Game Thread (81/82): Spurs @ Blazers (9:00 PM CT/5:00 AM Riga)

[SAGirl]

I agree the Lakers loss was worse. That game was never compe ive. I was bummed up about it bc Pop played the starters a lot and the Lakers kept benching players trying to tank.

In the scheme of losses that don't matter, yet are still shocking that one tops my list.

I laughed about it afterwards bc CIA Pop shafted Waltons tanking but it was a terrible display.

This one is nothing. Guys made mistakes at the end that are unlikely to be in that situation in the playoffs. Learning opportunity for them and hopefully stay healthy.

[spursistan]

"Nothing to play for" posts after a late season loss usually come from mentally weak posters who can't think of anything intelligent to say. The GS loss was the straw that broke the camels back. The offense for the most part has been abysmal since. Losing a game with your A-squad against an opponents F-squad is embarrassing in itself but, when you couple that with a loss to the tanking Lakers at home when the A-squad put the Spurs in a 26 point hole is shockingly pathetic for a team with championship aspirations. While the Grizzlies may not beat the Spurs, they got the match up they wanted. The Grizz are playing with house money and they have enough talent to make the series far more interesting than a Spur's homer would like to admit.

Oh, and that Lakers loss is the reason the Spurs had nothing to play for.

It is bewildering how some folks are so confident in their "Spurs in 4/in 5" picks with how this team been laboring for couple months now and, most importantly, how evenly-matched both teams looked in 3 regular season games this late in the year.

[Fireball]

another embarassing game ... Simmons with a great dunk, but not able to catch a long pass

[TheDoctor]

Davis and Butthead

Damn I knew Iceberg's head was big, but in this pic it looks massive. Prometheus' Engineer massive.

[TampaDude]

"Nothing to play for" posts after a late season loss usually come from mentally weak posters who can't think of anything intelligent to say. The GS loss was the straw that broke the camels back. The offense for the most part has been abysmal since. Losing a game with your A-squad against an opponents F-squad is embarrassing in itself but, when you couple that with a loss to the tanking Lakers at home when the A-squad put the Spurs in a 26 point hole is shockingly pathetic for a team with championship aspirations. While the Grizzlies may not beat the Spurs, they got the match up they wanted. The Grizz are playing with house money and they have enough talent to make the series far more interesting than a Spur's homer would like to admit.

Oh, and that Lakers loss is the reason the Spurs had nothing to play for.

So...how did the Cavs do last night?

[daslicer]

"Nothing to play for" posts after a late season loss usually come from mentally weak posters who can't think of anything intelligent to say. The GS loss was the straw that broke the camels back. The offense for the most part has been abysmal since. Losing a game with your A-squad against an opponents F-squad is embarrassing in itself but, when you couple that with a loss to the tanking Lakers at home when the A-squad put the Spurs in a 26 point hole is shockingly pathetic for a team with championship aspirations. While the Grizzlies may not beat the Spurs, they got the match up they wanted. The Grizz are playing with house money and they have enough talent to make the series far more interesting than a Spur's homer would like to admit.

Oh, and that Lakers loss is the reason the Spurs had nothing to play for.

Spurs have nothing to play for to act like they do is pretty stupid with the seeding locked up. This is the equivalent of being in a class where your stuck with a B average regardless of what you do which makes studying hard for an A pointless. The GS loss didn't break the spurs down but more so after it happened the seeding were already determined. By your re logic if the Spurs were so broken by the GS loss then how did they summon the mental for ude to comeback from 21 against the Thunder and win which was the game played after the Warriors loss? A team that's mentally broken could have easily mailed it in that cir stance. Who gives a that the Grizzlies got the match up they wanted. Historically the Spurs have never been a team that intimidates the opponents and that was the case even during the championship years. They have always been teams that talked and have tanked to play the Spurs in the first round. In '99 KG talked a lot of about upsetting the spurs, in '03 the Suns felt confident they could pull the upset, in '05 and '07 the Nuggets tanked on purpose to face the Spurs. The grizzlies could possibly push the Spurs to 6 but they will still lose so who gives a . The Spurs should beat both the Grizz and the Rockets. If they don't it would be a huge choke job.

You strike me as a desperate troll that is hoping the Spurs suffer great playoff embarrassment to your delight. It's funny you say the Grizz could make it series but can't say with confidence that the Spurs will lose. It seems like you are covering your trolling tracks so that way you can spin a spurs series win by saying "I told you so the Spurs would have a tough series" or if the Spurs lose the series you will say "I saw this happening from miles away." The next series we will hear the same from you about the Rockets. Put your money where your mouth is if you feel the Spurs are going to lose to the Grizz then have the guts and say it.

