The NBA

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Bad news for @Magogtoo.

I thought of tagging them. 😃

[Magog]

Last night, It was kind of nice seeing my enemy#1 coming back from his shoulder injury. It was even nicer seeing him & those Warriors losing to the crummy Suns despite him scoring 24 points.

[isalicat]

2 hours ago, Magog said:

Last night, It was kind of nice seeing my enemy#1 coming back from his shoulder injury. It was even nicer seeing him & those Warriors losing to the crummy Suns despite him scoring 24 points.

The Warriors are super rusty...and rust never sleeps 😸

[Salacious Kitty]

I'm so old that I had that album as a kid. ✌️

[grommit2]

The Nets really turned their season around and now have the second best record in the East.  But, oops, Durant is injured and out for a month.  Oh well. Kyrie will hold the fort until KD comes back.  Hmm..🤪

[cambridgeguy]

1 hour ago, grommit2 said:

The Nets really turned their season around and now have the second best record in the East.  But, oops, Durant is injured and out for a month.  Oh well. Kyrie will hold the fort until KD comes back.  Hmm..🤪

If KD comes back healthy and if Kyrie keeps behaving and if Ben Simmons doesn't suffer a crisis then the Nets are a real threat.  That's a lot of ifs, though.

[Magog]

21 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

If KD comes back healthy and if Kyrie keeps behaving and if Ben Simmons doesn't suffer a crisis then the Nets are a real threat.  That's a lot of ifs, though.

Ben Simmons has been suffering a crisis. His crisis is that he really sucks, his attitude really sucks, & he can't be counted on to help the Nets win a championship. The sooner the Nets realized that & get rid of him ASAP, the better. BTW, its not surprising that scored 0 points in contributing to the Nets losing to the Celtics. 

Speaking of teams that sucks, the Spurs will most certainly going to get their asses kicked tonight on ESPN when they played those Warriors. Even though those Warriors suck on the road (😄), they should have no problems in beating the Spurs to a pulp. ESPN would be very happy about that. 

Did anybody watched the 2OT thriller between the Mavericks (119) - Lakers (115)? The Lakers are treading water right now at 19-23. I don't even know how many more points LeBron needs to pass Kareem on the All-Time Scoring List. I'll start giving a damn about it when he gets within 200 points of Kareem.

[NUguy514]

4 hours ago, Magog said:

Ben Simmons has been suffering a crisis. His crisis is that he really sucks, his attitude really sucks, & he can't be counted on to help the Nets win a championship. The sooner the Nets realized that & get rid of him ASAP, the better. BTW, its not surprising that scored 0 points in contributing to the Nets losing to the Celtics. 

OK, I suck at basketball, and I would score zero points in any game, which basically makes me the equivalent of Ben Simmons.  HOWEVER, I have a great attitude, people love me, and I am a wonderful team player who would support and inspire my teammates; in this way, I think I could help the Nets win a championship and am, therefore, the superior of Ben Simmons.

So, since I'm superior to Simmons in the aggregate, I feel I should have his $35.45 million salary instead.  I am more deserving of it.

@Magog, if you want to act as my agent and effectuate this trade, you would earn 10% of that salary.

This feels right; let's make this happen!

Edited January 13, 2023 by NUguy514

[xaxat]

22 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

So, since I'm superior to Simmons in the aggregate, I feel I should have his $35.45 million salary instead?  I am more deserving of it.

Depends. Are you 6'10"?

[NUguy514]

27 minutes ago, xaxat said:

Depends. Are you 6'10"?

A gentleman never reveals his height, but I am 6'2" and not a day older!

My heart is four times bigger than Simmons', though, so I feel that more than compensates for the height differential.  I sit on benches magnificently.

[xaxat]

Ja Morant's dunks should be registered as a lethal weapon.

[kathyk24]

Retired NBA player and Coach Chris Ford has died. He won an NBA title while playing for the Celtics.

[Lady Whistleup]

KD should be back by February. The 12 game win streak gave the Nets a nice cushion for this rough month without KD.

[Magog]

Last night's game was somewhat enjoyable mainly because those Warriors lost in Overtime (121-118 OT). In a surprise to nobody, Steph was being Steph by making a half-court shot at the end of the 1st Half like its nothing. Basically stole the ball from a Celtic & shot it in half-court with ease. At best, it was stomach-turning for me. 

BTW, those Warriors are now 5-18 on the road & James Wiseman is still wallowing in the G League.

As for the Celtics, where in the hell was this type of performance last June (especially in Games 4, 5, & 6)?

