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Thursday, August 06, 2020

OT - NBA Bubble Thread

I estimate only 10-12 Primates care about the NBA, and hopefully none of them get caught leaving the bubble for strip club wings.

Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: August 06, 2020 at 06:04 PM | 4096 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: bubbles, nba, off-topic

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101. Booey Posted: August 11, 2020 at 04:09 PM (#5969093)

Flip

102. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 11, 2020 at 04:12 PM (#5969094)

Serena Winters @SerenaWinters

Tonight's #Sixers starters:
Shake Milton
Alec Burks
Matisse Thybulle
Mike Scott
Kyle O'Quinn

who's left for the ####### bench?????

103. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: August 11, 2020 at 04:15 PM (#5969096)

100-thanks.

104. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 11, 2020 at 06:11 PM (#5969118)

who's left for the ####### bench?????

in case anyone was left on the edge of their seats, the answer to this question was:

raul neto, glenn robinson 1/3, furkan korkmaz

kyle oquinn has 9 assists. it's still mid-3rd quarter.

105. Booey Posted: August 11, 2020 at 06:15 PM (#5969120)

#102 - That would probably beat the 2nd half/crunch time lineup of Rayjon Tucker, Miye Oni, Jarrell Brantley, Justin Wright-Foreman, and Juwan Morgan that the Jazz have rolled out in 2 of their last 3 games (winnable games, too). Normally, these are literally the last 5 guys at the end of the bench.

Looks like it's 6th seed or bust for Utah this year. They're making damn sure they don't accidentally wind up any higher than that. Hard to take these seeding games seriously when the teams themselves don't seem to be (other than those battling for 8th and 9th).

106. SteveF Posted: August 11, 2020 at 06:28 PM (#5969124)

I'm really pulling for this Kyle O'Quinn triple double.

107. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 11, 2020 at 10:02 PM (#5969151)

Eric Nehm @eric_nehm
Flagrant 2 on Giannis Antetokounmpo for the headbutt. He has been ejected from tonight's game.

that's not how ben simmons would have done it.

Kayte Christensen @kayte_c
Someone needs to stop Okafor. He’s 7-7 from the field. Hasn’t shot a free throw yet. Just foul him and make him earn it and remember the FOUL the next time he goes to the hoop

108. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 11, 2020 at 10:09 PM (#5969154)

that's not how ben simmons would have done it.

side note:

watch al horford throughout that whole video. worst. teammate. ever.

and i don't know about anyone else, but i can hear kyle oquinn thinking "i'm too old for this ####"

109. If on a winter's night a father of a newborn baby Posted: August 11, 2020 at 10:13 PM (#5969157)

My god. Damian Lillard. That's all I got. Just... Damian Lillard.

110. Booey Posted: August 12, 2020 at 12:01 AM (#5969170)

The complete list of all players in NBA history with three 60 pt games in one season:

Wilt Chamberlain
Damian Lillard

That is all.

111. JJ1986 Posted: August 12, 2020 at 08:08 AM (#5969184)

Presumably, Utah is trying to drop to #6 to avoid Houston, which might not work if Denver tanks down to the fourth seed.

112. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 12, 2020 at 08:08 AM (#5969185)

a few people in this thread may crack a smile with this one:

Nikos Varlas @Eurohoopsnet
Andrew Goudelock to reportedly sign with Rytas #BasketballCL eurohoops.net/en/fiba-champi…

113. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 12, 2020 at 08:53 AM (#5969193)

Over the course of five seasons, Houston organized a team around James Harden and Dwight Howard, streamlined its pick-and-roll by replacing Howard with Clint Capela, brought the offense to balance by adding Chris Paul, transformed that same offense by unleashing Harden in isolation, altered the formula by trading Paul for Russell Westbrook, and—before the suspension of the current season—took the radical step of abandoning the center position as we know it. Capela is gone. In his place, Houston now starts a career small forward in Robert Covington, taking small ball to its logical conclusion.

114. jmurph Posted: August 12, 2020 at 09:08 AM (#5969194)

In addition to finding them boring to watch, I also find the conversation around Houston to be tedious. It's just Harden and D'Antoni, right? They're a worse offensive team than they were with Paul (only slightly, and obviously still great, but still). They're still mediocre on defense. I mean it's crazy and I guess impressive that they continually reconstruct the entire roster on the fly and Harden keeps it humming along, but have they actually made any progress?

Year: ORtg, DRtg:
2019-20: 4, 14
2018-19: 2, 18
2017-18: 1, 6
2016-17: 3, 18
2015-16: 8, 21

115. Rally Posted: August 12, 2020 at 09:25 AM (#5969199)

So the rule is, for the west 8 seed, unless they are 4 games ahead of #9 they have a play in series.

But with 1 game to go, who plays it?

Portland is half a game up for 8, Mem/Pho/Sas tied for #9, but with Spurs having played 2 fewer games than the others. If they all win, does Portland get the 8 seed and some non-game tiebreaker used to determine their opponent?

