Re: Playoff Thread 2018

[swish]

I am just in awe of Anthony Davis, I’ve already admitted to my son he’s better than Kevin McHale ever was....now I’m thinking he’s even better than Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan were, more skilled and athletic than all 3, so fluid, makes it look so easy. Does everything and more, puts up way more 40 point games than those 3, he’s got to be best player in NBA right now. I’d easily take him over Lebron or Harden.

cowens/OLDSCHOOL

For an old timer like you with basketball roots going back to the late 60's - that's a pretty startling endorsement.

swish

[dboss]

Anthony Davis is a great player.  But he is really a guard who is the size of a center.  His handle is what seperates him from other big man and his athleticism is off the charts.


Kevin Mchale was a great low post player even better than Davis.  

I like to check shooting percentages.  I think Mchale was a more effecient shooter.

I do not think Davis is the best player in the NBA.  I think Lebron still holds that distinction.  Davis despite his skills does not make plays for his teammates. Not a lot of assists.

When you dig deeper things are rarely as clear cut as you may think.  

I would find it hard to imagine Davis being better than Tim Duncan.

Davis is such an athletic marvel and great offensive player that it is reasonable to overlook his flaws but they are there

[cowens/oldschool]

Nobody loved Kevin McHale as a player more than me, he easily could have went for 20000 points in his career, but was 6th man early and the best 2nd banana ever similar to Scottie Pippen, who also didn’t get 20000 points. Both players just didn’t put up enough shots, but purists know their teams never get a sniff of the title without their contributions. I would agree at post up back to the basket he’s better than Davis, but that is the only offensive phase McHale is better at. The fluidity and effortless running, driving and dunking/finishing plus better shooting range makes him better. Again I love McHale and heard Steven A saying just yesterday he considers McHale a better player than Karl Malone and I agree with him.

Let’s look at who Davis is playing with and how far he is carrying them, that has got to be the sign of a great player. Mirotic was a career back up, now suddenly with all the open looks he’s getting from playing off of Davis, plus Rondo, he’s a completely more effective winning player. Holiday is a one time all star, clearly coming into his own playing off/with Davis, he’s playing great, if he stays consistent I could easily see him being an all star again. Then there’s Rondo, a lot of pundits said in this new era, you can’t win with a pass first point guard that can’t shoot...well playing with Davis he’s got the perfect superstar to play with and pass to. Really happy for Rondo, Etwann Moore would be our 11th or 12th man and is starting, all he has to do is defend and shoot
once in a while and move the ball.

They have no bench that I can think of and Davis is not playing with a lot of good defensive players, but the way he protects the rim and flies around, carries that defense as a one man wrecking crew. No
player in these playoffs has more defensive responsibilities than him and no player is asked to carry his team both ends more than Davis.

[kdp59]

I agree that he is the Best player in the NBA right now.

but when I say that, what I mean is

If I were building a team he would be the first player I would pick to build around. Not only his play right now, but the fact that he is only 25 YO is a major factor for me also.

which is why NO would be crazy to consider trading him.

[steve3344]

First time a 6th seed has ever swept a 3rd seed in the playoffs.

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2018/04/canzano_portland_trail_blazers.html#incart_most-read_

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2018/04/portland_trail_blazers_fight_too_little_too_late_a.htm

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2018/04/trail_blazers_pelicans_game_4_reaction.html

Maybe paying Evan Turner $18 million a year (and for two more years) is just a tad too much.

[cowens/oldschool]

First time a 6th seed has ever swept a 3rd seed in the playoffs.

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2018/04/canzano_portland_trail_blazers.html#incart_most-read_

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2018/04/portland_trail_blazers_fight_too_little_too_late_a.htm

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2018/04/trail_blazers_pelicans_game_4_reaction.html

Maybe paying Evan Turner $18 million a year (and for two more years) is just a tad too much.

Wasn’t he the first pick in the draft his year? He’s not Jeff Green, but close....

[gyso]

First time a 6th seed has ever swept a 3rd seed in the playoffs.

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2018/04/canzano_portland_trail_blazers.html#incart_most-read_

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2018/04/portland_trail_blazers_fight_too_little_too_late_a.htm

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2018/04/trail_blazers_pelicans_game_4_reaction.html

Maybe paying Evan Turner $18 million a year (and for two more years) is just a tad too much.

