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- Posted on: Fri, 06/08/2012 - 10:07am #39941
Memphis MadnessParticipantMy star system has vindicated me. I had two 5 star guys when I made up my star system. LeBron and Durant. Looks like both will make the Finals. Also, the Heat and Thunder had the highest number of points when you added up the stars.
For the Heat I had LJB with 5 stars, Wade with 4, and Bosh with 2. So they have 11 points at a minimum. You could also argue that Battier and Haslem each deserve one star, being high level role players.
Then you have the Thunder with a five star guy in Durant, a 3 star guy in Westbrook and 2 one star guys in Harden and Ibaka. They have 10 points. K Perk and Sefolosha could also get 1 star or you could move up Harden and/or Ibaka to both being 3 star guys.
The Spurs had at Tony Parker who I gave 3 stars, then TD who could be 3 star tops. Manu could go for 2 stars. I think before I had Manu as a one star guy but he steps it up in the playoffs. I like Kawhi Leonard a lot so I think he is now a one star guy. Other than that I can’t think of any star talents on that team. So, tops the Spurs have 9 stars, and a minimum of 6 stars.
The Celtics have Rondo who is easily a 3 star guy and might be a 4 star guy. PP and KG are probably 2 stars with KG playing like a 3 star guy. Ray Allen is off a little bit but still worth one star in my book. I think they miss Avery Bradley, a promising young versatile talent and a great defender. I think AB is a one star guy — basically like Kawhi Leonard. I really like these types of players who are great glue guys, defensive players and can also score if they have to, but they don’t force shots. Battier and Sefolosha also come to my mind as players who fit this role.
If I give Rondo and KG each 3 stars with PP getting 2 stars and Ray Allen getting one star that puts them at 9 stars which would be two behind the minimum for the Heat, and one (at the least) behind the Thunder. Brandon Bass is solid and was very effective last night, but he is really the only other guy on the Celtics (with Avery Bradley out) who could get a star.
What this shows is that the two best STAR teams should advance. If the Heat end up playing the Thunder then both 5 star guys will end up in the Finals, along with one of the only 4 star guys in D Wade, a 3 star guy in Westbrook, along with Bosh, Harden, and Ibaka. Both teams also feature solid supporting casts including Battier, Haslem, Mario Chalmers, and Mike Miller for the Heat, and Nick Collison, Derek Fisher, and Daequan Cook for the Thunder. It looks like the formula here is get a transcendent superstar along with another superstar sidekick and a high level supporting cast with a few cagey vets off the bench.
Game 7 will come down to Bosh being the X factor in the game. If he is effective with scoring and rebounding then I really like the Heat, since they are playing at home. He is an understated star who can really spread the floor. He also forces the Celtics D to think about someone else. They can’t overload on Wade and LeBron with Bosh on the floor. LBJ played an incredible game, and after Wade overcame a poor start he turned into a great sidekick. Battier also hit some shots. The Celtics aren’t deep at all so the Heat’s lack of depth shouldn’t hurt them as much. I think that Haslem, Battier, Miller, and Chalmers can give the Big Three enough support.
If the Celtics have any shot at winning, the Big Four have to play GREAT games. I am not sure they can rely on their role players carrying them in a game 7 on the road. I think that Brandon Bass will do ok if Rondo can get him good shots. If he has a huge game that will help, but I wouldn’t count on it. The C’s X factor might be Greg Stiemsma. If he can give them around 15 minutes of shot blocking, rebounding, and tough defense then I think he gives the Celtics something that the Heat don’t have — a long, athletic, hard-nosed, legit center.
If Ray Allen comes out red hot then Boston has a shot. If Miller, Battier, and Chalmers are knocking down 3’s then the Heat will be very tough to beat.
I think that LeBron is on a mission, Wade is accepting his role, the role players are playing solid, and Chris Bosh is really happy to be playing.
A potential Heat-Thunder Finals would be epic. Should go 6. Could go 7. We have our first chance of a LEGIT East/West rivalry since the Lakers-Celtics in the Eighties.
0 - Posted on: Fri, 06/08/2012 - 10:20am #678742
Raef LaFrentzParticipantThis.
