If all the teams in the West weren't elite then why were the Warriors elite when 5 teams won as many games or more? And teams 7 8 and probably 9 were probably 3 games or less away? You're saying they were elite because you liked their style of play. 3 years ago GSW was not elite. They weren't the only team that beat Miami that year and all of Miami's losses were not to 50 and 55 win teams so using that as a measuring stick to deem them elite in 2013 and 2014 doesn't make sense.
And perception as a contender does matter. Knicks had a 54 win season, we're they an elite team? No, because t was known come spring they weren't going to win much let alone contend for a title. And last year Golden State was seen as a contender this time of year. Yes their inexperience was pointed out but it was pointed out that year OKC went too so we're they not contenders because of folks pointing out a flaw?
2 years ago, not 3, just before Mark was fired, the GSW's were elite because Jackson got them to beat stacked teams
in their own buildings (the Miami Heat's big 3)
by developing their backcourt into the Splash Brothers and improving their defense tremendously. Of course more teams beat Miami that season — just not in Miami. In the same way, it's hard to beat the Cavs and Spurs at home. Jackson is largely responsible for the contracts Klay and Draymond got and the 1 Curry will get. After they beat Miami in Miami, they were called "stacked" (Splash Brothers and at the time Lee, which most saw as a Big 3), "contenders" (because of solid defense), etc,
repeatedly by the some (titles they had never been given) because they were playing elite basketball on
both ends. These titles were given to the team
under Jackson. A lot was expected of them. I can provide quotes upon request. Then Curry became an All-Star and I think Klay did too, but I could be wrong about Klay in that regard.
That is what Kerr inherited.
If your point that all of Miami's losses not being to 50-55 win teams is that Miami wasn't the most talented and 2nd best team in the Association that season, then you're entitled to your own fairy tales. Otherwise, I don't know what you're getting at with that statement. Jackson developed them so well, that literally
2 rookie coaches (Kerr and Walton) were able to have a lot of success with them. Same with Blatt and the Cavs, except the Cavs aren't developed yet — they're just the most talented team in the Association.
The thing that put the GSW's over the top was not Kerr, nor his system. It was Lee getting hurt, forcing Draymond into a bigger role. Once that happened, they started rolling and never looked back. Before you knew it, Lee's minutes got less and less until they brought him back in the playoffs and Finals because they needed more size to win (that's always the case). Even Boston eventually benched him and have been the better for it. It's been a while since he has averaged enough points or rebounds to justify playing him a lot of minutes because his defense is
that bad. So, just like that circumstance fell into Kerr's lap, so did the things that the NBA literally
put into his lap, like having Gregg throw the series (wouldn't be the 1st time) against the team they swept the season before (the Clipps), the Thunder not making the playoffs, either for a pick or because the league told them to tank, so that the GSW's wouldn't have to play them, etc. The GSW's were an elite team that literally played no one to get to the Finals. It's just like how Lj hasn't played anyone to get to
any of the Finals appearances he's had.
The league played their role in helping them most likely to silence the crowd who (without the help of the media who were silent) kept insisting that Jackson was unjustly fired. Jackson was one of many Afrikan coaches who were fired immediately following Sterling losing his team over prejudice. White Supremacy will always put us back in our so-called places.
No, perception doesn't matter. NY was predicted to win very few games that year. NY was elite. They were just injured. No one predicted 'Melo, J.R., and Tyson would get hurt. Had it not been for that, they would have beaten the team that couldn't score (Indy) to get to the ECF and beat the team that had no answers for them (Miami). The Spurs also had no answers for them, so at the very least, they could compete with the Spurs, if not beat them. Kerr raved about how unguardable NY was because of their "spacing", and versatile offense (Felton's penetration, lobs to Chandler, Amare in the post, 3-point shooting, and of course, the most terrifying of all, a healthy 'Melo, who will drop 50 to 62 on your head in his sleep if you're not careful, so it really was pick your poison). Kerr raved about how "they get open looks", even without 'Melo.
All this raving was during the game when, as Kerr put it:
think of the different levels to this win, Miami lost to Washington 2 nights ago — they were embarrassed [Washington were about as bad as the Sixers that season], they were intent on coming back and showing some passion, they got blown out by the Knicks in November [of the same year] by 20 points, a back-to-back game for the Knicks — they won a tough one against Charlotte last night [J.R. had to win it at the buzzer], and Miami rested and ready and looking for revenge, and the Knicks come in here without Carmelo and blow them out.