Wasn’t he the first pick in the draft his year? He’s not Jeff Green, but close....

I believe he was the second pick.

[swish]

First time a 6th seed has ever swept a 3rd seed in the playoffs.

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2018/04/canzano_portland_trail_blazers.html#incart_most-read_

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2018/04/portland_trail_blazers_fight_too_little_too_late_a.htm

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2018/04/trail_blazers_pelicans_game_4_reaction.html

Maybe paying Evan Turner $18 million a year (and for two more years) is just a tad too much.

Wasn’t he the first pick in the draft his year? He’s not Jeff Green, but close....

I believe he was the second pick.

The second pick is correct. And by the way - out of 60 second round picks over the years - he ranks 37th in minutes played per game - Certainly not what you hope for from a number 2 pick - but still playing starter minutes.
See below list of second round picks - sorted by minutes played per game

http://bkref.com/tiny/4Li9q

swish

[k_j_88]

WAS tied up with Toronto. If they steal the next game things could get interesting.


KJ

[cowens/oldschool]

Poor Lebron becoming unhinged, just got a tech, played every minute of 2nd half so far and is cold and team down 2 in 4th....rooting for him.

[cowens/oldschool]

Gutty performance by the King, at halftime he had 23 points, when I just posted he had 27 with 3 minutes left in 4th, so he wasn’t on fire in 2nd half. But he finished with 33 so he came alive, he and Kyle Korver with some huge 3’s came up big and carried them.

[kdp59]

truth be told I am more worried about Philly this year than Cleveland.

that is IF we get by the Bucks.

[cowens/oldschool]

truth be told I am more worried about Philly this year than Cleveland.

that is IF we get by the  Bucks.

I could see Philly and Pelicans making it to Finals, return of the big man!!

Rockets not dominating like regular season yet....no Curry is huge loss.

[Shamrock1000]

truth be told I am more worried about Philly this year than Cleveland.

that is IF we get by the  Bucks.

I could see Philly and Pelicans making it to Finals, return of the big man!!

Rockets not dominating like regular season yet....no Curry is huge loss.

Interesting call - would kind of love to see that!

[Shamrock1000]

truth be told I am more worried about Philly this year than Cleveland.

that is IF we get by the  Bucks.

I could see Philly and Pelicans making it to Finals, return of the big man!!

Rockets not dominating like regular season yet....no Curry is huge loss.

Cow - people are starting to jump on your bandwagon:

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-playoffs-how-worried-should-the-warriors-be-about-the-pelicans-in-the-second-round/

With every vicious Anthony Davis dunk or silky smooth Jrue Holiday pull-up jumper, the thought had to creep into your head. Could this New Orleans Pelicans team, which just wiped the floor with the Trail Blazers, actually give the Warriors a run for their money?

What the Pelicans have done since DeMarcus Cousins went down with a torn Achilles at the end of January has been nothing short of remarkable. Since the Pelicans fell to 28-26 on Feb. 9 and many counted them entirely out of playoff consideration, all they've done is go 22-8, including a thoroughly dominating sweep of the No. 3 seed Portland Trail Blazers.

It's not official yet, but we're just going to assume that the Pelicans will face Golden State in the next round. While it's one thing to look great against the Blazers -- it's quite another to compete with the two-time champion Warriors.

Why the Pelicans have a chance
Look, nobody's favoring the Pelicans in this series, but they do have a slight edge on many of the other teams in the NBA in this respect: They put the ball in the basket.

You listen to coach after coach after coach talk about how you absolutely must score in order to beat the Warriors. Great defense will only get you so far against a team this explosive, and the Spurs have found out in the first round that Golden State is always one lightning-quick second-half run away from sending the fans to the exits early.

So the fact that New Orleans consistently gets buckets gives them a chance. Since Feb. 10, the Pelicans have an offensive rating of 108.6, compared to the Warriors' 110. And their offensive rating in four games against the defensively improved Blazers (114.7) is second only to the Warriors in this year's playoffs. They've found the winning formula between the incredible one-on-one ability of Davis and Holiday, the pace-pushing, distributing talents of Rajon Rondo, and a spread-the-floor shooting attack led by Nikola Mirotic. It's quite a different look, as the Warriors got to see in their 126-120 loss to New Orleans toward the end of the regular season.

