Around the NBA - the 2020 Playoff Edition!

[Pinwheel1]

Kyle Lowry?

Yeah, I think Lowry proved that again this year. I underestimated the Toronto team this for sure. Gasol is also more of a leader than the Claw.
My guess is that K Leonard is more of a leader by example than a vocal leader. I love his overall game.

As for Paul George.....I think the rumors of his locker room issues in Indiana may have had some merit. The fact that he makes more money than
Kawhi is interesting to me.

 

[craigehlo]

That Clippers roster never looked balanced. Kawhi always needs some sort of playmaking PG in this championship runs (Lowery, Parker). Clipps thought they could just roll out with Kawhi and other guards initiating the offense and their "talent" would win out. Total hubris to think Pat Bev and Reggie Jackson could handle the PG spot at this level of the playoffs.

I'm really enjoying the NBA schadenfreude this morning.

 

[Natebishop3]

It’s embarrassing.

I love it. Sports have gotten soft. Players like each other too much. Where are the hated rivalries from the 80s and 90s? The Celtics/Lakers? The Pistons/Bulls? The Heat/Knicks? It's fucking boring. I'm happy to see players getting into it.

 

[wizenheimer]

what goes around comes around and PG13 just has to endure the shit tsunami slamming into him and his team right now. You talk trash when you win then you'll eat trash when you lose. Dame's having fun with the dish best served cold

that said, PG13 is still an elite talent in the NBA; he's just not a transcendent one like Lebron, or Magic, or Bird. He's also not an alpha dog in my view (Kawhi may not be one either). I think PG has a little 'which-way-the-wind-blows' to his personality. And there was bad chemistry in the wind blowing out of Clipperland

(I'm kind of proud....notice how many mixed metaphors and analogies I jammed into those two small paragraphs)

I'd have loved to see PG13 paired with Dame. Lillard isn't a transcendent talent either but he may be a transcendent leader. I think Dame would have been a great influence on a guy like George.

 

[handiman]

I love it. Sports have gotten soft. Players like each other too much. Where are the hated rivalries from the 80s and 90s? The Celtics/Lakers? The Pistons/Bulls? The Heat/Knicks? It's fucking boring. I'm happy to see players getting into it.

I think MM's point is that it's bad sportsmanship to gloat after a loss. If you want to make a point, do it before the game. Otherwise, it looks cowardly, not wanting to go out on a limb.

 

[AldoTrapani]

Why nobody talks about this dude as the future of the league is crazy. Look how young he is.

Who the fuck is Denver’s management ?! We need to study how they do it. olshey sucks

 

[Natebishop3]

Why nobody talks about this dude as the future of the league is crazy. Look how young he is.

Who the fuck is Denver’s management ?! We need to study how they do it. olshey sucks

I mean... this is what happens when a team is that bad for that long. They have a ton of talent. Dame hasn't allowed us to be bad enough to get into the lottery in years...... at the same time, Neil has whiffed on Meyers and Collins.

 

[Natebishop3]

I think MM's point is that it's bad sportsmanship to gloat after a loss. If you want to make a point, do it before the game. Otherwise, it looks cowardly, not wanting to go out on a limb.

It's good fun. He's not attacking their families. It's trash talk. The NBA is soft now.

 

[AldoTrapani]

I mean... this is what happens when a team is that bad for that long. They have a ton of talent. Dame hasn't allowed us to be bad enough to get into the lottery in years...... at the same time, Neil has whiffed on Meyers and Collins.

Man they had Jokic for awhile. They been hitting on superstar 2nd round picks, mid lottery’s with porter jr.. they’ve gotten guys like Harris, and their backup PG, Denver management is amazing

 

[speeds]

Jokic is a great player. He truly makes his teammates better. (Although he still travels on a lot of plays)
Murray can shoot no doubt. But they will get beat the same way we did by the Lakers.

Paul George is still overrated. He is good, just not great. But he is not mentally tough IMO.
Not sure what happened to Kawai. I have never seen him shoot so bad.

I wanted the Clips to win because they had the best chance to beat the Lakers. But I do enjoy watching PG, Doc, and Beverly lose.
How good would Toronto be again this year with Kawhi?

 

[DDolla]

After the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead, I’m still waiting for Kawhi shoes to drop to $31

 

[illmatic99]

After the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead, I’m still waiting for Kawhi shoes to drop to $31

who actually buys new balance?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

 

[speeds]

who actually buys new balance?

#1 choice among people using metal detectors at the beach.

 

[Natebishop3]

#1 choice among people using metal detectors at the beach.

View attachment 33561

Come on.... those can't touch the Air Curry court classics!

 

[wizenheimer]

I mean... this is what happens when a team is that bad for that long. They have a ton of talent. Dame hasn't allowed us to be bad enough to get into the lottery in years...... at the same time, Neil has whiffed on Meyers and Collins.

