2016 NBA Playoffs

[goatprairie]

That and the fact that the refs tried to foul out Adams during the first half of the first quarter.  Game 6es are always rigged. The NBA wants its tv money.  I'm afraid they may want a fairytale ending for Curry too. I hate rigged sports.

"I hate rigged sports."

Let's see the proof.

[goatprairie]

He who laughs last laughs best. Epic choke job by OKC. I guess the people who think OKC will never win a title with Westbrook at pg might be correct. Doesn't have the bb IQ to be a true leader.

[mountaineer]

Curry and Thompson are unstoppable when on their game. I hope they keep it up against the Cavs.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Curry and Thompson are unstoppable when on their game. I hope they keep it up against the Cavs.

The only way to beat GSW is to play physically, and use ball-denial against Curry.  You've got to be really disciplined defensively to pull that off, and OKC just didn't do it.  If you let Curry get the ball easily, he'll work his way to a shot and that quick release is deadly.  Cavs went up 2-1 on them last year because they made him fight even to get the ball each possession, and he got frustrated.

Also, they need to bait Draymond into a flagrant so he gets a vacation.

[mountaineer]

Looks like GS is handing Cleveland pretty well. Curiously, the refs didn't provide much help to James last night.

[musiclady]

Cavs force Game 7!  AWESOME game tonight!  GO CLEVELAND!!!! 

[DCPatriot]

That's it!

I will NEVER tune in to another NBA game..."NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!!"

Carjackers in shorts....

The Series is rigged and it's obvious to anybody who can fog a mirror!    Disgraceful!

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I heard Curry's wife talking about the NBA being "rigged".  If true, she's got no cause to complain because the NBA "rigged" her husband two MVP's and a Championship.

Kevin Love got  elbowed in the head earlier in the series, and got a concussion.  Predictably, he was called for a foul. 

The foul issue is that LBJ is a big guy, and so has a Shaq problem.  Fouled on virtually every single play he goes to the hoop, but it's not called because he's strong so the visible impact of the foul isn't a great.  Curry is built like a 12 year old girl,  whines every single time he is hit, and rarely gets called himself.  But the rules defining a foul don't say anything about it being okay to be rougher with bigger, stronger guys.  It's the act of fouling, not the result, that matters.

But here is by far the most significant issue with GSW and fouls: If the NBA called fouls evenly, Green and Bogut would have fouled our of 20 games for moving screens.  It is a feature, not a bug of their offense, and they almost never get called for it.  That is a key to them getting so many open shots.  Lots of commentators have remarked on it, and there are plenty of youtube compilations showing it. Here's just one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQpKAibkEU

As for it being "rigged"...why didn't they "rig" it for seven games last year?  Why didn't they "rig" it so GSW didn't go up 3-1, but it was tied 2-2?  The reality in the NBA has always been that home teams tend to get the calls -- the crowds influence the refs no matter how hard they try to remain objective.

[DCPatriot]

Watch...game 7 will be like watching the movie Rollerball.

They'll "let them play".

This is all to give the great Lebron James a ring in Cleveland.  Nothing more.  After all, America loves the underdog....and James only has so many minutes left.

[musiclady]

I heard Curry's wife talking about the NBA being "rigged".  If true, she's got no cause to complain because the NBA "rigged" her husband two MVP's and a Championship.

Kevin Love got  elbowed in the head earlier in the series, and got a concussion.  Predictably, he was called for a foul. 

The foul issue is that LBJ is a big guy, and so has a Shaq problem.  Fouled on virtually every single play he goes to the hoop, but it's not called because he's strong so the visible impact of the foul isn't a great.  Curry is built like a 12 year old girl,  whines every single time he is hit, and rarely gets called himself.  But the rules defining a foul don't say anything about it being okay to be rougher with bigger, stronger guys.  It's the act of fouling, not the result, that matters.

But here is by far the most significant issue with GSW and fouls: If the NBA called fouls evenly, Green and Bogut would have fouled our of 20 games for moving screens.  It is a feature, not a bug of their offense, and they almost never get called for it.  That is a key to them getting so many open shots.  Lots of commentators have remarked on it, and there are plenty of youtube compilations showing it. Here's just one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQpKAibkEU

As for it being "rigged"...why didn't they "rig" it for seven games last year?  Why didn't they "rig" it so GSW didn't go up 3-1, but it was tied 2-2?  The reality in the NBA has always been that home teams tend to get the calls -- the crowds influence the refs no matter how hard they try to remain objective.

Good post.

(Curry certainly acted like a 12 year old girl when he fouled out and threw his mouth guard into the stands, thus getting ejected).

You're right about LeBron.  People complain about his fouling and not getting called, but he gets fouled all the time without any call.

As a Cleveland fan (more Indians and Browns  than Cavs) having grown up in NEO, I sure wish the final game were being played at home.  The crowd last night was awesome, and you know they make a difference to both the players and the refs.

Playing in Oakland will make it much tougher, but as one who has been waiting since Jimmy Brown led the Browns to a Championship, I sure am hoping for a win this time.

No matter what, James needs to be MVP.  If he isn't, it's a travesty.  The guy is truly awesome.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Watch...game 7 will be like watching the movie Rollerball.

