2014 Playoffs - Winners and Losers

[Grinder]

For each game day, let's pick an individual winner and loser from each game.

Brooklyn - Toronto
Winner- Paul Pierce - after doing practically nothing through the first three quarters of the game, the old man came alive and sealed the game in front a raucous home crowd (big ups to Raptors fans for an amazing atmosphere.
Loser - DeMar Derozan - despite putting up big individual scoring numbers all season, many thought Derozan would get exposed come the playoffs. He looked lost once the Nets and shut down his driving lanes and it got to his head and affected his jumper. When he's not scoring, he's a liability.


Warriors-Clippers
Winner - Mark Jackson - Jackson's old school approach worked wonders against the Clippers. He constantly exploited mismatches in the post and used crossmatches to disrupt the Clippers' rhythm on both ends of the floor. Getting the kind of production he did out of the fossil that is Jermaine O'Neal is an accomplishment in itself.
Loser - Blake Griffin - Obviously his foul trouble plagued him the whole game but he became a defensive sieve in the 19 minutes he was on the court. He let David Lee get easy layups time and time again and provided nothing in terms of help defense. I suspect he'll respond in a big way in the next game considering how much he's improved this season.

Atlanta-Indiana
Winner - Jeff Teague - The Hawks' lightning quick point guard sliced through the Pacers defense at will and constantly found open shooters on the wing. His pesky perimeter defense caused the Pacers to set up their offense further back than they would have liked and put a squeeze on their offensive sets.
Loser - Roy Hibbert - Against a team like Atlanta with big men that are effective from the perimeter, Hibbert was once again rendered useless. He was exploited on pick and rolls and constantly caught in no man's land due to his hesitation to close out on the perimeter. The Pacers looked markedly better with Mahinmi on the floor.

Memphis-Oklahoma City
Winner - Kevin Durant - not much to say here, KD did what KD does. He was efficient in his scoring, moved the ball around well, and came up big when it looked like Memphis was going to come all the way back.
Loser - Zach Randolph - this might seem harsh but Z-Bo struggled mightily against the length of Ibaka and looked a few steps too slow on his defensive rotations.

Player of the day:
LaMarcus Aldridge (2)
Tony Allen (2)
Kevin Durant (1)
Bradley Beal (1)

[ArbitraryWater]

If you want to continue doing these daily informative essays then why not :applause: :cheers:

[Random_Guy]

For each game day, let's pick an individual winner and loser from each game.

Brooklyn - Toronto
Winner- Paul Pierce - after doing practically nothing through the first three quarters of the game, the old man came alive and sealed the game in front a raucous home crowd (big ups to Raptors fans for an amazing atmosphere.
Loser - DeMar Derozan - despite putting up big individual scoring numbers all season, many thought Derozan would get exposed come the playoffs. He looked lost once the Nets and shut down his driving lanes and it got to his head and affected his jumper. When he's not scoring, he's a liability.


Warriors-Clippers
Winner - Mark Jackson - Jackson's old school approach worked wonders against the Clippers. He constantly exploited mismatches in the post and used crossmatches to disrupt the Clippers' rhythm on both ends of the floor. Getting the kind of production he did out of the fossil that is Jermaine O'Neal is an accomplishment in itself.
Loser - Blake Griffin - Obviously his foul trouble plagued him the whole game but he became a defensive sieve in the 19 minutes he was on the court. He let David Lee get easy layups time and time again and provided nothing in terms of help defense. I suspect he'll respond in a big way in the next game considering how much he's improved this season.

Atlanta-Indiana
Winner - Jeff Teague - The Hawks' lightning quick point guard sliced through the Pacers defense at will and constantly found open shooters on the wing. His pesky perimeter defense caused the Pacers to set up their offense further back than they would have liked and put a squeeze on their offensive sets.
Loser - Roy Hibbert - Against a team like Atlanta with big men that are effective from the perimeter, Hibbert was once again rendered useless. He was exploited on pick and rolls and constantly caught in no man's land due to his hesitation to close out on the perimeter. The Pacers looked markedly better with Mahinmi on the floor.

Memphis-Oklahoma City
Winner - Kevin Durant - not much to say here, KD did what KD does. He was efficient in his scoring, moved the ball around well, and came up big when it looked like Memphis was going to come all the way back.
Loser - Zach Randolph - this might seem harsh but Z-Bo struggled mightily against the length of Ibaka and looked a few steps too slow on his defensive rotations.
I agree with all the picks except for Zbo, I think without Zbo the griz would have been blown out and would never have came back in the fourth. His game leaves a lot to be desired, and he really needs to step up or the griz will get swept.
PG has been terrible in this game too going 5/16 while his defense was average at best.

