I feel the same.  Despite some amazing shots, OVERALL I feel they are very beatable.  A lot of the games (even ones they end up winning) have been close and at times GSW looks very disjointed.  When they get hot of course they can get HOT but this doesn't seem to be the 'unbeatable' team that it was during the reg season.  Of course the media hypes their every win as if it was a miracle performed by the god-like Curry and Thompson. UGH...

 

If the Cavs aren't motivated by how the national media are dismissing them, I don't know what will get them going. It's hard to find anyone who thinks the series will go beyond five games. Some are comparing it to the 2007 Spurs/Cavs Finals. It's honestly amazing considering the Cavs took GSW to six last year without Love, Irving and JR Smith (he wasn't hurt but he was nowhere to be found in last year's finals). It was basically LeBron and Delly against the GSW "superteam". If the Cavs have any sense of individual and team pride they will come out attacking in Game 1.

 

Let's also not forget that Shumpert was playing with one arm and we've had significant upgrades on the bench with Jefferson replacing Marion and Channing Frye replacing Mike Miller. Delly's overall game has improved as well.

 

I did forget about Shumpert.

 

One Fox Sports commentator said that GSW beating OKC was like the Red Sox beating the Yankees in the ALCS where the Red Sox were down 3-0. According to him the Red Sox were destined to win and the World Series against StL was an afterthought. So now the Chokelahoma Thunder are the Late 90s/Early00s Yankees? Oh my lord. The Warriors' press machine puts Trump's to shame!

 

On a side note...I'm happy for Andy. No matter who wins he's going to get a ring.

The Warriors should be the favorites.  They won 73 games and have home court advantage.  I take no issue with most people picking the Warriors.  They aren't disrespecting the Cavs by doing so.  From an objective standpoint, I would probably have to pick the Warriors as well.  But it's far from a foregone conclusion that they win it.  Mark my words that the winning team will run into a bit of luck, as is the case in most championship 7 game series.

 

One reason I preferred to play OKC, other than home court, was due to concerns with matchups.  JR would've guarded Westbrook and Kyrie would have been on Roberson.  But with GSW, I'm not sure you can put Kyrie on Klay, who has a good back down game when you try and check him with smaller guards.  There also is the question of how you guard their frontcourt.  I would probably put TT on Green and KLove on Bogut.  While putting TT on Green will pull him away from the basket, KLove is the better defensive rebounder anyway.  I suspect we are going to see a lot of LeBron at the 4 this series, which will probably translate to less minutes for each of TT, KLove and Frye.

The Warriors should be the favorites.  They won 73 games and have home court advantage.  I take no issue with most people picking the Warriors.  They aren't disrespecting the Cavs by doing so.  From an objective standpoint, I would probably have to pick the Warriors as well.  But it's far from a foregone conclusion that they win it.  Mark my words that the winning team will run into a bit of luck, as is the case in most championship 7 game series.

 

One reason I preferred to play OKC, other than home court, was due to concerns with matchups.  JR would've guarded Westbrook and Kyrie would have been on Roberson.  But with GSW, I'm not sure you can put Kyrie on Klay, who has a good back down game when you try and check him with smaller guards.  There also is the question of how you guard their frontcourt.  I would probably put TT on Green and KLove on Bogut.  While putting TT on Green will pull him away from the basket, KLove is the better defensive rebounder anyway.  I suspect we are going to see a lot of LeBron at the 4 this series, which will probably translate to less minutes for each of TT, KLove and Frye.

 

Hts if you're replying to my comments I'm not arguing the Warriors aren't the favorites. They clearly are.

 

This is the 2007 Spurs/Cavs Finals? The Warriors are the 2004 Red Sox crushing St. Louis? Anything is possible but ummmmm, no.

 

And, yes, many media members are disrespecting the Cavs. More than a few think the Chokelahoma series was the NBA Finals. The Cavs should be motivated by this considering how hard they fought this same team last year with multiple injuries. They're being treated as a joke by some.

