NBA Playoffs - Play In? PLAY-IN It Cool

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

If you look at the raw accounting numbers, Luka has basically given what Kawhi and PG have combined.

ETA: Tight game though with 40 seconds left.

[Proudfeet]

Anyone counted the turnovers by Kawhi and George late in the game? 

[WarGalley]

Good defense on Kawhi at the end. I had a feeling he was going to have the last shot. Luka made a couple of bad/questionable decisions down the stretch but I would be embarrassed if I were a Clippers fan going down 3-2 in LA.

[WarGalley]

4 minutes ago, Proudfeet said:

Anyone counted the turnovers by Kawhi and George late in the game? 

Yeah very uncharacteristic for Kawhi. Even last season, I kept coming back to the idea that life in LA is too cozy for him. 

[Relic]

7 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

The season should have probably been 50 games or so and started in like February. It was pretty easy to predict that injuries would become a big issue.

Perception vs reality - 

 

League data shows the player injury rate this season is down about 6%, even though several marquee players — including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, James Harden and most recently Jamal Murray — have dealt with injuries in recent weeks.Apr 15, 2021

[DireWolfSpirit]

Dallas helluva bounce back effort after playing so poorly in the previous game. 

[Proudfeet]

4 hours ago, WarGalley said:

Yeah very uncharacteristic for Kawhi. Even last season, I kept coming back to the idea that life in LA is too cozy for him. 

I was stupefied last season, came to the conclusion that they lack teamwork this season and am now coming around to them having tunnel vision. Its not like they can't play as a team. They just don't think they need to.  

5 hours ago, WarGalley said:

Well if Mitchell and Gobert are top 2 anchors for offense and defense, the 3rd would be spread across Conley, Clarkson and Bogdanovic. Sounds obvious but (on cursory glance) I don't see major differences in stats between their playoff run so far or the regular season for those 3. Put a gun to my head and I'd say Conley as he's got the edge on scoring and assists (playoffs).

Thinking it over, I think Maith probably meant Gobert, Mitchell and Lillard, with Dame taking Conley's place. Sounds fantastic although you have to balance that with what the Jazz has to give up and also diminished returns Lillard and Mitchell sharing the ball. Not that it'll happen, but it sounds great hypothetically. 

As to the current roster, I think Conley's really stepped it up in the playoffs. He looked like he was a half step too slow, or a little lift too flat or a head too short during the few games I saw in the regular season. They looked toothless without Mitchell or Ingles initiating. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

5 hours ago, Relic said:

Perception vs reality - 

 

League data shows the player injury rate this season is down about 6%, even though several marquee players — including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, James Harden and most recently Jamal Murray — have dealt with injuries in recent weeks.Apr 15, 2021

And isn't it telling that teams that went deeper into the bubble are broken this year? The final four teams from last year all had considerable injury problems. I'd like to see what the numbers show when you compare bubble teams from last year to this year. Including teams that got a prolonged offseason probably skews the numbers.

[Maithanet]

1 hour ago, Proudfeet said:

I was stupefied last season, came to the conclusion that they lack teamwork this season and am now coming around to them having tunnel vision. Its not like they can't play as a team. They just don't think they need to.  

Thinking it over, I think Maith probably meant Gobert, Mitchell and Lillard, with Dame taking Conley's place. Sounds fantastic although you have to balance that with what the Jazz has to give up and also diminished returns Lillard and Mitchell sharing the ball. Not that it'll happen, but it sounds great hypothetically. 

Yes, that is what I meant, I assumed Conley, probably a couple of role players and several first round picks would be gone in the trade.  But that still would leave a top 3 with the talent to win a ring.

[Relic]

26 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

And isn't it telling that teams that went deeper into the bubble are broken this year? The final four teams from last year all had considerable injury problems. I'd like to see what the numbers show when you compare bubble teams from last year to this year. Including teams that got a prolonged offseason probably skews the numbers.

Might as well look into that stat for all final four teams each and every season. The point is, you're wrong. There aren't mote injuries this year. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

24 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

Yes, that is what I meant, I assumed Conley, probably a couple of role players and several first round picks would be gone in the trade.  But that still would leave a top 3 with the talent to win a ring.

Conley is a FA after the season, which means getting him would be in a sign and trade scenario. He'll be 34 at the start of next season, so that's unappealing, as our picks from a team you'd expect to be good for several season.

If I'm Portland and looking to trade Lillard, I'd call up the Knicks, desperate for a true superstar, and say give be Barrett, Toppin, three first round picks and three first round swaps.

