NBA Playoffs 2023

[Zeus 6109]

39 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Draymond gonna Draymond. 

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Zeus

[Message Board User 12395]

 

[Message Board User 12395]

These two dudes remind of that cameraman Rodman kicked back in the day.

Very theatrical.

 

[ztejas 43526]

Warriors are in trouble. 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18550]

18 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Warriors are in trouble. 

Yeah they look out gunned but they've been terrible on the road all year. I expect them to take the next two at home and make this a long series. That Jordan Poole extension doesn't really look like a light years ahead of the rest of the league move right about now. He's supposed to carry that second unit offensively and every time Curry leaves the game they go to shit. 

Also can we revisit the take that the warriors / clippers / lakers should all be angling to face the inexperienced no defense playing 3 seed Kings? I don't care who it is, anybody who goes into that building for a playoff game is in for a very difficult evening. And they have been one of the best road teams all year too. 

[Zeus 6109]

19 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Yeah they look out gunned but they've been terrible on the road all year. I expect them to take the next two at home and make this a long series. That Jordan Poole extension doesn't really look like a light years ahead of the rest of the league move right about now. He's supposed to carry that second unit offensively and every time Curry leaves the game they go to shit. 

Also can we revisit the take that the warriors / clippers / lakers should all be angling to face the inexperienced no defense playing 3 seed Kings? I don't care who it is, anybody who goes into that building for a playoff game is in for a very difficult evening. And they have been one of the best road teams all year too. 

Yup they will get every call and do whatever they want - lead blocking to get shooters open.

Vegas knows...

 

[aggie08 21513]

20 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

That Jordan Poole extension doesn't really look like a light years ahead of the rest of the league move right about now. He's supposed to carry that second unit offensively and every time Curry leaves the game they go to shit. 

What do you think another team would offer him today on the restricted free agent market? I guarantee part of their thinking for signing him early was concern that another team would offer him the max just to fuck over Golden State and make them match. But ain't no one taking that risk this off-season, lest they inadvertently wind up stuck with that contract.

I never understood not letting it play itself out just to potentially save a few mil. Especially on the heels of a Finals where he was absolutely a liability at times against Boston's size and wasn't one of their best 6 players.

[ztejas 43526]

31 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I expect them to take the next two at home and make this a long series.

I would imagine Draymond gets suspended at least one game. I also think there has been some weird team dynamic stuff between him and Poole especially this season and this can't help that - and there's some $ stuff going on behind the scenes there when it comes to letting Dray walk or not. 

Odds are GS evens the series but I'm certainly not penciling 2-2 in - and every home game for them is a must win game. I can't imagine them taking game 5 and 7 in SAC. I'm not giving SAC the series but I'd definitely rather be them right now. 

31 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

Also can we revisit the take that the warriors / clippers / lakers should all be angling to face the inexperienced no defense playing 3 seed Kings? I don't care who it is, anybody who goes into that building for a playoff game is in for a very difficult evening. And they have been one of the best road teams all year too. 

Memphis without Ja or a hobbled Ja is easily looking like the best draw (because of course the Lakers stumble into that). I'd like to see how Phoenix comes out tonight before thinking the Clippers dodged Sacramento. That said - Bill Simmons made the point a couple of times that you might want to get Phoenix round 1 instead of potentially playing them round 2 or in the CF after they've had more time to get the ball rolling. I think he was probably right. 

Hindsight is going to be 20/20 with whatever happens. There just wasn't that much separation between 2 and 7 in the West. It does seem like some significant intangibles have been ignored or glossed over like GS sucking shit on the road all year, Golden1 predictably being a fortress for the playoffs, Lue having a significant coaching advantage over Monty and Phoenix not quite knowing what they're doing yet. 

Denver certainly looks to be in pole position. They'd be my pick right now.

[closetohumping 17455]

Suns are -7.5 

[ztejas 43526]

19 minutes ago, Zeus said:

Yup they will get every call and do whatever they want - lead blocking to get shooters open.

Vegas knows...

 

LOL I wouldn't touch that line until we hear from the league on Dray. It's obviously priced in but that could wind up being GS -8.5 or GS -4.5.

