Congrats to the Wolves and their fans. Happy to see Minnesota back in the playoffs.

Ant - Came to play. Very impressive.
KAT - Bad KAT came and shat on the floor. Ugh.

Not to make too much of it, but I am going to make too much of it. The team will go as far in the future as Ant can take them. For them to take the next step next year (yes, I am talking about next year when this year is still happening) it depends on how much Ant can continue to become the superstar he has the potential to become. KAT is a really good second banana, but neither he nor (obviously) DLo, can be the alpha for a deep playoff run. Ant can.

And yes, it is awesome to be part of relevant basketball again. Memphis should be a fun series. Winning two games would be a massive achievement. Getting the young players some playoff basketball experience and maybe giving KAT a chance to climb out of his own head.

Mouse, I was really impressed with Beverly’s defense down the stretch. He made it a miserable task for whoever he was guarding to advance the ball and he seemingly came up with every loose ball.

That was a lot better than I was expecting from the Wovles, and a lot worse from Lue.

Congrats Mouse, TFTIO, berg, and all other Wolf supporters!

Meaningful basketball in Minnesota in April. #######.

It is something. I'm looking forward to going in to work today. Is today the day I finally see someone sporting Wolves gear?

That was a fun game. (Yes, I watched it this morning. Blackouts, what can you do.) I still can't stand Pat Bev and don't like Towns much either, but I'm very happy for the rest of the guys.

Beverly I get but why don't you like Towns?

Not to make too much of it, but I am going to make too much of it. The team will go as far in the future as Ant can take them. For them to take the next step next year (yes, I am talking about next year when this year is still happening) it depends on how much Ant can continue to become the superstar he has the potential to become. KAT is a really good second banana, but neither he nor (obviously) DLo, can be the alpha for a deep playoff run. Ant can.

Not only is this true, but a corollary is that KAT has to recognize and accept that he is the Beta to Ant's Alpha for the team to take the next step. Last night, he was trying to front and it almost lost the game.

As has been said by others, but just to emphasize, this is about as wrong as you can possibly be about something. Which is saying a lot for stiggles. Crypto is a massive pyramid scheme, with the types who sit courtside, and the unethical scammers, absolutely rinsing the type of people who live hand-to-mouth, and don't have the expertise or the resources to compete.

i can't resist the pile on, because I also think stiggles is wrong all the time but rarely does he hit something in my professional wheelhouse. "crypto", in the sense of the retail stuff they are shilling in commercials, is a scam against what I would call the "educated poor" - folks with associates degrees or college degrees from crappy schools, often with tons of debt, barely two nickels to rub together, but free time and wherewithal to cruise the internet. its a younger version of the Q crowd. And they get absolutely ####### fleeced by the crypto stuff; its a moral abomination and an outrage that we let that happen to enrich a bunch of shithead hucksters. My secretary, who, god bless him, was a nice guy but a dumb ignorant ####, bankrupted himself "investing" in crypto.

there may be valid commercial uses for blockchain etc etc and i have no view on that. But retail crypto is a case of the rich and/or crooked exploiting the weak.

there may be valid commercial uses for blockchain etc etc and i have no view on that. But retail crypto is a case of the rich and/or crooked exploiting the weak.

There is no technical justification for any of it. It doesn't do anything useful, and it enables scams and Ponzi schemes. If you're not trying to evade Chinese capital controls, or buying heroin, there's no use for any of it.

Beverly I get but why don't you like Towns?

Wild guess - Towns endlessly whines, is soft, and is terribad on defense. He is a huge package of skills nearly crippled (exaggeration) by his personality and will.

As a person, he seems like a fine young man, thoughtful and intelligent. As a player, he is alternating frustrating and amazing to watch. If his on-court self ever grew up he could be inner circle great instead of borderline all-pro.

EDIT: And I like Towns.

Playing Towns at center probably caps the team ceiling at something lower than Finals appearance. If the Wolves were a franchise with even modest success in the recent past, I would have suggested they start trying to trade him the day after he gets named to 3rd team all nba.

Towns as the best player caps them. Towns as the second-best player, that I do not buy.

This game sucks. It's almost as if these are 2 bad non-playoff teams.

Well, Trae and LaMelo are both having bad games. But lots of 43-39 teams have made the playoffs.

Edit: Also, Gallo has great hair.

I would love to hang out in Michael Jordan's suite to watch his reactions to this game.

John Hollinger had a good quote on Charlotte on one of the Duncan&Hollinger; podcasts where he called them an "unserious team". That's such a good description. They're young, so that could change, but they need a culture change there. They've got talent.