[sasaint]

The bad shooting spells will happen. Its inevitable that guys go cold. Davis and Forbes were off shooting and it's tough when they don't make shots bc that's their main thing. I was impressed the deep bench instead tried to get to the basket and were able to hang on despite the bad shooting. They made a lot of mistakes. Forbes was terrible, fouling a 3 pt shooter with the game on the line for example, TO the ball, etc. He's not going to be in that situation in the playoffs. Simmons in reality missed a catch at the end that he's very capable of making. Lee botched a wide open dunk or was fouled. They stayed in that game until the end though. Dedmon didn't have a good game for example. It's valuable for those guys to be in that situation and value possessions as well as feel some pressure and good for Pop to evaluate too.The starters are indeed the ones to worry about. This looked like the Lakers game but not as bad in terms of the hole the bench had to dig through. The Lakers one was really depressing but then Forbes and Patty were awful shooting in that game: 3-10 and 2-8respectively. It's my worry with Forbes. When that shot is off, there's nothing else he can do for you.Anyways, the real rotation guys don't care too much at this point and their main thing is to get some rhythm and stay healthy. The bench competes higher despite their limitations bc they are competing for a spot and to stay in the league pretty much. There's really no situation where they should be coasting ever at this point in their careers.

I really did not expect our scrubs to look that scrubby, tbh. And I hated the OB play to Simmons. It was very high risk with little margin for error. Very un-Pop-like. But you are dead-on about the starters. They haven't had any rhythm since the ASG. They haven't played with any consistency or intensity, and they do not look ready for the playoffs. Heading into the playoffs playing +/- .500 ball for the last couple of weeks and on a 4-game losing-streak is not encouraging.

[bklynspursfan]

I really did not expect our scrubs to look that scrubby, tbh. And I hated the OB play to Simmons. It was very high risk with little margin for error. Very un-Pop-like. But you are dead-on about the starters. They haven't had any rhythm since the ASG. They haven't played with any consistency or intensity, and they do not look ready for the playoffs. Heading into the playoffs playing +/- .500 ball for the last couple of weeks and on a 4-game losing-streak is not encouraging.

They had to get the ball across half court rather quickly. That's where Anderson got the inbounds and got trapped, then he passed it to Lee and he called a TO. They probably had 3-4 seconds to get it across, and with the Blazers going with pressure in the full court, it may have been risky to not try that pass too. You pass it in, the guy will be trapped immediately, and you could be looking at an 8 sec violation and/or steal.

It was a risky play, but if the pass is just a tad shorter, it could've be enough to seal the game. Simmons was the best guy to catch that kind of pass and finish in that situation IMO.

[sasaint]

They had to get the ball across half court rather quickly. That's where Anderson got the inbounds and got trapped, then he passed it to Lee and he called a TO. They probably had 3-4 seconds to get it across, and with the Blazers going with pressure in the full court, it may have been risky to not try that pass too. You pass it in, the guy will be trapped immediately, and you could be looking at an 8 sec violation and/or steal.

It was a risky play, but if the pass is just a tad shorter, it could've be enough to seal the game. Simmons was the best guy to catch that kind of pass and finish in that situation IMO.

Sure. But there are plenty of options between passing the ball into a trap in the backcourt and the risky play the Spurs actually ran. There were a bunch of plays in crunch time that played a part in our loss. You mentioned DLee's quick inbound pass to Kyle that led to the trap. The better play probably would have been to call a timeout and advance the ball to mid-court. But we still would have had to call a play that took into account the fact that we had no good ball-handler in the game against a trapping press.

All of that is moot, however, if our starters had built a big lead against the Blazers' scrubs instead of barely holding their own.

[bklynspursfan]

Sure. But there are plenty of options between passing the ball into a trap in the backcourt and the risky play the Spurs actually ran. There were a bunch of plays in crunch time that played a part in our loss. You mentioned DLee's quick inbound pass to Kyle that led to the trap. The better play probably would have been to call a timeout and advance the ball to mid-court. But we still would have had to call a play that took into account the fact that we had no good ball-handler in the game against a trapping press.

All of that is moot, however, if our starters had built a big lead against the Blazers' scrubs instead of barely holding their own.

For sure, I think a TO there would've been ideal. Maybe their thinking was that Anderson would get fouled immediately, and since he just got the last 2 FT's, probably why he wanted the ball in that scenario, and why Lee gave it up to him.