They'll "let them play".

This is all to give the great Lebron James a ring in Cleveland.  Nothing more.  After all, America loves the underdog....and James only has so many minutes left.

If that was the case, they would have given it to him last year, and they wouldn't have let him get down 3-1.  Had Green not done something stupid, GSW would have closed this out at home.  Now, Iguodala is banged-up, and Bogut is hurt.  Cavs wouldn't have a chance in game 7 but for that.

As for "Rollerball", I assume that means you agree with the moving screens issue.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Good post.

(Curry certainly acted like a 12 year old girl when he fouled out and threw his mouth guard into the stands, thus getting ejected).

You're right about LeBron.  People complain about his fouling and not getting called, but he gets fouled all the time without any call.

As a Cleveland fan (more Indians and Browns  than Cavs) having grown up in NEO, I sure wish the final game were being played at home.  The crowd last night was awesome, and you know they make a difference to both the players and the refs.

The watch party at the Q sold out this morning in literally 38 seconds.  All 20,000 seats.  I live about an hour south of the city, and there was a line out the door of the local drug store that sold tickets.  And the first people in line couldn't even get tickets.  I don't think people not from this area would understand what a championship would mean to this city.  One reason it is such a friendly city to visit is that there is sort of this sense of shared suffering, revolving largely around sports.  We all have that in common, and it kind of unifies people.

I don't have a lot of hope for Game 7 -- I don't think Coach Lue is very good at matchups, and he doesn't use his bench well. But, with two days rest for LBJ (he plays much, much better with two days off rather than just one), and GSW being banged up, we have a puncher's chance.

[goatprairie]

I heard Curry's wife talking about the NBA being "rigged".  If true, she's got no cause to complain because the NBA "rigged" her husband two MVP's and a Championship.

Kevin Love got  elbowed in the head earlier in the series, and got a concussion.  Predictably, he was called for a foul. 

The foul issue is that LBJ is a big guy, and so has a Shaq problem.  Fouled on virtually every single play he goes to the hoop, but it's not called because he's strong so the visible impact of the foul isn't a great.  Curry is built like a 12 year old girl,  whines every single time he is hit, and rarely gets called himself.  But the rules defining a foul don't say anything about it being okay to be rougher with bigger, stronger guys.  It's the act of fouling, not the result, that matters.

But here is by far the most significant issue with GSW and fouls: If the NBA called fouls evenly, Green and Bogut would have fouled our of 20 games for moving screens.  It is a feature, not a bug of their offense, and they almost never get called for it.  That is a key to them getting so many open shots.  Lots of commentators have remarked on it, and there are plenty of youtube compilations showing it. Here's just one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQpKAibkEU

As for it being "rigged"...why didn't they "rig" it for seven games last year?  Why didn't they "rig" it so GSW didn't go up 3-1, but it was tied 2-2?  The reality in the NBA has always been that home teams tend to get the calls -- the crowds influence the refs no matter how hard they try to remain objective.

It never fails....if some fan's team is going to lose, the games are "rigged." I've been listening to this stuff for over sixty years. If games were actually fixed, it would take many people involved to do so. And  like the 1919 WS, experts would be suspecting things as the games wore on. And people involved would eventually squeal. There's no way  games can be fixed with large numbers of people involved and the truth not eventually out.
The usual suspects holler fix every time a series goes more than five games. So I guess every series should be won 4-0 or 4-1 for it not to be fixed. There can be no such thing as two almost evenly matched teams taking it to the limit. Brilliant thinking.
 But I remember most of the people who were hollering about fixes in the past were not  the sharpest tools in the shed anyway. So I take that into consideration when I hear some fool whine about "fixed" games.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

It never fails....if some fan's team is going to lose, the games are "rigged." I've been listening to this stuff for over sixty years. If games were actually fixed, it would take many people involved to do so. And the like the 1919 WS, experts would be suspecting things as the games wore on. And people involved would eventually squeal. There's no way  games can be fixed with large numbers of people involved and the truth not eventually out.
The usual suspects holler fix every time a series goes more than five games. So I guess every series should be won 4-0 or 4-1 for it not to be fixed. There can be no such thing as two almost evenly matched teams taking it to the limit. Brilliant thinking.
 But I remember most of the people who were hollering about fixes in the past were not  the sharpest tools in the shed anyway. So I take that into consideration when I hear some fool whine about "fixed" games.

Right -- home teams get calls because refs are human, not because it is systemically rigged.  Even the crooked ref who admitted that he cheated never claimed it was the league pushing it -- he did it just for purely personal gain.

[DCPatriot]

If that was the case, they would have given it to him last year, and they wouldn't have let him get down 3-1.  Had Green not done something stupid, GSW would have closed this out at home.  Now, Iguodala is banged-up, and Bogut is hurt.  Cavs wouldn't have a chance in game 7 but for that.

As for "Rollerball", I assume that means you agree with the moving screens issue.

I swear I was watching the WWF last night!!  Are you kidding me?   I was waiting for the aluminum chair.   

All I meant is that it would be a loosely called game and it wouldn't surprise me is somebody got thrown out for fighting.

