The NBA

[Lady Whistleup]

Blazers fans are melting down over the news that Damian Lillard wants out.

[LexieLily]

15 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Blazers fans are melting down over the news that Damian Lillard wants out.

Because of the playoff flameouts (a la Harden) or because of Chauncey Billups?

[Lady Whistleup]

Just now, LexieLily said:

Because of the playoff flameouts (a la Harden) or because of Chauncey Billups?

I think a combo of both, plus a sense that he isn't getting any younger.

[LexieLily]

1 minute ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I think a combo of both, plus a sense that he isn't getting any younger.

Does he have specified places where he wants to go? I thought he didn't want to cheapen out by forming a superteam, didn't he say that semi-recently?

[Lady Whistleup]

2 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Does he have specified places where he wants to go? I thought he didn't want to cheapen out by forming a superteam, didn't he say that semi-recently?

There's rumors a-flying of Philly and Miami. 

[LexieLily]

Just now, Lady Whistleup said:

There's rumors a-flying of Philly and Miami. 

If Philly's Simmons + Thybulle + draft picks wasn't enough to get Harden (discounting the aspect of Harden/Morey) it won't be enough to get Lillard now that Simmons is at negative balance trade value, IMO. And Miami - Herro + Duncan Robinson + a FRP or two? (I don't know anyone's salary so that math may be way off)

[Lady Whistleup]

2 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

If Philly's Simmons + Thybulle + draft picks wasn't enough to get Harden (discounting the aspect of Harden/Morey) it won't be enough to get Lillard now that Simmons is at negative balance trade value, IMO. And Miami - Herro + Duncan Robinson + a FRP or two? (I don't know anyone's salary so that math may be way off)

Rumor is Philly would be: Simmons/Thybulle/Curry + draft picks

Miami I guess would be Herro + Butler + Robinson + picks

[LexieLily]

1 minute ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Rumor is Philly would be: Simmons/Thybulle/Curry + draft picks

Miami I guess would be Herro + Butler + Robinson + picks

Oh, wow, so Portland wouldn't bottom out unless they flipped Butler (and maybe Herro as well) for more draft picks. Interesting. Wouldn't that be putting Lillard in the same situation but in the East, having to be The Guy? Though Adebayo would be an upgrade at center from Nurkic/Kanter. 

[Lady Whistleup]

52 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Oh, wow, so Portland wouldn't bottom out unless they flipped Butler (and maybe Herro as well) for more draft picks. Interesting. Wouldn't that be putting Lillard in the same situation but in the East, having to be The Guy? Though Adebayo would be an upgrade at center from Nurkic/Kanter. 

Think this is why the Sixers reddit forum is going nuts. They think Joel Embiid and Dame would be like a match made in heaven. 

[Danny Franks]

I like the Suns squad makeup - Some guys they drafted and a couple of very smart signings/trades that gives them a lot of strength on the bench.

That's the way I think NBA teams should be constructed, rather than all the wheeling-and-dealing and luxury tax paying that manufactures superteams for a couple of years.

I'm especially pleased for Mikal Bridges, who was so thrilled to be drafted by the Sixers, his hometown team and the team his mother works for, only to be unceremoniously traded about an hour later.

A Bucks vs Suns finals sounds fresh and interesting, and I'm sure people are salivating at Giannis vs Ayton.

[cambridgeguy]

So if the Clips lose this is Kawhi gone?  Once again he has a nagging injury of mysterious severity, he might be unhappy with the team, and he's not exactly locked in to a long term contract. 

[Lady Whistleup]

4 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

So if the Clips lose this is Kawhi gone?  Once again he has a nagging injury of mysterious severity, he might be unhappy with the team, and he's not exactly locked in to a long term contract. 

Kawhi has a torn ACL. 

[Lady Whistleup]

Well this is odd. Scottie blasted Toni Kukoc last week but they just hung out last night. Toni looks good! 

 

[AimingforYoko]

WNBA is 99% vaccinated, 0 positive tests this season.

It's almost like there's a correlation.

[xaxat]

20 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

WNBA is 99% vaccinated, 0 positive tests this season.

It's almost like there's a correlation.

The WNBA is by far the most emotionally and intellectually smart league in the world.

