ADVERTISEMENT

OT: NBA Final Week/Playoffs

PA_Panther

PA_Panther

Sophomore
Gold Member
Feb 22, 2010
2,060
1,084
113
What a year in the NBA. The amount of young talent that has taken the next step is unbelievable. Sadly some teams have been derailed by injuries but I think this is going to be some of the best playoff basketball in a long time.

EASTERN Conference
The east seems to be wide open and it’s not because the teams are weak. The Raptors will probably be the favorites to come out of the east but Derozon and Lowry always seem to play like hot garbage come playoff time. They have assembled one of the best bench units in recent years. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the rotations shrinks and starters get more minutes.

The Celtics who I thought had the best team in the conference had their season derailed by injuries to Smart, Hayward and Kyrie. I’m intrigued to see what they can do with a Terry Rozier led team

My Sixers are currently the hottest team in the NBA and Ben Simmons is must watch every time he takes the court. I think that they will make a little noise but are just too young at this point. Hopefully Embiid can get back in time for the playoffs.

Then their is the Cavs, holy cow they can’t ply defense to save their life. Playoff Lebron will come out but honestly they could get bounced in the first round and I wouldn’t be surprised.

The Pacers literally came out of nowhere this year and just PnR people to death. Them Washington and Milwaukee could probably beat anybody.

If you held a gun to my head and pick which team is gonna come out of the East I’ll probably say Toronto this year.

Western Conference

You wanna talk about crazy.. A half game separates the No. 4-7 seeded teams and on top of that Minnesota and Denver are tied for 8th place.

I really think this is a two horse race between Golden State and Houston. I have no clue what the heck is gonna happen because seeding is still to be determined but what Anthony Davis has done without Cousins is downright amazing.

I hope Houston pulls it out and makes the finals because man they are fun to watch and Clint Capella is a big man that everyone needs to watch in D’antoni’s offense.

*Please don’t turn this into a CBB vs. NBA post
 
  • Like
Reactions: GrowthHormone
I like the Sixers to win the east if Embiid can be back by round 2. They are a fun team to watch and its scary to think they have room to add a max contract this off-season. Fultz has looked really good in his return and that bench is super deep.
 
CaptainMurphy said:
I like the Sixers to win the east if Embiid can be back by round 2. They are a fun team to watch and its scary to think they have room to add a max contract this off-season. Fultz has looked really good in his return and that bench is super deep.
Click to expand...
+700 on Bovada if you’re a betting man (was +950 yesterday). Not sure I like them as much as you do, but not bad odds...
 
I'm pulling for the Rockets unless the Pacers make the finals and I'd instead root for the small-market team.
 
It's been a great NBA season and I'm very excited for the playoffs. In the East, I'm excited to watch the Raps, Cavs, and Sixers. The rest aren't much fun.

In the West, the Rockets, Warriors, and the Jazz will be must watch for me.
 
GrowthHormone said:
It's been a great NBA season and I'm very excited for the playoffs. In the East, I'm excited to watch the Raps, Cavs, and Sixers. The rest aren't much fun.

In the West, the Rockets, Warriors, and the Jazz will be must watch for me.
Click to expand...

I also hope in the West that both OKC & New Orleans make it in. Both reams are fun to watch & could pull a 1st round upset.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GrowthHormone
As both a Sixers fan and a general NBA fan I'm very excited.

I'd probably go for the following for awards if I had a vote...going as deep into the vote as I care to but in order --

COY: Quin Snyder, Nate McMillan, Brad Stevens, Brett Brown, Mike D'Antoni.
Executive of the year: Darryl Morey, Danny Ainge.
MVP: Harden, LBJ, Lillard, Jokic.
Rookie of the year: Simmons, Donvan Mitchell.
Sixth man: Lou Williams, Terry Rozier
Most improved: Victor Olidipo, Clint Capela.
Defensive POY: Joel Embiid.
 
My attitude with the East is the same as my attitude towards Pitt football. Until I'm proven wrong, I'm picking LeBron (or a 5-7 win season). Sixers could scare them, but I'm not picking against the best player in the game.

