NBA playoffs

[flyfisher]

I'll be the first to admit that the Sixers have exceeded my expectations.  Simmons adapted to the NBA very quickly and has made everyone on the team better. I figured they would be around .500 and fighting for one of the last playoff spots but they came together at the right time, even if their schedule was soft at the end. Kind of odd to think that with all the great teams they have had that this team is the one that will hold the consecutive win streak.  

Gonna be a fun playoffs and I am gonna do all I can to get to a playoff game. 

[jbsoonerfan]

It's a 2 horse race. Warriors or Rockets are the only ones with a chance. This is why they should do away with conferences. The WCF will decide the champion.

[Jigfishn10]

Sixers are a very hot team going into the playoffs, no doubt about it. The experience for them this year will be tremendous! As a Celtic fan, I look forward to having the Sixers playing well for years to come. I loved watching those 2 conf teams playing each other during the season and playoffs. The eastern conf needs them to be a valid team.

 

Unfortunately the Celtics have way too many injuries. I would like to see them win a round for the playoff experience for their young guys.

 

I agree that the championship will go through the west, but I'm not sleeping on the Raptors. They have a ton of talent on that team and could at least get to the finals.

 

Can't forget about LeBron either.

[TnRiver46]

LeBron may want to be the one wanting to forget if a series comes down to his free throws.........

[flyfisher]

On 4/11/2018 at 11:43 PM, jbsoonerfan said:

It's a 2 horse race. Warriors or Rockets are the only ones with a chance. This is why they should do away with conferences. The WCF will decide the champion.

how does getting rid of conferences change anything?  Right now the west has better top teams but the east has better depth from 1-6 seeds.  If you get rid of conferences as far as playoff seeding is concerned you would have houston at the top and then Toronto, GSW, boston, philly, cleveland then the rest fall into place.  You still have top teams agains the worst teams in the first round.  

 

I wouldn't be surprised one bit to see GS get bounced in the first round.  Houston and Harden and Paul have a history of not playing well in the playoffs so they have to get past that hurdle.  The playoffs are a different animal and I am anxious to see how the sixers perform.

[jbsoonerfan]

2 hours ago, flyfisher said:

how does getting rid of conferences change anything?  Right now the west has better top teams but the east has better depth from 1-6 seeds.  If you get rid of conferences as far as playoff seeding is concerned you would have houston at the top and then Toronto, GSW, boston, philly, cleveland then the rest fall into place.  You still have top teams agains the worst teams in the first round.  

 

I wouldn't be surprised one bit to see GS get bounced in the first round.  Houston and Harden and Paul have a history of not playing well in the playoffs so they have to get past that hurdle.  The playoffs are a different animal and I am anxious to see how the sixers perform.

Oh, I don't know, so maybe the best 2 teams play in the NBA finals instead of the conference finals.

[flyfisher]

well toronto swept houston and got swept by GSW this season. Boston split with both GSW and Houston.  So i am not sure your theory works, at least not this year. 

[jbsoonerfan]

That's a perfect example. TOR would be the overall 2 seed this year. If it went chalk it would be HOU vs BOS and GS vs TOR in the semis. Then we would get a true NBA champion. As is, it's harder to win your conference championship sometimes as opposed to the title.

 

***Also, teams would play harder til the end of the season to make their playoff seeding better.

 

But, you are a 76ers fan, they have lost on purpose for years just to try to make the playoffs so I understand how happy you must be.

[flyfisher]

How is it a perfect example? the top 4 teams would still be in the semis.  

it has also always been this way.  Back in the 80s the west was weak then the mid 90's it was more of a push with the edge probably going to the west then early 2000s it shifted to the west but at the same time, plenty of teams from the east won.  

and who are you a fan of again or does it change based on the year?

[jbsoonerfan]

2 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

How is it a perfect example? the top 4 teams would still be in the semis.  

it has also always been this way.  Back in the 80s the west was weak then the mid 90's it was more of a push with the edge probably going to the west then early 2000s it shifted to the west but at the same time, plenty of teams from the east won.  

and who are you a fan of again or does it change based on the year?

I actually thought you were smarter than this. However, you just like to argue with me, and I'm not real sure why. If you can't understand how in my scenario it could be GS vs HOU in the finals or TOR vs BOS in the finals is beyond me. It would be like saying 2 teams from the same conference couldn't be in the CFP system. Even is the SEC clearly had 2 of the best teams in the country. 

 

I won't respond anymore, you aren't worth my time.

 

I like the Thunder and realize that even with the addition of Melo and PG13, they have ZERO chance.

 

Have a great playoff season.

[flyfisher]

GS versus houston in the finals isn't the best matchup and i just showed you why...also don't flatter yourself and think i like to argue with you because i don't know you from adam.

the top 4 teams are about the same and they are split between both conferences.  GSW is playing poorly right now and I do think they might lose in the first round.  Houston has to prove themselves in the playoffs, lebron is probably the greatest player to ever play and always finds a way to win and then there are the young teams of boston and Philly and Toronto who are all lacking playoff experience.  

 

[bish0p]

1 hour ago, flyfisher said:

lebron is probably the greatest player to ever play

I'm not sure if you're serious. MJ had a very good chance of winning eight titles in a row, if not for the gambling controversy and death of his father.

