Steph Curry

[cj]

Originally Posted by Valuist

It matters because one team played up to expectations, and the other didn't. Maybe the Thunder were distracted. After all, they have Golden State up next.

Russ certainly played up to expectations, and so did KD. The rest not so much.

Offensive rating for the game last night:

Russ 148
Steph 123

I said best game by a point guard last night, not best game by a team. The Thunder are actually great at team rebounding, they don't rely on one or two guys. It works for them.

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/te...undsDifference

[ManU918]

Originally Posted by ebcorde

the top players makes so much money, the best teams carry 2 good players.
boy if there's 3 all-stars on a team, people go ga-ga.

back in the 80's sixers, Celtics lakers each had 3-4 all-stars each

don't know how old you are, but the entire Celtic starting 5 were all-stars.

I've followed basketball from Wilt/Russell to today I don't watch too much anymore. But the great players always show they can play at the highest level as they travel thru time. Wilt played against Jabbar who played against Bird who played against Jordan who played against Kobe who played against LeBron.

I'm 31 but know a ton about the game. I love the old eras of hoops. Some of my favorite players ever are Cousy, Pistol Pete, The Iceman and of course Erving.

The 80's Celtic teams with Bird, McHale, Parish, Johnson, etc were great. There's no doubt about it but I think this Warriors team has every opportunity to win just as many if not more championships than them. The Warriors have three all-stars this year... Curry, Klay and Green and it will be like that for a very long time.

If you followed the game since Wilt then you are familiar with a gentleman who was a family friend of mine... Paul Arizin. I have signed cards, basketballs and pictures of him galore. On top of that I also own a 1955-56 Paul Arizin Championship jacket. Not many know Arizin's background and how great he really was. The guy had 85 and 100 point games in college.

[rastajenk]

Originally Posted by ManU918

The Warriors have three all-stars this year... Curry, Klay and Green and it will be like that for a very long time.

I don't follow the NBA much anymore, except for scores and who's hot/who's not. Are there free agent pressures, cap limits, or any other business reasons that make it difficult to keep a team together for a while? Or, to put it another way, is it easier in the NBA to keep a nucleus together than in baseball or football?

It seems like San Antonio has had the same team for 15 years.

[cj]

Originally Posted by rastajenk

I don't follow the NBA much anymore, except for scores and who's hot/who's not. Are there free agent pressures, cap limits, or any other business reasons that make it difficult to keep a team together for a while? Or, to put it another way, is it easier in the NBA to keep a nucleus together than in baseball or football?

It seems like San Antonio has had the same team for 15 years.

It is easier to a point. The NBA has made it so that teams can pay more to keep their players than other teams can pay, and also give an extra year. But, there are serious taxes for going over the cap, more severe the more you are over and the more consecutive years you are over. They kind of counteract each other.

As for the Spurs, they have been able to do that because as their star players got older, they agreed to play for less money so the team could be built better around them.

[Canarsie]

Originally Posted by ManU918

I'm 31 but know a ton about the game. I love the old eras of hoops. Some of my favorite players ever are Cousy, Pistol Pete, The Iceman and of course Erving.

The 80's Celtic teams with Bird, McHale, Parish, Johnson, etc were great. There's no doubt about it but I think this Warriors team has every opportunity to win just as many if not more championships than them. The Warriors have three all-stars this year... Curry, Klay and Green and it will be like that for a very long time.

If you followed the game since Wilt then you are familiar with a gentleman who was a family friend of mine... Paul Arizin. I have signed cards, basketballs and pictures of him galore. On top of that I also own a 1955-56 Paul Arizin Championship jacket. Not many know Arizin's background and how great he really was. The guy had 85 and 100 point games in college.

Many will argue but the ABA really changed how the game was played at least to me. The tempo was faster, they had the three ball, great nicknames, and players who could play in the NBA along with the marginal ones who never could.

The apartment complex I lived in was the only place in Brooklyn that had cable in 1972. Believe it or not HBO was the mecca for sports back then. Lots of ABA, some NBA (not 100% sure on this) and wrestling from MSG among others. My apartment was SRO for certain events as it was the beginning of cable. To watch the ABA was a real treat back then because you had crazy hair and bad as* nicknames it was very entertaining. One could argue that a bunch of their stars was equal or better than the NBA.

When you fall in love with an era its hard to think anything else can ever compare to it. I've seen all the greats but nobody comes near Steph Curry as a shooter. Many will say the bad boys and their ilk would have battered Curry but nine times out of ten he has the ability to blow right by them and still have time to decide what type of shot he wants to take. Then again he could really screw them up by finding someone charging to the basket out from the foul line.

