The NBA

[Magog]

I'm shocked & pleasantly surprised that Kevin Love scored 34 points in the 1st quarter. That was pretty exciting to watch last night. Of course, ESPN would rather be gushing about their Warriors beating up the Lakers 149-106. 

Its like every time they talk about them, they gushed about them a lot & always acting "Aw Shucks" about them, especially towards Stephen Curry & now Kevin Durant.

Edited November 24, 2016 by Magog

[roamyn]

I was shocked too, I didn't think he had it in him.

I've been watching more& more of Steph.  He's an amazing shooter, but he's terrible at defense and his decision making abilities as a point guard are hit & miss.  I think he'll get better at the latter, but he's so slight & tiny that I think defense will always be a problem for him.  One of the best shooters ever?  Yes.  One of the best point guards ever?  No.

[mojoween]

Did I read correctly, that 34 is the second highest score for one player in a quarter in NBA history?

[Crs97]

Yes, I think Klay Thompson shot 37 in the 3rd quarter once.  Kevin had to change his game so much when he came to Cleveland; I love seeing him being used properly!

[topanga]

On 11/24/2016 at 2:04 PM, Crs97 said:

Yes, I think Klay Thompson shot 37 in the 3rd quarter once.  Kevin had to change his game so much when he came to Cleveland; I love seeing him being used properly!

I'm glad I'm not in the Cleveland front office. I was ready to give Kevin Love the boot after he shat the bed in the Finals. Not really. He just didn't do much to help the Cavs win. But Cleveland obviously still saw his potential. 

[roamyn]

On Friday, November 25, 2016 at 2:06 PM, topanga said:

I'm glad I'm not in the Cleveland front office. I was ready to give Kevin Love the boot after he shat the bed in the Finals. Not really. He just didn't do much to help the Cavs win. But Cleveland obviously still saw his potential. 

Disagree.  First, he had a concussion in Game 3 and didn't play Game 4 (and probably shouldn't have played Game 5), but hus defense & rebounding were invaluable - esp Game 7.

[mojoween]

Holy hell someone PLEASE tell me that LeBron James did not really say he wants to have more Sports Illustrated covers than Michael Jordan.  Like that is seriously something that bothers him.

God shut UP.  No one CARES.  And SI enabling him makes me glad I let my subscription lapse.

[Ohwell]

Fucking Draymond Green.  I wish somebody would twist his damn foot the next time he kicks someone.  I really like the Warriors but I wish they'd get rid of him.

[xaxat]

I hope other players start kicking him in the nuts flailing about after their follow through.

[Ohwell]

I'm surprised they haven't done it to him already.

[Magog]

I'm know that certain people (I'm not one of them) was thrilled tonight that Klay Thompson scored 60 points (40 in the first half) tonight in a 142-106 beating of the sorry Pacers.  The Clippers have no chacnce against the Warriors. The Clippers may have beaten up the Cavaliers last week, but I'm still not convinced that they're going to beat the Warriors on Wednesday Night or if they even meet in the Playoffs in the future.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Magog

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I was at tonight's Warriors game. EPIC! 

[Carey]

Looks like the media or whomever is/are pissed at how we have to wait half a year before Cavs/Warriors.  I respect their concern how the NBA isn’t fun anymore since it’s all but inevitable.  I’m also laughing at them (since it’s true barring injury or an upset).  It’s still December, and much of the country is focused on football and college hoops to care.  If it’s Golden State vs Cleveland for the next 4 seasons I’ll okay with that, but I think the analysts overdo it with their in-the-moment living and reactions.  IMO, I saw the water bottle thing as a side story turned into a bigger deal than necessary.  Warriors rout was just business as usual

[FuriousStyles]

Lol@ the water bottle thing.  Most pundits are talking about how it was kinda disrespectful to the Knicks for Lebron and Co. to be playing that game...but I don't think anybody said straight up that the 'disrespect' wasnt aimed at the Knicks as a team (Lebron's good friend, Melo is the face of that team afterall) but it was aimed at Phil Jackson personally (due to their "posse" feud).   I mean its not like the Knicks were the first team Lebron has ever slaughtered and the bottle throwing game has been around for years so what's different here? Why would Lebron's do something blatantly disrespectful to the opposing team?  Its because Phil just doesnt know when to shut the fuck up or apologize or just plain mind his damn business.

[mojoween]

It doesn't matter that we all knew it was likely, I am so sad that Craig Sager lost his battle.  Fucking cancer.  Fuck.

[roseha]

17 minutes ago, mojoween said:

It doesn't matter that we all knew it was likely, I am so sad that Craig Sager lost his battle.

