arsedoc md wrote:

And damn! MJ did threepeats twice over.

And the last team to do a three peat is....

Yea alright whatever.

Is there a potential international frictional event brewing with if raptors don't visit the white house and then go meet up trudeau?

I think your prediction is spot on. Trump will toss his toys, being a man baby. But back to Jordan. I still can’t beliece the kids disrespect him with comparisons. To take down those tough Knicks and Pacers teams, stop Karl Malone, win sick. Do all that in 2 three-peats? It’s just incredible to consider. Just dominant.

Claudius wrote:

I think your prediction is spot on. Trump will toss his toys, being a man baby.   But back to Jordan. I still can’t beliece the kids disrespect him with comparisons. To take down those tough Knicks and Pacers teams, stop Karl Malone, win sick. Do all that in 2 three-peats? It’s just incredible to consider. Just dominant.

honestly, the game is so different now than it was 20 years ago. i dont think it makes sense to compare players across eras. like, the bill russell celtics would get slaughtered by a lot of 2019 teams. it was a different game, different baseline for performance, different level of competition. even just going back to jordan's era, the rules were different, officiating was different, etc.

Obviously the game is played under slightly different parameters. It was more physical and more isolation ball. I’m not comparing that. Given the parameters within which he operated, Jordan really dominated in a way that these guys today just aren’t doing.
But even then, it wasn’t such a wildly different game. It’s not like we didn’t have the 3 point shot and dunks

Never been happier for an athlete than I am for Kyle. He’s not the most talented player running around but there aren’t many I’d choose over him. Never puts himself above the team and gets shat on every single season. He embodies everything right with the franchise over the last 5-6 years and although Kawhi is best Raptor of all time, Lowry is undoubtedly our greatest. Hope to see his number retired once he hangs it up.

Closing out the series with 26, 7 and 10 is nothing less than he deserves. That should shut up the clowns who only ever look at boxscores when deciding how well he has played.

mdgoonah41 wrote:

biggest asterisk in NBA finals history.

“I apologize for us being healthy, I apologize for us playing who was in front of us. I apologize for all the accolades we received as a team and individually. I’m very, truly sorry, and we’ll rectify that situation this year,”

Kawhi Leonard is the best basketball player in the game right now. Silent assassin.

Presumptuous obviously but Jordan could have and may be would have won 8 consecutive championships if he did not take a break to play baseball for the best part of 2 seasons.

He probably needed it to refresh, get away from his off court issues. But it also gave him the chance to go away and redefine his game as his body slowed down. He came back a more formidable post presence, a far cry from the cheetah of the 80s. Had a number 45 jersey as a kid.

Yeah obviously, one of the biggest personal or collective challenges is motivation. Which is why defending titles or sustained success over consecutive years / seasons is so rare and hard.

Coming back to today though, real credit to the Raptors. Lebron must be feeling a little daft for leaving the East. He won’t build a contender in the West.
It’s a pity an Achilles takes 4-6 months. Would’ve been nice to see the Knickerbockers make a run at Durant and Irving to build a nucleus but Irving is allegedly leaning toward Rocnation as an agent and the Nets a a team.

Well with Durant and Klay Thompson being out for a year GSW are pretty much out of the equation, so LeBron will defo be a contender as long as the Lakers get Davis and other complimentary pieces, which apparently is what they're planning on doing. Although with their circus management it's easy to see how they would muck it all up again.

Congrats Lakers, lebron and Bryant....hope you get some proper shooters.

arsedoc md wrote:

Congrats Lakers, lebron and Bryant....hope you get some proper shooters.

Did i read they gave up 3 future 1st round picks? They basically have to win next year while bron still some legs left

Gazza M wrote:

Did i read they gave up 3 future 1st round picks? They basically have to win next year while bron still some legs left

Yeah, the goal is to win in the short term, but it's not a 1 year window. 

As for the picks, the pick that is coveted by the Pelicans is this year's #4 pick. Apparently, they are shopping it around at this moment. The picks in 2021 and 2023 are projected to be less valuable picks if things go well. 

They still have the cap space to chase another superstar player (Kawhi, Kyrie, Kemba, Butler, etc.), so that should be fun. 

