2013-14 Playoffs: Thoughts and even some Predictions

[spreedom]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

He relies on gimmicks versus his natural talent. He doesn't play composed at all, but he is still young.

Could you expand on that a bit? I don't see that at all. Maybe you see things from a different perspective.

[DOMINATOR]

Originally Posted by spreedom

Could you expand on that a bit? I don't see that at all. Maybe you see things from a different perspective.

i'd imagine hes mostly referring to the euro step move. which is really just a clever way of changing direction/speed. harden just does it better than anyone.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by spreedom

Could you expand on that a bit? I don't see that at all. Maybe you see things from a different perspective.

This series at least he has tried desperately to get those ticky tack calls that he got in the regular season. Playoffs are a different animal though, and many of those hand check fouls will no longer be called.

The best play he made last night was that sweet little drop off to Howard to send the game into overtime. But his playmaking in games 1 and 3 haven't been there, and it needs to be since he has the ball in his hands more than Lin.

[DOMINATOR]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

This series at least he has tried desperately to get those ticky tack calls that he got in the regular season. Playoffs are a different animal though, and many of those hand check fouls will no longer be called.

The best play he made last night was that sweet little drop off to Howard to send the game into overtime. But his playmaking in games 1 and 3 haven't been there, and it needs to be since he has the ball in his hands more than Lin.

he ran the pick n roll with howard many times to perfection in game 3... blazers have no answer for it. but since mchale doesnt call plays, they only ran it that once in game 4. stupid coaching stupid players.

[TripleDipping]

It was fun watching the Hawks pull one out of their asses to go up 3-2. I say they close it out in game 6.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by spreedom

I don't think Dwight has really been the problem at all. His free throw shooting, sure, but he's been downright under-the-radar this season, if you ask me, outside of his great play.

James Harden gives me anxiety attacks just from watching him... terrible shots, lazy turnovers, embarrassing defense... he has been terrible this postseason.

Harden on more than one occasion has not even bothered to get back on defense but rather sulked about lack of call or not getting the ball from a teammate. One crucial play in the 4th quarter of game 4 he WALKED back down court as the Blazers had a fast break because he was pisssed Dwight didnt kick it out to him. Couple that with incessant flopping/exagerration of contact and you have one of the most insufferable players in the league.

[TripleDipping]

Thunder-Grizzlies going to OT again.

[TripleDipping]

Holy effin crap Ibaka missed by just a fraction of a second from winning it.

This series has been absolutely crazy. Crazier than when they last played in 2011.

[BPo001]

I guess Scott Brooks didn't realize they were only down by one. Out of a timeout he draws up a deep KD 3?

[spreedom]

Originally Posted by BPo001

I guess Scott Brooks didn't realize they were only down by one. Out of a timeout he draws up a deep KD 3?

Brooks doesn't ever not draw up a one-pass KD iso out of a timeout.

[mavsman]

So Westbrook went 10-31 tonight. From the top of your head, how many games do you recall where Dirk took 31 shots?

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by mavsman

So Westbrook went 10-31 tonight. From the top of your head, how many games do you recall where Dirk took 31 shots?

I'd love to see Westbrook paired with Melo... They'd combine to average 20-60 shooting per game.

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by Underdog

I'd love to see Westbrook paired with Melo... They'd combine to average 20-60 shooting per game.

They'd each average 25 ppg. 50 points on 60 shots.

[sefant77]

Lovely, the Thunder getting late Karma for their water spilling crap during Dirks FT.

This time its Joey Crawford and Durant chokes

[sefant77]

And in the four OT games RW is 0-14 combined...scoring a total of one point. ouch.

And i cant believe how many crunchtime TO Conley has based on sucking ballhandling/dribbling...thats OJ Mayo level

[Jack.Kerr]

Glaringly apparent: Blake Griffin has an under-developed low-post game.

Time and again, they're feeding him the ball in the low-post against Greene, and the only thing he knows to do is to start backing the guy down. And even then, he often can't get around him, he's usually ending up with a weak, off-balance jump-hook. No face-up and jump shot. No reverse spin to the baseline.

