Goombah,

don't even have to rewind that far back....the Oakley/Mason/Derek Harper Knicks of the mid 90s would have found a way to knock him around.

The no-handcheck rule is basically the Derek Harper rule..as he'd use that all the time to push offensive player out of his sweet spot.

I still think Curry is a phenomenal talent and the Warriors system and roster are great. I think Curry would be an all star scorer in any era but that he wouldn't have the ability to absorb the punishment of earlier eras of NBA and go deep in playoffs.

I was a Celtics fan(during the playoffs) in the 1980s..subconsciously because KC Jones looked exactly like my dad, so I remember that era VERY well.

When you look at the slightly built high scoring perimeter players of 80s...like Alex English or George Gervin....you see that Curry could have been prolific scorer too, but the rough stuff in the playoffs would have neutralized him.

I think Durant benefits from playing in kinder gentler NBA too.

Getthesenets,

Well put about Curry's talent. It would translate to any era. I just think he would've been smacked around a lot more 20 years ago. I'm not a fan of the current players hugging each other and all being so friendly. I loved the fierce rivalries between the Lakers/Celtics, Pistons/Bulls, and Sixers/Celtics. Do you remember Tree Rollins biting Danny Ainge?

You & I would have been sports enemies in the 80s. My favorite player was Dr. J. Other than 1983, Boston usually had the 76ers number. I think 1983 was the last year that the NBA Finals were shown on a delay. Hard to imagine now.

Goombah,

Thanks for bringing up Philly/Boston rivalry..often overshadowed by the rivalries that came later but as nasty and heated as ANY sports rivalry. True story, I went on a school trip back in the day out of state....I had on the old school 6 pack basketball t shirt with the celtics inside the pack...EVERY single person from philly who was there approached me almost on some bloods/crips stuff like "why do you have that shirt on?"

I rooted for the Nets during the reg. season and the Celtics once the playoffs started.

NBA has come a LONG way from the tape delay era, and the perimeter friendly rules are along the lines of making the game more fan friendly and exciting. I respect it, but like you pointed out, I get upset when reporters compare Steph to past greats. Jordan won those rings going through the bad boys and then the Riley coached Knicks. The things that happened in those series would draw half season suspensions today. hahahaaaha

Are you getting out the broom,Goombah?

Just seeing this now. To be honest, at the beginning of the series, I thought it would go six games. I felt like Atlanta gave its best shot on Friday night and still came up short. Cleveland played sloppy for much of Sunday, but still eeked out a win.

The Toronto-Miami series just got more interesting with each team hit by the injury bug.

Injury bug is biting every team.

Atlanta has same problem this year as last....no legit go-to guy.

The Channing Frye move is gonna pay off for Cavs in next two rounds...makes them more versatile and they don't have to live and die by whether JR Smith is knocking down shots.

The Cavs bench is much better this year than last season. Even though he's been hampered much of the season, Mo Williams is an improvement over Mike Miller at guard. And Richard Jefferson is an enormous upgrade over Shawn Marion. Frye took the roster spot of Varaejo and is contributing in a big way.

J.R. Smith is most effective when he is the 3rd or 4th option. When the Cavs were forced to have J.R. be the #2 scorer in the Finals, it was a disaster.

worth a thousand words

Not sure what it says about GS that they needed Curry to score 40 against Portland. Of the teams remaining in the playoffs, Portland is by far the worst.

Goombah,

those(portland) guys came to play last night....and Shawn Livingston got ejected (officiating this year is just as bad as last year) SL is super frail.....if you hit him his body buckles...unlike Lebron who absorbs hits without budging. Anyway...SL gets hit across the head while he's shooting a layup...he weighs maybe 180 at 6'7" so of course his head jerks back. More games equals more work for the refs so ref was officiating the game in favor of a longer series.

Agree....except for RJ....dude played for the Nets ....superathletic guy (in his youth) but extremely limited with NO heart. When motivated, he can be a decent defender though

Is Mo Williams hurt?

Jefferson knows his role here. Why I said an enormous upgrade over Marion is the RJ is playing well enough to allow LeBron to get some rest. Marion was running on fumes last year and was very ineffective.

Mo Williams has been battling a knee problem since December. He sits out for long stretches of games and then comes back for a couple. But he filled in at the beginning of the season when Kyrie was recovering. If he can get healthy, he's an effective spot scorer off the bench. Dellavedova is better defensively than Mo, but Delly is not much on offense.


Who do you think gives Golden State more matchup problems in the Western Conf Finals? I think Pop's coaching is a huge advantage, but Westbrook will make Curry work way harder than he has so far.

Goombah,

good points. I haven't watched much of the Cavs during regular season but what you said made sense. If Lebron sits...offense runs through Kyrie and RJ being out there doesn't hurt the team as much as on-last-legs Marion.

