NBA Playoffs 2023

[formerlurker]

View attachment 87473

Are his handlers already on The Shuttle?

 

[Ratso]

husky boston fans

 

[Shamon30]

I'm pulling for the Nuggets

 

[auror]

Celtics on fire.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Celtics on fire.

They have such a good roster. Honestly no way they shouldn’t win the championship this year.

 

[SouleMan]

Game changed after @Ratso's gif. I'll take that as a sign.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

They have such a good roster. Honestly no way they shouldn’t win the championship this year.

…but I’m going Lakers because I’m not a Tatum believer. And they’re going to need him if they want to win.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Both teams to the bench. That favors the Celtics even more. Up to 40 now.

 

[Ratso]

 

[HuskyHawk]

…but I’m going Lakers because I’m not a Tatum believer. And they’re going to need him if they want to win.

Lakers are the worst team left in the playoffs.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Lakers are the worst team left in the playoffs.

Lol they’re up there with the Celtics as far as best defensive teams go. And they have better stars.

Matchup wise, Vanderbilt would give Tatum the same kind of hell Wiggins have him last year. Will say Celtics would be able to both neutralize AD defensively because Horford can take him out the paint and be a good matchup for AD on the other end.

Would be a good series but I’d go with the guys who have championship experience.

If Lakers beat GSW I fully expect AD to give Jokic hell defensively and for them to put Vanderbilt on Murray the same way they are putting him on Steph now. Jokic isn’t defending AD the same way.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

…but I’m going Lakers because I’m not a Tatum believer. And they’re going to need him if they want to win.

The Lakers to do what?

 

[Ratso]

philly barely wins game 3 , embiid healthy game 4 and another win,

boston - just go away like the worst song

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

The Lakers to do what?

GSW vs LA is pretty much the Finals. Especially if LA wins.

Denver just does not matchup against LA well at all.

 

[HuskyHawk]

GSW vs LA is pretty much the Finals. Especially if LA wins.

Denver just does not matchup against LA well at all.

Good Lord. Neither will beat Denver and the winner of Boston vs Philly likely beats Denver. Better stars…older fading stars maybe. The West is the weaker conference. LA barely made the playoffs.

 

[Ratso]

expected today even with joel

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Good Lord. Neither will beat Denver and the winner of Boston vs Philly likely beats Denver. Better stars…older fading stars maybe. The West is the weaker conference. LA barely made the playoffs.

Both could certainly beat Denver.

The Lakers were bad for the first half or so of the season. They made some great trades and have been very hot since.

The Warriors are the Warriors.

What leads you to believe the Nuggets won’t choke again? They haven’t proven anything.

 

[bballgrda]

Both could certainly beat Denver.

The Lakers were bad for the first half or so of the season. They made some great trades and have been very hot since.

The Warriors are the Warriors.

What leads you to believe the Nuggets won’t choke again? They haven’t proven anything.

When has this healthy version of the Nuggets choked before?

 

[Matrim55]

Celtics on fire.

Not really -- they shot the same percentage from 3 in this game as in game 1, and were worse from 2.

The difference was the defense. And that was helped by Embiid's propensity to slow down the pace of play, which gets the Sixers out of their rhythm. Barkley kind of touched on this in the postgame. He couldn't find the right words, but it basically comes down to the fact that Embiid makes them easier to defend as a group.

They were also a mess defensively. Embiid's an amazing rim protector but he struggles on switches and especially on rotations, so... yeah, the Celtics got what they wanted even with Tatum being a complete non-factor and Al struggling badly from 3.

Was awesome to see Grant back in the rotation and playing with cool confidence. Dude's the type of role player who brings the whole team up a level.

 

[superjohn]

Both could certainly beat Denver.

The Lakers were bad for the first half or so of the season. They made some great trades and have been very hot since.

The Warriors are the Warriors.

What leads you to believe the Nuggets won’t choke again? They haven’t proven anything.

Choke again?

 

[Matrim55]

What leads you to believe the Nuggets won’t choke again? They haven’t proven anything.

I don't think the Nuggets have ever choked? Beat by a better team in the bubble, then lost w/ Jokic & scrubs against a great Phoenix team in '21 and an all-time great Dubs dynasty team in '22.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Both could certainly beat Denver.

The Lakers were bad for the first half or so of the season. They made some great trades and have been very hot since.

The Warriors are the Warriors.

What leads you to believe the Nuggets won’t choke again? They haven’t proven anything.

They have the better team with better players. Maybe they lose, it happens. I think Golden State will still beat the Lakers, and yes, could go to the finals again.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Not really -- they shot the same percentage from 3 in this game as in game 1, and were worse from 2.

The difference was the defense. And that was helped by Embiid's propensity to slow down the pace of play, which gets the Sixers out of their rhythm. Barkley kind of touched on this in the postgame. He couldn't find the right words, but it basically comes down to the fact that Embiid makes them easier to defend as a group.

They were also a mess defensively. Embiid's an amazing rim protector but he struggles on switches and especially on rotations, so... yeah, the Celtics got what they wanted even with Tatum being a complete non-factor and Al struggling badly from 3.

Was awesome to see Grant back in the rotation and playing with cool confidence. Dude's the type of role player who brings the whole team up a level.

It was honestly the first really good defensive performance since game1 vs the Hawks. Very encouraging to see it. The rebounding has also been much better since the Hawks were embarrassing them on the boards.

Grant was solid. He's a useful piece when he doesn't try to do too much. Defend, rebound, hit a few shots. The offense can't run through him.

 

[Inyatkin]

Seems weird how dismissive of Jokic so many people here are.

 

[Matrim55]

It was honestly the first really good defensive performance since game1 vs the Hawks. Very encouraging to see it. The rebounding has also been much better since the Hawks were embarrassing them on the boards.

Grant was solid. He's a useful piece when he doesn't try to do too much. Defend, rebound, hit a few shots. The offense can't run through him.

It was the second truly excellent all-around game the Celtics have played since December (the destruction of the Bucks in March was the other one). When they play with pace and intensity they are really, really good, but they've been so prone to not ever getting out of 3rd gear that I don't trust them to do it in back-to-back games.

Re: Grant, not saying the offense should run through him. But he guards 3-4-5 really well (and can credibly switch onto guards at times), nails every single defensive rotation, is a good connector as a passer, and is an absolute sniper in the playoffs: 47/45/81 career splits.

The fact that Mazzulla has consistently DNP-CD'd him down the stretch and into the postseason has driven me nuts.