Mavs are losing to the Wade-less Heat and have lost 4 in a row. Rondo was such a bad fit for that team.
NBA 2014-2015 Game Thread
- Thread starter ifmanis5
- Start date
Utah takes down Golden State 110-100 in Utah as Hayward leads the way for the Jazz with a double-double. He had 26 on 9-20 shooting while grabbing 15 boards. Utah is probably another impact player away from being very good. My new front-line crush Rudy Gobert grabbed 10 boards and had two blocks in just under 25 minutes while pain-in-the ass Favors pulled scored 15 and pulled down 10 boards.
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
Bogut and Klay played poorly, which is hopefully just a one-time thing, but a few guys appear to be regressing, specifically Holiday, Speights and Draymond. Better to have this lull now rather than later, but now is when Kerr needs to earn his money.
Speights has struggled but Green has been pretty steady. The Warriors clearly were playing at pace that was almost impossible for them to continue, especially with the competition in the West. And the NBA does, indeed, have lulls where teams struggle for a few games. Its also worth noting that Golden State's February is very road heavy so I expect some further regression as they tour around the East (and face Atlanta next week for the first time).
All of that said, there are very few teams in the West including the Lakers who can't beat the top teams - well Minnesota but that is about it really. Utah is very good and their length and athleticism up front are pretty fierce. If they get another plus guard (Dragic or Bledsoe would look great here imho) they are going to be a factor. As it is, I can see them giving anyone a tough match-up if they play well. Gobert is defensive beast and he looks to be improving around the rim. I love the kid...
All of that said, there are very few teams in the West including the Lakers who can't beat the top teams - well Minnesota but that is about it really. Utah is very good and their length and athleticism up front are pretty fierce. If they get another plus guard (Dragic or Bledsoe would look great here imho) they are going to be a factor. As it is, I can see them giving anyone a tough match-up if they play well. Gobert is defensive beast and he looks to be improving around the rim. I love the kid...
Appropos of nothing in all likelihood, according to this website - http://sportige.com/cleveland-cavaliers-lebron-james-lets-kevin-love-kyrie-irving-lead-the-way-01-31-2015/ - Cavs are first team ever to lose six games in a row and then win their next nine.
Pretty good showing for the tankadelphia sixers last night. Gave the Hawks a real game. Big improvements in Noel and mcw in recent games. They are both really developing defensively, and mcw is doing a better job running the team.
Noel is already a force around the rim and there are so many good shot blockers on the team (grant and kj) defensively with embiid next year they could be good to excellent quickly. They aren't close to having the right players offensively but the defense and altheticism pieces are there.
I'm not sold on mcw but he's improving and his triple double was legit. I've gone from move him to hmm maybe not.
The bad news they are not going to get the best lottery odds, maybe they should have voted for the change!
I don't know if they will get a chance at oak but him embiid and Noel would not only be a fearsome combination of youth and size, even if all three are not going to be able to play at once.
Noel is already a force around the rim and there are so many good shot blockers on the team (grant and kj) defensively with embiid next year they could be good to excellent quickly. They aren't close to having the right players offensively but the defense and altheticism pieces are there.
I'm not sold on mcw but he's improving and his triple double was legit. I've gone from move him to hmm maybe not.
The bad news they are not going to get the best lottery odds, maybe they should have voted for the change!
I don't know if they will get a chance at oak but him embiid and Noel would not only be a fearsome combination of youth and size, even if all three are not going to be able to play at once.
Clippers have been a hard team to read this season. Some obvious flaws and clearly not improved from the "not quite there yet" club of last season. And, yet, best offensive efficiency in the NBA, 3rd seed in the West, and 3rd (essentially tied for 2nd, as just a tenth of a point behind Atlanta) in point differential. After killing the Austin Rivers acquisition, have to admit he's looked pretty decent in his role. So, who knows, maybe they are a contendah.
Zach Lowe chimes in on the Clippers being somewhat underrated this season: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/time-for-your-western-conference-wake-up-call-dont-sleep-on-the-clippers/
Great piece by one of my favorite hoops writers. Does anyone else feel like we're in a golden era of hoops analysis? I feel like basketball writing these days has approached or even surpassed baseball writing in its level of detail, depth and sophistication in a way it really didn't 15-20 years ago. Or I dunno, maybe I'm just paying more attention these days 'cos I'm a Warriors fan. 
Speaking of, another of my favorite hoops writers, Ethan Sherwood Strauss just knocked one out of the park on the building of the Warriors and their league-best defense: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12273986/how-golden-state-warriors-built-nba-best-defense
Warriors on pace to be the first team ever to lead the league in both pace and defense. Crazy.
