Recent Posts

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 ... 10
11
Around the NBA / Re: NBA Season 2023-24
« Last post by Phantom255x on Today at 09:22:12 PM »
Get a load of this joker  ::)

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10117485-ben-simmons-rumors-nets-star-loves-the-nba-lifestyle-too-much-to-consider-retiring

Quote
Ben Simmons Rumors: Nets Star 'Loves the NBA Lifestyle Too Much' to Consider Retiring

Easily the worst contract in the league. He'll retire as soon as the contract ends. Still comical people suggested trading Jaylen for him or Smart + additional assets. I doubt he's even seriously hurt, he's just using that to justify "rehab" until the contract runs out. He recently posted "rehab" pics as well, made me roll my eyes hard
12
Celtics Talk / Re: Horford 6MOY
« Last post by Big333223 on Today at 09:22:05 PM »
Horford might be ineligible for 6th man. He played 65 games and started 33 of them. I think the rule is your have to come off the bench more games than you start to be eligible for 6th man.
13
Celtics Talk / Re: Celtics 2024 Playoff Run Thread
« Last post by Big333223 on Today at 09:20:12 PM »
The top 6 get a full 10 day vacation before the playoffs. They better come out sharp.
14
Around the NBA / Re: Shams: Jimmy Butler Has MCL Injury, Could Be Out A While
« Last post by Goldstar88 on Today at 09:16:24 PM »
Quote from: angryguy77 on Today at 05:12:54 PM
I still won't be shocked if Miami pulls it out. Hope they do because I want to end them with our without Jimmy.
The heat fans will be just like bucks fans after losing to us in 2022. Jimmy will be the new Middleton and the opportunities to troll them will be endless. I'm here for it.

 ???
15
Around the NBA / Re: Jontay Porter has received a lifetime ban from the NBA
« Last post by Roy H. on Today at 09:15:07 PM »
Quote from: Big333223 on Today at 08:42:56 PM
Quote from: Roy H. on Today at 07:57:15 AM
Quote from: JSD on Today at 01:44:46 AM
This reeks of sacrificial lamb to send a message. Total hunch

I don't know about sacrificial lamb, since lambs are innocent, right?  But, I do think the league is happy that the first time this happened it was a two-way player.  They get to set a precedent that nobody will object to.  Now, if it happens with a rotation player, or even a star, they can point to that precedent.
Precedent or no, I'd be curious to see the league react to an all star that gets caught doing this. Would they actually stick to it?

If an All-Star was caught point shaving / purposefully throwing prop bets, I think the league would boot him.  The Player's Association may try to fight it, but this type of thing seems like a zero tolerance thing across all leagues.
16
Around the NBA / Re: Shams: Jimmy Butler Has MCL Injury, Could Be Out A While
« Last post by Moranis on Today at 09:08:23 PM »
Quote from: bdm860 on Today at 05:27:18 PM
Quote from: Moranis on Today at 04:21:07 PM
Quote from: bdm860 on Today at 03:16:14 PM
Quote from: Moranis on Today at 02:51:44 PM
Quote from: Vermont Green on Today at 11:06:26 AM
Quote from: Moranis on Today at 10:48:36 AM
Quote from: Donoghus on Today at 10:36:44 AM
Quote from: Moranis on Today at 10:26:50 AM
Quote from: johnnygreen on Today at 10:00:55 AM
Quote from: Moranis on Yesterday at 11:13:57 PM
All the more reason to not have the play-in when there are terrible teams in it.

Butler's injury had nothing to do with the play-in. He had a wide open lay-up but decided to wait for the defender to go up and Butler's jump into contact. It was a typical Butler dirty play to get an and-one. Play stupid games, you get stupid prizes, and his was an injury.
It was an extra game that was only being played because of the play-in

Play better in the regular season & you don't have to deal with the play-in game.
They were 7 games clear of the Bulls and won 46 games.  The  Bulls belong no where near the playoffs

That is true for the East but in the West, it was much different.  There is no right  or wrong answer regarding the play-in.  I don't really like it either.  But Butler getting hurt doesn't prove anything.

