2023-2024 NBA Thread

[StillMcfuu]

I've also caught a little bit of Pat Bev on ESPN and I could really go for a Reddick+Bev show, they can call it 3 and D.

[PhaelixWW]

I've also caught a little bit of Pat Bev on ESPN and I could really go for a Reddick+Bev show, they can call it 3 and D.

I'd watch that.

[ProphetFlume]

But please not Boston this year, still hasn't been long enough for them to progress from annoying (NFL) dynasty city to plucky underdogs.

Unlike Miami or GS? So for you it’s just Mavs?

[xskarma]

"Al Horford (health and safety protocols) and Marcus Smart (sprained foot) have both been ruled out of Game 1, per the Celtics."

-_-

[PhaelixWW]

"Al Horford (health and safety protocols) and Marcus Smart (sprained foot) have both been ruled out of Game 1, per the Celtics."

-_-

At least it's an away game? You figure the expectation is that teams are going to lose the away games. Celtics have to win at least one away game to move on, but it doesn't have to be this one.

But the idea of potentially losing a home game because you're down players, especially when you're the lower seed, would be... much worse.

[xskarma]

At least it's an away game? You figure the expectation is that teams are going to lose the away games. Celtics have to win at least one away game to move on, but it doesn't have to be this one.

But the idea of potentially losing a home game because you're down players, especially when you're the lower seed, would be... much worse.

Mostly worried about the length of each guy's absence as well as the more obvious problem of the COVID spreading (again). Celtics have had multiple players get infected every time 1 got it. Like on most teams it's almost impossible to not have close contacts with other players while on a team/in a lockerroom/while traveling.

If Horford's case is serious or it spreads, we are looking at impact way beyond this game.


It's also just the next instance in a long history of having players being out for important Playoff series. The term "The Hospital Celtics" exists for a reason.

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Orlando Magic get the first pick in the NBA draft this season. Happy for them. They have some fun players, and I'd rather they get it then OKC or Houston who have deliberately tanked for years. At least the Magic (as of right now) have not done that strategy and are just bad after blowing it up last season.

[PhaelixWW]

What a rough start to the second half for the Celtics. Things were looking good for them before that.

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This is brutal. Heat just had a 44-14 run over the last 14 minutes.

[ProphetFlume]

Hell of a halftime pep talk by spoelstra. Every time I think about him I think about lebron not trusting his coaching and wanting Riley to come out of retirement, and what things would’ve been like had he kept his talents in south beach.

[xskarma]

Well, this is kind of the expected result, but the way we got here was brutal.

I hope Marcus and Al can get back quickly cause there's no way the Celtics win this with their bench having to play significant minutes in crucial moments of the game.

There was a stretch in the late 3rd and early 4th where Payton Pritchard was having to create his own shot and being relied on to play actual point guard and Aaron Nesmith was getting serious run on both ends of the floor. That's not the players that should have these roles in the ECF. Even Theis being used as the back up C is not great. The Heat are not a great match up for him as proven by the abuse he took in the Bubble from them.

So, away game, 2 days after a game 7, with 2 starters out, you expect to lose, but I'm praying to whatever Basketball Deity there might be that we can play the rest of the series at full strength, on BOTH teams. Cause the Heat look a lot different with Lowry out there too. (much as I hate him)

[StillMcfuu]

Jimmy Buckets really does play like a whole different animal in the playoffs.

[xskarma]

Ime Udoka took a press conference off due to "Non-Covid Flu like symptoms" which has happened before in most spots as a precursor to "oh oops, Covid afterall" shortly after that.

I think the Celtics have an outbreak looming and I'm gutted. This was the year.

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GSW look like the better team in this match up. Luka magic is going to steal a game or 2, but unless the Mavs show hidden depths beyond Luka, I don;t think they have enough firepower to hang with motivated and locked in Curry and co.

[PhaelixWW]

GSW look like the better team in this match up. Luka magic is going to steal a game or 2, but unless the Mavs show hidden depths beyond Luka, I don;t think they have enough firepower to hang with motivated and locked in Curry and co.

I know it's only Game 1, but Dallas got absolutely handled.

Somehow I doubt it's going to be like that the whole series, though.

[ProphetFlume]

GSW look like the better team in this match up. Luka magic is going to steal a game or 2, but unless the Mavs show hidden depths beyond Luka, I don;t think they have enough firepower to hang with motivated and locked in Curry and co.

You could’ve said the exact same after the first or second game vs the suns

[Northern Goblin]

The Dubs biggest problem is always themselves. They'll get comfy ahead in a series and just shut off and try to coast, then they get their arses handed to them and either wake up or go into a total panic and blow a series.

Hoping G5 vs the Grizzlies was their wake up call.

[PhaelixWW]

The Dubs biggest problem is always themselves. They'll get comfy ahead in a series and just shut off and try to coast, then they get their arses handed to them and either wake up or go into a total panic and blow a series.

To be fair, though, how many series have they won (even if they have to scramble to do so) vs how many have the blown?

I mean, since the 2014-15 season, they've obviously only lost two series, both of which were Finals. They never led in the 2018-19 Finals against the Raptors before the loss of KD and Klay just demolished them. The only real failure to catch back up after an early series lead was notably in the 2015-16 Finals against the Cavs.