Edit: and good post OP :bowdown:

[red1]

For each game day, let's pick an individual winner and loser from each game.

Brooklyn - Toronto
Winner- Paul Pierce - after doing practically nothing through the first three quarters of the game, the old man came alive and sealed the game in front a raucous home crowd (big ups to Raptors fans for an amazing atmosphere.
Loser - DeMar Derozan - despite putting up big individual scoring numbers all season, many thought Derozan would get exposed come the playoffs. He looked lost once the Nets and shut down his driving lanes and it got to his head and affected his jumper. When he's not scoring, he's a liability.


Warriors-Clippers
Winner - Mark Jackson - Jackson's old school approach worked wonders against the Clippers. He constantly exploited mismatches in the post and used crossmatches to disrupt the Clippers' rhythm on both ends of the floor. Getting the kind of production he did out of the fossil that is Jermaine O'Neal is an accomplishment in itself.
Loser - Blake Griffin - Obviously his foul trouble plagued him the whole game but he became a defensive sieve in the 19 minutes he was on the court. He let David Lee get easy layups time and time again and provided nothing in terms of help defense. I suspect he'll respond in a big way in the next game considering how much he's improved this season.

Atlanta-Indiana
Winner - Jeff Teague - The Hawks' lightning quick point guard sliced through the Pacers defense at will and constantly found open shooters on the wing. His pesky perimeter defense caused the Pacers to set up their offense further back than they would have liked and put a squeeze on their offensive sets.
Loser - Roy Hibbert - Against a team like Atlanta with big men that are effective from the perimeter, Hibbert was once again rendered useless. He was exploited on pick and rolls and constantly caught in no man's land due to his hesitation to close out on the perimeter. The Pacers looked markedly better with Mahinmi on the floor.

Memphis-Oklahoma City
Winner - Kevin Durant - not much to say here, KD did what KD does. He was efficient in his scoring, moved the ball around well, and came up big when it looked like Memphis was going to come all the way back.
Loser - Zach Randolph - this might seem harsh but Z-Bo struggled mightily against the length of Ibaka and looked a few steps too slow on his defensive rotations.
Great post from an unbiased poster

[Grinder]

I agree with all the picks except for Zbo, I think without Zbo the griz would have been blown out and would never have came back in the fourth. His game leaves a lot to be desired, and he really needs to step up or the griz will get swept.
PG has been terrible in this game too going 5/16 while his defense was average at best.

Edit: and good post OP :bowdown:

That was a tough one to pick a loser for since it was such a tale of two halves. In hindsight, you're probably right that Conley was a bigger reason for Memphis' loss than Z-Bo. I think some of the onus has to be on Dave Joerger as well for having his team look so thoroughly unprepared in the first half of the game. :cheers:

[Budadiiii]

You should do an overall winner too.

Overall winner of yesterday was Kevin Durant.

[Funnyfuka]

KD gets no respect cause he s lanky nerdy ugly looking. But fact is he s one of the best ever. Same could be said of westbrook.

[ArbitraryWater]

KD gets no respect cause he s lanky nerdy ugly looking. But fact is he s one of the best ever. Same could be said of westbrook.

:biggums: Since when doesnt KD get any respect?


And since when could you mention Westbrook among KD and the GOAT's?

Maybe you didnt realize it yet, but Goatbrook is incredibly popular

[Grinder]

You should do an overall winner too.

Overall winner of yesterday was Kevin Durant.

That's not a bad idea. I agree on Durant.

[ArbitraryWater]

Durant the overall winner?

It's between KD, Johnson and Teague.. Close. I'd give Iso Joe a Shout

24/8/4 with GREAT defense... while KD was 1-6 when guarded by Tony Allen and feasted on the others

[Cowboy Thunder]

KD was his consistent spectacular self, but Ibaka was a winner yesterday.

Tremendous impact on the game.

[All Net]

Ibaka was huge yesterday too.

[Random_Guy]

That was a tough one to pick a loser for since it was such a tale of two halves. In hindsight, you're probably right that Conley was a bigger reason for Memphis' loss than Z-Bo. I think some of the onus has to be on Dave Joerger as well for having his team look so thoroughly unprepared in the first half of the game. :cheers:
:cheers: agree damn for sure i thought it was going to be a blowout after the first half. gald that the griz has shown that they can hang with the thunder, hope it goes 6

[SpecialQue]

Good post. :applause:

[Grinder]

Dallas - San Antonio
Winner - Tim Duncan - Old man Timmy turned back the clock and showed why he’s arguably the greatest power forward of all time. He commanded the paint on both ends of the floor and his effectiveness in the post forced the Mavs to deviate from their ideal defensive schemes. If Duncan can continue to produce like this offensively, Dallas’ season isn’t going to last much longer.

