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NBA Playoffs 2019 - Kawhi So Serious?!


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2 hours ago, SkynJay said:

That may be a tide turner.  Denver only needs one win in Portland but they just ran Jokic to the ground.  Plumlee is unplayable, so I get it, but this game could haunt them.  According to the Ringer Jokic just played the forth most minutes ever.

The only good news was Barton coming back from the dead.  If he could hit a shot in the first half maybe Denver can actually maintain a lead when the bench comes out.

What is dead may never die!  Pairing the Ghost of Barton with Zombie Beal would be an unstoppable combo!

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The Portland crowd was an ecclectic bunch.   They got their money's worth.   Jokic had that sickly shadow thing around his eyes like he was going to burst a blood vessel and fall down dead.   His tiredness meant I got to meet the other Nuggets players during all that extra time and i liked them.   A fine contest.   

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On 5/3/2019 at 11:59 AM, DanteGabriel said:

And who tipped off the cops that he had concealed some weed in a secret compartment in a can of iced tea? Somewhere Nick Young is steepling his fingers and murmuring "Excellent."

Or... everyone who knows you can’t take drinks through security... :dunno: 

I got no problem with him smokin... but don’t be dumb.

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1 hour ago, Triskele said:

Denver evens it back up with a nice win in Portland.  I don't want to take anything away from Denver who played very well, hit tons of big shots down the stretch, but there was some awful officiating.  

But Portland also was sloppy with the ball all game and could have played better.

Have to think Denver is the slight favorite to win the series now, and it hurts because Portland almost won this one and would have been so golden had they done so.

It is so hard to not get mad at officials, but for what its worth from my side I thought Denver got the better whistle game 1 but has been on the wrong end for the last three.  Murray just doesn't get the calls Dame does in the paint and Joker should average a few more FT per game.  Watching Murray get raked across the arms on one end and Dame getting a weak reach call on the other in the first quarter set me off in the living room.

This series is driving me nuts.  Both games in Portland could have/should have went either way so the fact they split seems about right.  Both teams are cussing out lost opportunities right now (for me it is Murray taking the ball to the corner instead of mid court and getting it poked out of bounds off his own hand).

So I am sticking with my Nuggets prediction, though I would say it is going seven games almost certainly.  The bad news for Portland is Barton is hitting shots.  So much of my confidence in Denver is having multiple shooters on the floor at any time, through 2.5 games Barton just wasn't there.  The bad news for Denver is Plumlee is still almost unplayable, we have no bigs coming of the bench and giving quality minutes. 

One last throught, can we finally bury the 'Jokic just needs to get in shape to be dangerous' line in national media?  Dude just put up a quality triple double after a 65 minute game.  I think slightly doughy IS Jokic's shape, and it seems to be a damn strong one.  His athleticism looks to be more stamina and balance.  I will take that over burst and injuries that so many bigs are plagued by.

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8 hours ago, SkynJay said:

One last throught, can we finally bury the 'Jokic just needs to get in shape to be dangerous' line in national media?  Dude just put up a quality triple double after a 65 minute game.  I think slightly doughy IS Jokic's shape, and it seems to be a damn strong one.  His athleticism looks to be more stamina and balance.  I will take that over burst and injuries that so many bigs are plagued by.

Has he stopped drinking 3 liters of Coke a day? If so I'll be ready to move on, because he indeed seems like he can stay on the floor despite looking like the most out of shape player in the entire league. 

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Jokic is just amazing, what a game just 48 hours after playing 65 minutes. The way he made the right decision down the stretch, trusting his teammates with great passes instead of trying to be the hero himself was beautiful. Best player to watch in the league right now and it's not close.

The one who needs to get in shape before he can seriously claim to be the best center in the league is Embiid, he's exhausted down the stretch way too often and keeps getting injured. The Sixers choked the game last night because they tried to force the ball to him down the stretch instead of sticking with Butler. Also because Tobias missed a million wide open looks and Simmons again disappeared offensively.

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I'm not to concerned he doesnt have a six pack. That marathon game then another terrific performance in game 4 wasn't related to his lack of a Zach Efron bod. 

Boy, what a series it's been! I'm a dejected Bulls fan, so the playoffs are sheer entertainment for me. These are my two favorite teams left, and Im enjoying it -though the late start times mean I had to miss that brilliant 4OT finale. Bummer.

Screw Houston and GSW, this is some great basketball.

