Quote:
Originally Posted by murksiderock
Well duh, on point one lol. It is common to see numbers dip in the playoffs--however it's a little aspirational to call someone an all-timer at their position and they don't have another gear consistently in the playoffs. I ask again, what are Chris Paul's signature playoff moments?
The answer is still not enough for a supposed positional GOAT 13 years in...
And I've been watching the NBA for 19 years, since '99, less time than many of you guys, but the best point guard I've ever seen in the playoffs with my own eyes, is Tony Parker. Much more confident than Paul in big spots and much more lethal. Paul might be the better player on balance but Parker's playoff legend puts him ahead of Paul to me...
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I was young, but watched Magic. He was on another level than Paul, Stockton, and Tony Parker.
CP3 had a chance to make something in NO, but injuries and ownership turmoil tanked that. The Clips were good but never good enough. These Rockets are a championship-caliber team. Paul has one or two years to win a title as one of the top players on his team.
Quote:
Originally Posted by murksiderock
Point 2, I don't know that I'd take Hayward over any of the Top 5 Boston players. He's largely unproven...what I do believe in, is his chemistry with Stevens. Stevens is probably the perfect coach for Hayward and if he were designed as a #1, I could see him being a perennial 25ppg scorer in Stevens' system. Outside of that, though, we know what he is: a good player, a marginal All-Star. Not a great player, not a true #1. And the Celtics have at least two (And maybe three) young bucks with more upside than Hayward...
Hayward is an 8-year veteran and I hope he rebounds well, but we know what we get with him. I think you can win a trophy with him as your #2. As your #1, I have my doubts...
And I think Stevens was attempting to allow Rozier to play freely and let the game come to him. He did have a period of back to back threes and made some critical buckets to keep Boston in striking range...
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Hayward can make plays for himself and others. While not an elite defender, he is a decent one. He has good size and athleticism. He's a bargain-basement LBJ--several levels down in IQ, not as skilled, not as physically dominant, but the same category of skills. Horford and Hayward will be the centerpieces in Boston next year. Hayward is Boston's best wing right now. It's possible that Brown or Tatum will get there. It's also possible that they won't. Rozier almost shot Boston out of the game before making those back-to-back 3s. It just wasn't good offense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by murksiderock
It's going to be hard to keep this team together, and there are already reports that Smart is looking for a payday. He'll get paid and I think in the right fit, he can a Draymond-type #3 on a championship-caliber team. I'm a believer in Smart...you'renot winning anything if he's your best or second best player, and possibly not as your third--bit the right fit on a great team he can be your #3 And you could contend...
Through three games the WCF has failed to live up to the hype of a GOAT series. Also I'm not convinced Houston is the second best team in the NBA...
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Smart deserves a payday, and Boston--if it's thinking straight--will match what he gets. Draymond is a max player. For a team with cap space looking to make waves in the playoffs for the next few years, I think Smart is a max player.
I'm not convinced Houston is the 2nd best team in the NBA. They might be the best.
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Originally Posted by SawuScimitar74
Houston got lucky. Golden State turned the ball over too many times. Iguodala's injury is no excuse for why they lost tonight.
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Houston didn't get lucky. This was a winnable game for the Warriors and Kerr has to shoulder blame for the loss. There were some inexplicable lineups and rotations in this game. Top-end talent kept it close, but it could have been a walking away victory.
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Originally Posted by BajanYankee
Will KD go to Philly if the Warriors get bounced by the Rockets?
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KD will continue his tradition of going to the team that beats him in the conference finals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suburban_Guy
Definitely, Houston at some points seemed lost, but when their backs were against the wall, they became so aggressive on both ends of the floor while the Dubs became complacent (as usual) and were out hustled and out muscled.
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There were a few sequences where Houston played with more physicality, but I think the Warriors have mostly had the physical edge in this series. The most obvious example is the way that Draymond has taken Capela out of virtually the whole series to this point.
Both teams made some tough shots in this one. Neither offense consistently created great looks. And both teams are getting banged up. Game 5 should be something.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suburban_Guy
Funny thing is the Dubs almost had a chance to tie it, I don't think they usually make those kinds of calls at the end of a game. But the Dubs should have called a time out for that possession before the Paul foul.
Nonetheless, it was a very good game, both sides not giving up and highly entertaining towards the end. This just might be the win that gets the Rockets over the hump, Paul especially was sensational as a scorer, he was shooting 3's, driving up against taller opponents, etc.
Can't wait for the next one!
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Kerr & Draymond tried to get the timeout when Klay was trapped. The Warriors are much better in transition when Curry, Dray, and Iguodala have the ball. Paul played an excellent game. Harden was good, too. Ariza has been critical piece in this series so far. Looney had his first rough night on the defensive end.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natural510
Too many air balls and overall poor shot selection/ball movement tonight. Also, Kerr not calling a timeout when Klay got trapped on the last play was a real head scratcher.
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He was trying for the timeout. Offense definitely stagnated in this one. Kerr needs to unleash his Curry/Dray & Curry/KD P&R. They are still unguardable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DRob4JC
Finally - a game worth commenting on... everything has been blowouts. I didn't even watch Celtics/Cavs #4... just monitored the game on the internet and didn't bother.
Random comments on last night...
Rockets held GSW to 12 4thQ points. That is elite level defense. I have watched most of the Rockets' games this year... they have never played defense like that.
They did what I had been pushing them to do. They use math on offense... use math on defense. Make GSW take two point shots. They did that in the last half on the 4thQ. Curry got hot... so they took away his space outside and allowed him to get inside and make a couple of layups. 2 is better than 3.
Harden posterizing Green... loved it.
There is no way GSW should have gotten 0.5 seconds to make a play. The clock does not stop when the foul is committed. The clock stops when the ref's hand goes up. They did not even begin to raise their hands until after the clock hit 0.0.
Paul was great and willed them to win. I liked that he was giving Green the business.
Curry had his jump shot blocked twice in that game. Don't think I have seen that before.
Rockets only played 7... and Green didn't play that much.
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The Rockets have no answer for Curry when he is aggressive. The Warriors need to force that issue in the rest of this series. Green gave D'Antoni great minutes. He sparked a run when the Rockets needed one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by moneymkt
Rockets benefited from Iggy being out.
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They did. And the Warriors suffered.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DRob4JC
Let's all say this together to confirm what we saw last night.
A Mike D'Antoni coached team won a big game with defense.
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My pre-series axiom: the team that defends better will win every game. True through 4.
Quote:
Originally Posted by magaalot
And the thing is Houston may not need to play much defense to win in Houston, because their offense is obviously a lot more free-flowing with the crowd driving them.
But its good to know they can.
We already knew Paul was a defensive wizard, but Harden playing d is a game-changer because Golden State would not have factored that into their calculations.
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They will need to play better defense than the Warriors to win game 5.
CP3 is no longer a defensive wizard. But D'Antoni has taken a page from Don Nelson's book: use a small guard to take away a scoring wing's dribble. Paul can do that on KD. KD can still make shots over Paul, but he doesn't have his drive available. That's a good use of what Paul has left on defense.
Harden continues to be a turnstile on defense. The Warriors need to hunt for him with their scorers. He had a couple of nice steals, but was repeatedly torched by Curry & KD for most of the game.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blind Cleric
Agreed.
Golden State's shot selection in the last few minutes seemed awful. I guess one must give great credit to Houston's defense for that.
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Houston defended well late in the game. The Warriors did not play strong offense in that stretch. They need to be better.
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