Your last point is accurate tho. really really hoping the guys who have been struggling show some life in the playoffs. This team is desperate for a game where they're raining 3's and having fun out there

[sasaint]

For sure, I think a TO there would've been ideal. Maybe their thinking was that Anderson would get fouled immediately, and since he just got the last 2 FT's, probably why he wanted the ball in that scenario, and why Lee gave it up to him.

Your last point is accurate tho. really really hoping the guys who have been struggling show some life in the playoffs. This team is desperate for a game where they're raining 3's and having fun out there

Not just for one game. Our shooters simply must regain form in order for this team to be a real threat. This digging ourselves into deep holes do overcome will not wash in the playoffs. When was the last time you saw what you describe? I honestly don't remember. We are limping into the playoffs instead of gearing up. We gotta turn this around.

The Pau/Deadman issue, in all its dimensions, points to the loss of Tim Duncan. His impact, especially in the last two or three years reached so far beyond the court, and in so doing, was reflected on the court. Leadership is not something that any of the modern advanced stats can account for. Despite winning 60 games this team has not ever looked as good as when Timmy was our leader - except in that anomalous first game blowout of the Dubs. I hope the "CIA Pop crowd" is right, and Pop has just been experimenting for virtually the entire season; and he "secretly" knows (from practice, etc.) that this team has another, smoother, more intense gear that it will shift into come playoff time.

[bklynspursfan]

Not just for one game. Our shooters simply must regain form in order for this team to be a real threat. This digging ourselves into deep holes do overcome will not wash in the playoffs. When was the last time you saw what you describe? I honestly don't remember. We are limping into the playoffs instead of gearing up. We gotta turn this around.

The Pau/Deadman issue, in all its dimensions, points to the loss of Tim Duncan. His impact, especially in the last two or three years reached so far beyond the court, and in so doing, was reflected on the court. Leadership is not something that any of the modern advanced stats can account for. Despite winning 60 games this team has not ever looked as good as when Timmy was our leader - except in that anomalous first game blowout of the Dubs. I hope the "CIA Pop crowd" is right, and Pop has just been experimenting for virtually the entire season; and he "secretly" knows (from practice, etc.) that this team has another, smoother, more intense gear that it will shift into come playoff time.

Yea for sure. Definitely didn't mean one game in a literal sense, but more so in hopes that they have that 1 game and it carries over, and they build off the momentum

I agree tho. TD's presence is missed immensely. Pop had so many new pieces to work with, I think he had to have an experimental type season, to a certain degree. Then we've had some injuries which didn't help. This team needs as many reps together as possible. The chemistry isn't where it needs to be, and it'll be tested right from the jump in the first round.

[SAGirl]

They had to get the ball across half court rather quickly. That's where Anderson got the inbounds and got trapped, then he passed it to Lee and he called a TO. They probably had 3-4 seconds to get it across, and with the Blazers going with pressure in the full court, it may have been risky to not try that pass too. You pass it in, the guy will be trapped immediately, and you could be looking at an 8 sec violation and/or steal.

It was a risky play, but if the pass is just a tad shorter, it could've be enough to seal the game. Simmons was the best guy to catch that kind of pass and finish in that situation IMO.

I just wonder if they just didn't execute it well. Simmons never really got free of his man. He didn't fake him out properly if that was the plan, or if it was to screen him, the screen of his man wasn't properly set.

Simmons basically went long and asked for a Touchdown pass. I think the ply was for either him or the screener to be open for a moment after the line but the way it was executed, neither guy got free. Simmons could have outrun the big if his guy was screened for example or the big catch a lob over a small... or something. Instead Simmons was covered the entire time which required a very long pass to lead him ahead which he almost caught but not quite. Just happy in fact he didn't get injured falling awkwardly or whatever going for that catch when you think about it.

Hard for me to believe Pop would design a play that didn't have a guy open for a moment and instead required such a difficult pass and catch from both players... it could have been worse if the pass was intercepted actually too.

[bklynspursfan]

I just wonder if they just didn't execute it well. Simmons never really got free of his man. He didn't fake him out properly if that was the plan, or if it was to screen him, the screen of his man wasn't properly set.

Simmons basically went long and asked for a Touchdown pass. I think the ply was for either him or the screener to be open for a moment after the line but the way it was executed, neither guy got free. Simmons could have outrun the big if his guy was screened for example or the big catch a lob over a small... or something. Instead Simmons was covered the entire time which required a very long pass to lead him ahead which he almost caught but not quite. Just happy in fact he didn't get injured falling awkwardly or whatever going for that catch when you think about it.

