How many games we figure George and Kawhi miss combined from here til playoff time. Over/under: 38.5 total
2023-2024 General NBA Season Thread
- Thread starter BigSoxFan
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Knicks are 10-0 against under .500 teams, 2-2 against over .500 teams that did not make the final 8 of the IST, and 0-5 against the other 7 teams remaining in the IST.
They have a brutal December schedule (10 of 13 on the road, 2 of the 3 home games against MIL) so it'll be interesting to see where they are after that. They had a good win last night after having to play a full 48 against a DET team trying to break their long losing streak, they won in TOR on the back to back even though TOR had the previous day off. It was tied at halftime but NY controlled the second half, led offensively by Josh Hart of all people, who scored 15 straight in a 3:34 stretch in the 3rd. The Villanova trio of Brunson/DiVincenzo/Hart has now scored 60 points in roughly 90 combined minutes in back to back games, they never started a game together at Villanova but are gelling very well currently.
They have a brutal December schedule (10 of 13 on the road, 2 of the 3 home games against MIL) so it'll be interesting to see where they are after that. They had a good win last night after having to play a full 48 against a DET team trying to break their long losing streak, they won in TOR on the back to back even though TOR had the previous day off. It was tied at halftime but NY controlled the second half, led offensively by Josh Hart of all people, who scored 15 straight in a 3:34 stretch in the 3rd. The Villanova trio of Brunson/DiVincenzo/Hart has now scored 60 points in roughly 90 combined minutes in back to back games, they never started a game together at Villanova but are gelling very well currently.
It's early, but it seems unusual that the current 1 & 3 teams in the West have the 7th and 10th best betting odds to win the title in the West.
The Warriors (currently in 10th in the WC), the Clippers (11th) and Lakers (7th) have the 3rd, 4th, and 5th best odds in the West and 6th, 7th and 8th best odds overall. I suppose that the perception of the West as stronger has a lot to do with those three teams.
The Warriors (currently in 10th in the WC), the Clippers (11th) and Lakers (7th) have the 3rd, 4th, and 5th best odds in the West and 6th, 7th and 8th best odds overall. I suppose that the perception of the West as stronger has a lot to do with those three teams.
People are living in the past. It's a new NBA with new alpha stars that will decide the championship. Out of those three only GS would I feel confident at making a serious title push as presently constructed.
I'm as eager as anyone to bury the Lakers, but they made the WCF just last year. They got off to a shitty start last year too, but Lebron and AD are still there, and unlike the Clippers they still have the pieces for a semi-major move before the deadline.
Yeah, writing off older teams is something that happens every year, and more often than not at the end of the year it's the more veteran teams that pull through.
Speaking of vet teams, watching the Warriors-Clippers right now. I know some of the #s contradict it and I respect HRB's arguments for the Clippers, but god just going by the eye test every time I watch them I see a team that is
1) less than its parts offensively -- they can score and they'll survive injuries given their depth in stars, but they just kind of run down the court and throw it around until someone shoots. Maybe it's the comparison to that beautiful flow the Warriors always have, and that Harden has long been an ugly but effective player, but even after a few weeks they're still playing like a team of all-stars. The only guys who stick out are Powell and Mann, who I just love as glue guys, but the studs seem to have too much overlap in their skills. Never going to dismiss that talent and love Lue as a coach, so maybe they'll become more than an all-star team, but I sure don't see it currently.
2) Without rim protection defensively -- Warriors have missed a bunch of bunnies at the hoop, but just seems every time I watch the Clips any team that wants to get to the hoop...gets to the hoop.
3) Energy-less. Granted PG13, Kawhi, and Harden have always been expressionless players, which doesn't mean they haven't (obviously) been effective -- they're great -- but god the energy is not there. Westbrook brought it in the 1st half and maybe I'm just responding to this game, but where you can see how Podziemski (one of those guys whose name I'm already tired of looking up in re spelling) and Moody energize the Warrior vets, the Clippers just have guys who like to plod up and down the court. Lue is trying to get Harden and Kawhi to play faster, which makes sense given he's using a lot of small ball. Small ball makes sense with this talent, but not sure if Harden/Kawhi are going to be able to alter their styles.
Anyway, quite possibly a mid-game small sample size eye test based overreaction. Maybe the Clips will come back in the 2nd half of this game (and rest of the season), but my eyes don't see it, for what little that is worth.
Speaking of vet teams, watching the Warriors-Clippers right now. I know some of the #s contradict it and I respect HRB's arguments for the Clippers, but god just going by the eye test every time I watch them I see a team that is
1) less than its parts offensively -- they can score and they'll survive injuries given their depth in stars, but they just kind of run down the court and throw it around until someone shoots. Maybe it's the comparison to that beautiful flow the Warriors always have, and that Harden has long been an ugly but effective player, but even after a few weeks they're still playing like a team of all-stars. The only guys who stick out are Powell and Mann, who I just love as glue guys, but the studs seem to have too much overlap in their skills. Never going to dismiss that talent and love Lue as a coach, so maybe they'll become more than an all-star team, but I sure don't see it currently.
