More surprising than the Toronto Raptors winning two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers is the fact that the Oklahoma City Thunder have built up a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
It's not as though we didn't think the Thunder could compete with, or even beat, the Warriors but the manner in which they've dismantled the defending champs thus far has been astonishing.
In Games 3 and 4, OKC outscored the Splash Bros & co. by a combined 52 points and the reigning MVP has looked more like an unrecruited guard out of Davidson College than the immortal marksman we have come to know, love and celebrate on a nightly basis.
While Curry has received hardly any criticism for his poor play in the Conference Finals (can you imagine if LeBron was playing this bad?) there are plenty of critics who are quietly enjoying the throttling that OKC has put on GSW.
They might not be parading around the streets of Oklahoma City if the Thunder advance to the NBA Finals tonight, but here are 5 guys who are secretly (some not so secretly) hoping that the Warriors lose game 5 tonight at Oracle Arena.
Tracy McGrady
Almost overnight, Tracy McGrady has become the disgruntled old man who downplays today's NBA and one of the games most celebrated stars, Stephen Curry.
When asked how he felt about Steph unanimously winning the NBA's MVP award, T-Mac asserted that it was only because the league is so watered down.
Of course, he later covered his tracks to say it was "well deserved" but you can still sense some animosity towards all of the glory that Steph has received.
Now you can agree with his claim that Steph has had much success thanks to a "watered down" NBA or not, but there's no doubt that T-Mac will be rooting for the Warriors to drop Game 5 tonight.
I picture him sitting on his couch tonight, in a pair of supremely baggy sweats, gripping a Bud Platinum, quietly fist pumping every time Russell Westbrook takes it to the rack or Kevin Durant picks Steph's pocket.
Oscar Robertson
Similar to Tracy McGrady, the Big O has devalued Steph Curry's, and the Warriors', offensive prowess.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Mike & Mike, Robertson credited all of GSW's success to a lack of intelligence by opposing coaches. Not because Steph is capable of shooting better than anyone who has ever played the game but because coaches simply don't understand how to guard him properly.
In Oscar's mind, opposing teams just need to extend their defense, maybe run a 3/4 press on the Warriors and bingo bango problem solved.
Easier said than done, Oscar.
"If I've got a guy who's great shooting the ball outside, don't you want to extend your defense out a little bit?" Robertson said. "I just don't think coaches today in basketball understand the game of basketball. They don't know anything about defenses. They don't know what people are doing on the court. They talk about analytical basketball and stuff like this."
"[Curry] has shot well because of what's going on in basketball today. In basketball today, it's almost like if you can dunk or make a three-point shot, you're the greatest thing since sliced bread...there have been some great shooters in the past...but here again, when I played...if you shot outside and hit it, the next time I'm going to be up on top of you. I'm going to pressure you with three-quarters, half-court defense. But now they don't do that. These coaches do not understand the game of basketball, as far as I'm concerned."
If Billy Donovan and the Thunder get it done tonight, Oscar Robertson will be the first one to say, "SEE, I TOLD YOU SO!"
[Via]
Cedric Ceballos
Former Phoenix Suns small forward, Cedric Ceballos, is one of the many guys who thinks his team from the 90s could beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. That's fine, that's what you'd expect those guys to say.
But it's not just that Ceballos thinks his 93-94 Suns could beat the Warriors, he thinks they'd beat them easily and he thinks they'd expose the reigning MVP.
"The warriors against our 93-94 team, with [Charles] Barkley, [Dan] Majerle, [Danny] Ainge, K.J. [Kevin Johnson], Tom Chambers. Don’t get me wrong. Draymond [Green]’s play is unbelievable, but he wouldn’t do anything with Charles Barkley. It would be so ridiculous with that guy would get done to him. If you don’t believe me, just ask everybody else at his size who tried to guard the guy back in the day. Then you go with KJ, who just made the final list for the Hall of Fame. Steph Curry, an unbelievable shooter, but [KJ] was a point guard’s nightmare because he was strong and loved to go to the basket. That’s one thing these teams do not do. They do not expose Steph Curry and the way he plays defense."
It's comical that so many of these retired players can't just sit back and appreciate how the players in the NBA have evolved and are constantly reverting back to their era when sheer size was such a dominating factor.
It's worth noting, the Suns team that Ceballos is referencing lost to the Houston Rockets in the Conference Finals but...
Stephen Jackson
For all of the people that have criticized Golden State's dominating run, and for all of the retired players who think they could've crushed the 73-9 Warriors in their day, the most bizzare claim comes from a former Warrior himself, Stephen Jackson.
Appearing on ESPN's "The Jump" back in February, Captain Jack told Rachel Nichols that his 2006-07 team (the #8 seed that upset the Mavs in round 1) could take this year's Warriors squad. Guaranteed.
That may be the most offensive thing anybody on this list, or on this planet, has said about Steve Kerr's Warriors.
If you need a refresher, the eight players who logged the most minutes on the 06-07 Golden State Warriors were: Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Andris Biedrins, Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes.
Behold, the hottest take in the history of takes. The take that burns with the fire of one thousand suns.
Zach Lowe represents we the people. pic.twitter.com/ot2QFUlYeH
Mike, Scottie and the 96 Bulls
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the '96 Chicago Bulls
The Golden State Warriors eclipsed the '96 Bulls iconic 72-10 record this year and if they can go on to win their second straight NBA title, they'll complete the greatest season in NBA history.
But as MJ, Scottie and the rest of the '96 Bulls know... "Don't Mean A Thing Without The Ring"
Until the Warriors hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy, the greatest NBA season will still belong to the '96 Bulls. Critics can never take away the Warriors NBA-best 73-9 regular season record but if they fail to complete the mission their 2016 campaign can't go down as the best single season in NBA history.
Knowing how competitive MJ is and how much his '96 team has been compared to Steph's '16 team, you'd be a fool to think he and his former teammates won't be watching tonight's Game 5 with an extra bit of intrigue.
