NBA Playoffs 2022

[ztejas 42744]

You can't tell me anyone in the playoffs wants to win more than Chris Paul. He's playing like his family is tied up in a basement somewhere and he has to win the title to set them loose. 

[ztejas 42744]

This is unreal. How old is this guy?

[Wulaw Horn 18917]

11 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

Losing Curry and 2 firsts in order to dump Simmons remaining 3 years and $113 million is not a bad trade. Most teams would have to give up a lot more to dump that. 

Yeah but if they decide to pay Harden 200+ they are in trouble unless he has a CP3 renaissance. Which is insanely rare. 
their window about to close before it really opens. 

[Baboontyme 2669]

4 minutes ago, ztejas said:

You can't tell me anyone in the playoffs wants to win more than Chris Paul. He's playing like his family is tied up in a basement somewhere and he has to win the title to set them loose. 

I'm sort of rooting for him. I have no prior bias against him.

They are absolutely hunting Luka. He is spectacular. On one end of the floor. He doesn't really even try on the other. 

[ztejas 42744]

4 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

I'm sort of rooting for him. I have no prior bias against him.

He's had little man syndrome and been a punk his whole career but I just find it hard to root against someone that's been as good as he has for as long as he has and hasn't won one yet. He also consistently makes his teammates better and seems like a good locker room guy. 

I mean if this was against my team I'm sure I'd hate him but it's not so fuck it. It's fun to watch.

[ztejas 42744]

And I'll say it - this Suns team reminds me of the '14 Spurs - at least more than any other team since then. They have that Borg-collective mentality combined with the revenge angle. 

Long way to go however. I'm sure CP has another tragic injury in him. 

[Serak The Preparer 3408]

5 minutes ago, ztejas said:

He's had little man syndrome and been a punk his whole career but I just find it hard to root against someone that's been as good as he has for as long as he has and hasn't won one yet. He also consistently makes his teammates better and seems like a good locker room guy. 

I mean if this was against my team I'm sure I'd hate him but it's not so fuck it. It's fun to watch.

That's where I am, especially with combination of both CP3 and the Suns lacking any hardware. If he played for the Lakers, Celtics, (especially the Spurs ) then it'd be easier to hate but it just feels right for this to be the year for the Suns / CP3.

[Vegas64 640]

It's hard to not hate the Suns. So so hard.

Go Warriors.

[ztejas 42744]

1 minute ago, Serak The Preparer said:

That's where I am, especially with combination of both CP3 and the Suns lacking any hardware. If he played for the Lakers, Celtics, (especially the Spurs ) then it'd be easier to hate but it just feels right for this to be the year for the Suns / CP3.

Good point. Great basketball franchise that doesn't have one yet. Even though their owner is a piece of shit. 

 

In other news - God damn OBJ doing well for himself. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18327]

10 hours ago, ztejas said:

He's had little man syndrome and been a punk his whole career but I just find it hard to root against someone that's been as good as he has for as long as he has and hasn't won one yet. He also consistently makes his teammates better and seems like a good locker room guy. 

I mean if this was against my team I'm sure I'd hate him but it's not so fuck it. It's fun to watch.

I don't find it difficult to root against him in the least. He's been a flopping, whining, nut punching douche since college. And since when does he seem like a good locker room guy? He's worn out his welcome at every stop along the way because of his grating personality. His Clippers teammates couldn't stand him. James Harden hated him so much he said, "Yes, please, I'm begging you... bring in Russell Westbrook even though this guy got me closer to a championship than I'll ever get in my life because I hate him so much." He's probably one of the top 5 point guards of all time and yet he's now playing on his fifth team and fourth in the last six seasons. I've said it multiple times... I would be a huge CP3 stan if he weren't such a bitch (and his fucking State Farm commercials weren't constantly crammed down my throat).

That said, he is putting on a master class and Luka should be taking notes. CP3 spends the first three quarters setting up his teammates, letting them get their touches, getting everyone involved. And then in the fourth quarter, when everything is on the line, he takes over. The little fucker really is spectacular. 

And one final thought... the Suns have been the best team all season but they haven't been tested in the playoffs. The Pels were a nice story and they took advantage of Booker being out but they have not arrived yet. And the Mavs are a one trick pony. They will make it tougher on them in Dallas but I would be surprised if it goes 6 games. I really want to see what the Suns are made of next round against the Warriors. I dig the Grizzlies, but they are still on the come up. That Warriors team with their championship pedigree that has owned CP3 in the playoffs.... man, that is the good stuff. We still have lots of ball before then and anything can happen (namely, CP3 suffering a debilitating soft tissue injury or the Griz beating GS) but that is the WCF I'm really into.

