Maybe just AD’s health?Yeah adding Hachimura and DAR while bumping Reaves into a significant role were the catalysts to change. What are their catalysts this year….flipping the switch?
OG will guard the opponent's #1 WING threat, which lets the rest of the Knick defenders guard down.Anunoby makes everyone better on D (this doesn't make so much logical sense but somehow he is everywhere in the halfcourt)
I'm hoping they finish 2nd, the Heat finish 6th, the Sixers win the play-in, and we get to see Giannis-Embiid round 1.I'm going to be surprised if this Bucks team gets past the second round. And Miami could absolutely beat them in a 3/6 matchup. Giannis is going to have to be superhuman in any of their playoff series and as we saw last year that's no guarantee.
Heck, if they end up paired against Indy in the first round, I could see them one and done against them as well. Indy is a terrible matchup for them.I'm going to be surprised if this Bucks team gets past the second round. And Miami could absolutely beat them in a 3/6 matchup. Giannis is going to have to be superhuman in any of their playoff series and as we saw last year that's no guarantee.
Yes. But a part of me wants Philly as the 8 seed. Tatum and the Celtics knocking Embiid and the Sixers out of the playoffs for the fourth time in the seven years both those guys made the playoffs would be satisfying.I'm hoping they finish 2nd, the Heat finish 6th, the Sixers win the play-in, and we get to see Giannis-Embiid round 1.
He’s been healthy all year though. Aside from LeBron and DAR the rest of team has underachieved in the non in-season games.Maybe just AD’s health?
Yeah I was/am hoping for the OKC hype train. The Lakers should be a significant favorite in that series I’m hoping it occurs and is as close to a pick as possible.Its funny, I haven't heard one person in the Media say the OKC would beat the Lakers in Round 1. Everyone has the Lakers beating OKC because of their regular season head-to-head, 22-year-olds, & Bron/AD experience.
If they are a #2 vs #7 in Round 1, I wouldn't be surprised if the Lakers were slight favorites.
Miami (because of CES) & the Bucks (because Dame/Giannis) are the Celtics' two biggest threats in the EC regardless of seeding IMO
MVP voting is easy when you just look at vertical leap, skin color, and call it a day!
It was funny when he was showing that chart of guys who had huge on/offs on teams that were also really good.....
dont post this guy please. no one cares what gil thinks
Embiid looked ready to keel over and die the other day, too, and was walking and landing gingerly on that leg. He wasn't trying at all on D, either. Philly wouldn't scare me much at all, having watched Embiid (Despite his decent-good results).Yes. But a part of me wants Philly as the 8 seed. Tatum and the Celtics knocking Embiid and the Sixers out of the playoffs for the fourth time in the seven years both those guys made the playoffs would be satisfying.
Yeah. He’s big. He can shoot. He can pass. He was late or nonexistent everywhere on defense. He’s out of breath a lotEmbiid looked ready to keel over and die the other day, too, and was walking and landing gingerly on that leg. He wasn't trying at all on D, either. Philly wouldn't scare me much at all, having watched Embiid (Despite his decent-good results).
Much like the JAYs were too early with a flawed roster around them a few years ago, the same applies to OKC.He’s been healthy all year though. Aside from LeBron and DAR the rest of team has underachieved in the non in-season games.
Yeah I was/am hoping for the OKC hype train. The Lakers should be a significant favorite in that series I’m hoping it occurs and is as close to a pick as possible.
Not only are they way way WAY too early but they are missing critical elements of a playoff rotation that will be exposed in their lack of interior size and physicality….and already have been even in the regular season.Much like the JAYs were too early with a flawed roster around them a few years ago, the same applies to OKC.
The NBA media will have a ball labeling JDub, SGA, & Chet chokers because they had a great regular season
This always seemed fairly inevitable.East path just got easier. Shame for the Knicks, I really think a healthy squad could have been a threat.
View: https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1775897457102360677?s=42&t=-Ai-mpXJJ05V-SE-SPRBGA
Luka's defense is a perfect mix of not giving a damn combined with a lack of quickness or hops.wow, these Luka defense clips are damning, and they weren't even intended to be.
Shouldn’t rest/rehab allow him to play though? It sounds as though this is purely a business decision which I have no problem with since this is first and foremost a business. The team cannot be happy with this decision however….like legit pissed off and done with him.This always seemed fairly inevitable.
He was out for the season even if with immediate surgery so probably no real harm done by giving the rehab a try.
