second-ranked Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals when LeBron, not yet 23, scored the Cavaliers’ final 25 points in an unforgettable series-turning classic in Game 5.
The current Cavaliers finished 29th out of 30 teams in defensive efficiency and were outscored by 40 points over the course of seven games in a first-round series against Indiana that the math says they should have never escaped. And they have been shredded twice in Boston by a club that lost Gordon Hayward just 5 minutes and 15 seconds into its season opener and has not had Irving in uniform since March 11.

Among James's biggest accomplishments was in his fourth year when he dragged a not-ready-for-prime-time Cavaliers team to the 2007 N.B.A. finals. They were swept by Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.CreditJeff Haynes/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
James, as a result, finds himself in an 0-2 deficit in an Eastern Conference playoff series for the first time since (gulp) 2008 — even though he’s coming off a 42-point, 10-rebound, 12-assist performance.
The results of Tuesday night’s draft lottery, on top of the February trade spree that exiled Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder, means Cleveland has replaced Irving with Jordan Clarkson, George Hill, Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr., Ante Zizic and the No. 8 overall pick (via Brooklyn) in the N.B.A. draft next month. That fivesome combined to score five points in the Cavaliers’ 107-94 defeat in Game 2.

And then there is this distressing bit of history unearthed by my longtime ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst: The last No. 8 pick to achieve All-Star status was Vin Baker — who was selected eighth by Milwaukee way back in 1993. The jewel of the Irving trade return, in other words, turned out to be far less sparkly than expected, thanks to the plucky Nets posting only the league’s eighth-worst record.
The Other Cavaliers, as they were mockingly called in a recent Saturday Night Live sketch, figure to play better in the next two games at home. But when Boston is 8-0 at home in these playoffs and 37-0 as a franchise after seizing a 2-0 lead in any series, it is becoming a serious strain to imagine James leading Cleveland on a comeback.
Which means it is not too early to start picturing James in another uniform.
James has offered roughly zero hints about his future plans over the past nine months, but a move to a franchise better positioned for championship contention feels even more inevitable now than it did in 2010. That is when the Cavaliers were pounded by the Celtics in the conference semifinals, leading to James’s controversial defection to Miami.
James’s return to free agency is just 44 days away and — unless his wife and children tell him they cannot bear to leave Northern Ohio — what incentive would the native of nearby Akron have to stay with the Cavaliers beyond sentimentality?
Does James have some culpability here? Do the short-term contracts he has insisted on signing since returning to the Cavaliers in the summer of 2014 add to the immense win-now pressure and seemingly ceaseless drama that have smothered everyone involved with this franchise for four consecutive seasons? Sure.
Yet it’s most certainly not James’s fault that the team’s owner, Dan Gilbert, had a decaying relationship with the highly rated general manager David Griffin, which prompted an unforeseen parting in June 2017 — when Griffin was in the midst of trying to execute trades for the likes of Paul George and Jimmy Butler. Nor did James advise the Cavaliers to cave into Irving’s trade wishes last August and send him to Cleveland’s foremost rival in the conference when Irving still had two seasons left on his contract.
James was convinced that Cleveland should at least bring Irving to training camp to try to work out a truce and then trade him later if those efforts failed. Everyone is obviously smarter in hindsight, but regret in Cleveland over the refusal to go that route is inevitable after the failures of Thomas and Crowder to fit in, as well as the false hope spawned by the February trade spree.

It must be noted that James was initially fooled, too. He was as giddy as anyone after the Cavaliers’ first game following the acquisitions of Clarkson, Hill, Hood and Nance Jr. He reacted to Cleveland’s 22-point blitz of the Celtics in Boston by excitedly telling his teammate J.R. Smith: “We have a squad now.”
According to Smith’s version, which he relayed through the ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin at the time, James threw in an expletive for emphasis, so convinced he was that the infusion of athleticism and newness was just what Cleveland needed.
What Griffin’s successor Koby Altman was really trading for, of course, was a fully engaged LeBron. And, apart from his Game 1 clunker against the Celtics, James has never been better in the postseason — individually.
The rest, though, was a mirage.
LeBron’s rampages were barely sufficient against the Pacers and appear to be in vain against the Celtics when Al Horford is playing the most forceful two-way ball of his career. And when the irrationally confident Marcus Morris has helped limit James to 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting in their 56 head-to-head minutes. And when Boston’s savant of a coach, Brad Stevens, is getting so much out of the relative neophytes Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum while James is plagued with such intermittent help.
My personal rule when it comes to playoff prognostication is simple: You don’t pick against LeBron James when he is facing a fellow East resident. Even when he is halfway to elimination.
But I cannot muster the gumption to claim that James is about to lead the broken Cavaliers to four wins in next five games. Not even after three full off days to regroup and refuel.
Maybe he has faced more dire predicaments, but never before with a cast that is doing so little supporting.
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tiger0330 said:
Mark Stein thinks like me the Cavs are done. If Lebron does drag the Cavs to the NBA finals, give him the GOAT over MJ. Celts are 37-0 in winning a series after being up 2-0 and are 9-0 at home in these playoffs, even the legend of Lebron can't beat those numbers.
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Iverson drug a worse team to the Finals. The East just isn't what it used to be. You had a near 60 win team get swept this never would've happened in a Jordan era. Drew Gooden's point is rock solid, they have 4 players on the team outside of Lebron who've won a Finals and were picked at the beginning of the yr to get there again.

