The NBA

[emma675]

The Sixers were missing Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons, so I wasn't surprised that they lost, but Steph Curry is pretty unstoppable. I enjoyed watching him and his brother going against each other (in candy themed Nikes, too!), but you can definitely tell which brother is the more talented one. Not to knock Seth, but Steph is a force. 

Lady Whistleup, I was thinking about your post above and if the Mavericks somehow miraculously make it into the playoffs, I think we can add Luka Doncic to that list, too. He, like Steph Curry, is basically carrying that entire team.

Edited April 20, 2021 by emma675d

[emmawoodhouse]

Steph doing Steph things...😁

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5PSl8LoPl/?igshid=1v0c2ahc4yimo

[Lady Whistleup]

2 hours ago, emma675 said:

The Sixers were missing Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons, so I wasn't surprised that they lost, but Steph Curry is pretty unstoppable. I enjoyed watching him and his brother going against each other (in candy themed Nikes, too!), but you can definitely tell which brother is the more talented one. Not to knock Seth, but Steph is a force. 

Lady Whistleup, I was thinking about your post above and if the Mavericks somehow miraculously make it into the playoffs, I think we can add Luka Doncic to that list, too. He, like Steph Curry, is basically carrying that entire team.

True. And if the Knicks make it to the playoffs (which looks likely) it will truly be like a basketball movie where a young, scrappy motley crew has a great season. It even has a redemption arc for an inury-wrecked veteran making a comeback (DRose).

About Seth vs. Steph: Seth is also a extremely talented shooter. His issue (at least in comparison to the other shooters in the league) is that his release isn't quick enough and he doesn't have the quick handles of Steph, Kyrie, KD, Damian Lillard, James Harden, and the other premiere shooters. 

Edited April 20, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[Danny Franks]

Steph is probably the most fun basketball player I've ever watched - more fun than Jordan, LeBron, Kobe or Iverson. You can't take your eyes off him, because he's liable to create a ridiculous shot out of nothing, or quickly dribble past two or three players, or play a great pass to an open man.

He's everything that makes the NBA exciting, and he plays with a sense of joy, as well as bringing out joy in teammates, fans and announcers.

Steph was the keystone that made a laughable franchise the powerhouse that was suddenly cool to hate, and he's still doing it even when his supporting cast is gone. His 2021 numbers are almost identical to 2016, when he won the MVP unanimously.

Speaking of exciting, how about those Knicks? Beating the Hawks last night to take the 4th seed in the East, on an eight win streak, but with a fairly difficult run in - they have to play the Suns twice, the Nuggets, Clippers and Celtics.

The belief in this team is just dragging them to wins they really have no right to, and Randle is still playing like an MVP candidate.

They'll still probably struggle to get out of the first round series in the playoffs, but for a team that was written off and laughed at before the season started, they've done incredibly well, and appear to be actually changing some minds and perceptions of who the Knicks are.

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't know about Iverson though. 

[Magog]

I'm very shocked that Stephen Curry didn't get 30 or more points (He only got 18) on the sorry Wizards on Wednesday Night & mocking them while doing it. 

I'm sure that ESPN was dissapointed about that since not only did Steph not get 30 or more points on the Wizards so that they can do more hero-worshipping on him, but that their Warriors lost to the Wizards 118-114. 

BTW, those Warriors are playing the Nuggets tonight on ESPN, so there will their usual worshipping on their Golden Boy & that team.

[emma675]

Is Steph Curry still nursing an injury? I know he was playing through one earlier this week against the Sixers. I feel like this weird season, coupled with so many back to back games for teams, has been very hard physically on players. Tobias Harris, LeBron, Steph and Seth Curry, and so many others have missed games due to injuries. I'm amazed watching Steph still have monster games at this point, it's incredible to watch. And Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, and others. They are remarkable athletes, I just hope they can sustain things during the playoffs. It won't be fun to watch if players are so banged up they're limping through. 

[xaxat]

4 hours ago, Magog said:

BTW, those Warriors are playing the Nuggets tonight on ESPN, so there will their usual worshipping on their Golden Boy & that team.

It's all about the money. From The Athletic.

