OT: Cavs v. Warriors

[Goose85]

Well we are finally just a few days away from the NBA finals, a rematch of last season.

Just curious as to who those on this board think will be crowned NBA champs in a couple weeks.

I am picking the Cavs in 6.

Lebron and the Cavs did pretty well last year without Irving and Love.
I also think it is just a matter of time before Green gets another flagrant or two and is suspended for a game.

[MUfan12]

Who does Love or Irving guard, though? OKC's defense was so disruptive for a lot of that series, and I don't know if Cleveland has that in them.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me if a rested Cavs team steals Game 1 on Thursday. GSW was put through the wringer by OKC. I'll go with a repeat of last year- Warriors in 6.

[TheSultan]

GSW in six. I have never seen an NBA team like them...and I have never seen a player like Curry.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

I will say GSW in 6 also, Curry has finally found his groove again, he wasn't the same a the beginning of the OKC series, they seemed to figure it out those last three games. With that said, it should be a good series, probably not as good as the OKC/GSW series, but good none the less.

[MUAlphaBangura]

ABC. Anybody But Cleveland. Not because of their team or individual players. Because of their douchebag owner. GSW in 6.

[ge1974]

Why is he a douchbag owner?

[MUAlphaBangura]

Why is he a douchbag owner?

For what he said about Lebron when he left for Miami. No class.

[ge1974]

They kissed and made up, obviously . LeBron holding a press conference "show" on television to announce for Miami also showed no class.

We had five great years together and one terrible night," Gilbert told James, and so started the process of reconciliation on Sunday night in Miami. "I told him how sorry I was, expressed regret for how that night went and how I let all the emotion and passion for the situation carry me away. I told him I wish I had never done it, that I wish I could take it back."

And soon, James told Gilbert that he wished he had never done "The Decision" on cable television and that they had made mistakes together, that they could move past it. From James and his agent Rich Paul and business manager Maverick Carter, the air of peace hung heavy in the South Florida air, the process of returning to Cleveland had begun in earnest. Soon, they had stopped talking about the past and talked about the possibility of a future together and for the first time – truly the first time – the possibility of reunification had become genuine.

Did you know Dan Gilbert almost bought the Milwaukee Brewers in 2004? Too bad he didn't because he is committed to winning as an owner.

The amount of Gilbert’s bid to buy the Brewers wasn’t disclosed. The Selig family opted to sell the team to Mark Attanasio, founder of Dallas-based investment firm Crescent Capital Partners, for $200 million.

Gilbert, foreshadowing the future, publicly aired his disappointment over the decision.

“I am deeply disappointed that the Brewers have chosen another direction in the sale of the club,” he said in a statement at the time. “After nearly eight long months of negotiations, I believed we were on the verge of announcing a deal when I was informed of the Brewers’ decision to sell the team to another party.”

He then turned his sights on the Cavaliers.

[MUFAN2010]

The Goose is golden. Cavs in 6.

[TheSultan]

They kissed and made up, obviously . LeBron holding a press conference "show" on television to announce for Miami also showed no class.


Which he admits was a mistake. If the aggrieved parties have forgiven one another, I think that stuff just needs to be forgotten.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Which he admits was a mistake. If the aggrieved parties have forgiven one another, I think that stuff just needs to be forgotten.

When did he admit that? Before or after James returning to Cleveland seemed realistic? Honest question.

[TheSultan]

Lebron apologized to Cleveland way back in 2011. The owner apologized just before he resigned.

But again, if both parties are OK, I'm good.

[mufan2003]

Originally was thinking Golden State in 6. With Love and Irving healthy, I am going with Golden State in 7. Advantage to the home team in game 7.

[mufansince72]

Golden State in 6. Kryie and Love are defensive sieves. I was really hoping to get to see Westbrook tear through Kyrie. Makes no difference though, Steph and Klay will.

[CaribouJim]

Cavs in 7.

[mufansince72]

ESPN's Power Index gives the Cav's a 25% shot.

[Goose85]

Cavs in 7.

I think those of us saying the Cavs will win are in the minority.

The Cavs have had a lot of down time, while the Warriors have not. Does that make a difference for game 1?

[TheSultan]

I'm not really rooting for one team or another - I like both of them. A 7 game series where the 7th game goes into triple overtime would be nice.

[pbiflyer]

I'm not really rooting for one team or another - I like both of them. A 7 game series where the 7th game goes into triple overtime would be nice.

With Lebron missing the last shot or Steph making an outrageous one!

I want GS to win, but Lebron will bull his way to the basket and get every call. Sadly BronBron gets his first ring without DWade's help.

[TheSultan]

I like Lebron so I'm good with him making the last shot as well.