Speaking of, another of my favorite hoops writers, Ethan Sherwood Strauss just knocked one out of the park on the building of the Warriors and their league-best defense: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12273986/how-golden-state-warriors-built-nba-best-defense
Warriors on pace to be the first team ever to lead the league in both pace and defense. Crazy.
The Dallas Mavericks visited the Warriors of Golden State this evening. The Mavs led by 22 at one point during the first quarter and finished the period with a 42-25 lead. That said, Golden State outscored Dallas by 103-72 the rest of the way. Stephen Curry scored 51 points on 16-26 shooting including 10-16 from behind the arc.
Golden State is now 39-8 and will face the 41-9 Atlanta Hawks in the ATL on Friday night.
Golden State is now 39-8 and will face the 41-9 Atlanta Hawks in the ATL on Friday night.
Random Young Players Doing Well:
Andrew Wiggins- If I had the #1 pick last season I would have picked Jabari, just because he seemed like such a sure thing that you knew exactly what he was going to be. Wiggins had a higher upside, and it looks like Cle/Min made the right choice in drafting Wiggins. He has shown a lot more than I thought he was going to during his rookie season, and has really turned it on after an adjusting period. He has figured out what he can do well in the NBA right now and he has confidence in doing that. In the last 10 games he has strung together two really strong performances. On Jan. 17th he put up 31 points on 11-17 shooting (including 4-5 from downtown) in an 8 point victory at Denver. On Jan. 31 he faced a streaking Cleveland team and put up 33 points on 14-25 shooting in a loss. Wiggins played this game pretty much by himself, some guy named Lorenzo Brown was his PG and played all but five seconds of that game! He is a great athlete, and can be a lockdown defender one day, but he still commits too many fouls and has trouble moving his feet against quicker guards. Still, he is only going to improve as an offensive player and having him shoot 36% from behind the arc is a really pleasant surprise for a raw 19 year old.
Victor Oladipo- Coming out of college, most scouts figured that he was an athletic 2 guard that could play good defense, but was going to have his struggles on offense. Midway through Year 2, Oladipo has made some good strides and is surprising people on the offensive end. He has played PG more than expected because Elfrid Payton can't shoot, but he has upped his shooting percentages to 45-36-80, and that 3 point shot has been a big surprise. He isn't really a natural PG, and he still has a lot of trouble with turnovers, but 20 ppg with lockdown D at the slim pickings that is the 2 guard position in the NBA makes him a commodity.
Alex Len- Injuries hampered him during his rookie season, but so far he is off to a healthy 2014-15 and his play along with the Brandon Wright acquisition have made Miles Plumlee trade bait in Phoenix. In the Suns PG driven offense he is never going to put up big offensive numbers, but his per 36 numbers of 10-10 with 3 blocks a game is a fine starting point for a 21 year old 7 footer. In the NBA, a Center needs to be able to do three things well: Protect the rim, run the floor, and be a weapon on the PNR. Len can already do the first two, it will come down to how he develops a jump shot. He is shooting only 36% on them so far this season, but their is room for improvement and his mechanics are decent, he needs more healthy reps and he can become a serious player in the league.
Rudy Gobert- I know DJBMH loves him, and with good reason. Like Len, he can run the floor and protect the rim. Unlike Len, however, he can roll off a screen and slam home a lob over any defender. He is like a Center version of Giannis, just impossibly long and makes 2-3 plays a game where you just wonder how he was able to do that. After not playing very much his rookie season, he is getting steady playing time in Utah and currently costing Enes Kanter a lot of money. He is currently 8th in Box Plus/Minus, which is pretty impressive when you consider he plays for a bad team. He isn't a threat outside of the resticted area and he doesn't have a ton of post moves, but with his athleticism and defensive potential, he likely won't have to be to become a significant player.
Markieff Morris- The superior Morris has thrived with a greater role in Phoenix's funky offense, and is flashing all sorts of cool stuff, from three pointers to fun post-ups, he is doing it all offensivley for a Phoenix team that hasn't dropped off after last years improvements. Them losing Channing Frye was seen as kind of a big issue heading into the season, but Morris has picked up the slack, averaging 15 ppg on 48% shooting and has given Phoenix a bona fide post up threat to compliment their speedy guards.