Quote

You can see that dynamic reflected in television viewership numbers. Last Sunday’s exciting Warriors-Celtics game garnered a hair under 2.5 million viewers on ABC, the NBA’s largest audience since the Warriors were soundly beaten by the Nets on Feb. 13. Then, on cable at ESPN, the Warriors’ Monday win over the Sixers drew a hearty 1.47 million, the NBA’s largest audience on that medium since February. These numbers might not be eye-popping in the historical TV context, but in this particular season? Unexpected paydirt. For an extreme point of comparison that speaks to pandemic season expectations, on Tuesday, April 13, the Clippers-Pacers game drew an anemic 656,000 on TNT. (Data via Showbuzz.)

 

[Lady Whistleup]

So Anthony Davis made a rather weak return yesterday. He doesn't seem like he's recovered fully. 

[emmawoodhouse]

6 hours ago, emma675 said:

Is Steph Curry still nursing an injury? I know he was playing through one earlier this week against the Sixers. I feel like this weird season, coupled with so many back to back games for teams, has been very hard physically on players. Tobias Harris, LeBron, Steph and Seth Curry, and so many others have missed games due to injuries. I'm amazed watching Steph still have monster games at this point, it's incredible to watch. And Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, and others. They are remarkable athletes, I just hope they can sustain things during the playoffs. It won't be fun to watch if players are so banged up they're limping through. 

Steph rolled his ankle a few games back and is playing through the injury to his bum, although I think that's pretty much a non-issue now. But yes, he's a bit banged up. 

[Lady Whistleup]

2 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Steph rolled his ankle a few games back and is playing through the injury to his bum, although I think that's pretty much a non-issue now. But yes, he's a bit banged up. 

He's always been injury prone. The first years in the NBA he got a reputation as being made of glass. 

Right now there's not a single team that's "healthy." Every team is dealing with injuries left and right. 

[Danny Franks]

5 hours ago, xaxat said:

It's all about the money. From The Athletic.

 

It's just as I was saying - Steph is fun. Great to watch, exciting, capable of surprising you every night.

And all of that with zero controversy or drama. No personal issues, no conspiracy theories, no staggering insecurities and burner Twitter accounts. Is it any surprise the sports media world loves him?

He deserves every bit of praise he gets.

 

 

[isalicat]

And! (still on the subject of Steph Curry love, cuz I do love my Warriors and him in particular), did you see tonight's de-struction of the Nuggets? Wot a master class!

[Lady Whistleup]

So Lebron must be pretty injured because old Lebron would have seen the way the Lakers played tonight and put himself in the next game. That was a massive fourth quarter meltdown by the Lakers.

In other news, the Knicks are still the hottest team in the league. Feels weird to even write this. But they've won 9 in a row and are no longer in a play-in rank.

[Danny Franks]

7 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

In other news, the Knicks are still the hottest team in the league. Feels weird to even write this. But they've won 9 in a row and are no longer in a play-in rank.

The Knicks are a revelation that's been a long time in coming. It shows just how badly front office decisions have held the franchise back, when the first competent (and unencumbered by a narcissistic owner) team president in years can immediately turn around the entire culture of the franchise.

I still don't think they're favoured to win a series against any of the other playoff teams, but it's getting to a point where I wouldn't be surprised if they go deep into the playoffs.

[emmawoodhouse]

I'm happy for the Knicks. As a long suffering Warriors fan, I know what it's like to wander for decades in the wilderness. 

[Lady Whistleup]

@emmawoodhouse, did you see this? Klay was having a rough time on the bench the other night. Aww. This makes me sad.

 

[Danny Franks]

Klay's like, 'how the hell am I ever going to break any more records, with you doing this shit?'

Seriously though, it must be so tough having to deal with two season ending injuries in consecutive years. 

I really hope Klay comes back next season and the Warriors put the rest of the West back in its place.

[emmawoodhouse]

Awww, I love me some Klay. He's working hard in rehab, but it must kill him to have to sit there and watch. 😭

[AimingforYoko]

On 4/20/2021 at 1:31 PM, emmawoodhouse said:

Steph doing Steph things...😁

Speaking of, his own announcers dunking on his D

 

[emmawoodhouse]

LOL, saw that in real time watching the local announcing team. 😱

Edited April 26, 2021 by emmawoodhouse

[Lady Whistleup]

KD and Mike Conley won an Oscar last night. Congrats!