[PittsburghTiger 6192]

I watched the first half and the Warriors just don’t look like the same team. As others have said there appears to be a chemistry issue. 

[Vic Mackey 47095]

Lol Golden State still runs and gets away with the most obvious moving screen plays 
Also the biggest non stop crybabies
 

It's how they built their dynasty. Many have spoken out about what they got away with this whole time. They are front running dorks. When shit hits the fan, you nailed it. They turn to cry babies. Crying about the same shit they constantly do to other teams when winning. Easily the most unlikable team in the league for one main reason of Draymond Green.

[Pam Cummings 9647]

Steve Kerr definitely seems like a baby back bitch for whining about code breaking and then pretending he didn't see exactly what Draymond did. They need to own up to that shit.

 

Also unbelievable that El Burro won't be suspended for that shit. Just unbelievable.

Edited April 18, 2023 by Pam Cummings

[SilasCoade 2622]

9 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I think Sabonis milked that rolling around on the ground like he was dead. But fuck Draymond. I just don't get how such a smart player continually does such stupid things. 

The myth of Draymond the basketball genius is so overblown. He's no dummy but he's not the combination of Magic and Rodman that people pretend he is. He's a fake tough guy who would have washed out of the league had he been drafted by any other team.

Edited April 18, 2023 by SilasCoade

[Chewbacca 7780]

The myth of Draymond the basketball genius is so overblown. He's no dummy but he's not the combination of Magic and Rodman that people pretend he is. He's a fake tough guy who would have washed out of the league had he been drafted by any other team.

His entire game is based on the belief that refs won't foul him out of every game. And way too often he's correct.

[Brothahorn 10087]

Woke up this morning to hear all the craziness that I missed.

Draymond has to be suspended for at least one game. But Sabonis sold the shit out of it.

The Warriors are showing their age a lil bit. I hadn't watched enough of the Kings this year to know how good they were. But, I did think it was funny how all the teams were jockeying to play them. Especially since they have home court. I'm old enough to remember how crazy their old arena got when they were fighting the Lakers.

[Brothahorn 10087]

I just looked at the 76ers v Nets box score and again, no Ben Simmons. I must have missed where he again got hurt. 
 
$35,000,000 well spent for a guy who played half the season, 42 games.

Ben wasn't feeling like Ben, so he took some time off.

[aggie08 21513]

29 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

They are front running dorks. When shit hits the fan, you nailed it. They turn to cry babies.

Such a horrible take, even for your standards. Under Kerr, this is the 7th time that they've fallen behind in a playoff series. They've come back to win all of them except for the Finals against Toronto, where they looked like they were on the verge of forcing a Game 7 before Klay got hurt.

I'd argue that they're at their best when they're playing from behind. Pretty much the antithesis of a front runner.

 

[Blotto 23560]

5 minutes ago, Brothahorn said:

Woke up this morning to hear all the craziness that I missed.

Draymond has to be suspended for at least one game. But Sabonis sold the shit out of it.

The Warriors are showing their age a lil bit. I hadn't watched enough of the Kings this year to know how good they were. But, I did think it was funny how all the teams were jockeying to play them. Especially since they have home court. I'm old enough to remember how crazy their old arena got when they were fighting the Lakers.

I didn't watch the game either, and only saw a highlight clip online, so if they showed 15 different angles during the broadcast maybe it looked more egregious. My contention is that if Sabonis doesn't grab his ankle in the first place, none of that shit transpires. His leg clearly didnt have free range of motion and has to come down somewhere. Did he take advantage of it a bit when he landed? Yeah, but fuck Sabonis for grabbing his ankle in the first place. I have no issue with the flagrant 2, but wouldn't suspend him for another game. He does get 2 flagrant points  (3 in the postseason results in a suspension, so another flagrant 1 would do it anyway). And this is coming from someone that thinks Green is a f'n idiot. 

 

[lilMAC25 3802]

10 hours ago, Zeus said:

I'm guessing since they weren't showing a replay it's the normal dirty Draymond shit. And he's clapping and laughing after then screaming at the refs once they toss em. 