Time to get physical!  Other teams do it to the CAVS.  It's time to step it up.  Curry was caught on camera clutching his knee last night after that acrobatic layup to end the half.  Draymond took a big guy to the floor with his head.  They just played a couple really hard series while we rested.    I actually feel much better about our team going into this year than last, when Lebron and the bench took them to 6 games. 

My jaw is on the floor that a local reporter, think his name is Chrisy Fedor is predicting the Cavs lose the series?? WTF? I can't believe this loser would actually be such a DIXK to even think about making a statement like this and Cleveland.com would print it? My God does anyone else think this is just unbelievable? Who is this Loser?

what's the point of predictions if they are not objective?

I think the Cavs will lose this series, too. Golden State is just too good and they have home court advantage. Warriors in six.

I think the Cavs will lose this series, too. Golden State is just too good and they have home court advantage. Warriors in six.

 

I have felt like that every year in the past.  This year I feel different.  Somehow things seem right for the Cavs.  They are healthy and the coaching has been (mostly outstanding).  They also seem to LOVE playing with each other. 

 

At the risk of continuing yet another year of the Cleveland sports curse, I am feeling it this year.  I never root for any player to get injured, but I have a suspicion Curry will go down, and their entire lineup got a little beat on during the OKC series.  It's probably a given that Draymond will get another T and face a suspension. 

 

I'll go out and say it:  Cavs in 6, winning at home.

I think the Cavs will lose this series, too. Golden State is just too good and they have home court advantage. Warriors in six.

 

I have felt like that every year in the past.  This year I feel different.  Somehow things seem right for the Cavs.  They are healthy and the coaching has been (mostly outstanding).  They also seem to LOVE playing with each other. 

 

At the risk of continuing yet another year of the Cleveland sports curse, I am feeling it this year.  I never root for any player to get injured, but I have a suspicion Curry will go down, and their entire lineup got a little beat on during the OKC series.  It's probably a given that Draymond will get another T and face a suspension. 

 

I'll go out and say it:  Cavs in 6, winning at home.

 

If Delly gets him, watch the national demonization and local canonization begin.    Kind of like when Danny Ferry took a swing at Jordan.

Absent injury or suspension, I think this series will come down to how well KLove plays.  If he is pedestrian, we will lose.  If he plays like an All-Star, we will win.  We also need to avoid some non All-Star from the Warriors playing like one in the Finals, like Iggy did last year.

what's the point of predictions if they are not objective?

 

I appreciate objectivity, but Fedor is over the top.  He always picks against Cleveland teams to get a rise out of the fans and his coworkers.  When he was with WKNR a few years ago, the called him "Negative Ned."

My head says Warriors in six too. I can't go against history. They went 73-9, had a 25 regular season game winning streak and did the almost impossible against OKC. All signs point to the Warriors getting their second title.

 

That being said, Cleburger is right, there does seem to be an intangible with this team I haven't seen with any other. It almost felt like they were practicing with the Eastern Conference teams and I just don't think the Pistons, Hawks and Raptors were that bad.

 

GS has looked very mediocre in these playoffs. I don't care if Curry was hurt and it was a blown call you don't lose one game to that God-awful Rockets team. Even the Blazers looked very 'meh and both GS and Portland got lucky that the Clippers exploded right on cue. The Blazers literally play no defense. The Pistons would have given the Blazers a real series. And even with OKC, GS never looked all that impressive. In fact OKC was the better team by far in their wins, they just choked it all away. You could feel the '97 Indians in every game after they were up 3-1. I mean the final score of Game 7 was 96-88. This was supposed to be the a game where the two "best" teams in the NBA were going to bring it. GS let OKC hang in for soooo long even though OKC could hit nothing in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Again, very 'meh. OKC had a 12 point quarter and GS was at home. That should have been a blowout.

 

We'll see.