Loser - Monta Ellis - There’s two things Monta Ellis needs to do for the Mavs to be successul - score a lot and distribute a little bit. He failed at both, putting up a barren offensive effort and accruing only one total assist or secondary assist. He had 9 uncontested shots and only converted two of them. His poor offensive night was compounded by his lackadaisical defensive effort.


Miami-Charlotte
Winner - Lebron James - While Lebron didn’t put on his usual passing clinic today, he filled the role that was needed from him. Charlotte’s athleticism and positioning relative to the passing lanes forced Lebron to take on more of the scoring load or risk unnecessary turnovers. Forcing Lebron to beat you from the perimeter while not allowing him to facilitate used to be the blueprint on how to take him out of games…but as we saw today, that’s no longer the case and it’s a big reason why the Heat are two time defending champions.

Loser - Chris Bosh - Bosh was unable to take advantage of a hobbled Al Jefferson on the defensive end and missed several shots we’re used to seeing Bosh knock down in his sleep. Bosh did himself no favors with his poor effort on the boards. In addition to being bullied by Jefferson, he was routinely beaten on 50-50 balls by Charlotte's perimeter players. The Heat can cruise through this series without needing much production from Bosh, but they won’t be able to get away with performances like this in the later rounds.

Portland-Houston
Winner - LaMarcus Aldridge - I was prepared to list Aldridge as a winner even if the Blazers ended up losing the game. LMA put on a masterful display on the offensive end; hitting timely and difficult shots time and time again when it appeared the game was just out of reach. An astounding 12 out his 17 field goals were contested and he proved to be unguardable no matter who the Rockets put on him. On the occasions that Houston decided to double team him, Aldridge made quick, decisive passes that generated several open 3s. Simply put, it was a commanding performance from one of the best, and oft overlooked, big men in the game.

Loser - Dwight Howard - Look, I was tempted to list Kevin McHale here because some of his coaching decisions were indefensible but it’s hard not to put a lot of this loss squarely on Dwight’s shoulders for a multitude of reasons:
1. Hack a Dwight was the main reason Portland was able to get back in the game just when it appeared that Houston had secured the victory.
2. He was consistently late with his help defense late in the fourth quarter and on some occasions in OT, he was nowhere to be found as Portland found acres of space in the paint.
3. Robin Lopez is a decent defender but there is no way he should be forcing Dwight to shoot 9/21 from the field. Facing single coverage a large portion of the game, Dwight failed to convert some easy looks and on the occasion he was double teamed, he was too late to kick the ball out and it allowed the Blazers’ defense to recover.

Terry Stotts deserves a lot of credit for some of the adjustments he made late in the game as well not getting discouraged and sticking with the Hack a Dwight even after he made his first two FTs. I’d like toss James Harden an honorable mention for loser because his defense was deplorable and he killed any rhythm the Rockets had on offense by chucking up ill advised shots and freezing out teammates in preference of ISO situations.


I only watched the 4th quarter of the Wizards-Bulls games, so I’d like to hear your thoughts on this game. From what I saw, I’d say Nene was the winner while I can’t quite pick out a loser. I did notice that Hinrich dribbled himself into trouble a few times and had trouble containing penetration.


Player of the day - LaMarcus Aldridge (1)

[Doranku]

Winner of Wizards/Bulls should be a tie between Nene and Gortat, but if I had to pick one, it'd be Nene. These guys both took over down the stretch for Washington.

Loser is DJ Augustin. 3-15, missed like 4 straight shots in the 4th, had a couple turnovers. Did get to the line 10 times though (10-10). Hinrich is another candidate, played awful in the 4th. Didn't get to the line at all despite taking the most shots on the team.

[Random_Guy]

[QUOTE=Grinder]Dallas - San Antonio
Winner - Tim Duncan - Old man Timmy turned back the clock and showed why he

[Doranku]

Also, I think the loser of the Spurs/Mavs should be Dirk. Both he and Monta played equally bad, but more should be expected from Dirk and he missed a handful of easy shots in the 4th.

[ArbitraryWater]

You should add that in the OP... later nobody will find these

[Random_Guy]

You should add that in the OP... later nobody will find these
this too
edit: if op is going to do it, would be great if you can tally all the winners and losers.
again, great work OP

[Grinder]

Winner of Wizards/Bulls should be a tie between Nene and Gortat, but if I had to pick one, it'd be Nene. These guys both took over down the stretch for Washington.

Loser is DJ Augustin. 3-15, missed like 4 straight shots in the 4th, had a couple turnovers. Did get to the line 10 times though (10-10). Hinrich is another candidate, played awful in the 4th. Didn't get to the line at all despite taking the most shots on the team.

