2013-2014 NBA Thread - IND @ WAS and OKC @ LAC on ESPN

[noblekane]

Come on guys can we go one day without saying the word ****? [emoji]127814[/emoji]

 

[dman14]

say the pacers do beat the heat in their final meeting. who owns tiebreaker if the record is the same? is that still up in the air?

 

[uncharteddrake]

LOOK AT HOW PEOPLE SWITCH TEAMS!!! THATS CRAZY!!!!
a couple weeks ago it was "THE PACERS ARE GOING TO GET THE HEAT OUT OF THERE" now its "Brooklyn will take care of the heat"!!
LMAOOOOO!!!!
Laker fans are so delusional!!

 

[MVP]

LOOK AT HOW PEOPLE SWITCH TEAMS!!! THATS CRAZY!!!!
a couple weeks ago it was "THE PACERS ARE GOING TO GET THE PACERS OUT OF THERE" now its "Brooklyn will take care of the heat"!!
LMAOOOOO!!!!
Lake fans are so delusional!!

You mean like you did from the Cavs to the Heat and then to whoever Bron goes to next...oh, ok.

Didn't think there was a worst Bron fan than Airfresh, but think we've found him. I'm baffled why you keep bring up Laker fans...that insecurity doe

 

[reputory]

So what he's the best basketball player in the world, he can do and say what ever he wants. YOU stop crying.
sheeesh.
You make up every excuse about what another man shouldn't do. go sit down and relax.

This man Durant literally cried TEARS after getting dealt with by Lebron, you said nothing. But let lebron complain, no tears about a foul call its, "AW MAN STOP CRYING" bye man.

How old are you? You're getting a little too butthurt to the point where you went to the lebron xi thread to say I'm tired of these nets fans in this thread. Grow up you obviously don't know anything about ball if you think that block wasn't clean. Lebron got outplayed and instead of admitting to it he cries about it.

Just because you're the best player doesn't mean you can do anything I wonder who raised you because your morals are all ****** up. Heat fans are the biggest **** riders where'd all the "fans" go during game 6? That's right they went home. Bosh was crying when the heat lost to the mavs but you don't say anything about that because without bosh y'all wouldn't have won the finals last year.

 

[Cashflow]

Feels and reactions everywhere. God bless this thread!

 

[finallyfamous]

You used to be a Cavs fan?

 

[julius wrek]

Insider article about how KD wins the MVP because Lebron hasn't played as good of defense. 

Defense matters.

If there's one takeaway from the ranking of ESPN's new real plus-minus metric, it's that: Defense is a huge deal. But the defensive side of the floor, which represents half the game, has been underserved in the basketball conversation, especially when it comes to talking about the individual.

But now, RPM is giving credit where credit is due.

Watch NBA tonight on ESPN

LeBron James and the Miami Heat take on Marc Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies on ESPN tonight. WatchESPN: 8:00 p.m. ET  

The MVP race illustrates this dynamic perfectly. It has been long assumed as an article of faith thatLeBron James  is a better defender than Kevin Durant, and therefore the Oklahoma City star would have to make up for his defensive deficiencies on the other end. But as RPM shows us, that hasn't necessarily been the case this season.

You often hear about a player having a down shooting year or a down rebounding year. Well, James is having a down defensive year. And that, more than anything, is why he'll likely lose the MVP battle this season.

Most folks have probably handed the MVP trophy to Durant already, but interestingly enough, James currently leads the league by the slimmest of margins in WAR, which is the estimated number of team wins attributable to a player based on RPM. Simply put, WAR is RPM that takes into account minutes played. James currently paces the league with 17.07 WAR, while Durant, who has played more minutes than James, nips at his heels at 16.73. This is insanely close and should go down to the wire. Considering this is an estimated number, we can see this as a virtual tie.

As the WAR leaderboard demonstrates, this is a two-man race, with James and Durant separated from the pack by a margin of three wins. A 17 WAR figure means that James' impact on the floor has been worth 17 wins above the replacement player. What's a replacement player? It's a statistical benchmark for freely available talent that you can pick up off of waivers or the D-League. Basically, the guy at the end of the bench.

From an RPM perspective, the MVP race is close. But if James gave an above-average output on defense this season, this probably wouldn't be a contest.

