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Friday, February 15, 2019

OT - 2018-19 NBA thread (All-Star Weekend to Twelfth of Never edition)

I estimate only 10-12 Primates care about the NBA, none of whom can be bothered to curate their own thread to avoid detracting from what this site is really about: Kyler Murray and how the Galactic Empire did nothing wrong.

Lance Reddick! Lance him! Posted: February 15, 2019 at 12:14 PM | 1586 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: basketball, off-topic

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1301. Davo Posted: April 11, 2019 at 12:45 AM (#5830721)

Denver down 11 with 3 minutes to play.

Promptly go on a 15-0 run to end it.

Yeah.

1302. Booey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 12:45 AM (#5830722)

Jazz had 2 chances to avoid Houston in the first round, but SAC blows a 28 pt lead in the 3rd to POR and MIN blows an 11 pt lead with 3 minutes left to DEN. Unvelievable.

1303. Davo Posted: April 11, 2019 at 12:47 AM (#5830723)

And EVEN MORE IMPROBABLY Portland's scrubs get the win! Down 28 midway through the 3rd, win by 5!

We won't have to play GSW/HOU until the Western Conference Finals!

1304. Davo Posted: April 11, 2019 at 12:52 AM (#5830724)

Portland only had 6 players play for them tonight. 5 of them hadn't started a game this year.

A guy named Anfernee Simons played the full game, and scored 37 points. Entering the game he'd scored 38 total points on the season.

1305. Booey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 12:56 AM (#5830725)

#1303 - SAC didn't play their starters in the 2nd half. What were they resting them for? The offseason?

1306. Booey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 01:15 AM (#5830727)

Y'all picked Grayson Allen to get 40 pts, right?

(On terrible shooting, though)

1307. Davo Posted: April 11, 2019 at 02:27 AM (#5830729)

@UtahJazz6Man
The chances of both those buzzer beaters going in last night AND both of these teams blowing those leads has to be less than 5% right?

@tsetsedavis
Replying to @UtahJazz6Man
According to Inpredictable, at the lowest point in each game, the odds of:

POR>LAL - 20.6%
OKC>HOU - 2.5%
DEN>MIN - 1.3%
POR>SAC - 2.8%

Odds of all 4 happening? 0.0001875% (ie. just under two in a million)

1308. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: April 11, 2019 at 02:49 AM (#5830730)

1307 is a notable post, and ofc I get why it would really frustrate Utah fans. But at the same time, Houston is not awesome and Utah would have run into Golden State at some point anyway. The main thing about the playoffs is to be in them with a solid team.

Less interested in the playoffs than usual for many reasons, but am interested to see if:

1. Boston has another gear and takes out Indiana and gives Milwaukee a lot of trouble.
2. OKC makes real noise. I have defended Westbrook and have always been a proponent of George's value. OKC is positioned to get to the WCF and with two big stars and their payroll, they should be able to make a run at it even from the 6 seed.
3. Milwaukee has trouble or if their regular season performance carries over and they make the Finals.

1309. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 11, 2019 at 07:00 AM (#5830735)

Joel Embiid has a sore left knee. Or, at least that’s the reason given by the Sixers (along with, of course, “load management”) in regard to the center missing five of the past seven games and 14 since the All-Star break. Before Philly’s final regular-season game against the Bulls on Wednesday, GM Elton Brand was asked about Embiid’s health going into the playoffs. Brand said he was “optimistic” that Embiid would be ready for the playoffs. He also said it was “possible” that Embiid could not be ready for the first game against the Nets

...Um, this is a problem?

1310. spivey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 09:08 AM (#5830749)

1311. NJ in NJ Posted: April 11, 2019 at 09:51 AM (#5830770)

Boston being without Smart is a big loss for them imo. He gives them a lot of their edge/identity, and that helps offset the loss of Brogdon presuming the likely matchup in the second round of Boston/Milwaukee.

I agree with this. Feeling a lot better about my season-long MIL as the giant hiding in plain sight sentiment.

Are we doing awards ballots again?

1312. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 11, 2019 at 10:32 AM (#5830784)

It’s easy to think that professional athletes are insulated from certain real-world concerns by wealth and fame, and there’s probably some element of truth to that. Everything is relative. But they’re also men with lives and feelings and in some cases families. I talked to a host of former Sixers in an attempt to answer something I’ve always wondered about: What’s it like to be among the people who were Processed?

over 100 players have been part of the organization during one of the most divisive periods in team (or NBA) history. Some of them, like Andrei Kirilenko, Hasheem Thabeet, and Chu Chu Maduabum

Holiday declined to be interviewed for this story. So did several others, among them Turner and Hinkie. Meanwhile, Colangelo could not be reached for comment

He also got in a fistfight with Lance Stephenson—which was either the low point or the highlight of his time in Indiana. Possibly both.

just to point something out:
in the 6 seasons since sam hinkie was hired, the sixers have won 50+ games twice.
the only teams who have more 50+ win seasons over that time period are CLE, GSW, HOU, LAC, POR, SAS and TOR.
and, again dating back to hinkie's hire, the sixers have more playoff wins (5) than 1/3 of the NBA.

