2017-2018 Boston Celtics: No Irving! No Hayward! No Brooklyn Pick!

[The Red Viper]

Mixed series for Ky. Had some great moments but he wasn't his usual dominant self. Looked really off. May be its the tendinitis but whatever it is, hopefully this week odd rest would help him recover properly. We can go to the NBA Finals with him not being at his best because we have LeBron and enough ammo around him. But against Warriors, we need Kyrie at his absolute best.

 

[gourimoko]

 

[Jscc]

So much good in that clip besides Kyrie smacking the flamingo away. The team's reaction to LeBron losing the rebound:

LeBron = throws hands up.
Kevin = puts hands on head.
Kyrie = shows teeth.
Kyle = celebrates too early then sits back down thinking "...maybe not".
Deron, Channing = fall backwards.

 

[bigfoot5415]

I will just leave this here.

 

[The Red Viper]

I was just thinking, Kyrie is so lucky to play alongside LeBron because Bron is the perfect player to compliment Ky's skill-set. In fact, same with LeBron as well. Both compliment each other so fucking perfectly on the offensive end.

Offensively, I would say the two are as good as any duo in NBA history.

West - Wilt, Oscar - Kareem, Magic - Kareem, Jordan - Pippen, Shaq - Kobe.

It may sound a bit of a reach, but that is because Kyrie Kyrie is still young and hasn't made a name for himself to be considered in the other hall of famers yet but sky is the limit for Kyrie offensively. Jordan and Kobe aside, I don't think I have seen a guard who is as gifted offensively as Kyrie is. He has so much arsenal in his offense, its flatout crazy.

Kyrie just needs to stay healthy and keep on improving on his other aspects of his game like his PnR defense and ability to control the game. He can end up being amongst the Top-10 PGs or SGs to play the game, imo.

 

[godfather]

I'm not sure anything tops Kobe and Shaq. The were basically unbeatable, and would have sustain that dominance if Shaq stayed in better shape. Kobe didn't have his legal distractions, and also the feud between them didn't help.

The first three-peat, it looked like no one was going to come close to stopping them. Even Duncan and his Spurs were badly outmatched for a time.

 

[Cassity14]

I'm not sure anything tops Kobe and Shaq. The were basically unbeatable, and would have sustain that dominance if Shaq stayed in better shape. Kobe didn't have his legal distractions, and also the feud between them didn't help.

The first three-peat, it looked like no one was going to come close to stopping them. Even Duncan and his Spurs were badly outmatched for a time.

I agree with this. They were their only enemy.

I have a lot of thoughts about the LeBron/Wade combo, particularly the year of their first title. I think LeBron was a better player then than he is now, which probably offsets the little bit of offensive superiority Kyrie has over Wade.

LeBron and Wade were arguably 2 of the 3 best players in the game when they joined up.

 

[Ohio]

The first three-peat, it looked like no one was going to come close to stopping them. Even Duncan and his Spurs were badly outmatched for a time.

I agree with this. They were their only enemy.

2002 Kings would have advanced with impartial officiating. Just sayin.

 

[Cassity14]

2002 Kings would have advanced with impartial officiating. Just sayin.

I mean I totally agree, but I don't think that necessarily takes away from how dominant of a 1-2 punch Kobe and Shaq were.

I can't think of any who literally never lost.

 

[Ohio]

I mean I totally agree, but I don't think that necessarily takes away from how dominant of a 1-2 punch Kobe and Shaq were.

I can't think of any who literally never lost.

I mean, they did lose to a Pistons team they had absolutely no business losing to. But, that was the peak of their feud and it obviously effected play on the court.

I agree with the general premise that Kobe & Shaq is the best duo ever, but I don't think they're invincible by any means. 2002 WCF and Pistons Finals loss are two notable negatives. Also, Kyrie right now is better than Kobe was early in their run, including their 1st title run.

Edit: They also lost to the Spurs in 2003, the year before they lost to the Pistons in The Finals.

Bottom line, they did lose. And they should not have 3 peated.

 

[Cassity14]

I mean, they did lose to a Pistons team they had absolutely no business losing to. But, that was the peak of their feud and it obviously effected play on the court.

I agree with the general premise that Kobe & Shaq is the best duo ever, but I don't think they're invincible by any means. 2002 WCF and Pistons Finals loss are two notable negatives. Also, Kyrie right now is better than Kobe was early in their run, including their 1st title run.

Edit: They also lost to the Spurs in 2003, the year before they lost to the Pistons in The Finals.

Bottom line, they did lose. And they should not have 3 peated.

I totally agree, but again, point me to a duo who didn't ever lose.

Also, I really struggle putting Kyrie in these discussions because he doesn't play anywhere even close to the defense that these other guys did. Calling him better than Kobe is something I simply can't agree with for that reason alone.

My point is centered on the idea that if Shaq and Kobe had been totally committed to winning as many championships together as possible, they would currently be argued as one of the greatest dynasties in an era ever. Not just in basketball, but in all of sports.

Obviously that didn't happen.

 

[Ohio]

Also, I really struggle putting Kyrie in these discussions because he doesn't play anywhere even close to the defense that these other guys did. Calling him better than Kobe is something I simply can't agree with for that reason alone.

I don't think he even qualifies yet. This is only year 3 of LeBron & Kyrie, and year 1 Kyrie was out for The Finals.

Offensively, Kyrie is a more efficient Kobe, though

 

[FrontPageNews]

 

[The Red Viper]

Errrm Its ok. Kyrie didn't have that good a series. No need to beat a dead horse.

 

[ACisKING]

I was just thinking, Kyrie is so lucky to play alongside LeBron because Bron is the perfect player to compliment Ky's skill-set. In fact, same with LeBron as well. Both compliment each other so fucking perfectly on the offensive end.

Offensively, I would say the two are as good as any duo in NBA history.

West - Wilt, Oscar - Kareem, Magic - Kareem, Jordan - Pippen, Shaq - Kobe.

It may sound a bit of a reach, but that is because Kyrie Kyrie is still young and hasn't made a name for himself to be considered in the other hall of famers yet but sky is the limit for Kyrie offensively. Jordan and Kobe aside, I don't think I have seen a guard who is as gifted offensively as Kyrie is. He has so much arsenal in his offense, its flatout crazy.

Kyrie just needs to stay healthy and keep on improving on his other aspects of his game like his PnR defense and ability to control the game. He can end up being amongst the Top-10 PGs or SGs to play the game, imo.

I think the best comparison for what LeBron and Kyrie could be is a better version of Duncan and Parker. Lebron and Duncan are legends of the game, dominant two way players, and consensus top ten players of all time. Like Kyrie, Parker was never known for defense and was a score first point guard. You might never have even had him as the best point guard in the NBA at any point in his career. And yet he was a monster in multiple playoff runs who took pressure off of Duncan and wound up with four rings and a finals MVP. Like young Parker, Kyrie can score off the glass at any angle. But Kyrie also brings legitimate three point range that parker never had. And like Parker, Kyrie is signficantly younger than the older legend that he plays with. So as LeBron grows older, Kyrie can become the focal point of the Cavs offense the way that Parker eventually did in San Antonio.