Hard for me to believe Pop would design a play that didn't have a guy open for a moment and instead required such a difficult pass and catch from both players... it could have been worse if the pass was intercepted actually too.

Yea, I'm not sure either. I haven't seen enough replays/angles to see if someone didn't screen hard enough, or if they switched, or Simmons started his "route" a second late or whatever. It was a tough play, and it was still a good pass that it made it that far honestly.

That play didn't lose the game as others have alluded to, nor did the weird loose ball that ended up at the right place/time for Portland. We should've had a big enough lead where the last 2 mins didn't matter. Or the last quarter for that matter. They didn't respect their opponent... It happens, we've been on the other side of that many times

[SAGirl]

Yea, I'm not sure either. I haven't seen enough replays/angles to see if someone didn't screen hard enough, or if they switched, or Simmons started his "route" a second late or whatever. It was a tough play, and it was still a good pass that it made it that far honestly.

That play didn't lose the game as others have alluded to, nor did the weird loose ball that ended up at the right place/time for Portland. We should've had a big enough lead where the last 2 mins didn't matter. Or the last quarter for that matter. They didn't respect their opponent... It happens, we've been on the other side of that many times

Pop was laughing at the end of it. It's just the overreacting.

Really it cannot be overstated how important it was that guys didn't get injured instead. Like the loose ball at the end. Apparently it rococheted off Napiers foot into Vonlehs hand (from one tweet I saw). Sure neither KA or Lee dove on the floor for it but the game didn't matter and it was better from r neither guy to get injured going for a lose ball Manu style. If it were the playoffs the level of compe iveness would be there as well as Pop being sharper about pressure and none of those guys (except possibly Lee) would be on the court in crunch time.

just got to understand the context of the game.

[TD 21]

Fully on board with a major roster shakeup if they lose before the WCF..

Parker maybe still untouchable no matter, but you gotta look at moving Aldridge or Pau and Green (sad face) in a trade to acquire a starting PG (even 2nd tier ones like Bledose, or Hill, Holiday in FA etc).. I can't take anymore fools gold regular season teams getting shown up in the playoffs..

Even if they get to the WCF and as expected, get blown away. They're on the precipice of it becoming embarrassing to have another dominant regular season (by metrics), only to get completely overmatched in the playoffs. Good thing they capitalized on the Westbrook injury in '13 and the Ibaka injury in '14 or else the perception of this franchise might be a lot different than it is.

I don't think they'll look at moving Green. In fact, when he did them a favor in '15, they probably had a wink-wink agreement with him, that he'll opt out in '18 and they'll reimburse him. Besides, he might still has a few years of the '12-'15 version in him, so long as he's paired with a dynamic creator.

They don't have the cap space for a Hill or Holiday and no realistic means where they could create it and come out of it an improved team. Bledsoe, their only chance would be for the Suns to get a top 2 pick, draft Fultz or Ball and still have interest in Aldridge. Even then, they'd probably only move him if he wanted to be moved and I'm increasingly skeptical of that. Not because he's necessarily happy, but he probably knows he's in or about to be in decline and even a bottom feeder like the Suns isn't returning him to the role he had in the back half of his Trail Blazers career.

[bklynspursfan]

Pop was laughing at the end of it. It's just the overreacting.

Really it cannot be overstated how important it was that guys didn't get injured instead. Like the loose ball at the end. Apparently it rococheted off Napiers foot into Vonlehs hand (from one tweet I saw). Sure neither KA or Lee dove on the floor for it but the game didn't matter and it was better from r neither guy to get injured going for a lose ball Manu style. If it were the playoffs the level of compe iveness would be there as well as Pop being sharper about pressure and none of those guys (except possibly Lee) would be on the court in crunch time.

just got to understand the context of the game.

yep. agreed

[skulls138]

Id rather them win these games, meaningless or not. Pops didnt like what he saw against the Clippers so played them. Well ing play them then. Annihilate the Blazers. There was a tug of war between the teams but as soon as the starters started making headway, he pulls them, then when the second unit begins to do good, he pulls them. Blazers had rhythm, thats why they won. The third string didnt.

I have to stick up for Kawhi here. People might think he was saying he wanted to play because hes supposed to say these kinds of things but I think he knows whats up. Pops ways can be anti-rhythm, anti-momentum.