What what be much better, and more fair, is all 4 to play single elimination games to decide who gets to lose to the Lakers in the first round. Back to back nights. But can that happen or is the playoff format set in stone?

116. jmurph Posted: August 12, 2020 at 09:32 AM (#5969203)

It's definitely set in stone, they're just doing 8 and 9, so they're using some other tiebreakers to determine those spots.

117. jmurph Posted: August 12, 2020 at 09:34 AM (#5969205)

Here's some liberal copy/pasting from this Yahoo article:

Due to the season's suspension, not all teams played the same number of games so the first tiebreaker is win percentage which favors Portland in each matchup.

Then, it will go to head-to-head record, followed by division record if in the same division, then conference record, then conference record against playoff teams, then record against playoff teams in the East, and then net rating.

Scenarios:

Portland Wins Eighth Seed:

-Portland goes 1-0

-Portland goes 0-1, Memphis goes 0-1, San Antonio goes 0-1, Phoenix goes 0-1

Portland Wins Ninth Seed:

-Portland goes 0-1, Two of Memphis, Phoenix, and San Antonio go 0-1

Portland Falls Below the Ninth Seed:

-Portland goes 0-1, two of Memphis, San Antonio and Phoenix goes 1-0

Portland Plays Memphis as the Eighth Seed:

-Portland goes 1-0, Memphis goes 1-0

Portland Plays Memphis as the Ninth Seed:

-Portland goes 0-1, Memphis goes 1-0, Suns go 0-1, Spurs go 0-1

Portland Plays Phoenix as the Eighth Seed:

-Portland goes 1-0, Memphis goes 0-1, Phoenix goes 1-0

Portland Plays Phoenix as the Ninth Seed:

-Portland goes 0-1, Phoenix goes 1-0, Memphis goes 0-1, San Antonio goes 0-1

Portland Plays San Antonio as the Eighth Seed:

-Portland goes 1-0, San Antonio goes 1-0, Memphis go 0-1, Phoenix goes 0-1

Portland Plays San Antonio as the Ninth Seed:

-Portland goes 0-1, San Antonio goes 1-0, Memphis goes 0-1, Phoenix goes 0-1

Memphis plays Phoenix as the Eighth Seed:

-Memphis goes 1-0, Phoenix goes 1-0, Portland goes 0-1

Memphis plays San Antonio as the Eighth Seed:

-Memphis goes 1-0, San Antonio goes 1-0, Portland goes 0-1, and Phoenix goes 0-1

Phoenix plays San Antonio as the Eighth Seed:

-Phoenix goes 1-0, San Antonio goes 1-0, Portland goes 0-1, Memphis goes 0-1

118. Dandy Little Glove Man Posted: August 12, 2020 at 10:54 AM (#5969241)

Shorter 117: Memphis holds the tiebreaker over Phoenix based on head-to-head record (3-1), and the Spurs lose all tiebreakers because they have a lower winning percentage (having played 2 fewer games). So if everyone wins, Portland is the 8 seed and Memphis is 9.

Stiggles: what do you think of De'Aaron Fox? I seem to recall that you were high on him as a prospect, and in 15 games since the All-Star Break he's been playing especially well -- averaging 25 ppg on 59% TS (despite his 3fg% falling off), with an improved AST/TOV. Would a trade centered around Fox and Barnes/Hield for Simmons and Horford be a worthwhile gamble for both teams?

119. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 12, 2020 at 11:21 AM (#5969248)

Stiggles: what do you think of De'Aaron Fox? I seem to recall that you were high on him as a prospect, and in 15 games since the All-Star Break he's been playing especially well -- averaging 25 ppg on 59% TS (despite his 3fg% falling off), with an improved AST/TOV. Would a trade centered around Fox and Barnes/Hield for Simmons and Horford be a worthwhile gamble for both teams?

i'm still a fan. i was actually pretty low on fox up until i sat down and watched video of him at kentucky before the draft, and his play converted me.

fox and hield is very tempting. that would set up the sixers with a fairly strong 8-man rotation next year in fox/hield/burks/thybulle/richardson/tharris/scott/embiid. that still needs some work, but it looks passable in a 2-steps back to take 1-step forward kind of way.

i also think bagley could fit really well next to embiid if SAC is ready to move on from him (he's been in SAC longer than the shitty MFer lasted in PHI).

120. Rally Posted: August 12, 2020 at 02:30 PM (#5969284)

Thanks Jmurph for the info.

I guess you never know, but looks like Portland is the 8 since they are half a game up and are playing the Nets. I think the Spurs will beat Utah and Phoenix will beat Dallas, just because motivation. I don't know about Grizzlies-Bucks. Motivation is huge but the Bucks are so good they might not lose even if they try. Unless of course Giannis sits this one out.

121. If on a winter's night a father of a newborn baby Posted: August 12, 2020 at 03:15 PM (#5969293)

Unless of course Giannis sits this one out.

