Kawhi is on pace for career-bests in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage. He leads the Spurs in offensive rating and is tied with Tim for the lead in defensive rating.

He has scored at least 20 points in 19 of 32 games — compared to 22 times in 64 games last season — and has failed to eclipse 15 just three times.

"Amazingly consistent," Manu Ginobili said of Leonard this season. "Well, consistently amazing. He's been impressive; makes many plays look easy. You're playing and at one point you look at the scoreboard he's got 20 and eight . So it's remarkable what he's doing. He's been incredible."

Kawhi/Curry are the two best players in the league but Curry basically has reached his apex while Kawhi is just entering his prime & still right there w/ Curry.

http://embed.chartblocks.com/1.0/?c=56831b159973d20b4969e219&t=ca8b516230f2b02

If he sustains it until the end of the season, his .323 win shares per 48 minutes would place him No. 5 all-time, behind Curry's current season, two seasons from Kareem and Wilt's 1972-73 season: http://bkref.com/tiny/p68An

His .323 WS/48 would also rank 3rd for any player 24 or under only behind two season from Kareem: http://bkref.com/tiny/jZkmz

His turnovers per game are the fewest among 20-point scorers in league history: http://bkref.com/tiny/HZ5EY

He went on a semi-unbelievable three-week streak in November without committing a live-ball turnover: https://twitter.com/jaredtjohnson21/status/668972037340205056

Kawhi's turnover percentage compared with the top 10 MVP candidates: http://frsports-bucket-0001.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/12/29193351/Screen-Shot-2015-12-29-at-8.32.49-PM.png

At the moment, his shooting line re 50.9/48.8/88.7. If he maintains those numbers for the rest of the season, he’ll be the only guy in history to hit all three marks (list does include a few more names but none of them would qualify for the 3 point percentage leaderboard based on the NBA’s current standards: 82 three-point field goals made ): http://bkref.com/tiny/WaGCq

He’s also had just one game all season where he accumulated more field goal attempts (eight) than points (seven). And he had a pretty good excuse in that game against the Toronto Raptors, as he was recovering from the flu: http://frsports-bucket-0001.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/12/29183435/Screen-Shot-2015-12-29-at-7.29.48-PM.png

Oh yeah, he's having the best defensive season in NBA history by a perimeter defender while anchoring the best defensive team (along w/ Tim)since the merger. No point guard, shooting guard or small forward in NBA history has posted a defensive rating lower than Kawhi’s current mark (90.8): http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/def_rtg_season.html

The guy has improved every season he has been in the league & is only going to get better. He has attempted less free throws than Mario Chalmers & he is still getting used to double teams. Once he starts getting to the stripe like Jimmy & making plays like Draymond he will surpass Curry as the best player in the league; don't be surprised if it's next season.

The Servant: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BqQOXnoIYAA2xG5.jpg:large

Kawhi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro9l54XgxD0

"Not everybody wants to be a great player," Leonard said. "They're just planning to stay in their role. That's not me. I'm trying to be the best player I can." #prayforBron

Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnijwAhcnTk

!!!!!

Only had been done 5 other times in a month: https://i.imgur.com/ZmlKO7H.jpg

https://twitter.com/SethPartnow/status/683006405104631808

wow.

During the first Miami finals is when I really started
to pay attention to Kawhi. He's quickly become one of my fav
players to watch in the L.

I feel like his game contains no wasted movement.

His defense is top notch, sure his length helps but
every step he takes on both ends is measured and done for a reason.

Kid is a beast, and he's only 24. scary.

that boy steady. always in control it look like.

he reminds me of chauncey billups.

That boy is DAMN good.

He's a terrific player on BOTH ends of the floor but I still don't believe he can carry/lead a team as the sole leader of the team.

His numbers are good but they're not mindblowing by any means to say he is on a trajectory to being or having the best season for a SF

>He's a terrific player on BOTH ends of the floor but I still
>don't believe he can carry/lead a team as the sole leader of
>the team.

That's what they said about Harden & when you are the best two way player then you don't need to average 30 (see: 93-94 Pippen).

>His numbers are good but they're not mindblowing by any means
>to say he is on a trajectory to being or having the best
>season for a SF

Word?
-Youngest SF to ever win FMVP
-Only SF to win FMVP/DPOY (Hakeem/Jorn)
-Higher WS/48 at 24 that any player not named Kareem, good for 5th All-Time
-Highest DRtg than any perimeter player in NBA history
-Better shooting lines than any player in NBA history: 50.9/48.8/88.7
-Became only the 5th player to go 50-50-90 in a month
-Highest winning percentage of any active player
-Has already dicked down two All-Time SFs in the postseason: KD/LeBron

....he's as accomplished as any 24 yr old SF since the merger & only getting better.

Do you seriously believe if you switched Kawhi on the Cavs instead of Lebron that they would have still been in 1st place jn the East w/no Kyrie and Shump for most of the first 2 1/2. months of this season??? No, you don't believe that

I seriously doubt he could've done what PG has done in the first half of the season if you switched PG for him

There's a big difference when you're on a team w/no other star player to draw attention to them like he has in SA w/LA - last season in the postseason Duncan still proved to be their best and most reliable player

I also think Duncan sbould've gotten finals MVP in the 2014 finals or at least co-MVP because he was consistent throughout that entire finals where Kawhi was MIA in those first few gms


>>He's a terrific player on BOTH ends of the floor but I
>still
>>don't believe he can carry/lead a team as the sole leader of
>>the team.
>
>That's what they said about Harden & when you are the best two

Yeah lets look at this season thus far by Harden - last year is starting to look more and more like an outlier for him too - that Houston team has clearly taken a step backwards and some of that has to be laid at the feet of Harden who is shooting a dismal 41% FG and everyone knows abt his D or the lack thereof

>way player then you don't need to average 30 (see: 93-94
>Pippen).

Again, you listed just one season where you could argue Pippen was the best 2 way player in the league which means that one season was more of an outlier...93-94 was an unforgettable season (Jordan stepping away was the reason)...just go look at some of the perimter players who made the all-star team...it also featured the nationally lowest rated NBA finals at that time between NY/HOU
>
>>His numbers are good but they're not mindblowing by any
>means
>>to say he is on a trajectory to being or having the best
>>season for a SF
>
>Word?
>-Youngest SF to ever win FMVP
>-Only SF to win FMVP/DPOY (Hakeem/Jorn)
>-Higher WS/48 at 24 that any player not named Kareem, good for
>5th All-Time
>-Highest DRtg than any perimeter player in NBA history
>-Better shooting lines than any player in NBA history:
>50.9/48.8/88.7
>-Became only the 5th player to go 50-50-90 in a month
>-Highest winning percentage of any active player
>-Has already dicked down two All-Time SFs in the postseason:
>KD/LeBron

Lebron was finals MVP in the 2012-13 NBA finals and he also had one of the all-time great gm 7 performances

In the 2013-14 finals Lebron averaged 28ppg 56% FG which both stats were better than when he was finals MVP in the prior NBA finals

That hardly sounds like he "dicked Lebron down" (PAUSE!)

He has however smothered Melo/Durant/PG this regular season
>
>....he's as accomplished as any 24 yr old SF since the merger
>& only getting better.

No one is talking abt his career resume bro - I specifically said THIS SEASON where he's averaging 20.8ppg 7.3rpg 2.8apg 2spg <---- all solid numbers but nowhere close to making any kind of argument for him having the best season for a SF

>Do you seriously believe if you switched Kawhi on the Cavs
>instead of Lebron that they would have still been in 1st place
>jn the East w/no Kyrie and Shump for most of the first 2 1/2.
>months of this season??? No, you don't believe that

He still had Love/Tristan/Jr/Delly which is pretty solid supporting cast for the East.

>I seriously doubt he could've done what PG has done in the
>first half of the season if you switched PG for him

PG is shooting 41% & got destroyed by Kawhi.

>There's a big difference when you're on a team w/no other star
>player to draw attention to them like he has in SA w/LA - last
>season in the postseason Duncan still proved to be their best
>and most reliable player

-How much better than Love is LA on offense?
-Kawhi was the Spurs best player before Doc saw enough & started doubling him w/ Blake b/c Tiago was injured & Diaw couldn't hit an outside shot along w/ Danny Green. Tony also had one of the shittiest series in NBA history. Tim sonned DeAndre 1-on-1, he wasn't getting doubled.

>I also think Duncan sbould've gotten finals MVP in the 2014
>finals or at least co-MVP because he was consistent throughout
>that entire finals where Kawhi was MIA in those first few gms

The series was 1-1 before Kawhi put it on overdrive which resulted in a historic ass whoopin'. Hibbert sonned Bosh so Tim was expected to have his way unlike Kawhi going up against the "best player in the world"

>Yeah lets look at this season thus far by Harden - last year
>is starting to look more and more like an outlier for him too
>- that Houston team has clearly taken a step backwards and
>some of that has to be laid at the feet of Harden who is
>shooting a dismal 41% FG and everyone knows abt his D or the
>lack thereof

Kawhi has been better than Harden.

>Again, you listed just one season where you could argue Pippen
>was the best 2 way player in the league which means that one
>season was more of an outlier...93-94 was an unforgettable
>season (Jordan stepping away was the reason)...just go look at
>some of the perimter players who made the all-star team...it
>also featured the nationally lowest rated NBA finals at that
>time between NY/HOU

Pippen made the All-NBA 1st team over reigning MVP Barkley & repeated it in 94-95.

>Lebron was finals MVP in the 2012-13 NBA finals and he also
>had one of the all-time great gm 7 performances

LeBron in his best season ever was struggling against 2nd year Kawhi & won Finals MVP b/c Ray Allen bailed him out.

>In the 2013-14 finals Lebron averaged 28ppg 56% FG which both
>stats were better than when he was finals MVP in the prior NBA
>finals

LeBron was scoring in spurts & after the game was already out of hand. He was unable to do anything when the Spurs were making run to break the game open & Kawhi was in the middle of it all.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU09Gph3B_s
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj9oItSQL50
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APGlNxSvODw

>That hardly sounds like he "dicked Lebron down" (PAUSE!)
-https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/lebronkawhi.gif
-http://i.imgur.com/CPYEit4.jpg
-https://sandiegosportsdomination.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/untitled3.jpg?w=750&h=471

>He has however smothered Melo/Durant/PG this regular season
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyKKl1kc_kI

>No one is talking abt his career resume bro - I specifically
>said THIS SEASON where he's averaging 20.8ppg 7.3rpg 2.8apg
>2spg <---- all solid numbers but nowhere close to making any
>kind of argument for him having the best season for a SF

So far this season:
-Highest D-Rtg/D-WS in the league
-Better shooting lines than any player: 50.9/48.8/88.7
-Only player in December w/ a 50-50-90 shooting line
-Highest WS/48 & WS amongst SFs (only behind Curry)
-Highest RPM amongst SFs by a mile (breathing down on Curry's neck)
-Highest O-Rtg amongst SFs
-#1 in steals amongst SFs
-#1 in the league in 3-Pt Field Goal Pct
-Lowest turnover rate amongst 20 pt scorers

-So, 20.8ppg 7.3rpg 2.8apg, 2spg.......all while having a much lower usage rate than any of the elite SF.

that's a very big might...

You have a tendency to traffic in the absurd...


>>Do you seriously believe if you switched Kawhi on the Cavs
>>instead of Lebron that they would have still been in 1st
>place
>>jn the East w/no Kyrie and Shump for most of the first 2
>1/2.
>>months of this season??? No, you don't believe that
>
>He still had Love/Tristan/Jr/Delly which is pretty solid
>supporting cast for the East.

GTFOH w/that stupidity - this is essentially the same supporting cast that DIDN'T score one basket in last year's finals that WASN'T facilitated by Lebron...NOT ONE IN AN ENTIRE 6 GMS...

You obviously don't understand how much better Lebron makes that team when he's on floor...and they are equally as bad or mediocre when he's not on the floor (see last year stretch when Bron was out 2 weeks, they only won 1 gm w/o him but they still had everyone else including Kyrie/Love)

People said the same thing abt the Heat the season after Lebron...that they will still be competitive in the East w/o Lebron and how that played out...same for the Cavs the first go around when they won 62 gms and the following season minus Lebron they went straight to LAST PLACE

And FTR, the east is more competitive than the West this season

I say all that to say there's no way in hell Kawhi could carry the Cavs if he were on this team instead of Lebron

The disparity in their passing ability is huge...and what separates Bron from any other SF in today's game

Leonard is not that type of player, period...and I seriously doubt if he'd have the same type of success playing elsewhere...
>
>>I seriously doubt he could've done what PG has done in the
>>first half of the season if you switched PG for him
>
>PG is shooting 41% & got destroyed by Kawhi.

That's because PG is on a really bad team and has to put the ball up which sometimes leads to ill-advised and terrible shot selections...if PG were on the Spurs I have no doubt he would be more efficient and the Spurs best player

And while Kawhi did get in his jersey, PG did have abt 3 awful gms in a row after that game...so while I do think some of his offensive woes were due to Leonard's D, I do think he happened to go through a horrible stretch...we'll see when they play again if it mainly because of Kawhi's D or just a 3 or 4 game stretch of bad bball...
>
>>There's a big difference when you're on a team w/no other
>star
>>player to draw attention to them like he has in SA w/LA -
>last
>>season in the postseason Duncan still proved to be their
>best
>>and most reliable player
>
>-How much better than Love is LA on offense?