Didn't you post that you thought ATL was going to get the #8 slot?  I agree that a team (ATL) who is 10 games back of MIA, shouldn't be able to get into the playoffs by winning 1 game.  But in the west, GSW and SAC both won 46 games.  The other side of the argument is that they deserve a shot at the playoffs.
As I've said elsewhere, I have no problem worh the play-in in the West, I'd just out some parameters on it for teams to qualify.  I think within 6 games of a playoff team if you have under 40 wins. If you win 40 games or are within 6 games of a team the play-in happens. There may be years where 0, 1, or 2 teams qualify and that is fine by me.  The play-in should be used in situations where teams are close and in a way you feel bad if a team doesn't have a shot.  So out west nothing changes this year, while in East no play in games this year.  I would not extend it past 2 extra teams (sorry Houston).

The league needs to stop rewarding bad teams and punishing good teams.


I think the bad teams part is way over blown.  Besides a few detractors, and some yet-to-materialize what-if scenarios, I think the play-in is considered a resounding success by the league, media, and the vast majority of teams and fans.

The play-in works because the threat of missing the playoffs has improved the regular season by keeping teams from mailing it in during the final weeks/months.  If Chicago/Atlanta were disqualified due to the gap in wins, the entire threat of missing the playoffs is eliminated, which is the only thing that makes it work.

In it's brief history, the play-in so far has accomplished the following:
Keeps the regular season competitive for longer for more teams.
Keeps the regular season interesting longer for more fans.
Makes it much harder to manipulate the standings for a favorable playoff match up.
Rewards teams 1-6 with a week off.
Has consistently pulled in high ratings every year.
The worst play-in team to ever make the playoffs (36-46 Pelicans in '22) were still able to take a 64-win team to a 6 game series.

It seems like the play-in has improved the entire product in multiple ways (more engagement, more revenue).

Where is the downside?  A hypothetical terrible first round match up?  Seems like an acceptable trade off.
When did I say they should get rid of the play-in? I said it should be modified to not allow bad teams.  If you are 7 games out of the 8th spot and well below .500, you shouldn't have a chance to make the playoffs.  That doesn't seem unreasonable at all.

2023 - no change, all 4 teams in
2022 - east no change, west pelicans 6 back of Clippers in, but Spurs 8 back are out (so 7th seeded Wolves not in play-in)

In that 2022 scenario, I'd make the Pelicans have to beat the Clippers twice in LA, while the Clippers only need 1 win

2021 - 4 teams in (Spurs just barely at 6 games back)
2020 - no play-in in east, 2 teams in out west
2019 - no play-in in west, 2 teams in east
2018 - 1 team in east, 2 teams in west
2017 - 1 team in west, 2 teams in east
2016 - 1 team in west, 2 teams in east

It is similar all the way through and most of the teams that were out, were close enough that they could have made it in had the result of the last game been different.  You still get interest, you still get more teams to care, but you ultimately end up with a better product in the actual playoffs.  That should be the goal.

Again, it's the threat to miss the playoffs that makes the whole thing work.  Modifying the play-in would eliminate that threat in several years/instances/scenarios.  This year in the East being a perfect example, even though seeding was up in the air till the end, I believe it was the threat to miss the playoffs that really motivated everyone to play hard till the end.  The benefit seems to far out weighs the hypothetical worst case scenarios.

The NBA's goal should be the entirety of their product (which this has helped).  Not protecting against a hypothetical playoff series that has yet to even happen.
The Bulls finished 7 games back.  If Miami had lost its last game or Chicago had won its last game, they would have been 6 games back and in that scenario.  That actually would have made the game actually matter to Chicago and not just New York. 
17
Celtics Talk / Re: NBA First Team: Tatum or Edwards?
« Last post by Who on Today at 09:04:09 PM »
I think Tatum suffers the opposite of the Derrick Rose 2011 MVP problem.