1313. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 11, 2019 at 10:34 AM (#5830785)

“Shout-out to Sam Hinkie,” he said. “I didn’t comprehend the Process, but that shit’s working now.”

1314. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 11, 2019 at 10:54 AM (#5830792)

“I’m not a witch, how you say,” Saric said, “to find out what will happen in the future.”

Then he put on a pair of crazy cool multicolor Ray-Bans.

1315. Ken Griffey's Grotesquely Swollen Jaw Posted: April 11, 2019 at 11:43 AM (#5830803)

yeah, I think the Smart loss will be pretty big if the Celtics make it past Indiana and match up with the Bucks. I don't know how he does it but he gives Giannis more trouble than a 6'4" guy has any right to.

1316. Booey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 11:50 AM (#5830806)

Odds of all 4 happening? 0.0001875% (ie. just under two in a million)

Leave it to the Kings and Wolves to defy almost mathematically impossible odds of futility. I guess the moral is, if you're relying on one of those teams to make you happy, you're pretty much screwed (sorry Wolves fans).

Houston is not awesome

I think the Rockets are better than their record. They had some big injuries and a slow start, but they're 20-4 in their last 24 games and 3 of those losses were by 1 or 2 pts (and the one that wasn't was to MIL). That said, I actually do think this will be a fun series and it should be more competitive than it was last year. I just wish it wasn't happening in the first round. I'd have been totally fine with a 2nd round meeting with the State Farm guys.

1317. JJ1986 Posted: April 11, 2019 at 12:19 PM (#5830816)

lol Kings

1318. Tin Angel Posted: April 11, 2019 at 12:22 PM (#5830819)

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

Kings GM Vlade Divac is planning to fire coach Dave Joerger in a face-to-face meeting today, league sources tell ESPN.

Zach Lowe @ZachLowe_NBA

Joerger has long been linked to the Minnesota job, but as @wojespn and others have reported, there has been momentum there for Ryan Saunders to keep it. Of course, lots of things in flux -- including potentially on the front office side in MIN

1319. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 11, 2019 at 12:32 PM (#5830821)

my.
god.

1320. I don't want to talk about Rocco Posted: April 11, 2019 at 12:51 PM (#5830833)

Former Sixers discussing being Processed in Ringer article

1321. Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: April 11, 2019 at 01:06 PM (#5830840)

Chicago Bulls @chicagobulls 20m20 minutes ago

UPDATE: The Bulls announced today that after completing thorough examinations from cardiologists at both Rush University Medical Center and Johns Hopkins University, Lauri Markkanen has been cleared to resume full basketball related activities.

MORE: http://on.nba.com/2GjjkEZ

Just in time for the playoffs!

Seriously though, very glad this turned out to not be anything serious.

1322. Rob_Wood Posted: April 11, 2019 at 01:48 PM (#5830861)

1323. PJ Martinez Posted: April 11, 2019 at 01:56 PM (#5830870)

One of the NBA's weirdest streaks came to end this season: The Boston Celtics finished outside the top-5 in opponents's three-point percentage for the first time since 2008. The Celtics finished tied for 6th at allowing 34.4%. This was .1 behind 5th place at 34.3%.

1324. If on a winter's night a traveling violation Posted: April 11, 2019 at 02:33 PM (#5830890)

See, there really WAS nothing there*.

* I am pretty sure this is at least partially a Wyatt Earp phenomenon, for the record, though I also expect the string of good (though probably not top-5) three point defenses from the team to continue as long as they have a good defensive coach and Danny Ainge keeps aggressively drafting perimeter players for their defense.

1325. Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: April 11, 2019 at 02:45 PM (#5830897)

Another way to illustrate the oddness of the Kangz' decision. Then again, maybe there's something with Joeger; I can't recall, wasn't his firing in Memphis also a little odd?

1326. Crosseyed and Painless Posted: April 11, 2019 at 02:50 PM (#5830901)

Pinnacle has series odds out. With the vig removed:

Bucks 94%
Raptors 89%
Bucks 83%
Celtics 81%

Warriors 97%
Nuggets 68%
Blazers 47%
Rockets 76%

1327. Oriole Tragic Posted: April 11, 2019 at 02:52 PM (#5830905)

I can't recall, wasn't his firing in Memphis also a little odd?

I've seen inferences that Joerger is a plus coach but is also an a$$hole to his bosses. Tough to keep jobs with that approach.

From a Chris Wallace Q&A:

The decision was not about Dave’s in-game coaching. Dave did an admirable job managing games. However, being an NBA head coach is about more than just coaching a 48 minute game.

1328. JJ1986 Posted: April 11, 2019 at 02:59 PM (#5830907)

Nuggets 68%

This seems too low.

1329. Oriole Tragic Posted: April 11, 2019 at 02:59 PM (#5830908)

I'd like to know which teams NBA@BBTF thinks/feels are the most vulnerable to first-round upsets. My WC vote would be Denver. I am a Denver fan, they are my second-fave WC team.

1330. Davo Posted: April 11, 2019 at 03:12 PM (#5830912)

I love the Nuggets too, but yeah, they’ve been playing some really uninspired basketball this month*, I could easily see them slipping against Pops.

* Lost 6 of their last 11, 3 of those by 25+ points. And it took a miracle to escape with a victory against a tanking T-Wolf team last night.