I go back 'n forth, but I think the Cavs can win this, but they must do it in 6 games or less.  Game 7 in Oakland would be curtains for the Cavs.

 

Here's why:  I think the biggest intangible is LeBron James' fierce focus and desire.  He sorely believed we could win it last year, and  nearly pulled it off practically by himself, but the Cavalry just wore down: Delly was hospitalized at CC for dehydration.  The rest of the "bench" consisted of a tanked Mike Miller, Shawn Marion who Blatt had given up on, and limited specialist James Jones.  That 32-point Warriors blowout at the Q on MLK day was an outlier; we were mess then and it cost David Blatt his job. 

 

We just have to, as much as we can, wear them down by pounding the paint.  Festus Ezeli and Andrew Bogut are good, but are not Andre Drummond in the middle.  And when GSW goes to their small "Lineup of Death" LeBron and Kyrie should have a field day in the paint... But we MUST CONTROL TEMPO.  To do so, we have to limit turnovers (the aspect that killed OKC), we must snag defensive rebounds and get a fair share of Tristan Thompson-like offensive boards).  And if GSW starts a late run, Lue should follow Billy Donovan's blueprint of Hack-a-Ezeli/Bogut/and even Iguodala to control tempo...

 

We also must hide Love, defensively.  He's going to need help in the paint against Green.  LeBron and Tristan are going to have to float but our guys must defend the pick 'n roll, because Draymond is a good passer, too.

 

... and in looking at the Christmas Day game where we only lost by 5 or 6, we MUST hit our shots; this is especially true of Love ....

 

If we do these things, I believe we can win in 6.

Absent injury or suspension, I think this series will come down to how well KLove plays.  If he is pedestrian, we will lose.  If he plays like an All-Star, we will win.  We also need to avoid some non All-Star from the Warriors playing like one in the Finals, like Iggy did last year.

 

I agree with our resident Cavs sage - how Love goes, we go.

 

I sold my game 4 tix as I'll be out of town.  I'll be pissed if we sweep them!  ha!  I mean I'd be happy, but pretty pissed at myself for selling the tickets.

what's the point of predictions if they are not objective?

 

I appreciate objectivity, but Fedor is over the top.  He always picks against Cleveland teams to get a rise out of the fans and his coworkers.  When he was with WKNR a few years ago, the called him "Negative Ned."

 

I don't care for Fedor either, but it's a double edged sword for the sports media.  Either you are a homer and everyone blasts you or you are not a homer and everyone rips you to shreds.  Fedor doesn't "always pick against Cleveland".  He didn't pick the Pistons, Hawks, or Raptors to beat us.  His pick of the Warriors to win is simply the 'smart money' pick.  That said, what I really dislike about the guy is it almost seems like he cares more about being correct than the Cleveland teams' success.  The more people blast him for it, the more he will probably actually be rooting for the Warriors just to say "I told you so"..... not that he is really going out on a limb by picking them in the first place.

Their role players severely outplayed our role players. That was the difference last night

Their role players severely outplayed our role players. That was the difference last night

 

LeBron and Kyrie tried to be the heroes last night. Most offensive possessions had less than 3 passes. There were way too many turnovers as well. They play like that, they're going to get swept.

 

That being said there were two good signs: Kevin Love was engaged and playing well and the defensive sets, at times, were very effective.

I thought the Big 3 played fine.  They certainly could've played better, but they did not lose the game for us.  I don't take issue with a little hero ball from LBJ and Ky.  We probably need them to be heroes to beat this team, which is arguably (though not certainly) the greatest team in NBA history.

 

What is really tough to admit is that it would be hard to find a more difficult matchup for this Cavs team.  GSW has at least four guys who can competently guard LBJ - Green, Iggy, Barnes, Klay.  Most teams don't have one.

 

Even if the Big 3 keeps it up, we are going to need probably at least two other guys to play above their paygrade.