[NUguy514]

3 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

KD and Mike Conley won an Oscar last night. Congrats!

As executive producers, they themselves actually don't receive Oscars.  The person most responsible for the concept and execution of the live-action short film winner is the one who receives the award; in some cases, though, if it's deemed that two people are responsible for the concept and execution, two winners can be declared.  In this instance, the directors, Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe, are the ones who actually receive statuettes.

[Lady Whistleup]

In other news, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have refollowed each other on Instagram and RW has "liked" KD's posts. Which I guess is the ultimate confirmation that they're cool now.

[Danny Franks]

3 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

In other news, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have refollowed each other on Instagram and RW has "liked" KD's posts. Which I guess is the ultimate confirmation that they're cool now.

Until KD unfollows him again, then uses a burner account to talk shit.

[Lady Whistleup]

Lebron looked totally disgusted with the Lakers tonight. Walked off with a few minutes left in the game. I wonder who LeGM is going to demand get traded in the off-season ...

[Danny Franks]

On 4/29/2021 at 5:13 AM, Lady Whistleup said:

Lebron looked totally disgusted with the Lakers tonight. Walked off with a few minutes left in the game. I wonder who LeGM is going to demand get traded in the off-season ...

I think he's reached the point now where teams would actually baulk at the idea of getting him. Because they know it means tearing up their roster, trading away picks and talent, probably sacking your head coach. All to maintain the happiness of a 36-year-old who misses half the season with injuries.

[Lady Whistleup]

13 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I think he's reached the point now where teams would actually baulk at the idea of getting him. Because they know it means tearing up their roster, trading away picks and talent, probably sacking your head coach. All to maintain the happiness of a 36-year-old who misses half the season with injuries.

To be fair, Lebron has never missed any season with injuries. This ankle injury was I believe the longest he's ever been out.

I do think there are some chemistry issues on this year's Lakers. They just don't look very happy on the court.

[twoods]

I agree. It’s as if they had a major letdown after the high of winning last year. I’m okay with that and seeing another team win, especially a small market team. The Lakers probably won’t get out of the first round.

Edited May 1, 2021 by twoods

[Lady Whistleup]

5 hours ago, twoods said:

I agree. It’s as if they had a major letdown after the high of winning last year. I’m okay with that and seeing another team win, especially a small market team. The Lakers probably won’t get out of the first round.

They always say that the year after a championship year is the hardest, even if the teams are winning and doing well on the outside. But with the Lakers the tensions seem obvious. Players walk away from each other after the game; always a bad sign. Last night Lebron just walked away from the rest of the team after the loss. 

I'm thinking the East's chances are good this year. The Nets, Sixers, Bucks, and even Celtics and Knicks are all very good. That playoff series should be fun.

[Danny Franks]

So I don't know if anyone has heard of the podcast Shattered: Hope, Heartbreak and the New York Knicks. It's a new series charting the organisation's decline under James Dolan and it's really interesting.

The most recent episode focused on The Decision, and the Knicks desperately clearing out their roster and their salary cap to make room for LeBron, the city making this huge pitch to him (which included reuniting James Gandolfini and Edie Falco to play their Sopranos characters in a little skit that was filmed) and everyone going all out... Only for James Dolan to insist on delivering the final pitch to LeBron himself, in a woefully underwhelming fashion and without answers on what LeBron truly wanted to know - 'who are you going to sign for me to play with?'

[cambridgeguy]

6 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

So I don't know if anyone has heard of the podcast Shattered: Hope, Heartbreak and the New York Knicks. It's a new series charting the organisation's decline under James Dolan and it's really interesting.

The most recent episode focused on The Decision, and the Knicks desperately clearing out their roster and their salary cap to make room for LeBron, the city making this huge pitch to him (which included reuniting James Gandolfini and Edie Falco to play their Sopranos characters in a little skit that was filmed) and everyone going all out... Only for James Dolan to insist on delivering the final pitch to LeBron himself, in a woefully underwhelming fashion and without answers on what LeBron truly wanted to know - 'who are you going to sign for me to play with?'

For a long time it seemed like the one and only reason to go to the Knicks was because you'd get to be a young, rich athlete living in NYC.  That's not a bad sell, but not as good as living in Miami (no state income tax, warm all year) or LA (also warm, Hollywood). 