[Medicine Crow]

I didn't see the game last night, but my 88 yr. old sister, a life-long Celtics fan, just described it to me as you did in your first paragraph.

[xaxat]

Nets go to Philly next Wednesday. What are the odds that Ben Simmons suffers a back "injury" by then?

[Lady Whistleup]

5 hours ago, xaxat said:

Nets go to Philly next Wednesday. What are the odds that Ben Simmons suffers a back "injury" by then?

Ben Simmons had a herniated disc in his spine and needed surgery. He wasn't faking a back injury. I know a dancer who was out for over a year with the same injury.

Edited January 21, 2023 by Lady Whistleup

[Magog]

18 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Nets go to Philly next Wednesday. What are the odds that Ben Simmons suffers a back "injury" by then?

I don't know. But, I'm sure he will come up with some lame excuse. Can't wait for his usual suckage on Wednesday Night. Maybe he'll also get himself ejected from the game like he did on Thursday Night in helping the Nets losing to the Suns.

I'm really want the Grizzlies to succeed, but they really need to get it together. First, they get their butts kicked by those Warriors on Christmas. Now, they fell flat on their face last night losing to the sorry Lakers 122-121. I really hope that they can improve on this & be ready for the Playoffs (especially against those Warriors). The Grizzlies wasn't ready against those Warriors last season & I expect a different result from them when they meet again in the Playoffs. 

As for the Lakers, they may suck (except for LeBron (& maybe Westbrook)), but they right there in the Playoff Hunt. They're in 13th place in the West at this moment. 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Magog

[Marley]

The Warriors have been disappointing me all season. I know they are in 6th but they aren’t the same as last year. I am hoping they get it together but I think there’s really no chance they win it all again this year.

The Lakers are like 1 game away from 10th but I don’t see them making the playoffs and if they do they won’t go far. They need to shake up their team. It’s not working so move on.

Shannon Sharpe got in some argument with the Grizzlies at the Lakers game. Of course Shannon Sharpe is a hall of famer but that doesn’t mean he can just be an asshole on the sidelines like calm down before you have a jammer guy.

Edited January 21, 2023 by Marley

[xaxat]

Simmons' back injury was real, and I shouldn't have implied that he would use it as excuse. But Simmons has shown that when he doesn't want to play, he'll figure out a way. Even in the middle of a game.

I don't know what started the dust up between Shannon Sharpe and the Griz, but he should thank his lucky stars they got into "hold me back" mode for Stephen Adams. That dude is country New Zealand tough, and it would not have gone well for Shannon.

[grommit2]

Uh oh.  Several Celtics key players just suffered nasty injuries: Smart, Brown, and Robert Williams.  And Tatum was a non-starter.  Gadzooks...this is not good! 

[Magog]

On 1/21/2023 at 4:23 PM, Marley said:

The Lakers are like 1 game away from 10th but I don’t see them making the playoffs and if they do they won’t go far. They need to shake up their team. It’s not working so move on.

LeBron is doing a great job of keeping the Lakers above water & he proved it once again last night by helping the crummy Lakers (with his 37 points) come back from 25 points down in beating the sucky Trail Blazers 121-112. Some guy name Thomas Bryant was a big help for the Lakers in making that comeback with his 31 points. 

Somehow, the Nets without KD defeated those Warriors 120-116. Kyrie Irving got 38 points.  Meanwhile, Ben Simmons was being his usual sucky self in getting 7 points. He also got 3 rebounds & 11 assists. Yay (😒).

Steph got 26 points, but thankfully we didn't get any half-court buzzer beaters or any Steph being Steph type plays from him. Klay Thompson only got 10 points & Jordan Poole (😒) got 17. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Magog

[isalicat]

On 1/23/2023 at 9:48 AM, Magog said:

 

Somehow, the Nets without KD defeated those Warriors 120-116. Kyrie Irving got 38 points.  Meanwhile, Ben Simmons was being his usual sucky self in getting 7 points. He also got 3 rebounds & 11 assists. Yay (😒).

Steph got 26 points, but thankfully we didn't get any half-court buzzer beaters or any Steph being Steph type plays from him. Klay Thompson only got 10 points & Jordan Poole (😒) got 17

Warriors are totally beating themselves in the fourth quarter a lot with sloppy passing, turnovers and hero ball shooting instead of passing to someone who could take a better shot. Glad we won the championship last season because unless they tighten up *considerably* very soon, I don't see the Warriors getting even into eighth. The league is a lot better this year, as well.

[Marley]

Yes yikes at this point the Warriors may not even make the playoffs. I’m hoping of course but they aren’t looking good.

