NBA 2018 Playoffs Thread

[Moranis]

Does anyone think Indy can pull off the upset? Prior to Game 1 I was very dubious, but after that grim performance they might actually have a shot

can they, sure, but the Cavs shot horribly and I wouldn't expect that to continue.

[celticsclay]

Does anyone think Indy can pull off the upset? Prior to Game 1 I was very dubious, but after that grim performance they might actually have a shot

can they, sure, but the Cavs shot horribly and I wouldn't expect that to continue.

Did you not feel different watching them yesterday? Years past it seemed like the ball was going to Korver, Jr Smith and Channing Frye for those big 3's they really needed. When they really needed a bucket and Lebron was wiped from carrying them, they had Irving creating a bucket with the clock winding down. Yesterday, it ended up being Jeff Green or Clarkson or Hood left open (especially Jeff Green) and they just kept bricking them. If they somehow managed to get to the finals it is tough to see them winning a single game. If Embiid is back the 76ers would be favored over them I believe (which would make the board explode).

[Moranis]

Does anyone think Indy can pull off the upset? Prior to Game 1 I was very dubious, but after that grim performance they might actually have a shot

can they, sure, but the Cavs shot horribly and I wouldn't expect that to continue.

Did you not feel different watching them yesterday? Years past it seemed like the ball was going to Korver, Jr Smith and Channing Frye for those big 3's they really needed. When they really needed a bucket and Lebron was wiped from carrying them, they had Irving creating a bucket with the clock winding down. Yesterday, it ended up being Jeff Green or Clarkson or Hood left open (especially Jeff Green) and they just kept bricking them. If they somehow managed to get to the finals it is tough to see them winning a single game. If Embiid is back the 76ers would be favored over them I believe (which would make the board explode).

As I said they shot horribly and I don't expect that to continue.  The Cavs on the season shot 37% from three.  They were 23.5% yesterday.  I suspect that 23.5% will be their lowest in the series.  They obviously easily could still lose games and the series when they shoot better, I just can't see them being that bad from deep.  I mean Korver, Green, and Calderon didn't hit a single shot (James and Clarkson were 0 of 7 from three combined as well).  Love only had 8 shots total.  It was a perfect storm of terrible offense from basically the entire team (except Smith and maybe Nance) from the Cavs. 

[johnnygreen]

Karl Anthony Towns may be one of the most overrated players in the league. He is one of those young players, where I have zero worries about when the Celtics face him. The hype does not match the results. I think I only recall seeing him in the paint offensively once last night in the fourth quarter. Other than that, he was hovering around the 3 point line. Is he that soft, or does Coach Thibs want that from him? Yes, Towns has the ability to hit shots from the outside, but he is also a 7 footer that should have been dominating the inside to help steal game one. BTW, I swear he must have the heaviest feet in the league because he seems to refuse to even attempt to try and block a shot.

[celticsclay]

Does anyone think Indy can pull off the upset? Prior to Game 1 I was very dubious, but after that grim performance they might actually have a shot

can they, sure, but the Cavs shot horribly and I wouldn't expect that to continue.

Did you not feel different watching them yesterday? Years past it seemed like the ball was going to Korver, Jr Smith and Channing Frye for those big 3's they really needed. When they really needed a bucket and Lebron was wiped from carrying them, they had Irving creating a bucket with the clock winding down. Yesterday, it ended up being Jeff Green or Clarkson or Hood left open (especially Jeff Green) and they just kept bricking them. If they somehow managed to get to the finals it is tough to see them winning a single game. If Embiid is back the 76ers would be favored over them I believe (which would make the board explode).

As I said they shot horribly and I don't expect that to continue.  The Cavs on the season shot 37% from three.  They were 23.5% yesterday.  I suspect that 23.5% will be their lowest in the series.  They obviously easily could still lose games and the series when they shoot better, I just can't see them being that bad from deep.  I mean Korver, Green, and Calderon didn't hit a single shot (James and Clarkson were 0 of 7 from three combined as well).  Love only had 8 shots total.  It was a perfect storm of terrible offense from basically the entire team (except Smith and maybe Nance) from the Cavs.

