2022/3 season thread

Carcharodon · 21-05-2023 9:59am

Iam so happy the Lakers are losing like this, that’s a silver lining in a **** sports weekend.

Jokic deserves this championship, he is levels above everyone else right now and Murray is doing his part also

It will be interesting to see how the Lakers react ….toys out of the pram? LeBron or AD fake an injury early ?

ButtersSuki · 21-05-2023 6:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120622998#Comment_120622998

LeBron will probably come to the press conference in a boot or on crutches. When Cleveland lost a few years ago and he came in wearing plastic cast on his wrist there were nearly neck injuries from the roll eyes. Then it was “I have been playing with a broken hand for the last 3 games”. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

Utterly laughable and just another classic LeBron excuse.

ButtersSuki · 21-05-2023 6:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120622950#Comment_120622950

Well seeing as you work there will you be sure that it’s paid on time? Thanks.

i mean, you do work there right? Because only someone who works for Klutch could come out with the stuff you do.

ButtersSuki · 21-05-2023 6:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120622952#Comment_120622952

I really want NOT to watch it, but I know I will. :(

Zero-Cool · 21-05-2023 7:16pm

Speaking of basketball movies, watched Air the other day, about how Nike signed Jordan. Boring subject but the film held my interest, was actually quite good and had some interesting bits i didn't know about.

LuckyLloyd · 21-05-2023 7:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120624829#Comment_120624829

Yeah I thought it was enjoyable. Well made and acted

ButtersSuki · 21-05-2023 8:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120624829#Comment_120624829

A lot of that story is not factually accurate just as an FYI. It’s been changed because…… “Hollywood”.

“Shoe Dog” is a good read if you’re interested. In the subject matter.

eagle eye · 22-05-2023 3:22am

Absolutely horrendous performance from the Celtics. I'm not sure Mazzulla will survive this. We've just been too bad not only in this series but against the Sixers as well.

I had hopes of us going all the way this season. It's a huge failure.

Very interesting finals with playoff Jimmy and Bam against Jokic and Murray.

If it come down to the benches I think Miami win. That bench will make sure the Heat are never thumped.

Carcharodon · 22-05-2023 6:01am

Just had a big argument/discussion with some friends about Mazzulla, I think he has to go, they blame the players not him. Obviously the players have been extremely bad but at the end of the day it’s the coach’s job to get them going, he could be the nicest guy ever or have the best basketball brain but if your players don’t perform for you then it’s on you for better or worse. Iam not saying they have to fire him if they really think he could be a long term solution but it just doesn’t look like it is, he is young but sometimes you just know, this is probably all a bit too early for him

LuckyLloyd · 22-05-2023 7:46am

You can fire a coach much more readily than change the core players on your roster. Spoelstra is running rings around him, so you either forgive that or you don’t.

Osmosis Jones · 22-05-2023 9:56am

It's impossible to bet against Jimmy at this point but I still think Denver will be a bridge too far, Nuggets are winning their first Championship.

LuckyLloyd · 22-05-2023 10:28am

One Title in 30+ years for the Celtics. Who could have imagined they wouldn't win another after 2008? Pierce, Garnett and Allen lost in 7 to SuperDwight and Orlando in 2009, 7 to Kobe and Artest in 2010, and 7 to LeBron in 2012 and 2018 (LeBron beat them in 5 series during his eight in-a-row Finals run). Then you had the finals to GS last year and conference finals to Miami in the bubble. And losing again, this time to them as an eight-seed. Margins are so tight in so many of those series that ending up with a single Title after the Pierce / Garnett / Allen superteam was formed feels like a longshot outcome tbh.

It's just so bloody hard to get over the line in the NBA during the last 15 years. A Golden era for basketball.

ButtersSuki · 22-05-2023 10:59am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120625834#Comment_120625834

He’s by no means blameless, but this is mostly on the players. To use management speak, would put this down to a “collective organizational failure”. For the reasons I outlined a few weeks back ever since the Udoka thing happened there’s a myriad of reasons why things have gone awry.

Compared to the Heat, this team and mentally and physically weaker. They have been embarrassed by them. What’s worse is I do believe Boston are more talented and deeper than the Heat. That’s not a hot take. But when the Play Offs came the Heat wanted it so much more. And the regular season Jimmy Butler became Play Off Jimmy Butler.

ButtersSuki · 22-05-2023 11:00am

One strange one, in my bazillion years watching the NBA, I don’t ever remember both Conf. Finals being 3-0. Might have happened but I’m usually good at remembering stuff like this.

ButtersSuki · 22-05-2023 11:20am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626268#Comment_120626268

Of all the ways to try and sneak in backhanded compliments for LeFlop. 🙄

ButtersSuki · 22-05-2023 12:17pm

I just watched Mazzulla’s post game interview whilst having a coffee. You can be too honest sometimes, he’s in danger of talking himself out of a job.

eagle eye · 22-05-2023 3:17pm

There's super talent on the Celtics roster. There was huge mistakes made.

Brogdon should be starting ahead of White. Rob Williams should be starting ahead of Horford. Al has taken a big step backwards this year. He's no more than a decent, small minutes backup now.

Brogdon works so much better than White with Tatum and Brown and it's because he's a great shooter in his own right. And Pritchard should be getting more time as well, he changes things when he comes in and defenses have to adjust. He's aggressive going to the basket and opens up space for other players.

Williams is way more active than Horford. He's a better rebounder, overall defender and better offensively now. That's if you need to play a center at all against the Heat. Every time we went smaller over the last two with Grant Williams in we looked better.

Mazzulla rightly takes the blame and I think he has to be fired. Udoka brought us so close, I don't think that's ever happening with Mazzulla. He's too young and inexperienced. He might improve in time but he's not ready yet and you can't be allowed to learn on the job.

Carcharodon · 22-05-2023 4:38pm

Honestly, Denver v Heat is a great finals, Joker v Jimmy Buckets is such an interesting finals. I’d love to see Denver win, such a fantastic team

Osmosis Jones · 22-05-2023 5:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120627922#Comment_120627922

We see a team win their first title or we see an 8 seed win, I hope it goes to 7

LuckyLloyd · 22-05-2023 8:21pm

The Heat have won this more than the Celtics have lost it. The Heat are just playing out of their minds, unreal shot making and great coaching. These playoffs have shown once again that the regular season doesn’t matter.

eagle eye · 22-05-2023 9:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120628876#Comment_120628876

The Heat have a great set up with Pat Riley and Spoelstra.

They have a very good squad and two top tier players in Jimmy and Bam.

The Celtics have a much better squad. They were out-coached, it's as simple as that.

eagle eye · 23-05-2023 4:18am

4-0 Nuggets.

Jokic sets a new record for triple doubles in the playoffs and he still has the finals to go.

LuckyLloyd · 23-05-2023 4:53am

Denver are an awesome team. LeBron with a heroic effort, left it all out there. His first half was just a privilege to watch. Just caps off a completely outrageous age 38 / year 20 season. But says it all that he was playing like that and Denver kept in touch like they did. As the second half wore on and LeBron got tired Lakers didn’t have anyone else step up. Everyone other than LeBron shot poorly.

Feels like Jokic’s time tbh. But we’ll see!

Carcharodon · 23-05-2023 5:19am

Good game, Denver are great, they really are solid and we all must of forgot about Murray, he is playing the perfect “Robin” for Jokic (saying joker would confuse my analogy)

I feel like the media is concentrating too much on Lakers and LeBron right now rather than appreciating the Nuggets. I get it but let’s get real, Nuggets swept Lakers, yea LeBron is old and yea he did good but you got swept, not on LeBron but don’t act like he would be the greatest ever if they won and if he loses then it’s not his fault, it gets so dumb.

Ill give LeBron his props, solid, I honestly think if he had a lower ego he would be exceptionally better at this age but still amazing, these next few years will be interesting, he will dictate the fate of a few franchises

LuckyLloyd · 23-05-2023 5:36am

Lower ego? He spent a lot of post season games playing off ball, arguably as much as he could. Russell just couldn’t get it together at all this series, so - as Draymond said on his podcast - you end up in a situation where the Lakers only chance is for them to run everything through him.

Saying LeBron’s “ego” is a problem doesn’t tally with what we’ve watched at all through the playoffs tbh.

I agree the focus here should be on how good Denver are. They had the best peak form ITL during the regular season and have been every inch that during the Lakers / Suns series.

LuckyLloyd · 23-05-2023 5:49am

Tough few weeks ahead for Rob Pelinka. Kyrie was courtside tonight so the key question maybe is going to be how much is sacrificed to make that happen. Rui and Reaves seem like priorities to bring back, but other suitors will send offer sheets you’d think. Lonnie Walker and Schroder Free agents too.

Feels like the mistake would be salting the earth to make Kyrie happen. They found something the past couple of months around depth, defense and multiple options that could translate really well to a full regular season. And AD and LeBron will continue to miss time, that should be the expectation.

This is a question for ownership too - the Lakers will need to be over the cap and paying tax. How deep into that are they willing to go?

Going to be very interesting. Pelinka pulled a rabbit out of the hat in February, this problem is some reward for that!

ButtersSuki · 23-05-2023 7:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120629814#Comment_120629814

Jesus Christ. 🙄

Denver win 4-0 and 90%+ of your post is about LeFlop.

ButtersSuki · 23-05-2023 7:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120629824#Comment_120629824

Oh Draymond? Klutch client and friend of LeBron, yeah that’s a reliable and unbiased source.

ButtersSuki · 23-05-2023 7:53am

Can’t wait to see how many times LL mentions LeBron during the Finals. I’ll set the over/under at 10.

ButtersSuki · 23-05-2023 7:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120629824#Comment_120629824

If you can’t see (just like the flopping, travelling, gamesmanship) that his ego is part of the problem then you’re blind. As I have said previously, you’re like a teenage girl at her first Harry Styles concert. It’s embarrassing.

2022/3 season thread

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