2024-2025 NBA Thread

[xskarma]

Random pet peeve - espn.com, which used to be the #1 spot for sports news, is now utter shit. Any good article is behind a paywall so even cbssports has better content these days. If you’re looking for stats their interface is clunky - today I had to click on “show all stats” because apparently they don’t think anyone wants to see how many blocks Wembanyama has. And the when the scores appear on screen there are certain games that just say “LIVE” and you can’t see the score unless you click on them (my assumption is they hope you get sidetracked into watching the game). I think it’s time to wipe my memory of knowledge about the site. End of an icon - used to have page 2 and Grantland ffs, what the hell happened?

Same reason Music Television no longer actually plays music. It's all "entertainment" now, which means it's about all the surrounding drama, not the actual supposed main theme. ESPN would rather you check their page for gossip and the personal interest than the sports they are meant to cover. I guess the thinking is that anyone can post scores and stats, but only a high profile outfit like them has access to the people behind the stats, so they try to squeeze content from that. Which then leads to it all being more about the players and whatever drama surrounds them (or can be manufactured...) instead of the thing people know them for.

Reminds me of how literally every player in whatever sports draft now leads to a stage interview afetr they get drafted and being asked about some tearjerk story in their past. Who the hell cares? It's just a cheap trick, and the player is 100% nto going to want to talk about it right at that moment. They want to celebrate and enjoy this huge moment, not be reminded of that time they lived in their mom's car for 3 weeks when they were a pre-teen.

[StillMcfuu]

Man, that Clippers move seems genius now.

[xskarma]

Man, that Clippers move seems genius now.

Yeah, and so does extending Kahwi. But, let's revisit at the end of the season. If they are still healthy by then, it will have paid off. At the moment it's "only" an encouraging start.

[Logwyn]

Steph with 60 points. Watch the first basket on this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEDzshBIQOk

This is what's wrong with the NBA. Steph is guarded by a bigger guy who beats him down the floor. At the foul line, Steph runs into the defender and pushes off off with his left arm, then goes to the hoop as defender falls backwards. The defender swipes at the ball as he's falling backwards, and to me looks like he got mostly/all ball. Foul on defender, Steph makes the basket (replay 20 seconds in for a better view).

Defenders have to have a chance. This is getting ridiculous. Seems like they solved the problem of "it's too easy to get fouled at the three point line, and too hard in the paint" by just making it too easy to draw a foul everywhere. When you have 6'2" guys who can't jump fearlessly driving to the hoop and getting uncontested layups because you can just run into the defender and he can't breath on you or it's a foul, then things have gone too far.

Steph is shooting 71% from 0-3 feet this year, after shooting 76% last year. Those are Lebron numbers. Steph is a 35 year old 6'2" pg who was never a jumper - his career average prior to these past two years was 64%. It doesn't make sense.

To look at league wide numbers, the league average is 69.5% from 0-3 feet. 10 years ago it was 63.6%. In 2008 it was 60.7%. They've outlawed defense.

I just follow the NBA here and there. This right here is why I'd rather watch Women's College Basketball. Defense and teamwork. Look at the joke of the NBA All-Star Game 211? and 186? WTF?

[Logwyn]

I was just watching a men's game this weekend and thinking the same thing - much more competitive than the NBA. Defense is allowed.

Sad really. Just more ammo for the Jordan, Byrd, Magic, Kareem, and Garnett would beat any 5 of today's NBA by 50.

[Logwyn]

I don’t believe that - I think today’s players are way better than ever (go back and look at how slow Ewing was in the 90s and tell me he could play today). I just think they’ve broken defense.

Lebron vs Jordan would be a rout. Jordan couldn’t guard Magic (they had to switch Pippen on him) and Lebron is waaaay more athletic and stronger than Magic. If you play 90s style, Lebron’s size wins. If you play 2015 style, Lebron’s passing wins.

Why would you put Jordan on Lebron to begin with? Where did Ewing even come from?

[Pendulous]

https://youtu.be/QO9pK6BlsQ8?si=ikE9b1skhaiDjOpP

Yes, yes, amazing dunk. But again, NBA 2024 complaint. How the hell is this a foul on Collins (which is what was called)? He sets up outside of the ridiculous circle near the hoop, Edward jumps directly into him, using his off hand to hit Collins in the head (which seems to have hurt Collins and also dislocated Edwards' finger). All Collins does is jump straight up and then crumple to the ground after he gets hit in the head. And it's called a foul. Defenders have to have a chance, this is ridiculous.

I'm biased here for this play, but it's very clear that the NBA doesn't know how to call fouls. So many examples every week.

[xskarma]

Regular season is officially over.

2024 Eastern Conference Playoffs:

1. BOS
2. NYK
3. MIL
4. CLE
5. ORL
6. IND

7. PHI
8. MIA
9. CHI
10. ATL

1. BOS vs 8. PHI/MIA/CHI/ATL
4. CLE vs 5. ORL
3. MIL vs 6. IND
2. NYK vs 7. PHI/MIA

2024 Western Conference Playoffs:

1. OKC
2. DEN
3. MIN
4. LAC
5. DAL
6. PHX

7. NOP
8. LAL
9. SAC
10. GSW

1. OKC vs. 8. NOP/LAL/SAC/GSW
4. LAC vs 5. DAL
3. MIN vs 6. PHX
2. DEN vs 7. NOP/LAL

[ProphetFlume]

Wild that the thunder won west’s top seed.

And there were almost as many games between the 1 and 2 seed in the east (14) as the 1 and 11 seed in the west (16).

[-aiko-]

Get fucked Warriors

[xskarma]

Man, that Clippers move seems genius now.

