2016-2017 NBA Thread

[Blueobelisk]

Wizards started this game 16-0. Boston didn't score for the first four minutes. And now it's 64-59 with Wiz up at half.

Both teams are young and fast (and bad at grindy defense). It's sort of exciting to watch.

[-aiko-]

SAS in 6
WAS in 7
CLE in 5
GSW in 4 (if LAC)
GSW in 5 (if UTA)

I haven't checked the score but I get it if I'm too late for the WAS/BOS matchup

[Blueobelisk]

Technically you are late, but since Boston won game 1 and you picked the Wizards...I don't think anyone would mind letting you get the pick in. If anyone does mind I guess PM me or post here. Ill accept the pick, unless someone argues against it.

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Rudy Gobert has 3 fouls with 10 mins left in the 2nd quarter lol. GL with that.

[Blueobelisk]

Utah wins in 7.
6/19 people chose Utah. (Pendulous, SL1200, sheffield, Fritters154, Rennedrel, and -aiko.)
2/6 chose Utah in 7. (sheffield and -aiko-. GJ guys.)

The winners of the first round are Pendulous and sheffield with 38 points!

Pendulous had every single team correct. He also had three correct records (GS, HOU, TOR). Congrats to him.
Sheffield had every single team correct. He also got 3 records correct (GS, Utah, CLE). Congrats to him.

Check the spreadsheet in my signature to see your own scores. (They were mostly close enough that it didn't matter. Allerius was 3rd place with 36 points.) If there was a Steve Harvey moment and I didn't count correctly, let me know. (Found round 1, correct team is +4, correct record (provided the team is correct) is +2).

[Pendulous]

I'm at work, but from what I've read, it was the most biased refereeing in a long time. Utah won a 5v8.

[Blueobelisk]

???? I was wondering why they didn't award the MVP player yet. Evidently there's an award show for it this year lol.

http://www.nba.com/NBAawards

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Paul Pierce retires after 19 years yesterday. A moment of silence.

...

Tonight:
TOR @ CLE. 7 PM. TNT.
HOU @ SAS. 9:30 PM. TNT.

Both are pretty much must-watch games. Especially Houston and Spurs.

[PhaelixWW]

Tonight:
TOR @ CLE. 7 PM. TNT.
HOU @ SAS. 9:30 PM. TNT.

Both are pretty much must-watch games. Especially Houston and Spurs.

Of the four regular season matchups, three were decided by 2 points and one by 6 points. This is the playoffs, of course, and Pop is Pop, so I'm not sure the end result is in too much doubt, but I said the same thing before the Spurs/Thunder series last year, too.

[Stommped]

???? I was wondering why they didn't award the MVP player yet. Evidently there's an award show for it this year lol.

http://www.nba.com/NBAawards

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Paul Pierce retires after 19 years yesterday. A moment of silence.

...

Tonight:
TOR @ CLE. 7 PM. TNT.
HOU @ SAS. 9:30 PM. TNT.

Both are pretty much must-watch games. Especially Houston and Spurs.

Rockets and Spurs should be really good but I don't think Cavs and Raps will be that good. Even though the Cavs won in 6 last year, their 4 wins were absolute beat downs, so I don't see how Raps would any kind of mental confidence heading into the series seeing as the teams are basically the same. Cavs won the 4 games last year against the Raps by 31, 19, 38, and 26. Carroll and Lowry just can't really matchup with Lebron and Kyrie

[-aiko-]

I'm not expecting much from the Raptors but would love to be surprised.


Been kinda quiet (busy at work) but man that was a kind of anticlimatic Game 7. Seems like the Clippers had no gas and we controlled the whole game from start to finish. Really happy for the W though. Now on to the Warriors...
I think we could have maybe snuck in two games but with only 1 day to rest/travel I'm worried that we'll get destroyed in Game 1 which will set the pacing for the whole series.

Also, no matter how well we play our defense GSW has too much offensive firepower. I think we can contain the paint but I don't think we can contain Curry, Durant and Thompson...it will be an interesting series but we'll be lucky to get one game I think. Hoping for two though!

[Blueobelisk]

Seems like the Clippers had no gas and we controlled the whole game from start to finish.

It was tied 24-24 at the end of the first quarter. Your boyfriend Rudy Gobert was in trouble with fouls, he had 2 and had to be benched. Then literally within 2 mins of the 2nd quarter he picked up a 3rd foul.

I legit thought Clips were gonna grind the Jazz out.

with only 1 day to rest/travel I'm worried

Don't worry, Golden State is tired too. I'm sure they've been up all night skyping with Chris Paul luring him over to the realms of Oakland.

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Rockets and Spurs should be really good but I don't think Cavs and Raps will be that good. Even though the Cavs won in 6 last year, their 4 wins were absolute beat downs, so I don't see how Raps would any kind of mental confidence heading into the series seeing as the teams are basically the same. Cavs won the 4 games last year against the Raps by 31, 19, 38, and 26. Carroll and Lowry just can't really matchup with Lebron and Kyrie

That was last year. This is this year. As I said when I made my predictions, I think the Cavs looked super weak in the first round this year. I mean, Toronto is kinda garbage too (sorry Rennedrel and jreg) but I'm a little worried for the Cavs. I wanna see GSW vs. CLE Finals Rematch #3.