That pretty much sums up the way I feel, I was browsing Twitter and saw that he had passed away.   He was so very brave and positive all this time.  I will have to watch the next Inside the NBA to see the tributes from Charles, Kenny and co.

[topanga]

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

It doesn't matter that we all knew it was likely, I am so sad that Craig Sager lost his battle.  Fucking cancer.  Fuck.

Yeah, cancer sucks. Whenever Craig Sager was able to make an appearance in games, he was always positive and friendly to players and coaches.

 

On 12/9/2016 at 11:50 PM, FuriousStyles said:

Lol@ the water bottle thing.  Most pundits are talking about how it was kinda disrespectful to the Knicks for Lebron and Co. to be playing that game...but I don't think anybody said straight up that the 'disrespect' wasnt aimed at the Knicks as a team (Lebron's good friend, Melo is the face of that team afterall) but it was aimed at Phil Jackson personally (due to their "posse" feud).   I mean its not like the Knicks were the first team Lebron has ever slaughtered and the bottle throwing game has been around for years so what's different here? Why would Lebron's do something blatantly disrespectful to the opposing team?  Its because Phil just doesnt know when to shut the fuck up or apologize or just plain mind his damn business.

Okay, FuiousStyles (Tre!!!!), you sent me down an Internet rabbit hole. I'd already seen the water bottle video, but I watched it again. And I had no idea about Phil Jackson's 'posse' comments, so I had to look those up. The thing is, I didn't know LeBron James traveled with a big entourage. If so, I don't ever hear about it, the way I did with Allen Iverson and other professional athletes. Or other celebrities like P. Diddy and Justin Bieber. And it seems Phil Jackson has had a problem with LeBron James for years. Here are some comments from his 2004 book: 

Quote

"Yet as talented as this kid definitely appears to be, I don't believe he or any nineteen-year-old should be playing in the NBA. These young men grow so dependent on their posses, who fetch their cars and their girls, that they can't possibly develop into mature self-sufficient human beings. One day, I'm convinced, we'll find out the true extent of the psychological damage that's being caused."

I'm offended by him assuming that LeBron's so-called posse would be fetching cars and girls for him. How the hell would he know??

[Magog]

It was very heartbreaking that Craig Sager passed away on Thursday. He was a lot of fun to watch on TNT & he will certainly be missed. 

I really enjoy the tributes & the respect the entire NBA showed toward Craig Sager. He made his mark in the NBA (and in sports in general) in his own unique way. He will never ever be forgotten. 

Yesterday, The Rockets set an NBA record for 3 pointers attempts in a half (31), in a game (61), & made (24). I'm sure that the Golden State Warriors are not happy about that. 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I don't think they're losing sleep over it.

[xaxat]

So I guess George Karl really is done with coaching in the NBA.

[FuriousStyles]

On 12/15/2016 at 9:20 PM, topanga said:

Yeah, cancer sucks. Whenever Craig Sager was able to make an appearance in games, he was always positive and friendly to players and coaches.

 

Okay, FuiousStyles (Tre!!!!), you sent me down an Internet rabbit hole. I'd already seen the water bottle video, but I watched it again. And I had no idea about Phil Jackson's 'posse' comments, so I had to look those up. The thing is, I didn't know LeBron James traveled with a big entourage. If so, I don't ever hear about it, the way I did with Allen Iverson and other professional athletes. Or other celebrities like P. Diddy and Justin Bieber. And it seems Phil Jackson has had a problem with LeBron James for years. Here are some comments from his 2004 book: 

I'm offended by him assuming that LeBron's so-called posse would be fetching cars and girls for him. How the hell would he know??

And what makes Jackson's comments even worse is that he pretty much doubled down on them.  So he made an assumption about Lebron's friends that turned out to be completely wrong. Not only have they NOT brought Lebron down but they have actually helped him create an empire that could legitimately have Lebron becoming the first billion dollar athlete.  But then he turns around and calls them a "posse" again....15 years later.  

I've seen some people kind of side-eye Lebron for bringing up the racial aspect of this...him and his friends being black and from the 'hood...because it implies that Phil is a racist.  Well, newsflash!  You don't have to actually be racist to say something racist.  Perhaps Phil was only trying to be disrespectful from an economic standpoint. Like if these guys had rich fathers who donated 7 figures to Harvard Business School to get them in (because we know that type of stuff happens all the time) would that make a difference to Phil?  What is it about Mav Carter and the others' connection to Lebron that's so offensive to him? 

