2020-2021 NBA Season Thread

[Lana_del_Bae]

Nets just look so disjointed out there but they still have to be favorites due to sheer talent and that the refs won't swallow the whistle against Harden until the finals since he doesn't have to play against Lebron or Curry, right?

 

Bucks solved their Bledsoe problem but Giannis and Middleton still need to prove they can wash the chokers' stench away

 

Celtics still have Theis as their best big where their likely path involves Bam, Embiid, Giannis, and Davis.  Kemba doesn't look good

 

Heat seem to have come back to earth, though they've been hit hard with absences this season

 

Sixers look really promising if they stay healthy.  Just have to avoid Miami in the playoffs

 

Raptors seem to have fallen into that Pacers-level of mediocrity until proven otherwise

[DG_ThenNowForever]

6 minutes ago, Lana_del_Bae said:

Nets just look so disjointed out there but they still have to be favorites due to sheer talent and that the refs won't swallow the whistle against Harden until the finals since he doesn't have to play against Lebron or Curry, right?

 

That's the thing. When you get into a 7-man rotation in the playoffs, the Nets will always two of Durant, Harden and Kyrie on the floor at all times, and most of the game all three. It's really hard to match that, especially when all three of those guys have taken over huge playoff games. They'll be the surest of any of the East teams to rise to any moment. It would just be nice for them to find a defensive stopper or two.

[Digby]

On 2/10/2021 at 2:38 PM, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

That's the thing. When you get into a 7-man rotation in the playoffs, the Nets will always two of Durant, Harden and Kyrie on the floor at all times, and most of the game all three. It's really hard to match that, especially when all three of those guys have taken over huge playoff games. They'll be the surest of any of the East teams to rise to any moment. It would just be nice for them to find a defensive stopper or two.

 

They need an elite defensive stopper or they need to make history. No team with a defense this has won a title, at least not in my conscious lifetime. 

[Indigo]

13 hours ago, Digby said:

 

They need an elite defensive stopper or they need to make history. No team with a defense this has won a title, at least not in my conscious lifetime. 

The closest would be the Dubs dynasty, but they even had Klay, Iggy, Livingston,  Pachulia/Bogut, and KD

[Digby]

21 minutes ago, LA Fakers+ LA Snippers said:

The closest would be the Dubs dynasty, but they even had Klay, Iggy, Livingston,  Pachulia/Bogut, and KD

I think of that as the closest, too, but then you look at the stats and they were pretty good defensively! Not an all-time defensive showing for sure, but there’s always Draymond, and some combo of the guys you mentioned — that’s been enough to excel for their generation, and then they had an offense that obviously triple-excelled.

[Lana_del_Bae]

How about the 2011 Mavs?  I guess Shawn Marion?  That team really is an outlier in many ways.

 

 

 

 

and yeah, inb4 JJ Barea

[Indigo]

2 hours ago, Digby said:

I think of that as the closest, too, but then you look at the stats and they were pretty good defensively! Not an all-time defensive showing for sure, but there’s always Draymond, and some combo of the guys you mentioned — that’s been enough to excel for their generation, and then they had an offense that obviously triple-excelled.

You’re right, completely forgot about Draymond! In 14-15 they were 1st in defensive rating, in 16-17 they were 2nd, and in 17-18 they were 11th.

 

1 hour ago, Lana_del_Bae said:

How about the 2011 Mavs?  I guess Shawn Marion?  That team really is an outlier in many ways.

and yeah, inb4 JJ Barea

They were 8th in def. rating, so I think it’s safe to say there’s no precedent for an “all-offense” NBA champion. Every time someone say the Nets will win it all, I’m going to reply “defense wins championships”.

[Digby]

12 hours ago, Lana_del_Bae said:

How about the 2011 Mavs?  I guess Shawn Marion?  That team really is an outlier in many ways.

 

 

 

 

and yeah, inb4 JJ Barea

 

As long as Northeastern is what passes for big-time college basketball in Boston, I have no bad words to say about JJ Barea.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

13 hours ago, LA Fakers+ LA Snippers said:

You’re right, completely forgot about Draymond! In 14-15 they were 1st in defensive rating, in 16-17 they were 2nd, and in 17-18 they were 11th.

