Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

2020 NBA PLAYOFFS: QUARTERFINALS


Dolfan in NYC

Recommended Posts

This series has been unexpectedly crazy exciting. I don't understand how a great defensive team like the Clippers are letting the Nuggets back into games. It shouldn't happen and Jamal Murray isn't even playing lights out (he's playing well enough tho). Wasn't turnovers either, as Clippers had one less than the Nuggets. Can't even really blame George. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Jiji said:

This series has been unexpectedly crazy exciting. I don't understand how a great defensive team like the Clippers are letting the Nuggets back into games. It shouldn't happen and Jamal Murray isn't even playing lights out (he's playing well enough tho). Wasn't turnovers either, as Clippers had one less than the Nuggets. Can't even really blame George. 

Nikola Jokic. I don't know if people just don't want to give him credit or they don't think that he is as good as he is. Add in a very good coach, Jamal Murray and the deepest bench in the league... and that's why.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, he pours it in, the Clippers double, he finds the empty man and they hit the open 3. He's great and the Clipper bigs haven't been able to contain him in the second half. Interesting with how he's taken over late in games in this series when it was his job to set the table in the first half and Murray took over scoring duties later on vs. The Jazz. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Post-Mortem

I have always hated Russ, that stat padding no defense no basketball IQ MVP stealer fraud

But he's not going anywhere, so I'll be forced to cheer for him / scream NOOOOO when he shoots from three / say YES! on the 20% chance it goes in

Mike Dan Tony needed to go / no adjustments not ever / doesn't hold any players accountable

Tillman Fertitta needs to go that cheap bastard that won't spend into the luxury tax

Morey is still great and he can make improvements on the roster on the fringes despite the limitations set forth upon him by Dan Tony (won't play rookies / young players) and Fertitta (cheap bastard who is too poor to own an NBA franchise)

If you think Harden was the problem in this series it shows your severe lack of basketball knowledge and you need to admit that you are a casual fan / troll

Harden played even with LeBron, and for irony's sake it was LeBron's supporting cast that rose up instead of letting him down.

House situation was a major distraction that fucked up rotations / chemistry / energy / etc.  People forget that House was our starting small forward for most of the year and was one of the few who could sprint on the fast break / handle / drive / create his own shot / and was fairly consistent with his 3 pt shot, as opposed to everyone else who was streaky af

AD was better than I expected.

Rajon Rondo had his greatest statistical playoff series ever including his championship runs with Boston.  Shot what, 8/18 from three?  That's blasphemous

I still love Harden.  People who are like, trade him now while he has value --

-WTF you'll never get value for him

-Dude loves Houston and Houston loves him

-we'll never contend again if we trade Harden

In Harden's run he's made the playoffs every year, been to the WCF twice against Golden State, and played them better than any other team and were a CP3 hamstring away from winning a chip.  The Harden Rockets have a better resume than 95% of any other team in the same time period.  Harden has a better resume than just about everyone besides Steph, KD, Kawhi and LeBron in the same time period. 

At least we're not the Bucks. They fucking choked hard AF.  Giannis is a bigger fraud than Westbrook.

Bonus:

God I would love it if the Nuggs pull off the upset.  Kawhi and PG can both become free agents and go East for an easier path to the finals and that would absolutely leave the Clippers destitute poverty franchise === Classic Clippers. 

Edit: how do I put Mavsfan on ignore

Edited by Lawful Metal
  • Thanks 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Lawful Metal said:

Harden played even with LeBron, and for irony's sake it was LeBron's supporting cast that rose up instead of letting him down.

You must be joking. Harden was abused on the defensive end pretty consistently. He's come a long way this year on the defensive end but it's mostly when he's up to it still. He falls asleep, offers half assed help which is almost worse than no help at all. He's even a style over substance guy on D. He played well most of the time but that's not enough for that team. 

As for trading Harden, it wouldn't be to contend next year but 3-5 years from now. I wouldn't do it unless you get a great package of young players and picks which is hard to do with the cap and NBA's exceptions where most everything has to match up. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Jiji said:

As for trading Harden, it wouldn't be to contend next year but 3-5 years from now. I wouldn't do it unless you get a great package of young players and picks which is hard to do with the cap and NBA's exceptions where most everything has to match up. 

EVW2wkbWsAAHjeW.jpg

Hi.

Would RJ Barrett and 4 1's do it?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Jiji said:

You must be joking. Harden was abused on the defensive end pretty consistently. He's come a long way this year on the defensive end but it's mostly when he's up to it still. He falls asleep, offers half assed help which is almost worse than no help at all. He's even a style over substance guy on D. He played well most of the time but that's not enough for that team. 

