SaulToPaul 2
Well-known member
He plays like the Ice Man, but with much more range.
NBA 2015-16
- Thread starter The Berean
- Start date
He plays like the Ice Man, but with much more range.
The Berean
Well-known member
A nice 118-91 win for the Warriors in game 2. They made some adjustments on offense and shut down Kevin Durrant in the secodn half.
SaulToPaul 2
Well-known member
The eastern conference is a joke!
Cake walk to the finals.
Cake walk to the finals.
Count me in. When do they come on?
lain: I'm pretty sure the Spurs are going all the way this year.
I'm not sure where, but all the way there.
I guess I haven't been paying as much attention to basketball as I did when the Celtics were relevant.
The Berean
Well-known member
Can't wait for the W's to meet the Cavs in the NBA Finals. The W's are on a mission to crush the Cavs this year to prove that last year's title was no fluke.
I don't think it was a fluke, but if they meet this squad, at full strength and having found their rhythm as a team...I don't think the conclusion is forgone.
what city does Golden State play from ?
The Berean
Well-known member
The Warriors are significantly better team this season than last season. The Warriors are a significantly better team than the Cavs at the moment. The Warriors won 16 more regular season games than the Cavs. The Warriros beat the Cavs twice this this season including a 132-98 blowout win in Cleveland. The Warriors have yet to lose consecutive games this entire season. The Cavs had been playing well in the postseason but their competition in the East is significantly inferior to the West. The Warriors are playing a tough Thunders team that just beat a 67 win Spurs team that had one of the best regular seasons in years. It comes down to one question. Can the Cavs beat the Warriors four times in a seven game series including winning at least one game in Oakland? I think that is highly implausible. Can the Cavs win? Sure, it possible but it were to happen it would probably be considered the greatest upset in NBA Finals history. According to the ELO rating the Warriors are knocking on the door on being the greatest team in NBA history.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-warriors-still-arent-the-best-team-ever/
The Berean
Well-known member
The Warriors curently play in Oakland, CA but they will be returning to San Francisco in 2018. The played in San Francisco from 1962-71.
When a team is really good is when they can falter. I pick the Cavs
The Berean
Well-known member
Rerally? Did the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls falter?
It's an excellent team, without question.
I'm glad you're energized behind your team. The Cavs went 0-2 against GS when they weren't playing as well. They also went 2-O against OKC. The West barely broke better than even against the East this year and GS had the second easiest schedule in the NBA, behind San Antonio. And werent' the Spurs the second best historical team by the same metric? According to NBA.com anyway.
And according to Hollingers Toronto was in a near dead heat with Cleveland going into the playoffs. Anyone watching the games think that sums it? By regular season wins, etc., it's GS, OKC, SA. then Cle, Toronto. Again, Cle beat the number two, is undefeated playing in a conference that was only marginally worse in head to head play with the vaunted West.
I think it could be an interesting finals.
Last year, against a shell of a Cavs team it went GS by 8 in OT, game one. Cavs by 2 in OT in game two. Cavs by 5 in game three before the depleted Cavs ran out of gas, though they did rally to make game six fun.
Anyone that considers a Cav victory the greatest upset in NBA Finals history hasn't watched a lot of basketball or has a rooting intererst. That's how I see it. Now let's see how it shakes out.
The Berean
Well-known member
I' guess we'll have to agree to disagree, TH.
Assuming the Warriors and Cavs meet in the NBA Finals, there has never been an NBA Finals where one team won 16 more regular season games than the opposing team. I believe the biggest gap in wins was 12 wins in the 1975 NBA Finals. The Baltimore Bullets had 60 wins and the Golden State Warriors had only 48 wins. The Bullets were huge favorites but the Warriors swept them in four games. This is considered one of the greatest upsets in NBA Finals history.
The 1994 finals had a 10 win gap between the Orlando Magic (57) and the Houston Rockets (47) with the Rockets winning the NBA title. Again this was considered a huge upset. Since the NBA went to the 16 team playoff format in 1984 this Rockets team is the only team seeded lower than #3 (they were #6) to win the NBA title.