Thanks. Nene has always been an enigma for me. When he's healthy and dialed in, he can look like a superstar. When he has the mid range J working like he did last night, it's icing on the cake and just a nightmare for opposing defenses.

You've got to feel for the Bulls. That team was built to succeed around a volume scorer and they have no semblance of that without Rose.


Great and subjective post as usual grinder:applause:
Though I have to say that the loser for the rockets should be James Harden. Blaming Howard for hack a howard isnt very fair because howard is a known bad freethrow shooter. I can see your reasons but for one, harden was 8/28, for seconds, he also choked badly in the clutch and refused to include his teammates despite being ice cold. just my 2 cents


It was tough call for me, but the reason I ultimately went with Dwight is that I felt he was more directly responsible for Houston's late game collapse. Even when he doesn't have his offense going, he's supposed to be a factor defensively and I was astounded by the lack of resistance that Portland encountered when they took it to the rim. Also, he missed far too many bunnies in the paint for my liking and a few times he was bailed out with soft foul calls. I have no qualms with saying Harden should be the loser, however. :cheers:


Also, I think the loser of the Spurs/Mavs should be Dirk. Both he and Monta played equally bad, but more should be expected from Dirk and he missed a handful of easy shots in the 4th.

Yeah, Dirk should certainly shoulder a lot of the blame as well. He missed some chippies by his standards but I felt that Monta was just a little bit more culpable for the loss.

[Random_Guy]

Thanks. Nene has always been an enigma for me. When he's healthy and dialed in, he can look like a superstar. When he has the mid range J working like he did last night, it's icing on the cake and just a nightmare for opposing defenses.

You've got to feel for the Bulls. That team was built to succeed around a volume scorer and they have no semblance of that without Rose.




It was tough call for me, but the reason I ultimately went with Dwight is that I felt he was more directly responsible for Houston's late game collapse. Even when he doesn't have his offense going, he's supposed to be a factor defensively and I was astounded by the lack of resistance that Portland encountered when they took it to the rim. Also, he missed far too many bunnies in the paint for my liking and a few times he was bailed out with soft foul calls. I have no qualms with saying Harden should be the loser, however. :cheers:
:cheers: true, they were still up even though harden played like ass throughout the game. its funny how dwight hit clutch freethrows after clutch freethrows in overtime and missed everything when they hacked him. And yeah he needs to pick up his defence.

[tpols]

Great and subjective post as usual grinder:applause:
Though I have to say that the loser for the rockets should be James Harden. Blaming Howard for hack a howard isnt very fair because howard is a known bad freethrow shooter. I can see your reasons but for one, harden was 8/28, for seconds, he also choked badly in the clutch and refused to include his teammates despite being ice cold. just my 2 cents

:biggums:

learn to shoot then lol.. hes a clutch liability

[Random_Guy]

:biggums:

learn to shoot then lol.. hes a clutch liability
while i agree with this, i think Mchale should adjust. im not arguing that he wasnt a liability at the end of the game, i just think that harden sucked harder than he did:cheers:

[Grinder]

:cheers: true, they were still up even though harden played like ass throughout the game. its funny how dwight hit clutch freethrows after clutch freethrows in overtime and missed everything when they hacked him. And yeah he needs to pick up his defence.

Yep, you can see how much of a mental thing it is for Dwight. I'm disappointed in the way Harden conducted himself...a lot of times he was just looking for the foul rather than making an honest effort to make the shot. The funny thing was that he came into the league as a decent defender and it looks like he made conscious decision to just stop trying on that end.



You should add that in the OP... later nobody will find these


Who would you guys say was the overall worst player yesterday?

[ArbitraryWater]

Yep, you can see how much of a mental thing it is for Dwight. I'm disappointed in the way Harden conducted himself...a lot of times he was just looking for the foul rather than making an honest effort to make the shot. The funny thing was that he came into the league as a decent defender and it looks like he made conscious decision to just stop trying on that end.





Who would you guys say was the overall worst player yesterday?

Overall worst player? Hm well honestly I dont think we need such a thing :lol

[LoneyROY7]

Player of the day: Blake Griffin - 35 points and 6 boards in 30 mins on 13/17 shooting.

[Random_Guy]

Was waiting for this, IMHO the winner today of the thunder griz game should be the griz's teamwork. They were beast defensively, but what surprised me was how good their offense looke, new coach maybe?
Loser is either kd or Russ IMHO.
Didn't watch the other game

[ArbitraryWater]

Could you add all your Posts to the OP?

Btw Winner of last night should be, Randolph? Agreed?

[Random_Guy]

Could you add all your Posts to the OP?

Btw Winner of last night should be, Randolph? Agreed?
i think there is a word limit for any individual post.
and i think more credit needs to be given to conley, the coach, and the griz offense in general. for a team that supposedly cant score the ball, they had beautiful movement.

