2014 Playoffs - Winners and Losers

[Grinder]

Grizzlies-Thunder
Winner - Tony Allen - It was tough to single out one player since it was a total team effort but the one guy that stood out to me was Allen. As usual, his numbers don’t blow you away but his activity and defense on Durant were key to Memphis’ win. You can’t shut down a guy like Kevin Durant, but you can make his life difficult and make him work for every point and Allen did just that. He made every catch a struggle, he refused to be screened, and anytime there was a 50-50 ball, he was all over it. Conley, Gasol, and Randolph are Memphis’ best players but I’ve felt that Allen is the heart of the “Grit ’n Grind” style of play.

Loser - Russell Westbrook - Look, I understand that other than Durant, the Thunder’s scoring options are limited and Westbrook is forced to take a lot of a shots. That being said, his ill advised jumpers during crucial parts of the game really let OKC down. Westbrook should not have the same number of shot attempts as Durant and he settled for some shots early in the shot clock which only served to take away from any momentum OKC was trying to generate. That dunk was great, however.

I turned on Clippers-Warriors on my DVR, skipped to the second quarter and saw that Hedo Turkoglu was making shots and decided the game wasn’t worth watching. Can you really pick one winner and one loser in a 40 point blowout?

Hawks - Pacers
Winner - Luis Scola - For a good while in the second quarter, it looked like the game was going to get away from the Pacers and they’d be staring down the barrel of a 0-2 deficit heading to Atlanta. Fortunately for them, Luis Scola didn’t get the memo and knocked down timely basket after basket to keep the Pacers within striking distance. Scola’s a gritty a competitor who’s shown that he can get it done in the playoffs and Vogel would be best served to play him more often in this series.

Loser - Roy Hibbert - Hibbert was once again rendered ineffective against the Hawks frontcourt tandem of Antic-Millsap. He refused to close out hard on shooters and the space he gave the ball handler also caused him to regularly get beaten off the dribble. He compounded his poor defense with an embarrassing array of misses around the rim. A guy 7’2” should not be missing the kinds of shots he did last night. He looks like a man without his mojo right now and unless he finds it soon, Indiana’s going to have issues.

I watched most of the Nets-Thunder game but I wasn’t paying close enough attention to give any sort of analysis. From what I saw, DeMar Derozan was immense down the stretch while Paul Pierce struggled to find the hoop until very late in the game.

Wizards-Bulls
Winner - Bradley Beal - I’ve watched these Wizards quite a lot in the past few years because of John Wall and an added plus to that has been seeing Bradley Beal develop into one of the better 2 guards in the NBA. Beal brought his best in the most important part of the game. It looked like the Bulls were going to sneak out the win but Beal’s timely baskets kept the pressure on the Bulls. I could have just as easily had John Wall, Trevor Ariza, or Nene as the winner for this game but Beal (barely) gets the nod.

Loser - Kirk Hinrich - Kirk can be a pesky defender but he stood no chance at containing Wall’s penetration and had trouble when matched up with Beal. His defensive problems were compounded by his struggles on the other end of the floor. Perimeter shooting is one of Hinrich’s strengths but his jumper just wasn’t working and he once again dribbled himself into trouble late in the shot clock. I can’t put the blame entirely on Hinrich however, as the Bulls are a limited offensive team, and he’s not a pure point guard. I think Thibs would be better served to start Augustin in the next game. He consistently creates off the pick and roll, spaces the floor better, and has a better shot at staying in front of Wall.

[Grinder]

Could you add all your Posts to the OP?

Btw Winner of last night should be, Randolph? Agreed?

They wouldn't fit in the OP because of the character limit.

Was waiting for this, IMHO the winner today of the thunder griz game should be the griz's teamwork. They were beast defensively, but what surprised me was how good their offense looke, new coach maybe?
Loser is either kd or Russ IMHO.
Didn't watch the other game

I tend to agree but I felt that the Grizz discovered the blueprint to this series in the third quarter of game 1 and the key to that was Tony Allen. Just making Durant work for every catch and not turning the ball over are the biggest components to the Grizzlies' success IMO and that starts with Allen and he executed what was asked of him to a T for the full 4 quarters in game 2.

