2018-2019 NBA thread

[PokeKitty]

"Kawhi is averaging 38 PPG on 62% shooting so far this series. Jordan averaged over 35 on 60% shooting in one playoff series. LeBron has never done it. Durant has never done it. Kobe never did it. We are witnessing truly one of the best series by a perimeter player."

[xskarma]

"Kawhi is averaging 38 PPG on 62% shooting so far this series. Jordan averaged over 35 on 60% shooting in one playoff series. LeBron has never done it. Durant has never done it. Kobe never did it. We are witnessing truly one of the best series by a perimeter player."

Kawhi is playing out of his mind, and yet the Raptors are tied 2-2 against a Sixers team that has had their best player sick for 2 separate games and who completely blew game 1. Kinda makes you wonder what the hell is going on with the rest of that Raptors team.

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Marcus Smart is back for the Celtics. Hopefully that can inspire the team. Not sure what kind of minutes restriction he is on though (if any).

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Bucks played probably their worst half since game 1, and Celtics still only up by 2. Kyrie and Jayson Tatum picking the absolute worst time to go through a shooting slump.

Celtics need to come out of the locker room on fire and have a good 3rd quarter or else this is in danger of going just like the last game.

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Giannis and Middleton on the bench with foul trouble, Celtics playnig normal rotation, and they turned a 1 point lead into a 4 point deficit. That's just inexcusable. If you can;t beat the Bucks bench with part of your starters out there, then you are bound to get outplayed once the starters get back in fresh.

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News flash: if you play like shit during the regular season and build bad habits, those bad habits will come out again if you are under pressure in the playoffs.

Doesn't help that Kyrie is 19-62 from the field over the last 3 games. For all the talk that Kyrie would have put us over the top last season, here's at least one bit of proof that he wouldn't have.

But he's not alone though. Hayward has been invisible this series, where he was one of the big difference makers last series.

And just in general, when things went south, the defensive effort went down a notch and they stopped playing together on offense. This 4th quarter was especially bad.



I don't know what's going to happen in the offseason, but running this team back as it is now is probably not going to get better results than we saw last year and this year. Just not good enough to compete with a team with a top 5 player that's playing together, unless Brown and Tatum take this season to heart and make amazing leaps forward. Even then I doubt this teams chemistry.

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Rockets-GSW tied at 2 for the series. Harden played out of his mind. Eye looks nasty though, like he's the Terminator.

[Racthoh]

warriors rockets living up to a finals series

2 great looks at the end there to tie it up, how often do one of those go in? if we don't get a 7 game series out of this i'll be super disappointed

[anakin57]

I hope Harden can knock Golden State out this round - that would make for an entertaining finish to the playoffs.

[xskarma]

Philly needs a miracle in the 4th.

[xskarma]

Crazy but serious question: if there was a draft consisting of only Sixers and Raptors players, where would Siakam go?

I'd have a hard time putting him below third right now. Ahead of Butler, ahead of Ben Simmons.

Might be heresy, but I'd take Siakam and his potential for the future over Embiid. Embiid is just never healthy it seems, or not for long when he is. Siakam's limit is Kawhi-esque. Going by who has currently more impact I'd probably still go with Embiid, but from a franchise building perspective, give me Siakam any day.

Siakam vs Simmons is currently not really a debate. Simmons needs to develop a jumper and work his way to have a 3 point shot as well. Siakam has far more potential currently, even if far less hype.

Siakam vs Butler is tricky. Going for right now, I'd probably go with Butler. I like Butler's ability to rise to the occasion. But Butler and Siakam are going in different directions in their career. Butler is who he is and will only get worse form here. Siakam will only get better and he's already damn good.


The way Siakam has looked, being the unquestioned second best player on that Raptors team, is kinda how I hope Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will develop. Which brings me to...

Your Celtics problem comes down to one thing: after playing his cards exactly right for years, Ainge threw down all his chips on Hayward and Kyrie. Neither one of them has really made the team much better because neither is the type of player who can carry a team. One of the best ways to see that is to see how the teams they left did. He should have kept some ammo and gone after Anthony Davis this year.

Cleveland made the finals and lost in 4 games instead of 5.
The Jazz got better after plugging in the #13 draft pick in Gordon's role.

I think Ainge made the right calls when he did what he did. When they made the offer to Hayward they had no idea that Kyrie would be available. When they made the trade for Kyrie, Kyrie was clearly the better and more economical option than keeping the core group with Isiah Thomas intact. And with how Isiah's injury worked out (he's now riding the bench for Denver and was basically not playing at all last year) it worked well in hindsight too.