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I enjoyed the Sixers-Raptors game yesterday, but it was one of those games where going into it I really thought that Toronto was almost guaranteed to win.  The NBA is just like that, when you have two teams that are well matched and one is more desperate, they almost always pull it out.  If I'd been in Vegas I might have put some money on Toronto.

And pull it out they did, Kawhi was awesome.  I really hope Siakam isn't hurt for the rest of the postseason, because Toronto needs him to be a true threat to win it all.  He was clearly injured yesterday. 

I know a lot of people don't like how Kawhi forced his way out of San Antonio, but I've always enjoyed his game, and he is playing better than I've ever seen him this series.  Jimmy Butler is playing great defense on him, and he's still clearly the best player on court.  He's hit 21 of 24 open looks he's seen this series!

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20 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

 

I know a lot of people don't like how Kawhi forced his way out of San Antonio, but I've always enjoyed his game, and he is playing better than I've ever seen him this series.  Jimmy Butler is playing great defense on him, and he's still clearly the best player on court.  He's hit 21 of 24 open looks he's seen this series!

Yeah Kawhi has been pretty fucking incredible. He seems to just be able to get to his spot each time and effortlessly knock down shots at an incredibly efficient rate. He and KD have been playing out of their minds, both guys consistently putting the ball into the hoop on the exact shots they want to be taking. Very impressive post seasons from two guys I'm not fond of. 

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Speaking of bad ass performances, Giannis just put up a 39/16/4 shooting 68% from the field (while his teammates shot 37%) to wreck the Celtics in Boston. This after a 32/13/8. 

For all the talk of Boston and Philly these last couple years as the heirs to Lebron's Eastern Conference throne, feels like the fitting ECF is Giannis vs. Kawhi. This is time in the playoffs where everyone without a top 5 guy goes home. 

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Golden State is deeply at risk of choking this series away. The bad habits they’ve developed all year are still plaguing them now. They should have swept Houston, and yet I suspect they’ll drop game 5 at home.

Also, Giannis is absolutely out of this world. He is close to establishing himself as the best player in the league.

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12 hours ago, Jaime L said:

For all the talk of Boston and Philly these last couple years as the heirs to Lebron's Eastern Conference throne, feels like the fitting ECF is Giannis vs. Kawhi. This is time in the playoffs where everyone without a top 5 guy goes home. 

Unless Embiid can pull out of his funk and show that he is in fact in the top 5 as well (or at least top 5 of players still in contention).  The best players in the playoffs have been Durant, Kawhi, Harden and Giannis.  That fifth spot is probably Lillard's right now, although Jokic and Embiid are definitely in the picture. 

I don't expect Embiid to do it, but definitely isn't out of the question. 

The Warriors still look shaky.  In the NBA, if you aren't getting better, you're getting worse, and this team looks like it hasn't gotten better in the past two years.  You would think that chemistry would improve as their four all stars face more pressure together, but it really hasn't happened.  Curry looks off, Green is inconsistent, and role players like Iguodala and Livingston aren't getting any younger. 

I'll be honest, if the Warriors win the title while still looking a little off, that might be the most disappointing thing of all. 

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59 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

Unless Embiid can pull out of his funk and show that he is in fact in the top 5 as well (or at least top 5 of players still in contention).  The best players in the playoffs have been Durant, Kawhi, Harden and Giannis.  That fifth spot is probably Lillard's right now, although Jokic and Embiid are definitely in the picture. 

I don't expect Embiid to do it, but definitely isn't out of the question. 

The Warriors still look shaky.  In the NBA, if you aren't getting better, you're getting worse, and this team looks like it hasn't gotten better in the past two years.  You would think that chemistry would improve as their four all stars face more pressure together, but it really hasn't happened.  Curry looks off, Green is inconsistent, and role players like Iguodala and Livingston aren't getting any younger. 

I'll be honest, if the Warriors win the title while still looking a little off, that might be the most disappointing thing of all. 

I'm guessing chemistry isn't great because they all know Durant is leaving in two months, and it seems like other players on the team (Green for sure) never really respected him for joining them to begin with.

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35 minutes ago, briantw said:

I'm guessing chemistry isn't great because they all know Durant is leaving in two months, and it seems like other players on the team (Green for sure) never really respected him for joining them to begin with.

Green led the recruiting process of Durant. That said, their chemistry is bipolar. It can be great at times and horrific at others. I’d bet that the main reason Durant leaves is because this has not gone the way he expected. He thought winning championships would validate his greatness, but all its led to is fans mocking and insulting him. It’s why people think the Knicks are in play. If he wants that validation, go revive an important yet dead franchise rather than joining a juggernaut.  

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