2020-2021 NBA Season

[unclevlad]

Wow.

 

Just...wow.

 

This might not have been the single worst loss in playoff history, but it is a contender.
Kyrie is out.  Harden plays but is fundamentally ineffective, as in 1 for 10 from the field.

 

The Bucks have major advantages down low.  But over and over and over and OVER AGAIN, THEY DON'T EXPLOIT IT!  They do get up 17 by ball movement and driving...but then they play isolation ball, take 3's, Giannis has Harden on him, the ball on the block...and turns for a freaking fadeaway.

 

Durant was awesome.  NO doubt.  Played the full 48, 49 points on 23 total shots, 17 boards, 10 assists.  One for the ages.  But it should NOT HAVE MATTERED.  Bucks blew this one on offense by through impatience, lack of awareness, and lack of cohesion FAR too much of the time.  

 

If the Bucks can't come back and win this series, I think this one seals Budenholzer's fate.

[unclevlad]

Kawhi out for game 5 after tweaking his knee in game 4.  This really is an insane rash of injuries to crucial players.

2 more coaches dumped...DC and Nawlins.  Dallas GM Donnie Nelson gone...ok, he drafted Dirk and Doncic but had a hard time piecing a full team together.  Luka hasn't been close to real success;  Dirk's teams got the one title but only had 1 other significant playoff run.  Could've been, should've been more.

[unclevlad]

Wow.

Hawks.  Jazz.  Bucks.  Clips.

 

Jazz haven't been in the Finals since Stockton and Malone...over 20 years.

And that's the RECENT trip.

Bucks?  Kareem/Oscar era...early 70s.

Hawks?  1961.  

Clips?  Hah!

 

The 64 cent question in the East is, I think, how much the Sixers and Nets rip things apart.  Sixers because they have fundamental issues...altho forcing Simmons to learn to shoot at least a LITTLE would help immensely.  He finished 15-45 in this series, and those misses were very costly in a couple games.  

 

I am actually inclined to pick the Hawks over the Bucks, cuz the Bucks have their huge flaws, similar to the Sixers.  

[Badger]

Laughing at the Nets.

[unclevlad]

Must be something about New York.  The Nets remind me of the recent Yankess...800-odd HRs over 3 years (17-19), made the playoffs each year but never made it to the Series.  All power.  Nets are all scoring, far too much 1 on 1.  

 

Now to be sure:  if the Nets were close to full strength, I don't think it would've been close.  The Bucks' flaws on offense are too great.  But too bad, so sad, they weren't, and 2 of my least favorite players (Kyrie and Harden) can let their whine out in Cancun now.  Maybe Embiid will join Kyrie.

[unclevlad]

Ohhhh man.......

 

Maybe there have been postseasons MORE impacted by injury than this one but...here we go again...

 

Giannis going for a rebound.  Comes down;  one of the Hawks players, in the scrum under the basket, comes down, forcing his left leg to look like a (.  Knees do not pivot in that direction.

 

Looked potentially nasty, but Giannis was able to walk off under his own power at least.

 

Bucks have been down, tho, this whole game...and Trae Young is out.  Took 23 3-pointers in the first half.  Cripes.  This team has as much fire as a snowfield.

[unclevlad]

Well, there's the exclamation point on what I was planning to post...

 

To wit, does anyone else think this has been the chippiest postseason in memory?  Not the most physical per se, but so much chippiness.  The capper just now, Chris Paul hits a 3 with about 6 minutes left to take the lead to 26...ergo, game's over.  Clips call a timeout.  Everyone's walking to the benches;  Paul *might* have said something quietly, it's not clear...but Beverly turns around, takes 2 steps, and pushes Paul HARD in the back, to the ground.  Beverly is, of course, ejected.

 

But that kind of stuff has been rampant this year, it seems to me.  Clippers haven't been the only offenders;  

 

I gotta give Paul George some props;  he carried the Clippers for several wins, but the injuries were gonna be hard to overcome.  And the Suns strike me as a well-constructed team...guard play, front court play, a big man that plays big and does it well (Ayton), veteran leadership, young talent, very good starters, good bench.  Very good from 3, but not solely reliant on it;  their offense threatens to socre from every zone on the court.  I'm quite impressed with them.

