Topic: NBA Thread: Brought To You By The Tampa Bay Raptors Of Toronto

[Soren]

60 points in 29 minutes. Absolutely crazy.

I do think Kerr is keeping in mind what happened last year. The game was truly over at that time and the Pacers were not interested in making this a game. He was on pace to surpass Kobe's 81, so it's an interesting what-if.

[BlackNMild2k1]

He could have let him finish out the 3rd quarter.

2 more points puts him ahead of Lebron, Bird, Iverson, Shaq
4 more puts him ahead of Jordan (w/o OT), McGrady and Carmelo
5 more points would put him ahead of Rick Barry

If he could have made it to 70, he could have topped Jordan regardless of minutes played.
and there was still about 1.5 minutes left in the 3rd. At the pace they were playing, the Warriors probably could have gotten at least 4-5 more possessions, so I think he had a shot at all of those.

Kerr could have atleast let him finish the 3rd Quarter.

[Shaymin]

60 points in 29 minutes
60 - 29 = 31

Oh god.

[rygar]

I never root against "my" teams but Phil Jackson had last night coming. He has been the exact disaster every Knick fan I know thought he would be. The Dolans are a blight on the city in so many ways. The one bright spot is Porzingis is legit and at least gives the fans something to become invested in.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I never root against "my" teams but Phil Jackson had last night coming. He has been the exact disaster every Knick fan I know thought he would be. The Dolans are a blight on the city in so many ways. The one bright spot is Porzingis is legit and at least gives the fans something to become invested in.

For those that don't know what happened wednesday night...
https://vine.co/v/5xWnwEqt2JZ

[BlackNMild2k1]

Everyone knows the Warriors lost by a point last night (my thoughts on how that happened later)
I think everyone saw how Jefferson POSTERIZED both KD and Klay (OMG it was brutal)

but i don't think anyone saw just how cold blooded LeBron is towards this rivalry with the Warriors.



frozen veins man... if that doesn't fuel them in the next match up, then I don't know what will.
Warriors need to go Super Saiyan in the starting 4 (and McGee, not Zaza Pikachulia).


**
but for those that watched the game, tell me that the 1st 2 fouls on Dray were not bullshit. It led to Dray getting a tech, but honestly, they were bullshit calls. Might be hard to call in the moment, but the 2nd one was obvious as **** that it was clean.
Foul on Curry where he completely stepped out the way and didn't touch dude, was another BS call.
No call on the McGee dunk that he missed?
and the No call on the KD being tripped in the last seconds of the match were also BS.

It's kinda bullshit that even the announcers can't callout the BS reffing that they see. They keep trying to bring it up vaguely "oh that looked like a file to me.. :shrugs shoulders: yep, clearly a foul in the replay... oh well", but it's like they'll lose their job or get fined for criticizing the refs. seems so fishy to me. and it's not just for this game, or just about this team, I'm talking in general here.

But on the other hand, Cavs v Dubs is real. They match very well.
Bronbron v KD, Kyrie v The Chef, Love v Klay

I personally put this loss on the Dray for repeatedly forcing passes in the 4th quarter. I think it was like 3-4 possessions in a row, which is how we lost the lead, and ultimately the game.
But if the refs had just called it straight from the get-go, it might have been a different game altogether.  W's were up early, and 2 BS fouls and a T on Dray kinda sucked a little momentum out the team.

But the next rematch @ home is Jan 16th.

[Soren]

I am resigned to the Warriors being a team that just commits stupid turnovers. It's in their DNA, along with Draymond's natural shooting motion.


In other news, Kemba Walker wakes the ghost of Nick Young.

If you don't understand that reference...

[BlackNMild2k1]

At least Swaggy P didn't shimmy when he thought it was in, only to realize it wasn't. That's just embarrassing.


And Yes, Draymond has restless leg syndrome, but many people in the NBA do, most just don't have "tourettes" leg reflexes.
The Warriors are are also chronic abusers of the extra and often forced pass.
when it works, it's highlight material, but when it doesn't, you have to ask why it was even attempted in the first place.

But hey, they had to have a weakness somewhere. If they didn't have all these stupid turnover, the only way to beat them would be to hope they completely stalled on offense for multiple extended periods of time.

[Soren]

But hey, they had to have a weakness somewhere. If they didn't have all these stupid turnover, the only way to beat them would be to hope they completely stalled on offense for multiple extended periods of time.

Which can happen, given the leads they almost blew to the Raptors a few nights ago.

There's the nagging fear that Iggy might just fall off a cliff one of these days and Ian Clark still can't really be trusted until he contributes during the playoffs. And JaVale has impressed, but he's still a knucklehead.