"That's a completely different team without DeMarcus," Warriors All-Star Draymond Green said after that game. "Different guys are playing with different confidence levels. ... It was definitely good to play a team this close to the playoffs that you could possibly play, especially with the different style that they're playing now."

And it's not just the offense. Going to a smaller, more switchable lineup with Davis at center has allowed the Pelicans to thrive on defense. Holiday has ascended into one of the best on-ball perimeter defenders in the NBA, and New Orleans improved from 22nd in the league in defensive rating to fifth after the Cousins injury.

So while you can never expect to stop the Warriors offense, the Pelicans have proven that they at least have a shot to contain them.

How the Pelicans could struggle
The Warriors have clearly flipped the proverbial switch, and are playing their best basketball of the season -- yet their biggest trump card has yet to be played.

Stephen Curry is creeping around Oracle Arena like Darth Vader, just waiting for his chance to re-enter the fold as the Warriors seek their fourth straight NBA Finals appearance. The most recent update from the Warriors said that he has resumed practice, with modifications, and will be re-evaluated in about a week -- right before a potential matchup with New Orleans would begin. If everything goes right with his rehab, he's expected to play in at least some -- if not all -- of the second round series.

The Warriors have the best offense in the postseason so far against arguably the best defense in the entire playoffs -- and they're playing Andre Iguodala at point guard. If Curry comes back even close to 100 percent, it's scary to imagine what this Golden State offense will look like.

The Pelicans had success against the Blazers by aggressively trapping Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, effectively forcing Portland's role players to try to beat them. As we've seen, that technique doesn't work against the Warriors. Trapping Curry or Kevin Durant will allow them to get the ball to Green at the top of the key, where he can operate with a man advantage -- and we know how that story ends.

Even if Curry misses the entire series, the Warriors have proven that they can win with more defense-oriented lineups. Golden State has a bevy of large bodies to throw at Davis, including JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, Kevon Looney and David West -- a revolving door of physical defenders that will take its toll on Davis as the series goes on.

Another issue for the Pelicans is that their new style of play -- Davis surrounded by a bunch of wings -- plays right into the Warriors' hands. Golden State thrives in small-ball situations, and while Green can't stop Davis, he'll make him work while the Warriors have the opportunity to jack up the pace and launch 3-pointers until New Orleans begs for mercy. Teams that have historically had success against the Warriors have pounded the offensive glass, creating second shots and keeping the Warriors from getting out in transition. That's not a strong suit of this iteration of the Pelicans, who were 24th in the league in offensive rebound percentage for the regular season after the Cousins injury.

The Pelicans were certainly the better team in the first round against the Blazers, and their success has been one of the best stories in the league this season. They might just be facing an insurmountable challenge with the defending champion Warriors.

NBA Scores and News


https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/can-the-new-orleans-pelicans-upset-the-golden-state-warriors

The New Orleans Pelicans are up 3-0 in their series against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors are leading with the same margin against the San Antonio Spurs.

It isn't a surprise the Warriors are winning there series, but it is a surprise that the Pelicans are handling the Trail Blazers easily.

What's scary about New Orleans is that they are winning without DeMarcus Cousins. He hasn't played since January because of a torn Achilles. The Pelicans are playing just fine without him and one of the reasons why is Anthony Davis.

Anthony Davis is averaging 24.3 PPG this series. Rajon Rondo is averaging 12 APG this series.

He has done a great job so far in the NBA playoffs at dictating the pace for the Pelicans. Jrue Holiday has stepped up his game and he is averaging 23.3 PPG in this series.

Nikola Mirotic scored 30 points for the Pelicans in Thursday Night's 119-102 win in Game 3 against the Trail Blazers.

Because a team has never come back from a 3-0 deficit in NBA history, it is more than likely the New Orleans Pelicans will play the Golden State Warriors in the second-round of the NBA playoffs. Can the sixth-seeded Pelicans upset the Warriors in a seven-game series?