No, the real question is how much of a better (post) player is LA than Love? I bet most GMs would rather have LA

>-Kawhi was the Spurs best player before Doc saw enough &
>started doubling him w/ Blake b/c Tiago was injured & Diaw
>couldn't hit an outside shot along w/ Danny Green. Tony also
>had one of the shittiest series in NBA history. Tim sonned
>DeAndre 1-on-1, he wasn't getting doubled.

When it mattered most Duncan still proved to be the Spurs best player just as he was whenever needed when the team had transitioned to Tony Parker's/Ginobili's team

-Duncan was the Spurs best player vs LAC in last year's series
-Duncan imo was the best and most consistent player in the 2014 finals
-Duncan was the Spurs best player in the 2013 finals loss to the Heat
>
>>I also think Duncan sbould've gotten finals MVP in the 2014
>>finals or at least co-MVP because he was consistent
>throughout
>>that entire finals where Kawhi was MIA in those first few
>gms
>
>The series was 1-1 before Kawhi put it on overdrive which
>resulted in a historic ass whoopin'. Hibbert sonned Bosh so
>Tim was expected to have his way unlike Kawhi going up against
>the "best player in the world"


Smh dude, Kawhi averaged an amazing 17.8ppg in the finals lol

>>Yeah lets look at this season thus far by Harden - last year
>>is starting to look more and more like an outlier for him
>too
>>- that Houston team has clearly taken a step backwards and
>>some of that has to be laid at the feet of Harden who is
>>shooting a dismal 41% FG and everyone knows abt his D or the
>>lack thereof
>
>Kawhi has been better than Harden.

K

>>Again, you listed just one season where you could argue
>Pippen
>>was the best 2 way player in the league which means that one
>>season was more of an outlier...93-94 was an unforgettable
>>season (Jordan stepping away was the reason)...just go look
>at
>>some of the perimter players who made the all-star team...it
>>also featured the nationally lowest rated NBA finals at that
>>time between NY/HOU
>
>Pippen made the All-NBA 1st team over reigning MVP Barkley &
>repeated it in 94-95.

And? He was NOT better than Barkley by any stretch and Karl Malone moreso than Pippen was probably the reason he didn't make 1st team ALL-NBA since he and Malone played the same position
>
>>Lebron was finals MVP in the 2012-13 NBA finals and he also
>>had one of the all-time great gm 7 performances
>
>LeBron in his best season ever was struggling against 2nd year
>Kawhi & won Finals MVP b/c Ray Allen bailed him out.

No, it was the Spurs defense he was struggling against which is why Kawhi was giving him space to shoot instead of letting him get in the paint...and when he did get to the rim he had still the game's best rim protector waiting on him

And once he started to trust his jump shot we know what happened...

And the notion that "Ray Allen bailed him out" is absurd even coming from you - you seem to conveniently forget that w/a little under 7 minutes to go in gm 6 the game looked all but over (86-68)...and it was Lebron who SINGLEHANDEDLY got them back in the game scoring *20 straight point* all while being guarded by Lebron's "defensive stopper," Kawhi Leonard he line for that game: 32pts 10rebs 11assists.. LOLOL

And he even hit a big 3-pointer to get the Heat within 3 (95-92) which set up Ray's shot

>
>>In the 2013-14 finals Lebron averaged 28ppg 56% FG which
>both
>>stats were better than when he was finals MVP in the prior
>NBA
>>finals
>
>LeBron was scoring in spurts & after the game was already out
>of hand.

Boy, stop! (C) Big Boi - are you forgetting gm 1? Lebron was beasting on Leonard before he had to sit for crucial minutes on the bench dealing w/cramps

And he damn near won gm 2 by himself torching Kawhi for 35 pts - scoring in spurts my anus lol

Even the blowout gm 5 Lebron had abt *31* pts AT THE HALF and tried (in vain) to keep the Heat in striking distance but that SPURS TEAM (not Leonard) proved to be too much for Lebron who was the ONLY Heat player to show up for that series


He was unable to do anything when the Spurs were
>making run to break the game open & Kawhi was in the middle of
>it all.

Was Lebron supposed to beat a GREAT TEAM by himself? Was it all on him to stop the Spurs...he did his part: 28ppg 7rpg 5apg 56% FG 52% 3-PT FG

>-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU09Gph3B_s
>-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj9oItSQL50
>-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APGlNxSvODw

I actually did WATCH the finals ya know...
I
>>That hardly sounds like he "dicked Lebron down" (PAUSE!)
>-https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/lebronkawhi.gif
>-http://i.imgur.com/CPYEit4.jpg
>-https://sandiegosportsdomination.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/untitled3.jpg?w=750&h=471
>
>>He has however smothered Melo/Durant/PG this regular season
>-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyKKl1kc_kI
>
>>No one is talking abt his career resume bro - I specifically
>>said THIS SEASON where he's averaging 20.8ppg 7.3rpg 2.8apg
>>2spg <---- all solid numbers but nowhere close to making any
>>kind of argument for him having the best season for a SF
>
>So far this season:
>-Highest D-Rtg/D-WS in the league
>-Better shooting lines than any player: 50.9/48.8/88.7
>-Only player in December w/ a 50-50-90 shooting line
>-Highest WS/48 & WS amongst SFs (only behind Curry)
>-Highest RPM amongst SFs by a mile (breathing down on Curry's
>neck)
>-Highest O-Rtg amongst SFs
>-#1 in steals amongst SFs
>-#1 in the league in 3-Pt Field Goal Pct
>-Lowest turnover rate amongst 20 pt scorers
>
>-So, 20.8ppg 7.3rpg 2.8apg, 2spg.......all while having a much
>lower usage rate than any of the elite SF.

Because you don't seem to understand that it has more to do w/the Spurs system than anything else

That system allows him to flourish - the same it did Tony Parker who GREW into an elite PG (remember Parker's earlier seasons in San Antonio?) - he was perfect for that system which is why most ppl didn't feel like he was better than CP3 even when Parker was playing his best basketball (and winning the head-to-head battles against CP3) and finishing 2nd in the MVP voting - because many believed he wouldn't have the same type of success playing on another squad whereas CP3 could do what he does on any team you put him on

I can watch Leonard and how he plays and see that he's benefitting from playing in a system that gets GREAT SPACING on the floor AND EXCELLENT BALL MOVEMENT...which is why not only Leonard but the ENTIRE Spurs team is very efficient...because they pass up good shots for great shots and turn bad shots into good ones

>You have a tendency to traffic through in the absurd...

You are talking out of your ass, as always.

>GTFOH w/that stupidity - this is essentially the same
>supporting cast that DIDN'T score one basket in last year's
>finals that WASN'T facilitated by Lebron...NOT ONE IN AN
>ENTIRE 6 GMS...

Big Dummy, how many minutes did Love play in the Finals again? Love went from a top 10 player to a spot up shooter b/c of LeBron. Besides, Delly is much improved from last season & they also added Mo Williams.
-The Pacers big-man rotation is laughable & they were the 2nd seed.
-The Raptors have been playing without Jonas/Carroll & beating teams w/ Scola as their #1 big.
-Celtics have a bunch of role players & Marcus Smart has been out w/ injury.
-Orlando was the 2nd seed for a minute.....so Love/Bron/Tristan/JR/Delly/Mo should be able to get the #1 seed considering the Hawks were slumping to start the season & Rose has been the worst starting point guard in the league.

>You obviously don't understand how much better Lebron makes
>that team when he's on floor...and they are equally as bad or
>mediocre when he's not on the floor (see last year stretch
>when Bron was out 2 weeks, they only won 1 gm w/o him but they
>still had everyone else including Kyrie/Love)

That's what happens when you refuse to feature Love build the team around Bron. (See what Bron did to Bosh)

>People said the same thing abt the Heat the season after
>Lebron...that they will still be competitive in the East w/o
>Lebron and how that played out...same for the Cavs the first
>go around when they won 62 gms and the following season minus
>Lebron they went straight to LAST PLACE

Oh yeah, Bosh wasn't on his death bed & Deng (Bron's replacement) played 82 games.

>And FTR, the east is more competitive than the West this
>season

The West top 4 seed are still a powerhouse & the East isn't seeing the West in the 2nd rd after the mediocre West teams get weeded out. Last I checked the Cavs left their western road trip w/ their tails b/c their legs.

>I say all that to say there's no way in hell Kawhi could carry
>the Cavs if he were on this team instead of Lebron
>The disparity in their passing ability is huge...and what
>separates Bron from any other SF in today's game
>Leonard is not that type of player, period...and I seriously
>doubt if he'd have the same type of success playing
>elsewhere...

Have you heard this thing called "defense", you might want to look it up b/c it's pretty important & Kawhi is the best at it. Kawhi shuts down his matchup thus his point differential is better than LeBron's. Scoring 30 & giving up 25 isn't better than scoring 20 & giving up 10. Not to mention Kawhi is the much more efficient than LeBron & doesn't need to hog the ball to be effective.

>That's because PG is on a really bad team and has to put the
>ball up which sometimes leads to ill-advised and terrible shot
>selections...if PG were on the Spurs I have no doubt he would
>be more efficient and the Spurs best player

PG was also checking Kawhi & he got destroyed on BOTH ends. Jimmy Butler also gave it to him during their recent meeting along w/ Klay Thompson & Kris Middleton. PG isn't seeing Kawhi on defense. If Kawhi was gunning like PG (who is a turnover machine) he would average close to 30.

PG wouldn't be as valuable in the Spurs system he can't affect the system as well as Kawhi without scoring (Kawhi/LMA have had quarter where they didn't get a shot attempt thanks to Tony Parker). Kawhi is also a better spot up shooter which is also a requirement in the Spurs offense.

>And while Kawhi did get in his jersey, PG did have abt 3 awful
>gms in a row after that game...so while I do think some of his
>offensive woes were due to Leonard's D, I do think he happened
>to go through a horrible stretch...we'll see when they play
>again if it mainly because of Kawhi's D or just a 3 or 4 game
>stretch of bad bball...

Excuses, excuses, excuses....remember what happened to in 2013-14, I guess he had a bad half a season.


>No, the real question is how much of a better (post) player is
>LA than Love? I bet most GMs would rather have LA

That's not what they said before Love signed up to play w/ Bron. Bosh went from top 10 to not mentioned at all playing w/ Bron.

>Smh dude, Kawhi averaged an amazing 17.8ppg in the finals lol

Big Dummy, he was in early foul trouble in the first 2 games which messed up his rhythm & Tony Parker was ball hogging. He matched LeBron at better efficiency from Gm 3-5. Kawhi is a big game player not a front-runner like Parker.

>And? He was NOT better than Barkley by any stretch and Karl
>Malone moreso than Pippen was probably the reason he didn't
>make 1st team ALL-NBA since he and Malone played the same
>position

Big Dummy, both forward position are treated the same for All-NBA teams which is why Kemp/Barkely were 2nd team but keep making as shyt.

>No, it was the Spurs defense he was struggling against which
>is why Kawhi was giving him space to shoot instead of letting
>him get in the paint.

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/pos...

Now to analyze LeBron's 2014 Finals in full context. LeBron was only productive for the first 2 games of the series. In the final 3 games, LeBron didn't show up on offense or defense, and was completely outplayed by 13 ppg Kawhi Leonard across the board. The majority of LeBron's stats over the last 3 games were padded in blowout situations (being down 15+).

Games 3-4-5
Lebron scored 51 of his 81 points (63%) being down 15+
Leonard scored 27 of his 71 points (38%) being up 15+
Leonard outscored Lebron 44-30 in non-blowout situations

Leonard 23.7 ppg on 69%
LeBron 27.0 ppg on 55%
(Leonard 14% more efficient)

>And the notion that "Ray Allen bailed him out" is absurd even
>coming from you - you seem to conveniently forget that w/a
>little under 7 minutes to go in gm 6 the game looked all but
>over (86-68)...and it was Lebron who SINGLEHANDEDLY got them
>back in the game scoring *20 straight point* all while being
>guarded by Lebron's "defensive stopper," Kawhi Leonard LOLOL
>And he even hit a big 3-pointer to get the Heat within 3
>(95-92) which set up Ray's shot

Bruh, Kawhi was a 2nd year player & LeBron was having his best season ever in 2012-13, it should have NEVER come to Ray Allen hitting a 3 to bail out LeBron committing 2 dumb turnovers that almost cost the Heat the championship. LeBron 4th quarter outbrust came after a shitty 3 quarters so he simply dug himself out of a hole.

If Manu wasn't intent on passing the ball to the Heat throughout the 2013 Finals, the Spurs would have come on top in Gm 6 b/c LeBron was throwing up bricks for a good chunk of the series.