In unrelated news I attended my first NBA game a few weeks ago while on trip to Atlanta. Hornets vs Hawks. Got to see Marco Belinelli and a Zeller blow up big for the Hornets and Dwight Howard pick up silly fouls like always.

[BlackNMild2k1]

But hey, they had to have a weakness somewhere. If they didn't have all these stupid turnover, the only way to beat them would be to hope they completely stalled on offense for multiple extended periods of time.

Which can happen, given the leads they almost blew to the Raptors a few nights ago.

There's the nagging fear that Iggy might just fall off a cliff one of these days and Ian Clark still can't really be trusted until he contributes during the playoffs. And JaVale has impressed, but he's still a knucklehead.

but that stall in offense also had multiple stupid turnovers. multiple stupid turnovers also being the main, and only reason that matters, when it comes to that loss to the Cavs as well.

In unrelated news I attended my first NBA game a few weeks ago while on trip to Atlanta. Hornets vs Hawks. Got to see Marco Belinelli and a Zeller blow up big for the Hornets and Dwight Howard pick up silly fouls like always.

congrats. I get to go to the Kings game vs Warriors up in Sac in little over a week. Good seats in their new stadium. I'm juiced.

[Soren]

but that stall in offense also had multiple stupid turnovers. multiple stupid turnovers also being the main, and only reason that matters, when it comes to that loss to the Cavs as well.

I'm working with the premise that the Dubs won't be able to solve their stupid turnover problems.

[rygar]

In unrelated news I attended my first NBA game a few weeks ago while on trip to Atlanta. Hornets vs Hawks. Got to see Marco Belinelli and a Zeller blow up big for the Hornets and Dwight Howard pick up silly fouls like always.

Nice. I've only been to Madison Square Garden in New York and the Spectrum and Wells Fargo Center in Philly. You get an extra appreciation for how large and athletic the players are when you see them in person. Outdoor summer league games are also cool if you ever get the chance.

[rygar]

I'm going to wait to trash Derrick Rose in case him going MIA is because of something serious, but I hope this ends any talk of him resigning. Porzingis and occasionally Brandon Jennings are the only positive things about the Knicks other than the city and arena they play in. I like Melo as a person, but I was sick to death of watching him just standing there dribbling the ball into the court long before he even showed up in New York.

This is basketball nihilism.

[BlackNMild2k1]

All that **** talking got him BLOWN OUT



Love quit, LeBron was shamed, Kyrie was ineffective and Korver was a defensive liability.
LMFAO.

Steph showed up, Dray triple doubled, Durant held it down, Klay D'd up, Livingston poured it on.

Now if only these Warriors would show up for the rest of the regular and post season. They defensively shut.the.cavs.down. It was a thing of beauty.
It was so beautiful that even LeBron cried (mostly to the refs, before he sat out most of the 4th quarter.)

[BlackNMild2k1]

The most blatant walk in NBA history, and the refs STILL almost didn't call it!!

http://m.imgur.com/vpxgyEJ

#Shaqtinafool clip of the month, for sure.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Allstar Rosters are out. Rising Star game rosters are out.
Talk of snubs of Westbrook not starting over of Curry, and Embiid not making the Allstar roster because he's a "rookie" on limited minutes

GM Lebron was in panic mode after a 6of8 game losing streak (7of11), mostly to teams in the West. Including the Pelicans w/o A.D. and to the Sac Kings in OT. He was crying and whining that he needs more help... He has the highest paid team in the NBA, and possibly of all time, and is whining that the Owner needs to spend MORE to get better players. Inside NBA on TNT calls him out: "can't sympathize, whines and cries, is he afraid to compete!?"
Lebron finally trims his beard down (I think it was too full of "L's") and goes on to happily break the streak w/ a defeat of the worst team in the NBA.... the Brooklyn Nets.

Bulls having a very public breakdown w/ Butler and Wade demoralizing the team, Rondo lashing back, and then Wade dumping hot oil from above all over Rondo. This is also followed up by the WORST game Butler or Wade have ever had. We'er talking airball shots & layups, and then passes to no one, which led to Butler benching himself and sending in a sub. and then in teh post game, when the coach is questioned about it, the coach caught lying that the sub just didn't hear him sub him in. LOL (yeah, that totally didn't happen, that's why)

It's been an eventful week in the NBA if you've been paying attention.

But this post right here, basically sums up in detail, the feeling of why I think Harden will win MVP
over Westbrook this year, regardless of Westbrooks numbers on paper
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/5qat1j/statistically_analysis_russell_westbrooks/

(my thoughts were that he seems to be stat padding, and I don't like the way he plays)
He crashes the boards like a running back, and then kicks out if he gets stuck. His bigs also don't really rebound, but instead box out and leave the rebound for Russ, who is just constantly crashing the boards. I just really don't like his style of gameplay. but the link above adds statistics and detailed analysis to what I was thought. So now I feel more justified in thinking it.

