Cavs vs. Warriors -- 2017 NBA Finals

NorthCoastBias said:

It's the fucking Finals and we've got people worrying about minutes lmao.

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And only Game 4 is on one day's rest.

The Minutes police already have their claws out ...

godfather said:

I do think Cavs need get to one of the first two games in their building though if we are going to win it. I know last year we didn't.

But, I don't think you can make a good habit of going down against GS; not this team this year, and expect to win 4 of the next 5. It's hard to do that, against good teams, let alone a historically great team.

GS poises more mismatches against us than they did last year, too. We matched up really well against them defensively last year, this year, not quite as well.

I say it goes 6 games, and I'm saying that as Cavs fan more than a rational fan.

GS should be the favorites, and they are definitely the better team.

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I think they are worse at matching up with us in a small lineup. Playing Durant at the 4 isn't going to be the advantage that it is against some other teams. Our small lineup is way bigger than theirs, and can be made really big where there is no one smaller than 6'7" on the floor. Also, our bigs who play in teh small lineup are bigger than theirs.

shoes22 said:

Thread title should be Cavs vs. Warriors III

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Just like Rocky.
I - Cavs come out of nowhere to make in interesting, only to lose on a split decision
II - Cavs look beaten at the end, only to have a double knock out where the Cavs get back up at the count of 9
III - Durant is our Clubber Lang. Hopefully we can rope a dope him in the end in 6!!!

DaNewCavs said:

Just like Rocky.
I - Cavs come out of nowhere to make in interesting, only to lose on a split decision
II - Cavs look beaten at the end, only to have a double knock out where the Cavs get back up at the count of 9
III - Durant is our Clubber Lang. Hopefully we can rope a dope him in the end in 6!!!

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So we are going to get our ass handed to us, and then come back wit ha vengeance? Hopefully by us switching from Southpaw (Lebron) to Kyrie/Love they wont see it coming.

Quick question: Was Boston our Thunder Lips?

Cavatt said:

I think they are worse at matching up with us in a small lineup. Playing Durant at the 4 isn't going to be the advantage that it is against some other teams. Our small lineup is way bigger than theirs, and can be made really big where there is no one smaller than 6'7" on the floor. Also, our bigs who play in teh small lineup are bigger than theirs.

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What lineups specifically are we going with?

I worry about Kevin having to defend the 5 when the Warriors go small. When they go small, maybe we go with Tristan? I do think we'll try to go Kevin every time they put McGee in, just to pull him out of the paint.

The bottom line is that both teams will be exploiting switches on D, so just as Kevin-in-space against Klay/Curry will be a problem, we'll be running that same thing at them, but usually picking on whichever guard is stuck on Bron or KI.

I think Deron ends up with some quality PT in the series. He has a great understanding of the game, as does Korver. Those 2 guys providing + point differentials will be key. I think the "pick on Korver" offense that teams try plays right into our hands - it takes half the play to get him where you want him, then he backs up with his hands up and pretty much contests everything. We'll need him to hold his own against some great players tho.

This is going to be some absolutely stunning positionless basketball. June 1st can't come soon enough.

Who wants to bet against me for the finals? IF the Cavs win I donate 100$ to RCF and if they lose you donate whatever you think is fair.

I wanna donate anyways, but I thought that could be a good reverse jinx.
On 2nd thought, i'm not so sure.

Do The Warriors have anyone coming off their bench better than Deron Williams or Kyle Korver? Do they have a defender who currently defends better than Shump? Iggy is not 100%. Is Shaun Livingston their best bench player right now? Are we really concerned about David fucking West? Patrick McCaw? Ian Clark? Are you fucking serious?

Cavatt said:

I liked this, but I have seen Lebron miss last second shots not taking it to the hoop against the warriors prob because he was tired. Lue was good getting Lebron a little rest against the Celtics and then they could do nothing against him down the stretch.

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This..

Los216 said:

Do The Warriors have anyone coming off their bench better than Deron Williams or Kyle Korver? Do they have a defender who currently defends better than Shump? Iggy is not 100%. Is Shaun Livingston their best bench player right now? Are we really concerned about David fucking West? Patrick McCaw? Ian Clark? Are you fucking serious?

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They are getting better contributions out of their bench than we are.

McGee - 7.0 ppg, Clark - 7.5 ppg, Iggy - 6.5 ppg, McCaw - 5.0, West - 4.6 and Livingston - 4.4 ppg

Ours - Frye - 7.8 ppg (probably won't even play), Korver - 6.4 ppg, Williams - 5.6 ppg, Shump - 4.7, and Jefferson - 2.8...

There's no one that really puts the fear in you on GS's bench, but they are still getting a lot of contributions from a lot of different players.