[Grinder]

Grizzlies-Thunder
Winner - Tony Allen - It was tough to single out one player since it was a total team effort but the one guy that stood out to me was Allen. As usual, his numbers don’t blow you away but his activity and defense on Durant were key to Memphis’ win. You can’t shut down a guy like Kevin Durant, but you can make his life difficult and make him work for every point and Allen did just that. He made every catch a struggle, he refused to be screened, and anytime there was a 50-50 ball, he was all over it. Conley, Gasol, and Randolph are Memphis’ best players but I’ve felt that Allen is the heart of the “Grit ’n Grind” style of play.

Loser - Russell Westbrook - Look, I understand that other than Durant, the Thunder’s scoring options are limited and Westbrook is forced to take a lot of a shots. That being said, his ill advised jumpers during crucial parts of the game really let OKC down. Westbrook should not have the same number of shot attempts as Durant and he settled for some shots early in the shot clock which only served to take away from any momentum OKC was trying to generate. That dunk was great, however.

I turned on Clippers-Warriors on my DVR, skipped to the second quarter and saw that Hedo Turkoglu was making shots and decided the game wasn’t worth watching. Can you really pick one winner and one loser in a 40 point blowout?

Hawks - Pacers
Winner - Luis Scola - For a good while in the second quarter, it looked like the game was going to get away from the Pacers and they’d be staring down the barrel of a 0-2 deficit heading to Atlanta. Fortunately for them, Luis Scola didn’t get the memo and knocked down timely basket after basket to keep the Pacers within striking distance. Scola’s a gritty a competitor who’s shown that he can get it done in the playoffs and Vogel would be best served to play him more often in this series.

Loser - Roy Hibbert - Hibbert was once again rendered ineffective against the Hawks frontcourt tandem of Antic-Millsap. He refused to close out hard on shooters and the space he gave the ball handler also caused him to regularly get beaten off the dribble. He compounded his poor defense with an embarrassing array of misses around the rim. A guy 7’2” should not be missing the kinds of shots he did last night. He looks like a man without his mojo right now and unless he finds it soon, Indiana’s going to have issues.

I watched most of the Nets-Thunder game but I wasn’t paying close enough attention to give any sort of analysis. From what I saw, DeMar Derozan was immense down the stretch while Paul Pierce struggled to find the hoop until very late in the game.

Wizards-Bulls
Winner - Bradley Beal - I’ve watched these Wizards quite a lot in the past few years because of John Wall and an added plus to that has been seeing Bradley Beal develop into one of the better 2 guards in the NBA. Beal brought his best in the most important part of the game. It looked like the Bulls were going to sneak out the win but Beal’s timely baskets kept the pressure on the Bulls. I could have just as easily had John Wall, Trevor Ariza, or Nene as the winner for this game but Beal (barely) gets the nod.

Loser - Kirk Hinrich - Kirk can be a pesky defender but he stood no chance at containing Wall’s penetration and had trouble when matched up with Beal. His defensive problems were compounded by his struggles on the other end of the floor. Perimeter shooting is one of Hinrich’s strengths but his jumper just wasn’t working and he once again dribbled himself into trouble late in the shot clock. I can’t put the blame entirely on Hinrich however, as the Bulls are a limited offensive team, and he’s not a pure point guard. I think Thibs would be better served to start Augustin in the next game. He consistently creates off the pick and roll, spaces the floor better, and has a better shot at staying in front of Wall.

[Grinder]

Could you add all your Posts to the OP?

Btw Winner of last night should be, Randolph? Agreed?

They wouldn't fit in the OP because of the character limit.


Was waiting for this, IMHO the winner today of the thunder griz game should be the griz's teamwork. They were beast defensively, but what surprised me was how good their offense looke, new coach maybe?
Loser is either kd or Russ IMHO.
Didn't watch the other game

I tend to agree but I felt that the Grizz discovered the blueprint to this series in the third quarter of game 1 and the key to that was Tony Allen. Just making Durant work for every catch and not turning the ball over are the biggest components to the Grizzlies' success IMO and that starts with Allen and he executed what was asked of him to a T for the full 4 quarters in game 2.

We know Conley is reliable and will take care of the ball while Randolph and Gasol will pound the paint but against a team whose two biggest threats are perimeter players, Allen and Lee's importance becomes magnified.

[Random_Guy]

They wouldn't fit in the OP because of the character limit.



I tend to agree but I felt that the Grizz discovered the blueprint to this series in the third quarter of game 1 and the key to that was Tony Allen. Just making Durant work for every catch and not turning the ball over are the biggest components to the Grizzlies' success IMO and that starts with Allen and he executed what was asked of him to a T for the full 4 quarters in game 2.

