# 2017 NBA Playoffs **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 16, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582 "2017-04-16T20:40:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/322 "2017-06-13T15:24:00Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > I briefly saw the post game show last night, and the announcer said something like “And it was such a challenge, for Kevin Durant to come to this team that was already great, already winning, and adjust to be able to fit in there” or something really stupid like that. > > Yes, the hardest road. That is freaking hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/323 "2017-06-13T15:33:57Z")
I don’t have a problem with free agency and ‘Super Teams’ – they don’t always work out as planned anyway. There’s nothing wrong with what Durant did by going to Golden State. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/324 "2017-06-13T15:41:02Z")
The team that made the most 3 pointers won each game. And that is basically what the NBA is now. The Warriors have probably 3 of the best 5 shooters in the game, and each of those 3 can do other things, too. Not like Kyle Korver, who is not just a one trick pony, but actually quite bad in all other aspects of the game except shooting. I heard Collin Cowherd yesterday propose a 3 point line that, from its point in the center, extends straight into the sideline. Or perhaps a mild arc that ends on the sideline at the bench area. This eliminates the corner 3, which is usually the most open 3 point shot. At first it sounds dumb, but after watching the game last night, and reflecting on this past season, I’m not so sure. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/325 "2017-06-13T15:43:58Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > That is freaking hilarious. Some people just won’t stop crying, not for a while anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/326 "2017-06-13T15:46:11Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > The team that made the most 3 pointers won each game. And that is basically what the NBA is now. The Warriors have probably 3 of the best 5 shooters in the game, and each of those 3 can do other things, too. Not like Kyle Korver, who is not just a one trick pony, but actually quite bad in all other aspects of the game except shooting. > > I heard Collin Cowherd yesterday propose a 3 point line that, from its point in the center, extends straight into the sideline. Or perhaps a mild arc that ends on the sideline at the bench area. This eliminates the corner 3, which is usually the most open 3 point shot. At first it sounds dumb, but after watching the game last night, and reflecting on this past season, I’m not so sure. That plays right into Curry’s strengths. The farther back the line is, the fewer players can hit from there. But Curry can hit it. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/327 "2017-06-13T16:03:49Z")
Now that they have all the tracking tech in NBA arenas, scoring should be on a gradient rather than a discrete 3-point line. Currently the 3-point line at the top of the key is 23.75 feet, so round that to 25 feet. The value for any made basket should be: 2 + ( 0.04 \* DistanceInFeet ) So a 25-foot shot is worth 3. A corner “3” would be worth a bit less. Curry can shoot his bombs for 4 points if he wants. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/328 "2017-06-13T16:13:53Z")
I’m not as down on the league as a lot of people. For me, the season is more than JUST who wins the championship, I enjoy watching basketball, I’ve even watched the WNBA. The Warriors will have a couple or three good years, the league will adjust then there’ll be another round of crying about how it sucks now. The commentators and ESPN seem to forget that there are people alive that watched the NBA in the Magic years and the Jordan years. There were just as many suck teams then, there were just as many bad calls and bullshit fouls as well. I prefer this style to the “thump-and-bump” and “bad-boys” and nightly muggings and assaults that went on then. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/329 "2017-06-13T16:28:23Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I don’t have a problem with free agency and ‘Super Teams’ – they don’t always work out as planned anyway. There’s nothing wrong with what Durant did by going to Golden State. I’m not going to moralize his choice, but it destroyed a contender and turned a superteam into a hyperteam, that won the title with comical ease, and no memorable moments. He definitely made the league less interesting to follow. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/330 "2017-06-13T18:24:31Z")
So at this point does anyone give a shit about the regular season awards anymore? Seems like a terribly dumb move by the NBA to wait to announce them until after the finals. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/331 "2017-06-13T18:57:38Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I really don’t understand why someone gets criticized for deciding to switch employers, considering people who watch the game presumably do the same thing all the time, whatever their careers may be. Software engineers go from Apple to Google, or from Google to Facebook because they feel like it’s a better fit or because they’ll get paid more. So effing what? The difference is, you don’t pay, what is the going rate now, $200 plus $40 to park the car (seriously, that’s the charge to park in Oakland for a Warriors game) for a family of four to see Apple or Google engineers working. > [@asahi](#): > > Sure, I don’t expect the Thunder’s team, management, or fanbase to like it, but I do expect that they’ll eventually get over it at some point. Tell a large chunk of Edmonton that after Gretzky left for Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/332 "2017-06-13T19:08:03Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Tell a large chunk of Edmonton that after Gretzky left for Los Angeles. Are they over it now? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/333 "2017-06-13T19:29:30Z")