[mufansince72]

This series has Golden State in 4 or 5 written all over it. Only chance Cleveland has to win a game is if Lebron decides to try and dominate offensively, which he has done in exactly 1 of 15 playoff games thus far. They lost by double digits and Curry and Thompson probably played the worst games they will play collectively in the playoffs. While I don’t think you can expect Livingston to shoot the lights out again, I also don’t think that the free throw disparity will be as bad as it was tonight. Lebron has been trying to play facilitator through this entire playoff run. He has had one old style Lebron game, game 6 against Toronto. For Cleveland to have a chance to win a game or two, Lebron will need to find his old dominant scoring self, drive to the basket, finish, and get Golden State in foul trouble.

[mufan2003]

Golden State has so many weapons. A great, great team that proved it with the 73-9 regular season record. Just can't see Cleveland winning this series.

[mufansince72]

Golden State has so many weapons. A great, great team that proved it with the 73-9 regular season record. Just can't see Cleveland winning this series.

I have trouble seeing Cleveland even winning a game, unless Lebron decides to be Lebron again, which he hasn't thus far in the playoffs. Game 3 will probably be the one they win, if they get one.

[TheSultan]

Yeah this isn't going 7 unless Cleveland stops their one on one offense.

[kneelb4zerg]

With Lebron missing the last shot or Steph making an outrageous one!

I want GS to win, but Lebron will bull his way to the basket and get every call. Sadly BronBron gets his first ring without DWade's help.

Is this Skip Bayless?

[mufansince72]

Yeah this isn't going 7 unless Cleveland stops their one on one offense.

I'm sure Golden State will love it if Cleveland keeps up their equal opportunity offense and Lebron continues to defer to his team mates.

[TheSultan]

They just need to move the ball better. I mentioned this to my wife that Cleveland reminds me of a NBA team from 15 years ago when teams lacked any offensive imagination. Compare how Golden State moves the ball. Or the Spurs. Or the when the good Thunder teams show up.

[Markedman]

I agree Warriors will win but I will be shocked if it is a sweep.

Cleveland will be much tougher at home.

[MUMac]

I expected the first game to be tough for Cleveland. Their best opportunity to steal one on the road is the 2nd game. Always difficult to come off of an extended layoff, when playing the first game on the road.

I see it as a different game in Game 2 (maybe not result, but a different Cav team will show up).

[pbiflyer]

Is this Skip Bayless?

I was stunned to see one call finally for an offensive foul on Lebron, but pretty much he just bulled his way to the basket with no worries of an offensive foul. Thankfully, he didn't do it very often. I expect that to change the rest of the series.
The free throw disparity kinda proves my point. GS, at home, didn't get very many calls.

[TheSultan]

Free throw disparity is a terrible way to determine who is getting calls because the situation determines when free throws are shot. There were 17 personal fouls called on Cleveland. 16 on Golden State.

[MU/Panther]

Game 1 did a 13.1 overnight rating/19.197 million viewers. Biggest Game 1 on any network since 1998.

[pbiflyer]

Game 1 did a 13.1 overnight rating/19.197 million viewers. Biggest Game 1 on any network since 1998.

Interestingly, Miami was the 5th highest rated US market. Also, I bet Toronto was up there as well. Was in Toronto for Game 1 and all the sports bars were packed with the game on most or all TVs.

Golden State pretty dominant tonight. Not sure Cleveland has the firepower to outscore them, even at home. But we have seen huge shifts in flow once the venue shifts.

I do really want to be able to make this my FB banner again:
904

[mufansince72]

They certainly don't have enough firepower if Lebron decides to play like he did tonight, and for the most part, through the entire playoffs other than game 6 in Toronto.

[TheSultan]

They certainly don't have enough firepower if Lebron decides to play like he did tonight, and for the most part, through the entire playoffs other than game 6 in Toronto.


He's not playing well, but he shot better than any of the other starters. Richard Jefferson was the only player who played 10+ minutes and shot better than James.

[mufansince72]

The problem Sultan is Lebron has been deferring the entire playoffs and is not looking to be Lebron James. He is trying to be a distributor. He needs to quit worrying about the other guys and just go get his points and be Lebron James. I can't tell you how many times I have seen Lebron with a three footer in 17 playoff games so far and just kick it out to another guy. He is playing just like another guy. He is not playing like a guy who thinks he is the best player in the NBA.

[TheSultan]

Wholeheartedly agree with you there mu.

[warriorfan4life]

While I have been rooting for Cleveland (actually like LeBron and man that city deserves something good to happen), I thought that their only chance was Kyrie playing at a similar level to Curry and LeBron taking the team on his back and putting in the performance of his career (similar to the one against the Pistons in 2006-2007 conference finals). LeBron has been just decent and the rest of the Cavs look inferior to Golden State. Think they have just enough to take one game, but would be stunned if there was a second visit to Cleveland in the series.

[mufansince72]

This tweet from Stephen A Smith shows just how over matched Cleveland is.

Cleveland shot 14 more free throws and GSW committed 20 turnovers, and @cavs still lost by 30

[mufansince72]

Kind of mind boggling to think the Bucks may end the season with more victories over Golden State than Cleveland gets.