And here we go again with George Karl...taking things 10 steps farther by bringing up how Melo', JR Smith and others didnt grow up with a father and that playing a part in their personality and behavior. Please, rich old white men..STFU!!  Clearly Karl is trying to sell his book but I hope what this does is prevent him from ever getting another head coaching job again. GO TF AWAY!

[mojoween]

Kenyon Martin's rant on Twitter was glorious.  Gerorge Karl can go to hell.

[roamyn]

Whoo hoo!  

GO CAVS!

[topanga]

3 hours ago, roamyn said:

Whoo hoo!  

GO CAVS!

I don't care who gets the trophy--LeBron is MVP of the league every year.

My son says Jefferson fouled Durant in the last seconds of the game. I say, Uh, maybe??? There was contact, but was there an actual shove? Hard to say. 

[roamyn]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

I don't care who gets the trophy--LeBron is MVP of the league every year.

My son says Jefferson fouled Durant in the last seconds of the game. I say, Uh, maybe??? There was contact, but was there an actual shove? Hard to say. 

It looked like they got tangled up, but I saw Durant stepping on Jefferson's feet ( not on purpose).

[Magog]

It looked bad for a while (especially when those Warriors were up by 14 early in the 4th Quarter), but thankfully, the Cavaliers chipped away & found a way to win the game. Seeing Kyrie Irving score the game winner in Klay Thompson's face made it even better. It also helped wipe that smile off Stephen Curry's face after he hit that 3-pointer late in the game. That also made me very happy. Overall, it was a nerve wracking, but very exciting game. 

[roamyn]

Well, GSW had 20 or 21 TOs.

You don't win championships with that many TOs when you're playing a talented team like the Cavaliers.  (Unless you're tOSU vs UO- tee hee).

[DrSpaceman73]

GS and Steph in particular was sloppy with the ball, poor decisions throughout the game. 

At first I thought he was fouled on the last play but on the replay, probably was best a no call

its a single game in December.  I will be shocked if they aren't playing again for the title in June. 

On a lighter note, the NBA new CBA sets up a program where players can call a hotline to complain about the refs.  I guess its part of a bigger program to evaluate refs on a monthly basis. I can just see guys now pulling out their cell phones once they are pulled from the game, during their break, calling up the hotline to complain about the call that was just missed. 

[AimingforYoko]

7 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I can just see guys now pulling out their cell phones once they are pulled from the game, during their break, calling up the hotline to complain about the call that was just missed. 

To the NBA, that's better than complaining to the press.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

"The league ruled that the Cavaliers’ LeBron James should have received a technical foul for deliberately hanging on the rim after his dunk with 1:43 left, and that Cleveland’s Richard Jefferson should have been whistled for fouling the Warriors’ Kevin Durant on the game’s final play."

http://www.sfgate.com/warriors/article/NBA-says-it-missed-2-calls-that-would-ve-helped-10819755.php 

[xaxat]

17 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

 I can just see guys now pulling out their cell phones once they are pulled from the game, during their break, calling up the hotline to complain about the call that was just missed. 

Boogie!!!

[AndreaK1041]

5 hours ago, xaxat said:

Boogie!!!

Seriously. They should just call it the DeMarcus Cousins hotline. 

(To be fair the Kings have won 4 in a row due to excellent DMC play and effort)

[AimingforYoko]

JaVale McGee's had enough.

Obviously responding to teasing about a haircut by calling Shaq a minstrel is non-proportional response, but apparently he isn't just laughing off being a regular on "Shaqtin' a Fool."

[xaxat]

I see Doris Burke is working the game tonight. Looks like she's handling Drake dumping her for J Lo pretty well.

[morriss]

[topanga]

I'm a LeBron fan, but that's funny!

[AimingforYoko]

Kings reportedly set to offer Boogie Cousins $200m extension.

Kings are between a rock and a hard place here, if they don't offer it, they're irrelevant, but do you really want to commit $200m to this guy?

[AndreaK1041]

As a resident of Sacramento, I say NO. The experiment has failed, we are never above .500 with him, let him go. 

Eta: the man got a technical for assaulting a chair during yesterday's loss to the Warriors, so opinion confirmed. 

Edited January 9, 2017 by AndreaK1041

[topanga]

Derrik Rose didn't show up to the Monday night game vs. the Pelicans and didn't call or text anyone about it. He later said it was because of family issues, but that doesn't explain why he didn't tell his coaches or anyone in the front office that he wouldn't be there. 

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. I heard that he talked about walking away from basketball during his absence. To whom, I have no idea. Or is she just unhappy with the Knicks?

[rcc]

Derrick Rose has no respect for his teammates or the team hierarchy. I read one report that he misses his son in Chicago. Then retire, forfeit the contract money, and live happily with him in Chicago.

