Warriors vs Cavaliers II

[MU82]

Let me start by saying I really, really like watching Curry play, I think he's a hell of a talent and he seems to be a really nice guy.

Now, let me add that had LeBron acted like a whiny little b---- the way Steph did throughout the game, and had LeBron thrown his mouthguard into the crowd for a T with his team still in the game, LeBron would have been absolutely crucified by the media (not to mention the multitude of clueless haters).

And forgetful ...

The announcers only said the 4th and 6th fouls were "tough calls," which is different than bad calls. What they meant is that Steph didn't get the "star treatment" he is used to, especially on No. 6. The only one they really railed against was the reach-in when stealing from Irving (the 5th foul), and even that one they acknowledged that Steph held Irving before committing the foul. (Steph does a TON of grabbing because he is a positionally poor defender.) And Irving was called for almost the exact same foul earlier in the game (and didn't care for the call).

Van Gundy also said the refs made a "great no-call" when Curry tried to draw a foul on a 3-pointer by sticking out his leg. Curry whined and whined about that one for about 2 minutes -- even as the Cavs were coming back up court with the ball.

Again, I like Steph a lot, but he really lost his cool in a huge game tonight.

Mark Jackson quietly took Klay to task for leaving to go to the locker room before the game ended. Again, LeBron would have been roundly ripped (and deservedly so) for doing that in a similar situation.

Finally ... Draymond Green ... declaring that the Warriors  would have won if he played Game 5 ... effen hilarious.

Did he not play in Game 3 (blowout loss) and Game 6 (blowout loss)? Did he not play in the three losses to OKC, a couple of which he was dreadful? He's a good all-around player and obviously an "energy guy," but he's hardly an unbeatable force.

The guy who has been the best player in the world for a decade now has been the best player in this series -- and by a pretty wide margin.

Crap, LeBron threw 5 or 6 passes today that only the best PGs in history could have thrown. The blocked shots. The 41 points for the second straight game, including several beat-the-shot-clock buckets when GS was rallying.

Today's basketball fans are lucky to have gotten to watch this amazing athlete play.

[GGGG]

Let me start by saying I really, really like watching Curry play, I think he's a hell of a talent and he seems to be a really nice guy.

Now, let me add that had LeBron acted like a whiny little b---- the way Steph did throughout the game, and had LeBron thrown his mouthguard into the crowd for a T with his team still in the game, LeBron would have been absolutely crucified by the media (not to mention the multitude of clueless haters).

And forgetful ...

The announcers only said the 4th and 6th fouls were "tough calls," which is different than bad calls. What they meant is that Steph didn't get the "star treatment" he is used to, especially on No. 6. The only one they really railed against was the reach-in when stealing from Irving (the 5th foul), and even that one they acknowledged that Steph held Irving before committing the foul. (Steph does a TON of grabbing because he is a positionally poor defender.) And Irving was called for almost the exact same foul earlier in the game (and didn't care for the call).

Van Gundy also said the refs made a "great no-call" when Curry tried to draw a foul on a 3-pointer by sticking out his leg. Curry whined and whined about that one for about 2 minutes -- even as the Cavs were coming back up court with the ball.

Again, I like Steph a lot, but he really lost his cool in a huge game tonight.

Mark Jackson quietly took Klay to task for leaving to go to the locker room before the game ended. Again, LeBron would have been roundly ripped (and deservedly so) for doing that in a similar situation.

Finally ... Draymond Green ... declaring that the Warriors  would have won if he played Game 5 ... effen hilarious.

Did he not play in Game 3 (blowout loss) and Game 6 (blowout loss)? Did he not play in the three losses to OKC, a couple of which he was dreadful? He's a good all-around player and obviously an "energy guy," but he's hardly an unbeatable force.

The guy who has been the best player in the world for a decade now has been the best player in this series -- and by a pretty wide margin.

Crap, LeBron threw 5 or 6 passes today that only the best PGs in history could have thrown. The blocked shots. The 41 points for the second straight game, including several beat-the-shot-clock buckets when GS was rallying.

Today's basketball fans are lucky to have gotten to watch this amazing athlete play.

Amen. Completely under appreciated.

Golden State likely wins Sunday, but the Warriors demeanor is terrible. And their defense hasn't been much better.  They turned it around against the Thunder so we will see what they come up with.

[mu03eng]

Not disagreeing with the Curry behavior criticism but at least he didn't whine/snitch about a player taunting him then turn around the next game and do the very same thing he whined about.

Also, from Steph's prospective and this is what drives me nuts about the NBA and officiating generally....its not necessarily the fouls on Steph that get called thats and issue, it's the fouls on the Cavs guard Steph that don't get called. By the letter of the law there are a ton of touch fouls, hand checks, hard hedges, and jersey tugs they aren't calling when Steph or Klay are running around on offense(OKC set the standard) that take a toll physically. Hell, that pretty much sums up Shaq's entire career experience.

