Honestly, Westbrook has always been my favorite. Now it's Durant, I just can't help it. I feel like he's just a much better person, and a better player too obviously. Anyway, I fell in love with Russell's passion in the game. I haven't seen that much fire for the game from any other player, and he is the sole reason I started to really get more, and more into basketball. I have no clue how anyone can hate the guy.
Popovich pulls the starters with 17 left and doesn't bring them back. Brooks leaves them in until there's 1 minutes left.
Very different players you're talking about. A young Durant and Westbrook vs. an old Parker and Duncan. Vastly different situation
2nd OKC/SAS game I didn't watch and OKC wins again. I missed a good Westbrook game according to the stat line
Both were bad decisions. Pop gets a pass because of his success and reputation for knowing his guys and when to play them. If Jason Kidd did that, I doubt the media would be quite as forgiving. Yes, I know he likes to limit their minutes, but this was excessive. And Brooks leaving the starters in was perhaps even worse, considering they've lost two starters to injury the last few games (Ibaka and Jackson). No one leaves the starters in that long in a blowout. Even Spoelstra thinks Brooks handled that poorly. Westbrook 45 minutes and Durant 41 minutes in a game that was not in single digits since about 5 minutes left in the 2nd quarter: 4:46Tony Parker possession lost ball turnoverRussell Westbrook32-40
The best response to that I saw: Hardwood Paroxysm @HPbasketball 21m Not like Scotty Brooks could put Thabeet, PJ3, and Roberson out there. "GO HOLD THE LEAD! " I think Brooks left them out a couple minutes too long, but he gave his starters a longer rest like 5-10 minutes, that's a single digit game in the 4th. The Thunder bench is bad, especially since Thabo is not even on the rotation anymore
It is a good point. They have no depth, especially with Jackson missing. OKC has a shorter rotation, but if it were me, I would've pulled at least two of Durant/Westbrook/Ibaka here: 6:1177-94Russell Westbrook makes two point shot 5:54Danny Green misses 19-foot step back jumpshot77-94 5:5477-94Serge Ibaka defensive rebound 5:39Danny Green personal foul (Kevin Durant draws the foul)77-94 5:39Thunder Full timeout 5:39Cory Joseph enters the game for Danny Green77-94 5:3977-95Kevin Durant makes free throw 1 of 2 5:3977-96Kevin Durant makes free throw 2 of 2 19 point lead with 5 and a half to play? especially since Popovich was waving the white flag and playing the Baynes/Ayres/Bonner. Honestly, I don't think it was possible to really lose in that situation unless you were trying and deliberately handing the ball to the other team. Ibaka played until 1:07 left also, along with Durant and Westbrook. 35 minutes in a blowout for a guy who was ruled out for the playoffs a week or so ago and experienced some cramping in his other leg in Game 3. I keep waiting for a team to pay for keeping the starters in late in a blowout. Never seems to happen. So many opportunities, too, with Spoelstra constantly playing Wade/LeBron deep into routs.
Russell first player with 40 points, 10 dimes, and 5 steals in a playoff game since Jordan in 89! Damn!
Westbrook and Durant each shot exactly 50% from the field. Westbrook got to the line 14 times and hit them all. His previous high in assists this series was 7. He played very well, but the unique combination of the Spurs pulling the starters and him playing 45 minutes was what put the stat line up to stratospheric levels.
Come on, Jall. You came to this forum openly admitting you were a fan of 4 different NFL teams, two of them being the Packers and the Vikings. Now you're criticizing people for pulling for 2 same-division teams even when they aren't a fan or those teams? As far as the similarities between the Spurs and Patriots, they stop at sustained success and a coach that isn't amicable to the press. Popovich is a stoic guy, sure, but he's not an out and out asshole like Belichick and he's never once been accused of cheating, like Beli has been proven to be. The Spurs as a team take wins and losses with class, the Pats players take wins many times taunting the other team on the field, and Belichick has more than once called the refs out after games, something Pop never does. Aside from the basest surface evaluations of the Spurs and Pats, what exactly makes them similar? Aside from Jall hates them?
And we got a series in the west...have yet to see a close game, every win has pretty much been blowouts or close to it.
yeah, up double digits late I remember that one. I guess I'm thinking of since that time, because I've posted about Miami doing it probably a dozen times.
Spo's so stupid at times... About tonight's game...Ray Allen and Birdman did not do shoot around...Game time decisions for both... Might as well shut them down....We don't need them for these clowns.
Awesome... Lebron on Floor -4 Lebron on Bench +13 This one is fucking over. Lebron played only 10 minutes in that first half...He's done this a few times and is a machine in the 2nd half...
