NBA 2017 - 18: 76ers Make the Playoffs? Embiid They Will

[Relic]

Yeah , Bron sucks.

[Sour Billy Tipton]

How stupid is John Wall?  The Cavaliers have done a fantastic job of beating themselves.  He had to come out before the game and tell ESPN how the Wizards match up best with the Cavs.

 

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

3 minutes ago, Sour Billy Tipton said:

How stupid is John Wall?  The Cavaliers have done a fantastic job of beating themselves.  He had to come out before the game and tell ESPN how the Wizards match up best with the Cavs.

 

Eh, if the Cavs need bulletin board material to beat the Wiz, they're in more trouble than they'd care to admit. I think that whole Kyrie thing has fucked them pretty squarely. They are clearly no longer the default Kings of the East. 

[Sour Billy Tipton]

Just now, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

Eh, if the Cavs need bulletin board material to beat the Wiz, they're in more trouble than they'd care to admit. I think that whole Kyrie thing has fucked them pretty squarely. They are clearly no longer the default Kings of the East. 

Oh this Cavs team is in trouble.  They wouldn't even be the 4th seed in the West.  But they are still the Kings of the East.  I just expect GS or SA to sweep or win in 5.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Just now, Sour Billy Tipton said:

Oh this Cavs team is in trouble.  They wouldn't even be the 4th seed in the West.  But they are still the Kings of the East.  I just expect GS or SA to sweep or win in 5.

I don't see how they hold the throne. Hell, they already lost it to some degree last season when they finished behind the Celts in the seeding.

[briantw]

1 minute ago, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

I don't see how they hold the throne. Hell, they already lost it to some degree last season when they finished behind the Celts in the seeding.

I think that was more an indication of how little LeBron cares about the regular season than anything.  I think the Cavs knew they weren't going to have a better record than the Warriors in the regular season last year, but they also knew home court advantage didn't matter against any team in the East, so why push for the best record? 

Same is true this year.  The Cavs are going to lose a lot of games they should win and look unfocused, but ultimately they're coming out of the East unless LeBron gets hurt.  There ain't nobody in the East who is going to beat a LeBron team once he actually starts trying.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

1 minute ago, briantw said:

I think that was more an indication of how little LeBron cares about the regular season than anything.  I think the Cavs knew they weren't going to have a better record than the Warriors in the regular season last year, but they also knew home court advantage didn't matter against any team in the East, so why push for the best record? 

Same is true this year.  The Cavs are going to lose a lot of games they should win and look unfocused, but ultimately they're coming out of the East unless LeBron gets hurt.  There ain't nobody in the East who is going to beat a LeBron team once he actually starts trying.

I think there's a good chance they don't come out of the East this season. This team is not the same without Kyrie. If Hayward comes back strong, I think we likely see them in the Finals. A lot of this rests on IT's shoulders as well. I say those two guys (IT and Hayward) factor in more than LeBron does in this instance.

[briantw]

Just now, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

I think there's a good chance they don't come out of the East this season. This team is not the same without Kyrie. If Hayward comes back strong, I think we likely see them in the Finals. A lot of this rests on IT's shoulders as well. I say those two guys (IT and Hayward) factor in more than LeBron does in this instance.

They're not the same without Kyrie, sure, but they also haven't even played the main guy they traded him for.  I think Thomas will slide into the Kyrie role somewhat seamlessly, right down to the shit defense.

[Sour Billy Tipton]

3 minutes ago, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

If Hayward comes back strong, I think we likely see them in the Finals.

There's no chance Hayward comes back this season.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

2 minutes ago, briantw said:

They're not the same without Kyrie, sure, but they also haven't even played the main guy they traded him for.  I think Thomas will slide into the Kyrie role somewhat seamlessly, right down to the shit defense.

Yeah, that's going to change the equation for sure. That said Kyrie > IT all day, everyday.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

1 minute ago, Sour Billy Tipton said:

There's not a chance Hayward comes back this season.

I guess it's trending that way, but I wouldn't be so sure. I suppose it's not a very good sign that he's already said as much, although that is probably the smarter tact for him to take.

[Sour Billy Tipton]

D'Angelo Russell on his time with the Lakers ahead of his first game back in Los Angeles since the trade to Brooklyn, "I went through a lot – Kobe's farewell, everything. I went through a lot, so, just to overcome that, I salute myself for that. "He deserved the attention he got for it. Like I said, there was nothing I could really do. No matter how I played or whatever, none of that was relevant. Kobe was a legend. If he came back today, that would be the biggest story in the world no matter what's going on. You control what you can control and move on."

