- Aug 11, 2012
- 55,513
- 147,127
They really mad at Giannis 
OFFICIAL 2020 NBA PLAYOFF THREAD - DISNEY COVID INVITATIONAL EDITION - MAMBA FOREVER - LAKERS WIN THE RONA RAND - ALA FOREVER
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by amitt5504,
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- Jun 9, 2020
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because he's probably the most gifted scorer I've ever seen and basketball is a team game.
- Sep 12, 2014
- 24,816
- 21,616
KD has proven he can be the best player on the court in the finals.
Twice.
Also Lebron is in his own Tier out of active players, everyone else is below him. His body of work speaks for itself.
Twice.
Also Lebron is in his own Tier out of active players, everyone else is below him. His body of work speaks for itself.
- Feb 5, 2013
- 39,357
- 40,807
- Aug 11, 2012
- 55,513
- 147,127
Right now...he’s not “in his own tier”
.KD & Steph are right there with him.
It’s been this way for the past couple of years. It’s ok.
From 2014 on...those have been the three guys...with Kawhi at the door.
- Aug 6, 2012
- 57,855
- 61,584
- Aug 6, 2012
- 57,855
- 61,584
Kawhi's been locked out of the doorRight now...he’s not “in his own tier”
KD & Steph are right there with him.
It’s been this way for the past couple of years. It’s ok.
From 2014 on...those have been the three guys...with Kawhi at the door.
- Sep 12, 2014
- 24,816
- 21,616
KD, Steph, Kawhi maybe greatest of the 2010’sRight now...he’s not “in his own tier”
KD & Steph are right there with him.
It’s been this way for the past couple of years. It’s ok.
From 2014 on...those have been the three guys...with Kawhi at the door.
Lebron among greatest of all time
Different tier
If your context is this year sure he is in their tier, but I’m talking about over the course of their careers
Even still Lebron is 1st team all-NBA KD and Steph haven’t hooped in a year
- Jan 20, 2002
- 54,301
- 31,850
Lakers -7
think they will start off a bit sluggish but pick things up in the second half for the cover
which NTer is this?
think they will start off a bit sluggish but pick things up in the second half for the cover
which NTer is this?
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- Aug 11, 2012
- 55,513
- 147,127
Clearly, the context were discussing is current nba players lol.
- May 31, 2006
- 13,144
- 8,857
Should be interesting tomorrow.
- Jan 20, 2002
- 54,301
- 31,850
where are guys like kyrie, dame, russ, and wall. i was told throughout the decade they were in the same tier as steph
- Aug 21, 2017
- 6,369
- 8,494
I been peeping y’all Steph fans hating on Dame a lot lately 
- Sep 11, 2011
- 20,616
- 10,222
#WEBELIEVE
- Jan 30, 2007
- 28,535
- 43,640
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — There is no such thing as spontaneous combustion in NBA playoff basketball.
Whether it’s an elite team like the Clippers on Tuesday, when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George had a meltdown for the ages in Game 7 against Denver, or this Boston Celtics team that was tearing apart at the seams two night later in a Game 2 faceplant against Miami (106-101) to go down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, there’s always force being applied by the other team that plays a massive part.
Pipes don’t burst without pressure, and these Heat already showed how capable they are of providing the PSI when they sent Giannis Antetokounmpo and his league-leading Milwaukee Bucks home early in the second round. And as we were reminded in the wild postgame scene near the losing team’s locker room, where the Celtics’ Marcus Smart could be heard unleashing a profanity-laced tirade at his teammates for several minutes amid the reported sound of clanking and chaos, inanimate objects can’t throw themselves.
To watch the unraveling up close, behind the scenes was to be reminded that the level of intensity in this bubble is incredibly high. All these months of personal sacrifice from players, coaches and staff members alike, and the teams that truly want to win clearly grow hungrier as the stakes get higher.
As Denver’s Jamal Murray explained in our chat on Tuesday, you’re here for one thing — the basketball — so give it your all. Next thing you know, a player like Smart, who was fuming after Boston gave back a 17-point first-half edge and an eight-point advantage early in the fourth quarter, is letting everyone know that this opportunity, much like those leads, is not to be blown. The unique part from the media standpoint, though, is that it was all so out in the open.