[Reynolds Woodcock 4585]

12 hours ago, ztejas said:

He's had little man syndrome and been a punk his whole career but I just find it hard to root against someone that's been as good as he has for as long as he has and hasn't won one yet. He also consistently makes his teammates better and seems like a good locker room guy. 

I mean if this was against my team I'm sure I'd hate him but it's not so fuck it. It's fun to watch.

I’m with you on CP3. Used to be one of my favorite players to root against. His OKC year and his impact on Phoenix won me over even though his antics are tiresome. He’s just such an incredible basketball player.

1 hour ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

James Harden hated him so much he said, "Yes, please, I'm begging you... bring in Russell Westbrook even though this guy got me closer to a championship than I'll ever get in my life because I hate him so much."

Lol at citing this bum’s opinion as any sort of evidence. 

[Michael Knight 12664]

1 hour ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I don't find it difficult to root against him in the least. He's been a flopping, whining, nut punching douche since college. And since when does he seem like a good locker room guy? He's worn out his welcome at every stop along the way because of his grating personality. His Clippers teammates couldn't stand him. James Harden hated him so much he said, "Yes, please, I'm begging you... bring in Russell Westbrook even though this guy got me closer to a championship than I'll ever get in my life because I hate him so much." He's probably one of the top 5 point guards of all time and yet he's now playing on his fifth team and fourth in the last six seasons. I've said it multiple times... I would be a huge CP3 stan if he weren't such a bitch (and his fucking State Farm commercials weren't constantly crammed down my throat).

That said, he is putting on a master class and Luka should be taking notes. CP3 spends the first three quarters setting up his teammates, letting them get their touches, getting everyone involved. And then in the fourth quarter, when everything is on the line, he takes over. The little fucker really is spectacular. 

And one final thought... the Suns have been the best team all season but they haven't been tested in the playoffs. The Pels were a nice story and they took advantage of Booker being out but they have not arrived yet. And the Mavs are a one trick pony. They will make it tougher on them in Dallas but I would be surprised if it goes 6 games. I really want to see what the Suns are made of next round against the Warriors. I dig the Grizzlies, but they are still on the come up. That Warriors team with their championship pedigree that has owned CP3 in the playoffs.... man, that is the good stuff. We still have lots of ball before then and anything can happen (namely, CP3 suffering a debilitating soft tissue injury or the Griz beating GS) but that is the WCF I'm really into.

The same thing was said about Jimmy Butler and it turns out its just that all his teammates were losers. How can you say with a straight face "well james harden complained about him and also his clippers teammates ie blake griffen couldn't stand him" and conclude that's some sort of indictment on Chris Paul as a teammate and not just that he was always teamed with bitches. The Suns added Paul and instantly went from losers to one of the best teams in the NBA. Maybe next you can come to Ben Simmons defense.

[d2o 1600]

9 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

The same thing was said about Jimmy Butler and it turns out its just that all his teammates were losers. How can you say with a straight face "well james harden complained about him and also his clippers teammates ie blake griffen couldn't stand him" and conclude that's some sort of indictment on Chris Paul as a teammate and not just that he was always teamed with bitches. The Suns added Paul and instantly went from losers to one of the best teams in the NBA. Maybe next you can come to Ben Simmons defense.

Yeah, there is plenty to have an issue with CP3 about.   Harden and Blake Griffin not wanting to play with because he is too intense for them is not one of those things.

[Pam Cummings 9409]

18 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

The same thing was said about Jimmy Butler and it turns out its just that all his teammates were losers. How can you say with a straight face "well james harden complained about him and also his clippers teammates ie blake griffen couldn't stand him" and conclude that's some sort of indictment on Chris Paul as a teammate and not just that he was always teamed with bitches. The Suns added Paul and instantly went from losers to one of the best teams in the NBA. Maybe next you can come to Ben Simmons defense.

Nobody saying that he's a bad player. Just that he's an unlikeable, flopping little bitch. And it's fine if you wanna characterize his teammates as losers but he was right there blowing 3-1 leads alongside them. He's won nothing.

