2015-16 NBA Thread (feat. the Wives)

They definitely should try it, but I'm a little torn on possible overall effectiveness. GS has a built-in counter, though OKC's small group was effective at times last series. I almost wonder if the best counter to GS is to go massive and just try to case em off the 3-pt. line/murder on the glass, i.e. the best of some not great options. But with how little Mozgov plays now, that doesn't seem like much of an option.

 

I don't think that explains Game 6. "Better" was not the sole reason the Warriors erased an eight-point deficit in the last five minutes, particularly as it involved so many turnovers and bad shots by two of the top five players in the league. There were some bad shots in Game 7 too, but probably not enough to affect the outcome once the Warriors got rolling.

There's an odd dynamic there. Durant and Westbrook doing every press conference has the feel of a married couple trying hard to convince everyone they still love each other.

 

I mean, their best big lineup is Love and Frye anyway. If they were going to go big, that's how they go (with some Love/Thompson and Frye/Thompson in there). Love's good on the glass so it's not like they need Moz for the boards.
I think LeBron at the 5 is probably the best counter to the lineup of death that they have though.

 

IS LeBron a good enough X's and O's coach to do this?

 

The telecast was better when Reggie Miller was out for paternity leave. C-Webb is just behind Hubie as the best color commentator in the NBA.

One thing I don't understand is how much emphasis the networks put on these "Mic'd up" segments, which happen to be nothing more than coach-speak and cliches: "Keep moving the ball"; "Have fun out there"; "Keep pressure on the ball".

Does anyone get anything out of those?

 

Nothing at all because they have to be generic and not give anything away nor put anyone in a bad light.

A D2 basketball coach let me mic him up for a game a decade ago and he said "air whatever you want". It was hilarious between yelling at refs, yelling and encouraging his players, throwing an eraser at a chalkboard and watching his team pull off an upset on a three at the buzzer off a play he designed in the huddle.

I found it fascinating but only because he insisted that I don't censor anything.

 

To be honest, I've been kinda disappointed with Webber. He has moments when he's good, but there a lot of player back patting and tiresome cliches (man he just wants it!). He's really smart about the game, and I wish he'd harness that more.

 

He doesn't go for all that honky analytics mumbo-jumbo. /wilbon

 

Honky what?

 

You know that, but I doubt the typical middle American viewer does.

Because the networks present it as if viewers are getting to hear what coaches actually say to players, which turns out only to be the same dumb clichés spouted over and over. It adds nothing, and perhaps even detracts from the league's image, as the only impression the viewer is likely to take from it is "Jesus, NBA coaches are obscenely overpaid simpletons just spewing the same lines as any 3rd grade biddy ball coach." Its only net effect is to make coaches look dumber than they actually are.

 

Basing this mostly on the strength of the studio show, but TNT does basketball better than ABC, period. Not looking forward to the nnonsensical mumbling of Mark Jackson. And Breen vs. Marv? No contest.

 

Yeah, I don't think I'm going to spend five seconds watching postgame in the Finals. With the TNT guys I was watching the whole thing.