2017-2018 NBA Discussion Thread

[Amazer]

So much help? He was the only all star on the team. Sure he had some pretty solid starts / role players in Trevor Ariza, Lou Williams, Eric Gordon, Nene, Beverly, but you can't tell me him dissapearing is completely his fault... Beverly is so great on defense, but James Harden does everything, and I mean EVERYTHING on offense because he's the only floor general / all star they have. Same goes for Russell Westbrook before the PG13 trade he was the only floor general / all star they had.

Look at Shaq and Alonzo's stats that season when Wade got the title. You can't tell me that prime Harden would've lost to those Mavs had he had the same roster around him.

Shaq - 20 PPG ; 9 RPG ; 2 APG ; 2 BPG

Also Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Alonzo Mourning, Udonis Haslem, and Gary Payton were very good role players / veterans at the time. I'm not discrediting Wade for his outstanding performance, and I probably think Wade is a way better two way player, but man James Harden is something special...

Shaq didn't have much impact in the finals. It was Wade and his crazy eruption something like 36 ppg to seal the deal.

 

So much help? He was the only all star on the team. Sure he had some pretty solid starts / role players in Trevor Ariza, Lou Williams, Eric Gordon, Nene, Beverly, but you can't tell me him dissapearing is completely his fault... Beverly is so great on defense, but James Harden does everything, and I mean EVERYTHING on offense because he's the only floor general / all star they have. Same goes for Russell Westbrook before the PG13 trade he was the only floor general / all star they had.

Look at Shaq and Alonzo's stats that season when Wade got the title. You can't tell me that prime Harden would've lost to those Mavs had he had the same roster around him.

Shaq - 20 PPG ; 9 RPG ; 2 APG ; 2 BPG

Also Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Alonzo Mourning, Udonis Haslem, and Gary Payton were very good role players / veterans at the time. I'm not discrediting Wade for his outstanding performance, and I probably think Wade is a way better two way player, but man James Harden is something special...

How is disappearing not his fault? Losing to the spurs without Kawhi while playing at home is an embarrassment. He has a lot of capable role players around him, including a sixth man of the year in Gordon. Shaq also averaged 13 ppg not 20 and Gary Payton averaged 2 ppg. No one on that team averaged more than 15 ppg besides Wade. What are you looking at?

 

[King]

How is disappearing not his fault?

He's the one who carries the entire offense, and after a while, especially during the playoffs fatigue will catch up to you. You can't say it's entirely his fault when no one else was capable of running the offense. The only reason Lou Will and Eric Gordon were having as good of seasons as they were was because of James Harden ability to facilitate, and be a floor general.

Losing to the spurs without Kawhi while playing at home is an embarrassment.

It's the Spurs, just because Kawhi isn't playing doesn't mean they shouldn't win because they're the best team at moving the basketball around. I understand it's the playoffs, but you can't underestimate the Spurs, especially when Pop is still the coach.

Shaq also averaged 13 ppg not 20 and Gary Payton averaged 2 ppg. No one on that team averaged more than 15 ppg besides Wade. What are you looking at?

Not sure what you're looking at lol, I just showed you the stats, but you probably ignored that, and looking at some non credible source.

 

He's the one who carries the entire offense, and after a while, especially during the playoffs fatigue will catch up to you. You can't say it's entirely his fault when no one else was capable of running the offense. The only reason Lou Will and Eric Gordon were having as good of seasons as they were was because of James Harden ability to facilitate, and be a floor general.

Would you consider James Harden a superstar? Superstars don't fold the way he did in an elimination game AT HOME. LeBron carries a heavy load too. That's why he rarely rests for more than 2 minutes in a playoff game. That is simply no excuse for him not to have an impact in any way.

It's the Spurs, just because Kawhi isn't playing doesn't mean they shouldn't win because they're the best team at moving the basketball around. I understand it's the playoffs, but you can't underestimate the Spurs, especially when Pop is still the coach.

I never said they shouldn't win. Their chances however should decrease significantly because Kawhi isn't playing. There is no way the Spurs without Kawhi should have won the way they did in an elimination game on the road to a team like Houston.

Not sure what you're looking at lol, I just showed you the stats, but you probably ignored that, and looking at some non credible source.

HEAT: 2006 NBA Finals Statistics

 

[King]

Would you consider James Harden a superstar? Superstars don't fold the way he did in an elimination game. LeBron carries a heavy load too, that's why he rarely rests for more than 2 minutes in the playoffs during a game. That is simply no excuse for him not to have an impact in any way.

He is a superstar though lol. He was the runner up MVP for 2-3 seasons now, and he's putting up consistent numbers. Sure, his defense isn't the best, but the Rockets are a run n gun team and you can't put all the blame on him for that one game. LeBron has Kyrie and Love, or had Bosh, and Wade lmao.... You can't compare Hardens teammates to LeBrons one bit because they take so much pressure off him. You can talk about Love not showing up in the finals, but Kyrie does so much for him as well. Sure, without LeBron Cleveland is barely a playoff team, but Kyrie is a dog and was the only reason aside from LeBron those games against Golden State were somewhat competitive.

HEAT: 2006 NBA Finals Statistics

I was talking about the playoffs in general because some of the teams they played to get there like Chicago, New Jersey, and the Pistons. The Pistons that went to back to back finals and won a title. Wade did really good in that series, but look at everyone elses stats, especially Shaq's. Yes the final is where the most clutch players showed up, and yes Wade did carry a majority of the load, but you can't act like he had 0 help throughout the playoffs when that isn't the case.

 

[Amazer]

Harden had 6 players averaging double digit points on his team. No excuse, had plenty of help. Wade was 24 years old leading the way.

