2023-2024 NBA Thread

[ProphetFlume]

If warriors and the celtics turn out to be the only teams to sweep in round 1 do they become the finals favorites?

[PhaelixWW]

If warriors and the celtics turn out to be the only teams to sweep in round 1 do they become the finals favorites?

Who says they're not already?

[ProphetFlume]

Who says they're not already?

What did it look like after the play-in but before the round started?

[PhaelixWW]

What did it look like after the play-in but before the round started?

A quick google search gets me:


Draft Kings:

• Suns: +255
• Bucks: +475
• Nets: +600
• Celtics: +850
• Warriors: +850
• Heat: +1000

SportsBettingDime.com:

• Suns: +250
• Bucks: +475
• Celtics: +800
• Warriors: +850
• Nets: +900
• Heat: +1000

FOX Bet:

• Suns: +275
• Bucks: +500
• Nets: +700
• Celtics: +800
• Warriors: +800
• Heat: +1000

I have no idea how reputable those oddsmakers are, but that was the limit of my 5 minute search.

Edit: 538's "advanced" analytics (which have been off a bunch recently), has this for their predictions as of April 10th, before play-in (though I'm not sure the play-in would change much there).

[xskarma]

With everyone piling on Ben Simmons, I think it's about time we acknowledged that he is still a very good basketball players, within his limitations. I think next season he'll surprise people with how well he plays once he's had a full off season to get ready for and integrate with a team that wants him.

That's my hot take at least.

(and trust me I think Ben Simmons is soft, and a poser, but the opinions on him have gone WAY too far now. I totally think he's actually hurt right now and can't play or he would have. There's no reason for him not to have suited up by now unless he was hurt.)

[PhaelixWW]

Wow. The Suns are just playing sloppy right now. And CP3 is maybe gonna pick up a flagrant 2?

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What a chippy end to game 4 in New Orleans. But what an impressive victory for the Pelicans.

[xskarma]

Wow. The Suns are just playing sloppy right now. And CP3 is maybe gonna pick up a flagrant 2?

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What a chippy end to game 4 in New Orleans. But what an impressive victory for the Pelicans.

Suns are in trouble without Booker. Next game will be telling if they can stop N.O. momentum. I'm sure their team will be more composed and focused next game, but will that be enough? Pels look like they BELIEVE and the Suns very much looked like doubt crept in.

Going to be a fun one.



Also, that side of the bracket in the West might be a complete toss up where all 4 teams might make it to the Conference Finals now. Warriors must be licking their chops at the thought of that. Contrast that with the East where it's looking like a 4-way rock fight with no easy outs for any teams.

[PhaelixWW]

Also, that side of the bracket in the West might be a complete toss up where all 4 teams might make it to the Conference Finals now. Warriors must be licking their chops at the thought of that. Contrast that with the East where it's looking like a 4-way rock fight with no easy outs for any teams.

Indeed. I took for granted that the Warriors were going to have to fight through Memphis and Phoenix on their way to a potential Finals appearance, but... those are hardly certainties now.

And nobody aside from those two teams owns home court advantage over the Dubs, so...

[xskarma]

lmao this is great. I love the Gallagher/Isaac Lee combo, they have done some great songs, and this one delivers again too.

https://twitter.com/jga41agher/statu...34894168981506

And then tonight Alvarado did it again.

https://twitter.com/SLAMonline/statu...45246727737344


Fun guy when you see it in sequence like that. Doubt he'll keep getting away with it long term, but incredible to have a signature move like this while being so young.

[ProphetFlume]

Wow. The Suns are just playing sloppy right now. And CP3 is maybe gonna pick up a flagrant 2?

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What a chippy end to game 4 in New Orleans. But what an impressive victory for the Pelicans.

This is the only NO game I’ve watched this season so grain of salt, etc, but it seemed like they were playing at peak for like 40 of those minutes -especially the first quarter where every 3 was dropping- not sure they can keep that level of consistency.

On the other side Hunter was killing his own team with the missed passes and turnovers. Early on they talked about Crowder trying to Rodman NO and just mess with their heads to draw fouls, and it worked for a bit, but then the Pelicans adjusted and turned it back on him pretty quick to where he was in foul trouble in the 2nd. Pretty impressive.

