I don't like the way they were put together and you can't tell me that them dominanting every team has been fun to watch. I'd be interested to see what the ratings are. Especially game 4 which is going to be on a Friday where the outcome is basically decided

6/8/2017 12:02:57 AM

I enjoy watching GS because it's such great basketball. But nobody other than Warriors fans wants a sweep.

6/8/2017 12:07:38 AM

^^ I'm a fan of watching basketball

especially beautiful basketball, which is what the Warriors do

not pulling for a sweep, but not mad at how the Warriors have conquered the game

6/8/2017 12:40:43 AM

Christ

Quote :

"LeBron James was +7 in 46 minutes and his team lost by five. In a game of incredible stats, nothing touches that."

6/8/2017 12:53:04 AM

Quote :

"I don't like the way they were put together"

missed this earlier. they drafted 3 of their Top 4....

6/8/2017 1:21:07 AM

Having an ungaurdable team because you put 3 of the best scorers in the league on the court is not "great basketball". Having KD bail you out because no one can come off thompson and curry is just too easy. They have played losing defense in 3 games this series. The spurs taking it to them in the first 3 quarters was great basketball. The dubs are just cheese.

6/8/2017 1:56:01 AM

^my thoughts basically. Sure they make some ridiculous shots but saying it is beautiful is a stretch to me. And don't get me wrong I can see how it is exciting, just not interesting to me. Half the game is them just running down the court and trying to draw a foul because you have to guard them from half court. Even then they throw up cheese to try to gets shooting foul 40 ft away from the basket.

^^I knew that would come up and don't give me that. Everyone knows why they are playing so well and it's not cause any of the original 3.

6/8/2017 6:02:06 AM

People just need to stop saying "the way they were put together" and just say, "I don't like that they added Durant."

They were easily the best team in the NBA the last two years and they added maybe the greatest scorer in the history of the NBA. In game that now revolves around 3-point shooting...they have the three best shooters in the league. And not Steve Kerr, Kyle Korver, sit in the corner white boy shooters....but actually great players.

And all of them are in their prime. The Celtics big three were definitely aging when they were put together...and they still had to go up against an equal or better Lakers team in the finals. Wade was already on his decline when the Heat started their run...and they still had to put the Celtics out of their misery, had a strong Pacers team to contend with in the East, and were equals with just about every team they played in the Finals except for maybe a very young Thunder team.

They've really turned it on in the playoffs and now it just makes the NBA a little disappointing. They are fun to watch, but unless you're a fan of the team lapping the field, it definitely makes it less entertaining (last name's game was very entertaining, but I'd rather have 3 or 4 of those games instead of one...like last year).

[Edited on June 8, 2017 at 7:24 AM. Reason : .]

6/8/2017 7:24:01 AM

Sure I can be more direct. I dont like that they added KD and HOW they added KD.

Ratings may prove me wrong, but i dont think this type of team is good for the nba. And the nba allowed this to happen by not gradually increasing the cap. like i said earlier, they got lucky that the cap exploded and they were able to sign him while keeping the core intact. all they had to give up was bogut and barnes. heat had to basically gut their team to sign lebron. This is a super team unlike any other. I like your comparison to the other teams. Maybe a close comparison is the Lakers when they added shaq to a young kobe.

6/8/2017 8:17:28 AM

You don't think historically good teams are good for the NBA? That's insane.

And the "cap explosion" was not a surprise to anyone who remotely follows the NBA and would have been planned for by any half-competent team executive. It's why average players got relatively big contracts 2 years ago and stars signed one year deals. Every single other team has the same salary cap. The Cavaliers used their cap space to get/keep a bunch of guys who can't play defense. Don't get mad at Golden State because GM/Coach LeBron James put together a team full of awful defenders who couldn't stop a pee wee basketball team from scoring.

6/8/2017 8:40:09 AM

I mean the Cavs were 12-1 coming into this series. And that loss only came from Marcus Smart going bananas from 3.

This is the most watched finals since 1998. (http://www.nba.com/article/2017/06/05/nba-finals-ratings-most-watched-jordan-1998) I can completely get how some people are tired of the Warriors are running through people. I'm not one of them, I like Curry because of the Davidson connection and I like watching history happen.

I echo what justinh524 said... They planned years in advance to be able to sign a max contract player without hitting any of their big 3 (Curry, Klay, Dray) or crucial subs (Iggy, Livingston, JMM). I think Lacob or someone from GSW essentially alluded to their plans for summer of 2016 months beforehand. Something about being light-years ahead of other organizations.

