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2021 NBA Playoffs


Machinator

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30 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

The Knicks are getting handled the first 3 games besides game 2s comeback. Julius randle has been an absolute turd for improved player. They’d lose by 35 if it wasn’t for Derrick rose

Atlanta just has a better roster. Might be a fair fight if Hunter and Bagdanovic were still out

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27 minutes ago, PittsburghTiger said:

I was going to ask something similar. It’s like they don’t want to be there. The combined salary, $70,000,000, for George & Leonard should offer up a bit more competition than this.

17-19 from the field between the 2 of em

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Brooklyn is obviously going to win this, probably in 5, but they're going to need to show that they can play some real defense at some point this postseason. I think the last team that won the Championship without a top 10 defense was the 2001 Lakers, and that was only because they took the entire regular season off after being #1 the year prior.

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3 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Brooklyn is obviously going to win this, probably in 5, but they're going to need to show that they can play some real defense at some point this postseason. I think the last team that won the Championship without a top 10 defense was the 2001 Lakers, and that was only because they took the entire regular season off after being #1 the year prior.

I thought they looked really good on defense in the first 2 games- and the numbers seemed to back that up. Weren’t great tonight- obviously. 
even with all that said if Kyrie and Harris show up they still win in a walk.  

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9 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

Brooklyn is obviously going to win this, probably in 5, but they're going to need to show that they can play some real defense at some point this postseason. I think the last team that won the Championship without a top 10 defense was the 2001 Lakers, and that was only because they took the entire regular season off after being #1 the year prior.

I was really looking at this game as a measuring stick once they got behind too.  I want to see if they have the guile to man up and get some stops if they get behind double digits.  They showed they'll fight, but Boston's not a great team and they couldn't muster coming back.  Now Tatum, Smart and Fournier were crazy good from 3 tonight and probably won't have a game like this the rest of the way, but not liking Brooklyn's chances if they get down 15 or so in a big game and a team usually has to win one of those to win a championship.  A lot of time for them to prove otherwise and playing games together means a lot more to them right now then other teams, but still need to figure out how to get some situational stops.

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I was really pissed about this game and still will be moving forward (I may have put more than I should on a BKN sweep prop) and I was half watching it in the 2nd half while following the Texas game, but here are my takeaways:

- BKN started too hot too fast. They got up 15 and thought that was ball game and started dicking around and not running their offense or bringing intensity on D and let Boston take the lead and hold onto it at half. By that time the rhythm was out of sorts and they were forcing shit and chasing. 

- Nash was terrible in this game. Jeff Green going out is not an excuse to fuck up every rotation and not figure out how to keep Tatum from isoing on 6'1" Kyrie 12 times down the stretch. Durant is the only one besides Green that can guard him apparently - so you need to either fight through screens better or double him and dare him to beat you with his (mediocre) passing passing to mediocre shooters (that - to be fair - were hitting a lot of good looks tonight). Tatum going for 50 is literally the only way they are taking games in this series and BKN just watched while it happened. That is 100% a coaching failure. They need to adjust for game 4 because he is capable of doing it again. 

- Durant was poor on defense. I didn't think the effort was there on ball or on the glass. He was still easily their best defender. (See: Boston scores 125)

- Harden was phenomenal. They wasted a good Harden game. 

- Kyrie was poor on both ends of the floor. 

- Even all of that considered - BKN should have still won this game. That's how large the disparity between these teams is. It was absolutely absurd how easily they scored in the 4th quarter - they just couldn't get stops. I literally think if a few rebounds or putbacks or fouls go the other direction BKN wins. Like change the outcome of four 50/50 plays and they're up 3-0. 

- Boston still has no chance in this series but going through MIL and PHI is going to be brutal. I'd actually take the Lakers as title favorites right now because I'm stumped on which 3 of these teams comes out of the East. I'm not sure how much DiVincenzo going out will hurt MIL. Then again, beating BKN 4 times still seems statistically pretty unlikely for any team in the league. Durant had 39 on 13/24 with 9 boards and 4 steals and I didn't think he was that great. Their talent level is insane.  To add to that - they are also far more experienced than any other team in the East. KD has probably played more playoff games than anyone on the Hawks or Knicks combined. Shit - Kyrie and Harden probably have, too. 

 

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4 hours ago, aggie08 said:

I think the last team that won the Championship without a top 10 defense was the 2001 Lakers, and that was only because they took the entire regular season off after being #1 the year prior.

That Lakers team is honestly a pretty good parallel. Durant missed like half the season and I remember awhile back doing their splits for defense when he was on/off and it was clear as day. Had he played a full season I bet they would have been in the teens at least in defense. 

Also - for a "no shit" take - no team in NBA history has ever had 3 scorers this good. Not even close. So sure - there is little precedent for a team this poor on defense winning a title - but we have also never seen a team with this much scoring talent. I really hope they all stay healthy because it really is the most entertaining experiment we've ever seen. 

