NBA Finals Thread: Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder - Page 3 - Jets Insider.com Forums

SMC · 06-12-2012, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nastyman

Spo needs to find a way to get lebron the ball in the 4th....he needs the ball in the post..

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LeBron doesn't post up though.

This game went as I think the series will. The Thunder matchup talent wise, but with home court and deeper team they should win this series handily.

RazorJet · 06-12-2012, 11:58 PM

Durant is a monster.
And off the court he is humble and way more likeable than LBJ.
Thunder in 5.

Soberphobia · 06-13-2012, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RazorJet

Durant is a monster.
And off the court he is humble and way more likeable than LBJ.
Thunder in 5.

Agree with this - great ambassador for the game and probably for the USA as well if/when he plays later this year at the Olympics.

Austin · 06-13-2012, 09:26 AM

Pretty much went as I thought it would. Thunder are just too deep -- their stars are as good as anyone and they're younger and deeper so they keep their fresh legs fresher.

LeBron and Wade were sucking wind in the 4th quarter -- they were just being played too hard. Apparently James Jones had a migrane and Mike Miller had back problems which was part of the issue.

Thunder beat the three teams that won 10 of the last 13 championships to get to this point. I just think they're too good.

SMC · 06-13-2012, 09:54 AM

Exactly, Austin. The Thunder are too young, too talented, and too deep to lose to a lesser team like the Heat.

If both teams play their A games, Thunder should win. The big problem for the Heat is that with the amount of games they've played, Wade's injury, and the short bench, they might not be able to play their A game consistently enough to win 4 games. They could only doing it for a half last night.

I predicted Thunder in 6 because I thought they go up 3-1, LeBron would have his Celtics game to prevent being closed out at home in back-to-back years, and then the Thunder will clinch it in front of their insade home crowd.

OKC has a great home crowd. They are loud as hell and, I don't think I'm overreacting, but I think the crowd affected the Heat when the Thunder made that run to take the lead. The same thing happened to the Spurs. The Thunder at home overwhealm opponents.

Joe W. Namath · 06-13-2012, 10:07 AM

At 23, Durant understands his role in the game of basketball better then lebron does. 4th quarter, close game, Durant is not letting his teammates determine the outcome of the game. He is going to close the game or go down firing.

We get this excuse for Lebron that he makes the best basketball play. Well in a close game in the 4th quarter, the best basketball play is to take over the game and keep your team in it yourself.

How does lebron not realize that making the right basketball play is not working down the stretch of a close game. its been 7 years now. If Lebron drops 17 in the 4th last night, maybe his team wins the game. But he never even tried to take over the game.

If he cannot win the title with wade and bosh in their primes, when is he going to get one?

DDNYjets · 06-13-2012, 10:10 AM

Wilbon was right last night. He said the OKC crowd reminded him of the Cameron Crazies. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw it. What a great fan base.

Lebron is basically carrying the Heat at this point. I think Wade is banged up and Bosh is still hurt. Love to see the Heat struggle. There is nothing to like about them. Loved seeing Riley looking miserable surrounded by OKC fans.

On the flip side OKC is such a likable team. Even Westbrook, who ESPN would have you believe is a selfish player, is likable. Durant is as humble a super start as you will ever see. And his basketball IQ is as high as his talent is. Liked how they showed him at the end of the game with his mother and family. You can tell she did a good job raising him.

SMC · 06-13-2012, 10:18 AM

Good points, JW & DD

LeBron scored a career Finals high of 30 points last night and it didn't matter. That's a huge problem for the Heat. LeBron's best might not be good enough against the Thunder.

Austin · 06-13-2012, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DDNYjets

Wilbon was right last night. He said the OKC crowd reminded him of the Cameron Crazies. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw it. What a great fan base.

They've been great so far, no question... But they're a small market team who had never previously had a pro sports franchise (i.e., this is the only thing going on in town) and are only four years in (with a budding dynasty).

Give them a few decades of losing and lets see if they still resemble the Cameron Crazies. Can't call them a great fanbase when they're 4 years old and have never had a bad season, IMO.

Quote:

Lebron is basically carrying the Heat at this point. I think Wade is banged up and Bosh is still hurt.

Agreed. Wade hasn't looked 100% this whole postseason.

Quote:

Love to see the Heat struggle. There is nothing to like about them. Loved seeing Riley looking miserable surrounded by OKC fans.

+10000

The shot of Riley surrounded by taunting Thunder fans was awesome.

Quote:

On the flip side OKC is such a likable team. Even Westbrook, who ESPN would have you believe is a selfish player, is likable. Durant is as humble a super start as you will ever see. And his basketball IQ is as high as his talent is. Liked how they showed him at the end of the game with his mother and family. You can tell she did a good job raising him.