We have seen hints of James' lackluster defense in the box score, but RPM paints a fuller picture, an assessment that many haven't been willing to see. RPM informs us that the reigning MVP has been a below-average defender this season once we account for teammates, opponents, coaches and other factors. Yes, below average. To be more precise, he's estimated to be 0.21 points per 100 possessions worse than the average defender in 2013-14, which is about a full point worse than Durant.

How can that be? In a vacuum, James is stronger, more versatile and probably more heady than Durant on defense. Most would agree on those notions. But the effort hasn't always been there. And the numbers are picking it up.

James likes to tout his rare ability to guard all five positions on the floor. He can do that. But what he's not mentioning is that this rare ability hasn't consistently translated into winning results.

RPM captures that on the whole, but let's slice this down into pieces. According to exclusive data provided to ESPN.com by Vantage Sports, an analytics company that has clients around the league, James has registered surprisingly low numbers on the defensive end. James' KIF (Keep In Front Percentage) this season is one of them. James has kept only 40 percent of drive attempts in front of him, which is lower than the league median of 50 percent. Not the markings of a lockdown on-ball defender. Vantage Sports tracking also tells us that James has gotten beat back on transition defense 2.8 times per 100 chances, which is far more than the league average of 0.5 times per 100 chances.

The box score isn't favorable to James either. He's blocking shots about a third as often as he did last season. His block percentage of 0.7 is the same asKyrie Irving, Monta Ellis  and Mario Chalmers. James' steal rate is also down for the second season in a row, down to 2.2 percent. Again, James has the ability to block shots, cause turnovers and wrap up his assignment no matter what position he plays. But the effort hasn't been there. And when effort doesn't match ability, that's where the coasting talk comes in.

And in the grand scheme of things, James is probably smart to preserve his energy on that end of the floor for the playoffs. He has carried the Heat for much of the season without his co-pilot Dwyane Wade, who has missed 26 games this season dealing with an assortment of leg issues. Believe it or not, James has the majority of his minutes (59 percent) without Wade on the floor this season. Last season, James only starred without Wade for a third of his minutes. This is a new, more demanding set of circumstances for James in Miami.

Look, the Heat have not played great defense this season. They basically took off the entire month of January when they gave up the sixth-most points to their opponent on a per-possession basis. The scoreboard tells us that the Heat have been 3.0 points per 100 possessions better with James off the floor than on the floor, according to NBA.com data. He's performed better recently, but RPM confirms that he has a hand in that drop-off.

With a more consistent effort from James, they probably don't sit three games behind the Thunder in the loss column. And team record goes a long way in the MVP discussion.

Remember, RPM and WAR are enlightening metrics because they don't solely depend on the confines of the box score -- where defense is a blind spot -- to appraise a player's contributions. And from a WAR lens, the MVP race is far from over, even with James' defensive shortcomings that have hurt the Heat's standing. But James can't hide on that end anymore. With a little more dedication on that end, James would likely be on his way to another MVP.

Excuse machine in effect...

Julius F. Wrek

 

[uncharteddrake]

people get to talking about somebody complaining about a foul, but don't say a thing, when somebody goes running to their mommy crying because they lost a basketball game....smh


Y'all some hypocrites

You're comparing one foul to losing the NBA Finals too. Those things are nowhere near comparable. Zero hypocrisy going on, you are comparing watermelons to bananas

Boy get out of here. CRYING IS CRYING. if there is no harm being done, you a cry baby. Like i said Bron wasn't even literally crying, he complained about a foul, what everyone does.

Durant literally shed TEARS because Bron beat him up, and Durant RAN to his mommy and cried like a child, because of a basketball game.

*****


(You se how I'm making it sound, thats the way you guys try to make things sound, but fail)

 

[sea manup]

unchartedACB

 

[ohmygosher]

I'm not reading that, but KD wins the MVP because he's the best player in the world and having a historical season all while having one of the best records in the league.

 

[woody2626]

Bobcats vs Wizards tonight

Send that 6 seed to Charlotte

 

[antidope]

Drake Announced as Host of The 2014 ESPYS


Live Telecast of Awards on July 16from Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles

Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling recording artist and multi-faceted performer Drake announced today via Twitter that he will host The 2014 ESPYS on Wednesday, July 16, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. The Awards will be televised live starting at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. The ESPYS raise more than $1 million annually for The V Foundation, the charity founded by the late basketball coach Jim Valvano to promote cancer research.

