2019-20 NBA Season

[DC]

Some noob predicts based on eye-test:
Lakers vs Nuggets (Lakers in 6)
I actually thought that this is a harder match-up for the Lakers than the Clippers would have been. Having Jokic neutralizes alot of the advantages that AD usually garner for the Lakers, as Jokic's ability to both score and pass is extremely deadly. Also, their perimeter players have been lighting it up, with Murray, Harris, and MPJ going on occasional hot streaks (in contrast to Pandemic P and Lemon Pepper Lou). I'm favoring the Lakers tho since I believe that Lebron should have an amazing series against them. Nuggets kinda dont play defense and there isn't really a good candidate to guard Lebron, as the guards are too small, MPJ doesn't D, and Jokic is too slow. If Playoff Rondo and Bald Mamba shows up (and KCP and Danny Green play like human beings), I see this series being closed out in less games.

Heats vs Celtics [Currently 1:0 Heat] (Heats in 6)
This series is gonna be a banger series (Honestly hoping that this goes to 7 games). The Celtics showed that they can ball, with their starting 5 nearly scoring 100 pts and then.... they lost. Jimmy Buckets and Co proved that they are clutch and managed to comeback fairly well. Both teams have looked good, with Dragic, Crowder, Bam, and Jimmy matching up well against Tatum, Smart, Kemba, and Brown. Although I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by Bam as I thought he would be more dominant, especially against a weaker player like Theis. It should be interesting to see how the Celtics adapt (maybe Williams over Theis?) for the next few games.

 

[Stallion]

No analysis, just predictions:

Celtics in 7 (this was my prediction before G1 so I'll honor it)
Lakers in 6

 

[DiscoDucky]

This has aged beautifully

KNOW YOUR PLACE TRASH, LA BELONGS TO THE LAKERS

But the Lakers don't belong in the Finals.

 

[Randombobman]

But the Lakers don't belong in the Finals.

Amd the clippers don't belong in LA, were you trying to make a point?

 

[clean]

I want to believe that the Nuggets have a chance in this series, but my head is telling me not to get my hopes up. Will be a fun series regardless after the emotional turmoil I've been through in the past couple.

 

[Bruxa Baratuxa]

Giannis MVP, per sources (Woj)

 

[Lord Ninjax]