We know Conley is reliable and will take care of the ball while Randolph and Gasol will pound the paint but against a team whose two biggest threats are perimeter players, Allen and Lee's importance becomes magnified.
Tony allen was incredible. The fact the he is much shorter than KD, and can prevent KD from even touching the ball in crunch time is just ****ing incredible. I agree with your perspective, and i give the winner of the day to allen. he shut KD down, and if not for that miraculous 4point shot there wouldnt be overtime.

[Grinder]

Bobcats-Heat
Winner - Lebron James - The Cats kept taking punches but refused to lay down but ultimately, Lebron's timely buckets kept them from ever really threatening to take the lead. Lebron was all over the place and stuffed the stat sheet as usual and iced the game with two clutch FTs.

Loser - Gary Neal - If Neal could have knocked down a few shots, the Bobcats may have had a legitimate chance at stealing this game. He's the Bobcats' designated scorer off the bench but he was off all night and couldn't find the basket when his team needed him.

I didn't watch the Spurs-Mavs game, so someone who watched the game can list their winner/loser.

Portland-Houston
Winner - LaMarcus Aldridge
Dwight Howard started the game off amazingly but Aldridge quietly kept pace with him and ultimately took over the game. Houston simply could not find a counter to his offensive prowess. Whether it was Jones, Asik, or Howard on him, Aldridge proved to be unstoppable on the night. Double teams did little to bother Aldridge as he drained jumpers from midrange, hit turnaround Js in the psot, and finished strong inside. It was a stunning performance but you've really got to question McHale's defensive schemes in this one.

Loser - James Harden
It was a tough choice for me between Kevin McHale's inept coaching and Harden, but ultimately I went with the beard. Not only did Harden struggle to score, his ball stopping, shot clocking draining ways completely killed Houston's offense and took away any chance they had at a comeback late in the game. It was a nightmare performance for him on both ends of the floor and he'll have to start driving to the hoop with some purpose and finding ways to get his teammates involved earlier in the shot clock if Houston is to have any hope of winning the series.

[Random_Guy]

damn this thread needs more posts and views!
the winner of the pacers hawk game goes to krover imho.
good stats, and that 4 was huge

[Grinder]

damn this thread needs more posts and views!
the winner of the pacers hawk game goes to krover imho.
good stats, and that 4 was huge

As long as it keeps the trolls out, I'm fine with it. :oldlol:

Yeah, Korver finding his shot was a huge x-factor and his team defense was excellent. While he doesn't have the ideal physical tools to be a lockdown defender, he's always been a willing defender and the way Budenholzer plays hides his weaknesses. So yes, Kyle Korver is the winner of the Hawks-Pacers game although I would give an honorable mention to Jeff Teague who was immense once again.

Loser - Roy Hibbert - I know it may seem harsh to list a guy who only played 19 minutes but he was so damn awful when he was on the court. Atlanta's style of play obviously takes away from Hibbert's defensive strengths but it shouldn't affect his offense the way it has. He's not rebounding, he's missing easy shots around the rim despite being at least 3 inches taller than his defender and in most cases 6-7 inches taller, and he's not blocking or altering any shots. Roy's stats through 3 games: 6 ppg/5 rpg/.7 apg/0 bpg, 2.3 TO - 28 FG% :facepalm

Grizzlies-Thunder
Winner - Tony Allen - As usual, it was a team effort for the Grizzlies. Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Beno Udrih all played big roles but I don't see how I can give it to anyone but Tony Allen. I know he had that bad foul at the end of regulation but his energy on the court is contagious and he made even the most routine passes difficult for the Thunder. We've always known that he's an incredible defender but his offensive impact has been a turning point in the last two games for the Grizzlies. He's been getting into the lane and making excellent drop off passes that would make most of the point guards in the league proud. His finishing as always been suspect but it's been on point this series and he's also making great cuts off the ball.

Loser - Scott Brooks - Both Durant and Westbrook struggled last night but I can't put the blame entirely on them when they were forced to play with two guys that are inept offensively. What was the point of playing guys like Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones and Steven Adams in the regularly season if he had no intention of playing them in playoffs? Brooks' total lack of faith in younger players has lead to OKC trotting out lineups with an ancient Derek Fisher, an out of shape Caron Butler, and Kendrick Perkins. The cross matches he went with in the fourth quarter were also baffling and caused OKC to get beaten up the boards. If OKC doesn't make it out of this series, I don't think Brooks will be coaching them next season.

I watched the second half of the Warriors-Clippers game but after the excitement of Memphis-OKC, it was hard to pay close attention to it. From what I saw, Blake Griffin was excellent and had some really timely baskets to break the Warriors' momentum. I can't think of any one player that played particularly poorly.