>Boy, stop! (C) Big Boi - are you forgetting gm 1? Lebron was
>beasting on Leonard before he had to sit for crucial minutes
>on the bench dealing w/cramps
>And he damn near won gm 2 by himself torching Kawhi for 35 pts
>- scoring in spurts my anus lol

How many of those did he score on Kawhi? (b/c he was on the bench w/ foul trouble)

>Even the blowout gm 5 Lebron had abt *31* pts AT THE HALF and
>tried (in vain) to keep the Heat in sttiking distance but that
>SPURS TEAM (not Leonard) proved to be too much for Lebron who
>was the ONLY Heat player to show up for that series

Gm 3: LeBron had a great first 8 minutes (14 pts, 0 turnovers) but from that point on was locked down by Leonard and the Spurs defense with 8 points and 7 turnovers in the last 40 minutes

Gm 4: Lebron had 9 points in first half and the Heat were blown out by 19 at halftime. He padded his stats from there, and did not score on Leonard in the first half.

Gm 5: Lebron had 1 FG in 2nd quarter (2:30 mark) to bring the Heat within 5. Then he did not score again until the Heat were down 21 with 4:40 in the 3rd. He shot 1-6 against Leonard in this game according to ESPN "MVP Leonard Does it All," and according to that same article Leonard shot 65% on LeBron's overrated defense - http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/91529/mvp-leonard-does-it-all

>Because you don't seem to understand that it has more to do
>w/the Spurs system than anything else
Why didn't Richard Jefferson (the guy Kawhi replaced) excel if it was the Spurs system?

>That system allows him to flourish - the same it did Tony
>Parker who GREW into an elite PG (remember Parker's earlier
>seasons in San Antonio?) - he was perfect for that system
>which is why most ppl didn't feel like he was better than CP3
>even when Parker was playing his best basketball (and wi ning
>the head-to-head battles against CP3) and finishing 2nd in the
>MVP voting - because many believed he wouldn't have the same
>type of success playing on another squad whereas CP3 could do
>what he does on any team you put him on

Tony Parker is a system player but Kawhi is like Manu/Tim, he can ball out on any team. Parker in his 3rd year was getting benched in the Finals (2003) meanwhile Kawhi outplayed "best player in the world" for the last 3 games of the Finals. The Spurs closed out 2 series (Blazers/OKC) in 2014 w/ Parker in the lockerroom. Besides, he was scoreless in the championship clincher until the game was out of hand in the 4th quarter.

Tony had one great season (2012-13) but he was never better than Chris Paul. It's not a coincidence that the Spurs got swept by the Suns (2010) when it was Tony's team. He would have been Ty Lawson status without Tim/Manu.

>I can watch Leonard and how he plays and see that he's
>benefiting from playing in a system that gets GREAT SPACING
>on the floor AND EXCELLENT BALL MOVEMENT...which is why not
>only Leonard but the ENTIRE Spurs team is very
>efficient...because they pass up good shots for great shots
>and turn bad shots into good ones

The Spurs got swept by the Suns & got bounced in the 1st rd by the 8th seed Grizz when Richard Jefferson was the starting SF & then proceeded to draft Kawhi who led them to 3 consecutive WCF. I guess Kawhi must be the system b/c Richard Jefferson along w/ the plethora of Bruce Bowen replacements couldn't cut it.

debating if Parker was the best point guard at a time when the PG position has never been better nor as deep

He finished 2nd in the MVP to Bron who had a career year - so until Kawhi can finish as the 2nd vote getter or wins the award altogether then slow your role

Lets let Kawhi finish in the top 3 MVP race first before you start anointing him "the best SF/player in the league"...


>>You have a tendency to traffic through in the absurd...
>
>You are talking out of your ass, as always.

>Love went from a top 10 player to a spot up shooter b/c of
>LeBron.

Love went from a bottom-feeder to a championship contender - of course his numbers were going to dip when he's now the 3rd option compared to being to no.1 option on a bad team where he could jack up shots at will...

You see he decided to come back to play w/Bron because he wants to play alongside the game's best player and on a team whose season doesn't end in April

Besides, Delly is much improved from last season &
>they also added Mo Williams.

So what?!?!? The point is Kawhi/Love/Delly/Mo/Tristan/Mozgov is not the best team in the east - Leonard might not even lead the team in scoring if he were on that squad instead of Lebron lol

>-The Pacers big-man rotation is laughable & they were the 2nd
>seed.

They're not in 2nd place

>-The Raptors have been playing without Jonas/Carroll & beating
>teams w/ Scola as their #1 big.

And?

>-Celtics have a bunch of role players & Marcus Smart has been
>out w/ injury.

Yawn...
>-Orlando was the 2nd seed for a minute.....so

Where are they right today, idiot? That's all that matters...the fact that they were a 2nd seed in the first few weeks of the season means absolutely nothing and is another plea cop

>Love/Bron/Tristan/JR/Delly/Mo should be able to get the #1
>seed considering the Hawks were slumping to start the season
You mean the same Hawks that got swept by the Cavs in the postseason minus Love/Kyrie...ok gotcha smfh

>Rose has been the worst starting point guard in the league.

So what? They are still a good team and still figuring things out under a new coach/system...and they've had success against teams in the west this season

>>You obviously don't understand how much better Lebron makes
>>that team when he's on floor...and they are equally as bad
>or
>>mediocre when he's not on the floor (see last year stretch
>>when Bron was out 2 weeks, they only won 1 gm w/o him but
>they
>>still had everyone else including Kyrie/Love)
>
>That's what happens when you refuse to feature Love build the
>team around Bron. (See what Bron did to Bosh)

You make no sense...like at all...yes, building around Lebron has instantly made the Cavs a title contender, so only you would try and spin it like its a bad thing...and they've gone out of their way to feature Love this season (minus Kyrie) and his numbers are still abt the same as last season
>
>>People said the same thing abt the Heat the season after
>>Lebron...that they will still be competitive in the East w/o
>>Lebron and how that played out...same for the Cavs the first
>>go around when they won 62 gms and the following season
>minus
>>Lebron they went straight to LAST PLACE
>
>Oh yeah, Bosh wasn't on his death bed & Deng (Bron's
>replacement) played 82 games.

Gtfoh lolololololol- Bosh was underperforming on his new and overpriced contract before he got injured...even Pat Riley said there was no excuse for that Heat team not to make the playoffs in a weak east that featured TWO playoffs teams that revamped their entire roster (Bucks/Celtics)...
>z
>>And FTR, the east is more competitive than the West this
>>season
>
>The West top 4 seed are still a powerhouse & the East isn't
>seeing the West in the 2nd rd after the mediocre West teams
>get weeded out. Last I checked the Cavs left their western
>road trip w/ their tails b/c their legs.

I see you're another poster that likes to exaggerate to make your point - there are currently TWO maybe THREE teams in the west that are legit title contenders (GS/Spurs/maybe OKC)...everyone else including the Clips are on the outside looking in right now...Houston sucks/Dallas and Memphis are pretenders - from top to bottom the east has out performed the west
>
>>I say all that to say there's no way in hell Kawhi could
>carry
>>the Cavs if he were on this team instead of Lebron
>>The disparity in their passing ability is huge...and what
>>separates Bron from any other SF in today's game
>>Leonard is not that type of player, period...and I seriously
>>doubt if he'd have the same type of success playing
>>elsewhere...
>
>Have you heard this thing called "defense", you might want to
>look it up b/c it's pretty important & Kawhi is the best at
>it. Kawhi shuts down his matchup thus his point differential
>is better than LeBron's. Scoring 30 & giving up 25 isn't
>better than scoring 20 & giving up 10. Not to mention Kawhi is
>the much more efficient than LeBron & doesn't need to hog the
>ball to be effective.

Individual defense doesn't matter nearly as much as TEAM defense and you are underestimating how good defensively the entire Spurs team is...Danny Green has made the all-defense team and Duncan is still a good rim protector

And Kawhi's efficiency can be attributed to the Spurs system because the entire team is efficient w/2 and 3 pt shots...Kawhi in another system that doesn't have the spacing and ball movement of the Spurs yields different results in regards to efficiency...
>
>>That's because PG is on a really bad team and has to put the
>>ball up which sometimes leads to ill-advised and terrible
>shot
>>selections...if PG were on the Spurs I have no doubt he
>would
>>be more efficient and the Spurs best player
>
>PG was also checking Kawhi & he got destroyed on BOTH ends.
>Jimmy Butler also gave it to him during their recent meeting
>along w/ Klay Thompson & Kris Middleton. PG isn't seeing Kawhi

Most ppl have PG as the 3rd best SF in the league...and I'll say it again, if Kawhi was on the Pacers I doubt he could play better than PG because for one he's not as good a ball handler as PG which means he isn't as adept at creating his own shot as PG...and you don't seem to understand how difficult it becomes when the defense can focus on the main player for a team vs being on a team where its difficult to zero in on a padticular player due to the ball movement/spacing - the Spurs/Kawhi can afford not to play a lot of isolation ball because of their system but Leonard wouldn't have that luxury on another squad...also, PG is a really good defensive player, too and has made 1st team all-defense before...so there's that

>on defense. If Kawhi was gunning like PG (who is a turnover
>machine) he would average close to 30.

No he wouldn't - this is Leonard's 1st season averaging 20ppg...but if PG were on the Spurs he could put Kawhi's numbers if not better on the offensive end because he's more of a natural scorer than Kawhi
>
>PG wouldn't be as valuable in the Spurs system he can't affect
>the system as well as Kawhi without scoring (Kawhi/LMA have
>had quarter where they didn't get a shot attempt thanks to
>Tony Parker). Kawhi is also a better spot up shooter which is
>also a requirement in the Spurs offense.

This is Leonard's breakout season and you're acting as if he's been all-nba caliber player...PG was already ahead of Leonard and had the setback w/that severe leg injury...
>
>>And while Kawhi did get in his jersey, PG did have abt 3
>awful
>>gms in a row after that game...so while I do think some of
>his
>>offensive woes were due to Leonard's D, I do think he
>happened
>>to go through a horrible stretch...we'll see when they play
>>again if it mainly because of Kawhi's D or just a 3 or 4
>game
>>stretch of bad bball...
>
>Excuses, excuses, excuses....remember what happened to in
>2013-14, I guess he had a bad half a season.

No, its called FACTS, Sherlock...all you have to do is go look at his next few gms after that game vs Spurs
>
>
>>No, the real question is how much of a better (post) player
>is
>>LA than Love? I bet most GMs would rather have LA
>
>That's not what they said before Love signed up to play w/
>Bron. Bosh went from top 10 to not mentioned at all playing w/
>Bron.

Fool, Bosh was NEVER a top 10 player and Bosh playing alongside Lebron has now made him a HOF candidate...and just so you know, Bosh's numbers are abt the same w/o Lebron as they were w/him...except he's (and Wade,too) not as efficient now that Lebron's no longer there to facilitate for the team...

Bosh and Love were putting up numbers on BAD TEAMS....

>>Smh dude, Kawhi averaged an amazing 17.8ppg in the finals
>lol
>
>Big Dummy, he was in early foul trouble in the first 2 games
>which messed up his rhythm & Tony Parker was ball hogging.

You are lying once again smh lmao - Kawhi had ONE FOUL in gm 1 and gm 2 he fouled out because Lebron was working him so that explains his fould trouble lololol

>He
>matched LeBron at better efficiency from Gm 3-5. Kawhi is a
>big game player not a front-runner like Parker.

The foh - Kawhi averaged 10 less points than Lebron which means he took less shots per gm...so Lebron averaging 28ppg on 56% FG and 52% 3-pt FG is more efficient to me than Leonard who averaged abt 12 shots per gm

Leonard was playing like it was preseason...which is why the team WENT TO HIM AND SAID HE HAD TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE...had nothing to do w/foul trouble
>
>>And? He was NOT better than Barkley by any stretch and Karl
>>Malone moreso than Pippen was probably the reason he didn't
>>make 1st team ALL-NBA since he and Malone played the same
>>position
>
>Big Dummy, both forward position are treated the same for
>All-NBA teams which is why Kemp/Barkely were 2nd team but keep
>making as shyt.

No, how abt you omitting important details like Barkley dealing w/injuries the seasons Pippen made 1st team ALL-NBA - Barkley had severe back pains that caused him to miss the all-star gm...and he tore his quad the following season...that would explain why Pippen made 1st team than what you were trying to suggest lol...keey trying and lying though
>
>>No, it was the Spurs defense he was struggling against which
>>is why Kawhi was giving him space to shoot instead of
>letting
>>him get in the paint.
>
>http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/pos...
>
>Now to analyze LeBron's 2014 Finals in full context. LeBron
>was only productive for the first 2 games of the series. In
>the final 3 games, LeBron didn't show up on offense or
>defense, and was completely outplayed by 13 ppg Kawhi Leonard
>across the board. The majority of LeBron's stats over the last
>3 games were padded in blowout situations (being down 15+).