Andrew Wiggins- If I had the #1 pick last season I would have picked Jabari, just because he seemed like such a sure thing that you knew exactly what he was going to be. Wiggins had a higher upside, and it looks like Cle/Min made the right choice in drafting Wiggins. He has shown a lot more than I thought he was going to during his rookie season, and has really turned it on after an adjusting period. He has figured out what he can do well in the NBA right now and he has confidence in doing that. In the last 10 games he has strung together two really strong performances. On Jan. 17th he put up 31 points on 11-17 shooting (including 4-5 from downtown) in an 8 point victory at Denver. On Jan. 31 he faced a streaking Cleveland team and put up 33 points on 14-25 shooting in a loss. Wiggins played this game pretty much by himself, some guy named Lorenzo Brown was his PG and played all but five seconds of that game! He is a great athlete, and can be a lockdown defender one day, but he still commits too many fouls and has trouble moving his feet against quicker guards. Still, he is only going to improve as an offensive player and having him shoot 36% from behind the arc is a really pleasant surprise for a raw 19 year old.
Victor Oladipo- Coming out of college, most scouts figured that he was an athletic 2 guard that could play good defense, but was going to have his struggles on offense. Midway through Year 2, Oladipo has made some good strides and is surprising people on the offensive end. He has played PG more than expected because Elfrid Payton can't shoot, but he has upped his shooting percentages to 45-36-80, and that 3 point shot has been a big surprise. He isn't really a natural PG, and he still has a lot of trouble with turnovers, but 20 ppg with lockdown D at the slim pickings that is the 2 guard position in the NBA makes him a commodity.
Alex Len- Injuries hampered him during his rookie season, but so far he is off to a healthy 2014-15 and his play along with the Brandon Wright acquisition have made Miles Plumlee trade bait in Phoenix. In the Suns PG driven offense he is never going to put up big offensive numbers, but his per 36 numbers of 10-10 with 3 blocks a game is a fine starting point for a 21 year old 7 footer. In the NBA, a Center needs to be able to do three things well: Protect the rim, run the floor, and be a weapon on the PNR. Len can already do the first two, it will come down to how he develops a jump shot. He is shooting only 36% on them so far this season, but their is room for improvement and his mechanics are decent, he needs more healthy reps and he can become a serious player in the league.
Rudy Gobert- I know DJBMH loves him, and with good reason. Like Len, he can run the floor and protect the rim. Unlike Len, however, he can roll off a screen and slam home a lob over any defender. He is like a Center version of Giannis, just impossibly long and makes 2-3 plays a game where you just wonder how he was able to do that. After not playing very much his rookie season, he is getting steady playing time in Utah and currently costing Enes Kanter a lot of money. He is currently 8th in Box Plus/Minus, which is pretty impressive when you consider he plays for a bad team. He isn't a threat outside of the resticted area and he doesn't have a ton of post moves, but with his athleticism and defensive potential, he likely won't have to be to become a significant player.
Markieff Morris- The superior Morris has thrived with a greater role in Phoenix's funky offense, and is flashing all sorts of cool stuff, from three pointers to fun post-ups, he is doing it all offensivley for a Phoenix team that hasn't dropped off after last years improvements. Them losing Channing Frye was seen as kind of a big issue heading into the season, but Morris has picked up the slack, averaging 15 ppg on 48% shooting and has given Phoenix a bona fide post up threat to compliment their speedy guards.
Kliq said:
This is good stuff. I also really like Markieff Morris though I would like to see his three point percentage increase a bit so he can attain true stretch four status. I also wonder if Morris the Superior may have plateaued a bit - his numbers are slightly down across the board this season as his usage has increased. He and Len are pretty intriguing together though.
As a side note, If I were evil Jeff Hornacek I would have the both Morrises and Dragics play heavy minutes. I would also keep Plumlee and instead trade everyone for Mason and then work on getting Marshall in the draft. Finally, I would hire all the parents of these guys on the staff. I will stop here and admit I have serious issues...
Warriors at Hawks, the NBAs best teams are playing a game this evening in the ATL. 25-21 Dubs after one quarter.
Edit: officials award a three to Andre Iguodala instead of a two.
Edit: officials award a three to Andre Iguodala instead of a two.
BigSoxFan said:
The front office has failed Durant and Westbrook. Ibaka does some nice things, but in a big game, you can't rely on him to give you anything more than 17 points, and if he is going to get paid as a defender, he has to do a little bit better of a job against guys like Davis. And then you consider literally everyone else on the team and how many different "solutions" they have tried and how literally none of them have worked out. Think of how many smart, value free agent signings there have been over the last 2-3 seasons and the Thunder have literally not have any of them.
Back to the Brow, Adam Silver and the NBA have to be praying for the Pelicans to make the playoffs. For us insane types who watch basketball a bit more than casually, the Suns are a really exciting young team (even if you don't adhere to my belief that they should acquire Plumlee's brothers to make it an all-NBA brother team) but with Davis, the NBA has its next young mega-superstar and they want to be able to market him to the max.
