**2016 Official NBA Playoffs Thread**

[KC_Connection]

Round 1:

EAST:

#8 Pistons @ #1 Cavs
#7 Pacers @ #2 Raptors
#6 Hornets @ #3 Heat
#5 Celtics @ #4 Hawks

WEST:
#8 Rockets @ #1 Warriors
#7 Grizzlies @ #2 Spurs
#6 Mavericks @ #3 Thunder
#5 Blazers @ #4 Clippers

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Pantalones

The whole damn East is a joke, to be honest.

Well, excluding the Cavs, yes.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

Well, excluding the Cavs, yes.

Meh. Not good enough though. Not compared to OKC/GS.

NBA this year was meh overall IMO. OKC/GS series is gonna be nice though, already is.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Raptors: 5th in ORtg, 11th in DRtg (56 wins)
Celtics: 10th in ORtg, 4th in DRtg (48 wins)

The Celtics probably would have gotten beat even worse. They aren't any good either.

I didn't say they were great or would have won just that they could score and make the games competitive unlike the boring Raptors. I was wrong they were Top 5 in scoring at 106.5

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I didn't say they were great or would have won just that they could score and make the games competitive unlike the boring Raptors. I was wrong they were Top 5 in scoring at 106.5

Not to mention that the Celtics lost in 6 to the last team that LeBron crushed easily. The Celtics are awful, dude. They would not make anything competitive.

[KevB]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Pantalones

Meh. Not good enough though. Not compared to OKC/GS.

NBA this year was meh overall IMO. OKC/GS series is gonna be nice though, already is.

I think Cleveland absolutely has a chance to win the whole thing. They'll give up points with Love and Kyrie, but they can flat out score.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Pantalones

Meh. Not good enough though. Not compared to OKC/GS.

NBA this year was meh overall IMO. OKC/GS series is gonna be nice though, already is.

Okc is a good team. But i don't see why Cleveland couldn't compete with them. If Cleveland was in the West they'd be legitimately in the top 4. Just because the east is bad doesn't mea Cleveland is. They won a ton of games this year against both the east and west without even really trying.

[KC_Connection]

Cleveland would have a good shot against OKC. Not so much against the Warriors. GS does everything that the Cavs do and they do it better than them. Cleveland will have to up their defense to stand any chance.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Originally Posted by KevB

I think Cleveland absolutely has a chance to win the whole thing. They'll give up points with Love and Kyrie, but they can flat out score.

I hope it's a good Finals. I don't have a dog in the fight so I don't care who wins I just wanna see it go 7. Crazy how that goes when your team isn't in it. When your team is in it you wanna destroy the opponent and get a sweep lol.

[saphojunkie]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Pantalones

The whole damn East is a joke, to be honest.

Stupid ****ing narrative is ****ing stupid.

Not one eastern conference playoff team had a losing record against the west. Houston Rockets were 13-17 against the east, though.

The fact is both conferences are top-heavy, as is every sport everywhere.

But yeah, the west is a ****ing powerhouse with the Lakers, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Suns, Kings, and Nuggets. All lottery teams and only ONE of them managed to even hit .500 against the east.

Stupid ****ing narrative is ****ing stupid.

[saphojunkie]

The 8th seed in the east was the Pistons at 44-38.

The 8th seed in the west was the Rockets at 41-41 (and a losing record against the east).

[saphojunkie]

The Chicago Bulls would have been the 7th seed in the west, and didn't make the playoffs.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Cleveland would have a good shot against OKC. Not so much against the Warriors. GS does everything that the Cavs do and they do it better than them. Cleveland will have to up their defense to stand any chance.

I agree on all points.

Ty Lue may be a defensive coach. But the defense took a huge step back in the second half. They're a different team this offseason because they're hitting 3s and doing much much better at getting love the ball in the post. But it's the defense I'm not excited about. They have to either up that or consistently shoot like they did in the Hawks series, which I don't see happening.

On the plus side, if they play okc, they've been horrendous closing out games and I think that's their window.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

The Chicago Bulls would have been the 7th seed in the west, and didn't make the playoffs.

The West has declined considerably. Beyond Golden State being really good, that's an additional reason the Warriors set the win record this year (and why the Spurs almost won 70 games with a team worse than the one they had only a few years ago).

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I agree on all points.

Ty Lue may be a defensive coach. But the defense took a huge step back in the second half. They're a different team this offseason because they're hitting 3s and doing much much better at getting love the ball in the post. But it's the defense I'm not excited about. They have to either up that or consistently shoot like they did in the Hawks series, which I don't see happening.

On the plus side, if they play okc, they've been horrendous closing out games and I think that's their window.

They might shoot the lights out (their lineup with Frye/Love on the court is particularly deadly), but it's hard to see how out scoring Golden State is really an option for them. They have to be the superior team defensively, but Irving/Love playing so much almost makes that an impossibility.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

The West has declined considerably. Beyond Golden State being really good, that's an additional reason the Warriors set the win record this year (and why the Spurs almost won 70 games with a team worse than the one they had only a few years ago).

Yeah definitely. With my own eyes I'm not buying the East was remotely close to anything in the West and that's even with the West being pretty down. As I said awhile ago, the NBA this year was pretty meh. Just a down year. Not a lot of good teams. Sorry to say, it helped GS get the record. Even in a down year overall the East is still the inferior conference. But that's just by me watching the games and my opinion/view of it.