The NBA

[Fukui San]

The damnedest thing is that I'm not sure that anyone thought that Westbrook to the Lakers for the price to get him was a good idea at the time. Except for the Lakers themselves, that is. It was such a weird move, and it played out exactly like the naysayers predicted.

[emma675]

I can't stand Westbrook the player for all of the reasons y'all have already listed, but Westbrook the person seems like a good guy. In Matisse Thybulle's bubble vlog, Westbrook seemed like he was well liked among the players and was actually pretty funny. It's funny how different he is on the court vs. off of it. 

[Marley]

Lebron has been annoying me lately so I’m glad the Lakers are doing bad. I know he’s always been confident but he’s just too into himself lately. Plus he basically made this dud team that he kept hyping up and saying how he would prove everyone wrong. Now what Davis is always injured and could never lead. Westbrook is trash, Lebron is getting points but it doesn’t seem to matter. Once Lebron leaves they are even more fucked.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Marley

[LexieLily]

On 3/17/2022 at 6:00 PM, twoods said:

I’m surprised Weatbrook isn’t benched because he is playing some terrible basketball.

Sort of like the Carmelo-on-the-Rockets experience that only lasted ten games, I doubt that Wesbrook would accept a benching. He already barely tolerated it when Vogel took him out/didn't play him at the ends of fourth quarters. 

2 hours ago, Marley said:

Lebron has been annoying me lately so I’m glad the Lakers are doing bad. I know he’s always been confident but he’s just too into himself lately. Plus he basically made this dud team that he kept hyping up and saying how he would prove everyone wrong. Now what Davis is always injured and could never lead. Westbrook is trash, Lebron is getting pints but it doesn’t seem to matter. Once Lebron leaves they are even more fucked.

LeBron is solely sticking around to beat Kareem's scoring record and to make it two more years to play with his son. 

[xaxat]

23 hours ago, LexieLily said:

LeBron is solely sticking around to beat Kareem's scoring record and to make it two more years to play with his son. 

I think LeBron is "sticking around" because he loves to play basketball and is still one of the best players in the world.

(I think the problem is LeBron the "GM")

[Lady Whistleup]

I like Lebron just fine as a player, but he's a crappy GM. The young Lakers team had a lot of promising pieces that he could have developed but ... he decided on Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony and the perpetually injured Anthony Davis. 

His behavior actually reminds me of late-stage Kobe Bryant, who was perpetually injured but still demanding that players get traded if they looked at him funny. Also MJ on the Wizards, when he was apparently so hated that people didn't even get him a goodbye present when he retired.

[emmawoodhouse]

[cambridgeguy]

On 3/19/2022 at 6:36 PM, LexieLily said:

LeBron is solely sticking around to beat Kareem's scoring record and to make it two more years to play with his son. 

LeBron, like all superstars has an enormous ego.  He believes he can still win another championship, even if it's not with the Lakers.  Getting that next ring carries a lot of weight since he'd join Magic, Kobe, and Duncan in the five timers club. 

[emmawoodhouse]

NYC is rescinding the vax mandate, effective tomorrow. Kyrie (and Aaron Judge) will be free to play!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbdtzmBLAqu/?utm_medium=copy_link

[Lady Whistleup]

14 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

NYC is rescinding the vax mandate, effective tomorrow. Kyrie (and Aaron Judge) will be free to play!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbdtzmBLAqu/?utm_medium=copy_link

Time for the Heat and Sixers to start tanking so they don't have to face the Nets in the first round.

[LexieLily]

2 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

NYC is rescinding the vax mandate, effective tomorrow. Kyrie (and Aaron Judge) will be free to play!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbdtzmBLAqu/?utm_medium=copy_link

Not a good look that the NYC mayor gave in so unvaccinated superstars could play their sports.

[cambridgeguy]

11 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Not a good look that the NYC mayor gave in so unvaccinated superstars could play their sports.

He knows most people won't care, especially if those stars play like superstars. 

Barring a collapse by multiple teams in front of them, the Nets will not be able to escape the play-in.  They can be the most dangerous 7 or 8 seed in the history of the NBA.

[xaxat]

11 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Not a good look that the NYC mayor gave in so unvaccinated superstars could play their sports.

