Jules

Beating Toronto is a quality win, it's a team that always gave Boston fits.

I might be the only person around who owns a Kobe jersey and a (free via my boyfriend) Paul Pierce jersey given to me. I might get a Kyrie jersey for Christmas as a gift.

I am such a basketball big name groupie. 

I still like the Lakers a bit on the side, but it was more of a Kobe Bryant thing with me who is my all time favorite NBA player.

I think with the NBA it's often a "players league" and I am not ashamed to admit I bandwagon a lot. I just have a lot of fun with a few teams.

I also been a fan of Brad Stevens for a long time going back to his Butler days. LOVE me some Brad Stevens.

As for the game this week, Celtics got a day off and then the Lakers go to Boston. Should be a big one Wednesday. Lakers have been up and down and are quite young. But they have showed up a few times this year on the big stage. Lonzo Ball isn't scoring a lot at times but he is an excellent passer out there. Lopez and Ingram will be tough to guard.

It's funny too with Kyrie Irving that he is still only 25. It's actually kinda amazing that he has been through so much already at this age in the NBA.

Celtics are a pretty young team too outside of a few vets but not as young as the baby Lakers LOL.

I also used to hear a ton about how Kyrie was this gigantic ball hog but I am not seeing this with the Celtics this year. Kyrie has his moments where yes they want him to get the ball and especially late in games. But I swear Isaiah Thomas was more of a hero ball kinda guy with the Celtics even more so over what I seen from Kyrie so far.

Kyrie seems to really be sold on the Brad Stevens system way of doing things so far. In Cleveland I swear at times there is no real system. They just kinda every week stand around with their mouths open at Lebron James. So when Kyrie had a losing record in Cleveland without Lebron I thought too much was made of this. 

And don't get me wrong, I love Lebron. But he also did want Lue as the coach and Lue is terrible.

Clarkson is playing really well too so he is getting more minutes than usual.

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Kuzma and Tatum both have similar stats.

Interesting, will look this up before their game Wed. 

Gotta get to bed now, been so into the NBA.  

Have a good nights sleep Jules, chat with you tomorrow.

Warriors sadly IMO are not even focused yet. They will more later on. When they do focus they are lethal and the defensive intensity will be turned up a notch. Last year their defense was a joke for the first few months but when the new year hit they kicked it up a notch.

This is why I wanted the Celtics (with Hayward) to fight against the Warriors in the finals, felt it would be a better series even if the Celtics lost over another Cavs/Warriors crap feast. Hayward won't be back this year.

Ironically by years end if the Celtics stay healthy with everyone else, I still would not count them out for the finals.......since they are a young team with energy and they might be able to snag the first seed again.

I have always thought LeBron has been a Top 10 player of all-time but in all honesty he is probably Top 5 and is still the best player today. Guy scores 57 with ease . He is in there with the Jordan's, Magic's, and Kobe's and actually has more physical talent than those 3. He is a lot like Shaq = a freak of nature. Tom Brady is just a winner and really his only comp were the Manning's. Eli now stinks and Peyton is retired so Tom has an easy road to the SB unless the Steelers or Chiefs can stop him. I want Chiefs but I am not sold on Alex Smith being able to pull it off. They have the Coaching and Defense and now Hunt but can Smith come through

You are rooting for the Celtics like I am OKC hoping they can knock off the Warriors but I doubt it happens. I think LeBron will get another crack at them but I don't think even he can beat that team. I thought he had good help last season with Irving and it still wasn't near enough. Not sure how Thomas will play with them?

What a shame and that was an ugly injury.  He is most likely gone for the year and hopefully returns to pre-injury form.

Celtics start 0-2 but against two tough opponents and after an emotional injury disaster. What is kinda sad and bizarre, is in two games Jaylen Brown honestly looks like the best Celtics player all around. Kyrie was a mess tonight.

Boston can't go too far this year IMO if they have to just rely overly on Brown and Tatum, they are far too young and raw.

Although I try not to be the sort of person who over reacts. I mean even the Warriors lost their opener lol But we all know the Warriors will be awesome when they kick in some point this season as usual.

I can't even believe it. Luck is not back yet.

Rodgers goes down hard a few days ago. Today Hayward.

And my SB pick was the Packers and I was leaning towards Boston for the NBA in the east (losing to the Warriors in the finals).

What the hell.

But I feel soooo bad for Hayward, that looked awful. I was shook so hard by this one. That looked BAD, both teams looked a wreck by it.