Does anyone think Indy can pull off the upset? Prior to Game 1 I was very dubious, but after that grim performance they might actually have a shot

can they, sure, but the Cavs shot horribly and I wouldn't expect that to continue.

Did you not feel different watching them yesterday? Years past it seemed like the ball was going to Korver, Jr Smith and Channing Frye for those big 3's they really needed. When they really needed a bucket and Lebron was wiped from carrying them, they had Irving creating a bucket with the clock winding down. Yesterday, it ended up being Jeff Green or Clarkson or Hood left open (especially Jeff Green) and they just kept bricking them. If they somehow managed to get to the finals it is tough to see them winning a single game. If Embiid is back the 76ers would be favored over them I believe (which would make the board explode).

As I said they shot horribly and I don't expect that to continue.  The Cavs on the season shot 37% from three.  They were 23.5% yesterday.  I suspect that 23.5% will be their lowest in the series.  They obviously easily could still lose games and the series when they shoot better, I just can't see them being that bad from deep.  I mean Korver, Green, and Calderon didn't hit a single shot (James and Clarkson were 0 of 7 from three combined as well).  Love only had 8 shots total.  It was a perfect storm of terrible offense from basically the entire team (except Smith and maybe Nance) from the Cavs.

I think some of the misses were good game planning though. Jeff green is somehow starting and he missed 3 of those 3's. He is a really bad 3 point shooter and shot 31% on the year. I wouldn't be surprised if he continued to shoot that bad. Clarkson also isn't exactly a dead shooter at 33% from 3 for his career and 35% on the year. Korver only got off 2 attempts and their other good shooters (Love) got off 6 and made half and Hill was 1 for 3.

By comparison Frye was at 40% for them the last few years and Korver was at 48% last year somehow. I agree with you if the Cavs are able to get the right people shots (Korver, Love and Hill they will probably shoot better). However, if it is Green, Clarkson and Lebron shooting tons it might not be as good a performance. 

Overall though did you not feel like they badly missed kyrie yesterday?

[GreenEnvy]

Karl Anthony Towns may be one of the most overrated players in the league. He is one of those young players, where I have zero worries about when the Celtics face him. The hype does not match the results. I think I only recall seeing him in the paint offensively once last night in the fourth quarter. Other than that, he was hovering around the 3 point line. Is he that soft, or does Coach Thibs want that from him? Yes, Towns has the ability to hit shots from the outside, but he is also a 7 footer that should have been dominating the inside to help steal game one. BTW, I swear he must have the heaviest feet in the league because he seems to refuse to even attempt to try and block a shot.

I know he had a bad game but that seems like a bit of an overreaction.

The guy is 22 and has averaged over 21 and 12 the past two seasons after a very rare 18 and 10 rookie season. Add in that he has averaged over 2 spg+bpg, he isn’t a horrid defender either.

His shooting for a big is also very impressive. This season he shot 42% from deep (on 3.5 attempts a game) and shot over 85% from the stripe.

He has also played in every game of his career.

He may not have that killer mentality just yet but his talent is undeniable. He may actually be the most talented young star in the league. More than guys like Giannis, Simmons, KP, etc.

[nickagneta]

Karl Anthony Towns may be one of the most overrated players in the league. He is one of those young players, where I have zero worries about when the Celtics face him. The hype does not match the results. I think I only recall seeing him in the paint offensively once last night in the fourth quarter. Other than that, he was hovering around the 3 point line. Is he that soft, or does Coach Thibs want that from him? Yes, Towns has the ability to hit shots from the outside, but he is also a 7 footer that should have been dominating the inside to help steal game one. BTW, I swear he must have the heaviest feet in the league because he seems to refuse to even attempt to try and block a shot.

I know he had a bad game but that seems like a bit of an overreaction.

The guy is 22 and has averaged over 21 and 12 the past two seasons after a very rare 18 and 10 rookie season. Add in that he has averaged over 2 spg+bpg, he isn’t a horrid defender either.

His shooting for a big is also very impressive. This season he shot 42% from deep (on 3.5 attempts a game) and shot over 85% from the stripe.

He has also played in every game of his career.

