**2014 Official NBA Playoffs Thread**

[-King-]

Round 1:

EAST:

#8 Hawks @ #1 Pacers
#7 Bobcats @ #2 Heat
#6 Nets @ #3 Raptors
#5 Wizards @ #4 Bulls

WEST:
#8 Mavericks @ #1 Spurs
#7 Grizzlies @ #2 Thunder
#6 Warriors @ #3 Clippers
#5 Blazers @ #4 Rockets

[BeeHo]

Lebron 4th quarter performance this series (assuming I did this right):

game 1 - 2 points - cramps on leg after 4:09 on clock 2 point layup
game 2 - 9 points - does not leave early in 4th quarter
game 3 - 4 points - leaves court with 1:26 on clock
game 4 - ZERO points - leaves court with 3:38 on clock

15 points over 4 games. 15/4= 3.75 points per 4th quarter avg.
If you want to use his cramps game as an excuse, then 13 points/3 games= 4.3333 points per 4th quarter avg

[KC_Connection]

Of course, what this particular troll won't tell you (out of ignorance or sheer oblivious stupidity, take your pick) is that due to health/blowout reasons LeBron only played about 4 minutes in each of the 4th quarters in games 1 and 4. And that game 3 was a huge blowout in itself that only reached single digits for a minute in the 4th quarter after a massive comeback from 25 points back that was entirely due to LeBron's great play.

But I'm sure that won't keep him from trolling on.

[BeeHo]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Of course, what this particular troll won't tell you (out of ignorance or sheer oblivious stupidity, take your pick) is that due to health/blowout reasons LeBron only played about 4 minutes in each of the 4th quarters in games 1 and 4. And that game 3 was a huge blowout in itself that only reached single digits for a minute in the 4th quarter after a massive comeback from 25 points back that was entirely due to LeBron's great play.

But I'm sure that won't keep him from trolling on.

I made a mistake somewhere:

So here's Lebron's 4th qtr performance according to someone from another forum:


Game 1 - 5 minutes, 1/3 shooting, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Game 2 - 9.5 minutes, 2/4 shooting, 8 points, 1 assist
Game 3 - 10.5 minutes, 2/4 shooting, 4 points, 1 assist, 3 steals, 3 turnovers
Game 4 - 5 minutes, 0/2 shooting, 1 rebound

7.5 minutes, 3.5 points, 38.5% shooting, 0.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.75 turnovers


But do keep making excuses. please.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

The primary point was that he was 6 for 6 in finals (which basically rewards him for not leading a team to the finals earlier than he did and hurts those like LeBron who advanced through the playoffs). Those Bulls teams didn't really have any equals, though (especially in the last 3), so that other stat isn't too surprising.

I don't know about that. The Pacers were almost their equal at the end of that run. They pushed the Bulls all the way to the limit and almost beat them. That was probably the closest they really came to losing. And the Jazz had a point guard and a PF that were among the best that ever played the position. Most of those games in 98 against the Jazz came right down to the wire, and that was with one of the greatest teams ever assembled.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by BeeHo

I made a mistake somewhere:

Oh, don't worry, that was obvious. And not just one.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by tk13

I don't know about that. The Pacers were almost their equal at the end of that run. They pushed the Bulls all the way to the limit and almost beat them. That was probably the closest they really came to losing. And the Jazz had a point guard and a PF that were among the best that ever played the position. Most of those games in 98 against the Jazz came right down to the wire, and that was with one of the greatest teams ever assembled.

That Pacers team in the last championship year was the closest anybody ever got, but I certainly wouldn't put them on equal ground with the Bulls. They were never quite able to take that next step. For Chicago, it was an amazing level of dominance, they outclassed their opposition to an ridiculous extent in those years.

[BeeHo]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Oh, don't worry, that was obvious. And not just one.

There's this joke I heard:

I asked Lebron for a dollar but he only gave me 3 quarters.


Here's some cherry picking here from a roundballchat.com article:

2011 NBA Finals (6 games)

4th qtr performance:

Dirk Nowitzki- 62 points, 18-35 field goals, 24-24 free throws, 19 rebounds

LeBron James- 18 points, 7-21 field goals, 3-3 free throws, 11 rebounds



So that puts Dirk at 10.333 pts, 51.4%, 3.16 rbs
and Lebron: 3 pts, 33.333 %, 1.83 rbs


Wasn't Lebron being criticized in the past for being absent in the 4th quarter?

