The NBA

[Lady Whistleup]

So far the chatter is that Steve Nash's job might be on the line. Nets are not going to be happy with him overplaying Joe Harris so much.

Also I think the Bucks can put away whoever wins Sixers/Hawks and advance to the championships.

Edited June 20, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[Carey]

What a great game.  Shoulda coulda woulda (re: long 2 that wasn't a 3).  Rather amazing that Milwaukee won the series.

Just my opinion, but if Atlanta does what Atlanta does in terms of sport (IOW: falter), whoever comes out of the West will be your 2021 NBA Champions

[Lady Whistleup]

18 minutes ago, Carey said:

What a great game.  Shoulda coulda woulda (re: long 2 that wasn't a 3).  Rather amazing that Milwaukee won the series.

Just my opinion, but if Atlanta does what Atlanta does in terms of sport (IOW: falter), whoever comes out of the West will be your 2021 NBA Champions

Well ... if KD logs onto twitter tonight he'll see a bunch of respect for him carrying the Nets ALMOST through the series.

I'm actually sad. I've been a Brooklyn Nets fan forever. Oh well.

ETA: I always love seeing parents of players watching games. Mama Durant is what every player needs. It's a tough business with a lot of pain and injuries. You need a strong support system who will love you no matter what.

 

Edited June 20, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[NUguy514]

I wish I could say I'm sad that the Nets lost, but...

[emmawoodhouse]

Will this loser be at the game tomorrow? 

Edited June 20, 2021 by emmawoodhouse

[Lady Whistleup]

9 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Will this loser be at the game tomorrow? 

Sixers fans are the WORST. 

CP3 is not playing tomorrow. 

And I still hate Joe Harris.

[Magog]

7 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Sixers fans are the WORST. 

At least, they're not like Cowboys fans. Those fans are the absolute WORST. 

7 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Will this loser be at the game tomorrow? 

Hopefully, they will give Ben Simmons some encouragement tonight to improve his play because he sure as hell needs it. 

That was a fun game to watch. KD came very close to winning the game for Brooklyn. Thankfully, his foot was barely on the line & the Nets went out in overtime. The only person that I feel bad for is Kyrie Irving because he was the only likeable player on the Brooklyn Nets. He also would of helped them to victory over the Bucks had he not mess up his ankle. Hopefully, he can come back next season healed up & ready to go.

[DrSpaceman73]

6 minutes ago, Magog said:

At least, they're not like Cowboys fans. Those fans are the absolute WORST. 

Hopefully, they will give Ben Simmons some encouragement tonight to improve his play because he sure as hell needs it. 

That was a fun game to watch. KD came very close to winning the game for Brooklyn. Thankfully, his foot was barely on the line & the Nets went out in overtime. The only person that I feel bad for is Kyrie Irving because he was the only likeable player on the Brooklyn Nets. He also would of helped them to victory over the Bucks had he not mess up his ankle. Hopefully, he can come back next season healed up & ready to go.

Mr flat earth Kyrie Irving?   I'll pass on cheering for him.  

[cambridgeguy]

10 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

So far the chatter is that Steve Nash's job might be on the line. Nets are not going to be happy with him overplaying Joe Harris so much.

Is that chatter coming from KD?  Because if it isn't then his job is pretty safe given how much of a role injuries played.  A few questionable choices aren't going to be enough to get you sacked if your superstar player likes you.  If, on the other hand, he doesn't, then you can go commiserate with Rick Carlisle.

[Lady Whistleup]

1 hour ago, cambridgeguy said:

Is that chatter coming from KD?  Because if it isn't then his job is pretty safe given how much of a role injuries played.  A few questionable choices aren't going to be enough to get you sacked if your superstar player likes you.  If, on the other hand, he doesn't, then you can go commiserate with Rick Carlisle.

No it's coming from a lot of furious fans lol. KD seems to thrive under coaches named Steve.

[Danny Franks]

I'm ready to ask the question - can KD get it done without Steph? 