I think the best you can hope for at the moment is Hayward can have a clean recovery and come back. And Kyrie can go wild and maybe be an MVP candidate. 

But this sucks, omg...........

Lebron I am not even sure either is 100%. He isn't, he has a wobbly ankle. And he still plays too many minutes.

I had a Celtics/Warriors Finals but it isn't happening now. It will be Cavs/Warriors now IMO health providing. I want OKC to win it all but I cant see anyway anyone beats the Warriors. Pacers will be lucky to be .500.

I honestly don't think Lebron WANTED to lose the finals again. Especially if he has his eye on leaving. Was better to bow out in the ECFs like he did before he left for Miami.

It will take me some time to adjust to this new look Cavs team too. I love Lebron and Love but I am not completely sure I am digging yet Wade and Rose and Crowder combined there too. It's tough to adjust to.

I kinda miss the old team as crazy as this sounds. The last two years starting 5. I hope Kyrie leaving didn't shake up some weird karmic thing and both teams are going to be screwed? He seems happy in Boston but he is devastated over Hayward.

Even with IT, he is not playing now so Boston would have been without him anyway. 

OMG I got no idea now......going to have to sleep on this. Too much sports drama for a few nights and yes FIRE CHUCK PAGANO FIRE HIM NOW.   I watched MNF and that was embarrassing to lose to a one legged Mariota.

His dad was coaching over there a few years ago, I wouldn't be surprised if Kobe wanted to get involved with something over there. 

Yeah Kobe's dad was always big with international basketball, thats partly how Kobe grew up in Italy as a kid.

Kobe's dad is an interesting topic....

He played for the Clippers at one point when he was at the twilight of his career...

Kobe had some weird feud with his mom and dad some years back, I think you might remember it. Something about his memorabilia being taken??? And they weren't talking for years. 

Yep, the IT thing is very confusing and very bad. There is literally zero timetable for his return and his hip "could" be shot without a long rehab after surgery if he ever has it. And the new GM there might have gotten fleeced bad by Ainge. I think the reason the trade held off so long is the new GM thought Ainge would panic and cough up a lot more and he didn't and just gave them another second round pick for 2020.

A 25 year old Kyrie Irving isn't looking so bad right now and people need to be patient since Brad Stevens has a lot of his game to now clean up big time. But Brad Stevens seems to be very into this move and up for the challenge of what Ainge is calling "greatness" with Kyrie Irving. So Kyrie has had his ego stroked big time too already by Boston.  

Begs the question though. Why didn't Cleveland void the trade over IT's health? Well IMO Dan Gilbert just wanted the Nets pick, simple as that........he is hurting Lebron yet again.

Boston did get the better deal since their staring PG is Kyrie and the backup is Marcus Smart who they were able to keep and is a very capable player.

Boston still needs more but if they don't win the east this year they know the core is young enough to keep moving forward.

Oh God what did you do? You mention the NBA and I go off into la la land.  

Slight correction to my OP. St Martin or Sint Maarten is called "the friendly island" but I said happy but same thing right?

Sad since they are not so happy now. But YES they were so friendly there and smiley when I went.

Regarding Lonzo, I think he will pan out despite Daddy being an A Hole  Regarding LeBron, Dan Gilbert is very lucky to have him. He doesn't win a Title without him much like Irsay wouldn't of won one without Peyton.

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I agree Lonzo don't seem so bad lately and he loves Lebron apparently. I also think in my gut I know a pass first PG like Lonzo with the skill set he has would appeal big time to veterans like Lebron/Paul George.

Lonzo's passing is probably going to be what makes him effective in the long run cause his shot form needs a lot of work, but I've been thinking he probably can be a very effective player just by passing...I admit, I go hard on this kid cause the hype train is so annoying and his dad is the biggest jerk in all of sports right now. It seems like every other week, LaVar does something new that is disgusting. 

Lonzo has done a good job though so far making HIMSELF likable since summer league...At this point, it really is his dad who makes everything sour. If the dad wasn't in the picture right now, things would be just fine...Lonzo has become so quiet this summer, but it's daddy Ball who is cussing out female referees, getting them thrown from games, going in the media and running his mouth, saying outrageous offensive things, etc. 

You are probably right though, cause LeBron had that kind of passing going on in Miami and he was such a more relaxed player. That's really the main difference between Miami and Cleveland besides Miami playing MUCH better defense...Wade would pass the ball so much, and LeBron didn't have to focus all his time setting everyone up like he has to do with Cleveland. 

