Big men today are more skilled and athletic than their counterparts in the 80s and 90s, but because more and more they are camping out at the three point line instead of dominating inside, their impact on the game isn’t as great as it should be.
Again, Ali didn't have the best record or go undefeated but he and Mike Tyson are considered the two best boxers to ever step into a ring. Ali obviously is the greatest (he said so) but if you had to pick a boxer at their prime to go into a ring, no one would fault you for going with the Tyson before his trainer died and he lost focus. And Golden State is the best team you could have step on the court. There's never been a more complete team. What they lack in inside presence they make up for in incredible shooting and passing. They are the ultimate realization of spacing.
Have you ever thought that camping at the 3 pt line is better than dominating inside? People stick with what works better.
That's not really true, if Curry was 100% then he wouldn't be injured in the first place. We dont know how much his knee is bothering him but he shot poorly except for game 2 he is probably playing through pain which means he is not 100%. Iggy is still a star, or really close to a star. Thats why its called Hampton's 5 wtf.
It’s not more efficient for big guys like Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Marc Gasol etc to camp out at the three point line. Sure, they will hit some threes, but if they spent more time on the block, they could get their opponents in foul trouble, dominate on the offensive glass and punish teams like the Warriors who play small. Instead, they play into their opponents’ strength, not their own.
Every player playing in these playoffs is banged up. By that definition, neither the Rockets or Warriors are at full strength. And again, he dropped 26 in a quarter in game 3, and 40 the previous series after returning from injury. He is not pulling a Willis Reed. He may not be 100%, but he certainly isn’t severely limited. As for Iguodala, he was absolute trash offensively this year. I really don’t care what stupid nickname Steve Kerr gives his “lineup of death” but PJ Tucker is every bit the player Iguodala is at this point in their careers. Iguodala is not a star. Good role player, sure. But not a star.
These guys are professional players and they have coaches who are professional as well. You think you know better than those guys on what they should be doing on the court or what? If their coaches are telling them to camp out instead of "dominating inside" there is probably a good reason for it. Coaches want to win games not make their own players suck.
Yes they are both banged up, that means the Rox are not facing the "best team in history" whether they win or lose. The best team in history was last year not this year which is my point. At full strength GSW is the best team in history and nobody can beat them. Last year Iggy was still a star thats why last year GSW was the best.
Never said I know more than NBA coaches. But this infatuation with threes starts way before they ever get to the NBA. It’s the in thing to do in rec leagues, AAU, etc. That said, why is Kevin Durant scoring on the Rockets at will from the midrange this series? Because at his height, his shot is literally unblockable. If he were to take a bunch of threes, he is letting the Rockets off the hook. Sure, he’s a great shooter and will make some. But, that’s a lower percentage shot and one the Rockets will live with, because you can’t shut him completely down. Every team in the league playing against elite big men is happy when they take threes. Imagine if Anthony Davis, Towns, Embiid, etc developed an unstoppable post game like great centers like Hakeem and Kareem had. The Warriors wouldn’t get away with playing 6’7 Draymond Green at the five with no repercussions.
Considering they're the greatest team in NBA history, these guys really suuuuuuuuuuuuck when faced with adversity. I've seen more poise in a rugby scrum.
They have 4 all stars who are playing roughly two thirds of their team's total minutes. Maybe they're not the best ever but to say it's not even close seems like a big stretch. They have 3 guys who you can't give a window of space to for shooting or driving, and insanely good defense.
I don't think they have the physicality to be truly great, and it's showing more and more. I hope the Rockets can bang them around even more.
@Rocket River So there’s a heated debate on who the greatest team is But there is no debate on who the greatest Rockets fans are
Say whatever you want about one player being down for them.. the foundation of this team won 73 games during the regular season then added an MVP. I don't care where you rank them, but it sure as **** isn't low on the all-time list. That means this Rockets team is special and we're up 3-2. We have another chance to shock the world. The media is going to hate on us even harder for it if we do. Be prepared for all the folks that will call it a fluke but know that we're all on the verge of being 2018ers. .. something we'll never forget.