2) Without rim protection defensively -- Warriors have missed a bunch of bunnies at the hoop, but just seems every time I watch the Clips any team that wants to get to the hoop...gets to the hoop.
3) Energy-less. Granted PG13, Kawhi, and Harden have always been expressionless players, which doesn't mean they haven't (obviously) been effective -- they're great -- but god the energy is not there. Westbrook brought it in the 1st half and maybe I'm just responding to this game, but where you can see how Podziemski (one of those guys whose name I'm already tired of looking up in re spelling) and Moody energize the Warrior vets, the Clippers just have guys who like to plod up and down the court. Lue is trying to get Harden and Kawhi to play faster, which makes sense given he's using a lot of small ball. Small ball makes sense with this talent, but not sure if Harden/Kawhi are going to be able to alter their styles.
Anyway, quite possibly a mid-game small sample size eye test based overreaction. Maybe the Clips will come back in the 2nd half of this game (and rest of the season), but my eyes don't see it, for what little that is worth.
The Lakers got past a pretty flimsy GS squad and then got swept out of the WCF by an actual title contender, and that was with a bunch of role players having big nights. I see a flawed team that struggles to contain good players and LeBron completely disinterested in playing defense. People are still clinging on to the LeBron/Curry/Durant generation as the decisive players in the NBA but that is pretty much over. Phoenix at least has Booker who could carry Phoenix further.
Great lineup tonight.
8:00: Pacers at Heat. Would be a real shame if Haliburton stubbed his toe and needed a few days.
9:00: Thunder at Mavericks
10:00: Nuggets (second half of a b2b) at Kings
10:30: Rockets at Lakers
8:00: Pacers at Heat. Would be a real shame if Haliburton stubbed his toe and needed a few days.
9:00: Thunder at Mavericks
10:00: Nuggets (second half of a b2b) at Kings
10:30: Rockets at Lakers
Have you watched those 3 players this season or looked at their stats? I don't know what you mean by "decisive", but they have been great. Durant at this point would be my choice for MVP, and LeBron and Curry have been carrying their clubs. Definitely flawed teams, but the older vet studs are not the problem.
They are pretty injured but overall they feel like their ceiling is probably that of spoiler absent internal development or a trade.
Agree the Warriors weren't good -- Curry has to be great not good for them -- but that was impressive defensive by L.A.. I wrote them off at half-time, specifically due to their listless energy, and even in the 2nd half seemed like the Warriors could get back cuts to the hoop any time, but that small ball L.A. line up really turned up the heat in an impressive way. Definitely deserve credit. On the one hand, they showed me why they have had good defensive stats. On the flip, that was a lot of energy to expend and hard to imagine them being able to do that consistently.
I don't think they're a top tier contender, but it's pretty ironic that in one breath you state that GS could make a serious title push (and the Lakers can't), and in the next look to discredit this Lakers team by saying that beat the very same "flimsy" GS squad last spring. Unless you think swapping out Poole for a 60 year old Chris Paul makes a difference, it doesn't make any sense thinking that the Warriors are looking much better for 2024 than the Lakers are.
These three guys missed a ton of time over the last 3 years (since 2021 Lebron has missed an average of 27 games, Durant has missed an average of 33, and Curry has missed an average of 18). If they actually stay healthy (playing 70+ games) and maintain their current levels of play, they're all gonna make 1st or 2nd team all-NBA. I'm more than a bit skeptical that they can pull it off, but for now, the older generation is refusing to go away.
TWolves, sans Ant, now at 15-4 after beating a Lamelo-less Charlotte team in CLT. The Connelly trade had me perplexed but it has worked out very nicely. He has a very specific role and fills it quite nicely. Ditto for the rest of their rotation which has very clear/defined spots. They are well coached and play connected D.
I don't know how far they can get but they are kind of scary given their length and rim protection.
I don't know how far they can get but they are kind of scary given their length and rim protection.
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"he does get two points for the takedown, but that'll be scored later" -- some excellent commentating right there
Kerr was probably crying that it should've been a travel.
Edit: Tatum gets a flagrant 1 (later rescinded) for bringing his arms up and hitting a player in the face.. this nut job grabs a player and does a full wrestling move.. everyone stands around like WTF just happened? and then.. oh it's Draymond I guess that's just a common foul. (I assume they at least called a foul?)
I'm surprised this is even a debate. The West is 11 deep for teams competing to get to the WC Finals. If the season ended today, Steph will be having a new lottery pick teammate next summer. I'm not even high on the Warriors and I've got them rated equally to the team that is currently 3rd in the East standings (Bucks). My Top-18 has 11 from the WC, my current Top-9 has 6 from the WC.