What's even more troubling is JR is only giving us 6 a game. That can't happen if we want to beat GS.

Two things are going to need to happen. Our bench is going to have to out play theirs. Is that impossible? No... But Korver and Deron are going to have to step up. Shump is going to have to not be a liability and hit open shots. I don't even know if you can play Jefferson...

Frye probably can't play because he's such a bad mismatch, and he's been our best scoring weapon off the bench.

I think Korver is our best overall, but how teams are playing him; he's been forced to be more of a decoy.

And JR needs to give us at least 10 a game.

We can't just simply rely on our big 3, and expect to beat them. Maybe for a game here or there, but others are going to have to contribute.

So, our bench is going to have to play better than it has IMO. If we aren't getting much scoring from them, I'm not sure how we beat GS. Even if Love, Irving, and 'Bron are all doing their part.

BTW: If I'm Lue. And we get in trouble at a certain point, I would consider inserting Korver into the starting lineup.

I think one, this would force GS to not guard him so tightly compared to when he's in there with LB and the second unit.

Which means he'll get more open looks with both Kyrie and Love on the floor likely.

And two, allow JR to play with LeBron with the second unit. That might get him going more.

21 reasons why I think we will win:

1. Law of Diminishing Return- The Warriors have 3 players that are lethal in the same spots. Curry, Klay & Durant are all 3 pt shooters. While each has other strengths at the end of the day, it is one of three guys jacking up a three point shot. Because their skills overlap so much, how many shots can they realistically take & make? Could be a ton, but they will not be as effective in other areas within the flow of the offense.
2. Klay Thompson is struggling. He will eventually catch fire, but as long as he struggles that is one less hot shooter they have available. Making the impossible task of defending the team, possible.
3. Mike Brown will eventually need to call shots. These will all be close games and at some point Mike will need to draw up something to make a difference. Something he has struggled at many times.
4. The Warriors have a lack of depth. Sure their top 5 is great, but after that its a pretty steady drop off. They no longer have guys like Bogut, Lee, Ezeli, Barbosa (who always seems to get hot), etc.
5. In fact, I would go as far as saying out bench is much deeper than theres. They have a bench headlined by Shaun Livingston & a worn down Andre Igoudala. We have Deron Williams (Olympian & multiple time all star) Kyle Korver (best shooter available), Iman Shumpert (has been playing great defense, attacking the hoop & shooting within rythym), RJ & Channing. All of which would be taken over their bunch. If you guys recall, 15 & parts of 16, the lack of depth really hurt us when Lebron or Kyrie went to the bench. This year Livingston will be neutralized and they will not be nearly as effective as a bunch.
6. Curry cant guard anyone. There isn't a guy in our top 8 that couldnt seriously take advantage of him. In years past, he was able to sag off on Delly & get a breather. He barely handled that task 2 years ago. Last year he was worn down guarding a struggling Shump or JR. This year, Kyle will be running around strictly to gas him.
7. KD & Curry tend to disappear. Both have struggled in the big moments. Without Iggy, 2015 is a different story. If both are struggling, who can even pick up that slack anymore?
8. Kyrie & Lebron have been feasting in the paint against teams with shot blockers & legit 7 footers. Neither of which are on GSW. TT & Love will feast in the paint as well.
9. Javale McGee will be a net negative on the floor. They will play him because of his size and skill set, but he wont be able to stop the constant attack of our offense.
10. Kevin Love is balling out of control. He is finally healthy & comfortable in this offense. There is no reason he cant emulate his game 7 or his ECF performances. His stats in the ECF were "TOP PF" numbers.
11. Our 3 pt shooting has been out of this world. Frye & Deron are 50%+, Shump & Love are 47% a piece. JR/Curry & Lebron/KD are shooting identical percentages.
12. Lebron is playing pressure free. For the 1st time in his career, he doesnt "have to" win. He won rings in Miami & came home to be a champion. There is no pressure.
13. Lebron's shooting outside of one game has been off the charts. He is unguardable ATM.
14. Kyrie owns Curry. Plain & simple.
15. Our top 8 is greater than their top 8. Its not even close.
16. Igoudala is banged up & old. He will be more of a liability this season then ever.
17. Kyrie looks hungry. He showed up in the ECF and looks ready to dominate.
18. Everyone talks about Draymond missing a game, but no one brings up Love's concussion. A healthy Klove could have shaved a game off of that series.
19. Draymond played out of his mind in game 7 last year. I recall looking up and he was shooting 100% at some point or something ridiculous with a ton of 3 pt shots made. If he doesnt have that game, the block, the shot and the stop are never needed.
20. We have Lebron James & Kyrie Irving. Both can win one game on their own at any given moment.
21. The Warriors can be sloppy at any moment and are the kings of bad shots. If they aren't falling, they tend to get flustered.