He's a great athlete, but a remarkably undeveloped offensive talent. If he can't dunk the ball, he doesn't seem to know what to do.

[TripleDipping]

Effing crazy ending to the rockets blazers game.

[Cerberus]

OMG Lillard's clutch game/series 3 buzzer beater to go to the West Semi's.

[sefant77]

Hahaha, lets go to clutchfans

Rockets almost lucked there....airball lin and Dwight gets the ball...then Harden with a terrible last shot, Dwight pulls Lopez out of bounds and Parsons grabs the board and scores...

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Whoops, I was posting in the wrong thread. Wow, Lillard....just amazing.

[TripleDipping]

one fluke-ass shot deserves another.

[Cerberus]

Lillard's 3

What a win to advance for the first time in 14 years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2GJ2PwXQ4E

[TripleDipping]

[sefant77]

Dont know if this thread is funny or sad.

Asik and Lin have their poison-pill contracts, each counts 8m against the cap but the owner has to pay them 15m each. Lin had several terrible crunchtime plays against Portland....and yet they think they can dump Lin easy or trade both of them for star players. Melo, Rondo, Horford, Lowry...haha

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=254177

[j0Shi]

Every contract is tradeable.

And oh yeah. Go for Melo. He will absolutely bring a championship to no one.

[TripleDipping]

Originally Posted by j0Shi

Every contract is tradeable.

And oh yeah. Go for Melo. He will absolutely bring a championship to no one.

I so salivate to watch a Harden-Melo combo. Dwight needs to develop ball handling skills quickly because he'll never see the ball in the paint.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

I'm not sure the Pacers/Wizards series goes 5 games.

[Underdog]

Wow, the Clippers just dropped 39 points on OKC in the 1st quarter.

[EricaLubarsky]

Damn , okc

[spreedom]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

I'm not sure the Pacers/Wizards series goes 5 games.

I hope the Pacers get swept in miserable fashion every game, blame it all on Hibbert and Stephenson, then trade Hibbert to us for a lot less than he's actually worth. (I don't want us to go after Stephenson, I just figure that they won't make the guy that they're barely playing the only fall guy for this whole disaster.) Then I hope big Roy shows up to camp in the sickest shape of his career and plays like he's capable and leads us to the top seed in the West.

More realistic? The Pacers manage to be just competitive enough to make it a series and consider reloading instead of rebuilding.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by spreedom

I hope the Pacers get swept in miserable fashion every game, blame it all on Hibbert and Stephenson, then trade Hibbert to us for a lot less than he's actually worth. (I don't want us to go after Stephenson, I just figure that they won't make the guy that they're barely playing the only fall guy for this whole disaster.) Then I hope big Roy shows up to camp in the sickest shape of his career and plays like he's capable and leads us to the top seed in the West.

More realistic? The Pacers manage to be just competitive enough to make it a series and consider reloading instead of rebuilding.

I don't know. Some days I'm all for Hibbert, then I see a supposed star player put up yet another game like tonight.

0pts, 0reb, 2TO and 5PFs in 17min. Do stars or even above-average players put up that many crappy games in a row?

[EricaLubarsky]

[EricaLubarsky]

TMAC: "Me and Roy Hibbert had the same amount of points and rebounds tonight."

[spreedom]

I bet big Roy looks at Arenas and T-Mac, and their combined 0-fer in the first round of the playoffs, and chugs another Gatorade.

[dirt_dobber]

CP33333333

[EricaLubarsky]

Pacers ask for more from Roy Hibbert as former players crack jokes at his expense
http://nba.si.com/2014/05/06/roy-hib...acers-wizards/

Roy Hibbert found himself taking heat from all sides after another woeful performance during Indiana’s 102-96 home loss to Washington in Game 1.


The 7-foot-2, two-time All-Star center finished with zero points (on 0-for- 2 shooting), zero rebounds, one assist, two blocks, two turnovers and five fouls on Monday, posting a team-worst minus-17 in 18 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Wizards center Marcin Gortat notched a double-double, with 12 points and 15 rebounds, while Nene added 15 points and six boards. All told, Washington finished a whopping +17 on the glass.