The Charlotte bigs are pretty bad. They need a serious upgrade there. Harrell is the best one by far.

Wild guess - Towns endlessly whines, is soft, and is terribad on defense.

The whining: YES. 90% this.
Soft: I haven't watched him often enough to make that judgment.
Terribad D: Yes. I'm a defense-first guy, so I get even crankier than usual when a team's best player doesn't seem very interested in that half of the game.

I think Towns is a good guy, at least by the low low standards of professional athletes, but I find him grating; partly it's the softness, but mostly it's the way he sort of understands what he's supposed to say, and he says it, but in the least convincing way. Like he's always looking over his own shoulder.

I like Towns a good amount as a person, from what I've seen.

But he's soft, and this stuff he's doing with talking #### and acting tough, I don't know if he's done it before but I've really only noticed it this year, and man it feels kind of cringey and try-hard.

That said, he pressed last night, but when I was watching the game in the first half he was getting a ton of hard doubles, and then they were also putting a smaller guy to get in his shirt while having Zubac hang at the rim which he could because Vanderbilt can't shoot. Like, the Clippers gameplan was clearly one that Towns was the best player on the team, not Edwards. I don't know there's a ton that many all-NBA guys can do with some of what the Clippers were doing.

I did not realize Zach Collins was active and playing basketball. He looks off the pace of the NBA game.

Hawks have been quietly pretty good since mid-January: 27-14, +5.5 nRTG. They just dug themselves too big a hole in the 1st half with COVID, injuries, and poor play.

So now they have to go to Cleveland with IMO so-so odds to advance. But it was a nice win tonight.

CJ McCollum is putting on a show so far tonight, 27 on 10-12 shooting at the half.

Oh, I almost forgot about this:

A woman tried to glue herself to the basketball court at Tuesday night's Minnesota Timberwolves game to protest the bird-flu prevention killing of chickens at an Iowa egg company owned by Glen Taylor, who also co-owns the NBA team.

Link. So that's, um. Well, she got her message in the news. I'd say that's a win for her.

She’s pro bird flu? Wow.

Well, Kyrie is willing to hear her out.

She’s pro bird flu? Wow.

I think the title of that link is a bit misleading. In the article, it at least briefly mentions the real issue: the process of which the birds are killed. Apparently, they are baked alive, and it's a painful combination of heat, suffication, etc.

Here's a press release https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X0pxF7eyn_O2yfAvAn8XfWcFQ9Qt0oAkVaZkZhN9KCI/edit from the advocacy group about the issue. I'm ignorant to the topic, but it feels like there's a better way to handle these mass killings (which are necessary), but those ways might be more expensive.

Glen Taylor doesn't have a history of minimizing suffering.

Glen Taylor doesn't have a history of minimizing suffering.

Ain't that the truth.

There is no technical justification for any of it. It doesn't do anything useful, and it enables scams and Ponzi schemes. If you're not trying to evade Chinese capital controls, or buying heroin, there's no use for any of it.

Agreed. Crypto has basically created the cyber-ransom business, destroys the environment, and allows for illegal trafficking of drugs and weapons. I'm struggling to see how the benefits outweigh the downside.

I'm ignorant to the topic, but it feels like there's a better way to handle these mass killings (which are necessary), but those ways might be more expensive.

Really. There are cheap ways to euthanize birds, though the incineration step is a necessary one.

Bruce Brown cashing checks from KD's bank account

"What did Bruce Brown say when he got up here?" Durant asked the assembled media. "He said something I didn't like, somebody just told me."

When told of Brown's comments, Durant tried to walk them back.

"That's caffeine pride talking," Durant said. "He takes something before the game. Those two dudes [Horford and Theis] can do the same stuff. It ain't going to be that easy, I tell you that."

As much as I agree about crypto, NFTs, and so on (and bird slaughter), I vote we talk about basketball.

As much as I agree about crypto, NFTs, and so on (and bird slaughter), I vote we talk about basketball.
Page 42 of 42 pages ‹ First  < 40 41 42

OK. Anthony Edwards is the best player in the NBA. Discuss.

OK. Anthony Edwards is the best player in the NBA. Discuss.

He is not. Check back in three years.

bird slaughter

Hawks and Pelicans both won.

Anthony Edwards will be the best player on his team next year.

Anthony Edwards will be the best player on his team next year.

By the end of next year? I hope so. By the year after? Almost certainly.

Anthony Edwards will be the best player on his team next year.

After the Wovles trade him to Washington for Bradley Beal? Absolutely.

We had this conversation several years ago (who will be the best NBA player five years from now), and I thought AD was a slam dunk.

