If Memphis is built for the playoffs, why haven't they gone all the way?

[ChrisKreager]

People say how teams like Memphis are built for the playoffs, yet they haven't gone all the way.

After all, why didn't the 'Big, tough, defensive, built for the playoffs' Pacers beat Miami in either of those East Finals?

Or Memphis over the Spurs 2 years ago?

I mean, this series against GS is reminding me of if the Spurs went cold from three in the 2013 West Finals.

If it's as simple as 'Live and die by the three,' then why do teams even bother shooting threes?

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Westbrook, Spurs
they dont have to worry bout 3 of those things this time.........

[Akrazotile]

Because there are other good teams in the league too :hammerhead:

[Bernkastel]

Spurs were built better.

[keep-itreal]

gee I wonder what happened in game 7 vs thunder

[TheMarkMadsen]

they haven't had a consistent go to scorer, they definitely are built for the playoffs but in close games they don't know what they want to do

[imdaman99]

OKC and Spurs always in their way. The coast is clear for them now.

Make it rain, Memphis :pimp:

[Cowboy Thunder]

Westbrook usually sons Conley in the playoffs

[FreezingTsmoove]

ZBo got suspended last year for Game 7 in an obvious attempt to get the Thunder to the second round

[ArbitraryWater]

You can say this about any team in the playoffs :facepalm

[atljonesbro]

The Grizzlies won this game, therefore they are good. If they lose the next one they're bad again. Just ISH logic.

[TaLvsCuaL]

Basically cuz we got not enough firepower. We are better than most team with more talent in their rosters tho

[imdaman99]

ZBo got suspended last year for Game 7 in an obvious attempt to get the Thunder to the second round
OKC were gonna beat them anyway. Memphis had their chance in game 6 at home and guess what? They got blown the f out.

[zoom17]

ZBo got suspended last year for Game 7 in an obvious attempt to get the Thunder to the second round

Forgot about that:facepalm

[navy]

No scoring ability.

[lilteapot]

Not enough scoring not enough talent.

[KiiiiNG]

OKC were gonna beat them anyway. Memphis had their chance in game 6 at home and guess what? They got blown the f out.
this

[DMV2]

No F-MVP candidate, which means no go-to scorer.

It's been over 10 years since the 04 Pistons won it all, maybe it's time for a deep roster team without a star to win it all.

[Sportal]

Because they have either had a player suspended or had a player that was not 100% in the play-offs?

OR, or... Maybe there was a team better than them...?

[yobore]

Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Westbrook, Spurs
they dont have to worry bout 3 of those things this time.........
3.5
I don't believe in <1 week hamstring strain recoveries.

[AussieG]

Spurs or Thunder usually have their match. They beat Thunder without Westbrook and beat Spurs when fully healthy but when beating one, the other one would get them.

Saying it's the scoring is only half true. You can say the Spurs are too old but they can still win in spite of it. It's a factor but it's the main thing for winning or losing.

Do Warriors lack scoring? No, but they still have lacked it in the last two games. Basketball is a complicated game.

Sometimes coaching makes the difference. Sometimes experience. Sometimes superstars hitting big shots. Sometimes role player shooters like Kerr or Horry hitting their 3's. There's no one thing.

[KG215]

OKC were gonna beat them anyway. Memphis had their chance in game 6 at home and guess what? They got blown the f out.
That, and Z-Bo's suspension was very much warranted. He f***ing punched Steven Adams in the same "unintentionally intentionally" way J.R. Smith "unintentionally intentionally" punched Crowder and got a two game suspension. Anyone that doesn't think Randolph's suspension was warranted is a moron.

http://cdn.nextimpulsesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/zbo.gif

And, yeah, like you said, they had a chance to win the series in game 6 on their home floor with a full squad and OKC pushed their shit in. Durant had 36 and 10, Westbrook had 25-9-5-3, Ibaka blocked 4 shots and OKC won by 20.

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

3.5
I don't believe in <1 week hamstring strain recoveries.
Good point, fck CPs damn injuries every other postseason:facepalm :facepalm

[DonDadda59]

Tim Duncan. But Timmay don't run the bingo no more.

[KG215]

Spurs or Thunder usually have their match. They beat Thunder without Westbrook and beat Spurs when fully healthy but when beating one, the other one would get them.

Saying it's the scoring is only half true. You can say the Spurs are too old but they can still win in spite of it. It's a factor but it's the main thing for winning or losing.

Do Warriors lack scoring? No, but they still have lacked it in the last two games. Basketball is a complicated game.

Sometimes coaching makes the difference. Sometimes experience. Sometimes superstars hitting big shots. Sometimes role player shooters like Kerr or Horry hitting their 3's. There's no one thing.
And in the Thunder's case, they managed to overcome Brooks' iso-ball system against the Grizz (when fully healthy) because Durant is pretty clearly on a different level than Curry, and you could even make a case Westbrook is better than Curry and has a bigger overall impact on the game when his shot isn't falling. So while the Warriors may have the deeper, more balanced team and a better coach, it's not unreasonable to say OKC's two best players are better than the Warriors best player; and at the very least you can argue OKC's second best player is about on the same level as Golden State's best player.

