2017-18 NBA Season

[celticsclay]

Dang, the Cavs suddenly falling apart after smoking the Celtics and OKC Thunder before the All-Star break. Time for LeBron to start calling out his team again!

Definitely exaggerated last time when I said they'd outlast the Warriors in a 7-game series loooool

I have been in these forums since they started and I seriously think the reaction to the cavs winning two games with role players was biggest overreaction I ever saw

[tarheelsxxiii]

Dang, the Cavs suddenly falling apart after smoking the Celtics and OKC Thunder before the All-Star break. Time for LeBron to start calling out his team again!

Definitely exaggerated last time when I said they'd outlast the Warriors in a 7-game series loooool

I have been in these forums since they started and I seriously think the reaction to the cavs winning two games with role players was biggest overreaction I ever saw

Nah.  It was definitely extreme.  But I think that was an overly strong reaction in response to a growing sentiment that the Cavs had officially collapsed. 

[tarheelsxxiii]

Any thoughts as to why Amir Johnson gets the backup Center mins over Richaun Holmes?

[tarheelsxxiii]

Koufos is rockin' bright purple shoes in the SAC-BRK game right now.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Koufos is rockin' bright purple shoes in the SAC-BRK game right now.

Fox with a beautiful floater just sent it to OT

[GreenFaith1819]

CLE's ship appears to have some leakage.

While better - I think - they are perhaps NOT the juggernaut some believed them to be.

$trusttheprocess

#BOSstillhasashot

[celticsclay]

Dang, the Cavs suddenly falling apart after smoking the Celtics and OKC Thunder before the All-Star break. Time for LeBron to start calling out his team again!

Definitely exaggerated last time when I said they'd outlast the Warriors in a 7-game series loooool

I have been in these forums since they started and I seriously think the reaction to the cavs winning two games with role players was biggest overreaction I ever saw

Nah.  It was definitely extreme.  But I think that was an overly strong reaction in response to a growing sentiment that the Cavs had officially collapsed.

Tars you know I love you. Build on this though. Curious for your thoughts. I even saw a few posts that said the cavs would make up 6 games on the Celtics in the last 20. They got role players off lottery teams. The hype made no sense. I am thinking this is worthy of a poll.

[Green-18]

The Cavs are a curious case for a couple of reasons.  First, we clearly see the upside when they are dialed in and playing with complete effort.  A fully engaged Cavs teams is still the favorite in the Conference until LeBron doesn't make it to the Finals.  Second, it's difficult to get a read on their recent struggles since the All-Star break.  The excitement of having a new group together is clearly wearing off.  I'd imagine a lot of this has to do with LeBron's demeanor.  I'm convinced that he isn't capable of fully engaging himself in the "little things" during the course of an 82 game season anymore.  He fills the stat sheet every night but is he committed to the process of getting better (as a team) every day?  The more likely answer is that he is waiting for the playoffs to dig in.

I'm struggling to come to a conclusion.  On one hand we know LeBron is capable of destroying teams that aren't truly elite.  The problem this season is that Kevin Love will need to shoulder more of the burden when it comes to playoff experience.  Kyrie has an extra gear that helped the Cavs immensely.  Wade offered the same thing during LeBron's Miami days.  You could even argue that Bosh did the same in some of those big playoff games.

[Green-18]

Question for everyone else regarding LeBron.  Do you guys believe that he actually hates losing to the same extent as other NBA legends?  We all know that Jordan, Bird, Magic, Kobe etc. hated losing as much if not more than winning.  I feel like LeBron just wants to enjoy playing and competing.  The final results come secondary regarding wins and losses.  His motivation for titles at this point seems to be about enhancing his overall legacy as an All-Time great.  This doesn't mean that losing effects him in the same way as others.

I don't mean for this be a criticism of LeBron.  Most players aren't as freakishly competitive as the players listed above.  Hatred of losing could be considered an intangible among some of the greats.

[Surferdad]

....  The excitement of having a new group together is clearly wearing off.  ...

This happens every time the Cavs make a move to shore up the supporting cast.  The national media reaction is almost always "well now the Cavs will win the title again..." when the simple reality is that only superstars actually move the needle significantly.  They are missing Kyrie badly now.

Do you guys believe that he actually hates losing to the same extent as other NBA legends?

Impossible to say for sure, but as much as I dislike LeBron, he seems like a VERY high-level competitor.  It's just that he's learned to save that next gear for the playoffs.  Without looking, I'm sure he has played more games than anyone else in the NBA over the past 15 years.

[Green-18]

....  The excitement of having a new group together is clearly wearing off.  ...

This happens every time the Cavs make a move to shore up the supporting cast.  The national media reaction is almost always "well now the Cavs will win the title again..." when the simple reality is that only superstars actually move the needle significantly.  They are missing Kyrie badly now.

Do you guys believe that he actually hates losing to the same extent as other NBA legends?

Impossible to say for sure, but as much as I dislike LeBron, he seems like a VERY high-level competitor.  It's just that he's learned to save that next gear for the playoffs.  Without looking, I'm sure he has played more games than anyone else in the NBA over the past 15 years.

He is no doubt an elite competitor during the game.  I just wonder if it really eats him up when he loses on the biggest stage.  The vibe I get is that he lives with the results and moves on quicker than players like Jordan, Bird, and Kobe.  All three have stated that they hated losing more than they enjoyed winning.  This doesn't necessarily speak negatively of LeBron.  Durant is the same way.  Players like Jordan, Bird, and Kobe were wired differently. 

[mr. dee]

Just like that, Raptors are only down 1 after 14 in the first.

[jambr380]

Really confusing game. On one hand, I want Washington to win so that they knock the Cavs down to the 4 spot and we can avoid them in the 2nd round. If the Raptors lose, however, we are then more likely to catch them for the 1 seed and would still face the Cavs in the 2nd round.

Maybe we are just destined to face the Cavs...and that's okay - we need to just play our best and if Hayward comes back, then we can really dream.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Due to fantasy bball, I genuinely enjoy watching the Sixers, Bulls(!), and Grizz(!!!).  Never thought that'd happen. 

[azzenfrost]

Hoping the Wizards win.