NBA 2014-15

I am on the opposite end of the spectrum Tim, I don't think the rules need to be changed. I think the players on the court need to be able to play the game and if they can't its their problem to solve. I don't understand the concept of rewarding players who can't shoot free throws by changing the rules to accommodate them. Life's not fair so adapt.

I admit it's ugly but LA has the choice not to play him.

 

Ok, these are world class athletes. The inability to shoot a free-throw (when my out of shape ass can go down to the gym and knock out 7/10 or 8/10) is inexcusable. I think free-throws are both mental and a matter of form/repetition. It's also a skill that can be improved upon with practice. Jeez, go to the Rick Berry mode if that's what required.

Also, if the opposition has a weakness, it's no fault to exploit it - in fact, if it was not exploited then that coach should be fired. I have to disagree that any rule change is needed, SCJ.

 

Go Warriors!! I hope today is the day and we find who our 2nd round opponent is

 

Valid arguments from Barry & Nev, and DeAndre is the first one to tell you he needs to improve. However, its one thing to foul him when he gets the ball anytime in the post or in the 4th quarter when the game is on the line. It's totally another when he's under the defensive basket, the Clippers are on a fast break and Pop has Baines literally run at Jordan and foul him. The Spurs did that exact move a bunch of times in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Think about that for a second guys, is it good for the game that you can go grab someone 75 feet from the play in part because your goal is to change the flow and tempo? Do that on a pitch and someone gets a red card. The Spurs weren't just doing it in hopes of him missing (he did make 44% of his FTs), but also to muck up the contest. There has to be a balance between the spirit of the game (sorry fellas, but fouling someone at the opposite end of the court where the ball is with 6 minutes to go in the first half 5 straight times is BAD for the sport), good strategy in order to win a game, and what's good for the viewing public (this is entertainment after all).

Just to be fair to the defending champs, the reason they ended winning was because of their execution down the stretch and the Clippers lack of it.

 

Popovich is frequently criticized for resting players during the regular season. Now we get to the end of the season and the old guys are fresh enough to still play well and his team has the best bench because he's developed it during the season. He should get more credit for that.

 

Well, it looks like it's Joe and I vs the world on this one--coincidence?

The thing is, I agree with almost every point everyone's making, just not the conclusion. The Spurs are a great team and a great organization and I have no bad feelings about how they play. And, yes, if DJ could improve his foul shooting, it would all be a moot point. And I'm not for a second suggesting that there aren't many other factors that have led to the series playing out the way it is.

But I'm trying to take this out of the context of this particular series. If a game is played one way 98% of the time, and then differently 2% of the time, then it's only fair to examine what's happening in that 2%. There is a rule that exists, but if exploiting that rule fundamentally changes the way the game is played, I think you have to start asking questions. I'm sure there are better examples out there from the sports world, but rules are constantly being changed/adjusted when teams (well within their right) use them to change the way the game is played. Sadly the best example that I have on hand is a few decades old from the NHL--when teams could give backup goaltenders warmups in the middle of a game, essentially buying the rest of the squad a rest. It hurt the integrity of the game so the rule was changed.

And Joe's also right that, at the end of the day, the NBA is an entertainment company. And I can't imagine anyone here would argue that employing the "hack-a-whomever" strategy greatly diminishes the entertainment value of the game. For that reason alone, I would think a change will get serious consideration.

 

I get what you and Joe are saying but I could just as easily argue that it is BAD for the sport to put a guy on the court who literally misses the rim on a lot of his free throws. I admit that it doesn't make for great television when the tactic is employed but the last time I checked when you step across the line it is all about winning the game.

You are definitely right that a rule change will be considered. A quote from Adam Silver:

"I've sat in meetings with some of the greatest players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird who said that players should learn to make their free throws and it's part of the game. At the same time, it doesn't make for great television, so I'm on the fence right now."

Michael Jordan and Larry Bird are on my side. Not that it really matters, I just wanted to say that I'm on Larry and Michael's team.

 

[Stepping out of my troll cave]

Basketball is entertaining?

[Retreating to my cave]

 

I love basketball!!
So happy that at least we already know some of the quarter finalists.

 

It's really a shame that either the Clippers or Spurs are going home on Saturday because this is no ordinary round 1, more like the Western Finals. Blake Griffin has turned himself into a Top 5 player now that he can shoot it. They actually got him some rest and he looked fresh in the 4th.

Irony of it all? We've been debating the Hack-a-DeAndre strategy and late in the 4th quarter, the Spurs surprisingly didn't implement it (I got no problem late in the 4th quarter to put him on the line), and paid for it by key baskets from CP3.

 

If any sport in the US market would benefit from a single table (MLS excluded), the NBA is built for that model. The Lakers v. "X", the Celtics v. "X", the Bulls v. "X", etc. Most rivalries cross conference boundaries anyway, so who cares about conferences. The best 16 should make the playoffs.

Nobody here speaks of my boy's Warriors, but don't sleep on them. They are class, and despite Barkley's "jump shooting" team comments, they were the #1 defensive team this past season. Memphis will soon learn that lesson, along with others in the future.

 

The Warriors are good. Very good. No argument here. I think they'll be representing the West in the Finals.

 

The NBA will never, and that means not ever, put the top 16 teams in the playoffs over an east/west format. At some point that would deprive them of critical television markets on either coast which means a rating drop that won't be tolerated by TV networks. The NBA is not the NFL and a Clippers/Lakers final would not garner the national audience that a Giants/Jets Super Bowl would.

 

Would much prefer seeing Russell Westbrook terrorize some top seed, but Barry is correct, no way the NBA will change.

Back to the Spurs-Clips for a second. Who are the imposters wearing the Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli uniforms? Manu looks done, and Parker is obviously hurt. When he is right Parker goes to the bucket like no other sans Westbrook. Will those two turn back the clock one more time?

 

NBA would never do but what I would do, and I think it would fix a lot of issues is as follows. Get rid of conferences and realign to 3 divisions of 10 teams each, west, central and east. You play each team in your division 4 times and outside division 2 times, comes out to 76 games. When it comes to playoffs, win your division your a top 3 seed. After the division winners you take the next 13 teams with the best records and seed them accordingly. This is not a perfect system obviously but I think it's world's better than what we have now. At least you would most likely have 15 winning teams in the playoffs. What you guys think?