This undoubtedly prompted Kerr to run a similar offense, considering how he raved about them all night, which has been a very unpopular thing to do for years, especially when they're beating the breaks off of the league's team.
Back to the GSW's: While beating Miami in Miami was the last straw in some believing they could compete for a title (i.e. get to the WCF), no one believed the GSW's would beat a healthy Spurs, Thunder, and Cavs team and they didn't, but at least now people believe they can. You're contradicting yourself. First you say "perception as a contender
does matter". Then you ask "we're they not contenders because of folks pointing out a flaw?", which affirms that perception
doesn't matter. Which is it? As I said, perception doesn't matter. Perception was wrong about the Knicks and GSW's.
And the next series was very winnable for the Clips but there were some calls that the Thunder got that were funny. That's a lot of speculation to say GSW'S success in 2014 was contingent on possible politics involving Sterling.
Yes, the Clipps were robbed of the series against the Thunder, just like the Grizz were against the Thunder in the playoffs (see the "funny" calls that went in OKC's favor and the bogus suspension of Zbo). You're being a hypocrite when you point out "funny" calls that the Thunder got but condemn me for pointing out the same practices in other series. I don't have to "speculate" about a multi-billion dollar industry being dishonest to keep their billions in tact, especially when the evidence is on tape. Most other lost people are dishonest in their business practices. Why not a billion dollar industry that has already been exposed for manipulating the outcome of games, and subsequently banning and fining anyone who speaks out about it?
Not only that, the league was drowning when Stern took over with a new strategy of exalting players ("stars") over teams, which began with the overcommercialization of Jordan. And the league plummetted again when Jordan retired because of the overcommercialization of Jordan. The league plummeting is the reason they needed to find another Jordan. Kobe was their fake Jordan. Then, they skipped over Kobe for some odd reason, and made Lj their new fake Jordan. Here's an excerpt from an article:
Although this is not necessarily a story, the progression of the NBA as a business is the most telling tale of David Stern's tenure as league commissioner. In what will be 30 years when he retires, Stern has done the unthinkable.
Kurt Badenhousen of Forbes.com has the breakdown.
[When Stern took over] the league’s 23 teams were collectively worth roughly $400 million. Flash forward to today. NBA owners divvy up $930 million annually from TV contracts. The 2012 NBA Finals were broadcast in 215 countries. Attendance averaged 17,273 last season for all regular season games. We valued the average NBA team at $393 million in our last look at the
business of the NBA.
That average will certainly top $400 million in our next take, after the recent sales of two low-revenue franchises in the New Orleans Hornets
for $338 million and Memphis Grizzlies
for $350 million. The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement has made even small market franchises must-have assets. The collective worth of the NBA’s 30 teams is now more than $12 billion.
Let's put that in simpler terms.
In 1984, David Stern took over a league that had a combined worth of $400 million. 28 years later, the average NBA franchise is worth that amount individually. Ever wonder who to turn to for business or financial advice? Now you know.
David Stern saved the NBA, created the global phenomenon it is today and perfected financial management. Fans may not like him for their own biased reasons, but without Stern, the NBA would not be what it is today. David Stern is as great a legend as any player we've ever seen.
Click to expand...
You can google "David Stern Saved the NBA". Before I read this, I was watching a game where Stern or the commentators (I think it was Stern, though) was talking about how the NBA was going bankrupt or something
really bad where it was going to cease to exist soon, and they flashed the numbers on the screen of where the league was before Stern and after him. This was months before his retirement. It's common knowledge that Stern is known for globalizing the NBA (which is also pointed out in the quote above). Like most writers, Forbes didn't want to give all the credit to Stern. They wanted to give some to Jordan and others, but at least Forbes said "The NBA is a star-driven league":
David Stern To Retire After Delivering $12 Billion In Value To Owners. The problem is that Forbes didn't give the credit to Stern for making the NBA a star-driven league. Stern is the one who started the trend of exalting "stars" over teams. He's notorious for that.They should call it a "star-marketed league". Lastly:
Thunder vs. Grizzlies: Pregame Primer | Daily Thunder.com
Didn't know this. Good lookin' out.
Clipps aren't a powerhouse. The GSW's would have beaten them last season if the the league hadn't sent the refs to help the Clipps beat them because of Sterling's prejudice. 
Kerr 1 > 0 Jackson 
