NBA Playoffs - Play In? PLAY-IN It Cool

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

12 minutes ago, Proudfeet said:

Ah. Right. I read it differently as in HoF (player) flopping. 

He is a HoF player, but probably not first ballot. I can understand the miscommunication though.

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Maybe. But its something you can hold on for hope even if you don't think its likely. There was that one series with the Spurs v Thunder where the Spurs won in six trading blowouts, which admittedly isn't a good example as the home team still won in the end, but it looked like it was up in the air after four games.

I just don't think the Heat are clicking, and the Bucks are playing really well. They're every bit as live as the Nets and Sixers in the East. Hard to see other than those three coming out of the Conference.

[Maithanet]

The Heat roster looks just as good as last year, but the Heat playing actual basketball looks nowhere near as good.  The things that were going right for them last year are not going right, and haven't been all year. 

[DMC]

Bulls won the tiebreaker with the Kings and the Hornets, meaning the Magic have a good chance at getting the 8th pick (instead of the 9th or 10th).  Woo!

[Argonath Diver]

Congrats! We would have had a better spot had we not played rotation guys instead of 3rd stringers the final game of the season against the Bucks. What a completely idiotic game. The small odds the Bulls retain the pick dropped from 25 to 20 percent. I also thought it would have been hilarious if they got their 4th pick 7 in five years, only to give it to ORL and have that person become a star.

Thank goodness for the playoffs, when being a fan of a bad team only hurts if you think about them and not the actual terrific basketball on the screen. 

Lots of interesting game 2's coming up. I think we will see a bunch of 1-1 series. I expect expect Nets and Bucks to sweep their series, but I'm crossing my fingers for 6 series that all go 6 or 7 games.

[Maithanet]

Really big game tonight in Phoenix.  I expect whoever wins game 2 to win the series.  If lal takes home court, along with thier superior experience and the two best players, it's probably over.  Likewise if Phoenix goes up 2-0, this Lakers team could definitely fold.

I expect the Lakers win tonight.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

10 hours ago, Maithanet said:

The Heat roster looks just as good as last year, but the Heat playing actual basketball looks nowhere near as good.  The things that were going right for them last year are not going right, and haven't been all year. 

I think the difference is that Herro has simply not been the same player he was in the bubble. If it's true that they wouldn't move him to get Harden they're going to regret that one for years to come.

Also, I agree with your Lakers-Suns take. I think the key will be if Paul is legitimately hurt. If he is the Suns have no chance.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Paul seems to be injured. He hasn't been good and was taken out early in the 3rd. 

Somewhere out there a lost soul may have found the Necronomicon... 

[Argonath Diver]

Old Man LeBron moving like his age all game with his lingering injury, but just too crafty.  Paul out when his team needs him the most? Heard that before. He's gotta be crushed he can't contribute with that shoulder. I think they go back to LA 2-0 if he is OK.  Then again, both Davis and LeBron are battling their own injuries, and if all three are 100%, the Lakers are simply better.

Mavs looking good - though they ain't beating the LeBrons either. I don't think I'll watch a minute of the Finals if it's Lakers Nets.  Blech.

[Rhom]

7 hours ago, Argonath Diver said:

 

Mavs looking good - though they ain't beating the LeBrons either. I don't think I'll watch a minute of the Finals if it's Lakers Nets.  Blech.

They do look really good.  I agree that I don’t think they can win just yet; but the core is there.  Which leads me to wondering what piece are they missing exactly?  I don’t think it’s just depth, but I can’t put my finger on what exactly they need other than the obvious experience.

[David Selig]

Luka is an incredible talent, he's just toying with supposedly elite defenders with such ease and controls the game perfectly as a playmaker. I can't think of any other player who was that skilled and in control both as a scorer and as a playmaker at his age. The way he runs the pick and roll is just beautiful to watch.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

I haven’t watched the Clippers much this year, but I have heard analysts say both Kawhi and PG have taken a step back on the defensive side. The Clippers could be facing disaster if they get bounced in the first round and Kawhi leaves. They’d probably have to trade George at that point.

[Slurktan]

11 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I haven’t watched the Clippers much this year, but I have heard analysts say both Kawhi and PG have taken a step back on the defensive side. The Clippers could be facing disaster if they get bounced in the first round and Kawhi leaves. They’d probably have to trade George at that point.

I am hoping the Clips lose not because I dislike them or even care about them for that matter but what does Kawhi do?  If he stays, do they just run it back and lose again?  Do they trade Playoff P?  What could they really get for him at this point?  They have no draft picks and no real assets beyond those two and that is for years due to the PG trade.  Does Kawhi and his people realize this and bolt July 1?

[Maithanet]

It is pretty shocking how far the Clippers have fallen from where they were less than a year ago - tied with LAL for championship favorites with oddsmakers for 2020 trophy. Now they're potentially staring at a second playoff no-show and a likely rebuild, with very few assets and missing or swapping their 1st round picks in 2022 through 2026.  If the Clippers go down hard now, this team could easily be very, very bad for the next decade.