It is quite possible the Golden State Warriors will be without Steph Curry once again in the second round.

The offence will have a tougher time getting off shots without him because the Pelicans are very good defensively with Rondo and Holiday in the backcourt and Davis is a very good rim protector.

Golden State will have a difficult time playing small ball. If Draymond Green plays the five, he will get eaten alive by Davis. Even if they put in Zaza Pachullia or Javel McGee at center, Davis will still get his points.

Nikola Mirotic is a very good shooter, but he isn't very good defensively. The main problem for New Orleans is they don't have anyone to stop Kevin Durant.

He will go at will against the Pelicans and Durant will be very aggressive.

The Golden State Warriors also have a better bench than the New Orleans Pelicans and Steve Kerr is a better coach than Alvin Gentry.

I think the Pelicans would give them a tough series but at the end of the day, the Warriors would win this series in six or seven games because of the championship pedigree they have.

[k_j_88]

Maybe now the success the Pelicans are having will hush the pointless Davis-to-Celts rumors.


KJ

[cowens/oldschool]

No Curry Pelicans win, Curry plays GS wins....

[cowens/oldschool]

Wow Rockets just made a statement...50 point 3rd quarter!!

[bobc33]

OKC and Utah could be a very interesting game. 8 minutes in and there is a whole lot of woofing and shoving going on. Rubio, Westbrook, Crowder, Paul George and others all in on it.....

[steve3344]

https://sports.yahoo.com/donovan-mitchell-jazz-okcs-super-team-wasnt-teetering-brink-063738630.html

Pushing Paul George that much closer to the Lakers.

[bobheckler]

Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
about 8 hours ago
Steven Adams is that human that you punch in the face in a movie and it turns out they’re a robot and you’re doomed.

reply retweet like

[cowens/oldschool]

Gobert big factor in taking away everything inside vs Thunder...media will all gush about Mitchell.

[steve3344]

Every time a rumor popped up last year about us acquiring Carmelo I was horrified, living in NY and getting to see him play his abysmal one-dimensional game frequently. Thank God it never happened. Even if we had given up nothing. $27.9 million salary guaranteed for next season? Wow.                          
https://nypost.com/2018/04/24/thunders-carmelo-anthony-headache-is-about-to-get-worse/

[jrleftfoot]

Two players I feel sorry for are Lebron and Jabari Parker, Lebron needs to score 40 for his team to even have a chance in playoff basketball, we are gonna see how long he can keep that up at 33 and Parker is just shot after being the 2nd pick in the draft.

Too soon on Jabari. He has been injured, but his skill set is intact.

[jrleftfoot]

Nobody loved Kevin McHale as a player more than me, he easily could have went for 20000 points in his career, but was 6th man early and the best 2nd banana ever similar to Scottie Pippen, who also didn’t get 20000 points. Both players just didn’t put up enough shots, but purists know their teams never get a sniff of the title without their contributions. I would agree at post up back to the basket he’s better than Davis, but that is the only offensive phase McHale is better at. The fluidity and effortless running, driving and dunking/finishing plus better shooting range makes him better. Again I love McHale and heard Steven A saying just yesterday he considers McHale a better player than Karl Malone and I agree with him.

Let’s look at who Davis is playing with and how far he is carrying them, that has got to be the sign of a great player. Mirotic was a career back up, now suddenly with all the open looks he’s getting from playing off of Davis, plus Rondo, he’s a completely more effective winning player. Holiday is a one time all star, clearly coming into his own playing off/with Davis, he’s playing great, if he stays consistent I could easily see him being an all star again. Then there’s Rondo, a lot of pundits said in this new era, you can’t win with a pass first point guard that can’t shoot...well playing with Davis he’s got the perfect superstar to play with and pass to. Really happy for Rondo, Etwann Moore would be our 11th or 12th man and is starting, all he has to do is defend and shoot
once in a while and move the ball.

They have no bench that I can think of and Davis is not playing with a lot of good defensive players, but the way he protects the rim and flies around, carries that defense as a one man wrecking crew. No
player in these playoffs has more defensive responsibilities than him and no player is asked to carry his team both ends more than Davis.

+1

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