****Official 2017 NBA Playoffs Thread****

[KC_Connection]

The real season begins.

Round 1:

EAST:

#8 Bulls @ #1 Celtics
#7 Pacers @ #2 Cavs
#6 Bucks @ #3 Raptors
#5 Hawks @ #4 Wizards

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

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by -King-

I was wrong about the Celtics. The east was worse than I thought. LeBron should have asterisk next to his 7 straight finals appearances stat.

NBA desperately needs to realign the conferences.
Posted via Mobile Device

What are they supposed to do when the competitive balance shifts the way of one conference again? Re-align the conferences yet again?

That's the nature of basketball. Convince more stars to jump to other conferences when they become free agents. And even then, Washington only makes things more difficult for Lebron, but they'd never have a serious chance of taking him down.

Lebron is just that ****ing good right now. Kobe was NEVER this ****ing good.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by -King-

I was wrong about the Celtics.

Yes. And about the Cavs' regular season results mattering at all. Can't forget that part.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Golden State is doing the exact same thing Cleveland is doing yet, people are bitching about the east competition.

Yeah, now that Kawhi got hurt, there was nobody good Golden State had to play in the West either. The rest of the conference is nowhere near as good as it used to be.

It's the same for both.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Lebron is just that ****ing good right now. Kobe was NEVER this ****ing good.

Only a few players throughout history had this kind of impact on the game of basketball and Kobe wasn't one of them.

[RobBlake]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Only a few players throughout history had this kind of impact on the game of basketball and Kobe wasn't one of them.

Horrendously wrong take. The defensive teams he faced were way better and there were way better defenders in his prime that he demolished. Not to mean too meantion he destroyed ever defensive scheme that was mean to stop him. Don't even get me started on the great teams he faced in the western conference in the playoffs. Main reason it took Duncan so long to get 5 rings was because of Shaq and Kobe.

Lebron is part of Kobe and Michael level - not the other way around .. I guess some people forgot what the NBA was before espn labeled everything goat

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by RobBlake

Horrendously wrong take. The defensive teams he faced were way better and there were way better defenders in his prime that he demolished. Not to mean too meantion he destroyed every dog defensive scheme that was mean to stop him. Don't even get me started on the great teams he faced in the western conference in the playoffs. Main reason it took Duncan so long to get 5 rings was because of Shaq and Kobe.

Please stop this. This wasn't even arguable 4-5 years ago, let alone now.

[RobBlake]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Please stop this. This wasn't even arguable 4-5 years ago, let alone now.

Name me the hall I fame players he went up against past 7 years. His finals two year ago when he lost wasn't impressive. Kobe would have angered better numbers accept maybe assist with that usage rate. I guess you forgot his 06 season

James would have lost if draymond wasn't suspended and ray Allen didn't make that shit. He is the biggest star inflator and overrated star I've seen

Not to meantion he got shut down by marion and Lenard made him work

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by RobBlake

Name me the hall I fame players he went up against past 7 years. His finals two year ago when he lost wasn't impressive. Kobe would have angered better numbers accept maybe assist with that usage rate. I guess you forgot his 06 season

James would have lost if draymond wasn't suspended and ray Allen didn't make that shit. He is the biggest star inflator and overrated star I've seen

Not to meantion he got shut down by marion and Lenard made him work

[bricks]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

The Jazz are better than anyone the Cavs have faced.

They had the best defense in the league and got smoked.

Wait, doesn't defense win championships?!?!?

Ahh, I guess when the other team has four of the top 10 players in the world, any defense doesn't matter?

Thanks S Curry, KD, Draymond and Klay for contradicting that saying.

[bricks]

Originally Posted by Hydrae

I don't think the issue is with playoff seeding at all. The problem the NBA has is a lack of parity. Heck, the Warriors lost in the finals last year and then added one of the best players in the league. Meanwhile the rest of the teams get to play the part of the Washington Generals to these teams.

The NBA is a two team league.

There is no competitive balance in it whatsoever.

Something needs to be done to create more balance in the league.

The leagues owners, players union need to do some sort of rectifying or changes in the CBA to create more of a balanced competition.

This is getting ridiculous. I mean, GS has won 10 in a row in the playoffs, Cavs 12 in a row, and they're sweeping everybody. What does this tell us? The rest of them can't compare nor compete with them.

It's a message of a lack of competitive balance better yet so easy to predict who will be in the finals. Hello NBA makes some changes to this to please the fan base or to at least make things more fair.

I'm getting bored of this stuff and as the days go by losing more and more interest watching basketball,

[AssEaterChief]

Competitive balance has NEVER existed in modern professional basketball.

You have been able to accurately predict the teams who will be in the finals for decades...

I remember Gatorade had a cap contest in the mid 90's (predicting the finals matchup and how many games it would take to win) and everyone including me at time wanted a Bulls in 6 over Sonics or Bulls in 7 over Sonics cap...guess what happened?

The Lakers and Celtics dominated the 80's, and the 60's etc.

[ChiefsCountry]

Basketball has always been 2 or 3 teams that compete for a championship. It's nothing different than what it has always been.

80s - 8 of the 10 championships (two teams Lakers/Celtics)
90s - 8 of the 10 championships (two teams Bulls/Rockets)
00s - 7 of the 10 championships (two teams Lakers/Spurs)

6 players (LeBron, Jordan, Magic, Bird, Duncan, Kobe) have won 27 of the last 37 NBA titles. Throw in Hakeem and Isiah Thomas. Its 31 of 37.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by RobBlake

Horrendously wrong take. The defensive teams he faced were way better and there were way better defenders in his prime that he demolished. Not to mean too meantion he destroyed ever defensive scheme that was mean to stop him. Don't even get me started on the great teams he faced in the western conference in the playoffs. Main reason it took Duncan so long to get 5 rings was because of Shaq and Kobe.

Lebron is part of Kobe and Michael level - not the other way around .. I guess some people forgot what the NBA was before espn labeled everything goat

SHAQ was the mother****er on those Shaq and Kobe teams. Kobe was a Tracy McGrady who could stay healthy. Shaq is the one who utterly raped Sacramento year in and year out. Not Kobe. And of course, Phil masterminded the entire team.

Kobe wouldn't have won shit without Shaq in those early days.

[Hammock Parties]

LeBron's jumper is much stronger this year.

[dirk digler]

What a beat down lol. Cavs just dominating and playing the best that I have seen since Lebron came back