If jimmy or kemba go there, its a wrap

Wow. That SI article was on point. Paul is the Mino Raiola of the NBA, and at such a young age.
Kyrie should swallow his pride and give Lebron a call. It’s time to win rings. If they have 3 players of that caliber it’s effectively Miami 2.0.

Huge congrats to the Raptors! I obviously wanted the Warriors to win it, and they easily would have had KD been healthy, but the Raptors in the end proved the better team. And it was not just Kawhi, even though he was the clear MVP of the series.
This win IS tainted though. Because the biggest story in the aftermath is not the Raptors win, but the massive injuries to Klay and KD. It is a shame, because the Raptors deserve their moment. And as a fan I feel more than a little cheated out of the matchup between KD and Kawhi, full well knowing that had that been the case Warriors would have most likely won it in 5 or 6.
Huge props to the Warriors too for the fight and determination they showed despite all the adversity. No doubt in my mind they would have forced a game 7, where they most likely would have lost, had Klay not gone down. They had no business pushing this talented Raptors team this hard with that squad IMO. I know people will point to 4 all stars, but that’s misleading IMO. Cousins is right now a far cry from the player he was before his injury, and this Warriors team is struggling for scoring beyond Steph, Klay and KD. Take KD out and it is an uphill battle. Klay goes down too, then it’s a wrap.

Super disappointed in the Warriors organization too for the way they handled KD. Even worse is the explanation after that ALL the medical people involved agreed that worst case scenario was re-injuring the calf. No risk of an Achilles tear. Which is absolute horse shit! You just CANNOT separate the calf from the Achilles since the structures are so closely linked! KD rightfully should be furious with everyone involved for giving him such poor advice. Huge difference when making a decision to come back whether you are risking a muscle injury to the calf, or an injury which will keep you out for a year. And an injury to boot which will most likely make sure that you will NEVER get back to the level you were before, if past history is anything to go by.

Really sorry for the Warriors, but the Raptors had to play 82 games and 4 rounds of playoffs. Shit happens.

Rex wrote:

Huge congrats to the Raptors! I obviously wanted the Warriors to win it, and they easily would have had KD been healthy, but the Raptors in the end proved the better team. And it was not just Kawhi, even though he was the clear MVP of the series.
This win IS tainted though. Because the biggest story in the aftermath is not the Raptors win, but the massive injuries to Klay and KD. It is a shame, because the Raptors deserve their moment. And as a fan I feel more than a little cheated out of the matchup between KD and Kawhi, full well knowing that had that been the case Warriors would have most likely won it in 5 or 6.
Huge props to the Warriors too for the fight and determination they showed despite all the adversity. No doubt in my mind they would have forced a game 7, where they most likely would have lost, had Klay not gone down. They had no business pushing this talented Raptors team this hard with that squad IMO. I know people will point to 4 all stars, but that’s misleading IMO. Cousins is right now a far cry from the player he was before his injury, and this Warriors team is struggling for scoring beyond Steph, Klay and KD. Take KD out and it is an uphill battle. Klay goes down too, then it’s a wrap.

I have absolutely no sympathy for the warriors. This felt like karma

i don't put an asterisk next to the raps for this win either. winning with only 1 superstar against a squad as seasoned as the warriors demands respect. Even without kd who is basically a human cheat code, they still have a great squad. If klay hadn't gone down it would've gone to 7 i think the raps still win it. It still stands as a great achievement for a franchise known as serial chokers/also-rans

If anything, I put asterisks next to the dubs last 2 chips

Warriors won in 2015 with Kyrie and Kevin Love injured for the Cavs. Asterisk there too then.

Yup. And it’s not like it’s the first time. I remember when the Lakers had Malone versus the Pistons in 2004. He got injured in game 4. The Pistons went on to win in 5. They probably would’ve still out-battled that dysfunctional Laker team, but losing Malone was a big disadvantage. And I believe in the 80s as well, Magic missed a whole series and the Lakers lost the Finals. And there have been several other series earlier on in the playoffs where guys like Nowitzki etc have had to miss rounds. Isn’t Chris Paul always missing games?

Claudius wrote:

Message from the finals MVP

i hate that guy man. 

i'm glad he didn't curse the raptors like he curses everything else.

