NBA Regular Season 14/15

padraig_f

I don't know any of these Lakers players.

Paully D

padraig_f wrote: »

I don't know any of these Lakers players.

I literally said the exact same thing to a mate when the line-ups were announced. :pac:

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be disappointed that Kobe is sitting out a game against the Bulls. They seem to play better without him, more team orientated etc.

padraig_f

Paully D wrote: »

I literally said the exact same thing to a mate when the line-ups were announced. :pac:

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be disappointed that Kobe is sitting out a game against the Bulls. They seem to play better without him, more team orientated etc.

Bit weird how they have Lin, Young & Boozer coming off the bench....well, maybe not Boozer.

padraig_f

Butler guarding Nick Young is a nice matchup to watch.

NufcNavan

This has been a fairly 'meh' day of NBA basketball wise. Not as bad as last year's though.

NufcNavan

Carcharodon

Kenny pushing shaq is the highlight of my day ?

RobertKK

buyer95 wrote: »

I see where your coming from but I have to disagree. LeBron led them to 2 championships in 4 years, and was loved. It's not like he left for the Bulls or someone, he went back to his his home team after 4 great years. Many great players play for teams for ten years and never win a ring. LeBron had an incredible run in Miami, bringing the Heat unprecedented success. Well deserved

Agree, as a Heat fan, I was delighted to see him get a great reception, he led the team to those Championship wins and those finals, it would have been embarrassing and disgusting if he had been given a poor reception, he gave his all for the the Heat team during those four years and as you say it is his home team he returned to.

padraig_f

NufcNavan wrote: »

This has been a fairly 'meh' day of NBA basketball wise. Not as bad as last year's though.

I thought it was great, Cavs losing and Bulls winning by 20. Maybe not the best for the neutral alright.

Was looking up some stats during the game, Mirotic now has a higher PER (18.8) than Kevin Love (18.0) [partly because Love's stats are way down].

NufcNavan

padraig_f wrote: »

I thought it was great, Cavs losing and Bulls winning by 20. Maybe not the best for the neutral alright.

Was looking up some stats during the game, Mirotic now has a higher PER (18.8) than Kevin Love (18.0) [partly because Love's stats are way down].

First game was always going to be ****e. I enjoyed OKC and Spurs, and although it was intriguing to see Lebron return to Miami it wasn't a great game of basketball. Watched a bit of Bulls and Lakers but the remaining games were on too late.

To me the issue is not the Knicks playing on Christmas, the issue is the good teams that get snubbed. Indiana absolutely should have been showcased last season. Atlanta, Toronto and Portland deserve to be on this season.

Itssoeasy

Celtic lead by one 29-28 over Brooklyn after one.

Itssoeasy

Tied up at 56 apiece at the half between the Celtics and nets.

padraig_f

NufcNavan wrote: »

To me the issue is not the Knicks playing on Christmas, the issue is the good teams that get snubbed. Indiana absolutely should have been showcased last season. Atlanta, Toronto and Portland deserve to be on this season.

Yeah we knew before the season the Knicks and Lakers would be crap. Not sure what purpose it serves seeing them getting thrashed on Christmas day. Even for fans of the team, when your team's no good, you don't want to be on prime time.

GoldFour4

padraig_f wrote: »

Yeah we knew before the season the Knicks and Lakers would be crap. Not sure what purpose it serves seeing them getting thrashed on Christmas day. Even for fans of the team, when your team's no good, you don't want to be on prime time.

It's the size of the market at the end of the day; Melo and Kobe combined with the LA and NY markets ensure that those teams are always gonna be included.

