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Friday, May 21, 2021

NBA 2021 Playoffs+ thread

I estimate there are maybe 10-12 Primates left on this site, and they all post in the NBA thread.

Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: May 21, 2021 at 01:07 PM | 4930 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: clutch, narratives, nba, off topic, redemption

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101. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: May 23, 2021 at 04:07 AM (#6020360)

ESPN has 18 NBA people on their payroll picking the first round, including Lowe and Pelton:

18-0 UTA, PHL, BKN
17-1 LAC, LAL
15-3 NYK
13-5 MIL
9-9 POR/DEN

I thought it was interesting that more people picked the Knicks than the Bucks, and that crowd clearly has doubts about Denver.

Lowe: PHL,BKN 4-1; MIL 4-3, ATL 4-2. UTA 4-1, LAL,LAC 4-2; POR 4-3.
Pelton: PHL,BKN 4-1; MIL 4-3, NYK 4-3. UTA 4-1, LAL 4-3, LAC,POR 4-2.

102. spivey 2 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 09:07 AM (#6020364)

Going back to the discussion of Doncic, I think I’d take him one game in the playoffs over Giannis.

103. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 10:26 AM (#6020368)

POR was 19/40 from the arc; DEN was 11/36.

yes, and that is POR's win condition. get insanely hot from beyond the arc in 4/7 games, and probably get napoleon blown apart in the other 3.

104. tshipman

Posted: May 23, 2021 at 11:48 AM (#6020375)

I like how the conclusion from that CelticsBlog article was not, "Oh we incorrectly assigned meaning to randomness," but "Oh, we will quickly go back to better 3p defense."

105. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 01:01 PM (#6020400)

who's ready for some 57i66145????!!!!!?!?!?!?!??!

106. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 01:03 PM (#6020401)

btw, apparently the odds for the wizards winning this series are +600.

betting against the sixers is not a bad idea, but that's just terrible value.

107. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 01:06 PM (#6020404)

20 years ago.

108. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 01:23 PM (#6020405)

refs wearing camouflage.

109. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 01:58 PM (#6020409)

alex len is a disgrace to this fine sport.

110. Hombre Brotani

Posted: May 23, 2021 at 02:02 PM (#6020410)

I'm having a hard time watching this game and not thinking "HOW WILL 57i66145 57i66145 TODAY??!" on every possession.

111. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 02:05 PM (#6020413)

I'm having a hard time watching this game and not thinking "HOW WILL 57i66145 57i66145 TODAY??!" on every possession.

we're around maybe 30-40% 57i66135 right now.

FULL 57i66135 is still very far away.

be warned.

112. asinwreck Posted: May 23, 2021 at 02:10 PM (#6020414)

alex len is a disgrace to this fine sport.

Even Shaq would wince at those attempts from the line.

113. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 02:13 PM (#6020416)

tharris carrying a load.

6 months ago, i could not have imagined this was possible.

114. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 02:14 PM (#6020417)

that's a flagrant 2.

115. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 02:15 PM (#6020418)

suspend that ###### for the rest of the playoffs

116. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 02:20 PM (#6020420)

first half thoughts:

sixers shot 3/68 from beyond the arc

refs whistled joel embiid out of the game

sixers are not down by 15+.

this series is over. go watch some rugby.

117. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 02:50 PM (#6020424)

"ben simmons is an overrated defender"

brad beal can barely even touch the ball.

118. Hombre Brotani

Posted: May 23, 2021 at 03:10 PM (#6020426)

brad beal can barely even touch the ball.

Brad Beal has 29 on just 19 shots so far.

Now Russell Westbrook IS an overrated defender. I haven't seen him play any this game.

119. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 03:27 PM (#6020429)

Brad Beal has 29 on just 19 shots so far.

and how much of that came when simmons was on the bench, or when simmons had been switched onto bertans in the 3rd quarter?

120. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 03:37 PM (#6020430)

these refs were trained by WWE.

121. tshipman

Posted: May 23, 2021 at 03:41 PM (#6020431)

The 76ers have shot double the FTs.

122. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 03:42 PM (#6020432)

The 76ers have shot double the FTs.

rich, coming from someone who rooted for shaq and kobe

123. tshipman

Posted: May 23, 2021 at 03:57 PM (#6020434)

rich, coming from someone who rooted for shaq and kobe

I was curious, so I looked it up.

