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Sports NBA Thread: 2022-2023 Season
- Thread starter Celticpride
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They lost to the Hornets without LaMelo, Oubre, or Martin. It's not the refs. That team is just trash on defense now.
It must be psychological.
It must be psychological.
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It's obvious by now, but the Heat won't be making any noise in the playoffs this year. They've played like garbage all year and got absolutely crushed in the very important (for seeding purposes) game against the Nets yesterday. Would love to be proven wrong cause I love Jimmy, but this looks to me like yet another wasted year for Miami.
I still feel the same: underwhelming 1 seed with potential for the finals, and it hinges on Jokic's defense.
Yeah so I think the Mavs are officially imploding and will not make the play-in. To lose to in my opinion probably the bottom 3 worst team in the NBA (Hornets) [especially without Lamelo] twice is awful especially when you're fighting for a playoff / playin spot. To add fuel to the fire Luka got his 16 tech of the season and will be out for the game tomorrow @ Pacers.
This brings me back to over 10 years ago on this very forum.. but lol mavs
Charlotte is inexperienced, but everybody's athletic and bigger than anyone on Dallas.
The other thing is Luka is ball dominant and a very demonstrative personality. One has to wonder if this affects the team psychologically.
Charlotte is inexperienced, but everybody's athletic and bigger than anyone on Dallas.
The other thing is Luka is ball dominant and a very demonstrative personality. One has to wonder if this affects the team psychologically.
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wanted to wait until it was official, but thanks and gg
I agree with you on moving playoffs up a week at least. If it makes you feel better I got screwed by DNPs in my money leagues like you did in our finals matchup haha
MVP - Nikola Jokic
ROTY - Jalen Williams
DPOY - Brook Lopez
MIP - Lauri Markkanen
6MOY - Malcolm Brogdon
COTY - Mike Brown
ROTY - Jalen Williams
DPOY - Brook Lopez
MIP - Lauri Markkanen
6MOY - Malcolm Brogdon
COTY - Mike Brown
I have some time so I'm just going to post mine
MVP - Joel Embiid (Very close with Jokic and wouldn't be mad if either if them win it) [I keep going back and forth]
ROTY - Paolo Banchero
DPOY - Jaren Jackson
MIP - Lauri Markkanen
6MOY - Immanuel Quickley but it's close with Malcolm Brogdon. Probably weakest year for 6MOY in a while.
COTY - Mike Brown
MVP - Joel Embiid (Very close with Jokic and wouldn't be mad if either if them win it) [I keep going back and forth]
ROTY - Paolo Banchero
DPOY - Jaren Jackson
MIP - Lauri Markkanen
6MOY - Immanuel Quickley but it's close with Malcolm Brogdon. Probably weakest year for 6MOY in a while.
COTY - Mike Brown
Boston beat Milwaukee the same reason they did in last year's playoffs. Not promising.
Jalen Brunson is the one that got away, honestly I was a fan of Brunson while he was in Dallas. I thought definite all star potential, but I did not like him next to Luka, I think Luka needs to play with 3-4 defensive players on the starting lineup. 3 And D if you will, that's why Dorian, Maxi, and Reggie worked and they got to the Western Conference Finals.
Did I think Brunson would be averaging 24 points 6 assists, and go for a career high in points (48) on 3/31/23? Nope....
Did he deserve that contract from the Knicks? yeah. Did I want Dallas to keep him eh...if Luka plans on staying...nah.
I'm hoping Kyrie does not sign long term, I think Mavs should start tanking and try to get a top 10 draft pick.
Did I think Brunson would be averaging 24 points 6 assists, and go for a career high in points (48) on 3/31/23? Nope....
Did he deserve that contract from the Knicks? yeah. Did I want Dallas to keep him eh...if Luka plans on staying...nah.
I'm hoping Kyrie does not sign long term, I think Mavs should start tanking and try to get a top 10 draft pick.