He really is an amazing athlete and yet he may be going home when the playoffs begin.
He really is an amazing athlete and yet he may be going home when the playoffs begin.
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
This has to be at least somewhat connected to why Silver is talking about revamping the playoff system next year, since it would be best for the league if OKC, NO and PHO all made the playoffs:
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12287800/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-open-changes-playoff-structure
I think it's good for the league that one or two very good teams will miss the playoffs, actually. It gives the regular season a lot more meaning than otherwise. Having teams like the Spurs punt a few games doesn't look good, even if it's good strategy, and several very good West teams aren't going to be able to do that this time around. Further, a team that legitimately could win a title is going to be eliminated at the end of the regular season, making that last week much more compelling than when it's, say, the Pistons and Nets battling to see who's going to get throttled in the first round.
This is almost always the case however this year OKC on the sidelines would qualify as this team.Blacken said:
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
Kliq said:
The Brow injures shoulder on fall on an alleyoop, xrays negative.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12294634/anthony-davis-new-orleans-pelicans-injures-shoulder-fall
I considered that. OKC doesn't look like a real contender to me and haven't since Harden left. I don't think they are built to win a title unless Durant or Westbrook scores 40 points a game, night-in, night-out. I like both those dudes. They're not going to score 40 points a game, night-in, night-out.HomeRunBaker said:
I really, really enjoy how rivalries develop when teams play each other in the playoffs year after year, Celts-Pistons, Pistons-Bulls, Knicks-Bulls, Heat-Celts, Heat-Pacers, Spurs-Mavs, Spurs-Lakers, etc., so I'd like to keep the playoffs as is. Mixing the conferences would reduce the chances of teams playing each other in the playoffs 2+ years in a row.
The Social Chair said:
The next 15 games (4.5 weeks) are against OKC(2), DAL(2), HOU(2), MEM(2), MIN(2), GS, SA, CHI, PORT, SAC. All but MINN and SAC are .500+.
It's not unreasonable to think that they could go 5-10 in that stretch and drop into the scrum for the #8 spot. However, 7 of their last 11 games are against sub-.400 teams, so they could still make the playoffs.
amfox1 said:
Didn't see these posts before I added to the C's Future Draft picks thread. Definitely agree, that upcoming schedule is going to really test them. It's going to take a lot for them to fall out of the playoffs, but it'll be interesting to see how well they can deal with the Griffin injury to stay afloat.
Well that's just silly then. OKC won 60 games and lost in the 2nd round once Westbrook went down then followed it up with 59 wins and a trip to the WC Finals.Blacken said:
And everyone else has gotten better, or not gotten worse, since. Just in the West I would take Golden State, San Antonio, Memphis, Houston, and maybe Portland over them. And Atlanta and Chicago in the East.HomeRunBaker said:
OKC is a second-round-and-out team. That's not bad, by the calculus of NBA success. But I wouldn't bet on them to make the Finals, let alone to win it, at any line whatsoever.
That's not what you said. You said you haven't considered them a contender since Harden left when they couldn't have more clearly been a contender. Yes others have caught up to them in the West however your statement indicates that you have a bias agaiant them.Blacken said:
FWIW, Zach Lowe picked OKC to win it all maybe a month ago, they are certainly a title contender if they make it and are healthy. They should release Dion Waiters, though, because that guy seems to destroy everything he comes near, awful player and an idiot (from the little I've heard him speak, coupled with his game).
jon abbey said:
Durant is otherworldly and Westbrook is maybe the most amazing athlete in the NBA (which is saying a big something). I will even give props to Ibaka who is a beast on some nights. But the Thunder simply have no depth. I will be shocked if they make it past the second round. And then I will start to think that one of Atlanta, Cleveland, Washington or Toronto has a legitimate shot of winning the whole thing.
Yeah his bias is off the charts on this. Nevermind in today's playoffs with no back-to-backs you don't go more than 7 deep, maybe 8, anyway. Take a look at other recents champions and their 7th/8th men. I mean we took Eddie House off the streets after being released by SIX teams and plugged him in for a dozen mpg.BigSoxFan said:
OKC will go as far as their stars and their health will take them.
Reggie Jackson is a decent player but the answer to your question is that many Western conference teams have players who are statistically similar or better than Jackson coming off their respective benches. The Clippers have Jamal Crawford, the Suns have Isaiah Thomas and Gerald Green, the Mavs have JJ Barea, the Spurs have Ginobli plus and I haven't even mentioned Golden State (I assume this is my "bias" as referenced in HRB's post).BigSoxFan said:
I tend to agree with DJBMH. Mitch McGary playing one good game in February against a Griffin-less Clippers does not change the fact that he has only played three games so far in his entire career. I don't think you can count on him for anything yet. Jackson is moody and has made it pretty clear that he does not want to be in OKC. Jones is inconsistent. Collison does some nice things and is a great teammate, but he really shouldn't be seeing any time in a playoff game. Waiters is a fucking turd.
