Do people actually believe OKC has a better supporting cast than last year?

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I am listening to Houston sports radio and they are debating with a caller on Westbrook vs Harden for MVP, and the caller states that Westbrook has a crap team, while Harden has significantly better talent around him.

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I think the real difference is the way each coach/team is using their available pieces. That and the remarkable health HOU has had, i think they've had the most or 2nd most(somewhere around there) least missed games.

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I nearly spit up my drink seeing as they decided to forget that Ibaka existed on that team the last years, but apparently he doesn't count as a big time player

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What are the big changes, no Ibaka, add Oladipo. What else? If that is the main ones, I'd say there hasn't been much change.

They lost Durant and swapped Ibaka for Vic. The cast around Russ was about the same for most of the year up until the trade that upgraded them on paper some. That doesn't mean they are world beater role players either though. Just not trash like some say

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I think the real difference is the way each coach/team is using their available pieces. That and the remarkable health HOU has had, i think they've had the most or 2nd most(somewhere around there) least missed games.

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Houston has gotten lucky on two key signings with getting a healthy Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson. That is a huge difference.

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What are the big changes, no Ibaka, add Oladipo. What else? If that is the main ones, I'd say there hasn't been much change.

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Minus Durant being the largest effect, losing
Ibaka for a middle of the road shooting guard is a net loss for them. Ibaka was by far a bigger impact player than Olidap is and was more key to their success by far.

So lose two of your best three players, replace them with a mediocre player, and somehow its a better returning cast according to the idiots.

They will say anything to prop up Harden and try and justify him being better when he's not.

Furthermore, they are still whining about the 2015 MVP race as if he was shafted royally by Curry getting it.

Curry: 23.8 pts, 4.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2 steals, 3.1 turnovers, in 32.7 minutes per game
* Set NBA 3 pointers record

Harden: 27.4 pts, 5.7 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.9 steals, 4 turnovers in 38.2 minutes per game
* Harder sets free throw attempts records


3 Things:

The fact is that Golden State was by far the best team in the regular season (not top 3-4), which makes a huge difference.

If Curry plays the Minutes Harden does (assuming he maintains his averages), he is better in every category, thus Harden shouldn't get the award because he got more time to log stats.

Setting a free throws taken record because you try to initiate contact every play to draw a foul is not as impressive in any way shape or form as setting an all-time 3 pointers made in a season record.

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Kanter oladipo Adams. Were all ranked higher on the Preseason player ranker than any CC player besides harden. And now it's 'harden has all the talent harden has too much talent' when preseason not too many were saying HOU would be better than OKC.

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My deal with OKC is the lack of progression with Adams and his offense. With Kanter it is his inability to play better defense. Oladipo is and has played as well as you are going to get out of another score first guard like Westbrook but is nothing of the all-around player Ariza is.

Harden will be the MVP and if he doesn't you can poo-poo the award as worthless. It really already is when you consider LeBron before this season was the MVP for YEARS and won few too many. Also, Shaq winning only 1 MVP is a joke too.

Luck? No harden deserves it because he's having arguably the best offensive season in the history of the league.

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Kanter oladipo Adams

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2 of the 3 has missed significant time.

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Westbrooks teammates are being crapped on in order to make his MVP case. And I feel terrible for them. 

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Oh shut the frick up

damn strong argument

j/s


Russ' efficiency is doing his squad NO favours.

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Geauxgurt

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What a terrible post.

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Minus Durant being the largest effect, losing Ibaka for a middle of the road shooting guard is a net loss for them. Ibaka was by far a bigger impact player than Olidap is and was more key to their success by far.

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They got Oladipo, Sabonis, and Illyasova for Ibaka. They flipped Illyasova for Jerami Grant.

That was a brilliant trade.

Ibaka had turned into an overpaid stretch 4. His tremendous help defense had been offset by teams using other stretch 4's to force him to guard the perimeter, and he doesn't have quick enough feet to stay in front of athletic 4s.

They were never going to re-sign him, because he simply isn't worth the money long term. Orlando figured that out pretty quickly and shipped him out to try to salvage something

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Exactly. Harden is great. And having one seriously great season. But all this shite about Vegas had em here and that team there is rediculous.

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IT doesn't make sense. I've said it for years fwiw, not just because it's HOU.

So the predictions were wrong and HOU won more than we thought. Ok, and what? That just means we were wrong, and they're better than they thought we are. There's nothing else to extrapolate from that, that's it, we were just wrong.