The NBA

[Lady Whistleup]

10 hours ago, Marley said:

Go Warriors go! Poole is killing it. Obv Klay and Curry are too but that’s a give-in.

Poole is killing it, but he clearly also is not used to being defended so physically in playoff basketball. He looked tired and beat up after last night's game. It's a learning curve.

[Magog]

48 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Poole is killing it, but he clearly also is not used to being defended so physically in playoff basketball. He looked tired and beat up after last night's game. It's a learning curve.

He'll be fine. I didn't see the Nuggets being that physical to him & it certainly didn't stop him from having a very good performance last night. Frankly, its a surprise to nobody that those Warriors are beating the Nuggets like its a stroll in the park. Since those Warriors are going to humiliate the Nuggets like a piece of meat & send them home in shame on Sunday, I'm certain that ESPN will be their usual selves rooting, bootlicking, & salivating over those Warriors.

As for the Timberwolves last night, they flat out choked. Up by 26 near the end of the 3rd Quarter & basically pissed that game & possibly the series away. The repulsive Atlanta Falcons would of been very impressed by that choking last night. BTW, Where was that Pat Bev energy in the 4th Quarter when they needed it most?

[grommit2]

2 hours ago, Magog said:

He'll be fine. I didn't see the Nuggets being that physical to him & it certainly didn't stop him from having a very good performance last night. Frankly, its a surprise to nobody that those Warriors are beating the Nuggets like its a stroll in the park. Since those Warriors are going to humiliate the Nuggets like a piece of meat & send them home in shame on Sunday, I'm certain that ESPN will be their usual selves rooting, bootlicking, & salivating over those Warriors.

As for the Timberwolves last night, they flat out choked. Up by 26 near the end of the 3rd Quarter & basically pissed that game & possibly the series away. The repulsive Atlanta Falcons would of been very impressed by that choking last night. BTW, Where was that Pat Bev energy in the 4th Quarter when they needed it most?

Hi Magog and Lady...recall the age of full-body contact in the 80s(?) when it was common for extra large folks to hammer away at each other.  The Knicks, 76ers, and Pistons were advocates of aggressive, close contact. Even the Lakers and Celtics were advocates of close cover. The difference now is that you can spread the offense way out and launch 3s from across the street.  Amazing. 

[emmawoodhouse]

Just read that barring setbacks, Ben Simmons will play Monday, Game 4 against the Celtics. That should be... interesting.

[LexieLily]

4 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Just read that barring setbacks, Ben Simmons will play Monday, Game 4 against the Celtics. That should be... interesting.

Because it will be great for a player with mental health concerns/pressure issues for his first game back in over a year to be a(nother) possible playoff elimination game!

Edited April 22, 2022 by LexieLily

[Carey]

IMO, if Brooklyn loses Game 3, it would be in their best interest to shut Simmons down until 2022-2023

[xaxat]

1 minute ago, LexieLily said:

Because it will be great for a player with mental health concerns/pressure issues for his first game back in over a year to be a(nother) possible playoff elimination game!

And if the Nets do manage to extend the series, Simmons will go to play in Boston.

What could possibly go wrong there?

[Fukui San]

Not to worry. Kyrie will just moon the Garden crowd and everyone will forget that Ben Simmons exists.

[Lady Whistleup]

Hawks scrapped their way to- a win. That and Jimmy Butler took two awful, unclutch shots near the end.

[mojoween]

On 4/22/2022 at 2:39 PM, grommit2 said:

The Knicks, 76ers, and Pistons were advocates of aggressive, close contact.

I appreciate what a charitable description this is of Bill Laimbeer.

[LexieLily]

Brooklyn loses to go down 0-3, and Boston has done a great job in this series making Durant have extremely subpar games by his standards. Does Nash stick to the gameplan to bring Simmons back for Monday's elimination game?

[Magog]

On 4/22/2022 at 2:39 PM, grommit2 said:

recall the age of full-body contact in the 80s(?) when it was common for extra large folks to hammer away at each other.  The Knicks, 76ers, and Pistons were advocates of aggressive, close contact. Even the Lakers and Celtics were advocates of close cover.

In those days, it was called NBA Action. ITS FANTASTIC!!

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

I appreciate what a charitable description this is of Bill Laimbeer.

Bill Laimbeer is a great NBA player who will do what it takes to help the Pistons win games & those 2 championships. The NBA can use someone like Bill Laimbeer today. He & those Pistons wouldn't tolerate Steph being Steph & his antics. 

14 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Brooklyn loses to go down 0-3, and Boston has done a great job in this series making Durant have extremely subpar games by his standards. Does Nash stick to the gameplan to bring Simmons back for Monday's elimination game?

