do you really want to have a basketball discussion,,,or are you just going to be like your hangout/DD persona. I'm here to discuss basketball. I will forget your dd stuff. You don't have to bark at me. You want to talk basketball. Don't run away. Just bring it. "Try a dictionary" that's cute
Some of you seem to forget a lot of OKC's success comes from Serge Ibaka anchoring the defense. He is second in blocked shots per game behind Anthony Davis. If Portland or GS had him next to the splash brothers or Lillard and Aldridge then they would be getting to the WCF a lot too. Since OKC lost Harden they haven't been as successful. They made it to the finals once with Harden and haven't since. Also, even with Harden (and Ibaka) Westbrook and Durant only won one game in the Finals. The year after they got beat up by the Grizz 4-1 after the Rockets took them to 6 games (ok WB was hurt). Last year they lost in the WCF (Ibaka missed the first game and they lost it, but he was there after that). If they were such a good 1-2 scoring punch then why can't they get to the finals again without Harden? I mean if Harden and Howard had Ibaka stretching the floor on one side (shooting over 40% from 3) and blocking shots on the other then they would be champs. Same for GS and Portland. Ibaka is the best interior/perimeter defender in the league.
OK, we read that. Anyone can critique a 1/2. btw,,,wake me up when you want to discuss the playoff failures of every other West 1/2. so lame next...
You said "Stop with the semantics. As JVG says, "You are what your record says your are." And he primarily means playoff record." How can you compare a player with only 2 years of NBA experience (Lillard) to someone with 7 years of NBA experience (Durant)? You are such a hypocrite and you know it. Dirk has a ring so I guess you mean he is the best? Well, is he? You just very clearly defined it and there is no better record than winning a championship. Howard AND Harden both made it to the NBA finals. What does that say? It's clear Durant and Westbrook are better, but now I'm not so sure. What about LeBron? He has two rings. Clearly, he is what his record says 5 years ago. That's why we are talking about this season. Lillard simply did not exist in the NBA for 5 of the years Durant was in the league. So according to your interpretation of what JVG said (something I hear him say all the time) the Rockets are nothing but first round failures? Oh, now things can change, right?
Oh, and that would mean the Spurs have the best duo with Parker and Duncan by far and it is not even close. Because their record is pretty fantastic and makes everyone else look like a bunch of chumps. Nope, we are not talking about Ibaka, the rest of the team, Poppovich, etc. Just the best 1-2 scoring punch. It is in the title. I am not scared of Westbrook or Durant shooting a long jumper. I am more worried about Parker and Duncan, Dirk and Ellis, Lillard and Aldridge running the pick and roll together because they are very effective when they do it. Running it with Ibaka and Perkins just isn't the same. Heck, even Curry/Klay and Bogut are very deadly with that P&R because you can't give either one an inch and you can't ignore a 7 footer like Bogut cutting to the rim either.