That being said, I agree that Hayward and Kyrie are not going to push this team to beat the likes of a team that's playing together around a true top 5 player in the league, like Lebron or Giannis (and with how he's currently playing, Kawhi).

I don't think the Anthony Davis dream is dead yet though. There's not many teams that have the players and draftpicks available like the Celtics do. A trade centered around most of the Celtics draft picks they have extra and a combination of Jayson Tatum and/or Jaylen Brown + salary filler could be pretty enticing for the Pelicans.

Much will depend on the Draft Lottery that will happen next week. It will tell us how exactly the draft pick haul for the Celtics will look, and if the coveted Memphis pick will end up converting this year or not. That Memphis pick NOT converting and being available to convert higher next year might make a lot of difference to teams looking to trade with the Celtics.

Then again, Anthony Davis and Kyrie are buddies apparently, so if Kyrie decides to bail after all (after saying he wanted to sign with the Celtics long term at a season ticket holder meeting before this season) that might put a serious dent in the ability to sign Davis to a long term deal.


Honestly though, if Kyrie walks, and Anthony Davis doesn't want to go to Boston, I'm actually okay with just drafting the picks we have and developing them. Last year's team was FAR more fun to watch and follow then this years more star studded team. If we go back to that, and get to watch Tatum and Brown and Smart and any picks we make develop, that's a fun fan experience to me. We'd probably not make it past the second round, but there'd be potential enough to cause some upsets as the players grow.

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These games tonight have not been close.

[Rennadrel]

The Sixers got absolutely demolished last night. They were out of that game by the second quarter. Even when they closed the 21 point gap to 16 in the third, after the time out that Nick Nurse called, they came back out with all guns blazing. Game 5 is always pivotal and shows which direction teams.are going to trend. The Sixers looked about as trash tier as they did in game 1 though, so we will see. The Raptors.need to close it out on Thursday and get some rest because the East final is going to be a grinder.

[xskarma]

and he’s a defensive liability against switches.

On the flip side, he's also a problem for all but the most tough and skilled big men to handle on offense. His size is a dual edged sword, not just a negative.

[xskarma]

The Lakers and Ty Lue brought out opposing statements where each says that they are the one that decided that Ty Lue is not going to be the next coach of the Lakers. Fun times.

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Thankfully it's over now.

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Oh fuck, KD might be hurt. Achilles by the look of it according to the broadcast. That would suck. He's been the best player on the GSW and without him the quality of play in the playoffs takes a pretty significant hit.

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PHEW, bullet dodged. Warriros saying it's a Right Calf strain for KD. Still probably means he won't return to the game though and might miss time.

[PhaelixWW]

Gah... I can hardly breathe.

[xskarma]

Gah... I can hardly breathe.

It might get worse. I follow a former NFL team doctor on twitter, who tweets out stuff about injuries from athletes, and is typically pretty accurate. He's claiming it's probably an achilles tear for KD afterall, cause he feels the way Durant reacted doesn;t jive with a calf tear reaction (the way he planted his foot afterwards etc. etc.).

I hope he's wrong, but his reasoning for why the Warriors would have lied about it (not want to upset the team in the middle of the game) makes some sense.

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Woj said on Scott Van Pelt show or on Sportscentre that severity is unknown, but that Achilles has been ruled out for KD. That's great news.

[Blueobelisk]

Yo I just got an email saying the 2019 NBA Draft is being held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 20th at 7 PM. I finish work (my office is in Brooklyn) at 6 PM so it sounds like the perfect opportunity to go. But it also seems fucking boring and I don't follow/care about college basketball. Anyone think it'll be worth paying for and going too?

[Espo]

Yo I just got an email saying the 2019 NBA Draft is being held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 20th at 7 PM. I finish work (my office is in Brooklyn) at 6 PM so it sounds like the perfect opportunity to go. But it also seems fucking boring and I don't follow/care about college basketball. Anyone think it'll be worth paying for and going too?

While I've only been to the NFL draft, I kind of describe it as going to a baseball game, golf tournament or a car auction like Barret Jackson. It's more fun in person than it is to watch on TV. I typically only watch the draft for the Eagles/Sixers picks in round 1 and catch the rest afterward, but I thought the draft itself was a cool experience. Lots of like-minded people, drinks, food and a bunch of other things going on. Assuming it's at least similar to the NFL draft (smaller in scale of course), it's just a big NBA themed party with a bunch of strangers. I think it's worth checking out once, for the atmosphere, but it isn't something I'd make a habit of.