[LexieLily]

Are the Lakers going to be on national TV every game they have (no matter how badly they suck) now that LeBron is within striking distance of Kareem's scoring record?

[twoods]

Yes, and Laker fans will continue to cringe while the haters will cackle with glee. Same old, same old.

[cambridgeguy]

6 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Are the Lakers going to be on national TV every game they have (no matter how badly they suck) now that LeBron is within striking distance of Kareem's scoring record?

Yes, because a lot of casual fans view the regular season as a glorified preseason and are going to need an extra hook to tune in?

And for what it's worth, the players and coaches absolutely view the regular season as a mostly pointless slog.  Look at all of the stars taking games off to rest, especially on back-to-backs. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by cambridgeguy

[Magog]

11 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Are the Lakers going to be on national TV every game they have (no matter how badly they suck) now that LeBron is within striking distance of Kareem's scoring record?

Yes. They played the Spurs tonight which is not on ESPN, but it should a walk in the park for the Lakers. Then they go play the Celtics in Boston on Saturday Night on ABC. Yay (😒). They they go to Brooklyn to play the Nets on NBA TV. Next, they play the scummy Knicks in MSG on TNT. I'm sure that'll be fun to watch. After that, they go to Indiana & New Orleans. 

BTW, LeBron was the only one for the Lakers that gave a damn last night. He got 46 points (with 9 3 pointers), but the Lakers got pounded by the Clippers 133-115. That game was definitely nap-inducing. He is now 177 points away from catching Kareem.

Also, the Lakers made a useful trade. Getting Rui Hachimura from the sad excuse of an NBA Team called the Wizards. The Wizards get Kendrick Nunn & 3 future 2nd round picks.

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Magog

[Salacious Kitty]

The Lakers are so lacking in draft picks that they gave away picks for something like 2028 in the Hachimura deal. 

[Lady Whistleup]

The Western conference is more competitive this year. The Pelicans, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Kings, Clippers are all much stronger. The Warriors simply have to be a lot better this year to make it out of the West.

[twoods]

6 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

The Lakers are so lacking in draft picks that they gave away picks for something like 2028 in the Hachimura deal. 

They got their ring out of AD before he permanently became Mr. Glass so it was sort of worth the three future round draft picks. Trying to figure out where the other ones went. 

[isalicat]

Wild Warriors Win over Memphis last night - Steph got ejected for throwing his mouthguard in a moment of pique due to a stupid play by his team mate Jordan Poole. Poole went on to win the game at the last minute, and then threw *his* mouthpiece (symbolically, not on the court) on the way to meet Steph in the tunnel to celebrate the victory. Gotta love these guys! 😸

[emma675]

The 76ers beat the Nets in an up and down game last night (looks like Durant is still out for a few more weeks). What tickled me is that Ben Simmons was so bad that he was benched for the final 8 minutes of the game. I know it's wrong, but I just can't stand him.

[Lady Whistleup]

29 minutes ago, emma675 said:

The 76ers beat the Nets in an up and down game last night (looks like Durant is still out for a few more weeks). What tickled me is that Ben Simmons was so bad that he was benched for the final 8 minutes of the game. I know it's wrong, but I just can't stand him.

Really? I like him. I think that most NBA stars are so skilled that they don't seem real to me. But Ben's struggles with shooting and confidence make him relatable to me.

[cambridgeguy]

On 1/25/2023 at 10:16 PM, twoods said:

They got their ring out of AD before he permanently became Mr. Glass so it was sort of worth the three future round draft picks. Trying to figure out where the other ones went. 

It's the perfect title for Lakers (and Lebron) lovers and haters alike.  The haters will happily point out that the bubble title doesn't really count, or at the very least isn't worth as much as a regular title.  And ever since it's been all downhill for the team, which will likely leave Lebron at 4 (or 3.5, if you're a hater) rings.  Enjoy looking up at MJ, Kareem, Magic, Duncan and Kobe for the rest of your life!

[twoods]

This Lakers/Celtics game is giving me heartburn. I have never seen so many blown calls in my life. Time to brick in OT.

[LexieLily]

The refs blew the call at the end of regulation and I'm sorry, but Pat Bev storming the court at the end of regulation with a camera is hilarious.

[DrSpaceman73]

Technically a foul but after all the flops by lebron over the years.....too bad whiner. 

https://youtu.be/Czq4NN0la6w

[twoods]

Tatum flopped a lot in the game, so when it’s a real foul he shouldn’t get called for it? That makes no sense. Did you even watch the entire game? There was a ref right there watching it all, he saw the contact but didn’t blow the whistle. You can hate Lebron or whatever, but it’s ridiculous. 

