2020-2021 NBA Season Thread

[IceCap]

21 minutes ago, Lights Out said:

 

It's not an "own," it's legitimately weird to see a Raptors fan trashing Kawhi this much when he got you guys a ring after years of playoff heartbreak. I would be grateful for any player who could get the Clippers a ring even if they left the following season.

"Trashing" Kawhi? Go back to what I said that you quoted that started this. I said he "didn't even suit up" this year for an elimination game. I didn't call him out, I didn't say he failed. Dude's injured. I wouldn't expect him to play. You're taking a HUGE leap to go from what I said to assuming I "trashed" him. 

What I said is that he didn't play- 'cause he didn't. I'll get back to that point but first something else...

 

I'm grateful for what Kawhi Leonard did for the Toronto Raptors. Always will be. 

Know what else is true though? I'm tired of being told by Clippers fans- and most everyone else- that I need to just accept that it was a gift from the gods, be forever humble, and never show even a bit of an annoyance that the best player in Raptors history walked away from a proven championship team. 

Does the 2019-2020 Raptors team win another with Kawhi? Well they played above their heads without him and pushed Boston to seven in the second round. Do they get passed Miami or the Death Star that was the James/AD Lakers? Probably not- but they weren't supposed to beat the Bucks and Warriors in 2019 either. 

So yeah, I'm grateful for what Kawhi Leonard did. I'm also miffed that he walked away from an actual championship team to play with Playoff P in LA's also-ran.

Like...if he left Toronto to play with AD, James, and the Lakers I could get that. It's the Lakers. Basketball royalty. Leaving for the Clippers and Paul George though? Really? 

I'm both grateful and annoyed as a fan of the Raptors. It's possible to be both, as contradictory as it sounds. 

 

Anyway back to Leonard being injured this year. 

No, I don't blame him. "Playing through the pain" is bull  self-entitled fans spout. He made the right choice to sit, to care for his body. 
 

Regardless though, as sensical as it is, it's still something that happened. Year one- Leonard and George go silent in game seven against Denver. Year two- Leonard misses most of the playoffs. 

As understandable as him sitting out is...it's still not a great return on the investment for the Clippers. 

 

And that investment is why people are dunking on the Clippers after all of this. Everyone involved in that team from the owners down to the fans acted like the team was owed a championship after Leonard and George signed. Everything from the "street lights not spotlights" campaign, the fake "Compton" branding they tried to graft onto their identity, the self-satisfaction from Clippers fans that they were going to waltz into a title...yeah. 

When the Raptors got Leonard we fans weren't even sure if he'd play. We didn't take anything for granted. You all acted like the NBA owed you a title, all the way from your owner screaming like an idiot. 

 

So yeah. Talk a big game, eat a lot of crow when it doesn't work out. Sorry, but them's the breaks

[DEAD!]

You are focusing on the wrong people... it was Ty Lue that made the difference.

[Lights Out]

10 minutes ago, IceCap said:

And that investment is why people are dunking on the Clippers after all of this. Everyone involved in that team from the owners down to the fans acted like the team was owed a championship after Leonard and George signed. Everything from the "street lights not spotlights" campaign, the fake "Compton" branding they tried to graft onto their identity, the self-satisfaction from Clippers fans that they were going to waltz into a title...yeah. 

 

I can assure you, no actual longtime Clipper fan expects to "waltz into a title." This is a franchise that's mostly known for futility and melting down in the playoffs, not "waltzing into" success. Don't confuse the bandwagoners who hopped on for Kawhi and PG - who clearly had no idea what they were getting into with this team - with the real fans.

 

I agree that last year's Clippers were too cocky. Truth be told, I always felt deep down like they were tempting fate. In retrospect, I would actually blame Doc Rivers more than anyone else for that. He's way more arrogant than he should be with his resume, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the teams he coaches usually turn out to be cocky flat-track bullies who can't back it up in the playoffs. Lob City was like that too. The change in mindset under Lue has been very noticeable in the playoffs and I don't think it's a coincidence.

 

As far as the return on investment goes: the Clippers have finally gotten over the second-round hump after 51 long years, so while it's not as good as winning a championship, most fans are still happy at the moment. If Kawhi leaves (which seems unlikely, but you never know), then yes, the Kawhi/PG era will have been a failed experiment. Otherwise, it's too early to call it one way or the other.

 

I think I'll stop here since I doubt people want to read any more of my homer rants about the Clippers.

