OT: 2021 NBA Playoffs

[Drew]

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If AD is done, its likely Clippers coming out of the west right? Jazz & Suns might be better teams, but Clippers will always have best player in any series going forward.

The Blazers inability to pull out close games against the Nuggets may be rescuing the rest of the West from the best team in the conference. The Blazers would have won 50 games if they had Powell and Nurkic for a full season. They are probably the best team in the West 1 to 5 right now, but they are in a hole and the Nuggets are playing clutch basketball and pulling out the close games.

 

[the Q]

The Blazers inability to pull out close games against the Nuggets may be rescuing the rest of the West from the best team in the conference. The Blazers would have won 50 games if they had Powell and Nurkic for a full season. They are probably the best team in the West 1 to 5 right now, but they are in a hole and the Nuggets are playing clutch basketball and pulling out the close games.

They need this stop playing kanter.

With him on the floor they have a beyond awful defense.

 

[bballgrda]

They need this stop playing kanter.

With him on the floor they have a beyond awful defense.

Their defense is always going to be awful when theyre missing Nurkic, and he is having trouble staying on the floor.

 

[superjohn]

The Blazers inability to pull out close games against the Nuggets may be rescuing the rest of the West from the best team in the conference. The Blazers would have won 50 games if they had Powell and Nurkic for a full season. They are probably the best team in the West 1 to 5 right now, but they are in a hole and the Nuggets are playing clutch basketball and pulling out the close games.

Lol.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Lol.

Nuggets at full strength with Jokic, playoff Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. would've really tested them but it's going to be what we all thought since day 1 of the season. Lakers vs. Nets.

The Suns and Celtics are both playing without their best players. Chris Paul is a shell of what he was before his shoulder injury and Jaylen Brown's season is over. I don't think the Lakers or Nets would look quite so dominant if they were playing against healthy teams in the first round.

'It is what it is': Playoff injuries haunt Chris Paul vs. Lakers

With the Suns down 2-1 and CP3 hurting again, the future Hall of Famer is staring at another painful postseason.

www.espn.com

Scoreboard.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

They need this stop playing kanter.

With him on the floor they have a beyond awful defense.

I don't think Kanter and his 56 minutes are driving any outcomes in the series. The Blazers have all the tools and talent they need. They just have to come through.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The biggest difference between the Bucks/Heat last year and this year was playing Brook Lopez at center on offense instead of parking him in the corner to chuck 3's. He was unstoppable down low, and by forcing the defense to drop down, there were wide open 3's for the guards, particularly Forbes.

5 out offenses are stupid. At least Budenholzer has figured that out.

 

[Samoo]

The Blazers inability to pull out close games against the Nuggets may be rescuing the rest of the West from the best team in the conference. The Blazers would have won 50 games if they had Powell and Nurkic for a full season. They are probably the best team in the West 1 to 5 right now, but they are in a hole and the Nuggets are playing clutch basketball and pulling out the close games.

I'm a Blazers fan and I don't have the same confidence you do. CJ has been a no show, Melo is a nice story but plays no D and runs hot and cold, the rest of the bench sucks, and Nurk can't keep his hands to himself. Everyone in Portland is calling it Dame and the 4 dwarves because of the lack of consistent support (except from Covington). That said, Lillard could still drag them kicking and screaming to the next round, all you have to do is tell him he can't. Holy hell, 55 points on 24 shots, 12 of 17 from the three...

And I forgot, only 1 turnover...

 

[superjohn]

Scoreboard.

Somehow this makes sense to you.

 

[Waquoit]

Danny Ainge retires from his role, Brad Stevens becomes GM, and the Celtics are looking for a coach. Pretty significant.

Before he got fired.

 

[Mr. French]

I saw a stat on how god awful the Defensive ratings were for Covington, RHJ and Kanter this series. 2 of those guys are supposed to be good defenders.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Somehow this makes sense to you.

Your last hot take was that the Lakers were going to the finals, and you didn't give yourself a lot of wiggle room on that.