The West should be interesting. I wouldn't be shocked if OKC pulled a surprise upset and went on a run like the '95 Rockets. I also wouldn't be surprised if it's GS-Houston.

I just hope someone unseats Golden State this year.
 
Ski11585 said:
My attitude with the East is the same as my attitude towards Pitt football. Until I'm proven wrong, I'm picking LeBron (or a 5-7 win season). Sixers could scare them, but I'm not picking against the best player in the game.

The West should be interesting. I wouldn't be shocked if OKC pulled a surprise upset and went on a run like the '95 Rockets. I also wouldn't be surprised if it's GS-Houston.

I just hope someone unseats Golden State this year.
Click to expand...

I don't know if this makes the NBA more or less interesting to me. The fact that this is the one sport where ONE truly great player can dominate an otherwise team sport.
 
recruitsreadtheseboards said:
I don't know if this makes the NBA more or less interesting to me. The fact that this is the one sport where ONE truly great player can dominate an otherwise team sport.
Click to expand...

That is true, but generally only if they're also a great team player, not just a dominant individual. Lebron is a great teammate imho. He drives to create shots for his teammates, he plays team defense, he makes everyone on the team better. Also great teammates in terms of leadership and style of play were Magic, Bird, Kareem, and Michael once the triangle was installed and he learned to trust his (better) teammates. There is a reason Russell could beat Wilt until Hannum made him a passer, etc. There may be a few exceptions: Shaq and Kobe could be pretty selfish and won but that was a down era for the league I would argue.

There were plenty of guys who were sort of bad teammates or maybe just plain ball stoppers who scored a ton of points/lead the league in scoring and didn't win a championship. Or in some cases even get to a finals. Tracy McGrady, Adrian Dantley, Pete Maravich, George Gervin, Elvin Hayes, Charles Barkley.

You can be individually great but if you're not great in the flow of your team, you will lose to Golden State this year because they're going to pass circles around you and swarm on D.
 
MarshallGoldberg said:
That is true, but generally only if they're also a great team player, not just a dominant individual. Lebron is a great teammate imho. He drives to create shots for his teammates, he plays team defense, he makes everyone on the team better. Also great teammates in terms of leadership and style of play were Magic, Bird, Kareem, and Michael once the triangle was installed and he learned to trust his (better) teammates. There is a reason Russell could beat Wilt until Hannum made him a passer, etc. There may be a few exceptions: Shaq and Kobe could be pretty selfish and won but that was a down era for the league I would argue.

There were plenty of guys who were sort of bad teammates or maybe just plain ball stoppers who scored a ton of points/lead the league in scoring and didn't win a championship. Or in some cases even get to a finals. Tracy McGrady, Adrian Dantley, Pete Maravich, George Gervin, Elvin Hayes, Charles Barkley.

You can be individually great but if you're not great in the flow of your team, you will lose to Golden State this year because they're going to pass circles around you and swarm on D.
Click to expand...

Well truly "great" players do that right? They aren't selfish until they have to be. In fact, wasn't the rap against Lebron for the longest time that he was too unselfish? Great players should make the players around them better.
 
recruitsreadtheseboards said:
Well truly "great" players do that right? They aren't selfish until they have to be. In fact, wasn't the rap against Lebron for the longest time that he was too unselfish? Great players should make the players around them better.
Click to expand...

I agree. I never thought that rap on Lebron was fair. He knows his game and his outside shooting and foul shooting is just not as good as, say, Kyle Korver. Sometimes if he is passing, he's playing the odds, and I don't see anything wrong with that. I don't put him #1 all time but I don't think that's a fair criticism. Jordan had some pretty famous passes to Steve Kerr and John Paxson to win NBA finals instead of forcing it himself; they just happened to make a shot that Korver missed.

The biggest problem the Cavs will have is obviously the defensive end. They can't stop quick guards from penetrating, they can't defend the rim, and they can't close on threes. Maybe LBJ wills them to another finals but I would give the Raptors and the field equally good odds to the Cavs in sort of a 1/3rd ,1/3rd/ 1/3rd sort of way.

The Sixers are so hard to predict because when Embiid is healthy almost no one else plays the same style of game as them in terms of still throwing it in to a big man. Very interesting match up problems for many teams.
 