If rumors are true and Jerry West is going over to the Clips, it'll be interesting to see where he takes them. He's had a hand in the early 2000 LA teams, the mid 2000 Griz teams, and now GSW.

6/8/2017 9:18:48 AM

Ratings are good now because everyone wanted to see if the Cavs could make a series of it and going into last night it still wasn't out of the question just like last year. I expect good ratings through the series. However if this continues for the next 4-5 years and they just roll along you'll then see the interest start to fade fast. That is great that they planned well, got some luck, and hit the salary spike at the right time but the result is a team that really shouldn't have been able to be created. And to go a step further it looks like they'll remain largely together for the foreseeable future.

I think the bigger issue isn't just the 4 big names they have, but that they also have a pretty darn good bench. That to me is just as important because you'd think to get those 4 on the roster your next 8 would just be bodies taking whatever money is leftover but that isn't the case at all. I think that is what is more a factor.

But at the same time, if LeBron has such an issue with it then take less money. He could have gone ahead and matched Curry's salary and helped the Cavs. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner where 4-5 guys all didn't get together and just go "if we all just take 20 million we'll win 5 championships, all make the Hall of Fame, make back what we give up in endorsements, and win every year." With the money LeBron makes in all else that he does, his NBA salary becomes more and more just a fraction of his net worth.

If he wants to beat the Warriors then just resign for 10 million a year and free up money to get the roster and essentially do what the Warriors were able to do. Otherwise, he can't have it both ways with three players making max money and then wanting a team that beats the Warriors the math doesn't add up and there aren't enough pieces out there that will ever amount to KD. The Cavs are a KD behind the Warriors right now and if they can add a similar piece and keep their role players we'll have a series again but otherwise LeBron with this roster will keep making the finals and keep losing. The Warriors have realized they can all take a bit less money, stay together, and have a heck of a lot of fun winning and making plenty of money on top of it.

6/8/2017 9:41:41 AM

Quote :

" But at the same time, if LeBron has such an issue with it then take less money. He could have gone ahead and matched Curry's salary and helped the Cavs."

I mean...he couldn't do it this year...it was too late. But it will be interesting to see what he and the Cavs do in the offseason. I don't know how you can construct a team that matches the Warriors shooting and offensive firepower (and defense too...Steph is their only weak link, and while he's poor one-on-one, he's great off the ball and getting steals).

I don't think someone like Paul George gets them close..definitely not Carmelo. You've got to add another dude you can shoot the three and defend Klay or Durant (I mean...Durant isn't really guardable...but someone to slow him down). I don't think anyone other than Kawhi Leonard could make this Cavs team come close to matching the Warriors.

Quote :

"Ratings are good now because everyone wanted to see if the Cavs could make a series of it and going into last night it still wasn't out of the question just like last year. I expect good ratings through the series. However if this continues for the next 4-5 years and they just roll along you'll then see the interest start to fade fast. "

Ratings in the coming years will depend on what Cleveland does. If they don't add anyone and GS stays healthy, then you'll definitely see a drop in ratings next year. If they can add another superstar, then casual fans will get duped again into thinking they have a chance.

6/8/2017 9:57:04 AM

Quote :

"the result is a team that really shouldn't have been able to be created."

why?


I don't think the Cavs will ever be able to compete with this version of the Warriors. They are too deficient on the defensive end of the court. Floor General LeBron makes up for some of their awfulness when he is on the court by telling everyone else what to do, but when he has to rest things fall apart FAST.

I think Philadelphia has a dang good chance of becoming the #1 contender in the east (IF Embiid can stay healthy and they don't do something stupid like trade away the 2018 Lakers 1st round pick) and the Celtics are right there as well. The east should be much improved in the near future even if teams like the knicks continue to suck donkey balls.

6/8/2017 10:11:47 AM

Quote :

"Sure they make some ridiculous shots but saying it is beautiful is a stretch to me. And don't get me wrong I can see how it is exciting, just not interesting to me. Half the game is them just running down the court and trying to draw a foul because you have to guard them from half court. Even then they throw up cheese to try to gets shooting foul 40 ft away from the basket. "

this is just wrong

they're one of the best passing teams in the history of basketball. they're also a very good defensive team. there is a reason why they've been able to turn a nearly out-of-the-league player like McGee into a serviceable player who gives them meaningful minutes/points.

saying that they're just a gimmicky jumpshooting team is just lazy

Quote :

"I dont like that they added KD and HOW they added KD. "

what do you mean by how? they courted and signed a free agent. just like how every other team courts and signs a free agent.

