Bill Self to the Thunder?

[SoonerBounce13]

Regular season defenses don't give half the effort that they do in the playoffs.

The Miami game was a perfect storm, might have been the best team shooting performance for the season. Everyone was hitting 3's.

it wasn't just that game i was thinking of.

Just went an checked and I think it was the stretch during the 10 game winning streak. Played some good teams (@houston, GS, Portland, @ SA, @miami, @ brooklyn) and averaged 110 a game.

I was hoping to see more of that offense again but i assume its tough to get in a rhythm vs memphis

 

[campbest]

it wasn't just that game i was thinking of.

Just went an checked and I think it was the stretch during the 10 game winning streak. Played some good teams (@houston, GS, Portland, @ SA, @miami, @ brooklyn) and averaged 110 a game.

That's the problem with looking at box scores...they don't tell the story.

 

[bocabull]

So I guess the Clippers should trade Chris Paul for Byron Mullens?

Remember when Paul went out and everybody expected the Clippers to fall off? They didn't fall off, Blake elevated his game to into MVP discussion.

Instead of Byron Mullens how about just keeping Bledsoe?

The Heat have now won 3 titles with Jason Williams and Mario Chalmers starting at the point.

 

[bocabull]

I don't remember the time frame but there was a period in the season when our offense looked awesome and the ball was really moving. I finally thought something clicked and it looked like that for awhile. It might have been when we beat miami in miami but don't remember.

You're thinking of January 29, when Westbrook was out.

To be fair, after a while teams figured out Jackson and that cohesiveness ended.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

That's the problem with looking at box scores...they don't tell the story.

what's the problem?

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Remember when Paul went out and everybody expected the Clippers to fall off? They didn't fall off, Blake elevated his game to into MVP discussion.

Instead of Byron Mullens how about just keeping Bledsoe?

The Heat have now won 3 titles with Jason Williams and Mario Chalmers starting at the point.

yes clippers...please please please listen to boca for GM advice. please give up the best pg in the league and future HOF for a player that has had one good season.

 

[JBaker]

oh come on.

There are over 350 players on NBA rosters.

Each team has 5 on the court at once. If you have 2 of the top 5 players in the whole league on the court the majority of the time, and you're not the best team, there's a big problem somewhere.

The Pacers don't have a single top 5 player on their roster. They finished with the best record in the East, and Frank Vogel's job is allegedly on the line in the playoffs. Why don't the Thunder expect the same high standards with their transcendent talent?

 

[bocabull]

Aldridge.

 

[WaymanFan]

The Heat have now won 3 titles with Jason Williams and Mario Chalmers starting at the point.

Yes, and the Bulls won 6 in the 1990s without an above-average PG (or center, for that matter). Conversely the Lakers wouldn't have won any in the 1980s (they won 5) without Magic, the Pistons would have had 0 without Isiah Thomas and the Celtics won 3 with Dennis Johnson and Tiny Archibald. In other words, there really is no argument either way. A team basically needs two great players and one very good one to win a title.

The Clippers aren't winning anything unless BOTH Blake Griffin and Chris Paul bring their "A" game. Those are their two great players. The question is, who is their "very good player?"

 

[SoonerBounce13]

There are over 350 players on NBA rosters.

Each team has 5 on the court at once. If you have 2 of the top 5 players in the whole league on the court the majority of the time, and you're not the best team, there's a big problem somewhere.

The Pacers don't have a single top 5 player on their roster. They finished with the best record in the East, and Frank Vogel's job is allegedly on the line in the playoffs. Why don't the Thunder expect the same high standards with their transcendent talent?

I'm not saying that Brooks shouldn't be on the hot seat but both statements are nots. If the thunder don't win the championship , that automatically means RW isn't a top 5 player?

If the thunder don't win the championship, that means that Brooks shouldn't be coaching in the nba?

Nonsense

 

[BoulderSooner]

Remember when Paul went out and everybody expected the Clippers to fall off? They didn't fall off, Blake elevated his game to into MVP discussion.

Instead of Byron Mullens how about just keeping Bledsoe?

The Heat have now won 3 titles with Jason Williams and Mario Chalmers starting at the point.

the heat use lebron as their play maker defacto PG ..

the bulls and lakers under jackson used the triangle .. the 1 O that requires no point guard ..