Fool, its not "stat padding" when you're down 15+ in the 2nd quarter...so should Lebron have stopped shooting or just come out of the game in the 2nd or 3rd quarter??? Geesh

And Kawhi got what Lebron didn't get in that series: HELP...Kawhi's stats for the series was ok because that win was more abt the Spurs TEAM BALL vs the Heat having only ONE player to show up...Kawhi was by no means dominate
>
>Games 3-4-5
>Lebron scored 51 of his 81 points (63%) being down 15+
>Leonard scored 27 of his 71 points (38%) being up 15+
>Leonard outscored Lebron 44-30 in non-blowout situations

Yawn....
>
>Leonard 23.7 ppg on 69%
>LeBron 27.0 ppg on 55%
>(Leonard 14% more efficient)

Double yawn....
>>And the notion that "Ray Allen bailed him out" is absurd
>even
>>coming from you - you seem to conveniently forget that w/a
>>little under 7 minutes to go in gm 6 the game looked all but
>>over (86-68)...and it was Lebron who SINGLEHANDEDLY got them
>>back in the game scoring *20 straight point* all while being
>>guarded by Lebron's "defensive stopper," Kawhi Leonard LOLOL
>>And he even hit a big 3-pointer to get the Heat within 3
>>(95-92) which set up Ray's shot
>
>Bruh, Kawhi was a 2nd year player & LeBron was having his best
>season ever in 2012-13, it should have NEVER come to Ray Allen
>hitting a 3 to bail out LeBron committing 2 dumb turnovers
>that almost cost the Heat the championship. LeBron 4th quarter
>outbrust came after a shitty 3 quarters so he simply dug
>himself out of a hole.

Again, you act as if we're talking abt an individual sport - The Heat were down by 18, not just Lebron

And those turnovers were the result of him trying to do too much since he wasn't getting any help from the "big 2" or anyone else...at least he didn't cost the Heat the game/series like Leonard who completely CHOKED at the FT line...
>
>If Manu wasn't intent on passing the ball to the Heat
>throughout the 2013 Finals,

And don't forget abt Kawhi choking at the line that allowed the Heat to get back in and win that game/series

the Spurs would have come on top
>in Gm 6 b/c LeBron was throwing up bricks for a good chunk of
>the series.

Lebron was finals MVP...and he DOMINATED Kawhi in a all-time great gm 7 performancei....everything else is just you talking nonsense
>
>>Boy, stop! (C) Big Boi - are you forgetting gm 1? Lebron was
>>beasting on Leonard before he had to sit for crucial minutes
>>on the bench dealing w/cramps
>>And he damn near won gm 2 by himself torching Kawhi for 35
>pts
>>- scoring in spurts my anus lol
>
>How many of those did he score on Kawhi? (b/c he was on the
>bench w/ foul trouble)

There you go w/that plea coppin - but who was it that got him in foul trouble...and for the record, the link YOU posted said Lebron shot 57% against Kawhi...so he obviously scored his points against him lolololol
>
>>Even the blowout gm 5 Lebron had abt *31* pts AT THE HALF
>and
>>tried (in vain) to keep the Heat in sttiking distance but
>that
>>SPURS TEAM (not Leonard) proved to be too much for Lebron
>who
>>was the ONLY Heat player to show up for that series
>
>Gm 3: LeBron had a great first 8 minutes (14 pts, 0
>turnovers) but from that point on was locked down by Leonard
>and the Spurs defense with 8 points and 7 turnovers in the
>last 40 minutes
>
>Gm 4: Lebron had 9 points in first half and the Heat were
>blown out by 19 at halftime. He padded his stats from there,
>and did not score on Leonard in the first half.
>
>Gm 5: Lebron had 1 FG in 2nd quarter (2:30 mark) to bring the
>Heat within 5. Then he did not score again until the Heat were
>down 21 with 4:40 in the 3rd. He shot 1-6 against Leonard in
>this game according to ESPN "MVP Leonard Does it All," and
>according to that same article Leonard shot 65% on LeBron's
>overrated defense -
>http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/91529/mvp-leonard-does-it-all

That link says Lebron shot 57% against Leonard...and he averaged 28 for the series...
>
>>Because you don't seem to understand that it has more to do
>>w/the Spurs system than anything else
>Why didn't Richard Jefferson (the guy Kawhi replaced) excel if
>it was the Spurs system?

Because Duncan looked done...but then he got in better shape and recommitted himself to the game and became the oldest player to make 1st team ALL-NBA...it wasn't abt Leonard...he had average numbers his first 4 seasons...this year he is playing like an all-star...not before now though
>
>>That system allows him to flourish - the same it did Tony
>>Parker who GREW into an elite PG (remember Parker's earlier
>>seasons in San Antonio?) - he was perfect for that system
>>which is why most ppl didn't feel like he was better than
>CP3
>>even when Parker was playing his best basketball (and wi
>ning
>>the head-to-head battles against CP3) and finishing 2nd in
>the
>>MVP voting - because many believed he wouldn't have the same
>>type of success playing on another squad whereas CP3 could
>do
>>what he does on any team you put him on
>
>Tony Parker is a system player but Kawhi is like Manu/Tim, he
>can ball out on any team.

You don't know what the hell you're talking abt (per usual)...go look at Leonard's numbers since he's been w/San Antonio...he's gradually gotten better playing IN THAT SYSTEM just like Parker...he didn't come there ballin...he is a system player too...

Parker in his 3rd year was getting
>benched in the Finals (2003)

Parker was a 19 yr old foreigner for heaven's sake...and it wae an adjustment in a different league playing the most difficult and demanding position

meanwhile Kawhi outplayed "best
>player in the world" for the last 3 games of the Finals. The
>Spurs closed out 2 series (Blazers/OKC) in 2014 w/ Parker in
>the lockerroom. Besides, he was scoreless in the championship
>clincher until the game was out of hand in the 4th quarter.

Kawhi didn't outplay anyone - he just held his own...he only averaged 17.8ppg and his rebs/assists/ were aight...nothing to boast abt - plus he didn't have to *carry* the Spurs the way Lebron had to do everything for the Heat
>
>Tony had one great season (2012-13) but he was never better
>than Chris Paul. It's not a coincidence that the Spurs got
>swept by the Suns (2010) when it was Tony's team. He would
>have been Ty Lawson status without Tim/Manu.
>
>>I can watch Leonard and how he plays and see that he's
>>benefiting from playing in a system that gets GREAT SPACING
>>on the floor AND EXCELLENT BALL MOVEMENT...which is why not
>>only Leonard but the ENTIRE Spurs team is very
>>efficient...because they pass up good shots for great shots
>>and turn bad shots into good ones
>
>The Spurs got swept by the Suns & got bounced in the 1st rd by
>the 8th seed Grizz when Richard Jefferson was the starting SF
>& then proceeded to draft Kawhi who led them to 3 consecutive
>WCF.

Kawhi didn't lead shit, idiot - he wasn't even the 2nd or 3rd best player when he got there...he started out as a solid complimentary player w/some upside

I guess Kawhi must be the system b/c Richard Jefferson
>along w/ the plethora of Bruce Bowen replacements couldn't cut
>it.

You don't understand that their turnaround was more abt Duncan who ppl had written off as being done...dudes on here said Timmay needed to retire several seasons ago but it was as if he found his fountain of youth and went on to make all-star/all-nba teams...how many all-star/all-nba teams has Kawhi made since he's the reason for the Spurs becoming a title contender again????
>

>He finished 2nd in the MVP to Bron who had a career year - so
>until Kawhi can finish as the 2nd vote getter or wins the
>award altogether then slow your role

Tony Porker finished 6th in MVP voting during his best season (2012-13); Kawhi will finish 2nd & he is just entering his prime. #fail


>Danny Green has made the all-defense team

Danny has NEVER made the All-NBA Defense team #fail


>You don't understand that their turnaround was more abt Duncan
>who ppl had written off as being done...dudes on here said
>Timmay needed to retire several seasons ago but it was as if
>he found his fountain of youth and went on to make
>all-star/all-nba teams...

Big Dummy, Tim was All-NBA/All-Star when Richard Jefferson was on the Spurs. Spurs underachieved in the playoffs b/c Richard Jefferson came up small. Jefferson is the most hated Ex-Spurs for a good reason.

>how many all-star/all-nba teams has
>Kawhi made since he's the reason for the Spurs becoming a
>title contender again????

He only became the youngest Finals MVP since Magic & only the 3rd player beside Hakeem/Jordan to win DPOY on top of it. He is the best perimeter defender in the league & All-NBA Defense 1st team. He hasn't been All-NBA b/c he has been injured a lot in the regular season & is just entering his prime when the NBA is loaded w/ forwards.

>>He finished 2nd in the MVP to Bron who had a career year -
>so
>>until Kawhi can finish as the 2nd vote getter or wins the
>>award altogether then slow your role
>
>Tony Porker finished 6th in MVP voting during his best season
>(2012-13); Kawhi will finish 2nd & he is just entering his
>prime. #fail

You know why Parker finished 6th instead of 2nd where he was for most of season? Because of his ankle jnjury that dogged him throughout the postseason...he had to sit out for at lesst a month and that sealed his chances...but yet you're a so called Spurs fan
>
>
>>Danny Green has made the all-defense team


>
>Danny has NEVER made the All-NBA Defense team #fail

Everyone knew he got snubbed (he did get 18 votes) which is why he was upset
>
>
>>You don't understand that their turnaround was more abt
>Duncan
>>who ppl had written off as being done...dudes on here said
>>Timmay needed to retire several seasons ago but it was as if
>>he found his fountain of youth and went on to make
>>all-star/all-nba teams...
>
>Big Dummy, Tim was All-NBA/All-Star when Richard Jefferson was
>on the Spurs. Spurs underachieved in the playoffs b/c Richard
>Jefferson came up small. Jefferson is the most hated Ex-Spurs
>for a good reason.

It wasn't because of no Richard Jefferson lol - everyone had been writing the Spurs off as "old" and believed their window had closed and it was Duncan (and Parker who was considered by most to be the Spurs best from abt 2008-13) who stepped up his play when ppl thought be was headed for retirement. The Spurs becoming serious title contenders again had more to do w/those two than it did Leonard who just a good complimentary player his first 2 or 3 seasons...
>
>>how many all-star/all-nba teams has
>>Kawhi made since he's the reason for the Spurs becoming a
>>title contender again????
>
>He only became the youngest Finals MVP since Magic & only the
>3rd player beside Hakeem/Jordan to win DPOY on top of it. He
>is the best perimeter defender in the league & All-NBA Defense

Iggy was finals MVP and so was Chauncey - point being finals MVP isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be. Plenty of ppl thought Duncan (including me) thought he was just as worthy of being finals MVP as Leonard who as I said didn't really ball out like you're trying to imply

That series spoke to the Spurs TEAM BALL vs the Heat relying mostly on ONE GREAT player as imposed to Kawhi having some dominate series...


>1st team. He hasn't been All-NBA b/c he has been injured a lot

FOH - he hasn't made a 1st or 2nd All-NBA because he wasn't deserving it, period, end of story....just go look at his numbers for the first 4 seasons and you'll see why he wasn't on an All-NBA team lol

>in the regular season & is just entering his prime when the
>NBA is loaded w/ forwards.

The NBA currently has abt 5 elite SF smh
>

I need dude to have Bron's vision before we start going down that path....As is, the kid is a motherfucka....

>I need dude to have Bron's vision before we start going down
>that path....As is, the kid is a motherfucka....

He's no where near James' level. But the boy is damn good...

>He's no where near James' level. But the boy is damn good...

By what metric has Kawhi not been better than Bron this season? Ole' nostalgic ass muphuckas.

when Lebron's numbers were better

And I already know if the HEAT had WON that finals w/Lebron averaging 17.8ppg while Kawhi averaged 28ppg 7rpg 5apg 56% FG 52 3-PT FG % that you of all ppl WOULD NOT be saying Lebron outplayed Kawhi

You"re terrible

>>He's no where near James' level. But the boy is damn
>good...
>
>By what metric has Kawhi not been better than Bron this
>season? Ole' nostalgic ass muphuckas.

Dog...I'm a Bulls fan....I have no rooting interest in Bron....

And even I can see that u trolling on some Spurs super fan shit........

FILF is off to a great start with this cyse.

hola.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-oRaVv4DKQ

Kawhi a product of the Spurs system.

http://on.nba.com/1PFYVXr

>Kawhi a product of the Spurs system.

http://www.playmakeronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/983746675712343.jpg

also, Curry put up more assists and rebounds than GOAT.

>>Kawhi a product of the Spurs system.
>
>http://www.playmakeronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/983746675712343.jpg

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs/339048_o.gif

http://www.balldontstop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ai-billups.jpg

And it bums me out

nothing personal.

no

Pippen was more versatile (could check quicker/bigger guys better ala Draymond) but that will come w/ experience for Kawhi.

crazy that Kawhi is a top10 player today while Jimmer Freddette is in the D-League...and Jimmer got MWC player of the year over Kawhi.

Today Kawhi sets the bar on what a wing defender should be. his combo of wingspan, motor, patience is amazing.

I thought Kawhi shoulda won DPOY 2014, Draymond 2015

Kawhi won DPOY despite missing a bunch of games last season & he has only gotten better this season. If he slows down Curry then it a done deal in March.

