I had heard during one of the broadcasts that Green dropped about ten pounds going into the playoffs. As an ex athlete it's amazing what shedding 10 pounds can do for a player and the energy level that Green has shown pretty much shows partly what was holding him back during the season.
More talented? Yes. Better? That's debatable as someone pointed out that they are something like 29-1 without Durant. That's a pretty compelling argument saying that maybe they aren't a better team with Durant and low energy Green
Yeah, I never checked as I was just going off what Brooklynballer posted. Like you said, either one is pretty exceptional and enough games played to be able to make a reasonable conclusion. Another factor in the previous series for GS is that both Curry and Thompson weren't shooting or playing very consistently. That's when Durant was needed to carry them.Now with Curry and Thompson playing like they are capable of, it makes up for the loss of Durant.
The Blazers are on the ascend. The young players are developing, and the veterens are adding to their games each offseason. Getting healthy is #1. Nurk is a force to be reckoned with, and Dame and CJ continue to hone their games. Using the expirings, and hopefully retaining a couple of the key FA's acquired this year, the Blazers are on the way to achieving the pinnacle. I'm proud of this team, and look forward to what the future may bring.
Riiiiight. Don’t hold your breath there, sailor. If LeBron at his peak couldn’t beat these guys (with the exception of one year) what do you think is gonna happen to the Bucks? Steve Kerr is underrated as a head coach - he will eliminate Giannis or at least minimize his impact and force the other Bucks to beat them. With Klay guarding Middleton and Green and Iguodala taking turns on Giannis I don’t think the series goes more than 5-6 games, with or without Durant.
If Durant plays in the Finals, he makes a great defender for Giannis. The Warriors are pretty much the only team with a seven-footer who matches Giannis' athleticism. Maybe whichever team Anthony Davis ends up playing for, too. I can't see the Bucks beating the Warriors with Durant. If Durant can't go, I think the Warriors still win in 6 but the Bucks have a legitimate chance to win the series--Draymond Green and Kevon Looney are not bad options, but neither can match Giannis' size and athleticism, so Giannis will probably still have periods where there's not much the Warriors can do about him.
for me, the big picture is this: Curry 30 Dame 28 Klay 28 Green 28 CJ 27 Nurkic 24 the Warriors aren't going to be fading in Dame's prime. They are going to be great for the next 4 or 5 years. I don't want to hear stuff about Zach or Simons. Role players are not core stars. all that wouldn't be too discouraging if the Blazers were something like 6-11 or 7-11 against the Warriors the last 3 times they've faced them in the playoffs. But Portland is 1-11 and the one win came when Curry didn't play. IMO, there's simply not enough room for Blazer organic growth to close the gap enough to change the situation. And that's even assuming a healthy Nurkic. Right now, Golden State is Portland's kryptonite, and I can't see a realistic path thru them for the Blazers. maybe that's a bit of overreaction; I mean, it's not like we won't see some good Blazer basketball over the next few years
It's not impossible, but neither has played well enough where their median expectation is star-level, IMO. Right now, my expectation for them is that they become good, useful players.
Coaching: Kerr vs. Stotts; Talent at specific positions: Damon Green vs. Aminu/Harkless/Anyone else; Experience: GS has been to this dance and playing for a threepeat vs. Blazers advancing to the WC Finals after a 19 year absence; Experience: if we get to this place next year, we will be all the wiser; Injuries: Nurkic vs. Cousins / Durant; The bigger picture(s) is clear to me..... only one team gets wins the title. And we are outmatched as it pertains to the bigger picture issues. On the bright side, the above issues improve next year: Our coaches can learn and grow (if not, fire them); We have learned through these playoffs where our positional weaknesses truly lie: Small and Power forward (with Collins growing) - so clearly we need a legit wing that can score; A return of Nurk will be a plus! And with some luck, maybe we can be in a similar situation next year and see different results! Overall, this has been the best year in 18 years! Go Blazers. Fight.
IMO, he's currently an inconsistent role-player. Some nights, he's good and useful, other nights he's invisible or a negative. He needs to improve significantly to be the type of player that, as a starter, would be consistently good.
Zach will be about 13/7 and around 2 blocks a game this could be more Dame cj Nurk your main scorers that will pretty good. I believe if he starting next year that pretty good goal. Right there he will upgrade at power forward position.
I'm sorry , but I believe we just aren't smart enough. CJ took 10 3 pointers ( from 20 shots), missed 5 FTs (out of 12). CJ is a veteran. He knows he is a midrange player. Why does he take so many 3s? To me, this is about experience and learning lessons. We want to play their game ... by letting guys who aren't shooters shoot so many long shots. We had 22 assists to them 27. That's really low. Against the Warriors, stick to your game plan and shoot 2s. Let them play the 3 its shot game.
And this is where we have miserably failed. We play them 4 times / year. They have trashed us the last playoffs we met them. And we still haven't learned any lessons. Their strategy is simple: Trap our best player (and shooter) and turn other guys into 3 point shooters ... we aren't good enough at it.
