Hoops 13-14

[Keyrock]

Boogie Cousins is an intriguing player. He has a mercurial personality and is clearly polarizing. But he is also the most skilled true center in the league and is having a breakthrough year: 22.6ppg, 11.6 boards, and 3.0 dimes. His combination of on court dominance, theatrics, and susceptibility to have an on court nuclear meltdown make him one of the most entertaining players to watch, despite the Kings being 15-29. Does he deserve to be an All-Star? I'd say yes, based in talent, production, and the pure entertainment value of his WTF scowl when things don't go his way.

I like Boogie.  I'm a fan of the head cases, provided the don't do anything too crazy.  It helps that he's very talented too.  Definitely a fun guy to watch.

[alanschu]

I don't follow basketball too closely.  I'm getting the impression that Cousins is probably closer to Rasheed Wallace crazy as opposed to Charles Barkley crazy?

 

 

EDIT: Jesus KD's range is pretty stupid.  Pulling up for 3s a few feet behind the line :S

Edited January 30, 2014 by alanschu

[Volourn]

Team wise,  OKC was clearly better but individually, Lebron and Durant were neck and neck with Lebron shooting better,

[alanschu]

Looks like Lebron was able to get to the net, including some tough shots with heavy contact, while Durant was able to hit better from beyond the arc. With KD having small leads in steals and rebounds, and James getting to the line a bit more, I bet I'd be hard pressed to see two players contribute about as equally as these two did tonight.

 

Strange game though. Storm out to huuuuuuuuuge early lead, and end up losing by almost 20.

[Keyrock]

It was a little bit of a role reversal with Lebron scoring a bit more and KD having the more complete game with more rebounds, assists, and steals.  Both guys played at a really high level though, it's basically splitting hairs between them in that game.  The shooting performance they put on at the end of the 3rd with LeBron and KD trading buckets back and forth was pretty fun to watch.  And yeah, Miami jumped out to a big lead, but it was all OKC after that.  Neither guy can do it alone, not against an opponent of that caliber, anyway, but OKC's supporting cast was better.  Lamb and Serge were great and Fish had a throwback game, playing like it was 4 or 5 years ago.  Like I wrote a while back when Russ had surgery again, him being out is turning out to be a blessing in disguise.  Guys like Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb, and Perry Jones are getting more minutes and having to take a larger role on the team.  They're building valuable experience and confidence and they've learned how to play and win without Russ, all while not losing any ground, in fact, they've gained ground.  They're still obviously a better team with Russ playing, but it's good to now know that, unlike last year's playoffs, if the need arises, these guys are ready to step up and fill the void.  On Miami's side, while D-Wade put up respectable and efficient shooting numbers, watching him, it's pretty obvious that he's not at 100%.  That's fine for now, but the Heat will need him at full strength come May and onward.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Keyrock

[Guard Dog]

I really haven't been watching much this season except for a few Grizz games but that thumping OKC handed the Heat the other night, especially after trailing by so much, really made me smile!

[Keyrock]

KD's 30+ point scoring streak is over.  Durant and the Thunder could have easily kept it going, as Slim Reaper had 26 points, along with 7 assists, on an insanely efficient 10 of 12 shooting through 3 quarters, but the Thunder were up huge and Scott Brooks decided to rest KD for the rest of the game.  It was a wise move.  KD's scoring streak had already reached an epic 12 games, the third best in the past 30 years.  Chasing T-Mac's 2003 14 game streak or Kobe's 2003 16 game streak would just be superfluous.  More importantly, the Thunder won their 10th straight game, a streak that includes wins over Miami, San Antonio, Portland, Houston, and Golden State.  OKC now has a 4 game lead in the brutally tough Western Conference.  There is a lot of season to go, but they're obviously in damn good shape right now.