[flyfisher]

I’m not talking about team success. I said best player. 

 

The only edge edge I give to MJ over Lebron is in shooting. Other than that Lebron is better at every other aspect of the game. 

[J._Bricker]

Go Dubs! Let the games (playoffs) begin!

 

As for changing the playoff format, why? IMO, it makes for interesting debate, but doesn’t solve the anything. Changing the format would take away the regional pride and animosity for another area which is evident in all sports. It adds some spice which as a fan I can appreciate and enjoy.  

 

The pendulum is constantly in motion and I think we can all agree it is now on the side of the Western Conference. LeBron's ability to change a team, GSW’s recent success has forced the teams in both conferences to improve and we fans have better basketball.

 

Thanks @flyf1sher for the original post to open the Playoff debate, gonna be fun...

[Chowderhead]

Looking forward to the NBA playoffs.  Rooting for the Jazz to do good things, but worried they will not even get past OKC.

[gim]

There just isn't a lot of parity in the NBA overall.  Let's be realistic: how many teams have a LEGIT chance to win this?  3?  Maybe 4?  Considering there's 16 teams playing that's a very low number of them.  This isn't anything new though, its been going on for years.  If the Warriors are healthy, it should be them vs the Rockets.  But since they're both in the same conference, only one of them can advance to the Finals.

[deaknh03]

16 hours ago, gimruis said:

There just isn't a lot of parity in the NBA overall.  Let's be realistic: how many teams have a LEGIT chance to win this?  3?  Maybe 4?  Considering there's 16 teams playing that's a very low number of them.  This isn't anything new though, its been going on for years.  If the Warriors are healthy, it should be them vs the Rockets.  But since they're both in the same conference, only one of them can advance to the Finals.

Here's your parity. I wouldn't be surprised if houston, gs, okc, cleve, toronto, or even philly won it. Without injuries, I would add Boston, new orleans and San Antonio to that mix. 9 teams potentially with a chance. Go back to 1960. Every year there's been 2 maybe 3 teams with a chance. This year is by far the best parity wise.

[Yakalong]

I'm not a big nba fan these days, but the rockets have looked really good all season. I'd like for them to win another championship, its been a while.

[flyfisher]

12 hours ago, deaknh03 said:

Here's your parity. I wouldn't be surprised if houston, gs, okc, cleve, toronto, or even philly won it. Without injuries, I would add Boston, new orleans and San Antonio to that mix. 9 teams potentially with a chance. Go back to 1960. Every year there's been 2 maybe 3 teams with a chance. This year is by far the best parity wise.

Yeah I would say that the parity in the NBA this season is probably higher than it has been in a long time.  Having a few top teams is nothing new.  When you have 7 game series in each round you rarely have major upsets and the best teams usually win which is really the point of the playoffs.  it isn't like a 9-7 WC team winning the Super Bowl because they got hot at the right time in a single elimination playoff format.  

[TnRiver46]

On 4/14/2018 at 7:29 AM, flyfisher said:

I’m not talking about team success. I said best player. 

 

The only edge edge I give to MJ over Lebron is in shooting. Other than that Lebron is better at every other aspect of the game. 

You left out winning, MJ placed more importance on that aspect of the game

[kickerfish1]

Jordan also was the better free throw shooter as well. Don't ever recall Jordan flopping like Lebron does. Look up Lebron James flop highlights on YouTube. James is a better passer and the better athlete of the two. That is all I will give him on Jordan.

[gim]

On ‎4‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 8:12 AM, deaknh03 said:

Here's your parity. I wouldn't be surprised if houston, gs, okc, cleve, toronto, or even philly won it. Without injuries, I would add Boston, new orleans and San Antonio to that mix. 9 teams potentially with a chance. Go back to 1960. Every year there's been 2 maybe 3 teams with a chance. This year is by far the best parity wise.

The Spurs?!  LOL not a chance against the Warriors especially without Leonard.  I have a hard time seeing anyone except Houston or Golden State winning.  I hope to be proved wrong though.

[deaknh03]

16 minutes ago, gimruis said:

The Spurs?!  LOL not a chance against the Warriors especially without Leonard.  I have a hard time seeing anyone except Houston or Golden State winning.  I hope to be proved wrong though.

Reread my post. 

[flyfisher]

19 hours ago, kickerfish1 said:

Jordan also was the better free throw shooter as well. Don't ever recall Jordan flopping like Lebron does. Look up Lebron James flop highlights on YouTube. James is a better passer and the better athlete of the two. That is all I will give him on Jordan.

Jordan flopped a lot and started the whole preferential treatment for stars and complaining to the refs.  

 

20 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

You left out winning, MJ placed more importance on that aspect of the game

How do you quantify that MJ placed more importance on winning?  One could easily argue that James emphasized that more because of his desire to move teams to tie him the biggest opportunity to win.

[bassguytom]

We are just happy to see the Sixers make some noise. It’s just nice for us to be at the dance again. Don’t be surprised by this young run and gun team. We are all  anxiously  awaiting the return of the  phantom of the process. Haha.