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2021 NBA PLAYOFFS MEGA THREAD

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Yeah I would like to see Kawhi leave the Clippers cause I actually enjoy his game and demeanor… But Kawhi doesn’t seem to be motivated by anything nor marches to anyone else’s beat but his own…

He already seems like he’s in retirement mode.. If he wins one for the Clippers, great ! If not then no big deal…

I know this is unpopular but I’d love to see the Knicks actually snag a great player (believe it will be Zion eventually) and really get that franchise up and rollin again….I don’t actually hate that franchise or fan base (yet)…. I just feel whichever star actually leads the Knicks to a title will have the greatest career jump of all time.. One Knicks title is worth 5 elsewhere
 
Giannis...

That was one of the best finals games I saw from an individual.

Love that for him. He stayed loyal to the city of Milwaukee. Love that for them.

The other premadonnas and banana boat bitches don't like him, and I love for the sport that he doesn't want to be liked by them.

The NBA needed this
One word to describe him….INTEGRITY!
He just made LBJ, Durant, Harden, Kyrie and AD look like complete fools! All their narratives of “I don’t have enough help….I need better players around me” has just been turned to a stinking pile of shit. He could have left and said “I can’t win here”
But he stuck it out, played the cards he was dealt, and trusted his FO. Now he’s rewarded with a title and placed next to the other great champions (Duncan, Bird, Zeke, Micheal, Robinson, etc) that didn’t need a super team created or jump ship to win a title
 
Let me take a crack at it....what do you all think the Kings need to do to make the playoff leap this year?
 

This guy fucks
I’d be remiss if I didn’t say Giannis reminds me so much of myself when I was playing for the 97-98 Armco Heating & Cooling Hornets and we beat the piss outta George Gervin’s son, Gee Gervin..

I vividly remember sitting there in the locker room and just reflecting of what I had just accomplished and how I carried that squad…

Comes full circle…
 
Happened quite a few times both times he was here in free agency and potential trade targets. I specifically remember Trevor Ariza & Paul George.

And just to compare to Giannis...there's no WAY Jrue Holiday re-ups in Milwaukee if he didn't know Giannis was signed on for the long haul. Had Giannis done what LeBron did over and over again, then Holiday doesn't extend either.

leBron always wanted the Cavs to make the moves while signing 1 year deals, not understand, I guess, that those other players didn't wanna come here and stay if they didn't think he was staying.
 
But............

That's a lot of regular season stuff.

This is what I was talking about when I said people move the goal post on the Superstar argument. I personally think highly of James Harden's game. I think he's going to go down as one of the greatest hoopers ever but for years I've watched fans, media, talking heads and TV pundits always make the argument about playoff success. Guys will have outstanding numbers and people will dismiss all of it because of playoff success or how many Championships they won. Same thing happens with Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Chris Paul, and before last season Anthony Davis.

Hell, the entire media was just talking about Giannis standing amongst the best players in the league like 3 weeks ago. When they were down 2-0 to Brooklyn how many people were talking about how he was a flawed Star player and how his game needed to improve? Now all of a sudden he's taking the crown from LeBron? 3 weeks later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did Steph Curry not have to go on a revenge tour this season to remind people of his Superstar status?

You see what I'm talking about? I think James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Steph Curry are all amazing players and I like all of them but the goal post on what a Superstar player is gets moved every single season and it's usually done by fans and media in order to tear down certain players just to prop up other ones.

Just like how Kendrick Perkins made it his mission to tear down Giannis this entire playoff run. Now why would Big Perk do that? I'll tell you why. It's because Big Perk has an allegiance to LeBron James. Just like Nick Wright. Whenever those guys like Perk, Nick Wright, SAS, etc, feel like there's another player on LeBron's heels they will start creating narratives about certain guys and fans help make those narratives stick. Like how SAS got into it with KD right around the same time when KD said that he felt like he was the best player in the world. Or how Nick Wright spent the whole season basically dogging Nikola Jokic calling him the worst MVP ever and trying to discredit his entire MVP campaign this past season once it was clear that LeBron was out of the running to win it.

