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NBA Playoffs 2023
- Thread starter BigErnMcCracken
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Inyatkin
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The fact that Harden, Durant and Kobe are on there should tell you something. Making those shots is not easy.
Plus there's the sample size. If he had made one more shot he wouldn't be on that list
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And then you see LeBron’s numbers, makes you just laugh at the massive narrative that he isn’t clutch. He’s easily one of the clutchest players of all time.
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There's LeBron before he murdered Boston in 2012, and LeBron after. He did some great things before (the Pistons win, the Orlando series), but he had some major clunkers (2010 vs. Celtics, 2011 vs. Dallas) that are—fairly—a part of his narrative. Some people have let that narrative stick with them.
Then he murdered the Celtics in Game 6 of the 2012 ECF and he was different. He missed the 3 in 2013 Finals Game 7, but he was legit the only reason they were close enough for Allen to save him. LeBron is a beast. Somehow still is.
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Philly/Boston should be such a fun series to watch but man it gets frustrating..
Embiid and Smart spend more time on the floor than they do on their feet. So much fun superstar potential in these games but it gets so annoying to watch them flop every possession lol
Usually Harden does too but it feels like he hasn't been flopping as much this series. Or maybe I just have selective memory
Embiid and Smart spend more time on the floor than they do on their feet. So much fun superstar potential in these games but it gets so annoying to watch them flop every possession lol
Usually Harden does too but it feels like he hasn't been flopping as much this series. Or maybe I just have selective memory
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As someone who would prefer to see the Celtics win, that play where Smart ran into Tucker and fell down to draw FTs was such a joke.
On another note I’m not a fan of NBA teams wearing these random alternatives in the playoffs. Celtics have such nice clean classic jerseys and are wearing these abominations.
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I don't mind when teams change up the jerseys because some of them are great but these Celtics unis are atrocious.
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That's the play that prompted my post haha. As I type this, Embiid is on the ground again
I don't get it with Embiid. He's like 7'0 and 270 pounds. Literally nobody in the NBA can guard him. Unstoppable in the low post, one of the best mid post games in the league, and even can dribble, shoot off the dribble, and hit threes. He doesn't need to flop to dominate!
He grew up playing soccer.
Used to think Thabeet was out for the season every time he hit the deck, until I realized what was going on with the soccer culture thing.
nelsonmuntz
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This year’s championship was practically gift wrapped for the winner of the Bucks/Celtics Eastern Conference finals once Embiid hurt his knee. This is why they play the games.
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I’m going to keep saying that the Lakers are winning this.
They’ve been getting it done and Lebron hasn’t even had to go for 25. If the Celtics go down you can book it.
nelsonmuntz
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At this point, why not?
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I think 76ers will win it if they best Boston, which they should .
What an awful strategic series for Boston. Attention to detail matters. When you give away games because of attention to detail, you can’t then have bad games.
Celtics, at worst, should be up 3-2. In reality. This was a 4 game sweep that was turns into a 3-2 deficit because in two games the Celtics didn’t play with effort and detail - and that is coaching staff.
Game 5? Games like that happen. Especially when you aren’t a team that is devoted to the details
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I think the 4 teams in the west would beat 76ers.
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Lakers/Dubs definitely would, and I think I'd favor the Suns & Nuggets, but it'd be close.
Not 100% convinced that the Sixers will get by the Heat, fwiw.
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Embiid and AD would have a chance to be such a fun matchup to watch. Both really good two way bigs.
I’m not sure if he’d be able to do it by himself though cause Vanderbilt would put Harden in a torture rack. He made GSW turn Steph into a PG he was having so many problems with him. Lol
HuskyHawk
The triumphant return of the Blues Brothers.
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Come on. Tucker is a defensive moving screen waiting to happen. He does nothing but run into guys like that all game long. I'm not sure he does anything else but run into people and pretend it's not to disrupt offensive movement off the ball. The Celtics main problem on offense (aside from missing everything) is lack of movement off the ball, and the 76ers are clearly intentionally disrupting it. Embiid does it too, impeding offensive players as they move without the ball. He mostly sticks his legs out in a wide stance to do it. In hockey it's "interference".
Celtics were awful, deserved the loss, but that was no flop. That was PJ wrecking a guy cutting across the lane to disrupt the motion. It's Doc's whole defensive strategy and it's working. White and Brown have been knocked down or hip checked a bunch of times the same way. It keeps resulting in these bad ISO drives into traffic. Credit to Doc, Joe needs to find out how to counter it.
nelsonmuntz
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The 76ers with Embiid at 100% is a little better than anyone in the West. Make your own call on whether Embiid is at 100%.
The Bucks and Celtics are much better than anyone in the West. The Bucks have already wasted their season, and the Celtics better get it together quickly or they will have wasted their season too.
The Bucks and Celtics are much better than anyone in the West. The Bucks have already wasted their season, and the Celtics better get it together quickly or they will have wasted their season too.
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I respectfully disagree. Besides the Nuggets, everyone in the west has been there.
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People are totally asleep on Denver & Jokic even though the dude has 2 MVP's, he is easily the best offensive player in the league. Denver will maul LA or the Warriors. The Jokic v Embid matchup would be interesting but sets up as a Jordan over KMalone who is the real MVP reversal for Jokic.
HuskyHawk
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Yeah, fine. Lots of guys who are borderline washed up have been there, and that pretty much describes the West minus Denver. If you want to pretend those guys are in their prime, fine. Unfortuantely, they still have the most "star power" and the NBA tends to make sure the refs reward that.
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Who is 'borderline washed up' in your eyes?
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Jordan nostalgia is the main/lone driver of that. The Venn diagram of Jordan fanboys and those who stick to that narrative is a perfect circle.
HuskyHawk
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LeBron, Chris Paul. Coming soon: Steph, Draymond then KD, Klay. Don't get me wrong. All are capable of doing amazing things at times. But none of them are what they were in their prime. I won't even mention Carmelo Anthony, he's all the way gone.
The window is closing on those guys. Klay and Durant more due to durability issues. I'm not sure how long AD will last either given his injury history. Maybe one of them wins it this year, it's possible. But I read "those guys have been there" as "those guys need major help from the trainer game to game".
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That’s an insane take. Please do explain how KD, LeBron, Klay and Steph are borderline washed up. Does that mean Harden is too?
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Crazy to talk about ref advantage when Harden and Embiid’s games are significantly impacted by drawing questionable foul calls and living at the line. The Lakers specifically have been screwed by the refs a ton this season.
HuskyHawk
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Of course he is. How is that debatable? Two great games, one good game, two lousy games. That's what you get now. He's not remotely close to being what he was (further from it than LeBron for sure). He averaged over 30 a game for 3 seasons in a row in Houston. I'd say the same for Al Horford but he was never really a star. Still, Al is a big reason why Boston is behind.
LeBron defies age based reality, like Tom Brady. But it comes for everyone eventually.
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