For five years from now?? It's probably Luka. Jokic will be 32, Embiid will be 33. Tatum will be up there. Booker too, but he's less well-rounded. Ja, Edwards, Mobley, maybe Zion comes back but strong, but I'm doubtful.

As much as I agree about crypto, NFTs, and so on (and bird slaughter), I vote we talk about basketball.

let the record show that i made a very conscious decision to not carry that shitshow onto a 2nd page, despite being called out by name.


crypto is a scam, sure, but some people here are clutching pearls over some 2nd rate knock off draft kings bullshit.

After the Wovles trade him to Washington for Bradley Beal? Absolutely.

I know this is snark, but there is zero chance the Wolves trade Ant in the next three years. I am more likely to be drafted and then traded.

I think this is a decent attempt at trying to measure each playoff/playin team adjusted for the guys who will be in the rotation during the playoffs. As he points out, it's not perfect for a number of reasons, but it does highlight some things some of us have talked about here - like how strong Mil and GS really are with full rotations and how the Bulls are easily the worst team in the entire extended field.

By the way, i've heard Lowe and others say that stats from the play-in games don't count for either regular season, or postseason stats. How weird is that? Seems like it should just be part of the regular season, like when MLB has a 163rd game.

In theory, I hate how "narratives" dominate sports. In reality, I'm super hyped for all the narratives in these playoffs. Every single team has something going on that's peaking my interest. Between that and the parity, I'm really looking forward to these playoffs

Shams says Curry is expected to play in Game 1 against the Nuggets. Luka will not play Game 1 against the Jazz.

He also says that Simmons is targeting a return in the Game 4-6 window.

Woj says Robert Williams might return in round 1.

In theory, I hate how "narratives" dominate sports. In reality, I'm super hyped for all the narratives in these playoffs. Every single team has something going on that's peaking my interest. Between that and the parity, I'm really looking forward to these playoffs

Narratives about future events - cool and add interest.
Narratives explaining past events - nauseating and simplistic.

Kerr has said that if Steph is able to scrimmage today, which they expect him to, he'll play on Saturday. So we should know by the end of the day.

Narratives about future events - cool and add interest.
Narratives explaining past events - nauseating and simplistic.

Agreed. Daydreaming about how a series will go is hella fun. And some series are going to produce cool and interesting narratives. I'll gladly take those and ignore the ones that talk about character or legacy or whatever.

The other interesting thing about [4143] is the drop from teams who earned their records in small (Suns) or large (Heat) part due to effective play from depth pieces. As a card-carrying Heat doubter this year, I enjoyed that one in a petty way. I do think that depth is important, though, particularly when it comes to two-way players: almost no one makes it through the playoffs with no injuries.

does NOT know what cryptocurrency is, does NOT invest in crypo

Stiggles

does NOT know what cryptocurrency is, DOES invest in crypo

KAT

DOES know what cryptocurrency is, does NOT invest in crypo

Moses & Der K

DOES know what cryptocurrency is, DOES invest in crypto

Ant Edwards

The Nets talking about playing Simmons so soon after he’d received an epidural and isn’t even doing full court drills smacks of desperation to me.

Of all the teams in the NBA, the most player driven is the Nets. If Simmons plays it will be because the players collectively (including Simmons obviously) wanted it.

Agreed, and to take it a step further it seems like they are communicating an optimistic timeline ("targeting games 4-6"), presumably to support Simmons. Contrast that with how tight-lipped the Celtics have been about Timelord. I'll be curious to see if either or both of those players play in the first round.

DOES know what cryptocurrency is, does NOT invest in crypto
... & Der K

Correct, on ethics grounds. There's definitely some "bigger fool" money that could be made here.
Sorry, back to basketball.

The Hawks game was ugly in the first half - though the third quarter was beautiful to watch. If only Hunter could do that (I mean be a threat to do that) consistently (and if Collins were healthy), this would be a very different Atlanta team to deal with.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to average 48.0 PPG against Brooklyn this season.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined to average 48.0 PPG against Boston this season.

I have been mostly absent lately, but what a rare, fun week to be a Wolves fan. Actually, I should amend that. What a stressful week that turned out good. I really didn't want to miss the playoffs, but also really didn't want to play Phoenix because I don't think that series would be remotely competitive and it would be a chore to watch the Wolves get smacked around for 4-5 games.

KAT, indeed, let his brain take his body out of the game. That seems to happen to him more than any other player in the league. As others have said, I think it would be easier for him to play in the flow if there were less offensive responsibility on him. Ant ascending would help that a lot. If they replaced Vanderbilt (who is fun, but very limited) with someone who can still rebound but also chip in even a little on offense, that would help, too.