The Knicks can use that money to bring someone in who wants to play.

This from a Celtics fan. Don't care much about the Knicks but care about someone abusing the privilege of being in the NBA or any other professional sport.

Edited January 11, 2017 by rcc

[topanga]

8 minutes ago, rcc said:

Derrick Rose has no respect for his teammates or the team hierarchy. I read one report that he misses his son in Chicago. Then retire, forfeit the contract money, and live happily with him in Chicago.

The Knicks can use that money to bring someone in who wants to play.

This from a Celtics fan. Don't care much about the Knicks but care about someone abusing the privilege of being in the NBA or any other professional sport.

I agree, but wasn't Rose traded? He wasn't a free agent who chose to go to New York.

But there's no excuse for not telling your bosses that you're going to miss a game when you're a star player, and fans are paying money to see you in that game.

We're sitting in here talking about a game. Not practice. Not practice. Not practice. We're talking about a game.

[rcc]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/16427840/new-york-knicks-acquire-derrick-rose-chicago-bulls

Yes, he was traded and according to this wants the NYC spotlight (and the big contract). Players get traded all the time. I doubt he cares about anything except what he wants at any given moment. He was acquitted in that court case but still didn't come out of it looking too good. Selfish and immature is what he looks like to me. The fans probably would miss Carmelo more than they miss him anyway.

[topanga]

The 76ers had an exciting buzzer-beater win over the Knicks last night. It's nice to see them get a victory for once. Sixers fans and Cleveland Browns fans should form a support group.  You know it's bad when one of your rookies has the nickname "Trust the Process." You're great, Joel Embiid, but I don't. I don't trust the process. 

[xaxat]

Actually, his nickname is just "The Process". And, as a Sixers fan, I firmly trust in the now retired process. That's how Embiid became a Sixer. That's how Ben Simmons became a Sixer. It's why the woeful Lakers will probably be giving their first round pick to the Sixers this year.It's why Sacramento had better get their butts in gear because the Sixers can swap draft spots with them. It's why they will be able to trade buys like Noel and Okafor for. . . stuff. 

The house is far from finished, but the foundation is strong.

(Yeah, after all of those years us Sixers fans tend to get really defensive.)

Edited January 12, 2017 by xaxat

[shoregirl]

Plus they have more wins this year (11) than all of last season (10) so it seems like they are stepping in the right direction 

[xaxat]

So ESPN is all over the the debut of Ice Cubes three on three league for retired players. 

Doesn't anyone remember why there's no longer an All Star veteran game? Because dudes were blowing out their knees every year!

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Hahahaha, Warriors dominated. Oh snap, Lebron!!

[Jx223]

That was a pretty dominant win for the Warriors tonight against the Cavs. Their big 4 had a nice showing. KD in particular was aggressive. I thought he acted the same way in their loss to the Cavs on Christmas. He was acting like the Cavs beat him in the finals last season, lol.

I wonder what will happen if the Cavs/Warriors meet again in the Finals. I had thought prior to tonight the Cavs could beat the Warriors again in another series. And I still think they could but the Warriors have so much talent offensively. When they are clicking like they are tonight they can bury a team in a lead. Though, they have also had to try and make adjustments this year as they have tried to get used to their new lineup and that has had some negative effect in games for them.

Also, lol at how hard LeBron flopped tonight when him and Draymond bumped into each other. He loves to flop big time to try and sell a call.

[DrSpaceman73]

Total flop by Lebron on the flagrant foul

I couldn't figure out why he was holding his jaw like it was hurt.  He wasn't hit in the jaw, didn't hit his head or his jaw on the floor. 

I don't see Cleveland beating Golden state again in a 7 game series. 

[Magog]

I could careless about that flop or no-flop. I thought that play would of woken us up, but sadly that didn't happen. Basically, the Cavaliers were sleepwalking through the whole game. I could of taken a nap after halftime. Of course Stephen Curry irritated me as usual.

Quote

I don't see Cleveland beating Golden state again in a 7 game series. 

Overall, I'm not very happy about last night, but I'm not worried. Those Warriors kicked their ass both times last year & the Cavaliers prevailed at the end. ESPN always seems to forget that & they're still not happy about it. They was blowing smoke as usual about their Warriors & thinking that what happened last night will happen some more if they meet again in June. We do need to fix a few things & be ready for those Warriors come June. There will be bumps on the road while trying to repeat and this game & road trip was one of those speed bumps. I hope Durant enjoyed that performance last night because it will be a different story in June.

 

It was very enjoyable watching NBA on TNT's coverage of MLK Day last night. It was very top notch as usual. 

Edited January 19, 2017 by Magog