1331. Oriole Tragic Posted: April 11, 2019 at 03:22 PM (#5830918)

@Davo I just don't believe in the combination of Jokic's nonexistent defense plus a bunch of pretty-OK-at-best supporting cast. I get that DeRozan is ruining the Spurs and stuff, but even if that's true, doesn't it mean SAS has a really good complete team? I confess that IDK if LMA has a good chance to expose Jokic, according to the numbers, but I'm also keeping in mind Jokic's (infamous) admission that he had trouble even with WCJ.

1332. Booey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 03:23 PM (#5830920)

#1329 - I think the Blazers, a team that already went 0-4 against OKC and is now without Nurkic and with a possibly hobbled McCollum is pretty likely to suffer an upset, if you can even call it that.

Edit: In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if POR got swept by the 6th seed for the 2nd year in a row.

1333. Oriole Tragic Posted: April 11, 2019 at 03:26 PM (#5830926)

@Booey it is hard for me to see POR as the favorite, even though they are the higher seed. BTW, I loved your stan-pouting upthread. Really fun to read, man! Looking forward to your comments during the Jazz run to the WCF. :D

1334. Hombre Brotani

Posted: April 11, 2019 at 03:27 PM (#5830927)

Vlade might be bailing the Lakers out again. Get Joeger on the phone, person-who-is-replacing-Rob-Pelinka!

1335. spivey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 03:28 PM (#5830930)

Portland/OKC, but it looks like Vegas won't even consider that an upset.

I definitely think the Spurs can beat Denver in the series. I think the 76ers are vulnerable if Embiid's hurt. Celtics I think could be a bit vulnerable too, especially without Smart. If Kyrie has a poor series, that could be tight.

1336. Booey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 03:35 PM (#5830937)

Always glad to entertain, Oriole. ;-)

1337. spivey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 03:37 PM (#5830938)

#### it, we're doing this.

MIL over DET in 4
TOR over ORL in 6
PHI over BKN in 5
BOS over IND in 6

GSW over LAC in 5
SAS over DEN in 6
OKC over POR in 6
HOU over UTA in 6

MIL over BOS in 7
TOR over PHI in 6

GSW over HOU in 6
OKC over SAS in 5

MIL over TOR in 5
GSW over OKC in 6

MIL over GSW in 7

I think Harden wins the MVP, but I'd pick Giannis. I'd probably pick De'aaron Fox as MIP.

1338. Crosseyed and Painless Posted: April 11, 2019 at 03:48 PM (#5830953)

The Sixers odds seemed too high, to me, but that's figuring Embiid is sort of hurt. I don't really know if he is hurt or not. This is where I come to for Sixers news.

1339. Tom Cervo, backup catcher Posted: April 11, 2019 at 04:09 PM (#5830962)

MIL over DET in 4
TOR over ORL in 5
PHI over BKN in 6
IND over BOS in 7

GSW over LAC in 4
DEN over SAS in 5
OKC over POR in 5
UTA over HOU in 7

MIL over IND in 5
TOR over PHI in 6

GSW over UTA in 6
OKC over DEN in 7

MIL over TOR in 7
GSW over OKC in 4

GSW over MIL in 6

For the Jazz-Rockets, I'm going with the homer pick. I do think there are good arguments that the Jazz have a real shot. The series has a ton of days off, and the Jazz are really banged up, so that should help Rubio, Korver, and Neto get healthy. They did not have Rubio for any of the Houston series last year, and the Rockets do not have Ariza this year (who held Donovan to something like 35% shooting while guarding him last year). Chris Paul is not as good this year as he was last season, and Harden has often ran out of gas in the playoffs and carried a larger load than ever before in the regular season this year. Also, the biggest improvement for Rudy's offense this year has been increased core strength so that if a guard is switched on him he can quickly establish position right by the basket for either an easy dunk or foul -- he's added more points from additional lobs, but I think that was always there with his length and athleticism and Jazz playmakers before this season were just bad at going to it. Being able to punish guards is particularly important with the Rockets' switching defense, and he didn't do it last year.

On the flip side, the extra rest benefits Paul and Harden just as much if not more than any Jazz player. Exum is by far the Jazz' best Harden defender and he's out. The Jazz don't have any player who is on Paul's level on offense even in his current form, let alone Harden's. And even with no Ariza, the Jazz have struggled against switching defenses. Finally, with Harden and Paul, Rockets are one of the few teams who can take advantage of the Jazz' defensive scheme even when it's working, by draining mid-rangers better than basically anyone else, and Harden might force Gobert to come out and guard him on the perimeter anyway.

