If Westbrook/Durant can make it to the finals, why not melo/ai?

[BobbyHillSwag]

Wait... Is this a "Who's better, Westbrook or Iverson?" thread, or a "Why couldn't Melo/AI make the finals if Durant/Westbrook could?" thread... And I'm telling you any Westbrook vs. Iverson debate doesn't matter in this case, simply because Melo was not (and never has been) better than Durant.

Denver had two "me first" players... The Thunder had one. Quit making excuses. Denver simply wasn't as good.

This thread is almost pointless, because the answer to the initial question is beyond obvious.

but im not making excuses for denver, defensively they couldnt guard the post and they couldnt guard the pic and roll were the crap. Offensively they were trash too besides melo and ai, yea they scored alot but run n gun doesnt happen in the playoffs. okc was a much better team period and it goes much deeper than durant and russell westbrook, much much deeper.

[Donuts365]

durant just have so much help when he didnt have harden ibaka him and westbrook couldn't make playoffs its easier to say durant > melo now but thats just based off efficiency and lack of talent in the west to really give that team a real opponent to face.

[JLynn943]

Watched him his whole career. That is WHY his efficiency rose, because his usage dropped. I know he played a lot of minutes, the most in the NBA that season actually. Unfortunately for AI fans, his excuse of not having another scorer was gone that year, and you saw how well he and Melo worked together, and how far it got them.

I think that year proved completely that Iverson's inefficiency was a result of his role in Philly and the lack of scorers around him. He was much more efficient with Melo. When one of the biggest knocks against Iverson is that he was an inefficient volume scorer, but there is evidence that when he didn't need to carry the offense he was much more efficient, I think that is a tired argument. Sure he still didn't win, but for me that season is sort of validation that, had he had another scorer with him in Philly, he would have had more playoff success and a more efficient career.

[KniCks4LiFe]

B/c Durant is head and shoulders above Melo in being a complete player, Westbrook is like a younger version of A.I. mixed w/ 23 yr. old Kobe.

[BKLYNpigeon]

so stupid. im not even going to chime in.

[AIMelo=KillaDUO]

I'm done with this thread... Unbelievable.

I'll make this even easier for you... So KD his rookie year, came into the league better then Carmelo? (serious question)

[joeystats]

Kobe

[AIMelo=KillaDUO]

Watched him his whole career. That is WHY his efficiency rose, because his usage dropped. I know he played a lot of minutes, the most in the NBA that season actually. Unfortunately for AI fans, his excuse of not having another scorer was gone that year, and you saw how well he and Melo worked together, and how far it got them.

They helped Denver reach they're highest win total in Franchise history, bro. Did they win a title? No. But, they still helped accomplish something... It's not as if they completly fell flat. They played the Champ's, not even this years Miami team woulda beat the Spurs of that era. They didnt have the right team built around them... 50 wins and an 8th seed? See what I mean... It's not like they snuck into the 8th spot with 40 wins.

[AIMelo=KillaDUO]

No, you can't. Durant has 3 years under his belt where he was better. 09-10' easily, 10-11' by a hair, and 11-12' easily.

Yeah, that was my mistake... I meant last year, as in the '11 season. But thats what I said to "Watcher" I think is his name, this season ('12) was the first year that KD was obviously better.

[KniCks4LiFe]

Yeah, that was my mistake... I meant last year, as in the '11 season. But thats what I said to "Watcher" I think is his name, this season ('12) was the first year that KD was obviously better.

weren't you talking about thier rookie season? b/c if so...

Melo

21 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG

42 FG%, 50 TS%

Durant

20 PPG, 4 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG

43 FG%, 51 TS%

they were about the same.

[KniCks4LiFe]

I will say that OKC the only thing they really had over DEN was Harden and Thabo. That Denver team that didn't make the finals was a more talented team. So the OP has that part correct.

[the_watcher]

I'll make this even easier for you... So KD his rookie year, came into the league better then Carmelo? (serious question)

That may have been the only season, and it was basically by default... But really it's an irrelevant point to the discussion...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...anke01&y2=2012

Durant, in year 5 (2011-12) is better than Carmelo in year 5 (2007-08).

Durant has been better the last two seasons than Melo has EVER been at any point in his career.


I'll make it easier for EVERYONE who's making excuses for Iverson/Melo... Think about this: Why did Denver make the Western Conference Finals the year Iverson LEFT?

[AIMelo=KillaDUO]

weren't you talking about thier rookie season? b/c if so...

Melo

21 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG

42 FG%, 50 TS%

Durant

20 PPG, 4 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG

43 FG%, 51 TS%

they were about the same.

No. Dude said, "Carmelo has never been better the Kevin Durant" so clearly he thinks, KD came into the league better then Carmelo right? And I said... You could make the argument, that Carmelo was better then Durant, until this past season 2011-2012, So since he gave me all the facepalms, I said, "I'll make this easier." Compare KD's rookie year to Melo 2007-2008 season. I kno he problley didn't mean it that litterally, but since he gave me an immature responce, I thought I'd dumb it down for him to understand. To prove him wrong that Melo has been better then KD.

[KniCks4LiFe]

That may have been the only season, and it was basically by default... But really it's an irrelevant point to the discussion...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...anke01&y2=2012

Durant, in year 5 (2011-12) is better than Carmelo in year 5 (2007-08).

Durant has been better the last two seasons than Melo has EVER been at any point in his career.


I'll make it easier for EVERYONE who's making excuses for Iverson/Melo... Think about this: Why did Denver make the Western Conference Finals the year Iverson LEFT?

The year Iverson left Denver was eliminated in the 1st rd.

[AIMelo=KillaDUO]

[QUOTE=the_watcher;23311994]That may have been the only season, and it was basically by default... But really it's an irrelevant point to the discussion...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...anke01&y2=2012

Durant, in year 5 (2011-12) is better than Carmelo in year 5 (2007-08).

Durant has been better the last two seasons than Melo has EVER been at any point in his career.


I'll make it easier for EVERYONE who's making excuses for Iverson/Melo... Think about this: Why did Denver make the Western Conference Finals the year Iverson LEFT?[/QUOTE]

Thank you.

Why does Robert Horry, and Adamn Morrison, have more rings then Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, and John Stockton combined?