Plus for all the talk the Knicks being basketball royalty their franchise history isn't particularly good.  Their all time win-loss record is below .500 and they've sucked in the 21st century.  The Ewing Knicks were usually getting bounced in the second round, and it was only in the 70s when they won the Finals. 

[Danny Franks]

15 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

For a long time it seemed like the one and only reason to go to the Knicks was because you'd get to be a young, rich athlete living in NYC.  That's not a bad sell, but not as good as living in Miami (no state income tax, warm all year) or LA (also warm, Hollywood). 

Plus for all the talk the Knicks being basketball royalty their franchise history isn't particularly good.  Their all time win-loss record is below .500 and they've sucked in the 21st century.  The Ewing Knicks were usually getting bounced in the second round, and it was only in the 70s when they won the Finals. 

That's what Dolan tried to sell LeBron on - "you'll become a billionaire, the King of New York."

LeBron wasn't into that, he wanted a championship, which is why he needed to know who he'd be playing with. Miami offered Wade and Bosh, New York apparently didn't have any idea who else they might sign to build the team, and they'd just dumped all their good players to clear cap space for LeBron.

Big oops.

The reputation of the Knicks seems to revolve mainly around the fact they're such an old franchise, and the romance of Madison Square Garden, than of the team itself. It's strange, really.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Danny Franks

[Lady Whistleup]

I don't think the Knicks have really recovered from the abysmal Isiah Thomas era. They could go on a playoff run this year but I don't think they have enough talent to reach the ECF. 

[DoctorAtomic]

They weren't that hot before then either though. The only way they got to the Finals was because Jordan had 'retired'. 

[Lady Whistleup]

6 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

They weren't that hot before then either though. The only way they got to the Finals was because Jordan had 'retired'. 

True but they weren't a joke in the 1990s. The Isiah Thomas era turned the Knicks into a joke.

More injuries: Tyrese Haliburton had a knee injury. Jesus. There's not a single team right now that's remotely "healthy." 

[DoctorAtomic]

No, they were competitive in the 90s. But like it was said, they're barely a 500 franchise. 

[xaxat]

My biggest beef with James Dolan isn't his ownership of the Knicks, it's that he has singlehandedly prevented the renovation of the nation's busiest train station.

Penn Station is located under The Garden and is a total pit of despair. Dolan owns The Garden and has turned down all state and city offers to relocate it because he has a sweetheart real estate tax deal that nets him tens of millions each year.

So Penn Station continues to be transportation purgatory on earth for hundreds of thousands of people a day.

[Lady Whistleup]

7 minutes ago, xaxat said:

My biggest beef with James Dolan isn't his ownership of the Knicks, it's that he has singlehandedly prevented the renovation of the nation's busiest train station.

Penn Station is located under The Garden and is a total pit of despair. Dolan owns The Garden and has turned down all state and city offers to relocate it because he has a sweetheart real estate tax deal that nets him tens of millions each year.

So Penn Station continues to be transportation purgatory on earth for hundreds of thousands of people a day.

Penn Station's problems are really issues with Amtrak, NJ Transit, and LIRR though. Those train lines have problems and the logjam every day getting in is awful. Penn Station like all major NYC transportation hubs also doubles as an unofficial homeless shelter in the winter. 

This clip is cute:

 

[Danny Franks]

10 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

They weren't that hot before then either though. The only way they got to the Finals was because Jordan had 'retired'. 

They were the second best team in the East, behind a team that had the game's greatest player in it. That's not too shabby. But they still went from a team that made the playoffs most years to a team that hasn't been there in almost a decade. Not only that, but a team that was sitting dead last in the standings more often than not.

But basketball is an absurdly unbalanced sport, where the same two teams have dominated almost the entirety of the game's history. For most of the league's history, if you weren't the Lakers or Celtics you were also rans. And even the Bulls only broke that duopoly because they had a truly special player on a team that was designed to maximise his strengths. The Warriors, a historically bad franchise, dared to do it for a few years and the level of anger that they got for their presumptuousness was hilarious.

[Lady Whistleup]

Well I'm going to wager it's not going to be Lakers or Celtics this year. Neither team has the depth to become champions IMO. 

