Bledsoe took 68 shots and 21 FTA and scored 61 points. Giannis did that?

Playoff defense did that.

If you have weaknesses they get exposed.

It’s obvious that Giannis can still improve, but to say his flaws lost them this series is a bad take simply put. Bledsoe was literal garbage, shooting like 20% from the field for the entire series, Middleton was lackluster and Mirotic was so bad he barely played towards the end of game 6.

The adjustments teams are making are not just to stop a single player and let all hell break loose everywhere else. Each players’s strengths and weaknesses are scouted to death and everyone is fully prepared to take away as much of everyone’s game as possible. You don’t get the space you normally get. The defenses are more physical. They take away you best locations and best plays etc… All your weaknesses are exposed in the playoffs. It’s a different game.

Bledsoe took 68 shots and 21 FTA and scored 61 points. Giannis did that?

Exactly. When the guy you just gave a 4yr $70M extension decides he wants to turn in a string of performances that bad, it’s kinda hard to say “THEY FIGURED OUT GIANNIS HE HAS THE GAME OF A COLLEGE SOPHOMORE.” Giannis will be back and he’ll be his All NBA self again. If those role players can’t hit shots, though, you gotta wonder if he signs that mega deal in Milwaukee.

i’m not sure how effective gasol will be in this series but he has played incredibly smart defense in the playoffs. the extra rest probably benefits kawhi more than any player save kd. og coming back will be useful since they’ll want to keep up their frantic defense as much as possible. most of the rest of their guys are useful at least, and their coach is excellent. draymond has been incredible in the playoffs but toronto’s defense is extra tough when they can ignore two shooters.

without kd i think it’s competitive but i think i like the raptors. the raptors come out as the 5th best defense but i think they are the best. to me kawhi really dogged it on D for most of the year and he’s right there with dray in the playoffs. gasol works better for them on that end than valunciunas and they don’t really have a single defensive soft spot in their rotation, except when serge gets temporary vertigo. warriors without kd are great but they are still not the 73-9 warriors.

If in three years Giannis has still never made a Finals and still has holes in his game then talk to me. Giannis is right now probably the 2nd or 3rd best player in the NBA. In two years if he isn’t the best I will be shocked.

Yeah, if we compare the Warriors of last season and this season, last season’s team was probably better right? And the Raptors this year are better than the Cavs they faced last season.

The Warriors tend to destroy role players on good teams, so I don’t expect much of Van Vleet, Ibaka or Powell, who were all important factors againt the Bucks. But Leonard is the best possible non-LeBron player they could be facing now, and Lowry, Siakam and Gasol were impactful through good stretches in the Milwaukee series.

I don’t think the Raptors really have a chance to win it all, but I don’t think it will be a sweep or a super easy series for the Warriors.