Such typical behavior from a guy the league never ever makes him pay for his dirty shitty behavior. And if anyone else tries to make him pay they will get suspended. Pathetic. The warriors suck shit through a straw.

Draymond is an epic fuckbag. He’s basically Dennis Rodman, but the league hasn’t been embarrassed enough yet for them to go at Green like they did Rodman. 

[aggie08 21513]

29 minutes ago, Pam Cummings said:

Steve Kerr definitely seems like a baby back bitch for whining about code breaking and then pretending he didn't see exactly what Draymond did. They need to own up to that shit.

It's always amazing to me how coaches inevitably miss their own players' shit-heelery and can't seem to find the time to watch a replay before going to their press conference. So busy! 

[lilMAC25 3802]

8 minutes ago, Blotto said:

I didn't watch the game either, and only saw a highlight clip online, so if they showed 15 different angles during the broadcast maybe it looked more egregious. My contention is that if Sabonis doesn't grab his ankle in the first place, none of that shit transpires. His leg clearly didnt have free range of motion and has to come down somewhere. Did he take advantage of it a bit when he landed? Yeah, but fuck Sabonis for grabbing his ankle in the first place. I have no issue with the flagrant 2, but wouldn't suspend him for another game. He does get 2 flagrant points  (3 in the postseason results in a suspension, so another flagrant 1 would do it anyway). And this is coming from someone that thinks Green is a f'n idiot. 

 

I went into expecting to see Sabonis intentionally grabbing Green’s leg. 
 

instead, I saw Sabonis basically go fetal when he hit the ground and in my opinion was trying to draw up to protect his head.

Once he felt a leg, he DID grab and hold longer than he had to, again IMO.

 

OTOH, Green 100% intentionally stomped on him.

[Blotto 23560]

6 minutes ago, lilMAC25 said:

I went into expecting to see Sabonis intentionally grabbing Green’s leg. 
 

instead, I saw Sabonis basically go fetal when he hit the ground and in my opinion was trying to draw up to protect his head.

Once he felt a leg, he DID grab and hold longer than he had to, again IMO.

 

OTOH, Green 100% intentionally stomped on him.

Right, and he got tossed from the game. That is a sufficient penalty, imo. I dont really give a fuck, because I'm no Draymond fan. But Sabonis clearly instigated the interaction and then rolled around like he was auditioning for an Oscar.  Move onto the next game

[ztejas 43526]

4 minutes ago, Blotto said:

Right, and he got tossed from the game. That is a sufficient penalty, imo. I dont really give a fuck, because I'm no Draymond fan. But Sabonis clearly instigated the interaction and then rolled around like he was auditioning for an Oscar.  Move onto the next game

I agree. Draymond doesn't have a history of dirty play or excessive contact. He also gets an extremely short leash when it comes to technical fouls. I've never seen him do something that would get another player a tech and not get Ted up for it. We should give him the benefit of the doubt here and while we're at it rescind the flagrant 2. 

[lilMAC25 3802]

16 minutes ago, Blotto said:

Right, and he got tossed from the game. That is a sufficient penalty, imo. I dont really give a fuck, because I'm no Draymond fan. But Sabonis clearly instigated the interaction and then rolled around like he was auditioning for an Oscar.  Move onto the next game

Sabonis slightly grabbed a leg in the process of trying to protect himself. There was virtually no chance of Sabonis causing an injury.

 

Green intentionally stomped his full weight onto a downed player in manner that could easily cause injury.

 

An ejection was the absolute minimum punishment and Green should miss at least another game for his actions.

[wildcat09 29361]

31 minutes ago, Blotto said:

Right, and he got tossed from the game. That is a sufficient penalty, imo. I dont really give a fuck, because I'm no Draymond fan. But Sabonis clearly instigated the interaction and then rolled around like he was auditioning for an Oscar.  Move onto the next game

This is a pretty weird reaction to someone getting stomped in the chest by a very large guy. Are you somehow under the impression that that wouldn't hurt like hell? 

