Everything 2018 Off Season

[DanH]

Ya, we got blown for the majority of that series. I remember it clearly. But the point remains, we won 2 games. Whether Cavs took their foot off the gas or not, is anyone's guess.

The only thing that isn't up for debate is that we won 2 games....something we haven't done since.

Come on man. If you are going to willfully blind yourself to the reality of that series versus this one, there's not much point in the discussion.

[JimiCliff]

This series has been much more competitive than either of the last two, and it hasn't even been close.

If JV had dropped that chip shot to win game 1, who knows where we'd be right now.

[Nilanka]

Come on man. If you are going to willfully blind yourself to the reality of that series versus this one, there's not much point in the discussion.

It's not willful blindness. It's ignoring excuses.

"Cleveland didn't try" is a legit excuse, but "Our stars buckling under pressure" isn't? Where's the blindness now?

[KeonClark]

This series has been much more competitive than either of the last two, and it hasn't even been close.

If JV had dropped that chip shot to win game 1, who knows where we'd be right now.

We'd be down 2-1 very much in it, knowing we were a Lebron super saiyan buzzer beater away from taking our first game in Cleveland to overtime, and feeling very confident heading into tonight.

Sports. Game of millimetres sometimes.

[slaw]

But again, it doesn't really matter because Masai has put us in a position where we have limited options to tear it down even if we wanted to. And I guess if we are going to maintain the fiction that he has a strategy, we have to rationalize our current situation.

Absolutely ridiculous. I see the offseason silliness has truly begun.

EDIT: Just because the strategy isn't your preferred strategy, doesn't mean there isn't one.

[Nilanka]

This series has been much more competitive than either of the last two, and it hasn't even been close.

If JV had dropped that chip shot to win game 1, who knows where we'd be right now.

Moral victories.

We've been "competitive" in stretches, and utterly shameful on other stretches. Results are the same, however.

[JimiCliff]

We'd be down 2-1 very much in it, knowing we were a Lebron super saiyan buzzer beater away from taking our first game in Cleveland to overtime, and feeling very confident heading into tonight.

Sports. Game of millimetres sometimes.

Could be we're up 2-1. Could be we're up 3-0.

[KeonClark]

Absolutely ridiculous. I see the offseason silliness has truly begun.

Before the offseason has even begun yet. I did golf my first round yesterday I guess I better come to grips with 5 months of tank talk commencing

[KeonClark]

Could be we're up 2-1. Could be we're up 3-0.

Yeah but now we're assuming everything else goes differently as well and that's being too generous. Game 2 was lost because Lebron went ape shit and Casey decided Miles on Love was the hill he'd die on. Game 3 was lost to the better team at home, but we showed a ton of fight and proved a split would have been possible in a normal series.

[planetmars]

I'm on the side of retool not rebuild.. our young guys are too good to tank properly. But what I see in these playoffs (including the Washington series) and playoffs prior to this one is that the team's core is just too mentally weak. The 3 highest paid players and our coach seem mentally weak and unprepared for playoff games.

And it's that mental deficiency that I can't stand anymore. Replace one or two of our "leaders" with guys that don't panic in big moments is all I'm asking for.

[MixxAOR]

It's not willful blindness. It's ignoring excuses.

"Cleveland didn't try" is a legit excuse, but "Our stars buckling under pressure" isn't? Where's the blindness now?

Not really. You're ignoring everything positive and embracing everything negative.

[JimiCliff]

Yeah but now we're assuming everything else goes differently as well and that's being too generous.

Lol - generous...or the nature of reality. One of those two.

[Nilanka]

Not really. You're ignoring everything positive and embracing everything negative.

Other than regular season accomplishments, what am I ignoring? What am I glossing over that deserves more recognition, when discussing the ceiling of this core?

[JimiCliff]

Moral victories.

We've been "competitive" in stretches, and utterly shameful on other stretches. Results are the same, however.

If you widen out to most the macro possible view - games won and lost - then yes, the results are the same. If you're looking at details, they're not.

In the past two series, games were over at halftime. Sometimes, after the first quarter. That hasn't come close to happening this year.

[MixxAOR]

Other than regular season accomplishments, what am I ignoring? What am I glossing over that deserves more recognition, when discussing the ceiling of this core?

The fact that we have a rookie and second year guy guarding Lebron? That Carroll and Patterson combined for 11 over the series and OG scored 18 points in one game?