Memphis will be a tough series. The Wolves have some on-ball defenders who will at least make things unpleasant for Ja. PavBev, McDaniels, Vanderbilt, and even Edwards and Prince can all defend on ball. If he decides he needs to make a name for himself by shooting 30 times per game, it might end badly. I don't think that will be the case, so I think Bane and Brooks should be in for lots of good looks since Minnesota's off-ball defense is not very good. Also, Adams is exactly the kind of physical instigator who gets in KAT's head and gest him to play like he did on Tuesday. Here's hoping he takes a deep breath and lets the game come to him instead of flailing into the lane and getting in early foul trouble. He should be shooting 5+ 3PA in every game of this series. JJJ is scary off ball and should deter some of Ant's rampages, but the Wolves aren't really a "rim" team for the most part, so his protection might not matter quite as much. The Wolves will shoot way more 3's; the Grizz will shoot way more FTs. If the 3s are falling, the Wolves can win a few games. If they can play relatively even on the glass and stay within 5-6 FTA/G they could push Memphis in the series. I think Grizz in 6 is the best bet, but it's worth watching, which is a huge step up!

The hand-wringing about Minnesota's celebrations seemed so silly. What's wrong with being happy about something? I'm probably not as effusive as Ant, either, but good for him for accomplishing a goal and feeling good about it.

Aberg, when I’m following a young and talented but inexperienced team, I view the playoffs as a bonus, a chance for the young players to experience post-season pressure and the process of making game to game adjustments against the same opponent. If they show some growth, I’m happy with that and look forward to the following season.

One the one hand, the Wolves don't have a viable PnR defense they can play. Blitz/show is not a real PnR defense when deployed at volume in the playoffs. That said, Morant has been pretty bad against blitz/show during the regular season. So maybe? You force the ball out of Ja's hands and trust that Memphis doesn't have the shooters? The downside is blitzing leaves you more vulnerable to offensive boards, and Memphis does a pretty good job at that.

I don't think JJJ can guard Towns for very long. He has the physical ability, I just think Towns would get him in foul trouble. I also wouldn't be very comfortable with Adams on him. Towns can drag him out to the perimeter, and I think he can blow by him even with Adams knowing Towns only goes right.

this is about as wrong as you can possibly be about something. Which is saying a lot for stiggles

I can't resist the pile on, because I also think stiggles is wrong all the time

does NOT know what cryptocurrency is, does NOT invest in crypo

Stiggles

are you a regular poster in this thread?

am i "friendly" with you?

have i interacted with you, in some form of congenial back and forth banter?



no?


then keep my name out of your ####### mouth.

let the record show that i made a very conscious decision to not carry that shitshow onto a 2nd page, despite being called out by name.

As always, those that are quickest to lash out, have the thinnest of skins.

As always, those that are quickest to lash out, have the thinnest of skins.

i let the first one go.
i let the second one go.

(i actually do that a lot, btw. fwiw...)



this thread has thrived for nearly 15 years because toxic call outs like that don't ####### happen here. but if you think "oh, it's fine; it's just 57i66135", allow me to disabuse you of that notion right ####### now:

it's only ever been fine because i don't (usually) take the bait.



if you think i "have the thinnest of skins", then you very clearly are not a regular poster in this thread, and so i will tell you again: keep my name out of your ####### mouth.

Dropped by because I only care about NBA when the playoffs start and first reaction is: Did anybody tell him about the dirty fork?

i let the first one go.
i let the second one go.

(i actually do that a lot, btw. fwiw...)

If you run into an ####### in the morning, you ran into an #######. If you run into ######## all day, you're the #######.

if you think i "have the thinnest of skins", then you very clearly are not a regular poster in this thread, and so i will tell you again: keep my name out of your ####### mouth.

Trying to pull seniority in the NBA thread of a baseball site, is sort of pathetic. I may not post in this thread much, because I am a casual NBA fan, and don't usually think I have much to contribute. But I have lurked here for... maybe a decade. Long enough that I have no clue how long anyway. And certainly long enough that I am more than accustomed to your particular brand of bullshit.

As for thick skins... I would say read back your recent posts. Hell, you can't even see the name Markelle Fultz without having an aneurysm. To the point that you have to refer to him as "shitty mfer." Behaviour that is far more toxic than that which has you going off right now.
And for the record, I called you out on this occasion, because your statement was genuinely ####### dangerous. Spreading false bullshit about crypto genuinely ruins ####### lives. And calling that #### out is way more important to me, than protecting your fee fees.