 

I heard someone on the radio this morning analogize JR in the Finals to God.  We believe he is there, but there is no firm evidence.

I agree with you, Hts.  I don't think Golden State is a good matchup for the Cavs.  In addition to your point about the multiple people who can guard LeBron, they seem equipped to take advantage of the Cavs roster.  They have a lot of options to respond to whatever combination of the Cavs put out there.  The Warriors really struggled against OKC's defense, but that was an extremely long/athletic/rim protecting group, with Adams/Durant/Ibaka/Kanter/etc, applying a ton of pressure.  The Cavs don't have a lineup with that same length or defensive ability at the rim.  Thompson is rugged, but not terrifically long.  Love has always been a great rebounder, but doesn't give a lot of rim protection.  LeBron could certainly play that way, but I don't know that the rest of the Cavs pieces are built for that kind of defensive approach.   

 

Watching last night, the other problem is there's not really anywhere to "hide" Irving on defense against the Warriors.  I don't mean that he is necessarily a terrible defender (though I don't think he's a good defender), but he is at a significant size disadvantage out there.  Thompson is obviously way too big, and Barnes and Iguodala are good enough on offense to make them pay if he guards them.  Livingston really showed how Kyrie can struggle with size. 

 

Still, it's a long series, with lots of potential adjustments to be made.  The Cavs lost a game they are supposed to lose.  It's disheartening that they didn't steal one where Curry/Thompson combined for only 20, but that doesn't mean they can't steal game 2. 

 

 

I thought the Big 3 played fine.  They certainly could've played better, but they did not lose the game for us.  I don't take issue with a little hero ball from LBJ and Ky.  We probably need them to be heroes to beat this team, which is arguably (though not certainly) the greatest team in NBA history.

 

What is really tough to admit is that it would be hard to find a more difficult matchup for this Cavs team.  GSW has at least four guys who can competently guard LBJ - Green, Iggy, Barnes, Klay.  Most teams don't have one.

 

Even if the Big 3 keeps it up, we are going to need probably at least two other guys to play above their paygrade.

 

I heard someone on the radio this morning analogize JR in the Finals to God.  We believe he is there, but there is no firm evidence.

 

Played fine? Totally agree to disagree

 

Kyrie shot 7 of 22. He made one 3pt shot. He had 26 points but 11 came from the line. Second worst shooting night in these playoffs. Only Game 3 in Toronto was worse.

 

LeBron shot 9 of 21 and also had his second worst shooting night in these playoffs. Only Game 3 of the Pistons series was worse.

 

If two of the big three are going to shoot like this it's over no matter what the bench does.

 

The team missed 26 attempts in the paint and iso ball will not win a title against GS. It was proven, once again, last night.

 

I do agree about JR Smith. He needs to show up.

Lue went away from his rotations and it was mystifying.  Channing Frye only played 7 minutes, took 1 shot and missed it.  We finally gained control late in the 3rd with Love and LeBron, then Lue sat Love; the Delly-Iguodala incident jumped off inside 1 minute left in the 3rd, and we completely fell apart. 

 

JR Smith has won the love and admiration of Cavs fans for changing his attitude and play since he's come to Cleveland.  That love will turn to hatred if JR lays another egg on the most important stage for the 2nd year in a row. 

 

Kryie kills possessions sometimes.

 

GS was/is just deeper.  Lue rode his main 5 for way too long.

 

Game 2 is a virtual must win.  They pretty much have to win 4 of the net 5 anyway - game 7 in Oakland?  No way that's happening.  So they have to win it in 6, which means winning 4 of the next 5.  If they shake off some "rust" or whatever you want to call it and hit shots, it'll be a much closer game.

 

Is the NBA still fining guys for flopping?  GS has two of the best in Green and Andy.  Those two should be paying up today but I doubt the NBA cracks down on that in the Finals.