Another note on this - if you're taking teams in their playoff form (which... obviously you should) I really believe the 2017 Cavs were one of the best teams of the 2010s - champs or not - and they ranked 22nd in defense in the regular season. They just happened to run into the greatest team ever assembled and got buried by Durant in the Finals. That was a pretty tight 5 game series and if KD isn't as good as he was the Ws could have easily lost. 

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12 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Damn, the Man Mountain.  Was a good player who would probably be obsolete now but what a rim protector. 

Probably?  The guy was a less athletic, less skilled Hasheem Thabeet.  Yeah, he'd be obsolete now.

His block rating in Statis Pro Basketball 35 years ago was aces though...

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So today definitely sucked in playoffs. I don’t think there’s a single interesting game on the slate for me today, while tomorrow I think I’m interested in some level in all 4 series. 
I guess you could kind of talk me into Memphis and Utah being interesting. If Memphis gets them tonight it’s pucker time. 

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This Philly team is honestly terrifying. I worry about their experience and testicular fortitude if Durant and Kyrie start giving them the business (or LeBron and AD) but on paper they might be the best team in the NBA. They are big, long, athletic, deep and talented. And Embiid is just a freak. 

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50 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

So today definitely sucked in playoffs. I don’t think there’s a single interesting game on the slate for me today, while tomorrow I think I’m interested in some level in all 4 series. 
I guess you could kind of talk me into Memphis and Utah being interesting. If Memphis gets them tonight it’s pucker time. 

Yeah I got disappointed looking at the slate. I hope Memphis/Utah is decent.

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So today definitely sucked in playoffs. I don’t think there’s a single interesting game on the slate for me today, while tomorrow I think I’m interested in some level in all 4 series. 
I guess you could kind of talk me into Memphis and Utah being interesting. If Memphis gets them tonight it’s pucker time. 

Good day to run errands
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Embiid is seriously must watch TV. His pump fake at the 3 line into just destruction down low is erotic. It's like watching Curry.

Part of what has made this season so fun is I really have no idea who the best player in the world is right now. I'm pretty sure it's Durant but there are like 4-5 guys vying for it right behind him or with him - Embiid, Giannis, Luka, LeBron still maybe? Just because of his impact outside of the box score. 

This is such a great rebound playoffs after a year that made me vomit in my mouth repeatedly. I didn't even watch the fucking Finals last year. 

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8 hours ago, Message Board User said:

Probably?  The guy was a less athletic, less skilled Hasheem Thabeet.  Yeah, he'd be obsolete now.

His block rating in Statis Pro Basketball 35 years ago was aces though...

Yeah, sorry, I saw this earlier and had other stuff going on but can't let this slide. What a dumbass fucking take. Comparing Mark Eaton to Hasheem Thabeet. Go shitpost somewhere else. Eaton was 7'4", averaged 3.5 blocks for his career and was a 2 time DPOY - but go ahead and compare him to a G-League level NBA washout.

"Less skilled than Hasheem Thabeet"

Fucking comedy routine. 

You're acting like Eaton played in the '50s.

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1 hour ago, ztejas said:

Yeah, sorry, I saw this earlier and had other stuff going on but can't let this slide. What a dumbass fucking take. Comparing Mark Eaton to Hasheem Thabeet. Go shitpost somewhere else. Eaton was 7'4", averaged 3.5 blocks for his career and was a 2 time DPOY - but go ahead and compare him to a G-League level NBA washout.

"Less skilled than Hasheem Thabeet"

Fucking comedy routine. 

You're acting like Eaton played in the '50s.

the 80s vs the aughts and 10s might as well be the 50s.  Completely different eras.

Being 7'4" ain't a skill.

Post 2000, Eaton would have been about as playable as Tacko Fall.  And there's no shame in that - there's a lot of players who had nice careers in the 80s (e.g. Adrian Dantley, Bernard King) but would have been out of their element 20 years later.

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The Eaton stuff I can somewhat understand even though the Thabeet comparison is stupid. But Bernard King averaged 33 points per game before he blew out his knee. That was in an era where they allowed you to beat the living fuck out of people on defense. I'm guessing he could have maybe eeked out a two way contract in today's game. Seriously? 

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35 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

the 80s vs the aughts and 10s might as well be the 50s.  Completely different eras.

Being 7'4" ain't a skill.

Post 2000, Eaton would have been about as playable as Tacko Fall.  And there's no shame in that - there's a lot of players who had nice careers in the 80s (e.g. Adrian Dantley, Bernard King) but would have been out of their element 20 years later.

I was watching Taco the other day in Boston regular season game and I said to myself, “self, that guys huge and got some skill. Once upon a time he would have had a very successful NBA career- now he’s basically unplayable”. 
the game really is different. Eaton would have had Zero chance in today’s game. 

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