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NBA 2013-14 - A Clash of Kings


Jabronius Maximus

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It has been almost a month since Philly lost by less than 10 points. I love seeing the bylines for their team - XX puts up 30, but it's not enough. And then you read that it is someone off the bench basically trying to make a name so that someone will love them come the offseason and get them the hell out of there.

Sixers management needs to be reprimanded. At the very least they hsould be required to refund ticketholders, and should be granted the last pick in the lottery.

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Noah...stud.

What an awesome game. Another fantastic gam from Noah, but also very, very strong work, again, from Augustine, Butler and Gibson.

The Bulls should retain all of these guys for next season. If they can fit in Carmelo that would be great, but the word is that they would be very reluctant to have t let one of Gibson or Butler go. Butler did a great job on LeBron tonight. Augustine is an excellent guard and a more than qualified backup for Rose.

And then I switched to other news and saw that once again, OKC lost, this time even to the hopeless Lakers.

OKC looks incredibly vulnerably since Russ came back. He's one of my favourite players in the NBA ( and OKC my favourite team), but man they've been a mess for their standards.

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I don't think it has anything to do with Westbrook. The lack of Perkins and Sefolosha on the defensive end has really started to show. Once those guys come back OKC should be fine.

That said, allowing 114 points to a D-league team should be very concerning. Iirc OKC was one of the top defensive units for most of the season, so this is an alarming trend.

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The one player OKC've been missing the most IMO is Thabo, he's their perimeter stopper and that's their main issue currently. Though Perkins' value defensively against most teams is also underrated by many. But it's not just about players missing, ever since the All Star break their defense hasn't been in synch at all no matter who's playing. Westbrook gambles too much, but that's almost always been the case, the difference now is that the guys who are supposed to cover for him aren't doing a good job, though he seems to be doing it more than usual now and is a bit slower to get back. But they've been terrible defensively with him on the bench too, in fact the huge runs that lost them the last two games happened with him on the bench in the second half of the third quarter. The consistent effort defensively doesn't seem to be there from the whole team. And their switching too much. I know they have a long and athletic roster but against Phoenix for example Westbrook had to defend guys 5 inches taller than him time and time again because they switched every single pick and roll.



Caron Butler has been a total joke defensively too which is another negative factor, doesn't seem like a good pickup for the Thunder so far. He can't guard anyone and isn't doing much offensively either.


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The game they aired here was the one in which the Rockets obliterated the Indiana Pacers.

Wow. They were crushed. James Harden MVP, significantly more of a presence than his opponent Paul George, who had nowhere near the offensive firepower Harden had. Beginning to think George is a bit overrated, an opinion I see voiced more frequently of late. Hibbert vs Howard was an interesting matchup that ended up undecided, both are great players in different ways and were a handful for the other party to handle.

Pacers have now taken a couple of defeats against strong Western teams.

I'm a bit concerned over OKC as well. Not that I think Jackson should start over Russell, but I feel Brooks is still struggling to find the right line-up. Teams like the Clippers, Rockets and Golden State are getting things on the rails for real now it seems, and the Spurs look very solid.

That was probably the best game the Rockets have played all season. Up to this point they have really struggled against good defensive teams that get back in transition and close out on three point shooters, but in that game they were able to pick the Pacers apart. When the Rockets make their three pointers they are liable to have outbursts like the one that took the game away from the Pacers, but earlier in the year their defence would have let the other team back into the game. Not any more.

On Paul George, I think it's an issue of perception lagging a long way behind reality. He's in a slump right now, and has been for a while. If you cast your mind back to the beginning of last season, he had a similar issue back then too. When he plays like he did before Christmas he deserves all the praise that was heaped on him. Back then he was making his midrange shots and was a really tough cover off the ball - I thought he was excellent at using screens to get free. What I saw in the game against the Rockets was a much more timid player - he wasn't cutting with the ferocity that was getting him the accolades earlier on, and those mid-range jumpers are no longer splashing. Now, I have no idea why that is - might be injuries or the wear-and-tear that comes with the defensive assignments he takes on every night, or it might be that he is working on some new things with the hope of getting them ready for the post-season. But I think judgement on George should be suspended until we can figure out whether his baseline level of performance is how he played at the beginning of the season or how he's playing in the current bad patch. He's only over-rated if it's the latter.

