Are you excited about today's two games? I am! You should.
First, I just saw in Facebook that the Clippers under Chris Paul has never lost a Game 7. They are 2-0! Even if that is a small number, that is already big in terms of the number of Game 7s in NBA history (moreso Clippers history). So this game is more competitive than I thought. I am looking forward to the game!
The Spurs just need to remember Finals 2013. They lost Game 6 and lost Game 7. That was a heart-breaking moment that they had to endure for a full year before they got redemption. The circumstances were different and the format was different, but I know they hated that feeling and will not allow that to happen again.
The undefeated versus the relentless. I honestly cannot tell now who will win. My pick goes to Chris Paul. Frak the next round hehe!
For the second game, it's the undefeated Floyd Mayweather versus the relentless Manny Pacquiao. If you know me, you know I'm biased. Regardless, it is "the fight" of this decade. Don't miss it.
So, who's your pick? :)
Playing the balancing game and sticking with Kawhi tonight - I think the Spurs advance, but picking Kawhi just in case. They have so much depth that it doesn't hurt picking a Spurs player tonight, and in the other series potentially ahead, he'll be asked to play more D than against Matt Barnes.
ReplyDeleteAs for the big one tonight... Head says Money, Heart says Manny! Alarm set for 4am! already!
4am, whoa that's tough ;)
DeleteHey guys! Remember last year? Remember the nemesis Pacers who struggled big time going into the playoffs, were down 0-1, 1-2 and 2-3 in the 1st round but "somehow" got to the 10 win mark, winning not 1 but 2 playoff series (the 2nd against the Wizards who had to deal with the DC sports curse) after many of us played Paul George and capped it off with the "rigged" win in G5 against the Heat before being unsurprisingly demolished in G6?!
ReplyDeleteRemember the Clippers/Thunder series that I banked on a G7 to spread out good picks and avoid having to pick from G1 of the Pacers/Heat series due to having used 3/5 Pacers starters in the 1st 2 rounds and the Thunder dreadfully ended the series in G6?!
Both teams who burned me by either winning much more than they should are out and their victims are all looking to do well (Hawks, Wizards, Grizzlies and Clippers)?! As for the DC curse the Wizards and Capitals are looking to beat it simultaneously?! Caps section is already underway, with the Caps up 1-0 in that series over the Rangers.
I think for every upset I remember a lot more that's not. It's up in the air, we'll find out in a few hours
DeleteI remember that Indiana fiasco all too well. After using up nearly their entire roster in earlier rounds, I was left with nothing but scrubs to play, and the enigmatic and often worthless and invisible Roy Hibbert. I actually got 20 PRA out of CJ Watson, which I was thrilled with at the time, but it all went downhill from there, and ruined my DTTF season entirely. Not that I was going to win anything anyway I am sure. Although there is always Round #3 and Round #4 prizes to go for if you keep your rosters of winning teams intact.
DeleteAfter that fiasco, I learned to take a more conservative approach when picking, not that you can't still make a horrendous mistake (like picking Blake Griffin too early this year). But in all honesty, I really thought the Spurs would get the job done vs. the Clippers at home and not choke. But unfortunately that did not happen, and here we are dealing with that carnage for tonight, and beyond, especially if the Clippers end up eliminating the Spurs.
Anytime a team is down 2-3 and wins the series, you are bound to use up at least 1 player from the winning team. In terms of what I was referring to with Clippers/Thunder was that I lost Blake Griffin by banking on a G7 and not getting it (and that was with G6 at home, this year it was on the road), I used CP3 and DJ but not quite the same prize as BG. As a result I had to use him at 2-3 but the opposite is true as I haven't used CP3 and DJ.
DeleteI'm going with Tim Duncan. This is more of a legacy and enjoyment type of pick. I don't know how many more years The Big Fundamental will be around, so I'd like to pick him tonight and enjoy perhaps my last ride with him in DTTF. He was my first ever DTTF pick, and he exploded for a 60 against the terrible Phoenix Suns defense. Kawhi Leonard can wait for another time. He's got many great years ahead of him. I could risk it all and pick DeAndre Jordan, but I just can't do it. Because I've picked Griffin and Paul, it would make the most sense to go all in, but I want to watch the game and be able to somewhat root for the Clippers reaching the next level. So I don't want to bet everything on the Spurs. I'll hedge my bets and make it up in the later Rounds with some smart picks.
ReplyDeleteTim will go one more year if they don't win. If they win, retires like David Robinson.
DeleteThe Nets - Hawks game wasn't much in DTTF-terms, but it was bad for everyone (except those who picked Millsap or Horford, but who would do that?), so no loss. Williams was better than my alternate pick Young, so everything is okay for me.
ReplyDeleteTonight it is Duncan, of course. This march, I was in the USA for the first time in my life and fulfilled my dream of seeing Dirk Nowitzki play (even saw him dunking!) and am so glad I got to go to an epic Spurs-Cavs game and see Tim Duncan play. I would really love to repeat that next season.
For sunday, it's going to be interesting. 2nd round, complete new strategy, at least in terms of who's going to win these series. I am seriously thinking of picking a Hawk for the first home game just to see. Maybe the Hawks got their groove back after these last two games, if so, they should beat the Wizards. But then again, there is that pesky Paul Pierce. Might get interesting.
Warriors in 5.
good on you, you saw dirk.
Deletejust sharing... about a decade ago i went to dallas for some work-related trip. totally regretted not seeing a Mavs game. i was already a diehard then, but work just got in the way.
then in 2008 i transferred to australia. the following year 2009 my old employer started sending engrs to dallas (some temporary, some permanent). of course i don't regret comjng to australia, but if i stayed with that employer. maybe just maybe i would have seen dirk win his ring.
when my kid grows up enough to be still enough to sit in an arena for an hour or two (he's hyperactive at 3), we'll make that trip. before dirk retires.