8 minutes ago, Relic said:

Might as well look into that stat for all final four teams each and every season. The point is, you're wrong. There aren't mote injuries this year. 

No. That's useless. There was a shortened offseason and a condensed season. Including players on teams that got long breaks doesn't help in evaluating if the shortened offseason is leading to more injuries.

[Relic]

32 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

if the shortened offseason is leading to more injuries.

Ok, research players who appeared in the Olympics, then. 

Look, the numbers are legit. There were less injuries this year, altho there might have been a few more high profile injuries. Without numbers to back up your claim it's not really a valid point to make, imho. But i won't belabor the point if you choose to carry on. 

[Maithanet]

I'm very excited about the bucks nets series.  I wonder if the bucks will be successful when they go big against the nets, because IMO their five best players are Giannis, Middleton, Holiday, Lopez and Tucker.  Not quite as star studded as what the nets have, but those guys can play.  I've always been a fan of tucker's game.

[DanteGabriel]

Go Bucks!

[Maithanet]

8 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

Go Bucks!

I don't think any general NBA fan is rooting for the Nets. They don't even have the benefit of a large fanbase like the Lakers and Heat superteams did. I've lived in the mid Atlantic my entire life and I don't remember ever meeting a Nets fan.  

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

50 minutes ago, Relic said:

Ok, research players who appeared in the Olympics, then. 

Look, the numbers are legit. There were less injuries this year, altho there might have been a few more high profile injuries. Without numbers to back up your claim it's not really a valid point to make, imho. But i won't belabor the point if you choose to carry on. 

The only thing I could find was the same link you posted, but it’s worth noting that it’s from mid-April, so it’s incomplete. Still, Idk how you compare the eight teams that got nine months with the Lakers, who got a 72 day offseason.

[DanteGabriel]

12 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

I don't think any general NBA fan is rooting for the Nets. They don't even have the benefit of a large fanbase like the Lakers and Heat superteams did. I've lived in the mid Atlantic my entire life and I don't remember ever meeting a Nets fan.  

Are KD, Kyrie, and Harden the most unpopular NBA superstars? I think they might be.

But I have to admit I was wrong about Harden. He's modified his game and become more of a facilitator than I thought he would.

[Red Tiger]

On 6/2/2021 at 7:29 PM, Maithanet said:

Is it?  I am a Lebron fan, but I have never been a Lakers fan, and the way the NBA makes it easy for a few of the marquee franchises is always frustrating.  A team of Davis+Lebron+Dame wouldn't be very sportsmanlike, unless one of them is injured. 

I don't really care. I never saw the NBA as an honorable or sportsmanlike business. Way back in the late 50s, Red Auerbach made one dirty play after another to craft teams with monstrous amounts of talent. The teams who win multiple titles in a decade usually do so by unsportsmanlike means.

[Maithanet]

1 hour ago, DanteGabriel said:

But I have to admit I was wrong about Harden. He's modified his game and become more of a facilitator than I thought he would.

We'll see how he feels about sharing when the going gets tough though.  Things have been surprisingly smooth for the Nets thus far, as their Big 3 is healthy and Embiid just got hurt.  But that can change in a hurry in the playoffs.

2 minutes ago, Red Tiger said:

I don't really care. I never saw the NBA as an honorable or sportsmanlike business. Way back in the late 50s, Red Auerbach made one dirty play after another to craft teams with monstrous amounts of talent. The teams who win multiple titles in a decade usually do so by unsportsmanlike means.

I have no problem with the Lakers attempting to form whatever superteam they can.  But as a fan of the NBA and no team in particular*, I like it when there's 4 or more real contenders so that the playoffs have lots of exciting matchups.  Years where there's one team steamrolling everyone unless they get hurt (like the Warriors Superteam) is just boring.  

* I guess the Wizards?  Being a Wizards fan is pretty indistinguishable from being a fan of no team in particular.

[Proudfeet]

Costly decision not to challenge the foul on Nurkic against Jokic's three pointer. It looked like a flop and Nurkic picked up his fourth after. Nurkic's been in foul trouble this whole series and its three free throws and it looked clean so what are they saving it for? 

They should make it so that teams get both the challenge and time out back in a successful challenge anyway. I get that there's the risk of extending the game too long or having too much dead time in the game, but a wrong call is still a wrong call. You shouldn't be helpless against it if you always challenge successfully and not use it frivolously for any and every call.