The NBA

[baldryanr]

All of the people who bitch about the Lakers are going to have to find some other team to complain about and it just won't be the same.  This is how football and baseball fans feel whenever the Cowboys and Yankees flame out. 

[Magog]

3 hours ago, baldryanr said:

All of the people who bitch about the Lakers are going to have to find some other team to complain about and it just won't be the same.  This is how football and baseball fans feel whenever the Cowboys and Yankees flame out. 

That's never a problem for me because I can always find somebody else to hate when the Lakers, Cowboys, and/or Yankees go down in the Playoffs. For example, I still have those rotten bedbugs called those Warriors to hate & root against. Hopefully, Ant Man & the Timberwolves can do something about it in the next round.

Also, I have the Knicks to hate & root against. I don't ever want to see a Knicks victory parade. There is now a generation of Knicks fans that hasn't seen a Knicks Championship (1973), just like there are generation of Cowboys fans that has never seen them winning it all (1995). I really wish that this will apply to the Lakers, their fans, & their bootlickers (ESPN & FS1) in the future.

Overall, even though I'm a big time LeBron fan, I always root for the Lakers to lose. The Lakers can keep on losing forever for all I care. Hopefully, there will many more nights like last night for the Lakers in their future. it makes sports very enjoyable.

Edited Thursday at 12:55 PM by Magog

[Is Everyone Gone]

So has anyone seen Court of Gold? I saw it on Netflix and binged the whole series last night. Really enjoyed the behind the scenes look at Olympic basketball teams.

I somehow was unaware that both Bam Adebayo and Kevin Durant didn't grow up around a lot of money. For whatever reason, I assumed that anyone who makes the NBA is super affluent because it costs so much to do all the camps and lessons. 

Really enjoyed seeing the French national team. Also, the comfort that NBA stars are millionaires but they're really just regular people: talking about how much they like Shirley Temples and eating cafeteria ice cream late at night.

[ebk57]

9 hours ago, baldryanr said:

All of the people who bitch about the Lakers are going to have to find some other team to complain about and it just won't be the same.  This is how football and baseball fans feel whenever the Cowboys and Yankees flame out. 

There is no "same" after Yankees and Cowboys hate.  And there doesn't need to be.  After the main goal of getting rid of them, I'm fine without finding another team to hate.  Really, life is good!

[Salacious Kitty]

With the Lakers' flameout, do we think they will try to sign Luka to his mega contract, or will he just be a rental?

[arc]

Warriors-Rockets game 5: uggghhhh. The only silver lining is that even in a blowout, the Warriors scrubs made Udoka play his actual rotation, so the Warriors starters should go into game 6 with a little more rest  than the Rockets.

51 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

With the Lakers' flameout, do we think they will try to sign Luka to his mega contract, or will he just be a rental?

Letting Luka walk would be more catastrophic than Dallas trading him for AD; at least Dallas got AD. Luka isn’t an unimpeachable superstar, but even with Lakers exceptionalism, there’s no way they can sign a better player on the free market. The inexplicable Luka trade aside, Luka should normally be in the tier where those guys are too good to ever get traded. Even getting 100 cents on the dollar in a hypothetical trade, few teams who have a comparable player would want to make the deal, because a good team with a top tier superstar should be constructed around him (like Dallas was) and the fit after a trade would be suboptimal.

[Salacious Kitty]

Tyrese Haliburton's dad won't be attending Pacers games in the foreseeable future. 

https://www.espn.com/contributor/espn/1f6ca79bd295e

[Is Everyone Gone]

10 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Tyrese Haliburton's dad won't be attending Pacers games in the foreseeable future. 

https://www.espn.com/contributor/espn/1f6ca79bd295e

Apparently multiple players have complained about Hali-dad's overbearing, intrusive ways. 

It's a shame because I LOVE seeing parents at games supporting their kids. I love seeing Mama Durant and Mama Bam and Papa Irving, etc. etc. But when parents get disrespectful of other players' spaces, that's when action has to be taken.

[Marley]

Good. How embarassing he got in a player's face. Like get a grip you aren't playing sit the fuck down.

