Nalod wrote:Forget whats on paper. JJ redick if healthy is a sniper that spreads it out for the slashers.
I'd like to see Memphis break thru and win. No hate towards GS, just like to see teams evolve. Memphis been good for a few years now.

agree

its their time ... bunch of good tough players.

mreinman wrote:

holfresh wrote:

mreinman wrote:

holfresh wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

dk7th wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

callmened wrote:im a little worried about their depth
- rivers - ehhhh but he has played well
- jcrawford - cant guard a parked car
- big baby - overrated; cant do much
- hawes - gives them spacing but not that good

but other than that or a bad injury; i 100% agree

My advice is don't- I thought all year they would start losing due to lack of bench, injuries etc- for some reason they don't, they just keep winning, I can't explain it!

blake griffin has taken his game to the next level. that is a major factor.

But they were winning even when he was out injured- their success defies logic

Everything is just clicking for them..Alot of it has to do with how they have been able to slow Harden down...But the bench for the Clippers has been huge..I really think this series is over but some one needed to take Blake's confidence away...I think the next series if the meet the Grizzlies(??) will be vastly different..It will be a lot closer..Against GS, I'll take the Clippers..

you are so biased and inconsistent with your arguments.

Harden is getting assists, not shooting the team out of games and is playing with numerous stiffs who can barely help. Josh Smith is their savior ... yay.

But Melo leaves in all on the court? How? by playing great defense? By jacking up 30 shots and hitting them at an abominable rate? This is not the ultimate bias? You would be held in contempt if you tried to actually make this argument.

The clippers are freakin loaded and have an HOF coach!

Harden is doing what he can yet nobody else is. I actually think that his defense has been much better too but the Clippers are unstoppable right now and clicking on all cylinders.

Baised how, My message has always been consistent...Are you saying Melo doesn't play hard or play to win???..Do you think guys like Barnes can get into Melo's head? and change the way he plays???...Do you think freaking JJ Redick could slow Melo down???..Houston is down 3-1 and waiting for Harden to carry them...

Are you saying that Houston wasn't the favorite going into this series???

you are saying that Melo is mentally tough? Did you not see how easy it is to get into his head and make him chuck up horrible shots?

everybody wants to win in the playoffs and leave it all out there. Melo gives it his all in the playoffs, especially on offense. He just takes terrible shots and that is partly because people get into his head and partly because he gets into his own head with a silly overestimation of his of every shot attempt that he takes.

to be right you make so many strawman arguments that are not backed by ANY data.

I do respect your intellect and I agree with you about a lot of players but it seems like they are for the wrong reasons.

You really need to hold every player to the same level of accountability.

Please do site examples...Let me site examples..People blamed him for MDA's exit and he then said put it on my shoulders..He then went on a tear and carried his team to a 18-6 record and into the playoffs..He was the only one playing against the Pacers in round two a few years ago..He was destroying George..He had to be double teams..He didn't fold in the moment, he needed help...

Melo never had a supporting cast like what Harden has now...Maybe the Denver team that went to the WCF..Maybe..

And you aren't going to concede that Houston has fold their tents a long time ago???

knicks1248 wrote:How about Houston sucks, and harden is resorting back to his disappearing act when it comes to defense. What kind of defense is let's just foul a poor FT shooter 50 times and still lose by 30+ what kind of lame ass strategy is that, he should be fired

holfresh wrote:

mreinman wrote:

holfresh wrote:

mreinman wrote:

holfresh wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

dk7th wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

callmened wrote:im a little worried about their depth
- rivers - ehhhh but he has played well
- jcrawford - cant guard a parked car
- big baby - overrated; cant do much
- hawes - gives them spacing but not that good

but other than that or a bad injury; i 100% agree

My advice is don't- I thought all year they would start losing due to lack of bench, injuries etc- for some reason they don't, they just keep winning, I can't explain it!

blake griffin has taken his game to the next level. that is a major factor.