I'm delighted that this Nets team failed. Super-teams aren't good for any sport and, given the amount of shit the Warriors got for adding one more superstar to their roster of homegrown stars, the Nets should be hounded out of the sport for the way they manufactured this team.

[Lady Whistleup]

Well the Nets will not be the only superteam after this year.

Dame Lillard is apparently determined to go to Philly to play with Embiid.

Luka also wants out of Dallas to play with Giannis. 

Zion wants to go to NY to play for the Knicks.

Edited June 20, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[cambridgeguy]

40 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

I'm delighted that this Nets team failed. Super-teams aren't good for any sport and, given the amount of shit the Warriors got for adding one more superstar to their roster of homegrown stars, the Nets should be hounded out of the sport for the way they manufactured this team.

Superteams are great for driving a narrative - nothing riles up self righteous fan outrage like a team-up and nothing makes them happier than seeing them fall flat on their faces (see the 03-04 Lakers, 10-11 Heat, 12-13 Lakers, etc.).   You also get the old timers snarking that back in their day Magic didn't run to the Celtics, Jordan didn't join the Pistons, etc. whenever they had a setback

Unless it's your team, of course, then it's all good because all of those other people are just jealous jerks.

[Lady Whistleup]

I'm just going to say it -- I find much of the narrative around "superteams" in the media to be racist. Like (black) players should just be happy carrying a sorryass roster to a first-round playoff exit because, hey, loyalty. Meanwhile owners waive and cut players all the time.

If I'm a great player the way I view it is my career is short. Players play till ... what, 35? I would want to have the best possible career on the best team.

Look at Anthony Davis. He won a ring with the Lakers last year and this year his body was wrecked with injuries. 

Meanwhile, in the past WEEK Luka Doncic has CLEANED OUT the entire Mavs' front office and is forcing a trade of Kristap Porzingis, and no one has called him spoiled/entitled/diva/difficult/uncoachable. And you have people like Bill Simmons calling him "classy." 

Edited June 20, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[NUguy514]

11 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Meanwhile, in the past WEEK Luka Doncic has CLEANED OUT the entire Mavs' front office and is forcing a trade of Kristap Porzingis, and no one has called him spoiled/entitled/diva/difficult/uncoachable. And you have people like Bill Simmons calling him "classy." 

Well, one often should look to Bill Simmons for guidance: the golden rule with him is to hear what he says and then know the exact opposite of that is true the vast majority of the time.

And to be fair, I think Luka is a spoiled, entitled diva brat, and the last time I checked the data, my opinion was and is the correct one in 100% of circumstances.

[Lady Whistleup]

5 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

Well, one often should look to Bill Simmons for guidance: the golden rule with him is to hear what he says and then know the exact opposite of that is true the vast majority of the time.

And to be fair, I think Luka is a spoiled, entitled diva brat, and the last time I checked the data, my opinion was and is the correct one in 100% of circumstances.

Bill Simmons is AWFUL. Like why does he have so many followers? 

I'm not sure if Luka is being a spoiled, entitled brat but I do think that if he didn't look like tis cherubic blond cutie pie the narrative around him would be different. He's 22 and already forcing an ORG to basically clean house for his sake.

What if he didn't look like this?

[NUguy514]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Bill Simmons is AWFUL. Like why does he have so many followers? 

Mmm, yes, I can't explain the Bill Simmons Phenomenon, and I've tried with various spreadsheets.

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I'm not sure if Luka is being a spoiled, entitled brat but I do think that if he didn't look like tis cherubic blond cutie pie the narrative around him would be different. He's 22 and already forcing an ORG to basically clean house for his sake.

What if he didn't look like this?

And that?  Is the very definition of an extremely punchable face to me.  There is just so much smug there.

[Lady Whistleup]

1 minute ago, NUguy514 said:

Mmm, yes, I can't explain the Bill Simmons Phenomenon, and I've tried with various spreadsheets.

And that?  Is the very definition of an extremely punchable face to me.  There is just so much smug there.

LOL I think several NBA players have very sweet faces. In general I think basketball players are good looking because they are long and lean.