Spurs are a bigger threat to Warriors. Pop and the Spurs are like the Patriots(without the cheating)...great coach, versatile players, and the big 3 have proven to be clutch players. Aldridge will FEAST on the Warriors big men(for first three quarters...then he will vanish in 4th).Problem for the Spurs is that big three are on THEIR last legs...and KL and LA have not proven to make clutch plays down the stretch.

OKC will be the more exciting matchup but they don't run plays down the stretch..Westbrook and Durant just perform magic .Plus I think GSW can hide Steph on defense...the other OKC guards are scared and don't want to shoot...so you can put Iggy,SL on Westbrook and hope to wear him down that way.
OKC just doesn't play good basketball. They win despite that....but often blow games because of it.

I love your insight, Getthesenets. You are very knowledgable.

The Patriots comparison is very interesting. Part of why I asked the question has been, as you pointed out, the poor play of Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker. But Leondard and Aldridge are carrying the team now. I have similar concerns about OKC that they are only Durant & Westbrook. No team should have to rely on Dion Waiters, which is why I think LeBron & Kyrie were thrilled to get rid of him last season.

I heard a very interesting point on the radio last night coming home from work. If the Spurs do advance, look for Popovich to be lobbying the league and its officials to watch for all of the illegal screens that Draymond Green sets. Much like the quick illegal picks the Patriots have been running for years...

Thanks Goombah,..just bouncing my thoughts against your great insight.

Wait...Dion Waiters played for the Cavs..last year? Add him to list of Boobie Gibson,Mario Chalmers,etc...marginal talents who will NEVER see a double team or even honest defense because they've played with Lebron and still cannot be trusted to hit wide open shots.

Popovich and Spurs are the greatest modern sports franchise..period. The point about him lobbying for calls early does make sense. Draymond always sets moving screens..so does Bogut. Pop is well respected so he will be able to influence the refs. Draymond is a hot head and the refs have it in for him,SL, and the Warriors....so I see more bad calls against them as playoffs progress.

Yes Waiters was drafted year Cavs drafted Tristan Thompson. He wore out his welcome within 3 months and was in 3 way deal when Cavs acquired Shump & JR Smith. Great deal for Cavs.

Spurs might not make it out of OKC tonight. This would be a huge upset given how good the Spurs looked this season.

I'm not looking too knowledgeable right now,Goombah.
Spurs should have lost by 30 tonight.

Don't feel too bad, Getthesenets. I had the Spurs going to the Finals when the seasno began. And I'm sure many of the so-called experts did not have San Antonio losing to OKC. What's stunning to me is that the Spurs lost one game at home all season and then lost two in this series on their home floor. Then throw in how easily the Spurs won Game 1 of this series.

Do you see Popovich retiring any time soon? I wonder if both he and Belichick will decide to leave once Brady & Duncan are done playing. Both coaches are forever linked to these two legends and it seems tough to imagine them coaching without their stars.

Yeah, Goombah..Spurs are almost invincible at home..and then a switch goes off and they lose home playoff games.
And for all of the Spurs consistency over the years....this was their best record ever....????

Weird stuff.

Never thought about Pop retiring. I think though both he and Belichick are tied to their one in a million star players, I think it bothers Bill to be so linked with Brady and rings. Remember, he failed as a coach in Cleveland...and until the Jets knocked out Drew Bledsoe....he was on his way to same results with the Patriots. :)I see Bill coaching after Brady leaves and trying to get one ring without Tom....just to prove that he could do it.

Speaking of replacements....If the Spurs thought that Aldridge was Duncan 2.0...they were wrong.Duncan has heart and made a career of showing up big time when his team needed him most. Before Duncan..spurs would have great records and flame out in playoffs because the Admiral had NO heart.
Aldridge is not a big time player....he spent his career playing out of the spotlight with no pressure on him.

I would disagree with labeling Belichick as a failure in Cleveland. He took over a 3-13 team, cut a fan favorite QB (Bernie Kosar), and won a playoff game in 1994 over Parcells. The Browns were poised to have a great season in '95 and then Modell announced the team was moving halfway through the season.

I do remember David Robinson's critics labeling him as soft. And until Duncan arrived, the Spurs always flamed out in the playoffs. Alridge may turn out similar.

Nice win by OKC in Game 1 last night. GS will definitely win Game 2, so it will be up to OKC to keep the homecourt advantage that they seized.

Goombah,

I defer to your knowledge about the Browns. I forgot that Belichick was there during that entire uprooting the franchise mess. I just looked at his coaching record there and drew a conclusion.

The admiral was my favorite player of that era...strength,speed,agility...perhaps the greatest athlete to ever play center. Smart, decent family man...on his way to being one of the greatest centers ever....but NO heart...I'm convinced that he never recovered from the time Olajuwon demolished him in the playoffs.

David Robinson and Navy beat my hometown Cinderella team, Cleveland State, in the 1986 NCAA tourney. Navy edged out CSU in the Sweet 16 with a 1 point victory. The highlight of the run was #12 CSU upending #5 Bobby Knight's Indiana team. A kid on our school bus had a mini portable TV and we saw the end of it.