[Blueobelisk]

I'm really surprised Boston lost the series, to be honest. I know Bucks are the #1 seed and all but for them to lose game 1 and come back, adjust, and sweep is amazing. Not sure why Boston lost. Did they underperform? Injuries? I thought they'd semi-easily make it to the Finals.

While I've only been to the NFL draft, I kind of describe it as going to a baseball game, golf tournament or a car auction like Barret Jackson. It's more fun in person than it is to watch on TV. I typically only watch the draft for the Eagles/Sixers picks in round 1 and catch the rest afterward, but I thought the draft itself was a cool experience. Lots of like-minded people, drinks, food and a bunch of other things going on. Assuming it's at least similar to the NFL draft (smaller in scale of course), it's just a big NBA themed party with a bunch of strangers. I think it's worth checking out once, for the atmosphere, but it isn't something I'd make a habit of.

Wait which year did you go to the NFL draft?

[Espo]

I'm really surprised Boston lost the series, to be honest. I know Bucks are the #1 seed and all but for them to lose game 1 and come back, adjust, and sweep is amazing. Not sure why Boston lost. Did they underperform? Injuries? I thought they'd semi-easily make it to the Finals.



Wait which year did you go to the NFL draft?

2017 when it was in Philly.

[Blueobelisk]

2017 when it was in Philly.

Damn. NFL Draft was in NYC for a long time but I never went. And now it's in other cities. FeelsBadMan

Btw nevermind about possibly going, the ticket prices are ridiculous considering it's not even really entertainment. https://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/000056A3F714C2E1

[Espo]

Damn. NFL Draft was in NYC for a long time but I never went. And now it's in other cities. FeelsBadMan

Btw nevermind about possibly going, the ticket prices are ridiculous considering it's not even really entertainment. https://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/000056A3F714C2E1

Yea it's probably not worth $150+. The NFL draft tickets are a lottery, but at least they're free.

Edit: and are these the two most inconsistent teams in the NBA? Maybe game 2 was competitive? sort of?

[xskarma]

Edit: and are these the two most inconsistent teams in the NBA? Maybe game 2 was competitive? sort of?

Not sure, but good fucking luck to either of these team if they play up and down like this against the Bucks. That's definitely not going to fly.

[xskarma]

I was totally sold on the Raptors a few days ago, but if Lowry keeps playing this poorly it’s gonna be rough for them. If Lowry plays well, we got a battle on our hands.

Embiid, despite pedestrian stats, was +40 in this game. Wow.

The Raptors and most media seemed to make it seem like the problem in Toronto last year was either Lowry OR DeRozan, but I think we can state pretty safely now that the problem was BOTH. They just don't seem to have that playoff killer instinct.

If Lowry fails to show up next game and the Raptors lose, ouch. They'd probably lose Kawhi and not have any choice but to keep Lowry to have some semblance of a team left.

A lot is riding on this for both teams next game, both players and team officials.



Speaking of killer instinct in the playoffs, Dame is starting to go off again. Looking to be another fun 4th quarter in Portland between Nuggets and Blazers.

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If the Rockets beat the Warriors tomorrow night, we'll have THREE game 7's in one night on Sunday. Already have at least 2. Should be a fun night of basketball.

[Espo]

The Raptors and most media seemed to make it seem like the problem in Toronto last year was either Lowry OR DeRozan, but I think we can state pretty safely now that the problem was BOTH. They just don't seem to have that playoff killer instinct.

If Lowry fails to show up next game and the Raptors lose, ouch. They'd probably lose Kawhi and not have any choice but to keep Lowry to have some semblance of a team left.

I may be off base here, but I'm not sure this game even matters for Kawhi. Why would he want to come back to this? He could go join a better supporting cast and more resources on the Clippers and be in his home of LA instead. Or insert a lot of other teams that have the space to sign him and more capable bodies. Hell, the Sixers have the cap space to sign him (not happening, but just an example). Why should he think this situation is going to get any better?

But hey, maybe the Raptors find their way and go on a big run and bring the entire thing home and change the narrative. Stranger things have certainly happened. And who the hell knows what Kawhi really wants anyway? Just some thoughts.