[The Six]

9 hours ago, Lights Out said:

 

I can assure you, no actual longtime Clipper fan expects to "waltz into a title." This is a franchise that's mostly known for futility and melting down in the playoffs, not "waltzing into" success. Don't confuse the bandwagoners who hopped on for Kawhi and PG - who clearly had no idea what they were getting into with this team - with the real fans.

 

I agree that last year's Clippers were too cocky. Truth be told, I always felt deep down like they were tempting fate. In retrospect, I would actually blame Doc Rivers more than anyone else for that. He's way more arrogant than he should be with his resume, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the teams he coaches usually turn out to be cocky flat-track bullies who can't back it up in the playoffs. Lob City was like that too. The change in mindset under Lue has been very noticeable in the playoffs and I don't think it's a coincidence.

 

As far as the return on investment goes: the Clippers have finally gotten over the second-round hump after 51 long years, so while it's not as good as winning a championship, most fans are still happy at the moment. If Kawhi leaves (which seems unlikely, but you never know), then yes, the Kawhi/PG era will have been a failed experiment. Otherwise, it's too early to call it one way or the other.

 

I think I'll stop here since I doubt people want to read any more of my homer rants about the Clippers.

 

Don't even bother engaging with him. He tried to do the same to me last year - staying silent, and then @'ing me furiously when the Clippers lost like a crazed ex sending desperate texts. Just let Toronto fans wallow in their maple leaf misery and ignore them.

[DEAD!]

10 minutes ago, The Six said:

 

Don't even bother engaging with him. He tried to do the same to me last year - staying silent, and then @'ing me furiously when the Clippers lost like a crazed ex sending desperate texts. Just let Toronto fans wallow in their maple leaf misery and ignore them.

I am not much of a Leafs "fan" anyways, so I am good.

[who do you think]

I hope Kawhi leaves after the Clippers traded five first rounders for Paul f***ing George (who's always been overrated as hell and insufferably arrogant on top of it; only top-shelf needledicks unironically give themselves nicknames), just so they could appease Kawhi. The Clippers name would plummet toward the bottom of the standings, where it belongs, for the foreseeable future, but more importantly it would (I hope) bring all this pickup superteam crap that much closer to the point of real backlash.

[IceCap]

5 hours ago, The Six said:

 

Don't even bother engaging with him. He tried to do the same to me last year - staying silent, and then @'ing me furiously when the Clippers lost like a crazed ex sending desperate texts. Just let Toronto fans wallow in their maple leaf misery and ignore them.

@ing you furiously? Whatever you gotta tell yourself. You're not great when it comes to self-reflection are ya? 

[tBBP]

4 hours ago, who do you think said:

I hope Kawhi leaves after the Clippers traded five first rounders for Paul f***ing George (who's always been overrated as hell and insufferably arrogant on top of it; only top-shelf needledicks unironically give themselves nicknames), just so they could appease Kawhi. The Clippers name would plummet toward the bottom of the standings, where it belongs, for the foreseeable future, but more importantly it would (I hope) bring all this pickup superteam crap that much closer to the point of real backlash.

 

Wait--hold up....first of all, the NBA only has two draft rounds; second, how in the actual royal-blue HECK do you trade FIVE freaking first rounders for anybody, let alone Paul George?  Whoever swindled that deal needs to be investigated for some straight exotic designer kush or something.

 

Anyway, that dumbness to the side: looking back, perhaps PG should've just stayed where he was at in Indiana, where he was actually mostly beloved and about the only thing relevant about that franchise during the Reign of the Heatles (if not a positive thing to talk about considering Roy Hibbert may have gotten himself mixed up with some bookies during that time as evidenced by his play--or lack thereof--during the playoffs).  Or maybe, if he absolutely had to get out of the corn, he should've stayed in OKC with Stephen Adams.  I get him wanting to go back to his hometown and play for a big-market team, but bruh...I'll give him this though: he did make a strong go of it that last playoff round.  

[Unocal]

in non-Clippers news, Brook Lopez had 33 points for the Giannis-less Bucks last night

[gosioux76]

On 7/1/2021 at 7:24 PM, IceCap said:

Like...if he left Toronto to play with AD, James, and the Lakers I could get that. It's the Lakers. Basketball royalty. Leaving for the Clippers and Paul George though? Really? 

 

I can understand the consternation over Kawhi leaving Toronto after winning a championship, but there's no way I could characterize his not choosing the Lakers as some sort of virtue. Frankly, any more I expect these superstars to all decamp to play with either LeBron or Durant on one of the coasts until the point where the league only has two teams that matter. I thought the fact that Kawhi actually chose the Clippers was admirable in that context. 