SCOREBOARD

 

[aceboon]

Embiid being out sucks, Bucks vs Nets is now the defacto ECF

 

[bballgrda]

Embiid being out sucks, Bucks vs Nets is now the defacto ECF

More likely the defacto Finals imo. I suppose either LA team could hang

 

[Ratso]

Embiid being out sucks, Bucks vs Nets is now the defacto ECF

he’s out for the rest of this series which is done today. there WILL a be sixes/nets ECF

 

[aceboon]

he’s out for the rest of this series which is done today. there WILL a be sixes/nets ECF

I don't see the Sixers risking his future for one postseason run, playing on a meniscus tear isn't something to fool around with

 

[Ratso]

I don't see the Sixers risking his future for one postseason run, playing on a meniscus tear isn't something to fool around with

ahh, i didn‘t know it was torn meniscus. goddammit!! maybe dwight has something left in the tank. this sucks

 

[auror]

The biggest difference between the Bucks/Heat last year and this year was playing Brook Lopez at center on offense instead of parking him in the corner to chuck 3's. He was unstoppable down low, and by forcing the defense to drop down, there were wide open 3's for the guards, particularly Forbes.

5 out offenses are stupid. At least Budenholzer has figured that out.

I'm gonna go ahead and say Jrue Holiday instead of Bledsoe raining bricks may have been a bigger difference, although Forbes was huge obviously.

That and the biggest difference was the Heat offense not the Bucks offense. MIA shot 55% eFG% last year and 46% this year. Huuuuge difference. Bucks put the clamps on Butler all series (he hit the big shot in game 1, but had been bad before that, too). He almost shot twice as well last year as he did this year, 39% vs. 68% TS%. Herro was bad. Only Duncan was good this year (on offense).

MIL went from 50 to 54% and most of that was replacing Bledsoe shooting 33% on 50 (10 a game) FGs. Sub replacement level. Lopez actually had a good series last year, too. Would Bledsoe have shot better with a different Bucks offense? Maybe, but he's just bad, man. He forgets how to shoot in the playoffs, both 3s and in the paint. Holiday didn't shoot it great from 3, but at least he got out in transition and finished in the paint and was a big reason their D was improved.

 

[superjohn]

Your last hot take was that the Lakers were going to the finals, and you didn't give yourself a lot of wiggle room on that.

SCOREBOARD

You just called the Blazers the best team in the Western Conference and you told us all constantly how much the Lakers would suck last year and predicted they would finish 10th in the West.

You yelling scoreboard is like the Washington Generals yelling scoreboard after every game against the Globetrotters.

 

[auror]

You just called the Blazers the best team in the Western Conference and you told us all constantly how much the Lakers would suck last year and predicted they would finish 10th in the West.

Yeah but you didn't caveat your statement that the Lakers would make it to the Finals by saying *if they were healthy, so he GOTCHA.

 

[superjohn]

Yeah but you didn't caveat your statement that the Lakers would make it to the Finals by saying *if they were healthy, so he GOTCHA.

He's brings the lolz to hoops discussions.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I'm gonna go ahead and say Jrue Holiday instead of Bledsoe raining bricks may have been a bigger difference, although Forbes was huge obviously.

That and the biggest difference was the Heat offense not the Bucks offense. MIA shot 55% eFG% last year and 46% this year. Huuuuge difference. Bucks put the clamps on Butler all series (he hit the big shot in game 1, but had been bad before that, too). He almost shot twice as well last year as he did this year, 39% vs. 68% TS%. Herro was bad. Only Duncan was good this year (on offense).

MIL went from 50 to 54% and most of that was replacing Bledsoe shooting 33% on 50 (10 a game) FGs. Sub replacement level. Lopez actually had a good series last year, too. Would Bledsoe have shot better with a different Bucks offense? Maybe, but he's just bad, man. He forgets how to shoot in the playoffs, both 3s and in the paint. Holiday didn't shoot it great from 3, but at least he got out in transition and finished in the paint and was a big reason their D was improved.

Miami got a lot of runouts last year because the Bucks were parking players in the corner. A missed shot because everyone is outside the 3 point line is a run out the other direction. Miami got 77% of defensive rebounds in last year's series, 68% in this one. Fewer defensive rebounds, and contesting the rebounds that Miami did get meant less transition.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Yeah but you didn't caveat your statement that the Lakers would make it to the Finals by saying *if they were healthy, so he GOTCHA.

You are right. Who would have ever thought that Davis or Lebron might get hurt? Oh wait, I said that last season. And this season.

Lebron is 36 years old and Davis has played more than 70 games in a season TWICE in his career. The big aspect of last season that I did not see coming was that there would be a worldwide pandemic, which suspended the season and gave the Lakers' two superstars a chance to recuperate from the season before the playoffs. Apparently Superjohn predicted Covid-19 before last season started.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Of the Knicks top 6 players, only Randle and Barrett are under contract for next season, and the next 4 are going to be 30+ and all free agents. The Knicks front office can even screw up their good seasons.