[KC_Connection]

And now the troll, after making repeated flaws in logic/reasoning earlier and failing to make any real waves in doing so, proceeds to continue his troll by referencing a series three years ago without any real context whatsoever that involved a very different incarnation of LeBron/the Heat.

The hate is most certainly strong in this one.

[KC_Connection]

An interesting image concerning today's elimination game for the Heat. It may take more than LeBron scoring a lot of points to actually beat this great Spurs team, though. His teammates might actually have to show up for the first time in this series (if they're even capable of it anymore).

[BeeHo]

I found this tidbit from another forum:

Most Points Per 4th Quarter
NBA Finals Past 20 Seasons (Up to 2011)
1995 Shaquille O'Neal 11.5
2000 Shaquille O'Neal 11.5
1997 Michael Jordan 10.7
2011 Dirk Nowitzki 10.3
1993 Michael Jordan 10.3


I wonder who are in the top 10?


If Lebron can will his team to do the improbable (impossible?) by making a miraculous comeback (zero percent chance in the finals but it's been done in non-final playoff series being down 1-3), then I'm convinced he's in the argument to be on the pathway to GOAT. I'd want consistent 35+pt games and maybe a single 40-50 pt game to beat this super team Spurs. But what I'm asking is near impossible. It would be sick though.

[KC_Connection]

Just browsing through a few stats here. Interestingly, LeBron James' career postseason win share total is already 4th in NBA history behind MJ, Duncan, and Kareem. As long as he doesn't get hurt, he will likely end up first by the time his career is over. His win share rate per 48 minutes, though, is 3rd in NBA history (behind MJ and Mikan, although well ahead of everyone else in basketball history). It will be tougher for him to reach first there, it will depend on how much longer he can keep playing at this high a level.

[New World Order]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

An interesting image concerning today's elimination game for the Heat. It may take more than LeBron scoring a lot of points to actually beat this great Spurs team, though. His teammates might actually have to show up for the first time in this series (if they're even capable of it anymore).

How many times was Jordan up for elimination during their prime years? Other than the elimination against Orlando the year he came back I can't think of any.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Derek Jeter's OPS in the playoffs: .838
ARod's OPS in the playoffs: .833

I know it's easy just to believe in the lazy media narratives, but sometimes the facts don't actually support them.

Lazy media narratives? This seems to be a consistent problem of yours. When in doubt, find a statistic to prove a narrative. Again, statistics don't make Marino better than Montana. They don't make Matt Stafford better than Ben Roethlisberger or Eli Manning.

Any baseball fan who is reading your claim that ARod and Jeter are on the same playing field as clutch hitters barfed in their mouths a little bit. I grew up a huge baseball fan. There is no "media narrative." You neglected to point out that ARod had 1 elite playoff run in 2009 (probably on Roids) where he hit .365 with 6 HRs. Take away that playoff series and in 222 at bats, he is a .238 hitter with 7 HRs and 23 RBIs. And if you actually look into his playoff makeup, he has 4 outstanding series and the rest of his appearances in 11 years were disastrously forgettable.

It's also absolutely ridiculous to compare two players' OPS when ARod was by a mile a better OPS hitter than Jeter in the regular season. What makes Jeter's clutch performance stunning is that throughout his career, his OPS is the same in ALL situations. His playoff AVG, HRs, and Runs are on par with his regular season performance. His OPS in "high leverage" situations (see link below), with 2 outs, and after the 7th inning is the same or better. That is the definition of cool in the clutch.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/15640...l#.U513-o1dV14

Basically, Derek Jeter is Joe Montana and ARod is Peyton Manning. Jordan is Montana on steroids and I believe LBJ will be Peyton Manning on steroids. Again, LBJ when all is said and done will be one of the best players in ANY sport. But MJ is always going to be #1 because of a lot of things you can't put a neat statistic around. Like Jeter and Montana, he was incredibly clutch; unlike Jeter and Montana, the guy even without a stellar playoff record would be among the best of all time anyway.

[okcchief]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Derek Jeter's OPS in the playoffs: .838
ARod's OPS in the playoffs: .833

I know it's easy just to believe in the lazy media narratives, but sometimes the facts don't actually support them.

JFC

Have you watched the playoffs over the years? How about lazy stat whore narratives? One of these things is not like the other.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

There are a lot of people out there that don't believe in the clutch theory in baseball. Things tend to b even out over a large enough sample size.