some thoughts in no particular order:
- lolclippers
- the curse of harold ballard has nothing on the curse of donald sterling.
- jamal murray is now captain canada.
- I was cool with kawhi leaving at the time bc I believed he'd earned the right to make his decision and choose what he wanted, but...man. he really should've stayed in toronto lol (if kawhi stayed raptors go 16-5 at worst through this postseason and the clowns asterisking 2019 would have to shut the fuck up. they probably wouldn't, because lol, but it'd be nice nonetheless).
- speaking of which said 2019 raptors team looks a lot a lot better in hindsight - for all that the clippers were bitching about 'not having time to develop chemistry' or whatever excuses said raptors team dealt with way worse (rookie head coach, gasol trade at the deadline that liquidated the depth, siakam emerging and anunoby being injured forcing the team to recalibrate its frontcourt rotation, vanvleet powell and lowry all missing 15-20 games with injuries, all the speculation / noise about kawhi) and still marched through the most competitive east in recent memory to their first finals appearance. people can laugh but who gives a shit 25 years from now all anybody will remember is that the raptors clawed out of the east and broke the warriors' dynasty to win a chip.
- also hey at least we didn't sacrifice our future to take a two-year loan on playoff p. speaking of which jeez if their superstars leave the clippers are probably fucked for at least this decade. no draft picks until 2027 wow (the okc pick swaps probably convey between 15-25 unless their rebuild stalls somewhere, and they have enough solid-looking players under team control that they probably make it out alright).
- I'd congratulate the thunder for convincingly winning the westbrook and paul george trades but then I remember that this team squandered kd westbrook and harden and I have to temper my optimism. with that many picks they should be set but...presti's gotta prove that he can turn the assets into a championship this time around.
- also speaking of which lolrockets, nobody cares that they were the 2nd best team in the league in 2018 when they've been majorly diminishing returns in the two years afterwards. I'd say there's a 50% chance that they dump one of covington and pj tucker at the deadline just to duck the luxury tax because it's the rockets that's what they do.
- I'd say lolceltics but a) 2-0 isn't decisive by any means and b) I'm too angry at this turn of events, if the celtics were going to implode again they could've at least had the courtesy to do it in game 7. tears of frustration, man.
- for all the hype people are attaching to the heat I'm gonna be a contrarian for 5 seconds and say that it's for the best that they're winning rn because this is probably their best chance at a chip. looking up and down the roster, a lot of their undrafted pickups are specialist-types who're also total liabilities on defense (nunn and robinson's reg season defensive metrics are nightmarish and they got frequently roasted by simple ball screens), bam is like draymond or giannis in that he can be a franchise player but needs an elite wing creator to partner with, tyler herro is def an allstar in the making but idk that he has a franchise players' ceiling. also their two highest scorers (dragic and butler) are 34 and 30 respectively, with games that rely heavily on athleticism and troubling injury histories. make of all that what you will.
- at the same time the heat give me optimism about my own team since they've proven you can mine talent from the back-end of the draft and remain fringe-competitive for years before adding a star and making a deep playoff run. a good front office can find a way to get all that done which reassures me that the raptors will be back in the finals in a couple of years.
- lol fuck we could've sign-and-traded siakam for jimmy butler last summer and guaranteed ourselves a finals spot for the next three years. fucking tears.
- love how the bucks' ownership is saying they're willing to spend into the luxury tax only to shy away from pursuing chris paul because of, guess what, his $40 million dollar paycheck. total frauds, this team doesn't deserve giannis in the slightest.
- also love the lakers fans who spent years decrying golden state being unfair and are now jeering at kawhi saying he should've signed with the lakers. hypocrisy much? your franchise is going to be a wreck once lebron leaves anyways so better enjoy him while he's here.
- give us denver v miami finals please nba. both young hungry and fun teams, I favor denver but seeing jimmy get one would be amazing too.

 

[Bruxa Baratuxa]