It may be 2016 but GS has revolutionized the way basketball is played now. Thompson and Curry will go down as the best backcourt in NBA history barring any major injury happening to either one of them. Plus they have a point forward that also is an amazing TEAM player. He actually apologized to his team for trying to achieve a triple double at their expense. They almost lost the game but for a player of that stature to say that in a locker room shows how great teams can overcome many things ordinary ones can't.

Also many players in the 60's and 70's had to work during the off season to supplement their income. This is unheard of today but was fairly commen back then.

I'm wonder if you like Ernie DiGregorio form the 70's. He doesn't get the press he should generate but the guy could certainly shoot.

[azeri98]

Originally Posted by ManU918

People over exaggerate the league 20-30 years ago. It was good but come on... You act as if Curry would be scared of the "tough guys". Curry is making a mockery of the league. This time in 20 years people my age will be talking about Curry, LeBron, Kobe, Shaq, etc like the people your age talk about Jordan, Thomas, Bird, Magic, etc. It's what people do. The game was always and will always be "better back in the day" but in reality players are always improving and getting more athletic.

I'm 46 so I am not old just been watching NBA for a long time, during the 90's it was rare for a team to score 100 points, if you watch the 30 for 30 on the Pistons you will see how MJ was even beaten up by the type of defense that was played he had to add weight and change his off season workout to play that type of ball. Curry is a generational player no doubt but because of his size and frame I don't know how he would have fared, the best shooter in that era was Reggie Miller. I wonder how he would have done in this era.

[MutuelClerk]

I loved the Bad Boys, hated Jordan. But Michael got his wish. No more tough defense, we now have flagrant fouls in varying degrees the most minor back in the day wouldn't have raised an eyebrow. It seems half the players in the league now are between 6-8 and 6-10 weigh 225lbs. Players can't shoot, centers don't play with their backs to the basket. Boxing out is only done in the playoffs. Fundamentals are lacking. Regular season effort is pretty bad. The players are too friendly, rivalries don't really exist anymore. It's turned me away. I watch the finals but that's about it. I do appreciate Curry though. I believe he's the best shooter in my lifetime. David Stern and Michael wanted to end the era of bad boy basketball. Like the 30-30 special said. The Lakers and Celtics were equally as determined and tough as the Bad Boys were. I miss that style of play.

[azeri98]

Originally Posted by MutuelClerk

I loved the Bad Boys, hated Jordan. But Michael got his wish. No more tough defense, we now have flagrant fouls in varying degrees the most minor back in the day wouldn't have raised an eyebrow. It seems half the players in the league now are between 6-8 and 6-10 weigh 225lbs. Players can't shoot, centers don't play with their backs to the basket. Boxing out is only done in the playoffs. Fundamentals are lacking. Regular season effort is pretty bad. The players are too friendly, rivalries don't really exist anymore. It's turned me away. I watch the finals but that's about it. I do appreciate Curry though. I believe he's the best shooter in my lifetime. David Stern and Michael wanted to end the era of bad boy basketball. Like the 30-30 special said. The Lakers and Celtics were equally as determined and tough as the Bad Boys were. I miss that style of play.

I miss that style of play as well, but near the end it was too much, there were just as many muggings inside the arena as outside. if they could find a happy medium between now and then,it would be perfect.

[highnote]

Originally Posted by barahona44

One of the reasons there was more scoring 'back in the day' was because the game was played at a faster pace, more ball movement and passing.Nowadays, the ball is s-l-o-w-l-y walked up the court (they move faster in golf) and dribble, dribble, dribble while everybody stands around watching until the last few seconds of the 24 second clock when somebody suddenly remembers they have to attempt to score.It's easy to play defense when nobody's playing offense,

And may I add how irritating it is to watch some bozo point guard ROLL the ball on the floor, then pick it up when they reach the mid court line.

The high school my kid goes to has point guards who walk the ball up the floor. There is no shot clock. The team averages about 50 points per game. It's deadly boring to watch. They focus on defense. On offense they try to work the ball into the low post for a layup and hopefully draw a foul.

Back when I was in high school our teams scored 100 points or more once or twice per season. We pressed full court, ran a fast break on every possession and moved the ball with fast passing -- very little dribbling. And there was no three point line. 15 feet jumpers were a very exciting part of the game.