1340. Your favorite TFTIO, me! Posted: April 11, 2019 at 04:29 PM (#5830977)

MIL 4 DET 0
TOR 4 ORL 1
PHI 4 BKN 2
BOS 3 IND 4

GSW 4 LAC 1
SAS 2 DEN 4
OKC 1 POR 4
HOU 4 UTA 3

MIL 4 IND 1
TOR 4 PHI 2

GSW 4 HOU 1
DEN 4 POR 2

MIL 4 TOR 3

GSW 4 DEN 2
MIL 4 TOR 2

MIL 4 GSW 3

MVP: Giannis
MIP: Siakam
COY: Bud
DPOY: Gobert

1341. Tom Cervo, backup catcher Posted: April 11, 2019 at 04:38 PM (#5830985)

Awards, here are my picks not necessarily who I think will win:
MVP: Giannis
DPOY: Gobert
COY: Bud
MIP: Siakam
ROY: Luka

All-NBA:
Curry/Harden/George/Giannis/Jokic
Lilliard/Irving/Kawhi/Durant/Embiid
Jrue/Beal/Lebron/Blake/Gobert

All-Defense:
Jrue/Smart/George/Giannis/Gobert
Bledsoe/White/Siakam/Draymond/Embiid

Rookie:
Luka/Trae/Ayton/Jackson/Shae
Robinson/Shamet/Bagley/Mikal Bridges/Brunson

1342. Oriole Tragic Posted: April 11, 2019 at 04:56 PM (#5830990)

Playoffs(?!?):

UTA
SAS (Malone fired)
OKC (Stotts fired)
GSW

GSW (Wins NBA Finals)
SAS

MIL
TOR
BOS (Would dearly love to pick IND but Horford+Kyrie too good)
BKN (Brown fired)

TOR (Wins ECF)
BOS

1343. Oriole Tragic Posted: April 11, 2019 at 05:04 PM (#5830993)

I find myself wondering how Joerger would do in the soon-to-be-open Nuggets' HC role.

1344. Tin Angel Posted: April 11, 2019 at 05:12 PM (#5830997)

Surprised people think the Bucks can beat the Warriors. I'd take the Warriors in 5. The Raptors would be much more difficult for them.

1345. spivey Posted: April 11, 2019 at 05:35 PM (#5831005)

Surprised people think the Bucks can beat the Warriors. I'd take the Warriors in 5. The Raptors would be much more difficult for them.

Milwaukee was comfortably the best team in the NBA this year and also had an extremely good record against the other best teams in the NBA. I think any analysis has to start with that, and moving from there to Toronto is way more likely to beat Golden State requires putting an abundance of weight in matchups.

Assuming Brogdon is healthy, I also think they have more guys that can get a shot, and also are just tougher at most positions than Toronto, especially down low. I think Toronto has better wing defenders, but Milwaukee's still a great defense, and I think can score better against them.

1346. Athletic Supporter is USDA certified lean Posted: April 11, 2019 at 07:57 PM (#5831022)

Jesus, Sacramento.

I think the Spurs and Popovich used all their wizardry to even make the playoffs with this on-paper-terrible team. I don't really think there's anything left in the bag. If there's one team in the West that didn't coast at all this regular season and thus likely doesn't have another gear for the playoffs, it's them (maybe also the Clippers).

It will be fun to briefly see the Nets and Magic in the playoffs.

1347. puck Posted: April 11, 2019 at 09:43 PM (#5831045)

I find myself wondering how Joerger would do in the soon-to-be-open Nuggets' HC role.

What the hell is this.

1348. JJ1986 Posted: April 11, 2019 at 10:12 PM (#5831056)

Warriors in 4
Nuggets in 5
Thunder in 6
Rockets in 7

Warriors in 6
Nuggets in 7

Warriors in 4

Bucks in 4
Raptors in 5 (lose first game)
Nets in 7
Celtics in 5

Bucks in 6
Raptors in 5

Bucks in 7

Bucks in 7

1349. tshipman

Posted: April 11, 2019 at 10:14 PM (#5831057)

Milwaukee was comfortably the best team in the NBA this year and also had an extremely good record against the other best teams in the NBA. I think any analysis has to start with that, and moving from there to Toronto is way more likely to beat Golden State requires putting an abundance of weight in matchups.

I think the thing that gives everyone pause about the Bucks is just how many 3pers they give up (36 per game, good for 30th in the NBA). When you are giving up those shots to Vucevic, Bogdanovic, D'Angelo and the other weak sisters of the East, it's not that big of a deal.

Maybe it's just not that big of a deal, but frankly we haven't seen a defense built around giving up the 3per since it's become prevalent, and no one really knows what to make of it.

1350. Oriole Tragic Posted: April 12, 2019 at 12:43 AM (#5831090)

What the hell is this.

I totally get it, man, but shite gets real in the playoffs and none of those guys know what they are doing. I'm assuming that even losing in the 2nd-round puts Malone at serious risk, especially if they get their asses kicked.

It's been a couple years since I lived there, so I don't know what the local media says. What's the on-the-ground take on organizational expectations for sticking around in the playoffs?

1351. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: April 12, 2019 at 01:25 AM (#5831091)

Joerger: Fired. As suggested above, I expect that there was something with the way he was dealing with people--players, or maybe organizational employees. Firing him based on team performance does not make sense. Supposedly Sacramento wants Walton if the Lakers fire him.
Denver: Even if Denver were to lose to San Antonio, and I do not think that they will, I do not think that Malone would get fired.
Milwaukee: I am less sophisticated than Shipman. My questions about them are the guys they have after Antetokounmpo. Also, to go from where they were last year all the way to the Finals, much less beating Golden State for the title, would be a pretty big jump in one year. But I thought they would win about 49 games, not 60, so I may be underrating them as a postseason team. Also, I will not be surprised if they win the East. But I will not be surprised if they don't.