Imagine if OKC were to get 5 straight top 10 picks out of the George deal. 

[Proudfeet]

31 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I haven’t watched the Clippers much this year, but I have heard analysts say both Kawhi and PG have taken a step back on the defensive side. The Clippers could be facing disaster if they get bounced in the first round and Kawhi leaves. They’d probably have to trade George at that point.

I've said this since Kawhi was in Toronto, don't remember if it was immediately before or after they won. Not that he is a bad defender, mind, just that he's only 80-90% of what he was and is rarely on their primary ball handler but chilling on the side. If he is doing a LeBron style energy conservation, its past time he turns it up.

39 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

It is pretty shocking how far the Clippers have fallen from where they were less than a year ago - tied with LAL for championship favorites with oddsmakers for 2020 trophy. Now they're potentially staring at a second playoff no-show and a likely rebuild, with very few assets and missing or swapping their 1st round picks in 2022 through 2026.  If the Clippers go down hard now, this team could easily be very, very bad for the next decade.

Imagine if OKC were to get 5 straight top 10 picks out of the George deal. 

The thing is that the Clippers are a very good team on paper both years, but it feels like they are a team where the sum of the whole is less than the sum of the parts. I don't know if it is bad coaching or conceit but they need to get it together.

I wouldn't write them off at this point. I haven't had confidence in them since early in the season, but I don't think the Mavs can maintain their shooting either. 

[Maithanet]

25 minutes ago, Proudfeet said:

I've said this since Kawhi was in Toronto, don't remember if it was immediately before or after they won. Not that he is a bad defender, mind, just that he's only 80-90% of what he was and is rarely on their primary ball handler but chilling on the side. If he is doing a LeBron style energy conservation, its past time he turns it up.

The Clippers OUGHT to have possibly the best 1-2 punch of defenders to throw at Doncic in the entire league.  Neither of those guys is young per se, but they're not exactly old either (Kawhi is just 29, George 31).  But LAC is clearly not getting it done defensively right now.  Doncic in two games has scored 70 points on 53 shots.  If he keeps up that level, LAC is finished. 

[Proudfeet]

1 minute ago, Maithanet said:

The Clippers OUGHT to have possibly the best 1-2 punch of defenders to throw at Doncic in the entire league.  Neither of those guys is young per se, but they're not exactly old either (Kawhi is just 29, George 31).  But LAC is clearly not getting it done defensively right now.  Doncic in two games has scored 70 points on 53 shots.  If he keeps up that level, LAC is finished. 

I caught a bit of the game, and it felt like it was usually Morris or George on Luka.

I don't know if its good or bad news for the Clippers, but he cooled off hard after the first half. He still made baskets, but not as well as in the first and he missed all his free throws and airballed a couple of three pointers.

What about Hardaway though. Is he going to keep this up? Its not unusual for players to get on a hot streak for a bit and that could be the difference.

[DireWolfSpirit]

Was the Clips offense a little stronger when they still had Lou Williams?

He was a guy that could give them 20 pts in 20 minutes at times.

Anyways it's great seeing a LA team go down, even greater would be seeing 2 LA teams bounced, fingers crossed.

I echo earlier post, will not watch a minute of any Nets v Laker final, fuck that, that's as offensive as being a Yankee cheerleader or something.

[Red Tiger]

Okay, okay. Question for my fellow NBA fans, especially @Relic

We often hear that Michael Jordan prevented an entire generation of superstars from getting rings. Guys like Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing off course come to mind. Also, folks like Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning only got theirs years after Jordan left.

Which people did LeBron stop from getting titles? Obviously he's stopped Harden and Westbrooke for now, but who else?

[Slurktan]

10 minutes ago, Red Tiger said:

Okay, okay. Question for my fellow NBA fans, especially @Relic

We often hear that Michael Jordan prevented an entire generation of superstars from getting rings. Guys like Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing off course come to mind. Also, folks like Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning only got theirs years after Jordan left.

Which people did LeBron stop from getting titles? Obviously he's stopped Harden and Westbrooke for now, but who else?

Not a good question, Jordan stopped people because you know he actually beat them and didn't lose in the finals, or ECF.

Demar DeRozan? The problem is for most of LeBrons career the east sucked and the West sent the same 3 teams to the finals and they usually beat him.  There isn't a lot that he stopped, sure the Heat stopped the Thunder that one year, and the Warriors once and Spurs once.  But the latter two got their titles and Durant got his on GS.  Lowry and Ibaka on TO.  Jimmy Butler?

[Red Tiger]

1 hour ago, Slurktan said:

Not a good question, Jordan stopped people because you know he actually beat them and didn't lose in the finals, or ECF.