If it were not for Michael Jordan, I think the NBA Finals of the 1990s would have been dominated by Ewing vs. Olajuwon.

And then this happened last night.

[video:google]http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2016/5/17...s-into-oblivion[/video]

Goombah,

That's one of those 10 point plays, box score will say it was 3 points(basket and foul shot)...but it deflated the Raptors to the tune of 10 points.

Has Lebron regained some of his athleticism? That play was from his his early career repertoire. From back when he'd throw pinpoint passes through traffic only to have Carlos Boozer bobble them.

Agree 100%. Even though that play happened in the 2nd quarter, it essentially ended the game. The Raptors just played out the string the rest of the game.

I'm cautiously optimistic and it's only one game. But Toronto looked exhausted last night. Too many easy, close shots for the Cavs. Toronto kept Cleveland off the 3 point line, but traded that for a ton of dunks and layups. I do expect Toronto to look better once the series shifts to their homecourt. But it may not be enough to keep this series past five games.

LeBron is as fresh now as I've ever seen him. He has logged significantly less playoff minutes this year and does not have to carry his team. I think LeBron's back was really a problem last year and it impacted all parts of his game. But LeBron looks like he's 25 right now and his confidence in his teammates is very evident.

Goombah,

What's your honest take on coach Tyronn Lue*? Or is that a fair question since they haven't been challenged in the playoffs...yet?

I ask because, he doesn't have the cache of an established coach, but I thought he should have been lobbying for closer officiating of the rough stuff after game 1. Refs have been terrible this playoffs, and the parts that I watched...Raptors players were doing fake tough guy tactics. I respect hard playoff fouls and the no layup rule but I saw somebody knock Lebron in the head...keystone cop refs had a huddle and ruled it a regular foul.


*If Coach Lue wins a ring, Iverson stepping over him in the Finals will be the SECOND thing people think of when they see his face.

Getthesenets,

I'll be the first one to admit that I was not in favor of firing Blatt. It's not a criticism of Lue, but not an endorsement of Blatt either. I thought - and still do - it was a move to appease whiny superstars. And at the time, I thought it was just convenient for the players to place the blame for uneven play on Blatt. I think Blatt was good for the team he was hired to coach - before LeBron returned. He took a team to the Finals & then had a 30-11 record. But for many reasons, Blatt never had the respect of his team.

IMHO, the NBA - more so than MLB & the NFL - is less reliant on a coach. For examples, see GS from the past two years, Miami, & OKC as prime examples.

Having said all that, Lue HAS made a positive impact. It took awhile, but he has found two good rotation sets. The players respect him as an ex-player. Lue stood up to LeBron & challenged Love. He has not panicked when the Cavs have been down & hasn't over-used LeBron like every other coach LeBron has had. Lue came highly recommended by Doc Rivers, so he has the possibility of being a very good coach. And possibly putting the Iverson image forever in the rearview mirror.

Lue told LeBron to STFU soon after taking over as Cavs head coach.

Goombah,
I also thought it was a weird move to fire a coach who was just in the finals and who had best record in conference.

Last year, despite the injuries..Bron almost willed his team to victory....but Kerr made some lineup changes that Blatt couldn't adjust to...but I can't think of any coach who loses 2/5 of starting lineup....2nd and 3rd scorers..and wins more than one game in any series much less the finals.

Jury is still out on Lue's coaching skills, but so far he hasn't F'd it up.

I like Lebron as a player but his disrespect of head coaches is consistent throughout his career. I think he likes no name/low profile coaches so that he gets the credit when team wins ring. Coach without a name is easier to disrespect too because he knows the front office won't back up a coach who stands up to him.

Some of his teammates from his first run in Cleveland talked about how he openly flouted rules under Mike Brown.
Compare that to the Spurs , where Pop will chew out Tim Duncan if he has to.

Glad to hear that Lue stood up to him.

I agree - LeBron is a coach killer. Any coach without a backbone is afraid to stand up to him. It remains to be seen whether Lue has one, but it's encouraging so far.

I will never like LeBron after what he did in 2010. By far, the thing that I dislike the most is his constant whining every time he is called for a foul. In Miami, he tried to get Spoelstra fired, but Riley & Wade had more credibility because of their previous rings.

Last year was a testament to LeBron's greatness. Kerr should have been fired had they lost to the Cavs. Cleveland was forced to play a 7 man rotation, so all GS had to do was run them up and down the court. Even with the 7 players, Shumpert essentially played the Finals with one arm. So to take GS to 6 games was nearly miraculous.

************
Back to 2016, Draymond Green should be suspended for Game 4 of the Western Conf Finals for his kick to Adams. The refs have been terrible all postseason and should have tossed him from Game 3. But the league office needs to step in and say that the refs blew the call and suspend Green.

Draymond avoids suspension.

Foul upgraded to flagrant 2 and 25,000 fine.

NBA is a joke.