The Lakers' rotation players suck. The Celtics don't have enough consistency. I feel like in order to win nowadays the second unit has to be top notch.

Examples of flagship second unit players: Dwight Howard (Sixers), Derrick Rose (Knicks), Blake Griffin (Nets), Rajon Rondo (Clippers).

Also, news went from LeGrim to LeGrimmer for Lakers: Lebron out again because he reinjured his ankle, and Dennis Schroeder out for 10-14 days because of a positive rona test.

[kathyk24]

16 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

They were the second best team in the East, behind a team that had the game's greatest player in it. That's not too shabby. But they still went from a team that made the playoffs most years to a team that hasn't been there in almost a decade. Not only that, but a team that was sitting dead last in the standings more often than not.

But basketball is an absurdly unbalanced sport, where the same two teams have dominated almost the entirety of the game's history. For most of the league's history, if you weren't the Lakers or Celtics you were also rans. And even the Bulls only broke that duopoly because they had a truly special player on a team that was designed to maximise his strengths. The Warriors, a historically bad franchise, dared to do it for a few years and the level of anger that they got for their presumptuousness was hilarious.

Fans love the underdog but if the underdog stays good they hate them which is what happened to the Warriors. I think free agency ended the Celtics and Lakers dominance over the NBA. I've never understood why owners can trade or cut player to improve the team but if a player leaves they are ungrateful. Kevin Durant didn't deserve the criticism he received.

[DoctorAtomic]

He did not. That's like that in most sports though. There's this nostalgia about being with one team your whole life, and how that's somehow 'better'. 

I think part of it is that most people aren't contract workers and just don't understand that market.

 

[Lady Whistleup]

2 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

Fans love the underdog but if the underdog stays good they hate them which is what happened to the Warriors. I think free agency ended the Celtics and Lakers dominance over the NBA. I've never understood why owners can trade or cut player to improve the team but if a player leaves they are ungrateful. Kevin Durant didn't deserve the criticism he received.

KD gets criticism because he's so good. Whatever team he signs with is going to probably have a playoff run. There's a bunch of free agents that signed with other teams. Like Dwight Howard picked up and left the Lakers to get more money with the Sixers after winning a championship.

I also think that his social media brand management is not that great. 

I still think the most terrifying sight in sports must be when KD leans his head back before making that jumper. You just know that he's going to make it.

[stealinghome]

To be fair, didn't KD also take heat because he had previously thrown shade at superstars that left the teams that drafted them to play on loaded, big-market teams that were far more likely to win a ring? I thought some of the criticism he took was for being hypocritical.

Quote

I also think that his social media brand management is not that great. 

Agreed. Someone needs to take his phone away from KD at times.

[cambridgeguy]

Part of it is also because KD didn't ditch a crappy team after years of toiling away.  OKC had the 73 win Warriors on the ropes, blew it, then he joined them.  For better or worse a lot of fans would never be OK with that.

And taking their phone away would probably be good advice for a lot of players (and people) in general.  Makes me wonder how things like the Kobe/Shaq feud would have been if those guys had twitter.

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't see Kobe as much of a tweeter. 

[Lady Whistleup]

Ok so social media is buzzing with the news that Dennis Schroeder gave an interview where he gave away that only he and Lebron of the Lakers haven't been vaxxed. Schroeder then tested positive for the 'rona and is out for 14 days.

This morning A Davis said in an interview, "Some guys did, some guys didn't for their own personal reasons. I decided to for my own personal reasons. ... I'm trying to play my part and get 20,000 back in Staples so we can some more cheers in there than we have now."

Definitely think there are some chemistry issues with Lebron and the rest of the Lakers this year. Maybe after a championship year they're not willing for him to rule the roost as much. But I couldn't have imagined last year that any of them would have dished on him the way they're doing now.

[Lady Whistleup]

Oscar Robertson is pulling for Russell Westbrook to break his triple-double record.

[xaxat]

Jeff Van Gundy during the Celtics/Bulls game. "Hey the Celtics are going to get their guys back and I would not be surprised if they made a deep run in the playoffs."

The Celtics went on to lose by 22. They will probably be sixth seed, facing the Bucks, Nets or Sixers in the first round. Or seventh seed in the play in tournament.

Good luck with that prediction Jeff.

Edited May 8, 2021 by xaxat