2022 NBA Playoffs Gamethread
- Thread starter JohnnyTheBone
- Start date
In the game thread someone noted that 7 or 8 teams could win it all... Memphis being the 8th. The close of this game supports that -- they just aren't quite ready.
In fairness to them, they missed their closer and it showed down the stretch. GS tightened up the defense, and Memphis just couldn't generate good looks.
I can't say this game fills me with optimism about the Dubs. This was a horrendous showing on their part for 3.5 quarters.
They've gotta figure out what's going on with Steph and Klay from outside. Through 4 games, they are a combined 23-80 (29%) from 3. If they play even somewhat better, this might have been a sweep.
Contrary. This would only provide the Kings with affirmation that he’s their man.
Steph wins the honorary Jayson Tatum award by putting up 32 pts 5 reb 8 ast but not before his fans decided he sucks.
Because clearly that's the only way to assess whether they played well or not.
I've been pointing this out all through these playoffs. Dillon Brooks is simply not good, and thinks he is way, way better than he is:
I would like to point that in last night's playoff games, a 35 year old Al Horford and a 34 year old Steph Curry were the two best players on the floor in their respective games.
Brooks is the Grizzlies Marcus Smart…..that’s the best way I can describe him. You hold your breath on offense but aside from JJJ he’s their defensive glue always assigned to the opponents biggest scorer and their spiritual leader.
Dunc'd On guys pointed out that he's in some rarified air when it comes to high-usage, low true-shooting %. In terms of players who're above 25% usage, below 52% TS for three years or more since 2012, it's him, Russ, old D Wade, young Kemba, Dennis Schroeder, and Marreese Speights. I might be leaving someone out but not exactly a list you want to be on.
If Marcus Smart ever averaged over 16 fga a game, I would have, at some point, kidnapped him and driven him as far away from Boston as possible. Like I said previously, I can't speak to Brooks defensively, but he takes away so, so much offensively that it's hard to imagine he's making up for it on the other end. At least with Marcus, you know his defense will offset the offense.
Kind of amazing though that Ja and Brooks are basically the opposite players of each other.
I don't think this Warriors team is a real contender for the championship. Draymond is a liability on offense, Poole is a turnstile on defense, Klay is so inconsistent, and their depth is not great w/o Payton. I think a more disciplined team than the Grizzlies is going to exploit those weaknesses time and again and Steph won't be able to create enough magic to counterract it. I really hope they sneak through to the finals if the Celtics are able to make it there, but I don't think either team in the GS/Mem series will beat the Mavs or the Suns w/o serious injury luck.
They are a game away from the conference finals, they are the healthiest they've been all year (even with GP2 out) and they have more championship experience than anyone else in the playoffs. They are the current NBA title favorites by the betting odds, and with good reason. If Klay/Curry weren't having a terrible series from 3, they would have already advanced. Lots of their players have weaknesses, but they've got perhaps the best defender in the league and a terrific trio of scorers that are often unguardable when they are all on the court.
Everyone is beating on them after struggling to beat Memphis with no Ja, but at the end of the day, they still won.
View: https://youtu.be/BX-k66VrmQo
Steph is great, but this isn't prime Steph - he had his worst 3PT shooting season ever, so it's not surprising to see him not shooting great in the playoffs, particularly because he's 3 years older than the last time we saw him be STEPH in the playoffs. Klay is coming off a pair of massive injuries, didn't shoot well in the regular season, had a cakewalk vs. a bad Denver team, and is back to struggling again. He's looked toast as the competition has gotten harder and continues to press the issue - he's scoring 15.5 pts on 18 attempts a game this series. That's really not good let alone "terrific". Why would you expect them to improve their shooting when playing better defensive teams if/when they get past Memphis? They'll suddenly get hot when facing a PHX team with no defensive liabilities vs. a team with Ja?
Experience is great and all, but there are a ton of holes on this team (haven't even brought up their lack of big depth) and them having been to some finals more than three years ago isn't going to make up for the fact that they're old and one dimensional at a lot of important positions.
Memphis is a good defensive team. They were 6th in defensive rating for the regular season, and their defensive rating from the regular season without Ja would have been the best in the league.