I really don't think that has a lot to do with it, at least not in Denver's case. And they have fucked-up in the draft like all teams

here are their recent draft boards:



the biggest thing is they struck gold in the 2nd round by drafting Jokic. That's a generational return on a 2nd round pick

but they also, like every team, have fuck-ups to. They drafted Mudiay in 2015 when Devin Booker was available. And they drafted Donovan Mitchell in 2017, only to trade him shortly afterward for Trey Lyles and Tyler Lydon

can you imagine the Nuggets with a back court of Murray and Booker or Murray and Mitchell to go with Jokic?

what sets the Nuggets apart from the Blazers for instance, IMO, is that the Nugget GM has done a much better job of managing the cap and balancing the roster than Olshey has. Olshey has been terrible in free agency, has been a dumbass in cap-management, and a scaredy-cat in trade talks

 

[DDolla]

who actually buys new balance?

No one but $31 is a good price

 

[kjironman1]

Why nobody talks about this dude as the future of the league is crazy. Look how young he is.

Who the fuck is Denver’s management ?! We need to study how they do it. olshey sucks

Six different players on six different teams? I don’t think this tweet is saying what you think it says?

 

[RoseCityRebel]

I wish the Blazers had a coach like Mike Malone. Get me a coach who will run our entire offense through Nurk. Until we do, we won't see the full potential of the Blazers.

Denver fans were ready to have Malone fired after they went down 3-1 to Utah. Suddenly he’s the best coach in the league. It’s why pretend GM/Coach message boards are for emotional fans, and real front office positions and real coaching jobs are for rational thinkers. It’s what makes it fun.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

who actually buys new balance?

Uhh.. I do. Is that bad? They're super comfy and I like their simple looks.

I will admit that part of the appeal for me is going against the grain. But really, they are more comfortable to me than other brands.

 

[DDolla]

Sam Presti must be laughing his a** off last night. Robbed the Clippers with all that draft picks for Paul George.

 

[kjironman1]

Uhh.. I do. Is that bad? They're super comfy and I like their simple looks.

I will admit that part of the appeal for me is going against the grain. But really, they are more comfortable to me than other brands.

Totally agree.
These are not NB but they are close and are absolutely the most comfortable shoe i have.

 

[AldoTrapani]

Luka first team all nba! Well deserved

 

[Labinot41]

Murray doesn't get guarded like Dame does

Oh come on man Chris, i thought at least you wouldn't come up with that excuse. Murray has seen Elite defenders on him this Playoffs with double teams sometimes and yet he still was phenomenal for more than just one series. He does things where i'm not sure Dame can do. And btw Dame has won 4 Playoff series in his career, Murray allready 3, think about it

 

[RoseCityRebel]

Uhh.. I do. Is that bad? They're super comfy and I like their simple looks.

I will admit that part of the appeal for me is going against the grain. But really, they are more comfortable to me than other brands.

New Balance are the only running shoes that don’t hurt my feet over time . I went through Nike, Asics, and adidas before finding NB and I’ve never gone back. Nike was the absolute worst for running, yet best for basketball for me. Weird.

 

[andalusian]

Oh come on man Chris, i thought at least you wouldn't come up with that excuse. Murray has seen Elite defenders on him this Playoffs with double teams sometimes and yet he still was phenomenal for more than just one series. He does things where i'm not sure Dame can do. And btw Dame has won 4 Playoff series in his career, Murray allready 3, think about it

Well, Murray has never been the #1 player on his team, Dame has pretty much been that even when he tried to defer to LMA - so while there is nothing bad to say about Murray (he is a great player) - I do not think that metric of how many series they won is really relevant in a head-to-head comparison - given the difference of overall team talent and depth they played with.

BTW - How did you like my boy Albon getting on the podium in Italy last weekend? What a drive by that kid...

 

[Rastapopoulos]

This is surprising and, I would say, revealing:

 

[Labinot41]

Well, Murray has never been the #1 player on his team, Dame has pretty much been that even when he tried to defer to LMA - so while there is nothing bad to say about Murray (he is a great player) - I do not think that metric of how many series they won is really relevant in a head-to-head comparison - given the difference of overall team talent and depth they played with.

BTW - How did you like my boy Albon getting on the podium in Italy last weekend? What a drive by that kid...

I don't know, the way Dame dissapears in the Playoffs, i would trust Murray a lot more in the Playoffs than Dame, that's just my oppinion, Dames Playoff resume is not that good, his stats aren't good, yes, he has made two historic shots, outside of that he wasn't that good. I think Murray is a Star in the making and is going to be a Top 4 PG next season behind Steph, Luka and Dame. He's going to be special especially in the Playoffs, he's just that good.
Sorry but i wasnt impressed by Albon, once again half a second slower than Max in the qualifing and lost several places at the restart, and one point he was 7th while Max was out of the race, he did some good overtaking though i give him that

 

[KSF-ERIC]

Why nobody talks about this dude as the future of the league is crazy. Look how young he is.

Who the fuck is Denver’s management ?! We need to study how they do it. olshey sucks

Yep. They got Jokic in the second round and he’s only 25.

 

[KSF-ERIC]

Oh come on man Chris, i thought at least you wouldn't come up with that excuse. Murray has seen Elite defenders on him this Playoffs with double teams sometimes and yet he still was phenomenal for more than just one series. He does things where i'm not sure Dame can do. And btw Dame has won 4 Playoff series in his career, Murray allready 3, think about it

And Dame won the head to head.