Basketball is the best sport of the world, period

some thoughts in no particular order:
- lolclippers
- the curse of harold ballard has nothing on the curse of donald sterling.
- jamal murray is now captain canada.
- I was cool with kawhi leaving at the time bc I believed he'd earned the right to make his decision and choose what he wanted, but...man. he really should've stayed in toronto lol (if kawhi stayed raptors go 16-5 at worst through this postseason and the clowns asterisking 2019 would have to shut the fuck up. they probably wouldn't, because lol, but it'd be nice nonetheless).
- speaking of which said 2019 raptors team looks a lot a lot better in hindsight - for all that the clippers were bitching about 'not having time to develop chemistry' or whatever excuses said raptors team dealt with way worse (rookie head coach, gasol trade at the deadline that liquidated the depth, siakam emerging and anunoby being injured forcing the team to recalibrate its frontcourt rotation, vanvleet powell and lowry all missing 15-20 games with injuries, all the speculation / noise about kawhi) and still marched through the most competitive east in recent memory to their first finals appearance. people can laugh but who gives a shit 25 years from now all anybody will remember is that the raptors clawed out of the east and broke the warriors' dynasty to win a chip.
- also hey at least we didn't sacrifice our future to take a two-year loan on playoff p. speaking of which jeez if their superstars leave the clippers are probably fucked for at least this decade. no draft picks until 2027 wow (the okc pick swaps probably convey between 15-25 unless their rebuild stalls somewhere, and they have enough solid-looking players under team control that they probably make it out alright).
- I'd congratulate the thunder for convincingly winning the westbrook and paul george trades but then I remember that this team squandered kd westbrook and harden and I have to temper my optimism. with that many picks they should be set but...presti's gotta prove that he can turn the assets into a championship this time around.
- also speaking of which lolrockets, nobody cares that they were the 2nd best team in the league in 2018 when they've been majorly diminishing returns in the two years afterwards. I'd say there's a 50% chance that they dump one of covington and pj tucker at the deadline just to duck the luxury tax because it's the rockets that's what they do.
- I'd say lolceltics but a) 2-0 isn't decisive by any means and b) I'm too angry at this turn of events, if the celtics were going to implode again they could've at least had the courtesy to do it in game 7. tears of frustration, man.
- for all the hype people are attaching to the heat I'm gonna be a contrarian for 5 seconds and say that it's for the best that they're winning rn because this is probably their best chance at a chip. looking up and down the roster, a lot of their undrafted pickups are specialist-types who're also total liabilities on defense (nunn and robinson's reg season defensive metrics are nightmarish and they got frequently roasted by simple ball screens), bam is like draymond or giannis in that he can be a franchise player but needs an elite wing creator to partner with, tyler herro is def an allstar in the making but idk that he has a franchise players' ceiling. also their two highest scorers (dragic and butler) are 34 and 30 respectively, with games that rely heavily on athleticism and troubling injury histories. make of all that what you will.
- at the same time the heat give me optimism about my own team since they've proven you can mine talent from the back-end of the draft and remain fringe-competitive for years before adding a star and making a deep playoff run. a good front office can find a way to get all that done which reassures me that the raptors will be back in the finals in a couple of years.
- lol fuck we could've sign-and-traded siakam for jimmy butler last summer and guaranteed ourselves a finals spot for the next three years. fucking tears.
- love how the bucks' ownership is saying they're willing to spend into the luxury tax only to shy away from pursuing chris paul because of, guess what, his $40 million dollar paycheck. total frauds, this team doesn't deserve giannis in the slightest.
- also love the lakers fans who spent years decrying golden state being unfair and are now jeering at kawhi saying he should've signed with the lakers. hypocrisy much? your franchise is going to be a wreck once lebron leaves anyways so better enjoy him while he's here.
- give us denver v miami finals please nba. both young hungry and fun teams, I favor denver but seeing jimmy get one would be amazing too.

Anyone who asterisks the Raptors' title is a dumbf***. I'm a Lakers' fan, I pretty much like the Warriors, a true Steph Curry fan and there was nothing which Toronto could do about GSW injuries. Yeah, everybody knows it would be different, but injuries happens all the time. It happened with Cleveland in 2015, it happened with GSW in 2016. This is sports, this is life, sometimes shit happens.

 

[Stallion]

No mention of "the shot"? Wow!

 

[Lord Ninjax]

No mention of "the shot"? Wow!

no cap but og's shot was a tougher shot in a higher pressure situation, luka's was just flat-out more impressive. still an impressive shot though, I'll give you guys that.

 

[clean]

Boy that got pretty scary, really solid win through and through for Denver

 

[BigBallerBrand]

Not gonna lie, I haven't been watching the playoffs as much as I usually do. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this boat. Watching the end of a game is lowkey miserable, hurry it up and stop calling weak fouls.

 

[Randombobman]

Jerami Grant had the game of his life. Either that was his coming out party and the Nuggets now have another 3rd scorer beyond Porter Jr, or he returns to his usual self next game and the Lakers offense isn't horse shit for the majority of possessions. So many bad offensive miscues in the 4th quarter with Rondo in. Live by Playoff Rondo, die by Playoff Rondo I guess

 

[phoopes]

Jerami Grant had the game of his life. Either that was his coming out party and the Nuggets now have another 3rd scorer beyond Porter Jr, or he returns to his usual self next game and the Lakers offense isn't horse shit for the majority of possessions. So many bad offensive miscues in the 4th quarter with Rondo in. Live by Playoff Rondo, die by Playoff Rondo I guess

I've always been a fan of Jerami Grant. I think it's somewhere in between, I don't think he's going to to be a huge scoring threat for them but he will get more involved in the offense. He's capable. Either way, so happy the Sixers traded him for peanuts

 

[Kanburi]

Nuggets have us right where they want us... Up 3-1

 

[Chaitanya]

Frank Vogel really out here trying to see if Playoff Rondo is still a thing in 2020.