Or gets suspended a game for headbutting Mo Wagner (there's some precedent—in the last decade, Thabeet and Garnett were both suspended a game after headbutting opponents—but who knows).

122. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 12, 2020 at 04:54 PM (#5969307)

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

NBA/NBPA guidelines on guests, starting after first-round of playoffs, per sources.
Four guests per player, but can be exceeded for children.
Guests can travel on team charters following testing.
Guests will be allowed to attend games.

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

Players will be allowed to bring in family and "established longstanding personal friends," into The Bubble, per memo shared with teams today.

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

Here's who isn't eligible to come into The Bubble as a guest, per memo: "Any individual the player has not previously met in person or with whom the player has had limited in-person interactions. (For example)... known by the player only through social media or an intermediary."

123. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 12, 2020 at 05:17 PM (#5969316)

Question for ~~James Harden~~ a friend:

How long do you have to have known a stripper for them to qualify as an "established longstanding personal friend"?

124. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 12, 2020 at 07:05 PM (#5969335)

David Locke @Lockedonsports
The East is Set
1. Bucks
2. Raptors
3. Celtics
4. Heat
5. Pacers
6. 76ers
7. Nets
8. Magic

Celtics v. Simmonsless Sixers then just waiting till the 2nd round

125. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 12, 2020 at 07:11 PM (#5969336)

TIL: head coaches are eligible for DNP-CDs.

126. Booey Posted: August 12, 2020 at 08:24 PM (#5969350)

Well, the Rockets loss guarantees the Nuggets can't tank their way down to 4th, but they can still climb to 2nd if they win their last 2 and the Clippers lose both of theirs. If the Clips beat Denver tonight, the 2nd (LAC) and 3rd (DEN) seeds will be set.

That means the Jazz can successfully avoid Houston by tanking tomorrow's game vs the Spurs. And if the Thunder win tonight, Utah will be locked into 6th regardless and won't have to tank their final game.

That said, I've always hated tanking and it makes me feel dirty to have to root for it.

127. Booey Posted: August 12, 2020 at 11:37 PM (#5969365)

Thunder and Clippers win, which means that other than the 8th seed, the West's playoff match ups are set. Houston and OKC could still switch spots, but of course there's no difference this season between the 4th and 5th seeds, so that won't matter.

(1) Lakers vs (8) ???
(2) Clippers vs (7) Mavs
(3) Nuggets vs (6) Jazz
(4/5) Rockets vs Thunder

I like these match ups. Especially if Dame Time and the finally healthy Blazers hold on to the 8th seed.

128. Hombre Brotani

Posted: August 13, 2020 at 05:04 AM (#5969371)

I'm looking at the match-up breakdowns, and I don't know that I see the Lakers beating any of those teams. Maybe OKC. That's about it.

129. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 13, 2020 at 01:00 PM (#5969418)

Geez, the pants pissing.

***

I think that the Lakers are the most likely team to come out of the blood bath in the West, although "the field" is probably a favorite.

I think the Jazz and the Mavs both have reasonable chances at an upset. The Rockets are team chaos, and can win or lose any matchup.

130. TFTIO was writing C programs in the '90s Posted: August 13, 2020 at 01:29 PM (#5969425)

I wouldn't be worried if I were a Lakers fan. I'm with 129.

131. giannis Posted: August 13, 2020 at 01:57 PM (#5969437)

As a Nuggets fan, I'm happy with how everything shaped up. The Jazz were my preferred first round opponent, and I think the Mavs have the best shot of upsetting the Clippers in the first round (though still very very low).

I think all these first-round series will be competitive--I wouldn't be surprised if they all go 6+ games.

132. Spivey Posted: August 13, 2020 at 02:20 PM (#5969441)

Lakers have a walk in matchup 1, which is a big advantage. Similar to the Bucks. Bucks also had a really good break for the 4/5 matchup, which are teams that I don't know can score enough or have the bodies to throw at Giannis to hang with the Bucks.

I think the matchups in the West are pretty fun and should set up so that there are interesting matchups in round 1 and the later rounds.

133. TFTIO was writing C programs in the '90s Posted: August 13, 2020 at 02:26 PM (#5969443)

Westbrook being out sort of blows the Rockets all to hell, doesn't it?

134. If on a winter's night a father of a newborn baby Posted: August 13, 2020 at 03:02 PM (#5969448)

Lakers have a walk in matchup 1, which is a big advantage

This isn't a given; due to injuries, the Blazers (currently in pole position for the 8th seed) fielded a completely different frontcourt pre-bubble. They would be a fairly strong 8th seed. That said, they have absolutely no defensive answer for LeBron on their roster, especially with Ariza out.

135. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 13, 2020 at 03:16 PM (#5969451)

This isn't a given; due to injuries, the Blazers (currently in pole position for the 8th seed) fielded a completely different frontcourt pre-bubble. They would be a fairly strong 8th seed. That said, they have absolutely no defensive answer for LeBron on their roster, especially with Ariza out.

I thought this, too and had a whole reply (edit: to spivey that I deleted). That said, it kiiiinda doesn't match the data so far.

