NBA The 2024 NBA Playoffs

[Contentious C]

Al Horford~!

That said, Al Horford should not be your best player in a closeout game.

That that said, Grant Williams was one during the last Finals appearance.

[SirFozzie]

YACCF

(Yet another Celtics Conference Finals, 6 of the last

Whomever wins the NYK-INDY series better not chant "We Want Boston"..

 

This gives 3-5 days of rest for Porzingis, who's already shooting in practice

[jaedmc]

When Kyrie Irving gets 12 points and  4 assists and you still lose to the Mavs there's a problem.

[blitzkrieg]

I feel like the league is currently full of teams that would probably be deadly if they had one to two shooters instead of a roster full of guys that sometimes can make an outside shot.

Edit: Yes, I say that as someone super spoiled when it comes to shooting.

Edited May 16, 2024 by blitzkrieg

[Brian Fowler]

This is the third or fourth straight year where it feels like injuries to really good players is massively shaping the playoffs. I'm not saying Cleveland would've won this serious with Mitchell and Allan, but they would've at least had a shot. I know the last few years we've had abnormally high numbers of all-stars missing a game and the same for total games missed by all-star players compared to league average over the previous few decades, but I'm not sure why.

[Contentious C]

The NY series is going to be a clearer instance of missing bodies.  Hartenstein's actually pretty good...but he has to sit at some point, and KP & Horford are going to eat when he does.  Robinson's absence really hurts, and Achiuwa as their backup center isn't going to cut it.  I've always thought Randle was overrated - he's even more the Paul George of Tobias Harrises than Tatum is - but Anonuby will hurt since wing depth & switchability is everything now.  I think this will also be Celtics in 5, with another 1-1 home loss where people puff up and act like the Knicks have a shot even though they don't.  Hart & DiVincenzo are not guys who are going to go for 40+ combined every single night, and that's pretty much what they'd need.  Cleveland never had a chance because their offense wasn't sustainable, even with Mitchell on the floor.  The Cavs could go a quarter or a half and put up 50-60% efficiency; Boston shoots 50+% for whole games *regularly*.

I guess Indy could still win but...LOL.  No defensive identity.  Get fucking real.  They can't play their "scoreboard go brrrrr" bullshit and win a title.

I think the worst thing for NY, though, is that this is going to convince them that all they need to do is run it back and have better luck with health, but I still don't see them as a title contender when Randle's their 2nd-best scoring option.  If they could keep everyone who's a free agent or a recent acquisition and jettison him for other parts or a better F, I think they'd be better off.  My concern for Boston is that this will be the series where they get pushed around the most, but it still won't be the kind of tempering they'll need to step it up another level to actually beat whoever comes out of the West.

Edited May 16, 2024 by Contentious C

[Dolfan in NYC]

1 hour ago, Contentious C said:

The NY series is going to be a clearer instance of missing bodies.  Hartenstein's actually pretty good...but he has to sit at some point, and KP & Horford are going to eat when he does. 

"Does he?" 

[Contentious C]

He hasn't played a 40-minute or more game in the Pacers series, as it turns out.  So, if they make it to the CF, maybe it'll be Thibs' chance to run him into the ground prior to free agency!

[jaedmc]

I watched a movie tonight so I missed most of the basketball. Tuned in to see Denver down by 27 shooting 33%.

Congrats to Minny on responding. That's why the games are played. Not sure what to think about Game 7.

[Contentious C]

The only thing colder than my take was Denver's shooting.

[Brian Fowler]

2 hours ago, Contentious C said:

The only thing colder than my take was Denver's shooting.

The starters mostly shot bad (Porter and Murray were a combined 7-27!) but Denver's bench in particular was brutal. 0-9 for three from the entire bench, 4-27 overall, just nine total points. 

I was at work and didn't see the game, so I'm wondering if Jokic struggled with only three assists or if his teammates just all bricked every brilliant pass. 

What a strange series so far. No idea what will happen in game 7

[Gorman]

Denver led 9-2, and then Minnesota scored 20 points in a row. In the fourth quarter, the Wolves scored 24 points in a row.

[Contentious C]

Damn.

The real PITA of this is that now Kyrie Irving is alone in first place with a 14-0 all-time record in closeout games.  Literally the last fucking guy who should have that.  Go Nuggets and/or Wolves.

[RandomAct]

SGA isn't that guy yet.  Maybe Dallas finally gets some credit now, instead of the dipshits like Bill Simmons saying that the opposing teams beat themselves.

Dallas was fucking SLOPPY in the first half, the officiating was next level bad, and the OKC role players finally stepped up. Can't believe how well the Mavs recovered by the end. Lively and PJ were HUGE.

 

Edited May 19, 2024 by RandomAct

[jaedmc]

Great game. Thought PJ may have fucked it up with that foul on the in-bound, but he made it up later with the foul shots.

Will be interesting to see how OKC tinkers in the offseason.

TWO GAME SEVENS TOMORROW LET'S GO!

[RandomAct]

OKC HAS to add some size. It's been their weakness all season. They don't even need an elite big, just someone that can bang, defend and rebound.

[Brian Fowler]

1 hour ago, RandomAct said:

OKC HAS to add some size. It's been their weakness all season. They don't even need an elite big, just someone that can bang, defend and rebound.

Yeah they definitely don't need a major shake up, but a big guy who isn't a twig (nothing against Chet) would certainly help. And if ever a team could reasonably point towards internal development, it's them. They are so young to have gotten this far.

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

8 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

Yeah they definitely don't need a major shake up, but a big guy who isn't a twig (nothing against Chet) would certainly help. And if ever a team could reasonably point towards internal development, it's them. They are so young to have gotten this far.

You know, Pascal Siakam is basically on a rental on the Pacers and would be a pretty solid veteran to add to the team. Unless the Pacers lock him up, of course, but if they let him enter free agency, that would be a pretty darn good fit. He's still a smaller PF but out of the current FA pool I think that's the best possible pick you can get.

[Contentious C]

They have so many picks and a bit of redundancy that they're a prime target for a trade, if there were someone looking to offload a contract.  If Steven Adams actually comes back to any kind of form after 2 years of Injury Hell, he'd be a good fit, assuming Houston wanted picks in return.  Hartenstein's a FA but he's going to get paid by somebody.  One of their biggest questions is, do they trust Giddey to improve his shooting and defense enough to keep him?  Wiggins & Wallace played pretty well at times in the playoffs, but are any of the 3 good enough?  Or does it even matter if they're good enough to run the point if SGA/JDub/Chet all improve?

[hammerva]

The Pacers are going to choke this one are they?

EDIT: Never mind that brief Knicks run has been eliminated 

Going to be a sad day for all those Knicks fans who just started 2 months ago

Edited May 19, 2024 by hammerva

[Brian Fowler]

First the Pacers come out absolutely on fire, and then Brunson breaks his hand? Oof. A real "it's not your night kid" scenario.

[blitzkrieg]

The only person in MSG who can stop Alec Burks is Tom Thibodeau.

[Contentious C]

Celtics in 5 again? I can live with that.

[Brian Fowler]

God what a weird series this has been. Could we just get one game where both teams play well?

[Contentious C]

Well, now it's Denver playing like dog shit, but at least it's close.