NBA 2021-2022

[ztejas 44228]

3 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

That play is great until someone scouts it and pushes the ball upcourt for a 5 on 4. Cool move though. 

He does it fairly often though. I mean yes it's obviously super gimmicky but he's fast enough to recover even if they do push the ball. 

Btw - his nickname at GT was apparently "Grand Theft Alvarado" which is just amazing. 

Edited March 31, 2022 by ztejas

[Message Board User 12405]

 

[ztejas 44228]

This is amazing. 

https://streamable.com/y1q5b9

[Baboontyme 2883]

Philly is soft. 

[ztejas 44228]

13 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Philly is soft. 

I'd be shocked if Doc is still there next year. Wonder if he retires.

[ztejas 44228]

Reggie Miller: repeatedly tells us a foul should just be a common foul

*foul is upgraded to a flagrant 2*

Reggie Miller: well you know... he could easily have broken his arm on this play

[Pam Cummings 9868]

Jesus, Giannis. KD with a chance to win it.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18963]

This is a pretty great regular season game. 

[ztejas 44228]

Lol. "If you want to check out the beginning of Lakers/Jazz instead of watching the two best players in the league play in overtime" 

[ztejas 44228]

That is a horrendous call on Claxton.

[ztejas 44228]

Holy shit fuck Milwaukee. How many dudes on this team y'all going to injure this year and last? 

[Baboontyme 2883]

1 hour ago, ztejas said:

That is a horrendous call on Claxton.

Did you see the replay? Left arm came down across both of GA's arms. Legit call. 

[Baboontyme 2883]

Is anyone else concluding in their own heads after the past couple of weeks that we're going to have a Finals rematch? 

Also Cade is ROTY and it shouldn't be close. 

I honestly feel like Joel has eliminated himself from MVP over the past week. I've been a big Process guy for years but it's plain that Giannis and Joker are carrying their teams down the stretch in ways that Joel is not. 

[ztejas 44228]

41 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Did you see the replay? Left arm came down across both of GA's arms. Legit call. 

Not the call I was talking about. 

3 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Is anyone else concluding in their own heads after the past couple of weeks that we're going to have a Finals rematch? 

Not really. Phoenix is my title favorite but I don't think PHX/MIL is some Warriors/Cavs type foregone conclusion. MIL should have lost tonight if we're being honest and PHI played them tough down the stretch earlier this week. Giannis is looking like the best player in the conference though. The Sleepy Bob injury may open the door a bit more for them - granted I'll buy the Celtics when I see it. 

[shadow_operative 15932]

Giannis passed Kareem as the all-time Bucks' scoring leader tonight. 

[aggie08 21796]

25 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Is anyone else concluding in their own heads after the past couple of weeks that we're going to have a Finals rematch? 

Also Cade is ROTY and it shouldn't be close. 

I honestly feel like Joel has eliminated himself from MVP over the past week. I've been a big Process guy for years but it's plain that Giannis and Joker are carrying their teams down the stretch in ways that Joel is not. 

No chance in hell that I'm penciling in Phoenix over a healthy Western Conference, I don't care how many regular season wins they rack up. Golden State doesn't fear them in the slightest (whether they'll be healthy enough for that to matter is another story), and Memphis will be a tough out. If Steph is 100%, I'm taking the field over the Suns and feeling pretty good about it.

And I still don't fully trust Milwaukee in the playoffs. Both caught a lot of breaks last year.

Edited April 1, 2022 by aggie08

[Baboontyme 2883]

9 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Not the call I was talking about. 

Not really. Phoenix is my title favorite but I don't think PHX/MIL is some Warriors/Cavs type foregone conclusion. MIL should have lost tonight if we're being honest and PHI played them tough down the stretch earlier this week. Giannis is looking like the best player in the conference though. The Sleepy Bob injury may open the door a bit more for them - granted I'll buy the Celtics when I see it. 

I've been really excited for the East playoffs for a few months. I feel like the last few weeks have exposed a lot of these teams as pretenders. At one point in time a Bulls Cavs series would have been interesting and I would have shrugged my shoulders in non-surprise if you told me Chicago was coming out of the East. Now I feel like we are seeing that Philly is fraudulent, Chicago is two Ball brothers away, Brooklyn can't defend anyone, Boston is in trouble without Williams, Miami and Jimmy Buckets are not on the same page... It's just the Bucks and everyone else to me right now. I know you are probably leaning into the Nets but I just don't see a cohesive team when I watch them. KD and Kyrie have to force things and KD in particular looks tired to me. I'm wrong all the time, more often than I'm right by far. Just the way I'm seeing things right now.