Ben Simmons is the complete opposite of Bill Laimbeer in more ways than one. Bill Laimbeer & those Pistons would of kicked his sorry ass & I would of loved every minute of it. Simmons might as well join in the crashing & burning. His sorry ass is going to get a whole lot of blame in Brooklyn going down in a heap against the Celtics. 

Edited April 24, 2022 by Magog

[shoregirl]

28 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Brooklyn loses to go down 0-3, and Boston has done a great job in this series making Durant have extremely subpar games by his standards. Does Nash stick to the gameplan to bring Simmons back for Monday's elimination game?

I hope so. Hack-A-Ben will be on again. 

This is mean.....Really funny though.

[LexieLily]

If it does happen it will be up there with Wilt's 100 as a stat that will never be broken. Lol. 

[Lady Whistleup]

I actually hated the dirty fouls of the 80s and 90s. I know there's a lot of nostalgia for that era but I personally hated the punches to the face, the clothslining, and so on. I didn't enjoy the Bad Boys or Anthony Mason or the hard foulers. It also ended so many careers prematurely. Nowadays many players can play into their thirties. Back then you were considered washed at 33, retired at 35. Larry Bird was a shell of himself in his early 30s, Isiah Thomas was retired, Ewing had maybe 10 good years before he fell apart.

[cambridgeguy]

9 hours ago, Magog said:

Bill Laimbeer is a great NBA player who will do what it takes to help the Pistons win games & those 2 championships. The NBA can use someone like Bill Laimbeer today. He & those Pistons wouldn't tolerate Steph being Steph & his antics. 

You must be a fan of Grayson Allen then since he's the closest we've got to matching his dirtiness - too bad he's not nearly as talented as Laimbeer was.  It's also fitting that he retired because he broke Isiah Thomas's hand in an "incident".  If that's what he did to his buddy then it's not too surprising he was happy to pummel his opponents.

Steve Nash on Simmons: "There's a lot of bigger picture, bigger context to how he's feeling, how able he would be to adapt to the environment," Nash said. "It's a little different than playing a game that's stashed away in the middle of the regular season, so I think that there's a few factors at play here to evaluate when he's ready to play."

That's a lot of words to say it makes no sense to bring back a mentally and physically fragile player into a series when you're down 0-3.  They're not losing because Simmons isn't playing, they're losing because KD and Kyrie have had one good offensive game between them.

[LexieLily]

Simmons is listed as OUT for game 4. Maybe he saw all of the tweets. 

[Marley]

Apparently he woke up with back soreness. Honestly he’s a joke at this point and will most likely never do anything to help Brooklyn. He’s getting paid millions to do nothing.

[xaxat]

That means he is done for the season. The Nets aren't going to make him active for game five in Boston and I don't see the series going past that. They should have ruled him out for the playoffs back at the end of the regular season.

As a Sixers fan, it ended ugly in Philly, but this is unfortunate. Despite his major flaws, he is really fun to watch. I think we are really close to the question of if, not when, he starts playing again.

[LexieLily]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

That means he is done for the season. The Nets aren't going to make him active for game five in Boston and I don't see the series going past that. They should have ruled him out for the playoffs back at the end of the regular season.

As a Sixers fan, it ended ugly in Philly, but this is unfortunate. Despite his major flaws, he is really fun to watch. I think we are really close to the question of if, not when, he starts playing again.

The longer he stays out the harder it will be for him to come back, if he ever does. Has Kyrie signed his extension and/or will he be offered one? 

Durant must be feeling like a chump right about now for being the first of the three to sign. 

[cambridgeguy]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

As a Sixers fan, it ended ugly in Philly, but this is unfortunate. Despite his major flaws, he is really fun to watch. I think we are really close to the question of if, not when, he starts playing again.

Yeah, it's not clear if he actually wants to play or not.  And then there's going to be the whole fight over his $$$.  I'm sure he'll claim he's made a good faith effort to return, and that his physical and mental issues are a direct result of playing and preparing himself to play.  Is that actually true?  Who knows, but I suspect most talking heads will be unlikely to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Lady Whistleup]

I feel like Ben Simmons doesn't actually like basketball. I think he was talented and that got him through the first few years, but it's a very tough business and you really have to love the game to survive in the league. Talent isn't enough. 

 

[grommit2]

Do you think the Nets regret trading away James Harden?  ☹️

[Carey]

Nah.  Sure Harden's a better option over Simmons, but that's more related to people that actually want to play NBA Basketball.  It wasn't a good fit for Brooklyn, and the "Big 3" could not get onto the court simultaneously to validate the move to get together in an attempt to roll in the league.

Irving, Harden, and KD are all going into the HOF, it just didn't work with the Nets, and until Ben actually regains the passion for playing, it was a bad trade, but staying put was not an option either

[emma675]

23 hours ago, shoregirl said:

I hope so. Hack-A-Ben will be on again. 