[Adrock]

I'm torn on GM Lebron. On one hand, the front office pulled out all the stops to put that roster together. Sure, the Cavaliers lost some members of last year's team, but it's still the best team in the East despite the losses. James is complaining about the lack of a playmaker. Motherfucker, you're the playmaker. On the other hand, the condition for returning to the Cavs was Dan Gilbert would spare no expense when it came to the roster. James is simply holding the owner and team management to that promise. That's something he should have taken to management first then complained to the media if nothing was done. Still, David Griffin just performed another miracle with that deal for Kyle Korver and gave up two players who weren't playing and a protected pick. Give the man a second. Trades aren't easy to put together, and the Cavs don't have a ton of flexibility unless it gives up a piece James probably doesn't want the team to part with. Additionally, James gave up some of his leverage by signing a three-year deal (third year player option) last summer instead of another one-and-one. At 32, he'll be on the decline of his career soon if he isn't there already. He won't be able to make these demands forever.

If I had my choice, I'd give MVP to The Process. The Sixers can make the playoffs this year if it keeps playing the way it has been recently which is nothing short of amazing, and it's doing so without Ben Simmons. All of that is a dream-scenario that I want to see happen if only because everyone not in Philadelphia **** all over Sam Hinke's process. This is still the team he put together. Not only do The Sixers have a nice young core, it has assets, both in draft picks and young players it can afford to give up (e.g. Noel, Okafor). In any case, it's an absolute travesty that Joel Embiid didn't make the all-star team. He's having a better year than Paul Millsap. Come on, voters...

Despite the hot start, The Lakers are once again dead-last in the West. The team can still sneak into the playoffs (then get roasted by The Warriors). I'm in a weird spot. I get excited when I watch The Lakers win yet I'm not upset when I watch the team lose. Losing is in the team's best interest. The Nets aren't catching any team. The Lakers could use another top three pick.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Feel no sympathy for crybaby Lebron. The Owner has already spared no expense, and they got a championship (not sure if there were payouts outside arena to make that happen    ...j/k). They have the most expensive lineup in the NBA, and that's after the luxury tax that was paid last year.
From what the analyst were saying, is that another big acquisition could push that luxury tax from $25M, all the way up to $100M this year.
The Cavs don't need anymore big $$$ talent, they just need to start making what they have click with what's already working. I'm glad no one is offering up anything useful to them (Melo for Love LOL)
He should actually just feel lucky that the East isn't as loaded as the West, otherwise they wouldn't be in that #1 East position anyway.
Now if only the Raptors and the Celtics could get their **** together and bring it Lebron in the East. He obviously needs to be pressured about more than just winning the NBA finals pre-All-Star break. He should feel a little pressure about even being top seed in the playoffs.


edit: and I never even brought up all the drama w/ Melo.
His coach publicly calls him out about outliving his usefulness to the team. Melo states he's all in for NY, but if the coach feels that way, they should have a convo. He later reiterates that he is ALL IN for the Knicks and doesn't want to go anywhere. All that week, Melo is being shopped around the NBA (...awkward?). Turned down by the Cavs, turned down by the Celtics... but Doc Rivers over in LA states he just might trade his own son if making Melo a Clip was an option.


oh, and thanks to the Warriors.... Clips just might make that trade. Anyone watch that 46pt BLOWOUT today!? Curry hit a halftime halfcourt 3 and then did a soccer slide on the court. LMFAO.
The Warriors are so much fun to watch when they are having fun.

[rygar]

I don't want to bring politics into it other than to say that there are dimensions to both the LeBron and Melo conflicts that transcend basketball and I will support both players for those off-the-court reasons. I will also just say that the media coverage of the conflicts, and how management responds, won't be primarily driven by on-court agendas either.

[Soren]

I will never take Dan Gilbert's side in anything. This is a man that took joy in publicly roasting Lebron in the media when he left and tried to do anything in his power to discredit him. And that's even before you start getting into his shady mortgage lending business.

As far as I'm concerned Lebron is criminally underpaid in Cleveland and holds the most power and ability to make decisions in that franchise. He has earned that by sheer force of dominance in the league. Cleveland's records with him prove it. I disagree with what he's saying about his young players (Golden State has to make due with guys like McCaw, McAdoo and Ian Clark. Can you imagine Curry publicly blasting them like James did with Felder and Liggins?) but he has a point in that he shouldn't be having to log 44 minutes a night in mid-January.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I don't want to bring politics into it other than to say that there are dimensions to both the LeBron and Melo conflicts that transcend basketball and I will support both players for those off-the-court reasons. I will also just say that the media coverage of the conflicts, and how management responds, won't be primarily driven by on-court agendas either.