[Edited on June 8, 2017 at 10:23 AM. Reason : .]

6/8/2017 10:21:35 AM

McGee isn't doing anything different than what he's done his whole career. I wouldn't really point to him as an example of how great their offense is. He's a body who defends, gets rebounds, and puts in garbage buckets.

I'm also not saying that their offense isn't great, because it is very good. But there are a lot of offenses that would look great when you have three of the best shooters in the league...one who shoots like he's in a video game and the other who is 6'10".

6/8/2017 10:26:58 AM

he gets better looks due to their spacing and the passing ability of the other 4 players on the floor

6/8/2017 10:43:19 AM

He gets better looks because nobody cares about guarding him. You're talking like he averages 15 a game. He averages 6 points a game...an entire point more than he averaged in Dallas last year.

6/8/2017 10:54:08 AM

in 40+ more games

my only point is that he was on his way out of being in the league, and that the Warriors kept him in the league

he played in more games this year than he had since 2012/13

6/8/2017 11:02:55 AM

Ratings were down huge this season and they will drop off a cliff next year id wager any amount of money you want to on that.

Im the biggest nba junkie you will ever meet. I made friends with an ex NBA player a few years ago who now works in a front office. He told me i knew more about the nba than anyone hes ever met.

I won't be watching next year beyond 30-40 hornets games, anytime the 76ers/nuggets are on, and the playoffs. Thats a 75% dropoff right there from an absolute junkie. Theyve ruined the league for the forseeable future.

[Edited on June 8, 2017 at 12:49 PM. Reason : A]

6/8/2017 12:45:10 PM

please tell me how the warriors ruined a tuesday night knicks-pacers game.

6/8/2017 12:53:34 PM

Quote :

"why?"

In a salary cap league it isn't hard to see that Golden State's roster is a bit of an anomaly. If there was no cap then have at it just like in baseball but the reality is that due to a variety of circumstances that people have mentioned the only way someone could create a roster that would compete with theirs is to convince several high level free agents and role players to take less money. Not easy to do. Previously it was essentially get 3 really good players and then build what you could around them. Often in those situations some quality role players did take less money especially toward the end of their careers to win a title. Warriors have been able to not only get 4 stars, but then good role players too. In this situation given fair market value for everyone on the Warriors they would far exceed the cap. Several players are underpaid, or have taken advantage of the spike in cap/league rules to remain on roster all things that happened at the same time to create this roster.

Now their roster will further benefit by the fact that since they have signed these guys they can now use the league rules designed to help teams keep their star players and role players(and not lose them to free agency) further to their advantage. So it isn't just a one year thing and the band will have to break up next year because they can't pay everyone they'll be able to keep the team together AND pay everyone well. In theory Curry's expected salary jump should push one of the 4 out but that isn't going to happen based on what the team is saying they should be able to do with salaries.

I'm not saying that the Warriors did anything wrong, they planned well, KD decides to go there, and Curry is playing out a contract that doesn't reflect his value. Other teams could have done the same thing. But the problem is when you look at it right now that one year jump in the cap and money isn't happening again so no other team can just do what the Warriors did. That ends up being the problem. It isn't like the Cavs next year can just sign the top free agent and match what the Warriors did. So in essence the league is a bit broken for the foreseeable future without teams getting lucky in the draft because nobody else will be able to put together a similar roster that perfect situations allowed. So great for the Warriors but the downside in a salary cap league is that it is near impossible for someone to simply buy their way to an equivalent team. You'd need like 4-5 star players to all agree to take a lot less money to join together to rival the Warriors anytime soon and just doesn't look like it is happening. So everyone will get paid a ton on their bad team while they just keep winning a lot over the next several seasons.

6/8/2017 1:38:33 PM

the Cavs have been paying the luxury tax ever since Lebron came back

6/8/2017 2:00:06 PM

Lebron needs to take his talents to New Orleans

6/8/2017 2:26:51 PM

Quote :

"I made friends with an ex NBA player a few years ago who now works in a front office. He told me i knew more about the nba than anyone hes ever met. "

Please tell me you have this same thing, verbatim, on your resume

[Edited on June 8, 2017 at 2:40 PM. Reason : asdf]

6/8/2017 2:40:44 PM

So apparently the Warriors should be punished for drafting extremely well and preparing for the large 2016 salary cap increase?

