2018 NBA Game Thread

snowmanny

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If a player spends all day practicing and shooting 100+ shots a day, can this player learn to shoot?

Edit: I have a hard time understanding why an elite athlete that spends hours a day trying to gain a skill seems to be getting worse.
I linked an article about this in the Fultz thread. Dwight Howard talked about hitting 90% of free throws in practice and getting worse in the games because it was a mental issue related to the fear, not a skills issue.

Here is the quote:

Howard made 67.1 percent of his free throws his rookie season, but he's only gotten worse as his career has goes on, bottoming-out to a career-low 48.9 percent this past season. Though he said he practices more than ever these days, he claimed the more he practices, the worse he gets.

"It causes us to think more," Howard said.

Howard remembers hitting 465 out of 500 free throws in practice one day with the Los Angeles Lakers. He made 49.2 percent of his in-game freebies that season
 

HomeRunBaker

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I linked an article about this in the Fultz thread. Dwight Howard talked about hitting 90% of free throws in practice and getting worse in the games because it was a mental issue related to the fear, not a skills issue.

Here is the quote:

Howard made 67.1 percent of his free throws his rookie season, but he's only gotten worse as his career has goes on, bottoming-out to a career-low 48.9 percent this past season. Though he said he practices more than ever these days, he claimed the more he practices, the worse he gets.

"It causes us to think more," Howard said.

Howard remembers hitting 465 out of 500 free throws in practice one day with the Los Angeles Lakers. He made 49.2 percent of his in-game freebies that season
I've spoken in the past about ex-Celtic Chris Wilcox hitting 40-50 in a row at our gym in Raleigh back when he was in the league while he was a career 55% FT shooter (or something like that). Game speed FT against elite athletes is not comparable to standing in a gym alone shooting FT's.
 

jon abbey

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I feel comfortable saying that rarely has there been a NBA game both as bad and this close as the Knicks/Bulls currently, both teams just traded turnovers in the last three seconds of a tie game in OT. A few minutes ago, they traded air balls on three pointers on non-forced shots, this is some serious masochism.

Kanter clanks a 30 footer, on to double OT!
 

jon abbey

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Also both teams keep passing to guys cutting from under the basket who are not yet established inbounds, a lot of college teams would get screamed at if they played like this.
 

jon abbey

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Also this game has been this bad all the way through, not that any of you doubted that. But, to be clear, since NY is missing Porzingis, Hardaway, and Knox (he came back for 5 minutes tonight) as offensive options, CHI started this game double-teaming undrafted rookie Alonzo Trier every time he touched the ball. Yes, in the 11th game of his career, an undrafted rookie was being double-teamed every time he touched it. He has looked good for a rookie, but yikes.
 

jon abbey

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Haha, Knicks get a stop down 2 and Mudiay goes coast to coast to tie it up at 115, 2.7 seconds left in OT 2.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Tied at 115 with 2 seconds left in the 2nd OT.

Kanter has 23 points, 24 rebounds and 7 assists.
 

jon abbey

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NY fouls Zach LaVine needlessly at the buzzer and loses by 1, they should be handing cash to the fans on their way out.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Ibaka started his last game 14/14 and finished 15/17. He's 8/8 so far in this game. That's crazy. Of course he also fouled on in 14 minutes.
 

Sam Ray Not

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You know what else is crazy to ponder? The 2011-12 OKC Thunder.

Future MVP Durant, age 23
Future MVP Westbrook, age 23
Future MVP Harden, age 22
Ibaka, age 22

Went 47-19 and made the NBA Finals. Have yet to return.

More relevantly: the Raptors are looking scary right now.
 

jon abbey

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You know what else is crazy to ponder? The 2011-12 OKC Thunder.

Future MVP Durant, age 23
Future MVP Westbrook, age 23
Future MVP Harden, age 22
Ibaka, age 22

Went 47-19 and made the NBA Finals. Have yet to return.
The carcass of Kendrick Perkins with the 5th most minutes on that team, how about that for a dropoff in quality?
 

HowBoutDemSox

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The carcass of Kendrick Perkins with the 5th most minutes on that team, how about that for a dropoff in quality?
And if they hadn't traded for/extended Perk in the first place, they could have kept those three future MVPs together.