This season the Warriors had a 10.8 point differential. Only 10 teams have ever had a seasonal point differential of 10+ points. Eight of those teams, including last season's Warriors, won the NBA title.
12.28- 1971-72 L.A. Lakers (won NBA title)
12.26- 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (won NBA title)
12.24- 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (won NBA title)
11.16- 1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks (lost to L.A. in Western Finals)
10.80- 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (???)
10.80- 1996-97 Chicago Bulls (won NBA title)
10.60- 2014-15 San Antonio Spurs (lost in Western Semi-Finals)
10.44- 1991-92 Chicago Bulls (won NBA title)
10.26- 2007-08 Boston Celtics (won NBA title)
10.10- 2014-15 Golden State Warriors (won NBA title)
This year's Warriors team is an all time great team. They won 73 games, an NBA record. They were 34-7 on the road, an all-time NBA record. They were 39-2 at home which is one win off the all time NBA record. Against the top three teams in the West after the Warriors and the top five teams in the East the Warriors were 21-2 (loses to the Spurs and Celtics).
So, if the Cavs beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals that wouldn't qualify as a great upset? :liberals:
Assuming the Warriors and Cavs meet in the NBA Finals, there has never been an NBA Finals where one team won 16 more regular season games than the opposing team. I believe the biggest gap in wins was 12 wins in the 1975 NBA Finals. The Baltimore Bullets had 60 wins and the Golden State Warriors had only 48 wins. The Bullets were huge favorites but the Warriors swept them in four games. This is considered one of the greatest upsets in NBA Finals history.
The 1994 finals had a 10 win gap between the Orlando Magic (57) and the Houston Rockets (47) with the Rockets winning the NBA title. Again this was considered a huge upset. Since the NBA went to the 16 team playoff format in 1984 this Rockets team is the only team seeded lower than #3 (they were #6) to win the NBA title.
This season the Warriors had a 10.8 point differential. Only 10 teams have ever had a seasonal point differential of 10+ points. Eight of those teams, including last season's Warriors, won the NBA title.
12.28- 1971-72 L.A. Lakers (won NBA title)
12.26- 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (won NBA title)
12.24- 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (won NBA title)
11.16- 1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks (lost to L.A. in Western Finals)
10.80- 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (???)
10.80- 1996-97 Chicago Bulls (won NBA title)
10.60- 2014-15 San Antonio Spurs (lost in Western Semi-Finals)
10.44- 1991-92 Chicago Bulls (won NBA title)
10.26- 2007-08 Boston Celtics (won NBA title)
10.10- 2014-15 Golden State Warriors (won NBA title)
This year's Warriors team is an all time great team. They won 73 games, an NBA record. They were 34-7 on the road, an all-time NBA record. They were 39-2 at home which is one win off the all time NBA record. Against the top three teams in the West after the Warriors and the top five teams in the East the Warriors were 21-2 (loses to the Spurs and Celtics).
So, if the Cavs beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals that wouldn't qualify as a great upset? :liberals:
Does seem that way, if mostly about degree.I' guess we'll have to agree to disagree, TH.
San Antonio had a 12 game winning advantage over OKC. They lost 4-2. I don't think that's the best way to measure upsets.
And when you have the greatest all around player in the NBA with the supporting cast James has playing this well, I don't think their winning against anyone in a seven game series should be considered a historic upset, as good as the Cavs are.
They had one of the weakest schedules in the NBA. I think it's a little like New England in their unprecedented run. Really fine team, plus a weak schedule gave an appearance of invulnerability that was a little exaggerated. Until the Giants matched up well and beat them. I'm not saying the Warriors will lose, assuming they get past OKC, but I don't think a loss to either OKC or the Cavs should have people agog.