I think Dame Lillard has a sweet face:

Giannis does too:

Jayson Tatum:

Matisse Thybulle:

[LexieLily]

Phoenix/Clippers is a good game. If Phoenix can get one or both of the first two without CP3, it bodes well for them for the series, I would think.

[Lady Whistleup]

Team USA sign ups so far:

- Damian Lillard

- Devin Booker

- Bradley Beal

- Jayson Tatum

- KD

- Draymond Green

I'm going with a wild, out-there prediction: team USA will take the gold in Tokyo. 

Edited June 20, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[Crs97]

Best smile

[LexieLily]

Holy crap, Phoenix might actually do it and win the Finals at this rate.

[Fukui San]

The finals could very well be Phoenix vs. Atlanta and who was thinking that ever?

[Jx223]

I think that the Suns/Clippers was a good game. Good win for this young Suns team who have really grown over the past few years. (And I give Monty Williams a lot of credit for helping develop/bring out the best in them). Though, Devin Booker has always been pretty talented, and now gets to shine the postseason. I think they could make and possibly win the finals. 

[xaxat]

17 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Sixers fans are the WORST. 

They still have that reputation, but they are no worse or better than other franchises. In my experience there is a big difference in behavior "before" and "after" their new stadiums and arenas. 

 

[Lady Whistleup]

What a great game 7 this Sixers/Hawks game is turning out to be. 

Jo Embiid really giving it all he has on a visibly painful knee.

[xaxat]

I fucking hate my Sixers.

[Lady Whistleup]

Sigh. Matisse fouling Huerter and giving him three FT's, Ben passing on a dunk and giving it to double-teamed Thybulle, bunch of bone-headed plays by Philly. 

Philly fans threw cans on the floor and booed the team out of the stadium. Ouch.

And I say this with total respect -- Trae Young is a tough little booger.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[Maximum Taco]

YES! EVIL WINS! CAUSE GOOD IS DUMB!

The Hawks won this one like a team though, got a lot of great contributions from players not named Trae Young, until he finally came alive in the 4th. 

Eager to see if the Hawks brand of villainy can take on the Bucks. 

[irisheyes]

Who knew that the Hawks would be the Atlanta team to rise above the level of mediocrity?  Of course, there’s still plenty of time to screw up in the Conference Finals. 😀

[Lady Whistleup]

The Brooklyn Nets left the floor last night to ovations from both the audience and the Bucks. Giannis paid tribute to KD in both post-game interviews. You could say the Nets lost with dignity.

The Sixers had audiences throwing cans at them and were booed off the floor. And honestly, they deserved it. That was a piss-poor effort on the part of the Sixers starters down the stretch of the game. Joel Embiid and Seth Curry were trying. Everyone else ... I have no fucking clue what they were doing. 

And I really, really hope Ben Simmons has a strong support system because his confidence looked completely shot.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Lady Whistleup

[Jx223]

Nate McMillian deserves to have the word interim removed from his title. He did an excellent job with the Hawks this season. Beating a #1 seeded Philly team, even when Trae Young shot poorly for a lot of this game. The Hawks are a scrappy, hard-working team and I give them a chance against the Bucks. At the very least they could really wear on them.

Ben Simmons was really disappointing during these playoffs. He was very limited offensively and that really hurt the sixers. He barely scored any points in this series. He can't contribute that little and expect his team to go the distance. I wonder what will end up happening to his future with the team after this season. 

Edited June 21, 2021 by Jx223

[kathyk24]

9 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I'm just going to say it -- I find much of the narrative around "superteams" in the media to be racist. Like (black) players should just be happy carrying a sorryass roster to a first-round playoff exit because, hey, loyalty. Meanwhile owners waive and cut players all the time.

If I'm a great player the way I view it is my career is short. Players play till ... what, 35? I would want to have the best possible career on the best team.

Look at Anthony Davis. He won a ring with the Lakers last year and this year his body was wrecked with injuries. 