ST

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Broussard reporting that a deal between Phil Jackson and the Knicks could be done by the end of the week. What's weird is he seems to he the only one reporting it, with Woj saying no deal is close. I'll stick with Woj on this one. Besides if Knicks 'management' really thinks that Jackson can make something out of that roster, they truly are lost. Jackson may help in recruiting, but they are a long way from winning anything.

Plus I'm pretty sure Broussard is just blowing hot air, as usual.

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I cannot understand why Phil Jackson would be interested in the Knicks. That team is so dysfunctional, and so completely incapable of a rebuild.



And, as if there were any doubts that the organization may have turned things around recently, look no further than the Bargnani trade last year.



Jackson has a legacy as one of the all-time winners in the NBA. Why would he want to shackle himself to an organization that is terrible, and has a HUGE uphill climb to be anything but terrible?


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I will take it one step further... Why would the Knicks want Phil Jackson?

He's never shown interest in a rebuilding job. He essentially has stepped in to established teams in Chicago and then twice in LA. He's never been a front office guy, he's always been on the floor. He's not a college basketball fan; not that the Knicks need to worry about draft evaluations for a couple years. :lol:

Worst of all... last I heard, he plans to live in LA or Montana or something and do the job remotely?!!? :stunned:

When I got out of school and began to establish myself in practice, my mentor told me that the most important rule is to live where you have your practice if you want to build something. A half commitment from Phil (even if he's just the president and all you want is for him to drop by with some zen from time to time) just won't be enough IMHO.

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I will take it one step further... Why would the Knicks want Phil Jackson?

He's never shown interest in a rebuilding job. He essentially has stepped in to established teams in Chicago and then twice in LA. He's never been a front office guy, he's always been on the floor. He's not a college basketball fan; not that the Knicks need to worry about draft evaluations for a couple years. :lol:

Worst of all... last I heard, he plans to live in LA or Montana or something and do the job remotely?!!? :stunned:

When I got out of school and began to establish myself in practice, my mentor told me that the most important rule is to live where you have your practice if you want to build something. A half commitment from Phil (even if he's just the president and all you want is for him to drop by with some zen from time to time) just won't be enough IMHO.

The only real talents Phil has shown (and it's an extremely important talent) is getting egos to coexist, and to get talented weirdos with talent to actually play (The Worm, Odom, Ron-Ron, Andrew Bynum).

I don't see how they expect him to do that as the team president. Not like he was out there drafting hidden gems. He was working with hall of famers.

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That was a pretty feisty game between the Rockets and OKC last night, with confrontations between various players.


Especially Westbrook and Dickface Beverly, who played each other for the first time since Beverly injured Westbrook in the playoffs.


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The only real talents Phil has shown (and it's an extremely important talent) is getting egos to coexist, and to get talented weirdos with talent to actually play (The Worm, Odom, Ron-Ron, Andrew Bynum).

I don't see how they expect him to do that as the team president. Not like he was out there drafting hidden gems. He was working with hall of famers.

Thats the big question - as a coach he can do the X's and O's, the co-existence thing & time management...but what have we seen as success from him from the front office? Maybe they are looking for Zen in the front office in the aftermath....

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Big win for the Raps tonight. They are definitely legit now, beating teams they should beat and occasionally winning against a better team (like tonight with Memphis). And JV! Nice to see the young buck put in a nice game. Havent been excited about the team like this in a long time. Hopefully this has some staying power, unlike their last division title-winning year.

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That was a nice win for y'all. I swear, Kyle Lowry still holds a grudge against the Grizzlies for choosing Mike Conley over him. He's a high energy guy anyway but he plays like a man possessed against the Griz.

Love his feisty nature, he's really become a leader for us this year. Only thing that worries me is that it was a contract year, so either this is a one time thing, or he could leave in free agency. I trust that neither will happen, but it's still a nagging issue on the horizon. Raptors' brass don't seem fully sold on him either, but we'll see how it all shakes out.

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The Sixers came dangerously close to winning. Well..at least they lost by less than 10, but did set an NBA record by losing their 19th game in a row by more than 5pts.



I know the Heat can still just turn around and turn it on, but they are looking remarkably mortal recently as well.



Well, Phil is now a Knick again for apparently $12m a year and will split time between NY & LA.


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