In 2002 for the playoffs, the Lakers shot 28.1 FTs, and opponents shot 26.7
In 2001, the Lakers shot 30.7 FTs, and opponents shot 26.4
In 2000, the Lakers shot 31.6 FTs, and opponents shot 29.0.

On average, the Lakers during the 3peat shot 30.1 FTs per game, and opponents shot 27.3.

Averaging just under 3 FTs more than the opponent when you have peak Shaq on your team seems about what you'd expect or maybe a bit less.

Edit: In 2003, the Lakers actually shot fewer FTs than the opponent, but maybe people don't care as much about that?

124. Hombre Brotani

Posted: May 23, 2021 at 03:58 PM (#6020435)

and how much of that came when simmons was on the bench, or when simmons had been switched onto bertans in the 3rd quarter?

All of them, obviously. No one's ever scored on Ben Simmons.

125. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 04:00 PM (#6020436)

All of them, obviously. No one's ever scored on Ben Simmons.

you're ####### right.

John Gonzalez @JohnGonzalez
the thing I like best about Russell Westbrook is that he doesn’t play for a team I care about

Andrew Sharp @andrewsharp
Wiz-Sixers has been PREMIUM Eastern Conference basketball. Both teams sleeping through entire quarters, Tobias Harris looking like a Hall of Famer, technically a close game but everyone just waiting for it to end. Love it!

126. tshipman

Posted: May 23, 2021 at 04:04 PM (#6020438)

The best Russell Westbrook experience is when you can watch him play without rooting for or against his team.

He's incredibly frustrating to root for or have him play against your team.

127. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 04:08 PM (#6020440)

let's play a game of "spot the herb":

Rich Hoffman @rich_hofmann
Doc Rivers on the crowd: "I can't believe that was 10, 11,000. There's no way. I think we're counting like the Republicans because it felt like 30,000 people in the stands."

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
Doc Rivers says he can't believe there were only 10-11,000 people at the game because it was so loud. "I think we're counting like the Republicans."

Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly
#Sixers coach Doc Rivers: 'I can't believe that was 10,000, 11,000 fans - it felt like 30,000 fans. They were amazing. It's so nice to have that. Let's keep it going.'

128. asinwreck Posted: May 23, 2021 at 04:14 PM (#6020441)

I would really like to see Chris Paul make it through a postseason without an incapacitating injury.

129. tshipman

Posted: May 23, 2021 at 04:33 PM (#6020443)

The play where CP gets hurt looks weird.

I actually thought he was flopping before he stayed down for so long. I can't see any contact.

130. spivey 2 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:02 PM (#6020448)

The 76ers would be pretty damn good if they had Mikal Bridges.

131. spivey 2 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:08 PM (#6020450)

This Phoenix starting 5 is pretty damn good.

132. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:11 PM (#6020451)

The 76ers would be pretty damn good if they had Mikal Bridges.

or shai gilgeous alexander.

or michael porter jr.

133. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:14 PM (#6020452)

there are "only" 3 times in the last 10-ish years where i've gone apoplectic during the NBA draft:

#1: kawhi leonard falling to #15 in 2011. the sixers picked at #16.

#2: kyle anderson falling to #30 in 2014. the sixers picked at #32.

#3: michael porter jr falling to #14 in 2018. the sixers picked at #10.

*edit* trading jrue holiday for nerlens noel and the future pick that became dario saric is also worth mentioning, but that was for different reasons.

134. SteveF Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:24 PM (#6020453)

#1: kawhi leonard falling to #15 in 2011. the sixers picked at #16.

#2: kyle anderson falling to #30 in 2014. the sixers picked at #32.

#3: michael porter jr falling to #14 in 2018. the sixers picked at #10.

One of these things is not like the others.

135. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:32 PM (#6020454)

One of these things is not like the others.

no, each of those things is not like the others.

136. Hombre Brotani

Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:32 PM (#6020455)

I thought the Lakers' perimeter defenders would have done a better job, but as it turns out, Booker's pretty good.

137. spivey 2 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:37 PM (#6020456)

This game reminds me of the Bucks/Heat game. That is not a compliment.

138. SteveF Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:43 PM (#6020457)

That was not a bad pun by Mark Jackson.