 

As for the individual honors, while I still think LeBron is still the most talented player in the game when he tries his hardest (note:  The MVP award does not reward the most talented player, it rewards the best performance through 82 regular season games), it is no longer a foregone conclusion.  While in the past couple years when the question "Who is the best player in the NBA?" was asked, the vast majority of people would answer "LeBron James" without giving it a second thought (and rightfully so), I believe that now when someone asks that question most people at least have to pause and think about it and compare LeBron and KD, before answering "LeBron".  What I'm saying is that KD is now in LeBron's ballpark, in the same category.  Before it was:

 

1)LeBron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)Everybody Else

 

Now it's:

 

1)LeBron

 

2)Durant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)Everybody Else

 

This is not because LeBron has regressed (he's playing as well as ever in several areas).  It's because KD has improved so much in ball control, passing, and defense.  King James is still the best player in the league when he tries his hardest, but he now has a truly worthy challenger for his crown.  The next few years should be really entertaining as we get LeBron in the second half of his prime and KD in the first half of his.  It's not quite Bird and Magic, two guys whose primes ran at approximately the same time.  And it's not quite Kobe and LeBron, a guy at the end of his prime overlapping with a guy entering his prime.  It's somewhere in betweem.  Hopefully both guys stay healthy (as they have throughout their careers) and we get the 3 to 4 years when both guys are near their peak.  It should be fun to watch.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Keyrock

[Volourn]

 "but the Thunder were up huge and Scott Brooks decided to rest KD for the rest of the game.  It was a wise move."

 

I disagree. It was disgusting, selfish, evil, and all about power. It also spits in Durant's eyes and the fans' eyes who watch these games to see the best players do their thing - not sitting in the bench. Benching Durant helps nobody.

[Keyrock]

 "but the Thunder were up huge and Scott Brooks decided to rest KD for the rest of the game.  It was a wise move."

 

I disagree. It was disgusting, selfish, evil, and all about power. It also spits in Durant's eyes and the fans' eyes who watch these games to see the best players do their thing - not sitting in the bench. Benching Durant helps nobody.

While I certaily wouldn't object to watching KD keep playing to extend the streak, the game was over before the 3rd quarter even ended and I can't fault Scotty Brooks for resting KD, especially with the extended minutes KD has played in Russ' abscence.  Epic scoring streaks are awesome, but in the end, the champonship is what truly matters.  Just like LeBron, I'm sure KD would gladly trade in any and all individual accolades for a championship ring.  The Larry O'Brien Trophy is what it's all about.  Everythign else is not just secondary, it's a distant second.

Edited February 1, 2014 by Keyrock

[ShadySands]

I dunno, I would have liked to see him get a chance to keep his streak alive. It was only 4 points, he could have done that with one shot*

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuPiyPwXybo

 

*assuming he makes the FT which he will because he's awesome

[Volourn]

" Epic scoring streaks are awesome, but in the end, the champonship is what truly matters.  Just like LeBron, I'm sure KD would gladly trade in any and all individual accolades for a championship ring.  The Larry O'Brien Trophy is what it's all about.  Everythign else is not just secondary, it's a distant second. "

 

The championship is not going to be decided by a game on the last day of January. You on crack? You remind me of those stupid and ignorant coaches who don't try in the 16th game of the RS in some lame attempt to 'rest for playoffs'.  It didn't help Indy a few seasons back nor did it help KC this season. It didn't help the Spurs win a championship either.

 

R00fles!

[Keyrock]

 It didn't help the Spurs win a championship either.

 

It helped them get to the finals and they would have won the championship had Pop not made a rare (for him) coaching blunder by keeping a blazing hot Duncan out at the end of game 6.  Besides, the Thunder have a back to back.  Resting key players during the front end, if the opportunity presents itself (and being up 30 through 3 quarters is as opportunity as opportunity gets), gives them a better chance to win the back end of the back to back.

[Volourn]

No, no it doesn't. SA got to the finals because they are one of the best teams in the league not because they rested players in the middle of the season. That's ridiculous.