Yeah, and so does extending Kahwi. But, let's revisit at the end of the season. If they are still healthy by then, it will have paid off. At the moment it's "only" an encouraging start.

Kawhi out for Game 4 and in doubt for beyond that. Seems like we'll just never see this Clippers team healthy for 1 full run.


As to the future, Clippers might be screwed after signing the extention with Kawhi, cause it seems very likely they'll be stuck with him and see Paul George flee to the Sixers in the offseason.

Not sure if Paul George is not just trading one injury prone partner for another though...

[StillMcfuu]

Kawhi out for Game 4 and in doubt for beyond that. Seems like we'll just never see this Clippers team healthy for 1 full run.


As to the future, Clippers might be screwed after signing the extention with Kawhi, cause it seems very likely they'll be stuck with him and see Paul George flee to the Sixers in the offseason.

Not sure if Paul George is not just trading one injury prone partner for another though...

I don't have faith in PG the same way people remember his time in Indy. I just think he is wildly inconsistent, to the point that he is scary to have on a team. I hope the Sixers don't go with him. I think it's important to not let PG off the hook, he is an injury prone teammate.

It's unfortunate the Clips didn't come together a little bit better, granted it's far from over right now (I'm posting in the future lol). Speaking of Kawhi, I'm curious why we don't criticize him for his "legacy" like we do all other players. I constantly give shit to Embiid for inventing injuries and becoming a bench center in playoffs, but here he is busting his ass with stroke face. Kawhi had 2 championship runs, with teams far better than most NBA teams, under masterful coaches and front offices. And now he's on the Clippers, with what should be a great team, great coach, great front office, what's the deal with the Clippers?

Might as well go in on the whole playoffs so far.

I can't tell if the Mavs are overperforming or underperforming. It's an odd thought. I love Kyrie and Luka with an athletic cast. I think Mavs have something special with those 2 so I hope this offseason builds on that, regardless of how the playoffs shake out.

We all knew the Sun's were going to suck, but I definitely think this playoffs is the swan-song for Durant, I think he is going to fall more into a Ray Allen role from here on out.

Twolves need to win this year or next, otherwise I feel Ant is going to leave because Minnesota, the typical reasons. We don't give Steph/Warriors credit for this, but Warriors were a small market, non-trade destination, and Steph changed that. I think Wolves are in a 2014 Warriors situation on the precipice of a dynasty ... or being a small market 30 win team.

Knicks are ... overperforming even with Embiid injured and no Randall to throw at him. Annonoby(I can't spell his name) and Hart are doing crazy work. The Knicks should not be looking like they could be in the ECF.

Indy seems like they are struggling with Miluakee even though Miluakee seems done... I mean done as a team, too old, no urgency, I know they are missing Giannis but I think if he was there Indy would have been swept. I feel Miluakee is on the precipice of going back to irrelevance. I was highly critical of their championship, winning the lottery against the Sun's whose soul ability to challenge Giannis was Ayton who is a traffic cone on a good day.

Thank God the Heat aren't being the typical sandbagging team, and they are just being beat. Tatum and Brown are on their good game, mediocre game playoff mode already.

Lakers would have had a chance at the chip this year if they didn't get rid of Vogel. Honestly don't know why they got rid of him for Darvin Fucking Ham who couldn't win a high-school tourney against a math teacher. The end of the LeBron era ends with a terribly coached team that in many ways could have been special like their championship squad.

[xskarma]

Atlanta Hawks get the no. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Going to be a wild offseason for them, cause their options just seriously increased.

[xskarma]

And then there were 4, and a guaranteed new champion will be crowned, after the Timberwolves defeated the defending champion Nuggets.

One of these is winning a ring, guaranteed:

Tatum & Brown
Tyrese Haliburton
Luka
Anthony Edwards

All these guys except Brown are 26 or younger. Ridiculous. Future of the NBA is in good hands, even with Curry, Lebron and KD at the end of their roads.

[ProphetFlume]

If the refs are gonna be like this all series I might just sit things out. Talk about absolutely ruining a good postseason.

[xskarma]

☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️ ☘️☘️☘️

They finally got over the hump. Loved every minute of watching these Celtics this season. Biased obv, but the best team won this season, and I couldn't be more excited about what they did and how the future is going to be.

[Pendulous]

Nah, Boston proved through the entire season they were the best team.

Luckily, unlike the NFL, we don't have to wait three months or so til the draft. It's less than two weeks away.

[-aiko-]

Should have been a sweep, but what better way to end the season than in Boston? The crowd was insane.

I still can't believe this Mavs team got as much hype as they did. The warning signs of a paper tiger were there the entire time...and here we have people already talking about a rematch next year lol. Really? You think that Denver is gonna lose a 20 point lead in a Game 7 again? Or that the Timberwolves will go out like that again? That series was way closer than people act like it was. I think the Mavs have a lot to figure out before/if they become a championship level team.

[xskarma]

THE OFFSEASON STARTED

Holy crap. The Caruso trade was the appetizer but things are really under way now with the Mikal Bridges to the Knicks trade.

[xskarma]

Dejountay Murray to the Pelicans for 2 first round picks and 2 minor players.

Not sure how much it helps the Pelicans (nor the Hawks for that matter, who gave up more to get Murray from the Spurs than they now get back), but at worst I guess it means that if CJ McCollum falls off further that they have someone to take his offensive load/role and keep going with just some minor retooling.

McCollum + Murray backcourt together, defensively though is just as much a problem as Murray + Trae was. So not sure what it was about that that made the Pelicans go "We need that"...