It’s hard for me to give Cleveland much of a chance, but maybe I’m overvaluing the first game. Maybe they can hope for something like the OKC-Spurs series, where OKC looked dead after game 1.
What chances would Cleveland have in a game 7 on the road? To avoid that, they’d need to win 4 out of the next 5.
I thought LeBron would have realized a Big 3 doesn’t work without damn good role players too after the South Beach Experiment. Unless James/Irving/Love is running 40 minutes a game, they give up WAY too much when it comes to the bench.
And 40 minutes a game against GS is a hellish recipe for disaster come about…oh Game 5.
Irving and James individually outscored Thompson and Curry combined and still lost. Pretty incredible.
Steph Curry is a one-in-a-lifetime shooter, and really exciting to watch on the offensive side of the ball; Klay Thompson is an underrated overall player, who only trails Curry in shooting ability; but LeBron James remains the best player in the game. What he was able to accomplish last season in leading a rag-tag bunch of players to the finals really highlights his greatness.
This season isn’t much different. I read where people claimed that LeBron had a big 3 in Cleveland. That couldn’t be further from reality. Irving is a nice PG, but he’s a third-tier player. Kevin Love may be even Lowe than than. Both would be the Warriors 4th best player; with Love probably being the 5th.
LeBron just doesn’t get his due. His consecutive appearances in the finals is truly amazing.
I don’t dispute that Lebron is the best player in the game but the only time his getting to the finals was an accomplishment was his first time. A rag tag bunch of players plus Lebron should get to the finals every time when their opposition is another rag tag bunch of players without Lebron.
We can agree that the NBA is not what it used to be top-to-bottom, but getting to the finals is still a great accomplishment, especially when your starting PG was Matthew Dellavedova.
On his current team, LeBron really only has Irving. Kevin Love is an overrated, defenseless big man. If we were to rank the top players currently playing in the finals, it would probably go something like this:
1.) LeBron (CLE)
2.) Curry (GS)
3.) Thompson (GS)
4.) Green (GS)
5.) Iguodala (GS)
6.) Irving (CLE)
7.) Love (CLE)
I know about regular season head-to-head records and all but the Eastern Conference is a joke. LeBron’s achievement will end up being about as (un)impressive as the Canadiens’ multiple dynasties or UCLA’s.
But both are quite impressive and are regarded as such through historical context.
The thing is he has a horrible record in the finals which just reinforces the “plows through easy teams then crumbles against real competition” narrative. Specially since back when the east had some sort of valid contenders like Orlando and Boston he lost against them also.
Cleveland does not match up well against Golden State, IMO. They might win if Thompson and Curry both have bad nights from the perimeter and the Warriors turn the ball over, but the averages favor GS. The Thunder were the one team that could run up and down the floor with the Warriors at both ends and eventually, that didn’t matter either. The kinds of 3 pointers that Thompson and Curry hit were insane - even more insane that they were able to hit those shots the way that Hakeem Olajuwon used to hit 12-15 footer fades. Those are indefensible shots and the Warriors can run off those to the tune of 30-40 points or more per game.
I think maybe that results from having defined legitimate contenders as teams that LeBron’s team did not beat, because if it’s a team LeBron’s team beat, then it wasn’t a valid contender. There’s not a whole lot more one player can do than what he’s done in his postseason career.
He’s the best player in the playoffs literally every year. He’s got the best playoff PER and the best win shares per 48 of all time for somebody who isn’t Jordan or George Mikan. He’s got more playoff win shares than anyone ever. He’s got the best advanced plus-minus score in the playoffs of anyone ever. His value over a replacement player in the playoffs is wayyy better than Jordan’s, whose is way better than anyone else. He’s 11th all time in Finals points, 7th in points per game, and 6th in assists.
It’s totally true that he’s had a very weird career and has had some bad and inexplicable moments, but it seems really hard to believe that of all players ever, totally coincidentally to the fact that a lot of people hate him because of his personality, LeBron’s career path in the playoffs has flukily resulted in him being statistically as good as or better individually than Michael Jordan at pretty much everything, but that’s not the result of him being that great. It’s a lot easier to believe that the reason he and Jordan show up at the top of these things is that they’re the two best. Guy really doesn’t get any respect.
I think the NBA Eastern Conference isn’t what it used to be top to bottom, but it’s been loaded in the West for what seems like forever.
I don’t have any ‘science’ to back it up but it just seems like the teams that LBJ plays on outside of his Miami years have not distributed the ball and points well. Don’t get me twisted – I got mad respect for James and he’s unquestionably one of the greatest ever. But when I think of comparing him to Jordan’s best years, he MJ was seemingly better at distributing the ball and picking his moments to get it going.
Yikes, this got ugly fast.
I’m not sure this series is going to make it back to Oakland. The Cavs look completely out of their element.
I really feel sorry for Cleveland fans… I don’t think I have ever pitied a fan base before, but for LeBron to leave the way he did, win 2 championships for another city, then come back as the savior, only to fail for reasons beyond him… that’s pretty fucked up.
It’s like getting married early, dumping her when you are both 29, then having kids and a family with another woman and leaving her after the kids are gone, coming back to the spurned spinster… only being unable to give her the family she’s waited her entire life to have.
Is Kevin Love a head case? Kyrie had a bad night, and LeBron didn’t score like he should have. But we see Love do this way too often. Five points and three boards. That just can’t happen in the finals.
It ain’t over til it’s over and all that. Cleveland stomped Toronto in games 1 and 2 and the Raptors came back to tie up the series.
Well he was only in the game for 20 mins. Granted he should have done more given his salary, but its not like any of the other guys were helping Lebron much.
What’s odd to me is that JR Smith isn’t really shooting in this series so far. 3 shots in game 1, 6 last night. You’d think when times are desperate, he’d be the first person to jack up 10-15 shots. How much of this is Cleveland not doing what they’re supposed to do vs. the Warrior’s defense, I don’t know. I do think Cleveland has a good chance to take both the games at home though because the role players will play better and I can see Kyrie having one of those 10/19 shooting nights with 30 points. The time off will give the coaching staff time to snap them out of whatever funk they’re in.
How long does it take to get over a concussion? Next game is Wednesday, which gives Love a few days to recuperate. Is he going to be back by then?
I don’t think it matters how long it actually takes him, the off time after a concussion is league mandated.
I was cheering for Toronto in that series, but now I almost wish Cleveland had swept them. It would be pretty amazing had they gone fo’ - fo’ - fo’ - oh. 