As Smart began to blow his gasket, ESPN’s Malika Andrews and the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn tweeted about the situation in real-time before the rest of us media folks arrived to take a look. It had been nearly 10 minutes since the tweeting began, and you could still hear the yelling coming through the door.
Before then, a Celtics assistant coach and a team security official made the mistake of opening the door mid-argument and letting all those f-bombs escape. In the minutes that followed, the security official and the team’s media services manager, Brian Olive, stood at the door waiting for the storm to pass while the postgame media routine was temporarily put on hold. At 9:55 p.m., approximately 30 minutes after the game had come to an end, it was finally safe to enter.
Of all the Celtics who were asked about it afterward, none were more candid than Jaylen Brown. As he sat in a folding chair with his left leg bouncing the entire time as he spoke, he gave his view of the situation that — for better or worse — will be seen as a fork in the road for this Celtics team.
“A lot of emotions flying around,” Brown said. “I think that’s why we love Marcus. You know, he plays with passion, he’s full of fire, and that’s what I love about him most, to be honest. He has that desire and will, and we need him to continue to have that. It’s ups and downs with families all the time, but we embrace each other for who we are. And who Marcus is, I love him for it. So you’ve got to get ready to come back, take that same fire, (and) add it to Game 3.”
The Heat, who used a 37-17 third quarter to pull this off and are now in prime position to reach their first Finals since LeBron James’ final season with Miami in 2014, are dismantling a team that we thought was together. Again.
“That team is together for 48 minutes,” Brown said of the Heat. “I think we’ve yet to do that. I think we’re capable. We need every piece, everybody, to be all in and to continue to bring that energy, is what we’re gonna need. But I think this series is far from over. I’m ready for Game 3. I’m ready to come out, because that’s what it’s all about. Backs against the wall, ups, downs, fight.
“At the end of the day, emotions are going to fly … I think there’s a beauty to it, or whatever. You know, a lot of people are passionate, emotional, and I’m one of those people, so I recognize it as that. I recognize it as emotions, as passion, and I recognize it as nothing else. The media might see it (differently), or whatever. But that’s all it is, is passion … We’ve got to express that same passion next game for 48 minutes. Period.”
Michael Malone, NBA Head and Coaching Agent?
You know your career is going quite well when you take the time to try to elevate others who have earned your trust and belief. This is a universal truth, and one that most certainly applies to NBA coaching.
With that in mind, it hasn’t been surprising to see Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone stumping for his lead assistant coach, Wes Unseld Jr., as someone who deserves a head coaching job of late. Malone did it in his postgame media session after Game 7 against the Clippers, then kept it going after his team’s practice on Friday.
As if preparing for his old Cleveland Cavaliers colleague, LeBron James, and his Lakers in the Western Conference Finals that tip off on Friday wasn’t enough work on its own.
As Malone and Unseld Jr. walked by a group of reporters that included yours truly, he introduced him to the group while continuing to rave about Unseld Jr.’s talents. As it stands, Unseld Jr. is known to be a serious candidate for the vacant Chicago Bulls coaching spot. And the Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations, of course, is former Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas. The search is still ongoing, but it seems very possible that Unseld Jr.’s first chance at the top coaching spot could be coming sooner rather than later.
What’s more, it wasn’t the only time Malone went out of his way to campaign for another coach. When I asked Malone about James’ defensive mentality, and how the two of them had spent so much time working on that aspect of his game when they were together in Cleveland from 2005 to 2010, he made a point to highlight the work of then-Cavs coach and current Golden State assistant coach Mike Brown.
Naturally, there was plenty of praise for James along the way too.
“It’s funny, when you go back and think about when I was on Mike Brown’s staff, I think Mike Brown deserves so much credit for LeBron fully understanding the defensive end of the floor,” Malone said “He had all the natural tools. Really, it just came down to the question of does LeBron want to buy into that end. I think he’s shown time and time again that he has. That’s what allowed us in Cleveland to take such a great step, to have the best record in the NBA two years in a row, 66 wins and the best defense — 61 wins. LeBron was a huge part of that.