Whiteside is my choice for DPoY this year

>Whiteside is my choice for DPoY this year

Kawhi had 3 shot rim out on him but he was 4-7 & scored 16. Outrebounded LeBron & had just as many assists even w/ Danny Green fuckin' up what should have been assists. Not to mention him getting hacked & not getting calls (at least twice: Kyrie reach/LeBron bump) while LeBron is getting to the line on BS calls (C-Webb called it out).

LeBron basically scored half of his point on switches & a fast break 3 in the 1st half but was suffocated 1-on-1 by Kawhi in the halfcourt sets.

https://espnfivethirtyeight.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/paine-shooters-1.png?w=575&h=815

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/kawhi-leonard-is-the-most-well-rounded-elite-shooter-since-larry-bird/

Among Kawhi Leonard’s many, varied talents is something relatively new this season: Without much warning, and in addition to his stellar defense and rebounding, the Spurs forward has become one of the most devastating 3-point shooters in the league.

Leonard currently ranks second among qualified players in 3-point accuracy, having knocked down a ridiculous 48.4 percent of his threes. Before this season, his career high had been 37.9 percent (on 2.8 threes per game) and his high for attempts per game was 3.0; this year, he’s taking 3.8 per game and shattering his career numbers. Merely putting a shooting threat of that magnitude on the floor can dramatically grease the wheels of offensive efficiency: Since 1997-98,1 teams whose regular lineups featured a guy hitting at least 45 percent of his threes scored 2.7 more points per 100 possessions than their peers. But Leonard is more than just a long-distance sniper.

On top of his range, he also rates among the league’s best defenders (his +3.4 defensive Box Plus/Minus is in the 97th percentile of NBA players) and scorers (95th percentile in points per 36 minutes), with above-average rebounding (69th percentile in rebound rate) and passing (57th percentile in assist rate) thrown in for good measure. Leonard’s all-around excellence this season has placed him squarely in the mix with Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James for the mantle of NBA’s Best Player™.

As my colleague Ben Morris wrote last month, Curry has emerged as the face of the 3-point revolution sweeping across the league in recent seasons. Along those lines, you might also expect that Leonard is ushering in a new era of great shooters who also excel in other facets of the game — a sort of apex predator among the 3-and-D genus. But Leonard doesn’t symbolize some broader trend threatening to transform basketball, primarily because he’s far too unusual for anyone in today’s NBA to measure up.

The typical sharpshooter at the level of Leonard this season is, and always has been, limited in other areas. Going back to ’97-98 again, the average top-five-ranked shooter by 3-point percentage profiles as follows: a highly efficient scorer2 and solid passer who’s also in the bottom half of NBA players in usage rate, the bottom third in defensive BPM and close to the bottom quarter in rebound rate. So, by and large, these are not all-around dynamos — they’re in the game to shoot the lights out, and maybe do a little ball handling. Anything else is gravy, but outside the job description.

We should note that this profile isn’t really trending in a different direction over time. Leonard’s compatriots atop the 3-point percentage leaderboard this season are J.J. Redick, Omri Casspi and Jared Dudley — a trio not exactly known for superb all-around skills. Even Curry, who ranks fifth (absurdly, on more than twice as many 3-point attempts as anyone else in the same neighborhood accuracy-wise) is merely an OK rebounder and defender relative to the league. That Leonard rates so well in non-shooting categories is basically unheard of for a marksman of his caliber.

Well, unless you consider Larry Bird. In 1984-85, Bird hit 42.7 percent of his treys (good for second in basketball — and remember, the league shot 28.2 percent back then) while ranking in the 87th percentile in scoring efficiency, the 96th percentile in usage, the 87th percentile in assist rate, the 83rd percentile in rebound rate and the 94th percentile in defensive BPM. Maybe that defensive number is a bit of a stretch, the residue of estimated statistics in a pre-SportVU era, but Bird was also better defensively than he sometimes gets credit for. In any case, among top-five-ranked 3-point shooters in a season, Bird’s 1979-80, ’84-85 and ’85-86 seasons are the only ones remotely comparable to Leonard’s 2015-16 in terms of all-around versatility. Nobody else comes close.

That doesn’t mean Leonard is a perfect analogue for Bird, but it does underscore the rarity of his talent and the infrequency with which a world-class shooting stroke is packaged alongside other elite basketball skills. Perhaps most tantalizing of all, Leonard is only 24; he still has time to get even better.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CagBb21XEAAL-Vq.jpg

The Island of Kawhi: Leonard gives second wind to Spurs' dynasty

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/03/15/kawhi-leonard-spurs-tim-duncan-gregg-popovich-tony-parker-manu-ginobili

Leonard is NOT a system player

http://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_featured/beneath-the-surface/


BOW DOWN, BITCHES!!!

"He is the only star still rocking cornrows, an outdated tribute to Carmelo Anthony,"

Melo his idol! LMAO!


Oh and I like this link in the article too: Basketball genius of Dirk
http://www.si.com/nba/2016/03/10/dirk-nowitzki-dallas-mavericks-steve-nash-jason-terry

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

I knew about that well before this article & Kawhi's offensive moves are actually similar to FatMelo's which makes sense since they play the same position, are about the same size & have similar levels of athleticism. The difference is that Kawhi has a higher IQ, better motor, plays harder, is more in shape & isn't a ball hog meanwhile Boogie is dumber, has a worse motor, is lazier, fatter & even more of a ball hog.

>I knew about that well before this article & Kawhi's
>offensive moves are actually similar to FatMelo's which makes
>sense since they play the same position, are about the same
>size & have similar levels of athleticism. The difference is

so GOAT SF is actually similar to his idol Melo but instead you keep trying to link Melo to Boogie who isn't similar and is half a foot taller? yeah, you just mad.

>that Kawhi has a higher IQ, better motor, plays harder, is
>more in shape & isn't a ball hog

Carmelo: 4.2 assist/game (3rd among SF), 8.2 reb/game (2nd among SF)
GOAT SF: 2.5 assist/game (11th among SF), 6.8 reb/gm (6th among SF)

notes:

- "ball hog" Carmelo leads his team in assists, "GOAT SF" Kawhi is 5th on his team in asst despite leading team in usage & is tied for 11th among SF with noted playmaker Gallinari

- Kawhi has never averaged over 2.5 assists/game; Carmelo has never averaged less than 2.6 assists/game

- Kawhi is the same height but with bigger wingspan & longer reach with gigantor hands, is 7 years younger & more explosive, yet still can't rebound as well as "fat, lazy" 31 year old Melo coming off knee surgery

LOLGOATSFLOL

>>I knew about that well before this article & Kawhi's
>>offensive moves are actually similar to FatMelo's which
>makes
>>sense since they play the same position, are about the same
>>size & have similar levels of athleticism. The difference is
>
>so GOAT SF is actually similar to his idol Melo but instead
>you keep trying to link Melo to Boogie who isn't similar and
>is half a foot taller? yeah, you just mad.
>
>>that Kawhi has a higher IQ, better motor, plays harder, is
>>more in shape & isn't a ball hog
>
>Carmelo: 4.2 assist/game (3rd among SF), 8.2 reb/game (2nd
>among SF)
>GOAT SF: 2.5 assist/game (11th among SF), 6.8 reb/gm (6th
>among SF)
>
>notes:
>
>- "ball hog" Carmelo leads his team in assists, "GOAT SF"
>Kawhi is 5th on his team in asst despite leading team in usage
>& is tied for 11th among SF with noted playmaker Gallinari
>
>- Kawhi has never averaged over 2.5 assists/game; Carmelo has
>never averaged less than 2.6 assists/game
>
>- Kawhi is the same height but with bigger wingspan & longer
>reach with gigantor hands, is 7 years younger & more
>explosive, yet still can't rebound as well as "fat, lazy" 31
>year old Melo coming off knee surgery
>
> LOLGOATSFLOL
>
>

and i like kawhi

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24731304/video-kawhi-leonard-idolized-allen-iverson-carmelo-anthony-as-a-kid

Kawhi was Finals MVP/DPOY before he worked out w/ Melo during this past summer at Team USA camp, he just took scouting reports.

http://www.balldontstop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ai-billups.jpg

Has NEVER been done in the regular season or playoffs (http://bkref.com/tiny/6x16t) & it isn't even close since no one w/ those stat-line along a 20+ pts game made more than 2 threes:

-Playoffs: http://bkref.com/tiny/UYZ67
-Regular season: http://bkref.com/tiny/Jw1wE

Late pass on the DPOY: Playoffs have been boring & no champions league either so I didn't bother logging onto OKS.

Squid = GOAT SG!

>Squid = GOAT SG!

Meanwhile, I'm waiting for scoring machine Melo to average more points in a season than Jerry Stackhouse.

meanwhile I'm waiting for "Argentinian Jordan" Ginobili to average more points in a season than Larry Hughes.

>meanwhile I'm waiting for "Argentinian Jordan" Ginobili to
>average more points in a season than Larry Hughes.

Melo once led the league in usage & averaged less than 3 assists, meanwhile Manu is one of only eight players in HISTORY to have at least 2,500 points, 750 rebounds, 700 assists and 250 steals in the postseason.

>Melo once led the league in usage & averaged less than 3
>assists,

LOL - Kawhi has NEVER averaged 3 assists while Melo averages over 3 assists for his career, and Melo still had a higher AST% that year than Kawhi has ever had. In fact Melo's lowest ever AST% is greater than GOAT SF's highest ever AST%


meanwhile Manu is one of only eight players in
>HISTORY to have at least 2,500 points, 750 rebounds, 700
>assists and 250 steals in the postseason.

Increased minutes / small sample size

Steph

I'm not sure how that was thought to be valid in the OP

Bron

= 30K, 10K, 10K trajectory

Kwahi great

but Bron will set the bar.

.

https://twitter.com/AlecBNathan/status/726599517559218179

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/11090861/kawhi-leonard-trip-finals-mvp-dad

think i done hopped on that ka-whagon, fam

nice 'genda - and u got in EARLY

he gets 1 more chip + 1 more dpoy + if timmay retires + i think this may take off

*salutes*

>nice 'genda - and u got in EARLY

so not so much:

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2198668&mesg_id=2198668&page=2#2198671

Few players ever improve that much that quickly. Like, few players ever.

Kwahi the goat gets bounced in the 2nd round = crickets

if that was Bron = fry

if Timmay retires and this team, with Kwahi as the franchise, never ascends to the finals again

I think that will negate the goat claim.

His trajectory is quite impressive.

Kawhi was barely matched up against KD on EITHER end, Pop assigned Kawhi to check Russ & put Danny Green on KD. The only time Kawhi checked KD was once he got hot & it's impossible to slow him down when he's going nuclear.

On the other end, KD was hiding on Danny & occasionally checked Kawhi. Basically, KD didn't expend anywhere near the amount of energy Kawhi did on the defensive end. Russy's assignment was Tony, who ended up having flashback games throughout the series.

Even then, let's see how he fared:

-WestBrick: 25/6/10/2 (27 TOs / FG: 37% / TS: 47%)
-Kawhi: 23/7/3/2 (12 TOs / FG: 48% / TS: 55%)**Was primarily being guarded by Roberson who is a very good defender, actually that's his only asset**

http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2016-nba-western-conference-semifinals-thunder-vs-spurs.html

Gm 1 (Utter domination): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq8TIWVdqpE

Gm 2: Russ didn't score a single basket against Kawhi when OKC stole HCA but let's blame Kawhi's 7/18 night when Patty is air-balling a WIDE OPEN 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV9LRdSLHeQ

-Russ averaged 22 drive per 100 possession in the regular season & 1st rd but against Kawhi he averaged 2 drives per 100 possession in the first 2 games: (http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=15472072)

Gm 3 (Kawhi steals back HCA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl-EiA_0Z_4

Gm 4 (KD goes nuclear): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri0K5J1NtoI

Gm 5 (KD is MIA in the 4th but nobody talks about it b/c OKC won thanks to the refs & Tony missing 2 wide open jumpers along w/ a critical FT): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USrTrtM4t1o

Gm 6 (The game got out of hand when Pop subbed in Kyle Anderson for Kawhi late in the 1st quarter while the Spurs were up 2: "2:47 K. Anderson enters the game for K. Leonard 19-17"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbvpUWXQ_iA

Name me another player that had to check a high usage player like Russ for 40 minutes & dropped an efficient 23 essentially playing ISO ball against a solid defender like Roberson?

Let's see how Kirby fared when he had the Kawhi assignment:

2001 Finals:
-Kirby (2nd option & DIDN'T have to guard AI 48 minutes): 24/7/5/1 (18 TOs / FG: 41% / TS: 50%)
-AI aka Original WestBrick (didn't have KD / played 1 on 5): 35/5/3/2 (12 TOs / FG: 40% / TS: 48%)
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yob7Ov9-wW0

2004 Finals:
-Kirby (Wanna be 1st option): 22/2/4/1 (18 TOs / FG: 38% / TS: 45%)
-Rip: 21/5/4 (23 TOs / FG: 40% / TS: 50%)
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhN41MWk8EA

2008 Finals: (**Closest scenario to the OKC series since Kirby HAD to primarily guard Pierce & at times Ray since Ariza was injured**)
-MVP Kirby (Pau=LMA): 25/4/5/2 (23 TOs / FG: 40% / TS: 50%)
-Pierce: 21/4/6/1 (22 TOs / FG: 43% / TS: 58%)
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkXnQba6Phg

-Bron at 24 won 66 games & lost to none other than Dwight in the ECF while dogging the closeout game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71yVR0PyctM

-Pippen in his prime got outplayed by Penny & lost in the 2nd rd to the Magic even w/ Jorn on his squad.