MarshallGoldberg said:
I agree. I never thought that rap on Lebron was fair. He knows his game and his outside shooting and foul shooting is just not as good as, say, Kyle Korver. Sometimes if he is passing, he's playing the odds, and I don't see anything wrong with that. I don't put him #1 all time but I don't think that's a fair criticism. Jordan had some pretty famous passes to Steve Kerr and John Paxson to win NBA finals instead of forcing it himself; they just happened to make a shot that Korver missed.

The biggest problem the Cavs will have is obviously the defensive end. They can't stop quick guards from penetrating, they can't defend the rim, and they can't close on threes. Maybe LBJ wills them to another finals but I would give the Raptors and the field equally good odds to the Cavs in sort of a 1/3rd ,1/3rd/ 1/3rd sort of way.

The Sixers are so hard to predict because when Embiid is healthy almost no one else plays the same style of game as them in terms of still throwing it in to a big man. Very interesting match up problems for many teams.
Click to expand...

The Sixers are very interesting in the different style that they play when Embiid is on the floor vs when he is not. Obviously when he is in the game like you said they dump in to him on the block and go to work.

With his injury the offense has evolved to a high-paced Spurs like offense. The team basketball they play looks exactly what you see with the great Spurs teams and even what the Warriors are doing right now.

Sam Hinkie deserves a lot of credit for what he did in getting draft pick after draft pick giving the Sixers a chance to take an injured Embiid. However, as someone who hated the Bryan Collangelo move he has done a great job in bringing in people like Bellineli, Redick and Illisova.

50 wins is a great season for any coach but 50 wins for Brett Brown with a rookie PG and a guy who hasn’t even played a full season is down right amazing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lilspainishflea, FireballZ and MarshallGoldberg
We moved here from San Antonio so I always have a little spot for the Spurs. I don't mind Golden State. They sure are fun to watch and I see them, if healthy, coming out of the West. It'd be a lot of fun to see the 76ers come out of the East.

ANYONE but Cleveland.
 
The amazing thing is how much Sam Heinke MISSED on draft picks, but tanking still worked -- Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, Okafor -- these guys are barely acceptable NBA role players apparently. And under the new leadership, Fultz has looked decent but barely played this year. And like I said, it still worked. Really well. No wonder so many teams stuck in the lower middle are gunning for losses. They changed the formula for the lottery next year but still...it'll be tempting.

Sixers still have the Kings? unprotected next year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FireballZ
MarshallGoldberg said:
The amazing thing is how much Sam Heinke MISSED on draft picks, but tanking still worked -- Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, Okafor -- these guys are barely acceptable NBA role players apparently. And under the new leadership, Fultz has looked decent but barely played this year. And like I said, it still worked. Really well. No wonder so many teams stuck in the lower middle are gunning for losses. They changed the formula for the lottery next year but still...it'll be tempting.

Sixers still have the Kings? unprotected next year.
Click to expand...
Thought they just had the Lakers pick this year. Didn't the Kings trade get lost in the draft trade last year to the Celts?
 
Lakers pick stays with 76ers if it is anything but 2-6. In that Case the Celtics get Kings pick as long as it isn’t the first pick in the draft.

The MCW trade was brilliant I’m sure nobody thought they would still have the rights to a draft pick at this time but the value of adding decent talent on a rookie scale while competing is huge.
 
MarshallGoldberg said:
The amazing thing is how much Sam Heinke MISSED on draft picks, but tanking still worked -- Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, Okafor -- these guys are barely acceptable NBA role players apparently. And under the new leadership, Fultz has looked decent but barely played this year. And like I said, it still worked. Really well. No wonder so many teams stuck in the lower middle are gunning for losses. They changed the formula for the lottery next year but still...it'll be tempting.

Sixers still have the Kings? unprotected next year.
Click to expand...

MCW won rookie of the Year and then Junkie traded him for more assets. So that really was not a miss.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jpripper88
PA_Panther said:
What a year in the NBA. The amount of young talent that has taken the next step is unbelievable. Sadly some teams have been derailed by injuries but I think this is going to be some of the best playoff basketball in a long time.

