Warriors: If they lose this series, is it a bigger choke than the 2016 Finals?

[AlexJones]

I didn't think it would be a choke before the series started b/c Houston was just as good as them.. but it would be now. They're -165 favorites down 3-2 because the market either thinks CP3 will be out or at the very least ineffective for G7. You shouldn't lose

[Chris Fall]

That Golden State team had Dallas’ number that year. Bad match-up for the Mavs. Don Nelson knew the Mavs team inside and out and had a game plan to exploit what he thought were best exploitable. Golden State won all three regular season games too. Plus, Warriors arguably should have been a higher seed if not for all their injuries to their main core players. Their top 5 players missed a combined some 130 or so games. Maybe it was still a choke simply because it was 1-8. But it wasn’t as bad as some are suggesting when you consider all the factors.

Spurs as a 1 seed losing to Memphis a few years later was way more surprising than the Mavs losing to Golden State that year.

[Caltex2]

They're still a basketball team, not gods. They can be beaten just like Miami could be beaten by a team of mostly D league players. All it takes is to find their Achilles heel. Easier said than done, but the Rockets have gone after Steph relentlessly to the point where he's even lost some of his swag until he gets back home and even then only after he hits a few long range shots. KD probably feels like it's on him. Steph isn't 100%, his shooting is still off just a bit and he's hesitant (did you see him pass up that wide open look last game on that steal?, never happens otherwise). So outside of the big 3, they have no real offense other than Iggy. He's injured.

No one is 100% at this time of year, Steph is as healthy as can be expected, probably as good as Klay with his sprained knee. People only make that excuse when the Warriors lose uncharacteristically, but when he's bombing away they say no one can beat them.

[Clipper Nation]

That Golden State team had Dallas’ number that year. Bad match-up for the Mavs. Don Nelson knew the Mavs team inside and out and had a game plan to exploit what he thought were best exploitable. Golden State won all three regular season games too. Plus, Warriors arguably should have been a higher seed if not for all their injuries to their main core players. Their top 5 players missed a combined some 130 or so games. Maybe it was still a choke simply because it was 1-8. But it wasn’t as bad as some are suggesting when you consider all the factors.

Spurs as a 1 seed losing to Memphis a few years later was way more surprising than the Mavs losing to Golden State that year.

The problem with the "bad matchup" excuse is that the Mavs tanked on purpose specifically to face GSW. It was an arrogant decision on their part and it cost them.

[Chris Fall]

The problem with the "bad matchup" excuse is that the Mavs tanked on purpose specifically to face GSW. It was an arrogant decision on their part and it cost them.

How do you tank to get the #1 seed?

[Clipper Nation]

How do you tank to get the #1 seed?

Huh? They didn't tank for their own seeding, obviously. They tanked to keep the Warriors in the playoffs and the Clippers out.

[Chris Fall]

Huh? They didn't tank for their own seeding, obviously. They tanked to keep the Warriors in the playoffs and the Clippers out.

Man you warp everything to your own imaginary fictions.

Dallas had wrapped up the #1 seed and homecourt throughout the playoffs well before the final few games of the season. Them conceding one game against Golden State wasn’t arrogance. It was the benefit of being so far ahead of every other team in the standings to have the luxury of resting guys and not trying to win games desperately the final week. They shouldn’t have been scared of Golden State or the Clippers or any other possible 8 seed. But they didn’t owe anything to the Clippers either. It just so happened GS was a bad match up for them. Had nothing to do with arrogance. SMH.

[ambchang]

That Golden State team had Dallas’ number that year. Bad match-up for the Mavs. Don Nelson knew the Mavs team inside and out and had a game plan to exploit what he thought were best exploitable. Golden State won all three regular season games too. Plus, Warriors arguably should have been a higher seed if not for all their injuries to their main core players. Their top 5 players missed a combined some 130 or so games. Maybe it was still a choke simply because it was 1-8. But it wasn’t as bad as some are suggesting when you consider all the factors.

Spurs as a 1 seed losing to Memphis a few years later was way more surprising than the Mavs losing to Golden State that year.

How can you state warriors injuries and not the spurs injuries in the playoffs or Memphis going on a year in the second half that year?

[Chris Fall]

How can you state warriors injuries and not the spurs injuries in the playoffs or Memphis going on a year in the second half that year?

Mentioning the Golden State injuries was to suggest their talent was probably better than an 8 seed. Injuries didn’t affect the Spurs playoff seed obviously since they were a #1. Not the same point.

Uhh okay sure Memphis went on a tear in the second half, I guess. I don’t remember tbh. I still think that was a more surprising upset than GS over Dallas.

[HarlemHeat37]

Not even close..Houston won 65 games, had the best offense of all-time and a really good defense, they aren't some scrub team..

2016 Warriors blew a 3-1 lead and lost to a team with a minimal impact player(Kyrie) killing them

[ambchang]

Mentioning the Golden State injuries was to suggest their talent was probably better than an 8 seed. Injuries didn’t affect the Spurs playoff seed obviously since they were a #1. Not the same point.

Uhh okay sure Memphis went on a tear in the second half, I guess. I don’t remember tbh. I still think that was a more surprising upset than GS over Dallas.

Once ginobili got hurt it wasn’t that much of a surprise. Those spurs teams were focused on letting ginobili be the focal point of the offense. Started around 09 or so. Parker took it around 12.

[TD 21]

I didn't for a second buy that they were going to even had Paul stayed healthy, so I damn sure don't now, but yeah, it would.

The '18 Warriors have Durant, arguably the 2nd best player in the league, so despite more mileage and worse depth than the '16 Warriors, they have a higher ceiling and the '18 Rockets no longer have Paul, which makes them worse than the '16 Cavaliers.

The '16 Warriors also lost to one of the 2 greatest players of all time, playing at his peak. Both teams had a superstar and 2 stars. The '18 Warriors have 2 superstars and 2 stars, while the Rockets have 1 healthy superstar and no stars.