For what it's worth, I thought Steph Curry was fouled multiple times on the last play of the game.

Player of the day - Tony Allen

[red1]

5 starred, great read as always

[Harison]

Good read :cheers:

[Trollsmasher]

Best current thread:applause:

[ArbitraryWater]

Lol at avoiding Durant for Looser though... Why is it Westbrook in Game 2, then Brooks for Game 3? :confusedshrug:

Id easily have Russ as superior both games.. well not easily. But unlike Durant, he didnt get around 6 FT's in Game 3 that were a total product of ref whistles/calls, yet remained similar efficiency, while hitting all the big pressure shots... Both struggled on defense.

Otherwise, great stuff! Loving the Tony Allen Mention..

[salwan]

Great thread :applause:

[Random_Guy]

As long as it keeps the trolls out, I'm fine with it. :oldlol:

Yeah, Korver finding his shot was a huge x-factor and his team defense was excellent. While he doesn't have the ideal physical tools to be a lockdown defender, he's always been a willing defender and the way Budenholzer plays hides his weaknesses. So yes, Kyle Korver is the winner of the Hawks-Pacers game although I would give an honorable mention to Jeff Teague who was immense once again.

Loser - Roy Hibbert - I know it may seem harsh to list a guy who only played 19 minutes but he was so damn awful when he was on the court. Atlanta's style of play obviously takes away from Hibbert's defensive strengths but it shouldn't affect his offense the way it has. He's not rebounding, he's missing easy shots around the rim despite being at least 3 inches taller than his defender and in most cases 6-7 inches taller, and he's not blocking or altering any shots. Roy's stats through 3 games: 6 ppg/5 rpg/.7 apg/0 bpg, 2.3 TO - 28 FG% :facepalm

Grizzlies-Thunder
Winner - Tony Allen - As usual, it was a team effort for the Grizzlies. Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Beno Udrih all played big roles but I don't see how I can give it to anyone but Tony Allen. I know he had that bad foul at the end of regulation but his energy on the court is contagious and he made even the most routine passes difficult for the Thunder. We've always known that he's an incredible defender but his offensive impact has been a turning point in the last two games for the Grizzlies. He's been getting into the lane and making excellent drop off passes that would make most of the point guards in the league proud. His finishing as always been suspect but it's been on point this series and he's also making great cuts off the ball.

Loser - Scott Brooks - Both Durant and Westbrook struggled last night but I can't put the blame entirely on them when they were forced to play with two guys that are inept offensively. What was the point of playing guys like Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones and Steven Adams in the regularly season if he had no intention of playing them in playoffs? Brooks' total lack of faith in younger players has lead to OKC trotting out lineups with an ancient Derek Fisher, an out of shape Caron Butler, and Kendrick Perkins. The cross matches he went with in the fourth quarter were also baffling and caused OKC to get beaten up the boards. If OKC doesn't make it out of this series, I don't think Brooks will be coaching them next season.

I watched the second half of the Warriors-Clippers game but after the excitement of Memphis-OKC, it was hard to pay close attention to it. From what I saw, Blake Griffin was excellent and had some really timely baskets to break the Warriors' momentum. I can't think of any one player that played particularly poorly.

For what it's worth, I thought Steph Curry was fouled multiple times on the last play of the game.

Player of the day - Tony Allen
:applause:
Tony Allen:bowdown:

[Grinder]

I Missed a lot of games this weekend but the ones I did watch...

4/25 - Houston-Portland
Winner - Dwight Howard - The big man had his most complete game of the series coming through on both ends of the floor. He altered several shots around the rim, scored efficiently and did a better job boxing out rather than just going up for the rebound himself all the time. This allowed for a stronger team rebounding effort and in turn helped the Rockets get into their offense quicker and push in transition when the opportunity presented itself.

Loser - N/A - I can't think of one player that played particularly poorly. Harden got his points but was hugely inefficient, Jeremy Lin had some poor moments, and Aldridge had his least effective game of the series...yet almost everyone had their positive moments as well.

4/27 - OKC-Memphis
Winner - Reggie Jackson - On a night when both of OKC's stars had putrid games, Reggie Jackson came through in the biggest way with his team staring down the barrel of a 1-3 deficit. Jackson put on his best [good] Russell Westbrook impersonation and got into the lane at will, finished with authority, and drained some big shots from the perimeter. He also did a commendable job on the boards and played some solid defense. What a time have a career night.

Loser - Kevin Durant - It was a tough to choose between Durant and Westbrook. Both had their poorest games that I can think of in recent memory and coughed up the ball far too often. Ultimately I went with Durant because unfairly or not, when you're considered the leading candidate for MVP and a multiple time scoring champion, you're expected to shoulder more of the responsibility. KD missed so many routine shots and it ended up affecting his defense and ball handling. On several occasions, he tried to draw fouls and then didn't get back on defense in favor of complaining about the lack of call and his poor shooting also lead to tentative turnovers which become magnified in games as tight as these. Luckily for KD and Westbrook, Jackson's heroics will relieve some of the criticism that would have been directed at them had they lost this game.