Edited May 5, 2022 by Pam Cummings

[Mitch Cumsteen 18327]

12 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

The same thing was said about Jimmy Butler and it turns out its just that all his teammates were losers. How can you say with a straight face "well james harden complained about him and also his clippers teammates ie blake griffen couldn't stand him" and conclude that's some sort of indictment on Chris Paul as a teammate and not just that he was always teamed with bitches. The Suns added Paul and instantly went from losers to one of the best teams in the NBA. Maybe next you can come to Ben Simmons defense.

While you are correct about those guys being bitches... that doesn't mean that Chris Paul isn't still a giant raging asshole. Not to mention a nut punching, whiny flopping bitch himself. Is that James Harden's or Blake Griffin's fault?

And Jimmy Butler is an asshole too. Look at this shit. Is Erik Spoelstra a loser too? How about Udonis Haslem? This was just a few weeks ago. Come the fuck on.

Both Butler and Chris Paul are grade A assholes. There is more than one style of leadership. More than one way to get your point across. If the only way you can motivate someone is by being a dickhead, then perhaps you're just a dickhead and not some great teammate. Remember that time Tim Duncan grated so hard on his teammates that they didn't want to re-sign in San Antonio? Yeah, me neither.

Here is about the biggest fluff piece you can imagine about Chris Paul and his leadership style. He still seems like an asshole.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22098380/chris-paul-competitive-fire-gift-curse-houston-rockets-point-guard-nba

 

[Quagmire 2139]

Thoughts on Dillion getting a suspension and green did not ? Both were dirty ass plays and hard unnecessary fouls .

[Kermit 3081]

38 minutes ago, Quagmire said:

Thoughts on Dillion getting a suspension and green did not ? Both were dirty ass plays and hard unnecessary fouls .

I’m pretty sure the NBA hates Dillon Brooks too.

[ztejas 42744]

32 minutes ago, Quagmire said:

Thoughts on Dillion getting a suspension and green did not ? Both were dirty ass plays and hard unnecessary fouls .

Brooks' was worse. I thought Draymond's was barely a 2. Not sure Brooks should get suspended though. 

 

What the fuck is up with this scheduling, by the way? The Miami/Philly and Dallas/Phoenix series are going Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday and the other two series are going Sunday/Tuesday/SATURDAY/Monday. Is it hockey related or something? Just seems bizarre.

[d2o 1600]

1 hour ago, Quagmire said:

Thoughts on Dillion getting a suspension and green did not ? Both were dirty ass plays and hard unnecessary fouls .

Brooks was worse.   Much worse IMO.   He's lucky it was only a game.

[Message Board User 12382]

As good as Luka is on offense, he's equally bad on defense.

Seeking out a horrific defender relentlessly (like Miami did to Trae Young) is what good teams do.

 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18327]

Oof. That's pretty bad. They aren't even killing him on isolations as much as preying on him as a terrible help defender. There is no shame getting roasted by Paul or Booker one on one, but being out of position on rotations and not closing out properly is strictly a matter of effort and recognition. In his defense (no pun intended), he's probably got to conserve energy somewhere since he's initiating / hero balling 99% of their offense. 

[aggie08 20213]

43 minutes ago, d2o said:

Brooks was worse.   Much worse IMO.   He's lucky it was only a game.

Exactly. By the letter of the law, Draymond deserved his ejection. Even moreso with reputation factored in. But that wasn't a particularly dangerous play. He swiped down on someone's arms and missed.

Brooks blindsided a guy mid air at full speed with no possibility--or legitimate attempt--to get all the way to the ball

[Baboontyme 2669]

Draymond with the most Draymond take ever on the Brooks play. He gives Memphis credit for setting the tone. I get he's not everyone's cup of tea, but love his honesty. 

 

[ztejas 42744]

Whoa. 

[Dutchrudder 10973]

18 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Exactly. By the letter of the law, Draymond deserved his ejection. Even moreso with reputation factored in. But that wasn't a particularly dangerous play. He swiped down on someone's arms and missed.

Brooks blindsided a guy mid air at full speed with no possibility--or legitimate attempt--to get all the way to the ball

I agree, and I hate Draymond Green. If it was the regular season, I think Brooks would have gotten a longer suspension. The NBA doesn't want to damage the product, so they are always hand out wimpy penalties in the playoffs, which is where they make a lot of their TV revenue every year.  Money > justice in the NBA.

