Thunder: Not worried here

[HI-FI]

Sure that's why teams like San Antonio and Miami put forth an effort that would be indicative of them going balls out. Nice try, kid.

I liked our chances against anybody out West going into the playoffs

You knew damn well we would be favorites vs the Spurs

disappearing when you eventually realized we would probably win the West

now you're back posting and quoting me

pussy effeminate got

before Chimpbrook went down, I still think Spurs could beat Thunder. tbh, the only thing that makes you guys scary, especially with Harden gone, is the amount of help you get from the refs. i feel confident that in a fairly officiated series, Spurs could roll with you guys. We have championship mettle, you guys....definitely not yet.

[jestersmash]

before Chimpbrook went down, I still think Spurs could beat Thunder. tbh, the only thing that makes you guys scary, especially with Harden gone, is the amount of help you get from the refs. i feel confident that in a fairly officiated series, Spurs could roll with you guys. We have championship mettle, you guys....definitely not yet.

Ref help can be pretty significant though. Remember last year when the refs helped that mediocre Lakers team steal a game from OKC to prevent them from going down 0-3? OKC was the far superior team in that series, but they gave Kobe game winning free throws on incidental contact. Kobe just grazed Harden and was awarded free throws at a critical juncture late in the game.

Or, when the refs helped OKC steal game 1 or game 2 against the Mavericks by awarding game winning free throws to Durant on incidental contact.

I mean going back to OKC, when Harden left OKC's FTA/FGA didn't really decrease much at all. In fact, I think it might've increased. They just spread Harden's 8-10 FTA per game among the remaining players and then some.

Ambiguous, 50/50 scenarios happen constantly in the nba, making it really easy to influence games - intentional or not.

[HI-FI]

Ref help can be pretty significant though. Remember last year when the refs helped that mediocre Lakers team steal a game from OKC to prevent them from going down 0-3? OKC was the far superior team in that series, but they gave Kobe game winning free throws on incidental contact. Kobe just grazed Harden and was awarded free throws at a critical juncture late in the game.

Or, when the refs helped OKC steal game 1 or game 2 against the Mavericks by awarding game winning free throws to Durant on incidental contact.

I mean going back to OKC, when Harden left OKC's FTA/FGA didn't really decrease much at all. In fact, I think it might've increased. They just spread Harden's 8-10 FTA per game among the remaining players and then some.

Ambiguous, 50/50 scenarios happen constantly in the nba, making it really easy to influence games - intentional or not.

good examples. I had forgotten those specific moments but did watch those games. tbh, the ty officiating in the NBA becomes a blur for me after awhile, unless it's a watershed moment like 2002 WCF game 6.

i laugh when people act like officials have no overall impact. that's like playing chess and one side abides by the rules while the opponent is allowed to occasionally move pieces in a way they shouldn't. it can have a big impact on strategy. I've watched NBA long enough to see too much shady go down.

Check out the Lakers FT stats vs Utah Jazz FT stats for the past month, pretty disgusting stuff. Obviously it's all about the money, what Stern and co. think is best for the league.

[jestersmash]

good examples. I had forgotten those specific moments but did watch those games. tbh, the ty officiating in the NBA becomes a blur for me after awhile, unless it's a watershed moment like 2002 WCF game 6.

i laugh when people act like officials have no overall impact. that's like playing chess and one side abides by the rules while the opponent is allowed to occasionally move pieces in a way they shouldn't. it can have a big impact on strategy. I've watched NBA long enough to see too much shady go down.

Check out the Lakers FT stats vs Utah Jazz FT stats for the past month, pretty disgusting stuff. Obviously it's all about the money, what Stern and co. think is best for the league.

Yeah I agree. A lot of people think they're "too cool" to "blame" the refs for affecting the outcome of the game. It's just not fashionable to do so. Others blame the refs but always act as if their team is selectively victimized while opposing teams are given a ref edge. Both types of people are delusional. I like people who just call it like it is.