Just remember that the Cavs have been AWFUL at drafting players, or they could have been in a similar situation (instead of trading TWO #1 overall picks for fucking Kevin Love). GS built this team from the ground up, not by outbidding everyone else in free agency/trade market. Let's shit on them for having an outstanding front office.

6/8/2017 3:14:55 PM

Who is saying they should be punished?

6/8/2017 3:34:38 PM

Quote :

"But at the same time, if LeBron has such an issue with it then take less money."

i love this argument. like everyone should just take less money when they dont have to. people acting like steph, draymond, and klay are not the most underpaid players in the league. and draymond and klay just signed their extensions recently (thanks to steph's contract). lets see if curry takes less than max money this offseason. he is going to sign the richest contract in nba history. interesting to see what happens to the role players. luckily for the warriors green and klay are locked in until around 2020 i believe. they will have to resign KD after next year tho (assuming he doesnt exercise his player option this year, which i doubt).

Quote :

"not by outbidding everyone else in free agency/trade market"

you dont get it. they didnt have to outbid anyone because the cap jumped up. this is oversimplifying it, but they got fortunate that KD chose them.

Quote :

"Just remember that the Cavs have been AWFUL at drafting players"

interesting you bring the love trade which everyone in the league would do without mentioning anthony bennett and dion waiters.

6/8/2017 3:46:16 PM

Quote :

"interesting you bring the love trade which everyone in the league would do without mentioning anthony bennett and dion waiters."

hahahaha no.

first of all, Anthony Bennett was a terrible pick at #1, especially considering no one really expected him to even be a top 5 pick. Then, the Cavs actually do something right and draft future stud Andrew Wiggins. But they ship him off to get No-D Love and his big contract because that's what the King wants.

The Cavs traded away good young players (other than colossal bust Bennett WHO THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE DRAFTED) in exchange for pricey veterans. THAT'S WHY THEY CAN'T/WON'T HAVE A SUPERTEAM. YOU CAN'T TRADE/SIGN A SUPERTEAM IN THE NBA (or any salary cap league.) YOU HAVE TO BUILD IT THROUGH THE DRAFT.

Imagine if the Cavs had Waiters, Wiggins and literally anybody else from the 2013 draft class to go with James and Irving. Then they could have gone out and signed a big time free agent as well and had a big 4 of James, Irving, Wiggins and ______. But instead they've made poor and shortsighted personnel decisions.

6/8/2017 4:01:19 PM

^ most have said with KD willing to take a pay cut (he has said so already) and the way you can keep players and use exceptions etc. that they will be able for the most part to keep the team in tact AND pay all close to their market value. Again the way things played out has now allowed for cap rules designed to avoid this type of issue to now be used in their favor.

6/8/2017 4:02:47 PM

Quote :

"Again the way things played out has now allowed for cap rules designed to avoid this type of issue to now be used in their favor."

the rules were made to avoid multiple high level free agents signing with the highest bidder. the rules were never made to keep teams who drafted well from being able to resign their own players.

GS didn't game the system and get lucky because of a salary cap increase. they were extremely well managed with a long term plan (the ONLY thing they got lucky on was Steph Curry having early career injury issues. that's it.)

6/8/2017 4:10:34 PM

saying the Warriors got lucky is assuming that they weren't prepared for the cap to go up, which is something that everyone has known was going to happen

6/8/2017 4:15:25 PM

How did gs prepare for the cap increase?

From what I remember lacob made that statement that he was smartest person in the league, but everyone killed him because he is lucky to have max players on shitty contacts for them

[Edited on June 8, 2017 at 5:20 PM. Reason : I ]

6/8/2017 5:15:19 PM

by signing deals with the assumption that the cap was going up?

and formulating a plan that revolved around the cap going up?

which is why Woj was the first to report that they would be targeting KD during the middle of last season, which most people scoffed at

6/8/2017 5:21:15 PM

I don't care if GS was lucky or just well-prepared. Nobody outside of Oakland wants a foregone champion before the regular season even starts.

6/8/2017 6:58:24 PM

Quote :

"Where the real Oakland fans at? All I see are these silicon valley dbags."

Given the game was played in Cleveland, they were probably at home in Oakland. Or maybe they're like me and went on vacation instead since Finals game tickets are a ton of money.

