2nd Round(2013): THUNDER(1) vs GRIZZLIES(5)

[Andrew]

It's tough to pick against the Grizzlies with Westbrook out, but I can see Durant having a monster series and willing the Thunder to the Conference Finals, where the run ends against the Spurs. Thunder in six.

[Mandich]

Novu, i have a feeling you don't really watch basketball games because that big post of yours with your crappy analysis just made my day. Shit man, you are trying to hard

[NovU]

It's exactly what happened in today's win, almost.

I love it when someone from past who got his ass whooped still acts like a buttsore after all those years. Btw, I hardly remember your ID(as a ManDick Lol). Stop acting like a bitch and be a man(dick) about it.

[benji]

Kevin Durant is easily 6-10 or more, everyone in the know seems to accept that Kendrick Perkins is 6-10 AT BEST. (He used to be listed at 6-11.) Some players are frightened of being listed at other heights because teams may try to play them at other positions, likely tied to high school experiences. KG for example is basically 7-1 according to a lot of people and he only allowed 6-11 because he realized he could have his way with many PFs. (IIRC, a growth spurt wrecked him up as a kid when it made him shift positions and caused off-court issues.) No one regulates this, every team fudges. It's a useless argument. Durant's wingspan is greater than seven foot anyhow.

Anyway, Durant is the best player in the series, which means the Thunder can of course take a game or two or maybe even make it a series depending on how the rest of the team shoots. The Grizz have the advantage because they don't have to outlast the Thunder, they only have to outlast Durant.

Durant has officially learned the maybe LeBron corollary tonight if he hadn't before. He completely dominated, 35/15/6 led his team in everything. And they barely inched away.

Do the Grizz know they can go the distance? Why is Ed Davis not playing? Lots of ways they can fuck this up.

[NovU]

The Grizz have the advantage because they don't have to outlast the Thunder, they only have to outlast Durant.

The way I see it, is not a surefire advantage. Because the Thunder was a superior team before Westbrook's injury. So it comes down to how much emphasis you put into loss of Westbrook.

Let's cut to the chase because we both know no-replaceable playmaker is the real issue for the Thudner. Any team would look completely different without a player that led the league in usage%(forget melo, he's a ball himself). And Russell was always healthy so the team never really learned to play without him and had to learn on the spot. So the loss? The Thunder were 1st in offense this season. How much could it get worse? Beats me. But one thing we know for sure is that Grizzlies were turrible at 17th. Defense? Westbrook's defense was average on a great defensive team and Thunder's defense system should still hold even without him. Thunder were 4th in the league and Grizzlies were 2nd. Not better but right up there.

Just want to add that this series still is wide-open. Not Griz blowouts like all the experts/fans are predicting.

[benji]

The Thunder's defense was pretty lousy in most of the Rockets series. And their offense has stopped moving basically.

Where'd you get the idea that Westbrook isn't a good defender?

On ESPN only two of the people (Chad Ford and David Thorpe) picked less than six games. As many people picked the Thunder to win the series. Only one person in this thread picked a sweep for the Grizzlies. So where's "all the expert/fans" predicting the Grizzlies blowouts?

[NovU]

LoL. Looking at the poll now, I realized more people voted for the Thunder now that they won their first game of the series.

The Thunder's defense was pretty lousy in most of the Rockets series. And their offense has stopped moving basically.

Defense was lousy but give the Rockets credit. The Rockets are a splendid offensive team and they live and die with it in contrast to Grizzlies. And those were the first games ever where the Thunder were forced to make adjustment on the spot without Westbrook.

Where'd you get the idea that Westbrook isn't a good defender?

Westbrook's Drtg is slightly lower than team average. By no means it means he's not a good defender though. But more importantly, the Grizzlies strength in offense isn't at perimeter anyways. They shoot turrible even if you leave them alone like Lakers fans.

[benji]

It's probably nearly the same as the teams average, 102.6 rounded is 103. He doesn't block shots and plays an ungodly number of minutes so his DRtg will almost inherently equal the teams. (Or be worse since all the shot blockers get bonus credits.) Go look at Battier's DRtgs in Houston when he was playing 2800+ minutes for example.

He's certainly not a stopper or dominating like Chris Paul.

The Grizzlies strength being in the front court makes Westbrook even more important to have.

