Did they? Admittedly, I don't follow "most pundits" so I didn't know that. I remember Zach Lowe saying he thought the Melo deal made them worse, if only because it changed their identity from bully-ball to whatever it now is.
I would say that. I would be less than pumped to see them in the first round. Same with NOP for that matter. While we're better than both, it's always possible for one of those star players to have a couple oddly exceptional games. I mean, who can forget LMA shooting 200% on fadeaway mid range post ups for a couple games a few years back? That, IMO, would be far more unlikely than any of those teams' 5 stars having monster games, and yet it happened.
They're certainly an interesting case study of Big Threes. Let's compare them to the most recent: Celtics had Pierce, Garnett, and Allen all way past their prime. Garnett primarily focused on defense and rebounding, Allen on floor spacing, and Pierce on scoring. Miami had LeBron (playmaker and defender), Wade (scorer and defender), and Bosh (rebounds, bench scoring). The late 2000s Lakers had Kobe play with Gasol and Bynum/Odom (which I would argue talent wise is pretty close to having a Big 3). Kobe did the scoring while the other three mostly did dirty work on the floor. OKC is the only one I can think of where the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Westbrook is a pure scorer. Melo can pretty much only score. Paul George is the only two way player, and his scoring tendencies and abilities overlap a lot with Melo' s. The Heat and Celtics were largely able to get away with that (LeBron is a great playmaker and high IQ player; Ray Allen and Pierce were both past their prime and eager to buy in). I think Paul George is the perfect complimentary player to a guy like Russell. And I understand why they traded for Melo- but they would have been better off flipping those same assets for a big man like Cousins or Drummond.
There are big differences between OKC and every other one of those: Celtics: Pierce was a scorer that also moved without the ball. Allen was a deadeye shooter that moved without the ball. Garnett didn't need the ball. Miami: Lebron and Wade both needed the ball but Bosh was able to adjust to being an off the ball guy. They then staggered minutes up so both Wade and Lebron had a chance to lead the team. Wade also would move without the ball. the Kobe teams: Kobe was the ball dominant guy and literally every star he played with was someone who could feed off of him. OKC: Westbrook doesn't move off the ball, thrives in going on one one. Melo doesn't move off the ball and wants to go one on one. Melo may be a good shooter but it isn't what he wants to be. He WANTS to get the ball and try to power his way to score off of a midrange or some other inefficient shot. He's just like Westbrook. They are bad defenders that thrive on iso play and with Melo its worse than Westbrook because you know when Melo has it he won't pass. Therefore all ball movement ends once he gets the ball.
They're not gonna win 50 games. There's only 60 games left, and they'd have to go 42-18 the rest of the way. I just don't see that happening with this clown show. Hell, if the Rockets could go 42-18 the rest of the way, we'd set the franchise record for wins in the regular season.
everyone is underestimating adams' mustache. he derives his super powers from it like harden with his ugly birds nest on his face.
42-18 is unlikely, but possible. Don't write off any team early. Remember that we started 6-11 in the 04-05 season and looked absolutely terrible, but finished 51-31. The 12-13 Lakers were completely dysfunctional, injured, and much older, but finished the season 28-12 and made the playoffs. Last year, Miami started the first half the season 11-30 and was 30-11 in the second half in an amazing turnaround. OKC still has a good SRS and are ranked 3rd in defense. If they can improve their offense or one of their stars gets hot they'll be able to string together wins. I hope that doesn't happen, but I have to admit that's more likely than them being the bottom feeders of the West. And btw, I expect us to break the franchise record for wins this season and hopefully finish better than 42-18.
The league and Presti must fight TOOTH AND NAIL to deny HArden a MVP Imagine . .. . people will look back and say OKC had 3 MVPs on one team and could not win it all Rocket River
Big difference between Miami's big 3 and OKC's. Miami came together to get a ring at all costs. They knew Lebron was the alpha and he knew what it took to win. Chris was a star role player who could do what was needed and did it well. Wade was an unselfish star. They all accepted their roles and the roles of others. It just took a few games to gel. OKC's situation is very different. Their alpha dog (WB) is more about his stats than winning. Melo still thinks that he has to play hero ball to win. Poor PG, he's the only one that seems to be willing to do what it takes to win, but you can't have those other 2 jacking up contested long 2s or leaving their man to hang around the basket for a rebound. Russ and Melo are the problem. While they will most likely make the playoffs and they could even be dangerous, they are no Miami.
PG's heart may not be in it. In fact . . .. his heart is beginning to be questionable. He maybe more TMAC than KOBE or Paul Peirce More MELO than LeBron or Wade Rocket River
