Part of me thinks the league is gonna start having the games called in OKC’s favor and have 'em come back and win. The more I watch the league the more I realize how ridiculously shady it is. Shit, even if they called it FAIR it’s in OKC’s favor. Let’s see how tonight goes.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Can we talk about Harden?
What do you guys think is going on with him?
He completely fell off the map since the Finals and hasn’t even had a double digit point total yet.
He only had 4 games all season without scoring double digits![/quote]
I think part of it is he’s exhausted from getting beaten on by LBJ in the post every possession on defense.
But mainly, he started missing a few shots that normally wouldn’t get to him, but because it’s the finals, it’s gotten in his head. He clearly has lost all confidence given the open shots he’s passing up and the open driving lanes he isn’t attacking.
Honestly he looks a lot like LBJ in last year’s finals only he’s not as big of a superstar so it’s less scrutinized. I think OKC will be back next year (barring injury) and Harden will be fine (like LBJ this year).
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
Oh and Skip Bayless had a gem today (yesterday). He gave Westbrook a 7/10 for his Game 4 performance and said he played “wild.” [/quote]
I didn’t see him play any differently, everything just went in.[/quote]
I disagree. He had some of his patented dumb jumpers but he attacked the basket way more frequently.
Prediction: Miami wins.
I feel like OKC is beaten down… they feel like the refs have been unfair, they couldn’t get a win even with Westbrook having the game of his life, nothing they’re trying is working. Meanwhile, MIA smells blood and is going to come out to a home crowd with tons of energy, be super active/quick on defense and stifle OKC’s offense out of the gate.
OKC will claw back but I just don’t think they believe they can win at this point. I hope I’m wrong, I’d like to see them win.
Fact: If you are watching this game to see which way the officiating goes, instead of watching because the 2 best players/teams on the planet are going to be fighting tooth and nail in an elimination game, you are seriously not seeing the forest for the trees. Just sit back and enjoy.
What I’m looking forward to most is to see if Brooks sticks with Harden (sub-par defender) on LBJ, if he mixes it up a little, or if he mixes it up a LOT (what if he got crazy and put Ibaka on LBJ? I actually think that might work).
If Brooks makes no changes to his rotation after losing 3 straight, and plays Fisher/Perkins a combined 40 minutes, OKC flat out deserves to lose.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Can we talk about Harden?
What do you guys think is going on with him?
He completely fell off the map since the Finals and hasn’t even had a double digit point total yet.
He only had 4 games all season without scoring double digits![/quote]
Like everyone else said, it’s in his head. Kind of ironic given the shit talking he does to get in other people’s head.
Honestly, I think he should shave is beard. I think it would be good for morale and it’s those stupid little changes that can change one’s mind set. I know what I’m saying sounds dumb, but seriously I’d shave my beard.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Fact: If you are watching this game to see which way the officiating goes, instead of watching because the 2 best players/teams on the planet are going to be fighting tooth and nail in an elimination game, you are seriously not seeing the forest for the trees. Just sit back and enjoy.
What I’m looking forward to most is to see if Brooks sticks with Harden (sub-par defender) on LBJ, if he mixes it up a little, or if he mixes it up a LOT (what if he got crazy and put Ibaka on LBJ? I actually think that might work).
If Brooks makes no changes to his rotation after losing 3 straight, and plays Fisher/Perkins a combined 40 minutes, OKC flat out deserves to lose.[/quote]
Good god you’re clueless. That is not a “fact”. A “fact” is that Miami is winning this series because of ref help. If this series would’ve even been called FAIR, OKC would’ve already won. They’ve been getting raped by David Stern and his refs and have still stayed in each game. I wonder how close these games are to covering the spread…? OKC still had to make shots, and they haven’t when they needed it, but if the games were called evenly it would’ve never got to that point. That’s a FACT.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Last officiating point - if you were watching both sides, there were some bad calls in OKC’s favor last night. Not as many, but there were some.
[/quote]
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Fact: If you are watching this game to see which way the officiating goes, instead of watching because the 2 best players/teams on the planet are going to be fighting tooth and nail in an elimination game, you are seriously not seeing the forest for the trees. Just sit back and enjoy.