It's part of a broad effort to return to normal by the mayor. He's also changed proof of vaccination rules and mask mandates in schools. It's not just about the athletes.

[Carey]

Many people will argue or discuss what went into the decision, what the real motive was for, and who made the call overall.  It did seem to come outta nowhere, but as mentioned, the plans to ease restrictions were there for sometime.  This was being discussed even though it appeared the mayor changed his mind out of nowhere.

I don't care for Kyrie's position on the vaccine, but on the court, whenever he plays or played, he's been pretty good this year.  It's likely good for business, not just for the owners but for the workers within the sports (Yankees included) for your team to be at the max and probably win and advance (postseason time) as much as possible.

The decisions one way or another each have their own pros and cons.  The NFL eventually went to a stance on only removing people if they're showing symptoms, and I guess there was an argument that it should apply to Kyrie as well.  Not really just Kyrie, but everyone else, vaxxed or un-vaxxed

[Lady Whistleup]

Kyrie wasn't the reason the mandate was lifted. Kyrie was only one person on a 15 man team, 14 of whom were vaccinated.

The reason was actually the Yankees and Mets, which had reportedly many more players unvaccinated.

 

[cleo]

But is the mandate lifted in NY or are they making an exception for athletes? My understanding was its an exception although I'm not super familiar with the situation.

I do think whether the rules are crappy or not they should apply to everyone equally but I guess that's unrealistic- on oh so many fronts lol.

ETA Ah yes good PR. They are saying they're 'lifting the mandate' for athletes and performers but really they are making an exception to the existing mandate that still applies to nobodies.

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by cleo

[NUguy514]

2 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

The reason was actually the Yankees and Mets, which had reportedly many more players unvaccinated.

 

Mmm-hmmm, and I can't imagine why.  It couldn't possibly be because the vaccine might negate the effects of all the steroids baseball players pump into their bodies.  No, definitely not because of that.

[Magog]

I didn't even know that the Lakers played last night. The Lakers were up by 23 points on the Pelicans & was up by 20 points at halftime. Then the Lakers fell flat on their faces in the 2nd half & end up losing to the Pelicans 118-106. They're now in 10th place in the West with the Spurs right behind them (1 game behind). LeBron had 39 with a bad ankle & the Lakers found a way to mess it up. ESPN, Magic Johnson, & Stephen A Smith have to be sweating nervously right now over the Lakers possibly not making it to the Play-In. At least, they have those Warriors to root for if the Lakers don't make it to the Playoffs.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Magog

[twoods]

I hope the Lakers don’t make it. The Spurs may actually show up in the playoffs unlike the Lakers and Lebron needs to rest.

Edited March 29, 2022 by twoods

[LexieLily]

For the amusement of the thread: midway through the third quarter of the Rockets game tonight, a naked streaker stormed the court and got body-slammed tackled by security and carried off the court. So there's that :p.

AD and Lebron played thirty-seven and thirty-nine minutes respectively and it didn't matter: they still lost to New Orleans, 114-111. Their play-in chances are all but dead now.

Edited April 2, 2022 by LexieLily

[emmawoodhouse]

To Magog's delight, Steph has been shut down for the rest of the regular season. He says his foot is much improved, but the Dubs are notorious for erring on the side of caution. 

[Lady Whistleup]

10 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

To Magog's delight, Steph has been shut down for the rest of the regular season. He says his foot is much improved, but the Dubs are notorious for erring on the side of caution. 

Probably a good idea to play it safe. Warriors are definitely play-off bound. Steph has had so many soft-tissue injuries too.

[Carey]

LexieLily: In the past, I would have "favorited" your post with laugher but today I did not.  I'm sorry.  It has nothing to do with you at all; not a shot as you, period.  It's just me shaking my head at the situation where some nobody that has done nothing ever feels the need to eject itself as a part of the game on hand. 

I actually thought about this last night, before learning that this has occurred yet again.  In my opinion: it's not funny.  It didn't help it was inappropriate.  I can't stand and clap/applaud security for allowing this (to get to this point).  Those players fought to get to where they are, and there's a problem to where interference gets to that point.  I'd be concerned as a spectator that the security in some/several of these games are sub-par at best.