[NovU]

It's probably nearly the same as the teams average, 102.6 rounded is 103. He doesn't block shots and plays an ungodly number of minutes so his DRtg will almost inherently equal the teams. (Or be worse since all the shot blockers get bonus credits.) Go look at Battier's DRtgs in Houston when he was playing 2800+ minutes for example.

True. I just don't think Reggie Jackson(or others) is such a bad void filler for this series defensively.

[SoF'nAwesome]

So he should be MVP then...

Ya, exactly. That's why the italics though. Only if this was a normal era for basketball and not the time of LeBron.

[Mandich]

It's exactly what happened in today's win, almost.

I love it when someone from past who got his ass whooped still acts like a buttsore after all those years. Btw, I hardly remember your ID(as a ManDick Lol). Stop acting like a bitch and be a man(dick) about it.

It's really nice to see attention whores like yourself try so hard to be respected and amusing like some posters around the forum. Yep I made a mistake a couple of years ago but have learnt something from it: if you don' have something smart to say don' talk at all. not that it is relevant to the statement I made, but well, I guess you had to defend your 'wannabe reputaion' and go for the low punch. Didn't expect much more from you.

Why exactly i am acting like a bitch? Didn't catch that one well. Is it because i think your knowledge of the game is flatout ridicoulous and unimportant?

[NovU]

Who are you again?

[Mandich]

A poster, just like you babe, don't think you worth more than someone else

[NovU]

don't think you worth more than someone else

Lollolol

Complex much?

[Mandich]

Your mother should have aborted you when she had the chance.

[NovU]

...says the kid with dragonball fever.

[Mandich]

DBZ is awesome!

[SoF'nAwesome]

As is Pokemon, right?

So, I think the Westbrook reminder is alarming. But Durant did his part nonetheless. Kevin Martin was disappointing.

[Jackal]

[NovU]

LoL. You try having a rational conversation with mindless idiot and see how it ends up.

Durant has officially learned the maybe LeBron corollary tonight if he hadn't before. He completely dominated, 35/15/6 led his team in everything. And they barely inched away.

And it continues. 36/11/9 but in a losing effort.

If KD continues to tear apart Grizzlies yet still ends up losing the series, would that remind you of LBJ's past? LBJ absolutely had a near flawless series against the Magic yet walked out a loser. Either way, there is a resemblence in this team now with LBJ's Cavs.

[Mandich]

LoL. You try having a rational conversation with mindless idiot and see how it ends up.

Durant has officially learned the maybe LeBron corollary tonight if he hadn't before. He completely dominated, 35/15/6 led his team in everything. And they barely inched away.

And it continues. 36/11/9 but in a losing effort.

If KD continues to tear apart Grizzlies yet still ends up losing the series, would that remind you of LBJ's past? LBJ absolutely had a near flawless series against the Magic yet walked out a loser. Either way, there is a resemblence in this team now with LBJ's Cavs.

Basketball is a team sport? Apart from KD no one in the thunder is playing particularly well, it will be interesting to see what happens in memphis

[shadowgrin]

You try having a rational conversation with mindless idiot and see how it ends up.

Whoa! Bizarro alert!

[NovU]

Basketball is a team sport?

Oh yes, that's why it's more interestingly comparable. LBJ is a historic loser who had one of the best series yet coming out a loser of the series. Thunder at this pace could place KD into same category.

LBJ against Magic in ECF
Game 1: 49/6/8
Game 2: 35/4/5
Game 3: 41/7/9
Game 4: 44/12/7
Game 5: 37/14/12
Game 6: 25/7/7

I think what Kevin Durant is doing right now is right up there if not better.

[Mandich]

You try having a rational conversation with mindless idiot and see how it ends up.

Whoa! Bizarro alert!

And yet I got a bieber avatar years ago for saying a similar line to oz

[NovU]

And yet I got a bieber avatar years ago for saying a similar line to oz

Yeah, what the fuck eh? You start conversation with total strangers in the friendliest way possible,

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=85083&p=1482768&hilit=+are+you+fucking#p1482768
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=91364&p=1619474#p1619474

My heart is bleeding WAH WAH WAH! It saddens me why people don't respond to you with hugs and flowers when you initiate a discussion with such utmost respect and reasons!? Besides you put benji to a shame with your enormous basketball knowledge, to a point where I can't even discuss basketball with you because I know so LIL and my grammars bad mens!!!

You know your shit, my man.