We know Conley is reliable and will take care of the ball while Randolph and Gasol will pound the paint but against a team whose two biggest threats are perimeter players, Allen and Lee's importance becomes magnified.

[Random_Guy]

They wouldn't fit in the OP because of the character limit.



I tend to agree but I felt that the Grizz discovered the blueprint to this series in the third quarter of game 1 and the key to that was Tony Allen. Just making Durant work for every catch and not turning the ball over are the biggest components to the Grizzlies' success IMO and that starts with Allen and he executed what was asked of him to a T for the full 4 quarters in game 2.

We know Conley is reliable and will take care of the ball while Randolph and Gasol will pound the paint but against a team whose two biggest threats are perimeter players, Allen and Lee's importance becomes magnified.

Tony allen was incredible. The fact the he is much shorter than KD, and can prevent KD from even touching the ball in crunch time is just ****ing incredible. I agree with your perspective, and i give the winner of the day to allen. he shut KD down, and if not for that miraculous 4point shot there wouldnt be overtime.

[Grinder]

Bobcats-Heat
Winner - Lebron James - The Cats kept taking punches but refused to lay down but ultimately, Lebron's timely buckets kept them from ever really threatening to take the lead. Lebron was all over the place and stuffed the stat sheet as usual and iced the game with two clutch FTs.

Loser - Gary Neal - If Neal could have knocked down a few shots, the Bobcats may have had a legitimate chance at stealing this game. He's the Bobcats' designated scorer off the bench but he was off all night and couldn't find the basket when his team needed him.

I didn't watch the Spurs-Mavs game, so someone who watched the game can list their winner/loser.

Portland-Houston
Winner - LaMarcus Aldridge
Dwight Howard started the game off amazingly but Aldridge quietly kept pace with him and ultimately took over the game. Houston simply could not find a counter to his offensive prowess. Whether it was Jones, Asik, or Howard on him, Aldridge proved to be unstoppable on the night. Double teams did little to bother Aldridge as he drained jumpers from midrange, hit turnaround Js in the psot, and finished strong inside. It was a stunning performance but you've really got to question McHale's defensive schemes in this one.

Loser - James Harden
It was a tough choice for me between Kevin McHale's inept coaching and Harden, but ultimately I went with the beard. Not only did Harden struggle to score, his ball stopping, shot clocking draining ways completely killed Houston's offense and took away any chance they had at a comeback late in the game. It was a nightmare performance for him on both ends of the floor and he'll have to start driving to the hoop with some purpose and finding ways to get his teammates involved earlier in the shot clock if Houston is to have any hope of winning the series.

[Random_Guy]

damn this thread needs more posts and views!
the winner of the pacers hawk game goes to krover imho.
good stats, and that 4 was huge

[Grinder]

damn this thread needs more posts and views!
the winner of the pacers hawk game goes to krover imho.
good stats, and that 4 was huge

As long as it keeps the trolls out, I'm fine with it.

Yeah, Korver finding his shot was a huge x-factor and his team defense was excellent. While he doesn't have the ideal physical tools to be a lockdown defender, he's always been a willing defender and the way Budenholzer plays hides his weaknesses. So yes, Kyle Korver is the winner of the Hawks-Pacers game although I would give an honorable mention to Jeff Teague who was immense once again.

Loser - Roy Hibbert - I know it may seem harsh to list a guy who only played 19 minutes but he was so damn awful when he was on the court. Atlanta's style of play obviously takes away from Hibbert's defensive strengths but it shouldn't affect his offense the way it has. He's not rebounding, he's missing easy shots around the rim despite being at least 3 inches taller than his defender and in most cases 6-7 inches taller, and he's not blocking or altering any shots. Roy's stats through 3 games: 6 ppg/5 rpg/.7 apg/0 bpg, 2.3 TO - 28 FG%

Grizzlies-Thunder
Winner - Tony Allen - As usual, it was a team effort for the Grizzlies. Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Beno Udrih all played big roles but I don't see how I can give it to anyone but Tony Allen. I know he had that bad foul at the end of regulation but his energy on the court is contagious and he made even the most routine passes difficult for the Thunder. We've always known that he's an incredible defender but his offensive impact has been a turning point in the last two games for the Grizzlies. He's been getting into the lane and making excellent drop off passes that would make most of the point guards in the league proud. His finishing as always been suspect but it's been on point this series and he's also making great cuts off the ball.