bigfoot5415 said:

21 reasons why I think we will win:

1. Law of Diminishing Return- The Warriors have 3 players that are lethal in the same spots. Curry, Klay & Durant are all 3 pt shooters. While each has other strengths at the end of the day, it is one of three guys jacking up a three point shot. Because their skills overlap so much, how many shots can they realistically take & make? Could be a ton, but they will not be as effective in other areas within the flow of the offense.
2. Klay Thompson is struggling. He will eventually catch fire, but as long as he struggles that is one less hot shooter they have available. Making the impossible task of defending the team, possible.
3. Mike Brown will eventually need to call shots. These will all be close games and at some point Mike will need to draw up something to make a difference. Something he has struggled at many times.
4. The Warriors have a lack of depth. Sure their top 5 is great, but after that its a pretty steady drop off. They no longer have guys like Bogut, Lee, Ezeli, Barbosa (who always seems to get hot), etc.
5. In fact, I would go as far as saying out bench is much deeper than theres. They have a bench headlined by Shaun Livingston & a worn down Andre Igoudala. We have Deron Williams (Olympian & multiple time all star) Kyle Korver (best shooter available), Iman Shumpert (has been playing great defense, attacking the hoop & shooting within rythym), RJ & Channing. All of which would be taken over their bunch. If you guys recall, 15 & parts of 16, the lack of depth really hurt us when Lebron or Kyrie went to the bench. This year Livingston will be neutralized and they will not be nearly as effective as a bunch.
6. Curry cant guard anyone. There isn't a guy in our top 8 that couldnt seriously take advantage of him. In years past, he was able to sag off on Delly & get a breather. He barely handled that task 2 years ago. Last year he was worn down guarding a struggling Shump or JR. This year, Kyle will be running around strictly to gas him.
7. KD & Curry tend to disappear. Both have struggled in the big moments. Without Iggy, 2015 is a different story. If both are struggling, who can even pick up that slack anymore?
8. Kyrie & Lebron have been feasting in the paint against teams with shot blockers & legit 7 footers. Neither of which are on GSW. TT & Love will feast in the paint as well.
9. Javale McGee will be a net negative on the floor. They will play him because of his size and skill set, but he wont be able to stop the constant attack of our offense.
10. Kevin Love is balling out of control. He is finally healthy & comfortable in this offense. There is no reason he cant emulate his game 7 or his ECF performances. His stats in the ECF were "TOP PF" numbers.
11. Our 3 pt shooting has been out of this world. Frye & Deron are 50%+, Shump & Love are 47% a piece. JR/Curry & Lebron/KD are shooting identical percentages.
12. Lebron is playing pressure free. For the 1st time in his career, he doesnt "have to" win. He won rings in Miami & came home to be a champion. There is no pressure.
13. Lebron's shooting outside of one game has been off the charts. He is unguardable ATM.
14. Kyrie owns Curry. Plain & simple.
15. Our top 8 is greater than their top 8. Its not even close.
16. Igoudala is banged up & old. He will be more of a liability this season then ever.
17. Kyrie looks hungry. He showed up in the ECF and looks ready to dominate.
18. Everyone talks about Draymond missing a game, but no one brings up Love's concussion. A healthy Klove could have shaved a game off of that series.
19. Draymond played out of his mind in game 7 last year. I recall looking up and he was shooting 100% at some point or something ridiculous with a ton of 3 pt shots made. If he doesnt have that game, the block, the shot and the stop are never needed.
20. We have Lebron James & Kyrie Irving. Both can win one game on their own at any given moment.
21. The Warriors can be sloppy at any moment and are the kings of bad shots. If they aren't falling, they tend to get flustered.

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If we lose, what do you think will be the reason?

NorthCoastBias said:

It's the fucking Finals and we've got people worrying about minutes lmao.

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I'm sort of glad that no named center the Cavs signed got injured. People would be calling for him to get 15mpg all series.

Huber. said:

If we lose, what do you think will be the reason?


I'm sort of glad that no named center the Cavs signed got injured. People would be calling for him to get 15mpg all series.

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Dubs get unbearably hot for a series and we completely disapear.

I heard that Stephen A Smith picked us to win the Finals. He never picked right in the last 6 seasons. FFS we are fucked

Crosby_Cavs said:

I heard that Stephen A Smith picked us to win the Finals. He never picked right in the last 6 seasons. FFS we are fucked

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Damn, this aint no joke.

Crosby_Cavs said:

I heard that Stephen A Smith picked us to win the Finals. He never picked right in the last 6 seasons. FFS we are fucked

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He's bound to be correct eventually.