NBA 2018 - Soup's on!

[Rhom]

When talking about the Pelicans game on another board and the fact that Rondo seems to have found a good role on this team, someone linked a nice write up on a key possession in a game between the Kings and Hawks a couple years ago that demonstrates his basketball IQ perfectly.

Rondo tells Cousins to go stand in an empty corner... and reads Hawks play perfectly before it happens.

[Jaime L]

11 hours ago, Slurktan said:

When the Raps are hitting their threes they score a lot. Not sure what the Wizards can do anymore.  They go big and Valanciunas kills them, they go small and DeRozan does.  I don't really know what Scotty Brooks can do lineup wise that he hasn't already done.  Effectively the switch at the half of game 1 of putting Lowry on Beal and either Anunuoby or Wright on Wall has kind of flummoxed Beal.

Raptors probably didn't get enough credit all season for how good their offense is because it's so diffuse. A bunch of different guys can get hot any game and they do all the little things and ball movement that manufactures open shots for guys. Not sure the Wizards are a good enough or disciplined enough defensive team to make this a series.

Pretty sure the Wizards will go even heavier small ball in game 3 because Gortat is done. The issue though is Beal hasn't been the same guy for the last 3 weeks (which I haven't heard any commentator talk about but it's pretty obvious watching him).  Think he wore down from carrying the load all season. It'd be nice if Porter would step up instead of staying in role player mode. Can't recall one thing he's done in the two games.

9 hours ago, Triskele said:

Not only this, but Jrue Holiday is now the most unstoppable player in the league.  How?  

I cannot be more upset and demoralized.  Imagine if you called yourself JaimeL and waited years for your sports team to have a higher seed only to see it not be fruitful?  

Series if not officially over, obviously, but that is one monstrous start.  One silver lining for Portland is that Mo Harkless returned from injury tonight and is key...but Lillard and CJ must play much better and Holiday must not be Kobe reborn anymore.  Fuck this shit.  

Jrue's been shockingly good. Not only great offensively but he's completely taken Lillard off his game defensively. Didn't see a top 5 MVP candidate getting owned by Jrue Holiday but that's why they play the game I suppose. Playoff Rondo is also a thing.

That said, not like New Orleans has some overwhelming home court advantage so still time to make this a series. 

 

[Rhom]

29 minutes ago, Jaime L said:

Pretty sure the Wizards will go even heavier small ball in game 3 because Gortat is done. The issue though is Beal hasn't been the same guy for the last 3 weeks (which I haven't heard any commentator talk about but it's pretty obvious watching him).  Think he wore down from carrying the load all season. It'd be nice if Porter would step up instead of staying in role player mode. Can't recall one thing he's done in the two games.

C'mon.  Don't be so hard on him... he's been mostly dead for the last three years.

[Jaime L]

1 hour ago, Rhom said:

C'mon.  Don't be so hard on him... he's been mostly dead for the last three years.

jackbauer (it was jackbauer, right?) called this 36 months ago. We all owe that guy an apology. 

[sperry]

18 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

I don't know if I'd group those two together. Giannis has an average handle while Simmons' is amazing. There were a couple times during the game, where he'd pull his defender out of the paint and then blew by them for an easy dunk. Simmons never has to be a great shooter, but if can develop a shot that people have to respect, it's game over for the rest of the league. Simmons real problem right now is that not only can he not make shots from the line, but he also looks afraid to go. He should be top five in attempts every year, but right now it looks like he's shying away from attacking and drawing fouls. 

 

I think you just have to surround them with shooters. Obviously every team needs shooters, but those guys really need shooters. Especially in the playoffs when you aren't going to get calls to go to the line 15 times per game, especially in the later rounds.

 

You are right about the shot people have to respect. Westbrook and Lebron are two guys that aren't good shooters, but you can't just sag off them and pack the paint because they can knock down open pull up jumpers. I feel like Simmons and Giannis both have to develop that aspect of their games to get to the next level of superstardom.

[IamMe90]

3 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

The Bucks should be ashamed of themselves, and the Trailblazers are frauds!  

I am not the Bucks, but as a fan, I am deeply ashamed for them. That was seriously so fucking ugly, lol. Giannis, Middleton, and to a lesser extent Brogdon are the only players that look like they're even attempting to play good ball. Everyone else is fucking trash. Can't wait to be swept in 4. 

[Rhom]

1 hour ago, Jaime L said:

jackbauer (it was jackbauer, right?) called this 36 months ago. We all owe that guy an apology. 