1352. Fancy Pants Handle struck out swinging Posted: April 12, 2019 at 04:13 AM (#5831097)

Bucks 94%
Raptors 89%
Bucks 83%
Celtics 81%

You would figure the Bucks have a great chance to win at least one of those series. Though I would argue having to play 2 series at once might leave them stretched a bit thing.

I am also not sure what would happen if they one both series, and the two following series, and ended up having to play themselves in the Conference Finals.

1353. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 12, 2019 at 07:46 AM (#5831103)

The Sixers odds seemed too high, to me, but that's figuring Embiid is sort of hurt. I don't really know if he is hurt or not. This is where I come to for Sixers news.

embiid is fine. i think. maybe.

regardless of whether embiid goes FULL EMBIID, make no mistake: the sixers are vulnerable. they don't know each other; they haven't played together; since the harris trade, guys have been streaming in and out of the lineup due to various scrapes and bruises. you can't trust a team that has no continuity.

plus, as i've said, brooklyn is more than capable of beating them. BRK can steal a game because of the refs; they can steal a game if embiid gets back spasms or whatever; and they can always outscore the sixers if they get hot from beyond the arc. personally, if i was going to vegas, i'd bet on the nets to win in 6 games.

Milwaukee: I am less sophisticated than Shipman. My questions about them are the guys they have after Antetokounmpo. Also, to go from where they were last year all the way to the Finals, much less beating Golden State for the title, would be a pretty big jump in one year. But I thought they would win about 49 games, not 60, so I may be underrating them as a postseason team. Also, I will not be surprised if they win the East. But I will not be surprised if they don't.

if you remember back to last year, MIL pushed BOS to 7 games in the first round. this year, they have a better coach, and better personnel.

Joerger: Fired. As suggested above, I expect that there was something with the way he was dealing with people--players, or maybe organizational employees. Firing him based on team performance does not make sense. Supposedly Sacramento wants Walton if the Lakers fire him.

my guess is that joerger does not tolerate fools.

i couldn't blame walton for jumping on any job he can get, but i would not take that job if i was him. that front office is poison.

1354. spivey Posted: April 12, 2019 at 08:48 AM (#5831112)

I agree with rr on Denver. I don't think any outcome this playoffs would lead to Malone getting fired. He's well thought of and their team is very low on playoff experience. If they go out in the first round a couple years in a row while winning 50+ games, then maybe that changes. But even still, I think that'd take time. It seems like most teams that aren't the Kings realize playoff success in the West is hard. Clippers, OKC, Utah, Houston, and Portland have all been pretty loyal to their coaches despite not a ton of shared playoff success.

1355. PJ Martinez Posted: April 12, 2019 at 09:00 AM (#5831116)

More fuel for my “The 2018-19 Bucks led by a 24-yr old likely 1st-time MVP are the 2008-09 Cavs led by a 24-yr old 1st-time MVP” argument:

Both teams finished the regular season with an average scoring margin of +8.9.

1356. jmurph Posted: April 12, 2019 at 09:52 AM (#5831131)

MIL over DET in 4
TOR over ORL in 6
PHI over BKN in 4
BOS over IND in 6

GSW over LAC in 5
DEN over SAS in 6
OKC over POR in 6
UTA over HOU in 7 (probably crazy, but eh, why not)

MIL over BOS in 7
TOR over PHI in 5

GSW over UTA in 5
DEN over OKC in 6

TOR over MIL in 6
GSW over DEN in 5

GSW over TOR in 6

I'm not even a little confident in any of this.

I can't believe one of Denver, OKC, Portland, or SAS will make the WCF. Crazy.

1357. jmurph Posted: April 12, 2019 at 09:53 AM (#5831133)

East teams most likely to screw up the much anticipated second round, in order: Boston (duh), Toronto, Philadelphia, Milwaukee

1358. NJ in NJ Posted: April 12, 2019 at 10:28 AM (#5831143)

Rockets vs Jazz is probably the only good first round series, but the more I research/look at it...this could be an all time great second round: Nuggets vs. OKC, Rockets vs. Warriors, Bucks vs. Celtics, Raptors vs. Sixers.

1359. jmurph Posted: April 12, 2019 at 11:19 AM (#5831148)

Portland-OKC should be interesting. GSW-Clippers should at least provide some double technicals and near ejections, even if it's a sweep.

The East series are all kind of gross, I think- even if a couple end up going 6 or 7 I doubt they'll be very entertaining.

1360. PJ Martinez Posted: April 12, 2019 at 11:26 AM (#5831150)

Philly-Brooklyn could be fun, I think, if the Sixers don't blow them out.

1361. Davo Posted: April 12, 2019 at 11:30 AM (#5831151)

The Nets and 76ers each won 34 of their final 56 games.

Philly was, uh, a bit better in their first 26 games.

1362. jmurph Posted: April 12, 2019 at 11:43 AM (#5831159)

I think the only actual case for Brooklyn is if Embiid misses multiple games, and even then I think the Sixers could temporarily pull things together to win a series. Just the one, though.

1363. jmurph Posted: April 12, 2019 at 11:44 AM (#5831160)

Also might as well put out there that despite picking them to lose in the 2nd round, I will genuinely believe that Boston will win each and every game they play and be outraged each time they lose. Such is life.

