Wait so kawhi really the second best player in the nba
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Gil Scott-Heroin
Veteran
It's too hard to even begin to estimate where they'd fall record-wise if they only had ONE legit 3-pt shooting threat in their starting lineup (Livingston, Klay, Iggy, Draymond and Zaza). The dynamics of their offense would be entirely different, almost in similar vein to those late-90s Reggie Miller Pacers' squads (obviously with Klay playing the role of Reggie). Especially considering Klay is one of the more streakier shooters in the league; their offensive flow would basically adopt his inconsistencies due to him being the center of everything they do on that end of the floor.
Cavs would still make the playoffs, but the problem with working out how they'd fair without LeBron is that the team is built around his strengths/weaknesses more than any other star player, and there isn't a wing player on the team to just step in and fill the void on that roster.
You can't just look at how both teams would fare without their best players and automatically say x-player is better than y-player because his team would do worse without him.
DatNkkaCutty
Veteran
Nggas keep talkin this Kawhi talk 
...Ngga gotta show me somethin in a meaningful series as the go-to scorer on that team. I still haven't seen it. Yet nggas sittin around tryin to christen that man. Then when shyt goes left....everyone quiet again. No one is disputing he doesn't have the clamps or isnt an all-star calibur player...but a Durant/LBG/AD (once he gets it together mentally) transcendent talent...I dont see it. Giannis is gonna pass em too. Wake me up once he makes it to the FINALS as the leader of his team nd not a tag-along.... 
...Ngga gotta show me somethin in a meaningful series as the go-to scorer on that team. I still haven't seen it. Yet nggas sittin around tryin to christen that man. Then when shyt goes left....everyone quiet again. No one is disputing he doesn't have the clamps or isnt an all-star calibur player...but a Durant/LBG/AD (once he gets it together mentally) transcendent talent...I dont see it. Giannis is gonna pass em too. Wake me up once he makes it to the FINALS as the leader of his team nd not a tag-along.... 
IllmaticDelta
Veteran
Gil Scott-Heroin
Veteran
The levels of manipulation, half-truths and outright lies in this post.Letting a bench player win finals MVP for no other reason than he guarded lebron james because you couldn't play well enough is "running the league"?
Going up 3 - 1 and losing because the other team repeatedly hunted you down in the pick and roll every...single...play... is "running the league"?
Getting subbed out on a Christmas Day game because everybody knows Kyrie is going to take the game winning shot and your team does not want you on the floor so that kyrie can exploit you on defense is "running the league"?
Just the Christmas day game alone made me look at the mvp award funny in the light...u fresh off of back to back mvp's...the only unanimous mvp...and in a primetime game when everyone knows the guy you are suppose to guard is going to shoot your coach takes you out for defensive purposes...
You suppose to be the mvp of the league...except for when another great team needs to take a game winning shot...then the coach takes you out and puts shaun livingston in...because he knows that the guy who is taking the game winning shot plays your position
Imagine that happening to Lebron
Imagine that happening to Kawhi..."Kawhi we need you to sit out this defenisve play cause they are going to give the ball to Paul George. We going to put Kyle Anderson in for this situation."
It's crazy to think that in game 7 of a playoff series with the other team down 1 and the final possession to win the game...a teams two time mvp might be setting on the bench
The
"Steph can you tell us what you saw from the bench when Kyrie had the ball in his hand to win the title?"
"Steph when you were sitting on the bench in the last 9 seconds what was going through your head?"
"Steph obviously you were taken out of the game for defenisve purposes how does that feel, to not be on the court for the most important basketball possession of your season"
"Steph this is the second time you have been taken out of a game because the coaching staff was worried Kyrie would score against you, what are you going to do in the off season to get better defensively to change that?"
"Steph obviously you weren't in the game and we saw you on the sidelines yelling to your teammates. What were you saying? Did you know the play? Do you think you could have helped the team more had you been on the floor?"
You gonna deconstruct these lies or keep taking passive-aggressive jabs like you always do?The levels of manipulation, half-truths and outright lies in this post.
Gil Scott-Heroin
Veteran
I post too much paragraphs or I keep taking passive-aggressive jabs? Which one is it? I get accused of doing both on this board. You wanna know the funny thing about your post, @duckbutta actually put me on ignore because I broke down his bullshyt about Parker/Ginobili with a post that was so long that I ended up having to cut it shorter because it extended past the character limit.You gonna deconstruct these lies or keep taking passive-aggressive jabs like you always do?
Illuminatos
#OVOXO
I'm still 
@ nikkas using the ability to carry bum teams as a criteria for being a top 5 player and then list Kawhi over Curry? The whole argument itself is stupid and ridiculous but still.
Kawhi was drafted to the best organization in the NBA and was playing with 3 HOFers and the GOAT coach. Golden State was arguably the worst organization in sports when Curry was drafted. They were literally at the bottom and now they're having the GOAT three year run in NB history.