This is the fourth game that the Lakers lost because of a blown call, and every single  time the refs agreed it was a blown call. I don’t know how you can play through that.

[DrSpaceman73]

50 minutes ago, twoods said:

Tatum flopped a lot in the game, so when it’s a real foul he shouldn’t get called for it? That makes no sense. Did you even watch the entire game? There was a ref right there watching it all, he saw the contact but didn’t blow the whistle. You can hate Lebron or whatever, but it’s ridiculous. 

This is the fourth game that the Lakers lost because of a blown call, and every single  time the refs agreed it was a blown call. I don’t know how you can play through that.

I saw the play.  It was a weak foul. Slap him from behind on the wrist.  It doesn't always get called.   Likely no effect on his shot. 

I just have no pity for the Lakers.  Teams have been losing games for years on blown calls, since literally the beginning of basketball. and now suddenly because it's the lakers and lebron it outrageous?  Please. 

 

Its not ridiculous.  Its the NBA. Welcome to what every team not blessed with every superstar free agent joining them has gone through for decades.  Close games, losses on bad calls, long frustrating seasons with no end in sight

And don't tell me the league doesn't want lebron or the Lakers to win. That's ridiculous. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by DrSpaceman73

[mojoween]

18 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Technically a foul but after all the flops by lebron over the years.....too bad whiner. 

https://youtu.be/Czq4NN0la6w

The veracity of the call/no-call and subsequent groveling by the refs notwithstanding, LeBron is fucking ridiculous.

The usage of his hysteria in other things is funny, though.

[NUguy514]

Dear Bron-bron,

You weren’t called for your obvious traveling on that very same drive to the net, which should’ve resulted in a turnover, so shut your fucking pie hole.

With sincerest enmity,

NUguy514

[DrSpaceman73]

Also foul or not .....how do you miss this shot?  

[twoods]

That’s the whole point- getting raked on the forearm as he went up changed the shot, and why he missed it. If it was a graze or he hit him after the ball was released it would have been a good no-call. 
The game is over- I don’t know why he’s harping on it. Everyone including the commentators and refs said that was a clear foul, so continuing to whine about it will go nowhere. (Good old LeWhine) Maybe this will light a fire under their asses, but of course it won’t and they will continue to suck.

Edited January 30, 2023 by twoods

[DrSpaceman73]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

That’s the whole point- getting raked on the forearm as he went up changed the shot, and why he missed it. If it was a graze or he hit him after the ball was released it would have been a good no-call. 
The game is over- I don’t know why he’s harping on it. Everyone including the commentators and refs said that was a clear foul, so continuing to whine about it will go nowhere. (Good old LeWhine) Maybe this will light a fire under their asses, but of course it won’t and they will continue to suck.

That foul did not cause him to miss that shot.  Not in the least.  He is literally at the rim and can lay it in. The foul is from behind and he didnt impede his arm movement forward or in any direction. That angle he provided pretty much proves it. 

 

[Lady Whistleup]

Kind of mind-boggling that heading into the Allstar break, 5 teams in the East have more than 30 wins, and only 2 teams in the West. I feel like the West is so weak this year.

[isalicat]

19 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Kind of mind-boggling that heading into the Allstar break, 5 teams in the East have more than 30 wins, and only 2 teams in the West. I feel like the West is so weak this year.

Actually I would conclude just the opposite - the West is more evenly strong this year so as they are primarily playing each other you are getting more even results.

[Magog]

2 very crummy sucky teams play a very entertaining game tonight. The Lakers beat the sucky Knicks in Overtime 129-123. Lebron got 28 points (now 88 away from Kareem), Street Clothes did very well with 27 points, & Dennis Schroder made a very cool buzzer-beater at the end of the 1st half. It got me a little excited, unlike someone who does it on a daily basis like its nothing.

LeBron will probably catch Kareem in about 3 games. The bad news is that game is against OKC Thunder at home with some of the mush for brains & (some) front-running Laker fans on Tuesday Night. The good news is that neither TNT or ESPN is airing that game.

[cambridgeguy]

6 hours ago, Magog said:

LeBron will probably catch Kareem in about 3 games. The bad news is that game is against OKC Thunder at home with some of the mush for brains & (some) front-running Laker fans on Tuesday Night. The good news is that neither TNT or ESPN is airing that game.

Yes, because obviously when you want to drive interest in your sport the best result is to not televise one of your all-time greats breaking a record that likely will not be broken again for a long time, if ever. 

[cambridgeguy]

Being Brooklyn's GM must be so much fun