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United States22883 Posts
On May 13 2014 12:21 SK.Testie wrote:
I haven't watched him too much in recent years so I don't want to be a homer, but I think the only times I've seen him hero ball are when there aren't other offensive options. When he said he could score more PPG but doesn'ta do that over making the play that is best for his team or trying to get the best shot, I actually believe that. I.e. when he was on Cleveland vs the Magic and he'd walk it up the court and nobody would really do anything or rotate or move.. so he'd just try to make a shot happen for someone, or try to create his own shot. That complete lack of offense was painful to watch.
The Heat still fall victim to ugly hero ball. When they're running their offense, they run it as well as the Spurs. But the Spurs run theirs more consistently.
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Well it used to be widely posted on the internet/Twitter but Chris Paul led offenses in the clutch were the best in the league. The consistent point was that he didn't always shoot, and it was usually a set play where he assisted.
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This is looking to be the first competitive game in the Spurs Blazers series.
On a side note, Boris Diaw has to be one of my favorite players in the NBA. He can literally do everything. If he had a more dominant personality he would be a star.
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On May 13 2014 12:28 Ace wrote:
Well it used to be widely posted on the internet/Twitter but Chris Paul led offenses in the clutch were the best in the league. The consistent point was that he didn't always shoot, and it was usually a set play where he assisted.
Ok, so there are a few others, and Paul would certainly be among that group, but the contrast to how that play went vs end of game plays for lots of other good teams with good players is staggering. The Thunder do occasionally run Westbrook/Durant PnR's like the Wade/Lebron one on that shot, and they are similarly monstrous. But OKC has (afaik) never run a play as complex as a that double curl into the PnR and then continue to pass/space after the fact.
Also worth considering is the amount of garbage Lebron would've taken had Bosh missed that shot (after missing 2 much less good threes just before). It would've turned into how he lacks heart and gritty veteran killer instinct leadership. Sports pundits are the worst.
So question: Why do more teams not do this Spurs thing of push the ball up court quick to see if there's a semi-transition opening and then if not settle into a regular offense. Seems like a lot of teams are either all in on speed, or content to mosey up and down the court. *Worth noting that I think Miami has been playing super duper slow this year. What's up with that? Couldn't they just run Brooklyn into the dirt?
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Yea Lebron would have gotten killed. But you already know sports pundits are useless so, yea 
Re: Why teams don't push like the Spurs?
1.) Most teams don't have the personnel to do it. Need enough young guys or quick players that can run the floor correctly.
2.) Coaching matters. It's such an effective strategy, but most coaches are unfortunately, dumb. Technically NBA offenses should be really trying to operate exclusively in transition and semi-transition. Playing against half-court defense is suicide vs playoff teams not named Houston or Portland.
3.) Underrated point but you need a solid defense. No point speeding up the game if your defense is just going to give it all back and you're constantly taking the ball out of the net.
As for Miami, they are playing slow and I think it has to do with fatigue + them coasting. Wade doesn't run like he used to, Chalmers and Cole are suspect at times with transition decision making, and Bosh/Birdman can run the floor but not as well as they used to. So Miami doesn't run teams out of the gym consistently. Even Lebron has slowed down. Brooklyn is also deceptive in that while they are old, their guards are relatively young. Since those are the guys you have to beat in transition it isn't a surprise you don't see Miami getting lots of 2 on 1, 3 on 2 transition buckets.
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So, I guess Portland's plan is for the Spurs to miss good looks for another 20 minutes while they hit contested jump shots?
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Yup, that's pretty much how I'd describe this game. Spurs missing easy shots, Portland making hard shots.
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at least we're not gonna get swept!
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Use up that confetti, Portland.
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Sigh... I'll put this broom away.
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Thank god Portland won a game and saved them the embarrassment of going 0-4 against Spurs
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Wouldn't be that embarrassing, the Spurs are a pretty legit team.
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Ugh, I pray that's the last game we have to see in Brooklyn this year--what a shitty crowd there.
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yea the Nets crowd is absolute garbage. Everyone I know who goes say half the crowd were Heat fans too.
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On May 13 2014 12:28 Ace wrote:
Well it used to be widely posted on the internet/Twitter but Chris Paul led offenses in the clutch were the best in the league. The consistent point was that he didn't always shoot, and it was usually a set play where he assisted.
Isn't that partly because he's a PG? There is less pressure on him to hero ball by nature of the position he plays so he's not going to be criticized for doing the right thing. Those State Farm commercials probably help too.
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Kinda hard to build a solid fanbase when you just moved. Wasn't under the impression the New Jersey Nets crowd was any better, and NY is pretty much established as a Knicks city already, no?
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The Brooklyn chant reminds me so so much of the Simpsons chanting Darrrrryl Darrrryl. It strikes me as less than ideal when your fans' chants sound like heckling.
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After typing this out, I realized it was a lot and I even tried to keep things short but I could discuss even more...
Meh, I don't think Lebron would have gotten killed like some people think. If he was criticized before, it was before he developed a post-game and before he won two championships. Would he get some undeserved criticism from some media-members? Of course but I think the pendulum has swung the other way for LBJ now and there would be a majority of the people defending him (unless it is an obvious choke).
The thing about LBJ is that he has a mismatch any time on the floor and it does not matter who is guarding him (specially now that he got a post game). If he passes up a seemingly good shot for him (which he can usually bring himself to find--at least compared to the rest of the league--) it better be to someone who is wide open. When he still had not won anything, was playing with nobodies on his team, and he passed up a shot that was arguably good for him (which is still less pressure, and that's a fact), then that would be when he got some possibly-deserved criticism.
Even still, it was the way he passed up some of those shots and the way he answered questions after the fact that made me think he was a little scared of the moment for a while. Plus, it's a fact that he collapsed/choked against the Mavs for the championship too. But that's not a knock on him if it was the case, it's just something that he had to get over.
IMO Lebron is past a point of judging what skills of his are over or undervalued. We know who he is. He still has a chance to be one of the top 2 ever (which already says something since he is 29), and that will only be determined by how much he wins.
People saying Lebron is the best ever now is not a stretch and it is a safe comment. IMO, we have known he was the [ibest[/i] basketball player we have ever seen due to his previously-unmatched combination of size, athleticism, and plain skill.
The question, to me, is really whether he is the greatest ever. As in, is Lebron better against his contemporaries than Jordan was against his? And that is what it comes down to.
If we were to delve into the question of is he the greatest ever though it would lead into another long discussion because Jordan was a beast, physically and mentally, and one hell of an efficient shooter.
Which brings us to one of the more interesting aspect that gets overlooked on today's players, and that is how much more analytics/efficiency information the players today have compared to before. They have grown up being drilled with shot charts/efficiency info and have worked on modeling their game towards being a more efficient player (like a Durant), a commodity that Jordan didn't have. Yet, when looking at the numbers, Jordan still had some of the most efficient seasons ever, and he did it as a two-guard. I don't really have a conclusion or anything, just interesting to me..
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Rumor has it SVG is close to signing on for full control of the Pistons. Kerr obviously heavily favoring Knicks. Meanwhile, GSW still treading water on a coach.
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EPT