The hit Brooks did should never happen in a game. It's very dangerous, it's almost never a clean block, and it requires a great amount of control to not go under the guy with the ball.  Jump to the side of them and swipe above them to go for the ball, anything lower is dumb. 

[Dutchrudder 10973]

19 hours ago, Message Board User said:

As good as Luka is on offense, he's equally bad on defense.

Seeking out a horrific defender relentlessly (like Miami did to Trae Young) is what good teams do.

 

Very few stars can withstand that sort of weight on their shoulders for 35 minutes a game. Lebron in the 2016 finals is the only player I can recall recently that was able to do what Luka is doing on offense and not be a liability on defense. The warriors weren't going THAT hard at him like the Sun's are doing to Luka though. It's a hell of a game plan by them, and the adjustments Dallas needs to make means more shots for Dinwiddie and Brunson? Lol good luck with that.

[Baboontyme 2669]

Joel is playing tonight. I mean not confirmed but confirmed. 

[ztejas 42744]

Miami is going to steal this if Philly isn't careful. 

[Dutchrudder 10973]

76ers win easily, and Embiid didn't even have that great of a game. This bodes well for Philly. 

[ztejas 42744]

2 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

76ers win easily, and Embiid didn't even have that great of a game. This bodes well for Philly. 

Miami was just putrid on O. They had a nice 3rd quarter to cut it to 3 then went right back to missing everything in the 4th. 

Weird game and a weird series. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18327]

If Danny Green goes 7-9 from three every night, I like philly's chances. It would be the most Danny Green thing ever though to not make even another one for the rest of the series. 

[ztejas 42744]

Is Chris Paul drunk? 

[ztejas 42744]

Luka jacking up all kinds of bullshit. Mavs should be up 25 right now. 

[Dutchrudder 10973]

Wow, CP3 with 7 points, 2 assists, 7 turnovers and 3 fouls in the first half. Very uncharacteristic game for him.  

[ztejas 42744]

That was one of the worst out of bounds calls I've ever seen. Massive momentum shift for the Mavs. Oh well. 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8780]

Sheesh

[LTtxfan 48688]

21 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Luka jacking up all kinds of bullshit. Mavs should be up 25 right now. 

Luka's performances are so bipolar...

• when Luka's good -- he's fuckin' amazing
• when average or below -- head scratching

[MNLonghornFUKM 8780]

This second round has been horseshit outside of the Memphis GS series

[ztejas 42744]

Just now, MNLonghornFUKM said:

This second round has been horseshit outside of the Memphis GS series

Yeah. Phoenix just doesn't have it tonight. Lot of game left I guess. 

[LTtxfan 48688]

Just now, ztejas said:

Yeah. Phoenix just doesn't have it tonight. Lot of game left I guess. 

16 minutes left... PHX still has a run in them tonight

13pt game

[Baboontyme 2669]

8 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Sheesh

Pretty sure those two are tight from Jimmy's brief stint in Philly.

Y'know I'm not a Mavs fan, and I absolutely hear the criticism about his D. However there is something to be said for having to shoulder 85% of the load offensively and how that wears on you. It also can help explain being in foul trouble. He needs some help so that he CAN have something in the tank to give effort on the defensive end. If he still can't at that point then it's a different conversation. 

[ztejas 42744]

1 minute ago, Baboontyme said:

Y'know I'm not a Mavs fan, and I absolutely hear the criticism about his D. However there is something to be said for having to shoulder 85% of the load offensively and how that wears on you.

This is a solid team though. Luka doesn't "have" to shoulder that much. He's surrounded by plus shooters and has two very capable creators in Dinwiddie and Brunson. He just wants the ball. All. The. Time. He's so good that it isn't that big of an issue but he still wastes a bunch of possessions and isn't quite elite when it comes to scoring efficiency. He has a lot of room to grow still - which can be a good thing. 

[Baboontyme 2669]

2 minutes ago, ztejas said:

This is a solid team though. Luka doesn't "have" to shoulder that much. He's surrounded by plus shooters and has two very capable creators in Dinwiddie and Brunson. He just wants the ball. All. The. Time. He's so good that it isn't that big of an issue but he still wastes a bunch of possessions and isn't quite elite when it comes to scoring efficiency. He has a lot of room to grow still - which can be a good thing. 