Yeah...it's fixed.

SIX straight times his team made it to the finals.  He owes Cleveland.

The movie has already been written.   

Gimme a break!!        

[musiclady]

The watch party at the Q sold out this morning in literally 38 seconds.  All 20,000 seats.  I live about an hour south of the city, and there was a line out the door of the local drug store that sold tickets.  And the first people in line couldn't even get tickets.  I don't think people not from this area would understand what a championship would mean to this city.  One reason it is such a friendly city to visit is that there is sort of this sense of shared suffering, revolving largely around sports.  We all have that in common, and it kind of unifies people.

I don't have a lot of hope for Game 7 -- I don't think Coach Lue is very good at matchups, and he doesn't use his bench well. But, with two days rest for LBJ (he plays much, much better with two days off rather than just one), and GSW being banged up, we have a puncher's chance.

I'm not at all surprised by the fan reaction to getting tickets to Game 7.

Cleveland is an incredible sports city and has some of the best (and clearly most loyal!) fans in the country.   And we NEED a Championship.

The pain of the 97 World Series and Jose Mesa's botched 9th inning in the 7th game still haunts me.  And I'm old enough to remember the Browns' winning in 64 and carrying the weight of not even getting into a Super Bowl since they started.  (And still feel the sting of Art Modell's betrayal, even though I've never actually lived in Cleveland).

I agree that people from other places can't possibly understand how we feel.  But we do have a real chance on Sunday.  I believe we have the better team this year, and LeBron is hungry to bring a championship home to northern Ohio.

I think they can do it.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I'm not at all surprised by the fan reaction to getting tickets to Game 7.

Cleveland is an incredible sports city and has some of the best (and clearly most loyal!) fans in the country.   And we NEED a Championship.

The pain of the 97 World Series and Jose Mesa's botched 9th inning in the 7th game still haunts me.  And I'm old enough to remember the Browns' winning in 64 and carrying the weight of not even getting into a Super Bowl since they started.  (And still feel the sting of Art Modell's betrayal, even though I've never actually lived in Cleveland).

I agree that people from other places can't possibly understand how we feel.  But we do have a real chance on Sunday.  I believe we have the better team this year, and LeBron is hungry to bring a championship home to northern Ohio.

I think they can do it.

I was wrong -- they actually announced that all 20,000 tickets sold out in 28 seconds, not 38.  I think the issue was that season ticket holders got first crack, so very few likely made it to the general public.

Watch party tickets are going for over $750 a seat on ebay.  That's just to go into the building and watch the TV feed.  Rumors this evening is that they might open up the Jake (I refuse to call it "Progressive Field") as well, which would be another 42,000 seats.  My guess is they could easily sell out the Q, the Jake, and First Energy (the Browns) stadium, easily.  That'd be over 120,000 paying just to watch it on the TV.

[TomSea]

Some other basketball series was questioned, that with the OKC Thunder and GSW.

[goatprairie]

I swear I was watching the WWF last night!!  Are you kidding me?   I was waiting for the aluminum chair.   

All I meant is that it would be a loosely called game and it wouldn't surprise me is somebody got thrown out for fighting.

Yeah...it's fixed.

SIX straight times his team made it to the finals.  He owes Cleveland.

The movie has already been written.   

Gimme a break!!        

Yeah...it's fixed.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

[DCPatriot]

Yeah...it's fixed.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

The three fouls called on SK haven't been called on him all season.  It was bush to take their game away, and force a Game 7.

I hope they win by 30.

[Machiavelli]

Let's hear it for African Roundball! 

[goatprairie]

The three fouls called on SK haven't been called on him all season.  It was bush to take their game away, and force a Game 7.

I hope they win by 30.

You sound like a GS fan (as in fanatic) who is irate about fouls being called on your favorite player. Too bad. I actually have no dog in this fight.
My team, the Bucks, didn't even make the playoffs.
But I hate to see dynasties built other than from my own teams. So I'm rooting for Cleveland. And if Cleveland wins this year and is in the finals next year, I hope they get crushed.

[goatprairie]

Let's hear it for African Roundball! 

So what sport do you watch, if any?

[DCPatriot]

You sound like a GS fan (as in fanatic) who is irate about fouls being called on your favorite player. Too bad. I actually have no dog in this fight.
My team, the Bucks, didn't even make the playoffs.
But I hate to see dynasties built other than from my own teams. So I'm rooting for Cleveland. And if Cleveland wins this year and is in the finals next year, I hope they get crushed.

Not at all!  I don't watch it.

You can tune in to the last two minutes of any NBA game and see the whole game. 

The rest of it?  "I can read about it in the papers. ...in the papers" (Jimmy Two Times)

It's the WWB, baby.

[goatprairie]

Not at all!  I don't watch it.

You can tune in to the last two minutes of any NBA game and see the whole game. 

The rest of it?  "I can read about it in the papers. ...in the papers" (Jimmy Two Times)

It's the WWB, baby.

Well let's just say I disagree about the two minutes line which has been around forever. Most games are decided well before that. I can say that because I watch over two hundred NBA games a year. Hundreds of college games as well.
But now I know what you know about pro basketball.