THE GLAZED DONUT FACE-OFF -- spurs! heat! it's the NBA finals 2014, where little fatasses happen

indiana's defense was still very good in the playoffs. it was off their regular season peak but still would've rated top 10 in the regular season.

I lurk here too, voted spurs in 6 or 7. I went to college in SA so they're my home team in a way. (& my fb feed is nuts with spurs fans right now, b/c a bunch of my college buddies stayed in south texas & spurs por vida)

also in europe for the next year+ so I can't watch the finals live unless I wake up stupid early. though one year I was in Turkey during the finals & woke up at a normal-ish early time to see a Shaq Kobe Lakers team live in the finals, which was really disorienting time-wise.

the heat's defense will definitely be tested, no doubt. they haven't played a good offensive team yet.

but like: the #1 off efficiency in the nba in the regular season was the clippers at 109. the heat in the playoffs are at 113.

that difference of ~4 efficiency points is the gap between the clippers and the knicks, who were the #10 offense in the regular season.

so the heat's competition has not been great. granted. but their offense is SMOKING teams. like, beyond unguardable.

what a team does against mediocre/bad competiton can be as telling as what it does vs good competition, and the heat in the playoffs have been like... better than the best offenses in the history of the nba.

do offensive and defensive ratings take into account strength of schedule b/c i think some of these eastern teams might have some highly inflated numbers

indiana's defense was still very good in the playoffs. it was off their regular season peak but still would've rated top 10 in the regular season.

― le goon (J0rdan S.), Thursday, June 5, 2014 6:24 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

top ten is like not that great, its just top third

the spurs offense has also been roasting everyone mostly so i wouldn't be surprised if every game was a shootout

top ten is like not that great, its just top third

― lag∞n, Thursday, June 5, 2014 6:31 PM (7 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that rating also takes into account having to play the heat 6 times and getting blasted half of those times. i'm sure their def eff vs atlanta/washington was right around their normal numbers.

the heat in the playoffs have been like... better than the best offenses in the history of the nba.

― le goon (J0rdan S.), Thursday, June 5, 2014 6:30 PM (42 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

omg u r out of control comparing full season numbers w 15 games what does it all mean

it's just for context. how would anyone know what "113" means as a number

well it cld be compared to past playoff runs for instance

the only teams that have beaten that number in the playoffs going back to 2003 are the 09-10 suns and the 08-09 nuggets

i still think it is important that the spurs have played 18 games against competition that is way better than anyone the heat have faced, "top 10 defense" or whatever. the bobcats knew they weren't winning a game, the nets were playing w/ other people's knees, and the pacers are actual crazy people.

sure, i'm not disputing that. though i bet the heat wouldn't have been taken 7 by the mavs.

yeah the heat wouldve had a hard time in the west imho, i mean everyone did it was stacked but they played some really exceptionally shitty competition, youd prob have to go back to the years the nets won the east to find worse competition

heat will 3peat because everyone always 3peats. has there ever been a repeat that did not then become a 3peat?

but the fact that their offense is playing at a rate aligned with the best offenses in nba history indicates that they would still be blitzing even good teams

and i think they'll blitz the spurs. we'll see what happens on the other end though.

that series with the mavs was weird and seemed to be more about history b/w the franchises than talent. and SA seems to start slow in rd 1 every year. since game 7 of that series they've been clicking in a fairly brutal fashion, disregarding a couple westbrook/kd freakout games in oklahoma.

but the fact that their offense is playing at a rate aligned with the best offenses in nba history indicates that they would still be blitzing even good teams

and i think they'll blitz the spurs. we'll see what happens on the other end though.

― le goon (J0rdan S.), Thursday, June 5, 2014 6:42 PM (41 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

or they cld revert to the mean

they'll almost certainly regress some. but even "some" would still leave the offense in a place of dominance.

1. LeBron James has shot 5-of-30 (16.7 percent) when Boris Diaw is guarding him over the past year.

Believe it! According to SportVU 3D player-tracking cameras, the portly Diaw was matched up with James for 8:43 in the regular season and the four-time MVP shot just 2-of-9 and scored just four points. Then we found out from ESPN Stats & Info video tracking of the 2013 Finals that James shot 3-of-21 against Diaw in the postseason, including 1-of-10 outside 10 feet. There might never be a LeBron James stopper for an entire game, but in a pinch? Diaw might be just the guy.

lol i want to believe

actually 6 of 11 championship streaks have ended at 2 so nvm xp to convo w/ myself

all championship runs continue into infinity iirc

the portly Diaw

Stately, plump Boris Diaw came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.

lol

Introibo ad altare LeBron.

NO WAIT:

Introibo ad altare Diaw.

Introibo ad altare Argentum

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-west-is-better-than-the-east-but-that-doesnt-mean-the-spurs-will-beat-the-heat/

this whole article is complete nonsense, i weep for 538

538 is so bad

not even clicking

my gut feeling on this series is that nothing the spurs did to be "better" this year is going to be meaningful in a short series against the heat, leaving it as even as last year. so i have no reason to pick against the champs.

I picked the Heat too, I feel the Heat still know it was but for the grace of Ray Allen that they took it last year and are gonna actively not let themselves fall into that hole again

contrary to conventional wisdom being the champs doesnt actually get you any extra points

agreed, i think the series is a coinflip, but i'm obligated to make a pick

I thought the rings give you super powers, like Green Lantern.

Can you image the constructs that Lance would create would make with a power ring?

so the opening of nba countdown had three shots of Simmons and Jalen in a convertible driving around some anonymous town and then a slow-mo shot of the two of them walking in front of an explosion

waade

Yah that move was so good. My favorite move in bball tbf

Hand down man down

Jax is maybe worse than Reggie. But it's close.

Reggie > jax >>> excited Reggie

Probably we should all be mad at lacob for not waiting until after the finals to fire jax

Yeah for sure

Kawhi went for the harden strip there

manu stepped into that one nicely

Harden is so late on that he usually ends up swinging at air tho

"Clearly"

Need k3v to break down that hand/wrist/ball contact