[ztejas 43526]

This was a week ago against the Pels.

https://streamable.com/067cz0

[Blotto 23560]

1 minute ago, wildcat09 said:

This is a pretty weird reaction to someone getting stomped in the chest by a very large guy. Are you somehow under the impression that that wouldn't hurt like hell? 

I'm sure it didn't feel great. I also think he was milking the fuck out of it to get Draymond tossed. I wasn't there, I didn't have pressure sensors wired to the dude to accurately asses the forces imparted on his chest. Its just an opinion based on the highlight clips I saw online. He'll be fine. 

[0xdeadbeef 1651]

37 minutes ago, lilMAC25 said:

Sabonis slightly grabbed a leg in the process of trying to protect himself. There was virtually no chance of Sabonis causing an injury.

 

Green intentionally stomped his full weight onto a downed player in manner that could easily cause injury.

 

An ejection was the absolute minimum punishment and Green should miss at least another game for his actions.

I don't like Green, but this was on Sabonis.  You may have only seen the gif that starts just after the screengrab below.  That does look like it's intentional, but if you watch the full clip, Sabonis grabbed Greens leg while the right foot was on the ground and held on while Green tried to step.   I would not expect a suspension.  

The full clip is halfway down the page here: https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/04/draymond-green-stomp-domantas-sabonis-foul-ankle

 

[Mittens 8292]

How is Draymond not smart enough to turn that into his favor?  If he stumbles and falls instead of stomping, the entire focus is on Sabonis being cheap and tripping him after hauling him down to the ground.  Green would be the sympathetic figure and Sabonis the villain.

[aggie08 21513]

Just now, Mittens said:

How is Draymond not smart enough to turn that into his favor?  If he stumbles and falls instead of stomping, the entire focus is on Sabonis being cheap and tripping him after hauling him down to the ground.  Green would be the sympathetic figure and Sabonis the villain.

Letting contact go and not getting in a retaliatory shot will never be in his DNA. Doesn't matter if it's Game 4 of an NBA Finals, or you just got a stop down 4 with 7 minutes to play in a near must-win road playoff game.

It's why he'll be remembered as much, if not more, for his antics than his defensive acumen, basketball IQ, and playmaking.

He has no one to blame but himself for that, and it's why his days in Golden State are likely numbered.

[ztejas 43526]

Y'all are acting like this is a court room. Sabonis grabbed his ankle and got a technical foul for it. Draymond stepped on him and got a flagrant 2. 

It doesn't matter what Sabonis did to initiate the response. Maybe it does when it comes to the league suspending Dray or not - but in the flow of the game it's meaningless. If you punch a guy and then he punches you back you're both getting flagrant 2s.

[closetohumping 17455]

Harden shot is gone.

[lilMAC25 3802]

1 minute ago, closetohumping said:

Harden shot is gone.

It’s the playoffs, so..

[lilMAC25 3802]

50 minutes ago, ztejas said:

This was a week ago against the Pels.

https://streamable.com/067cz0

That looked way less intentional than what he did to Sabonis.

25 minutes ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

I don't like Green, but this was on Sabonis.  You may have only seen the gif that starts just after the screengrab below.  That does look like it's intentional, but if you watch the full clip, Sabonis grabbed Greens leg while the right foot was on the ground and held on while Green tried to step.   I would not expect a suspension.  

The full clip is halfway down the page here: https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/04/draymond-green-stomp-domantas-sabonis-foul-ankle

 

No, I watched the video multiple times.

[MotownHorn 1770]

3 hours ago, Zeus said:

Yup they will get every call and do whatever they want - lead blocking to get shooters open.

Vegas knows...

 

the Warriors were favorites last night too, though

[Zeus 6109]

2 hours ago, ztejas said:

This was a week ago against the Pels.

https://streamable.com/067cz0

whoops just "accidentally" kicked a guy in the head 2 times and missed the other two kicks 💩 

[LTtxfan 49326]

4 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

13 hours ago, Zeus said:

Lol Golden State still runs and gets away with the most obvious moving screen plays 
Also the biggest non stop crybabies
 

It's how they built their dynasty. Many have spoken out about what they got away with this whole time. They are front running dorks. When shit hits the fan, you nailed it. They turn to cry babies. Crying about the same shit they constantly do to other teams when winning. Easily the most unlikable team in the league for one main reason of Draymond Green.

