POLL: Cavs or Warriors
- Thread starter john4psu
- Start date
Warriors. Last year, Golden State needed more than 7 games to put Cleveland away. I think 7 will be enough this year. 
Seriously, the addition of Durant tips the scale in favor of Golden State.
Seriously, the addition of Durant tips the scale in favor of Golden State.
I'm only taking the Cavs because Stephen A Smith picked the Warriors
Smith has chosen incorrectly for the last six years!
I have to go with GS just because of their depth. Cavs are better when James is on the floor with KI and KL but, unfortunately, they can't be on the floor at all times.
What is interesting is that the pressure is typically on the defending champ. Not this time. The pressure is on GS. More specifically, the pressure is on Durant. Anything less than a win and he looks like a net detractor as opposed to a addition to the team. Plus, being so heavily favored is odd. But the king is the king, he is clearly the best player in the NBA and its not close. He can take over if he is hitting his threes.
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what if I told you the Cavs have the highest effective field goal percentage in NBA playoff history right now?
I think this series comes down to 2 things:
if the Warriors start missing from outside, can they adjust their game to the Cavs stingy interior defense?
Bench scoring. if Frye and Korver light it up, Warriors are sunk. Likewise, if Iguodala and McGee can contribute, Warriors will win.
Cavs haven't played a team with this good of a defense in quite a while. And there isn't a guy on the GS team who is a bad three point shooter. They spread you out and then they drive to the basket. With Durant and Green, that creates a tough matchup.
The key will be seeing how the Cavs match up Love. Will he guard the similar sized Durant or the smaller, but more physical, Green? Will they put James on Durant or Green? How much energy will he have to expend?
You never know, Shumpert of JR get hot, while James stays hot from the three, and its a tough match up. I think GS being favored so heavily is a mistake but still think they are the better team top to bottom.
I'm hoping for the Cavs.
There is something about The Warriors I just don't like.
On the other hand I really do like Labron and Irving
Pulling hard for the Cavs but on paper I just don't see how this GSW team can lose 4 out of 7 games if everyone is healthy. I've never seen a lineup like this, it's insane.
I think Golden State in five or six but betting against LeBron is dumb.
I will build a statue of him if they pull that off.
I will build a statue of him if they pull that off.
uhm . . . Bird, McHale, Parish, DJ, Ainge
Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Scott, AC Green
Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Kukoc, Longley
There was a really good article written about the difference between last year and this year. I believe it was from ESPN, which makes it shocking that it was a good article. The Warriors bench is not as deep as it was in the past, but they don't need it as much in the past. I am a Cavs fan and I don't see how they pull it off. An injury to Curry or Durant would be the only thing I see happening that would sway the series. Also, the Warriors will be a much different team next year, a majority of the players are free agents.
Warriors because I think they have overall - more talent. And since they lost last year, they will be a bit more motivated.
Warriors do a good job of running teams off the 3 point line and they have guys that can defend in the paint. Lebron will get his but Golden State will take something away from Cleveland defensively and will have too much offensively for the Cavs. Cavs defense was bad all season. KD's all around offensive game has merged with the team basketball of Golden State making them pretty much unstoppable offensively. If Lebron can get a star player booted from a game or two, then the Cavs will have a better chance. He whined enough to get Draymond out of game 5 last year or they most likely wouldn't be defending champs.
Good review....two comments
- Green got himself out by accumulating Technicals.
- My issue with GS is that they haven't been pressed or under pressure all year. Looked like SA was going to, then lost two of their three best players. We'll see what happens when they are under real pressure.
Have to agree to disagree about the Green suspension. The flagrant foul was given after the fact by the league, after Lebron talked about how it was over the line.. he is the one that stepped over Draymond to antagonize him. I actually thought Draymond held back. That was as disrespectful as it gets. Just felt Lebron coaxed that one out of Draymond and the NBA perhaps in desperation as his team was getting their butts kicked. They reviewed it during the game and said to play on.. could've left it there. Tighten up the calls during the regular season, not the NBA Finals.
Agree about pressure.. it does some interesting things to people. That said.. I think with Draymond, Golden State would've won in 5 last year with a not quite 100% Curry and without Durant. I think they realize they can make history this year that would erase last year's disappointment of going 73-9 and not winning the title by going FO FO FO FO.. Cavs probably can get one, maybe the first one is their best shot.. but I'm guessing the Warriors are thinking in the back of their heads that they can get 4 straight. Either way, this is a historical Finals Series no matter the outcome. Cavs can win, but they better muck it up from the start and make it extremely physical.
smacking someone in the 'nads" is holding back? Oook . (also have to add that he's smacked people in the nads before)
Regardless all that, the suspension was for mutiple Technicals, not one in particular. So if he had as many as Steph or Klay or Iggy or Barnes or Jones or West or even Pachulia he wouldn't have been suspended. Besides, they then lost the next two.
Moses Malone, Bobby Jones, Julius Erving, Mo Cheeks, Andrew Toney in 1983
thanks! I didn't post the line up because I couldn't remember Toney off the top of my head, lol
i was watching the herd on monday (these holidays are great at reminding me why I like to work on weekdays, but that is another issue). They were complaining about the NBA being top heavy. OK, check. But then I recalled waiting all year for the few Magic led lakers and the Bird Celtics. I mean, did anyone expect a different team to make the finals for those years? And what about the 47 years in a row the Celtics played in the finals?
bwifan
Well-Known Member
This team and Boston and LA even the Milwaukee Bucks were incredible. Very hard to gauge today's game against players previously. Back then you could be so more physical and muscle guys around let alone if you drove to the hoop you better have a MASH unit standing by....Steph would have a much more difficult time getting open and his shot off back then. Even Barkley says in today's game Jordan would probably average close to 50 a game. Laimbeer and Rodman along with Oakley would decapitate people coming inside. FWIW Barkley likes the Cavs thinks they match up better against GS. I do believe this series will be much more close than some who are predicting a runaway by GS
Agreed....plus guys like Steph, Clay, JR and Love are so much more valuable since the 3 was put in. Orlando broke the code with dwight howard and 13 snipers took them to the East finals. Hitting 1/3rd of your 3's is almost a 50% hit rate on 2's. you take kevin love, who is hitting 37.3% of his threes and 42.7 from two and it doesn't take a genius to realize you'd rather have him shooting from 24 feet out then in the paint.