[PhaelixWW]

This is the only NO game I’ve watched this season so grain of salt, etc, but it seemed like they were playing at peak for like 40 of those minutes -especially the first quarter where every 3 was dropping- not sure they can keep that level of consistency.

Counterpoint: The Pels have outscored the Suns in this series. They won a game on the road in Phoenix, and only barely lost Game 3 at home. And the Suns only comfortable win was with Devin Booker who is almost certainly out for the remainder of the series.

For a 36-win team against a 64-win team...

Pretty impressive.

Yup.

[xskarma]

I was going to post a while rant about Scott Foster being the worst, but I decided I shouldn;t post in the heat of the moment. So I rewatched the whole Celtics-Nets game from tonight and honestly Scott Foster is the worst, but he was mostly the worst going both ways.

That last foul on Tatum was still utter bull though and it could have cost us the game. Thankfully it didn't.

Going to assume Bucks up next, assuming they can close it out next game. Looking forward to that one, with having homecourt advantage over them cause they ducked the Nets and Celtics didn't.


Also, if the Sixers keep playing like this it will be the biggest upset in the first round. Going to assume they get their act together in at least 1 game though. But it does not make me feel great about their chances of wearing the Heat out in a nice long series let alone winning the way they seem to be doing right now.

It would be kind of ironic though if after allllllllllll the media hype and speculation of The Trade and who "won" it, that both teams would end up getting knocked out in the first round. xD

[ProphetFlume]

Props to the Celtics for being only only team to sweep; it’s hard to stay mentally aggressive when you have a big lead.

Also, if the Sixers keep playing like this it will be the biggest upset in the first round.

I don’t think any first round upset could be bigger than pelicans knocking out Suns.

[Rennadrel]

*closes book*

Well with the Sixers no longer getting away with the egregious flops, travels and fouls, we have a series. It's amazing that Embiid is an even bigger bitch than he was when he cried his overrated ass off our court in 2019 when The Claw made the shot. And even back then he flopped a lot harder than the worst soccer players. What I saw in game 1 and 2 was a disgrace to basketball and Sixers fans should be embarrassed.

[xskarma]

Well with the Sixers no longer getting away with the egregious flops, travels and fouls, we have a series. It's amazing that Embiid is an even bigger bitch than he was when he cried his overrated ass off our court in 2019 when The Claw made the shot. And even back then he flopped a lot harder than the worst soccer players. What I saw in game 1 and 2 was a disgrace to basketball and Sixers fans should be embarrassed.

Dude, you had Kyle Lowry for like 8 years, you have no rights to talk about flopping, even if he left for Miami this year. Raptors fans relished in his flops and theatre the whole time he was there and now suddenly other players embellishing fouls is a problem? Come on.

[xmirrors]

I've been busy dooming from the Hawks getting ready for their first round exit but am finally starting to catch up. First thought: ouch, I think the Jazz are ready to be blown up. I don't follow the team too much but I just caught up on their recent blowout loss. They might say otherwise but I think there is definitely something going on chemistry-wise. I wonder where Gobert and Mitchell will end up?

[Espo]

Dude, you had Kyle Lowry for like 8 years, you have no rights to talk about flopping, even if he left for Miami this year. Raptors fans relished in his flops and theatre the whole time he was there and now suddenly other players embellishing fouls is a problem? Come on.

100%--not to mention the Raps got a gift from Scott Foster in game 4 (though I wouldn't blame him for the loss--he just did his usual thing--the same thing he tried to do to the Celtics/Nets, but the Celtics are just too damn good to let that slow them down). A little bit of hypocrisy from Raptors' fans throwing any ref shit out there at this point.

Real talk though--Rennadrel isn't giving the Raps enough credit. They're hustling hard out there and losing FVV is a big reason they're coming back--he's a huge liability against the Sixers with how small he is. Their big lineup is cooking--offensively and defensively (I'd argue they're playing Celtics-esque defense right now) and aren't giving quite as many free looks to Maxey/Tobias/Green/etc as they did early on (but the Sixers aren't hitting the ones that are free, either). You're seeing the Nurse vs Doc dynamic play out as you'd usually expect--great adjustments from one and not the other. But the Sixers just look lethargic out there right now. The officiating isn't why the series turned or why it started the way it did. It impacts the game, obviously, but good teams push through it.