1364. DCA Posted: April 12, 2019 at 11:56 AM (#5831165)

Silly best N consecutive regular season win totals in NBA history:

Golden State Warriors now have the best 1-season (73), 3-season (207), 4-season (265), 5-season (322), and 6-season (373) in NBA history. Of course, Jordan's Bulls have best 2-season total of 141 (Warriors best 2-season total is 140).

Warriors 57 wins this season were just enough to tie the Bird Celtics with 373 wins in 6 consecutive seasons. Bird's Celtics win totals in 7- (434), 8- (493), and 9-seasons (550) seem far out of reach. Magic's Lakers have best 10-season total with 598.

The first year of that Warriors 6 year run is only 51 wins in the last year of the Mark Jackson era. Unless the team is gutted in free agency, the Dubs should better than in 2019-2020 and take sole possession of the 6 year record.

Taking sole possession of the 6/7/8/9 year records would require over the next 1-4 years:

6y: 52 wins in 1 year
7y: 113 wins in 2 years (56.5/year)
8y: 172 wins in 3 years (57.3/year)
9y: 229 wins in 4 years (57.3/year)

57 wins is a tall order (the last two years have been 57 and 58) but I definitely wouldn't call it out of reach (and certainly not far out of reach) as long as Curry is on the team.

1365. I don't want to talk about Rocco Posted: April 12, 2019 at 12:04 PM (#5831168)

Wonder how much, if any, Bud is using last year's playoffs in discussions with Bledsoe? Seems like everyone agrees that if Bledsoe doesn't totally suck ass Milwaukee beats Celtics. And with Brogdon out if Bledsoe goes insane in the wrong way again then Milwaukee is in a bad way as Middleton was incredible last year and Milwaukee still lost. Because Bledsoe sucked. And really who knows how fast Brogdon gets back to playing like he was if and when he returns? It could be MB is half speed at best for some time. Not really interested in an extended Sterling Brown experience.

1366. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 12, 2019 at 12:35 PM (#5831177)

from DSPN:

Maybe finishing ahead of the Lakers, as the Kings have in five of the last six seasons, was starting to become tedious.

Remember how the nation argued about Magic’s qualifications for the job of team president? Well, what exactly has Divac done in his five years running the Kings to make you think he is any more effective? The gaudy 160-250 record? The four fired coaches?

maybe this has nothing to do with the Lakers at all, but is instead the Kings just being the Kings for lack of any other identity or template. That theory, while probably true, is no fun at all, because in the NBA all things revolve around the Lakers no matter how drool-soaked and paralytic they have become. Better to see the Lakers’ latest lunatic spasm and see the Kings rise up as an organization and say, “Hey, we were here first! Go work some other side of the street.”

1367. tshipman

Posted: April 12, 2019 at 12:47 PM (#5831187)

One of the worst tendencies in sports journalism is the way that journalists forget who the fans are.

Fans don't care that your editor made you write about the Lakers or Warriors.
Fans don't care about your twitter mentions.
Fans don't care about the snark you get from the assistant to the assistant to the assistant general manager in your text messages.

1368. jmurph Posted: April 12, 2019 at 12:54 PM (#5831193)

Remember how the nation argued about Magic’s qualifications for the job of team president? Well, what exactly has Divac done in his five years running the Kings to make you think he is any more effective? The gaudy 160-250 record? The four fired coaches?

I'm certain that Vlade has been mocked more than (pre-resignation press conference) Magic. What am I missing here?

1369. spivey Posted: April 12, 2019 at 01:14 PM (#5831203)

The Kings front office is too bad, because that actually otherwise seems like a pretty attractive coaching spot, especially for a younger coach to grow up with that group of guys.

1370. Hombre Brotani

Posted: April 12, 2019 at 01:54 PM (#5831218)

MIL over DET in 4
TOR over ORL in 5
PHI over BKN in 5
BOS over IND in 6

GSW over LAC in 4
SAS over DEN in 6
OKC over POR in 5
HOU over UTA in 7

MIL over BOS in 6
TOR over PHI in 6

GSW over HOU in 6
SAS over OKC in 7

MIL over TOR in 7
GSW over OKC in 5

GSW over MIL in 6

1371. Your favorite TFTIO, me! Posted: April 12, 2019 at 01:55 PM (#5831222)

I wanted Joerger for the Wolves when they made the Thibs Error, so maybe better late than never?

1372. Booey Posted: April 12, 2019 at 02:25 PM (#5831239)

MIL over DET in 4
TOR over ORL in 5
PHI over BKN in 5
BOS over IND in 6

GSW over LAC in 4
SAS over DEN in 6
OKC over POR in 5
HOU over UTA in 7

MIL over BOS in 6
TOR over PHI in 6

GSW over HOU in 6
SAS over OKC in 7

MIL over TOR in 7
GSW over OKC in 5

GSW over MIL in 6

I don't know, Hombre. I think it'd be pretty messed up if SAS beat OKC in round 2, but the league let OKC play in the WCF anyway. I get that Westbrook and George will probably bring better ratings than Aldridge and DeRozan, but that's going a bit too far, IMO...