Instead they wind up with only Westbrook, probably the worst of the three.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Are the Raptors kicking themselves yet for waiving Alfonzo McKinnie? He's making Iguodala expendable in Oakland which is scary.
 

Sam Ray Not

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I mean, Iguodala is quite literally the Warriors' backup point guard (started at PG for the first 1.5 rounds of last year's playoffs with Curry out, and is currently averaging 5.7 assists and 1.7 turnovers per 36 with Livingston hurt) whereas McKinnie has no real ball skills to speak of, so it's kind of apples and oranges.

That said, yeah, "Zo" has blown my mind (and that of his teammates, from what I can see) in his 162 minutes this season: crashing the boards like a monster, running the floor all day, defending 1-4, and flashing a shockingly pure jumpshot. I'd expect the shooting to regress (he's currently .675 true shooting on 16.7 pts per 36, blowing away his G-league numbers), but the killer glasswork looks pretty sustainable based on his track record. Along with the similarly eye-opening Jerebko and Looney, he's given the team a huge jolt in on the boards, one of the few areas where they've been pretty mediocre over the last 3-4 years. They're currently #2 in the NBA in adjusted rebounding % (after New Orleans) and #3 in rebounding differential (after Milwaukee and Denver).

The guy McKinnie may have really obviated, much more so than Andre, is Patrick McCaw, who this offseason seems to have been "Uncle Dennised" by his dad into holding out for a better contract than the Warriors could offer, and now may have lost not only the roster spot Bob Myers had been keeping warm for him but also possibly his place in the NBA, if he gains a reputation as a malcontent whose self-worth far outstrips his actual game. McKinnie by contrast was playing in Luxembourg and Mexico a couple years ago, had to pay $175 out of pocket to get a tryout for the Bulls G-League team in 2016, and at age 26 seems to be relishing every moment on an NBA court.

https://theundefeated.com/features/the-plane-flight-that-changed-golden-state-warriors-forward-alfonzo-mckinnies-nba-trajectory/

For entertainment purposes only, here's a complete list of NBA players currently averaging ≥ 15 pts / 10 reb per 36 on ≥ .650 true shooting (min. 150 minutes played):

Alfonzo McKinnie
Deandre Ayton
Montrezl Harrell
Domantas Sabonis
Rudy Gobert

(All that said ... I doubt the Raptors are kicking themselves for much right now.)
 
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DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Are the Raptors kicking themselves yet for waiving Alfonzo McKinnie? He's making Iguodala expendable in Oakland which is scary.
He has been a revelation for Golden State thus far, averaging 16.7 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes in 11 games. He is also shooting 60% from deep.

Its hard to say that Toronto screwed up here given that he did very little for them last year in 14 games and he was a 25 year old G league body with two mostly unremarkable seasons down on the farm (33% from deep).

Given the Raptors depth as well as the fact that the Warriors can make anyone look good (McKinnie has understandably had a lot of open looks), its hard to fault them. That said it will be interesting to see how he evolves as teams respect him a bit more going forward.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Luka with another solid line. He is going to be very good. 23 points on 9-16 shooting with six boards, three assists, four turnovers (rookie!) and a plus 11. He is fun to watch.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Luka with another solid line. He is going to be very good. 23 points on 9-16 shooting with six boards, three assists, four turnovers (rookie!) and a plus 11. He is fun to watch.
He's probably having the best season by a 19 year old since... heh. Maybe even better than Tatum's but this isn't the board to argue that and it's still incredibly early.

19.8 points, 6.5 boards, 4.4 dimes on .477/.382/.718 shooting.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Watching the 76ers at the Pacers and to paraphrase KOC, McMillan has his guys sagging off of Fultz like he has SARS and Ebola at the same time. I know there are more stories and retractions about his shoulder not being right so maybe that's it. However if his shooting is consistently this bad, there is really no way Brown can play him and Simmons at the same time.

Its early yet but the 76ers may have to make some hard choices with regard to roster composition as the season goes on if they want to have a shot in the playoffs.

Edit: I mean, he just stood in the corner by the arc a sequence ago and there wasn't a Pacer within 5-10 feet of him.
 