But they were winning even when he was out injured- their success defies logic

Everything is just clicking for them..Alot of it has to do with how they have been able to slow Harden down...But the bench for the Clippers has been huge..I really think this series is over but some one needed to take Blake's confidence away...I think the next series if the meet the Grizzlies(??) will be vastly different..It will be a lot closer..Against GS, I'll take the Clippers..

you are so biased and inconsistent with your arguments.

Harden is getting assists, not shooting the team out of games and is playing with numerous stiffs who can barely help. Josh Smith is their savior ... yay.

But Melo leaves in all on the court? How? by playing great defense? By jacking up 30 shots and hitting them at an abominable rate? This is not the ultimate bias? You would be held in contempt if you tried to actually make this argument.

The clippers are freakin loaded and have an HOF coach!

Harden is doing what he can yet nobody else is. I actually think that his defense has been much better too but the Clippers are unstoppable right now and clicking on all cylinders.

Baised how, My message has always been consistent...Are you saying Melo doesn't play hard or play to win???..Do you think guys like Barnes can get into Melo's head? and change the way he plays???...Do you think freaking JJ Redick could slow Melo down???..Houston is down 3-1 and waiting for Harden to carry them...

Are you saying that Houston wasn't the favorite going into this series???

you are saying that Melo is mentally tough? Did you not see how easy it is to get into his head and make him chuck up horrible shots?

everybody wants to win in the playoffs and leave it all out there. Melo gives it his all in the playoffs, especially on offense. He just takes terrible shots and that is partly because people get into his head and partly because he gets into his own head with a silly overestimation of his of every shot attempt that he takes.

to be right you make so many strawman arguments that are not backed by ANY data.

I do respect your intellect and I agree with you about a lot of players but it seems like they are for the wrong reasons.

You really need to hold every player to the same level of accountability.

Please do site examples...Let me site examples..People blamed him for MDA's exit and he then said put it on my shoulders..He then went on a tear and carried his team to a 18-6 record and into the playoffs..He was the only one playing against the Pacers in round two a few years ago..He was destroying George..He had to be double teams..He didn't fold in the moment, he needed help...

Melo never had a supporting cast like what Harden has now...Maybe the Denver team that went to the WCF..Maybe..

And you aren't going to concede that Houston has fold their tents a long time ago???

folded? No way! I actually think they win the next game.

Melo destroyed Paul George?? C'mon ... really? melo destroyed himself ... he was a disaster forcing shot after shot.

RonRon wrote:They did lose Patrick Beverely who was a BIG PART of their DEFENSE with Terry and Pablo being the "grandpa's" of the team that were suppose to be 10-15m rotation players at best
Also losing DMO was BIG loss for them, who could play PF and Center, with 3pt range, post game/facilitates as well, which James Harden and their bench is desperately missing
They probably wished they would have kept

Covington
ONE OF THEIR PG's in

Ish Smith
Isiah Cannon
Shved

Jordan defending the paint is negating Harden's strength and Reddick and Barnes is doing a great job with Jordan helping
And CP and Blake have grown much together with Jordan
They have the weakest bench of the entire NBA right now, though probably have the strongest starting 5 as well in terms of talent and chemistry playing with one another for a couple of years

Houston will improve acuire more talent but I do not believe in McHale and his coaching just like Scotty Brooks who relies on talent and has poor adjustments...
They need to be able to hit their FT's
With a 1st rounder, MLE, our 2nd rounder which is a HIGH 2nd rounder, 2nd pick in the 2nd round, and cap space they could improve much this summer
Will Josh Smith and KJ McDaniels stay for less money as the salary cap rises after 1 more season, and then they would have their early bird rights to reward them with long term deals?
Will Morey look to acquire a 3rd STAR player are retool with a couple of cost efficent contracts/glue players?
Had Beverely and DMO been healthy, I think it would be a different series though CP3 was out 2 games

Even when Rivers traded for his son, I thought his son improved much as a rookie and wasn't as bad as many thought he was
Though they traded a former 1st round pick for him and other picks, which I think was a reach... though I don't know how to evaluate a rookie that was a 1st rounder that barely played
Like Larkin, their trade value was lower than the pick itself....