Drake will be joined by top athletes and entertainers to celebrate the year’s best moments in sports. Beyond Drake’s numerous and notable accomplishments in the creative space, he is also the Global Ambassador on the executive committee for his hometown’s Toronto Raptors.

“Drake is an unbelievably talented entertainer who truly has a passion for sports. We are thrilled to have him to host this year’s show,” said Connor Schell, vice president, ESPN Films and Original Entertainment, who oversees the ESPYS.

“This is an incredible opportunity for me to combine two of my biggest passions—sports and performing,” said Drake.

Adds Maura Mandt, executive producer, “Drake’s charisma, energy and fearlessness come across whether he’s performing music, acting or doing comedy. We are all in for an unforgettable program.”

Drake is currently riding high on the success of his international “Would You Like a Tour” in support of his third studio album, Nothing Was the Same. Drake holds the record for the most number one hits on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In January 2014, Drake pulled double duty as host and musical guest on NBC’s Saturday Night Live in one of the highest rated episodes of the season. Drake has become a true visionary and artist with his music and lifestyle brand, October’s Very Own.

The ESPYS

The ESPYS gather top celebrities from sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable moments and saluting the leading performers and performances. The 2014 ESPYS will recognize both sport-specific achievements, such as “Best MLB Player” and “Best WNBA Player,” and best-in-sport winners, such as “Best Team” or “Best Female Athlete” that pit nominees from different sports against each other. The ESPYS honor ESPN’s commitment to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a partnership launched with the late Jim Valvano at the inaugural ESPYS in 1993.

For additional ESPYS news and information, please follow our official ESPYS Twitter handle: @ESPYS.

 

[MVP]

Aubrey

 

[captainsneakerhead23]

Drake hosting the ESPY awards

 

[pmatic]

The jokes and memes will run rampant that night.

 

[uncharteddrake]

How old are you? You're getting a little too butthurt to the point where you went to the lebron xi thread to say I'm tired of these nets fans in this thread. Grow up you obviously don't know anything about ball if you think that block wasn't clean. Lebron got outplayed and instead of admitting to it he cries about it.

Just because you're the best player doesn't mean you can do anything I wonder who raised you because your morals are all ****** up. Heat fans are the biggest **** riders where'd all the "fans" go during game 6? That's right they went home. Bosh was crying when the heat lost to the mavs but you don't say anything about that because without bosh y'all wouldn't have won the finals last year.

When you are the best, you can do what you want, will people like it no, but you got your right to complain to the refs if you want....My gawd....smh

So what about the fans in game 6? What was the end result of game 6? Tell me that? or are you too butthurt to admit it?
Yea Bosh cried when he lost to the mavs, but he also put on glasses that said "Champion" on it in 2012 after beating the thunder.
Bosh literally crying is not lebron literally crying. I have said it time after time, that without bosh, the heat wouldn't win a thing. so what you said is VOID

LIKE I SAID AGAIN, DURANT CRIED TO HIS MOMMY AFTER LEBRON BOSH WADE AND CHALMERS GAVE HIM THAT WORK!!!

Look at chu following me to the Lebron XI thread. lol
I just thought it was funny that nets fans want to post in the shoe thread about the game after they win. instead of posting in the Miami Heat thread.

 

[coldcity]

Drake hosting the ESPY awards

the nt one or the real (soft) one

 

[blastercombo]

Drake hosting the ESPY awards

I never watch them but this year I'll make sure to some how not watch it more

 

[julius wrek]

I'm not reading that, but KD wins the MVP because he's the best player in the world and having a historical season all while having one of the best records in the league.

It illustrates how LeBron's defense isn't what its perceived  to be, this year especially.

Julius F. Wrek

 

[uncharteddrake]

You mean like you did from the Cavs to the Heat and then to whoever Bron goes to next...oh, ok.

Didn't think there was a worst Bron fan than Airfresh, but think we've found him. I'm baffled why you keep bring up Laker fans...that insecurity doe

Ok, but who from the Lakers went to the Pacers for laker fans to cheer for that team? who from the lakers went to the nets for them to cheer for theem all of a sudden?
Boy you know exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[antidope]

Drakes that dude though.

 

[nelson999]

Drake hosting the ESPY awards

Hopefully they give him an award for biggest male sports groupie

 

 

[captainsneakerhead23]

Exactly, you can't be that dude and a basketball wife at the same damn time

 

[100027]

 
Hopefully they give him an award for biggest male sports groupie

 

 the bottom two especially