Nobody wants an inevitable outcome in sports. This Warriors championship was as close to that as it gets. Even MJ never breezed through a postseason with that kind of ease. That’s why people don’t like KD’s decision to go there. I don’t hold it against him personally, but I am bummed that this NBA season and postseason was so damn predictable. It’s true that his decision to go to GS made the NBA, especially the playoffs, a little less fun to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/334 "2017-06-13T19:57:18Z")
Eh, the Eastern Conference playoffs weren’t exactly prime entertainment in any series the Cavaliers played in, either. We watched two teams cruise through their respective conferences, only to watch one get beat the hell down by the other. The rest of the series were entertaining, even if the two teams in the Finals was a foregone conclusion. The Thunder were never going to be contenders without an incredible amount of luck with drafting and otherwise developing players. This is the team that traded James Harden away rather than risk paying the luxury tax. To succeed in a champagne league on a beer budget requires either incredible success with young players or fantastic coaching. The Thunder have shown no signs of either for years, and Durant left. If you’re going to leave to chase a ring, why intentionally make it harder? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/335 "2017-06-13T20:10:40Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > The Thunder were never going to be contenders without an incredible amount of luck with drafting and otherwise developing players. This is the team that traded James Harden away rather than risk paying the luxury tax. To succeed in a champagne league on a beer budget requires either incredible success with young players or fantastic coaching. The Thunder have shown no signs of either for years, and Durant left. If you’re going to leave to chase a ring, why intentionally make it harder? They drafted three mvp caliber players in three successive drafts, that’s pretty much the best three year draft luck ever. That’s not even counting Ibaka. That was a dynasty in a platter, a super team built the right way, and they still pissed it away. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/336 "2017-06-13T21:21:36Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Nobody wants an inevitable outcome in sports. This Warriors championship was as close to that as it gets. Even MJ never breezed through a postseason with that kind of ease. That’s why people don’t like KD’s decision to go there. I don’t hold it against him personally, but I am bummed that this NBA season and postseason was so damn predictable. It’s true that his decision to go to GS made the NBA, especially the playoffs, a little less fun to follow. I think the Spurs beat-down of the Miami Heat in 2014 was more one-sided than what the Warriors did this past week. The Lakers thrashed the Nets in 2002. The Spurs smashed Lebron’s original Cavs squad in 2007. I think the Warriors were clearly the better team but the Cavs were more competitive than I thought they’d be, despite being closed out in just five games. The first 2 games were indeed blowouts, but Cleveland made it a much more competitive series after that. Just too bad it took them that long to figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/337 "2017-06-13T22:33:58Z")
You can blame Durant, but you should also blame the ring obsessed fandom, media, and former players who belittle each other for not having dem rangz. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/338 "2017-06-13T22:50:52Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > You can blame Durant, but you should also blame the ring obsessed fandom, media, and former players who belittle each other for not having dem rangz. This is pretty much what Max Kellerman was saying on ESPN this morning. I agree, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/339 "2017-06-13T23:56:26Z")
The Warriors made Kevin Durant an offer he couldn’t refuse. It ended up being a really good decision. How can you argue with that? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/340 "2017-06-14T02:28:15Z")
Surprised nobody’s seriously talking about what it must have been like for Durant to have had to play with the talented but mildly narcissistic Russell Westbrook. Nobody here’s talking about the fact that Scott Brooks’ personality wasn’t strong enough to convince Westbrook to be more than a scorer. I think Durant bought into the team concept but Westbrook was constantly trying to be top baller on the Thunder’s team. Harden also had a bit of an ego as well. Harden went to Houston and was part of a pretty loaded lineup and nobody gave him shit for that, so why is now everyone on Durant’s case? Westbook now gets to showcase his talents with ridiculous offensive performances, and good for him – but they’re not a championship team. There’s no reason to blame Durant for wanting to be a winner. Time to turn the page. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582/341 "2017-06-14T02:29:30Z")
If the Cavs had held onto the lead down the stretch in Game 3 the series would have gone 2-2 with another game to be played in Cleveland. It’s not much of a stretch for this to have been another 7 game series and it has proved to be pretty much necessary for the Warriors to have gone and acquired a top-2 NBA player to beat a healthy LeBron & Co. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-nba-playoffs/784582.md?page=18)