[/quote]
[quote]therajraj wrote:
Can we talk about Harden?
What do you guys think is going on with him?
He completely fell off the map since the Finals and hasn’t even had a double digit point total yet.
He only had 4 games all season without scoring double digits![/quote]
He has to play defense on Lebron which is tiring. Lebron plays all over the court.
Better defense is being played on him. Dwayne Wade is a basically a more athletic version of him. Wade is also a swing player so naturally his instincts are better at predicting what Harden will do. Most teams don’t have a Harden type player offensively so he gets by on being different. The same way Wade does and Ginobili
Harden is playing more minutes and getting more attention then he used to.
Scott Brooks hasn’t decided on a stable offensive scheme or way to open the court. Perkins, Ibaka are not scoring. Leaving Battier/Wade to roam, and Haslem/Bosh in the paint. That’s a very difficult defense to score on.
Miami role players are hitting shots. Long as they hit, there’s no fast break game. Cut Hardens points in half.
The refs are trying to punish him for the amount of flopping he did this year. They seem to be doing it to everybody, but combine this with what I said above and Hardens loses his mental fortitude. Once that is gone a player is lost.
I feel like everyone is forgetting that OKC only has to win once in Miami to take back home court advantage. If they win tonight the series is theirs to lose.
I really am not a big fan of the 2-3-2 format for the finals. I think it gives an unfair edge toward the lower seeded team and, if both teams hold their home court, puts extra pressure on the top seeded team when the pressure should be on the lower seed (assuming a 2-3 series after 5)
My prediction (probably more of a hope as a basketball fan) is either OKC or Miami in 7.
Honestly at this point I wouldnt mind seein Miami win if two things happen from here on out:
- LeBron keeps playing te way he is and carry’s Miami. If he keeps putting up 30+/8+/8+ a night he deserves it.
- The officiating is more balanced. I want to see games decided by the players, if that happens then may the best team win.
Oh man I’m really hoping for a game 7. That would be amazing.
In regards to Hardens absolutely horrendous offensive performances so far… You can say all you want about defending James being a factor but the dude is bricking WIDE OPEN shots. He hardly shot any really contested jumpers in game 4 and was just brick city. The dude has lost his mental edge.
If he doesn’t figure it out and start hitting shots like he used to then Miami wins tonight. Hardens offense off the bench is one of the main reasons I thought OKC would win and he forgot how to shoot the ball.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Fact: If you are watching this game to see which way the officiating goes, instead of watching because the 2 best players/teams on the planet are going to be fighting tooth and nail in an elimination game, you are seriously not seeing the forest for the trees. [/quote][/quote] Half the trees are getting cut down
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]scj119 wrote:Just sit back and enjoy.
What I’m looking forward to most is to see if Brooks sticks with Harden (sub-par defender) on LBJ, if he mixes it up a little, or if he mixes it up a LOT (what if he got crazy and put Ibaka on LBJ? I actually think that might work).
If Brooks makes no changes to his rotation after losing 3 straight, and plays Fisher/Perkins a combined 40 minutes, OKC flat out deserves to lose.[/quote]
Good god you’re clueless. That is not a “fact”. A “fact” is that Miami is winning this series because of ref help. If this series would’ve even been called FAIR, OKC would’ve already won. They’ve been getting raped by David Stern and his refs and have still stayed in each game. I wonder how close these games are to covering the spread…? OKC still had to make shots, and they haven’t when they needed it, but if the games were called evenly it would’ve never got to that point. That’s a FACT.[/quote]
I don’t agree with you that the lottery is fixed, but I have always felt officiating is. Even back when the Bulls would have mysteriously long playoff series.
A Lebron fan/hater and a fan of most of the remaining players in this series it’s fun to watch but the poor officiating is too obvious. Bad is one thing unfair is another. Miami players are getting all the calls OKC aren’t. I have noticed there is a reoccurring theme with the NBA wanting to crown older players, but it takes a little away from watching.
That is not even remotely true. MIA has played better on top of ref help. OKC would not have won in 5 games.
Saying the refs swung 3 games single handedly just proves you have not been watching the full games.