Personally though, if I am in the Lakers camp, I wouldn't want to chase these aging stars. I think they should focus on their youth and building them up and keep drafting well...That's pretty much what Golden State did, that was a whole project with the drafting and spending years to develop their main stars. The Lakers do have some decent young talent. Ingram is going to be a beast in the next few years, and Zubac showed good signs last year and became a bit of a fan favorite. 

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I hope both of you are right in that he stays in Cleveland or that he SHOULD at least. Going to be an interesting year of basketball thats for sure!!!

 

Thanks for the input from both of you about all of this. I have to head to bed early tonight now.

Have a good night, Jules. I'm about to head off myself...105 on the heat index today.  Is fall coming soon? Will be so happy when this brutal summer is over, it's too hot right now... I'm tired out tonight after seeing my doctor, it's too hot lately to be riding around for hours in a car that is having air conditioner problems. 

This was the move Boston had to do....IT3 is damaged goods that can't man his position on defense. Irving isn't known for his defense but at almost 7 inches taller, almost 5 years younger, if you are going to break the bank on a player (Irving in two years and IT3 next year)....you make the move.

Crowder is a solid "Glue Guy" and Zizic may or may not be that piece in the middle?  Throw in the Net's pick, which I think will be higher than the Lakers' pick....just collateral damage.

Tatum was the #1 in this draft and Brown is a freak.....add Hayward and if ONLY Tito could move to the stretch....with either Tatum or Brown as the 6th man and Marcus 6A....Golden State would have competitiion.  The "5" is still a problem.

Happy belated birthday! Did the cats get you anything special for your birthday? If they didn't, they could be forgiven because of their cuteness.

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Happy belated birthday! Did the cats get you anything special for your birthday?

They should have gotten him something! They owe him A LOT. He saves their lives, literally.

And yeah cuteness over load indeed. The more cats the better!

Whatever you decided to do on your birthday, I hope it was relaxing Bogie. 

Wonder Woman was great. DC finally made a decent movie, and it's forced me to take back what I said and eat crow over Gal Gadot's acting in Batman vs Superman. She was very charming in Wonder Woman. I greatly enjoyed it too! 

My folks went to see Wonder Woman tonight since I told them they would like it. I know they will love it too.

OMG that film is sooooooooo cute.  I mean it just IS. So enchanting. 

I haven't seen Wonder Woman yet, but it does seem to have bridged that gap between widespread audience support in droves & critical acclaim by professional film reviewers. I'll see it eventually, but I gotta see War For The Planet Of The Apes first. I have a profound appreciation for actor Andy Serkis ever since his landmark portrayal of Gollum in the LOTR trilogy & now his moving depiction of the Primate Caesar. 

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that both Jules & Bogie enjoyed Wonder Woman. You 2 have a knack for knowing quality material over over bloated trash so, I trust your judgement in the long run. 

I think you secretly want to become the Bad Boy Pistons.  Not the Knicks.

Honestly, Kelly O outside of his unnatural fascination with Kevin Love isn't really always too bad. He did give a nice thank you note today to Boston too and said thanks for giving a guy from Canada a shot and letting him be a part of their city. I don't feel bad blood with Boston from him right now since he did become a semi cult following star in Boston.

Yes he is from Canada.

He might do well with Miami, Riley seems to be talking him up pretty well so it sounds like you will be seeing him a lot out there. Riley likes his toughness and ability to hold his liquor. (made that part up)

He may fit well with Hassan Whiteside who some claim is dirty too. Heat really are looking like a solid rough defensive group again.......

I have a great love for that Bad Boy Pistons team. They straight up broke their opponents physically and mentally, it was fun to watch until the rule change to make them go away. 

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Honestly, Kelly O outside of his unnatural fascination with Kevin Love isn't really always too bad. He did give a nice thank you note today to Boston too and said thanks for giving a guy from Canada a shot and letting him be a part of their city. I don't feel bad blood with Boston from him right now since he did become a semi cult following star in Boston.

I read that the Cavs tried to trade Kevin Love in a 3 team trade to Denver. 

The chemistry is going to be ruined next year with him in Cleveland IMO. 

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I read that the Cavs tried to trade Kevin Love in a 3 team trade to Denver. 

 

The chemistry is going to be ruined next year with him in Cleveland IMO. 