Yes it was jackbauer24 who said Beal was injured and done.  Haven't seen him post in over a year... in some ways I feel kinda bad that we ran him off, but he did post some pretty dumb stuff.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

1 hour ago, sperry said:

 

I think you just have to surround them with shooters. Obviously every team needs shooters, but those guys really need shooters. Especially in the playoffs when you aren't going to get calls to go to the line 15 times per game, especially in the later rounds.

 

You are right about the shot people have to respect. Westbrook and Lebron are two guys that aren't good shooters, but you can't just sag off them and pack the paint because they can knock down open pull up jumpers. I feel like Simmons and Giannis both have to develop that aspect of their games to get to the next level of superstardom.

With the obvious caveat that you always need to surround stars with more shooting, I absolutely agree with Simmons. Simmons is an elite passer, and his drive and dish skills are reminiscent of a young LeBron. Giannis is above average, but not great. I think the real problem with him is the Bucks don’t know what to do with him. First he was a wing, then a PG, and now he’s playing PF. Pick a position and develop him.

Speaking of developing a shot, one thing about basket that’s always confused me is why are these amazing passers bad shooters? Simmons, Rondo, Lonzo Ball, Rubio, hell, even Magic. You would think that level of hand eye coordination would translate into at least a respectable shot.

41 minutes ago, IamMe90 said:

I am not the Bucks, but as a fan, I am deeply ashamed for them. That was seriously so fucking ugly, lol. Giannis, Middleton, and to a lesser extent Brogdon are the only players that look like they're even attempting to play good ball. Everyone else is fucking trash. Can't wait to be swept in 4. 

Yeah they have a weak roster outside of the top guys. But still, they should not be looking this bad against a broken Celtics team.

24 minutes ago, Rhom said:

Yes it was jackbauer24 who said Beal was injured and done.  Haven't seen him post in over a year... in some ways I feel kinda bad that we ran him off, but he did post some pretty dumb stuff.

He was ran off because of his plagiarism.

[James Arryn]

Not sure if anyone saw, but that Harden chap was decent.

 

I’ve seen guys whose athleticism allowed them to make physical feats look easy (James, Carter, McGrady, etc.) And i’ve seen guys with extreme skill and/or BBIQ ( Paul/Nash/Curry/etc.) who seemed to be playing at a higher speed.

Not sure if I’ve ever seen anyone who makes dominating offensively look so casual, though. It’s like the stories my Dad told me about guys like Dickerson and LeMieux, it looks like he’s just going for a stroll and everyone around him is busting their ass. That step-back 3 combined with his first step/strength is lethally unguardable, and then add the playmaking vision and...dunno. But it’s the how that gets me...he doesn't even seem to break a sweat. 

[IamMe90]

First year watching the NBA and now I finally know what people mean by "playoff Lebron." Holy shit. 29 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and it's just halftime. 

Edit: What an awesomely entertaining ending to that game. Kinda feeling like Cavs won't make it out of the East though with the game being that close despite a 46 point Lebron performance. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

FIRE THIBS! FIRE THIBS! FIRE THIBS!

How, in 2018, do you roll out a lineup of Teague (average shooter, passer and bad defender), Rose (bad shooter, passer and defender), Crawford (average shooter, bad passer and defender), Butler (average shooter, passer and great defender) and KAT. HOW?!?!?!?!? We had a lead and these all ISO ball lineups choked it away. And the commentators were blaming KAT. What is he supposed to do when he gets the ball with 7 seconds left in a terrible position of the court?

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

14 hours ago, IamMe90 said:

First year watching the NBA and now I finally know what people mean by "playoff Lebron." Holy shit. 29 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and it's just halftime. 

Edit: What an awesomely entertaining ending to that game. Kinda feeling like Cavs won't make it out of the East though with the game being that close despite a 46 point Lebron performance. 

Yeah, it’s a bad sign that LeBron was that dominate and the Cavs still could have lost. Kevin Love has faded from a top 10 player to a guy who probably is only making All-Star games because he’s a famous name on a marque team, and the rest of the roster is just role players. That said, who is going to stop him in the East? The Raptors and the 76ers are the only teams talented enough, yet does anyone have any faith in them? The Raptors always choke in the playoffs and the 76ers might lose to the Heat (Embiid is out for game 3). Everyone else is irrelevant.

Also of note, Curry is going to be out for at least three more weeks, which means he’ll miss all of the second round and could miss part or all of the Western Conference Finals. Translation = All hail future NBA Champions, the Houston Rockets.

[IamMe90]

2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Yeah, it’s a bad sign that LeBron was that dominate and the Cavs still could have lost. Kevin Love has faded from a top 10 player to a guy who probably is only making All-Star games because he’s a famous name on a marque team, and the rest of the roster is just role players. That said, who is going to stop him in the East? The Raptors and the 76ers are the only teams talented enough, yet does anyone have any faith in them? The Raptors always choke in the playoffs and the 76ers might lose to the Heat (Embiid is out for game 3). Everyone else is irrelevant.