Blazers are -3.3 net rating with Nurkic on the court, and -0.8 without him. Most of that has been on defense where Portland has been godawful with him (124 DRTG).

The most common Nurk lineup is Lillard/McCollum/Melo/Collins/Nurkic and they're a ####### trainwreck. They're -11.8 points per 100 possessions.

136. If on a winter's night a father of a newborn baby Posted: August 13, 2020 at 04:02 PM (#5969457)

That's interesting, and certainly worth monitoring, but given the sample, I'm inclined to weight scouting over stats (at least for defense). Looking at the per-game net rtg, he's generally been a positive, but got blown out by Boston and to a lesser degree Dallas. You could read into that a potential issue with stretch 5s, I guess; I don't have the time to really dig into the numbers properly, though.

137. Hombre Brotani

Posted: August 13, 2020 at 04:03 PM (#5969458)

The most common Nurk lineup is Lillard/McCollum/Melo/Collins/Nurkic and they're a ####### trainwreck. They're -11.8 points per 100 possessions.

I think it's more about this specific matchup. The Lakers have no one who can remotely check Lillard, and they're so thin on the perimeter that any team with an outside threat can take them down.

Ultimately, it's still Lebron and AD, and they'll win a bunch of games just by themselves, but right now everyone's got more than a puncher's chance against them.

138. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 13, 2020 at 04:09 PM (#5969460)

I think it's more about this specific matchup. The Lakers have no one who can remotely check Lillard, and they're so thin on the perimeter that any team with an outside threat can take them down.

I mean, KCP and (to a lesser extent) Danny Green are both pretty good options there.

139. jmurph Posted: August 13, 2020 at 04:17 PM (#5969463)

I think Portland is really good and would have been in the 3-6 conversation if fully healthy all year. They should give the Lakers trouble if they face each other, but I would still expect the Lakers to win in 6 at worst.

140. JJ1986 Posted: August 13, 2020 at 05:59 PM (#5969479)

The Suns are going to go 8-0 and miss the play-in game.

141. Booey Posted: August 13, 2020 at 06:30 PM (#5969487)

#140 - Yeah, but let's be honest about the quality of competition in these seeding games. The teams like the Suns battling for the play in are about the only ones taking these games seriously and rolling with their usual starters day in and day out. Almost everyone else is treating these like preseason games.

Phoenix's 8-0 record includes wins against the Wizards (without Beal, no less), the Sixers without any of Philly's starting lineup playing, the Thunder without SGA, Gallo, Adams, and Schroeder (and CP3 playing just 24 minutes), the Heat without Butler, the Pacers without Sabonis, and the Mavs without Porzingis (and Doncic playing only 13 minutes). Really their early 2 pt victories against the Mavs and Clips were their only quality wins against mostly healthy and/or engaged teams. The entire bubble results thus far should be taken with a massive grain of salt, IMO.

All that said, I was hoping for a PHX/POR play in. A shoot out between Booker and Dame would have at least been fun, even if (as I suspect) a healthy Portland is a much better team.

142. Booey Posted: August 13, 2020 at 07:08 PM (#5969503)

Well, it's official; the Spurs won't be making the playoffs for the first time since my senior year of high school. I'm 41 now. That's just mind blowing to me.

143. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 13, 2020 at 07:16 PM (#5969504)

Well, it's official; the Spurs won't be making the playoffs for the first time since my senior year of high school. I'm 41 now. That's just mind blowing to me.

not sure if it's more or less shocking, but try to find the last 50-win season by the wizardos/bullets.

the Sixers without any of Philly's starting lineup playing

the sixers' lineup for that game was posted [102].

haven't seen this posted yet, but OKC just lost their 1st round pick to the sixers, as a result of [a complicated series of transactions that i have no interest in rehashing]. #hinkielives

144. Howie Menckel Posted: August 13, 2020 at 07:18 PM (#5969505)

once the Spurs won the 1997 draft lottery and added Tim Duncan to their David Robinson, if you asked me how many times they would miss the playoffs in the next 15 to 20 years, I'd have guessed, "um, zero?"

145. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 13, 2020 at 07:18 PM (#5969506)

So Memphis is in the play-in game for sure.

Now if Portland wins, they are the 8 seed and Memphis is the 9 seed. If Portland loses, Memphis is the 8 and Phoenix are the 9 seed.

146. Booey Posted: August 13, 2020 at 08:38 PM (#5969523)

not sure if it's more or less shocking, but try to find the last 50-win season by the wizardos/bullets.

Heh. Yeah, I remember looking that up before. It was in 1979, the year I was born.

Now if Portland wins, they are the 8 seed and Memphis is the 9 seed. If Portland loses, Memphis is the 8 and Phoenix are the 9 seed.

Sounds fair. If Portland loses to what's left of the Nets, they don't deserve to make the playoffs.