BTW, remember 24 year old KD's 2013 2nd rd series against the same Tony Allen that Kawhi wrecked in the 1st rd:

"OKLAHOMA CITY — During the fourth quarter, Kevin Durant could often be found leaning over, grabbing his shorts. Yeah, the Oklahoma City Thunder's superstar was gassed — but the universally recognizable sign was unnecessary. Going into the final seconds, the stat sheet told the story: 5-for-20.

Even so, down two points in the final seconds Wednesday, there was never a question, who would take the last shot for Oklahoma City. On this night, given Durant's evident fatigue, maybe the outcome wasn't surprising, either.

After going 2-for-13 and scoring only five points beginning with the fourth quarter of Game 4, Durant's slump worsened. At times, he seemed frustrated — though he later denied it — by the combination of Memphis' defense and a shotmaker's sudden inability to make shots.
"I gave it all I had for my team," Durant said. "I left it all on the floor. I missed 16 shots, but I kept fighting and I kept being aggressive. That's all I can ask for."

But as his shots fell short, he passed up seeming opportunities. For long stretches Wednesday, the Thunder's best player disappeared. Durant's first attempt of the second half — another miss — came almost five minutes in, with Memphis up by 14. A moment later, Durant rebounded his own free throw miss and scored. Next trip downcourt, with a rare open transition 3-pointer, he threw up an air ball."

Kawhi will be great. Super great.

He's not going to be better than Lebron or Bird.
Ever.


----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

>He's not going to be better than Lebron or Bird.
>Ever.

He already passed up Melo in 2014 & would essentially be KD's equal if neither of 'em win a chip. If he wins an MVP then he's passing up Pippen.

If Bron wins another chip then it would be tough to pass him up.

Ever.

Stop.

----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

EVER.

So sit the fuck down, and hush.


----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

poor guy

>So sit the fuck down, and hush.

That's what Kawhi told your boy Born Ready: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM-8YJvtEAc

Kawhi nutted on both of 'em.

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2198668&mesg_id=2198668&page=2#2198671

If anything, the statement actually SUPPORTS my take about Kawhi's trajectory.

Ain't no different than Klay being light-years better Jimmy Butler offensively in 2013.

Meanwhile, y'all were arguing Melo was better player than Kawhi in 2016.

now you're all up in here fronting like you were the visionary who first saw greatness in Kawhi before anyone else. FOH you fake-ass phony.

>Meanwhile, y'all were arguing Melo was better player than
>Kawhi in 2016.

Nope, I just said that Melo scored more, grabbed more boards and dished more assists than Kawhi because I knew it would make you mad. Mission accomplished.

http://8points9seconds.com/2013/05/14/how-paul-george-is-containing-carmelo-anthony/

>now you're all up in here fronting like you were the
>visionary who first saw greatness in Kawhi before anyone else.
>FOH you fake-ass phony.

LMAO, someone has their panties in bunches. I'm waiting for the ORIGINAL take that said Kawhi was the best player in the league not named Curry before *I* made the poAst. Barkley throwing darts?

If you are going to claim Kawhi was better than PG in 2013 then you must also believe Kawhi hasn't improved exponentially in the past 3 seasons. If he didn't improve since 2013 like Melo then he wouldn't be anywhere near a top 5 player.

>Nope, I just said that Melo scored more, grabbed more boards
>and dished more assists than Kawhi because I knew it would
>make you mad. Mission accomplished.

If only I cared about empty stats like Melo stans.*yawn*

>>now you're all up in here fronting like you were the
>>visionary who first saw greatness in Kawhi before anyone
>else.
>>FOH you fake-ass phony.
>
>LMAO, someone has their panties in bunches. I'm waiting for
>the ORIGINAL take that said Kawhi was the best player in the
>league not named Curry before *I* made the poAst.

LMAO, someone's mad they got exposed for flip-flopping on their Kawhi take. you were the first person to equate Kawhi to Gerald Wallace before you were the first person (on OKP at least) to say Kawhi is the best player in the league besides Curry (congrats on being wrong about that too btw). that might be the greatest flip-flop of all time - impressive.

> Barkley
>throwing darts?

as opposed to you throwing darts? Chuck threw his darts first. cry.


>>Nope, I just said that Melo scored more, grabbed more boards
>>and dished more assists than Kawhi because I knew it would
>>make you mad. Mission accomplished.
>
>If only I cared about empty stats like Melo stans.*yawn*

If only Kawhi could score as many points, grab as many boards or dish as many assists as Melo.

>LMAO, someone's mad they got exposed for flip-flopping on
>their Kawhi take. you were the first person to equate Kawhi to
>Gerald Wallace before you were the first person (on OKP at
>least) to say Kawhi is the best player in the league besides
>Curry (congrats on being wrong about that too btw). that might
>be the greatest flip-flop of all time - impressive.

Kawhi in 2013 was Gerald Wallace status just like Jimmy Butler was Tony Allen status. Meanwhile, PG was an All-NBA performer.

>If only Kawhi could score as many points, grab as many boards
>or dish as many assists as Melo.

By his 5th season, Kawhi has score MORE points, grabbed MORE boards & dished out MORE assists in the Finals than Melo has in his 13 year career.

>Kawhi in 2013 was Gerald Wallace status just like Jimmy Butler
>was Tony Allen status. Meanwhile, PG was an All-NBA
>performer.

Kawhi in 2013 was 21 years old in his second year in the league. Gerald Wallace at 21: 2 ppg, 2 rpg, 36% FG


>By his 5th season, Kawhi has score MORE points, grabbed MORE
>boards & dished out MORE assists in the Finals than Melo has
>in his 13 year career.

By his 2nd season in 2013, Kawhi had scored more points, grabbed more boards & dished out more assists in the Finals than Paul George and Gerald Wallace have together in 20 seasons combined.

>Kawhi in 2013 was 21 years old in his second year in the
>league. Gerald Wallace at 21: 2 ppg, 2 rpg, 36% FG

Oh, I guess O_E was claiming Kawhi was Jerome Kersey in 2013

>By his 2nd season in 2013, Kawhi had scored more points,
>grabbed more boards & dished out more assists in the Finals
>than Paul George and Gerald Wallace have together in 20
>seasons combined.

That put them in good company right there w/ Melo.

>Oh, I guess O_E was claiming Kawhi was Jerome Kersey in 2013

Nah, O_E said he'd take Kawhi over PG, while you said PG is light-years better than Kawhi and equated him to Gerald Wallace. O_E won, you lost.


>That put them in good company right there w/ Melo.

PG is in good company with Melo © FILF

>Nah, O_E said he'd take Kawhi over PG, while you said PG is
>light-years better than Kawhi and equated him to Gerald
>Wallace. O_E won, you lost.

I lost when PG made the All-NBA team in 2012-13 when Kawhi was a solid role player.

>PG is in good company with Melo © FILF

In 2013-14, PG made the All-NBA team over Melo who supposedly had his best year that season, LMAO! #emptystats

PG was in good company w/ Melo in 2012-13 then passed him up in 2013-14: http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/10009335/carmelo-anthony-surpassed-paul-george-means-new-york-knicks-beat-miami-heat-indiana-pacers-playoffs

If you want to live in the past like Big O & 'em then go ahead; whatever makes you feel better.

>In 2013-14, PG made the All-NBA team over Melo who supposedly
>had his best year that season, LMAO! #emptystats

supposedly according to who? Melo was 3rd in MVP voting the year before when he won the scoring title and made 2nd team All-NBA. Meanwhile Paul "conducive to winning" George has never made 2nd team All-NBA and has only gotten MVP votes once in 2014 when he placed 9th right behind Al Jefferson, LMAO! #DatQuil


>If you want to live in the past like Big O & 'em then go
>ahead; whatever makes you feel better.

http://oi63.tinypic.com/281ebdy.jpg

>supposedly according to who? Melo was 3rd in MVP voting the
>year before when he won the scoring title and made 2nd team
>All-NBA.

You mean when FatMelo got a fraud 1st place MVP vote b/c he plays in New Yuck: http://40.media.tumblr.com/20a487a7e8385a5c7f98f6b940bcde50/tumblr_mn9dgx0Isi1rvn2ylo1_1280.jpg

>Meanwhile Paul "conducive to winning" George has
>never made 2nd team All-NBA and has only gotten MVP votes once
>in 2014 when he placed 9th right behind Al Jefferson, LMAO!
>#DatQuil

Except PG was the only wing player to make the All-NBA Defense 1st team along with any of the All-NBA teams. He was essentially the best two-way player not named LeBron.

>http://oi63.tinypic.com/281ebdy.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/13/79/7f/13797fcdd9835272b8da97917bab4547.jpg

>You mean when FatMelo got a fraud 1st place MVP vote b/c he
>plays in New Yuck:
>http://40.media.tumblr.com/20a487a7e8385a5c7f98f6b940bcde50/tumblr_mn9dgx0Isi1rvn2ylo1_1280.jpg

https://d13csqd2kn0ewr.cloudfront.net/uploads/image/file/28607/cropped_faried.gif

nice pic of PG standing around watching Bron get to the rim for an uncontested layup btw - LOL

and that 1st place vote was irrelevant besides making you mad: Melo placed 3rd because he got the most 3rd place votes + second most 2nd place votes, getting a total of 68 top 3 votes. Meanwhile NyQuil has NEVER gotten a 1st or 2nd place MVP vote and had a single 3rd place vote while placing 9th overall behind Al Jefferson.


>https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/13/79/7f/13797fcdd9835272b8da97917bab4547.jpg

https://vine.co/v/i2wxBAmPBnD

>Melo placed 3rd because he got the most 3rd place votes +
>second most 2nd place votes, getting a total of 68 top 3
>votes. Meanwhile NyQuil has NEVER gotten a 1st or 2nd place
>MVP vote and had a single 3rd place vote while placing 9th
>overall behind Al Jefferson.

PG locked up Melo & took his team to the ECF, something Knicks fans haven't experienced since Ewing left town.

>https://vine.co/v/i2wxBAmPBnD

https://vine.co/v/igXVK5uj1xu

>He already passed up Melo in 2014 & would essentially be KD's
>equal if neither of 'em win a chip. If he wins an MVP then
>he's passing up Pippen.

Durant has an MVP, 4 scoring titles and 5x first-team All-NBA, so no. Pippen 6 rings, 7x All-NBA (3x first team), 10x All-Defense (8x first team), Kawhi has to put in more of a body of work before he can pass Scottie.


>If Bron wins another chip then it would be tough to pass him
>up.

it's gonna be pretty tough to pass him with 2 rings and 4 MVPs as it is.

>Durant has an MVP, 4 scoring titles and 5x first-team All-NBA,
>so no.

Durant essentially has the AI resume & Kawhi is making the All-NBA 1st team over him this season.

>Pippen 6 rings, 7x All-NBA (3x first team), 10x
>All-Defense (8x first team), Kawhi has to put in more of a
>body of work before he can pass Scottie.

Pippen got outplayed by Horace Grant in a playoff series when he was at his PEAK. (That's the MAIN reason why the Bulls lost to the Magic)

He was also utterly outplayed by the opposing team's wing-man (Kemp) in the '96 Finals

His best claim to fame as the alpha is taking the Knicks to 7 games, the same Knicks that Reggie took to 7 with inferior teammates.

>it's gonna be pretty tough to pass him with 2 rings and 4 MVPs
>as it is.

Only if this never happened: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRzh2f-OiD4/VBy_Ot6FJFI/AAAAAAAAAXo/GnJrPRgtMiM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-09-19%2Bat%2B7.41.21%2BPM.png

>Durant essentially has the AI resume & Kawhi is making the
>All-NBA 1st team over him this season.

Lulz, Durant is one of the most efficient scoring champs ever and deserved his MVP, AI is the least efficient scoring champ ever and didn't deserve his MVP. And Kawhi making 1st team All-NBA this year will still leave him 4 behind Durant.


>Pippen got outplayed by Horace Grant in a playoff series when
>he was at his PEAK. (That's the MAIN reason why the Bulls lost
>to the Magic)
>
>He was also utterly outplayed by the opposing team's wing-man
>(Kemp) in the '96 Finals

Chicago lost because Orlando was the better team with young stud Shaq, prime Penny, and Dennis Scott + Nick Anderson shooting 3's like the 90's Splash Brothers.

And Kemp played power forward and matched up with Rodman in the Finals you dunce.


>His best claim to fame as the alpha is taking the Knicks to 7
>games, the same Knicks that Reggie took to 7 with inferior
>teammates.

Kawhi's claim to fame as the alpha is getting blown off the floor by Kevin "AI resume" Durant in the conference semis, joining the 2007 Mavs and 2009 Cavs as the only teams with 65+ wins to not make the Finals since the merger.


