2017-18 NBA Regular Season Game/Observation Thread

wade boggs chicken dinner

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One interesting tidbit about this year's rookies. "Last season, five rookies scored in double figures, and only one put up more than 13 points per game. This year, nine rookies currently stand in double figures with six above 13 points per game.

If those figures hold, they will both be the highest for a rookie class since 2008-09. And those high-scoring newcomers aren’t simply getting buckets by chucking for bad teams. Five of the nine double-digit scorers are shooting at least 49 percent from the field, and arguably the three highest performing players in the class suit up for squads currently in playoff position."

Source.
 
Aug 24, 2017
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Yeah Bell is obviously benefiting tremendously from being "the other guy on the court" in GS. He actually had a similar experience at Oregon. When no one was paying him any attention he was a beast.

But the moment the lights went on?

When the stage got super big and bright?

Couldn't even grab one defensive rebound, in two chances, on FREE THROWS, to get his team to the title.

Disappointing because he's fun to watch when no one's watching but unfortunately some folks just can't take the pressure of the moment. Good spot for him in GS.
 

lovegtm

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Great article. I especially like going into film to see *why* Kyrie is finishing better at the rim, and how much Horford's spacing helps with that.

On a side note, I hope that in future discussions of players moving we can get more granular with who they are. Too many people, prior to the season, kept repeating "prior performance is all we have to predict with" as if it were some sort of mantra. While that is true, it's critical to recognize that prior performance can mean breaking down who a player is and what pieces his game has, rather than simply looking at numbers and calling it a day.

I'd go so far as to say that most "iso guys" who have inefficient games, but strong basketball IQs, can improve heavily in the right system.
 

Sprowl

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By any traditional use of the word, Ball is not a good athlete. He can't jump off one foot; he doesn't look to be comparatively strong and his feet aren't as gifted as, say, Semi Ojeleye.

From what little I've seen, what he appears to have is elite anticipation. He knows what people are going to do and where the ball is going before anyone else does. Kind of like some white guy who used to play around these parts.

Does that make him a great athlete? I don't know. But it could make him a good to great basketball player, depending on how much his shot holds him back.

I'm still glad he's not playing for the Cs.
To be fair to Lonzo, that's a hard standard to match. Semi could be the Fred Astaire of the NBA -- hyperactive feet, torso always under control. Just wait until he starts nailing his threes again, because Stevens clearly loves having him on the court, and will give him time.

I'd love to have Lonzo on the Celtics. In fact, out of the 2017 lottery pix, most of them are showing pretty well after 30 games. Tatum would be ROY leader if it weren't for Simmons, Ball is stuffing the box score, and Fox, Smith, Ntilikina, Markkanen and Mitchell have all shown flashes.
 

Kliq

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What a stat line from Westbrook. It’s beautiful and hideous at the exact same time.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I'd love to have Lonzo on the Celtics. In fact, out of the 2017 lottery pix, most of them are showing pretty well after 30 games. Tatum would be ROY leader if it weren't for Simmons, Ball is stuffing the box score, and Fox, Smith, Ntilikina, Markkanen and Mitchell have all shown flashes.
I'd like to have Lonzo on Cs if there weren't any opportunity costs but I'm not convinced he's going be worth the #2 or #3 pick. Maybe not even the #10 given how deep this draft is turning out to be.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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What a stat line from Westbrook. It’s beautiful and hideous at the exact same time.
He and George combined for 18-56 from the field (32% for those who don't want to do the math).

It feels like a lot of the NBA punditry is turning against Westbrook which is strange because last season, with the turncoat Durant gone, he got a lot of (perhaps too much) love in his MVP campaign. The thing is that he has the skills to be the cornerstone of a championship contender but its looking increasingly likely that the construction of the Thunder and his personal style of play will prevent that from happening. He may well end up his generation's Iverson.
 

BigSoxFan

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He and George combined for 18-56 from the field (32% for those who don't want to do the math).

It feels like a lot of the NBA punditry is turning against Westbrook which is strange because last season, with the turncoat Durant gone, he got a lot of (perhaps too much) love in his MVP campaign. The thing is that he has the skills to be the cornerstone of a championship contender but its looking increasingly likely that the construction of the Thunder and his personal style of play will prevent that from happening. He may well end up his generation's Iverson.
Yup. Westbrook is pretty quietly having a really shitty shooting season. 38/31/71 is no bueno with his volume. This generation’s Iverson is a good comparison. Like Iverson, he’s a tremendous physical talent but I’m just not sure how you put together a championship team with him as the primary option. I may get killed for this but I’d much rather have Kyrie 2.0 than Westbrook.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Yup. Westbrook is pretty quietly having a really shitty shooting season. 38/31/71 is no bueno with his volume. This generation’s Iverson is a good comparison. Like Iverson, he’s a tremendous physical talent but I’m just not sure how you put together a championship team with him as the primary option. I may get killed for this but I’d much rather have Kyrie 2.0 than Westbrook.
I don't think you will get killed at all, especially here. Kyrie has - and let me happily say that I was totally wrong about him - adapted his game to a new system and appears to be embracing a more defined role in Boston. I won't say Westbrook isn't capable of doing the same (I learned my lesson with Kyrie) but given what we know of him, it would be fairly big change in his approach to the game.

