OFFICIAL Around the NBA thread - End of season/Playoffs!!

The Least is so, so, so bad.

 

The least has no competition to go through, while the Best has to take out each other.

 

I don't feel bad for them at all.

Just wish it wasn't OKC benefiting.

 

*sigh* I hate series where I hate both teams equally.. I can't cheer for any of them.

 

Fair point. I just don't like LA teams. But, I can get on board with this.

 

Now that is tempting...

 

I'm not surprised at all. I hope Silver sticks it to LA and screws them over for the next few years. That'd be like winning the championship over and over.

 

Well, they did end up winning today. IMO their main problems are 1) Blake and DeAndre Jordan are mentally weak 2) lack of any true perimeter stoppers.

 

Leadership isn't their problem. Like you said, Paul is running the show and hes probably the best leader in the league. Doc is coaching.

Their problem is that Blake and DeAndre are their best players aside from Paul, and they're mentally weak. They let their emotions get the best of them quite a bit. They let other players (and coaches) get under their skin. If they don't get going right away, they often fade into the background for the remainder of the game. They picked up on Paul and Doc's incessant complaining and flopping, but they made it an absolute foundation of their games rather than just a competitive advantage, and that becomes a big problem in the playoffs. Neither one can hit a jumper with any kind of consistency.

You look at that roster and wonder why they're not better? Because Blake is not an impact defensive player and DeAndre Jordan, despite MAJOR mental strides this year, is a long ways off from understanding defense and/or the game overall the way that a guy like Tyson Chandler, Duncan, Noah, etc. understand defense. They have the best PG, an elite coach, one of the top PFs, and one of the top C's, excellent bench/depth. Two of the top 10 players in the league, maybe two top 5ers? If Blake played defense, they'd win the west IMO. If DeAndre continues to make big strides under Doc, that helps them big time. IMO they have the talent, the problem is that two of their three best players are far from being fully developed and at this stage their lack of mental strength and/or maturity is not only holding them back, but its something that opponents take advantage of.