No question. Love Durant, love OKC.

Joe W. Namath · 06-13-2012, 10:26 AM

One note on the nba. How great have these playoffs been? The NBA is back baby! I havent been this excited about hoops since Jordan's Bulls days.

AFCEastFan · 06-13-2012, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe W. Namath

OKC is all homegrown talent besides perkins and Fisher. Thats a real testement to their front office.

I like OKC and dislike Miami as much as you seem to. But this is an overstatement IMO. Their 3 best players are top-4 picks. And their best player is the result of Portland coming out on the wrong side of the Oden/Durant tossup. They have a good front office to be sure, but let's face it, the team is where it is today mostly because it sucked for several consecutive years and then had some good fortune in how the draft played out.

SMC · 06-13-2012, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFCEastFan

I like OKC and dislike Miami as much as you seem to. But this is an overstatement IMO. Their 3 best players are top-4 picks. And their best player is the result of Portland coming out on the wrong side of the Oden/Durant tossup. They have a good front office to be sure, but let's face it, the team is where it is today mostly because it sucked for several consecutive years and then had some good fortune in how the draft played out.

That's the nature of the NBA. All the top players (with few exceptions) are lottery picks.

The Sonics hit gold in back-to-back years in drafting Durant & Westbrook. A lot of teams crap the bed in the draft. The Sonics then Thunder lucked out, but they also made good basketball decisions.

That's where I think the Nets blew it. They shouldve went the draft route rather than chace the LeBron then DWill pipe dream. DWill signs with Dallas as rumored and the Nets will have no one to open up their new $1B arena.

Joe W. Namath · 06-13-2012, 10:37 AM

Quote:

I like OKC and dislike Miami as much as you seem to. But this is an overstatement IMO. Their 3 best players are top-4 picks. And their best player is the result of Portland coming out on the wrong side of the Oden/Durant tossup. They have a good front office to be sure, but let's face it, the team is where it is today mostly because it sucked for several consecutive years and then had some good fortune in how the draft played out.

Agreed. But what about teams like the Nets, Clippers for all those years, Bucks, Golden State etc. These teams are always picking in the top of the draft and dont have a team like OKC.

Austin · 06-13-2012, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe W. Namath

Agreed. But what about teams like the Nets, Clippers for all those years, Bucks, Golden State etc. These teams are always picking in the top of the draft and dont have a team like OKC.

+1

It's easy to pick at the top of the draft and whiff. Teams do it every year.

Nastyman · 06-13-2012, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC

LeBron doesn't post up though.

This game went as I think the series will. The Thunder matchup talent wise, but with home court and deeper team they should win this series handily.

Lebron has been dominant in the post all season, he worked on it during the off season. they just need to go to it more. They need to win game 2.

Joe W. Namath · 06-13-2012, 10:54 AM

Quote:

+1 It's easy to pick at the top of the draft and whiff. Teams do it every year.

The Durant pick was easy. But finding guys like Westbrook and Harden and even Ibaka were impressive. Non of those guys were cant miss prospects.

AFCEastFan · 06-13-2012, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe W. Namath

Agreed. But what about teams like the Nets, Clippers for all those years, Bucks, Golden State etc. These teams are always picking in the top of the draft and dont have a team like OKC.

True. As you mention, high draft picks certainly don't guarantee success. OKC's front office certainly deserves credit.

The Nets also had the misfortune of having their most recent #1 overall pick in one of the worst entry drafts of all time. OKC happened to have their #2 overall pick when a transcendent talent like Durant was available. They also had their pick of a strong litter when they chose Westbrook, as Kevin Love was still available IIRC.

AFCEastFan · 06-13-2012, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe W. Namath

The Durant pick was easy. But finding guys like Westbrook and Harden and even Ibaka were impressive. Non of those guys were cant miss prospects.

The Ibaka pick was a heist. Westbrook was an elite talent, but no sure thing as you say. He was a 2-guard at UCLA (Collison was their point guard, I think) and there was no guarantee he could make the transition to NBA point guard.

DDNYjets · 06-13-2012, 11:05 AM

It is not about picking at the top of the draft. It is about picking at the top of the draft at the right time.

In sports it pays to suck at the right time. Spurs with Duncan, Cavs with Lebron, OKC with Durant and Westbrook. Bulls with Rose. Colts with Manning and Luck. Etc, etc.

AFCEastFan · 06-13-2012, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMC

That's the nature of the NBA. All the top players (with few exceptions) are lottery picks.

The Sonics hit gold in back-to-back years in drafting Durant & Westbrook. A lot of teams crap the bed in the draft. The Sonics then Thunder lucked out, but they also made good basketball decisions.

