Heat vs Nuggets would be terrible- Nuggets would probably sweep. With the Celtics, you are probably going to get a 6 or 7 game series.
Damn.... really dislike Boston and Lakers..... Almost went 0 for 2 for making it to finals. There's a small hope for Heat....
I think the hope has four parts: (1) Hard to beat a team four times in a row. (2) All pressure on Boston now. (3) Spo a better coach (based on history, but that's starting to feel shaky). (4) Tatum and Brown can really disappear at times. Tatum in particular is not prone to putting a set of good games together in a row. I liked the Heat interviews after the game actually. They play better and looser as underdogs (like when the series started).
Yeah, but the guy gets props for mentioning That Shot. IMO. Eliminated the defending champs on their home court!
I am going to disagree with you B-Bob - I think all the pressure is on the Heat. The Celtics are in their head and losing Game 6 the way they did… It reminds me of the 1986 World Series - the Red Sox had it until the ball went through Buckner’s legs in Game 6. Sure the series was tied but everyone knew after the way Game 6 ended, that the Red Sox had no chance of winning Game 7.
That's logical, and my points are also somewhat logical, so we'll see! $20 Tipjar and one month sig bet? I'll take the Heat to beat the spread (so win outright, or lose by 8 or less). Whadya say?
Really hard to read this series. I can't recall a series where one team won three in a row, and then the other team won three in a row. The typical is a home and away split to start. It "looks" like Boston is sitting pretty. BUT, it is really hard to beat a professional team four times in a row. Boston is the better team overall, so, UNLESS they hit a cold streak and can't hit a shot, they are the favorite.
Yeah, he would be amazing in today's NBA, in my opinion. @Dr of Dunk likes to rib him when Ralph comes up in a thread for how often he'd decide to bring the ball up. For 7'4", he had a pretty decent handle, but yes, he could get carried away. Given time without the injuries, I think he would have straightened that out, played more within his capabilities, and for his size, Sampson had incredible capabilities. People who didn't see him play will sometimes compare Sampson to these very tall, skinny players who have come up lately, including Wemby. Ralph wasn't built the same way. He was more filled out, being 228lbs coming out of college, but more in the mid-230's by the time of that '86 Finals series against the Celtics, in my opinion. He was a legitimate 7'4", too! A perfect partner for Dream. The pair is the quintessential "what if" and for a brief time, the true Twin Towers.
I'm not much of a betting man either, but if it is any extra consolation: I always lose when I pick a team like this.
Hey, I'm not a Ralph hater, but I think people tend to glorify the "good ol' days" a bit much. Ralph was frustrating as hell because he didn't want to play the post and wanted to play like a guard at 7'4" which just led to turnovers or stupid plays a lot of the time. It used to drive fans and coaches nuts. "Dude, stay in the post and hit a hook shot! Nobody can block that crap!" Fitch used to hate that mess. But... he was the Wembanyama of those days, but Wemby's handle is obviously much better than Ralph's. Then again, nobody expected a centerish player to be bringing the ball up the court in those days. He was a supreme talent coming out of high school and college, though. Even in the NBA, he was a really good player, but I just want to be realistic about him. lol. BTW, people calling Wembanyama a beanpole and Ralph more developed - Gene Peterson used to call Ralph "Stick" during the broadcasts, if that's any indication. Ralph played around 220-230 from what I remember. Wembanyama is currently around 7'5" and almost 240 lbs from the latest I've read. Back when Wemby was around 16 or 17 and I started reading about him, I'm not sure he was over 200 lbs, yet. I saw him and thought he'd be snapped in two by a strong breeze. Even the Thompson Twins have packed on weight in a couple of years, it seems. I don't know wth they're feeding these kids, but the training must be nuts.
Leave the Thompson Twins out of this! And Wemby is listed at 209 right now, 20 pounds lighter than Ralph, (a true stick, yes) at a similar age. But whatever. Either his joints can take the NBA or they can't. We will see. But Ralph entered the NBA in a much skinnier era.
People give butler credit for overachieving esp with a lack of star teammates. FWIW, Butler narrowly lost to Celtics in ECF by 4 in game 7 just last year. his game 6&7 stats are: 47pt 16-29fg, 35pt 13-24fg. we'll see how he does this time around.