Kawhi was a damn project and had no pressure to develop his game under Pop, Duncan and Ginobili and Parker. nikka was in the Conference Finals his rookie year and then made the Finals the next 2 years.
Curry was came in hoping to be the face of the Warriors franchise and had to battle injuries for three years along with playing alongside garbage.
And how can anyone fix their face to call Curry a system player when Kawhi had that label on him for years?
And let me not even get into Durant supposedly carrying bummy teams when he had top 5 players in Westbrook and Harden alongside Ibaka for years, then signed with a 73 win team.
@ nikkas using the ability to carry bum teams as a criteria for being a top 5 player and then list Kawhi over Curry? The whole argument itself is stupid and ridiculous but still. Kawhi was drafted to the best organization in the NBA and was playing with 3 HOFers and the GOAT coach. Golden State was arguably the worst organization in sports when Curry was drafted. They were literally at the bottom and now they're having the GOAT three year run in NB history.
Kawhi was a damn project and had no pressure to develop his game under Pop, Duncan and Ginobili and Parker. nikka was in the Conference Finals his rookie year and then made the Finals the next 2 years.
Curry was came in hoping to be the face of the Warriors franchise and had to battle injuries for three years along with playing alongside garbage.And how can anyone fix their face to call Curry a system player when Kawhi had that label on him for years?
And let me not even get into Durant supposedly carrying bummy teams when he had top 5 players in Westbrook and Harden alongside Ibaka for years, then signed with a 73 win team.
what 3 year stretch? Are u talking about the warriors regular season wins or curry as a player? LeBron still has the most impact on the offensive end of u as me and I'm pretty sure there are some number out there that prove that or we can just agree to disagree. No doubt when Steph touch that ball anybody on the floor on the warriors is a threat to score but his basketball ig is the best he still do a lot of dumb passes and when that shot not fallingThe numbers suggest otherwise, beloved.
Two straight MVPs, one unanimous; best regular season record in league history; best three year stretch in NBA history; one title; a few unfortunate events from a second straight; one their way to the Finals again; untouchable three point record for a season; offensive impact unlike anyone in the league. Keep your head in the sand though.
we saw the last two finalsSteph is a great player but that warriors scheme puts him over the top. Nash was an allstar but it took Mike's system to make him into an MVP candidate and superstar.
Remove Steph from GS and they still win 50+ games
Remove leonard from the spurs and they still win 50+ games (check their record this season when he misses games)
remove KD from OKC and they still won 45 with russy
remove lebron from the cavs and they're a lottery team.
That alone should tell you lebron is the clear cut best in the league, his team actually needs him to win.
Remove Steph from GS and they still win 50+ games
Remove leonard from the spurs and they still win 50+ games (check their record this season when he misses games)
remove KD from OKC and they still won 45 with russy
remove lebron from the cavs and they're a lottery team.
That alone should tell you lebron is the clear cut best in the league, his team actually needs him to win.
Gil Scott-Heroin
Veteran
There's a scheme that magically makes players pull up 6ft from behind the 3-pt line off the dribble with a defender draped over them. Tell me more.
There's a scheme that magically makes players pull up 6ft from behind the 3-pt line off the dribble with a defender draped over them. Tell me more.
he had that range before steve kerr and it didn't lead him to the success he has now with kerr. (why is that)
jackson's offensive system and kerr's are light years apart. If you don't see how that benefits steph you're blind.
who stopping the warriors out west?can u acknowledge the warriors first finals run was a cake walk full with injury teams?Can u acknowledge that the warriors only threat last year was the thunder then Kd and Russ choked a 3-1 lead after they won 73- games playing in the West?Can u acknowledge that the warriors added the second or third best player in the nba and nobody in the west should be able to beat them? Can u acknowledge that when the playoffs start that LeBron steps it up like no other player in the NBA since jordan these last 6 years or you just gone blame it on the eastern conference? Looks like the warriors are on there way to their 3 straight trip to the finals and dont look like its gone stop there, will u say it's cause the team is so much better the anybody or say it's cause they playing in the west where a couple of teams have good regular seasons but we all know there is no real threat to them in the playoffs? Don't discredit LeBron 6 straight final run. You can talk all this who's the best player shyt all day long but when them playoffs start. LeBron is so ahead of all these nikkas and that's not up for debate.
Gil Scott-Heroin
Veteran
Because Curry isn't the same player he was in 2013/14 and prior, and quite obviously his improvements are down to natural progression, hard work and being able to stay healthy. He wasn't launching bombs off the dribble with the regularity he's doing now under Jackson because he wasn't capable of doing it back then. To even suggest that he's the same player he was all those years ago is about as dishonest as it gets.
There is no scheme to make a player do that type of shyt.
Copy Ninja
Superstar
If you were to pick a squad from scratch to win a championship next year, there are people out there who would pick Curry over LeBron as their first pick?