[twoods]

How can parents be overbearing when their kid is a full grown adult? It’s bad enough seeing the asshole parents when their kids are playing, but your son is a professional athlete. People are stupid.

Rather have the Lakers flame out now than depend on old ass Lebron and zero defense to gasp through the playoffs. Hope they sign Luka and get a big guy next season. Golbert was getting flack for disappearing so happy for him to have a good game. As long as the Warriors and Celtics aren’t in the Finals, I’m happy with the other teams. Hoping for Cavs and Thunder.

Edited Thursday at 11:21 PM by twoods

[Magog]

Knicks 116 - Pistons 113 (😠)

Ugh, thanks for nothing Pistons. Hopefully, they will learn something from this series & come out better next season.

[Calvada]

5 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Tyrese Haliburton's dad won't be attending Pacers games in the foreseeable future. 

https://www.espn.com/contributor/espn/1f6ca79bd295e

LOL - if I or any other fan had behaved as Halliburton's dad, we would have been arrested and the NBA would have banned us from all arenas.  

[Carey]

1 hour ago, Magog said:

Knicks 116 - Pistons 113 (😠)

Ugh, thanks for nothing Pistons. Hopefully, they will learn something from this series & come out better next season.

I'm sorry to say...I think I feel better (as in more accurate) to emulate something I said earlier but with a different team:

"Okay, you can pencil in Boston for the ECF.  Better yet, just use ink."

[mojoween]

Hey look at that the Knicks Championship and I are the same age.

Because I generally parachute in to the NBA at the end of the year, while listening to the recap of last night I was trying to figure out with the context what teams James Harden and Russell Westbrook are playing for, and it made me wonder.  Why would a team leave a big market like Seattle to move halfway across the country to a small market?

 

[baldryanr]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Why would a team leave a big market like Seattle to move halfway across the country to a small market?

Simple - Seattle wasn't willing to help pay for a new arena and the head of the new ownership group (Clay Bennett) is based in OKC. 

[Is Everyone Gone]

Rough night for the Nuggets. Getting pushed to a game 7 from the Clippers is ... not good.

[baldryanr]

11 minutes ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

Rough night for the Nuggets. Getting pushed to a game 7 from the Clippers is ... not good.

Sure, but it would be very on-brand for the Clippers to fall apart in excruciating fashion in Game 7, especially since they'll likely need a good game out of Harden.  On the other hand, Denver has to worry about which Russell Westbrook will show up.

[DoctorAtomic]

I feel bad for the Pistons. They really beat themselves. I'm not sure on the last possession when everyone in the area and watching tv knew Brunson would want the ball for their last shot why you wouldn't double though. Let anyone else try to beat you. I would have just taken off the inbounds and doubled immediately. Even if they got a cheap two, that's a lot easier with 5 seconds left and not needing a 3. 

[Carey]

The Pop's Exit

[twoods]

It’s about time! His health is more important and coaching definitely takes a toll on that. I wish him the best with his new administration role.

[Carey]

When I crowned the Celtics a long time ago, I understand that the games have to be played.  However, when the other teams opt to play for second place (or first but are terrible like the Warriors and the Lakers), I don't see the proof that somebody other than Boston is winning the NBA Finals in 2025

[LexieLily]

Warriors/Rockets Game 7, baby! 😊

[baldryanr]

8 hours ago, Carey said:

When I crowned the Celtics a long time ago, I understand that the games have to be played.  However, when the other teams opt to play for second place (or first but are terrible like the Warriors and the Lakers), I don't see the proof that somebody other than Boston is winning the NBA Finals in 2025

That's quite dismissive of the top seeds in both conferences.

[Magog]

That was a very nice 4th Quarter from those Warriors. No Steph being Steph or Playoff Jimmy helping out in the 4th Quarter made me very happy. Hopefully, there will be much more of this in Game 7. I really need to see that Steph taking that walk of shame tomorrow.

As for the Rockets, somehow they won the game despite Dillon Brooks & Jalen Green bringing in their usual brand of suck in the game. I have to hope in Game 7 that they both show up & give an ounce of a damn for the Rockets. Also, there better not be a repeat of that 0-27 from 3 pointers.