 

[BoulderSooner]

You guys have stumbled into why Westbrook is not and will never be a top 5 player in the league. Not even top 10 to be honest. If Westbrook was the best player on a team would that team be top 10 in the league? Nope.

He's not tall enough. It's not because a PG has too many assists or shoots too much, rather that they have the ball in their hands too much. And the further you go in the playoffs the more likely the other team has a bigger defensive stopper who can disrupt that smaller PG.

The elite players in the NBA can post up at will. Magic, Bird, Jordan, Hakeem, Shaq, Duncan, Kobe, Dirk, Lebron. The ball moves freely amongst all 5 players to keep the defense spread out. But when push comes to shove you have the finisher who can post up when the chips are down.

We have seen it time after time, the great PG's come up short ... because at the end of the day they are too short.

except that derick rose is shorter than westbrook .. and during his mvp year he as westbrook were statically identical ..

 

[bocabull]

Yes, and the Bulls won 6 in the 1990s without an above-average PG (or center, for that matter). Conversely the Lakers wouldn't have won any in the 1980s (they won 5) without Magic, the Pistons would have had 0 without Isiah Thomas and the Celtics won 3 with Dennis Johnson and Tiny Archibald.

Magic was a 6'9" stud who played center in the NBA finals and was the original point forward ala Lebron.

Dennis Johnson was a 6'4" shooting guard who won Finals MVP and a title with the Sonics before moving to the Celtics. Tiny might have had a little help from another point forward named Larry Bird along with Kevin McHale & Robert Parish.

I'll give you Isiah who is probably the best small guard after Iverson the past 30 years.

 

[bocabull]

except that derick rose is shorter than westbrook .. and during his mvp year he as westbrook were statically identical ..

There is nothing identical about being the #1 option on the team with the best record in the league and being the 2nd option on a top 5 team.

I'll agree that Rose "might" have been a little overrated and Westbrook underrated back then. Now its the other way around.

 

[152219]

Magic was a 6'9" stud who played center in the NBA finals and was the original point forward ala Lebron.

Dennis Johnson was a 6'4" shooting guard who won Finals MVP and a title with the Sonics before moving to the Celtics. Tiny might have had a little help from another point forward named Larry Bird along with Kevin McHale & Robert Parish.

I'll give you Isiah who is probably the best small guard after Iverson the past 30 years.

DJ played SG for Phoenix and PG for the Celtics

Isiah was better than AI IMO

 

[bocabull]

DJ played SG for Phoenix and PG for the Celtics

Isiah was better than AI IMO

DJ was SG for the Celts on the 84 title team (Gerald Henderson was PG) and PG on the 86 team. Both years of course Bird led the team in assists. Talk about a dream job playing with Bird, Maxwell, McHale, Parish & Ainge.

Isiah has the hardware to make the case he is better. No doubt.

 

[152219]

Since it is Insider I won't copy and paste, but two NBA writers for ESPN re-drafted the 2008 lottery

How the draft originally went
1. Rose
2. Beasley
3. Mayo
4. Westbrook
5. Love
6. Gallanari
7. Gordon
(I'm going to stop at 7)

One guy had it
1. Love
2. Westbrook
3. Rose
4. Lopez
5. Ibaka
6. Batum
7. Dragic

The other had it

1. Love
2. Westbrook
3. Asik
4. Jordan
5. Ibaka
6. Dragic
7. Rose

 

[DenverSooner]

the Celtics won 3 with Dennis Johnson and Tiny Archibald.

If I were mentioning those Celtics teams, I would mention Bird, McHale and the Chief. That was a serious front line.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Magic was a 6'9" stud who played center in the NBA finals and was the original point forward ala Lebron.

Dennis Johnson was a 6'4" shooting guard who won Finals MVP and a title with the Sonics before moving to the Celtics. Tiny might have had a little help from another point forward named Larry Bird along with Kevin McHale & Robert Parish.

I'll give you Isiah who is probably the best small guard after Iverson the past 30 years.

He played center in 1 game of the final his rookie season. He started at point for 11+ years

 

[coolm]

DIME calling Westbrook/Durant the best duo since Shaq/Kobe?

I dont find that to be a good comparison. Shaq + Kobe were a much better duo than Westbrook + Durant. I'd say LeBron + DW is superior to RW/KD.