Yeah, I'm not saying Memphis is a bad defensive team. At this point in the playoffs, typically all teams are good at defense. I'm saying Phoenix, Boston, Miami, Milwaukee, and Dallas are equal or better - particularly if Ja is playing 40+ minutes a night - so why would it be expected for Klay and Steph to shoot better?
But Phoenix has been exposed a bit this post season -- NO had a shot at beating them!
And while Dallas has some upside, what are the odds that Luka stays healthy?
IOW: I see your point about "not being a real contender"... but who is?
other than the celts, of course
Devin Booker was injured vs. NOLA - as i mentioned, if the best players on other teams get injured, then sure, GS can win the championship. I don't think struggling against Dallas, the one team that was nearly as hot as the Celtics to close out the season, is proof of PHX getting exposed.
GS is a good team, I just like the other teams better. I think the ranking of teams that could win the championship is Bos/Phx/Mil/Dal/ at the top, then a gap before GS/Miami/Philly/Mem.
Interesting that you have Philly in that bottom group with Embiid in the lineup.
They are missing a LOT of good shots. You're absolutely right that they aren't the same Klay/Steph we've seen for a decade now, but they are still very good 3p shooters - just over 38% on a combined 21 attempts per game. In this series, it's just under 29% on a combined 20 attempts per game. That's a huge drop, and even with that drop, they were a Morant explosion away from a series sweep.
I don't understand how people can look at this Warriors' team and see something different than what we all saw 2 weeks when they finished wiping away the Nuggets - these aren't the Durant Warriors and they aren't the death lineup Warriors, but they're healthy and they've earned their status as the betting favorite to win the NBA title.
I'm going back and forth on them. He's so good, but Harden hasn't looked great and the rest of the team can run hot and cold. If they get past MIA, I don't think they beat Bos or Mil (again, barring injuries). There is not the one player in this playoffs who is so far above and beyond the rest of the league that he alone is the difference (a Lebron or MJ), so to me it's which team in each matchup has the least amount of weaknesses that can be exploited. The four battling it out with each other right now stand apart from the bottom four (especially if Mil gets Middleton back and beats Boston).
It's less about the Warriors and more about the other teams in the Warriors way that are deeper from 1-7 and more well-rounded. I think they'll match up well against the Warriors, particularly because Chris Paul, Booker, and Luka will continue to pick at their scabs while the Warriors won't adjust their gameplan to do the same.
I'd buy that the Suns are more well rounded, but the offensive ceiling for the Warriors is off the charts, and I'd certainly trust their core in heavy playoff moments more than I trust the Suns. The former is still most of the group that went to five straight finals, the latter is the group that had incredible injury luck last year (AD in round 1, Murray in round 2, Kawhi in round 3....doesn't get any better than that) and hasn't won anything.
I guess I just disagree that this has any bearing on any series. These guys are past their prime and on totally different levels than they were then. Draymond isn't the guy who was changing series as a small ball 5 - he's still a great defender, but he's a liability on offense. I bet teams love seeing him on the court in the last minutes of a close game so they can put more focus on Steph. Klay can't make you pay 1-1. And if playoff experience matters, then Poole and Wiggins have even less than the Suns.
I'd take the Suns and Chris Paul, who've been nuclear in close games this year. If they meet next round, $50 Jimmy Fund bet? We can call it off if any injuries to starters derail the series.
Sounds good to me, but without the injuries caveat. If the Suns and Warriors meet in the conference finals and the Suns win, I'll pay the $50.
Deal! hope we get to see it - would be an awesome series.
Pulling back - outside of some of the ref stuff, these playoffs have been awesome. I don't feel like the championship will be a coronation, stars are mostly healthy (knock on wood), and the level of basketball in some of the series is really impressive. Next couple of rounds will be really fun watches.
Thought initially there should've been a foul, but replay proved otherwise. Shouldve been out of bounds though, with ball contacting embiid on the end line imo.
It’s really not that bad. 3-pt shooting is even. The problem for the Sixers is that they aren’t getting the ball to Embiid in his sweet spots resulting in only 2-6 shooting out of him. Tobias 1-5 on two’s has killed the Sixers as well. Despite all this it’s only a 4-possession game. Doc needs to make the necessary adjustments and the Sixers then need to execute.