[LexieLily]

13 minutes ago, Magog said:

That was a very nice 4th Quarter from those Warriors. No Steph being Steph or Playoff Jimmy helping out in the 4th Quarter made me very happy. Hopefully, there will be much more of this in Game 7. I really need to see that Steph taking that walk of shame tomorrow.

As for the Rockets, somehow they won the game despite Dillon Brooks & Jalen Green bringing in their usual brand of suck in the game. I have to hope in Game 7 that they both show up & give an ounce of a damn for the Rockets. Also, there better not be a repeat of that 0-27 from three-pointers.

Six/seven years later and it still hurts, lol. Now why did you have to go out and put that in the universe? 😆

[Is Everyone Gone]

I actually canceled plans tonight so I could watch the Game 7 between the Nuggets and Clippers. Great series.

[Magog]

8 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Six/seven years later and it still hurts, lol. Now why did you have to go out and put that in the universe? 😆

Because the Rockets haven't redeemed themselves from that epic choking. And I still haven't forgotten nor forgiven them for that. Just even thinking about that really angers me. (🤬)

BTW, James Harden was with the Rockets at that time & he contributed to that 0-27. I'm pretty certain that he's going to bring his usual brand of suck tonight against the Nuggets. He always does in Game 7 & I except nothing less from this loser.

[Carey]

Yeah tonight will be great in terms of cancelling plans.  At least for me.  It's raining a lot in my area (to put things mildly).  No sense in going anywhere with lousy weather this weekend.  Fortunately, while awful, not enough to wreck power.  At least today.

 

[AimingforYoko]

Disappointing Game 7. Especially for the Clippers.

[Magog]

11 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Disappointing Game 7. Especially for the Clippers.

In other news, water is wet. 

The only good thing about the Clippers falling flat on their faces again it that Ben Simmons will finally be gone from the NBA. His 4 yr contract ends after this season so hopefully, no NBA team will think this loser is worth an ounce of a damn. James Harden showed us once again that he flat out sucks when his team needs him the most in a Game 7 with his 7 useless points.

[Carey]

Different sport AND different specialty, but the following is kind of a fact

DeBoer  > Harden

[Is Everyone Gone]

I almost don't want to check this thread tonight if either result happens. 

Hopefully Game 7 tonight will be a good game unlike last night's Game 7.

[Is Everyone Gone]

Is @Magog okay? 

[Marley]

Haha see ya stupid Rockets & dbag Brooks.

[arc]

🙏😴. The Warriors knocking the Rockets outta the playoffs is my favorite sports tradition.

TBF Houston would be incredible if they had a half court offense.

[Carey]

29 minutes ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

Is @Magog okay? 

Over/Under about 2.5 in terms of wondering if that's the case between now and about six weeks from today

[atomic]

Disappointing ending for the Rockets, but still a great overall season for a team that won 22 games two seasons ago.  Congrats to the Warriors fans and good luck against Minny.

[roamyn]

What a terrible day for basketball.   The f*g Warriors won Game 7 🤮 and the Cavs lost.

I knew the Pacers were gonna be trouble.  They worry me.  And now we're gonna lose in the 2nd round....again.  Goddammit!  😡😡

Like I attributed their late losing streak to Hubby wearing his Cavs jammies, I wore my 2016 Championship shirt today, so the loss is on me.  LOL. Not.

[baldryanr]

It's a nice gesture, but my god that had to be an awkward flight back to LA

[Carey]

It's still early, but unless Cleveland takes at least one on the road Oklahoma City is pretty much the only hope left in terms of making Boston have to do something on the road.  Which they can anyway, but I'd like to see them forced to win in hostile territory

[Magog]

9 hours ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

Is @Magog okay? 

Yes. I am OK. Just downright disgusted. 

4 hours ago, roamyn said:

What a terrible day for basketball.   The f*g Warriors won Game 7 🤮 and the Cavs lost.