 

Well the Celtics "maybe" tried to move Crowder before they did Bradley to free up cap space. Crowder is on a pretty good deal though and a tough defender with size, kinda glad he stayed. It only would have happened with a sign and trade with Utah but I am guessing Gordon Hayward said "Hell to the no" with giving Utah anything the way it sounds. Since the deal only happened if Hayward agreed to sign off to it.

But IT said "everything will be okay" with Crowder/Hayward since Crowder now is behind Hayward in the depth chart.

Since IT is now apparently the spokesperson of the team with "everything will be FINE, we going to the finals man."  Yes IT said this, he said "everything will be fine and we are probably heading to the finals".  And last year he spoke to the crowd in Boston before the final regular season game and said "We got a big big playoff run coming."

But it's different since with Kevin Love, they pretty much spit on him daily in Cleveland and TP his house nightly. So it's a lot worse........Kevin Love gets the Otto Warmbier treatment by Cavs fans. With the Cavs fans being the DPRK.

Lol!  I knew spelling "Porzingis" would be easier but went rogue!  He would be the real "get" but the fact that Nerlen is an RFA, something may be forced?  It may be more realistic unless NY, sans Jackson, nay come back down off their original wants...which were reportedly ridiculous.

The problem with keeping Bradley is that he is an undersized SG that is in his walk year,  You have to think about how he fits, should Tatum and Brown live up to expectations?  You can sell high on him now and get something in return. 

The other caveat is do you start entertaining offers for IT3, as his defensive liabilities are huge?  Do you move him and extend Smart, with  Rozier as a very capable back up?????

Would be hilarious if he decides to STAY with the Thunder after going there. Would put the Lakers train wreck into an even tougher spot. 

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Not going to lie, this does bother me.

 

 

 

I think thats why I can't focus tonight.

 

I am not sure why, but Lebron is always like stuck in some Shakespearean tragedy play. Even his owner wrote him that nasty letter as if he was playing some evil villain role. 

 

Anyway will feel better tomorrow night but tonight to me just kinda made basketball look pathetic.

 

I hope the Cavs can win in Cleveland but sadly they have been even worse in Cleveland then on the road this year.

It sucks, but it is what it is. The Warriors won 73 games last year, lost the Finals, then added Kevin Durant. Instead of overcoming their problems, they went out and got another star and made it unfair. 

I don't get it. I really don't...apart from LeBron hate, this is like rooting for the 2007 Patriots. It's no different, they even have an undefeated streak going. The whole "best team ever" thing going. 

if the Warriors do get a sweep, you're going to be "16-0 IN THE PLAYOFFS, BEST TEAM EVAH" rammed down your throat forever. Warriors fans will have 16-0 avatars all over the place. 

This Cavs team I hate to say it was doomed before the playoffs evne began. We knew they weren't that good. it is the weakest LeBron led team of the current decade. They ranked 22nd in defense. But ohhhh myyyyy gooddddd they got KYLE KORVER and are a LOADED team. 

Hate is more powerful than love. I have learned that with how pathetic LeBron haters are. They are rooting for the NBA equivalent of the 2007 Patriots just so they can hate on him. It don't get worse than that. 

What's the point anymore? Everyone knew the Cavs were going to lose cause Golden State flat out ruined the season the minute they got Durant. Unless you get some personal satisfaction from watching one player loser to super teams, this isn't fun. 

I seriously am done with basketball after tonight. Moving on to football and music stuff. Let the LeBron haters have their pathetic parade. it's really no different than rooting for the 2007 Patriots. They should be embarrassed, but hate does amazing things to people. 

Cavs have to win game 3 to stand any chance in the series, just to prove to themselves they can do "something" vs the Warriors. Right now, they are living in denial with constant underachieving.

Well, Nashville just tied the series at home 2-2 vs. the Pens in hockey.

Are you watching this Cavs? The Predators just tied the series AT HOME vs. the powerhouse Sidney Crosby Penguins. Notes, take them.

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Cavs have to win game 3 to stand any chance in the series, just to prove to themselves they can do "something" vs the Warriors. Right now, they are living in denial with constant underachieving.

The underachievers are:

1) KYRIE IRVING KYRIE IRVING KYRIE IRVING

2) Tristan *out rebounded in two games by Curry* Thompson despite being like 11 inches taller then Curry. I am still trying to figure this out.......

