We'd beat OKC too, but I'm not seeing any evidence of them being an easier matchup for us than the Jazz. I'd also like us to remain in the 4/5 matchup because I'd rather play the Lakers in the second round than the Clippers.
Why would you want to play 35 year old Lebron and injury prone Davis sooner rather than later? The Clippers' #1 problem right now is getting players into shape and developing chemistry for a team that has barely played together healthy. The sooner we play them the better. If we had them in round 1 we would toast them.
Because I think the Lakers are a much better matchup for us and I'd rather get further into the playoffs rather than potentially be knocked out a round earlier by a harder matchup. WCF sounds better to me than WCSF. I don't think Lebron even at his age is going to wear down as the playoffs go on. He's never had stamina issues in long playoff runs his whole career. If anything it seems like the Lakers have more chemistry issues than the Clippers right now. If we meet them in the WCF it's safe to say they've sorted their issues out by then. The Clippers have several elite perimeter defenders, a deeper bench, and are much better shooters from downtown than the Lakers. The don't rely on a postgame like the Lakers would with AD either so we can't bait them into backing us down. They are an extremely tough team for us even if they haven't had many healthy games together.
Yeah but you're only fooling yourself. Who cares if we were the 4th or 6th best team in the NBA? There's no avoiding the 2 LA teams. Having a strategy is better than needing validation via 1 extra round. Both our guys been to the Finals and multiple times to the conference finals. They don't have anything to prove in that department and neither do the Rockets. I agree with you the Clippers are better than the Lakers. So are the Rockets and Bucks imo.
Losers mentality. I would be so disappointed if Rockets purposefully tanked to avoid any team/bracket vs. Spurs.
Actually Jazz avoids playing with Houston, it makes OKC loses their draft pick by keeping lose all the final matches
Going with the better matchup increases our chances of advancing and don't assume the clippers will make it to the WCF in the other bracket. Let two other teams try to take them out. This is not a normal playoffs and no home court or travel. Denver is no joke. That porter kid is a damn baller and a gamechanger. Y'all killin me with loser mentally BS. Its not about mentality its about matchups. Why run to a bad matchup if you don't have to ? Maybe you still have to play them down the line, maybe not. I'd rather let it play out the other way and take my chances.
You say it like it happened yesterday. Last time they have been to the Finals was 8-9 years ago. And both were not the no 1 options on that team either, the way they had been gentleman swept is more traumatizing to say the least. So not all rosy memories.
Harden was a sophomore and wb a third year player. Up against a big 3. It was an achievement and nothing to be embarrassed about. If harden stayed they would have had multiple chips together.
Purposefully losing is dangerous. You cannot just turn on a championship mentality like a switch. If you have it, you keep that switch on at all times. Losing is more than an action, it is a culture.
I mainly talked about WB, he said 2 guys like he meant both are equally successful. WB did better in the Finals 2012 doe. Durant also contributed heavily to those WC appearances.
still you act like that 2012 finals appearance was "traumatizing" they were young and upcoming went thru lakers, mavs, and spurs like gang bangers and got beat by a super team of lebro, wade, and bosh in their prime definitely "rosy" what was traumatizing to the players, management, team, city, and fans was what happened afterwards not the finals appearance itself. that's the only "rosy" memory of that franchise
This has proven false time and time again. But there is a difference between losing on purpose and sitting key players. The players playing are still trying to play well and win they usually just cant. You didn't "turn if off". Things like this have been going on forever.