He may not have that killer mentality just yet but his talent is undeniable. He may actually be the most talented young star in the league. More than guys like Giannis, Simmons, KP, etc.

Steals and blocks being at 2 per year is no indication of whether Towns is a good defender or not. Neither his DRtg, Defensive Win Shares nor DBPM have ever been good.

[Moranis]

Did you not feel different watching them yesterday? Years past it seemed like the ball was going to Korver, Jr Smith and Channing Frye for those big 3's they really needed. When they really needed a bucket and Lebron was wiped from carrying them, they had Irving creating a bucket with the clock winding down. Yesterday, it ended up being Jeff Green or Clarkson or Hood left open (especially Jeff Green) and they just kept bricking them. If they somehow managed to get to the finals it is tough to see them winning a single game. If Embiid is back the 76ers would be favored over them I believe (which would make the board explode).

As I said they shot horribly and I don't expect that to continue.  The Cavs on the season shot 37% from three.  They were 23.5% yesterday.  I suspect that 23.5% will be their lowest in the series.  They obviously easily could still lose games and the series when they shoot better, I just can't see them being that bad from deep.  I mean Korver, Green, and Calderon didn't hit a single shot (James and Clarkson were 0 of 7 from three combined as well).  Love only had 8 shots total.  It was a perfect storm of terrible offense from basically the entire team (except Smith and maybe Nance) from the Cavs.

I think some of the misses were good game planning though. Jeff green is somehow starting and he missed 3 of those 3's. He is a really bad 3 point shooter and shot 31% on the year. I wouldn't be surprised if he continued to shoot that bad. Clarkson also isn't exactly a dead shooter at 33% from 3 for his career and 35% on the year. Korver only got off 2 attempts and their other good shooters (Love) got off 6 and made half and Hill was 1 for 3.

By comparison Frye was at 40% for them the last few years and Korver was at 48% last year somehow. I agree with you if the Cavs are able to get the right people shots (Korver, Love and Hill they will probably shoot better). However, if it is Green, Clarkson and Lebron shooting tons it might not be as good a performance. 

Overall though did you not feel like they badly missed kyrie yesterday?

Of course they missed Kyrie.  He is a great offensive player and yesterday was an offense problem.  There will also be times though, when defense is what they need and this roster will be better equipped for that end as Kyrie is a bad defender.  I would be surprised if the Cavs don't win the next couple of games and don't win the series in 5 or 6 games.  That just seemed like the perfect storm for the Pacers yesterday, but maybe it is a sign of things to come.  That is after all why they play the games.

The Pacers winning (and winning big) and the Wolves being so close were the only 2 things that really surprised me from the opening games. 

[Phantom255x]

I still think the Cavaliers win the series, but it will take 6 games, possibly 7.

That said, I don't think they are beating PHI in the ECF if it comes to that. I think TOR and WAS are both teams full of chokers, but if CLE plays more like they did yesterday, they (TOR/WAS) can knock them out too. They DEFINITELY are not beating GSW or HOU in the Finals (even if GSW has a less-than-perfect Curry).

It was a bad game for CLE, and I certainly think they will shoot the ball better, but unless they can find a surefire no. 3 option, it might be a growing problem. Before it was Love-Lebron-Kyrie. Now it's Love-Lebron-?

Their defense is awful, and they miss Kyrie a lot more than they realize. Hood, Clarkson and Nance are solid players but none of them are all-star caliber. And to be honest, Love has to now do MORE than usual, and his usual is pretty good as it is (20/10 big man).

[Donoghus]

CLE should still go ahead & win this series but this appears to be most vulnerable Lebron-led team that I can remember in quite some time. 

They were horrific on both sides of the ball yesterday.  Seemed lethargic & listless at times.  Especially in the first half.   That being said, they should beat Indiana. 

[footey]

Cleveland of course could come back and even win ECF but they will get absolutely slaughtered in NBA Finals. Celtics or Raptors would represent the East more nobly. Maybe even Sixers.