[ztejas 44228]

9 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

I've been really excited for the East playoffs for a few months. I feel like the last few weeks have exposed a lot of these teams as pretenders. At one point in time a Bulls Cavs series would have been interesting and I would have shrugged my shoulders in non-surprise if you told me Chicago was coming out of the East. Now I feel like we are seeing that Philly is fraudulent, Chicago is two Ball brothers away, Brooklyn can't defend anyone, Boston is in trouble without Williams, Miami and Jimmy Buckets are not on the same page... It's just the Bucks and everyone else to me right now. I know you are probably leaning into the Nets but I just don't see a cohesive team when I watch them. KD and Kyrie have to force things and KD in particular looks tired to me. I'm wrong all the time, more often than I'm right by far. Just the way I'm seeing things right now.

All good points. I just don't think Milwaukee is in some tier above everyone yet. I mean... you watched the game tonight, right? That was a pretty janky OT win and they put out a ton of tape on the "do everything to hold KD under 30" gameplan. BKN needs to make the playoffs before doing anything else but they definitely had a different gear of intensity once the playoffs started last season. I personally think they haven't spent enough time together to make a Finals run this season - also without HCA the entire way - but they'll still be dangerous. Especially if they can avoid MIL in the first round and win a ramp up series against MIA or Philly.

[4doorsMoreWhores 107]

13 minutes ago, ztejas said:

All good points. I just don't think Milwaukee is in some tier above everyone yet. I mean... you watched the game tonight, right? That was a pretty janky OT win and they put out a ton of tape on the "do everything to hold KD under 30" gameplan. BKN needs to make the playoffs before doing anything else but they definitely had a different gear of intensity once the playoffs started last season. I personally think they haven't spent enough time together to make a Finals run this season - also without HCA the entire way - but they'll still be dangerous. Especially if they can avoid MIL in the first round and win a ramp up series against MIA or Philly.

If MIL and NJ end up facing each other in the first round, I'm not putting my money on MIL. I agree NJ probably deserved to win tonight's game. I have a feeling playoff KD+KI are going to a very fucking tough out for any team in the East.

[Dutchrudder 11243]

Bucks look like they have a very good shot at taking the #1 seed before the end of the season, and they should do their best to ensure it. No point in playing the Nets in round 1, better to rest up after a 4-0 sweep than worry about sitting a game or two at the end of the season. 

If its Nets/Heat in round 1, I would heavily favor the Nets in that series, but Boston could still snag that spot. 6 games to go!

 

[Dutchrudder 11243]

Derozan had a great game for the Bulls tonight to edge out the clippers. Derozan's game log tonight:
43 min
50 Points
17-26 from the field
2-2 from 3
14-15 FT
5 rebounds
6 assists
1 steal
2 turnover
50 points
+19 on/off

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Dutchrudder

[Dutchrudder 11243]

Discuss

[ztejas 44228]

14 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

Bucks look like they have a very good shot at taking the #1 seed before the end of the season, and they should do their best to ensure it. No point in playing the Nets in round 1, better to rest up after a 4-0 sweep than worry about sitting a game or two at the end of the season. 

If its Nets/Heat in round 1, I would heavily favor the Nets in that series, but Boston could still snag that spot. 6 games to go!

 

BKN's tied record-wise with ATL and CHA in the 8-10 spots right now although they play the Hawks Saturday and their 4 remaining after that are fairly toothless. 

That is to say - playing avoid-the-Nets roulette doesn't make much sense to me as they could easily be the 7, 8 or hypothetically miss the playoffs altogether (which seems unlikely but the play-in is so fucking stupid it could happen).

Granted - this is exactly what the play-in was designed for. Instead of taking it to tiebreakers have 'em play for it. It wasn't designed to give teams 13 games below .500 a chance to knock a legit playoff team like Minny or Denver out of the playoffs completely.

[Dutchrudder 11243]

I think it's a fairly safe assumption that the Nets will be in the 7 or 8 seed, and win that game. I would bet a lot of money they don't get the 9/10 seed. That means they will go on to play the #2 seed.  They only have 5 games left, so they will definitely be in the 7-10 seed area, but it's an easy 5 games, so I expect to see them go at least 4-1.  The Cavs have fallen off so much due to injuries that I think the Nets have a good chance at taking that 7 spot if they want homecourt for that play-in game.  

[ztejas 44228]

1 minute ago, Dutchrudder said:

I think it's a fairly safe assumption that the Nets will be in the 7 or 8 seed, and win that game. I would bet a lot of money they don't get the 9/10 seed. That means they will go on to play the #2 seed.  They only have 5 games left, so they will definitely be in the 7-10 seed area, but it's an easy 5 games, so I expect to see them go at least 4-1.  The Cavs have fallen off so much due to injuries that I think the Nets have a good chance at taking that 7 spot if they want homecourt for that play-in game.  

I may agree with you - but I'm also not going to make assumptions regarding a team that's had one of the most bizarre seasons in the history of the NBA. 

Durant could retire tomorrow and it would be about par for the course for them.

