22-23 NBA Season Thread

[Digby]

46 minutes ago, who do you think said:

 

I'd say 2012 was the turning point. 11-12 was a pretty turgid year scoring-wise. Lowest overall league scoring average and # of individual teams that averaged at least 100 ppg since 03-04, after those things had mostly stabilized over the previous several seasons. Overall scoring bounced back in 12-13 (and would float around 100, where it had been before, until 16-17), but 12-13 was the first year of 3PA starting to noticeably rise year-by-year, and I feel like that's when we started to see a lot more small-ball, or at least a lot more "stretch four" type lineups. So that's where I would draw the line between "today's game" and "heckin unwholesome problematic stone age ball that redditors hate".

 

Good point, I guess I block that period out of my brain due to peak LeBron heartbreaking and *checks notes* oh, a Doc Rivers playoff collapse when up 3-2.

[who do you think]

This isn't good at all. Miami looks pretty solidly like the better team thus far.

 

EDIT: And now Jaylen Brown's heroballing, might as well just call it

[alxy8s]

For the past ten years, my only sincere hope for the Heat’s playoff appearances are to not be embarrassed. At some point, I’m gonna buy in and raise those expectations. What a 3Q! 
 

also :censored: YouTube TV. What a joke tonight. 

[Unocal]

Oh what a difference a month makes

 

 

[FiddySicks]

23 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

I don't want to say it out loud, but the Lakers last two possessions ended with LeBron playing hero ball that didn't work.

Ok I’m glad you did, though because I thought the same thing. That last shot from him in particular was BRUTAL. He’ll probably go absolutely nuts in the next game just out of spite, but I am curious to see just how much he has left to make a run like this. This is a very weird Lakers team in that he’s still probably the best player on the court for LA but not always. He has these increasing moments where he just looks kind of off, which would stand to reason and make sense for just about anyone but him. Has a very Tom Brady feel to it. 

[Unocal]

1 minute ago, FiddySicks said:

Ok I’m glad you did, though because I thought the same thing. That last shot from him in particular was BRUTAL. He’ll probably go absolutely nuts in the next game just out of spite, but I am curious to see just how much he has left to make a run like this. This is a very weird Lakers team in that he’s still probably the best player on the court for LA but not always. He has these increasing moments where he just looks kind of off, which would stand to reason and make sense for just about anyone but him. Has a very Tom Brady feel to it. 

 

If you're going to make the Brady analogy, this feels like LeBron's 2018 Patriots equivalent. If he can will this team to one more ring, it would add quite the layer to a decorated career.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

ESPN's in its bag of tricks for the WCF. They've got cameras all over the place, including that bokeh camera that everyone loved in football. That's all fine, but sometimes they show replays from the opposite side of the court and its really disorienting.

[oldschoolvikings]

Nice.

[tBBP]

So ummm...anyone else thinks Denver really wants to win a 'ship this season??

 

Mind you, Denver is gonna have to keep this same energy in LA, but yeah...they are looking like they 'bout ready to do the dang thang.

[GDAWG]

An NBA Championship is the one thing missing in the already legendary career of Nikola Jokic, who still has another decade left in the league. 

[who do you think]

Denver was fortunate to get away with that one. They needed Murray to get white-hot just to take the lead, then they let the Lakers right back in and choked a bunch of defensive possessions at the end. That's the kind of game the established veteran team (Lakers) often steals from the hopefuls (Nuggets).

 

I'm still not getting my hopes up unless Denver wins one of the next two in LA.

[tBBP]

9 hours ago, who do you think said:

Denver was fortunate to get away with that one. They needed Murray to get white-hot just to take the lead, then they let the Lakers right back in and choked a bunch of defensive possessions at the end. That's the kind of game the established veteran team (Lakers) often steals from the hopefuls (Nuggets).

 

I'm still not getting my hopes up unless Denver wins one of the next two in LA.

 

Truth. 

 

I saw that and was like "yep, there's that postseason anxiety showing up". Like Jamal Murray dang near threw the game away on one of those inbound passes late in the 4th; they were fortunate LeBron missed that layup, otherwise that could have gotten ugly. They pull that mess in LA and they'll find the series tied up going back to Denver. (Or does the conference final do the 2-3-2 thing? I can never remember.)

[DG_ThenNowForever]

2 hours ago, tBBP said:

 

Truth. 

 

I saw that and was like "yep, there's that postseason anxiety showing up". Like Jamal Murray dang near threw the game away on one of those inbound passes late in the 4th; they were fortunate LeBron missed that layup, otherwise that could have gotten ugly. They pull that mess in LA and they'll find the series tied up going back to Denver. (Or does the conference final do the 2-3-2 thing? I can never remember.)

 

It's 2-2-1-1-1.

 

I think it's Nuggets in 5 or 7; I don't see them closing out in LA. We've learned the Lakers can't play D-Lo, but they actually really need him, so that's where the rubber hits the road.

[Unocal]

The Chicago Bulls just had to hold on for 3 minutes................

[who do you think]

It's over. Time to retool.

[Unocal]

The Heat are 07 Cavs 2.0

 

It's Jimmy Butler and a bunch of random guys.

[Digby]

I hate to be Mr. Intangibles because that line of thinking always feels full of holes, but Mazzulla's coaching is driving me nuts -- no sense of motivation beyond the most generic coachspeak, no feel for the game in progress, a real lack of practical adjustment to the game in front of you. Obviously young and inexperienced, I'm sure he'll learn and get better with time, but absolutely the wrong guy to put in charge of a title contender squad whose main problem has always been keeping focus and poise for 48 minutes.

 

Grant Williams, why did you go and do that.

 

(That said, gotta think about that time the Celtics came back after losing the first 2 at home in 2017 to an 8-seed team led by Jimmy Butler.)

[Unocal]

Just now, Digby said:

I hate to be Mr. Intangibles because that line of thinking always feels full of holes, but Mazzulla's coaching is driving me nuts -- no sense of motivation beyond the most generic coachspeak, no feel for the game in progress, a real lack of practical adjustment to the game in front of you. Obviously young and inexperienced, I'm sure he'll learn and get better with time, but absolutely the wrong guy to put in charge of a title contender squad whose main problem has always been keeping focus and poise for 48 minutes. (Also Brown looks hurt and Horford is finally old. Yikes!)

 

Considering what happened with Udoka, what were they supposed to do? They couldn't bring him back after that messy situation

[Digby]

10 minutes ago, Unocal said:

 

Considering what happened with Udoka, what were they supposed to do? They couldn't bring him back after that messy situation

 

There was no outcome that wouldn't be messy, it's true, and I'm not that upset considering this was the best regular season they've had with this group... but the flaws look pretty glaring right now and it's costing the team, and it's hard not to wonder if maybe some of that could've been avoided with an open coaching search instead of an emergency promotion. Wonder how much Stoudamire was doing as lead assistant because once he left is when the shine started to wear off of this season. 

[who do you think]

Brown, Smart, and Grant Williams can all go.