Lue went away from his rotations and it was mystifying.  Channing Frye only played 7 minutes, took 1 shot and missed it.  We finally gained control late in the 3rd with Love and LeBron, then Lue sat Love; the Delly-Iguodala incident jumped off inside 1 minute left in the 3rd, and we completely fell apart. 

 

JR Smith has won the love and admiration of Cavs fans for changing his attitude and play since he's come to Cleveland.  That love will turn to hatred if JR lays another egg on the most important stage for the 2nd year in a row. 

 

 

Completely agree. I was kind of lost as to what Lue was doing. He looked like a rookie coach last night.

It's over. I kind of thought this might be the year, but I guess if it happens the team that breaks the curse for this city will probably be more of a surprise team that goes on a run that no one expects. LeBron James coming back and winning one was a story that was too perfect to be possible.

It's all over but the shouting... I'm totally flummoxed by tonight's performance by the Cavs; totally embarrassing.  As Mark Jackson noted in the 3rd quarter, the Cavs looked defeated. 

 

Lue might as well use Mozgov early in Game 3, especially the way Tristan is being sliced and diced under the rim.  We had early success with Mozzie last year and OKC's best success was with their big, long lineup.  At this point, what do we have to lose?

Tristan Thompson has been a nonfactor this entire playoffs.  I'm just glad we didn't give him a max contract, although he still got way more than he's worth.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

 

I have this weird feeling the Browns are the team that have to break the drought. No other team can do it first.

Highlight from the game last night.

Tristan Thompson has been a nonfactor this entire playoffs.  I'm just glad we didn't give him a max contract, although he still got way more than he's worth.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

I thought he was playing harder than anyone on the floor last night.  Need more from JR/Kyrie/Frye.

 

Really ugly basketball.  The Warriors are structurally superior to the cavs, and by a lot.  They need to find something new before WEdnesday

I will say this, though: I don't understand how the play that quite possibly gave Kevin Love a concussion was not called a foul and in fact lead to an and-1 for Golden State. The Warriors are certainly the better team, and it didn't ultimately make a difference last night, but the Cavs have absolutely no shot if this series continues to be 8 vs. 5.

I will say this, though: I don't understand how the play that quite possibly gave Kevin Love a concussion was not called a foul and in fact lead to an and-1 for Golden State. The Warriors are certainly the better team, and it didn't ultimately make a difference last night, but the Cavs have absolutely no shot if this series continues to be 8 vs. 5.

 

And Draymond's elbow to JR's face was also not a foul, but Lebron leans on the wrong spot driving and Igoudala's hyper-sensitive man parts draw a charging call.

I thought he was playing harder than anyone on the floor last night.  Need more from JR/Kyrie/Frye.

 

No doubt TT plays hard.  He's just not very good.  If you can't score, have no post moves, and can't shoot free throws, you better play damn good defense and take up space in the paint.  He doesn't do either of these.  He gets hustle rebounds, but he doesn't box out and that's why he's a better offensive rebounder than defensive rebounder.  That's not what we need.  We need a big man who will keep the other team off the offensive glass and has the ability to put the ball in the basket in and around the paint.

 

Of course JR/Kyrie/Frye need to give us more than last night if we are going to win, but at least they have shown us that they have the potential to do so throughout the playoffs.

A lot of my friends on Facebook are playing the optimist, wondering why people are so down when "all" Golden State did was defend home court and saying that the Cavs can still be in this series if they do the same. My issue is that it's not just that the Cavs lost twice in Oakland, it's how it happened. I saw nothing in those two games that leads me to believe that they can beat Golden State. They might win one close game at the Q purely based on pride and motivation, but I don't see them making this a series. This is not like the 2007 Pistons series where they went down 0-2 but there was some hope because the two games in Detroit were close.

^Nothing is over until we decide it is!  Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!?!?

Germans? Leave him alone, he's on a roll.

