2021 NBA Finals Thread (Phoenix Suns v Milwaukee Bucks). Bucks Champions

[Son of Skeletor]

I appreciate bledsoe was comically bad.

Hence bucks having to give 5 first round in the Jrue expiring contract trade

It wasn't exactly five firsts, it was three firsts and two pick swaps, and one of those firsts was pick 23 in the last draft.

They kept Giannis and won a title on the back of it, they'll take that any day of the year.

He is a nice tank commander for Nola too

Not if you have to watch him he's not.

Besides we're not tanking, just inept.

 

[Marcel Proust]

Safe bet whoever Nola trade/buyout Steve Adams too win the championship next year.

Ad -> jrue

 

[Iceman!]

Anyone who says Lebron just wasn't 'good enough' to win in Cleveland is kidding themselves.

He took that dumpster fire of a roster a hell of a lot further than he ever should have had to.

Even if you don't rate his rings at Miami he has shown he can lead a team to a title by going back and winning with the Cavs.

Kd has not done that yet, Giannis did it yesterday. It has to come in to it.

 

[Marcel Proust]

Anyone who says Lebron just wasn't 'good enough' to win in Cleveland is kidding themselves.

He took that dumpster fire of a roster a hell of a lot further than he ever should have had to.

Even if you don't rate his rings at Miami he has shown he can lead a team to a title by going back and winning with the Cavs.

Kd has not done that yet, Giannis did it yesterday. It has to come in to it.

James is obviously brilliant but he won with two no.1 draft picks. The heatles super team and top5 Ad.

A pretty soft road more so all the grief kd gets.

As expected those 2 are the favorites for next season -

Los Angeles Lakers	+350
Brooklyn Nets	+350
Golden State Warriors	+700
Milwaukee Bucks	+750
Phoenix Suns	+1400
Los Angeles Clippers	+1400

 

[Memphis]

James is obviously brilliant but he won with two no.1 draft picks. The heatles super team and top5 Ad.

A pretty soft road more so all the grief kd gets.

As expected those 2 are the favorites for next season -

Los Angeles Lakers	+350
Brooklyn Nets	+350
Golden State Warriors	+700
Milwaukee Bucks	+750
Phoenix Suns	+1400
Los Angeles Clippers	+1400

You're still missing mine and BJK#5 point.

Despite the odds atm Nets are a better team than the lakers.

Lakers pushing hard for either CP or Russ if they get either one of them then I'd consider the Lakers a super team.

 

[Marcel Proust]

You're still missing mine and BJK#5 point.

Despite the odds atm Nets are a better team than the lakers.

Lakers pushing hard for either CP or Russ if they get either one of them then I'd consider the Lakers a super team.

They were clearly the best team prior to the harden trade.

 

[Memphis]

They were clearly the best team prior to the harden trade.

Right, which happened months ago when I said in my previous post "atm" Nets are the better team.

 

[Marcel Proust]

Right, which happened months ago when I said in my previous post "atm" Nets are the better team.

Tbf I never said otherwise

Lebron set up him self at the best team yet again.

It's not kds fault the other teams where too dumb to make the harden trade

 

[bourbons]

Anyway you cut it. Lebron's rings are similar to kd for mine

Hmm, maybe similar, but not the same. Cleveland obviously, you get the feeling he would have come back for one more crack even if Kyrie wasn't there.

Even going to the Heat - same principle I guess but I'd still say thats a bit different from joining the team that just finished with the best record in history, never mind that you were actually 3-1 up against them in the conference finals.

 

[Memphis]

Tbf I never said otherwise

Lebron set up him self at the best team yet again.

It's not kds fault the other teams where too dumb to make the harden trade

He spent his first 8 seasons with a garbage franchise like how much longer did you want him to stick around when they weren't helping him? Had he stuck around they wouldn't have been a lottery team, he wouldn't have got Kyrie and have the #1 pick in the 2015 draft to use as leverage to get Love. Again no one wants to live in Cleveland. That isn't down to Lebron.

It's KDs fault for joining a team that never needed him, wasn't this the debate in the first place? Had KD joined say Washington his home town with Beal and Wall or even came to Boston and won a ring he would have more validation on those rings. But don't be knocking Lebron when KD had a decent franchise and title contending team at OKC.

Take it as you will but Lebrons rings have more validation then KDs.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

If you look at it from an actual outcomes/impact point of view Lebron obviously had to do far heavier lifting. 2013 was a great effort, 2016 was legendary. If you take it from a deck stacking point of view he at least thought he was getting an unstoppable team in Miami without knowing the other guys would fall away and that there would be massive diminishing returns with all three of Lebron, Wade and Bosh essentially wanting to operate from similar spots on the floor.

The real capstone though if there was any doubt that Lebron is every bit the anticompetitive manlet that Durant is, it's that he already successfully recruited Davis and was trying to get Kawhi to join too. That team would have lapped any and everyone and worst yet there wasn't even a massive rival for him to try and stack the deck to beat. Warriors were dead, nobody else in the West loomed, did he think he needed all that to beat the Bucks, Heat or Philly etc? ****ing soft ***** the both of them.