Matt Barnes is very under rated thoughout his entire career and is quite surprising what he can do at his age
Jordan should be kept at all cost, he is one of the best DEFENDERS in the entire game along with rebounder/shot blocker for 1v1 and team defense
Hawes has been a dissapointment who I though would have been a poor mans Ryan Anderson, who has yet found a role in limited minutes
When Blake Griffen went down, it greatly helped the confidence and development/trust/chemistry with Jordan/Reddick/Matt Barnes and some bench play in Turkglu/Spencer Hawes with more minutes
Rivers is a combo guard that could score and finish on the left and right side of the court, with good size/athleticism/DEF off the bench

However, they need a better combination of backup PG and 3rd PG, along with a couple of G/F's and SF with the age of Barnes and a backup
Not sure if Crawford will be kept do to his age and poor defense, 1v1 bad shot making ability that could be great when he hits but are horrible shots in general

holfresh wrote:

mreinman wrote:

holfresh wrote:

mreinman wrote:

holfresh wrote:

mreinman wrote:

holfresh wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

dk7th wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

callmened wrote:im a little worried about their depth
- rivers - ehhhh but he has played well
- jcrawford - cant guard a parked car
- big baby - overrated; cant do much
- hawes - gives them spacing but not that good

but other than that or a bad injury; i 100% agree

My advice is don't- I thought all year they would start losing due to lack of bench, injuries etc- for some reason they don't, they just keep winning, I can't explain it!

blake griffin has taken his game to the next level. that is a major factor.

But they were winning even when he was out injured- their success defies logic

Everything is just clicking for them..Alot of it has to do with how they have been able to slow Harden down...But the bench for the Clippers has been huge..I really think this series is over but some one needed to take Blake's confidence away...I think the next series if the meet the Grizzlies(??) will be vastly different..It will be a lot closer..Against GS, I'll take the Clippers..

you are so biased and inconsistent with your arguments.

Harden is getting assists, not shooting the team out of games and is playing with numerous stiffs who can barely help. Josh Smith is their savior ... yay.

But Melo leaves in all on the court? How? by playing great defense? By jacking up 30 shots and hitting them at an abominable rate? This is not the ultimate bias? You would be held in contempt if you tried to actually make this argument.

The clippers are freakin loaded and have an HOF coach!

Harden is doing what he can yet nobody else is. I actually think that his defense has been much better too but the Clippers are unstoppable right now and clicking on all cylinders.

Baised how, My message has always been consistent...Are you saying Melo doesn't play hard or play to win???..Do you think guys like Barnes can get into Melo's head? and change the way he plays???...Do you think freaking JJ Redick could slow Melo down???..Houston is down 3-1 and waiting for Harden to carry them...

Are you saying that Houston wasn't the favorite going into this series???

you are saying that Melo is mentally tough? Did you not see how easy it is to get into his head and make him chuck up horrible shots?

everybody wants to win in the playoffs and leave it all out there. Melo gives it his all in the playoffs, especially on offense. He just takes terrible shots and that is partly because people get into his head and partly because he gets into his own head with a silly overestimation of his of every shot attempt that he takes.

to be right you make so many strawman arguments that are not backed by ANY data.

I do respect your intellect and I agree with you about a lot of players but it seems like they are for the wrong reasons.

You really need to hold every player to the same level of accountability.

Please do site examples...Let me site examples..People blamed him for MDA's exit and he then said put it on my shoulders..He then went on a tear and carried his team to a 18-6 record and into the playoffs..He was the only one playing against the Pacers in round two a few years ago..He was destroying George..He had to be double teams..He didn't fold in the moment, he needed help...

Melo never had a supporting cast like what Harden has now...Maybe the Denver team that went to the WCF..Maybe..

And you aren't going to concede that Houston has fold their tents a long time ago???

folded? No way! I actually think they win the next game.