[GreenEnvy]

Karl Anthony Towns may be one of the most overrated players in the league. He is one of those young players, where I have zero worries about when the Celtics face him. The hype does not match the results. I think I only recall seeing him in the paint offensively once last night in the fourth quarter. Other than that, he was hovering around the 3 point line. Is he that soft, or does Coach Thibs want that from him? Yes, Towns has the ability to hit shots from the outside, but he is also a 7 footer that should have been dominating the inside to help steal game one. BTW, I swear he must have the heaviest feet in the league because he seems to refuse to even attempt to try and block a shot.

I know he had a bad game but that seems like a bit of an overreaction.

The guy is 22 and has averaged over 21 and 12 the past two seasons after a very rare 18 and 10 rookie season. Add in that he has averaged over 2 spg+bpg, he isn’t a horrid defender either.

His shooting for a big is also very impressive. This season he shot 42% from deep (on 3.5 attempts a game) and shot over 85% from the stripe.

He has also played in every game of his career.

He may not have that killer mentality just yet but his talent is undeniable. He may actually be the most talented young star in the league. More than guys like Giannis, Simmons, KP, etc.

Steals and blocks being at 2 per year is no indication of whether Towns is a good defender or not. Neither his DRtg, Defensive Win Shares nor DBPM have ever been good.

I neither said he was a good defender nor insinuated that blocks and steals are indicative of such.

But it does say that he’s at least active on that end and paying attention.

Yet none of the statistics you mention did he fair terrible in, and apparently you would surmise that Russell Westbrook is one of the best defenders in the NBA.

[liam]

Kevin O'Conner:
https://www.theringer.com/nba-playoffs/2018/4/16/17242188/10-thoughts-2018-nba-playoff-weekend

Kevin's thoughts on the playoffs but no thoughts about the Celtics except about Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Celtics won this game with talent and hard work but no mention of that.

[PhoSita]

Kevin O'Conner:
https://www.theringer.com/nba-playoffs/2018/4/16/17242188/10-thoughts-2018-nba-playoff-weekend

Kevin's thoughts on the playoffs but no thoughts about the Celtics except about Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Celtics won this game with talent and hard work but no mention of that.

To a national audience, the Celts are uninteresting because the injuries make them inert as far as the playoffs are concerned.  It's not the real team playing, and the only "stars" are injured (national audience doesn't regard Horford as a star).

Kevin O'Connor has gone to great lengths to present himself as unbiased when it comes to the Celtics.  Strange, because The Ringer seems to encourage their staff to wear fandom boldly and proudly (sometimes to an extent I find annoying).

[kraidstar]

Karl Anthony Towns may be one of the most overrated players in the league. He is one of those young players, where I have zero worries about when the Celtics face him. The hype does not match the results. I think I only recall seeing him in the paint offensively once last night in the fourth quarter. Other than that, he was hovering around the 3 point line. Is he that soft, or does Coach Thibs want that from him? Yes, Towns has the ability to hit shots from the outside, but he is also a 7 footer that should have been dominating the inside to help steal game one. BTW, I swear he must have the heaviest feet in the league because he seems to refuse to even attempt to try and block a shot.

I know he had a bad game but that seems like a bit of an overreaction.

The guy is 22 and has averaged over 21 and 12 the past two seasons after a very rare 18 and 10 rookie season. Add in that he has averaged over 2 spg+bpg, he isn’t a horrid defender either.

His shooting for a big is also very impressive. This season he shot 42% from deep (on 3.5 attempts a game) and shot over 85% from the stripe.

He has also played in every game of his career.

He may not have that killer mentality just yet but his talent is undeniable. He may actually be the most talented young star in the league. More than guys like Giannis, Simmons, KP, etc.

Steals and blocks being at 2 per year is no indication of whether Towns is a good defender or not. Neither his DRtg, Defensive Win Shares nor DBPM have ever been good.

+1

He is garbage defensively. The whole team is actually aside from Butler and Gibson.

I watched them play a few games this year without Butler and they put in some of the most embarrassing defensive efforts I've ever seen. They don't hustle, don't contest. Poor Tom Thibodeau, he must be beanging his head against a wall trying to get these youngs guys to play hard on D.

And it''s hard to see them improving much with a soft player in the middle.

KAT has this lazy, dead, glazed-over look in his eyes that reminds me a lot of Jahlil Okafor.

Not a fan. My guess is he never really competes for a title if he's the best player on a team.