Meanwhile, in the past WEEK Luka Doncic has CLEANED OUT the entire Mavs' front office and is forcing a trade of Kristap Porzingis, and no one has called him spoiled/entitled/diva/difficult/uncoachable. And you have people like Bill Simmons calling him "classy." 

Super teams have always existed The Celtics and Lakers in the 80's and the Bulls in the 90's were super teams. The difference is those teams were created by management instead of players trying to play on the same team. I'm convinced Kyrie used the Celtics to get out of Cleveland and tanked while he was here. Black players have always been held to a different standard than white players.

10 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I'm ready to ask the question - can KD get it done without Steph? 

I'm delighted that this Nets team failed. Super-teams aren't good for any sport and, given the amount of shit the Warriors got for adding one more superstar to their roster of homegrown stars, the Nets should be hounded out of the sport for the way they manufactured this team.

 

[Lady Whistleup]

1 minute ago, kathyk24 said:

Super teams have always existed The Celtics and Lakers in the 80's and the Bulls in the 90's were super teams. The difference is those teams were created by management instead of players trying to play on the same team. I'm convinced Kyrie used the Celtics to get out of Cleveland and tanked while he was here. Black players have always been held to a different standard than white players.

But that's like ... not okay. At all.

As I said, if Luka Doncic were black, I guarantee the narrative around him throwing out the entire FO in one week and trying to trade his teammate would be different.

[Carey]

Man, the Inside the NBA guys are totally destroying Simmons to put it mildly.  Hats off to Ben saying he needs to be better (and for actually facing the media), but Shaq is right.  Address your situation within the series, not between seasons

[kathyk24]

10 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

Superteams are great for driving a narrative - nothing riles up self righteous fan outrage like a team-up and nothing makes them happier than seeing them fall flat on their faces (see the 03-04 Lakers, 10-11 Heat, 12-13 Lakers, etc.).   You also get the old timers snarking that back in their day Magic didn't run to the Celtics, Jordan didn't join the Pistons, etc. whenever they had a setback

Unless it's your team, of course, then it's all good because all of those other people are just jealous jerks.

The problem with that logic is Magic Johnson couldn't have played for the Celtics because there was no free agency at that time. Now that players have control over where they want to play they will use it.

[Lady Whistleup]

5 minutes ago, Carey said:

Man, the Inside the NBA guys are totally destroying Simmons to put it mildly.  Hats off to Ben saying he needs to be better (and for actually facing the media), but Shaq is right.  Address your situation within the series, not between seasons

Here's the video of them:

Ben Simmons was very disappointing but honestly, so were Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle. All three players need to become way stronger on offense during the playoffs.

[Maximum Taco]

22 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Ben Simmons was very disappointing but honestly, so were Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle. All three players need to become way stronger on offense during the playoffs.

I think the issue with Ben was he was playing scared. He's a starting guard, played 35 minutes and attempted only 4 shots. When he passed off on that clear dunk, that was his game and series in a moment and Ben's terrified of that moment. 

Harris didn't play great, but at least he was shooting. 

Thybulle I don't think should be compared to the starters, but even he took one more shot than Simmons. 

Edited June 21, 2021 by Maximum Taco

[LexieLily]

And so it begins.

 

[Lady Whistleup]

Damn.

These interviews are hard to watch.

 

[Fukui San]

What’s the more amazing stat: Ben Simmons took three 4th quarter fg attempts in the entire series, or Brooklyn’s bench makes no fg attempts for all of game 7?

[Lady Whistleup]

Just noticed something about Embiid: his accent becomes heavier when he's upset. When he's happy and upbeat he can speak with a fairly unaccented English. But when he's down in the dumps (like tonight) you can hear the Cameroonian accent. (And yes, I know what Cameroon accents sound like because I teach several Cameroonian kids and their families.)

Anyway anyone want to guess who will fill the remaining 6 slots for team USA now that we know Draymond Green, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum have signed on?

I think since Pop is coaching Demar DeRozan will probably do it. Bam Adebayo as a center, maybe Karl-Anthony Towns as the backup center. Maybe Zion and Trae Young?

