NBA 2014 - 2015 Season Thread

If the Thunder need to win a title before KD hits free agency to keep him, they are running out of time.

If they need to win a championship with KD, they should tank as best as they can in the last ~dozen games remaining. Instead they will probably wear their remaining players ragged before getting crushed by GSW and lose their pick this year.

I hope Westbrook still leads them to the playoffs, because you know he's already looking at how Harden left, built his own team, may win and MVP, and why can't Westbrook have that too. Both would be better off as the leader of their own teams instead of this bullshit where we have to pretend Westbrook is an equal.

It's kinda shitty that injuries are going to fuck OKC out of a championship. Durant/Westbrook are both 2 young to be wasting their talents getting injured for a team that will not win it all. LeBron needs to get Durant to Cleveland and win 3 or 4 straight and call it a career.

Drakurii_sl said:

It's kinda shitty that injuries are going to fuck OKC out of a championship. Durant/Westbrook are both 2 young to be wasting their talents getting injured for a team that will not win it all. LeBron needs to get Durant to Cleveland and win 3 or 4 straight and call it a career.

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This is why you see Cleveland trade for Love because injuries are just so unforeseen. It'll give them the best shot at the title even though they've had their rough spots. Any combination of Kyrie + Love + Lebron can make it to the Finals in the East. It really is what their Coach can make the most of.

Sucks for KD. He worked his ass off in the off season too.

In other news. My sixers are not losing enough. Wtf...

Gallinari with the most random 40 burger of the year.

I really like this Cavs team we've got now but in hindsight I don't like the trade for Love. I don't expect him to stay in Cleveland after this year so we gave up way too much to get him for one year. He's got hurt feelings since he's no longer the center piece of a team and he can't really fit in. There's no way he doesn't bolt after the playoffs this year.

Ultimately it's a case of "be careful what you wish for" and Lebron being a player, coach and GM all at the same time.

Nobody but Love knows and I doubt even he's sure.

I think with him it's about attitude and chemistry. On one hand, it's got to feel good to be on a team that's winning for a change. On the other hand, it's clear that there are chemistry issues. Look at Lebron and Kyrie Irving. They really enjoy playing together and they make each other much better players. Kevin Love is a fifth wheel in that situation. I think what's most telling is that everyone knew his numbers were going to drop when he joined a Cavs team with Lebron and Kyrie on it. But knowing it will happen and seeing it actually happen are two different things.

I think we'll get a better idea as the season and playoffs wrap up. Right now I feel confident that we can take anyone in the East as long as our main pieces stay healthy. I also think we can give any team on the West a solid run as evidenced by our win over the Warriors, Spurs and Mavs after the all-star break (though in fairness I doubt we'll see too many 57 point games out of Kyrie in the play offs). If we go to the Finals, that may change a lot of minds and emotions. I mean if Kevin Love goes to a team like the Lakers, he's looking at a couple of years of rebuilding.

And you're right, Wiggins wouldn't be helping us at all this year. But before I warmed up to the Love trade, I liked the idea of Lebron mentoring Wiggins into a superstar. But Lebron is all about winning now while he still has a few good years on his body.

Hard to blame a player of Love's caliber for not fitting in. If he tried to force it, we'd then be talking about how Love isn't letting the system work around him and is playing like he's the only star on the team.

I don't think he has hurt feelings. I think he thought this would be a great team, and instead the coach is shit and their offensive system is let Bron and Kyrie force the offense and if they get caught in the air hoping someone is standing around waiting for a bailout pass. To me, Love is frustrated/confused because he seems like a pretty smart player and is standing around like 'what the fuck is this shit' but you can't really say anything with the two other stars on the team. In Miami, it was Wade's team, and Wade had legacy and championship pedigree, and spoke up. They've neutered Kevin Love in Cleveland, both in terms of skills and as a potential leader.

Angelwatch_sl said:

I liked the idea of Lebron mentoring Wiggins into a superstar. But Lebron is all about winning now while he still has a few good years on his body.

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The funny thing is Lebron has always been about winning now, even when he wasn't anywhere close. I've never really seen him as the type of player to mentor others or build a culture or create a team. From pretty early on he seemed above all that, and simply expects to win because why wouldn't he, he's Lebron. Which is great when you have someone like Wade doing a lot of work in the background to build the actual team and chemistry and promote a culture. I don't think Cleveland has that though, and I don't think Lebron ever learned to be that sort of master manipulator that gets the best out of others. But in the East maybe that's good enough?

Harden scores 44in a win against Indiana. The Rockets also suffered another injury to their starting lineup as Patrick Beverely severely sprains his wrist.

Someone's head should roll in OKC. Motherfuckers were letting KD play with an obvious limp and then let him keep playing in all-star weekend (admittedly didn't play much) but still played the game after... still with a limp.

Neki_sl said:

Stephen Curry crossed Chris Paul up so hard he breakdanced - SBNation.com

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Made CP3 look like a fool. Give that man the MVP!

Slaythe_sl said:

It's very obvious Love is a guy that cares about his stats. He was like that here and prior to just now, and a couple seasons of Kurt Rambis thinking Ryan Hollins should start over him, he's always been the top option on his team. It's obviously an adjustment.

It's the NBA we live in though and it's unfortunate because if a guy like him could just throw his ego aside, he could maybe realize that as good as that team is with Kyrie and LeBron on the cout, they're even better when Kevin is out there too. The floor spacing he provides, even poorly utilized as he is, gives those other two so much more room to work and statistically they're probably the best 3 man unit in the whole league.

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Like Chris Bosh did in Miami? I don't know how similar he and Love are, but Bosh sacrificing and creating space to make the whole offense work from years 2-4 was huge.

Curry also just destroyed the previous high for 3's in a month, and it wasn't close. This was on shooting 52% from 3 and only playing 32 min per game (stats shamelessly ripped from another post!):

1. 75 threes in 549 min (Mar 2014-15) Steph Curry
2. 62* threes in 583 min (Feb 1995-96) George McCloud
3. 62* threes in 615 min (Mar 1995-96) Mitch Richmond
4, 60 threes in 566 min (Jan 2001-02) Ray Allen
5. 60* threes in 623 min (Mar 1995-96) George McCloud
6. 59 threes in 628 minutes (Mar 2012-13) Steph Curry
7. 59 threes in 646 min (Dec 2006-07) Gilbert Arenas
8. 59 threes in 682 min (Jan 2004-05) Quentin Richardson
9. 58 threes in 583 min (Dec 2013-14) Damian Lillard
10. 58* threes in 587 min (Mar 1996-97) Reggie Miller
11. 57 threes in 576 min (Jan 2013-14) Steph Curry
12. 57 threes in 608 min (Nov 2003-04) Baron Davis
13. 57 threes in 657 min (Mar 2007-08) Stephen Jackson
14. 57 threes in 671 min (Dec 2006-07) Mike Miller
15. 56 threes in 467 min (Jan 2014-15) Klay Thompson
16. 55 threes in 529 min (Jan 2014-15) Kyle Korver
17. 55 threes in 631 min (Jan 2003-04) Peja Stojakovic
18. 55 threes in 633 min (Dec 2012-13) Steph Curry
19. 55* threes in 556 min (Jan 1994-95) John Starks

* means that the three point line was much shorter that season