4/28 - Portland - Houston
Winner - Lamarcus Aldridge - While LMA didn't put up stats as gaudy as his first two games in this series, he was a warrior throughout the course of the game. We all know that he's tremendously gifted offensively but I'm not used to seeing this kind of effort and toughness on the defensive end from him. He's been a solid rebounder for quite some time but I've felt that he's occasionally been soft defensively and has shied away from contact. This wasn't the case last night when he willingly banged with Dwight Howard and contested everything around the rim. With the small lineup that Portland employs, I'm struggling to think of a way to consistently stop this guy without giving up an open 3. With his play in this series, LMA is officially entering superstar territory to the average fan.

Loser - James Harden - I'd always liked Harden's game before he got to Houston but his ball stopping ways and total lack of defense are really becoming a detriment to the team. He came into this league as a willing and effective passer and a solid perimeter defender but you would never guess it based on his play in this series. He was a sieve defensively against whichever Portland wing he was matched up against, consistently being late on his defensive rotations and not closing out hard enough on shooters while being simultaneously nonchalant in his help defense. Winging it on the defensive end can be acceptable during the regular season but it gets exposed in the playoffs and it's been glaringly obvious with Harden in this series. Get it together James.


I also caught Golden State-Clippers on the DVR and I felt Steph Curry (obviously) and Draymond Green were excellent. Green's numbers won't stand out but his defense was so, so good and he's a great tool to have in keeping the offense flowing. If I had to pick a loser from this game, I'd say DeAndre Jordan was invisible, which simply can't happen when you're that tall and that athletic.

[Draz]

Good thread. Keep it up!

[ArbitraryWater]

Finally KD gets his Selection :lol

[Grinder]

Hawks-Pacers
Winner - Mike Scott - While Paul Millsap is the most important player for the Hawks, Scott was the driving force behind Atlanta opening up an ultimately insurmountable 30 point lead. Scott is a great guy to have off the bench to come in and score in bunches and is exactly the kind of player that can swing 1 or 2 playoff games in your favor. That kind of offensive spark off the bench is invaluable to any playoff team and manifested itself in this game when Scott buried 3 after 3 and put an another dent into an already bruised Pacers team.

Loser - Roy Hibbert - I don't think much needs to be said here.
0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls. :facepalm

Spurs-Mavericks
Winner - Boris Diaw - I've often criticized Diaw for being too tentative to pull the trigger when he gets good looks and some of the shots he knocked down last night are a big reason why. Boris has always been a player with a feel for the game that few guys his size have but when he looks for his own shot on top of his passing, defense, and rebounding, the Spurs become that much more daunting of an opponent. His late 3 pointer looks to have saved San Antonio from another excruciating playoff disappointment.

Loser - DeJuan Blair - This might seem like an odd selection since Blair played very well when he was on the floor and was one of the driving forces behind the Mavs' comeback but hear me out. The Mavs had all the momentum on their side up until Blair was ejected. His brainless decision to kick Splitter in the head gifted the Spurs three free points at a crucial juncture of the game and really injected life back into the Spurs just when it looked like they were starting to fade. You simply can't lose your head and give anything away freely in playoffs as evidenced by the tightness of every series in the West.

[Grinder]

Thunder-Grizzlies
Winner - Mike Miller - The Grizzlies are great defensively but they struggle to score consistently in the half court and their 3 point shooting is nothing to write home about. That's why Mike Miller going off like he did last night may ultimately be the turning point in the series. As we've seen in the past few years, Miller has a penchant for having a big game on the big stage. He just did it a little earlier in the playoffs than we've come to expect. Not only was his long range shooting on point but his passing, rebounding, and help defense all were welcome contributions. Some of the younger fans might forget but games like this were the norm Miller in his first stint with the Grizzlies. If this guy can show up for one more game, it'll probably be all she wrote for the Thunder.

Loser - Kevin Durant - In what's shaping up to be KD's career worst playoff series, the likely MVP once again could not shake off Memphis' rough, smash mouth style of defense. The constant ball denial, shading, and blitzing of Durant has made him the most prolific scorer in the league look pedestrian. 26 points on 24 shots and 3 times as many turnovers as assists just won't get it done against a team as tough defensively as Memphis. Durant's one foul also tells me he wasn't aggressive enough on defense which simply won't do in a series as physical as this one. I was tempted to list Scott Brooks here for his odd lineup decisions and poor play calling at important junctures of the game.