Seriously though, our role players need some good home cooking.  I don't care how the stars play, we are not going to beat this team if Iggy, Barbosa, Barnes, Livingston, etc. keep dominating JR, Shump, Delly, Frye, etc.  Role players traditionally play better at home.  Win these next two and it is a best of three series to win it all.  I'm far from optimistic, but not throwing in the towel either.

What has reigned supreme in the NBA the last several years?  Ball movement.  Spurs in '14, the Dubs last year, the Dubs this year.

 

The Cavs offense has been sooooo stagnant (they were better the first three series), but seriously...playground hero ball isn't going to beat the Warriors.  It's the old-fashioned, minimum 5 passes rule that needs implemented.  They will get better looks if they had more chemistry and ball movement, and that isn't going to suddenly appear in 48 hours.

 

Cleveland is toast.  Perhaps LeBron's sheer will can pick them up a W at home but Golden State has this on lock.

As I said up thread, Lue should get Mozgov into the game; if not starting early in the game if TT continues to get beat up inside... At this point, why not?  Mozgov hasn't been the same as last year, I understand.  But he was successful early on against GSW in last playoffs before they went small.

 

... I've always been skeptical about going small to defeat the Warriors.  Why play their game rather than forcing them to play ours.  Oklahoma City remained big and damn near defeated the Warriors.  The only reason why they didn't is because Russell Westbrook and KD (but mainly Westbrook) tried to play Hero Ball, had offensive meltdowns in the crunch in Games 5-7 and started turning the ball over keying GSW fast breaks.  OKC is longer and more athletic than the Cavs, but at least Mozgov can be a counterpoint to Bogut who had a field day over TT along with Green.

I agree. If the gameplan was/is to play bully ball, as it appears to me, I don't see how you do that without Timo. Personally, I would've never taken him out of the starting lineup unless he needed some time to rest.

OKC still went "small" though, they just have two super versatile guys in Ibaka and Durant who have length.  The only player the Cavs have that can match up with the length and athleticism as a "small" 4-5 is LeBron.

 

Kyrie is a huge problem.  He's a series-worst -36 in +/-.  He has more turnovers than assists.  And he's shooting a whopping 33% through 2 games.  He's atrocious on defense on he's been bad on offense.

OKC didn't go small.  They played Adams heavy minutes, alongside Durant and Ibaka, both of whom are taller than any of our starters.  They also used Kanter.  I'm not saying that going big against GSW is the winning formula.  All I'm saying is that if Lue's gameplan is to play bully ball, which it seems to be with all the one-on-one play going to the rim, then he needs to use his bullies.

 

 

OKC didn't go small.  They played Adams heavy minutes, alongside Durant and Ibaka, both of whom are taller than any of our starters.  They also used Kanter.  I'm not saying that going big against GSW is the winning formula.  All I'm saying is that if Lue's gameplan is to play bully ball, which it seems to be with all the one-on-one play going to the rim, then he needs to use his bullies.

 

I didn't say they want small the whole game, but they did counter quite a bit with their own "small" lineup in which Ibaka, more of a PF, played center, and Durant played at the 4 even though he's more of a true 3.  But because Ibaka and Durant have the athleticism of some smaller guys, their length caused issues for GS in the WCF.

 

I have no clue what Lue's gameplan was/is.  I'm not sure the answer lies on the current roster.  Last year, losing Love and Irving provided clarity - the Cavs were going to have to grind it out and win on their defense and LeBron.  They did that for a couple games.  Having Irving and Love means they are caught in the middle with crappy defense but also too many guys wanting to be "the guy" on offense.  They aren't doing a good job of going big as you said, but they don't have the horses to go small.

 

I don't know what the answer is.  The Warriors seem to have a response for everything so far.

hate to throw this out there, but if the cavs don't come back...then what?  they aren't even looking close to the warriors.  You cant run the same crew out there next year, so I would imagine a pretty significant move in the off season

Why can't you run the same crew out there?  We are two-time defending Eastern Conf. champs.  The Spurs stuck with their core way past when people said they should blow it up and it paid dividends.  I'm not saying that you don't make a move if it makes you better, but there is no sense in blowing this team up.  Give Lue a full training camp and season, allow the Big 3 to continue to develop some chemistry and go at it again next year.  You never know what will happen, whether it be an upset in the West or some significant injury to a contender.  I've said it before, but you need some luck to win a championship.

