The NBA

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, LexieLily said:

Please beat the crap out of these Lakers, Denver. 

On a happier note, way to go, Miami! First number-eight seed since 1999 to make the Conference Finals :)

Seconded. 

The Lakers doubled up the Dubs on free throws in the series.  And those weren't all Draymond Ts. Jordan Poole disappeared. Kerr made some tactical mistakes. This just goes to show that no team is invincible. 

Loving Miami's run. Jimmy Buckets is playing out of his mind! But the right guy might be able to slow him down a bit. 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Salacious Kitty

[isalicat]

After what has been going on with the Warriors this year, that they even made the playoffs is remarkable. The team never felt like a Warriors team, made of marvelous well oiled cogs that knew where they wanted to be before they were there. Too much off court distraction and whatever was going on (that we will never really know about) inside the locker room. I love Klay dearly but he needs to re-evaluate after this (non) playoff appearance. Jordan Poole just needs some visualization therapy - he has the physical tools.

My neighbors are setting off fireworks in celebration - I'm off the beach west of San Luis Obispo so you get a lot more Lakers/Dodgers types around here. A bit sad but go Nuggets!!

[twoods]

44 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Seconded. 

The Lakers doubled up the Dubs on free throws in the series.  

If they wanted more free throws they should have attacked the basket more in the series. They took 48 (!) three point attempts tonight. What usually saves them did not work in this series.

[baldryanr]

7 hours ago, LexieLily said:

On a happier note, way to go, Miami! First number-eight seed since 1999 to make the Conference Finals :)

The Lakers one-upped that - a 7th seed hasn't made it to the conference finals since the 87 Supersonics did it.  They ended up getting swept, but that's what happens when you run into the Showtime Lakers at their peak.

[Carey]

7 hours ago, Fukui San said:

8 hours ago, Carey said:

Not going to look good for LA.  Probably better off allowing Denver to get crushed by Boston to break the tie for the record title over having to stand there and watch it themselves

Boston hasn’t even beat the Sixers yet let alone the Heat. 

Boston has home court advantage as long as they don't lose at home.  They have, but they tend to regain it almost immediately after losing it.

What I could've said was "LA would be better off allowing Denver to get crushed by the East winner, including Miami or Philadelphia (in addition to Boston).  The Sixers would also home court.  Miami doesn't need it.

The point about the East is the same for the West.  Los Angeles and Denver still have to play each other.  LeBron, the Lakers, and company might not be popular, but that doesn't add up to getting destroyed by Denver.  Do I think LA will win the West? No I do not.  However, they can.  Several of the cast has (championship) experience.  Jokic is the real deal and probably should've been the league MVP, but this is the best team they'll face.  If they advance, the East winner will be a slightly tougher test.

I think it's Boston's conference to lose, and that's Philadelphia's fault.  However, they're the opposite of the Sixers , who can't seem to close out anybody (really just Doc).  Whenever the Celtics are at risk, they find ways to survive; they find ways to win.  It's sort of annoying since they could win their series faster, but they just can't.  As long as they don't lose 4 games, it's okay at the end of the day

[Magog]

10 hours ago, isalicat said:

After what has been going on with the Warriors this year, that they even made the playoffs is remarkable. The team never felt like a Warriors team, made of marvelous well oiled cogs that knew where they wanted to be before they were there. Too much off court distraction and whatever was going on (that we will never really know about) inside the locker room. I love Klay dearly but he needs to re-evaluate after this (non) playoff appearance. Jordan Poole just needs some visualization therapy - he has the physical tools.

My neighbors are setting off fireworks in celebration - I'm off the beach west of San Luis Obispo so you get a lot more Lakers/Dodgers types around here. A bit sad but go Nuggets!!

Awwww....

Man, I slept like a baby last night & this morning. Boy, I love the smell of pure sadness from those Warriors in the afternoon. Seeing Steph (especially), Klay Thompson, & Jordan Poole taking that walk of shame to the locker room last night after getting their butts kicked 122-101 really put a smile on my face. This will never ever top 2016 or even 2019. But, this feel just as good. Hopefully, there will be more of this stuff next season for those Warriors. In conclusion, all I can say is this, "Night, Night Steph." HA HA HA!!

3 hours ago, Carey said:

The point about the East is the same for the West.  Los Angeles and Denver still have to play each other.  LeBron, the Lakers, and company might not be popular, but that doesn't add up to getting destroyed by Denver.  Do I think LA will win the West? No I do not.  However, they can.  Several of the cast has (championship) experience.  Jokic is the real deal and probably should've been the league MVP, but this is the best team they'll face.  If they advance, the East winner will be a slightly tougher test.