The media likes to try and define what a Superstar player is. I came up with my own definition which is a combination of skill, talent, stats, team success, player awards, playoff performance, and NBA Finals performance. In my opinion on 5 players meet my criteria.

LeBron James
Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
Kawhi Leonard
Giannis Antetokounmpo
No one's ever debated Wilt Chamberlain's legend and superstar status despite his epic fall-offs in the playoffs.

You might say, Wilt did win two titles. Likewise, Harden might win a title or two if the current Nets unit can stay healthy.

But I've literally never seen anyone define whether or not someone is a superstar based on playoff drop-offs. Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Tracy McGrady (though his lack of playoff success was more team-related; his stats went up in the playoffs), and others who haven't had title or playoff statistical success, have never been considered anything less than superstars or HOFers just because their individual or team playoff history is much less than their regular season successes. Harden is likewise.
 
I think the key thing that's lost in these arguments is that, while playoff success often gives players an edge in their legacies -- someone might say, for example, that Tim Duncan is better than Karl Malone because he won titles, or Isiah Thomas is better than Chris Paul because he won titles -- it doesn't NEGATE the superstardom of the players who performed lesser in the playoffs. It just means the media and fans rate the champions like Tim and Isiah a little more highly in their legacies than they do Karl and Chris.

In other words, I don't ever actually see the media or intelligent fans say that Harden, Malone, Barkley, Chamberlain, etc. were/are not superstars. What they DO say is that x and y player who didn't win the title/didn't perform as well in the playoffs, isn't as much of a superstar as player x and y who did.

But I never see media or intelligent fans say Wilt, Harden, etc. aren't superstars.

If you can prove me wrong with specific examples, I'll listen. But until then, I think you're confusing/conflating the fact that people may rate champion players more highly than those who didn't win, with the wrong-headed notion that they are somehow disputing their superstar status entirely. I just don't see the media or intelligent fans doing that ever, honestly.
 
I think the key thing that's lost in these arguments is that, while playoff success often gives players an edge in their legacies -- someone might say, for example, that Tim Duncan is better than Karl Malone because he won titles, or Isiah Thomas is better than Chris Paul because he won titles -- it doesn't NEGATE the superstardom of the players who performed lesser in the playoffs. It just means the media and fans rate the champions like Tim and Isiah a little more highly in their legacies than they do Karl and Chris.

In other words, I don't ever actually see the media or intelligent fans say that Harden, Malone, Barkley, Chamberlain, etc. were/are not superstars. What they DO say is that x and y player who didn't win the title/didn't perform as well in the playoffs, isn't as much of a superstar as player x and y who did.

But I never see media or intelligent fans say Wilt, Harden, etc. aren't superstars.

If you can prove me wrong with specific examples, I'll listen. But until then, I think you're confusing/conflating the fact that people may rate champion players more highly than those who didn't win, with the wrong-headed notion that they are somehow disputing their superstar status entirely. I just don't see the media or intelligent fans doing that ever, honestly.
This is a really well-made response.

Knowing who the response is to, I'm sorry you wasted that much time.
 
Is there a site that archives video footage of full NBA playoffs games? I recall that existed 5 years ago but can't remember where.
 
I’d be remiss if I didn’t say Giannis reminds me so much of myself when I was playing for the 97-98 Armco Heating & Cooling Hornets and we beat the piss outta George Gervin’s son, Gee Gervin..

I vividly remember sitting there in the locker room and just reflecting of what I had just accomplished and how I carried that squad…

Comes full circle…

You guys cheated - 2 ringers from Sedlak Interiors, and that other guy from Metro Toyota.

Screw you and your cheating HVAC buddies.
 
Hey Devin Booker next time you're lacking motivation during a random game in Cleveland make sure you look straight up and see what you missed out on
 

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