Can someone remind the thunder the reg season means little(especially this year)

[lakerboy]

Only two number 1 seeds have won the title the last 15 years. Thanks for coming out OKC.

[BigDofBA]

So should they start trying to lose?

[Kadinni]

Wait you were bitching about superstars(rose) not playing and now youre bitching because Durant and Co try every game?

[Frisco]

You suggesting they go for the 2 seed? How many 3 seeds w/ a 33 yr old sg have won the title?

[lunchbawks]

crushing the lakers at staples must feel good. revenge game

[Frisco]

crushing the lakers at staples must feel good. revenge game

The Lakers will have a lot of revenge built up for the next time they play the Thunder lol

[PR9]

Only two number 1 seeds have won the title the last 15 years. Thanks for coming out OKC.

that's why I laugh my ass off when some moron bulls fan tries to say - "well we are the best team in the east because of the #1 seed in the conf"

yeah, how did that help you when you got your asses totally kicked in 4 straight to end the playoff series. lol

same thing will happen this year

playoff seedings mean jack. Playoff basketball is TOTALLY different,, there are a ton of factors involved.

Post-season basketball is an entirely different animal than regular-season basketball.

[lakerboy]

So should they start trying to lose?

no but smart teams dont get up for games like tonight( you even thought the thunder would lose tonight). bulls nor okc will be in the final. thats good enough for me.

[AntDaAZN]

Totally agree that the regular season doesn't mean much since the playoffs is such a different game, atmosphere, and intensity. However, seeing how young OKC is and how well they are doing the past couple of seasons and this year is just insane. I don't think any team in the West would want to face them come playoff time, they will run them out.

[lakerboy]

Totally agree that the regular season doesn't mean much since the playoffs is such a different game, atmosphere, and intensity. However, seeing how young OKC is and how well they are doing the past couple of seasons and this year is just insane. I don't think any team in the West would want to face them come playoff time, they will run them out.

thats not true. okc isnt as good as people think. the playoffs is a different animal. now before okc guys ask " well who in the west can beat them then" let me remind people that okc relies on two players mainly( albeit good ones). neither of those players are interior players. jump shooting wont get it done in the playoffs when perimeter defense becomes very tough. i cant tell you who will beat okc from the west but someone will. trust me.

[dement]

Good to see Fish get some nice shots.

[PR9]

Bulls showing tons of effort every night in this condensed season is starting to spill.

Notice how totally exhausted & beaten down they looked vs Portland at home, vs Denver, vs toronto -- out of those recent games barely beat TO in the final second, and lost the other 2 in home blowouts. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN TO THEM LAST YEAR.

I thought Thibs was stupid to rail on his team for lack of effort after the Denver game. This is a marathon, not a sprint. The Bulls came out very sluggish vs ATL before turning up top effort.

Last year in the playoffs you saw the Bulls struggle as soon as the playoffs started. They were beaten down mentally and physically from putting forth so much effort in the regular season. They were extremely lucky to win some of those games vs Indiana in the 1st round, that series should have gone 7.

In the playoffs intensity is matched. The Bulls are blowing their load in the regular season, in this "CONDENSED" season no less, and once again will be duped in the post season. Coach Thibs is an idiot

[lakerboy]

Bulls are another brain dead organization. So determined to get home court. How did that work out last year? They need to start on the road versus the heat with no pressure on. Its okay though they have "pretended " Rose is injured all year long.

[PR9]

Bulls = Total idiots to not realize that blowing your load in the regular season means an early exit in the post season.

you would've thought they'd figure it out by now after what happened last year, and especially in a condensed season playing 4, sometimes 5 games a week.... blowing their loads with high energy and effort every night in the regular season. lol

When the playoffs rolled around last year, other teams matched that high energy and effort, and the Bullshit Bulls looked very average .. and tired

As they will look the same, or worse, in this year's playoffs.

The Heat are smart. Because who really gives a shit about a lazy effort and a 15 point loss to Indiana in March when Game 1 of the ECF tips off ?! Not one person will be thinking about that March game, nobody will care at all about that March game when miami was on a b2b... no one will care about that game in the Conference Finals, at that all-important moment, for all the marbles.

Let the Bulls blow their load now when it doesn't matter.

PERFECT !!

[AntDaAZN]

Bulls is gonna run out of energy come playoff time and that's probably why D. Rose is resting right now (since like you said it's a condensed season). They are gonna get all the glory now, but of course once they blow it in the playoffs, no one is going to remember the regular season success at all. All they are going to remember is how they got knocked out in the playoffs.

[PR9]

It would not surprise me in the least to see the Bulls not even make the Conf finals. They could get ousted in the 1st or 2nd round.

Actually, depending on the matchup, and the more I think about it, there is a decent chance of that happening.

[jsmithj88]

a team like the celtics or knicks will definately cause the bulls problems in round 1

[GoBlue77]

It would not surprise me in the least to see the Bulls not even make the Conf finals. They could get ousted in the 1st or 2nd round.

Actually, depending on the matchup, and the more I think about it, there is a decent chance of that happening.

you are out of your frickin mind. maybe its the trendy thing to say, going against 'the team' to beat but nobody will keep the Bulls out of the ECF, not Indy, Boston or anybody. this team is focused beyond belief this year, having not lost 2 games in a row all season is not by accident.

lol at blowing their load in the reg season, you guys are pure comedy. yes, please fade the Bulls in the playoffs and see how profitable that is for you.