BigSoxFan

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Watching the 76ers at the Pacers and to paraphrase KOC, McMillan has his guys sagging off of Fultz like he has SARS and Ebola at the same time. I know there are more stories and retractions about his shoulder not being right so maybe that's it. However if his shooting is consistently this bad, there is really no way Brown can play him and Simmons at the same time.

Its early yet but the 76ers may have to make some hard choices with regard to roster composition as the season goes on if they want to have a shot in the playoffs.

Edit: I mean, he just stood in the corner by the arc a sequence ago and there wasn't a Pacer within 5-10 feet of him.
It’s like Kobe’s treatment of Rondo in 2010 Finals...except even more blatant.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Zizic is having his best game as a pro, 10 points and 9 rebounds in 14 minutes. Still 7 minutes left in the game, Thunder up 78-77 with no Westbrook.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Oladipo is playing out of his mind right now. 24 points in the first half and his last sequence, he completely roasted Embiid for a buzzer beater. Last year was his breakout season - if this keeps up he will start to creep up from being a top-20 player to the top-10 grouping.
 

HowBoutDemSox

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Watching the 76ers at the Pacers and to paraphrase KOC, McMillan has his guys sagging off of Fultz like he has SARS and Ebola at the same time. I know there are more stories and retractions about his shoulder not being right so maybe that's it. However if his shooting is consistently this bad, there is really no way Brown can play him and Simmons at the same time.

Its early yet but the 76ers may have to make some hard choices with regard to roster composition as the season goes on if they want to have a shot in the playoffs.

Edit: I mean, he just stood in the corner by the arc a sequence ago and there wasn't a Pacer within 5-10 feet of him.
Fultz shooting free throws is must watch television.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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On the other hand, Philadelphia may have something in Landry Shamet. High energy player who can shoot it some too.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Willie Cauley-Stein looks like Post Malone. D'Aaron Fox just looks smooth.

And Kawhi looks like he is totally back. The guy is a beast.
 

Kliq

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The Lakers beat Minnesota tonight but they couldn't stop Derrick Rose down the stretch, who finished with 31 points. He's having a resurgent year, which is crazy given that his career looked like it almost over last season when Cleveland released him. Maybe that shoe deal wasn't such a bad deal after all.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I'm guessing the "Jokic is a Top-10 player" bandwagon has stalled? He's yet to have a double figure scoring game in November and has attempted a total of 4 field goals over the last 2 games highlighted by last nights 0-1 coming on a three-pointer at the end of the game which was missed in the Memphis loss. This kid seems like such an enigma.
 

Sam Ray Not

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I'm guessing the "Jokic is a Top-10 player" bandwagon has stalled? He's yet to have a double figure scoring game in November and has attempted a total of 4 field goals over the last 2 games highlighted by last nights 0-1 coming on a three-pointer at the end of the game which was missed in the Memphis loss. This kid seems like such an enigma.
I dunno, I think I'm still pretty much on the train.

Per 36 minutes this season: 19.6 pts on .637 true shooting / 12.1 rebounds / 9.1 assists / 1.6 steals / 1.1 blocks for an 8-2 team (in 29.0 mpg). Give me those numbers all season and I'll forgive a four-game stretch where he played only 22-28 minutes and failed to score as many points as I have fingers. I haven't watched the Nuggets that consistently, though, so I'd be curious what a regular observer like Sox and Rox has to say.

You know what "sure-fire future Top 10 player" train really seems to have crashed as it was leaving the station? The Karl Towns Express. Not sure whether he's being held back by Butler or is just a bit of a slacker or what, but he seems super-soft and disengaged this season. Early times, though — I'm curious to see how he looks after Butler is shipped off.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I dunno, I think I'm still pretty much on the train.

Per 36 minutes this season: 19.6 pts on .637 true shooting / 12.1 rebounds / 9.1 assists / 1.6 steals / 1.1 blocks for an 8-2 team (in 29.0 mpg). Give me those numbers all season and I'll forgive a four-game stretch where he played only 22-28 minutes and failed to score as many points as I have fingers. I haven't watched the Nuggets that consistently, though, so I'd be curious what a regular observer like Sox and Rox has to say.
Isn't consistency and ability to stay on the floor all part of being considered a Top-10 player in the league when those at that level are superior in those areas? I don't love or hate the player but a large part of his problem are his defensive deficiencies that keep him on the bench in foul trouble. I mean how can you defend him having a stat line of zero FGA after 25 min of play in a close game? To me this signals similar red flags that we both give to KAT......if this is his approach PRIOR to getting paid I'm not sure I want to be the guy paying him the max to see his approach AFTER getting paid.

I can't place him in the Top-10, or in that vacinity, when he completely no-shows nearly 20% of his games over the past couple years.

You know what "sure-fire future Top 10 player" train really seems to have crashed as it was leaving the station? The Karl Towns Express. Not sure whether he's being held back by Butler or is just a bit of a slacker or what, but he seems super-soft and disengaged this season. Early times, though — I'm curious to see how he looks after Butler is shipped off.
I wouldn't say held back especially after wilting to Butler's challenge to step up and match his intensity which speaks volume to his inner fiber when it comes to wanting to be great. Some players have that fire and some players do not. The Wolves, unfortunately for them, drafted two of them who don't seem to possess internally what it takes to maximize their potential.
 

Kliq

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Jimmy Butler is a fucking terrible teammate and the idea that he is this amazing leader and his teammates are delicate flowers for not "stepping up to his challenge" is completely out of touch.
 

ManicCompression

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Jimmy Butler is a fucking terrible teammate and the idea that he is this amazing leader and his teammates are delicate flowers for not "stepping up to his challenge" is completely out of touch.
Agreed. Doesn’t “being a great leader” require other people to follow you? What’s the point of a certain brand of leadership if your teammates tune you out? A great leader would figure out how to get the best out of KAT and Wiggins, something Butler (and Thibs) have clearly failed at.

This is three teams that Butler has alienated to the point of destruction (two versions of Chicago and this minny team). And for all of his crowing about greatness, he hasn’t led any of them to playoff success. Dude needs to get over himself and realize that no one wants to be left holding the bag on his max contract.
 

Kliq

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Agreed. Doesn’t “being a great leader” require other people to follow you? What’s the point of a certain brand of leadership if your teammates tune you out? A great leader would figure out how to get the best out of KAT and Wiggins, something Butler (and Thibs) have clearly failed at.

This is three teams that Butler has alienated to the point of destruction (two versions of Chicago and this minny team). And for all of his crowing about greatness, he hasn’t led any of them to playoff success. Dude needs to get over himself and realize that no one wants to be left holding the bag on his max contract.
What kind of great, fiery challenger and competitor says things like "I'll decide when I want to play back-to-backs?"
 

Cesar Crespo

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I agree on Butler but not in regards to Wiggins. Wiggins was a mess well before Butler. I'm not sure Brad Stevens could do anything with Wiggins.
 

Big John

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I'm no great fan of Mark Jackson, but he called out Butler pretty thoroughly the other night.
 

ManicCompression

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I agree on Butler but not in regards to Wiggins. Wiggins was a mess well before Butler. I'm not sure Brad Stevens could do anything with Wiggins.
Yeah, I mean, Wiggins seems not great but other players have managed to succeed with less. Hell, lebron maximized JR freaking Smith.

Van Gundy has a great point on this about how Michael Jordan was this kind of leader - an asshole who’d challenge people adversarial you. That works well when you’re the best basketball player of all time. It’s a little less effective when you’re jimmy butler and it’s an uphill battle to make the west all star team.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Yeah, I mean, Wiggins seems not great but other players have managed to succeed with less. Hell, lebron maximized JR freaking Smith.

Van Gundy has a great point on this about how Michael Jordan was this kind of leader - an asshole who’d challenge people adversarial you. That works well when you’re the best basketball player of all time. It’s a little less effective when you’re jimmy butler and it’s an uphill battle to make the west all star team.
Smith can at least hit 3s. Up until this year, Wiggins didn't do anything well. He's shooting .396 from 3 atm, if that continues, he'd have some type of role in the NBA but he shouldn't be starting games. The last few years, the Wolves would have been better without him.
 

HowBoutDemSox

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Smith can at least hit 3s. Up until this year, Wiggins didn't do anything well. He's shooting .396 from 3 atm, if that continues, he'd have some type of role in the NBA but he shouldn't be starting games. The last few years, the Wolves would have been better without him.
On the plus side, at least they’re not committed to him long term or anything.