-----

Btw, since ItachiZaku can list his favorite players, I wanna list the matchups I wanna see the most this year:

1. Golden State Warriors, the super team goldenboy of the current era, vs. San Antonio Spurs, the quiet but technically excellent basketball team.
2. SAS vs. HOU.
3. GSW vs. CLE.

I feel bad for CLE because GS is even fucking better than last year. I see no hope for them. :/ I don't want Golden State to win like this, with KD taking the cheap way out.

But ya SAS HOU is gonna be lit.

-----

Btw, the NBA awards show isn't really showing how they're giving tickets away to go see them...Someone use their twitter account and ask the NBA to hook us up.

[PhaelixWW]

I'm not expecting much from the Raptors but would love to be surprised.

It's funny, though, ESPN's BPI predictions list the Cavs at only a 53% chance to beat the Raptors with the highest odds being on a game 7 win, whereas 538's CARMELO simulations actually give the Raptors a 54% edge over the Cavs to win the series.

Also, no matter how well we play our defense GSW has too much offensive firepower. I think we can contain the paint but I don't think we can contain Curry, Durant and Thompson...it will be an interesting series but we'll be lucky to get one game I think. Hoping for two though!

As a Warriors fan, I have to say that I would much rather have faced the Clippers than the Jazz, to be honest.

ESPN's BPI lists a much higher (37%) chance of a game 5 win for the Warriors, so they think that it's very probable that the Jazz will take at least one game.

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But then somehow, Kyrie also outplayed Curry in the Finals last year.

But remember that Curry was injured. His offensive capability was somewhat diminished, but his defensive ability even more so. Also, Draymond was in tech trouble. And the addition of KD's defensive ability will help to lighten the load on Curry this year.

Honestly, the Warriors are a far better defensive team this year than last, which is easy to say because they're the best defensive team this year... by far.

[jregz]

That was last year. This is this year. As I said when I made my predictions, I think the Cavs looked super weak in the first round this year. I mean, Toronto is kinda garbage too (sorry Rennedrel and jreg) but I'm a little worried for the Cavs. I wanna see GSW vs. CLE Finals Rematch #3.

ayyy trash bros.

On a more serious note, last year was probably the least competitive six game series I've ever seen. Just on point differential alone, the Raptors could be far more competitive this year and lose in four or five.

[Blueobelisk]

Fuck I forgot to change the channel to TNT. Not used to early games. I'm off my game, today.

[Rennadrel]

Rockets and Spurs should be really good but I don't think Cavs and Raps will be that good. Even though the Cavs won in 6 last year, their 4 wins were absolute beat downs, so I don't see how Raps would any kind of mental confidence heading into the series seeing as the teams are basically the same. Cavs won the 4 games last year against the Raps by 31, 19, 38, and 26. Carroll and Lowry just can't really matchup with Lebron and Kyrie

Shut down LeBron and the Raps have a chance, because no one else on the Cavs is playing to their potential right now, not to mention they can't defend worth a shit. I'd like to kick Dwayne Casey for starting JV though, he has been a bum this year and mediocre for most of it, Ibaka and Tucker should be out there and playing more minutes this series if they want a chance at winning. Shut down LeBron and the rest of the team can't stop the Raptors offense for very long.

Also, it doesn't help when the league has rampant whistle bias for fouls by the refs (clearly obvious in the 4th quarter of game 6 against the Bucks when they were calling defensive plays as fouls against the Raptors). I guess you gotta actually pay off the refs rather than just consistently be a good top 3 team in your conference multiple years running in order to get calls your way (it happens to a lot of teams, not just Toronto, I am not that foolish).

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ayyy trash bros.

On a more serious note, last year was probably the least competitive six game series I've ever seen. Just on point differential alone, the Raptors could be far more competitive this year and lose in four or five.

That's pretty much the difference. Toronto's defense is a lot better this year, but the Cavs are bad at defending (and that's what Cleveland writers and broadcasters are even saying, not me). Toronto's problem has been amusingly this playoffs, not so much defense, but scoring consistently and holding onto leads.

[jregz]

So this is a familiar sight...

[Blueobelisk]

Well. Cleveland wins.

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LeBron 35/10. He says he wasn't satisfied because they had 8 days off lol.

[-aiko-]

Leonard looks ready to fucking GO

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Not sure anyone else on the Spurs was ready to go though lol. They gotta get back in it NOW

[Allerius]

Regular season stats don't predict anything accurately. Lebron/Love are both playing better than last year and Deron/Korver are good useful pickups making the Cavs a significantly better team this season. Cavs defense has always been effort and motivation based, they will be fine in the games that matter.

Eastern conference is fucked and I wouldn't be so confident if I was the Warriors either. They gave up a lot for Durant and he isn't the best fit into their system plus integrating an all star optimally always takes a few seasons. Lebron is playing out of his mind and if he keeps making threes then he is literally unstoppable and even the warriors will get rekt.

[Crissi]

Well if this is how the series is gonna go...RIP SA.

[-aiko-]

I wonder if this is what it's like to witness a murder?