More than what he said, I question the timing of Scottie's remarks. He has a book coming out in November.

That's when you start dishing the dirt to get the hype train going.

[cambridgeguy]

5 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Kawhi has a torn ACL. 

While that's probably true you have better sources than most NBA reporters if you know that for sure.  Every article I've seen has called it a sprain.

And yes, technically a sprain is a tear of some sort, but even with that most articles don't explicitly call out the ACL.  They just call it a generic right knee injury.

Edited June 28, 2021 by cambridgeguy

[Lady Whistleup]

Whoa Scottie flat out called Phil Jackson racist.

 

[Carey]

3 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

8 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Kawhi has a torn ACL. 

While that's probably true you have better sources than most NBA reporters if you know that for sure.  Every article I've seen has called it a sprain.

And yes, technically a sprain is a tear of some sort, but even with that most articles don't explicitly call out the ACL.  They just call it a generic right knee injury.

If Kawhi has a torn ACL but no one of significance announced it yet, it possibly a case of TPTB not disclosing one's severity of an injury until after the player's final series comes to an end.

Man, if Phoenix wins, are they so going to have an advantage over the eventual East winner.  Better roster, home court, a ton more rest, and no travel to a ton of travel (for Game One)

[Lady Whistleup]

Oof. Rough game for the Suns. CP3 continues to struggle. 

[Carey]

Well, there goes a free Wednesday evening!  Thanks a whole lot, Phoenix!

 

The fact is no one's forcing me or anyone to watch anything.  Moreover, the second game of Stanley Cup Final is on Wednesday so no "free Wednesday evening" anyway.  Just yet another conflict & the use of several monitors.

 

Los Angeles's victory isn't a shocker.  If I thought about it, their win probably shouldn't be surprising either.  Every-so-often the Game one/seven home team wins both of their first two games before taking one of two on the road (or both for the series sweep).  Splitting allows for the home team, in this case, the Suns, to clinch early enough & in front of their fans.

However, the Clippers are aware of this and they rather not fall victim to that stuff.  So they played as if their lives depended on it.  Paul George and company did more than enough to win big on the road to force a Game 6.  They might end up losing at home as a result of "going all-in" but their previous two losses could've gone another direction.  L.A. could easily have won the series if not up 3-2, but a couple painful defeats brings out the best in a franchise

[Lady Whistleup]

Donovan Mitchell is the subject of some racist attacks which probably won't make him want to stay in Utah. I'm not going to link the tweets because they are disgusting.

ETA: the video of Devonte Graham and his dog is the wholesome content I needed for today:

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[Carey]

As of 7:35 PM Eastern on Tuesday night, Trae Young is a no-go.  He was listed as questionable & a game-time decision before the decision, which was rather breaking, came down

As of 7:45 Eastern, the line on Game 4 for the ECF is not on the board as of present time.  I don't know or think it was even on the board to begin with; Game 4 for the WCF, which is more than 24 hours later, is on the board (Suns -1, O/U of 214.5) 

[Lady Whistleup]

Ugh that sucks. This NBA playoffs has simply been wrecked with injuries. Only the Bucks and Suns (so far) have no major injury.

[Carey]

39 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Ugh that sucks. This NBA playoffs has simply been wrecked with injuries. Only the Bucks and Suns (so far) have no major injury.

The reasoning is that the turnaround was rather short this year.  I believe that does have something to do with it, but the NBA had to shorten the off-season.  Maybe they should've started later instead of starting in time to have Christmas hoops (which means less money for the players and everyone else).  Or they could've shortened the road to the postseason to avoid having the season get into autumn. 

 

It's a tough call, but we're in a Pandemic.  It'll be shorter again this offseason to catch up and get back to the normal start & finish, but only by a month or so.

BTW, the line finished at Bucks -9 (up from 3-5 before it was taken off the board over Trae's status if not whatever reason)

[Court]

I'm a self professed Hawks fan but I don't see them winning Game 4 without Trae. With him, I thought we could go to 6 or 7. They have been so fun to watch this year. 

[topanga]

On 6/27/2021 at 8:03 PM, xaxat said:

I really like the TNT pre-game show. The guys are entertaining and have earned their many Emmys. And there is not a sports show that has come close to addressing the pandemic/social issues of the past year and half as they have.