147. Booey Posted: August 13, 2020 at 09:18 PM (#5969536)

Not happy with the league's televised playoff schedule. They're clearly prioritizing ratings above all else. I won't even be able to watch the Jazz play until their 4th game, since their first 3 are all on when I'm at work.

148. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 13, 2020 at 09:24 PM (#5969538)

Not happy with the league's televised playoff schedule. They're obviously more concerned about ratings than they are about being fair to all fanbases. I won't even be able to watch the Jazz play until their 4th game, since their first 3 are all on when I'm at work.

We don't ALL work from home and/or follow the LA teams, Mr Silver...

i mean, it's jazz v. nuggets. what are there, like 17 people who would watch that?

at least the NBA isn't the NHL, which had to postpone a playoff game because another playoff game at the same arena ran 5 hours past its allotted time slot. ,,,and then that postponed playoff game ran an extra 90 minutes past its time slot, throwing the two other regularly scheduled games on that day into uncertainty.

149. Booey Posted: August 13, 2020 at 10:30 PM (#5969549)

#148 - Maybe, but that number would skyrocket to AT LEAST 18 (adding me) if it came on at a decent time...

150. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 13, 2020 at 10:43 PM (#5969553)

Jon Hamm @JonMHamm
The last time the San Antonio Spurs missed the playoffs, this was a San Antonio Spur
pic.twitter.com/EIBXeXYE19

Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
chuck and shaq make watching inside insufferable when they're actually talking basketball, but it's all worth it to watch chuck call shaq a karen

151. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 13, 2020 at 10:58 PM (#5969555)

Not happy with the league's televised playoff schedule. They're clearly prioritizing ratings above all else. I won't even be able to watch the Jazz play until their 4th game, since their first 3 are all on when I'm at work.

What else should they be prioritizing?

You're the biggest Jazz fan I know and you don't think they're a contender. No one thinks the Nuggets are a contender.

152. Booey Posted: August 13, 2020 at 11:05 PM (#5969556)

#151 - It's not about prioritizing the top contenders though, otherwise the Bucks wouldn't be getting such crappy start times.

Look, I get it. But that doesn't make it suck any less as a fan. Not being able to watch your teams playoff games cuz RATINGS! is much worse than say, (almost) never getting a Christmas game. As I've said before, there's no reason for fans to care about ratings.

153. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 13, 2020 at 11:16 PM (#5969558)

#151 - It's not about prioritizing the top contenders though, otherwise the Bucks wouldn't be getting such crappy start times.

Look, I get it. But that doesn't make it suck any less as a fan. Not being able to watch your teams playoff games cuz RATINGS! is much worse than say, (almost) never getting a Christmas game. As I've said before, there's no reason for fans to care about ratings.

have you considered getting a vasectomy?

154. Booey Posted: August 13, 2020 at 11:37 PM (#5969560)

Damn, Portland. You made that a lot more...interesting...than it needed to be.

155. jmurph Posted: August 14, 2020 at 08:59 AM (#5969572)

Not happy with the league's televised playoff schedule. They're clearly prioritizing ratings above all else. I won't even be able to watch the Jazz play until their 4th game, since their first 3 are all on when I'm at work.

I've been thinking about the western fans. I realize many people are still stuck at home all the time but not everyone can turn on games at 10 in the morning or whatever. It seems like the official home team's actual time zone should be prioritized as much as possible.

156. Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: August 14, 2020 at 09:28 AM (#5969580)

About ############# time

157. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 14, 2020 at 09:32 AM (#5969581)

[156] that's not how derk would have done it

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
The Jim Boylen Era is over in Chicago.

Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
The feeling the players had toward Jim Boylen did carry weight into the decision to fire the coach, but according to a Bulls source there was also behavior displayed by Boylen that was considered "detrimental to the organization."

Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
According to the source, the Boylen file with human resources wasn't the greatest, including a verbal run-in with a team chef.

158. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 14, 2020 at 09:50 AM (#5969582)

Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
The Blazers had to win each of their final 3 games to advance to the postseason. They did. Over this three-game stretch, Dame Lillard AVERAGED: 51.3 points and 9.0 assists, while shooting: 56% from the floor, 49% from 3-point territory, 95% from the FT stripe. AVERAGED.

159. Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: August 14, 2020 at 10:21 AM (#5969587)

It was the way it had to be done.

Woj:

Arturas Karnisovas makes the change on Boylen and will start a search right away for his replacement. Among many expected to be considered: Denver assistant Wes Unseld, Jr., former Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson; Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin; Bucks assistant Darvin Ham.

...uh, one of those guys definitely won't be a candidate.

160. Booey Posted: August 14, 2020 at 10:55 AM (#5969590)

I've been thinking about the western fans. I realize many people are still stuck at home all the time but not everyone can turn on games at 10 in the morning or whatever. It seems like the official home team's actual time zone should be prioritized as much as possible.

