Good Job NBA ..what a masterpiece final..

[KGs Knee]

I don't know what the NBA could have done to prevent that.  I blame Durant.  That was such an uncompetitive, cowardly move.  He just won his second championship.  Who cares.

The NBA pulled out Basketball Reasons to veto the Chris Paul to Lakers trade and this was way worse for the league.  Just do it.  Everyone with any common sense knew how much of a dogpile it was to go to the Warriors.

The NBA vetoed the trade as owners of the pelicans.  And the reasons on record are legit.  They didn’t want to saddle new ownership with veterans (who were not going to win anything) and salary.  Made much more sense to go for youth and picks.

Technically that failed CP3 to Lakers trade wasn't even vetoed.  It was just never submitted to the league office.

But yes, it wasn't squashed because it was what was best for the league, it was squashed David Stern, as acting 'owner' of the Pelicans (Hornets at the time), felt it was a bad trade for the team.

actually it was squashed because it was bad for the league .... So that trade shows that Adam silver doesn't have a spine like stern did. Also he did veto it

Stern did what was best for other owners, see below bolded:
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/12/09/sports/basketball/paul-set-to-join-lakers-as-part-of-3-team-deal.html
Stern called the Hornets and vetoed the deal, according to a person involved in the deal.

“The league has killed it,” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing his role in the talks. “I know that’s 100 percent true.”

Asked who had made the decision, the person said, “It definitely was David.”

The league did not immediately explain the decision, other than to issue a terse statement through a spokesman, saying, “League office declined to make the trade for basketball reasons.”

Stern was said to be acting on behalf of some of the other owners, who were upset to see the Hornets send Paul — a premier point guard — to the Lakers, who have won five championships since 2000. Competitive reasons aside, some team executives speculated that the league was concerned that the Hornets’ resale value would plummet without Paul on the roster.

This is all just wild speculation, rumor, and conspiracy theory nonsense.

The bottom line is the league owned the team, thus had the authority to make all final decisions regarding transactions.  It was a move that was made for the simple reason it was a bad trade for the franchise.  It was a unique situation that has really never existed before or since.  There is no precedent that has been set regarding trades or transactions that do not involve teams owned by the league.

In other words, had the league not owned the New Orleans franchise the trade would not have been "vetoed" because there would have existed no such authority to.  There were no rules broken, by letter of the CBA nor NBA bylaws, nor in spirit.

im doubting the new york times used a conspiracy theorist for their source

Guess what, it doesn't matter.

Even if you're right, and the real reason that CP3 trade got vetoed was because the other owners didn't like the trade for the rest of the league, had the league not owned the team they wouldn't have had any authority to veto it.

[Birdman]

I dont blame Golden State..they DRAFTED 3 players in curry, klay and Green..teams got to do better job in drafting and free agency...and theyvhad cap room to get Durant

[Celtics4ever]

I think ratings were high and people love to see the great ones fail.   

[Banner18now!]

I look at what Kevin Durant has done the last 2 years as empty accomplishments. He could win 4 in a row with this team and his legacy still isn't special IMO. When you stack the deck like he did by running to already arguably the best team of course your going to win championships. Great player but I'm not impressed by what he has done in his career and never will be. I will never look at him as a top 20 player of all time. I see him as someone who had a very talented team in OKC and couldn't put them over the top so he bolted to the team he couldn't beat. What type of legacy is that? You can't make the Lebron excuse and say he had no talent around him he had plenty and was up 3-1 against GS and choked. Kevin Durant will always be a weak player not a winner.

[PAOBoston]

The need for a true dual hegemony has never been greater for the NBA with this current version of GS. The East needs a super team ASAP.

[ozgod]

I don't know what the NBA could have done to prevent that.  I blame Durant.  That was such an uncompetitive, cowardly move.  He just won his second championship.  Who cares.

Durant is a great player but will always have an asterisk next to his championships as he had to join the best team in the world to get them.

[hodgy03038]

I don't know what the NBA could have done to prevent that.  I blame Durant.  That was such an uncompetitive, cowardly move.  He just won his second championship.  Who cares.

Durant is a great player but will always have an asterisk next to his championships as he had to join the best team in the world to get them.

Durant had the choice to go where he wanted to go. I disagree with it but it is what it is. I mean he is playing with so many other stars he doesn't even get double teamed. A 6'11" star is being guarded one on one by guys like Hill and JR Smith? Hard to measure how great he is in that scenario. The Cavs were doubling Al Horford but can't double Kevin Durant because of "the others". So does Durant make them great or do they make Durant great?

[SHAQATTACK]

Lebron and scrub team .....dragged the cavs in just like SA Smith said he might ....and kill the finals


Celtics would have beenSoooooooooooooooooooo much better real Basketball and they might have won at least one game .

Instead .....its the one man show botching up everything once again . 

He belongs in a circcus

[rondofan1255]

Cavs getting swept is hilarious.

[hpantazo]

Cavs getting swept is hilarious.

It's not the first time Lebron got swept in the finals playing for the Cavs either.

GOAT he is not. Only reason he's gone to so many finals is he positions himself in a historically weak conference. If he had even just 1 other decent team in the east he wouldn't reach the finals most of the time.

[Celtics4ever]

LBJ doesn't mean LeBron James it means Loser Been Janitored!   JK

[Ogaju]

I don't know what the NBA could have done to prevent that.  I blame Durant.  That was such an uncompetitive, cowardly move.  He just won his second championship.  Who cares.

Durant is a great player but will always have an asterisk next to his championships as he had to join the best team in the world to get them.

Durant had the choice to go where he wanted to go. I disagree with it but it is what it is. I mean he is playing with so many other stars he doesn't even get double teamed. A 6'11" star is being guarded one on one by guys like Hill and JR Smith? Hard to measure how great he is in that scenario. The Cavs were doubling Al Horford but can't double Kevin Durant because of "the others". So does Durant make them great or do they make Durant great?

Of course it is the latter, they make Durant great..those MVPs belong to Curry not Durant. And GSW was GSW before Durant...to the extent that GSW has the ‘others’ Durant is ‘the others’.

[BDubs]

I don't know what the NBA could have done to prevent that.  I blame Durant.  That was such an uncompetitive, cowardly move.  He just won his second championship.  Who cares.

NBA had a chance at the last CBA, but the players wanted the cap increase as soon as possible & the owners wanted to do it over several seasons. The huge 1 year spike of the cap 3 years ago is the only reason Durant was able to sign in Golden State. This Golden State dominance is on the NBA players union. They deserved the raise, but they didn't understand the opportunity they gave the Warriors