But the actual basketball IQ is sooo much higher when Candace Parker is on the show.

(I know. She's got a day job.)

Was Reggie Miller always this annoying? He clearly wants the Hawks to win the series, and it’s fine to be human and root for one team. But as a play-by-play announcer, you’re supposed to call the game. Both sides of the game. Miller only speaks if the Hawks do something great offensively. When the Bucks are scoring or defending, he’s completely silent and we only hear Marv Alberts’s voice. This happened even during the Bucks’ blowout win. You’d think he was working for a local Atlanta station, not TNT. 

Oh, and what’s up with announcers agreeing with officials who don’t call fouls? (“They’re not going to call that.”). Then 2 minutes later, they applaud the officials for calling ticky-tack fouls. (“Well, that was a foul”). 

Can you tell that I’m not enjoying basketball coverage? The exception would be Ernie Johnson and the “Inside the NBA” crew. 
 

26 minutes ago, Court said:

I'm a self professed Hawks fan but I don't see them winning Game 4 without Trae. With him, I thought we could go to 6 or 7. They have been so fun to watch this year. 

They’re doing pretty well so far. 

[Lady Whistleup]

5 minutes ago, topanga said:

Was Reggie Miller always this annoying? He clearly wants the Hawks to win the series, and it’s fine to be human and root for one team. But as a play-by-play announcer, you’re supposed to call the game. Both sides of the game. Miller only speaks if the Hawks do something great offensively. When the Bucks are scoring or defending, he’s completely silent and we only hear Marv Alberts’s voice. This happened even during the Bucks’ blowout win. You’d think he was working for a local Atlanta station, not TNT. 

Reggie Miller is yet another beloved NBA personality whose talents don't translate to the broadcasting booth. Only Clyde Frazier for MSG is good at this sort of thing. Remember Magic Johnson as color commentator? Isiah Thomas? Dr J? They were all horrible.

Too bad about Trae Young. I love watching him. He's so fierce and feisty.

[Court]

28 minutes ago, topanga said:

Was Reggie Miller always this annoying? He clearly wants the Hawks to win the series, and it’s fine to be human and root for one team. But as a play-by-play announcer, you’re supposed to call the game. Both sides of the game. Miller only speaks if the Hawks do something great offensively. When the Bucks are scoring or defending, he’s completely silent and we only hear Marv Alberts’s voice. This happened even during the Bucks’ blowout win. You’d think he was working for a local Atlanta station, not TNT. 

Oh, and what’s up with announcers agreeing with officials who don’t call fouls? (“They’re not going to call that.”). Then 2 minutes later, they applaud the officials for calling ticky-tack fouls. (“Well, that was a foul”). 

Can you tell that I’m not enjoying basketball coverage? The exception would be Ernie Johnson and the “Inside the NBA” crew. 
 

They’re doing pretty well so far. 

Shhhhh. We don't talk about it. I'm an Atlanta sports fan and we don't trust this until the game is over. 

[Lady Whistleup]

Omg. Not Giannis :( That looks like a torn ACL right there.

[Carey]

I'm sorry, but I can't. For what it's worth, in every other year (last year excluded) we were a couple weeks removed from the end of the NBA & Stanley Cup finals in which I'm free until football.  In free that means a break from the top sports while I regroup and reload for the start of the top sports (both the NFL and College Football).  

 

I'll still pay attention, but I no longer think it's worth it to focus on it as much as I have been despite everything.  Independence Day is on Sunday within a long weekend for yours truly.  I guess I'll start focusing on summer before things get started in a couple months time if people continue to fall left and right even though it's offsetting a ton.  Injuries are a part of the game, but this is ridiculous.  Whoever wins the title deserves it, but I can no longer take it where everyone's falling.

[Lady Whistleup]

That injury was hard to watch. Teams are being held together by duct tape at this point.

[Carey]

There's going to need more than duct tape.  A lot more than duct tape.

 

So I mentioned that Milwaukee was favored -9.  Not only has that swung the other way: it swung the other way and then more than doubled with Atlanta -18.5!

[Lady Whistleup]

38 minutes ago, Carey said:

There's going to need more than duct tape.  A lot more than duct tape.