But they're 20 and 2 in playoff series in the last 8 years (86 and 31 in individual games). They've only had three Game 7s in that time, two of which they won, including the series against the Russ/KD Thunder in 2015-16 where they were down 3-1 before coming back to win only to then fall to the Cavs in the Finals after being up 3-1. That was also the 73-win season, of course.

This is not to disagree with your overall point, however, which is otherwise entirely accurate.

[Northern Goblin]

To be fair, though, how many series have they won (even if they have to scramble to do so) vs how many have the blown?

I mean, since the 2014-15 season, they've obviously only lost two series, both of which were Finals. They never led in the 2018-19 Finals against the Raptors before the loss of KD and Klay just demolished them. The only real failure to catch back up after an early series lead was notably in the 2015-16 Finals against the Cavs.

But they're 20 and 2 in playoff series in the last 8 years (86 and 31 in individual games). They've only had three Game 7s in that time, two of which they won, including the series against the Russ/KD Thunder in 2015-16 where they were down 3-1 before coming back to win only to then fall to the Cavs in the Finals after being up 3-1. That was also the 73-win season, of course.

This is not to disagree with your overall point, however, which is otherwise entirely accurate.

More often than not they recover, but when they blow it, they blow it spectacularly. The 3-1 lead was the most notorious, but so many series they've had have gone to game 7 when they had no right to.

[PhaelixWW]

More often than not they recover, but when they blow it, they blow it spectacularly. The 3-1 lead was the most notorious, but so many series they've had have gone to game 7 when they had no right to.

Uh, did you not read what I wrote? They've had only 3 Game 7s in the last 22 playoff series going back 8 years.

The only loss was the Finals breakdown against the Cavs, which I already mentioned. The series before that, they actually never had a lead until they won Game 7. The only other Game 7 was against the Rockets in 2017-18 WCF, where they started 2-1, went down 3-2, then won 4-3.

but that's three series out of 22. I don't know how you can say "so many series" going to 7 games.

Again, during the last 8 years, they've played 117 playoff games and only faced elimination in 8 of those. Of those 8, they won 6.

On the other hand, they've had six 4-0 sweeps and seven 4-1 series wins.

[Northern Goblin]

Uh, did you not read what I wrote? They've had only 3 Game 7s in the last 22 playoff series going back 8 years.

The only loss was the Finals breakdown against the Cavs, which I already mentioned. The series before that, they actually never had a lead until they won Game 7. The only other Game 7 was against the Rockets in 2017-18 WCF, where they started 2-1, went down 3-2, then won 4-3.

but that's three series out of 22. I don't know how you can say "so many series" going to 7 games.

Again, during the last 8 years, they've played 117 playoff games and only faced elimination in 8 of those. Of those 8, they won 6.

On the other hand, they've had six 4-0 sweeps and seven 4-1 series wins.

I counted the one against the clippers in 2013/2014 as well for a fourth. Admittedly I thought a couple of the six game series were seven game ones, they just felt that long because of losses that should have ended the series 4-1 got dragged out an extra game, notably the game 5 loss against the Clippers in 2018/2019 and the 2012 series against the Nuggets.

[xskarma]

Well, I'm not one for conspiracies, but I won;t blame the Heat fans for having some doubts about Al Horford's sudden magical rehabilitation before game 2.

Especially with Derrick White out, and Marcus Smart not 100% sure how healthy he is, this is a MASSIVE game changer.

Basically no excuses tonight for a poor performance.

[PhaelixWW]

I counted the one against the clippers in 2013/2014 as well for a fourth. Admittedly I thought a couple of the six game series were seven game ones, they just felt that long because of losses that should have ended the series 4-1 got dragged out an extra game, notably the game 5 loss against the Clippers in 2018/2019 and the 2012 series against the Nuggets.

Those were both road losses to a higher seed. That's not the same thing at all.

The 7 game series against the Clippers was 2-2 after the first four games, with both teams winning an away game. Then the remaining three games played out with the home team winning. That's pretty standard. At no point in that series were the Warriors really "ahead" and could be accused of taking the foot off the gas because they were celebrating too early. [Wrong Clippers Game 5...]

Okay, you may have a point about the 2018-19 Clippers series. It was definitely a weird series, since 5 of the 6 games were won by the away team. Perhaps somewhat understandably, they were thrilled to have won those two games in LA after losing Game 2 in Oakland. Especially since they were leading by as many as 36 points in Game 3 en route to a blowout 27-point victory.

Still, the Warriors rolled to an easy series win in Game 6. I actually recall that there was a huge amount of hype for Game 5 with the expectation of a home win to ice the series (since it was the final season at Oracle), and that expectation probably played into the lack of intensity for the Dubs.

As for the series against the Nuggets in 12-13, the Warriors won that series, even as the lower seed. They won it by stealing a road win in Game 2. And ultimately, that was before the Splash Brothers really got rolling, which is why I didn't count it. It's hard to claim that they were expecting to win so much when they were underdogs at the time.

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Well, I'm not one for conspiracies, but I won;t blame the Heat fans for having some doubts about Al Horford's sudden magical rehabilitation before game 2.

"Say what? All I need are two negative tests and then I can play?

Go get me 100 of the least accurate test out there!"

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This is really not looking good for Miami. Hard to believe the Heat were actually up 10 early, since they're now down 27 with 3 minutes still left to play in the first half.