The Sixers did what they've done all season--when they come out hot and get a jump on a team, they have the swagger of the Warriors, but when they get punched in the mouth--they fold quick. Not a lot of mental toughness on the team right now. It's why I called them a second round exit (I may not be right on that one though, hah).

[PhaelixWW]

Alvarado getting under CP3's skin again. Another 8 second violation for Chris Paul.

[Rennadrel]

100%--not to mention the Raps got a gift from Scott Foster in game 4 (though I wouldn't blame him for the loss--he just did his usual thing--the same thing he tried to do to the Celtics/Nets, but the Celtics are just too damn good to let that slow them down). A little bit of hypocrisy from Raptors' fans throwing any ref shit out there at this point.

Real talk though--Rennadrel isn't giving the Raps enough credit. They're hustling hard out there and losing FVV is a big reason they're coming back--he's a huge liability against the Sixers with how small he is. Their big lineup is cooking--offensively and defensively (I'd argue they're playing Celtics-esque defense right now) and aren't giving quite as many free looks to Maxey/Tobias/Green/etc as they did early on (but the Sixers aren't hitting the ones that are free, either). You're seeing the Nurse vs Doc dynamic play out as you'd usually expect--great adjustments from one and not the other. But the Sixers just look lethargic out there right now. The officiating isn't why the series turned or why it started the way it did. It impacts the game, obviously, but good teams push through it.

The Sixers did what they've done all season--when they come out hot and get a jump on a team, they have the swagger of the Warriors, but when they get punched in the mouth--they fold quick. Not a lot of mental toughness on the team right now. It's why I called them a second round exit (I may not be right on that one though, hah).

I'm aware of the disadvantages FVV brings to the team due to his lack of size, but he's still a good player. It's definitely a blessing in disguise since he's a detriment against teams with a lot more length than him. Not that he's a bad player, he'd be great if he was a few inches taller! I love the guy and his work ethic, but he is definitely at a disadvantage. Looking forward to tomorrow's game, it should be interesting to see whether the Sixers respond or will they wilt away under pressure again? The momentum is so heavily in the Raptors favour right now, and I think Nick Nurse knows exactly how he needs to attack the opposition to get the results that he wants.

[xskarma]

Warriors looked a little mortal at times, but still got it done easily enough. 3 series left to conclude.



Phoenix - New Orleans = I'd say 80% Phoenix, especially with news that Booker should be back for Game 6 or 7.

Dallas - Utah = Advantage Dallas. Especially with Mitchell being hurt on both legs. I'd say 70% Dallas.

Toronto - Philly = Ohhhhh boy. I'm giving this a 50/50, but honestly I can't imagine that a team with Embiid and Harden won't get it's act together for 1 good game on 4 different attempts. Even Doc Rivers can't hold a team back that much.

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I'm aware of the disadvantages FVV brings to the team due to his lack of size, but he's still a good player.

FVV at point for you guys is like the Celtics with Kemba and Kyrie and IT. Yes it works, and you take for granted they get picked on on the defensive side, because of what they bring on the offensive side.

But as someone watching the Celtics this season, I don't want to go back to those days again. Give me a bigger, sturdier PG who can hold his own (or more ) on defense and watch your team suddenly being able to do AMAZING things on defense.

And yes the offense will struggle, but if you make the change at the start of the year and have the team figure it out along the way, it pays HUGE dividends in the playoffs when teams can no longer pick on your weak link over and over and over.

Smart is not the offensive threat that Kemba or Kyrie or IT was, and maybe it only works because he is literal DPOY material at the position, but he's so good defensively and has grown up so much offensively as an initiator and distributor that it works out as a definite net positive.



Not saying you should keep FVV out of your starting line up even if he returns, but next year, might definitely be worth considering moving on and trading him, if you can get someone to fill in at PG with better size and defensive ability. I'm sure Nurse can figure out an offense with what you have.

(honestly though if you suggested this to me when Kemba and Kyrie and IT were still playing well, I would have shut the idea down too, so I won;t blame you if you do, but, trust me there's serious benefits.)