If these things are fouls lets call them, I hate the officials scaling the calls because that's where things start to feel a little match fixy

[rocket surgeon]

the cavs look like a whole different team.  well that can happen kyrie and jr are hitting from the outside and lebron is well, all over the floor doing everything.  lebron is being da man.  that home crowd was electric.

game 7 is going to be a war!  who do you think the NBA has picked to win it?

[4everwarriors]

I'm starting to think Doc 4Never's boy could outperform Harrison Barnes, bad wheel and all, ai'na?

Kerr loves 'im. Gotta represent in da Vegas Summer League, hey?

[reinko]

LBJ is such a punk-ass biatch.  He has to be #1 in everything this series.

His ego is so big, he has to lead both teams in points, rebounds, blocks, assists, steals, minutes played, & FG%.

Just the worst.

[MUBBau]

LBJ is such a punk-ass biatch.  He has to be #1 in everything this series.

His ego is so big, he has to lead both teams in points, rebounds, blocks, assists, steals, minutes played, & FG%.

Just the worst.

He will probably throw two mouthguards on Sunday just to lead in that stat as well 

[MU82]

Not disagreeing with the Curry behavior criticism but at least he didn't whine/snitch about a player taunting him then turn around the next game and do the very same thing he whined about.

Also, from Steph's prospective and this is what drives me nuts about the NBA and officiating generally....its not necessarily the fouls on Steph that get called thats and issue, it's the fouls on the Cavs guard Steph that don't get called. By the letter of the law there are a ton of touch fouls, hand checks, hard hedges, and jersey tugs they aren't calling when Steph or Klay are running around on offense(OKC set the standard) that take a toll physically. Hell, that pretty much sums up Shaq's entire career experience.

If these things are fouls lets call them, I hate the officials scaling the calls because that's where things start to feel a little match fixy

mu03:

Very fair comment. Steph gets held and bumped a lot, and some of the bumps are more than just little bumps. I have to laugh when people say today's NBA is reffed so much differently than it was in the Jordan era. Maybe in the regular season, but the playoffs are still a version of hand-to-hand combat.

The two worst calls in the game, IMHO, were against Cleveland. Love's third foul was a phantom call the ref made only after Green missed an easy layup -- I guess conspiracy theorists would say the NBA obviously didn't want a Game 7. And Tristan Thompson was called for a moving screen as the Warriors were rallying furiously in the fourth quarter. It definitely was a moving screen -- the kind set by players from both teams on almost every single non-fastbreak possession; why the ref decided to call that one, which wasn't particularly hard or egregious, I don't know.

NBA officials actually are incredible. They have a brutally difficult job and could make several calls every trip down the court, and most of the time they do a fine job of calling the most important stuff and keeping the flow of the game going. So calls like the two fouls above and Curry's sixth foul are real head-scratchers because they speak to unacceptable inconsistency.

I agree about LeBron taunting and then whining. It's beneath him. The best player in the world doesn't need to act like that.

[wadesworld]

LBJ is such a punk-ass biatch.  He has to be #1 in everything this series.

His ego is so big, he has to lead both teams in points, rebounds, blocks, assists, steals, minutes played, & FG%.

Just the worst.

I love these arguments.  "The guy is really talented at basketball so he can't be a bad person, he's gotta be a great guy!"

Let me guess, you think OJ is legitimately innocent.  I mean, the guy rushed for over TWO THOUSAND YARDS in ONE SEASON!  He's the worst!

But please, continue to tell us how great of a husband and father he is. 

[reinko]

I love these arguments.  "The guy is really talented at basketball so he can't be a bad person, he's gotta be a great guy!"

Let me guess, you think OJ is legitimately innocent.  I mean, the guy rushed for over TWO THOUSAND YARDS in ONE SEASON!  He's the worst!

But please, continue to tell us how great of a husband and father he is. 

Cool, I was wrong about him, so he cheated on his wife an Instagram model.  But please continue to opine about how overrated he is on the basketball court.

[wadesworld]

Cool, I was wrong about him, so he cheated on his wife an Instagram model.  But please continue to opine about how overrated he is on the basketball court.

If you can find me calling him overrated on the basketball court I will happily admit that I was wrong and he is not overrated.  Good luck finding where I said it!

I think 1 person at MUScoop has said it.  His basketball skills have nothing to do with whether he is a "punk-ass biatch" or a future Saint.

[StillAWarrior]

He will probably throw two mouthguards on Sunday just to lead in that stat as well 

I wonder who he's gonna punch in the balls.