Apologize

 

[Randombobman]

Nuggets have us right where they want us... Up 3-1

Nuggets finally ran into a team with enough leadership and experience to overcome whatever comebacks are attempted

 

[Bruxa Baratuxa]

Do you believe in God?
Are you sure?

 

[Stallion]

Congrats Miami, awesome to see such an underdog make the finals.

But, the run ends here. Lakers in 6.

 

[Snorlax in the way]

Nuggets finally ran into a team with enough leadership and experience to overcome whatever comebacks are attempted

idk about all that im pretty sure lebron just scored 40 and then our two stars were A. in foul trouble and then B. broke his leg and then hobbled around for 12 minutes

 

[Captain Skywalker]

The Clippers might be fucked for the next decade if they don't win the championship next season. I feel like the firing of Doc Rivers is basically them admitting it. Will be interested to see how things go.

 

[Stallion]

3 keys for the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat

 

[DerrickRose]

(1) Los Angeles Lakers versus (5) Miami Heat

So, I’m not going to spend too much time on this. I’m just going to explain some of my thoughts.

- Shooting will be a major key in this series, and it’s generally unclear to me how that will play out. I do know Los Angeles in their losses have generally shot worse from three, and significantly outpaced in points from three against hot teams. Miami cooled down against Boston, but Boston is one of the top three-point shooting defenses. Spoelstra is certainly going to challenge Los Angeles to beat them from distance, because Los Angeles depends so much more on paint points, transition, and free throws from their stars. Will it be enough to pack-the-paint and dare them to have a shooting contest with Miami?

- Honestly, Spoelstra may also just give Davis any face-up jumper he wants because they have no hope in stopping him, but he does have hope in stopping LeBron. He’s had some late-game struggles, and he’s shooting about 35% or so outside the paint. Knowing that he used to play for the same coach and organization, you can bet their strategy will be most effective thanks to internal personnel. LeBron’s only gotten older since he left Miami; Spoelstra’s going to know what buttons to push to have him struggle especially at age 35.

- Size is going to be a major issue for Miami. Their zone defense is excellent, but it worked against Boston the way it did also because they don’t have a strong center position. Zone takes a hit if you’re going up against AD, Howard, and McGee. They might defend Los Angeles very well, but if you can’t consistently rebound against them, that makes their offense less dependent on making shots. Though, Houston didn’t seem to have that much of an issue (at least initially in rebounding).

- Adebayo is in a bit of a bind here. In addition to the size and number of guys he’s likely to match-up against, he IS central to Miami’s offense. Any amount of foul trouble or fatigue is going to matter. Spoelstra used the zone against Boston largely because it kept him safe and under the rim. When Boston forced more switches, Miami was worse off. If Miami is to win this series, it starts and ends with Adebayo and his ability to stay on the floor as well as Miami’s ability to keep him under the rim and if they can’t, still be able to rebound consistently and defend Los Angeles when LeBron picks up a switch.

- Speaking of LeBron, he’ll be guarded by several guys as well, most notably one of the best historical defenders on him. How well is LeBron up to the task at 36? Anyone remember the old 2015 Chicago/Cleveland series? He is likely to hunt for Dragic, Robinson, Herro, and even Adebayo if he wants to try to get him in foul trouble. We know LeBron can solve a zone, but this will be his biggest
offensive test in the playoffs. Jerami Grant honestly is the only decent defender he’s been tasked with thus far and I have my doubts on adding 2 or 3 more capable defenders.

