unclevlad Posted April 29 Author Report Share Posted April 29 Break out the brooms!!! <GONG> Break out the brooms!!! <GONG> Despite rumors to the contrary, the true eclipse happened in Phoenix...just now.... OKC can complete their own, tomorrow night. Nuggets can banish the Lakers back to the nether depths from which they sprang, as well. If both of those happen...well, they may be in for a bit of a vacation, as Dallas/Clips is going at least 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted April 29 Report Share Posted April 29 I am absolutely astonished at the number of people on social media saying that LeBron James is going to will the Lakers to a 4-3 series win now that they finally achieved their breakthrough. Technically, I suppose there is a non-zero probability of this happening. And it is true that the race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong—but if you're smart, you'll bet that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted April 29 Author Report Share Posted April 29 It's OK to bet the long shot when you get the odds to do so...but you're only getting +1800 on the Lakers to win the series. That number, I think, is driven by the fact that the Nuggets have had to come back in every game. And pull a rabbit out to win game 2. OTOH, how likely is it they'll shoot the ball well again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted April 30 Author Report Share Posted April 30 Massive disclosure. Couldn't watch it. Too nerve-racking, especially when I saw the Lakers up 8 in the 3rd. Nononononononooooooooooo.....ARGH!!!! But YES!!!! If I counted from the play-by-play...6 ties, 9 lead changes in the last 8 1/2 minutes. Murray takes the ball, moves into the lane, hits a midrange with about 2 seconds left for the lead; Lakers don't have enough time to do anything but a heave that fell well short. Wolves-Nuggets is starting up a tad early...Saturday, since they both finished early. First 2 games are 4th-6th, then a "bye" on the 8th (that's sorta the catch-up for the other series, which can't start that early) then games on the 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 19th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted April 30 Report Share Posted April 30 Buh-bye, Lakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted April 30 Author Report Share Posted April 30 BROADLY being reported that Ham is going to be out, including a story on the Athletic with this: Quote Why are we running plays to have LeBron James attack a former Defensive Player of the Year in Kawhi Leonard if the Clippers are willingly switching big man Daniel Theis onto him in screening actions? The answer, provided by multiple players whom team sources say spoke up in the huddle, would provide the key to that night’s comeback win in those final five-plus minutes. The players set it up, it ran to perfection, and they won the game. And this pretty much says it all: Quote Their self-empowerment, it seemed, was born out of the perceived absence of effective direction from the coaching staff. The article is *long* and cites numerous examples of coaching issues in several areas. And this ESPN story has the clip of one of the freakier injuries I've ever seen. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40056029/sources-wolves-chris-finch-surgery-collision Ruptured patellar tendon...! Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted April 30 Report Share Posted April 30 9News Sports in Denver has given Jamal Murray a new nickname: Laker Breaker. unclevlad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted May 1 Author Report Share Posted May 1 5 hours ago, Pariah said: 9News Sports in Denver has given Jamal Murray a new nickname: Laker Breaker. I thought that was Rob Pelinka. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted May 1 Author Report Share Posted May 1 Celtics might be looking at an extended break, if they can close out the Heat...the 3 other East series all went to 3-2. Which isn't all that surprising; the spread between the 2 and 7 seeds wasn't much at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted May 3 Author Report Share Posted May 3 Not surprising, Darvin Ham is out. Somewhat surprising...I missed this one, but as the Bucks were about to be eliminated, Patrick Beverly lost it. Badly. We don't know what the fans said, but...he fired a ball, at fairly short range, at fans. One person was hit pretty cleanly in the face. Someone else tossed the ball back...and Beverly did it to ANOTHER fan. Clearly caught on film. Fans go overboard at times; they're tossed out *occasionally* but not nearly as often as I think they should be. But the player CANNOT be goaded. Since this just happened last night, the NBA hasn't laid down the law yet, but figure at least a 1/2 season suspension, quite possibly the entire 24-25 season. I say it's only somewhat surprising because PBev has a history of...not this, per se, but of being an agitator, at least. This may end up meaning his career's over, tho. He turns 36 this summer, and his minutes per game went from 27 in 22-23 to 20 this year. He's a free agent, too. At this point, I'd feel that I could find a kid 15 years younger to play the aggressive defensive role...they're out there...and the kid has upsides. Then a suspension? Pariah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted May 5 Report Share Posted May 5 I saw a thing on the Book of Face today asking which city needed an NBA team. So I responded "Los Angeles 😛" Cygnia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted May 5 Report Share Posted May 5 I