[unclevlad]

Curious...

I'd pointed out that this is the first time in the Finals for either time in several decades...

 

But ESPN Bottom Line pointed out that this is the first Finals matchup where neither team has a player with a title, since IIRC 1977.

[Cygnia]

NSFW language

 

[Pariah]

The United States men's Olympic basketball team lost a warm-up to Australia tonight after losing a warm-up to Nigeria a couple of days ago. It's the first time an American team with NBA players has lost consecutive games.

[unclevlad]

And the talking heads this morning are panicking.  Fun to watch all the anguish.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Although the Finals have sio far not gotten good TV ratings, those who are not tuning in are missing out on some great drama.

 

Game 5 in Phoenix was one of the best games of basketball I've seen in years. The score belies the fact that it waqs a great defensive game -- both defenses did a very good job of forcing their opponent to take bad shots -- but ttose bad shots went down. The defenses were both able to get some impressive stops, from outright steals to forcing attackers out of bounfs To spectacular block and denials. The outcome was decided by pure grt. For basketball lovers, Game 5 was like a gift from Heaven.

 

 

[Enforcer84]

Congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks for winning their first championship since the year of my birth, 1971. 

 

Giannis Antetokounmpo went for 50pts (including 17-19 from the line), 14 reb, and 5 blocked Shots to lead Milwaukee's comeback from 0-2 deficit to a 4-2 series win!

[unclevlad]

Ouch.

Chris Paul just joined  a pretty select group...not in a good way.

 

He's the first player to lose 4 playoff series after leading 2-0.

 

A 4peat worthy of the Bills....

[Pariah]

I like this guy's style.

 

Giannis Antetokounmpo orders 'exactly' 50 chicken minis at Chick-fil-A after NBA championship win

[Badger]

Laker fans are funny. Lebron's gotta get (insert literally every superstar here).

 

Seems like today on the net they are set on Westbrook. (Aka pick the big name instead of best fit).

 

 

Me as Laker GM: i would actually go for 2nd tier, and get cj mccollum.  They need a shooter not a playmaker. And the perfect fit at pg in le-offense, is either a shooter, or lebron himself and and go for a shooter forward.

On 7/6/2021 at 10:20 AM, Cygnia said:

NSFW language

 

So i am not the only one who goes to that youtube channel.

[Badger]

Lakers: we need some shooting, time to get Westbrook.

[unclevlad]

Not to mention that adding Westbrook brings on another MASSIVE contract.  It tells you a lot that Antonio Davis is only the 3rd highest paid player.  With those 3 alone they're nearly into the luxury tax.

 

I'm also leery about a player who's supposed to be so great, gets moved around so much.  LeBron's moved himself;  he's proven he's a mercenary.  Westbrook is gong to his 3 new team in 3 years.  That always worries me.  Westbrook will get his numbers but he doesn't necessarily translate to wins.

 

Now, OK, granted...I'm not a Westbrook fan.  I haven't been for a long time.  He's very hign on my list of Most Overrated, and also Players I Don't Want On My Team.  Which means the Lakers now have 2 of em...cuz LeBron's on that list too.  The other that jumps to mind is Harden.  All 3 distort a team too much.  LeBron has made it work, so that's a plus;  Westbrook did get to the finals once, but considering the reps on that OKC team, that's under-achieving.

 

I also agree that the fit looks horrible.  2 massive ball hogs.  TONS of opportunity for the ball getting stuck.  MANY mediocre 3's...Westbrook's terrible, but LeBron is poor.  Of the 155 players who qualified for the stat (presumably shots per game)...Westbrook was 149, but LBJ was 110.  

 

Lakers are the #2 choice in Vegas to take the '22 title;  the Nets are given better odds, but I think that relates to the difficulty of getting out of the West.  That's to be expected with both, but it's all betting on reputation.  Yeah, both of em will pile up the regular season wins, but I don't trust either team in crunch time.