**OFFICIAL 2019 NBA OFFSEASON THREAD**

[danikerhino]

You can't bring up 4-3 w/o bringing up the fact they were "Comfortably" up 3-1 in the first place. Not to mention that up until game 5 they had beaten the Cavs 5 times that year by an average of like 20ppg a game. That's extremely comfortable...

Now we all know what happened next w/the dray stuff and Iggy stuff, and bron and Kyrie going wild, but if we're talking about "need" the warriors were very comfortable in that series until chaos happened.

What they "needed" was for Dray not to get suspended / Iggy and Bogut to not die. They didn't "Need" KD to win that series comfortably. They were already champions and comfortably up 3-1.

I don't know if the Cavs were imploding before game 5 or were too slow for GSW the first few games, but they were talented enough to beat us with Draymond. Call it us losing momentum or whatever, but the Cavs got hit and we got cold. If KD was there, we would have swept them. We weren't comfortable until game 4 and we just outplayed them and were hot. Anyways w/o KD, we're great when firing on all cylinders, but we could be beat if circumstances favor you. With KD, we're unbeatable. We need KD to come close to a "guaranteed" chip.

 

[P C H]

Ima put it like this and ima end mine, (or at least try to lol)

If GSW keeps that exact same team and runs into the Cavs in the finals that next season w/o KD, then I don't know how they don't have at least a 50% shot of beating the Cavs considering how dominant they were against the Cavs the year before.

If you have that good of a shot of winning the chip, then what you're saying is that you need KD to guarantee a chip, not win a chip. They could have for sure won it w/o KD. They beat the **** out of him before the collapse.

 

[P C H]

I don't know if the Cavs were imploding before game 5 or were too slow for GSW the first few games, but they were talented enough to beat us with Draymond. Call it us losing momentum or whatever, but the Cavs got hit and we got cold. If KD was there, we would have swept them. We weren't comfortable until game 4 and we just outplayed them and were hot. Anyways w/o KD, we're great when firing on all cylinders, but we could be beat if circumstances favor you. With KD, we're unbeatable. We need KD to come close to a "guaranteed" chip.

Yeah I don't debate that you guys needed KD to guarantee a chip. He's like the perfect safety net.

But to say you needed KD to beat the Cavs is a reach. I don't think you guys were that much better than the Cavs in hindsight (that 16' Cavs team was one of the greatest offensive teams of all time) but you guys were definitely more than good enough to beat them w/o KD. Again, the Cavs that year up until game 5 were getting smoked dating back to the regular season.

 

[danikerhino]

Y’all lost because of bad luck honestly. The warriors were better than the cavs and they should of won. The momentum after that draymond suspension broke those weak Hearted light skin dudes into pieces.

We were better, but the Cavs were just a notch below us. Especially with Kyrie. But with KD, we were head and shoulders above the Cavs and every other would-be contender. KD turned us from teams having a chance to beat us if we played like **** to teams have to have a miracle to beat us.

 

[danikerhino]

I see both of your points, I just disagree. I can't keep arguing with people that hold my team in such high esteem so I'm going to forfeit this debate. I agree, we're bad-asses, even without KD.

 

[jsindaa]

If we're going to play the hypothetical game...couldn't one say if Kyrie and Kevin Love play in 2015 that the Cavs win the series? They were up 2-1 w/o them.
Stick to the facts.

Can't say this and ignore that the Warriors routinely beat the piss out of Cleveland up to that collapse. There's no real evidence that they needed KD. They just would have been closer to the field

 

[VARNELL HILL]

Can't say this and ignore that the Warriors routinely beat the piss out of Cleveland up to that collapse. There's no real evidence that they needed KD. They just would have been closer to the field

We talking 2015 or 16?

 

[jsindaa]

16. They had won like 5 times in a row by an average of 20. The Warriors have clearly been the best team in the league with and without kd. They didn't NEED him.

 

[wavycrocket]

If you have that good of a shot of winning the chip, then what you're saying is that you need KD to guarantee a chip, not win a chip. They could have for sure won it w/o KD. They beat the **** out of him before the collapse.

This
Right
Here

 

[sea manup]

It would be like us losing to the celtics on 08 and kobe being like "you know what, we should sign lebron if we ever want to beat the celtics"

 

[everysingletime]

I don't remember too many details about the final series prior to KD joining them that summer...but I do remember that Barnes was really really bad the last four games or so of the series. He just could not buy a basket. It really allowed Cavs to play 5 on 4 d. Any player better than Barnes is enough.

The warriors are too good to really need KD. They are impossible to beat with him.

