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Brozay

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Overlooking SA again. Duncan is in the best shape he's been in years. He hasn't played that many minutes the past few years and Pop is always looking to rest his older guys.

I really think SA is going back to the finals.
Werent they the highest rated Western Conf. team though?
 

Brozay

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I'm talking more about Jalen and his love fest with OKC.
I havent listened yet, but if Russ was healthy they probably would have beat SA in the West finals

They just did it the year before :manny:
 

FAH1223

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I havent listened yet, but if Russ was healthy they probably would have beat SA in the West finals

They just did it the year before :manny:

I don't think so. 2012, they had Harden who hit some dagger shots. SA was up 2-0 and loss 4 straight after winning 20 something consecutive games.
 

Brozay

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I don't think so. 2012, they had Harden who hit some dagger shots. SA was up 2-0 and loss 4 straight after winning 20 something consecutive games.
I think the Thunder will be #1 seed again and will beat SA in playoffs if they meet.

Thunder didnt really have a drop off losing Harden. This is the little talked about fact about that trade. Did Harden blow up in Houston and become a star? Sure. Did the Thunder get much worse as a team? Nah, not really.

Thunder would have had HCA over the Spurs too last season, there is really no reason to believe OKC couldnt have took them again.
 

FAH1223

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I think the Thunder will be #1 seed again and will beat SA in playoffs if they meet.

Thunder didnt really have a drop off losing Harden. This is the little talked about fact about that trade. Did Harden blow up in Houston and become a star? Sure. Did the Thunder get much worse as a team? Nah, not really.

Thunder would have had HCA over the Spurs too last season, there is really no reason to believe OKC couldnt have took them again.

Losing Harden lost them that element of a creator off the bench. Even when they beat SA 4 straight times, it wasn't like they were THAT much better.

And the Thunder are still starting soft bigs in Ibaka and Perkins (who was historically bad in the playoffs). All you have to do is play a hybrid man zone like Memphis did. Keep Westbrook in front of you and just make him shoot. He can shoot them to a W but he also is streaky as hell with the amount of shots he puts up.

Duncan also was able to score easily on Ibaka and Perkins in their matchup.
 

Brozay

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Losing Harden lost them that element of a creator off the bench. Even when they beat SA 4 straight times, it wasn't like they were THAT much better.

And the Thunder are still starting soft bigs in Ibaka and Perkins (who was historically bad in the playoffs). All you have to do is play a hybrid man zone like Memphis did. Keep Westbrook in front of you and just make him shoot. He can shoot them to a W but he also is streaky as hell with the amount of shots he puts up.

Duncan also was able to score easily on Ibaka and Perkins in their matchup.
Spurs never beat them in OKC in '12, I dont think they were winning a game 7 in OKC last year if it came down to it.

If healthy, I think the Thunder are the best team in the West.
 

Primetime

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yea.. it would've been real interesting to see how different things may have been in the west if westbrook didn't catch that freak accident. i was pullin for the grizz but i wasn't impressed with memphis's late game execution against okc.. or the fact that it even came down to that in multiple games (the '11 grizz were far superior to their '13 squad imo) and i feel a healthy okc would've overwhelmed memphis much like san antonio did and we would've had a spurs/okc WCFs.

As far as game 6 in the finals is concerned.. its funny because popovich made the exact same decision that frank vogul made (and got killed for) in game 1 of the ECFs... take out your best shot blocking and rebounding big because you know miami is going small ball pick and roll, and you choose to match up so you can switch everything. When vogul did it, the next two days were about how he fukked up because of his "inexperience" as a coach.. when really, its a philosophy thing kinda like whether you should foul the other team when ur up 3 in the closing seconds or whether u should just play defense straight up knowing that they finna launch a 3 to tie. If whichever strategy you choose works out for u, u look like a genius.. if it doesn't.. well..
 

FAH1223

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Spurs never beat them in OKC in '12, I dont think they were winning a game 7 in OKC last year if it came down to it.

If healthy, I think the Thunder are the best team in the West.

I just can't see a team relying on two jump shooters from the perimeter winning it without some kind of threat of a low post threat in the front court.

Perkins is horrible, Adams is raw, Ibaka likes to shoots 3s, Collison is what he is..

I like their team but I really don't believe in them to win the West. The stats say they're great offensively but coaches know how to game plan for them.

SA is a well oiled machine offensively with different dimensions of either going post up with Timmy or spreading the floor efficiently. Leonard being an X-Factor in what he brings too.

:manny:
 

kingofnyc

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Yall really think we'll be this bad?

The Rudy shot chart is bad but if it shows to be his eyes this season and he does very good and co-exists with the rest (which has shown already), you think Masai will keep him?

Or is it fully a contractual issue?
well atleast reggie miller thinks yall gonna be da 8th seed :heh:
 

Wise

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well atleast reggie miller thinks yall gonna be da 8th seed :heh:

Link?

nikka we copping that 6-8

I have no confidence in the Bucks and Hawks making the playoffs again. From the Cavs, Wiz and Pistons one of them aint making it.
 
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