139. spivey 2 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 05:58 PM (#6020458)

Ayton has played AD pretty god damn tough today.

140. spivey 2 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 06:04 PM (#6020459)

Phoenix has played well but Lakers have missed a lot of corner 3s and if that turns around and Paul doesn’t get healthy it’ll be tough to get 3 more wins IMO.

141. SteveF Posted: May 23, 2021 at 06:05 PM (#6020460)

Chris Paul looks broken and the Lakers don't look any good.

142. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 06:06 PM (#6020461)

i'm sure she's just wearing a mask, but rachel nichols sounds like she's either drunk, or having a stroke.

143. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: May 23, 2021 at 06:18 PM (#6020465)

Ayton: 10/11 FG, 21/16 REB
Davis: 5/16 FG, 13/7 REB

Booker basically had a prime Kobe Bryant/late 90s MJ game: 13/26, 34/7/8--while James was for, him, off: 18/10/7. The Lakers were also 7/26 on 3s, and missed 11 FTs, and the game was still not a blowout. On the other side, Paul can probably do more than he did when they need him to if he is OK physically, and Phoenix did not shoot especially well. So we'll see. This reminds of what I said last year during the Finals: Miami could beat the Lakers when Jimmy Butler put up Michael Jordan numbers. When he didn't, they couldn't.

But it still just comes back to what Berg and I were talking about, and IMO it doesn't have much to do with Chris Paul or corner 3s (sometimes they drop, and sometimes they don't) or any other stuff like that: if James and Davis can dominate and are the two best players on the floor, the Lakers can beat anyone. If they can't, Phoenix will beat them. Today, Ayton and Booker were the two best players on the floor, and Phoenix was in control all afternoon.

144. Slivers of Maranville descends into chaos (SdeB) Posted: May 23, 2021 at 06:21 PM (#6020466)

Didn't see that anyone had posted this thread, but I may have missed it. It's a great story.

145. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: May 23, 2021 at 06:24 PM (#6020467)

144--

Yeah, I heard about that. It was pretty interesting.

146. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: May 23, 2021 at 06:38 PM (#6020470)

I was curious, so I looked it up.

In 2002 for the playoffs, the Lakers shot 28.1 FTs, and opponents shot 26.7
In 2001, the Lakers shot 30.7 FTs, and opponents shot 26.4
In 2000, the Lakers shot 31.6 FTs, and opponents shot 29.0.

On average, the Lakers during the 3peat shot 30.1 FTs per game, and opponents shot 27.3.

Averaging just under 3 FTs more than the opponent when you have peak Shaq on your team seems about what you'd expect or maybe a bit less.

Edit: In 2003, the Lakers actually shot fewer FTs than the opponent, but maybe people don't care as much about that?

Yeah, in the nascent period right around the time before the thread launched, I was in a couple of back-and-forths about this stuff with a Kings fan and a Boston fan.

147. epoc Posted: May 23, 2021 at 06:51 PM (#6020471)

Lakers shot double the free throws.

148. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: May 23, 2021 at 07:09 PM (#6020472)

Lakers shot double the free throws.

Yeah, I know, but they still missed 11. Their season percentage was .739; today, it was .607. They averaged 3 more FTs a game during the season than opponents. Phoenix also is not a team that gets to the line; they averaged 18.7 FTA, 29th in the NBA. The Lakers were at 23.3, 6th. So the Lakers being at the line a lot more than Phoenix is not all that surprising. Phoenix is great at shooting FTs-.834, 2nd. The Lakers are not a great FT shooting team--James has been mediocre at the line his whole career, so them having an off day is also not surprising. That is one of the problems with Drummond on this roster; he is at 47% at the line for his career.

149. asinwreck Posted: May 23, 2021 at 09:44 PM (#6020498)

Based on last night in Denver (Melo) and tonight in New York (Trae), the reintroduction of booing crowds may be energizing visitors.

150. spivey 2 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 09:46 PM (#6020501)

Rudy Gobert could easily have 3 fouls in the first 3 minutes guarding Valanciunas.

151. SteveF Posted: May 23, 2021 at 10:14 PM (#6020507)

Memphis just doesn't really have the kinds of players that can stress Utah's defense.

152. spivey 2 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 10:33 PM (#6020512)

Feel like Utah has gotten a very favorable whistle and still don’t look inspiring. Just one half tho.

153. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 10:48 PM (#6020520)

Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba
The Jazz led by as many as 14 and now trail 49-43 at halftime. Utah got dominated in the final six minutes of the half on both ends of the floor and Memphis has taken over the game

Drew Hill @DrewHill_DM
Grizzlies are on a 17-5 run since Kyle Anderson spoke his mind to the Utah bench.

Kellan Olson @KellanOlson
Rewatch thread.
Lakers had this defensive possession but squandered momentum. 8-0 Suns run after it via some bad Lakers offense.

pic.twitter.com/O8P3SJDit6

154. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 10:52 PM (#6020521)

something i forgot i hated about the NBA playoffs:

the sixers don't play game 2 until wednesday. and then they don't play game 3 until saturday.

155. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 11:10 PM (#6020523)

Meghan Triplett @Meghan_Triplett
4 fouls on Gobert and Conley. They both now sit on the bench.

tim donaghy's best friend having a night:

Josh Newman @Joshua_Newman
Kenny Mauer should go get some air, maybe have a sip of water. He’s having a tough go tonight.

Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba
The Jazz are just getting the #### kicked out of them and they are letting it happen. Down 11, taking bad shots, not getting stops defensively. They look like the team playing on 45 hours of rest with no preparation. Hats off to Memphis for how well they are playing

Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
the nickname “Slow Mo” should retire with Kyle Anderson. nobody will ever do it better. pic.twitter.com/LpFuDmYtfW

156. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 11:20 PM (#6020524)

12. "bothsidesism" word 57i66135 Posted: May 21, 2021 at 04:29 PM (#6020128)

Memphis is a nice team, but if they make it, they get swept.
by who? utah?

MEM getting swept by UTA is as likely as UTA losing in 7 to MEM.

the highest form of trolling is just telling the truth.

157. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 11:56 PM (#6020526)

how do you say "too bad. so sad." en francaise?

158. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 23, 2021 at 11:58 PM (#6020528)

when did quinn snyder turn into eric spoelstra?

this year has not been kind to him.

159. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: May 24, 2021 at 12:15 AM (#6020529)

So all 4 underdogs in the West won G1. We will see what that means, if anything. Fun week for Memphis fans.

160. tshipman

Posted: May 24, 2021 at 12:48 AM (#6020532)

A lot of kinda fluky bad 3p performances in G1.

161. spivey 2 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 08:40 AM (#6020543)

Pelton was keeping a running tab this weekend of 3pt shooting percentages between the home and road team. The home teams in almost every game shot awful from 3.

162. jmurph Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:05 AM (#6020552)

Pelton was keeping a running tab this weekend of 3pt shooting percentages between the home and road team. The home teams in almost every game shot awful from 3.

Weird. Looking at 3 pt shooting should maybe make Bucks fans feel a little better (I mean they got the win obviously, but I can't imagine that was a comforting win). Heat 20/50, Bucks 5/31. It seems impossible for an NBA team to make only 5 threes in 2021.

163. jmurph Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:09 AM (#6020553)

It's hard to avoid having strong takes after game 1s, it's just the nature of the thing. Even with that in mind, it's still hard not to feel a little anxious about the Bucks (despite the point above) and Clippers.

But generally I don't feel like we saw anything too crazy? Obviously health in the Suns/Lakers series looks like it could be huge both ways.

164. Mellow Mouse, Benevolent Space Tyrant Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:22 AM (#6020554)

The team I think should feel best about themselves relative to before game one is the Nets. They seemed to decide to win, and then just did.

165. spivey 2 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 11:04 AM (#6020560)

Milwaukee went way too much to isolation ball in the second half, and even when they run an action it was often a very lazy screen to get Middleton the ball on the wing to then have him try isolation ball. That's concerning because the last couple of years have clearly shown that Bud doesn't have a great idea on how to run an offense when Giannis isn't able to run the show. Their defense was mostly very good, though, and in general I think Milwaukee had better shots.

I think Lakers and Denver are the teams I'm interested in seeing how they respond. Denver got a big game from Jokic and still lost by double digits. I was starting to get on the Denver bandwagon, and that's a disappointing result. The Lakers are another team that I'm interested to see what they do next. Ayton was able to pretty well neutralize AD's offense. AD was tentative, and wasn't shooting much from outside, allowing Ayton to sag a bit as well. Drummond was killing them on the offensive glass during that time, but the flip side is you have Drummond on the floor and he's not one of your 5 best guys.

166. Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: May 24, 2021 at 11:21 AM (#6020563)

Booker basically had a prime Kobe Bryant/late 90s MJ game: 13/26, 34/7/8

FWIW, I was curious about this*, so I searched for playoff games with at least 25FGA and >=50% fg, with 30/7/7 and it's been done 76 times since 82/83 (data bbref had available). LeBron's actually done it the most, 17 times; MJ did it 11; Havlicek, Kareem, and Baylor each 4 times; Bird 3; a bunch of guys twice (including Durant, Luka, Jokic, Oscar), and then various guys once (including Kobe, Magic, Wilt, Steph, Nash, etc). Oddly enough, the 2 best game scores for this type of game happened just last year in the same game - Mitchell/Murray in game 1 of the Nugs/Jazz series last year.

*Honestly, my first thought was at this level of efficiency, that's probably something late MJ and Kobe rarely did and it felt like more of a LeBron thing when you include the rebounds and assists.

167. jmurph Posted: May 24, 2021 at 11:50 AM (#6020570)

Denver are the teams I'm interested in seeing how they respond.

Oh good call, I had forgotten about that series entirely. Portland was especially hot from 3 and Denver barely got to the line, so I guess there's hope those things even out to a degree. But yeah, it did seem quite easy for Portland for long stretches.

168. Hombre Brotani

Posted: May 24, 2021 at 01:40 PM (#6020581)

The Lakers are another team that I'm interested to see what they do next.

if there's one thing that this iteration of the Lakers has taught us, it's that losing Game 1 doesn't have to be a big deal. They lost Game 1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs last year, and turned out just fine.

169. tshipman

Posted: May 24, 2021 at 02:07 PM (#6020585)

To me, the big question mark with the Lakers is AD. He looked really bad in game 1, and he has to be one of the two best players on the court for the Lakers to be contenders.

170. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 02:47 PM (#6020588)

Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
Bradley Beal when defended by Ben Simmons in Game 1 shot 1/6 from the floor, 0/4 from deep, and he had 3 turnovers #Sixers

Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
Bradley Beal on shots attempted against non-Simmons defenders on Sunday: 70.5% from the field (12/17)
Bradley Beal while defended by Simmons: 16.7% from the field (1/6)

171. Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: May 24, 2021 at 02:49 PM (#6020589)

Yeah, Ayton significantly outplayed AD (when they were matched up but also overall). If that's health related, it's one thing (and still a concern), but it's worse otherwise. From the Suns side, CP was pretty terrible after he got hurt and it didn't seem to matter. LeBron's probably also gonna have to try and shut down Booker for stretches of the series, especially close and late. I'd still pick the Lakers, but am just less confident than a couple days ago (and I'm not just concern trolling).

I think MIL is fine in this series, but the larger questions still remain; but I kinda don't think those are the same questions they'll face against the Nets since the Nets aren't gonna win by making MIL's offense work harder. They have to play better (and not just 3pt variance better) to beat PHI or likely the eventual WC champ regardless of who it is.

I wasn't really bullish on LAC before, and nothing from their game changed my thoughts on them. I think DEN will be fine. UTA was disappointing, even for them.

I didn't make full picks, partially because I haven't had time. But I think my champ pick is either BKN or PHI.

172. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 02:54 PM (#6020590)

Donovan Mitchell @spidadmitchell
Sorry y’all... I wish I could say more.... I’ll be out there soon !

Andy Larsen @andyblarsen
You just can’t get in a situation where your star player is sending cryptic tweets about a team decision — let alone in the playoffs

Andy Larsen @andyblarsen
That confirms what I'm hearing as well: that this is kind of a power struggle between Mitchell's training staff and Jazz training staff over who gets to make the decisions on Mitchell's recovery and availability.
https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1396856502397276165

Steve Luhm @sluhm
Has Donovan Mitchell entered the transfer portal yet?

173. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: May 24, 2021 at 03:16 PM (#6020594)

Booker: 166 is a good post. I was thinking more of the raw stat line then efficiency. I do not have a subscription to the Stathead thing on Bask Ref, so I can't get full results, but I typed in playoffs/HOFer/guard/30/5/5 for the Bulls and the Lakers in the filter thing, and what I saw showed Jordan doing it ten times, and that was results 11-20, with over 40 points. Bryant on results 11-20 had done it six times.