 

[danikerhino]

I think a lot of you guys are forgetting how good the Spurs were. In 2015/2016, a lot of people consider them better than the Cavs and the Warriors.

 

[sea manup]

Forgetting about the spurs is a staple of being a NBA fan tho

 

[wavycrocket]

I don't remember too many details about the final series prior to KD joining them that summer...but I do remember that Barnes was really really bad the last four games or so of the series. He just could not buy a basket. It really allowed Cavs to play 5 on 4 d. Any player better than Barnes is enough.

The warriors are too good to really need KD. They are impossible to beat with him.

***** shot 15% in the last 3 games of the series. 15%! !. He was also something ungodly like 2/22 on wide open jumpers. He hits just one of them shots....the basketball landscape changes.

It was THE perfect storm for the Cavs. You play that series 100 times, GSW wins 99. This was the Lil Giants moment.

One time.

 

[a-friend]

I think a lot of you guys are forgetting how good the Thunder were AND almost swept GSW up 3-1 and KD/Russ lost themselves. Of course GSW needed KD to Win another Chip(right away). This is no debate.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

16. They had won like 5 times in a row by an average of 20. The Warriors have clearly been the best team in the league with and without kd. They didn't NEED him.

I'll concede in that this is technically true. I still think we're adding in our own variables and that's influencing our points. We could play the what if game in circles. Maybe Steph does continue to go Super Saiyan and avoid drastic injuries. Maybe Draymond does maintain his level of play from the previous year. Maybe they acquire "someone else" and they're also really good.

Or...

I'm thinking of a re-signed Max Deal Harrison Barnes, more mileage on Steph, requiring more from aging vets, more from Dray...Klay being expected to be God and Dray getting slandered to high hell when Steph doesn't get to sit 30 games and has to play through an MCL sprain...or worse.

Constructed as they are...they avoid ALOT of those bad "what ifs"...and I think that's important. They needed KD to be special...and to me that's better than just being "favorites"...when those change all the time (ask Lebron). But I get it, they'd have still been an elite team without kevin durant.

 

[a-friend]

They almost swept.
“The best team of all time....” almost got swept, but they didn’t need KD?

:nail painting

 

[danikerhino]

Well, yeah, you guys, the Spurs and the Clippers when firing in all cylinders were definitely capable of pushing the Warriors to the edge. KD coming in shut the door in all of those teams.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

Also...I can't believe I'm saying this but...

Got dam...it seem like ya'll giving Draymond more credit for turning the 2016 finals than Lebron

I thought he was the "GOAT"...or so they say.

Maybe #NutGate did swing "momentum" but he and Kyrie still had to BLACK against this super "73-9" team right? You wouldn't want to neutralize a nuclear weapon with a bigger one?

 

[HIM]

I'm here for the Mavs- Wiz desperation bowl Tuesday

I been tryna tell people DJ was just as bad as Russ with the rebound hunting.

 

[EnvyTheGreen]

Also...I can't believe I'm saying this but...

Got dam...it seem like ya'll giving Draymond more credit for turning the 2016 finals than Lebron

I thought he was the "GOAT"...or so they say.

Maybe #NutGate did swing "momentum" but he and Kyrie still had to BLACK against this super "73-9" team right? You wouldn't want to neutralize a nuclear weapon with a bigger one?

Never understood that theory. If he was suspended for game 7, fine.

But he missed game 5, and I’m sorry but winning 1 game doesn’t classify as momentum. Never heard of a team winning game 1 and people saying series over, they have all the momentum.

They had two more chances to win including a game 7 at home, not buying that theory. Kyrie took their soul with Draymond on the court. And they prob would have won the season before if Kyrie was healthy.

They needed Durant (and a Kawhi/Paul injury).

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

First...we're making a gigantic reach with the "someone better than Barnes" variable.

Let's take a look at the 2016 NBA Free Agents (excluding LBJ and KD obviously).



Which one of these "better than Barnes" guys is shoring up the Warriors? Which one of these guys is stepping up to carry the load when Steph goes down?

Literally all those guys are better than Barnes

But he missed game 5, and I’m sorry but winning 1 game doesn’t classify as momentum. Never heard of a team winning game 1 and people saying series over, they have all the momentum.

17-18 NBA Finals

 

[Upscale_Shooter]

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

The warriors were never unbeatable. It's just the guys who were capable of beating them (KD, Bron) were on flawed teams

 

[a-friend]

OKC shot up the District with no Skimask, didn’t even wear Do Dirts, just shot up the whole of everybody leaving fingerprints and video evidence, and Gangster *** Wall just folded as they left with the loot.

John WallBall
John WallStraw

Dude was on the bench quenching his thirst with some Gatorade, but was drinking it like