2018 NBA Game Thread

Sam Ray Not

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The West is weak if Denver is a 2 seed.
I'd guess it's OKC and HOU at #2-3 in the WC when it's all said and done. Cream rises, etc. And I think either of those teams has potential to make the Ws sweat a little in the WCF. Also, if they face each other, it'd be a potentially amazing series.

But yeah, on paper, the second and third rounds in the East have potential to be some of the best, most evenly-matched series in recent memory.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Ha! Simmons almost hit the buzzer beater 3.
It's amazing. That was only Simmons 2nd 3 pointer attempted all year. His only other one was a 32 footer at the buzzer in the third quarter a couple weeks ago, also against Denver.

You'd think he'd find the ball in his hands as the shot clock or game clock was winding down more than twice through 55 games or so, but nope. Either he just pockets the ball, or he makes sure he's nowhere near the damn thing if it's outside the foul line with the clock about to go off.
 

benhogan

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The sixers can get so big, I think at one point the lineup had the smallest guy as Ennis at 6'7"

Tobias really makes a difference with the spacing and his switchability was really on show in the clutch.

The bench is still an issue, but there are NBA players at least
That size and defense will serve Philly well in the playoffs when the game changes from the regular season. Ennis/Boban/Scott/TJ can give them enough bench minutes with a shortened rotation. BUT Simmons what the hell was he on tonight? complete lane clogger
 

benhogan

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I don't know if Tyler Johnson is any good, but I've always liked how hard he plays.

Suns/Warriors is interesting at the moment (end of Q3). Draymond Green just got ejected, now this is getting really interesting
:popcorn:
 

Cesar Crespo

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I don't know if Tyler Johnson is any good, but I've always liked how hard he plays.

Suns/Warriors is interesting at the moment (end of Q3). Draymond Green just got ejected, now this is getting really interesting
:popcorn:
And Booker isn't playing.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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I don't know if Tyler Johnson is any good, but I've always liked how hard he plays.

Suns/Warriors is interesting at the moment (end of Q3). Draymond Green just got ejected, now this is getting really interesting
:popcorn:
Oubre, who is another shit stirrer as we know, baited Draymond into it. Draymond shouldn't have taken it hook line and sinker but he had some standing complain about the head butt.

 

Sam Ray Not

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Oubre, who is another shit stirrer as we know, baited Draymond into it. Draymond shouldn't have taken it hook line and sinker but he had some standing complain about the head butt.

Oubre's also a pretty intriguing player, imho, and just turned 23. Tonight: 25 pts, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals. 19.2 pts per 36 on .548 true shooting on the season.

I get that he was about to get expensive (or something?) but seriously, WTF, Wizards. And now they're talking about re-signing Ariza, a fine player who's about to turn 34.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I'm probably missing this post somewhere but did anyone else notice that the NBA essentially came out and said Rondo's game winning shot should have been waved off had the correct call been made?

"According to the NBA’s L2M report, Tyson Chandler set an illegal screen on Kyrie Irving on the final possession last night that referees missed." - Tom Westerholm
I can only hope DOTB is sitting when he sees this.
 

the moops

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You can see Stevens pointing and yelling for the call. However, with 8 seconds left they aren't calling an illegal screen 35 feet way from the basket
 

Deathofthebambino

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I'm probably missing this post somewhere but did anyone else notice that the NBA essentially came out and said Rondo's game wi
nning shot should have been waved off had the correct call been made?



I can only hope DOTB is sitting when he sees this.
Nah, doesn't bother me. I heard about this earlier. The illegal screen occurred when Ingram was going to the hoop, and I don't think anyone saw it in real time. That's a call that just never gets made in that situation. Horford blocked his shot anyway, and then 4 Celtics had a chance to do anything to keep the ball from landing in Rondo's arms, and couldn't.

But in the end, the game should have never come down to that anyway. You let a team hang around because you have to give everyone their fair share of minutes, don't be surprised when a few lucky bounces go their way in the end and you lose the game. When you have a chance to put a team away, put them away. Don't steal minutes from guys that are playing like crap, or keep playing guys hoping they'll come out of it.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Speaking of playing/not playing guys. Anthony Davis has been awesome tonight. Well, he was playing awesome. 32 points on 11/15 in 25 minutes.

