NBA Playoffs: 2nd Round

[Cap]

Wall playing with a broken hand, and playing well.

[Cap]

Pierce with an open three for the tie... but misses.

Redemption! Pierce with the three for the one-point lead with 8.3 seconds remaining.

[Cap]

Pierce with an open three for the tie... but misses.

Redemption! Pierce with the three for the one-point lead with 8.3 seconds remaining.

But it's for naught. What a roller coaster.

[Furlanfufi]

Great series!!!
I didn't think Pierce could still play like that!

[Mori Chu]

This Hawks - Wiz series might be the best of the second round so far in terms of entertainment value.

[Furlanfufi]

The Warriors series is pretty great too.
I just won't watch HOU x LA

[Shabazz]

I don't think the series is over, but if history is any indication the Grizz should win. The Grizz are the worst matchup for the Warriors because they have the defense and style to slow them down.

While the Warriors are solid defensively, they actually don't have a lot of size in the frontcourt. Bogut is legit but he can't hold it down by himself. Barnes and Green aren't going to get it done against ZBo and Gasol, and DLee has never been mistaken for any kind of defender. Ezeli is basically a 3rd stringer. So you're left with a jumpshooting team in Curry and Klay (and Green to an extent) and we've seen you can't win with jumpshots in the playoffs. Bogut used to be a legit offensive weapon in the post but those days are gone.

It's a classic case of a team running and shooting in the regular season, and then when the games slow down and teams can focus and lock in defensively, the offensive teams struggle. I'd love to see the Warriors, darlings of the NBA, get taken out by the Grizz.

I was going to respond to this when you posted it, so now it looks like post-facto "I told you so," but I never got around to it. The Warriors had the best defense in the NBA this year and not the best offense. Maybe Z-Bo is a tough matchup for Green, but beyond that they also have Bogut, Livingston, Iggy and Klay - all who are more than capable defenders. Their offense was going to get going.

This isn't a case of "regular season team runs and shoots and flames out in the playoffs." The Warriors do it on both sides of the floor. They're going to win the title. The "jump-shooting teams don't win in the playoffs" narrative died about 4 years ago to everyone but the Charles Barkleys of the world.

[Furlanfufi]

Warriors destroying the Grizzlies right now.

[Mori Chu]

20-point victory for the Warriors. They sure do look like the best team in the NBA right now and the title favorite. And good for them. It'll be fun as a Bay Area resident to see them win it all.

[Superbone]

Like I said:

04-05 Spurs::Suns as 14-15 Grizzlies::Warriors.

They ran roughshod through the regular season but it's looking like the Grizz have their number.

The difference being adjustments by Kerr and the fact that the Warriors are actually really good defensively. D'Antoni stubbornly refused to make changes. Double-team? Nah.

[Mori Chu]

Cavs eliminate the Bulls, and the Clips look like they're going to hold on to eliminate the Rockets (up by 19 in the 3rd qtr). So we're probably looking at a GSW-LAC Western finals and a CLE-ATL Eastern finals. Mostly what people predicted other than LAC; a lot of people predicted the Spurs to be in that spot.

[SDC]

Like I said:

04-05 Spurs::Suns as 14-15 Grizzlies::Warriors.

They ran roughshod through the regular season but it's looking like the Grizz have their number.

The difference being adjustments by Kerr and the fact that the Warriors are actually really good defensively. D'Antoni stubbornly refused to make changes. Double-team? Nah.

and there was only a 3 game gap between suns (62-20) and spurs (59-23).

how i would have defended the spurs starting 5 in 2005:

put amare on nesterovic (to not get him into foul trouble)

assign joe johnson on duncan (ugh...)

put shawn marion on tony parker

rest steve nash vs bowen in the corner

qrich on manu

matrix was quick enough to roam and double duncan and still recover on his assigned man tony parker. instruct marion to never leave the painted area and not cover parker's shaky (then) outside shot (65% FT, 27% 3ptFG)

[SDC]

clutch city

[Furlanfufi]

Clippers reverting to the Clippers of old fast

[SDC]

will LAC know what it feels like to be the suns 2 days from now?

[Superbone]

Wow, what a monumental collapse by the Clippers! I can't see these clowns winning another round.

[Sunsfan4life]

This seemed unfathomable 10 years ago, but I am rooting like heck for the Rockets to beat the Clippers. Doc Rivers is the biggest whinner in the NBA and Griffin,Barnes and CP3 are massive tools.

The only downfall will be if the Rockets win game 7 they become the first team since the 2006 suns to come back from 3-1 down. I like having highlights of that Lakers series brought up everytime a team is down 3-1 haha.

[Sunsfan4life]

BTW, How crazy was that 4th last night. I turned it off when the Clippers were up 18 I turned it back on when it was still 10. It is more conceivable if it was Like Harden going nuts, but the fact Houston did it with a bunch of spare parts and Dwight Howard on the floor is insane.

[Mori Chu]

Hilarious. Glad to see the Clips choke. I hope Chris Paul once again does not get out of the second round.

[SDC]

LAC will win game 7 on the road. they're the better team. the better team won in 1994-1995 and 2006.

besides, the LAC GSW matchup is much more competitive (basically the nba finals)