Rose played on a dominant Bulls team that led league in the regular season. He was dominant individually. However, his team was dominant defensively and lacked high level supporting scorers. Boozer was in decline. Deng was useful but not a real 2nd scorer. Noah was a defender / rebounder / passer. A facilitator. And they had a strong bench and great coach. Well the result was that D-Rose got a disproportiante amount of credit for the Bulls success while his teammates got too little credit.

Tatum plays on a similarly dominant regular season team but he plays with more offensively talented teammates. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis. Two highly skilled offensive players. Then you have Jrue Holiday who was the 2nd/3rd option in Milwaukee accepting a reduced role as a 4th/5th option. And D White. But these are a talented offensive supporting cast whereas Rose had a talented defensive supporting cast.

So I think voters and people around the league share the credit for Boston's success more around the team than individual-centric on Tatum. The opposite of what they did with D-Rose. And Tatum doesn't get the credit he really deserves for how well he has played this year because of it.
18
Celtics Talk / Re: Fire Joe! ... or critique Joe ... or defend Joe... or worry about Joe's coaching
« Last post by Big333223 on Today at 09:00:59 PM »
On his last podcast Zach Lowe said he'd have Joe #3 on his COY ballot (if he had a ballot this year) and called him one of the smartest defensive tacticians in the NBA (or something to that effect).
19
Around the NBA / Re: NBA Season 2023-24
« Last post by Who on Today at 08:57:58 PM »
Quote from: Phantom255x on Today at 09:34:17 AM
Young would be an awesome fit with the Spurs and Wemby

I don't know. I really liked it when I first heard the rumour. I liked the idea of two man game. Big man & little man. Center & point guard. Ball-handler and finisher.

But ...

Trae Young is so ball dominant that he will force Wemby to play off-ball too often. And to play in a way that responds to Trae strengths instead of letting the offense revolve around Wemby's main strengths.

I'd prefer to see Wemby play with a less ball dominant player and be the center piece that the rest of the offense revolves around.

As for Trae, I'd love to see him on a team like the 2001 76ers where AI was allowed to monopolize the ball the offense and was surrounded by big physical athletic defensive players & finishers. Preferably better finishers / shooters than that 2001 76ers team. But that sort of mould. A team that allows Trae to be the uber-dominant heliocentric figure he is suited to being. That makes the most of his offensive talent to combat his defensive limitations. And surrounds him with players who can help overcome or reduce his defensive limitations.
20
Celtics Talk / Re: NBA First Team: Tatum or Edwards?
« Last post by Big333223 on Today at 08:55:44 PM »
Quote from: jpotter33 on Today at 06:35:24 PM
Quote from: Roy H. on Today at 06:26:25 PM
Quote from: droopdog7 on Today at 06:23:54 PM
JT currently behind Brunson for first team all nba.  So very real chance he won’t make it.  What’s a little crazy is that jt not on first, second, or third on two ballots.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KMzwRcilLDej0BWl7eYE_OYC9Tx9olI_Ptn-nHjKfpQ/htmlview#

That wouldn't be crazy, that would be downright corrupt.

But, it looks like the only two ballots that JT was left off of didn't name their second and third teams publicly.

Yeah, was coming here to say this. He’ll no doubt be on second team for those, so he’s slightly ahead in total points 42 to 40.

I am surprised it’s that close, though. A lot of recency bias going into that, as well as a lack of context. And for all the talk of the “Boston media machine”, the Brunson narrative is a product of the much larger “New York media machine”. Even saw one NY guy (Yaya) try to argue for Rose over Stevens for EOTY.
Yep. Brunson is benefiting from having a bunch of big games that were huge for his team down the stretch while Tatum barely played the last couple of weeks. Credit to Brunson for balling out when he needed to but Tatum doesn't have any recent highlights because he helped his team to such a good record he earned himself a rest. That should count for something.
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 ... 10