And then they benched him. Hasn't played a minute of the fourth quarter in a one possession game against the TWolves.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Speaking of playing/not playing guys. Anthony Davis has been awesome tonight. Well, he was playing awesome. 32 points on 11/15 in 25 minutes.

And then they benched him. Hasn't played a minute of the fourth quarter in a one possession game against the TWolves.
They are closing out with their new closers - Randle and the undrafted Kenrich Williams who - and pardon me HRB if I dont use verbiage that you approve of in describing a player - has had a pretty decent run of late.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Giannis 29 pts (13-19 fg), 17 reb, 5 ast, +25 in a 15-point Bucks win.

His Bucks are just a machine at this point — best team all year by a wide margin.

Really not seeing the MVP case for Harden over him at this point, unless the Rockets close really strong while the Bucks scuffle a bit.
 
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DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Giannis 29 pts (13-19 fg), 17 reb, 5 ast, +25 in a 15-point Bucks win.

His Bucks are just a machine at this point — best team all year by a wide margin.

Really not seeing the case for Harden over him at this point, unless the Rockets close out really strong and the Bucks scuffle a bit.
Giannis is just consistent and hyper-efficient. Harden has some gaudier games but Antetokounmpo has been so good all season long.
 

jon abbey

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That is so strange, in a nationally televised game even. Play or don’t play, but sitting out the 4th in a tight home game when you are dominating? Ugh.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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The Kings may seriously be the most fun team in the NBA right now. Miami up 96-95 in Sacto with just under two minutes left . They just made an 8-0 comeback to get back in the game.
 

Deathofthebambino

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That is so strange, in a nationally televised game even. Play or don’t play, but sitting out the 4th in a tight home game when you are dominating? Ugh.
I can't tell if AD took himself out of the game, or if the Pels benched him. I assumed the Pels benched him, given they are the ones that don't want to play him right now, and he's the one that wants to play.
 

jon abbey

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I can't tell if AD took himself out of the game, or if the Pels benched him. I assumed the Pels benched him, given they are the ones that don't want to play him right now, and he's the one that wants to play.
I didn’t realize until later that the NBA had threatened to fine the team 100K, but a shitty look for anyone paying to be there. I blame the ‘Rose rule’, the last thing I personally want is for AD and Kyrie to team up in BOS but that seems like an unnecessary rule.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Oubre's also a pretty intriguing player, imho, and just turned 23. Tonight: 25 pts, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals. 19.2 pts per 36 on .548 true shooting on the season.

I get that he was about to get expensive (or something?) but seriously, WTF, Wizards. And now they're talking about re-signing Ariza, a fine player who's about to turn 34.
When the Wiz were running with their "big 3," they simply couldn't afford Oubre. Now that they have decided to tear the team down, I'm sure they wish they could take that back.

That is what happens to teams without competent FOs. If one injury causes the team to rip up all of their plans, then the plans weren't properly designed in the first place.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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The downside of Russell Westbrook's career looks to be scary if this season is indicative that he is starting to slow. 7-18 again tonight and 1-4 from three. I wonder if George would decide differently if he saw this coming.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Paul George, on the other hand, is a beast. 45 points on 12-22 shooting and 11 boards. OKC came back down 26 and beat the Rockets largely on his back. Russ finished with 21 points on 8-21 shooting but he had a triple double with 12 boards and 11 assists (he had some horrific misses). He had a go-ahead layup at the end.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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In a showdown of MVP candidates: - James Harden: 42 points on 11-28 shooting, 6-16 from 3 - Paul George: 45 points on 12-22, 6-14 from 3, plus 11 rebounds
George is having such a great year. I really wish Russ wasn't shooting so badly because this team has the horses to give the Warriors trouble.
 

HomeRunBaker

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They are closing out with their new closers - Randle and the undrafted Kenrich Williams who - and pardon me HRB if I dont use verbiage that you approve of in describing a player - has had a pretty decent run of late.
I’m drunk and I don’t get this.....I’m unsure if I would had I been straight. This is why I don’t drink.
 

Imbricus

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In the "It Could Always be Worse" category: Milwaukee loses by 20 to Orlando ... at home. No Giannis, and everyone stunk up a storm with 3-pt. shooting, 6-35. They could've used Mirotic, who was out with an injury.
 