“I think it’s remarkable what LeBron is still doing at his age. The minutes he’s playing, how effective he is on both ends of the floor, and the impact he has on both ends of the floor, his will to win is just incredible … LeBron is all about doing whatever it takes to win the game. It’s going to be a hell of a challenge playing against a guy that’s arguably the best to ever do it. I think our guys are excited about that.”
‘What are we settling?’: The Clippers-Lakers matchup that was not to be
When the Portland duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum destroyed the Clippers on Twitter following their Game 7 collapse against Denver on Tuesday, it was a window into the real world of NBA star culture. While there’s plenty of shared respect around the league among the top talents, there’s also no shortage of ruthless competitors who might share their strong opinions about their colleagues from time to time. Especially if they felt disrespected somewhere along the way.
That was definitely the inspiration here, as the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley and Markieff Morris had mocked Lillard for missing crucial free throws at the end of an Aug. 8 seeding game. Turnabout is fair play, of course, and so Lillard and McCollum went all in on the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George-led team after its two stars absolutely flopped in the fourth quarter of that season-ending affair.
“Yo (Lillard), you got an extra villa available in Cabo?” McCollum tweeted to tip off the roast session.
It only got more relentless from there.
Lillard tagged Beverley on Twitter, then wrote, “I guess I should extend this Cancun invite since I haven’t made my arrangements yet (followed by three laughing emojis).”
They went on and on and on — dig after dig — and you can relive it all here.
But the whole exchange made me wonder what other stars might have thought about the way the Clippers went out, with Leonard and George going scoreless in the fourth while shooting a combined 0-for-11 from the field. More specifically, what did the Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis think of the way the Clippers went down?
Well, they didn’t exactly bring the fire. Davis, who is as mild-mannered as anyone in a media setting, had no interest in being critical either.
“It was a fun game to watch,” he said. “Honestly, in Game 7s anything can happen … especially with that (Nuggets) team who has been down 3-1 before. … Our focus isn’t on the Clippers or the battle of L.A. It’s more so what can we do to finish our season strong.”
As for James, he downplayed the idea that the Lakers were eyeing their cross-hallways rival.
“Um, I really don’t have a comment about it,” James said when I asked him about whether he was surprised by the Clippers’ finish. “I was just sitting back and watching the game from a fan’s perspective, seeing big shots be made, big plays being made, missed shots, things of that nature. But also I was … a scout, scouting both teams at the same time. I was trying to get as many log-in minutes for myself personally scouting both teams at the same time because we knew Game 7 would decide who we’ll play. That was kind of my mindset.”
And then came this telling exchange between us.
Was there any part of you that was caught up in the LA (discussion), the chance to face those guys and kind of settle it? That’s something we talk about, but what about you?
“Nah,” he said. “What were we settling?”
Just the discussion about LA, and the clash of those two top teams.
“Nah,” he said while shaking his head.
Alrighty, then.
Whether it’s an elite team like the Clippers on Tuesday, when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George had a meltdown for the ages in Game 7 against Denver, or this Boston Celtics team that was tearing apart at the seams two night later in a Game 2 faceplant against Miami (106-101) to go down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, there’s always force being applied by the other team that plays a massive part.
Pipes don’t burst without pressure, and these Heat already showed how capable they are of providing the PSI when they sent Giannis Antetokounmpo and his league-leading Milwaukee Bucks home early in the second round. And as we were reminded in the wild postgame scene near the losing team’s locker room, where the Celtics’ Marcus Smart could be heard unleashing a profanity-laced tirade at his teammates for several minutes amid the reported sound of clanking and chaos, inanimate objects can’t throw themselves.
To watch the unraveling up close, behind the scenes was to be reminded that the level of intensity in this bubble is incredibly high. All these months of personal sacrifice from players, coaches and staff members alike, and the teams that truly want to win clearly grow hungrier as the stakes get higher.
As Denver’s Jamal Murray explained in our chat on Tuesday, you’re here for one thing — the basketball — so give it your all. Next thing you know, a player like Smart, who was fuming after Boston gave back a 17-point first-half edge and an eight-point advantage early in the fourth quarter, is letting everyone know that this opportunity, much like those leads, is not to be blown. The unique part from the media standpoint, though, is that it was all so out in the open.