[GGGG]

If you can find me calling him overrated on the basketball court I will happily admit that I was wrong and he is not overrated.  Good luck finding where I said it!

You said his defense is overrated.  Do I get a half point for that?

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=51952.msg843979#msg843979

[wadesworld]

You said his defense is overrated.  Do I get a half point for that?

http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=51952.msg843979#msg843979

Sure, half of a point to Sultan.

Overall, he is undoubtedly a top 10 player in the history of basketball, probably top 5, especially when all is said and done, but not number one.  I'm sure at some point in my life and his career I have said he isn't a top 10 player ever...but at the time I said it he probably wasn't.

[MU82]

Jordan is the only player who is an obvious, no-brainer pick as being better than LeBron.

One certainly could make good arguments for Magic, Russell and a handful of others mentioned earlier in this thread, but nobody -- not even Jordan or Oscar Robertson -- has been as great at as many things as LeBron is.

I'm not big into the whole "legacy" thing. But if LeBron wins this title against that team after being down 3-1, to go with all of his other accomplishments, wow. And he's still only 31 years old. He has at least 5 more excellent seasons left.

In a related note ...

LeBron isn't as good a trash-talker as Michael was, but he has surpassed Magic in the getting-coach-fired statistic.

[StillAWarrior]

One certainly could make good arguments for Magic, Russell and a handful of others mentioned earlier in this thread...

I about choked last night when the announcer said, "there's Tracy McGrady and Mike Miller..."  Hey...that grey-haired fellow sitting next to them is Bill F'ing Russell.  Thank goodness Jackson immediately pointed out the omission. 

[wadesworld]

I about choked last night when the announcer said, "there's Tracy McGrady and Mike Miller..."  Hey...that grey-haired fellow sitting next to them is Bill F'ing Russell.  Thank goodness Jackson immediately pointed out the omission.

Yeah that was great.

[MerrittsMustache]

I about choked last night when the announcer said, "there's Tracy McGrady and Mike Miller..."  Hey...that grey-haired fellow sitting next to them is Bill F'ing Russell.  Thank goodness Jackson immediately pointed out the omission.

Not to get too off-topic but one of my favorite tidbits about Russell is that the Hawks traded his draft rights to Boston for TWO future Hall of Famers and still lost that trade.

[GGGG]

Not to get too off-topic but one of my favorite tidbits about Russell is that the Hawks traded his draft rights to Boston for TWO future Hall of Famers and still lost that trade.

We all know this now, but anytime you trade a guy who looks like this for Bill Russell, you know you've made a bad trade.

[Silkk the Shaka]

We all know this now, but anytime you trade a guy who looks like this for Bill Russell, you know you've made a bad trade.

Bet he had a mean stanky legg though

[GooooMarquette]

For as many lopsided games as there have been, this has been a great series.

Regarding star players losing their cool - LBJ lost it big time late in game 4, then came back with huge performances in games 5 and 6.  He deserves a lot of credit for that.  Steph really lost it last night - it will be interesting to see if he can step it up on Sunday like LBJ did.

[GGGG]

For as many lopsided games as there have been, this has been a great series.

Regarding star players losing their cool - LBJ lost it big time late in game 4, then came back with huge performances in games 5 and 6.  He deserves a lot of credit for that.  Steph really lost it last night - it will be interesting to see if he can step it up on Sunday like LBJ did.

The series is tied scoring wise 610-610.  Yet no game has been within 10 points.

[MU82]

And now another brilliant party heard from:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nba/article84367717.html#emlnl=todays-headlines_newsletter

Steph Curry’s wife prompts a social media storm with her tweeted complaint about the NBA Finals being "rigged." She deleted the tweet, blaming it on “a long night” in which her father had been detained by security at the arena, but Twitter, characteristically, showed no mercy.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

And now another brilliant party heard from:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nba/article84367717.html#emlnl=todays-headlines_newsletter

Steph Curry’s wife prompts a social media storm with her tweeted complaint about the NBA Finals being "rigged." She deleted the tweet, blaming it on “a long night” in which her father had been detained by security at the arena, but Twitter, characteristically, showed no mercy.

Yea, but LeBron is such a douche and the entire Warriors team and everyone associated with them are such classy individuals. 

Honestly, I haven't heard crap about this, Steph throwing his mouth piece or Klay leaving the court early a la, the bad boy Pistons.

[GooooMarquette]

Yea, but LeBron is such a douche and the entire Warriors team and everyone associated with them are such classy individuals. 

Honestly, I haven't heard crap about this, Steph throwing his mouth piece or Klay leaving the court early a la, the bad boy Pistons.

The Curry mouthpiece thing was on Good Morning America, ESPN, Fox Sports, SB Nation, SI, USA Today, and pretty much every other news outlet that covers NBA basketball.  Really low-key.