As for trading Harden, it wouldn't be to contend next year but 3-5 years from now. I wouldn't do it unless you get a great package of young players and picks which is hard to do with the cap and NBA's exceptions where most everything has to match up. 

You must be joking

 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Jiji said:

I'm not talking about the first round. You said he outplayed LeBron. 

Which he can’t back up with any stats, but he feels more like a man by trying to say I’m trolling him.

That in turn amuses me to no end since his guy clearly isn’t as good as only he makes him out to be. Like Colin Cowherd said on his show earlier, the only great quality Harden has is he’s a great scorer. He’s not a great teammate (he doesn’t make teammates better ever), he’s not a great leader, and he’s never been (and unless something drastic changes won’t ever be) an NBA champion.

Edited by MavsFan77
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Lakers did a number on the Rockets defensively. They were able to double team Harden then have their wings scramble back to prevent the corner three. Harden played more minutes than the regular season but his numbers were done across the board. I don't see how Harden's numbers were meaningful in any way. Houston's points total dipped in every game. They couldn't match the Lakers' energy. There is no way that Harden matched LeBron's leadership, or his will or drive, or anything else that can't be measured in numbers. It's pretty clear that LeBron is the true MVP of the league, and the Lakers have to be licking their lips at this Clippers situation. 

Did the Rockets really do better than the Bucks? The Bucks didn't roll over in the overtime game Middleton won for them. Different expectations? According to Rockets fans, the Rockets are a contender every season, so how were expectations any less than the Bucks? Both teams had disappointing ends to their seasons. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, and as much shit as the guards in LA have received the past two seasons, they all defend their asses off. LeBron's energy is just out of this world right now with how dominant he is. I'm not usually into those kinds of things, but the vibe is real. It's horrifying and Kawhi could be the only guy in the league not to crack under that immense pressure. As cool as Denver coming back 3-1 twice in a row would be and what a massive upset their beating the Clippers would be... We really need to see The Battle of Los Angeles. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Jiji said:

He makes other teammates better if their only offensive attribute is to hit spot up 3s.

Are you forgetting the pick and roll with Clint Capela?  That was this year. 

he led the league in assists in 2016-2017.  Finished 6th in assists in 2019-2020.  5th in 2018-2019.  4th in 2017-2018. 

As far as playing even with LBJ =

Harden = 29.4 points, 7.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds

LBJ = 25.8 points, 7.4 assists, 10.2 rebounds

That's a wash. 

Bonus:

Led the league in steals in 2019-2020!  Given that the microball Rockets depended on steals given that they weren't going to be able to generate blocked shots at the rim by a rim protector, steals is a good metric to determine if they're defense was working, and, gee, I guess it was.  Remember, the Rockets had the #1 defense in the playoffs / seeding games up through Game 1 of the Lakers series. 

 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

D'antoni made zero adjustments to the double team.  The rest of the team (including the other MVP) all played like dogshit the entire series (actually, I think House had a good game 1 and 2).  But Harden still getting those numbers while being double teamed is fucking amazing. 

Rockets were not favored to beat LA.  Bucks were favored in every series to go to the Finals.  Bucks have the current 2x MVP and current DPOY. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Lawful Metal said:

D'antoni made zero adjustments to the double team.  The rest of the team (including the other MVP) all played like dogshit the entire series (actually, I think House had a good game 1 and 2).  But Harden still getting those numbers while being double teamed is fucking amazing. 

Rockets were not favored to beat LA.  Bucks were favored in every series to go to the Finals.  Bucks have the current 2x MVP and current DPOY. 

And where did your team get the year Harden was the current MVP? The same place they get every year. A trip back home without the trophy.

23 minutes ago, Lawful Metal said:

Are you forgetting the pick and roll with Clint Capela?  That was this year. 

he led the league in assists in 2016-2017.  Finished 6th in assists in 2019-2020.  5th in 2018-2019.  4th in 2017-2018. 

As far as playing even with LBJ =

Harden = 29.4 points, 7.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds

LBJ = 25.8 points, 7.4 assists, 10.2 rebounds

That's a wash. 

Bonus:

Led the league in steals in 2019-2020!  Given that the microball Rockets depended on steals given that they weren't going to be able to generate blocked shots at the rim by a rim protector, steals is a good metric to determine if they're defense was working, and, gee, I guess it was.  Remember, the Rockets had the #1 defense in the playoffs / seeding games up through Game 1 of the Lakers series. 