I think Lakers - Nuggets is a toss-up & it could go either way. I will not be surprised if LeBron & a healthy Street Clothes with its cast of characters find a way to beat the Nuggets. 

3 hours ago, Carey said:

I think it's Boston's conference to lose, and that's Philadelphia's fault.  However, they're the opposite of the Sixers , who can't seem to close out anybody (really just Doc).  Whenever the Celtics are at risk, they find ways to survive; they find ways to win.  It's sort of annoying since they could win their series faster, but they just can't.  As long as they don't lose 4 games, it's okay at the end of the day

I'm not here for the Celtics & I'm kind of hoping that they'll lose tomorrow because I'm really not here for ESPN actively rooting for yet another Lakers - Celtics Finals (😒), this time with LeBron in the mix & both of them waxing nostalgia over that rivalry in the 80's (which was pretty cool BTW) & 2008 -2010 ( 😒 both those Finals really sucked & I didn't enjoy even one minute of it.). Even though I adore LeBron a lot & really want him to succeed despite my utter disgust for the Lakers, A Lakers - Celtics Finals will most certainly be eye-rolling inducing. 

Maybe James Harden can take one step closer to redeeming himself for a change by not bricking 3 pointers like he did in Game 7 several yrs ago & finding a way to get his team to a big victory like he most certainly didn't do several yrs ago.

As for the Knicks, all I can say to them is, Good bye & good riddance. 😒

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Magog

[Fukui San]

If the Nuggets beat the Lakers I’ll be ok with any outcome in the finals. 

[Mean Machine]

I'm just glad that the Golden State stuff is over.  Very detestable team and fan base.  

[Carey]

8 hours ago, Magog said:

I'm not here for the Celtics & I'm kind of hoping that they'll lose tomorrow because I'm really not here for ESPN actively rooting for yet another Lakers - Celtics Finals (😒), this time with LeBron in the mix & both of them waxing nostalgia over that rivalry in the 80's (which was pretty cool BTW) & 2008 -2010 ( 😒 both those Finals really sucked & I didn't enjoy even one minute of it.). Even though I adore LeBron a lot & really want him to succeed despite my utter disgust for the Lakers, A Lakers - Celtics Finals will most certainly be eye-rolling inducing. 

First things first: There should not be a game on Sunday.  It's sorta annoying that Philadelphia couldn't close it out, but before that, how does Boston look like that on Thursday but crumble in Game 5.  They say the greatest two words in sports is "Game 7" (which, no thank you, Super Bowl is the greatest two words in sports), but only if the two teams are battling well enough to have it come to that.  I guess this series did that, but I think it looked like missed opportunities for both Boston & Philly.

As for Boston vs Lakers, similar to "Game Seven" it's probably what TPTB want, and if things fall in place, it'll happen.  I'm not a fan of it, but I'm not against it either.  It's just that there are several other matchups that would be worth tuning into.  Jokic vs Butler or Embiid vs Jokic would be tremendous.  If it's 2010s LBJ, then anything is worth it.  The finals Cleveland made could've been much, much better, but Golden State happened

[LexieLily]

Phoenix fired their coach.

[Carey]

KD on the team + bowing out in pathetic fashion X New ownership = Getting kicked out

[Salacious Kitty]

My Phoenix-bred nephew was jubilant when he got my text. He's wanted Monty fired for quite some time.

[Carey]

Two people who coached against each other 2 years ago in the Finals got fired after losing to a couple of teams (one each).  FWIW, two very good teams, both of whom could make it into this year's NBA Finals

[Marley]

I am just hoping so much Boston gets booted tomorrow. Fuck them.

[baldryanr]

If Philly loses today then Doc might end up joining Monty and Bud at the fired coaches table.  The same might be true about Mazzulla if Boston screws this up.

In other news, Ja Morant allegedly flashed a gun on an IG video.  If true, he's definitely proving that he's a moron.

[Marley]

Again? If true Ja is a moron and needs to get a grip. He really is buying into this fence persona he’s making for himself.

I saw a screenshot of the video and it sure seems like a gun.

[twoods]

I thought the article was a rehash of what happened two months ago, but he did it again? He needs a lot of self TLC this offseason.

I also don’t get the firings because they lost to better teams (Nuggets were the top seed for goodness sake). Sports is a fickle industry.

Edited May 14, 2023 by twoods

[Salacious Kitty]

Just saw that Ja's been suspended from team operations. 

The video has since been deleted. 