It's so nice to not be dealing with this anymore. It was so frustrating to watch Simmons collapse and give into his insecurities last year and blame everyone but himself. If anyone could have benefited from a sports psychologist, it was him. I still can't believe the Nets considered putting him out there. 

Edited April 25, 2022 by emma675

[Marley]

I know it’s a long shot but I’m really rooting for the Pelicans to pull out this win. I love an underdog and I do not like the Suns lol.

[Fukui San]

I 80% think that Kyrie will absolutely quit on his team and put on a performance that will make the term "half-assed" look generous. Does he actually even want the series to go back into Boston?

10% chance he puts together a transcendent performance, win or lose.

10% chance he comes down with a "sore hamstring" or something.

 

[isalicat]

7 hours ago, Marley said:

Apparently he woke up with back soreness. Honestly he’s a joke at this point and will most likely never do anything to help Brooklyn. He’s getting paid millions to do nothing.

I'm 66 years old, 4'11, female and can't play basketball for shit, but apparently I can do Simmons' job so I volunteer because I have uses for those millions that are useful. Send those dollars this a way! Anyways, go Dubs! That was another NBA/Ref collusion to get us to a 5th game plus a lot of sloppy crap from the Dubs. More money for Lacob to pay Young Glove next season after the game Wednesday.

[LexieLily]

Phoenix is either (a) legit having trouble with a 9th-seeded team since Booker went down or (b) they don't care how long this series goes because a longer series gives Booker more time to heal.

And Dallas/Utah, their next opponent, is 2-2 as well.

Edited April 25, 2022 by LexieLily

[emma675]

The playoffs have certainly been interesting so far, lol. 

[Magog]

Since the Brooklyn Nets are going to lose tonight & their season will be over, I'm going to be very happy that a lot of people who was hyping that Lakers - Nets Finals throughout the offseason are going to have egg on their faces. 

As for that loser Ben Simmons, its pretty shameful that he's not willing to go down with the ship by not playing in Game 4 tonight. His sorry ass is going to get a whole lot of blame for the Brooklyn Nets debacle this season, along with Kyrie, KD, & Steve Nash. Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, & the late Anthony Mason (God rest his soul) would of put that idiot in his place & I would enjoy every minute of it. Heck, I think Mike Tyson needs to pay Ben Simmons a visit.

14 hours ago, isalicat said:

That was another NBA/Ref collusion to get us to a 5th game plus a lot of sloppy crap from the Dubs. More money for Lacob to pay Young Glove next season after the game Wednesday.

Joe Lacob needs more money for those scummy Warriors like I need appendicitis & kidney stones combined. Besides, I'm surprised that those Warriors didn't put the Nuggets out of their misery on Sunday. I was expecting a massacre on Sunday, but it didn't happen. We'll probably get that massacre on Wednesday Night. 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Magog

[cambridgeguy]

1 hour ago, Magog said:

As for that loser Ben Simmons, its pretty shameful that he's not willing to go down with the ship by not playing in Game 4 tonight. His sorry ass is going to get a whole lot of blame for the Brooklyn Nets debacle this season, along with Kyrie, KD, & Steve Nash.

So James Harden gets none of the blame then?  The guy who gave up on his team (again) and forced a trade (again)?   Simmons wouldn't even be on the team if James hadn't said screw it and pouted his way out of town.

1 hour ago, Magog said:

Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, & the late Anthony Mason (God rest his soul) would of put that idiot in his place & I would enjoy every minute of it. Heck, I think Mike Tyson needs to pay Ben Simmons a visit.

So the appropriate penalty for not playing is getting pummeled, ideally by a former heavyweight champion? 

[rcc]

Not a Stephen A fan but he is right on when he called Simmons on his selfishness.

[emma675]

27 minutes ago, rcc said:

Not a Stephen A fan but he is right on when he called Simmons on his selfishness.

Same. I generally despise him, but he hit the nail on the head with that one. I feel like Simmons had "back soreness" and is continuing to "focus on his mental health" (per another article today) in order to stay out of playing games and try to win his back pay from the Sixers in arbitration. If he gets that money, I woudn't be surprised to see him leave basketball completely. He wants the money and the fame without doing any of the work or taking any of the responsibility. 

[LexieLily]

So sorry, Brooklyn. 

Not! 

[isalicat]

Yeah, though the Celtics are looking like they are just getting warmed up....scary...but a Dubs/ Celtics finals would be awesome.

I can't feel anything for the Nets because their expectations always seemed to be ahead of their actual cohesion as a playing unit.

[Lady Whistleup]

The Sixers seem well on their way to another epic series meltdown.

[Marley]

3 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

The Sixers seem well on their way to another epic series meltdown.