AMS25

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George is having such a great year. I really wish Russ wasn't shooting so badly because this team has the horses to give the Warriors trouble.
Yes, Russ is shooting badly. However, he has been good about getting other players involved on offense, like Adams, Grant, and Ferguson. Indeed, he's leading the league in assists. While Schroder has been shooting somewhat better than Russ, the offense always runs smoother when Russ is in the game.
 

Lazy vs Crazy

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So now Magic is tampering with Ben Simmons, another Klutch client.

The league really needs to do something about this.
 

terrynever

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Bob Kraft sitting with Magic, watching 76ers-Lakers today. Tough life.

Philly up by 19. LeBron having a passive day, feeding the children.
 

the moops

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So now Magic is tampering with Ben Simmons, another Klutch client.

The league really needs to do something about this.
The dumb/stupid/hilarious thing is that of course this shit happens all the time. Agents and GMs and players and whoever else talk to each other about future scenarios all the time. Foolish to think otherwise. I kinda respect that Magic is like fuck it, come at me if you got a problem
 

PedrosRedGlove

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Kuzma has shot .732 from the line and .343 from deep in his NBA career, Tatum is at .838 and .405. Most stats also suggest Kuzma is a negative defensively and Tatum is a slight plus. They are similar, and I think Kuzma does get a little underrated by some, but Tatum is just a little bit better at almost everything, which means a lot with the age difference. At 20, Kuzma was averaging just under 11 points and 6 rebounds at Utah.

Also fun fact I didn't realize until looking this stuff up: Kuzma was drafted with the 2017 Boston 1st sent to Brooklyn in the KG/Pierce trade.
 
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Big John

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I’m sorry but I don’t see how Tatum is considered such a better prospect than Kuzma. I know there is a 3 year age difference, but still.
I think Tatum is disheartened, not only by the trade rumors, but also how he's being used.

Against the Lakers, Tatum took exactly one trey (and made it) Lebron took 10, Kuzma 8, KCP 9, Smart 9, Irving 6, Rozier 7.

Against the Clippers, Tatum took two treys and made 1. Galinjari took 6, Temple 5, Shamet 7, Rozier 6, Brown 5 (missed them all).

Tatum isn't getting the ball where he needs to get it.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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You make me sad. Still plenty of regular season left.
I will just say this - outside of the Warriors, everything is a toss up. The 76ers, Bucks and Raptors all made trades this week but it isn't like they were all winners - they each had to surrender some pieces. The 76ers lack bench depth (I know that rotations get shorter in the playoffs but your starting five needs rest) and they still need more shooting, the Bucks new toy isn't even a passable defender and Toronto is gambling on a 34 year old guy who has begun to look his age staying healthy into the playoffs.

At this point, they are all clearly better bets than Boston but injuries, chemistry issues and a variety of other factors may contribute to all of these teams having a rough time in the playoffs. There is still a path for any of the top teams, including the Celtics, to come out of the east.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Marvin Bagley had a good game today - 32 points on 10-15 shooting with seven boards as the Kings defeated the Suns 117-104. In terms of young talent, the Kings are absolutely brimming with it. Bagley, Fox, and, if you squint hard enough, Giles are all potentially good potential rotation players in the NBA. Add in the grizzled veterans like Hield, Trilly CS and Bogdanovich and this team has some pieces.

Oh, and Harrison Barnes, who was acquired for his (this season) 39% three point shooting was one of seven from deep and three of nine overall in 30 minutes. I just posted that as a laugh - Justin Jackson isn't getting any playing time in Dallas so at the end of the day, none of this means anything - but I will be watching how he fits with this team. To be clear, I don't hate Barnes but I struggle to see his role on this squad now or going forward.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I’m sorry but I don’t see how Tatum is considered such a better prospect than Kuzma. I know there is a 3 year age difference, but still.
I like Tatum. I think Tatum is going to be a real good player in this league someday. This board talks about Tatum like he's the love child of LeBron and Durant.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Waiters is just pure trash. 5 seconds left and that's the shot he takes
It was pure Waiters. And yes, it was a horrible shot. Credit to the Warriors for not allowing Richardson - who was beastly all night with a career high 37 points on 14-22 shooting including eight of eleven from deep - from getting a good look.