 

So I mentioned that Milwaukee was favored -9.  Not only has that swung the other way: it swung the other way and then more than doubled with Atlanta -18.5!

Well Atlanta's bench has been doing well without Trae Young. The Bucks team seemed to lose all spirit when Giannis got injured. Don't blame them.

ETA: here is a comprehensive list of injuries that happened during the playoffs.

1. Anthony Davis - groin

2. Kyrie Irving - ankle

3. James Harden - hamstring

4. Kawhi Leonard - knee

5. Danny Green - calf

6. Joel Embiid - knee

7. Donovan Mitchell - ankle reinjure

8. Ivaca Zubac - knee

9. CP3 - covid

10. Giannis - knee

11. Trae Young - foot

12. Devin Booker - broken nose

13. Clint Capela - some sort of facial injury

Edited June 30, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[LexieLily]

And now add Capela to the list, who got an elbow to the face and might have a broken nose/eye socket.

[Jx223]

I wish Giannis a healthy and speedy recovery. He has some struggles (like at the FT line) but he always works very hard and gives it his all. I hope his injury isn't as bad as it initially looked. He was able to put some weight on his leg and walk, so maybe that is a sign that it's not as bad as it could be. 

With this series going at least six games now, that could buy him some time to recover/the team time to adjust without him and figure out how to win this series.

Though, to their credit the Hawks played well tonight, even before Giannis injury. They are well coached and came out with nice energy, especially considering that Trae didn't play tonight. I wonder who will end up winning this series. I do really like the Hawks, remind me of teams in the past. There is something old school about them and the way they play as a team (The Suns remind me of old school teams as well and I really enjoy watching them too.) I wouldn't mind seeing a Suns/Hawks final.

Speaking of the Suns, I wonder if they will close out the series against the Clippers tomorrow night. The young players on that team especially Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton really seem to love/respect Chris Paul. They talked earlier on how they wanted to help get Chris to the NBA/Finals. The Clippers, especially Paul George really stepped it up yesterday. But maybe the Suns will come out firing tomorrow and will be able to move onto the finals.

 

 

[Lady Whistleup]

Twitter sources say the Bucks' medical think Giannis tore his ACL. MRI tomorrow to make sure. This is awful :( All injuries suck and no one deserves them but this was really Giannis's year. And Giannis is such a fun, lovable guy. I knew it was bad when he was howling in pain. Awful.

[Carey]

I guess Mike will survive into 2021-2022 if Milwaukee loses both of their next two games or even 2 of their next 3 if applicable.  If he doesn't then I guess it's fair enough since the Bucks were getting worked before the injury (and without Trae).

 

I hope it's not a torn ACL but I think Giannis is done regardless for the postseason.  I hope it's not too severe since it will have a major impact on next season

[Lady Whistleup]

Realized I missed a bunch of injuries with my first post. So here's the comprehensive list of injuries in the 2021 playoffs. Bolded for injuries that occurred to flagship franchise players:

1. Anthony Davis - groin

2. Kyrie Irving - ankle

3. James Harden - hamstring

4. Kawhi Leonard - knee

5. Danny Green - calf

6. Joel Embiid - knee

7. Donovan Mitchell - ankle reinjure

8. Ivaca Zubac - knee

9. CP3 - shoulder/covid

10. Giannis - knee

11. Trae Young - foot

12. Devin Booker - broken nose

13. Clint Capela - some sort of facial injury

14. Luka Doncic - neck

15. Bogdan Bogdanovic - knee

16. Cameron Payne - ankle

17. Marcus Morris - knee reinjure

18. Mike Conley - hamstring

19. Lebron James - ankle (reinjure)

This is unacceptable. Fans going to want Adam Silver's head on a pike by the end of the season.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[Carey]

2 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

This is unacceptable. Fans going to want Adam Silver's head on a pike by the end of the season.

You got that right!  Chances are I'll never rank Rob Manfred over Adam but this is pathetic.  If TPTB from the NFL ran the NBA, this would never have happened.  Especially when your top stars, past, present, and future go down to wreck ratings & interest.  Not to mention change the landscape, betting, and final picture of one's postseason!