Loser - Scott Brooks - Both Durant and Westbrook struggled last night but I can't put the blame entirely on them when they were forced to play with two guys that are inept offensively. What was the point of playing guys like Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones and Steven Adams in the regularly season if he had no intention of playing them in playoffs? Brooks' total lack of faith in younger players has lead to OKC trotting out lineups with an ancient Derek Fisher, an out of shape Caron Butler, and Kendrick Perkins. The cross matches he went with in the fourth quarter were also baffling and caused OKC to get beaten up the boards. If OKC doesn't make it out of this series, I don't think Brooks will be coaching them next season.

I watched the second half of the Warriors-Clippers game but after the excitement of Memphis-OKC, it was hard to pay close attention to it. From what I saw, Blake Griffin was excellent and had some really timely baskets to break the Warriors' momentum. I can't think of any one player that played particularly poorly.

For what it's worth, I thought Steph Curry was fouled multiple times on the last play of the game.

Player of the day - Tony Allen

[red1]

5 starred, great read as always

[Harison]

Good read

[Trollsmasher]

Best current thread

[ArbitraryWater]

Lol at avoiding Durant for Looser though... Why is it Westbrook in Game 2, then Brooks for Game 3?

Id easily have Russ as superior both games.. well not easily. But unlike Durant, he didnt get around 6 FT's in Game 3 that were a total product of ref whistles/calls, yet remained similar efficiency, while hitting all the big pressure shots... Both struggled on defense.

Otherwise, great stuff! Loving the Tony Allen Mention..

[salwan]

Great thread

[Random_Guy]

As long as it keeps the trolls out, I'm fine with it.

Yeah, Korver finding his shot was a huge x-factor and his team defense was excellent. While he doesn't have the ideal physical tools to be a lockdown defender, he's always been a willing defender and the way Budenholzer plays hides his weaknesses. So yes, Kyle Korver is the winner of the Hawks-Pacers game although I would give an honorable mention to Jeff Teague who was immense once again.

Loser - Roy Hibbert - I know it may seem harsh to list a guy who only played 19 minutes but he was so damn awful when he was on the court. Atlanta's style of play obviously takes away from Hibbert's defensive strengths but it shouldn't affect his offense the way it has. He's not rebounding, he's missing easy shots around the rim despite being at least 3 inches taller than his defender and in most cases 6-7 inches taller, and he's not blocking or altering any shots. Roy's stats through 3 games: 6 ppg/5 rpg/.7 apg/0 bpg, 2.3 TO - 28 FG%

Grizzlies-Thunder
Winner - Tony Allen - As usual, it was a team effort for the Grizzlies. Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Beno Udrih all played big roles but I don't see how I can give it to anyone but Tony Allen. I know he had that bad foul at the end of regulation but his energy on the court is contagious and he made even the most routine passes difficult for the Thunder. We've always known that he's an incredible defender but his offensive impact has been a turning point in the last two games for the Grizzlies. He's been getting into the lane and making excellent drop off passes that would make most of the point guards in the league proud. His finishing as always been suspect but it's been on point this series and he's also making great cuts off the ball.

Loser - Scott Brooks - Both Durant and Westbrook struggled last night but I can't put the blame entirely on them when they were forced to play with two guys that are inept offensively. What was the point of playing guys like Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones and Steven Adams in the regularly season if he had no intention of playing them in playoffs? Brooks' total lack of faith in younger players has lead to OKC trotting out lineups with an ancient Derek Fisher, an out of shape Caron Butler, and Kendrick Perkins. The cross matches he went with in the fourth quarter were also baffling and caused OKC to get beaten up the boards. If OKC doesn't make it out of this series, I don't think Brooks will be coaching them next season.

