NBA: *** Official 2014 NBA Playoffs Thread ***
- Thread starter CycloneRulzzz
- Start date
Was Chris Webber the color guy on the game the other night? He is horrible. I feel bad for Ian Eagle.
I'm happy to report a Roy Hibbert sighting in Indianapolis! 15 points on 5-6 shooting in the first half. Only three boards, but at least the big man is active and contributing.
Kind of fits the narrative for the Pacers, though. Going at least back to their second to last regular season game against Miami when Hibbert blocked bosh's jumper at the buzzer, this team has constantly come through in must win situations. The trick now is to find that sense of urgency every time now and not digging a hole for themselves. They got away with it against the Hawks, they might get away with it against an inexperienced Wizards team, but they absolutely won't get away with it against Miami or Brooklyn.
The last two games really sum up Russell Westbrook. His game walks such a fine line between spectacular and completely out of control. The play he made last night where he ran down the Durant miss and hit the 3 is a good example, he ended up making a great play but recklessly chasing offensive rebounds like that can easily lead to run outs for the other team. Conley and Paul have both ate him up in the playoffs when he's been bouncing around and gambling too much, but he can also be a very disruptive defensive force, like he was last night, when he's locked in. The last assist he got for the triple double was complete ******** though.
Yeah, and OKC is kind of stuck with him one way or the other. They can't really expect him to stay healthy with his style of play and recent history of knee injuries, and they can't trade him and expect to get anywhere near full value for him. The Thunder will go as far as the KD/Westbrook combo will carry them, and it'll stay that way for the next several years.
With the way OKC botched the Harden deal, I certainly wouldn't trust them to get move Westbrook and get a better return if I was a Thunder fan. These playoffs have also brought up a big "what if" scenario, as OKC was rumored to have turned down Charlotte's number two pick in the 2012 draft for Harden. Bradley Beal went third in that draft. Adding Beal to that team would give Durant and Westbrook so much more space to work with. Last night was the first Thunder playoff game since Harden left where it felt like the floor was wide open and Durant and Westbrook actually had plenty of space to work.