 

[KingintheNorth4]

Lauri Markkanen is the lone bright spot for the Bulls this season. 

The Thunder were putting the clamps on Boston in the 1st half, but the 2nd half is a completely different story. 

[Sour Billy Tipton]

3 minutes ago, KingintheNorth4 said:

Lauri Markkanen is the lone bright spot for the Bulls this season. 

Yeah, it's going to be a long year for Bulls fans.  Take my advice and, trust the process.

[KingintheNorth4]

16 minutes ago, Sour Billy Tipton said:

Yeah, it's going to be a long year for Bulls fans.  Take my advice and, trust the process.

If not for the incompetence of the Bulls front office, then I would no problem trusting their process. 

[Sour Billy Tipton]

21 minutes ago, KingintheNorth4 said:

If not for the incompetence of the Bulls front office, then I would no problem trusting their process. 

I never understood the Thibodeau firing.  LeBron's dominance, Rose's injuries and lack of enthusiasm were always responsible for their underachieving.  

[DireWolfSpirit]

Drummond hit 14 of 16 FT's last night against the Bucks, he's never had a game at the foul line matching that efficiency, great sign.

[Mother Cocanuts]

14 hours ago, briantw said:

I think that was more an indication of how little LeBron cares about the regular season than anything.  I think the Cavs knew they weren't going to have a better record than the Warriors in the regular season last year, but they also knew home court advantage didn't matter against any team in the East, so why push for the best record? 

No, it was about match ups. The Cavs didn't want to face the Bulls and the Wizards on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals, since those teams were particularly difficult for them. Look at last night's game: LeBron balled out (57 Pts, 23 of 34 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 9-9 FT in 43 min,) but the Cavs won by just 8 points. And the Bulls swept them during the regular season. They fell to the second seed because the Pacers and the Raptors were better match ups. LeBron also has the luxury of not taking the regular season seriously because he plays in the Eastern Conference. (I actually hope that the rumors are true and he heads to the Lakers.) We'll see then the worth of a "LeBron team."

14 hours ago, briantw said:

The Cavs are going to lose a lot of games they should win and look unfocused, but ultimately they're coming out of the East unless LeBron gets hurt.

This is true.

[Calibandar]

Impossible to judge the Cavs anyway until Thomas is back.

They lost Irving- it's clear that has huge impact, and they will need IT to come in and provide, what, 80% of what Irving did in some way to be just as good. Yes they got deeper but right now with Irving gone and IT on the bench it's all LeBron, and that really is not sustainable. It could still work out well if IT comes back and they get into the flow, they definitely need him to fill a gaping scoring void.

As for Boston, Hayward and his agent say he is out all year so I guess there's no hope to be had there, and that means they're not probably not coming out of the East. They just beat OKC, but then so do a lot of teams, OKC is racking up a lot of losses.

[briantw]

1 hour ago, Calibandar said:

Impossible to judge the Cavs anyway until Thomas is back.

They lost Irving- it's clear that has huge impact, and they will need IT to come in and provide, what, 80% of what Irving did in some way to be just as good. Yes they got deeper but right now with Irving gone and IT on the bench it's all LeBron, and that really is not sustainable. It could still work out well if IT comes back and they get into the flow, they definitely need him to fill a gaping scoring void.

As for Boston, Hayward and his agent say he is out all year so I guess there's no hope to be had there, and that means they're not probably not coming out of the East. They just beat OKC, but then so do a lot of teams, OKC is racking up a lot of losses.

I don't really put a whole lot of stock into early season wins and losses, especially for teams like OKC and the Cavs that have drastically overhauled their rosters over the offseason.  Some teams get out to fast starts...others need a month or so to get motivated.  I think that statement is definitely true of LeBron teams of late.  He'll turn it on for random regular season games like last night to remind people he still wears the crown, but then he won't give a shit for the next three games.  It's just the way he is now.  And I get that.  The regular season is mostly meaningless anyway, especially in the East.

From what I've heard, the Cavs aren't too worried.  They've internally set December 15th as the date they want to see the team get its shit together by, so obviously they're of the opinion that there's nothing wrong that can't be fixed.  Getting Thomas back will help as well, as it will give the team another elite scorer and a deep threat.

As far as the Celtics go, does anyone here honestly believe that LeBron is going to let the Cavs lose to the team that has Kyrie Irving on it?  He's going to be looking to go out there and send a message.  I think the only thing that stopped them from doing that opening night was that Hayward's injury really took the bite out of that night.  Even the crowd couldn't really muster much hatred for the Celtics after that.