BQQ

HaHa, I love this from the Pistons Game last night.

http://www.nba.com/video/games/pistons/2014/12/27/0021400435-ind-det-play7.nba/

buyer95

Watching Clippers Raptors On BT. It's not a national tv so BT are using the Clippers channel. These play by play guys are horrendous. I don't know their names, but just there they were discussing undervalued point guards and Lowry. The second guy made the point that Tony Parker is underatted, and never gets mentioned when talking about the top point guards. He listed CP3,Rose, and shockingly Deron Williams as players who are perceived as being better players. The main play by play guy then made a preposterous remark, saying something along the lines of "Those guys are talked about more because they are better players than Parker." I think I'll turn the volume down, these guys are idiots.

buyer95

Valanciunas gets no hype, but he is really good. I thought he was more than 22, guys going to be an all star in next years or twice. His fundamentals are so solid, he gives you good ring protection, and will in time have a bigger role in the offense. I'm impressed.

buyer95

buyer95 wrote: »

Watching Clippers Raptors On BT. It's not a national tv so BT are using the Clippers channel. These play by play guys are horrendous. I don't know their names, but just there they were discussing undervalued point guards and Lowry. The second guy made the point that Tony Parker is underatted, and never gets mentioned when talking about the top point guards. He listed CP3,Rose, and shockingly Deron Williams as players who are perceived as being better players. The main play by play guy then made a preposterous remark, saying something along the lines of "Those guys are talked about more because they are better players than Parker." I think I'll turn the volume down, these guys are idiots.

I hate when BT have the local play by play guys!

Even as a Bulls fan id rather have the normal comms from TNT etc

NufcNavan

buyer95 wrote: »

Watching Clippers Raptors On BT. It's not a national tv so BT are using the Clippers channel. These play by play guys are horrendous. I don't know their names, but just there they were discussing undervalued point guards and Lowry. The second guy made the point that Tony Parker is underatted, and never gets mentioned when talking about the top point guards. He listed CP3,Rose, and shockingly Deron Williams as players who are perceived as being better players. The main play by play guy then made a preposterous remark, saying something along the lines of "Those guys are talked about more because they are better players than Parker." I think I'll turn the volume down, these guys are idiots.

The Clippers commentator is a bellend. Nothing worse than when he pulls himself off over everything Blake Griffin does.

The two old guys for the Celtics are complete homers too. I know they're all biased but most of them try to be somewhat objective.

NufcNavan

NufcNavan wrote: »

The Clippers commentator is a bellend. Nothing worse than when he pulls himself off over everything Blake Griffin does.

The two old guys for the Celtics are complete homers too. I know they're all biased but most of them try to be somewhat objective.

Tommy is hilarious all celtics fans know to take what he says about celtics players with a pinch of salt but he's been around for years and gas some interesting story's

NufcNavan

Joey Blue Rodent wrote: »

Tommy is hilarious all celtics fans know to take what he says about celtics players with a pinch of salt but he's been around for years and gas some interesting story's

Yeah I understand all that. It can be annoying at times though. :pac:

Watching Nets and Pacers, it's really sad to see how bad Deron Williams has become. Getting his pocket picked left and right. It seems he got his big payday and got lazy at the Nets. He used to be a stud at the Jazz. One of the best PGs in the league not that long ago.

Paully D

The Bulls are rolling now. Another win last night, against the Pelicans, to go 9-1 in their last 10 games.

The bench has been so good. When you have the likes of Taj coming off the bench and giving you 12 and 10 it helps hugely.

Anthony Davis is absolutely ridiculous, he should come home to Chicago when his deal expires. :pac:

padraig_f

Paully D wrote: »

The Bulls are rolling now. Another win last night, against the Pelicans, to go 9-1 in their last 10 games.

The bench has been so good. When you have the likes of Taj coming off the bench and giving you 12 and 10 it helps hugely.

Anthony Davis is absolutely ridiculous, he should come home to Chicago when his deal expires. :pac:

Yes, playing really well right now, and that 9-1 was against some quality opposition...Blazers, Grizzlies, Wizards, Raptors, Pelicans.

Think a lot of it is just the starters getting healthy and getting some continuity together. Noah started the season looking a bit banged up, but is playing well now. Butler is still playing out of his mind, another 33 points last night. Don't think Rose is all the way back yet, but that's not such a bad thing, they're doing this with him playing just 25-30 mins, and not having to over-extend himself. Gives us a better chance of reaching the playoffs healthy.

Impressed with the Pelicans, they played a really good game. They should really be a playoff team, if it wasn't for the East-West imbalance.