Meatwad wrote:
Claudius wrote:

Message from the finals MVP

i hate that guy man. 

i'm glad he didn't curse the raptors like he curses everything else.

putting up with 6fraud is the only downside of them winning. the guy is just an unrelenting cornball

Think he might be available for the technical director’s role?

LOL. Just interesting that this guy does a great job at the Nuggets, wins Executive of the Year, and the Kroenkes let him leave for Toronto where he builds an NBA champion. Highly talented guy. The Kroenkes know about as much as Jon Snow

Claudius wrote:

LOL. Just interesting that this guy does a great job at the Nuggets, wins Executive of the Year, and the Kroenkes let him leave for Toronto where he builds an NBA champion. Highly talented guy. The Kroenkes know about as much as Jon Snow

Little overstated. 

The Nuggets are in good shape and have a solid team that is on the rise. They have a great coach and a solid set of players (well scouted, including Jokic who could be a MVP one day) and that's the work the well respected and talented Tim Connelley.

Sure, letting Masai leave wasn't smart, but they've done just about everything right since.

They did well to finish 2nd this season after being perennial lottery dwellers in the previous years. Hopefully they can maintain it. They've said no to Davis for now (probably a good move given what they might have to cede), but in all the years I've watched the Nuggets, I haven't seen them do anything sustainable. So we watch and hope.

so, now we can look forward to the best part of the NBA season, the few weeks from the draft through the start of free agency, where shit will no doubt get out of control.

here is the FA list

https://hoopshype.com/2019/04/29/nba-free-agency-2019-the-top-players/

there are so many interesting sub-plots heading into this summer

  • durant and klay were 2 of the 5 biggest names, and both will miss all of next season. if the warriors bring back both, they are in cap hell and basically cant replace klay and durant on the court next season.

  • who is more attractive in NYC? the knicks have the better name/history, the nets have the better present day roster. both have positioned themselves to spend big this summer

  • where is kawhi going to go? does he feel he did all he could in toronto? if he leaves, where does that leave their team? as good as siakam is, kawhi carried them to a title. gasol is on the downswing, lowry is still lowry...and their president may be leaving to take the wizards job

  • what do the sixers do if butler and harris go elsewhere? as a diehard sixers fan, i still consider that unlikely, because the sixers can offer more money, more years, and one of the best rosters in the NBA. if either player leaves, it will be a mini disaster for the sixers, all things considered.

  • what are the pelicans going to do? they just received a boatload of assets for AD, will they keep all of them? flip a few? will they trade #4? will they trade jrue?

  • what about the celtics? irving and horford both look like they are going to opt out. what will boston do to replace them given their cap situation?

  • the rockets are in a really weird place right now. apparently harden and CP3 may not be getting along, and they are capped out. can they trade paul? will they have to trade capela?

  • the lakers dont have enough for a max slot, will someone like kemba leave a ton of money on the table to go there?

god the NBA is so amazing. best sport, at this point. love it so very much

It’s basically like a free market. It’s great. With the right moves and good management almost any team can quickly become properly competitive and perhaps, as the raptors have shown, even win a championship

The Pelicans is an interesting one. If they package Ingram and the 4pick plus whatever is needed for Beal, and picked up a decent FA I wonder if they could compete well into the playoffs.

I'd like Kemba Walker to stay in Charlotte and build his legacy there, but if he goes to the Lakers he will shine.

KingslandBarge wrote:

The Pelicans is an interesting one. If they package Ingram and the 4pick plus whatever is needed for Beal, and picked up a decent FA I wonder if they could compete well into the playoffs.

I'd like Kemba Walker to stay in Charlotte and build his legacy there, but if he goes to the Lakers he will shine.

i have to imagine the union would be pretty pissed if he went to the lakers. hes eligible for the supermax i believe, which is 5 years, $221M. if he goes to the lakers, they will have like $23-26M in cap space for the rest of their roster, plus the mid-level exception and any vet minimums to fill out the roster. if they give him the full $23m, that means he gets $23m x 4, which is $92M. He'd be leaving more than $100M on the table to go to the lakers. that is....insanity.

I'm sure you'll loving hearing this md: