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Memphis could legitimately win it all.
Assuming they meet in the playoffs, who wins the 7 game series?
My money is on the Grizzlies. Gay is a stud, Randolph is slowly getting his groove back and Arenas is proving to be a valuable contributor off the bench (helped kill the Mavs and Miami averaging 13 ppg 70% beyond the arc. I also like Marc Gasol and Speights over Porkins and Ibaka.
Memphis could legitimately win it all.
If Z-Bo gets going before the playoffs and can co-exist with Gay, they could very well win the west.
The one Memphis game I've watched this year they still look like an incredibly undisciplined team that wastes too many possessions though.
Grizz
Dark horse? I don't disagree. They look really deep. How's their coaching staff?
Memphis won't win it all, IMO, they're too undisciplined, as Dok said..
Lionel Hollins is a Black coach, which only works for teams that have superstar leaders, tbh..
I also wouldn't trust Rudy Gay in playoff basketball, but we'll see..
Every team will be looking to avoid them..
Plus he went to Arizona Stte
Idk why Hollins gets so much credit for the coaching job he's done. Conley and Mayo still take a lot of re ed shots, and they still ignore Gasol for long stretches when he has a huge advantage down low.
Them becoming a better defensive team was more Tony Allen than it was Hollins
Hollins, like Doc Rivers, doesn't actually coach..most, if not all, Black coaches don't actually coach X's and O's tbh..they scream and motivate..
For Doc Rivers, it worked, because his top 3 players were all high-IQ players that knew how to properly lead a team, and he had Thibodeau(a great x's and o's coach) as an assistant..
Memphis is stacked, but they don't have any superstars, and their leader is Tony Allen, a low IQ player himself, tbh..
But, he can hunt Spurs like a mother er, especially in the Spring.
tee, hee.
True they're also still a relatively young team. There's a reason Z-Bo suddenly embraced Hollins unlike how he's never listened to a coach before, it's because he's matured and is no longer a kid. Phil Jackson has said that players (and all people for that matter) don't fully mature mentally till they're 28-29 years old, which seems pretty spot on when you look at a lot of late bloomers who at some point "got it"
Thunder is the much better team... A series between them doesn't go past 5 games...
If I'm not mistaken, the Thunder beat a Grizzlies team last year that is much better than this year's Grizzlies team, Rudy or not. Not to mention momentum gained from beating SA in that second round matchup.
The Thunder are better overall. Spurs matchup worse with Memphis.
While I disagree with the first part of your statement, I agree with the second. The officiating will not allow it to go past 5 games, especially considering that OKC will have HCA.
Giuseppe with half a decent take on a discussion on ST?
I think when Zbo and Gasol are on, the Grizzlies can take the series. OKC is a good running team and Memphis can hang with them there because they also have youth, athleticism and quickness but when things slow down, the Grizzlies are a better team IMO.
I also forgot to mention Tony Allen whose been amazing defensively this year. If he can check Harden, then that would be the biggest factor here.
Memphis still depends largely on what a few undersized scrubs like Speights and Poindexter can give them off the bench... also Gay being there takes shots away from ZBo, and makes them easier to guard (there's no good 3 point shooters on that team).
Allen is a top defender who has taken on a leadership role, but I agree with Harlem he's a low-IQ player that can be flustered quite easily. There's also no way he doesn't end up in foul trouble against a protected team like OKC.
Memphis are peaking now, but they're still worse than last season. Battier was an important component for them coming off the bench to retain that defensive iden y. Nowadays, it's Arenas that sets the tone. Completely different.
I don't think they're worse El. They didn't have Rudy last year. I don't think they had Speights either. Now they are bringing Z-Bo off the bench? Brilliant move.
I think they are stronger, and thanks to 8-gate, they're playoff tested.
They'd take chucking OKC out in no more than 6 IMO.
Rudy doesn't offset the losses of Arthur, Battier, and Vasquez. Speights won't get as much playing time come May, and what he'll contribute won't be much more than what they got from Hadadi (or however you spell his name) when he was playing out of his mind.
i agree with the first part. but i believe a series between them would go at least 6 games.
Speights = Arthur in my book (this from me witnessing him having good games against the Lakers tbh). Vasquez was a flash in the pan at best. Battier was their Fisher: a checker with good leadership.
That being said, I hope you are right and I'm wrong. You and El.
Memphis is a good team, well coached, tough and deep. OKC has the big 2 with Harden being the 3rd best on the team.
Westbrook will either carry OKC over the top or kill them, because he's not going to allow anyone else to shine more than him. Memphis doesn't have that problem.
I would not be surprised to see Memphis come out of the West.
Speights does have the potential to be as good for Memphis as Arthur, but he's definitely more offensive oriented than defensive at this point (it was Arthur's perimeter D that really let Zbo and Gasol square in on Tim and McDyess). I would've agreed with you about Vasquez a few months ago, but he's really playing well for New Orleans. Battier was the leader of last year's team, and Allen does not come close to replacing him. All in all Memphis is weaker than last year, but considering how much worse all WC teams outside of SA and OKC have gotten, they're still a large threat.Speights = Arthur in my book (this from me witnessing him having good games against the Lakers tbh). Vasquez was a flash in the pan at best. Battier was their Fisher: a checker with good leadership.
That being said, I hope you are right and I'm wrong. You and El.
That's not a take. It's a shot at Spurs fan. Dale doesn't talk basketball. He waxes philosophical and uber-trolls Spurfan. Dale might not even know the rules of the game.Giuseppe with half a decent take on a discussion on ST?
I don't think the Grizz are weaker. Tony Allen is a better player this year. Gilbert Arenas is proving he still has it and is providing valuable minutes for them.
And Battier is severely overrated. Dude averaged 5 ppg and shot 25% beyond the arc in the playoffs
This will get you to think but in the end it's really obvious.
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