[face]

thunder is america's team

[Speedy88]

thunder is america's team

They are actually Seattle's team.

[BigBurk]

This is total bulshit.. So for them to have a chance on winning the title they shouldn't finish as the number 1 seed in the West? Get the **** outta here.

I agree they probably won't win the title as I feel Bulls and Heat are stronger franchises, but it clearly hasn't got anything to do with weather they finish 1st or 8th.

They will make the finals this year.

[BigDofBA]

no but smart teams dont get up for games like tonight( you even thought the thunder would lose tonight). bulls nor okc will be in the final. thats good enough for me.

Yeah. I was shocked they brought as much intensity as they did.

I think they are just young and don't know any better.

I hope they aren't peaking too soon.

[BigDofBA]

And just for a counter argument, didn't the Lakers win it as a 1 seed two years ago? Weren't the Lakers a one seeds the years Kobe and Shaq were winning titles?

I'm pretty sure most of those Jordan led bulls teams were #1 seeds as well.

[BigDofBA]

Ok, here is a stat that doesn't agree with this theory.

"Since 1980, the NBA championship has been won be one of the #1 seeds 22 times or 71% or the time."

The team with the best record has won 48% of the time.

[jdhender]

The more of these "big" regular season games Westbrook wins the more detrimental he becomes once playoffs come around. He'll f them again like he's done the past 2 seasons.

[BigDofBA]

The more of these "big" regular season games Westbrook wins the more detrimental he becomes once playoffs come around. He'll f them again like he's done the past 2 seasons.

The Thunder gave the eventual world champion Lakers all sorts of trouble two years ago as an 8 seed. Westbrook was 21.

Last year the Thunder made it to the conference finals where they lost to the eventual World Champions. Westbrook was 22.

How exactly has he been detrimental when the team has continued to get better and has progressed in the playoffs the past two seasons?

The two teams we lost to ended up winning the NBA title and the guys we were starting could barely get into bars.

Westbrook is growing up still. The dude is only 23 and him and Durant have after made it on the conference Finals.

[t-wizzle]

thats not true. okc isnt as good as people think. the playoffs is a different animal. now before okc guys ask " well who in the west can beat them then" let me remind people that okc relies on two players mainly( albeit good ones). neither of those players are interior players. jump shooting wont get it done in the playoffs when perimeter defense becomes very tough. i cant tell you who will beat okc from the west but someone will. trust me.

Great post right here bro. You hit it right on the head. Agree completely.

I think Lakers would beat them in a playoff series but that's just me.

[BigDofBA]

The Thunder have dominated the Lakers twice this season and almost beat them in the playoffs two years ago. What makes you think LA would beat OKC in the playoffs?

OKC has better players and a better coach.

I could see the Spurs beating us or possibly Memphis but not LA.

I'm pretty sure Dallas won it all
last year. Are they not a jump shooting team?

Durant and Westbrook can get to the rim. I don't know if I buy ino this notion that OKC is a jump shooting team only.

[Les_Nuts]

It would not surprise me in the least to see the Bulls not even make the Conf finals. They could get ousted in the 1st or 2nd round.

Actually, depending on the matchup, and the more I think about it, there is a decent chance of that happening.

I think you have gotten a bit carried away here. Can't see us losing to anyone but the heat in the east, and I am confident you will beat us in the ECF again

[killersweet]

no but smart teams dont get up for games like tonight( you even thought the thunder would lose tonight). bulls nor okc will be in the final. thats good enough for me.

So ur approach is that teams should play mind games during the regular season by not showing up for certain high profile games. Hmm, interesting theory. But I can’t imagine a coach telling a team, guys don’t play too hard tonight, cuz we don’t want to rile up the team that we may face in the playoffs. That would be a hard sell if u have a team with highly spirited competitors. </SPAN>

[You mad bro]

this thread was just another thread for someone to try and get attention

thats all

[BetterBizness]

They are winning in what looks to be fairly effortlessly with a nice bench... They don't expend much more energy than they have to... I think hands down this team is better then Miami who falls behind every game and has a terrible bench...

[BigDofBA]

I think it's good to win and I'm not sure how the regular season means little when a #1 seed has won the title 71% of the time since 1980.

That's 22 #1 seeds that have won in 30 years.

[lakerboy]

I think it's good to win and I'm not sure how the regular season means little when a #1 seed has won the title 71% of the time since 1980.

That's 22 #1 seeds that have won in 30 years.

i was talking about # 1 seeds out of the west.

[Pivotpoint]

So, I guess the team with the NBA's best record, coach of the year and proven ability to play through adversity, barely missing a beat with star players injured is in big trouble? Bulls aren't perfect, but they play great TEAM ball. Multiple role players, unselfish play and hard nosed defense will surely hurt them in the playoffs? All those minutes and confidence the "Bench Mob" is gaining will be a big negative when the playoffs start.

I guess these other teams will just flip a switch come playoff time. The Bulls hard work and focus will be meaningless. Spoelstra and Brown are awesome coaches. Home court and seeding means little. lmfao.