I hope I am wrong and that he gets a chance to be part of a contender because he is so fun to watch when he is going well. Furthermore, I hope its in OKC because they have a great fanbase. And while its early, I doubt that the Anthony/George iteration of the Thunder is going to be the squad that gets them through the playoffs.
 

cromulence

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For some unknown reason, I've watched a bunch of NYK this week and Ntilikina has beem impressive. He's very poised for his age; has a good stroke; plus doesn't seem to o a lot of dumb things even though he's playing PG on the Association as 19 yr old.

Lot of talent in last year's draft.
His offense is promising, but the most exciting part about Ntilikina is his D. He's already one of the best defenders on the team as a 19 year old and has insane wingspan. Ball was having a big game the other night until they put Ntilikina on him in the second half, and he completely shut Lonzo down.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Yeah Bell is obviously benefiting tremendously from being "the other guy on the court" in GS. He actually had a similar experience at Oregon. When no one was paying him any attention he was a beast.

But the moment the lights went on?

When the stage got super big and bright?

Couldn't even grab one defensive rebound, in two chances, on FREE THROWS, to get his team to the title.

Disappointing because he's fun to watch when no one's watching but unfortunately some folks just can't take the pressure of the moment.
No idea what Bell will become as pro — he’s a pretty unique player, with less than ideal size for a big and potentially serious limitations as a shooter/creator. But using a one-minute sample in college where he failed to secure two rebounds as evidence that he shrinks from the spotlight when the stakes are high is terrible process. You can find similarly bad moments in the clutch for any player ever.

If anything, as long as we’re dealing in subjective impressions of stuff like clutchitude and mental makeup, I’d think the fact that as a rookie he’s been starting for the NBA champs and looking totally cool and comfortable (in fairly crucial games for their pursuit of the #1 seed) suggests that his calm embrace of the NBA spotlight is one of his good qualities.
 
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sezwho

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Semi could be the Fred Astaire of the NBA -- hyperactive feet, torso always under control. Just wait until he starts nailing his threes again, because Stevens clearly loves having him on the court, and will give him time.
Still trying to figure out if this makes Smart into Ginger Rogers
 

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Dallas has played a great game in San Antonio, leading almost all game. They've now missed their last 8 shots and the lead is down to 2 with a minute to go. SA has scored the last 9 points.

EDIT--tied; Dallas couldn't get the ball in play for the final shot. And Ginobli hits a layup for the win. SA finished on a 13-0 run.
 
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InstaFace

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Dallas has played a great game in San Antonio, leading almost all game. They've now missed their last 8 shots and the lead is down to 2 with a minute to go. SA has scored the last 9 points.

EDIT--tied; Dallas couldn't get the ball in play for the final shot. And Ginobli hits a layup for the win. SA finished on a 13-0 run.
This is a hysterical post. Nothing embodies "Sports, amirite?!" quite like this.
 

jon abbey

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So I think the top six teams have separated themselves, same top six as last year, top three in each conference currently. So who do people think is the seventh best team? I was going to say that I thought OKC despite their shaky start would still be the one of all the others I'd least like to face in the playoffs, but then I checked and somehow 538 has them in seventh already:

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-nba-predictions/?ex_cid=rrpromo
 

Sam Ray Not

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Assuming health for guys like Kawhi and Wall, I'd put the current tiers something like:

1. GS, HOU
2. BOS, CLE, SA, TOR
3. MIN, MIL, OKC, NOP, WAS
4. UTA, DEN, POR, PHI, DET, IND
 

Sam Ray Not

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Those numbers don't correspond to your link. LeBron's .639 is 2pt%. I don't even know what Westbrook's number refers to (He's .417 from 2, .388 overall).
Whoops, you’re right, I hit the 2fg% tab instead of fg % for the top guys. Fixed.

The bottom three remain Westbrook, Anthony, George (a couple points different as it was just updated through last night’s games), so still LOL-worthy.
 