Pacers shot 66% from the field tonight against the Heat. 50% from 3 point land and almost 80% from 2 without Halliburton.
Mavs just scored 24 straight points in the 4th Quarter to tie it up 111-111
no lead is safe in the NBA
no lead is safe in the NBA
Mavs on a 24-0 run over the last 5 minutes to tie up the Thunder with 5:30 left.
Edit: up to 30-0
Edit: up to 30-0
Chet has 3-4 blocks in the last 2 minutes. Mavs up 2 with just under 2 left. This game is crazy.
I wonder what the biggest x-0 run a team has ever had in a game that still ended in a loss. 30-0 has to be pretty damn close to it. Luka played 46 minutes, which is insane for a December regular season game that didn't go into overtime. After a steal and a layup to put Dallas up 6 with 4:18 left, he didn't score again (and only attempted one shot as OKC outscored Dallas by 15-3 the rest of the way).
Yeah anyone upset with the effort put forth by Boston last night against Philly would've enjoyed this one.
He hasn't played since Tuesday and the Mavs are off for the next 3 days. What an effort! You don't see a guy put up a 36/18/15 every night.
Fair enough, but it's not just about avoiding injury. A guy plays 42 of the first 44 minutes, I'd expect him to get tired and be less effective in the closing minutes of the game...which is exactly what happened. OKC was doubling him well behind the 3 point line and he was making the correct pass to break out of it, but with no Kyrie Dallas just couldn't generate good looks against a set, crunch time defense without Luka being super aggressive . Their offense was real ugly down the stretch, in no small part because Luka looked exhausted.
The NBA playoffs and regular season probably match up less than any other sport except Hockey (Goalie stuff).
Last year the 2 and 3 seeds in the West lost round 1, the 1 and 4 seeds in the East both lost. And 8 and a 7 seed were among the final 4.
2022 was chalkier in the 1st round, but then a 3 and a 4 made the WCF
2021 both 1 seeds failed to make the CF
2020- a 5 seed made the finals
2019 was the last year both 1 seeds even made the CF.
I've watched a lot of them. I actually think LeBron has been kind of disappointing this season. He's just a zero on defense this year outside of the very few plays he turns it up. He can still summon real explosiveness in transition but lacks the burst in the half-court. His usage rate is down, he's not nearly as commanding on the floor, and if it wasn't for his unsustainable 40% from three so far, his numbers would be pretty concerning.
The issue isn't that these guys are not still good, they obviously still are, but they aren't the best players in the NBA anymore and the era were you needed to have one of those guys on your team to win a title is over.
The Warriors I'm willing to believe in a little bit more given they still have a championship core and I'm wearier of counting them out just yet. They still are really flawed and I'd get ranking the Lakers ahead of them at the moment, but if Wiggins especially can get right, they are still a scary team to face in the playoffs.
The current incarnation of the Lakers are not real title contenders. The Clippers aren't either, although I guess there is still more to see from them with Harden aboard. The Suns are better than I anticipated, their role players have played quite well even if Beal is kind of a dog. They also have a superstar hitting their prime in Booker which the other teams lack. So outside of Denver, the West has those flawed teams, Phoenix, and then a lot of teams that lack of real Top 5/10 player and playoff experience. Dallas has Luka but are also a circus. SGA maybe could be at that level, but OKC has little playoff experience. Ditto Minnesota, or Sacramento.
In the East, I feel pretty confident in Boston, Milwaukee and Miami as accomplished playoff teams that are real threats to make the Finals. Philly has lacked playoff success, but do have a Top 5 player, seem to have reinvented their culture and have a very good head coach. That's four real title contenders imo, while it's hard to envision anyone else in the West coming out besides Denver.
I guess the West has more competitive teams for playoff spots, but I also think because the West has these old, veteran teams with stars, they get the benefit of the doubt as potential title contenders even if they haven't shown it yet. The Lakers and Clippers, due to their headlining names, are considered title contenders by a lot of people, even if like, the Knicks, are an actually better team.
Tari Eason trying to sneak in for some numbers. Freddy says no LOL!!
https://x.com/worldwidewob/status/1731185296853917765?s=46&t=-v8-zMpGeLyzspejEbiVjg
https://x.com/worldwidewob/status/1731185296853917765?s=46&t=-v8-zMpGeLyzspejEbiVjg
Whatever it was Ime didn't seem to object to it drawing a Technical. What is the media site that does the baseball videos using lip reading? They need to get involved.
Edit: Look at the two ladies behind the bench. They KNOW this was bad even before the T.
"You can think what you like, but I think Jar Jar Binks was some great character writing."
Deserved ejection imo.
I saw a TikTok recording from the sidelines (don’t know how to embed a TikTok). I think Ime called him a bitch and LeBron responded something along the lines of “Hey, man, don’t use that word so loosely.” Couldn’t hear what Ime responded with.