NBA Playoffs Season 2014-2015

[Jonny CC]

They say that golden state team is top 5 all time.  Lebron is a top 5 all time player.  The series is tied.  First two games went to overtime. If you aren't impressed with this series, basketball probably isn't your sport.

Who is saying that?!?!?  Anyone besides the owner and his family?  I think that Golden State or Cleveland would have been beaten by any of the past championship teams. 

I heard an interesting conversation on sports radio about Golden State...that their team is not built to win a championship.  Their best talent is at the guard positions.  There hasn't been a championship team without an all-star forward or center since the 70s.  Don't know how true that is, but it was an interesting theory. 

[GC003332]

They say that golden state team is top 5 all time.  Lebron is a top 5 all time player.  The series is tied.  First two games went to overtime. If you aren't impressed with this series, basketball probably isn't your sport.

Who is saying that?!?!?  Anyone besides the owner and his family?  I think that Golden State or Cleveland would have been beaten by any of the past championship teams. 

I heard an interesting conversation on sports radio about Golden State...that their team is not built to win a championship.  Their best talent is at the guard positions.  There hasn't been a championship team without an all-star forward or center since the 70s.  Don't know how true that is, but it was an interesting theory.

The 1989 Piston's only had Isiah Thomas as an all star when they won the title that year.1991 & 1998 Bulls only had Jordan voted to The All Star game when they won the titles those years.
But the point remains with Pippen on the Bulls and Rodman making the team in 1990 that they did have "all-stars" at the forward position. Just semantics.

[jpotter33]

They say that golden state team is top 5 all time.  Lebron is a top 5 all time player.  The series is tied.  First two games went to overtime. If you aren't impressed with this series, basketball probably isn't your sport.

Who is saying that?!?!?  Anyone besides the owner and his family?  I think that Golden State or Cleveland would have been beaten by any of the past championship teams. 

I heard an interesting conversation on sports radio about Golden State...that their team is not built to win a championship.  Their best talent is at the guard positions.  There hasn't been a championship team without an all-star forward or center since the 70s.  Don't know how true that is, but it was an interesting theory.

I think he is referring to the analytics, which I believe peg this team's regular season right up there with the best teams ever.

[hpantazo]

They say that golden state team is top 5 all time.  Lebron is a top 5 all time player.  The series is tied.  First two games went to overtime. If you aren't impressed with this series, basketball probably isn't your sport.

Who is saying that?!?!?  Anyone besides the owner and his family?  I think that Golden State or Cleveland would have been beaten by any of the past championship teams. 

I heard an interesting conversation on sports radio about Golden State...that their team is not built to win a championship.  Their best talent is at the guard positions.  There hasn't been a championship team without an all-star forward or center since the 70s.  Don't know how true that is, but it was an interesting theory.

I think he is referring to the analytics, which I believe peg this team's regular season right up there with the best teams ever.

Those same analytics that predicted GS would win this series easily?

[D.o.s.]

I heard an interesting conversation on sports radio about Golden State...that their team is not built to win a championship.  Their best talent is at the guard positions.  There hasn't been a championship team without an all-star forward or center since the 70s.  Don't know how true that is, but it was an interesting theory.

Depends on how you define it. San Antonio won it all last year and only had Tony Parker as an All-Star reserve, but they have Tim Duncan who is one of the best players ever.

Anyway, LB is (probably, since not cited) talking about the five thirty eight ELO rating, which you can find here:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/the-complete-history-of-every-nba-team-by-elo/#warriors

It's pretty lofty in what it attempts to do, but that's where the statement is coming from (probably).

[D.o.s.]

Also I would caution lumping things like "the analytics" together. Points per game is an analytic. Everything in the box score is an analytic. Surely you're not suggesting we should ignore anything quantifiable about basketball?

[hpantazo]

Also I would caution lumping things like "the analytics" together. Points per game is an analytic. Everything in the box score is an analytic. Surely you're not suggesting we should ignore anything quantifiable about basketball?

Of course, but it is the same analytics that rated this GS team top 5 all-time that was also used by many to predict that they would easily win the finals over cleveland. Analytics are great, but are not facts. These higher order analytics are made by people, and are made with some assumptions built in, thus they have inherent flaws built into them and need to be taken with a grain of salt. Any analytical formula that rates this GS team as a top 5 all-time team proves the point that it is inherently flawed. Even if it is based only on regular season performance, the values generated by this formula rely heavily on what other teams you are competing against that year, and do not really correct for teams that had to compete in much more competitive years of the league. 

[cman88]

I think now that Golden state has found their offense, and Cleveland is tiring out the warriors will make short work of the series.

I think Lebron is a great player, but I wonder if he would be as successful if he had played in the west his whole career. other than the celtics "big 3" Lebron really has had no challengers to the throne.

and he really only was able to get over the hump once those big-3 had been past their prime. no one other than Paul Pierce has been able to go toe to toe with Lebron james in the east.

[GreenFaith1819]

Whatever the outcome of this series, LeBron James deserves much respect.

I would've LOVED to have seen him go toe-to-toe with the greats of the 80s and 90s.

As a diehard Celtics fan since 1981, what I've seen LeBron do (with much less help than Michael (Scotty), Larry (DJ, Ainge, Chief, McHale), Magic(Kareem, Worthy) - is AMAZING.

My best guess is that even before he had the unfortunate injury in Game 4 he'd burn out.....just an INCREDIBLE effort by him so far.

I've made arguments against/for him during our rivalry, but in THIS series he's given it all.

GSW had better hope that he is TRULY running on fumes right now, and not getting rest with these days off before game 5.

If Lebron has ANY more gas left, CLE isn't done.

[Jonny CC]

They say that golden state team is top 5 all time.  Lebron is a top 5 all time player.  The series is tied.  First two games went to overtime. If you aren't impressed with this series, basketball probably isn't your sport.

Who is saying that?!?!?  Anyone besides the owner and his family?  I think that Golden State or Cleveland would have been beaten by any of the past championship teams. 

I heard an interesting conversation on sports radio about Golden State...that their team is not built to win a championship.  Their best talent is at the guard positions.  There hasn't been a championship team without an all-star forward or center since the 70s.  Don't know how true that is, but it was an interesting theory.

The 1989 Piston's only had Isiah Thomas as an all star when they won the title that year.1991 & 1998 Bulls only had Jordan voted to The All Star game when they won the titles those years.
But the point remains with Pippen on the Bulls and Rodman making the team in 1990 that they did have "all-stars" at the forward position. Just semantics.

Maybe it was an all-star or hall of fame forward or center.  The Pistons had Rodman (and Dantley) and the Bulls had Pippen and Rodman.  In any event, the point was that the Warriors are built differently. 

[jpotter33]

JR Smith is the dirtiest player in the NBA. Can't stand him.

[PhoSita]

JR Smith is the dirtiest player in the NBA. Can't stand him.

Wade still holds that title, for me.

[mahonedog88]

Thompson has to start pulling his weight.  He's been pretty terrible early on.

[mahonedog88]

Already feeling like Golden State is playing with a "we got this" attitude in this game...and I don't mean that as a compliment.

[jpotter33]

Delly is dirty.