As Smart began to blow his gasket, ESPN’s Malika Andrews and the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn tweeted about the situation in real-time before the rest of us media folks arrived to take a look. It had been nearly 10 minutes since the tweeting began, and you could still hear the yelling coming through the door.
Before then, a Celtics assistant coach and a team security official made the mistake of opening the door mid-argument and letting all those f-bombs escape. In the minutes that followed, the security official and the team’s media services manager, Brian Olive, stood at the door waiting for the storm to pass while the postgame media routine was temporarily put on hold. At 9:55 p.m., approximately 30 minutes after the game had come to an end, it was finally safe to enter.
Of all the Celtics who were asked about it afterward, none were more candid than Jaylen Brown. As he sat in a folding chair with his left leg bouncing the entire time as he spoke, he gave his view of the situation that — for better or worse — will be seen as a fork in the road for this Celtics team.
“A lot of emotions flying around,” Brown said. “I think that’s why we love Marcus. You know, he plays with passion, he’s full of fire, and that’s what I love about him most, to be honest. He has that desire and will, and we need him to continue to have that. It’s ups and downs with families all the time, but we embrace each other for who we are. And who Marcus is, I love him for it. So you’ve got to get ready to come back, take that same fire, (and) add it to Game 3.”
The Heat, who used a 37-17 third quarter to pull this off and are now in prime position to reach their first Finals since LeBron James’ final season with Miami in 2014, are dismantling a team that we thought was together. Again.
“That team is together for 48 minutes,” Brown said of the Heat. “I think we’ve yet to do that. I think we’re capable. We need every piece, everybody, to be all in and to continue to bring that energy, is what we’re gonna need. But I think this series is far from over. I’m ready for Game 3. I’m ready to come out, because that’s what it’s all about. Backs against the wall, ups, downs, fight.
“At the end of the day, emotions are going to fly … I think there’s a beauty to it, or whatever. You know, a lot of people are passionate, emotional, and I’m one of those people, so I recognize it as that. I recognize it as emotions, as passion, and I recognize it as nothing else. The media might see it (differently), or whatever. But that’s all it is, is passion … We’ve got to express that same passion next game for 48 minutes. Period.”
Michael Malone, NBA Head and Coaching Agent?
You know your career is going quite well when you take the time to try to elevate others who have earned your trust and belief. This is a universal truth, and one that most certainly applies to NBA coaching.
With that in mind, it hasn’t been surprising to see Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone stumping for his lead assistant coach, Wes Unseld Jr., as someone who deserves a head coaching job of late. Malone did it in his postgame media session after Game 7 against the Clippers, then kept it going after his team’s practice on Friday.
As if preparing for his old Cleveland Cavaliers colleague, LeBron James, and his Lakers in the Western Conference Finals that tip off on Friday wasn’t enough work on its own.
As Malone and Unseld Jr. walked by a group of reporters that included yours truly, he introduced him to the group while continuing to rave about Unseld Jr.’s talents. As it stands, Unseld Jr. is known to be a serious candidate for the vacant Chicago Bulls coaching spot. And the Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations, of course, is former Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas. The search is still ongoing, but it seems very possible that Unseld Jr.’s first chance at the top coaching spot could be coming sooner rather than later.
What’s more, it wasn’t the only time Malone went out of his way to campaign for another coach. When I asked Malone about James’ defensive mentality, and how the two of them had spent so much time working on that aspect of his game when they were together in Cleveland from 2005 to 2010, he made a point to highlight the work of then-Cavs coach and current Golden State assistant coach Mike Brown.
Naturally, there was plenty of praise for James along the way too.
“It’s funny, when you go back and think about when I was on Mike Brown’s staff, I think Mike Brown deserves so much credit for LeBron fully understanding the defensive end of the floor,” Malone said “He had all the natural tools. Really, it just came down to the question of does LeBron want to buy into that end. I think he’s shown time and time again that he has. That’s what allowed us in Cleveland to take such a great step, to have the best record in the NBA two years in a row, 66 wins and the best defense — 61 wins. LeBron was a huge part of that.