Now I'm curious... details please.

I will never take Dan Gilbert's side in anything. This is a man that took joy in publicly roasting Lebron in the media when he left and tried to do anything in his power to discredit him. And that's even before you start getting into his shady mortgage lending business.

As far as I'm concerned Lebron is criminally underpaid in Cleveland and holds the most power and ability to make decisions in that franchise. He has earned that by sheer force of dominance in the league. Cleveland's records with him prove it. I disagree with what he's saying about his young players (Golden State has to make due with guys like McCaw, McAdoo and Ian Clark. Can you imagine Curry publicly blasting them like James did with Felder and Liggins?) but he has a point in that he shouldn't be having to log 44 minutes a night in mid-January.

Then he needs give his rookies/youngsters playtime and develop them. I understand he's on a "win NOW" ticking time clock. but that's his own problem. He can't just run around and expect the owner to go for broke just to get more vets on the floor. There's caps and tax in place for a reason.
LeBron had what he was asking for now at the end of last season, but decided he didn't want to pay them to keep them. Now their expected to go out and spend that money anyway to replace what he previously didn't want to pay to keep.

Just because GSW got lucky in acquiring KD, they also gutted their vet bench in the process. Now it's up to Curry, Klay, KG, & Livingston to perform so that they can rotate the young players in and out of line ups to get some ingame experience. He can't just form his own personal All-Star Team full of nothing but All-Stars, as awesome as that would be. He already has the best team in the East by far. Now he just needs to put in some work and get his bench and 3rd string up to speed.

They got #20 out there, running around like a Lil Kyrie meets Kevin Hart, who is that? is that a rookie?
(Answer is their 2nd round pick)
He's quick, but he's so small.




and just because, here is the Curry Flurry at the end of the 3rd last night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDehryykgIY&feature=youtu.be&t=4m16s 

[rygar]

It's more perspective than details and is too divisive for this forum. I will just say that LeBron's way of doing business is challenging existing power structures and there has been a substantial racial dimension to the backlash since at least "The Decision".

Melo's low efficiency, low defense, ball-hogging game is the same as it was when the Knicks traded for him, and when they most recently resigned him (both times in opposition to the majority of Knick fans). If they are moving him now for basketball reasons, then it is an admission of massive failure on behalf of management. If they are moving him for off-court reasons, then it circles back to Phil Jackson's racial arrogance regarding LeBron. Either way this is all on management and that's whose incompetence the media should be focused on.

Again, there are issues of class, race, and power lurking as to why there is a lack of accountability for ownership and management, and why the personal characters of black men like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are drug through the mud, and people like Dan Gilbert, Jim Dolan, and Phil Jackson are protected.

[BlackNMild2k1]

It's more perspective than details and is too divisive for this forum. I will just say that LeBron's way of doing business is challenging existing power structures and there has been a substantial racial dimension to the backlash since at least "The Decision".

Melo's low efficiency, low defense, ball-hogging game is the same as it was when the Knicks traded for him, and when they most recently resigned him (both times in opposition to the majority of Knick fans). If they are moving him now for basketball reasons, then it is an admission of massive failure on behalf of management. If they are moving him for off-court reasons, then it circles back to Phil Jackson's racial arrogance regarding LeBron.
Either way this is all on management and that's whose incompetence the media should be focused on.

Again, there are issues of class, race, and power lurking as to why there is a lack of accountability for ownership and management, and why the personal characters of black men like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are drug through the mud, and people like Dan Gilbert, Jim Dolan, and Phil Jackson are protected.

I'm so entrenched in BBall right now, I still want to hear more. PM it to me if you feel like expanding on what you couldn't say in the forums. I'm truly interested in hearing how deep your thoughts on this matter go. I know it involves lots of stuff that likely started looong before I was paying attention, so I would love to be caught up on it.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Mavs beat the Spurs yesterday, and then for the first time this season, won on a game on the back of a back to back tonite against the Cavs.

Lebron sat out the last ~4minutes
Korver is terrible. LOL

it was 102 to 85 when garbage time started. don't mind the final score of 104-97.

I was disappointed though, as I didn't get to see hardly any of the game before Lebron sat, so I didn't see if there was a frustration or anger or any of that. He better hope they get that 2nd unit PG so he can rest once in a while, or i see many more loses coming for the Cavs.
Better hope the Celtics don't make a good trade.

[rygar]

Hey BlackNMild,

I'm still working on your PM, it's getting into article-like length to keep all the moving parts coherently arranged, but LeBron touched on some of the issues last night. You have to read between the lines a bit, but you get the sense he wants to go at Barkley the same way McGee went at Shaq: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/18589897/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-throws-gauntlet-charles-barkley-hater