 

LexieLily & twoods:  I'm with you.  I'm in the Lakers-free NBA postseason.  Nothing against James and Davis.  I think a postseason with them is good for business, but only if they're among the best in the league.  It's a total disaster, rest is needed, and maybe even a nice overhaul.  If they backdoor, they're getting pummeled.  Sure the bottom seed has had success, but it's usually when they bottom seed is rolling prior to the postseason

 

Lady Whistleup & emmawoodhouse: Agree here as well.  However, there is some concern (except for Magog) that Curry could fall victim to a setback, but what makes Golden State great is how they manage their players at the right times.  Coaching & leadership is imperative.  

[Marley]

Golden State has been trash since after nye tho it seems. I like them but they need to somehow turn it around.

I don’t care that the lakers are sucking. They were acting like idiots before the season beaking off about how they were gonna prove everyone wrong.

I don’t want Phoenix to win it all. Bleh Devin Booker.

Giannis is so cute and likeable I wouldn’t mind the Bucks winning.

I love Memphis. 

Yes I have stupid reasons for liking or disliking teams I know lol.

Edited April 2, 2022 by Marley

[LexieLily]

3 hours ago, Carey said:

LexieLily & twoods:  I'm with you.  I'm in the Lakers-free NBA postseason.  Nothing against James and Davis.  I think a postseason with them is good for business, but only if they're among the best in the league.  It's a total disaster, rest is needed, and maybe even a nice overhaul.  If they backdoor, they're getting pummeled.  Sure the bottom seed has had success, but it's usually when they bottom seed is rolling prior to the postseason. 

Exactly, @Carey. Even if the Lakers somehow magically manage to run the table and leapfrog San Antonio to get to the play-in, and even if they magically win twice to get into the playoffs...their reward is Phoenix. That would be a quick sweep twentysomething points per game. 

[Magog]

24 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

LexieLily & twoods:  I'm with you.  I'm in the Lakers-free NBA postseason.  Nothing against James and Davis.  I think a postseason with them is good for business, but only if they're among the best in the league. 

Frankly, I wish that the Lakers would become like the Knicks. Except for last season, the Knicks haven't been worth a damn for the past 20 yrs. Gee, I wonder who Magic Johnson is going to try to recruit in the Free Agency Market this offseason to come to the Lakers. He, Stephen A, & ESPN are always bragging about the Lakers glory days & how great it is to win as a Laker. 

I like LeBron a lot & will root for him. But, him not possibly being in the Playoffs this season is not worth losing sleep over. It happened 3 yrs ago & it didn't bother me at all. The only thing bad about that is that ESPN will still be showing his tweets & Instagram posts like its newsworthy. Most of the time, it's very eye-rolling.

20 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

To Magog's delight, Steph has been shut down for the rest of the regular season. He says his foot is much improved, but the Dubs are notorious for erring on the side of caution. 

He'll be fine. I don't see ESPN being worried about Steph's ankle problem. With or without him, seeing those Warriors hopefully failing in the Playoffs will be very satisfying to me. 

[xaxat]

Personally, while I root for the Sixers, I watch the NBA (and all other sports) to see incredibly gifted individuals compete to the best of their ability (and health).

YMMV. 

[Lady Whistleup]

16 minutes ago, xaxat said:

Personally, while I root for the Sixers, I watch the NBA (and all other sports) to see incredibly gifted individuals compete to the best of their ability (and health).

YMMV. 

Me too. At the end of the day I love the game more than I love any particular team or player. There are some players that just wow me with their skill. Right now, I'd say KD/Giannis/Joel Embiid/Lebron/Steph/Booker/Trae/Kyrie/Luka/Ja all do things that wow me.

[mojoween]

Parade Magazine today blurted out a stat that since 1985, every NBA championship team has featured either Shaq or a former teammate of his.

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this.  Is this really that uncommon, especially in the era of free agency?

[cleo]

Kyle Lowry is back in Toronto today and there is a good chance I will be crying like a baby around 7pm lol.....purely coincidental. He is such a good dude. I'm so glad it will be a full capacity crowd for him.

If/when the Raps get kicked out of the playoffs I'll be rooting for Miami.  

