NBA Finals

Dubs in 5 

I hate the Celtics. 

Fuck Al Horford. 

Warriors in 6

I think the Warriors have more weapons. But don't care too much. The hockey is intense fer' sure. My favorite time of the sports year - playoff hockey. NOTHING like it.   

<<Fuck Al Horford

This comment doesn't seem to fit the overall vibe or rules of Viva

^If you feel that way, you better not read my posts in the Fuck Texas thread.

Hope Draymond Green defends Horford. 

I don't really know much about the Celtics since I don't watch their games unless I'm somewhere that's got a tv and it just happens to be on, so I have no predictions.

They seem to be a tough team with heart that has peaks & valleys but is clutch at the end, and they made it through a tough playoff gauntlet so they obviously have a real chance to win, but especially if the Warriors are at close to full strength, which they're saying they should be, they're a very dynamic team that can win in different ways, and they also can overcome their own peaks & valleys to pull out wins at the end.

Not surprisingly, the pundits all seem to be billing this as the Warriors offense vs. the Celtics defense. Again, I don't know much about Boston's offense, and clearly their defense is really good, but it's kind of funny that all those "experts" are ignoring the fact that the Warriors were one of the best defensive teams in the league this year.

It should be a fine series, and will likely generate a lot of national interest with the classic Boston Celtics back on the big stage, facing the most-watched team in the NBA with four future Hall of Famers.

As I said in the other thread, I just hope the best team wins and it isn't decided by injuries, bad refs or COVID.

But of course, I WANT the Warriors to win!!!!!!!!!

Lightning will destroy the Rangers

Dubs in 7 

Dubs.  Now I get it.

Still don't care.  

I mean...F Boston.  But that's mostly about its traffic engineers and Sox fans.

well, i can't really root for the celtics...

I'm not a fan of either Boston or Golden State, but if I had to wager, I'd put my money on the Warriors in 5, winning all of their games at the Oracle, and stealing Game 4 in Boston.  Golden State is healthier, more rested, and deeper.   Don't see this series being close.

In the NHL, I'd like to see New York vs. Edmonton in the finals.

Damn Raz, a Jeff Beck reference in here?

NICE!!!

And I've never heard that recording, but I'm a huge Jeff Beck fan, based mostly on a show I saw at the Berkeley Greek in 1980 totally FRYING on mushrooms, easily one of the five greatest concerts I've ever seen (which is saying something) so NICE post, you eastie brother!

It's always rather odd to me that so many people who propose to love a sport get lost in the idea of teams they "can't root for", especially when both teams are classic franchises and both play the game the way it's SUPPOSED to be played.

It should be a great series between two great teams who have worked & battled to get here, and whichever team win it will be a great story with true joy involved.

God love sports at it's highest level, it reveals so much of the human condition.

So, in the end I say.......

FUCK 'EM ALL, GO WARRIORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Tropics!!! I think we can all get behind a team like that.

^Fuck the Tropics, I'm rooting for the Pittsburgh Pisces.

Stealing Doc's image? Doc was the star of the team, and the film...my apologies to Stockard Channing. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fish_That_Saved_Pittsburgh

A classic. 

 Golden State is healthier, more rested, and deeper.   Don't see this series being close.<<<<

Celtics were the best team in the NBA the 2nd half of the year, have the best defensive team in recent memory, had a far tougher road the finals and have a very balanced roster.

Warriors have home court and a great team as well so the odds of one team blowing the doors off the other is pretty small. 

Damn close game 

Don't shit the bed, Warriors! 

Fun to watch, til it wasn't.

My sister's going on Sunday, hope it's fun.

WARRRRRRRRRIORS!

It turns out I was on Jimmy Kimmel for a short moment tonight.

It didn't help.

So, the Celtics were billed as a tough team that played great defense. No one said anything about them being the greatest three-point shooting team in the world.

It seems tonight was one of Boston's best offensive games of the season. If they keep draining three's like they did tonight the W's don't have much of a chance.

But if they don't keep up that scorching pace, it should be a good series.

GW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the most epic melts I've ever seen.   I noticed in the third the dubs yucking it up, laughing at errors, Steve Kerr leaning back in his chair making jokes.  And sure, they were rolling but only up by a dozen.  The air of over confidence plagued them again and they got embarrassed on their home floor.   Curry over dribbling.  Klay????
 

Good news is the Celtics won't shoot that way again and their horrible at home this post season. 
 

bad news is they don't lose two of in a row often and Tatum had an off night.  
 

not making a call this early but a great way to start this series and I expect it to go six or seven.  No preference except my youngest just got a dubs hat in sf two days ago with 2022 finals on it....so his bragging rights are riding on the series.  

I love the old school Warrior fans but the C-level tech-bros and their botox trophy wives are perhaps the most ghastly collection of courtside attendees in the country. 

well, that was embarrassing.