Melo destroyed Paul George?? C'mon ... really? melo destroyed himself ... he was a disaster forcing shot after shot.

Bro, look closely, Houston have folded chairs under their arms, straw hats, shades and are heading to the beach...They may fight because they are home but doubt it..

Melo was doubled most times on the perimeter and Hibbert was waiting in the lane.

Article after the series:

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/12/carmelo-anthony-has-played-105-of-his-108-minutes-against-paul-george-andor-roy-hibbert/

But facing the inside-outside threat that is Carmelo Anthony, the league’s top scorer, has created a unique challenge for the Pacers.

Hibbert revealed a little insight into how Indiana is handling Melo. Via Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated:

“You see the minutes — Paul played 43, I played 40 — it’s the most I’ve played in playoffs,” said Hibbert. “Coach said whenever Melo was in the game, me and Paul were going to be out there. When Melo checks back in, me and Paul go back in. We want to crowd him and make things as difficult as possible for him.”

Melo has played 96:30 against both Hibbert and George, 7:42 against just George and another 0:50 against just Hibbert. That leaves only 2:43 that Melo has played in this series with neither George nor Hibbert on the floor.

George swarms Melo near the arc, preventing him from attempting 3-pointers. Just 14 percent of Melo’s field-goal attempts in this series have been 3-pointers, down from 28 percent in the regular season.

Hibbert bothers Melo in the paint, where Melo’s shooting percentage has fallen from 51 in the regular season to 35 percent in this series.

With nowhere else to turn, Melo is taking a higher percentage of his shots from mid-range – a definite win for the Pacers. Melo’s scoring rate shows how large the impact of Indiana’s defensive tandem has been:

Melo against Hibbert and George: 69 points in 96:30
Melo against one or neither: 11 points in 11:19

How should Melo counter? Keep plugging.

He’s still averaging 26.7 points per game in this series, and even if he’s shooting just 40 percent when facing both Hibbert and George, other Knicks aren’t better equipped to score on the Pacers’ defense.

And maybe Melo can win a war of attrition. George is used to playing so much, but Hibbert is not. Maybe Melo can outlast at least one of the two, more likely Hibbert, and finally get some clean looks at the basket.

mreinman wrote:@holfresh

so I guess that Houston did not fold their umbrella

HARDEN HAS A BORING TRIPLE DOUBLE

I am curious how you will/could spin this

also interesting ... that when harden's shot is not falling (or being taken away), he can find other ways to help his team win. He does not keep jacking em up like an dope since he knows that the faithful will laude his effort.

No, you are absolute correct..Harden was great last night..They played with pride before their fans..I thought that the Clippers played into their hands tho..They came out slinging threes, trying to bury Houston went with 4-17 early from the three..The fell behind and Houston gained confidence...The feel of the game for me is that if the Clippers just hung around that Houston would fold...Houston didn't fold...When you take 35 threes and connect at 25% rate, you aren't going to win many games...

LAC will be favorites but if Houston can find a way to steal this one then .... what a game 7!

seems like everything will rely on Trevor Ariza. How scary is that?

holfresh wrote:

mreinman wrote:tomorrow nights game will be epic and one of the most exciting games for me in a long time.

LAC will be favorites but if Houston can find a way to steal this one then .... what a game 7!

seems like everything will rely on Trevor Ariza. How scary is that?

I still think LAC is in the driver's seat and Houston is still mentally fragile...Pressure will definitely be on LAC to close it out...I want to see the approach to the next game...Let's see if Doc make the adjustment..LAC can't let them leave LA with a win..

I agree. LAC can't lose this game. It will be an epic disaster.

Houston is certainly more fragile then LAC. The Clippers are veterans led by CP3.

Harden is still only 25 (yet he is playing off the charts, especially for being only 25)
Howard is fragile and hard to rely on with his offense ... his defense has been good
Ariza is the key ... scary

the rest of them are a bunch of journeyman / stiffs.

the clippers have zero excuse to lose the next game.