Hadn't seen too much of Anthony Davis, so was watching him, and can see what people are talking about. If he plays like that most nights, legit MVP candidate. One of the best individual performances I saw this season, finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds & 6 blocks. Looks to have refined his offensive game, and is a game-changer defensively with his blocking ability. Stacey King said it, he moves so smoothly...moves like a guard, except he's 6'10 and has really long arms.

BQQ

I see KG was channelling lance against the Pacers (blowing in David West's ear).
Then promptly got blown out by 25 pts.

He should just retire. It's getting embarrassing.

NufcNavan

BQQ wrote: »

I see KG was channelling lance against the Pacers (blowing in David West's ear).
Then promptly got blown out by 25 pts.

He should just retire. It's getting embarrassing.

West would make bits of KG both on and off the court.

I agree. He should have retired two seasons ago. But hey, keep gettin' dem cheques.

Paully D

Pistons beat the Cavs in Cleveland, 108-80, despite trailing by 11 after the first quarter. LeBron was 5-19. Bit of a worrying result that.

Itssoeasy

Joey Blue Rodent wrote: »

Tommy is hilarious all celtics fans know to take what he says about celtics players with a pinch of salt but he's been around for years and gas some interesting story's

Tommy only does home games and maybe New York games though. Some young fella does it with mike Gorman. Ah they aren't the worst.

ButtersSuki

NufcNavan wrote: »

West would make bits of KG both on and off the court.

I agree. He should have retired two seasons ago. But hey, keep gettin' dem cheques.

I read a stat somewhere that KG has made more money in salary over the years than one of the Star Wars movies (can't remember which one but assume one of the newer ones) made at the box office. :eek:

ButtersSuki

malistheman wrote: »

Yeah it's been quite pathetic! Really gotta feel for Melo playing with this Knicks team. Samuel Dalembert took one of the worst shots I've ever seen during the first half, it actually silenced the announcers it was so bad. John Wall has been quite impressive so far, didn't know that he was averaging a double double, quite impressive to do that with assists these days.

What? Come on Mal. He took the money and ran. He could have gone to a contender (Chicago specifically but there were others) in the summer but no, decided he'd rather have the "glory" of being the highest scorer on a crap NY team than playing for a ring. I have no sympathy for the guy at all. It's not the first time he's made an appalling choice.

ButtersSuki

Finally, some dunk from Boogie the other night! :eek::D

NufcNavan

So I see not all is rosy in Cleveland. Question marks have been asked over Blatt's competancy. Personally I don't think it's all on him. I don't think the roster is well suited for a championship run.

Also people need to stop making excuses for Kevin Love. He's a pile of dog sh*t on the defensive end. The biggest problem with this Cavs team is that it is just one excuse after another. No one other than Lebron wants to state the obvious and that is they just aren't really a very good team right now.

NufcNavan

Pacers Bulls tonight. Bulls should win but I'm looking forward to seeing how Solomon Hill does on Butler. It will be a good test for him.

ButtersSuki

NufcNavan wrote: »

So I see not all is rosy in Cleveland. Question marks have been asked over Blatt's competancy. Personally I don't think it's all on him. I don't think the roster is well suited for a championship run.

Also people need to stop making excuses for Kevin Love. He's a pile of dog sh*t on the defensive end. The biggest problem with this Cavs team is that it is just one excuse after another. No one other than Lebron wants to state the obvious and that is they just aren't really a very good team right now.

Nope, chemistry is a problem and for all the offensive talent they have defensively they're not great. The problem offensively is that there's only ball on the court to share between LeJon, Love and Kyrie :pac::D

It's easy to blame Blatt, but I think that's grossly unfair. He's a MILLION times a better coach than the smiling fraudster that was Mike Brown, and it's just taking time for things to gel.

I'd ask serious questions about what LeJon's weight loss and slimming down have done to his game on both ends of the floor. He does't look as strong or as explosive as he has previously done. Basically he's not the beast physically he once was, and you wonder what effect that has psychologically on the player/tea guarding him and also on his team mates.

I think they'll be better than they are right now in the 2nd half of the season, but they're not winning anything of significance this year IMO based on what we've seen so far. They have a lot of work to do to get things right.