Wtf was that? Ouch (I hurt for some reason, I'm not even a rabid fan )

KD posting to r/nba under a burner account?

Steph Curry won 9 of his last 10 NBA Finals games with Kevin Durant on his team. Curry has lost 8 of his last 9 NBA Finals games without KD, including 6 straight losses at home.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/v3qick/steph_curry_won_9_of_his_la...

Durant rocking the couch.

Did anyone see Dave Letterman's interview with Kevin Durant on his Netflix series "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction"? I really enjoyed it.

OK, let's try to keep some perspective here.

Boston did two things in particular extremely well last night... they shot the SHIT out of the ball, and they played great defense when they were set. The first thing was a bit of a surprise, the second wasn't surprising at all, and the first thing lead to the second.

The Warriors are a small team built on speed; they look to play tough, active defense and force tough, contested shots that will lead to misses, then they take off and use their league-best speed to flummox & gas out apposing defenses not able to get set.

Last night Boston didn't miss that many contested shots, so the Warriors had to often deal with Boston's great defense set up for them. The Warriors best offense against a set defense is for Curry or Poole to use their great quickness & speed to drive into the lane and either convert the layup (and often get a foul for a 3-point play) or kick it back out against a defense that is now out of position, which leads to an open shot. 

Unfortunately for the Warriors, the excellent Celtics defense when set just didn't allow those drives into the lane (which was unusual and very impressive) and since Boston didn't miss many of their shots the Warriors couldn't do what they do best, which is play tough defense and force difficult contested shots and allow their superior speed to take off and score at ease against a bigger defense forced to sprint back & forth all night.

So, IMO the Big Question going forward is can Boston continue to shoot at over 50% in total, and shoot over 40 3's and hit over 50% of those (they haven't done that all season). If so then the Warriors are done for.

But, if Boston reverts back to their mean then they'll miss more than a few of the shots they made last night, which will allow the Warriors to do what they do best and beat a defense that doesn't have time to get set.

That is the only way the Warriors win this series.

So, can the Celtics continue to shoot the way they did last night?

The stats say no.

The main issue that worries me about the Warriors is that they rely so much on Poole, and he is only 22 and finishing his first full season in the league.

They NEED him, and they need him to get over the bright lights of The Finals and figure out how to swim in the cold, deep water he's in now. He's risen to every occasion so far, and if he plays with more confidence going forward and the Celtics stop making every damn shot they take, things should be very interesting.

But this idea that's being floated by the media & internet that the Warriors somehow blew the game yesterday?

Shallow end of the pool foolishness. The Celtics played brilliantly and they won the game, wearing down the W's and forcing them into a game they don't play well enough to win against a team like Boston, especially when their opponent is hitting so many of their shots.

So, it all comes down to...

A. Can Boston continue to shoot at an epic pace?

B. Can the Warriors convert enough when Boston doesn't?

This is the Big Leagues. The Finals. Both teams are great.

It isn't supposed to be easy.

We'll see how Boston shoots on Sunday. If not as good as last night, we'll see if the Warriors can take advantage of that and take control of the game with their speed.

GO WARRIORS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Warriors had a ton of points in the paint against Dallas, I don't see that happening against Boston, which is a concern.  I did think Looney played well, especially for an undersized "big".  Hope the Warriors can stop Boston from getting easy drives and/or 2nd chance points.

The Warriors will even it up tonight. That's just how the NBA works.

If the Celtics win, Dunkin Donuts is giving away free vanilla nut taps. So there's that.

>>>.free vanilla nut taps

Not sure what that means but my mind is thinking creatively.   

Agree it's likely dubs will even it up.  Still fired up for the game.  A lot on the line tonight for the dubs.  I'm curious to see if Tatum bounces back.   

Green is such an ass.   

Refs already having a big influence on this one.  They should just play on a neutral court.   

I feel like the third period boom by the dubs isn't new.  I seem to recall this happened in previous championship runs as well but perhaps I'm misremembering.   Not sure the motivation over halftime but Kerr does a phenomenal job getting the team hyped out of the break.   

The dubs always have had this mad potential to decimate another team in a very quick time frame.   Happened last night as I hopped in the shower and it was a 20 point difference when I got out.  When they are dialed in, no one is stopping them and the.capacity to do this is why they are so successful.  I can't remember another team in history that could do this at such frequency, partly probably due to their ability of three point shooting.   

Great match up and it's going to be a fun to watch finish. Two teams with different styles, and both teams are versatile. 
 

Lightning pulled out the game they had to. Now to see if they can finish 

Fake...

Sports!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeVgQnLqtqY

Need to bring Burr back to the Mandolorian, this is the way 

Lets go Lightning!