It was terrible on so many levels. (😠) The only good thing about the weekend is that Playoff Overtime Hockey took priority over possibly dry-heaving watching those evil rotten bedbugs live another day. I missed pretty much the whole game last night & my stomach thank me for it. Frankly, that 3rd Period & 2OT game (Blues-Jets) (YAY, JETS!!) was way more enjoyable & entertaining than this entire weekend of NBA Playoff Basketball. 

4 hours ago, roamyn said:

I knew the Pacers were gonna be trouble.  They worry me.  And now we're gonna lose in the 2nd round....again.  Goddammit!  😡😡

Like I attributed their late losing streak to Hubby wearing his Cavs jammies, I wore my 2016 Championship shirt today, so the loss is on me.  LOL. Not.

I'm not worried. I excepted a tough series & now we're going to get one. I'm not very happy that the Cavaliers were caught napping against the Pacers. I except a very different effort & result in Game 2. 

As for the Rockets, I'm not surprised that those losers (Dillon Brooks & Jalen Green) brought in their usual brand of suck in Game 7 by each of them scoring 8 worthless, not worth a damn points. (🤬) Then those clowns let Klay Thompson's replacement (Buddy Hield) have a big game with 33 points, with Darth Vader mocking & laughing at them at the end. Overall once again, Thanks for absolutely nothing, Rockets!!  (🤬 🤬)

Hopefully, Ant Man has some more anger that he had for the Lakers for those Warriors. He brought agony to KD, Jokic, LeBron, & Luca. Lets hope that he brings that to Steph.

Edited 10 hours ago by Magog

[atomic]

25 minutes ago, Magog said:

As for the Rockets, I'm not surprised that those losers (Dillon Brooks & Jalen Green) brought in their usual brand of suck in Game 7 by each of them scoring 8 worthless, not worth a damn points. (🤬) Then those clowns let Klay Thompson's replacement (Buddy Hield) have a big game with 33 points, with Darth Vader mocking & laughing at them at the end. Overall once again, Thanks for absolutely nothing, Rockets!!  (🤬 🤬)

Hopefully, Ant Man has some more anger that he had for the Lakers for those Warriors. He brought agony to KD, Jokic, LeBron, & Luca. Lets hope that he brings that to Steph.

Brooks was not good in the last two games, but the reason the Rockets lost this series was mostly on Jalen Green who flat out sucked 6/7 games. They could have won the series with just a league average shooting guard rather than Jalen stinking it up on the court every night. The good news for them is they have a top 10 pick coming in this draft via PHX and plenty of other assets to upgrade his position. For what it's worth, I don't think you'll be fuming too long since I see the Wolves with the distinct matchup advantage in this next series. They're built a lot like the Rockets who made things tough on the Warriors -- but even bigger, deeper, and have a true superstar scorer in Ant who can consistently make tough shots and close out games. Should be a fun series, regardless, with A+ narrative value between the two teams.

[Is Everyone Gone]

I'm not calling Jalen Green a bust in the vein of James Wiseman or Anthony Bennett, but he's getting close to a bust. He's just not developing the way he should.

[DoctorAtomic]

The Cavs should be worried, but it's not panic time either. The Pacers have to shoot lights out every game. The Cavs still were able to put up 112. 

I think it will be a good series, but I think Cavs still have an edge. 

[arc]

For the series, Steph led his team in points, rebounds, and assists, becoming the oldest player in league history to do so. Rebounds! He’s 6-3 and he’s 37 years old!

Edited 5 hours ago by arc

[atomic]

3 hours ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

I'm not calling Jalen Green a bust in the vein of James Wiseman or Anthony Bennett, but he's getting close to a bust. He's just not developing the way he should.

As someone who's watched the entirety of his flatline trajectory since he entered the league four years ago, I'm ready to declare him bustier than Dolly Parton.

[Is Everyone Gone]

1 hour ago, atomic said:

As someone who's watched the entirety of his flatline trajectory since he entered the league four years ago, I'm ready to declare him bustier than Dolly Parton.

Him and Jonathan Kuminga are both kind of busts. Both very athletic and exciting prospects who never developed the BBIQ and finesse.