CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025 Posted June 17, 2015 I think the craziest thing about the Warriors winning is the fact that they didn't have a single player with finals experience and they had a rookie head coach, which cuts completely counter to conventional wisdom Absolutely Also, that 57 or I guess now 58-0 stat they had this year where if at any point they lead by 15 they don't lose is really impressive too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted June 17, 2015 Absolutely Also, that 57 or I guess now 58-0 stat they had this year where if at any point they lead by 15 they don't lose is really impressive too. honestly, the craziest thing about that stat to me is that they had a 15+ point lead at some point in 58 games this year 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241 Posted June 17, 2015 (edited) I understand your point and am not disagreeing with. Iggy had those open shots without a doubt because of Steph but at least he made the shots... He's more known, IMO atleast, for his defense... But it was his added offense that really helped the Warriors out. JR Smith had a similar situation on the other side... Lebron was getting him the ball with wide open looks every time he shot the ball. Brick after brick. If JR Smith actually plays up to his talent, the Cavs may very well win that series. Iggy, in a similar situation, made those shots and his team won. Steph played well, especially in Games 4,5, and 6. The offense flows through him and you can see that quite clearly... But relative to the regular season, he wasn't quite the same, and I think that hurt him come time for the MVP announcement. Oh... And let's not forget that Iggy guarded Lebron exceptionally well. Lebron made 49% of his shots in the regular season, 42% of his shots in the playoffs, and 40% in the Finals... When Iggy was guarding him... 35%. The guy was one on one with the best player (and some would say best athlete) in the world and.. Relatively.. shut him down. This is more of a team defense thing, but Lebron missed 120ish shots over 6 games. That's actually crazy to me... that you can AVERAGE 20 misses a game. Ouch. Iguodola was without a shred of doubt the most valuable player the Warriors had over the last 6 games. Is he or was he the best player even? Probably not (Steph was 2 three-pointers away from tying Danny Green's Finals record, btw)... But he was the most valuable. Lebron's scoring numbers were inefficient with or without Iggy on him, shooting 42% is not much better then shooting 38% when you consider how many shots Lebron took. And it was pretty clear that an overall lack of talent and fatigue had as much to do with Lebron's scoring as any defense. He was bricking everyday layups he makes even with the best defenses on him in the second half of games, not just in this series either but all playoffs long. He only put up a shooting percentage of 50% or better four times in the playoffs in total, and he had far worse scoring numbers in some other games in the playoffs then in the finals. It's pretty clear Lebron was just overtaxed all playoffs long. There's no way he was the most valuable player, both Steph and Lebron would of been better options then him. Edited June 17, 2015 by DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted June 17, 2015 Thing is though the Warriors were 1-2 before Iggy and when he came in they went 3-0. His went from average of 34.8 to 39.4 which meant he was having to deal with LeBron, gassed or not that's still a bitch of an assignment. He also went from 12.3 PPG to 20.3 PPG. That's a huge jump offensively in an extra 5 minutes average per game. Yes he had open shots from the work of Curry but he still put himself out there to be able to take those shots and was still clutch enough to make them. Iggy was there change of pace and defensive specialist. He didn't shit the bed in the finals once and carried both sides of the ball when he was needed. Imo Iggy deserves the MVP as he was the series changer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted June 17, 2015 Lebron's scoring numbers were inefficient with or without Iggy on him, shooting 42% is not much better then shooting 38% when you consider how many shots Lebron took. And it was pretty clear that an overall lack of talent and fatigue had as much to do with Lebron's scoring as any defense. He was bricking everyday layups he makes even with the best defenses on him in the second half of games, not just in this series either but all playoffs long. He only put up a shooting percentage of 50% or better four times in the playoffs in total, and he had far worse scoring numbers in some other games in the playoffs then in the finals. It's pretty clear Lebron was just overtaxed all playoffs long. There's no way he was the most valuable player, both Steph and Lebron would of been better options then him. He was definitely tired.. Physically and mentally exhausted... but I am not here to make excuses for guys. If I have to sit here and make excuses for players and their poor efficiency, they don't deserve the praise to begin with -- no matter how great the effort or as vast as the numbers may be. This line of thinking is also a bit of a cop out, because it doesn't give credit to Golden State at all. Golden State was the better team... We should recognize them as such. "Lebron was tired. His efficiency has been bad all playoffs (is this really something we want to talk about anyway? lol)" Like.. Ya, you are right. But Golden State played amazing basketball. There was only one game that was actually good from start to finish. The others could have been watched form the Late 3rd onward and you would have missed nothing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted June 17, 2015 Analysts are acting like this historically good juggernaut of a Warriors team doesn't line up with other champions. They're right--they don't. They're better than a lot of past champions. This is a once in a lifetime squad. It's really too bad they didn't have to go through any kind of gauntlet in the playoffs, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted June 17, 2015 (edited) IMO, the recent Spurs and Heat teams could beat Golden Sate. It's all about matchups. Edited June 17, 2015 by Sarge 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Milla4Prez63 678 Posted June 17, 2015 I'm not sure I'd call this Warriors team an all time great squad, but they were something special for sure. I'm happy for Warriors fans because for the longest time they were truly irrelevant, for like 30 years they literally accomplished nothing outside of that first round upset against Dallas years back when they had Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014 Posted June 17, 2015 Thunder gonna win the Finals next year if they're healthy. Warriors got it out of the way this year kinda like when Hakeem and the Rockets took advantage in MJ's absence. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted June 17, 2015 The West should be incredible next year if GSW, OKC, Houston, LAC, and SAS can all stay healthy. NOP is a dark horse, too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241 Posted June 17, 2015 Thing is though the Warriors were 1-2 before Iggy and when he came in they went 3-0. His went from average of 34.8 to 39.4 which meant he was having to deal with LeBron, gassed or not that's still a bitch of an assignment. He also went from 12.3 PPG to 20.3 PPG. That's a huge jump offensively in an extra 5 minutes average per game. Yes he had open shots from the work of Curry but he still put himself out there to be able to take those shots and was still clutch enough to make them. Iggy was there change of pace and defensive specialist. He didn't shit the bed in the finals once and carried both sides of the ball when he was needed. Imo Iggy deserves the MVP as he was the series changer. It doesn't work that way... The notion that Iggy played great defense on Lebron, isn't false, but is not as big a difference maker as some believe. Because regardless of who was on him, Lebron was having a tough time scoring all playoff long, and wasn't faring much better when Iggy wasn't on him. Maybe Lebron scores 4 or 6 more points with someone else on him, what difference would that really make? The margin of victory for the Warriors was at 14 points, how much difference would 4 to 6 points make? Simply put, Curry was more valuable to the Warriors then Iggy was. He was the only reason that not only Iggy, but Barnes, Green, Ezeli were all in positions where they seemed to be complete afterthoughts. Even when the game was on the line Iggy, and etc were being left wide open, everywhere. The Warriors picked up the pace and forced the Cavs to chase Curry with pick and roll with a shooter being the pick man instead of Lee or Bogut, this is what opened up the game. And regardless of whether or not Iggy took advantage of those open looks he got, the real team MVP was the one who put him in those positions. Simply put, X factor/role player =/= MVP. Of the three candidates, Iggy was the least worthy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanbrock 1,684 Posted June 17, 2015 It really says something that the last two finals MVPs were not particularly great offensively, but just won because they could slow LeBron down. And Golden State was amazing this year and i don't think they're going to lose anyone major. Green is a free agent but they'll match what anyone offers. Igoudala also made Mozgov ineffective and he ignited their transition game which is huge for GS. Imo Igoudala made their offense more effective in general. When he was inserted into the starting line up, I don't think it's a coincidence that the ball starting moving way better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
butta54 371 Posted June 17, 2015 IMO, the recent Spurs and Heat teams could beat Golden Sate. It's all about matchups. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Packers Dynasty 2010 116 Posted June 18, 2015 Last year's Spurs would easily beat the Warriors Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanbrock 1,684 Posted June 18, 2015 He has a point...but GS was so dominant during the regular season. They're a really, really deep young and athletic team. That's a winning recipe in just about any team sport professional league, the NBA being no exception. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted June 18, 2015 Cavs should've kept Wiggins instead of trading for Love. Would've saved cap space and honestly I'd rather have Wiggins instead of a selfish money wanting player like Love. Kyrie, Thompson, Lebron, and Wiggins would've been a great young core around him...now they're left with low life Knick players and no cap space. Idiots. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanbrock 1,684 Posted June 18, 2015 Cavs should've kept Wiggins instead of trading for Love. Would've saved cap space and honestly I'd rather have Wiggins instead of a selfish money wanting player like Love. Kyrie, Thompson, Lebron, and Wiggins would've been a great young core around him...now they're left with low life Knick players and no cap space. Idiots. And theoretically Mozgov as a 4th offensive option. Cats could have used this off season to stack their bench and would have had a team would look pretty unstoppable if healthy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241 Posted June 18, 2015 (edited) Statistically speaking, the Warriors do have an all time great team. I wouldn't put them top 5 all time, but top 10? Most definitely. The only reason why they would lose to a team like the Spurs of last year would be because of inexperience. Edited June 18, 2015 by DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted June 18, 2015 Analysts are acting like this historically good juggernaut of a Warriors team doesn't line up with other champions. They're right--they don't. They're better than a lot of past champions. This is a once in a lifetime squad. It's really too bad they didn't have to go through any kind of gauntlet in the playoffs, though. They did face and beat every starter from the All NBA team. Not a testament to the teams themselves I suppose, but I wouldn't call their path easy or anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted June 18, 2015 I'd say they were lucky to draw gimpy Mike Conley and no Pat Beverly. Those two dudes would have given Steph all kinds of hell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vin+ 3,121 Posted June 18, 2015 http://espn.go.com/blog/marc-stein/post/_/id/3896/lebrons-handling-of-blatt-unbecoming 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted June 18, 2015 Chris Bosh goofy ass rubbing off on everyone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Milla4Prez63 678 Posted June 19, 2015 The weak path to the title argument is a bunch of BS. The Warriors if anything earned that easier path by being the best team in the regular season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted June 19, 2015 just saw ESPN post to Facebook that Curry is set to become the first player in NBA history to be on the All-NBA 1st Team and play all four of the other members of the All-NBA 1st Team in that postseason (Anthony Davis in round 1, Marc Gasol in Conference Semis, James Harden in Conference Finals, and Lebron James in the Finals) talk about running a gauntlet F4E mentioned this a couple posts up, but I thought it bears repeating given all of the arguments about the Warriors having a weak path to the Championship Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