NufcNavan

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Nope, chemistry is a problem and for all the offensive talent they have defensively they're not great. The problem offensively is that there's only ball on the court to share between LeJon, Love and Kyrie :pac::D

It's easy to blame Blatt, but I think that's grossly unfair. He's a MILLION times a better coach than the smiling fraudster that was Mike Brown, and it's just taking time for things to gel.

I'd ask serious questions about what LeJon's weight loss and slimming down have done to his game on both ends of the floor. He does't look as strong or as explosive as he has previously done. Basically he's not the beast physically he once was, and you wonder what effect that has psychologically on the player/tea guarding him and also on his team mates.

I think they'll be better than they are right now in the 2nd half of the season, but they're not winning anything of significance this year IMO based on what we've seen so far. They have a lot of work to do to get things right.

It might take all of this season to show but it looks like Lebron has lost a step. It's easy to forget he's played deep into June/July for every year of his pro career since he was 18. He's now 30. Bound to have an effect on him now.

The weight loss could also be a factor. He doesn't look like the juggernaut he used to be going to the rim and he's doesn't appear to be the lockdown defender either.

Paully D

NufcNavan wrote: »

It might take all of this season to show but it looks like Lebron has lost a step. It's easy to forget he's played deep into June/July for every year of his pro career since he was 18. He's now 30. Bound to have an effect on him now.

The weight loss could also be a factor. He doesn't look like the juggernaut he used to be going to the rim and he's doesn't appear to be the lockdown defender either.

Yeah, the age of athletes (in particular basketball players) needs to be measured more so in minutes than age IMO. Here's an interesting article from December 12th:

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2014-12-12/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-minutes-knee-injury-kobe-bryant-kevin-garnett

Back in the opening game of the season, seven minutes into the first quarter, LeBron James passed a milestone that got little attention: He played the 40,000th minute of his regular-season and playoff career combined. As of this week, James has logged 40,753 minutes, and if you track back through the annals of NBA history, there are only 51 players who have managed that number.

What’s different about James, of course, is that he is not even 30 yet—he will hit that milestone on December 30. No player in the history of the NBA has logged that much mileage at such a young age.

Since he entered the league in 2003, James has been something of a human anatomy experiment. He has a unique body type, a jaw-dropping athlete with the build of a tight end. But more than that, James was given a load as a teenager that was impossible to fathom—he played 39.5 minutes per game as a rookie out of high school, then averaged 40-plus minutes for the next four seasons.

On Thursday, James sat out with what was described as soreness in the back of his knee. Coach David Blatt labeled the injury, “nothing major,” and told reporters, “I really don't believe we have any kind of serious situation on our hands, just some soreness.”

That may be true, but it’s important to remember that, as James heads toward 30, he is in uncharted waters.

No one has ever logged the kind of minutes James has in such a compressed amount of time. High school players were only draft eligible from 1995 through the 2005 draft, and those who were picked before James and went on to become the biggest preps-to-pros stars were coddled in their first years. They weren’t put through the NBA grinder from the get-go.

Kobe Bryant didn’t become a starter until his third season, and played 15.5 minutes per game as a rookie. Tracy McGrady averaged 18.4 minutes as a rookie, and became a regular starter in his fourth season. Jermaine O’Neal was buried on Portland’s bench for four years before becoming a starter in Indiana. Even Kevin Garnett, playing for a desperate Timberwolves team that won 26 games, averaged 28.7 minutes his first season.

Bryant had played 37,519 total minutes at age 30. Garnett had played 34,543. Injuries hobbled both O’Neal and McGrady by the time they turned 30—they were veteran role players thereafter. Even Moses Malone (who played 38.6 minutes per game as a teenage rookie in the ABA) was at 33,184 minutes when he turned 30.

If James is healthy and back on the floor, by the time he turns 30, he will pass 41,000 minutes and move ahead of the likes of Allen Iverson, Walt Bellamy and Derek Harper. That’ll put him in the range of the total minutes played by stalwarts like Larry Bird, Sam Perkins and Michael Finley.

Those guys, of course, had long careers that lasted well into their 30s. But they weren’t playing huge minutes as teenagers, and the postseason—which can now last as long as 28 games for a team—was shorter in their heyday.

Not so for James. He came into the league as a physical freak, and now that he is heading into his 30s, that may not change—James might yet buck all the conventional wisdom about player breakdown and remain elite for another five or six seasons.