6/8/2017 8:12:31 PM

I don't know if they really planned on paying Steph like 1/2 or 1/3 of what he's worth. They got lucky the contacts all worked out (obviously credit for drafting the right guys)

I feel like, as a competitor, having any pride in yourself, you can't feel good about being part of this team (KD)

Hopefully 1 or 2 of them leave soon.

6/8/2017 8:25:55 PM

Hardcore fans go on vacation when their teams are playing for titles!

6/8/2017 8:32:05 PM

^^ competitors don't like winning?

that's new to me

6/8/2017 8:33:28 PM

It's like using a cheat code on a video game.. It's fun for like a few minutes, but then you quit playing. Or go back to the normal game mode.. What's the point in winning every game? It's almost embarrassing

6/8/2017 8:38:15 PM

so you think he isn't playing as hard as he could because he's on such a good team?

6/8/2017 8:50:26 PM

Nah I'm conceding this year, and hoping for the future that one of them has the balls to try to take their own team.

I mean, so what, now the Cavs have to try to get a 4th all-star too, and make the league more lopsided than it is? or does everybody just let the Warriors steamroll to 4-5? Granted I'm like the least interested in basketball, but what else am i going to talk about, hockey?

6/8/2017 10:00:43 PM

^that is a legit point. The Cavs steamrolled through the east. Hell, they were so confident they rested Lebron/Kyrie/Love at the end of the season and gave up on the #1 seed.

I'm as diehard Cavs fan, and I'm not mad about the way the Warriors assembled their team. The biggest disparity in this series is when the game gets into the off rotation period, after the starters get a rest. Lebron plays 46 minutes at full speed but sees a Warriors rotation of Draymond/Thompson on the floor, then they tag out with a rested Curry/Durant.

They have put together this team masterfully, hats off to them.

[Edited on June 8, 2017 at 10:11 PM. Reason : Asf]

6/8/2017 10:07:29 PM

Quote :

"I feel like, as a competitor, having any pride in yourself, you can't feel good about being part of this team (KD) "

This must be in the running for dumbest Sports Talk post of 2017 right?

Quote :

"I mean, so what, now the Cavs have to try to get a 4th all-star too"

Easier said than done. That's the pixie dust. It involves shrewd planning combined with sacrifices.

6/9/2017 1:11:43 AM

I want to be real clear about this. Kevin Love is a significantly better defender than Andrew Wiggins. Love is above average and well above average if you consider d-reb as part of defense.


And no, thats not on my resume. I'm practically retired dude I haven't really worked in several years now. I "work" just enough to qualify for obamacare so I don't have to pay for health insurance.

6/9/2017 2:54:05 AM

Yeah...Love for Wiggins was still a good move. Wiggins is solid, but he definitely hasn't come close to his predictions in Minnesota and in a league where you need great three point shooting (especially at his position)...he's still below average. They wouldn't have won last year with Wiggins instead of Love and they'd be in the same spot this year with him.

Out of that '13 draft...probably CJ McCollum would have benefited them the most....maybe Oladipo with his shooting still improving.

[Edited on June 9, 2017 at 7:53 AM. Reason : .]

6/9/2017 7:52:24 AM

No one has really answered how GS prepared for the cap increase. What was their plan? They resigned their top 3 before they blew up, specifically Steph's contract.. Steph is going to sign the richest contract in NBA history this offseason. I give them all the credit in the world for drafting these guys, but to say they are not fortunate to land KD is a joke. People acting like they knew they were guaranteed KD back in 2013/2014.

Quote :

"Given the game was played in Cleveland, they were probably at home in Oakland."

trolls gotta troll i guess.

6/9/2017 8:02:35 AM

Its kind of like saying that Seattle was brilliant in drafting Russell Wilson in the third round...when in reality they just got lucky that he was awesome. Same goes for their young defenders. Yeah...their scouts and front office deserve credit for recognizing talent, but they haven't exactly been knocking it out of the park in drafts in recent years. And one other teams falls in love with just one of those guys they drafted and that Super Bowl never happens.

They obviously deserve a lot of credit...but there's a ton of luck involved as well.

6/9/2017 9:53:18 AM

Quote :

"No one has really answered how GS prepared for the cap increase. What was their plan?"

their plan was to have the cap space to sign a max free agent this past offseason. NEWSFLASH: IT WORKED.

the cavs plan was to have the most expensive roster in NBA history (by a lot.) People should be shitting on the Cavs for trying to "buy" a championship, not the Warriors.

6/9/2017 5:59:20 PM

Here we go

Warriors by 13

6/9/2017 9:06:43 PM