[ShadySands]

It's definitely helped keep their (the Spurs) aging players healthy and possibly even extended a few careers

 

I still think KD should have been given the chance though as I think it's important for fan, team and player morale to get behind things like this

Edited February 1, 2014 by ShadySands

[Keyrock]

Steph dropped 44 last night and Bogut had a beastly 17-17 double double last night in a nice come from behind effort over Utah.  They needed the hot shooting from Steph to overcome Klay Thompson's epic bricklaying (3 for 20) night.  One thing about the Warriors that makes them a scary team to face, but also leads me to believe they can't get to the finals with the team they have:  Klay is such a streaky, uneven shooter.  He's going to have nights where he goes ballistic and drains 9 or 10 3s  and very few teams will be able to keep up with them when he's draining buckets like that.  Then he'll have nights where he's completely ice cold, laying bricks like crazy, and even a hot streak from Steph won't be enough to overcome a really good team on those nights.

[Leferd]

Looks like it's going to be Oden vs Bynum for the Eastern Conference Championships.

[Keyrock]

Looks like it's going to be Oden vs Bynum for the Eastern Conference Championships.

Pacers picked up Bynum?

[Leferd]

Yep.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--pacers-to-sign-center-andrew-bynum-141508053-nba.html

[Volourn]

Yup, 'resting' Durant was so useful. HAHAHAHA!

[Hurlshort]

Steph dropped 44 last night and Bogut had a beastly 17-17 double double last night in a nice come from behind effort over Utah.  They needed the hot shooting from Steph to overcome Klay Thompson's epic bricklaying (3 for 20) night.  One thing about the Warriors that makes them a scary team to face, but also leads me to believe they can't get to the finals with the team they have:  Klay is such a streaky, uneven shooter.  He's going to have nights where he goes ballistic and drains 9 or 10 3s  and very few teams will be able to keep up with them when he's draining buckets like that.  Then he'll have nights where he's completely ice cold, laying bricks like crazy, and even a hot streak from Steph won't be enough to overcome a really good team on those nights.

 

I just want to see Klay Thompson continue to improve other aspects of his games.  You can't expect him to shoot like Curry every night, so if he is a steady defender they still have enough threats to win big games.  

[Leferd]

My concerns about the Warriors:

 

1) Exceptional starting five, but least productive bench unit in the league

2) reliance on excessive isos and post ups for Klay and Harrison Barnes

3) when jump shots aren't falling =doom.

4) streaky team - on both macro and micro level. Their runs can be both epic and disastrous.

5) good enough to beat and scare any team in the league in a playoff series...but lack the machine like consistency of say...the Spurs.

 

Weaknesses on individual key players

 

Curry - high turnover rate. Only shooting 40% from three. Prior to this season, his career avg was .442. He's become a bit of a chucker.

Klay - glorified 3 and D guy. Mediocre handles and passing ability.

Avi Lee -No D.

Bogut - loss full range of motion on his right arm. Effecting his shooting/scoring effectiveness.

Iguoudala - glorified role player - too comfortable with his role, causing lack of aggression.

Barnes - lack of decisiveness with the ball. No progression since last year.

Draymond Green - love his game and attitude but his shots ain't dropping.

 

If Boogie Cousins was a team, he'd be the Warriors.

[ShadySands]

[alanschu]

 

It didn't help the Spurs win a championship either.

It helped them get to the finals and they would have won the championship had Pop not made a rare (for him) coaching blunder by keeping a blazing hot Duncan out at the end of game 6.  Besides, the Thunder have a back to back.  Resting key players during the front end, if the opportunity presents itself (and being up 30 through 3 quarters is as opportunity as opportunity gets), gives them a better chance to win the back end of the back to back.

 

It's less about rest and more about injury, really (it's not like KD is a mid 30s Jordan that needs his knees iced after every game).

 

If KD were to get hurt in a game that no longer meant anything because they had already won, there'd be major egg on everyone's face.

Edited February 2, 2014 by alanschu

[alanschu]

Curry - high turnover rate. Only shooting 40% from three. Prior to this season, his career avg was .442. He's become a bit of a chucker.

40% from 3 is still very good. It's more than 1 point per shot for those shots.

 

 

Looks like it's going to be Oden vs Bynum for the Eastern Conference Championships.

Battle of the knees!

Edited February 2, 2014 by alanschu

[Hurlshort]

I've never understood the no defense knock on David Lee.  I never watched him in New York, but since he has joined the Warriors his defense has improved every season.  How does a guy averaging about 10 rebounds a game get a reputation like that?