[spursistan]

Even if they get to the WCF and as expected, get blown away. They're on the precipice of it becoming embarrassing to have another dominant regular season (by metrics), only to get completely overmatched in the playoffs. Good thing they capitalized on the Westbrook injury in '13 and the Ibaka injury in '14 or else the perception of this franchise might be a lot different than it is.

I don't think they'll look at moving Green. In fact, when he did them a favor in '15, they probably had a wink-wink agreement with him, that he'll opt out in '18 and they'll reimburse him. Besides, he might still has a few years of the '12-'15 version in him, so long as he's paired with a dynamic creator.

They don't have the cap space for a Hill or Holiday and no realistic means where they could create it and come out of it an improved team. Bledsoe, their only chance would be for the Suns to get a top 2 pick, draft Fultz or Ball and still have interest in Aldridge. Even then, they'd probably only move him if he wanted to be moved and I'm increasingly skeptical of that. Not because he's necessarily happy, but he probably knows he's in or about to be in decline and even a bottom feeder like the Suns isn't returning him to the role he had in the back half of his Trail Blazers career.

I don't think anyone would fault them for losing to a historically stacked squad like Golden State-- a disgustingly unfair roster that will overmatch everyone, not just the Spurs.

However, if they get beat by a flawed Houston team—though one that represents the total anti-thesis of what they are trying to do from a basketball philosophy standpoint—that should call for an immediate detour. I just do not see how losing in the second round again with a 60-win team doesn’t spur a complete reassessment of where they stand with their current roster/basketball foundations.

In a way, even with that last magical le still lurking in memory, the perception of the team has already changed. It is now being articulated by pundits in polite terms as in “I’m not sure the Spurs have another gear in the playoffs”. They are right: the last two postseason exits have put the team on a treadmill of pretention.

So the crucial choice has to be made this summer: Are they happy with a “second-fiddle” ceiling--they haven't even hit yet it in two consecutive postseasons-- as Golden State left to clean up for next the few years? Or take a step back (in regular season wins/seeding) in order to prepare a legit le contender for, say, 2020 or 2021 while Leonard still in his prime..If the latter is the case, then I don’t see anyone outside Kawhi/Murray/Bertans with a chance to be a starter on that team. You simply go from there.

They may have lost leverage in a potential Aldridge trade (decline/health concerns) and consider Green as part of the core, but these two are essentially their only assets along with a late pick (though I think they can find takers for Pau to clear space).

The fact remains no franchise has kick-started a new winning cycle without making a bold move of sort with the long-term view in mind. The Spurs did it in their own way by trading Hill for a middling lottery pick.

Just gotta stop spinning the wheels..The current Spurs are a souped-up version of those late 2000s one-superstar Heat/Mavericks teams; we are putting nothing to hazard by trying to shake things up.

* Bill Simmons just asked in one of his recent podcast: who on this Spurs team outside Leonard could be said to be better or just as good as he was 3 years ago? Depressing truth..

[TD 21]

I don't think anyone would fault them for losing to a historically stacked squad like Golden State-- a disgustingly unfair roster that will overmatch everyone, not just the Spurs.

However, if they get beat by a flawed Houston team—though one that represents the total anti-thesis of what they are trying to do from a basketball philosophy standpoint—that should call for an immediate detour. I just do not see how losing in the second round again with a 60-win team doesn’t spur a complete reassessment of where they stand with their current roster/basketball foundations.

In a way, even with that last magical le still lurking in memory, the perception of the team has already changed. It is now being articulated by pundits in polite terms as in “I’m not sure the Spurs have another gear in the playoffs”. They are right: the last two postseason exits have put the team on a treadmill of pretention.

So the crucial choice has to be made this summer: Are they happy with a “second-fiddle” ceiling--they haven't even hit yet it in two consecutive postseasons-- as Golden State left to clean up for next the few years? Or take a step back (in regular season wins/seeding) in order to prepare a legit le contender for, say, 2020 or 2021 while Leonard still in his prime..If the latter is the case, then I don’t see anyone outside Kawhi/Murray/Bertans with a chance to be a starter on that team. You simply go from there.

They may have lost leverage in a potential Aldridge trade (decline/health concerns) and consider Green as part of the core, but these two are essentially their only assets along with a late pick (though I think they can find takers for Pau to clear space).

The fact remains no franchise has kick-started a new winning cycle without making a bold move of sort with the long-term view in mind. The Spurs did it in their own way by trading Hill for a middling lottery pick.

Just gotta stop spinning the wheels..The current Spurs are a souped-up version of those late 2000s one-superstar Heat/Mavericks teams; we are putting nothing to hazard by trying to shake things up.