Not necessarily. When you dislocate your shoulder, you usually tear your anterior/anterior-inferior labrum and also sometimes chip of a piece of bone from your anterior glenoid. If the labral tear and fracture are minor enough, sometimes you are lucky and they will heal and scar down enough to get stability back.Shouldn’t rest/rehab allow him to play though? It sounds as though this is purely a business decision which I have no problem with since this is first and foremost a business. The team cannot be happy with this decision however….like legit pissed off and done with him.
Yeah, Rui was mostly injured, and there were a lot of other injuries to the supporting cast types. Not devastating like losing a superstar would have been so easy to overlook. But not only did it take away key supporting pieces,, but it also seemed to open the door to some questionable decisions by Ham -- namely benching first Reaves and then D Russell, playing Cam Reddish (!) and Taurean Prince way too many minutesYeah adding Hachimura and DAR while bumping Reaves into a significant role were the catalysts to change. What are their catalysts this year….flipping the switch? We saw them do this during the in-season tournament so anyone counting the Lakers completely out well good luck with that. It seems like these are the same people who aren’t considering the Heat a threat to anyone in the playoffs in the East. Playoff basketball is far far different than regular season. I’m really hoping for a Lakers/Thunder series….that will show just how different.
Also known as "The Pierce."Brunson is a hell of a player, but he does that Tre Young sniper head shot cranium snap back thing (TYSHSCSBT) whenever there’s any contact, which makes me hate him.
"Mazzulla is learning and getting better at the stuff we keep saying he needs to get better at" has been one of the most underrated and under-discussed parts of this legendary season.Mike Brown would be getting some heat if he was a Cs coach rn. Knicks are starting to stone the Kings and not a TO in sight
Did you count the dribbles? My favorite thing of the '23-24 regular season is that legions of "film nerds" are now studying end of game ISOs like its the Zapruder film.i’d like to point out once they took a 3 point lead with like 2 minutes to go the sixers abandoned any offensive scheme and just isod maxey every trip
Ham benched Reaves, Dlo, and Rui (Rui also had an early injury) due to them starting the season slowly for Cam Reddish and Taurean Prince. Darvin Ham simply decided that the thing that was incredibly effective through the end of the season/playoffs was not the identity and as soon as he put the playoff starting 5 back as the starters they made the run. That's it, that's literally the big "switch" that they flipped.Yeah adding Hachimura and DAR while bumping Reaves into a significant role were the catalysts to change. What are their catalysts this year….flipping the switch? We saw them do this during the in-season tournament so anyone counting the Lakers completely out well good luck with that. It seems like these are the same people who aren’t considering the Heat a threat to anyone in the playoffs in the East. Playoff basketball is far far different than regular season. I’m really hoping for a Lakers/Thunder series….that will show just how different.
Wait! Did I miss a Laker “run” or something? They’ve beaten a bunch of lottery and play-in teams the past 3 weeks, many by single digits, with their only quality win being against Milwaukee….who just lost 4 of 5 including the last two to Memphis and Washington.Ham benched Reaves, Dlo, and Rui (Rui also had an early injury) due to them starting the season slowly for Cam Reddish and Taurean Prince. Darvin Ham simply decided that the thing that was incredibly effective through the end of the season/playoffs was not the identity and as soon as he put the playoff starting 5 back as the starters they made the run. That's it, that's literally the big "switch" that they flipped.
View: https://twitter.com/jeaniezk/status/1775257074152460595
A little more color on that change, which doesn't even really reflect Prince's ability but him just being placed in a role he's able to be more effective
Shhh, let them delude themselves.Wait! Did I miss a Laker “run” or something? They’ve beaten a bunch of lottery and play-in teams the past 3 weeks, many by single digits, with their only quality win being against Milwaukee….who just lost 4 of 5 including the last two to Memphis and Washington.
They’ve taken care of business in games they have been favored in but I’m talking about flipping the switch like they did during the IST when they approached them like playoff games and executed like it.
I’m a bigger fan of a LeBron/AD playoff team stepping up than I am of the Heat doing so which says a lot! But they certainly haven’t flipped any switch yet nor would I expect them to until the games really mattered.Shhh, let them delude themselves.
It's just a matter of days before Laker Nation starts talking about a rematch with Denver in the WC Finals.
Denver’s bench stinks. It’s 33-year old Reggie Jackson and a whole lot of nothing. Their starters are going to have to eat a whole lot of minutes to make the finals.Denver gets beat and not a peep, hmmm.
Must be a time zone thing, but they probably have the biggest home-court advantage with their altitude. I'm hoping it takes them multiple long series of huge Joker/Murray minutes before the Finals.