>>it's gonna be pretty tough to pass him with 2 rings and 4
>MVPs
>>as it is.
>
>Only if this never happened:
>http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRzh2f-OiD4/VBy_Ot6FJFI/AAAAAAAAAXo/GnJrPRgtMiM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-09-19%2Bat%2B7.41.21%2BPM.png

https://twitter.com/anthonyvslater/status/729519827514056704

>Lulz, Durant is one of the most efficient scoring champs ever
>and deserved his MVP, AI is the least efficient scoring champ
>ever and didn't deserve his MVP. And Kawhi making 1st team
>All-NBA this year will still leave him 4 behind Durant.

AI is the only reason the 2001 Lakers had a blemish on their postseason record & he outplayed Kobrick while playing 1-on-5. KD meanwhile kept disappearing in crunch-time against Bron in the 2012 Finals after seeming unstoppable before the game was on the line. (It's pretty obvious Bron is in KD's head just like Kawhi is in Bron's head)

In his MVP season, KD was also MIA when 38 year old Timmay was taking over the game in OT on his homecourt: https://youtu.be/yNGkYsMYKhE?t=446

What about the 2013 playoffs, when he looked miserable when he had to carry the offense like AI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdcUrXCX8yE

>Chicago lost because Orlando was the better team with young
>stud Shaq, prime Penny, and Dennis Scott + Nick Anderson
>shooting 3's like the 90's Splash Brothers.

Bulls lost b/c Jorn couldn't carry Pip to the conference finals ala 1996. Pippen shot 2-11 & scored 7 pts when they lost Gm 1 by 3 but Jorn got blamed for the turnover. Then shot 4-13 & scored 10 pt in Gm 5 when they lost by 8. If Horace Grant was still on the Bulls they still would have won even w/ Pip wetting the bed.

>And Kemp played power forward and matched up with Rodman in
>the Finals you dunce.

Duh! I'm aware of that but wing-man Pip was atrocious against Schrempf while Kemp was dominating Rodman. Even then Rodman redeemed himself by collecting Pippen/Jorn's bricks on the other end. Feel wanted to trade Pip for Kemp after that series for a good reason. (Pippen was the ultimate beta superstar of his generation)

>Kawhi's claim to fame as the alpha is getting blown off the
>floor by Kevin "AI resume" Durant in the conference semis,
>joining the 2007 Mavs and 2009 Cavs as the only teams with 65+
>wins to not make the Finals since the merger.

I'm pretty sure Kawhi came up small like Dork against HOFer Stephen Jackson or mailed in games like Bron. Last I checked, he outplayed the same dude that's currently clowning on Curry & the 73 win Duds: http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2506339&mesg_id=2506339&page=#2538640

>https://twitter.com/anthonyvslater/status/729519827514056704

Oh, we're going to cherry-pick the game where KD went nuclear while hiding on Danny Green but Kawhi was being asked to carry the offense while also checking WestBrick? If anything, Kawhi wasn't afraid to try instead of playing hot potatoes like Softridge.

Where was KD in the 4th quarter of Gm 5 when his season was on the line? (He should thank Russy for his hero-shots & not shrinking unlike LaMarcus "2-11" Softridge or throwing up bricks like Tony Porker)

.;)

>AI is the only reason the 2001 Lakers had a blemish on their
>postseason record & he outplayed Kobrick while playing 1-on-5.

And Shaq proceeded to crush Iverson and the Sixers like bugs sweeping the next 4 games cruising to an easy 4-1 series victory.

>KD meanwhile kept disappearing in crunch-time against Bron in
>the 2012 Finals after seeming unstoppable before the game was
>on the line. (It's pretty obvious Bron is in KD's head just
>like Kawhi is in Bron's head)

what does the 2012 Finals have to do with the 2014 MVP race you schmuck?


>In his MVP season, KD was also MIA when 38 year old Timmay was
>taking over the game in OT on his homecourt:
>https://youtu.be/yNGkYsMYKhE?t=446

and in his MVP runner-up GOAT SF trajectory season, Kawhi was MIA when "AI resume" Durant was taking over the game in the 4th quarter:
https://twitter.com/anthonyvslater/status/729519827514056704


>Bulls lost b/c Jorn couldn't carry Pip to the conference
>finals ala 1996. Pippen shot 2-11 & scored 7 pts when they
>lost Gm 1 by 3 but Jorn got blamed for the turnover. Then shot
>4-13 & scored 10 pt in Gm 5 when they lost by 8. If Horace
>Grant was still on the Bulls they still would have won even w/
>Pip wetting the bed.

Bulls lost because Orlando was the best team in the East that year with the #1 offense in the league w/ scoring champ Shaq, 1st-team All-NBA PG Penny, All-Defensive team PF Grant, and 3 point snipers Scott and Anderson on the wing. Bulls were the 5th seed with #45 Jordon still rusty coming back from missing almost 2 years of bball, and with a hole at PF a year between losing Grant and getting Rodman, so even sans MJ it was not the same personnel from either Bulls 3-peat run.

oh and in Game 6:

Pippen: 26/12/6, 8-15 FG
Grant: 6/6/3, 2-8 FG
Jordan: 24 pts on 8-19 FG, 6 TO

so FOH.


>>And Kemp played power forward and matched up with Rodman in
>>the Finals you dunce.
>
>Duh! I'm aware of that but wing-man Pip was atrocious against
>Schrempf while Kemp was dominating Rodman.

hey fuckface, this is what you said:

"He was also utterly outplayed by the opposing team's wing-man (Kemp) in the '96 Finals"

stop lying trying to weasel your way out of being wrong, liar.


>I'm pretty sure Kawhi came up small like Dork against HOFer
>Stephen Jackson or mailed in games like Bron. Last I checked,
>he outplayed the same dude that's currently clowning on Curry
>& the 73 win Duds:

Are you on drugs? Durant outscored Kawhi 101-69 over the last 3 games while outshooting him 49% to 44% as the Spurs squandered a 2-1 series lead, losing the last 3 games with Kawhi getting badly outplayed by Durant in games 4 and 6 (KD 37pts vs Kawhi 22 on 9-23)


>Oh, we're going to cherry-pick the game where KD went nuclear
>while hiding on Danny Green but Kawhi was being asked to carry
>the offense while also checking WestBrick? If anything, Kawhi
>wasn't afraid to try instead of playing hot potatoes like
>Softridge.

motherfucker YOU are the last person on earth to be talking about cherry-picking. and KD guarded Kawhi in the 4th quarter dummy.


>Where was KD in the 4th quarter of Gm 5 when his season was on
>the line? (He should thank Russy for his hero-shots & not
>shrinking unlike LaMarcus "2-11" Softridge or throwing up
>bricks like Tony Porker)

talk about cherry-picking, not to mention series was tied 2-2 so his season wasn't on the line. meanwhile where was Kawhi when his season actually was on the line facing elimination in game 6 shooting 9-23 getting outscored by Durant 37-22? KD outplayed GOAT SF in the series. Cry about it.

>And Shaq proceeded to crush Iverson and the Sixers like bugs
>sweeping the next 4 games cruising to an easy 4-1 series
>victory.

In that case, the Spurs mopped the floor w/ LeBron in the 2007 Finals w/ him shooting 35% & that's not even his worst Finals series. Shall I continues....

>what does the 2012 Finals have to do with the 2014 MVP race
>you schmuck?

This guy called LeBron that went head-to-head w/ Kawhi/KD on BOTH ends. Both the '12'/'14 series were tied 1-1, Kawhi outplayed Bron for the final 3 games while KD wilted like a bitch.

>and in his MVP runner-up GOAT SF trajectory season, Kawhi was
>MIA when "AI resume" Durant was taking over the game in the
>4th quarter:
>https://twitter.com/anthonyvslater/status/729519827514056704

Last I checked it wasn't a one game series otherwise Durant EASILY had the worst game of the playoffs when he shot 7-33 & committed 7 turnovers in Gm 2 loss to the Mavs.

>Bulls lost because Orlando was the best team in the East that
>year with the #1 offense in the league w/ scoring champ Shaq,
>1st-team All-NBA PG Penny, All-Defensive team PF Grant, and 3
>point snipers Scott and Anderson on the wing. Bulls were the
>5th seed with #45 Jordon still rusty coming back from missing
>almost 2 years of bball, and with a hole at PF a year between
>losing Grant and getting Rodman, so even sans MJ it was not
>the same personnel from either Bulls 3-peat run.

Despite how good the Magic were offensively, the Bulls would have won the series had Pippen not wet the bed in GM 1/5. Can't blame Jorn for not being in PEAK form since dude was smoking cigar & chewing tobacco until February. Pippen couldn't even play up to his standard, let alone pick up the slack when he was supposed to be at the PEAK of his prime.

>oh and in Game 6:
>
>Pippen: 26/12/6, 8-15 FG
>Grant: 6/6/3, 2-8 FG
>Jordan: 24 pts on 8-19 FG, 6 TO

OMG, he outplayed Horace in ONE game!

>"He was also utterly outplayed by the opposing team's wing-man
>(Kemp) in the '96 Finals"

It was Pippen/Jorn vs. Kemp/GP, Jordan/GP were the alphas & Pippen/Kemp were the wing-men. Kemp actually had a tougher matchup considering he was being guarded by Rodman while Pippen was being checked by Schrempf.

>Are you on drugs? Durant outscored Kawhi 101-69 over the last
>3 games while outshooting him 49% to 44% as the Spurs
>squandered a 2-1 series lead, losing the last 3 games with
>Kawhi getting badly outplayed by Durant in games 4 and 6 (KD
>37pts vs Kawhi 22 on 9-23)

KD was tasked w/ mainly getting buckets, Kawhi's job was to guard WestBrick & also get buckets on top of it. Kawhi had one bad shooting night (7-19) in a competitive game (Gm 4) where he held WestBrick to 5-18 shooting. Gm 6 got out of hand when *he went to the bench* in the 1st quarter & he resorted to jacking up shots trying to shoot the team back into the game thereafter.

>motherfucker YOU are the last person on earth to be talking
>about cherry-picking. and KD guarded Kawhi in the 4th quarter
>dummy.

KD guarded Kawhi when Roberson was out of the game which WASN'T the entire 4th quarter. That's like claiming Boris Diaw guarded LeBron in the Finals when he only did it in spurts while Kawhi was on the bench.

>talk about cherry-picking, not to mention series was tied 2-2
>so his season wasn't on the line. meanwhile where was Kawhi
>when his season actually was on the line facing elimination in
>game 6 shooting 9-23 getting outscored by Durant 37-22? KD
>outplayed GOAT SF in the series. Cry about it.

The Spurs were up 19-17 at the 2 minute mark of the 1st quarter then Kawhi went to the bench & OKC IMMEDIATELY went on a 10-0 run from which the Spurs never recovered.

Who is to blame?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmZzRle_wMo

again, this thread could have had life if that was the initial comparison

as I remember, Bron won a chip vs OKC

Let me know who he was guarding

But keep it to a paragraph or less.

>again, this thread could have had life if that was the
>initial comparison
>
>as I remember, Bron won a chip vs OKC
>
>Let me know who he was guarding
>
>But keep it to a paragraph or less.

BTW, Kawhi was on that SA team.

if Bron flamed out in the 2nd round, he'd be fried

sheeeeeiiiittt, mfers fried him for losing in the finals

why is nobody cooking Kawhi?

>BTW, Kawhi was on that SA team.

Kawhi was a RAW 2nd year player who averaged 14/11 (TS: 58%) in the Finals & was the 2nd best player on the team in Gm 6-7. He also guarded Bron better than anyone: LeBron had a TS of 64% during the regular season, had a TS of 56% in the ECF against PG but only had a TS of 52% in the Finals.

For comparison's sake, Mr. All-NBA 3rd Team Klay averaged 15/4 (TS: 50%) in last season's Finals while matched up against JR Smith.

>if Bron flamed out in the 2nd round, he'd be fried

If Bron played in the Western Conference he would only have been in the Finals twice. Besides, MVP Bron quit on his team when Dwight sonned the 66 win Cavs in the 2nd rd of the '09 playoffs.

>sheeeeeiiiittt, mfers fried him for losing in the finals

He choked in 2011 & muphucka should thank Ray/Manu/Pop for saving him from an epic "Tragic Johnson" moment after he threw the ball away TWICE at the end of regulation in Gm 6. Folks forget the Heat were HEAVY favorites in that series & it would have been a HUGE upset had the Spurs been able to secure a defensive rebound.

>why is nobody cooking Kawhi?

B/C he hasn't even reached his peak & is already a champion. I don't remember Kawhi choking in a series or quitting on his team, actually he elevates his play in the postseason.

-Series was tied 1-1 & 22 year old Kawhi outplayed PEAK Bron on his homecourt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJkrf54o9Fk
-Gms 3-5: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eRzh2f-OiD4/VBy_Ot6FJFI/AAAAAAAAAXo/GnJrPRgtMiM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-09-19%2Bat%2B7.41.21%2BPM.png
-Captain Clutch: http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/dam/assets/141025212656-20141025-nba-rising-kawhi-leonard-00002527.1200x672.jpg

again, that's the f'n point

he lost in the ECF

putting up 38/8/8

and you're still frying him in 2016 for it

= "MVP Bron quit on his team when Dwight sonned the 66 win Cavs in the 2nd rd of the '09 playoffs"

Kawhi goes night night round 2 = crickets

yes, he's young

but that didn't stop the dogpile on Bron

BTW, the quit on his team meme was the previous year vs BOS

26/6/7 = Kawhi still ain't do that at the same age.