I meant, if they're not even compe ive with the Warriors, not whether they lose to them in general because if they can even get to them, barring injury to them, that's a lock. This season is about getting to that point and then determining how far away they are from being able to beat them in a series.

If, as most suspect, it's a long way, then they should look at what I said months ago and you did in this post: kicking the can down the road a few years. Otherwise, they run the risk of trying in vain in the interim and setting themselves up to be non factors in the back half of Leonard's prime.

Granted, I don't know how much value they'd get. Between what appears to be the beginning of a decline, his health concern and the opt out and either paying him more or him leaving in a year, if the Suns don't land a top 2 pick and wouldn't be willing to move Bledsoe for him, Aldridge might only be able to fetch something like Randle and Clarkson. Green, as much as people value 3 and D wings, probably fetches a mid 1st or a prospect who's the equivalent of such.

[FkLA]

Even if they get to the WCF and as expected, get blown away. They're on the precipice of it becoming embarrassing to have another dominant regular season (by metrics), only to get completely overmatched in the playoffs. Good thing they capitalized on the Westbrook injury in '13 and the Ibaka injury in '14 or else the perception of this franchise might be a lot different than it is.

How do you manage to even on those two years? Jesus you're a miserable fan.

[james evans]

Even if they get to the WCF and as expected, get blown away. They're on the precipice of it becoming embarrassing to have another dominant regular season (by metrics), only to get completely overmatched in the playoffs. Good thing they capitalized on the Westbrook injury in '13 and the Ibaka injury in '14 or else the perception of this franchise might be a lot different than it is.

I don't think they'll look at moving Green. In fact, when he did them a favor in '15, they probably had a wink-wink agreement with him, that he'll opt out in '18 and they'll reimburse him. Besides, he might still has a few years of the '12-'15 version in him, so long as he's paired with a dynamic creator.

They don't have the cap space for a Hill or Holiday and no realistic means where they could create it and come out of it an improved team. Bledsoe, their only chance would be for the Suns to get a top 2 pick, draft Fultz or Ball and still have interest in Aldridge. Even then, they'd probably only move him if he wanted to be moved and I'm increasingly skeptical of that. Not because he's necessarily happy, but he probably knows he's in or about to be in decline and even a bottom feeder like the Suns isn't returning him to the role he had in the back half of his Trail Blazers career.

Green has been wide the open ALL SEASON. How much more creating does he need to consistently hit a jump shot?

[TD 21]

How do you manage to even on those two years? Jesus you're a miserable fan.

Not being biased and pointing out that they benefitted from significant injuries to their biggest threat isn't " ting" on them.

They deserve credit for capitalizing and I'm not saying they definitely wouldn't have otherwise, but the reality is they've had great difficulty with that team over the years and in general, have had a penchant for disappointing in the playoffs in this decade.

Green has been wide the open ALL SEASON. How much more creating does he need to consistently hit a jump shot?

What's more likely: Despite no career altering injury, he all of a sudden became a significantly worse shooter in his late 20's or his shooting was tied in part to having a dynamic penetrator, who could consistently create high quality catch-and-shoot opportunities?

[james evans]

Not being biased and pointing out that they benefitted from significant injuries to their biggest threat isn't " ting" on them.

They deserve credit for capitalizing and I'm not saying they definitely wouldn't have otherwise, but the reality is they've had great difficulty with that team over the years and in general, have had a penchant for disappointing in the playoffs in this decade.




What's more likely: Despite no career altering injury, he all of a sudden became a significantly worse shooter in his late 20's or his shooting was tied in part to having a dynamic penetrator, who could consistently create high quality catch-and-shoot opportunities?

the penetrator or who is passing the ball to him is irrelevant. HE'S WIDE THE OPEN. Are you telling me he'll hit more open jumpers in the future depending on who passes him the ball when he's wide open? Nobody guards green anymore because he can't consistently hit

[FkLA]

Not being biased and pointing out that they benefitted from significant injuries to their biggest threat isn't " ting" on them.

They deserve credit for capitalizing and I'm not saying they definitely wouldn't have otherwise, but the reality is they've had great difficulty with that team over the years and in general, have had a penchant for disappointing in the playoffs in this decade.

You can do that for any champion. Is GS just seen as a cute regular season team that can't get over the hump instead of a historic team if they don't get CLE without Love & Kyrie in '15? It's pointless to play the what if game to discredit champions, and comes off as miserable when it's your own team.