3) the suckiness known as JR Smith who I am trying to figure out what his best use is at this point.

4) the world famous Cavaliers bench led by THE 3 pt shooting machine Kyle Korver.

5) coaching, I mean I think they just think at times "Don't worry, LEBRON will save us!."

I put Kyrie Irving first in bold letters 3 times since he is key for the Cavs. If he don't have a hot game they are toast. So far in this series he has flopped around like a stoned dead fish masquerading as a point guard. If he sucks again in game 3 then call Allen Iverson and have him fill in game 4 just for fun. Then again Iverson would probably have Curry on the court in a headlock and then a brawl breaks out, which at this point I would not mind. Hell Iverson despite his size would probably even punch out Draymond Green.

As much as people pick on Kevin Love and say he is "a limited white guy" he has actually been doing HIS JOB in this series if you look at the stats. Cute white guy bias is rampant in the NBA. I am shocked Draymond and Zaza have not poured gasoline on Love and set him on fire but if they did the refs would probably call a foul on Love.

Lebron is doing so much in this series he is ready to pass out by the third quarter. And if anyone wants to pick on Lebron I will come after you with my pink umbrella and stuffed animals and raise HELL!!!!!!!!!

Steve Kerr may return for game 2 I seen. Oh good...........

Seriously just get nasty Cavs. I mean for real, throw punches even and get ejected I don't care. Start getting crazy dirty on those clowns. Since in a way you got to get this jolt of mean going on since this Cavs team is TOO DAMN NICE. I love the Cavs to death but they are like choir boys at times with charity work and being angels and helping old ladies cross the street. 

Nice guys finish last.

See Kobe was a mean dude once too, he used to get after people. I want to see Kyrie get MEAN. Just aggressive. One thing he don't have is Kobe's aggressive "I want to win and kill you" mentality.

I don't know but whenever the Cavs lose I swear I feel like I ramble about them being soft.

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Ugh I love Kobe but my God was he a frustrating player. When he was good he was very good but when he was bad you wanted to die. And he also btw when bad would keep taking shots all the time. Kyrie isn't a ball hog though.

 

But tonight the Cavs had loads of Kobe's on a bad shooting night chucking up shots that didn't go in. I was starting to have flashbacks..........it sorta looked to me like the Lakers vs. the Celtics in 2008 even.

Soooooo true. When he was off, he just wouldn't stop. That's where Kobe would frustrate me the most. The only time in his career he actually wasn't a ball hog, was the height of the Shaq era. 

Kobe would do that though; keep missing and keep taking so many shots. It would make you want to punch the TV at times. I used to get REALLY mad cause he would do this when Odom was playing well. You mention the 2008 Boston series and I keep thinking back to that and I remember Odom and Gasol were playing really well and Kobe just refused to pass the ball to them at times, it was so frustrating. I swear there was one game in that series where Kobe was just BAD and those guys were playing great and he just screwed it all up by refusing to get them involved. 

Probably why I cherish the Shaq years so much, those years, he actually would pass the ball and let Shaq do what he did best, and that was dominate and slam home those violent dunks. 

It actually disturbs me since Kobe retired, there is this big mythology about him being the greatest scorer ever and the one about how he "carried Shaq" omg, that makes me want to punch holes in walls. That is so damn wrong...Shaq got all 3 Finals MVP's in those championships...Kobe had some memorable games in those Finals, but take Shaq off those teams, they would have never got there...Kobe's fans make Shaq sound like a scrub when they talk trash about him, it's sickening...Kobe didn't even get the last 2 rings, until they got him another awesome center (Pau Gasol) to help out. 

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I read tons of Cavs stuff on Kevin Love and they need to get off his aazzz at times. I mean do they even realize what position he plays?

Cavs fans treat Kevin Love like he is Bosh with the Heat. 

But they seem to forget, Bosh wasn't an elite scorer...Bosh's job was to get rebounds, steals, and mostly, just play all around good defense. 

Remember how everyone used to say Bosh was the overrated one of the big 3? Everyone acted like he was supposed to score gobs of points, but he never did. Occasionally he would get a big 3 pointer like Love does, but Bosh's sole job was defense. Bosh wasn't overrated, people just didn't analyze him as a defensive player. 

I think Cavs fans are way too hard on Kevin Love. For the Bosh role, he does it good...he's not supposed to score tons. 

Imaging though if Kevin Love could've went to Miami to replace Bosh, that would have been crazy...the Heat wouldn't have skipped a beat after losing Bosh. 