1373. jmurph Posted: April 12, 2019 at 02:26 PM (#5831240)

I wanted Joerger for the Wolves when they made the Thibs Error, so maybe better late than never?

There were conflicting reports about this the other day, but it seemed like the Wolves are going to both A. hire a new PBO, but also B. almost certainly bring back Layden and Saunders. So basically Glen Taylor is going to keep being Glen Taylor.

1374. tshipman

Posted: April 12, 2019 at 03:18 PM (#5831259)

MIL over DET in 5
TOR over ORL in 6
PHI over BKN in 7
IND over BOS in 6

GSW over LAC in 4
DEN over SAS in 5
OKC over POR in 6
UTA over HOU in 6

MIL over IND in 6
TOR over PHI in 7

GSW over UTA in 5
DEN over OKC in 5

MIL over TOR in 7
GSW over DEN in 5

GSW over MIL in 6

1375. jmurph Posted: April 12, 2019 at 03:25 PM (#5831261)

If Paul George is actually hurt, I'd like to revise my OKC over Portland pick!

1376. Hombre Brotani

Posted: April 12, 2019 at 04:17 PM (#5831280)

I don't know, Hombre. I think it'd be pretty messed up if SAS beat OKC in round 2, but the league let OKC play in the WCF anyway.

I'm going to blame that on my illness. I've been watching Angels baseball today, and it's making my tummy hurt.

1377. Your favorite TFTIO, me! Posted: April 12, 2019 at 04:20 PM (#5831281)

Walton out, unsurprisingly.

1378. Der-K's tired of these fruits from poisoned trees Posted: April 12, 2019 at 04:36 PM (#5831283)

OG is out 2 weeks.

MIL over DET, TOR over ORL, PHI over BKN, BOS over IND
GSW over LAC, DEN over SAS, OKC over POR, HOU over UTA (the Paul George injury gives me pause)
MIL over BOS, TOR over PHI
GSW over HOU, DEN over OKC
TOR over MIL (such a tough call), GSW over DEN
GSW over TOR (I think I have MIL winning if they were healthier)

MVP - Giannis, DPOY - Gobert, ROY - Doncic, MIP - Siakam

Joerger - I think it's partly that he's a bit irascible and partly Divac trying to control as much of the org as he can.

1379. tshipman

Posted: April 12, 2019 at 04:46 PM (#5831288)

Walton out, unsurprisingly.

This is a mistake for the Lakers. I wouldn't hate bringing on Ty Lue, but that's about it for guys who I think of as an upgrade over Luke.

Luke consistently built reasonable defenses with terrible personnel. He's dealt with horrific injury situations, and his offenses get tons of shots at the rim.

1380. JC in DC Posted: April 12, 2019 at 04:48 PM (#5831290)

Years ago, John Thompson Jr blasted LBJ for getting Paul Silas and Mike Brown fired. Then there was David Blatt. Then Walton. Maybe it's understandable why guys don't love the idea of playing with LBJ?

I kinda like Vlade, and wonder if Walton to Sacramento might not be a really good move?

1381. If on a winter's night a traveling violation Posted: April 12, 2019 at 05:38 PM (#5831304)

This is a mistake for the Lakers. I wouldn't hate bringing on Ty Lue, but that's about it for guys who I think of as an upgrade over Luke.

Luke consistently built reasonable defenses with terrible personnel. He's dealt with horrific injury situations, and his offenses get tons of shots at the rim.

Agreed. I don't know the interpersonal dynamics inside the organization, but from the outside, I think that parting ways with Luke and keeping Rob Lowe is exactly the wrong way to play it—especially now that it's been announced that David Griffin, who I was always impressed by in Cleveland, got snapped up by the Pelicans. Good move on NOLA's part getting a good GM in advance of this offseason's inevitable AD trade, though.

1382. JJ1986 Posted: April 12, 2019 at 05:47 PM (#5831306)

Rob Pelinka is running the Lakers coaching search. Can they not wait a few days?

1383. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 12, 2019 at 06:21 PM (#5831314)

This is a mistake for the Lakers. I wouldn't hate bringing on Ty Lue, but that's about it for guys who I think of as an upgrade over Luke.

no offense to ty lue, but he is not an upgrade over luke walton. and anyone who expects lue to keep the whole roster happy, should first ask him why he wasn't able to do more to keep kyrie irving from forcing his way out of CLE*.

(i'd accept "man, have you tried to get someone to live in CLE?" as an answer, but i'd hope for something a bit more specific).

FWIW, i think this is my coaching wish list, assuming the sixers get swept by BRK and wind up firing brett brown:
1: jerry stackhouse - he's a great defensive coach, and he'll have the players' respect from day one.
2: elton brand - pull a gregg popovich/bobby cox, hire someone to replace you as GM and then coach the team the way you intended it to be.
3: chris beard - it seems like he's really good at player development and defensive scheming
4: luke walton - seems like he knows what he's doing.
5: dave joerger - same.

1384. tshipman

Posted: April 12, 2019 at 06:43 PM (#5831320)

no offense to ty lue, but he is not an upgrade over luke walton. and anyone who expects lue to keep the whole roster happy, should first ask him why he wasn't able to do more to keep kyrie irving from forcing his way out of CLE*.

Lue has won a championship, which I think of as pretty damn valuable.