Los Angeles should be favored I feel. Miami’s gotta have a lot of things go right for them to win the series. They aren’t unbelievable things, but I feel their room for error is smaller due to their size and talent disadvantage (top-down talent tends to be better than balanced talent in a series). I also feel with how important Adebayo is, and how new he and some members of the team are to the Finals, they're more likely to be on the worse end when it comes to intangibles. Perhaps the longer the series goes, the more Miami’s depth can make a difference. Also, the better they shoot from three, the harder Los Angeles may be forced to work and respect Miami’s players.

 

[Bruxa Baratuxa]

(1) Los Angeles Lakers versus (5) Miami Heat

So, I’m not going to spend too much time on this. I’m just going to explain some of my thoughts.

- Shooting will be a major key in this series, and it’s generally unclear to me how that will play out. I do know Los Angeles in their losses have generally shot worse from three, and significantly outpaced in points from three against hot teams. Miami cooled down against Boston, but Boston is one of the top three-point shooting defenses. Spoelstra is certainly going to challenge Los Angeles to beat them from distance, because Los Angeles depends so much more on paint points, transition, and free throws from their stars. Will it be enough to pack-the-paint and dare them to have a shooting contest with Miami?

- Honestly, Spoelstra may also just give Davis any face-up jumper he wants because they have no hope in stopping him, but he does have hope in stopping LeBron. He’s had some late-game struggles, and he’s shooting about 35% or so outside the paint. Knowing that he used to play for the same coach and organization, you can bet their strategy will be most effective thanks to internal personnel. LeBron’s only gotten older since he left Miami; Spoelstra’s going to know what buttons to push to have him struggle especially at age 35.

- Size is going to be a major issue for Miami. Their zone defense is excellent, but it worked against Boston the way it did also because they don’t have a strong center position. Zone takes a hit if you’re going up against AD, Howard, and McGee. They might defend Los Angeles very well, but if you can’t consistently rebound against them, that makes their offense less dependent on making shots. Though, Houston didn’t seem to have that much of an issue (at least initially in rebounding).

- Adebayo is in a bit of a bind here. In addition to the size and number of guys he’s likely to match-up against, he IS central to Miami’s offense. Any amount of foul trouble or fatigue is going to matter. Spoelstra used the zone against Boston largely because it kept him safe and under the rim. When Boston forced more switches, Miami was worse off. If Miami is to win this series, it starts and ends with Adebayo and his ability to stay on the floor as well as Miami’s ability to keep him under the rim and if they can’t, still be able to rebound consistently and defend Los Angeles when LeBron picks up a switch.

- Speaking of LeBron, he’ll be guarded by several guys as well, most notably one of the best historical defenders on him. How well is LeBron up to the task at 36? Anyone remember the old 2015 Chicago/Cleveland series? He is likely to hunt for Dragic, Robinson, Herro, and even Adebayo if he wants to try to get him in foul trouble. We know LeBron can solve a zone, but this will be his biggest
offensive test in the playoffs. Jerami Grant honestly is the only decent defender he’s been tasked with thus far and I have my doubts on adding 2 or 3 more capable defenders.

Los Angeles should be favored I feel. Miami’s gotta have a lot of things go right for them to win the series. They aren’t unbelievable things, but I feel their room for error is smaller due to their size and talent disadvantage (top-down talent tends to be better than balanced talent in a series). I also feel with how important Adebayo is, and how new he and some members of the team are to the Finals, they're more likely to be on the worse end when it comes to intangibles. Perhaps the longer the series goes, the more Miami’s depth can make a difference. Also, the better they shoot from three, the harder Los Angeles may be forced to work and respect Miami’s players.

Just like D-Rose said, Lakers is too big, fast, strong and have a very good defense. Tonight's game is a proof of that. Of course the Heat misses were determinant for the result, but a post with Dwight and Davis is too much for Adebayo to handle.

 

[Randombobman]

Yeah almost everything that could go wrong for the heat tonight happened. Their three best players all have an injury and they shot poorly from... everywhere. I dont expect that to continue and miami is sure to steal a game if not two, but Lebron can already smell the blood in the water. This condensed schedule won't do the heat any favors either

I have lakers in 6