[Carey]

I'm not sure what the endgame is going to be with the suspension.  It's going to take a lot more than an off-season ban to send a message to that grown man.

As for the firings, Colin Cowherd summed it up best, basically saying that "No sport fires good coaches more than the NBA."  He isn't wrong, TBH

[PepSinger]

Ja… 🤦🏽‍♀️ 

[Salacious Kitty]

2 hours ago, Carey said:

I'm not sure what the endgame is going to be with the suspension.  It's going to take a lot more than an off-season ban to send a message to that grown man.

As for the firings, Colin Cowherd summed it up best, basically saying that "No sport fires good coaches more than the NBA."  He isn't wrong, TBH

Interview with Woj today seems to think Ja will get a "lengthy" suspension to start the season. 

[Magog]

 

The 76ers are really crashing & burning right now. They're down by 21 (78-59) in the middle of the 3rd Quarter. And in a surprise to nobody, James Harden is flat out failing. Unless a miracle happens & they come back from this, we're going to be stuck with yet another Heat - Celtics ECF. Yay. 😒

That also means that we could still get yet another Lakers - Celtics NBA Finals. Yay.😒

Edited May 14, 2023 by Magog

[Carey]

19 minutes ago, Magog said:

The 76ers are really crashing & burning right now. They're down by 21 (78-59) in the middle of the 3rd Quarter. And in a surprise to nobody, James Harden is flat out failing. Unless a miracle happens & they come back from this, we're going to be stuck with yet another Heat - Celtics ECF. Yay. 😒

That also means that we could still get yet another Lakers - Celtics NBA Finals. Yay.😒

No point in waiting until 7:00 ET to fire Doc Rivers, TBH

[Marley]

Ugh my dream of Boston getting booted is basically destroyed lol. Here’s hoping Miami can beat them. Come on Butler!

[Carey]

I think the only team that could beat them lost to Los Angeles.  To be clear, even that team would've lost this time around.

We have to see how epic home court is for Denver.  If it is the place to be, all they have to do is steal one in Boston.  That's assuming Miami falls to Boston again (BTW, it's sorta karma for them losing to Atlanta to avoid the Celtics early and ruin Milwaukee would I think would've had a better shot to win the East, as mentioned)

[Magog]

Celtics 112 - 76ers 88 😒

Gee, thanks for the 9 points that you scored today in that ass-whooping the Celtics gave you, James Harden. It's a minor improvement over that other no-show & bricking 3 pointers (helping the Rockets go 0-27) against those Warriors several yrs ago. Please let this be the end of people even thinking that James Harden is an elite player, since he never was in the first place.

The only positive from this massacre is that Jayson Tatum kicked Steph off the record books for most points in Game 7 Playoff history with 51 points. Steph got another reason to be infuriated right now. 😁

Edited May 14, 2023 by Magog

[Fukui San]

Bringing the bubble back!

[baldryanr]

Not exactly a great game for the MVP either.

Doc, Harden, Embiid - why does it seem like two of the three won't be in Philly next season?

[Carey]

3 minutes ago, baldryanr said:

Not exactly a great game for the MVP either.

Doc, Harden, Embiid - why does it seem like two of the three won't be in Philly next season?

Because I pinched myself and said, "Ouch!"

[Salacious Kitty]

I guess Philly will wait until tomorrow to fire Doc. Will they pay off the last two years of his contract?

[Marley]

My opinion as someone who isn’t that smart lol but Philly needs to dump Harden. It is never gonna happen with him.

[Kip Hackman]

Happy NBA Draft Lottery Day!

Or, as we call it in Charlotte, Tuesday.

[Carey]

And down goes Doc Rivers

Edited May 16, 2023 by Carey
Edited to add info on Doc's boot

[Carey]

Same 4 teams that were the last four standing (not even) 3 years ago, but I'll go with the reverse result.  IOW, Denver and Boston FTW, and the East champ winning the NBA Finals.  I'd like to see the two teams that are tied in titles a little more than Jokic vs Butler, but Boston, regardless of who they face, will break that tie

"Rather than create a triple-post: looks like the Pop gets Wem!"

Edited May 17, 2023 by Carey
Edited to make mention of San Antonio getting the best 7'5" prospect in league history

[Fukui San]

San Antonio winning the lottery is the funniest timeline. 

[baldryanr]

Portland winning the lottery would have been the funniest and most tragic timeline since the odds of Wembayama suffering catastrophic lower body injuries would have skyrocketed. 

Speaking of which, fans of all of the other teams are going to do their best to convince themselves that this is going to happen regardless.