There is the whole thing where he doesn't even pretend to care about defense, but I'm hoping/praying that was a Cleveland thing.

1385. Your favorite TFTIO, me! Posted: April 12, 2019 at 07:22 PM (#5831327)

I don't think Walton moves the XO needle in any perceptible fashion, but the job of a coach is considerably more than that, and it always seemed from the outside that he managed the locker room reasonably well.

1386. PJ Martinez Posted: April 12, 2019 at 07:27 PM (#5831330)

An old comment from Pelton on Twitter, which he just resurrected, adding "This is still true":

The more I look at it, the more often I find that unexpected plus-minus results can be explained by opponent 3-point shooting.

1387. Hombre Brotani

Posted: April 12, 2019 at 07:40 PM (#5831334)

This is a mistake for the Lakers. I wouldn't hate bringing on Ty Lue, but that's about it for guys who I think of as an upgrade over Luke.

Lue has won a championship, which I think of as pretty damn valuable.

I don't consider Lue to be the coach of the team that won that championship.

I thought Walton was a quality coach who, in more stable circumstances, could be a really terrific coach. This is all sort of going up in flames right now, and it's just damned depressing.

1388. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: April 12, 2019 at 08:17 PM (#5831339)

decided to temporarily change the handle as a tribute to the amusing Deadspin Haterboy rhetoric.

1389. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: April 12, 2019 at 08:24 PM (#5831342)

Walton: I don't think that he was the problem, but I don't think that he was a strong positive, either. I think he is just another guy, but in the NBA, that is not a bad thing. I would have been fine had they kept him, but I am not bothered that he is gone.
Lue: In most situations, he would be a bad hire, but I think he would be OK in this one.
Pelinka: Most of the fanbase wants him out, and I understand that. As I said in a previous post, I thought that Jeanie Buss had two options, and they did not include Walton being gone and Pelinka staying. But my guess now is that Pelinka stays and she promotes Ryan West and/or one of her brothers (Jesse or Joey).

1390. Tin Angel Posted: April 12, 2019 at 08:32 PM (#5831345)

1: jerry stackhouse - he's a great defensive coach, and he'll have the players' respect from day one.

Stiggles, Stackhouse just got hired as Vanderbilt’s head coach like a week ago.

1391. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 12, 2019 at 10:11 PM (#5831378)

Stiggles, Stackhouse just got hired as Vanderbilt’s head coach like a week ago.

and?

are we gonna pretend like that means anything? noone whose opinion matters would think anything less of stackhouse if he leaves vanderbilt for any NBA team, let alone a team that is positioned to contend for the NBA title for the next half-decade.

1392. rr would lock Shaq's a$$ up Posted: April 12, 2019 at 10:20 PM (#5831383)

are we gonna pretend like that means anything? noone whose opinion matters would think anything less of stackhouse if he leaves vanderbilt for any NBA team, let alone a team that is positioned to contend for the NBA title for the next half-decade

.

Right. Additionally, Stackhouse would ensure himself of being part of every conversation about Hinkie and The Process.

1393. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 12, 2019 at 10:22 PM (#5831384)

Right. Additionally, Stackhouse would ensure himself of being part of every conversation about Hinkie and The Process.

exactly.

plus, stack started his NBA career in philly, so he may as well come back for his first head coaching job.

1394. Tin Angel Posted: April 13, 2019 at 12:06 AM (#5831398)

Oh no...the playoffs are starting and he stopped taking his meds.

1395. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 13, 2019 at 10:48 AM (#5831441)

@Joelembiid
It’s that time of the year #Playoffs #ImOut

1396. NJ in NJ Posted: April 13, 2019 at 02:24 PM (#5831490)

MIL over DET in 4
TOR over ORL in 5
PHI over BKN in 5
BOS over IND in 6

GSW over LAC in 5
DEN over SAS in 5
OKC over POR in 5
HOU over UTA in 7

MIL over BOS in 6
TOR over PHI in 5

GSW over HOU in 6
OKC over DEN in 6

TOR over MIL in 7
GSW over OKC in 6

TOR over GSW in 7

MVP
1. Giannis
2. Harden
3. George

ROY
1. Luka
2. Trae
3. Ayton

DPOY
1. Gobert
2. Giannis
3. George

Lou Williams of the Year
1. Lou Williams

COTY
1. Bud
2. Doc
3. Pop

1397. JJ1986 Posted: April 13, 2019 at 03:47 PM (#5831516)

Jimmy Butler and 7 random supporing players.

1398. jmurph Posted: April 13, 2019 at 03:50 PM (#5831517)

Jimmy Butler and 7 random supporing players.

Eh, Embiid is moving like my late grandfather but this game would be out of hand without all his first quarter free throws.

(EDIT: Not really disputing your overall point, they look terrible.)

1399. JJ1986 Posted: April 13, 2019 at 03:56 PM (#5831519)

I actually meant if Embiid can't play. B. Simmons and Harris look invisible. McConnell and J. Simmons are big liabilities and Redick's getting beat badly too. Boban's been their third best player. I'd put Zhaire Smith in ASAP.

1400. a 57i66135 with a grenade still has a grenade Posted: April 13, 2019 at 04:39 PM (#5831534)

flip.

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