The Indy Talks To Himself (NBA) Thread.

Is it? They'll get Murray back at some point, and you said yourself the schedule gets easier. Does he become your MVP choice if they move into the top 3-4 in the West and his advanced stats continue to look the way they are?

 

Because despite him being #1 in all the advanced stats, most people wouldn't take him over a lot of the currently thought of best players in the league, like Giannis, Durant, and even Steph and LeBron.

I remember him looking fairly pedestrian last season as the Suns swept the Nuggets. I didn't expect them to win or anything, but if a guy is the MVP and the best player in the league, by the stats, I expect to see a better performance in that situation. I guess I just don't think he's as good as the stats say, based on what I've seen watching him.

 

Grizzlies seem to be coming of age.

 

Ja is inevitable.

 

Relevant to recent discussions:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...mvps-denver-nuggets-coach-michael-malone-says

 

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/steph-curry-absolutely-thinks-kevin-194016575.html

@Unimane

 

So, Steph thinks his team would win? I would hope he has faith in his guys.

 

We play today's rules, GS wins. We play 90s rules, Bulls win. Pippen guards Durant and shoves him around. Same for mj on steph especially when moving picks aren't called. Klay hardly ever dribbles so just don't leave him

 

Just stay with the third option that put up 37 in a quarter. No biggie. Just stay in his jersey lol.

 

Oh my god, well, if he says so...

The way he dismisses Kukoc is pretty silly, too. If there's one player on those Bulls teams who was made to play in this current era, it's Kukoc.

I know you think it would be a solid win by the Warriors, the recency bias tripping you up. I would be fascinated by the series, especially depending on the rules which would be in place. I will say the Warriors never came close to facing a defensive lineup like the one which includes Jordan, Pippen, Harper, and Rodman. Durant is a very difficult matchup, of course, but, if Pippen is allowed to be physical with him, it would be interesting. Jordan is, obviously, a matchup issue for the Warriors and the bench drop-off for the Warriors is steeper than for the Bulls. On the other hand, Longley is a liability down low for the Bulls in the modern age, even if I think Longley did a solid job for the second three-peat Bulls (I thought he was better than Bill Cartwright.).

Like I said, anyone not thinking this would be a tight series is a fool.

 

Idk why you get so worked up. It’s a discussion.

 

He floats and spots up so yes don't leave him. I believe I saw a game where he had 40+ on 4 dribbles. Lol

 

I think the bulls would get waxed in todays NBA by the 17 Warriors. Their heads might literally explode watching 3s rain in from 40ft, and they wouldn’t be able to keep up. It’s a completely different game and the Bulls simply weren’t built for it.

Old NBA, probably beat the shit physically out of the warriors and it’s a series. KD is the one of the best iso players of all time too though, so he might actually thrive.

 

Yeah, I lean towards the Warriors dominating under today's rules. Closer series under 96 rules, but I still think the Warriors pull it out.

 

It's not recency bias. The 73 win season is a historic mark that can be compared to any other individual team in the history of the game. They took that team and added a guy who has a shot at finishing his career as a Top 10 player all time and was in his prime. That's the argument - adding a really really good player to the team with the best regular season record of all time. Has nothing to do with recency bias.

Jordan and KD will obviously get theirs no matter what, but I'm not sure what makes you think that Jordan is a matchup issue for the Warriors. They have 3 guys who could take turns guarding him, 4 if you count Durant. They're not gonna completely stop him because he's Jordan, but it's not like they don't have anyone who matches up with him. If Gary Payton could slow him down, then a combo of Klay, Draymond, and Iggy could as well.

Longley wouldn't be able to play big minutes against the Warriors. He'd be too much of a liability.

 

And, they won fewer games the next year after having not won the title with 73 wins and that barely made it out of the conference finals in their record regular season. The argument isn't terrible, but it isn't completely airtight, either.

The Warriors have no one comparably good defensively as Gary Payton was in the 90s defensively. Jordan had a couple of so-so games in the 1996 Finals compared to his normal output, but he'd give the Warriors matchup problems because he was the greatest player of all time, certainly the greatest offensive player of all time, and he gave everyone matchup problems. Now, I definitely agree Durant is a major problem for the Bulls. He scores, but Pippen may be the most adept at guarding him of anyone in the last 30 years, just like he gave Magic fits in the 1991 Finals.

The Warriors started Zaza Pachulia for 70 games. Longley would be fine.

 

Durant has never had to deal with the length and strength of a guy like Pippen under rules that allow physicality and handchecking. I sure would have liked to see it though. Would be a great matchup.

 

I'm not 100% sure what you're saying with that first bit, so I'll respond to what I think you're saying.

They won fewer games in 2017 BECAUSE they didn't win the title in 2016. 2017 was championship or bust. The regular season record didn't matter. And let's not pretend that a 67-15 record is bad or something. It's tied for top 7 all time, if I'm reading correctly.

They struggled in the conference finals of 2016 because they were playing the dude that they ended up adding the following the season (as well as a prime Westbrook).

You and I must define "match up problem" differently. When I say that a guy is a "matchup problem," it means "we don't have a guy fit to defend this dude." The Warriors had 3 very solid wing defenders, all of whom were fit to guard Jordan. He was just really good, so he would likely score plenty anyway. They don't have to be "as good" as Gary Payton to at least slow him down, though.

Durant would get his no matter who defended him. I think the splash bros would cause problems as well. I get that the rules matter, but if we are being honest, refs let teams play more physical in the playoffs anyway.

Pachulia played 18 minutes a game during the season, and it dropped to 14 in the playoffs. Longley wouldn't be able to play big minutes against the Warriors. He'd be too much of a liability.

 

I think Durant absolutely has to deal with the length and strength of a guy like Pippen in today's NBA.

I'm not sure what difference you think physicality and handechecking makes against Durant's midrange game and his ability to elevate. It's not like his bread and butter is getting around guys and getting to the basket. His size and wingspan allows him to elevate over basically any defender who is fast enough to keep up with him.

I don't think Durant is guardable in either NBA era. Pippen may guard him better than others could, but he's still gonna drop 30 a night.