[LexieLily]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Realized I missed a bunch of injuries with my first post. So here's the comprehensive list of injuries in the 2021 playoffs. Bolded for injuries that occurred to flagship franchise players:

[[---]]

This is unacceptable. Fans going to want Adam Silver's head on a pike by the end of the season.

I guess the "healthiest" teams left are Suns/Hawks and only because their flagship injuries are the most likely to be the least burdensome; notwithstanding CP3's shoulder. 

The healthiest flagship/premiere player left is Paul George. Let that sink in, NBA ratings. Maybe Capela can get his face mask from the same doctor that made Booker's, lol.

Edited June 30, 2021 by LexieLily

[DrSpaceman73]

10 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Reggie Miller is yet another beloved NBA personality whose talents don't translate to the broadcasting booth. Only Clyde Frazier for MSG is good at this sort of thing. Remember Magic Johnson as color commentator? Isiah Thomas? Dr J? They were all horrible.

Too bad about Trae Young. I love watching him. He's so fierce and feisty.

Isiah Thomas has been horrible at everything he has tried since retiring.  Coaching, front office, owner, broadcasting.  Not just bad at the jobs but catastrophically a failure.     No idea how he keeps getting hired for anything.  

 

And I liked him as a player, in college and the NBA.  

[xaxat]

7 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

This is unacceptable. Fans going to want Adam Silver's head on a pike by the end of the season.

The schedule was collectively bargained. The players agreed to assume the risk. (Although I'm sure no one thought it would be this bad.)

[cambridgeguy]

2 minutes ago, xaxat said:

This is unacceptable. Fans going to want Adam Silver's head on a pike by the end of the season.

I'm pretty sure the winner's fans aren't going to be too broken up about it.

[Carey]

I didn't expect it too get to this level, but I think with the lack of rest, the increase of injuries was a possibility.

To be fair, the players need to make money so they really didn't have that much of a choice.  I can see it both ways.  The thing is only 2 teams went the distance, and the 2 others that didn't got a couple weeks head start (over Miami and Los Angeles).  Thinking about it, the Lakers & Heat have the biggest argument, but no one else does.

Not being able to work out in one's facility due to all the restrictions have had an impact.  The injuries were going to take place even with a normal length offseason.  It sucks, period, but these players are in & have been in a much better spot in life than most throughout the country & planet.

For me, I'm neutral.  That list of players hurt is concerning, and I think both parties have and had a responsibility to prevent it.  A fan or civilian may be saddened too, even if they didn't have a stake or rooting interest, but they were and possibly still are dealing with a lot on their end to completely care about the fate of these professional athletes

[Lady Whistleup]

Me, I want to see a championship run where the biggest badasses of the league duel it out. Imagine all those Lakers/Celtics series if Larry, Magic or Kareem were out. If CP3 finally wins a ring I want to see him win it battling someone like Giannis or Trae Young. 

I also can;t believe that this post-season Paul George and Kevin Durant were the only flagship starters to stay healthy. Both are/were very injury-prone.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[Carey]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Me, I want to see a championship run where the biggest badasses of the league duel it out. Imagine all those Lakers/Celtics series if Larry, Magic or Kareem were out. If CP3 finally wins a ring I want to see him win it battling someone like Giannis or Trae Young. 

I also can;t believe that this post-season Paul George and Kevin Durant were the only flagship starters to stay healthy. Both are/were very injury-prone.

I don't know if you drink or not, but you might want to consider watching the game with a bottle of Crown Royal when Paul George slips on a wet spot, goes sliding 94 feet toward a cameraman who as a result loses his camera as it falls on Paul's head tonight in Game 6 on ESPN.

 

And Lady W, ITA re: CP3 needing to face actual greats or close to it in order to validate his title.  It will be a valid title but the respect will not be there since he was fortunate to go through a ton of teams missing key players

[JTMacc99]

19 hours ago, topanga said:

Was Reggie Miller always this annoying?

Gut reaction, without even reading the rest of your question: "Yes."

[Lady Whistleup]

No structural damage to Giannis's knee. 

[mojoween]

I received a push alert that said Charles Oakley has a memoir coming out in 2022 and when I read it I thought it said Charles Barkley and now I’m super disappointed.  No offense to Oak.

[LexieLily]

So far so good, Phoenix.