Depending on Draymond Green is killing the Dubs, small ball is getting manhandled. 

I do not like this two day break between games.   

Draymond Green is at the used to be point in his career. He used to be a dependable scorer, he used to be a good passer, he used to be a great defender, he used to be a plus for the team. Occasionally he can still do it, but his game is in decline and needs to be addressed in the off season if the Dubs still want to be good. They need BIGS

Smart wins the glasses showdown with ease 

Green is still excellent at needling people though.   They still fall for it.  Should have been teed up for the second tech foul in game two for the foot to the head and then trying to pull the pants down but everyone knew it would change the game too much.   I'm sure he'll be fired up for game 4 and deliver his usual 11 points.   

smarts are too small, tatums are too big, they should switch.  

They fall for it, and I enjoy it, but he also looks like a clown trying to punk Brown while Brown is lighting them up for twenty in the first half, scoreboard. Time and a place, Green has no concept of either. He is also walking that thin line of missing a game and costing them the series again. 

Kerr is not helping in not playing the young guys just to give Green a break. Moody and Kuminga are good enough to put in miniutes to give Green a rest, the guy looks old playing 30 plus minutes a night. Wiseman if halfway serviceable could at least try protecting the rim, but he is a bust. 

Go Tampa Bay! Damn, where's Earl? Earl, I'm rooting for your team against the rangers. Great win tonight. What intensity!  Playoff hockey, NOTHING like it. 

Green might have been a nonfactor in game three.  Maybe chanting obscenities with his young son there got to his head.  Who knows.  Maybe he had an off night.  Game two he was in their heads getting stupid fouls and such.   I imagine game four will look more like two than three.   

Fabes I'm with you on the bench.   Started a similar post and then paused.   For someone who went pretty deep into the bench during the regular season it does seem odd to me for Kerr to not mix things up even a little.   I get having your starting five plus Poole, Porter but a lot on the line for game four.   Might be too much to risk now.   

Agree Slick on the lighting.   With the way the Avs have been playing it might not matter who wins.     

Hope the lightning can finish now, that Colorado vs. Tampa match up will be a barn burner. Rangers Avs not much 

Celtics blew a big opportunity last night.  Close game at home late and Curry did indeed just start stroking them.  Green a nonfactor and even taken out of the game.   

Game 4, quite a game!

My nephew just moved to Colorado. He may get a ticket to a Final game. If he calls me, hmmm, may have to head to Denver. 

Nice when your biggest problem of the night is trying to time the take-out pick-up with intermission. Game time soon. Can't wait.  Might be a night for delivery.  

Did you guys see this?  https://twitter.com/_lucass069/status/1535250892299063296

Guy got caught, put up a struggle trying to get away. 2 charges each of assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment. Dickhead. 

Wiggins!!!

go warriors...

Isn't there a rookie camp where they go over the dos and don't in the NBA, like have your friends carry your 3 pounds of herb for you?

Celtic fans booing the home team.  
 

Real quiet subway ride in Boston tonight.

Boo

hoo

Boo

hoo

Curry carried this team at the beginning of the season, and thru the playoffs. This year is an example why the MVP should not be named until after the playoffs 

Sad ending to potentially great series.  Not that I cared who won but would have liked to see more games and to let the dubs have 21-0 stretch on your home floor is unfortunate.   

Celts just ran out of magic juice.  Look forward to next year.  This was a fun one.   

Maybe Jordan Poole deserves the MVP for his hatchet job on Ja Morant:

https://mobile.twitter.com/DrewHill_DM/status/1523139515266654209?ref_sr...

If Morant hadn't been sidelined for the last 3 games of the Warriors/Grizzlies series, there's a good chance we'd be looking at a different champion.  
 

With the failed experiments of the Lakers and Nets to build super teams, it's good to see teams thrive that put the emphasis on chemistry.  The league seems a lot more balanced now, with several teams presenting as legitimate contenders.

congrats warriors/fans.

curry is gnarly.

that video does look suspicious java d...doesn't seem anywhere near to playing the ball...

they have helped change the game and have benefited from the rule changes. watching again this season, its just rough. you will see segments of the game where there is just repeated jack-a-3...like there will be 4+ in a row. its just lame. its amazing you can shoot from 50' but not very fun to watch.

feel free to argue. 

my team leveraged an * championship for trading away all their young players. it needs to be blown up and started over from the ground up. trade everyone. especially a.d., he has the work ethic of a wook. maybe hire a personal trainer? horrible.

In sad NBA news, RIP Biggie!!!

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2022/06/21/...

My twin daughters at tonight's game, 2nd one for one of them. Son was at the 0-7 whipping in Denver. Son in-law is also there tonight has been to 5 games (this series and rangers). I need them to win 2 more to have a shot at the family pool

Go Lightning!!