 

He is a superstar though lol. He was the runner up MVP for 2-3 seasons now, and he's putting up consistent numbers. Sure, his defense isn't the best, but the Rockets are a run n gun team and you can't put all the blame on him for that one game. LeBron has Kyrie and Love, or had Bosh, and Wade lmao.... You can't compare Hardens teammates to LeBrons one bit because they take so much pressure off him. You can talk about Love not showing up in the finals, but Kyrie does so much for him as well. Sure, without LeBron Cleveland is barely a playoff team, but Kyrie is a dog and was the only reason aside from LeBron those games against Golden State were somewhat competitive.

I never said he wasn't, but Superstars don't fold in the same magnitude that he did. He completely and utterly gave up on his team without much care. When LeBron isn't on the floor, the cavs are usually a net negative. Kyrie can't run offense properly, and Kevin Love is not a game changer; mainly a spot up shooter and rebounder. Both cannot defend for the life of them. James Harden is at the helm of his team. He is supposed to set the tone for his team, as does LeBron, and even Curry, but did not.

I was talking about the playoffs in general because some of the teams they played to get there like Chicago, New Jersey, and the Pistons. The Pistons that went to back to back finals and won a title. Wade did really good in that series, but look at everyone elses stats, especially Shaq's. Yes the final is where the most clutch players showed up, and yes Wade did carry a majority of the load, but you can't act like he had 0 help throughout the playoffs when that isn't the case.

You can't tell me that prime Harden would've lost to those Mavs had he had the same roster around him.

I was responding to this. The Heat faced the mavs in the finals, not the preliminary rounds. In those finals, no one on the Heat other than Dwayne Wade scored more than 15 ppg. It was a one man show.

 

[King]

Yeah I feel you I just feel differently on some points, but I'm so excited this season for the Western Conference. Like it's so loaded, plus you got all the Lonzo hype, and everything else going on with OKC, Minnesota, etc etc. Going to be a very interesting season this year.

 

[Amazer]

Yeah I feel you I just feel differently on some points, but I'm so excited this season for the Western Conference. Like it's so loaded, plus you got all the Lonzo hype, and everything else going on with OKC, Minnesota, etc etc. Going to be a very interesting season this year.

I think Lonzo comes out with Rubio type #s.

 

[-Ryan]

Spurs are going to kill it this year. A healthy Kawhi and Rudy Gay taking some scoring responsibility from Aldridge is going to be great.

 

[King]

Spurs are going to kill it this year. A healthy Kawhi and Rudy Gay taking some scoring responsibility from Aldridge is going to be great.

The most consistent team in basketball. They'll definitely be a top 3 seeded team as usual, but the west is so loaded right now that I just can't see them coming out of it, especially with Golden State there for the next 3-5 years. You got upcoming Suns, Trail Blazers, Lakers, along with OKC, and the Timberwolves new additions, and we can't forget about the Pelicans with the two best centers in the game. I also don't see the Clippers, or the Rockets being bad teams for a while especially considering how strong LAC is in the frontcourt, and how good the Rockets look on paper. It's just crazy man.... every team seems like a superteam on paper.....

 

[Amazer]

Spurs are going to kill it this year. A healthy Kawhi and Rudy Gay taking some scoring responsibility from Aldridge is going to be great.

I don't think they'll match the level of OKC, Rockets or GSW.

 

[King]

I don't think they'll match the level of OKC, Rockets or GSW.

Lol they'll easily match OKC or Houston no doubt. I'm not saying those other teams don't have a chance because they do, but the only team that I think can beat the Spurs when fully healthy is Golden State.

 

[Amazer]

Lol they'll easily match OKC or Houston no doubt. I'm not saying those other teams don't have a chance because they do, but the only team that I think can beat the Spurs when fully healthy is Golden State.

Honestly, Rudy Gay is a washed up bum lol

 

[King]

Honestly, Rudy Gay is a washed up bum lol

Even without Rudy Gay they'd still be the next best in the West just because of Popovich and Kawhi / Aldridge. They also have Tony Parker, and Ginobli who are old, but they still contribute a lot, the only issue is health, but if they're healthy they have no problem.

 

[Amazer]

Even without Rudy Gay they'd still be the next best in the West just because of Popovich and Kawhi / Aldridge. They also have Tony Parker, and Ginobli who are old, but they still contribute a lot, the only issue is health, but if they're healthy they have no problem.

Honestly think Aldridge is trash too. I only like Kawhi, Parker and Ginobli. If Houston gets Melo I can't see them beating Houston and with PG13 on OKC I find it hard to believe they can contain them both. GSW is well GSW...a whole new level.

 

[King]

Honestly think Aldridge is trash too. I only like Kawhi, Parker and Ginobli. If Houston gets Melo I can't see them beating Houston and with PG13 on OKC I find it hard to believe they can contain them both. GSW is well GSW...a whole new level.

Aldridge isn't trash, but he's not playing to his expectations. I don't think OKC is that much of an issue compared to Golden State considering how good the series were between the Spurs and OKC when OKC had Durant. I know they had Tim Duncan at the time, and I know they lost, but the games were super competitive, and PG13 is a downgraded version of KD to be honest..

 

[I Bleed Duke Blue]

Kyrie wants a trade :O

 

[Amazer]

Kyrie wants a trade :O

I wonder why?! I'm so dumbfounded right now. Maybe he gave up

 

[King]

I wonder why?! I'm so dumbfounded right now. Maybe he gave up

Lebron leaving rumors, Kevin Love trade rumors, no offseason additions to give hope to beat GS all adding up.