EASTERN Conference
The east seems to be wide open and it’s not because the teams are weak. The Raptors will probably be the favorites to come out of the east but Derozon and Lowry always seem to play like hot garbage come playoff time. They have assembled one of the best bench units in recent years. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the rotations shrinks and starters get more minutes.

The Celtics who I thought had the best team in the conference had their season derailed by injuries to Smart, Hayward and Kyrie. I’m intrigued to see what they can do with a Terry Rozier led team

My Sixers are currently the hottest team in the NBA and Ben Simmons is must watch every time he takes the court. I think that they will make a little noise but are just too young at this point. Hopefully Embiid can get back in time for the playoffs.

Then their is the Cavs, holy cow they can’t ply defense to save their life. Playoff Lebron will come out but honestly they could get bounced in the first round and I wouldn’t be surprised.

The Pacers literally came out of nowhere this year and just PnR people to death. Them Washington and Milwaukee could probably beat anybody.

If you held a gun to my head and pick which team is gonna come out of the East I’ll probably say Toronto this year.

Western Conference

You wanna talk about crazy.. A half game separates the No. 4-7 seeded teams and on top of that Minnesota and Denver are tied for 8th place.

I really think this is a two horse race between Golden State and Houston. I have no clue what the heck is gonna happen because seeding is still to be determined but what Anthony Davis has done without Cousins is downright amazing.

I hope Houston pulls it out and makes the finals because man they are fun to watch and Clint Capella is a big man that everyone needs to watch in D’antoni’s offense.

*Please don’t turn this into a CBB vs. NBA post
Click to expand...
I would add that beating the Cavs Friday was huge. Of they could hold the 3 seed, things coild be a lot easier than the 4 seed.
 
Crimmins27 said:
MCW won rookie of the Year and then Junkie traded him for more assets. So that really was not a miss.
Click to expand...

What they got out of the draft pick is indeed good.

But he's barely an NBA player at this point. The last two years, his minutes have declined to 18 and 16 per game, he is shooting 33% from the field for 4.6 points a game. That was before the season ending shoulder injury.

He's a very nice and smart young guy, but I don't think he'll be around the league much longer.
 
The Sixers are extremely fun to watch. Ben Simmons is 6'11" but moves like a guy that's 6'2". If he ever gets a jump shot, he'll be a Hall of Fame player.

Embiid is another generational talent. Low post footwork like Hakeem but can shoot from the outside. Muhammed Ali-lite in the media (check out his trash talk about guys like Andre Drummond - "Defensively, he doesn't play any defense").

They also added shooters like Reddick and Bellineli which has stopped teams from clogging the paint. Have some glue guys like Saric and Ilyasova. TJ McConnell doesn't get too many minutes anymore but he's from Chartiers Valley and worth rooting for. Won 15 in a row and I think 7 in a row without Embiid. They are the team in the East that absolutely no one wants to play right now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MarshallGoldberg and FireballZ
Jokic with 15 points, 20 rebounds, 11 assists last night. Dude is a box score monster. Still a defensive liability too often though.

But some favorite Joker stat lines from this year. Not sure the last time someone missed an all-star game with numbers like these:
  • 41 points (16-25 from the field), 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks in 31 minutes.
  • 30 points (11-14 from the field), 17 assists, 15 rebounds.
  • 36 points (12-14 from the field), 13 rebounds, 6 assists
  • 29 points (11-18 from the field), 14 assists, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal.
  • 23 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, 1 block.
6th in the NBA in VORP, 5th in box score +/-, 4th in true shooting percentage.

He has more triple doubles than dunks this year (9 vs. 8.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: GrowthHormone and Ronnyp91
MarshallGoldberg said:
Jokic with 15 points, 20 rebounds, 11 assists last night. Dude is a box score monster. Still a defensive liability too often though.

But some favorite Joker stat lines from this year. Not sure the last time someone missed an all-star game with numbers like these:
  • 41 points (16-25 from the field), 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks in 31 minutes.
  • 30 points (11-14 from the field), 17 assists, 15 rebounds.
  • 36 points (12-14 from the field), 13 rebounds, 6 assists
  • 29 points (11-18 from the field), 14 assists, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal.
  • 23 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, 1 block.
6th in the NBA in VORP, 5th in box score +/-, 4th in true shooting percentage.