Yeah GSW needs Draymond Green drama to get back in this series -- he hopes it causes the Kings to lose focus and get distracted.

Never liked the bullshit Reindeer Games that Draymond does in playoffs in an attempt to help warriors win.  

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by LTtxfan

[ztejas 43526]

Zapruder film.

https://streamable.com/rke6ha

Doesn't look like much of an intentional ankle grab.

Also a rebounding foul on Klay. 

I think he's 100% getting suspended. He really wound up that stomp. Someone also made the point that his decorum with the fans following the incident could be considered. 

Edited April 18, 2023 by ztejas

[Zeus 6109]

14 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Zapruder film.

https://streamable.com/rke6ha

Doesn't look like much of an intentional ankle grab.

Also a rebounding foul on Klay. 

I think he's 100% getting suspended. He really wound up that stomp. Someone also made the point that his decorum with the fans following the incident could be considered. 

yeah totally insane they called a technical on Sabonis there too wtf

the warriors are so dirty man they bounce around completly off balance into opposing players just waiting for enough contact to flop 

A guy falls down in front of you, into your legs, you look down at him, instead of taking off down the court around him you HAVE to go over him? Nah man you chose to go over him and looking down right at him as you stomp down on his ribs. 

Sure Sabonis is playing it up, they all do that shit. That's the only way to get calls in the NBA is to act like a soccer player.

[ztejas 43526]

4 hours ago, aggie08 said:

Such a horrible take, even for your standards. Under Kerr, this is the 7th time that they've fallen behind in a playoff series. They've come back to win all of them except for the Finals against Toronto, where they looked like they were on the verge of forcing a Game 7 before Klay got hurt.

I'd argue that they're at their best when they're playing from behind. Pretty much the antithesis of a front runner.

 

Maybe needs a fact check - KoC just said that GS has never gone down 2-0 in a series with Steph. 

[Make em eat Taco Bell 1549]

why are clippers +8 tonight @ Suns when they won game 1 .  Sure, they might lose, but it's going to be a fight.  Is someone hurt? 

[Dutchrudder 11150]

[shadow_operative 15932]

1)sabonis basically went into the fetal position and i really don't think he was intentionally wrapping his arms around draymond's leg. in fact to me it looks like sabonis unwraps his arms a bit once he realizes that he has his leg wrapped up.

2)draymond has to be suspended. that was an intentional stomp. if it were the regular season i'd suspend him 5+ games.

3)sabonis grew up playing soccer his entire life, so yes, it's in his dna to flop around like a fish out of water and embellish any contact he receives. doesn't change what draymond did.

[PittsburghTiger 6192]

 

[UpperWestside 6181]

4 hours ago, Mittens said:

How is Draymond not smart enough to turn that into his favor?  If he stumbles and falls instead of stomping, the entire focus is on Sabonis being cheap and tripping him after hauling him down to the ground.  Green would be the sympathetic figure and Sabonis the villain.

He has anger and hubris. Smart player who will do some comically dumb things at the most inopportune moment. He is who he is. I am sure Dubs fans are okay with it for the most part and the NBA should be as well as it creates a villian for opposing fans to dislike.

[Zeus 6109]

2 hours ago, Make em eat Taco Bell said:

why are clippers +8 tonight @ Suns when they won game 1 .  Sure, they might lose, but it's going to be a fight.  Is someone hurt? 

It depends :^)

 

 

also the lines are affected by the money coming in so it could be just trying to balance things out

Edited April 18, 2023 by Zeus

[HornOnTheBayou 8943]

4 hours ago, Make em eat Taco Bell said:

why are clippers +8 tonight @ Suns when they won game 1 .  Sure, they might lose, but it's going to be a fight.  Is someone hurt? 

When the road team wins game 1, there's a tendency for them to slack off in game 2. The idea being they split the first two games, so they're good. Vegas is just playing to that trend.

[Brothahorn 10087]

4 hours ago, Dutchrudder said:

 

 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

These games are absolute shit so far