[isalicat]

Adios Lakers! No playoffs for you! 1-2-3 Cancun! Oh frabjuss day, calloo callay!

[cambridgeguy]

Well, I think Frank Vogel can start packing up his office now.  And there's still fun to be had with the Lakers.  Lebron needs to play two more games to qualify for the scoring title and he fell behind Embiid.  I'd expect him to take Thursday off vs Golden State because Friday they get OKC at home, then finish with Denver on Sunday.  Does he just blatantly chase points against a tanking OKC?  Denver might be fighting for seeding, so he'll need to load up.

[Lady Whistleup]

Uh oh. Matisse Thybulle is "ineligible to play" in Toronto because he's not vaccinated. 

Not surprising since his mom was a "naturopath" but still...

Toronto passed the new laws Jan 15. The Sixers have a great chance of meeting the Raptors in round one of the playoffs.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/76ers-matisse-thybulle-listed-as-ineligible-to-play-against-raptors-in-toronto/

Edited April 6, 2022 by Lady Whistleup

[Carey]

On 4/3/2022 at 9:59 AM, mojoween said:

Parade Magazine today blurted out a stat that since 1985, every NBA championship team has featured either Shaq or a former teammate of his.

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this.  Is this really that uncommon, especially in the era of free agency?

It is tough to comprehend.  I may or may not look up the players, but without knowing off the top of my head, I can believe it

[Lady Whistleup]

More about Thybulle being unvaccinated ... and the Sixers right now are playing the Raptors in round one of the playoffs.

https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/philadelphia-sixers-matisse-thybulle-vaccination-status-could-hurt-76ers-toronto-raptors-20220407.html

What an idiot. He had been a huge fan favorite in Philly and he torched his reputation overnight.

[cambridgeguy]

The Sixers have a real chance of facing a worst case scenario.  Right now they're lined up to face Toronto and that's a tough matchup.  Meanwhile, Harden has been pretty meh and the team lost a lot of depth in the trade.  They'd better hope he's just saving it for the playoffs.  Seems like a safe bet given his spotless playoff resume.  Plus they have Doc, who has never had issues there.

[Lady Whistleup]

Some end of season stuff:

1) The Nets beat the Cavs last night, which means that Nets move up to 7th place and Cavs 8th. The Cavs and Bulls both cratering at the worst time.

2) The Jazz also cratering. Lots of rumors of Donovan Mitchell trying to force his way out of Utah to the Knicks.

3) Kevin Durant has a chance to join the 50/40/90 club again. He needs to hit 4/4 3's tomorrow to do that. It's doable.

4) The Sixers about to face their worst nightmare: a matchup with the Raptors with Matisse Thybulle unable to travel to Canada because of the vaccine requirement. Matisse is an idiot. Good lord.

5) Luka got T'ed up AGAIN last night which means he's suspended for the final game of the season. The Mavs had been trying to get that last spot from the Warriors.

[Lady Whistleup]

An interesting day of tanking:

The Bucks tanked their final game to avoid the Nets in round 1. The Celtics had to win their game to avoid falling to the 4 seed and playing the Raptors when Jaylen Brown is unvaccinated. 

So right now its:

Miami - 8 seed (whoever wins the play-ins)

Celtics - 7 seed (whoever wins the first play-in. Probably the Nets?)

Bucks - Bulls

Sixers - Raptors

Speaking of which, Matisse Thybulle is getting a bunch of hatred because:

 

[LexieLily]

According to Twitter, Luka Doncic left the game with what the team is calling a strained left calf.

[Lady Whistleup]

Vogel out at the Lakers

[Carey]

And on a related note, corn is yellow (more often than not), and grape is purple (but sometimes green like money).

While I thought they've boot him much, much earlier, nothing positive changes if Westbrook is still playing for Los Angeles.  That, and getting younger helps

[Lady Whistleup]

Matisse Thybulle is an idiot:

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/sixers/matisse-thybulle-vaccine-status-covid-19-sixers-raptors-nba-playoffs-series-2022

Quote

“I was raised in a holistic household where ‘anti-vax’ is not a term that was ever used. It’s a weird term that has kind of been thrown around to just label people. But we grew up with Chinese medicine and naturopathic doctors. With that upbringing, coming into this situation I felt like I had a solid foundation of medical resources that could serve me beyond what this vaccine could do for me. 