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Cavs fans treat Kevin Love like he is Bosh with the Heat. 

 

But they seem to forget, Bosh wasn't an elite scorer...Bosh's job was to get rebounds, steals, and mostly, just play all around good defense. 

 

Remember how everyone used to say Bosh was the overrated one of the big 3? Everyone acted like he was supposed to score gobs of points, but he never did. Occasionally he would get a big 3 pointer like Love does, but Bosh's sole job was defense. Bosh wasn't overrated, people just didn't analyze him as a defensive player. 

 

I think Cavs fans are way too hard on Kevin Love. For the Bosh role, he does it good...he's not supposed to score tons. 

 

Cavs fans are giving Love more credit today, apparently the stats and heavy analysis say he won the matchup vs. Draymond despite being pushed, shoved, bitten, doused with gasoline, threatened with death and jersey pulled.

The thing is, yes Love can score more points too as the series goes on but he is the only one at times who seems to be able to rebound vs. the Warriors. When Curry is getting rebounds? You got an issue.

Which brings up an excellent point someone made on their forums, why not move Love to center if TT continues to struggle? Apparently and I missed this.........Love was at center most of the time in game 7 last year out of desperation. If Love is at center he can score more too since you cannot expect him to always hit those damn 3's. I know everyone wants him to rain 3's but this isn't Boston where their big men were crap and you could kinda just dance around at the perimeter in high heels. The Cavs need something going in the paint. Lebron or Love and better yet both.........has to happen.......INSIDE. 

And you could COULD move Tristan Thompson to PF and have HIM chase after Durant the whole game if he can keep up, which would free up Lebron to beast out more on offense Since Lebron will get tired if he is forced to guard Durant for too many minutes. Someone else I feel has to split time with guarding Durant. If TT won't score much then he could be used in another role to give Lebron more freedom.

AND then...........you could also even take useless JR Smith and move him to guard Curry, which sounds scary but hey it can't hurt since it would make it easier on Kyrie so he could just deal with a slumping Klay Thompson and score more maybe.

And then you got to pray that someone shows up from the bench. Anyone.......

Now none of this may happen but who knows. I could see Love going to center in this series eventually though since it has happened before. They say TT will rebound in game 2 maybe, but he has a tough time vs. the Warriors a lot for some reason.

JR Smith to me is the glaring weakness from game 1. I mean he is a guard.......and he was literally useless. You expect A GUARD to score a lot more then 3 damn points. If you took Wade and replaced JR Smith with Wade, then the Cavs then instantly are a much better team with 25 extra points. I know JR Smith loves Lebron James and loves Ohio, but seriously........they got to find a better role for him at times since he was crap in game 1. So if he can't score worth a damn then make him play heavy D and free up Lebron or Kyrie.

Just some thoughts since they clearly have to work something out. They claim focus for game 2 is to be more psychical to try and disrupt the Warriors offense. Which sounds good but that could also mean a ton more foul trouble. Then again maybe you just got to get in foul trouble and risk it.

Most Cavs fans claim game 1 in the finals for Lebron is often "the feel out game" to see what is going on so I will try to ride this optimism and hope they are not behind 20 in the third quarter and it's raining 3's on them.

Simply put, to beat TEAM USA you got to make some adjustments......like now.

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Soooooo true. When he was off, he just wouldn't stop. That's where Kobe would frustrate me the most. The only time in his career he actually wasn't a ball hog, was the height of the Shaq era. 

 

Kobe would do that though; keep missing and keep taking so many shots. It would make you want to punch the TV at times. I used to get REALLY mad cause he would do this when Odom was playing well. You mention the 2008 Boston series and I keep thinking back to that and I remember Odom and Gasol were playing really well and Kobe just refused to pass the ball to them at times, it was so frustrating. I swear there was one game in that series where Kobe was just BAD and those guys were playing great and he just screwed it all up by refusing to get them involved. 

 

To be fair to Kyrie, he can't ball hog like Kobe did since if he did Lebron would throw him on the highway. What Lebron tries to do at times IMO is find another guy on the team who is "hot" that night or "feeling it". And sadly it wasn't happening in game 1.

I am not completely giving up yet on this series btw. I am nuts and so be it. I won't go down easy. If they lose the series easy they lose it but I still hope they can make the Warriors have to go the distance to 6 or 7 if need be. I mean if the series can somehow SOMEHOW go longer then most expect, then the Warriors will wear down a bit and get frustrated. At the very least TRY to make them earn the title. And if you can get it to go longer, the longer a big underdog hangs around the tougher the favorite has it to win.