Irony is that Luka *needs* a complementary star. That offense being run by Luka is just James Harden 2.0 at this point. Heliocentric perimeter offenses can work. We've seen LeBron do it, but Luka's style feels waaaaaay more Harden-esque which doesn't exactly elevate the people around him.
He has the organization and coach by a stranglehold on offense. He doesn't want to screen or defend. Just dribble and be in control. Well, this is what you get with it.
They need defensive guys but still also a new philosophy to offense. But will that come to such a selfish creator? I'm also looking at you, Trae Young.
He has the organization and coach by a stranglehold on offense. He doesn't want to screen or defend. Just dribble and be in control. Well, this is what you get with it.
They need defensive guys but still also a new philosophy to offense. But will that come to such a selfish creator? I'm also looking at you, Trae Young.
Dwight Powell's defense is horrendous. He was getting cooked out there by Cody Zeller. There's clearly a lot of things wrong with the Mavericks right now, but Dwight Powell is an atrocious player at this point in his career. It's time for Dallas to move on from him.
I love that we share this opinion. I don't like Kidd as a coach (legendary player), but holy hell play fucking McGee please, anybody but Powell. I remember watching him vs the Sixers and Embiid was cooking him (no offense not much you can do when you're a 6'9 Center vs a 7'1 Behemoth). I really think Dwight Powell has always been a solid backup Center, never think he should've ever started.
Lakers sneaking back up and looking like contenders themselves.
Define contenders?
Able to make it out of their conference.
Um.. okay lol. I'm just saying. Their defense is top ranked since February.
Good point, but I don't think they can win the Nuggets in a 7 game series, I think vs Phoenix it would be close because they both have solid rosters but the team hasn't played much time together to formulate getting out of the playoffs into the Finals. I think Kings would win in a 7 game series, and I think the Grizzlies have a shot of giving them a run for their money as long as Steven Adams is healthy. It's not a terrible take I think Lakers need way more to prove aside their defense being top ranked since Feb.
While they've undeniably looked a lot better lately, all this Lakers hype is starting to remind me of last year's "Nets will beat the Celtics" takes. I'm not saying an upset is impossible, but I'll have to see it to believe it.
You both say you need to see more but I think that's true for most of these teams. Nuggets need to show more defense. Grizzlies need to show consistent halfcourt efficient offense. Kings need to prove a bottom third defense can advance far in the playoffs. Your faith in them is no more justified in my eyes.
Lakers, with a healthy AD and LeBron, number 1 defense and average shooters was somehow enough in 2020. Is it that much of a stretch...? Especially considering this is the same formula and team make-up which worked once before?
Of course, they could totally lose round 1 and I'm overthinking it, but a number 1 defense with Vanderbilt, Davis, and even Schroder has shown defensive chops. Davis has averaged 30 plus and LeBron post-ups have been devastating for any team without a big forward and center to contend which is damn near most of them. They won 2020 killing and attacking the glass relentlessly, and that's what they are doing now. They did it to Minnesota who have two 7-footers, and they could do it to a lot more teams. I've never seen them like this since 2020.
If you're someone like me who believes defense travels best in the playoffs, it is most certainly not a hot take at it.
Lakers, with a healthy AD and LeBron, number 1 defense and average shooters was somehow enough in 2020. Is it that much of a stretch...? Especially considering this is the same formula and team make-up which worked once before?
Of course, they could totally lose round 1 and I'm overthinking it, but a number 1 defense with Vanderbilt, Davis, and even Schroder has shown defensive chops. Davis has averaged 30 plus and LeBron post-ups have been devastating for any team without a big forward and center to contend which is damn near most of them. They won 2020 killing and attacking the glass relentlessly, and that's what they are doing now. They did it to Minnesota who have two 7-footers, and they could do it to a lot more teams. I've never seen them like this since 2020.
If you're someone like me who believes defense travels best in the playoffs, it is most certainly not a hot take at it.
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