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Barkley had a decade of 25/12/4 on 55% shooting. I guess Bruce Bowen is better than Dirk.
And how many titles did Barkley win? He played on some stacked teams and still couldn't win.
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Originally Posted by Mathguy
They won because Melo only took 7 shots.
When you have a guy averaging 16+ shots per game and only making 42% you're going to lose a lot of games. (Plus being a meh defender).
Seriously--Melo is not a winning player in the NBA. Especially when you match him with 2 other stars who need the ball to thrive. It was never a secret that this team would not work out.
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Originally Posted by Mathguy
LMAO...Yeah Draymond and Curry just have that magical superfarguhuizentastic that allows them to make everyone around them so much better but that at the same time allows those same players to be awesome because they are and others aren't making them better.
Circular logic, like a toilet being a flushed only uglier and with less corn.
They do make everyone around them so much better. That's why they've been a top 5 offense & top 5 defense the last 3 years (in the process of adding #4 this year--best measure is FG% for & against, followed by PPP). That's why they have won the most games of any team in history over the last 3 years. That's why they have 3 consecutive 60+ win seasons. The numbers reflect their talent.
The eye test validates the numbers. With Curry in, especially when he has the ball, the Warriors look like a completely different team on offense. The team gets great looks, defenses are stretched to breaking points virtually every possession, and everything looks easy. When Curry is out, the offense struggles to generate good looks. More passing & driving lanes are clogged, and fewer open spot up looks are generated.
On the defensive end, you can watch Draymond's superiority in 3 ways: 1) energy--he plays every possession like it counts, 2) help--he erases many individual defensive mistakes by his teammates through elite help defense, 3) individual defense--it's become an NBA cliche to talk about the ability to defend multiple positions--Draymond does more than survive against multiple positions: he thrives against multiple positions. Draymond was as good at defending shots at the rim last year as Rudy Gobert (measured by opponent's FG% from 0-3 ft when guarded by Dray or Rudy). He ate CJ McCollum's soul in the 1st quarter of Game 4 in the 1st round last year.
And how many titles did Barkley win? He played on some stacked teams and still couldn't win.
Oh jeez. Look at Barkley’s prime and who did win championships. Barkely’s prime was almost completely dominated by Bird, Magic and Jordan...the GOAT and arguably 2 of the 5 best payers and teams of all time. Throw in the Bad Boy Pistons as another all time great team.
1) If Boston keeps winning like they have been, KI has a serious shot at MVP.
2) Lakers now on pace to end up <30 wins but despite a slow start Ball is doing a good job (for a rookie) in a lot of aspects other than shooting. If he spends his summer with weights and shooting drills he should have a great 2nd year...if he spends it rubbing elbows with Kardashians etc.....well then that's on him.
1) If Boston keeps winning like they have been, KI has a serious shot at MVP.
2) Lakers now on pace to end up <30 wins but despite a slow start Ball is doing a good job (for a rookie) in a lot of aspects other than shooting. If he spends his summer with weights and shooting drills he should have a great 2nd year...if he spends it rubbing elbows with Kardashians etc.....well then that's on him.
I'd say Harden is still the clear front runner at the moment, but yeah, Kyrie's solidly in second place. It was just a few weeks ago we were talking about his numbers being down from last season, but now he's posting a career best FG%.
I'd say Harden is still the clear front runner at the moment, but yeah, Kyrie's solidly in second place. It was just a few weeks ago we were talking about his numbers being down from last season, but now he's posting a career best FG%.
Yeah, Harden is on the very short list.
Will be interesting how "vote splitting" might impact that race down the stretch.
Isn’t Harden sorta due for MVP anyway? Give him his MVP.
Kyrie ain’t bad either though...having the best season of his career. If the Celtics win over 60 games I’d have no problem with him winning it. That would certainly put a stamp on Kyrie not being anyone’s sidekick.
I'd say Harden is still the clear front runner at the moment, but yeah, Kyrie's solidly in second place. It was just a few weeks ago we were talking about his numbers being down from last season, but now he's posting a career best FG%.
Harden is definitely head & shoulders above the competition at this point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathguy
Yeah, Harden is on the very short list.
Will be interesting how "vote splitting" might impact that race down the stretch.
At this point, you would have to be crazy to vote for Chris Paul. He's a great player, but he's only played in 8 games thus far.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eddiehaskell
Isn’t Harden sorta due for MVP anyway? Give him his MVP.
Kyrie ain’t bad either though...having the best season of his career. If the Celtics win over 60 games I’d have no problem with him winning it. That would certainly put a stamp on Kyrie not being anyone’s sidekick.
Kyrie's statistics are almost identical to last year's. He's scoring a little less, assisting a little less, and shooting a little better. Horford is Boston's best player. If team success is the argument for Kyrie, then it's actually an argument for Horford.
Kyrie has to be behind Harden, Curry, LBJ, and KD among the teams atop the standings. In terms of statistics on playoff teams, he has to be behind those 4 + Giannis, Anthony Davis, Cousins, and Porzingis--right about on par with DeRozan, Lillard, and Drummond.
The NBA regular season is a 25-week marathon (7/6/6/6). We've now completed the first quarter of the year--everyone has played between 21 and 25 games to date. And while a lot will change between now and April, we are getting a sense of who the good teams are...
East
1 Celtics
2 Cavaliers
3 Raptors
4 Pistons
5 76ers
6 Bucks
7 Pacers
8 Wizards
In the hunt: Knicks, Heat
West
1 Rockets
2 Warriors
3 Spurs
4 Blazers
5 Nuggets
6 Wolves
7 Jazz
8 Pelicans
In the hunt: Thunder
Surprise surprise--if the postseason started today, I predict the final 4 would be Cavs/Celtics, Dubs/Rockets. And while both the Cavs and Dubs have had some early season struggles, the truth is, what is stopping us from seeing Cavs/Warriors IV? Nothing, and that's still my Finals prediction. And of course I favor Cleveland. It's the NBA. Teams can't accidentally win 12 straight games. ..
I did not anticipate Boston or Houston being as good as they are. I thought the Paul/Harden pairing wasn't a good fit--I was horribly wrong. Both Golden State and Cleveland are going to get serious pushes from Boston and Houston...
I'm glad the Giannis-mania has simmered down. He's good but he ain't all that. The Bucks will get better but they aren't a Top 4 seed or a legitimate contender for the East...
The Sixers are better than I anticipated. I don't know if they'll hold on to the 5th seed, but they are definitely in the playoffs...
The Spurs are not a true threat without Leonard, whose already missed 24 games. The handling of him makes me wonder if this is a career-threatening injury and it's optics are almost identical to the NFL's Andrew Luck--young star player who is now sidelined indefinitely with an injury nobody knows why he can't heal from...
The bottom half of the West playoffs is just as unimpressive as the East's, but the Thunder are the biggest disappointment this far. I am rooting for them and want it to work, but I don't know that it can. Donovan is a limited coach, and that offense is limited as currently constructed...
I'm not a fan of calling guys who missed their rookie years "rookies", just because they start play in Year 2. They had an entire year with the system and lifestyle and work of the pro game, besides being on the floor/field. The NFL doesn't call these guys "rookies" and I'm not sure any other sport does, so with that saud, Simmons shouldn't get ROY to me. Right now it shpuld be Donovan Mitchell ahead of everyone, as a true rookie...
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