“I think it’s remarkable what LeBron is still doing at his age. The minutes he’s playing, how effective he is on both ends of the floor, and the impact he has on both ends of the floor, his will to win is just incredible … LeBron is all about doing whatever it takes to win the game. It’s going to be a hell of a challenge playing against a guy that’s arguably the best to ever do it. I think our guys are excited about that.”
‘What are we settling?’: The Clippers-Lakers matchup that was not to be
When the Portland duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum destroyed the Clippers on Twitter following their Game 7 collapse against Denver on Tuesday, it was a window into the real world of NBA star culture. While there’s plenty of shared respect around the league among the top talents, there’s also no shortage of ruthless competitors who might share their strong opinions about their colleagues from time to time. Especially if they felt disrespected somewhere along the way.
That was definitely the inspiration here, as the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley and Markieff Morris had mocked Lillard for missing crucial free throws at the end of an Aug. 8 seeding game. Turnabout is fair play, of course, and so Lillard and McCollum went all in on the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George-led team after its two stars absolutely flopped in the fourth quarter of that season-ending affair.
“Yo (Lillard), you got an extra villa available in Cabo?” McCollum tweeted to tip off the roast session.
It only got more relentless from there.
Lillard tagged Beverley on Twitter, then wrote, “I guess I should extend this Cancun invite since I haven’t made my arrangements yet (followed by three laughing emojis).”
They went on and on and on — dig after dig — and you can relive it all here.
But the whole exchange made me wonder what other stars might have thought about the way the Clippers went out, with Leonard and George going scoreless in the fourth while shooting a combined 0-for-11 from the field. More specifically, what did the Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis think of the way the Clippers went down?
Well, they didn’t exactly bring the fire. Davis, who is as mild-mannered as anyone in a media setting, had no interest in being critical either.
“It was a fun game to watch,” he said. “Honestly, in Game 7s anything can happen … especially with that (Nuggets) team who has been down 3-1 before. … Our focus isn’t on the Clippers or the battle of L.A. It’s more so what can we do to finish our season strong.”
As for James, he downplayed the idea that the Lakers were eyeing their cross-hallways rival.
“Um, I really don’t have a comment about it,” James said when I asked him about whether he was surprised by the Clippers’ finish. “I was just sitting back and watching the game from a fan’s perspective, seeing big shots be made, big plays being made, missed shots, things of that nature. But also I was … a scout, scouting both teams at the same time. I was trying to get as many log-in minutes for myself personally scouting both teams at the same time because we knew Game 7 would decide who we’ll play. That was kind of my mindset.”
And then came this telling exchange between us.
Was there any part of you that was caught up in the LA (discussion), the chance to face those guys and kind of settle it? That’s something we talk about, but what about you?
“Nah,” he said. “What were we settling?”
Just the discussion about LA, and the clash of those two top teams.
“Nah,” he said while shaking his head.
Alrighty, then.
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- May 4, 2013
- 16,939
- 16,846
That’s cool and all, but they could’ve legit been up 2-0 without him. He’ll help though, but the C’s could’ve beat the Heat(s) if they knew how to protect a lead.
- Aug 9, 2014
- 12,841
- 27,945
Kawhi was tier 1 last week
He didn’t get worse
He’s proven
He didn’t get worse
He’s proven
- Apr 16, 2005
- 16,095
- 16,846
I been peeping y’all Steph fans hating on Dame a lot lately
can u provide da receipts lil fish??
MVP
Supporter
- Feb 28, 2008
- 83,027
- 85,613
friscostylez
you want to do a wager on this series?
- Aug 6, 2012
- 57,855
- 61,584
tier 2
- Aug 11, 2012
- 55,513
- 147,127
- Aug 21, 2017
- 6,369
- 8,494
- Jan 30, 2007
- 28,535
- 43,640
- Sep 12, 2014
- 24,816
- 21,616
Kawhi or Harden?
Discuss.
Discuss.
- Nov 3, 2011
- 26,535
- 29,752
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- Status
