3 seconds left (and a timeout), but still. For all the issues the Celtics have had over the years in the clutch, the Wolves might be worse. Just terrible decision making by Edwards with the drive, once there was less than 8 seconds and he was single covered, he's gotta just rise up and shoot. He's like JB, he's so athletic he can get space to get a shot off just by jumping.
https://twitter.com/thehoopcentral/status/1764445013717696739?s=46&t=2JCusTPpc-1cVpPyawhnuA
They haven't enjoyed much over that last few weeks, they're just 3-8 over the last month (with the wins over the Grizzlies, Pistons, and Sixers without Embiid). This is rough.
RIP DRS cannot be said enough. Still shocked.
Nah, he grabbed his knee right away. It’s possible he just got a scare like Wheels Pierce, but it looked pretty terrible when he tried to stand up and his ankle rolled over because he couldn’t put weight on the leg.
On track for another late season tank to get a lottery pick. Lively has worked out pretty well so maybe there's something to it.
Playoffs are often injury luck.. and Knicks have had zero this season.
Crazy.
If you just saw that SGA drive through three dudes where he hesi'd his wind-up to fool the two leaping defenders you know it was incredible.
Im sure theres the usual amount of dumb luck, but I thought Thibs was generally bad for players' health.
He's not in Tatum's zipcode as a player you can build a championship team around.
This just feels like the inevitable result of heliocentric basketball. If you have one guy who’s the focus of everything, you end up just making him look good at the expense of the team. These super high usage guards like Doncic always suck on defense and add nothing on offense without the ball, and they make their teams predictable. It’s a type of basketball that looks good in a simulation but not in reality.
That’s crazy, he must have grazed knees or something, it sure looked non-contact.
They can't handle any bigs that like to rebound. OKC is 29th in DRB%, only ahead of Washington (and they're 28th in ORB%).
Still beat Phoenix by 8 on the road. Feels like focusing on what they can't do over what they do very very well.
He knocked knees earlier in the game; people are wondering if that was the cause - https://nypost.com/2024/03/03/sports/knicks-breathe-sigh-of-relief-after-scary-jalen-brunson-injury-moment/.
Had a guy next to me last night look up at the Bird/Isiah interview then ask me if I could answer a question without bias…..then asked who I thought was better, Bird or Doncic.
1. I give him all the credit in the world for that run. He really tried on D, and they found ways to work with him. We haven't seen that guy this year.
Don’t look now….but Doc has this Bucks team defending like they were pre-Lillard. Over the last 10 games they trail only Minnesota in Defensive Rating, have won 5 in a row, 4 of these on the road and 4 of the 5 wins by double digits.
"let's see, Larry Bird is an inner-circle hall of famer who won 3 championships, 3 MVPs, redefined the skillset of his position and could end playoff teams through sheer force of will on both ends of the floor, in an era when talent was concentrated into fewer teams. Luka Doncic is a good regular-season offensive player who is a turnstile on defense, has lost in the first round or not even made the playoffs 4 of his 5 seasons (and in the 1 exception, he had Brunson entering his prime, a healthy Kristaps Porzingis, and some defensive fighters in DFS, Kleber and Powell). Has not sniffed the MVP award despite having the highest usage rate in the league. And has run several co-stars out of town due to not being able to share the ball and make his teammates better. There have been plenty of Luka Doncices to come through the league, but there have only been a handful of players as good as Larry Bird, in its 80-year history."
There is real improvement, but 3 of those games are against the Hornets and Bulls. The truth is probably more in the middle.
To add on a pure "eye test" mode, not just that much more active defensively, but offensively (while they were already obviously top notch), they seem to be passing/moving in a more fluid, crisp fashion. Pure SSS/eye test stuff...
MIL is #1 in DRtg over the last 9 games. However, here are MIL's opponents:
What about the other 7 games including holding Denver to 95 in a double digit win? People can deny all they want but Doc is righting the ship over there. I’d still prefer facing them over Miami due to matchups but he deserves credit for this turnaround.