OKC in the playoffs is going to be the same as every other year they have had post-Harden. They need Westrbook and Durant to play as great as possible for the entire playoffs, because nobody else on the team can be counted on to help them. They can win some series because Westbrook and Durant are really, really, really good, but there is a reason they haven't had a ton of playoff success in a burtal Western Conference.
OKC in the playoffs is going to be the same as every other year they have had post-Harden. They need Westrbook and Durant to play as great as possible for the entire playoffs, because nobody else on the team can be counted on to help them. They can win some series because Westbrook and Durant are really, really, really good, but there is a reason they haven't had a ton of playoff success in a burtal Western Conference.
Kliq said:
Nick Collison finished second among 4s last year in RPM. He's struggled this year (though still has a very solid DRPM), but the idea that a playoff team should be able to find 3-4 bench guys that are better than him is absolutely insane. He's basically the platonic ideal of what you want in a backup big.
Edit: And as far as OKC's depth goes, who in the West has more? Golden State, healthy San Antonio, maybe Phoenix and Memphis? A Westbrook-Roberson-Durant-Ibaka-Adams starting unit with Collison, Jackson, Morrow, Perkins, Lamb, Jones III, and Waiters all able to play minutes is pretty damn deep. It's certainly better than the bench units in Dallas, Houston, and LA. It's a pretty obvious step above Portland, too.
The bias mentioned was in reference to Blacken's take on the OKC Thunder post-Harden. I love the Warriors depth especially if Bogut returns to give them what I'd call the best bench in the playoffs with Lee, Iguodala, Speights, and Livingston.....maybe even too deep for the playoffs.DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
The funny thing is, I think we are all in the same zip code here. If Durant and Westbrook can play heavy minutes in the playoffs and not tire/breakdown while Ibaka brings his A-game, its entirely conceivable that they can make the finals, even with their bench. And to be clear, I don't think their bench sucks - I agree that Jackson, Collison, Morrow, Perk et al are an ok compliment to their starting five.
The problem is that almost every series in the West looks to be a battle and its plausible that the team that comes out of that conference will have to play every game in every playoff series in order to make it. While I agree that most playoff rotations are eight to nine players deep, thinner teams are going to be asking their stars to play a lot of minutes at a high level. When you look at the recent champs, such as the Spurs and Heat, they had good bench depth who could give their teams 15-20 minutes per game with enough scoring and defense to give their starters valuable rest. I just don't see OKC's bench as the same quality as some of the other contending teams.
Finally, regarding BSF's question to Kliq, all I will say is that while the Thunder have been in the mix for the finals over the past three years, they haven't really come close to winning the whole thing. While their playoff success is undeniable, I highly doubt that Durant or Westbrook just happy to be there and I suspect they too wish they had a little more talent backing them up.
The problem is that almost every series in the West looks to be a battle and its plausible that the team that comes out of that conference will have to play every game in every playoff series in order to make it. While I agree that most playoff rotations are eight to nine players deep, thinner teams are going to be asking their stars to play a lot of minutes at a high level. When you look at the recent champs, such as the Spurs and Heat, they had good bench depth who could give their teams 15-20 minutes per game with enough scoring and defense to give their starters valuable rest. I just don't see OKC's bench as the same quality as some of the other contending teams.
Finally, regarding BSF's question to Kliq, all I will say is that while the Thunder have been in the mix for the finals over the past three years, they haven't really come close to winning the whole thing. While their playoff success is undeniable, I highly doubt that Durant or Westbrook just happy to be there and I suspect they too wish they had a little more talent backing them up.
BigSoxFan said:
I don't think I am penalizing anyone for anything. We disagree about the quality of the OKC bench and, to some extent, how much it matters. I think OKC, as presently constructed, is entirely capable of beating Golden State or even Memphis. But in a seven game series I see both the Grizzlies and Warrior benches as more likely to outplay the Thunder's bench. That still doesn't mean that OKC cannot win but it just puts more of a load on the shoulders of KD and Westbrook.
BigSoxFan said:
Ahem, I said they hadn't had that much success Post-Harden. The Westbrook injury sucked, but it also is an example of how weak the construction of the team has been around Westrbook and Durant. Despite the fact that they have had two of the five best players in the league, they have very little to show for it. That was what I was getting at. When you have players that good, it is hard to not at least get back to the finals.