Also, Kevin Durant often slows down as a series goes on. He had his big hot "I AM HERE IN THE FINALS OMG LOOK AT ME I AM SO AWESOME AND IN THE FINALS MOM" night. That crap better end or else it will be a short series.

Also yeah in the 2008 finals, yeah Kobe went into ball hog mode at times. And if you ask me that series was honestly winnable for the Lakers if they had gotten other guys going on offense more. Since Kobe as good as he often was, he would go into pain in the aazzz mode.

Paul Pierce said once that Kobe had the mentality of a basketball serial killer as in "He never stops." I think what PP means is you think Kobe may pass it around if he is missing shots but no he keeps going.........and going...........and going.........and then going...........

I still maintain though that nobody was beating Boston that year. It was their time. Problem is they still deserved another ring IMO since it is a shame KG only got one. Just glad he got that one though at least. So I am glad now looking back they won.

All right I am done for tonight.  

Give LeBron 3-4 more years and he'll have the assists and rebound record too in the playoffs. 

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Give LeBron 3-4 more years and he'll have the assists and rebound record too in the playoffs.

He's gonna have it all!!!

And another TD pass tonight.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2017/05/kevin_love_fires_a_long_outlet.html

I watched tons of Kansas where he was. It was not Jackson's fault they lost in the tournament either and got upset. 

And he has the cool hair going on:

I'd rather have to meet DA ROCK and talk about all these stupid movies he's in that we can't escape than have to meet LaVar Ball. Is that bad enough? 

Take care with the health stuff and cats.

I will cut this status short too since I don't want to spam the others here.  

You need to rest up for Lebron too.

It's just sad to lose them like that. I have tried like hell, it's been rough. 

9 dead kittens out of 3 litters. Just feels like a massacre. I have a pet cemetery of dead kittens so bad it would rival Steven King's book of the same name. 

I was going to say you have Steven King stuff going on around you. And especially now with mom cats eating baby cats.

I am speechless.

BTW I was lucky enough to find a real clip of the Warriors coaches telling the Warriors how to play during a timeout.

Warriors are really impressing me. They are beating up on a team whose best player is 39 years old.

Pick on the Cavs all you want but they are playing a team in the next round who is young, athletic and HEALTHY. 

Oh and Lebron's son being watched by nervous dad  

OMG, it's the end of the third and the Cavs are ahead by well 20 something points. And Lebron is MAD AS HELL. He is stealing the ball and dunking it and just like MAD.

Durant needs to come up with some excuses to miss the finals IMO if we get that finals since Lebron will want to tear him up.

That was hilarious last night. i was laying down and just laughing my head off. 

LeBron stole the ball at the end like 3 times in a row. That alley op from Kyrie to LeBron was a work of art. 

Can't believe people seriously thought the Cavs would have issues with this Raptors team. They play like they're scared. 

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Looks like before Kobe owned Iverson though, the Lakers did have one game where AI went off against him I saw looking some things up. But, Kobe did say Iverson helped him become a better defensive player early in this video, just the very beginning is Kobe speaking.

Judging by the footage, that was before Phil Jackson showed up (I can tell by the throwback jerseys. They changed their uniforms the year Phil got there). It was Phil's idea to lock Kobe on Iverson when they played the Sixers going into that Finals and the infamous game where Kobe held him to 0 points in the second half. 

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Durant needs to come up with some excuses to miss the finals IMO if we get that finals since Lebron will want to tear him up.

Oh, you can believe the haters already have excuses ready to go.....

First off, they'll claim it's "rigged". You can bank on that one. LeBron haters always claim it's rigged when he beats whatever team they root for. 

I'm really not scared of Durant. I've noticed for years that LeBron basically owns him when they play. Durant is also a pretty lazy defender at times. Just pull up the OKC/Miami Finals and see that. Everyone ripped Russell Westbrook for that series, but Durant was just as guilty of poor defense. Durant and Westbrook deserved each other, cause they had the same weaknesses - crappy defense, ball hog moments, and big turnover problems. 

GSW even plays better without Durant. It's when they don't have Steph or Klay or even Draymond Green that they look off. Durant is just a luxury piece who went there cause he's a coward about facing them again in the playoffs. This team went on a 14-0 run without Durant. That says it all, they don't need him. 

