KAT gets shit on a lot here, but I think his interior defense has been great tonight, especially noticable with Gobert out.
(2) Denver Nuggets vs (3) Minnesota Timberwolves - 2024 WC Second Round
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It's not a simple comparison because Jordan was 2 years younger as a rookie, and he lost nearly his entire second season to injury. I absolutely get the comp - he's got the look, athleticism, attitude, even some of the same moves and overall game. If his jump shot over the last couple of weeks is legit (and not just a hot streak), it becomes even more interesting.
Worth remembering that Jordan led the league in scoring at age 23, in just his 3rd season (Ant is a year younger, but already in year 4). Then he led the league in scoring in every single full season he played with the Bulls, up until his 2nd retirement (7 straight years, 2 playing baseball, then 3 more atop the scoring leaderboard). Ant needs to either win a title or continue this leap into next year for me to actually want to put him in that kind of conversation, but I get the urge by a lot of the media that are dying for a young American superstar that isn't Tatum.
Seriously? Come on. Not taking anything away from Ant, but at his age Jordan was pouring in 49 and then 63 against the Celtics.
MJ’s 22 year was the broken foot. The year prior, his rookie year, he was 6th in MVP and 2nd the following year. I don’t know how you compare generations when the rules were interpreted much differently but as far as relative comparisons MJ was still better. Ant is for real though like really really for real.
The fact that MLB umpires, NFL refs and NBA refs are all considered deeply incompetent suggests something is going on. I suspect what's mostly going on is HD TV and improved slo-mo and camera angles.
Omg lefty Leonard Miller just took a 3 that resembled one taken by a high school football player during gym class. Rewind if you missed it.
I’m on record saying replacing Tatum with Ant in the Miami series would have had a worse result. He doesn’t yet have tatums ability to make the optimal decision and make his good teammates great. If comparing across eras and not taking that into account Ant is better at 22. Is he Jordan ? No. Will he get there? Odds say no.
I know he's playing like shit, but Denver's best chance is Murray-Jokic 2 man game turning it around...and like, he has to be suspended for game 3 yea?
https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1787680182268309838
https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1787680182268309838
I assume he was trying to throw it straight into the ground out of frustration. Highly doubt any suspension occurs.
He also did the Gobert money signal:
View: https://twitter.com/ShahbazMKhan/status/1787697304713200000
He's absolutely injured and that isn't making his life easier, but he is not taking things well.
I think it is over. Murray is known for keeping it together. MAybe he will bounce back, but I am shocked at his reaction.
I never really say this so for prosperity but the Nuggets are out. Chris Finch is an awesome coach. Grinded his way up through the ranks from relatively nothing and has such a deep understanding of seeing what’s in front of him and takes away what you do best. The rally you see around him among his players is top 5 special. I think his injury inspired them even more. I was fortunate to meet him a my coaches clinic like in 2011 and his presentation was run everyone at the engine and make others the engine and live with the results. It reminded me of BB..
there was obviously more complexity than just that but you get the idea.
there was obviously more complexity than just that but you get the idea.
I already have my seat at the bar. Let’s do this!Only if HRB hosts it at the Wynn Sports Book in Vegas
KAT puts up an extremely efficient 27/12
and I still can't like the guy.
I'm guilty of having the biggest KAT blindspot
and I still can't like the guy.
I'm guilty of having the biggest KAT blindspot
Just seeing the Murray heat pad incident this morning. It sure looks like he’s throwing it at the referee on the baseline. Of course, suspending him might be exactly what Denver needs. The league really needs to do something here or lose any credibility they may have left.
I mean, that has to be a suspension. It won’t happen, but I think it should be more than a game. The dude totally lost his mind last night. I’m ok-ish with officials letting a good meltdown play out after some questionable calls or no calls, but this way crossed the line. Throwing shit at the refs is bad enough, but he threw the heat pad near the hoop during play. What happens if Ant or whoever goes up for a board, lands on it, then loses his footing and hurts himself in some freak avoidable accident.