Celtics have nair 1 Superstar and a seriously borderline All-Star. If Stevens gets this rag tag team to the Finals while taking out a so-called GOAT it'll be the most impressive thing we've witnessed in quite some time and possible ever from a coaching aspect.
 
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Kiyaman said:
61 - 41 Cavs at Half-Time .. will this game turn into a Boston strong 2nd half win ???
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Nah, Cavs have this one. Cavs win Monday it's a new ballgame and maybe the Cavs can get to game 7 in Boston and try to work that legend of Lebron magic there but I expect BOS to steal that game on Monday.
 
Broadway said:
No lies in this tweet

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Ha Ha .. the above mention 4 players are decent role-players that were put into a high expectation situation on the last day of the trading-deadline, having a short span of time to prepare to perform on the next level of B.ball in the postseason games along side new teammates .. We Fans has put very high expectation on the 4 players mention above putting them in the FINALS .. after the Cavs swept the Raptors.
 
tiger0330 said:
Nah, Cavs have this one. Cavs win Monday it's a new ballgame and maybe the Cavs can get to game 7 in Boston and try to work that legend of Lebron magic there but I expect BOS to steal that game on Monday.
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Yeah .. the Cavs are not letting up in this game they are stretching the lead 93 - 66 having 10 minute left in the game.
Boston's explosive young tandem of Tatum & J.Brown could pull off a win on Monday.
 
Cavs 116 - Boston 86 .. Boston lead series 2-1
The Cavs had a 30 point WIN in Cleveland tonight .. The Cavs took the lead at tip-off and never look back!
George Hill scored 11 points in the first quarter, Love had a double-double, Korver came off the bench to shoot 4-4 from the 3 ball line, all 5 starters scored in double figures for the WIN.
Boston will have to work on a different plan than they had today to try and beat the Cavs in Cleveland on Monday ???
 
Today .. we find out how bad do the Houston Rockets want to win the series vs GS Warriors ..
The Rockets need the win today in GS to keep Home-Court advantage ..
Which bench player gonna step-up on the Rockets for the win today? Gordon? Green? Nene?

Stop sleeping on Curry !!!
 
Kiyaman said:
HalfTime 54-43 Warriors

The only thing Houston beating the Warriors in are turn-overs 10-4
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Hate games like these. Like yesterday's game Warriors take a commanding 21 pt lead 10 minutes left in the 3rd, Rox are not coming back against that Dubs D with a lead like that.
 
They compare Trae Young to Steph, he's better than Steph at the same age but man it would be hard to pass on the kid at 9 if he's still there. If Trae can knock down 30 ft 3s like they're layups like Steph does you have to take him. Steph with 35 5-12 on 3s after a slow start.
 
Yep Steph went crazy. Two blowouts. Kinda surprised. Houston blew to many layups and turned the ball over. The ROX have to play perfect to win this series. I gotta stop wearing my Rockets jersey because they get blown out when I do:(.
 
Warriors 126 - Rockets 85 .. Warriors lead series 2-1
Curry's 35 point performance beat the visiting Rockets by 41 points tonight to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
The Warriors Starters put a hurting on the Rockets in the worst way in GS tonight by scoring 72 points in the 2nd half of the game.
Draymond Green added 10 pts, 17 rb, and 6 dimes ..
Durant added 25 pts, 6 rb, and 6 dimes ..
Klay added 13 pts, 3 dimes, 1 stl, 2 blks ..
Iggy added 10 pts, 3 rb, 3 dimes, 3 stl, 1 Blk ..
The Warriors starters creative ball-movement throughout the game were on the Next-Level of B.ball creating a 41 point win for the Warrior team.
The Rockets coach MDA whatever plan he came up with for Game-3 failed tremendously when the Warriors outscored the Rockets in each of the 4 quarters of the game tonight.
 
tiger0330 said:
They compare Trae Young to Steph, he's better than Steph at the same age but man it would be hard to pass on the kid at 9 if he's still there. If Trae can knock down 30 ft 3s like they're layups like Steph does you have to take him. Steph with 35 5-12 on 3s after a slow start.
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Its hard for me to believe the Kings will select Doncic over Trae Young or Bagley .. when Doncic may not play in the NBA till 2020
 
Chris Paul is a playoff bum. If this guy is a HOF player... o boy... There?s a reason he?s playing in his first Conf Final... I wouldn?t trust him to win a summer rec league title let along bet on him in the NBA come May.

3 games vs GSW: 52 points on 19-47 shooting, and most of his points came during garbage time of each loss (5-20 from downtown). And a lovely 13 assists (about 4 per game, or about 16 less than Rondo delivers when playoffs arrive).

He was atrocious tonight.
 
The Cavs 34 - Boston 18 at the end of the 1st quarter ..
Half-Time .. Cavs 68 - Boston 53 ....
The Cavs Korver are in his 2nd game in a row shooting 100% from the FG & FT, having 14 pts and 3 block shots plus 2 great hard fouls on Baynes in the first half of the game.
 
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