Now those are amended goal posts from:
That said, I'd say no to either. There's too much talent on the Cavs side of things. I'd say the Warriors, if they survive OKC, would deserve to be considered the favorite, but I wouldn't classify a six or seven game series as a great upset for or by either. A sweep by the Cavs, that would be worth the hyperbole. Similarly, if the Warriors represent and play the Cavs I wouldn't diminish their win in a series by suggesting anything else would be absurd.
Right now GS is 9-3 in playoff games. The Cavs are 10-1.
The Berean
Well-known member
Ok.
And OKC beating the Spurs is a great upset. I think that is the entire point. The Spurs had one of the greatest regular seasons ever and got beat by an inferior team. Those things happen once in a while. I followed the Spurs closely all season because I considered them the greatest threat to the Warriors. IMO I thought they peaked too early.
Yet, the Cavs only won 57 games. Fifty-seven wins is a nice total but nothing historic or incredible about that. If the Cavs are so good why didn't the win more games? James is an all-time great, probably one of the top 5 players ever.
Not sure why this matters? This isn't like SEC football teams
p) who purposely schedule creampuff teams to get cheap wins. The Warriors don't get to create their own schedule. Several teams like Memphis and Houston who were strong teams last season had much poorer seasons this year. Against the other 15 playoff teams this season the Warriors were 36-5 (14-2 vs East, 22-3 vs West). That would be 70 wins over a full season. So against the top teams the Warriors dominated.Fair enough.
I can't change my mind?
I guess well see how this plays out. But I'll say again if the Cavs have so much talent why did they only win 57 games? They are a good team no doubt. But facing a 73 win team would be a great challenge to them.
Sure, the Cavs have been hot. But the Cavs are playing teams that are not the Warriors. And it seems the Raptors have made some adjustments. Game 4 should be fun. It's a must win for the Raptors.
The Berean
Well-known member
By the way according to Basketball Reference the Cavs had the easiest schedule this season.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2016.html
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2016.html
I wasn't hearing that from analysts...didn't seem that way to me either. I had them favored, but when you have the the dynamic duo and a solid supporting cast you have a puncher's chance. I was surprised by the 4-2. A six or seven game series with a win would have been a lot less surprising, though it also makes my point about the value of regular season wins past a point.
That's part of what makes the record an iffy barometer. Some teams fade, some gel.
Losing nearly seven or eight of those by 3 or fewer, meaning they could as easily have had a mid sixties win total, which would be par for the champion course. And they played and began peaking late.
New coach, tougher schedule, time to pull together what never quite got off the ground the way it should have last year due to injuries and teammates finding their roles.
I think so too.
When you play against the best teams in the country for the majority of your wins you almost have to have a couple of rests.Not sure why this matters? This isn't like SEC football teams
And against the team that has them even and upset the Spurs, the Cavs are undefeated. It's about match ups and timing. I think both are making the Cavs as deadly as any.
You absolutely can. :thumb: Even voluntarily.I can't change my mind?
Prediction Machine, Power Ranking Guru, have it that way too, with GS 29th.
ESPN ranks the top five teams entering the playoffs as:
1. GS
2. SA
3. Cle
4. OKC
5.Tor
The Berean
Well-known member
Are you serious Warriors? What a PATHETIC game 3 performance. The Thunder came to play playoff basketball and Warriors came to run their mouths.
Are you serious Warriors? What a PATHETIC game 3 performance. The Thunder came to play playoff basketball and Warriors came to run their mouths.
No offense Berean, but the 95'-96' Bulls were never, never, never, ever, ever, ever, down by 40 points in a playoff game.
The Berean
Well-known member
Of course not. I'm a Warriors fan but they are not the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. That Bulls team never lost focus (only a little in the Finals) or let a team blow them out like this. At times the Warriors lose focus and get lazy on defense. Michael Jordan would never let his team get lazy ever. He'd literally slap his teammates in the face if they did. I was a little peeved that yesterday Steph said, "We are the greatest show on Earth." Gee, Steph, maybe win the title then run your mouth.
I can accept a loss as long as they put in good effort. But to lose like this?! I am not a happy camper right now. :madmad: