2022/3 season thread

Corvo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549902#Comment_120549902

The wording of it was hilarious. Couldnt happen to a nicer guy. Mavericks fancied as the fav's to land him. Brooks, Luka and Kyrie. Recipe for disaster

LuckyLloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549902#Comment_120549902

I still can’t understand why he said those things about the Lakers and LeBron. So stupid.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549902#Comment_120549902

He’s an elite defender - All NBA level. But it’s all that goes with it. The shot taking in particular is horrendous at times.

Someone will take a chance on him.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120549939#Comment_120549939

they offered him an extension earlier this year, had he signed that they’d be stuck with him.

ButtersSuki

Strange stat from G1 GSW v LAL: first time in NBA history one team has scored 15 more threes than the other team and the other team has made 20 more FTs than them.

shows the differences stylistically in a nutshell.

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550060#Comment_120550060

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550136#Comment_120550136

Even funnier is Lakers and GSW will probably be two franchises looking for players very much like Brooks yet he has absolutely burned any chance of landing at either franchise.

He has nearly played himself out of the league.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550509#Comment_120550509

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see him at the Lakers. LeBron will at least try and play with anyone.

Osmosis Jones

The statement from the Grizzlies was a bit unprofessional imo, Brooks trash talked and couldn't back it up but that's all he did.

Ja Morant is waving guns around strip clubs and assaulting teenagers but he's good at basketball so they don't care.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550823#Comment_120550823

Yeah, it’s a complete double standard. They’d also likely have had little issue with it had they won.

LuckyLloyd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550823#Comment_120550823

Ja has talked his own trash also, the kind that you only back up with a conference championship.

Some of this falls back on the coach - they need to stay quiet and give their opponents no leverage in terms of locker room motivation. Do their talking on the court.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120550913#Comment_120550913

Part of it is they're in Memphis. They're literally the biggest things since Elvis there. They're big fish in a tiny pond. I heard a piece that they're basically like college football stars in redneck states where they can do anything they want basically with impunity - and you can see that. They're also VERY young. Their core is still 23/24, which is crazily young. And the coach is crazily young too. You can see how they needed to take a stance and Brooks is to a degree the sacrificial lamb. I think losing Adams was a much bigger loss than people factored in. He's the only one they looked up to.

You want to know how much of a star Ja Morant is? There are two kids in my son's class (age 7-8) with Ja Morant jerseys - in Co. Meath in Ireland (my son has zero interewst in basketball so he's not one of them). That's how much his star has travelled and how he's connected with younger fans.

johnnyk29

In a strange way the best thing for the Nuggets is that Jokic didn't win the MVP now he has less focus on how he is playing and doesn't have the MVP of the League hanging over him in the playoffs

Also I am glad to see Joel E win it as he has been excellent this year as well

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120551448#Comment_120551448

I feel like it’s a little wrong tbh as it was a Daryl Morey-led campaign and a large amount of recency bias that won it for him. Jokic had a better all round season statistically and his team were #1 in the West. None of this is intended as a slight on Embiid’s season, I just feel Jokic’s was better.

i also feel if Jokic cared about it more and was a stat padder, he could easily have thrown in some crazy stat games towards the end of the season to win the award. Jokic also sat out some games towards the end of the season and given the reason listed for those it seemed like a “**** for giggles” dig at Embiid.

Congrats to Embiid nonetheless, he clearly wanted it very badly.

eagle eye

Great performance by the Celtics tonight, it was a team effort. Tatum had his quietest game of the season I think. He had 7 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Brown had a great first half but cooled down in the second, he ended up with twenty five. Brogdon was excellent as usual, Smart and White had very good games, Grant Williams too.

Rob Williams on D was outstanding, forced a lot of misses in the paint, he had two blocks.

Embiid looked a shadow of himself, he scored 15 points but didn't look fit enough. I think they should have left him out.

Carcharodon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120552808#Comment_120552808

Yea, on Embild, obviously we don’t know more than the sixers but on the outside, I felt like why would you risk him after getting the first game, let him rest and heal for the home games, I thought it was a strange decision

2smiggy

strange for Embiid to play, obviously still not close to 100%, after taking the first game. Thought they would have taken the loss , and concentrate on their next two home games.

I'm delighted he played, also good as a Celtics fan to see the team play well with Tatum having a quiet night with low minutes. A lot more optimistic than after game 1

ButtersSuki

From a rest perspective they should have sat him last night, it’s a very strange call. Maybe he wanted to play but at times like this you need someone in leadership to say no.