The Nets did well in their series vs. the #1 seed Atlanta Hawks until Game #6. They won all of their home games until then, and played the Hawks tough in Atlanta. Then came Game #6 at home, and they completely imploded in that game, and looked absolutely horrible not indicative of how well they played the other 5 games of the series. And now the Nets are gone and Atlanta moves on to Round #2.
ReplyDeleteThere wasn't any big PRA producers in this game from the losing Nets team. They ranged from a high of 26 PRA to 22 PRA from the top 4 picks. Brook Lopez (26 PRA), Joe Johnson (24 PRA), Jarrett Jack (23 PRA), and my pick Deron Williams for 22 PRA.
Deron Williams wasn't great by any means, and was nowhere near his monster 47 PRA effort in Game #4, but he did get his 2nd best PRA score of the Playoffs, and held his own vs. others from his losing Nets squad, so not bad at all considering everything. You could have picked an Atlanta Hawk player, but only one really stood out (Paul Millsap 40 PRA), and they won, so you would need him and the other Hawks in the future round(s).
For tonight, we have Game #7 Spurs vs. Clippers, and while that is great from a NBA fan perspective it is horrible from a DTTF perspective. The Clippers have very few options on their team, they are basically a 3 man team as far as good PRA producers, and a bunch of scrubs. I already used Blake Griffin unfortunately and he put up 44 PRA, which is alright, but he is capable of far more than that, and should light it up at home, either tonight, or next round vs. the Houston Rockets, who play little to no defense. In any event, I am not going to cripple myself for future rounds and pick another Clipper, and leave myself with virtually nothing if they win tonight. I learned that lesson already with what happened with the Indiana Pacers fiasco of last year, and I won't be doing that again.
ReplyDeleteIn any event, with that in mind I will be picking a Spur tonight, but still concerned with the Spurs winning this game, since the Spurs have already won 2 road games already this series, despite their mediocre 24-20 road record so far this season. So I am not going to cripple myself for future rounds here either, especially with a possible Houston matchup in the near future, a team that does not play defense at all. So in case the Spurs win, I'll take a lesser Spur player (they have the deeper bench with more options, although many are from spectacular ones), and hope to make up PRA points vs. the Rockets in the next round, if they should get there.
Marco Belinelli put up 26 PRA in his last home game, but he is a hit or miss player, and his last (and best by far) game was at home. So I won't go there. Boris Diaw on the other hand also had 26 PRA in his last game, and while he also seems better at home (as most players do), he has also had some road success vs. the Clippers, and should be able to be near the 20+ PRA mark, and if he stays close to the other top scores of the losing team whoever that may end up being, I am fine with that. Obviously he won't be anywhere near Blake Griffin, as he is a standout by far over anyone else. However if Boris Diaw can keep it close vs. the other players and hit 20+ PRA, I am good with that, especially since I won't be decimating any rosters in the process, no matter who wins tonight.
Fuckin' hamstrain... :/
ReplyDeletenoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!
Deletenow i hope spurs win.
He return to the bench. Hope see him back on the court... Even with one leg
Deletegoodness gracious!
Delete15 at half
Duncan 18 PAR at half
ReplyDeletelooking good for a 39yr old
DeleteMan this has been a helluva series!!
ReplyDeleteMan, that was intense!
DeleteCP3 for the win.
Clippers under Paul Game 7s: 3-0
CP3 and Griffin picked already :/
ReplyDeleteBad results for most of us
I needed that. Now entering round two with only one player picked: Derrick Rose.
ReplyDeleteAs long as Paul isn't injured too badly, I'd say the Clippers get by the Rockets. Meaning Paul and Griffin will come in handy for me while everyone else is stuck picking Matt Barnes and Austin Rivers.
What an amazing finish to the series! I'm down Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, and I'm OK with that. I had both guys picked at the time the series was 3-2 Spurs, and that's where I wanted. The Clippers just came back and proved their worth.
ReplyDelete#neverbetagainsttheclippers?
I followed that game by going to the play-by-play page, thus "seeing" the game unfold before me. Whenever the Spurs went up they immediately let the Clips catch up again. After my pick Duncan hit the two FTs to tie it up 9 seconds from the end I was hoping they could get a stop and it would go overtime (more PRA, hooray), but BAM - Paul hits a runner 1 second from the end.
ReplyDeleteThough I have to admit it was strange to see that in that situation, down by 2, 1 second to go, g7 on the road, Pop substituted the old 3, Duncan, Parker and Ginobili all hitting the bench. The result, of course, a turnover at the inbound. Hrmpf. How is that possible? How is not Parker doing the inbound? Strange decisions sometimes by Popovich.
Well, maybe that means that Duncan plays another year. That would be good.
The game was great (31 lead changes, that's... interesting). Except for the Griffin monster triple double Duncan was the second best option and obviously the pick of the night (even though this was the only game in the series where he had just 1 assist, as opposed to 3 or 4 in the other six games). Leonard, on the other hand, was not that bad (24 PRA), but only the fourth best pick of the Spurs. That might be a reason why the Clippers are now going to face the Rockets.
That was round 1. It was still fun, even though we had barely two interesting series (with the Hawks series being semi-interesting), the great finish helped, as well as my best start in DTTF ever, at least I think it was. I don't think I ever had 492 pts after the first two weeks.
Well FINALLY I made the correct choice between two players when I had both available and it came in a losing (winning for DTTFs purposes) cause! Duncan put up 39 PAR, 15 more than Leonard and I moved from 39 percentile ALL the way up to... drumroll 40! lol But hey, I finally picked right and although I took a top player from each team, I got the one on the losing team in G7 so it's hard to have any regrets here.
ReplyDelete