But the knee injury here in December is cause for some perspective. If James was an experiment in human endurance and athleticism from his entry into the league, it’d only make sense that just about now is when the data will come in. We will soon see just how much those early years of heavy minutes—and the toll of five postseason runs to the Finals—weighs on James in his later years.

Before the season started, ESPN analyst and former coach Mark Jackson was asked whether the Cavaliers will win a title at some point now that LeBron James is back in Cleveland. “I’d say yes,” Jackson said. “He does win at least one title in Cleveland. He’s the best player in the world.”

That’s certainly true. But if there is anything that can keep Jackson’s prediction from reality—more than the inexperience of fellow stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, or the inexperience of Blatt—it is the unpredictability of those little tendons and ligaments, the tiny bones and slivers of cartilage that make up the lower leg.

They wear out. Whether the toll of 41,000 NBA minutes at age 30 has worn them out enough to have an impact on James’ performance over the next few years, though, remains to be seen.

He's a very, very old 30 in terms of the minutes he has logged so far.

Paully D

Watching Bulls @ Pacers. I've got to say I really like the Pacers announcers, Quinn Buckner and Chris Denari.

NufcNavan

Paully D wrote: »

Watching Bulls @ Pacers. I've got to say I really like the Pacers announcers, Quinn Buckner and Chris Denari.

They're the best around IMO. Chris is a really really nice guy too.

Pacers getting straight out outplayed though. Few bad calls don't help either but we're struggling anyway.

padraig_f

Lebron's been undermining Blatt since he got there. In comments to the media, and in his actions on the court. Seen some shocking body-language and effort from him, not getting back on defense etc. Supposed to be a leader on the team.

Will be very funny if it all goes pear-shaped. Lebron's been in on the discussions on player personnel, certainly knew about the Kevin Love trade when he (or his advertising team) wrote the 'Coming Home' letter. Now he doesn't like the coach. Not sure having a player deciding on personnel and coaches is such a good thing. I'd say that's a big part of why he went back to Cleveland, he was probably promised more power from Gilbert, thinks he knows better than Pat Riley.

Cleveland's so desperate they'll go along with what he says, but not sure that's a great recipe for success.

NufcNavan

Holy sh*t what a comeback by the Pacers.

Paully D

NufcNavan wrote: »

Holy sh*t what a comeback by the Pacers.

12 straight misses from the Bulls and 2 ridiculous 3 pointers in a row from the Pacers just there. The game is certainly back on now. If the Bulls throw this away :mad:

NufcNavan

That was a terrible shot by Rose, bad shot selection all round before that Copeland 3.

padraig_f

[good thing I didn't taunt Pacers fans before this game like I'd intended to]

NufcNavan

We've the lead lol. Haven't seen anything like this in a long time.

20-0 run, Copeland what was that

Paully D

16 straight Bulls misses, I've rarely seen anything like it. A 20-0 Pacers run. Bloody hell.

NufcNavan

Can't remember a frantic a game ever. Neither team can make anything now.

Edit: Gasol get's the bounce.

padraig_f

Crazy game, that was the Bulls first field goal in the 4th quarter, with 3:30 left.

NufcNavan

I think Vogel should have yanked the bench earlier. I understand you want to reward them and all but I want to win the game..

NufcNavan

The refs screwed us there. At least another second on the clock.

Edit: Oh well, hell of a game. Glad we came back.

Paully D

Phew! That was way, way too close for comfort. Pacers should have had way more time on the clock but Thibs will be having fits over that last play anyway with Watson getting an open shot for the win.

I don't think we'll ever see many quarters as bad as that first 9 or 10 minutes in the 4th from the Bulls again.

Cracking game considering it looked all over by the end of the 3rd.

padraig_f

Phew! WIDE OPEN CORNER 3 from ex-Bull CJ Watson to win.

Bulls lucky to win that, played a real sloppy, arrogant game. Rose had an absolute shocker. Might not have been a bad thing to lose, would've been a bit of a wake-up call. Thibs will give them hell anyway, attitude wasn't right tonight.

Good defending from the Pacers, made it tough in the 4th quarter!