re: *****NBA PLAYOFFS 2016 THREAD*****

I just paid 100 bucks to see the Warriors destroy the Portland Trail Blazers. I honestly don't see how anybody is going to beat this team.

As good as the Spurs are, I wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors beat them in five.

its easy to argue against depth when you have someone who is having a season that would be one of michaels greatest. just look at the bulls teams of the 90s. you would very rarely see more than three players average in the double digits. greatness trumps depth IMO and while the spurs definitely play better defense and have the best defense in the NBA, its not like the warriors arent in the upper tier either. im going with GS in no less than 6

but thats the thing though, the warriors have every single answer for everything and a lot of that comes down to draymond green and his ability to do everything. they can go small like they did in the finals last year or they can go big with bogut or ezeli and they will be able to create mismatches. this spur team is better than last years warrior team and would probably win last years title, but i think this warrior team is on another plane

of course, spurs and the warriors will now probably not make it out of the first round

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Not when that greatness would have to play extended minutes over the course of a long series, IMO. That'll wear even the greatest players down, especially when you consider they'll likely face each other after two rounds of play.

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but kwahi and danny will also be facing the same problem. they will be just as exhausted as steph and klay bu the time game 6 roles around after they will be defending 6 games of their motion and their transition

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but kwahi and danny will also be facing the same problem.

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No, because SA's bench is deeper, so they'll go to it quicker. This will rest Kawhi and Danny more than Curry and Thompson. Which presents the Warriors with the question of whether they leave their dynamic duo in to chase Patty Mills and the ball in the pass-happy uptempo style of offense the SA bench plays, or try to weather the storm with their own bench against ours, in which case Thompson and Curry will likely have a deeper deficit to recover from. Against an equally rested Danny/Kawhi.

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or try to weather the storm with their own bench against ours, in which case Thompson and Curry will likely have a deeper deficit to recover from

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but its not like golden state has a poor bench either. in fact its probably a top 3 or 5 bench that just doesnt score as much because of klay and steph and draymond. their bench is second in field goal percentage, 4th in total efficency, and have pretty equal turnover rate. now, the spurs have a decent advantage in field goal percentage and total efficecny so it is reasonable to assume that once the teams go to the bench, the spurs will be able to build a lead. but im not convinced the warriors bench will be out classed to the point where it puts them behind the eight ball too often to where they lose the series. so i still feel pretty good with the warriors, especially when we consider they have the biggest x factor in the nba in draymond which allows them to create mismatches no matter what they decide to do with their lineup

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its not like golden state has a poor bench either.

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I know, and I'm not implying that their bench is poor, only that SA's is deeper and playing at a historic level.

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it is reasonable to assume that once the teams go to the bench, the spurs will be able to build a lead. but im not convinced the warriors bench will be out classed to the point where it puts them behind the eight ball too often to where they lose the series.

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Basically, what I'm saying is that the greatness of the Spurs' bench evens the playing field given the advantage the dubs will enjoy in the starting unit. Neither the starters nor the bench are terrible for either team, obviously--I just think the slight advantage one team has in one aspect will be balanced by the advantage the opponent will enjoy in the other.

It's going to come down to execution late in games, and as much as I like/respect Kerr, I'm hanging my hat on Pop winning that battle of wits.

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they have the biggest x factor in the nba in draymond which allows them to create mismatches no matter what they decide to do with their lineup

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I see your draymond x-factor, and I raise you one Boris The Animal

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It's going to come down to execution late in games, and as much as I like/respect Kerr, I'm hanging my hat on Pop winning that battle of wits.

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i can agree with this, but im hanging my hat on the greatness that is steph curry right now to win that battle

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I see your draymond x-factor, and I raise you one Boris The Animal

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diaw better be drinking that fat free shite

Through this point in a season, the Spurs have the largest point differential in NBA history and the Warriors have the third largest. Both teams are currently top 10 ALL TIME in nearly every team efficiency metric there is, one actually having the Warriors as the best ever. Steph Curry is having arguably the greatest overall single season in league history.

The WCF will be EPIC this year. The last time two teams anywhere near this good met in the postseason was the 1985 Finals when both the Celtics and Lakers won around 65 games.