 

[nahnah]

He spent his first 8 seasons with a garbage franchise like how much longer did you want him to stick around when they weren't helping him? Had he stuck around they wouldn't have been a lottery team, he wouldn't have got Kyrie and have the #1 pick in the 2015 draft to use as leverage to get Love. Again no one wants to live in Cleveland. That isn't down to Lebron.

It's KDs fault for joining a team that never needed him, wasn't this the debate in the first place? Had KD joined say Washington his home town with Beal and Wall or even came to Boston and won a ring he would have more validation on those rings. But don't be knocking Lebron when KD had a decent franchise and title contending team at OKC.

Take it as you will but Lebrons rings have more validation then KDs.

How many years are we giving Tatum before he can walk from a garbage franchise

*Kyrie also wasnt a direct cavs selection

 

[Memphis]

How many years are we giving Tatum before he can walk from a garbage franchise

*Kyrie also wasnt a direct cavs selection

He's only 19 though.

 

[Marcel Proust]

He spent his first 8 seasons with a garbage franchise like how much longer did you want him to stick around when they weren't helping him? Had he stuck around they wouldn't have been a lottery team, he wouldn't have got Kyrie and have the #1 pick in the 2015 draft to use as leverage to get Love. Again no one wants to live in Cleveland. That isn't down to Lebron.

It's KDs fault for joining a team that never needed him, wasn't this the debate in the first place? Had KD joined say Washington his home town with Beal and Wall or even came to Boston and won a ring he would have more validation on those rings. But don't be knocking Lebron when KD had a decent franchise and title contending team at OKC.

Take it as you will but Lebrons rings have more validation then KDs.

I don't see how you can expect kd not to put himself in the best possible situation. When he loses to the lebron super team as a young player.

Personally I see them as about the same. Rings are rings. Some are better like dirk and Giannis.

The bucks and the city didn't do that much for Giannis. Did not pay luxury tax until yesterday. Stuffed up draft and trades etc.
He just forced them to greatness.

Good point above about LeGM trying to form kawhi. Ad. Lebron - that was sneaky

 

[fidstar]

I appreciate bledsoe was comically bad.

Hence bucks having to give* 5 first round in the Jrue expiring contract trade

*essentially

Essentially they gave 3 picks. One which we know is 24 and the other two likely to be in the high 20s.

The likelihood of the other two happening are about 10%.

 

[DT_35]

In regards to cp3 walking off - he did shake hands with Middleton and Jrue iirc prior to leaving

Nah I don’t think he did. Crowder did

 

[Theseventhhamster]

Nah I don’t think he did. Crowder did

Paul shook hands before the FTs I've seen the game 3 times and every available clip.

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

Paul shook hands before the FTs I've seen the game 3 times and every available clip.

Glad someone else can speak facts.

DT_35 is a very angry individual and struggles to see the good in anything.

 

[Klyntonius]

KD forever in everyone else's title shadow.

Giannis looks like the proud kid who just brought his first car home after scrimping and saving towards it for years.

Durant looks like the entitled rich kid whose father bought his first car for his birthday and then bought him the upgraded car he expected for his next birthday.

One is filled with overflowing joy and pride, the other is just happy.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

Glad someone else can speak facts.

DT_35 is a very angry individual and struggles to see the good in anything.

I'm very love/hate with Paul. Love his craft in general, respect the hell out of his work mentoring young PGs, hate his antics and flopping. Was more impressed beating his old arse than Durant for whatever reason.

 

[bhoysdontcry67]

Still on a high.

What an achievement, first in 50 years.

BUCKS IN 6!!!

 

[scaryness]

So how did Milwaukee winning the championship become '**** KD from 4 years ago'?

Who cares

 

[Marcel Proust]

So how did Milwaukee winning the championship become 'fu** KD from 4 years ago'?

Who cares

Lucky he has big feet

 

[scaryness]

In terms of GameScore, Giannis' finals had the 6th best playoff series ever and the best finals ever on record.

Top 10 finals ever by GmSc

PLAYER	YEAR	GmSc/G
Giannis Antetokounmpo	2021	31.9
Shaquille O'Neal	2000	30.6
Kevin Durant	2017	30.3
Shaquille O'Neal	2002	30.1
LeBron James	2017	29.6
Michael Jordan	1993	29.6
Michael Jordan	1991	29.4
Julius Erving	1977	28.4
Magic Johnson	1987	28.3
LeBron James	2018	28.3

And a bullshit number I made up that may or may not have any merit behind it is multiplying GameScore by BPM for the series to find stats + impact.

He is number 2, with 91 Jordan being an otherworldy performance.

Top 10 finals ever GmSc * BPM

PLAYER	YEAR	GmSc/G	BPM/G	?
Michael Jordan	1991	29.4	16.8	492.7
Giannis Antetokounmpo	2021	31.9	13.5	429.6
Kevin Durant	2017	30.3	14.1	426.6
Magic Johnson	1987	28.3	13.6	383.5
LeBron James	2016	26.5	13.6	359.6
LeBron James	2017	29.6	11.6	344.0
LeBron James	2020	27.5	12.3	336.9
LeBron James	2018	28.3	11.5	326.2
Michael Jordan	1993	29.6	11.0	326.1
Shaquille O'Neal	2002	30.1	10.3	309.3

 

[BEEG]

No modern team will ever beat the Dirk and Mavs run of 2010 this was pretty close though.