The Spurs stuck with their core way past when people said they should blow it up and it paid dividends.

 

The Spurs core actually won titles though.

And so would have we if we played the 2007 Cavs or the 2003 Nets.  The Spurs went 7 years between 2007 and 2014 constantly coming up short.  They stuck with it and pulled one out in 2014 that no one thought was possible a few years prior. 

 

Like I said, winning a 'ship involves a bit of luck, perhaps even a lot of luck, including who you eventually play.  If OKC doesn't collapse in the WCF, we have a much better matchup this year.  The bottom line is that we are not going to blow up our team and magically rebuild into something better with no draft picks and no cap room.  If a trade makes sense, go for it, but keep in mind that it takes time for a team to gel.

 

But, really, let's not get ahead of ourselves.  We still have some games to play!

The Cavs offense has been sooooo stagnant (they were better the first three series), but seriously...playground hero ball isn't going to beat the Warriors.  It's the old-fashioned, minimum 5 passes rule that needs implemented.  They will get better looks if they had more chemistry and ball movement, and that isn't going to suddenly appear in 48 hours.

 

Crazy thing is, the Cavs have shown quite a bit this year that they can move the ball and get open shots. I don't know what's caused them to shy away from doing that, whether the Warriors' defense is just that good (and it might be) or whether the Cavs get into a hole and start becoming desperate.

hate to throw this out there, but if the cavs don't come back...then what?  they aren't even looking close to the warriors.  You cant run the same crew out there next year, so I would imagine a pretty significant move in the off season

 

I was thinking the same thing. This Warriors team looks like it's going to be around for a long time. This may have been the year that someone in the Western Conference really had a chance to knock them off, and Oklahoma City squandered it.

 

I like your optimism Hts, but I don't think standing pat is going to be good enough to compete with Golden State next year unless they're actually losing some of their key pieces.

And so would have we if we played the 2007 Cavs or the 2003 Nets.  The Spurs went 7 years between 2007 and 2014 constantly coming up short.  They stuck with it and pulled one out in 2014 that no one thought was possible a few years prior. 

 

Like I said, winning a 'ship involves a bit of luck, perhaps even a lot of luck, including who you eventually play.  If OKC doesn't collapse in the WCF, we have a much better matchup this year.  The bottom line is that we are not going to blow up our team and magically rebuild into something better with no draft picks and no cap room.  If a trade makes sense, go for it, but keep in mind that it takes time for a team to gel.

 

But, really, let's not get ahead of ourselves.  We still have some games to play!

 

There might be some justification to write them off after a loss in Cleveland, but there's none yet.

hate to throw this out there, but if the cavs don't come back...then what?  they aren't even looking close to the warriors.  You cant run the same crew out there next year, so I would imagine a pretty significant move in the off season

 

I was thinking the same thing. This Warriors team looks like it's going to be around for a long time. This may have been the year that someone in the Western Conference really had a chance to knock them off, and Oklahoma City squandered it.

 

I like your optimism Hts, but I don't think standing pat is going to be good enough to compete with Golden State next year unless they're actually losing some of their key pieces.

 

I'm hardly optimistic. I'm just not up for another rebuild. Rosters like ours don't grow on trees but do take time to grow. GSW were not just thrown together last year. They've been building that team for 5 years and forming the necessary chemistry along the way. They got lucky with Green, who they chose a few picks AFTER Ezeli. And they've been fortunate enough these past two years to go into the finals without a significant injury even though many of their players have a track record of being injury prone. What will be interesting if they win again is how they will manage their roster. A lot of guys will want to get paid, especially with the cap increasing by a third.