[Goose85]

I keep going back and forth on this, but it is the rule changes that have allowed a team like GS to be so successful shooting the 3 ball (along with talent of course), or is it just that this is a mix of players that fits well and all can shoot the 3?

I've always considered Jordan one of the best ever, and those Bulls championship teams a great mix of players (talent - roles - skill sets).
I also thought those Bulls teams with Jordan, Pippen, Kukoc, Rodman, Grant, etc would have beaten this GS team. Now I'm not so sure.

Harper, Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Grant, Kukoc, pick your center. Other than Kerr and Paxson, the teams were not really loaded with big minute players that could shoot the 3, or create their own opening to shoot the 3.

When GS shoot well from 3 from multiple players, in this era, I just wonder if those Bulls teams, like this Cavs team, can score with them.

If you hit 16 of 34 from 3 (47%), to match scoring from 2, like those Bulls teams did and the Cavs do, a team needs to shoot over 70% just to match the 3's. Of course teams would and do feel the need to shoot 3's to keep pace, but just can't match the 3 point shooting percentage, resulting in a need to shoot well over 70% from 2 to keep pace.

Sports teams and players are all trying to catch the newest success, and the way GS is using the 3 point shot, I think small ball and shooting 3's is what we will see.

[TheSultan]

It's hard to compare because it really is a different era. I will say that I thought I would never see a better team than than 95-96 Bulls, but this GSW team is something I have never seen before. When they go on one of their runs, they play in a way that seems almost "perfect." Like it nears the peak of what this sport is capable of - the movement, the shot making, the players knowing where their teammates are... It really is fun to watch.

[Goose85]

I agree it is hard to compare eras, as teams are built to compete given the variables at their given time. Personally, I've always considered all time greats as guys I thought could have been at the top of the league in any era.

This GS team is crazy different. They can be down 10 and within a couple minutes they are ahead and the opponent is calling a TO.

I think the key with GS is they all seem to be extremely confident that every 3 they take is in, and if not, it doesn't seem to affect their next shot at all.

I know this GS team is built for the game now, and I have enjoyed watching them this year too (not easy when a team plays west coast time). I just wonder if this is a blue print more teams are going to try and follow.

Of course you can't teach a guy to get off a good 3 as fast as Curry, but will teams lean more toward outside shooters as opposed to traditional positions. Hey, we don't care if the opponent is bigger, let him post you up for a 2, and then we will just come down and hit a 3. Fast break opportunities - if it is not a jam, kick it out to the guy at the 3 line.

Interesting to watch, and I hope it is something MU can do this season with more 3 point shooters (of course not as good as GS, but the logic).

[mufansince72]

I think when Lebron fired Blatt after GS throttled them earlier in the year, that Lebron wanted to play more like Golden State. He realized that one dominant player could not beat GS. They switched their style and became three point happy and tried to play like GS. It works against the weaker teams in the East that they play. In the early rounds of the playoffs they looked great launching threes against the likes of Atlanta and Detroit. Cleveland can play like GS on offense against weaker teams. However, they can't play like GS on defense, which is their problem. Lebron drives the lane and there are three GS players waiting for him. He kicks it out to a shooter, and GS is quick enough to get back and put a hand up and contest the shot. Cleveland on the other hand, has been trying to just shut down Steph and Klay. They are leaving everyone else wide open. When Steph and Klay drive the lane there is no one with in three feet of the shooters at the top of the key or on the wings. They also have some pretty intricate back screens and picks which lead to easy layups for guys like Barbosa and Ezelli. Bottom line is Cleveland is probably the fourth or fifth best team in the NBA and just don't have the talent to compete with GS.

[TheSultan]

Not to mention Love and Irving are horrendous defenders.

[pbiflyer]

Not to mention Love and Irving are horrendous defenders.

As someone wanting GS to win, I am hoping Love plays and isn't out due to the concussion. His scoring cannot offset his horrible defense against GS. :D

[Markedman]

I agree Warriors will win but I will be shocked if it is a sweep.

Cleveland will be much tougher at home.

.Cavs just a different team at home.

Game 4 will tell us if we are going to have a series. If GS wins they will close it out in 5 in all likelihood

If Cavs win it could go 7

[mufansince72]

Cavs just a different team when Love isn't on the floor. I think GS takes care of business in game 4 and the series ends in 5

[Goose85]

Cavs just a different team when Love isn't on the floor. I think GS takes care of business in game 4 and the series ends in 5

The Cavs may just suggest to Love he err on the side of caution and he sits out game 4. I hope the Cavs win game 4 and make this a series.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

The Cavs may just suggest to Love he err on the side of caution and he sits out game 4. I hope the Cavs win game 4 and make this a series.

Saw a post on Twitter today saying that he would be held out per concussion protocol until he could recite Pi to 500 digits. Probably the best plan for Cleveland :D

[kneelb4zerg]

Bottom line is Cleveland is probably the fourth or fifth best team in the NBA and just don't have the talent to compete with GS.

Nailed it.