I don't know if I agree with that. This is the weakest team left in the tournament by far. I can't claim credit for this idea, I will cede that to JJ Reddick, but Luka needs - rather than describing all of the traits I'll just say Brandon Ingram. He needs a Robin. The dudes he has now are Alfreds. 

I don't watch this team regularly so I'm mostly talking out of my ass for the record. 

[Dutchrudder 10973]

I know you could say this every night, but this game is very poorly officiated. 

[ztejas 42744]

11 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

I don't know if I agree with that. This is the weakest team left in the tournament by far. I can't claim credit for this idea, I will cede that to JJ Reddick, but Luka needs - rather than describing all of the traits I'll just say Brandon Ingram. He needs a Robin. The dudes he has now are Alfreds. 

I don't watch this team regularly so I'm mostly talking out of my ass for the record. 

I disagree this is the worst team "by far" still playing. And even if they are 8th that's 8th best in the NBA. 

I mean... they beat Utah twice without Luka. Sure he doesn't have an all-star teammate but he isn't playing with a bunch of scrubs either. I'm not saying they should contend with this roster I just don't think Luka necessarily needs to have a 40% USG rate with these guys - and there are aspects of his game he can improve. Not even including defense. (Like... for example... not fouling out of must-win playoff games).

Edited May 7, 2022 by ztejas

[Dutchrudder 10973]

14 minutes ago, ztejas said:

This is a solid team though. Luka doesn't "have" to shoulder that much. He's surrounded by plus shooters and has two very capable creators in Dinwiddie and Brunson. He just wants the ball. All. The. Time. He's so good that it isn't that big of an issue but he still wastes a bunch of possessions and isn't quite elite when it comes to scoring efficiency. He has a lot of room to grow still - which can be a good thing. 

Solid as in, not gonna miss the playoffs, sure. This team is not championship level quality, not even Conference Finals.  Their cap is maxed out for next year with the current players, and Brunson is a free agent.  They can overpay to re-sign him and maintain what they have, but that's not going to get them over the hump. They have to shake up this roster and get another All-star level player to go with Luka.  However, they don't appear to have the assets for that. I just don't see how this team gets a whole lot better next year.  

[ztejas 42744]

1 minute ago, Dutchrudder said:

Solid as in, not gonna miss the playoffs, sure. This team is not championship level quality, not even Conference Finals.  Their cap is maxed out for next year with the current players, and Brunson is a free agent.  They can overpay to re-sign him and maintain what they have, but that's not going to get them over the hump. They have to shake up this roster and get another All-star level player to go with Luka.  However, they don't appear to have the assets for that. I just don't see how this team gets a whole lot better next year.  

Right. See my next comment. 

[Catdaddyhorn 3435]

35 minutes ago, ztejas said:

I disagree this is the worst team "by far" still playing. And even if they are 8th that's 8th best in the NBA. 

I mean... they beat Utah twice without Luka. Sure he doesn't have an all-star teammate but he isn't playing with a bunch of scrubs either. I'm not saying they should contend with this roster I just don't think Luka necessarily needs to have a 40% USG rate with these guys - and there are aspects of his game he can improve. Not even including defense. (Like... for example... not fouling out of must-win playoff games).

The Mavs are basically a quality rim running defensive center and a Cam Johnson like wing away from having a championship caliber roster. Finney and Bullock are great, but if we had one more wing of their defensive quality but more capable of consistently attacking closeouts it would throw us over the top. Maybe if Green had a Finney-Smith like improvement from outside over the next year he'd fill that hole in our roster, but so far choosing him over Saddiq Bey was a major mistake. 

[ztejas 42744]

1 hour ago, Catdaddyhorn said:

The Mavs are basically a quality rim running defensive center and a Cam Johnson like wing away from having a championship caliber roster. Finney and Bullock are great, but if we had one more wing of their defensive quality but more capable of consistently attacking closeouts it would throw us over the top. Maybe if Green had a Finney-Smith like improvement from outside over the next year he'd fill that hole in our roster, but so far choosing him over Saddiq Bey was a major mistake. 

THJ is kind of an elephant in the room, too. Feel like I'd work to trade him.

[Catdaddyhorn 3435]

14 minutes ago, ztejas said:

THJ is kind of an elephant in the room, too. Feel like I'd work to trade him.

Yeah, but he doesn't provide near the defensive quality we need from a guy getting minutes like he would require.