“As things escalated and as this situation has played out, I’ve obviously had to reconsider and look at it differently. To that point, it got to the point last year during the playoffs where I did actually consider getting vaccinated and went through with getting the first shot, the first dose. At that point, I was under the impression that getting vaccinated meant that I could not get the disease and transmit it to other people. And I felt like if I’m going to be a part of society, in the position I’m in, I need to do what’s right for the greater good. That argument of the greater good held a lot of weight for me. As things progressed, as this virus has changed many different ways, it just showed through the science that that wasn’t the case anymore — that even while being vaccinated, you could still spread the disease. 

“So for me and my reasoning, it felt like getting vaccinated was not something that I needed to do to protect other people. … With that being considered and the holistic background of my upbringing — and just the way I view medicine in general — it felt like I was secure in treating myself … not treating myself, but going to the doctors that I have to treat COVID if I did get it. And in the case that I did, I was able to go about it in my holistic way, and I’m able to sit here today healthy and OK because of it.”

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Lady Whistleup

[cambridgeguy]

Too bad that one thing his "solid foundation of medical resources" can't do is allow him to play in Toronto.  If the Sixers lose the series then I'd expect Doc to be gone and all of those fans who were thrilled about swapping Simmons for Harden to be, shall we say, slightly less thrilled, especially since Sixers version of James just posted the worst FG percentage of his career. 

Plus now that the season is over we should pour one out for the All-Star caliber players who spent exactly as much time on the court as the rest of us: Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, Jamal Murray, John Wall, and Ben Simmons.

[Magog]

3 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

Plus now that the season is over we should pour one out for the All-Star caliber players who spent exactly as much time on the court as the rest of us: Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, Jamal Murray, John Wall, and Ben Simmons.

Ben Simmons can get bent & he really needs to get lost. I'll pour one out for Street Clothes (Anthony Davis) before I ever do that for a loser like Ben Simmons. 

22 hours ago, Carey said:

While I thought they've boot him much, much earlier, nothing positive changes if Westbrook is still playing for Los Angeles.  That, and getting younger helps

Russell Westbrook has 47 Million reasons to stay with the Lakers. And they don't have a draft pick this year in the upcoming NBA Draft. I wonder how the Lakers are even going to try to get rid of Russell Westbrook in the offseason. I'm sure that Magic Johnson is willing to help the Lakers try to get rid of him.

[mojoween]

Magog, are you really Woj in disguise?  Woj was giving a Golden State update and he said that Steph will need to scrimmage against “these Warriors” and now I feel like we found Woj’s burner account.

[emma675]

Supposedly Luka has a calf strain, but the Mavs are being vague about his return saying there is no set "timetable." He was seen at practice yesterday being treated and watching the team.

And I read a story yesterday that claims the Nets are already growing frustrated with Simmons. Several players calling him out in practice and coaches irritated with the way he supposedly struts around the facilities even though he has yet to play. I don't know if I believe the story, but given Simmons' history it wouldn't surprise me. 

Edited April 13, 2022 by emma675

[mojoween]

28 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Several players calling him out in practice and coaches irritated with the way he supposedly struts around the facilities even though he has yet to play. I don't know if I believe the story, but given Simmons' history it wouldn't surprise me. 

The signs were there at LSU how many moons ago?  Yeah, color me not shocked and in total belief of those reports.

[Magog]

5 hours ago, mojoween said:

Magog, are you really Woj in disguise?  Woj was giving a Golden State update and he said that Steph will need to scrimmage against “these Warriors” and now I feel like we found Woj’s burner account.

No, I am not Woj. I'm not that annoying. 

As for those Warriors, with or without Steph, they should have absolutely not much of a problem in beating up on the Nuggets. Its not like the Nuggets have much of a chance against those Warriors. 

[Lady Whistleup]

Anthony Edwards is like the player everyone thought Zion would be. He's fun to watch.

[LexieLily]

Here's hoping Boston beats the crap out of Brooklyn in four or five games. KD and Kyrie had to play perfect games for them to barely beat Cleveland in the play-in.