Of course, this was not an isolated incident for Hibbert, who averaged 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in April and is averaging just 5.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in the postseason. Those middling numbers almost overstate his impact. The sixth-year big man has finished with zero points and zero rebounds just seven times during his career, but three of those seven no-shows have come during the last month.

Another evening of total ineffectiveness made Hibbert the butt of a number of pithy cracks on social media.

“Me and Roy Hibbert had the same amount of points and rebounds tonight,” Tracy McGrady joked on Twitter. The seven-time All-Star forward retired last year and is now pursuing a career in minor-league baseball.


Three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas, who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2012, posted a photoshop of Hibbert holding up a piece of paper with two zeroes on it to his Instagram account.

“I made the All-Star [Game] but through 3 quarters these are my stats,” the caption read. The photo has since been deleted.

Of greater concern to Hibbert than those mocking jabs were the prodding statements made by his teammates.

Paul George, who finished with 18 points (on 4-for-17 shooting), six rebounds and five assists, called on Hibbert to step up.

“We need him now,” George said, according to the Indianapolis Star. “I have faith that along the way he’s going to find himself. But we’re at the point where we’re really going to need Roy and we really need him now.”

David West posted 15 points and 12 rebounds, and he too called out Hibbert.

“He’s got to be part of the fight,” West said, according to USA Today Sports. “He’s got to be part of this thing for us to go anywhere.”

The Wizards now leads the series 1-0 with Game 2 set for Wednesday in Indiana. Going back to Washington down 0-2 would be a tall order for the Pacers, who never established a consistently high level of play in their seven-game first-round series with the Hawks. Hibbert managed 13 points and seven rebounds in Indiana’s Game 7 victory over Atlanta, and the Pacers will need that type of effort to even this series.

“I’m going to change some things up for the second game,” Hibbert pledged, according to Pacers.com. “I’m going to look within myself and go out there and figure it out. … I got to come out and be aggressive. I got to be a different Roy Hibbert than I have been.”

[sefant77]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

TMAC: "Me and Roy Hibbert had the same amount of points and rebounds tonight."

this little choker and quitter should be the last guy talking smack

Me and T-Crap had the same amount of 1st round series wins in their career (im not counting his towel waiver time with the Spurs)

[dirt_dobber]

re: Russell Westbrook's triple double.

***The triple double asterisk

like this comment from espn...
Westbrook's triple-double deserves a huge asterisk, if not a review by the NBA. It came with less than 90 seconds remaining in the game, when Westbrook passed to Thabo Sefolosha in the left corner. Sefolosha battled with Willie Green for control of the ball, then drove past Green all the way to the basket for a layup. An assist is defined as a pass that leads directly to a basket. Saying Westbrook's pass led directly to Sefolosha's basket would be like saying "The Shot Heard Round the World" in 1775 led directly to the Vietnam War.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Last night's game just shows that Hibbert's problems were 100% mental. Crappy for the fans to have to endure a player who decides to take playoff games off because of personal issues. Nearly costed them the Atlanta series. Now he'll hopefully be good from here out.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

re: Russell Westbrook's triple double.

***The triple double asterisk

like this comment from espn...
Westbrook's triple-double deserves a huge asterisk, if not a review by the NBA. It came with less than 90 seconds remaining in the game, when Westbrook passed to Thabo Sefolosha in the left corner. Sefolosha battled with Willie Green for control of the ball, then drove past Green all the way to the basket for a layup. An assist is defined as a pass that leads directly to a basket. Saying Westbrook's pass led directly to Sefolosha's basket would be like saying "The Shot Heard Round the World" in 1775 led directly to the Vietnam War.

Another reason Scott Brooks should be gone(though for the sake of the Mavs and the WC I hope they keep him forever ). He routinely leaves his stars in to rack up stats in games well out of hand. Its like a high school coach puffing his players.