Lakers/Davis: Yeah, I was in a couple of mildly salty exchanges on a Lakers site. People were talking about Vogel and KCP and adjustments and Drummond and other stuff. But the bottom line is what shipman said. This is what I said on that site:

The video adjustment stuff is part of the playoffs.
It is Vogel’s job to look at the video and try to figure out some small edges they can get on Booker and Ayton defensively, and Vogel is good at that. But IMO, the playoffs are also an organizational thing in that for contenders, they are the litmus test of organizational plans/status: The Lakers let go of four lottery picks and a few other young guys who are NBA players, and traded away several #1 draft picks to create a team that is made up of James, Davis, and veteran role players. This year, James and Davis are making 71M between them, and that number is going to go up each of the next two years. So, the Lakers as an organization have 100% committed their planning and resources to the idea that James, even in his late 30s, can, with Davis, win playoff games. So far in these playoffs, they have eked out one win over a team that is already eliminated, and lost fairly decisively to a team that is good but certainly not great. So we will see

.

Another couple of basic things about the Lakers: they were 28th in FT% and 21st in 3P%, so they will always be vulnerable to bad games in those areas. Even with the injuries and the personnel changes, the Lakers were 1st in DRTG, but without James and Davis for long stretches, they cratered all the way to 24th in ORTG. Vogel is a D coach, not an O coach. Putting enough points on the board to get Ws for the Lakers is based on James and Davis being either the two best, or against some opponents, two of the three best, players on the floor. If they can't do that because they are old/banged up, then Phoenix will beat the Lakers.

Playoffs: The East has "traditional" playoff tiers. The West, with the teams people sort of favor as making the WCF being 4 and 7, and teams that people are skeptical about at 1 and 2, and with dangerous teams with stars at 3, 5, and 6, is a very different thing. So I can see why a few people are already thinking that the EC winner takes the Finals.

174. tshipman

Posted: May 24, 2021 at 03:39 PM (#6020595)

Playoffs: The East has "traditional" playoff tiers. The West, with the teams people sort of favor as making the WCGF being 4 and 7, and teams that people are skeptical about at 1 and 2, and with dangerous teams with stars at 3, 5, and 6, is a very different thing. So I can see why a few people are already thinking that the EC winner takes the Finals.

Yeah, the East is suuuuper shitty outside of the top 3 (and maybe Miami). So it's hard to see Brooklyn or Philadelphia as strong favorites (although I did pick PHL) until they actually play someone.

175. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 05:41 PM (#6020608)

Sunday’s Game 1 wasn’t even five minutes old when Doncic caught the ball near the elbow, rode Patrick Beverley all the way to the front of the rim, laid the ball in through contact, and then screamed, “You’re too ####### small!” right in Beverley’s face.
...
If there’s one image that neatly sums up the vibe of this Clippers team, it might be two guys, in a losing effort, going out of their way to humiliate an opponent after a play they were not involved in.

DFCTR

176. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 05:43 PM (#6020609)

does anyone else remember when ESPN spent a bunch of time leading into the NBA draft trying to tell everyone his name was actually pronounced "doinchich".

pepperidge farm remembers

177. asinwreck Posted: May 24, 2021 at 08:18 PM (#6020626)

Bucks, whoa. Forbes is not messing around tonight.

178. phredbird

Posted: May 24, 2021 at 08:30 PM (#6020629)

how do you say "too bad. so sad." en francaise?

dommage. si triste.

merci, a votre service.

179. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: May 24, 2021 at 08:54 PM (#6020631)

So if your opponent goes 5/31 on 3s and you lose anyway, that may be a bad sign for the next game.

180. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:07 PM (#6020635)

So it's hard to see Brooklyn or Philadelphia as strong favorites (although I did pick PHL) until they actually play someone.

Yeah, but I think the counter will be the "expenditure of energy" argument. There may well be no short series in the West, in any round. This is a thing sometimes when people talk about the Lakers/Celtics in the 80s; in those days, the East was the tougher conference.

181. SteveF Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:14 PM (#6020636)

They should give him two flagrant ones. One for the tackle, one for the pushoff.

Not really. I have no ####### idea.