[LexieLily]

3 minutes ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Anyway anyone want to guess who will fill the remaining 6 slots for team USA now that we know Draymond Green, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum have signed on?

I think since Pop is coaching Demar DeRozan will probably do it. Bam Adebayo as a center, maybe Karl-Anthony Towns as the backup center. Maybe Zion and Trae Young?

Booker signed on but did he give himself an out, depending on how far PHX gets? The Olympics start pretty soon after the Finals.

[cambridgeguy]

9 hours ago, Fukui San said:

What’s the more amazing stat: Ben Simmons took three 4th quarter fg attempts in the entire series, or Brooklyn’s bench makes no fg attempts for all of game 7?

The bench stat is less amazing - Steve Nash decided he was going to ride or die with his starters, plus you can't make a FG if you have zero attempts.  But Ben Simmons turning into a complete zero who was petrified of taking a shot is just inexplicable.  He's also that weird PG who somehow makes Shaq look like Steph at the FT line.

[Lady Whistleup]

12 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

The bench stat is less amazing - Steve Nash decided he was going to ride or die with his starters, plus you can't make a FG if you have zero attempts.  But Ben Simmons turning into a complete zero who was petrified of taking a shot is just inexplicable.  He's also that weird PG who somehow makes Shaq look like Steph at the FT line.

I;ve never seen a guard so poor at FT shooting. Ever. You don't have to be Steph Curry or Damian Lillard at the line. But jeez, at least make it to 50%. 

I also felt horrible for Joel Embiid in the press interview last night. He was so obviously crestfallen and in pain after trying to push through with a bum knee. 

[Fukui San]

1 hour ago, Lady Whistleup said:

I;ve never seen a guard so poor at FT shooting. Ever. You don't have to be Steph Curry or Damian Lillard at the line. But jeez, at least make it to 50%. 

I also felt horrible for Joel Embiid in the press interview last night. He was so obviously crestfallen and in pain after trying to push through with a bum knee. 

Nick Anderson famously had a free throw mental block after missing key free throws in the playoffs for Shaq's Orlando Magic. His worst season was 40%. He was a 3-pt shooting 2 guard. That's the only other guard I can think of.

[Lady Whistleup]

A stunning statline: Ben Simmons missed 48 FT's this post-season. It's more than the Suns (29 misses total) and Nets (28 misses total).

[Magog]

13 hours ago, Maximum Taco said:

I think the issue with Ben was he was playing scared. He's a starting guard, played 35 minutes and attempted only 4 shots. When he passed off on that clear dunk, that was his game and series in a moment and Ben's terrified of that moment. 

Or, there is a pretty good possibility that Ben Simmons flat out sucks. I knew that Ben Simmons will find a way to mess it up for the Sixers in Game 7 & he most certainly didn't disappoint in that part. He did absolutely nothing in the 4th Quarter in that entire series. I can't stand James Harden & I still haven't forgiven him for his former team (Rockets) choking against those Warriors on a few occasions in the Playoffs. But, he tried to his damnest to help Brooklyn come very close to winning that series against the Bucks with basically one leg. James Harden showed more heart & energy in that series with one leg than Ben Simmons did in the entire Playoffs. I'm hope that Markelle Fultz is smiling & laughing somewhere right now. He may have bad luck & injuries during his time with the Sixers. But, I'm certain he would of been more of a help to the Sixers right now than Ben Simmons. 

Everytime I see Ben Simmons on TV, he becomes even more unlikeable than he currently is. I find him overall to be very loathsome.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Magog

[Lady Whistleup]

Bam Adebayo and James Harden are the newest sign-ons for team USA.

So far the sign ups are:

1) Jayson Tatum

2) Dame Lillard

3) Devin Booker

4) Bradley Beal

5) KD

6) Draymond Green

7) Bam Adebayo

8) James Harden

This is looking like another team USA lock for gold. Crazy, out there prediction I know ...

[Crashcourse]

There's a basketball court down the street and those teens show more grit and hustle than Ben Simmons.   He shoulda been cast on The Walking Dead.