[shadow_operative 15932]

42 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

Discuss

he's not wrong. best player in OKC/SEA history, and a two time Finals MVP for GS.

[statsman 5693]

5 hours ago, Dutchrudder said:

Discuss

If the franchise moves, it’s a no-brainer. If it doesn’t- don’t underestimate the saltiness of OKC. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18963]

7 hours ago, ztejas said:

All good points. I just don't think Milwaukee is in some tier above everyone yet. I mean... you watched the game tonight, right? That was a pretty janky OT win and they put out a ton of tape on the "do everything to hold KD under 30" gameplan. 

Janky win for sure but they also played crunch time without Middletown who is as much their go to option down the stretch as Giannis is. And the Nets don't have anybody to guard Giannis, at all. He was dunking at will on simple post ups on anybody not named Andre Drummond, and Drummond can't check him at all on the perimeter. He can't move his feet. Don't get me wrong, I give Giannis that step back three that he nailed all day long, but he was dancing all over Drummond. 25 feet away from the basket is the last place that dude wants to be. The Jarrett Allen trade looks so bad in hindsight. What a perfect fit a mobile big like him would be with these guys. 

The thing about the Bucks is that you can't underestimate how much getting that ring means to their confidence. Once you're in the club, no matter how you got there, you always know that you can get there again. 

[Kermit 3162]

6 hours ago, Dutchrudder said:

Discuss

Yeah, there’s no way in hell OKC does this. Who wants to get booed at their jersey retirement ceremony?

[MNLonghornFUKM 8983]

he's not wrong. best player in OKC/SEA history, and a two time Finals MVP for GS.

Sam “big smooth” Perkins disagrees

[Sbbruin 22142]

11 hours ago, ztejas said:

Lol. "If you want to check out the beginning of Lakers/Jazz instead of watching the two best players in the league play in overtime" 

I can’t bring myself to watch them even if there’s no other game on.

[Nolacycling 893]

10 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

Giannis passed Kareem as the all-time Bucks' scoring leader tonight. 

Yes, if I remember correctly Kareem was there for 6 years and Giannis in his 10th.

That's alot of beautiful skyhooks. 

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by Nolacycling

[4doorsMoreWhores 107]

8 hours ago, Dutchrudder said:

Discuss

Sounds like something LeBron would say

[Dutchrudder 11243]

1 hour ago, 4doorsMoreWhores said:

Sounds like something LeBron would say

I agree, but only because of the way he said it.  I don't know how many people would disagree with either franchise choosing to retire his jersey, but the lack of humility in that statement is awful.

 

Jersey retirements are generally for great players who were very loyal to a team. Something beyond just championships, but what that person meant to the city, community involvement relationship with front office and owner, etc. I'm not sure he has that with either franchise.

[Kermit 3162]

I, for one, can’t wait to attend the Kawhi Leonard jersey retirement in San Antonio. It might be the first jersey hung that has “Wanker” where the name should be. Also, fuck Kawhi Leonard.

[aggie08 21796]

6 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

Jersey retirements are generally for great players who were very loyal to a team. Something beyond just championships, but what that person meant to the city, community involvement relationship with front office and owner, etc. I'm not sure he has that with either franchise.

He should have that with OKC. He helped build that franchise from literally nothing and was heavily involved in the OKC community. Jobs and revenue were created that might not have existed without him. Many of the people in that building treat him like family and vice versa. But their fans are a bunch of butthurt morons, so here we are.

[Kermit 3162]

14 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

He should have that with OKC. He helped build that franchise from literally nothing and was heavily involved in the OKC community. Jobs and revenue were created that might not have existed without him. Many of the people in that building treat him like family and vice versa. But their fans are a bunch of butthurt morons, so here we are.

You can’t leave the way he did and expect hero worship afterwards. The player empowerment era comes with some consequences. 

[aggie08 21796]

2 minutes ago, Kermit said:

You can’t leave the way he did and expect hero worship afterwards. The player empowerment era comes with some consequences. 

In what way can you leave and still have people acknowledge what you did for the organization? Or can you just never leave by your own volition? 

[ztejas 44228]

5 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

And the Nets don't have anybody to guard Giannis, at all

Well... Durant had some nice possessions defending him. But that obviously isn't something you can go to all game. I would think Claxton is the best equipped to guard him for long stretches. 

Both teams pretty much have to take their lumps with what Giannis and KD are going to do. Which is why it's so fascinating to watch. KD wasn't awesome but had 11 dimes and I feel like they had another dozen open looks they scored on off of KD being doubled. He also had several shots where he's like "fuck it - put the whole team on me I'm still scoring". Whether the MIL "sell the house to stop him" or BKN "we'll take our chances" D is the better move it's tough to say. They did send some doubles at Giannis late - not sure it helped much. Giannis also had probably 10 points off of broken plays or them losing him on offensive rebounds. That's what you have to try and cut down on. 