Is.
Dumb.
0 - Posted on: Fri, 06/08/2012 - 10:22am #678748
Knicksboy42ParticipantA 3 Star guy in Westbrook?
0 - Posted on: Fri, 06/08/2012 - 10:36am #678757
TyroberParticipantI think you have wasted a lot of time with your "system"
0 - Posted on: Fri, 06/08/2012 - 10:39am #678759
Raef LaFrentzParticipantThe NBA is different from NBA 2K12… Sorry, playa.
0 - Posted on: Fri, 06/08/2012 - 11:14am #678799
Memphis MadnessParticipantRaef,
I don’t think so. The best players usually end up with the championships. Then put the best supporting casts around them. KD has a star next to him in Westbrook as well as Harden and Ibaka. Then there are some solid role players off the bench. The Heat have one of the best two players in the league, plus D Wade, Bosh is an all-star and they also have some solid role players off the bench.
The 80’s Lakers and Celtics (even the 76’ers), the great Bulls teams, and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers ALL fit this profile. As have Duncan’s Spurs teams.
The Mavs last year seemed to be different but they still had an otherworldly Dirk (5 star guy last year?), Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, and JJ Barea plus some more guys off the bench. DeShawn Stevenson played the Battier/Thabo role to perfection. The Heat had the same Big Three last year worth 11 points. So what did the Mavs have? I think Dirk was worth 5 points, Jet worth 2, Chandler worth 2, and Marion, Kidd, and Barea each worth 1. That would have given last year’s Mavs 12 points. Dirk really stepped his game up as did Terry. Kidd played well along with Marion and Barea. Tyson Chandler was solid inside. Last year, the Heat had Mike Miller all banged up (he is playing better this year even though he is still banged up), Haslem coming back from injury, and no Shane Battier.
The 2004 Finals featured an "upset". The Pistons had a bunch of unheralded players while the Lakers had Shaq and Kobe. But, Karl Malone was hurt, and Gary Payton had lost a step by then. Shaq and Kobe were each 5 star guys. GP got one. So the Lakers should have had 11 stars. You could argue that Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Chauncey Billups each turned out to basically be two star guys. Give Prince 1 star. Plus, the Pistons had a better bench. Okur, Corliss Williamson, and Mike James were solid. That Pistons squad would go for either a minimum of 7 stars or a maximum of around 10 or 11 while the Lakers had a maximum of 11 points. So, both teams were fairly equal with the Pistons having a better defense and a deeper bench. Rotations get shortened in the playoffs (especially in the later rounds) so you only have to have 2 or 3 guys off the bench to be effective. The bench plays a slightly different role where guys who can defend and hit open jumpers come at a premium.
The Pistons were deeper than the Lakers in 2004 but more importantly they had 3 or so guys that could score. This year the Spurs had a deep bench, but when Manu moved to the starting lineup they basically had glorified jump shooters, not guys that could get their own shot or create for their teammates. Stephen Jackson came up huge in game 6 but the Spurs’ other role players disappeared. The Thunder didn’t get a ton of production from their role players, but Thabo outplayed Kawhi Leonard, and D fish scored a few points, and hit a big 3 late.
The Thunder got to the Finals with a GREAT Big Three led by a superstar in Kevin Durant and another great player in Westbrook. Ibaka also played well and turned into a huge difference maker. Then their tough, scrappy bench hit some shots and made some stops — which is what a playoff bench is supposed to do. If the Heat want to beat the Celtics in game 7 then LBJ needs to play like a superstar, D Wade has to be a great sidekick, with Bosh playing well, and their other role players hitting shots, playing tough defense, and helping out on the boards. They need a solid outing from Haslem, tough, inspired play from Battier, and some big buckets from both guys. Mike Miller and James Jones are long-range threats. The Heat probably need one of those two shooters or Battier to get hot from deep. Mario Chalmers isn’t a super star point guard, but he does what he has to and can hit clutch shots. He’s a good point guard for that team. The Heat might only play 8 guys (or seven if they don’t use James Jones) but that is usually all you need in the playoffs.
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