182. smileyy Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:15 PM (#6020637)

That won't be a flagrant and also it should be whenever no play is made on the ball when the player is in the air.

Should be a T and an ejection for the push off on Giannis' chest.

183. smileyy Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:17 PM (#6020638)

I know you'll want to rest your starters and also I can see the Bucks wanting to show no quarter in this game.

184. Too Much Coffee Man Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:23 PM (#6020639)

Michael Malone, or "Mike Malone" as ESPN prefers to call him, is not particularly strong at in-game adjustments. G1 - the Nuggets were not prepared for letting Jokic go one-on-one in the post, but never really adjusted.
To be fair, his lack of in-game adjustments may be partly by design. He's been quoted as saying he believes that when you vary too much from the pre-game plan, players lose confidence in your ability to scheme.

However, he is very strong at adjusting over the course of the series. As much as the media narrative is that Utah took their foot of the gas and the Clippers were over-confident, Denver steadily improved over the course of the series. Especially v. LAC, they were the better team the last 2-3 games.

Portland is a super tough matchup for Denver, especially missing 3 rotation players who happen to be guards. However, they need to:
- get more movement and ball movement on offense
- stay even in bench production
- keep POR from torching them from 3

Milsap & Green were uncharacteristically bad in G1 and should rebound.
Fixing the offense is about schemes and doable.
Fixing the defense is schemes and effort, although Portland's 3-point shooting presents such a challenge from Denver it's still going to be a struggle.

I like the Nuggets to bounce back.

185. jmurph Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:32 PM (#6020641)

The Bucks have zero respect for the Heat offense, correctly, and it’s hilarious.

186. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:34 PM (#6020643)

i'm gonna go out on another one of my patented limbs and say that MIA is not going to win this game.

prove me wrong, jimmy butler.

187. spivey 2 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:35 PM (#6020644)

Feel like Duncan Robinson has gotten some soft 3 pt foul calls. Not Harden soft, but still, very few non-stars are getting those.

188. spivey 2 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:42 PM (#6020645)

Haven't been watching the game but my timeline, including national guys like Pelton and Partnow, essentially saying the Heat are playing dirty while still being up 10 in free throws. I don't like when refs give the losing team all the whistles. Just let 'em lose by 45.

189. spivey 2 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:44 PM (#6020646)

I ####### love Jrue Holiday's defense.

190. smileyy Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:49 PM (#6020647)

Getting Jrue has clearly been worth it.

191. spivey 2 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:54 PM (#6020649)

Bryn Forbes WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE

192. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 09:56 PM (#6020650)

way too many dick punches and stomps in these playoffs.

oh, nevermind. that's a flagrant 2 on dragic. get him the #### out of the game.

193. Hombre Brotani

Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:00 PM (#6020651)

Just saw the score. That's what I was expecting out of the Bucks. Nice to see they have it in them.

194. spivey 2 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:00 PM (#6020652)

Milwaukee has no ####### respect for Miami's ability to dribble. They're such a bad dribbling team. Robinson can't dribble, Herro can't dribble. Dragic could, but he's old and coming off an injury. Just keep doing that. The refs will give them a bunch of bullshit fouls and free throws, but it completely prevents them from getting into their offense.

195. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:00 PM (#6020653)

someone needs to slip two or three shots of whiskey into whatever reggie miller is drinking when he's calling these games. i've seen the 30 for 30; the guy is not this ####### dull.

196. smileyy Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:00 PM (#6020654)

Giannis is pissed enough to hit his FTs but not quite pissed enough to hit his 3s

197. spivey 2 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:01 PM (#6020655)

It's amusing the technical that's been called since I've been watching the game is Portis pushing Bjelica off of Giannis after he hulk smashed him like twice on the same drive.

The Heat come from the Jamie Dixon-era Pitt teams of foul every play and they can't call every one.

198. smileyy Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:01 PM (#6020657)

Miller was at least hilarious when he said he'd only last 3 years in the NBA, what with official reviews.

199. /muteself 57i66135 Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:03 PM (#6020658)

jrue holiday is left handed.

200. smileyy Posted: May 24, 2021 at 10:04 PM (#6020659)

It's probably a dead horse from me and also the NBA really needs to crack down on fouls not even making a play for the ball. It doesn't need to be a flagrant but it should be a shot and the ball.

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