Yeah, DEN only playing 20 playoff games last year was a real boost to them, particularly in terms of Murray's health, which sometimes seems to be somewhat tenuous (he's missed the last six games). Hopefully the Cs can get some playoff karma like DEN got last year.Denver gets beat and not a peep, hmmm.
Must be a time zone thing, but they probably have the biggest home-court advantage with their altitude. I'm hoping it takes them multiple long series of huge Joker/Murray minutes before the Finals.
Jokic and Murray are as dangerous of a playoff tandem as there is in the league. Now that Gordon has learned how to play off him the bench isn’t going to be much of a factor except for eating a few minutes each half.Denver’s bench stinks. It’s 33-year old Reggie Jackson and a whole lot of nothing. Their starters are going to have to eat a whole lot of minutes to make the finals.
Agreed, but I'm with Wade, Jamal Murray's health is tenuous at best. We need a bunch of long WC series & Malone running their TOP5 into the ground w/out many choices.Jokic and Murray are as dangerous of a playoff tandem as there is in the league. Now that Gordon has learned how to play off him the bench isn’t going to be much of a factor except for eating a few minutes each half.
Yeah, I’m just saying it’s a heavy burden, and they likely won’t be getting the same cakewalk through the finals they had last year.Jokic and Murray are as dangerous of a playoff tandem as there is in the league. Now that Gordon has learned how to play off him the bench isn’t going to be much of a factor except for eating a few minutes each half.
No def not the west won’t be easy.Yeah, I’m just saying it’s a heavy burden, and they likely won’t be getting the same cakewalk through the finals they had last year.
Jokic won’t be sitting 8 min in the playoffs though. He’ll again be in the low to mid-40’s. If Murray ankle is a problem that obv hurts them a lot but I expect him to be rested until the playoffs and be at full strength. If this weren’t the end of the season he’d probably already be out there.Agreed, but I'm with Wade, Jamal Murray's health is tenuous at best. We need a bunch of long WC series & Malone running their TOP5 into the ground w/out many choices.
Nugget Nation puckers' up when Joker sits for those 8 minutes or when Jamal limps.
You're right, they are going to have to ride Joker hard this year. That bench is pedestrian. Hope the Lakers draw them in R1 since those games were somewhat tight last year. AD, Bron, & Laker rim runs will bump Nikola's wear-n-tearJokic won’t be sitting 8 min in the playoffs though. He’ll again be in the low to mid-40’s. If Murray ankle is a problem that obv hurts them a lot but I expect him to be rested until the playoffs and be at full strength. If this weren’t the end of the season he’d probably already be out there.
Luka is so flashy and looks so good but god do players look worse around Luka. It is weird how a guy who averages ~10 assists a game routinely has guys leave his team and look better for it. It is pretty clear it is better to play with Tatum than Luka, and honestly I don't see a path for Luka to win a Championship as a 1A with Tatum, SGA, Joker, and Wemby in the league.I feel like there is a large overlap between people who would have said Wilt Chamberlain is the best player of his era and people who think Luka is in the top 3 right now...and I think Luka is closer to that than a lot around here, at least conceptually!
It's pretty obvious why when you watch the tape. He literally just stands there if he's not initiating. His screens are a joke.Luka is so flashy and looks so good but god do players look worse around Luka. It is weird how a guy who averages ~10 assists a game routinely has guys leave his team and look better for it. It is pretty clear it is better to play with Tatum than Luka, and honestly I don't see a path for Luka to win a Championship as a 1A with Tatum, SGA, Joker, and Wemby in the league.
I completely agree on Durant. I actually started a post the other day to argue Durant was (while historically awesome) also overrated relative to others who he's often mentioned with. That's a relative statement---he's one of the 20 greatest players of all time--but may be the only one of those 20 who isn't actually a great 'alpha' on a team. W hich, which I know some will argue, I beleive is the reality of Durant especially todayIt's pretty obvious why when you watch the tape. He literally just stands there if he's not initiating. His screens are a joke.
Now, one might say "oh, well he obviously needs to rest if he's initiating on the other possessions." To which the obvious response is "huh, maybe my-turn-your-turn offense isn't actually as valuable as holistic offense, including screening and movement, that stresses the defense more continuously?"
I will die on the hill of Tatum being a better offensive player than Luka, particularly if you have good surrounding players. Personality....quirks...aside, I think Tatum+Kyrie would destroy the league.
Durant has a similar issue to Luka, in terms of his overall impact being less than you'd think based on his numbers, due to not stressing the defense as much when he's not initiating.
i think people were discussing it because this video was posted a few posts upThinking Basketball piece on Luka which (without having yet watched the whole thing) touches on a lot of the stuff written here: View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dZfufGaRhHg