He has more triple doubles than dunks this year (9 vs. 8.)
Click to expand...

Big game vs the underachieving T-Wolves for the last spot Wednesday. Love Jokic’s game.
 
Last two days are pretty exciting!
Speaking of Thibs teams, one of my favorite moments in recent NBA history:



Thibs: GET BACK TAJ!
Taj: I'M RIGHT HERE! (hands up like "wtf dude")
Thibs: ALRIGHT, GOOD!
 
A few years ago I woulda said that the T’Wolves have one of the brightest futures in the game but man not anymore. Towns is a beast and will continue to get better but man Wiggins just looks lost out there on defense. That contract they gave him will come back to bite them.

They have very little cap space and knowing Thibs he will run those guys straight into the ground. It looks like they will be stuck in the NBA Purgatory of a middling team with poor draft position and no cap money.
 
PA_Panther said:
A few years ago I woulda said that the T’Wolves have one of the brightest futures in the game but man not anymore. Towns is a beast and will continue to get better but man Wiggins just looks lost out there on defense. That contract they gave him will come back to bite them.

They have very little cap space and knowing Thibs he will run those guys straight into the ground. It looks like they will be stuck in the NBA Purgatory of a middling team with poor draft position and no cap money.
Click to expand...

I think you're right. Towns is an average rebounder for his size and a below average defender despite his smart and skilled offensive play. Wiggins I just find frustrating. He may never live up to the hype.
 
I'll say it again after they beat GSW by 38 last night: the Jazz are must-watch. I'm not saying I pick them to win the West... but I might pick them to win the East. They are GOOD.
 
MarshallGoldberg said:
I really enjoy watching this Jazz team and I'm a huge Quin Snyder fan.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/4/10/17217950/quin-snyder-utah-jazz-playoffs-winning-streak
^ a lot of NBA coaching is finding the right rotation. Equal parts GM and Coach I think. They finally nailed it.
Click to expand...

Biggest concern for the Jazz is that they are elite on defense but Mitchell will have to do heavy lifting on offense. Can a rookie do enough in the NBA playoffs? Realistically, probably not.
 
GrowthHormone said:
Biggest concern for the Jazz is that they are elite on defense but Mitchell will have to do heavy lifting on offense. Can a rookie do enough in the NBA playoffs? Realistically, probably not.
Click to expand...
Don't sleep on what Ingles brings. He is a top 3 point shooter but can put it on the floor and generate offense with good ball movement and assists. He does not take bad shots and helps create good looks for everyone else.
 
MarshallGoldberg said:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...gram-emotional-call-up-viral-video/502477002/

Great story. 10 year G league veteran called up for his first NBA game...and what happened next etc etc
Click to expand...

Man, the G League guys only make like $26K a year? Many of these guys would seriously make more than this in college with stipends, perks, meals, room, etc... and that is the legal money. .. So if they open up 1 and done, maybe there wouldn't be that mass exodus of players to the draft as we would think.
 
I'd like to think if i were Kevin Durant I'd donate my salary one year to double the pay of every single WNBA and G league player..
 
Westbrook averages another season long triple double, this one seemed to fly under the radar.
 
Yesterday may have convinced a lot of people you'd rather build a team around Ben Simmons than the Greek freak. I stopped watching when the Sixers were up 70-29.

Great playoffs match ups! Even for round one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M

OT: Bronny

Replies
24
Views
2K
Basketball Board
TD_6082
TD_6082
P

Jaland Lowe NBA

Replies
34
Views
2K
Center Court at the Pete
PittPoker
P
T

Still a path to the playoffs...

Replies
13
Views
960
Between Fifth And Forbes
smenges
smenges
TheWerewolfFromTwilight

Penn State vs Minnesota

Replies
20
Views
1K
Football Board
pierre93
pierre93
P

OT: WPIAL Playoffs / Private Schools

Replies
22
Views
1K
Football Board
Joe the Panther Fan
J
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back