I watched the second half of the Warriors-Clippers game but after the excitement of Memphis-OKC, it was hard to pay close attention to it. From what I saw, Blake Griffin was excellent and had some really timely baskets to break the Warriors' momentum. I can't think of any one player that played particularly poorly.

For what it's worth, I thought Steph Curry was fouled multiple times on the last play of the game.

Player of the day - Tony Allen

Tony Allen

[Grinder]

I Missed a lot of games this weekend but the ones I did watch...

4/25 - Houston-Portland
Winner - Dwight Howard - The big man had his most complete game of the series coming through on both ends of the floor. He altered several shots around the rim, scored efficiently and did a better job boxing out rather than just going up for the rebound himself all the time. This allowed for a stronger team rebounding effort and in turn helped the Rockets get into their offense quicker and push in transition when the opportunity presented itself.

Loser - N/A - I can't think of one player that played particularly poorly. Harden got his points but was hugely inefficient, Jeremy Lin had some poor moments, and Aldridge had his least effective game of the series...yet almost everyone had their positive moments as well.

4/27 - OKC-Memphis
Winner - Reggie Jackson - On a night when both of OKC's stars had putrid games, Reggie Jackson came through in the biggest way with his team staring down the barrel of a 1-3 deficit. Jackson put on his best [good] Russell Westbrook impersonation and got into the lane at will, finished with authority, and drained some big shots from the perimeter. He also did a commendable job on the boards and played some solid defense. What a time have a career night.

Loser - Kevin Durant - It was a tough to choose between Durant and Westbrook. Both had their poorest games that I can think of in recent memory and coughed up the ball far too often. Ultimately I went with Durant because unfairly or not, when you're considered the leading candidate for MVP and a multiple time scoring champion, you're expected to shoulder more of the responsibility. KD missed so many routine shots and it ended up affecting his defense and ball handling. On several occasions, he tried to draw fouls and then didn't get back on defense in favor of complaining about the lack of call and his poor shooting also lead to tentative turnovers which become magnified in games as tight as these. Luckily for KD and Westbrook, Jackson's heroics will relieve some of the criticism that would have been directed at them had they lost this game.

4/28 - Portland - Houston
Winner - Lamarcus Aldridge - While LMA didn't put up stats as gaudy as his first two games in this series, he was a warrior throughout the course of the game. We all know that he's tremendously gifted offensively but I'm not used to seeing this kind of effort and toughness on the defensive end from him. He's been a solid rebounder for quite some time but I've felt that he's occasionally been soft defensively and has shied away from contact. This wasn't the case last night when he willingly banged with Dwight Howard and contested everything around the rim. With the small lineup that Portland employs, I'm struggling to think of a way to consistently stop this guy without giving up an open 3. With his play in this series, LMA is officially entering superstar territory to the average fan.

Loser - James Harden - I'd always liked Harden's game before he got to Houston but his ball stopping ways and total lack of defense are really becoming a detriment to the team. He came into this league as a willing and effective passer and a solid perimeter defender but you would never guess it based on his play in this series. He was a sieve defensively against whichever Portland wing he was matched up against, consistently being late on his defensive rotations and not closing out hard enough on shooters while being simultaneously nonchalant in his help defense. Winging it on the defensive end can be acceptable during the regular season but it gets exposed in the playoffs and it's been glaringly obvious with Harden in this series. Get it together James.


I also caught Golden State-Clippers on the DVR and I felt Steph Curry (obviously) and Draymond Green were excellent. Green's numbers won't stand out but his defense was so, so good and he's a great tool to have in keeping the offense flowing. If I had to pick a loser from this game, I'd say DeAndre Jordan was invisible, which simply can't happen when you're that tall and that athletic.

[Draz]

Good thread. Keep it up!

[ArbitraryWater]

Finally KD gets his Selection