Now, with that said, people shouldn't forget that OKC fell behind 2-1 after winning game one in their series against the Grizz last year. Granted games 2 and 3 were closer, OT thrillers, but Memphis bounced back after dropping game one and won games two and three, and looked to be in charge of the series. The Warriors very well may bounce back and win the next game in Memphis and go on to win the series. It's hard to imagine Curry and Klay continuing their struggles from three much longer. However, with OKC you could always pretty much say they have/had the two best players in the series (and I'm a big proponent of star power wins out the vast majority of the time in the playoffs), whereas with the Warriors, after Curry, you could argue the Grizzlies have the second and third best players in the series. I'd take Klay over Z-Bo in the grand scheme of things, but Z-Bo is having a bigger impact on this series so far.

[greatest-ever]

The Spurs were a bad matchup for them in 2013, and in 2014 they had Zbo suspended for game 7 against OKC.

[KG215]

The Spurs were a bad matchup for them in 2013, and in 2014 they had Zbo suspended for game 7 against OKC.
Z-Bo was rightfully suspended. And, as has already been mentioned several times in the thread, the Grizzlies had a chance to closeout and win the series on their home floor in game 6 with a full squad and lost by 20.

[Lensanity]

So only 1 team per year can be built for the playoffs?

I'm going to **** your mother with a chainsaw

[ChrisKreager]

The reason I started this thread is because I'm growing tired of the narratives.

Barkley's gonna crow about this tomorrow, but again, this way hasn't guaranteed titles.

And if it's all about Live and Die by the 3, why even shoot threes in the first place?

[Clutch]

It's simple,not enough offensive talent and not enough outside shooting.

Often they have black holes in their game when they can't make a basket for several minutes.
You can't win the title with such a poor offense.

[ILLsmak]

they haven't had a consistent go to scorer, they definitely are built for the playoffs but in close games they don't know what they want to do

It's like one of those cheap ass entry level jeeps. Dude could say "It's built for off road." It might even perform better off road than on the street, but it's not like it's choice number 1 when you want da bess.

So, I think they are built to be BETTER in the playoffs. I don't think they are a championship team build at all. BUT I could eat that this year, I guess. It's not impossible that they win or go to the Finals, but I don't see it.

They are gritting GSW, but GSW is really playing bad... beyond 'shut down' bad.

I watched some of the end, and they got some calls in the 4th. If they could only make some plays, they had plenty of chances, but they are kinda shook atm. I still think they (GSW) are gonna win.

I think Memphis is an opponent nobody can take lightly and that's what people mean by built for playoffs. I think they have some holes when discussing contenders.

-Smak

[T_L_P]

beat Spurs when fully healthy but when beating one, the other one would get them.

http://sportsnickel.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Manu-Ginobili-brace.jpg

[Blue&Orange]

The play on the NBE, and they have no starpower.

[Kblaze8855]

Because there are other good teams in the league too

Yea...

Long as there is more than one team "Built for the playoffs" some of them wil lose.

Not winning a ring in a 5-6 year period...when you never had a team that should have...isnt really something to be mocked over.

It doesnt prove any way of playing misguided. It just proves there are a lot of great teams. Which is why most great teams...never win.

[Nuff Said]

The reason I started this thread is because I'm growing tired of the narratives.

Barkley's gonna crow about this tomorrow, but again, this way hasn't guaranteed titles.

And if it's all about Live and Die by the 3, why even shoot threes in the first place?
If you're extremely well at threes...like the greatest ever, why not take your chances?

[ArbitraryWater]

the revisionist history from last year's OKC/Grizz series http://r28.imgfast.net/users/2813/22/97/24/smiles/4021133811.gif

Also, KD's legendary "36 and 10" game 6 :oldlol:

dude had 26 on 8-19 42% after 3 quarters, then proceeded to pad the shit out of those numbers in a blowout.. he was just, really really bad, man... that whole series minus game 1 (decent) and game 7, good...

[dubeta]

the revisionist history from last year's OKC/Grizz series http://r28.imgfast.net/users/2813/22/97/24/smiles/4021133811.gif

Also, KD's legendary "36 and 10" game 6 :oldlol:

dude had 26 on 8-19 42% after 3 quarters, then proceeded to pad the shit out of those numbers in a blowout.. he was just, really really bad, man... that whole series minus game 1 (decent) and game 7, good...


:oldlol:



I remember in a regular season game vs Bron in 2013, Durant was getting blown out and had like 20 points after 3 quarters.


Once LeBron rested, KD statpadder and got FT's till he reached 40 points, even though he was down 20


The guy literally is the king of statpadding :lol

[Spurs5Rings2014]

beat Spurs when fully healthy

If we ever beat you without Gasol, Zbo or Conley I don't want to hear any excuses.

[3ball]

Memphis is one of the rare teams in today's game that has been together forever and has gotten good through experience playing together rather than talent, similar to the Spurs.

But in previous eras, there were many more super-experienced teams like Memphis, since there was less free agent movement and team-hopping - in the 90's, the Jazz, Pacers, Sonics, Knicks, Houston and Bulls all made the Finals based more on experience than talent (the Sonics a little of both).

But today, these ultra-experienced teams (like Memphis) occur less often.. Similar to the 80's, today's league is more top-heavy in terms of talent, allowing for "dynasties".. But in the 90's, the talent was more evenly distributed throughout the league and teams competed more evenly with each other.. For example, the 1998 Western Conference playoffs had Robinson/Duncan, Shaq + 3 all-stars, Malone/Stockton, and Payton/Kemp/Schrempf - they all battled it out in one conference to make the Finals.