Interesting article on the Horns Chest set that MIN ran in G1 to open up space: https://www.canishoopus.com/2024/5/5/24149532/wolves-vs-nuggets-playoffs-anthony-edwards-rudy-gobert-karl-anthony-towns-mike-conley-film-room
Jackson may have done his Achilles last night. There is no way the league is going to stick it to their network partners and put that G3 product on their prime time stage while all but ensuring their partners revenue loss of a 4-game sweep. This is big money entertainment not grade school detention. Murray plays…that’s my call. If I’m wrong stick it to me like Jeff Ross would if Kraft massage jokes weren’t off limits!
I don't know if the league suspends Murray but you can't have players, particularly the second best player from the defending champions, throwing items on the court of an NBA playoff game (or any NBA game).
My guess is no suspension and a hefty fine but tossing things on to the surface of play while the game is going on is a no-no.
My guess is no suspension and a hefty fine but tossing things on to the surface of play while the game is going on is a no-no.
Agree. It's one thing if he threw it during a dead ball. Tech and a fine and that's the end of it, but he threw it during live ball play. I honestly can't remember ever seeing a guy throw shit on the floor under the basket during play. It's reckless and he should get a game but he won't.
That's my guess too...and they will get there knowing it's a 'dirty' answer. They should suspend him for that...
The NBA should suspend Murray for throwing stuff on the court during play, but agreed they won't.
Also, I have only had a passing interest in this series and have seen a few articles stating that Minny matches up very well with Denver, but man... this series seems lopsided. It's hard to believe that this is the same team that just won a championship behind a dominant Jokic and a talented surrounding cast. Denver looks so discombobulated and Minny, to its credit, is doing exactly what it needs to be doing to dominate.
Also, I have only had a passing interest in this series and have seen a few articles stating that Minny matches up very well with Denver, but man... this series seems lopsided. It's hard to believe that this is the same team that just won a championship behind a dominant Jokic and a talented surrounding cast. Denver looks so discombobulated and Minny, to its credit, is doing exactly what it needs to be doing to dominate.
Just so they are all in place. I think they definitely suspend him.
Money gesture https://x.com/6799jh/status/1787673942636798425
Heat pack https://x.com/ShahbazMKhan/status/1787683497194475993
Towel https://x.com/REichten/status/1787716084520382752
Money gesture https://x.com/6799jh/status/1787673942636798425
Heat pack https://x.com/ShahbazMKhan/status/1787683497194475993
Towel https://x.com/REichten/status/1787716084520382752
The question for the suspension is probably not going to be whether he threw it at the ref, since I don't think they can prove intent there, but whether or not the throwing itself constitutes a suspension. My guess is honestly no. After they let Embiid pretend he was in the WWE for 6 games, they're not touching Murray in the 2nd round.
Edit: Damn, the crazy thing in those videos is that its not even like he was flipping chairs and being crazy. He was sitting and consciously making decisions to throw shit while barking. Maybe he does get the susp.
Edit: Damn, the crazy thing in those videos is that its not even like he was flipping chairs and being crazy. He was sitting and consciously making decisions to throw shit while barking. Maybe he does get the susp.
Throwing something on the court is pretty different, and a lot farther 'out of bounds' than anything Embiid did. Those are not at all comparable, imo, in terms of how basketball is played and called.
And I think Embiid should have been thrown out for grabbing the leg as he did, to be clear.
And I think Embiid should have been thrown out for grabbing the leg as he did, to be clear.
I'm just making the judgment that everyone has, which is that the league protects top players from getting suspended or thrown out of big games. If they had done anything to discipline Embiid, I'd say Murray was a no-brainer suspension.
This is very different though. Nobody knew in real time who threw the towel or heat pack on the floor. They went and looked at Embiid's play right then and made a decisions (right or wrong). I think they have to suspend him. You can't throw shit at refs or on the floor. And this big baby did it twice
I think the other thing that will strengthen the case for suspension is the long layoff before the next game. Lots of time for Murray's actions to be discussed by the media and on social media.