[Fukui San]

Nah, it’s San Antonio. 
 

“Hey Coach Pop. We just won the rights to draft a generational big man!”

”Yeah? Just throw him on the pile, then.”

[twoods]

I was predicting a Lakers loss by double digits so I’m pretty much on point. Nuggets looking very good in the first half. Onward to game two!

[LexieLily]

Yay, the Lakers lost!

[Carey]

Moral victory or no, this game shows that LA can win on the road, which is what they have to do obviously (while never losing at home).  I don't think it needed to be in Game 1.  There's no guarantee Denver will play like that, but it's very possible that the Lakers crumble later on as the rest they had will not be the case going forward

[Marley]

They lost tho how does it show they can win? It wasn’t a blowout tho. I don’t really mind who wins it would be nice for Denver but I don’t hate the Lakers. Davis seems to be hit and miss tho so I guess we will see how he is in game 2.

[twoods]

I think it’s demoralizing for the Lakers for almost shooting 60% from the field and still lost. Too many second chance points for the Nuggets and they dug themselves in a large hole so it was tough to get out of it, even if they climbed back into the game. 

[baldryanr]

4 hours ago, twoods said:

I think it’s demoralizing for the Lakers for almost shooting 60% from the field and still lost. Too many second chance points for the Nuggets and they dug themselves in a large hole so it was tough to get out of it, even if they climbed back into the game. 

It's not like the Nuggets stunk up the joint and still pulled out the W. Both teams shot 55% from the field.  Do a better job rebounding and the Lakers could have won this.

If the Lakers are mentally weak enough to be so easily demoralized, then they can think about how AD and LeBron both played 40+ minutes and won't have the benefit it of extra rest again, which is even worse since they'll be playing in the  Mile-High City.  Or they can realize that usually the team with the best player will win, and that's Jokic.

[DrSpaceman73]

Denver outplayed them and looked like the better team.  No answer for jokic even with Anthony Davis in the middle. 

[Carey]

Man, if Boston does end up coming out of the East, the Lakers fans will be miserable as all hell if the Celtics find a way to stop Jokic and/or outperform Denver, which might be a shocker.

  

7 hours ago, Marley said:

They lost tho how does it show they can win? It wasn’t a blowout tho.

It looks like you were on track to answer your own question.  Game One featured Denver dominating for about 3 quarters.  Unlike teams like Philadelphia, or to be more precise, Phoenix, L.A. did not give up.  They nearly won, but that's as good of an outcome as the Suns Game 5.  

Because of that, it shows that the Lakers can win.  It doesn't mean they will win.  Other examples are Golden State's Game 1 loss to Sacramento, and Boston's Game 1 loss to Philly, which was a home loss for the 2022 East Champions.  Both of those teams proved that the series doesn't end for losing their first game

[Black Knight]

4 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Denver outplayed them and looked like the better team.  No answer for jokic even with Anthony Davis in the middle. 

Can't really read too much into the first game of a late playoff series, as so often such series are a chess match. The Lakers have shown themselves to be very good at making adjustments between games.

[DrSpaceman73]

8 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Can't really read too much into the first game of a late playoff series, as so often such series are a chess match. The Lakers have shown themselves to be very good at making adjustments between games.

Statistically and historically speaking you can read a lot into it. 

Game one winner at home wins the series 85% of the time in the NBA. Link is a few years old but doubt it's changed significantly. 

If Anthony Davis can't stop jokic matched up one on one the lakers chances are low.  

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/how-important-game-1-deciding-nba-playoff-series

[LexieLily]

And the Jimmy Butler feat. Miami Heat Experience continues! It's a playoff career-high six steals for Butler, and Miami takes Game 1!

[Magog]

Well, the Heat were down by 9 at halftime (66-57) & they basically outplayed the Celtics in the 2nd half in winning 123-116. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Magog

[Carey]

It's basically what LA did, except the outcome for Miami was a favorable one.  Helped that Boston's lead was half of what Denver's lead was on Tuesday.

In my opinion, despite the Heat's big win, it doesn't mean too much if the Celtics win on Friday night.  For whatever reason they end up in these series to where they go the distance (for example, losing twice at home against Philly but winning a couple on the road).

The Heat isn't a team you want to be down 3-2 against.  Especially this year.  However, I'm guessing it'll be a tie series heading into Game 5 with the home teams winning out.  Should Boston advance, they'll lose the Finals again if they don't take care on business at home in the 2 games they have to start it.  It's a lot easier to win on the road against the East than in a place like Los Angeles and definitely Denver