 

As for this nonsense yeah 5.5 fewer rebounds per game, and four more points that meant nothing to the final score are almost identical to Lebron. God you’re delusional. 

And who cares that after one round (yes only one round) of the playoffs where they played the worst of the eight West playoff teams they had the #1 defense? Hell anyone would have going against OKC.

Edited by MavsFan77
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, MavsFan77 said:

And where did your team get the year Harden was the current MVP? The same place they get every year. A trip back home without the trophy.

Remind me how many championships the Mavericks won since 2012, when James Harden was traded to the Rockets? 

Remind me how many championships did the Lakers win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Clippers win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Nuggets win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Thunder win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Jazz win? 

Remind me how many championships did the 76ers win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Pistons win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Hawks win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Wizards win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Kings win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Nets win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Magic win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Pacers win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Hornets win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Grizzlies win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Pelicans win? 

And remember, that for the Warriors, Raptors, Heat and Spurs, every year they didn't win a championship, they choked in the playoffs and were total losers. 

This argument is stupid.  But, if we go by RINGZ~! culture, at least it confirms that Robert Horry is the GOAT.  Because 6 rings is greater than you. 

Edited by Lawful Metal
lots of teams
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Lawful Metal said:

Remind me how many championships the Mavericks won since 2012, when James Harden was traded to the Rockets? 

Remind me how many championships did the Lakers win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Clippers win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Nuggets win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Thunder win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Jazz win? 

Remind me how many championships did the 76ers win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Pistons win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Hawks win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Wizards win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Kings win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Nets win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Magic win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Pacers win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Hornets win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Grizzlies win? 

Remind me how many championships did the Pelicans win? 

And remember, that for the Warriors, Raptors, Heat and Spurs, every year they didn't win a championship, they choked in the playoffs and were total losers. 

This argument is stupid.  But, if we go by RINGZ~! culture, at least it confirms that Robert Horry is the GOAT.  Because 6 rings is greater than you. 

How does 6 rings make him the GOAT? Bill Russell has 11 so if that’s the hill you want to metaphorically die on then he’s the GOAT. 

The only thing stupid about this “argument” is your blind love, and hype for a career playoff choke artist. He’s never come close to winning a ring, and his only trip to the finals was because KD and Russ carried his ass there. What other all time great has a resume that’s that poor? Barkley carried the Suns to the Finals once, Ewing made the finals once as the best player on his Knicks, Malone made the finals twice with Utah as their best player. So yeah Harden should take some well earned crap for never carrying a team to the Finals. 

Or to simplify it even more for someone that’s unwilling to have an intelligent debate he’s failed to do something that Dirk Nowitzki did twice in his career. Carry a team of guys that are less talented than he is to the Finals. 

Edited by MavsFan77
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Harden is a great player with a few really glaring weaknesses. The Lakers drove past him on a regular basis, he often falls asleep on defense if his man doesn't have the ball (though, to be clear, he's a much better defender than he was a few years ago) and, most glaringly, when he doesn't have the ball, he has a tendency to drift towards half court and watch.

The Lakers big defensive strategy wasn't double teaming Harden, it was waiting until 10-12 seconds had gone off the shot clock, then doubling him, forcing the ball out of his hands knowing he wouldn't get back into the play. It's a fantastic strategy aimed right at Harden, and I don't know what adjustment D'Antoni could make, unless he was supposed to talk Harden into becoming a totally different off-ball player during a series.

Nobody, literally nobody has ever said "The Rockets/Harden choked" because they didn't win the title. It's because Harden now has three incredibly high leverage playoff games where he shot 2 for 11 from the field, two of which were elimination games and the third essentially ended the series. Because he has a tendency to look checked out in elimination games. Because he spent most of that amazing comeback sitting on the bench sulking while his teammates went crazy cheering on Josh Smith's implausible explosion. And because he's a whiny git who talks shit and flops and plays an ugly, unaesthetically pleasing style that people hate to watch, so they judge him more harshly than others.

He's the best one on one scorer of his era, one of the greatest of all-time. He's probably about to get his sixth straight top five finish in the MVP race. He's great. People acknowledge he's great routinely. But he's just unlikable and has had too many high profile duds in high leverage situations, and the only way his rep, whether it's fair or not, will change is if he leads a team to a title. And his window looks to be closing rapidly.

Edited by Brian Fowler
  • Like 5
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...