In a 7 game series it may just come down to which guy mentally and physically wears your ass out first. 

5 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

The thing about the Bucks is that you can't underestimate how much getting that ring means to their confidence. Once you're in the club, no matter how you got there, you always know that you can get there again. 

Agreed. It's why writing them off or worrying about their play during stretches of the regular season is silly. But there's also no guarantee you ever do get back or win another one.

 

3 hours ago, Nolacycling said:

Yes, if I remember correctly Kareem was there for 6 years and Giannis in his 10th.

That's alot of beautiful skyhooks. 

 

Yeah Giannis only has like 14k points. He started off really slow. 

[Kermit 3162]

26 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

In what way can you leave and still have people acknowledge what you did for the organization? Or can you just never leave by your own volition? 

You can’t. Only Lebron, really and that because of what happened when he came back. You’re more than free to leave, but you can’t demand fealty once you do.

[ztejas 44228]

Fuller KD quote

“Every one of these places I played is my home,” he says. “I can imagine me when I’m done, and I don’t think any one of these franchises would be like, ‘No, K, what you did here is not a part of our history.’ I’m going to be a Hall of Famer when I’m done, one of the greatest to ever play. If you don’t want me to be a part of your program when I’m done playing, then that’s personal.

“OKC has to retire my jersey,” he continues. “It wouldn’t even be good for the game of basketball if they didn’t. The same with Golden State. I’m still doing what I’m doing here in Brooklyn, but if I continue on what I’m doing four or five years, then I’ll feel the same way about this program. I better have a home. Because I feel like I am basketball. I breathe it. This is my DNA. I put in the time and respect and love for each one of these programs on and off the floor to get that type of recognition. If I don’t do it, then it’s personal.”

I don't think he's entitled to have his jersey retired in either place. If OKC doesn't then it's definitely a personal, "you hurt our feelings" type decision. He was only in GS for 3 years so I could see either argument. Brooklyn already has the banner made and is just waiting until he retires (assuming for whatever reason he doesn't not play out his contract).

It is a funny debate as to how many he gets. I do think OKC eventually gets over themselves and realizes they've never won a playoff series (in that city) without him. Maybe after another decade of failing to climb the mountain. Wonder what the Vegas o/u would be? 2? 2.5?

[aggie08 21796]

6 minutes ago, Kermit said:

You can’t. Only Lebron, really and that because of what happened when he came back. You’re more than free to leave, but you can’t demand fealty once you do.

Fealty, no. But some modicum of respect and appreciation mixed in with the boos? Doesn't seem like too much to ask. He didn't Kawhi or AD or Paul George or James Harden his way out of town.

[ztejas 44228]

6 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Fealty, no. But some modicum of respect and appreciation mixed in with the boos? Doesn't seem like too much to ask. He didn't Kawhi or AD or Paul George or James Harden his way out of town.

OKC can take their time until he's technically in the HoF maybe. Anything past that and it turns into a shitty look for their franchise. Imagine trying to sign a FA or keep a star around and they're like "why would I stick around when you haven't retired Kevin Durant's jersey yet" (and ultimately I think this is the crux of the issue). Especially once they retire Westbrook's jersey. 

The move might be retiring them together but I bet they do Russ first. 

Does Harden get his retired in Houston? Guessing that's a no brainer. 

Edited April 1, 2022 by ztejas

[Kermit 3162]

15 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Fealty, no. But some modicum of respect and appreciation mixed in with the boos? Doesn't seem like too much to ask. He didn't Kawhi or AD or Paul George or James Harden his way out of town.

It’s sports. It’s always personal. He can never go back, and why the fuck would he want to? Count yourself lucky that you left when you did. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18963]

How many guys have their number retired by multiple teams? For KD, I could see okc because they have nothing else and he spent a good deal of time there but the Warriors are an historic team that never retired Mitch Richmond or Tim Hardaway"s number. Does three mercenary years, regardless of the success, justify his jersey getting retired? I can't think of a guy who spent that little time with a franchise who got their number put in the rafters, at least off the top of head? Kevin Garnett with the Celtics? 

[aggie08 21796]

13 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

How many guys have their number retired by multiple teams?

I was wondering that myself. I assume Kareem? Anyone else?

[Nolacycling 893]

14

[ztejas 44228]

It's really not that rare. Also, there's this great thing called Google that will tell you the answers to these questions and more. 

https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/which-nba-players-have-had-their-jersey-retired-by-multiple-franchises-full-list-wilt-chamberlain-pete-maravich-more/11mv42oaci1f1rx7bn0b5jsn3

 

[ztejas 44228]

LeBron will wind up with 2 I'm guessing. Don't see why MIA wouldn't retire his. 

[aggie08 21796]

Dikembe?!? That's awesome.