[highnote]

Originally Posted by ManU918

If you followed the game since Wilt then you are familiar with a gentleman who was a family friend of mine... Paul Arizin. I have signed cards, basketballs and pictures of him galore. On top of that I also own a 1955-56 Paul Arizin Championship jacket. Not many know Arizin's background and how great he really was. The guy had 85 and 100 point games in college.

Great story on Wikipedia about him. I'll try to find more.

He probably knew my the man who coached my wife in high school -- Bevo Francis.

Bevo set the NCAA single game scoring record of 113 points in 1954. He was eventually drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors, but opted to sign with the Globetrotters because they paid him more money.

Bevo was 6' 9" and was said to have a beautiful jump shot. My high school coach said he was the first big man who could move like a guard.

It would have been amazing if Wilt, Paul Arizin and Bevo would have been on the same team!

[Valuist]

OKC/GS. This opened at Golden State by 8 1/2 with a sky high total of 232. The total has come down to 229 1/2 or 230 depending on the outlet.

The Warriors have played with a purpose against the top level teams. I'm curious to see how low this total can get. When I first saw the 232, I thought no way could I play over. But then you look at their production: Golden State 134,116,108,127,120,122,125,132 in their last 9 and OKC 117, 114, 116, 126, 128, 106, 109, 109 and 110 in their last 10. Thunder have gone over the total in 6 of their last 7.

An amazing run by the Warriors; of their 4 losses this year, Curry was out for the loss at Dallas, Draymont Green was out for the loss at Denver, the loss at Milwaukee was the day after a double OT win in Boston. The Detroit loss was the only difficult to explain loss. Last loss at home? January 27.....of 2015 to the Bulls by 2 points in OT.

[lansdale]

Originally Posted by Valuist

OKC/GS. This opened at Golden State by 8 1/2 with a sky high total of 232. The total has come down to 229 1/2 or 230 depending on the outlet.

The Warriors have played with a purpose against the top level teams. I'm curious to see how low this total can get. When I first saw the 232, I thought no way could I play over. But then you look at their production: Golden State 134,116,108,127,120,122,125,132 in their last 9 and OKC 117, 114, 116, 126, 128, 106, 109, 109 and 110 in their last 10. Thunder have gone over the total in 6 of their last 7.

An amazing run by the Warriors; of their 4 losses this year, Curry was out for the loss at Dallas, Draymont Green was out for the loss at Denver, the loss at Milwaukee was the day after a double OT win in Boston. The Detroit loss was the only difficult to explain loss. Last loss at home? January 27.....of 2015 to the Bulls by 2 points in OT.

Sounds like you're not making a pick here, although interesting analysis of recent play by these two. I made GSW 8 pts. better when looking at the west a couple of weeks back, and think I would stick with that - would actually make the line GSW -11, adding the HA, so I will take GSW - looking for a score ca. 122-105. If OKC can keep it around a 10 pt. loss, would be a tribute to them. After what the Dubs have done to Spurs and Cavs recently, assuming they'll again be trying to send a message for the post-season tonight. Think that they'll let KD and WB get theirs but will shut down everybody else - the OKC second unit will be shredded - probably ca. -20 +/-. Should be an entertaining game.

[Valuist]

Originally Posted by lansdale

Sounds like you're not making a pick here, although interesting analysis of recent play by these two. I made GSW 8 pts. better when looking at the west a couple of weeks back, and think I would stick with that - would actually make the line GSW -11, adding the HA, so I will take GSW - looking for a score ca. 122-105. If OKC can keep it around a 10 pt. loss, would be a tribute to them. After what the Dubs have done to Spurs and Cavs recently, assuming they'll again be trying to send a message for the post-season tonight. Think that they'll let KD and WB get theirs but will shut down everybody else - the OKC second unit will be shredded - probably ca. -20 +/-. Should be an entertaining game.

I did take Golden State here at -8. They have gotten up for the stronger teams. I have them at 9-1-1 ATS vs fast tempo teams.

BTW, the fade of the team playing the Warriors next comes in again. Portland a 5 to 5 1/2 pt dog, blows out Houston by 17 today.

[PhantomOnTour]

Shouldn't this thread be merged in with the NBA 2015-2016 thread?

[cj]

Originally Posted by PhantomOnTour

Shouldn't this thread be merged in with the NBA 2015-2016 thread?

Seriously? Are you really going to get up in arms because I moved a post?

Both the NBA threads have plenty of discussion. How much discussion do you think the LC thread was going to get on its own? The Premiership thread hardly gets any. Let it go please. It was a simple moderator decision, not personal.