Also, who the fuck do you think you are to tell me whose name I can put in my mouth. Will ####### Smith? GTFOOHWTBS. In short, make like a Russian warship, and go fuck yourself, stiggles.

   4163. Fancy Pants Handle struck out swinging Posted: April 14, 2022 at 09:48 PM (#6071787)
[ Ignored Comment ]

this thread has thrived for nearly 15 years because toxic call outs like that don't ####### happen here. but if you think "oh, it's fine; it's just 57i66135", allow me to disabuse you of that notion right ####### now:

it's only ever been fine because i don't (usually) take the bait.

Oh for ####'s sake stiggles.

(I suddenly recall now you ######## at somebody because they made the outrageous faux pas of not typing your handle with the proper alphanumeric specificity.)

I made a mild friendly joke alluding to a reddit crypto 2x2 matrix meme. You don't see Moses & Der-K giving me ####, do you? KAT was the real target and you don't see him crapping up the thread!

Seriously, though...I've posted quasi-regularly here for a decade or more and generally share your left wing political stance and enjoy your celebrations of "wiggle" but my sweet ####### Jesus H Christ are you ever a pain in the god damned ass to deal with sometimes.

(I suddenly recall now you ######## at somebody because they made the outrageous faux pas of not typing your handle with the proper alphanumeric specificity.)

it's 57i66135.

I made a mild friendly joke alluding to a reddit crypto 2x2 matrix meme. You don't see Moses & Der-K giving me ####, do you? KAT was the real target and you don't see him crapping up the thread!

you're good. i think. probably. at that point, it was a straw/camel thing.


there was no semblance of a "mild friendly joke" in [4163]. that's the kind of poison i wanted to air out.

was i ever going to debate the intricacies of BPM with someone who thinks of me like that? someone who i can't ever remember interacting with, and they have that level of deep-seated resentment and hatred for me bubbling up whenever i happen to post something they think is wrong.

my sweet ####### Jesus H Christ are you ever a pain in the god damned ass to deal with sometimes.

keep this in mind the next time you say your prayers and eat your vitamins:

i live with me. you're just visiting.

Durant is so good the defending NBA champions — who have the best player on the planet, who basically plays Durant’s position — gave up potential second-round home court to dodge him. I will not get over that anytime soon.

From the same article:

It looks like Tatum will finish top-5 in MVP voting, and deserve it.

Also, isn't it charming FPH's habit of just kiting in to a thread he has no interest in otherwise just to be a prick?

Still hoping to talk basketball .....

West -
PHX/? - PHX in 4
DAL/UTA - UTH in 7
GSW/DEN - GSW in 6
MEM/MIN - MEM in 6

East -
MIA/? - MIA in 6
PHI/TOR - TOR in 6
MIL/CHI - MIL in 4
BOS/BKN - BOS in 7

Possible upsets include MIN over MEM in West and BRK over BOS in the East (but I don't expect either).

The other possible upset is the one that you picked! (I.e., Toronto over Philly.)

I also picked Utah over Dallas*, I meant additional upsets.

*It is a 5 over a 4, not sure what the lines are.

Yeah, with Luka out at least one game, I don't really think of that as an upset. But point taken.

Am I crazy to think that the most likely finals pairing is a rematch of last year?

I will go-

PHX def NO 5
DAL def UTA 7
GSW def DEN 7
MEM def MIN 6

PHX def DAL 6
GSW def MEM 6

PHX def GSW 6

MIA def ATL 6
PHI def TOR 6
MIL def CHI 5
BOS def BKN 7

MIA def PHI 5
MIL def BOS 6

MIL def MIA 5

PHX def MIL 6

I should finish my set I suppose -

West -
PHX/UTH - PHX in 5
MEM/GSW - MEM in 6 (I am skeptical regarding the health of GSW)

PHX/MEM - PHX in 5

East -
MIA/TOR - MIA in 7
MIL/BOS - MIL in 6

MIA/MIL - MIL in 6

Finals -
PHX/MIL - PHX in 7

Am I crazy to think that the most likely finals pairing is a rematch of last year?

Not crazy at all — in fact, I think that's the general consensus?

I think GSW can beat PHX, though, if everyone stays healthy. Here's what I've got:

EAST
MIA def ATL in 6
BOS def BRK in 7
MIL def CHI in 4
PHI def TOR in 7

MIA def PHI in 6
MIL def BOS in 7

MIL def MIA in 5

WEST
PHX def LAC in 5
MEM def MIN in 6
GSW def DEN in 6
UTA def DAL in 7

PHX def UTA in 4
GSW def MEM in 6

GSW def PHX in 7

FINALS
MIL def GSW in 7

Posted a new thread