[tBBP]

If I remember correctly, even Kawhi himself was favoring the Clippers over the Lakers early on in that process; I think it was the talking heads out there that kept trying to pair him with the Lake Show.  All that to the side...

 

...These are interesting times in the NBA right now, and about the closest I've seen in my 40 years on earth to what existed of parity in the 90s, what with the reigning dynasty being not coastal royalty, but midwestern (Chicago) and, for two years, southern (Houston). But even back then just about every team had at least one bona fide star. (I'm looking at the Mitch Richmonds, Chris Webbers, Tim Hardaways, Ray Allens, Kevin Garrett's, Dikembe Mutombos, Alonzo Mournings, Larry Johnsons, Grant Hills, and Penny Hardaways--guys who gave fans of smaller-market teams to actually care about the teams in those markets.) Now that LeBron and KD are out, now we have the Giannisses, Trey Youngs, and Ja Morants out there (and Damian Lillard, provided he stays in Portland) reppin' for the teams no one used to care about.  That coupled with the fact that either ATL or MKE is gonna make the Finals against the Phoenix Suns makes this probably the NBA equivalent to the 2007 college football season: just about the most random season in recent memory if not of all time.  And as one who is really not an uber-fan of any one team (though I do admit to feeling a sort of draw toward Memphis), I'm all for it.

[The Six]

11 hours ago, IceCap said:

@ing you furiously? Whatever you gotta tell yourself. You're not great when it comes to self-reflection are ya? 

 

Tell myself for what? It's what you did 

[Indigo]

9 hours ago, The Six said:

 

Tell myself for what? It's what you did 

Can y’all settle your beef privately? We’re trying to have a discussion about the 2021 NBA Champion Phoenix Suns and where Kawhi stands in all-time Clippers ranks.

[The Six]

2 hours ago, LA Fakers+ LA Snippers said:

Can y’all settle your beef privately? We’re trying to have a discussion about the 2021 NBA Champion Phoenix Suns and where Kawhi stands in all-time Clippers ranks.

 

Kawhi is somewhere in between Austin Rivers and Pooh Richardson. If he stays next season he may surpass Darius Miles.

The Suns are the best West team of 2021, but only the third best team Chris Paul has been on.

[Indigo]

4 hours ago, The Six said:

 

Kawhi is somewhere in between Austin Rivers and Pooh Richardson. If he stays next season he may surpass Darius Miles.

The Suns are the best West team of 2021, but only the third best team Chris Paul has been on.

2018 Rockets, and who else? I’d argue the Suns are better than the Lob City Clippers and NOLA were.

[tBBP]

Meanwhile, I'm over like, "What does it say about the Clippers that a dude that's been there only two seasons is already being talked about as being [one of] the best in franchise history??".

 

(Makes me wonder what the Clip Show Mount Rushmore would look like....)

[Shumway]

12 minutes ago, tBBP said:

Meanwhile, I'm over like, "What does it say about the Clippers that a dude that's been there only two seasons is already being talked about as being [one of] the best in franchise history??".

 

(Makes me wonder what the Clip Show Mount Rushmore would look like....)

 

I missed a solid decade of the NBA in the 2010s, but when I think of the Clippers, it's like Eric Piatkowski, Corey Maggette, Loy Vaught, Michael Olowakandi, Elton Brand, Danny Manning and Ron Harper.

 

I'm well aware probably none of these guys are on their Mount Rushmore, but those are the Clippers that immediately come to mind. 

[Discrim]

Of course it had to be this way...the Bucks are finally going to the Finals...and they did their best to make it feel like it happened in spite of themselves.

[Sec19Row53]

1 minute ago, Discrim said:

Of course it had to be this way...the Bucks are finally going to the Finals...and they did their best to make it feel like it happened in spite of themselves.

BucksInSix happened!

[The Six]

7 hours ago, LA Fakers+ LA Snippers said:

2018 Rockets, and who else? I’d argue the Suns are better than the Lob City Clippers and NOLA were.

 

The Lob City team that choked to the Rockets definitely had a higher ceiling than what they accomplished, and they had a younger version of Chris Paul. That first round win against the Spurs was more impressive than anything this year's Suns have done. But it's hard to evaluate these Suns because they haven't been tested yet, with perhaps four rounds of playing teams missing their best or second best player.