Like, I have no problem whatsoever admitting that the Donaghy helped the Spurs in '07 against Phoenix. That's just a fact. Lakers were helped in 2002 against the Kings, and again in 2010 against the Celtics in game 7. Miami was helped against Boston early on in their series (game 2 or 3), while Boston was helped against Atlanta (they completely missed a foul before the ball was inbounded, that would've changed the game as Boston won the game by just 3 points). OKC was helped in game 6 against the Spurs. The list goes on.

Yeah I saw that article by that Blazers blogger analyzing FT trends for the Lakers/Jazz during the last 10 games versus the rest of the season. It's not perfect and it's not logically air tight, but it's the best evidence we have and I agree it is pretty telling.

[Reck]

You do realize our team heavily depends on Russ, right partner? Russ has the second highest usage rate in the league behind Melo. I don't expect you to understand what that means but go ahead and google it so you can learn something today.

Anybody saying we're better without Russ is re ed.

Well no shirtlock.

Same reason why Lakers are so heavily dependent on Kobe. Doesn't mean in the grand scheme.

Russ is more likely to chuck you out of a game then he is winning it. You'll see a much more fluid, cleaner rhythm with Durant. Fact.

[KoolAid Mans Brother]

[jeebus]

[exstatic]

Durant is a . How the he can cuss out a ref in a game where they award him 16 ing free throws boggles the imagination.

[Clipper Nation]

To think this got has had the nerve to talk about the Clippers possibly losing to a 56-win team, when his made team could possibly lose this series to the 8th ing seed

[jeebus]

tbh LA should've tanked for the 8th seed; would've had a better chance imo

[irishock]

chokecity might be first team to come back down 3-0

the new 8

[HI-FI]

thunderup is such a spectacularly ty poster. just a perfect combination of iness and re ation.

[KoolAid Mans Brother]

[look_at_g_shred]

We won't play as bad.
And don't even mention Ginobili, he won't play at a higher level anymore, he's beyond the word "old".

Oh yeah? How's that working out?

[AussieFanKurt]

hmm

[LkrFan]

thunderdwn 1-2

[Monster1776]

thunderdwn 1-2

It was a good game, couldn't finish in the end like last time; still not overly concerned. If they take the next game I'll raise an eyebrow.

[MarioSpeedwagon]

Teams without their second best player what do you guys expect?

[Stabula]

Can't wait until Memphis is done waxin' dat ass so this can get bumped again.

[Monster1776]

Teams without their second best player what do you guys expect?

Shh, don't take away their fun. They need something after last year.

[AussieFanKurt]

Shh, don't take away their fun. They need something after last year.

Didn't Heat win last year?

[Monster1776]

Didn't Heat win last year?

Didn't the Spurs get backdoor swept by us in the conference finals last year?

And the year before that?

And the year before that?

[HI-FI]

Didn't the Spurs get backdoor swept by us in the conference finals last year?

And the year before that?

And the year before that?

tbh, if we had the ref help OKC had, we would've won the past few years. as it stands, i'm okay with the past few years. Core got older, other pieces haven't stepped up like we needed. happens. The past 10-15 years of Spurs basketball has been a great ride, can't see OKC duplicating it, even with Stern literally and metaphorically taking it up the ass for the Thunder. Hopefully Silver doesn't have as much of a gay connection to the Bennetts as his predecessor.

[Monster1776]

tbh, if we had the ref help OKC had, we would've won the past few years. as it stands, i'm okay with the past few years. Core got older, other pieces haven't stepped up like we needed. happens. The past 10-15 years of Spurs basketball has been a great ride, can't see OKC duplicating it, even with Stern literally and metaphorically taking it up the ass for the Thunder. Hopefully Silver doesn't have as much of a gay connection to the Bennetts as his predecessor.

I sure didn't see that supposed OKC/Stern love connection today.

[Splits]

Damn, just watched the Brooks post game interview, he couldn't stop talking about free throws, how important they are to his team, how they didn't get enough tonight, how KD missed so many as a 90% freethrower, how he expects more freebies next game, etc etc etc. like 6 out of 7 minutes of the interview he was talking about freethrows. ing pussy ass team. Wish they would win so the Spurs could humiliate these ref-dependent s.