Phx-Suns.Net

Marty [Mori Chu] wrote:That game was a lot of fun to watch. But I can't shake the feeling that this is bad for the league. Warriors just have a bit too much concentration of talent. If they didn't have Durant, the matchup would be a lot more even and interesting.

It's a lot of talent for sure, and yet not a single #1 pick on their team. You got to have a devious and brilliant mind, able to play the long game, and have a bit of luck along the way to overcome a team like this. It's going to be a few years, as they really are all pretty young still. You've got to come up with an alternative way of playing against them, to shut down their outside attack, be able to switch everything, keep them out of the paint and make them pay inside and out. And, you're going to have to execute and play extremely well together for a number of years

As a thought experiment, keeping the Cavs and Warriors out of it, of the players that are left, how would you build a team that could beat the Warriors regularly?

Give me a team where each position can play both ways and has a tall pass first pg that can fill the box sheet, a shooting guard that can create his own shot and score in almost any way, a lockdown 2 way monster at the sf, a long rangy athletic pf that can go inside and out, and a defensive stud with 3pt range and ability to switch onto all 5 positions.

Off the top of my head, it'd be some combo of Wall, Westbrook, Harden, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, Paul George, Kahwi, Giannis, Anthony Davis, KAT, Gobert.

Figure Westbrook, Harden, Kahwi, Giannis, AD/KAT.

I'd try & build a defensive juggernaut.

Conley as best pick & roll defender at PG.
Butler ball hawk defender at SG
Kawhi best all around defender at SF.
AD best 2-way PF outside Draymond.
Gobert b/c obvious.

Indy wrote:

TheOriginalOriginal wrote:Went about as expected, I really hoped the Cavs would show a little better, but the Warriors are so loaded everywhere, its gross. Bleh..

Don't forget about last year.

Oh I havent, but unless the Cavs can find a way to stop the Warriors from having their way in the paint, this one is over in 4.

Wall-Middleton-Kawhi-Giannis-AD

Could easily take Paul over Wall and Butler over Middleton, but I wanted a shooter at the 2 and I just don't like Paul.

These "beat GS" lineups all need more shooting. GS will 3-pointer you off the floor. 3-and-D is how you win in 2017-18's NBA.

Interesting article from FiveThirtyEight about the dominance of the Warriors in Game 1.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/th ... ba-finals/

Is this series over? I think they'd almost zero chance Cleveland can win 4 games against golden state. I'm not sure they even win one.

Split T wrote:Is this series over? I think they'd almost zero chance Cleveland can win 4 games against golden state. I'm not sure they even win one.

I think they win one if not both in Cleveland, then we'll see.

I don't see how Cleveland wins 4 of the next 6 games without GSW suffering some sort of major injury or suspension.

I'm expecting to see some unbalanced officiating in game 3 and/or 4.

It's not small ball if Durant is on the floor.

I think when this season is done, the narrative of the Durant going to GSW will shift a bit. It will be that Durant went to a 73 win team and was clearly the best player on that team. It's hard to see how winning and being clearly the best player on a great team will be worse for his legacy than struggling to win while sharing the Best Player role on an average team. People are starting to forget that they are mad at him for moving, and by the end of his career it won't hurt his legacy at all.

O_Gardino wrote:I think when this season is done, the narrative of the Durant going to GSW will shift a bit. It will be that Durant went to a 73 win team and was clearly the best player on that team. It's hard to see how winning and being clearly the best player on a great team will be worse for his legacy than struggling to win while sharing the Best Player role on an average team. People are starting to forget that they are mad at him for moving, and by the end of his career it won't hurt his legacy at all.

The way he is playing, you could make an argument he is the 2nd best player in the league.

Indy wrote:

O_Gardino wrote:I think when this season is done, the narrative of the Durant going to GSW will shift a bit. It will be that Durant went to a 73 win team and was clearly the best player on that team. It's hard to see how winning and being clearly the best player on a great team will be worse for his legacy than struggling to win while sharing the Best Player role on an average team. People are starting to forget that they are mad at him for moving, and by the end of his career it won't hurt his legacy at all.

The way he is playing, you could make an argument he is the 2nd best player in the league.

I don't think you would have to work very hard to make that argument.

In2ition wrote:

Indy wrote:

O_Gardino wrote:I think when this season is done, the narrative of the Durant going to GSW will shift a bit. It will be that Durant went to a 73 win team and was clearly the best player on that team. It's hard to see how winning and being clearly the best player on a great team will be worse for his legacy than struggling to win while sharing the Best Player role on an average team. People are starting to forget that they are mad at him for moving, and by the end of his career it won't hurt his legacy at all.

The way he is playing, you could make an argument he is the 2nd best player in the league.

I don't think you would have to work very hard to make that argument.

Probably not, but he wasn't regularly talked about in the MVP talk this year.

The MVP thing is interesting because guys on those super teams are basically giving up that award. I'm sure there are incentives and marketing opportunities, plus general legacy stuff that comes with being an MVP, but you can't put Curry, Dray, Klay and Durant on a team and then have one as the MVP.

Indy wrote:

In2ition wrote:

Indy wrote:

O_Gardino wrote:I think when this season is done, the narrative of the Durant going to GSW will shift a bit. It will be that Durant went to a 73 win team and was clearly the best player on that team. It's hard to see how winning and being clearly the best player on a great team will be worse for his legacy than struggling to win while sharing the Best Player role on an average team. People are starting to forget that they are mad at him for moving, and by the end of his career it won't hurt his legacy at all.

The way he is playing, you could make an argument he is the 2nd best player in the league.

I don't think you would have to work very hard to make that argument.

Probably not, but he wasn't regularly talked about in the MVP talk this year.

It was understandable that he wasn't. You had a couple guys that were putting up historic numbers, elevating their teams. Another that was carrying a traditionally strong team on both ends of the floor, and the best player in the league didn't even make it into the top 3 of candidates for MVP. Durant went to a 73 win team, with the 2 time MVP and multiple other all-stars, and they won 6 fewer games this year.

I get both of those things. But this year, people were not talking about Durant being one of the top 2-3 players in the league. All of the talk when he went over was that he was "one of the best FA in a long time" or that he is a future HOF player. It is just interesting how much his presence has taken over the team. I don't think people were thinking when the season started, that he was their best player.

Durant has an incredibly efficient year. Had he not got hurt, I think he would have been in the MVP discussion. Probably the 5th guy, so not a serious contender but he'd have gotten some votes.

As for his legacy, the same thing happened to LeBron. Everyone said joining up with Wade would hurt his legacy, now no one cares. 5 years from now, when Durant has 4 titles, everyone will just be impressed that he was the best player on a dynasty.

You're right. How soon we forget...