The NBA Thread

Gunter x Gunter said:
The only way out is Jokic asking for a trade, I know people meme that he doesn't care but seeing how passioned he can get during the playooffs shows me he is just as competitive as any superstar. He doesn't need to jump ship to the Lakers or something but almost any other situation would be more tenable than this shitshow.
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Kalergi said:
He's said he doesn't want to leave, but if he wants another ring before he retires he's really going to have to jump ship after next season.
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Froggy Fresh Sextape said:
Honestly I think it'd be mutually beneficial if they parted ways and they could trade him for a ton of assets. Maybe something like Jokic to Spurs and Fox to Nets for picks.
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This is kind of a spooky similar recreation to the timeline I find myself on as a Bucks fan. I will say, being a few years further down the line on it, that sitting and waiting is potentially FAR more harmful than making a move while he's still basically at top value. I get it though. Up until this season I was still delusionally hopeful that Giannis would find a way to make it work in Milwaukee. That clearly isn't going to happen, and now the team is incredibly fucked for like at least half a decade. Not a great place to wind up.
 
Sixers pulled it out against the Celtics, crazy. I had the Celtics as the only team in the East with a legit shot at the title. Guess you can't underestimate even present day Embiid. Guy's still an MVP level player if he's on the court... he's just not consistently on the court.

Honestly even without the foul baiting a version of Embiid who has a normal level of health compares rather well to Shaq.
 
We're constantly told that this is the most athletic, most skilled, most coolest era of NBA basketball ever but yet the Celtics and the rest of the league play iso terroristball at the 3 line night in and night out. 13-49 from 3. I fucking miss watching the Big 3, or Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce trying to bring the Celtics back to glory, or even having to live through Wally Szczerbiak, Raef LaFrentz, and hoping Marcus Banks would eventually develop into a cornerstone of the franchise over throwing away 3-1 leads because you have to live and die by the 3 in current year basketball.

So skilled but so scared to post up or take more high percentage mid range jumpers.
 
OJ Simpson said:
take more high percentage mid range jumpers
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This is where the math just doesn't work out on them. Because of how 3 is 1.5x 2, a 60% shot from 2 is equivalent to a 40% shot from 3. Very few non-centers go 60% from the field, a decent chunk of guys can shoot 40% from 3. The midrange is just not a good spot to be in unless you're unusually talented with it (Shai, for example) or you're basically a non-shooter and it's gonna be a lot easier for you to have a passable midrange than a 3 (Giannis).
 
Womble of Wimbledon said:
Go Sixers, I have never been an Embiid fan but he has won so much respect going out there in obvious pain and still dominating. I didn't think he was a mentally tough player but he has proven me wrong.
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He's played through a ton of injuries (and fucking Bell's palsy, which people noticed before Philly even came out and said what was going on)

The problem isn't his mental toughness it's the fact that his body is made of glass and also the glass happens to constantly be on fire somehow
 
A thought I had regarding 3 pointers and the Celtics:

While the math works out to where 3 pointers are generally just better than midrange shots, a shot right at the rim or a dunk is still the best shot in the game when it's open. Teams that are able to leverage 3s really well and actually win a championship off them like the peak Warriors aren't just shooting 3s. They're using those 3s to open up a lot of space for people to get to the rim. You can't clog the paint and deny all sorts of drives and dunks if Steph really can just hit his shots from wherever on the court, you have to guard him once he crosses half court and thus he can take players out of the defensive action with his mere presence. Steph in particular exploits this by running around a lot because he's a very skilled off ball player and his cardio is great. Either he gets open and hits his shot, or his defender is getting tired and can't help onto other players driving for the rim.

Where the Celtics falter is that they're forgetting this second part. If you get a wide open 3, great, but spacing is still ultimately in service of opening up that space to make rim attempts easier. It's inherently more unstable to rely on 3 point shooting because of shooting variance that affects everyone. If it's an off shooting night but you can still get the defense to respect it enough to pull them out to the 3 point line, you need to be able to recognize this and leverage that created space to go for shots at the rim. You can't forget what you're trying to create space for in the first place.

Basically, the difference with the 3s and the midrange shots is as follows:

Midrange: A shot at the rim is ideal, the paint is clogged and I can't get to the rim, therefore I'll try to get to where I can to make my shot.

3 Point: A shot at the rim is ideal, the paint is clogged and I can't get to the rim, therefore I'll try and get open for a 3 and if they follow me out to the line, the paint is no longer clogged and my teammate can get a shot at the rim. If I'm not followed, open 3 pointer.
 
Active User said:
Steph in particular exploits this by running around a lot because he's a very skilled off ball player and his cardio is great. Either he gets open and hits his shot, or his defender is getting tired and can't help onto other players driving for the rim.
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It's been funny to watch teams try to ape the Draymond/KD/Steph/Klay thing without realizing that Steph running around like a greased pig is why that worked so well.

You see this a lot in college where half-court sets turn into some weird 5-out iso where they just pass the ball around until somebody's forced to take a contested 3 because of the shot clock. It's frustrating to watch. You gotta have some off-ball movement here.
 
I honestly dont know how to feel about the Pistons at the moment. Obviously Im happy they won the series but man I am not confident in JB Bickerstaff in the playoffs. Tobias Harris isnt gonna score 30 every night, and Duren still looks lost on the court. Cade put the team on his back but Im torn as to wether this is moreso the Orlando Tragic collapsing without Franz Wagner rather than the Pistons getting their ducks in a row.
 
FootballBuff said:
I honestly dont know how to feel about the Pistons at the moment. Obviously Im happy they won the series but man I am not confident in JB Bickerstaff in the playoffs. Tobias Harris isnt gonna score 30 every night, and Duren still looks lost on the court. Cade put the team on his back but Im torn as to wether this is moreso the Orlando Tragic collapsing without Franz Wagner rather than the Pistons getting their ducks in a row.
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They couldn't outscore the worst offense in the playoffs by far. They're cooked.
 
Womble of Wimbledon said:
He must have slept with Paolo's girlfriend or somethjng because Jesus what a way to reward a guy for coaching you to game 7 against the top team in the East!
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"You got us to the post season and to the final game of the first round with a talented but not amazing team. Not good enough, begone!"

I mean in most leagues, getting your team to the post season nabs you at least a year or two, unless you blow it year after year after year after.... Look, the Bills are idiots for not drafting a defense that takes the pressure off their QB okay? Its like they looked at the packers and said "Yep, thats a good strategy!"
 
Dem scrappy wolves managed to steal game 1 despite Wemby having like 12 blocks. This is going to be an interesting series. Don't count those dawgs out until the WCF
 
Gunter x Gunter said:
Dem scrappy wolves managed to steal game 1 despite Wemby having like 12 blocks. This is going to be an interesting series. Don't count those dawgs out until the WCF
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Lol I read this and thought, "haha, what did he have, like 5?" No, he literally had 12 blocks and 15 rebounds. Shame he only had 11 points and went 0-8 from three, could have been one of the all-time great ones.
 
Yeah, but half of Wemby's blocks every game are blatant fouls or goaltends that dont get called because the refs are in a shitty position to see them. The three second violation also does not exist for him apparently.
 
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