The job was done in Game 1, it was always more likely tan not you’d get that result in G2 (as I posted a few days ago). You’re also risking injury if he’s not 100% - I haven’t seen the game but by the accounts I’ve read he looked out of shape and out of touch. A very strange decision.

On Tatum, I’m beginning to see a pattern on this. Last year Brown outplayed him in the Play Offs, and he just doesn’t seem as clued in or focused as earlier in the year. Maybe it’s just mental, maybe he’s tired? But there’s been a few years now where he’s underperformed relative to expectation in the Play Offs.

Even with two G1 losses though I still fancy GS and Boston.

Osmosis Jones

Yeah Embiid playing last night was a strange move considering he clearly didn't look close to 100%. They'd already stolen the game they needed, just rest up and back yourself to win the 3 in Philly.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553267#Comment_120553267

Jayson and Jaylen have similar ppg at the minute but Tatum is well ahead of Brown in both assists and rebounds.

One quiet game means nothing, most players have one of them nights. In the playoffs so far he's been the best player for the Celtics.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553397#Comment_120553397

There’s more to impacting a game than raw stats - as I’m sure you know,

You’re entitled to your opinion but when you take both offence and defence into consideration I think Brown has been more impactful.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553458#Comment_120553458

He definitely has not. He hasn't been anything like he was this time last year.

He's been off the ball, staying out of the way a lot in the playoffs. His scoring is the only thing going for him. He hasn't been anywhere near as impactful as Tatum on defense or offense so far.

Last year he was doing much more defensively and was more involved in team play on offense.

The deeper we get into the playoffs the more I expect from him. I'm wondering if the mask is affecting him a bit, his peripheral vision might be a problem.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553531#Comment_120553531

As I said, you’re entitled to your opinion. Wasn’t arguing. His defensive assignments however suggest the team think he’s a better defender than Tatum too.

Just on a point of grammar though, can you desist with the term “we” when describing the play of the team? A supporter you may be, but you are not part of the team. It’s a pet peeve of mine, and tbh I thought it was reserved for soccer fans.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120555215#Comment_120555215

Well I spent a lot of time at games in the 90's and that was the term used by all the fans I knew. I use it a bit, not all the time but it's gonna happen.

Zero-Cool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120555385#Comment_120555385

I've heard fans use that across multiple sports, in sure I've used it when talking about the Bulls, use away man.

ButtersSuki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120555385#Comment_120555385

Well I have attended over 100 NBA games, and spend between work and holidays approx 4-6 weeks in the US every year for the last 30ish years and not once have I ever heard anyone say “we” like you have, no matter what the city or team, but ok if you say so.

johnnyk29

Big game tonight, interesting to see how the warriors re adjust. AD playing very well and role players playing very well for Lakers.

Warriors have to give minutes to Kuminga when Looney is off the floor to combat AD. I am going to go with another Lakers victory by 2/3 points with a huge LeBron game and Draymond to get ejected...

eagle eye

AD has been very inconsistent all season. You never know what you are going to get from him.

Draymond got ejected and I'm sure that the players as well as the coaches talked to him about it. I don't think thats happening again.

Golden State never lie down and just like the Celtics last night I expect a big performance from them and expect them to win by more than 10.

johnnyk29

I don't know something feels different about AD in these playoffs he seems a bit mentally tougher in regards to the injury he has and is playing better as a result...

I think the two X factors are Wiggins and Reeves. With Kuminga who would be a good defender for a few minutes on AD as he is more athletic than Looney..

Also Chris Paul injured in the playoffs again he must be the most unlucky player when it comes to missing important games in the post season and it's coming close to the end of his career now so his time to win a ring is closing

eagle eye

It always felt like the Warriors could break away but it was tight for the first 19 minutes. The Lakers are doing a great job preventing Curry getting off shots. So Curry changes it up and became the master of the pick and roll. He only had 8 points in the first half but he had 7 assists.

So GS got it going in the last five minutes of the first half and go in with an 11 point lead.

Curry on three fouls, two of them were very minor but obviously we are not getting the physical game we've seen in other playoff games.

AD has 4 points to this point, he's terribly inconsistent. He's on three fouls as well.

LBJ has done a good job, he has 19 points but the guy whose kept them in it is Hachimura going 5-7 for 14 points, 4-4 from the outside.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120556886#Comment_120556886

Paul would be a great addition to the Bucs. He'd have a serious chance of a ring if he went there, that's if they get a decent head coach after firing Budenholzer.