Bron had a terrible game 1 in that series = he quit

still came out and dumped 45 in game 7

Kawhi disappears regularly, I think he had a 14 pt game in the OKC series

?

putting up 13 and 12 with a 3-2 lead?

the SA HOFers couldn't 'save' him?

again, the continued Bron fryers are the point

Kawhi supposedly on the goat sf trajectory

but isn't being held to the same standard as Bron

why?

you're trying to cook off of a finals L

Kawhi been bounced in the first and 2nd rounds since his coronation

= crickets

talk about it.

>putting up 13 and 12 with a 3-2 lead?

Again, if you watched the series you would understand that Doc doubled Kawhi w/ Blake after he toarched Barnes for the first 4 games & that strategy worked b/c Diaw couldn't hit a jumper to save his life. "L.A. coach Doc Rivers sent a double-team at Leonard almost every time he touched the ball on the block. It is a strategy borne of respect, meant to get the ball out of Leonard’s large hands."

Kawhi started forcing low percentage shots out of frustration, which isn't his game. The Spurs lost that series b/c Tony Parker had one of the worse playoff series by a starting point guard in NBA history while CP3 was playing at an elite level.

>the SA HOFers couldn't 'save' him?

The only HOFer that showed up was Tim, Tony/Manu were terrible. Besides, the other starters (Splitter/Danny Green) were MIA.

>again, the continued Bron fryers are the point
>
>Kawhi supposedly on the goat sf trajectory
>
>but isn't being held to the same standard as Bron

Did anybody fry Bron when he shot 35% & got swept by the Spurs in the '07 Finals after getting out of a weak Leastern Conference? Kawhi is essentially where Bron was pre-2008 when he wasn't a lock for 1st Team All-NBA.

Due to his Duncanesque public profile, he won't really get as much credit for his successes or as much flack for his shortcomings as some other players do for theirs. Double-edged sword.

Agendas aside, the answer to the question of why Kawhi isn't getting fried "like LeBron would" is obvious. The actual chronology is that people didn't REALLY fry LeBron until the 2010 loss to Boston (at least: many people waited till 2011). That was his 7th season. At that point LeBron was 0-1 in the Finals. And for two straight years he had won the MVP for leading his team to the best record in the league, only to get upset before reaching the Finals (whereupon many people immediately argued that his team wasn't very good in the first place so their failure to reach the Finals wasn't an underachievement). Whereas today Kawhi just finished his 5th season. In terms of playoff success, he already has a ring and a Finals MVP. In terms of his individual profile, he wasn't labeled the Chosen One on SI's cover as a high school player, he didn't win ROY, and he hasn't won MVP -- and his personality / public image is Duncanesque.

So basically Kawhi has fewer years in the league, greater previous playoff success (incl ring + Finals MVP), and lower initial and current individual expectations than LeBron had when he was first really fried.

There has never been a player in NBA history (rookies excluded) that went from not EVER being an All-Star to 1st Team All-NBA in a matter of a season. He basically has the sharpest trajectory of anyone that has finished top 2 in MVP voting & Curry is the only one that comes close.

He has the 8th highest WS/48 of anyone 24 & under in NBA HISTORY: http://bkref.com/tiny/monna

Is the only player 24 & under w/ a 50/87/44 line in NBA HISTORY: http://bkref.com/tiny/Mfb8s

Is the only player in NBA HISTORY to post a defensive rating of 96 & an offensive rating of at least 121 (min. 30 MPG): http://bkref.com/tiny/D7NV6

>There has never been a player in NBA history (rookies
>excluded) that went from not EVER being an All-Star to 1st
>Team All-NBA in a matter of a season. He basically has the
>sharpest trajectory of anyone that has finished top 2 in MVP
>voting & Curry is the only one that comes close.

Yes there has, Penny did it in 1994-95, and placed 3rd in MVP voting in 1996 behind GOAT of GOATs MJ and reigning MVP Admiral (back when centers actually still won MVPs). And he did that all in his first 3 seasons, so he basically had a sharper trajectory than Kawhi. Penny = GOAT Trajectory PG!


>He has the 8th highest WS/48 of anyone 24 & under in NBA
>HISTORY: http://bkref.com/tiny/monna

Bron had the 3rd highest and Durant the 6th highest. So Kawhi is actually only in Top 3 All-Time Trajectory SF, maybe the GOAT (i.e. the AI resume of GOAT SF trajectories)


>Is the only player 24 & under w/ a 50/87/44 line in NBA
>HISTORY: http://bkref.com/tiny/Mfb8s
>
>Is the only player in NBA HISTORY to post a defensive rating
>of 96 & an offensive rating of at least 121 (min. 30 MPG):
>http://bkref.com/tiny/D7NV6

made-up cherry-picked stat lines.

>Yes there has, Penny did it in 1994-95, and placed 3rd in MVP
>voting in 1996 behind GOAT of GOATs MJ and reigning MVP
>Admiral (back when centers actually still won MVPs). And he
>did that all in his first 3 seasons, so he basically had a
>sharper trajectory than Kawhi. Penny = GOAT Trajectory PG!

Kawhi finished top 2 in MVP voting, made the All-NBA 1st Team & the All-Star team for the first time in ONE season. Besides, Penny NEVER made an All-NBA D team in his life. He also couldn't outplay AARP Clyde in the Finals when the "unstoppable" '95 Magic got swept.

>Bron had the 3rd highest and Durant the 6th highest. So Kawhi
>is actually only in Top 3 All-Time Trajectory SF, maybe the
>GOAT (i.e. the AI resume of GOAT SF trajectories)

Bron/KD were the #1 & #2 picks, talk about coming from the bottom.

>made-up cherry-picked stat lines.

That's exactly what Melostans say about analytics. Don't feel lonely Michael Wilbons has joined the crew: https://theundefeated.com/features/mission-impossible-african-americans-analytics/

>= "MVP Bron quit on his team when Dwight sonned the 66 win
>Cavs in the 2nd rd of the '09 playoffs"
>
>Kawhi goes night night round 2 = crickets
>
>yes, he's young
>
>but that didn't stop the dogpile on Bron
>BTW, the quit on his team meme was the previous year vs BOS

Thanks for remind me that Bron quit in back-to-back postseason when he was the back-to-back MVP.

``He quit,'' Gilbert said. ``Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar.''

On top of the 2010 Celtics series where he had ZERO field-goals in the 1st half of Gm 5, Bron didn't show up in the 2nd half of the '09 ECF after Dwight sonned the Cavs in the 1st half & put the Magic up by 18 at halftime.

"Gilbert also said he believes James quit on the Cavs in Game 6 of their series in 2009 against Orlando: "Go back and look at the tape,'' he said. ``How many shots did he take?''

The equivalent of this would have been Kawhi being MIA in the 2nd half of Gm 6 against OKC, instead he was the leading scorer in the 3rd quarter.

>26/6/7 = Kawhi still ain't do that at the same age.

Kawhi ain't back-to-back MVP Bron level yet but he ain't mailed in a playoff series.

>Kawhi disappears regularly, I think he had a 14 pt game in the
>OKC series

You mean the game where he held WestBrick scoreless when he was guarding him but the Spurs lost b/c Tim missed 5 point blank layups in the 1st quarter leading to transition buckets by WestBrick putting the Spurs in a 19-6 hole to start the game? The Spurs outscored OKC by 11 from that point on but Patty Mills went 0-6 in the 4th quarter including air-balling a potential game winner. Kawhi was the only starter w/ a positive +/- (+11).

him the goat SF yet. He is an exceptionally gifted two-way player who has shown tremendous growth over the past few years and is still very young. His career will be fun to watch.

My issue with Kawhi has been his inconsistency. Prior to this season, he never really led the team on offense like some were saying he did. His coming out party was the 2013 NBA Finals, but he was mia in the playoff series leading up to the Finals. Duncan was still the best player on that team. Last year, Kawhi came up short in a great series vs. the Clippers. In game 7, a 39 year old Duncan put up 27/11 while Kawhi put up 13/10. Against OKC, the Spurs needed him to really take over one of those games 4-6, and he played well, just not at a superstar level.

So in short, Kawhi has never really been held accountable to being truly consistent yet. Duncan has quietly bailed him out a lot. No shame in that since he's still young and being groomed. But, he's going to be under the spotlight and judged more critically if people are going to put him in elite category. Hopefully he's up to the challenge.

>Against OKC, the Spurs needed him to really take over
>one of those games 4-6, and he played well, just not at a
>superstar level.

He thoroughly outplayed KD & there isn't much you could do when WestBrick is making hero shots for 30 ft. He was 2-3 in the 4th quarter & lead the team in scoring while having to guard Russ on the other end. It was Softridge that was MIA in the biggest game of his career (3-12 in the 2nd half) & Tony lost the game by bricking two jumper plus a crucial FT. (Let's not even talk about the refs & their two missed calls in the final minute)

If you are asking why he didn't take more shot then you have to ask Pop/Tony & it didn't help OKC's game plan was to make Tony beat them in the 4th quarter. It was KD that was 1-4 in the 4th quarter & got bailed out by WestBrick's hero shots.

I'm not putting that on Kawhi. TP shit the bed - as did LMA. I think if Game 6 Duncan showed up, that game would have been a wrap. That's no fault of Duncan - that's more on Pop for not playing him more throughout the season.

In game 6 though, Kawhi shot horribly and that definitely had a trickle down effect on the team. He missed so many shots that he should have made and didn't start hitting his stride until the game was too far out of reach.

>I'm not putting that on Kawhi. TP shit the bed - as did LMA.
> I think if Game 6 Duncan showed up, that game would have been
>a wrap. That's no fault of Duncan - that's more on Pop for not
>playing him more throughout the season.

Again, it's not that Pop didn't play him more in the regular season but that his knee gave out to the point he couldn't make POINT BLANK layups (finishing at the rim had been a struggle for him since he injured his "good knee" in January). Tim was on some mind over matter steeze in Gm 6 but even then he missed four straight shots around the rim when OKC was making their run in the 2nd quarter.

Although, Pop should have had him coming off the bench to deal w/ Kanter (since he can still blockout w/o jumping) & played Diaw against Ibaka who just chills at the 3 point line. The Diaw/West frontline absolutely got slaughtered on the boards to the point that OKC was grabbing 75% their missed shots when Kanter/Adams were in the game against that frontline.

Here is a breakdown of the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw8x3H7hUyE

>In game 6 though, Kawhi shot horribly and that definitely had
>a trickle down effect on the team. He missed so many shots
>that he should have made and didn't start hitting his stride
>until the game was too far out of reach.

Actually, the game got out of hand when Pop subbed in Kyle Anderson for Kawhi (when freakin' KD was checking back into the game & Danny was already on the bench) at the end of the 1st quarter when the Spurs were up 19-17. The Spurs couldn't hit a shot while KD was having his way against Kyle.

In-game interview at the start of the 2nd quarter: "Pop, what happened there?" "Well after the first substitution, everything went to crap."

It didn't help that Kawhi checked back in & started jacking up heroball 3s instead of trying to chip at the lead but it was Pop's shitty rotation that completely shifted the momentum: https://twitter.com/JejeGomez_PtR/status/730231487988142080

young or just became an all star etc.

When you make comparisons like that you open him up to the criticism. If he's too young or whatever for all that criticism don't say stupid stuff like goat trajectory.

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2198668&mesg_id=2198668&page=2#2198671

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/211437/Kawhi-Leonard-Draws-Comparison-To-Gerald-Wallace

https://twitter.com/bball_ref/status/718112430287663105

http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/paul-george-named-2013-nba-all-defensive-second-team

http://8points9seconds.com/2013/05/24/paul-george-makes-all-nba-third-team/

>young or just became an all star etc.
>
>When you make comparisons like that you open him up to the
>criticism. If he's too young or whatever for all that
>criticism don't say stupid stuff like goat trajectory.

Maybe if you didn't take it out of context it would help. Y'all are trying to compare Kawhi's current career to LeBron's when they took different paths. LeBron was great from Day 1 while Kawhi is similar to Curry & is a late bloomer.

**My point is Kawhi's career will be better than LeBron's when it all said & done. **

Otherwise, are you going to compare Magic's career to Curry's career up to the age of 25 (5th season when he first became an All-Star/All-NBA) & argue Curry won't surpass Magic?

He was on Jimmy Butler's level last season.

https://media.giphy.com/media/11lqS5BcxmQJtC/giphy.gif

https://s31.postimg.org/i49wholhn/bron_violin.jpg

And i say that as a Laker fan who is definitely not rooting for this.

If Kawhi wins both DPOY/MVP this season, he will join Jorn/Hakeem on the exclusive list.

https://i.imgur.com/CSriGBF.gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8vXrUEs8wk