One can only hope lol. Nothing against them I just rather the Raptors win.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Marley

[LexieLily]

12 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

The Sixers seem well on their way to another epic series meltdown.

Doc Rivers has blown 3-1 leads on at least three different teams, maybe he's trying to top himself and blow a 3-0 lead?

Based on his comments in the post-game media, Kyrie has apparently upgraded himself to co-manager of the Nets with Durant. Lol 

[Lady Whistleup]

2 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Doc Rivers has blown 3-1 leads on at least three different teams, maybe he's trying to top himself and blow a 3-0 lead?

Based on his comments in the post-game media, Kyrie has apparently upgraded himself to co-manager of the Nets with Durant. Lol 

Rumors are that Nash is getting fired and Kyrie will be traded in the off-season. 

[LexieLily]

27 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Rumors are that Nash is getting fired and Kyrie will be traded in the off-season. 

The Rockets control Brooklyn's picks until 2027. Brooklyn imploding so soon was more than even I expected 😂

[Fukui San]

I know Kyrie and Durant are Superfriends, but imagine a Nets team that kept Harden and traded Kyrie for a useful player that wasn't going to be a part time player for his vaccine denial. Say Kyrie for CJ McCollum. Still got issues on defense, but they'd have a much more varied offensive attack.

I know Portland wouldn't want Kyrie, but trading Harden for Simmons misidentified the player that needed to move and the Harden trade netted them a player that would not contribute at all this year.

[twoods]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Rumors are that Nash is getting fired and Kyrie will be traded in the off-season. 

I know they want to scapegoat Nash but I wish he got a chance coaching a team that wasn’t injured or not vaxxed. 
 

And no matter how good the Dubs are, I can never root for them as long as Draymond Green is on that team. Tweets laughing emojis once the Nets lost. Classless. Durant didn’t owe you anything, and since he left you haven’t won a damn thing either.

Edited April 26, 2022 by twoods

[estellasmum]

27 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

I know Kyrie and Durant are Superfriends, but imagine a Nets team that kept Harden and traded Kyrie for a useful player that wasn't going to be a part time player for his vaccine denial. Say Kyrie for CJ McCollum. Still got issues on defense, but they'd have a much more varied offensive attack.

I know Portland wouldn't want Kyrie, but trading Harden for Simmons misidentified the player that needed to move and the Harden trade netted them a player that would not contribute at all this year.

What makes you think Portland wouldn't want Kyrie? As a life-long Portland-area resident, there is nothing in our history to say that we would have enough good sense not to want him.

We can't give them CJ, though. He belongs to the Pelicans, now.

[Magog]

34 minutes ago, twoods said:

And no matter how good the Dubs are, I can never root for them as long as Draymond Green is on that team. Tweets laughing emojis once the Nets lost. Classless. Durant didn’t owe you anything, and since he left you haven’t won a damn thing either.

You leave Draymond alone. He is the only likable & classy player on those Warriors. I enjoyed him laughing at KD, Kyrie, & Steve Nash getting swept. That's the type of charisma I like about Draymond.  Frankly, I was laughing at the Nets & their failure like him. 

We never see Steph doing something like that. Gallant (Goofus & Gallant) would of felt sorry for the Nets.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Magog

[cambridgeguy]

Kyrie after the game: "We all felt it. I felt like I was letting the team down at a point where I wasn't able to play. We were trying to exercise every option for me to play, but I never wanted it to just be about me. And I think it became a distraction at times. And as you see we just had some drastic changes."

Every option, you say?  If only some quick, easy, and safe solution had been available before the season started. 

And why would Steve Nash want to come back to this circus?  The guy made over 100 million dollars in his career and could easily get a cushy job as a talking head. 

[Lamb18]

I totally ignored Saturday's Timberwolves vs Grizzlies game and Timberwolves won! I'll try that strategy again tonight.

[Lady Whistleup]

8 hours ago, twoods said:

And no matter how good the Dubs are, I can never root for them as long as Draymond Green is on that team. Tweets laughing emojis once the Nets lost. Classless. Durant didn’t owe you anything, and since he left you haven’t won a damn thing either.

Draymond is the only Warrior I don't like. He's so full of himself and arrogant. And even if you don't like KD, KD almost wrecked his body coming back too soon in the 2019 playoffs. He also didn't demand to be traded but signed in free agency. He doesn't actually owe the Dubs anything. 

[xaxat]

So Jay Wright comes out and says that he has not ruled returning to coaching in the NBA. I'm sure it is a total coincidence he made that statement the day after the Nets got eliminated.

[emmawoodhouse]

7 hours ago, xaxat said:

So Jay Wright comes out and says that he has not ruled returning to coaching in the NBA. I'm sure it is a total coincidence he made that statement the day after the Nets got eliminated.

There may be a vacancy much closer to Wright if Philly totally implodes.