admit to being at best a casual NBA fan. But I saw a thing online today that made me wonder: How would LeBron James's career have been different if he had spent all of it in Cleveland? How would the NBA have been different? Would the "Superteams" era have been a thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted May 5 Report Share Posted May 5 (edited) The "Superteams" era was always a thing. Miami just marked the first time that it was done by player agency. Before it took smart management and some luck to assemble the necessary talent to win a championship. It's since been popular for the top players to use free agency to group with their friends. But it's always taken at least one Hall of Fame talent and several All-Stars to win a title. The two seeming exceptions were just a case of the supporting cast being older, Milwaukee with Lopez, Holliday and Middleton supporting Giannis or younger unknowns in Toronto with Siakam, Anunoby and Van Vleet supporting Kawaii. Teamwork is great but you've got to have the talent. Edited May 5 by Grailknight Starlord, unclevlad and Pariah 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 (edited) "I guess it's my fault that this roster sucks @$$. Oh wait, no. GM LeBron traded all our good role players to get Russell Westbrook, only to use him as a scapegoat. He never takes responsibility. He's a big baby. It he put half the effort he used arguing with the officials into defense, maybe Aaron Gordon wouldn't have looked like prime Shaq. And then there's AD, who's apparently allergic to 4th quarter points. D-Lo, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura are about as consistent as my $#!+$ after Taco Bell. But no, it's all my fault. I swear, Laker fans and Bronsexuals have such low IQ." ~former Lakers coach Darvin Ham (allegedly) Edited May 6 by Pariah Acknowledging the possibility of AI tomfoolery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted May 6 Author Report Share Posted May 6 Is there a legitimate source for this quote? I can see a video clip, but it's on TikTok...which is, to say the least, unreliable. I'm seriously thinking this is AI BS, because if Ham really said those things, in that manner, he'd be incinerating his NBA future. Pariah and Starlord 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted May 6 Report Share Posted May 6 I don't know if it's a real quote or not. I found it on Facebook via TikTok, so it's entirely possible that it's made up. But that doesn't mean it's inaccurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted May 6 Author Report Share Posted May 6 I can't find it anywhere BUT TikTok or FB, either. If this was legit, SOME of the bloviators would pick up on it...Perkins railed against NBA divas and called many 'stars' uncoachable, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted May 7 Report Share Posted May 7 At this point, I can't help but wonder whether the Timberwolves are really that good, or if the Lakers are really that bad. It occurs to me that the two may not be mutually exclusive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted May 7 Author Report Share Posted May 7 My #1 takeaway is that Denver was lucky to escape the Lakers, who just don't have enough depth/balance/cohesion...pick as many as you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlord Posted May 7 Report Share Posted May 7 Despite constantly losing to the Nuggets, I still think they are a good matchup for this Laker roster. If DeAngelo Russell doesnt pull a DeAngelo Russell they probably win that series. Meanwhile, no one on Earth matches up well against Ant Edwards right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted May 8 Author Report Share Posted May 8 Gordon Hayward just entered the game for OKC...and Iain Eagle mentioned, he's in his 14th season. HUH?? I still remember the Butler run that just fell short...that wasn't THAT long ago, surely!!! I feel old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted Friday at 03:05 AM Author Report Share Posted Friday at 03:05 AM I am thoroughly disgusted with NBA discipline. Tracy Murray was only fined $100K for throwing the towel and heating pad onto the court...while action was in progress. Someone swept it off the court, but that's VERY dangerous. I don't care it's the playoffs, that should be multiple games on that basis alone. Then, Patrick Beverly ONLY gets 4 games for throwing a basketball at fans *twice*. Pariah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted Sunday at 04:51 AM Report Share Posted Sunday at 04:51 AM Some social media wit pointed out that Darvin Ham is the first coach in NBA history to be fired after winning the prestigious NBA In-Season Tournament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted Sunday at 08:23 PM Report Share Posted Sunday at 08:23 PM Just a reminder that draft lotteries are stupid and pointless, and that the NFL does just fine without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted Sunday at 08:40 PM Report Share Posted Sunday at 08:40 PM 10 minutes ago, Pariah said: Just a reminder that draft lotteries are stupid and pointless, and that the NFL does just fine without one. Tanking in the NFL gets you 4% of your starting lineup and if it's a QB it has a high chance of failure. Tanking in the NBA gives you 20% of your starting lineup and has less chance to be a complete bomb. And it only takes 2 stars to have the basis for a contender. The NHL faces similar odds and that's why those 2 sports have lotteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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