The Raptors are currently not choking against Washington. DeRozan put up 37 points last night and looks to be gaining confidence. I think he's at a different point in his development than last year and the choking issue will largely be seen as overplayed. The Cavs are not a great matchup for them though, so that could be an issue. 

That being said, I have the sixers coming out of the East, personally. Nothing's a given, but I do think they have the talent to pull it off. I think they win this current series against the Heat in 6 or 7.

2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Also of note, Curry is going to be out for at least three more weeks, which means he’ll miss all of the second round and could miss part or all of the Western Conference Finals. Translation = All hail future NBA Champions, the Houston Rockets.

God I sure hope so. I picked the Rockets to win the 'ship in my pool bracket, mostly because I couldn't bring myself to support Golden State, despite knowing that it was a stupid decision. Even without Curry, though, I'm not sure I would put the Rockets at a distinct advantage or anything; seems more like a tossup than anything else. 

[Trebla]

2 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

FIRE THIBS! FIRE THIBS! FIRE THIBS!

How, in 2018, do you roll out a lineup of Teague (average shooter, passer and bad defender), Rose (bad shooter, passer and defender), Crawford (average shooter, bad passer and defender), Butler (average shooter, passer and great defender) and KAT. HOW?!?!?!?!? We had a lead and these all ISO ball lineups choked it away. And the commentators were blaming KAT. What is he supposed to do when he gets the ball with 7 seconds left in a terrible position of the court?

This Deadspin article goes in HARD on the T-Wolves and has two gifs of D-Rose in which he is mindbogglingly bad.

https://deadspin.com/seriously-what-the-hell-are-the-minnesota-timberwolves-1825387187

The ISO ball problem sounds familiar, the 2015 Bulls had that problem with Butler and Rose taking turns playing hero ball.

[IamMe90]

Donovan Mitchell has become my new favorite NBA player. He is absolutely electric and makes watching any Jazz game incredibly fun. Simmons may deserve it more, and probably will get it, but Mitchell will always be the ROTY 2017-18 for me. He caused me to adopt the Jazz as my second team (along with that goofy Aussie fucker Ingles).  

[briantw]

4 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

Yeah, it’s a bad sign that LeBron was that dominate and the Cavs still could have lost. Kevin Love has faded from a top 10 player to a guy who probably is only making All-Star games because he’s a famous name on a marque team, and the rest of the roster is just role players. That said, who is going to stop him in the East? The Raptors and the 76ers are the only teams talented enough, yet does anyone have any faith in them? The Raptors always choke in the playoffs and the 76ers might lose to the Heat (Embiid is out for game 3). Everyone else is irrelevant.

I don't think that's really fair to say of Love at all.  He was great this year.  When he and LeBron were on the court together during the season, regardless of the other players, the Cavs' offense was historically good.  When Love wasn't on the court...not so much.  He's still basically a 20/10 guy on a nightly basis and he opens up the floor for everyone else.

[Sour Billy Tipton]

7 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

 The Raptors always choke in the playoffs and the 76ers might lose to the Heat (Embiid is out for game 3).

He was never ruled out.  He was listed as doubtful and has been just upgraded to probable.  

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, briantw said:

I don't think that's really fair to say of Love at all.  He was great this year.  When he and LeBron were on the court together during the season, regardless of the other players, the Cavs' offense was historically good.  When Love wasn't on the court...not so much.  He's still basically a 20/10 guy on a nightly basis and he opens up the floor for everyone else.

Just from the eye test, it looks like he’s taken a few steps back. He’s not the same guy he was in MN.

To that point, I heard a breakdown of how the use him and they brought up something interesting. In their opinion, Love should always be on the court when LeBron isn't and the Cavs should run their offense through him at the top of the key like we did when he was here. Could help the awful +/- when LeBron is on the bench.

13 minutes ago, Sour Billy Tipton said:

He was never ruled out.  He was listed as doubtful and has been just upgraded to probable.  

Fake News! 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Also,

@Relic, @Mexal, @Fez and other New Yorkers,

Quote

While it's still early, and there's no official timeline, there is a chance Kristaps Porzingis could miss next season, reports the New York Post. 

Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan said there are different possibilities about the 22-year-old's return from a torn ACL. 

“I’ve been told everything from December to him being out for the season, so I don’t know what to expect on that,” Dolan told the Post. “But we can’t just sit on our ass while he’s away. We need to develop a team and then integrate him into it when he comes back.”

https://www.si.com/nba/2018/04/19/james-dolan-knicks-kristaps-porzingis-injury-updates

[Mexal]

Sigh.