 

 

 

I'm a little unclear about how defensive rating is calculated, but I would have to imagine that the 14/15 Warriors going all-in on bombing (and making) threes from the outside contributed to their defensive rating. I.e., when you out the other team in 20-point holes night after night, it's harder to try to claw back without bombing (but missing) threes. That is, much like the best team frequently has the worst strength of schedule (because it doesn't play itself), the Warriors' offensive innovation might very well have directly contributed to their defensive rating by encouraging so many teams to copy their strategy, but without success.

 

I'm sure I could check box scores to back that up. Houston in game six of the 2018 WCF is the ultimate example of what I'm getting at.

 

All the same, Draymond was a DPOY for a reason and Klay is an incredible defender, so it's not solely gimmicks.

 

Had Houston won a title in the Harden years, however, then we'd have a case for an offense-first title. (Whoops, Brooklyn.)

[Indigo]

32 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

 

I'm a little unclear about how defensive rating is calculated, but I would have to imagine that the 14/15 Warriors going all-in on bombing (and making) threes from the outside contributed to their defensive rating. I.e., when you out the other team in 20-point holes night after night, it's harder to try to claw back without bombing (but missing) threes. That is, much like the best team frequently has the worst strength of schedule (because it doesn't play itself), the Warriors' offensive innovation might very well have directly contributed to their defensive rating by encouraging so many teams to copy their strategy, but without success.

 

I'm sure I could check box scores to back that up. Houston in game six of the 2018 WCF is the ultimate example of what I'm getting at.

 

All the same, Draymond was a DPOY for a reason and Klay is an incredible defender, so it's not solely gimmicks.

 

Had Houston won a title in the Harden years, however, then we'd have a case for an offense-first title. (Whoops, Brooklyn.)

Defensive rating just simply shows how many points a player/team allows per 100 possessions, but it’s calculated in a very complex manner that I’m not even sure of.  
Had CP3 not gotten hurt, or Houston stopped shooting at around, say, the 11th missed 3 pointer, we would have our precedent for offense only title. We’ll see come July.

[Indigo]

Both Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, former teammates in Detroit, are sitting out as their respective franchises try to trade them.

(Griffin) https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30906202/blake-griffin-sit-detroit-pistons-weigh-trade-buyout-options-former-all-star

(Drummond) https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30905655/sources-cleveland-cavaliers-play-andre-drummond-try-trade-star-center-deadline

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Drummond has an 8% trade kicker, but he's on an expiring deal. The Lakers could definitely use him but they can't pay for him.

[Indigo]

38 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Drummond has an 8% trade kicker, but he's on an expiring deal. The Lakers could definitely use him but they can't pay for him.

But who are we giving up for Drummond? Gasol is on the minimum, and I can’t seem to find another rotational player to trade away.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

1 hour ago, LA Fakers+ LA Snippers said:

But who are we giving up for Drummond? Gasol is on the minimum, and I can’t seem to find another rotational player to trade away.

 

The worst option would be Kuzma. They shouldn't trade Kuzma.

[Germanshepherd]

Something is seriously wrong with the Miami Heat

[AustinFromBoston]

Something is seriously wrong with the Boston Celtics. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Something is seriously wrong with the Lakers... Though it's pretty easy to tell that it's just Schroeder and AD are out.

 

Would be nice if the shooters they signed could shoot though. Wes Matthews gonna be gone sooner than later.

[LakeShow24]

Not having AD really sucks.

[Lana_del_Bae]

17 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Something is seriously wrong with the Lakers... Though it's pretty easy to tell that it's just Schroeder and AD are out.

 

Would be nice if the shooters they signed could shoot though. Wes Matthews gonna be gone sooner than later.

I mean, they are 22-11 and just happen to be on a slide when missing AD.  Unless their "flaw" is them depending on a guy who gets chronically injured they should be fine, and pending someone else makes a huge move I'm still picking Lakes over the field right now

[DG_ThenNowForever]

27 minutes ago, Lana_del_Bae said:

I mean, they are 22-11 and just happen to be on a slide when missing AD.  Unless their "flaw" is them depending on a guy who gets chronically injured they should be fine, and pending someone else makes a huge move I'm still picking Lakes over the field right now

 

Exactly. AD should take an extended break. LA might be a .500 team without him as they're half-assing the regular season (as they've been all year).

 

It would be nice to add someone, and they probably will. Cousins could come back and give decent backup minutes for a vet minimum. And Matthews could probably excel in a situation where not as much is asked of him.