Well, 5"9 is much taller than me 

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And the dude in my avatar is tough to come by too who was a 6'6 BEAST. A ball hog but a BEAST. A beautiful beast.

Also MUSCULAR from the beginning. 

This photo is from Kobe's rookie summer...

He always had great muscles on his arms and in great shape. Never did he have to bulk up and gain additional weight or anything like that. 

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Oh they ARE screwed in Boston. I am kinda lost though to how a team with Wade/Butler/Rondo is only the 8th seed?

I dug out this old December article from 538 to show you. They penned it down that the Bulls beat the best teams and lose to the worst ones. 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-the-bulls-beat-the-best-teams-and-then-lose-to-the-worst-ones/

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The Bulls’ puzzling, two-faced play stands out most when it happens in consecutive games, as it did earlier this month. The club beat the defending-champion Cavaliers the night before getting drilled by the Dallas Mavericks, who, along with the Wolves and Sixers, have the worst record in the NBA.
 

The showing wasn’t out of the ordinary. During the past five full seasons and what’s been played so far this year,¹ the Bulls have had nine instances — more than any other club² — in which they knocked off a team with a pre-game winning percentage of at least .600, only to then lose to an opponent with a .400 winning percentage or worse the next game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Bulls narrowly escaped laying another egg by holding on to beat a lowly Miami unit this weekend after an impressive win over San Antonio.

This makes Chicago sound like the Chiefs....A team who often can beat up on great teams, but then get beat down by garbage like when K.C. lost to freaking Tampa Bay this past year, but swept the Raiders and also beat down Atlanta. 

I think I heard the Bulls had issues gelling......due to some egos on the team and alpha males in general, it took a while and there was some weekly drama too.

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Well, 5"9 is much taller than me 

In NBA height thats like considered midget at 5'9. IT is an elite scorer at times but he can have huge issues defending all the dudes over 6 feet tall. IT and Rondo have been going at it a lot too in this series and Rondo is actually 6'1 believe it or not. 

Watching these games actually makes me remember the old days when Rondo was so good with the Celtics. The way he can dictate the game on the court, pass the ball and get all those assists. Rondo looks more muscular now too then his old days in Boston.

Believe it or not, Lonzo Ball is the same height as Kobe Bryant. He is just super skinny. But, I think you could take Lonzo and add weight on him and make him into an elite player......."maybe."

Oh yeah, you're right about height in the NBA. I think Allen Iverson was 5"9 or close to that, he was always known as being the "littlest guy in the league".

Teams that run their entire offense through a little guy tend to be doomed to fail. I don't watch the Celtics as closely as you do, but I know Allen Iverson had this exact same problem with the Sixers. They relied so heavily on him to do every single thing on the court, and it doomed them since he never had a real big man to help out. From what I've seen, the Celtics seem to think IT can do it all on his own. I think they messed up during free agency by not getting him a legitimate playmaker to help out, Paul George would've totally helped. 

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Watching these games actually makes me remember the old days when Rondo was so good with the Celtics. The way he can dictate the game on the court, pass the ball and get all those assists. Rondo looks more muscular now too then his old days in Boston.

Rondo is playing in this series like the old Rondo from the past. 

I've never been big on Rondo cause of his ego, but one of my favorite memories was seeing him in 2012 take Miami to 7 games. That Celtics team was practically exhausted and broken down, and Rondo played his butt off in that series. That was the series with the very questionable calls I think in Game 2 where Wade was all over Pierce and got fouled and shot free throws after putting his hands on him. Omg, Miami one game shot over 50 free throws, it was nuts. 

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Believe it or not, Lonzo Ball is the same height as Kobe Bryant. He is just super skinny. But, I think you could take Lonzo and add weight on him and make him into an elite player......."maybe."

Let's pray he has Kobe's work ethic or at least part of it. From watching how dedicated Kobe was even in his final season, I don't think we'll ever see someone that hardcore again. If Kobe Bryant were a guitar player, he would be one of those super hardcore type players, who practice religiously for 4-7 hours a day and are never late for band practice, and get REALLY mad when they have to deal with mediocre and lazy musicians that suck. 

Most Lakers fans want Ball cause of his passing, they feel would be a fit in the offense Luke wants to run. I think I sent you a clip some time back where the Lakers passed the ball 8 times in a span of 15 seconds before taking a shot.