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snowmanny

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Assuming health for guys like Kawhi and Wall, I'd put the current tiers something like:

1. GS, HOU
2. BOS, CLE, SA, TOR
3. MIN, MIL, OKC, NOP, WAS
4. UTA, DEN, POR, PHI, DET, IND
I think this is about right, (although I could see PHI improving to 3) and I think, just as I (we all) thought last June, that the Warriors probably win the Finals and if they do they probably beat Cleveland, and it probably is a 5 or 6 game series and that 6 is a little more likely than 5. That being said I could see the Conference Finals each being more epic viewing than the actual Finals and for that to happen it would be helpful if Boston and Houston each had home court advantage.
 

benhogan

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Assuming health for guys like Kawhi and Wall, I'd put the current tiers something like:

1. GS, HOU
2. BOS, CLE, SA, TOR
3. MIN, MIL, OKC, NOP, WAS
4. UTA, DEN, POR, PHI, DET, IND

It sucks but I have to throw Cleveland on that first line. Been watching the Cavs recently and LeBron has gone plumb loco. Playing huge minutes and draining jumpers at will. A healthy TT looked good on the PNR last night. Just take Calderon off the floor and replace him with IT4 in a few weeks, and that puts them on the HOU/GS level. Plus their bench is rock solid (Green, Wade, TT, Korver, Osman).

LBJ shooting 40% from the 3pt line is hands-down the best player in the NBA and he can get to any spot on the floor. Unfortunately, they are looking much better than the Celtics, without a healthy MaMo.
 
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snowmanny

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It sucks but I have to throw Cleveland on that first line. Been watching the Cavs recently and LeBron has gone plumb loco. Playing huge minutes and draining jumpers at will. A healthy TT looked good on the PNR last night. Just take Calderon off the floor and replace him with IT4 in a month, and their bench is rock solid (Green, Wade, TT, Korver, Osman). LBJ shooting 40% from the 3pt line is hands-down the best player in the NBA and he can get to any spot on the floor. Unfortunately, they are looking much better than the Celtics, without a healthy MaMo.
Or give them their own 2nd line and move everyone else down one.
 

Sam Ray Not

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It sucks but I have to throw Cleveland on that first line. Been watching the Cavs recently and LeBron has gone plumb loco. Playing huge minutes and draining jumpers at will. A healthy TT looked good on the PNR last night. Just take Calderon off the floor and replace him with IT4 in a few weeks, and that puts them on the HOU/GS level.
I mean, they still have one of the worst defenses in the NBA (#27), something the arrival of IT makes worse, not better. Golden State even while mostly chilling out and playing a 14-man rotation currently ranks #2 and Houston is tied for #6.

Meanwhile their offense even with loco LeBron is still not as good, as deep, or as diverse as GS's or Houston's. As loco as LeBron is right now, he's still just one guy; and one transcendant player, whether we're talking peak Jordan or peak LeBron, can be gameplanned, attacked with waves of defenders, and ultimately dispatched (viz. pre-1990 Pistons, the Spurs in 2014 or Warriors in 2015). And unlike GS and Houston, the Cavs don't have other elite offensive creators when the D clamps down on the top guy, barring a magical return to healthy, 2016 IT (who may take time to integrate into the system, and again, risks making their awful D worse)

TLDR: I could see them on their own tier out of respect for the King, but I wouldn't put them on the HOU/GS tier till IT shows he's something resembling his old self, and/or they show they're capable of playing at least average team D.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Sounds like Curry's ankle tweak might be healing a bit slower than hoped: Marcus Thompson reporting they might keep him out till early 2018, which would entail missing at least another 6-7 games, including the Xmas day tilt v. the Cavs. Meanwhile, Draymond's sore shoulder which has kept him out three of the last four is also lingering — he's out tonight v. the Lakers. Zaza (shoulder) and Livingston (knee) also out.

Wounded Warriors' PG rotation v. the Lakers tonight will be Patrick McCaw and Quinn Cook (with a bit of Iguodala). Fingers crossed for the Ws' hopes of staying in the chase for the #1 seed, and the Cs' hopes of that Lakers pick staying high.

Edit: more fun for Rockets fans: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's legal slap-on-the-wrist applies only to out-of-state travel, which means he'll be available for the Lakers' two upcoming Warriors games and unavailable for their two upcoming Rockets games. Bleh.
 
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Kliq

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Nance Jr. Posterization of Durant!
Durant’s averaging two blocks a game; but the risk/reward factor there might not be worth going up next time.

The hand-drawn animation of Kobe and the Disney music is so great; very high on the unintentional comedy scale.

Now a live music performance. Has anyone in NBA history been so vain?
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Durant’s averaging two blocks a game; but the risk/reward factor there might not be worth going up next time.

The hand-drawn animation of Kobe and the Disney music is so great; very high on the unintentional comedy scale.

Now a live music performance. Has anyone in NBA history been so vain?
John Williams did the original score for this evening. So very Hollywood. The thing is, with Kobe's off the court history and the current cultural environment, the timing of this couldn't be worse.