That's where I think the Nets blew it. They shouldve went the draft route rather than chace the LeBron then DWill pipe dream. DWill signs with Dallas as rumored and the Nets will have no one to open up their new $1B arena.

Agree with all this. San Antonio is, to me, the paradigm of front-office excellence. They got Parker at the end of Round 1 and Ginobili at the end of Round 2. They also made numerous astute trades and picks over the years to maintain a strong supporting cast (including George Hill who they then flipped for a pick that they used on Kawhi Leonard). All that said, they wouldn't be where they are today without winning the lottery in Duncan's draft year.

06-12-2012, 11:58 PM	#42
RazorJet W P S! !!!! no, i mean it. Veteran Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Atkins, Arkansas Posts: 1,649	Durant is a monster. And off the court he is humble and way more likeable than LBJ. Thunder in 5.

06-13-2012, 09:26 AM	#44
Austin WINNING All Pro Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Upper East Side Posts: 6,200	Pretty much went as I thought it would. Thunder are just too deep -- their stars are as good as anyone and they're younger and deeper so they keep their fresh legs fresher. LeBron and Wade were sucking wind in the 4th quarter -- they were just being played too hard. Apparently James Jones had a migrane and Mike Miller had back problems which was part of the issue. Thunder beat the three teams that won 10 of the last 13 championships to get to this point. I just think they're too good.

06-13-2012, 09:54 AM	#45
SMC Day-to-day Jets Insider VIP Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 22,044	Exactly, Austin. The Thunder are too young, too talented, and too deep to lose to a lesser team like the Heat. If both teams play their A games, Thunder should win. The big problem for the Heat is that with the amount of games they've played, Wade's injury, and the short bench, they might not be able to play their A game consistently enough to win 4 games. They could only doing it for a half last night. I predicted Thunder in 6 because I thought they go up 3-1, LeBron would have his Celtics game to prevent being closed out at home in back-to-back years, and then the Thunder will clinch it in front of their insade home crowd. OKC has a great home crowd. They are loud as hell and, I don't think I'm overreacting, but I think the crowd affected the Heat when the Thunder made that run to take the lead. The same thing happened to the Spurs. The Thunder at home overwhealm opponents.

06-13-2012, 10:07 AM	#46
Joe W. Namath Darrell Bevell for HC in 2014. All Pro Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Boynton Beach, FL Posts: 7,868	At 23, Durant understands his role in the game of basketball better then lebron does. 4th quarter, close game, Durant is not letting his teammates determine the outcome of the game. He is going to close the game or go down firing. We get this excuse for Lebron that he makes the best basketball play. Well in a close game in the 4th quarter, the best basketball play is to take over the game and keep your team in it yourself. How does lebron not realize that making the right basketball play is not working down the stretch of a close game. its been 7 years now. If Lebron drops 17 in the 4th last night, maybe his team wins the game. But he never even tried to take over the game. If he cannot win the title with wade and bosh in their primes, when is he going to get one?

06-13-2012, 10:10 AM	#47
DDNYjets Hall Of Fame Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: New York Posts: 12,579	Wilbon was right last night. He said the OKC crowd reminded him of the Cameron Crazies. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw it. What a great fan base. Lebron is basically carrying the Heat at this point. I think Wade is banged up and Bosh is still hurt. Love to see the Heat struggle. There is nothing to like about them. Loved seeing Riley looking miserable surrounded by OKC fans. On the flip side OKC is such a likable team. Even Westbrook, who ESPN would have you believe is a selfish player, is likable. Durant is as humble a super start as you will ever see. And his basketball IQ is as high as his talent is. Liked how they showed him at the end of the game with his mother and family. You can tell she did a good job raising him.

06-13-2012, 10:18 AM	#48
SMC Day-to-day Jets Insider VIP Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 22,044	Good points, JW & DD LeBron scored a career Finals high of 30 points last night and it didn't matter. That's a huge problem for the Heat. LeBron's best might not be good enough against the Thunder.

06-13-2012, 10:26 AM	#50
Joe W. Namath Darrell Bevell for HC in 2014. All Pro Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Boynton Beach, FL Posts: 7,868	One note on the nba. How great have these playoffs been? The NBA is back baby! I havent been this excited about hoops since Jordan's Bulls days.

06-13-2012, 11:05 AM	#59
DDNYjets Hall Of Fame Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: New York Posts: 12,579	It is not about picking at the top of the draft. It is about picking at the top of the draft at the right time. In sports it pays to suck at the right time. Spurs with Duncan, Cavs with Lebron, OKC with Durant and Westbrook. Bulls with Rose. Colts with Manning and Luck. Etc, etc.