Yeah. Or a rotating schedule, or something. I understand that the league is already losing tons of money by not having fans in the stands and they want to recoup as much of it as possible by maximizing TV ratings, but to have all of a few marquee teams games in a primetime slot and none of some other teams games feels like a giant middle finger to a bunch of fanbases. Not everyone is working from home, and it's hard to care about the games when I can't even watch them. I'm not the type that can record a game and avoid all social interaction until I can watch it later that evening.

The postseason hasn't even started yet and I've already mostly lost interest. Oh well, I guess. Maybe next year.

161. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 14, 2020 at 11:06 AM (#5969591)

The postseason hasn't even started yet and I've already mostly lost interest. Oh well, I guess. Maybe next year.

you have to know that has more to do with your level of confidence in the jazz than whether or not you're able to watch the games in real time.

162. Booey Posted: August 14, 2020 at 11:20 AM (#5969594)

#161 - No, actually. First of all, I'm not that down on them for THIS SERIES. I don't think they have any shot at the title, of course, but against the Nuggs specifically I see them as just a hair below even money. Second, I've watched almost* every Jazz playoff game for the last 28 years regardless of my confidence level in them as a contender. I've been much lower on their chances before than I am this season (they were an 8th seed in 2002, 2009, and 2012, for example) and I still watched every game.

* Only one I remember missing off the top of my head was - of all games! - game 3 of the 1997 Finals, the first ever Finals game in Salt Lake (and the first Jazz win), cuz it happened to fall on the same night as my High School graduation ceremony (and only a block away!). Priorities were all out of whack that night...

163. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 14, 2020 at 11:49 AM (#5969599)

#161 - No, actually. First of all, I'm not that down on them for THIS SERIES. I don't think they have any shot at the title, of course, but against the Nuggs specifically I see them as just a hair below even money. Second, I've watched almost every Jazz playoff game for the last 28 years regardless of my confidence level in them as a contender. I've been much lower on their chances before than I am this season (they were an 8th seed in 2002, 2009, and 2012, for example) and I still watched every game.

i get that, but being excited to watch the games is different from not being excited because you can't watch the games.

164. Booey Posted: August 14, 2020 at 12:36 PM (#5969604)

#163 - Well, sure. I suppose if I was a Bucks fan I wouldn't be tuning out of the playoffs entirely just cuz my teams 1st round series came on at a crappy time. But when your team might only have one playoff series, it's kind of a big deal.

165. Hot Wheeling American Posted: August 14, 2020 at 01:01 PM (#5969610)

Very happy for you, Moses.

166. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 14, 2020 at 06:36 PM (#5969686)

Sam Amick @sam_amick

Kings GM Vlade Divac is stepping down, source tells @The Athletic. Joe Dumars (advisor previously) will be interim executive VP of basketball ops and immediately assumes GM duties. Dumars will be involved in the search for a new GM.

167. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 14, 2020 at 06:52 PM (#5969691)

Firing Vlade and replacing him with Joe Dumars is very on brand for the Kings.

168. Athletic Supporter's aunt's sorry like Aziz Posted: August 14, 2020 at 07:12 PM (#5969694)

Kangz gonna kang.

169. Hombre Brotani

Posted: August 14, 2020 at 07:14 PM (#5969695)

Remember when Joe Dumars was considered a good GM?

170. Athletic Supporter's aunt's sorry like Aziz Posted: August 14, 2020 at 07:42 PM (#5969698)

In all seriousness, this is a good move for the Kings. Vlade was so bad. The thing that makes them the Kings is not necessarily that they #### *everything* up, but that they make just baffling, zero-win moves like acquiring Harrison Barnes or the John Salmons thing (before Vlade's time). Vlade seemed to be focused on acquiring as many Vlade-type players as possible, which was just a huge disastrous blind spot. But getting Hield was a nice move and Fox could be legit if they managed to have a semblance of a competent development staff.

I do think on balance Dumars is a very reasonable hire, at least on an interim basis. After all, he did assemble a consistent contender and title-winner out of players none of whom anyone thought of as the best player on a championship team, really the only such assemblage in the last 20 years of the NBA. And I mean, you gotta pay the piper, even if you're the Spurs -- aging vets + loyalty to them + low draft picks will do that to you. He wasn't afraid to try to take a swing as the team aged, although it was a pretty terrible one (the Iverson trade). He did draft Drummond (and Khris Middleton in the second round). I think you could do worse and it's not like he's ancient (e.g. the Knicks hiring the corpse of Phil Jackson).

171. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 14, 2020 at 07:43 PM (#5969699)

Remember when Joe Dumars was considered a good GM?

that sounds like something from the before time. i can't remember much of anything from that long ago.

172. SteveF Posted: August 14, 2020 at 08:43 PM (#5969704)

Darko

173. puck Posted: August 14, 2020 at 09:37 PM (#5969730)

You're the biggest Jazz fan I know and you don't think they're a contender. No one thinks the Nuggets are a contender.

It's such a bad matchup, neither team will advance from the first round.

Two mountain time teams must be a downer ratings-wise.

174. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 14, 2020 at 09:48 PM (#5969741)

Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
Was just told that even in the final days this week, Jim Boylen was under the impression that he was returning as head coach. In Jim's world this firing was unexpected, as he truly believed that AK and Co. didn't want to start the clock on their own regime. He was wrong.

Brian Mahoney @briancmahoney
Mike Breen calls dozens of bad Knicks games a year and not sure he’s ever sounded as distraught as the final seconds of regulation watching Clippers-Thunder send a meaningless finale to overtime.

Jon Hamm @JonMHamm
The end of this game makes me appreciate how the NBA’s best make scoring look easy

175. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 14, 2020 at 10:54 PM (#5969761)

It's such a bad matchup, neither team will advance from the first round.

you joke about this, but it's not as farfetched as you make it sound considering, you know, pandemic.

176. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 14, 2020 at 10:55 PM (#5969763)

whatever happened to norris cole?

177. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 15, 2020 at 09:51 AM (#5969798)

TIL: the chicago sun times uses sbnation's blogging platform.

178. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 15, 2020 at 11:53 AM (#5969804)

Absolutely fantastic Kangz stat from NBA reddit:

Luke Walton is the coach with the second best record in King's History:

1) .633 Rick Adelman (395-229)

2) .431 Luke Walton (31-41)

3) .415 Reggie Theus (44-62)

4) .403 Phil Johnson (81-120)

5) .403 Garry St. Jean (159-236)

179. Russlan is not Russian Posted: August 15, 2020 at 12:06 PM (#5969807)

He wasn't afraid to try to take a swing as the team aged, although it was a pretty terrible one (the Iverson trade)

The Iverson trade was a not a bad one. Iverson's contract was an expiring one and that gave the Pistons a lot of cap space along with Rasheed's expiring contract. It was how Dumars used that cap space that was suspect.

180. kubiwan Posted: August 15, 2020 at 12:59 PM (#5969809)

Are stats from today’s game (and Sunday’s if necessary) counted as regular season or playoffs or neither?

Will the winning team be given a win (and the losing team a loss) in their regular season record?

My Googling indicates that the NBA has been very consistent with a “playoffs start 8/17 (Monday)” message, but I haven’t found a clear note about what this play-in thing is...

181. puck Posted: August 15, 2020 at 02:33 PM (#5969817)

So, for someone not paying attention, what happened to the Blazers this season to cause their D to crater? Whiteside for Nurkic, and the loss if players like Aminu (and Harkless?), that made a huge difference?

182. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 15, 2020 at 02:39 PM (#5969820)

So, for someone not paying attention, what happened to the Blazers this season to cause their D to crater? Whiteside for Nurkic, and the loss if players like Aminu (and Harkless?), that made a huge difference?

they can't rebound and they can't defend the 3P line.

183. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 15, 2020 at 03:14 PM (#5969828)

So, for someone not paying attention, what happened to the Blazers this season to cause their D to crater? Whiteside for Nurkic, and the loss if players like Aminu (and Harkless?), that made a huge difference?

The biggest thing is rebounding, yeah? (with a coke to Stiggles)

Last year they were 9th in defensive rebound percentage. This year they're 27th. Some of that is structural, because Dame and CJ are terrible rebounders, even for guards. CJ in particular is probably in the bottom 10% of shooting guards.

Then they go to the bench and really struggle. Guys like Anfernee Simmons, Hezonja and Gary Trent don't even compete on the boards, and they really get blown out. Unlike last year, when they could run someone like Mo Harkless as the bench 4, or play Meyers Leonard and Zach Collins together, this year they're playing bench lineups with only one big, and not a dominant rebounder at that.

184. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 15, 2020 at 04:21 PM (#5969848)

After five seasons coaching everyone from Anthony Davis to Zion Williamson to DeMarcus Cousins, Alvin Gentry was fired by the Pelicans on Saturday, days after a lackluster showing in the NBA’s bubble eliminated New Orleans from playoff contention.

Now Griffin is tasked with a big decision: Who is the right coach to shepherd Zion through his formative years? The most popular candidates reported in the aftermath of the decision include Clippers assistant Ty Lue, Lakers assistant Jason Kidd, and current Nets interim Jacques Vaughn.

WHAT THE ####?????

185. JJ1986 Posted: August 15, 2020 at 04:24 PM (#5969851)

Brandon Clarke is bombing it from three.

186. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 15, 2020 at 04:32 PM (#5969856)

Tim Reynolds @ByTimReynolds
Grayson Allen foul, Grayson Allen tech ... at not a great time.

white devil showing out.

187. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 15, 2020 at 04:46 PM (#5969863)

You'd have to imagine that Griffin is going to hire Ty Lue. GMs tend to hire the same guys over and over again.

188. PJ Martinez Posted: August 15, 2020 at 04:54 PM (#5969869)

Some big-time shot-making by McCollum in the closing minutes here.

P.S. Seems like if Grayson Allen is in your closing lineup for a do-or-die game, you probably shouldn't be in the playoffs.

189. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 15, 2020 at 05:01 PM (#5969877)

You'd have to imagine that Griffin is going to hire Ty Lue. GMs tend to hire the same guys over and over again.

did he hire ty lue, though?

ty lue happened to be there when griffin fired adam blatt, and then lue won a title (that noone gives him credit for winning) while they were there, but i'm not sure that's a very deep connection. it's not nothing, i guess.

190. JJ1986 Posted: August 16, 2020 at 08:15 AM (#5969928)

Are the stats from yesterday's game just going to disappear? On Basketball Reference, they're listed in the player's gamelogs, but not as regular season or postseason numbers.

191. My name is Votto, and I love to get Moppo Posted: August 16, 2020 at 01:23 PM (#5969952)

RIP Spurs playoff streak-first time missing the postseason since they drafted Tim Duncan.

192. Booey Posted: August 16, 2020 at 08:21 PM (#5969997)

Mike Conley left the bubble to be there for the birth of his child. He'll miss Utah's first 2 postseason games at least and possibly the whole series.

Hey, remember when the Jazz traded away half their depth and/or defense (Favors, Rubio, Crowder, Korver) to pick up Conley and Bogdanovic so they had more offensive firepower for the playoffs? Funny stuff.

Maybe it's a good thing I won't be able to watch these games...

(Note: Just to be clear, I don't blame Conley one bit for leaving the bubble. He 100% made the right choice, and as a father I absolutely would have done the same thing)

193. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 16, 2020 at 08:34 PM (#5970000)

(Note: Just to be clear, I don't blame Conley one bit for leaving the bubble. He 100% made the right choice, and as a father I absolutely would have done the same thing)

fun fact:
apple used to have an app that allowed people to remotely cut their child's umbilical cords, but it was removed due to a tos violation.

bonus fun fact:
you can still side load the app on android.

194. Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: August 17, 2020 at 11:09 AM (#5970025)

Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
Was just told that even in the final days this week, Jim Boylen was under the impression that he was returning as head coach. In Jim's world this firing was unexpected, as he truly believed that AK and Co. didn't want to start the clock on their own regime. He was wrong.

Remember, Joe Cowley is a ######### and a moron. Same thing with the article linked in 177. Moving past the caveats, some assorted thoughts on this.

1. Boylen was a moron, and acted like a buffoon from the first day he got the big job. How would firing him start the clock on the new FO? Paxson got to hire and fire 5 different coaching staffs; if Jerry like Arturus, his grandkids will still be collecting checks from the Bulls org.
2. It wasn't just Boylen who was confident he'd be back; all the local beat writers were saying the same thing (Cowley claimed a while back Boylen would be fired, then backtracked). I get the feeling those writers all liked Boylen, as they seemed to always go out of their way to defend him, and he was clearly a source from them from the get go. However, I really think something changed that finally gave AK whatever he needed to fire Boylen. Regardless, I'm glad it happened.
3. I want to give the new FO the benefit of the doubt, but the way this whole thing with Boylen was handled doesn't make me feel good. Maybe it's as simple as it took Jerry convincing they needed to fire him - even though they supposedly were promised ultimate authority - or maybe they really wanted to take their time (which is what they've said, but doesn't make sense to me). 3 days ago, they would have had their choice of coach and wouldn't be competing with any other teams to hire someone. Now, that's not true. Is that a bad thing? I dunno.
4. I'm excited for the playoffs, and the lottery, and am glad Boylen is gone.

195. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: August 17, 2020 at 11:21 AM (#5970029)

194--FWIW as much as I enjoy the Bucks crushing the Bulls it's not as much fun knowing the team was run by incompetents. Good luck getting effective leadership

196. tell me when i'm telling 57i66135 Posted: August 17, 2020 at 11:25 AM (#5970032)

2. It wasn't just Boylen who was confident he'd be back; all the local beat writers were saying the same thing (Cowley claimed a while back Boylen would be fired, then backtracked). I get the feeling those writers all liked Boylen, as they seemed to always go out of their way to defend him, and he was clearly a source from them from the get go. However, I really think something changed that finally gave AK whatever he needed to fire Boylen. Regardless, I'm glad it happened.

were the writers who liked boylen racially diverse, or does every one of them look like one of jay marrioti's cousins.

197. Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: August 17, 2020 at 11:41 AM (#5970035)

While none of those guys likely tan very well, I would never insult anyone by implying they might even be distantly related to that goblin unless they really, really deserve it.

198. tshipman (The Viscount of Variance)

Posted: August 17, 2020 at 12:18 PM (#5970044)

In fairness to Conley, it's August. No one knew 9 months ago that the playoffs would be happening now.

Also, I wouldn't miss the birth of my kid for anything.

199. Booey Posted: August 17, 2020 at 12:21 PM (#5970045)

#198 - Agreed on both points.

200. Tom and Shivs couples counselor Posted: August 17, 2020 at 12:24 PM (#5970046)

198--don't a lot of athletes try and time any such family events during the offseason? Seems like the Conleys did exactly that only C19 had other ideas

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