[quote]gregron wrote:
In regards to Hardens absolutely horrendous offensive performances so far… You can say all you want about defending James being a factor but the dude is bricking WIDE OPEN shots. He hardly shot any really contested jumpers in game 4 and was just brick city. The dude has lost his mental edge.
If he doesn’t figure it out and start hitting shots like he used to then Miami wins tonight. Hardens offense off the bench is one of the main reasons I thought OKC would win and he forgot how to shoot the ball.[/quote]
yeah man it’s a combination of both. Dead legs PLUS has no confidence anymore whatsoever.
I think if nothing else we can all agree that OKC needs a better performance from Harden tonight if they have any shot.
[quote]gregron wrote:
I feel like everyone is forgetting that OKC only has to win once in Miami to take back home court advantage. If they win tonight the series is theirs to lose.
I really am not a big fan of the 2-3-2 format for the finals. I think it gives an unfair edge toward the lower seeded team and, if both teams hold their home court, puts extra pressure on the top seeded team when the pressure should be on the lower seed (assuming a 2-3 series after 5)[/quote]
That’s a common complaint that seems logical on the surface, but this shit has been studied to death, the only effect that 2-3-2 format has on a series is that the game is more likely to end in 6 or 7 games instead of ending in 5 (pretty common in 2-2-1-1-1 format). They just do it to make more money off slightly longer series’s.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Last officiating point - if you were watching both sides, there were some bad calls in OKC’s favor last night. Not as many, but there were some.
[/quote]
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Fact: If you are watching this game to see which way the officiating goes, instead of watching because the 2 best players/teams on the planet are going to be fighting tooth and nail in an elimination game, you are seriously not seeing the forest for the trees. Just sit back and enjoy.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Lol, I never said I didn’t notice bad calls when they happen… I said I don’t go into the game with a point of noticing which way officiating is leaning.
I watch the game because it’s a lot of fun to watch, and I’ll notice some bad calls in the process. Seems like some people go into the game with the purpose of watching the officiating, and just see the game as a byproduct.
Can’t believe I have to defend those statements that aren’t remotely mutually exclusive.
MIA has been favored by 3-4.5 pts at home, and they’ve been ~5-6pt underdogs on the road. Basically OKC has been slight favorites this series (home court is worth 4-5pts in the playoffs)
[quote]scj119 wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Last officiating point - if you were watching both sides, there were some bad calls in OKC’s favor last night. Not as many, but there were some.
[/quote]
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Fact: If you are watching this game to see which way the officiating goes, instead of watching because the 2 best players/teams on the planet are going to be fighting tooth and nail in an elimination game, you are seriously not seeing the forest for the trees. Just sit back and enjoy.
[/quote]
[/quote]
Lol, I never said I didn’t notice bad calls when they happen… I said I don’t go into the game with a point of noticing which way officiating is leaning.
I watch the game because it’s a lot of fun to watch, and I’ll notice some bad calls in the process. Seems like some people go into the game with the purpose of watching the officiating, and just see the game as a byproduct.
Can’t believe I have to defend those statements that aren’t remotely mutually exclusive.[/quote]
No I was pointing out that you stated you were done talking about the officiating.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
The last thing I’m going to say about officiating is this: I’m not arguing that Miami isn’t getting the lion’s share of the calls these last few games. What I’m arguing is that receiving most of the bad calls can only be explained via a Stern-ordered conspiracy. There are plenty of reasons that the Heat may be getting more calls, I just think conspiracy isn’t the most likely. That’s not to say it’s impossible, just that it’s less likely than others.
Anyway, am only talkin about the games themselves from here out.[/quote]
[quote]therajraj wrote:
No I was pointing out that you stated you were done talking about the officiating.[/quote]
Technically I was talking about people who watch the game solely for watching the officiating, NOT the officiating itself.
/lawyer’d
[quote]scj119 wrote:
That is not even remotely true. MIA has played better on top of ref help. OKC would not have won in 5 games.
Saying the refs swung 3 games single handedly just proves you have not been watching the full games.[/quote]
What the fuck are you talking about? If Miami got HALF the calls they’ve been given, they’d lose 10+ points and OKC wins. How do you not see this?