This series might be headed towards a sweep whether or not the league disciplines Murray. It would be a better look for the league if they made him sit a game, for all the reasons cited above. If he had been a fan, he's probably looking at a permanent ban from the arena for his actions.
This series might be headed towards a sweep whether or not the league disciplines Murray. It would be a better look for the league if they made him sit a game, for all the reasons cited above. If he had been a fan, he's probably looking at a permanent ban from the arena for his actions.
I think the whole body of work is going to do him in and he'll get a game regardless of the whole NBA Inc. angle. The money sign earned Gobert a $100K fine on its own (is this taught in their practices or something) and you could maybe excuse your way out of one of the throws saying it slipped or whatever. But throwing something twice on or near the floor/ref by a guy who is paid vast sums of money to accurately get an object to the precise spot intended is kind of tough to explain away. Then again he could point to his shooting accuracy last night as a defense saying he meant to slam them down on the ground by his feet.
The media will be on to the next slate of games tonight and forget all about the incident especially if something significant occurs in either of the games tonight. They and the networks are going to hold their breath and wait for it to pass over the next 7-8 hours imo. I'm comparing what they gain by suspending Murray compared to what they lose which is a ton of revenue if this is a 4-game series.
Agreed, whatever happens will happen by 5pm today - and my guess is a fine between 50k and 100k.
Rudy would be pretty pissed considering he got $100k for the gesture by itself!
Forget a fan - if the 12th guy on the bench did it, they would be sitting home for the rest of the playoffs. But it's Murray, so different rules. But I agree the NBA should suspend him and, mutually exclusive to that, at the rate things are going it might not matter anyway. Realistically, there will be a fine, a warning from the league office and everyone hopes it blows over.
I'm going to predict a suspension, just because the league under Silver has been pretty consistent about suspending guys when certain lines are crossed, even when people think they won't do it.
The fact that this series could well be over in 4 even if Clearly Injured Murray does play makes the decision a bit easier.
The fact that this series could well be over in 4 even if Clearly Injured Murray does play makes the decision a bit easier.
Especially adjusted for the New NBA.....I don't really see a foul? They're showing their hands, not slapping down, bodying him some with "marginal contact"....seems pretty ok. It's terrifying for what that means for the Celtics in a potential Finals, but this is some good D.
Murray creates the initial contact by running into NAW's path. Taking away that foul call on the D has been a specific point of emphasis (and a good one imo).
View: https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/1787727460890796106
Murray creates the initial contact by running into NAW's path. Taking away that foul call on the D has been a specific point of emphasis (and a good one imo).
View: https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/1787727460890796106
Back when the Celtics eliminated the Wizards in spring 2017 to make the ECF behind a monster Game 7 performance from Kelly Olynyk, there was some meme that floated around about how the Conference Finals are finally going to be showcasing the league's top stars, and showed pictures of Lebron, Steph, Kawhi, and Olynyk. I wish I could find it, it was great.Well, yeah - Jokic, Tatum, Ant, Valanciunas…the stars of the league.
I'll be surprised if he isn't suspended. Throwing stuff at the ref from behind crosses the line from "bad optics" into "fundamentally destabilizing to the game." Lest that sound histrionic, I mean that, as a ref, you're like, "I can't do my job if I'm worried about projectiles being thrown at me from behind"— and while a towel isn't a projectile, it's not a million miles away. This isn't the 1920s Iron League or the Country/Western Bar from The Blues Brothers. I'll be shocked if he gets off with just a fine.
Feels like there was a lot of contact that wasn’t called there.. especially grabbing for the ball. Not sure how the rules play out though when both players are moving.. because the defender hasn’t established position. Regardless Denver needs to adjust and help out the ball handler.
Edit: the second guy in actually seemed to bump and hack him a couple times.. the primary defender was mainly aggressive d. Murray got frustrated because he usually gets that call.