2023-2024 General NBA Season Thread
- Thread starter BigSoxFan
- Start date
Heat Culture is about staying on that grind, overestimating your conference rivals, never giving an inch.
They're going to pass the Suns and avoid the play-in. If we're lucky maybe they don't get to six seed. Unreal.
Phoenix has got a killer closing schedule (9 of their remaining 10 games are against the top 7 in the west, and the other game is against the Cavs) but the Lakers are still 3 behind Dallas for the 6 seed, who've won 9 of their last 10. There's unfortunately a good chance that the Lakers move out of the actual do or die play in game, but that's likely it (playoffstatus.com gives them a 47% chance of finishing 9th or 10th, and just a 4% chance of finishing 6th or higher).
I don't think either of those guys would sniff the top 10. Probably not even top 30
I might say it a bit differently: over 82 game regular season, Luka might well be towards the bottom 10...because he takes a TON of plays off. But when he tries, he's still bad but nowhere near that level, and there's bigger profiles he can actually defend ok. So in terms of last 5 minutes/playoffs he's not close to the bottom.
The 'true' bottom 10 in my mind are guys who simply can never credibly defend anyone even if they are trying - our Isaiah, guys like that.
The 'true' bottom 10 in my mind are guys who simply can never credibly defend anyone even if they are trying - our Isaiah, guys like that.
Pat Bev getting wrist surgery, out 3-4 months. Milwaukee's perimeter defense just got worse
https://hoopshype.com/2024/03/27/patrick-beverley-to-undergo-surgery-on-injured-wrist/
https://hoopshype.com/2024/03/27/patrick-beverley-to-undergo-surgery-on-injured-wrist/
He's only playing 19 minutes a game for the Bucks, but it means they don't really have anyone to throw out there who can make life unpleasant on the perimeter. Time to get to the rim and hope enough 3s keep falling....
You weren't impressed by the way Lillard and Beasley expertly executed the switch last night on the Austin Reaves dagger?
I guess if that means more run for Andre Jackson Junior the defensive impact is muted (offensive impact is real)...and otherwise, yikes is the perimeter defense bad
I like AJax but Doc has played him ~15 minutes since the All-Star break.
I'm guessing Rivers will rotate Dame, Connaugton, and Beasley (with Green sprinkled in) in the backcourt for the playoffs.
That's what he did last night without PatBev
Maybe the answer is more Gallinari
Yeah, that's what i mean---Doc likes his vets. But wtihout Beverly, he's got fewer of them to choose from.
You may be right about his options...and man, is that D shaky.
You may be right about his options...and man, is that D shaky.
The Bucks have the best record in the NBA over the past 5 years. Seems pretty good or not particularly overrated
I'd argue they're overrated precisely because of their regular season success.
(I'm in the camp of "I need the Celtics to prove it in the playoffs before I go too crazy over their net rating", so I don't think this is particularly inconsistent.)
Agreed. For all their regular season success, they have the same number of playoff series wins as Boston and Miami (8 each) over that same period.
Every title team gets a lucky break at some point, and the Bucks had more than their fair share in the EC playoffs in 2021. And the fact that Dame is portrayed as an assassin in the playoffs despite having the same number of wins beyond the 2nd round as noted playoff disaster Joel Embiid which really annoy me, if I cared about Embiid.
If Kyrie and Harden (or honestly, just one of them) are healthy, Giannis would have 2 (!) lifetime wins beyond the second round. Tatum has 14, and is 3 years younger. Heck, add the title run and Giannis still has only won 10 games past the 2nd round. This despite Giannis having been on the better regular season team for most of that period.
I don't need to asterisk the 2021 title in order to say that it doesn't tell me much about Giannis' playoff abilities going forward.
I have a question from last night I'm sure the assorted brainpower here knows the answer to:
So LeBron sat out last night for injury maintenance, he even said before the game he planned to play tonight. I know it would never actually happen, but if he had decided late in the 4th: "OK, if this goes to OT, I am going to go in", is there any rule against that? He was one of the 12 names in the box score with a 'DNP-Left Ankle', so I don't think he was officially inactive.
So LeBron sat out last night for injury maintenance, he even said before the game he planned to play tonight. I know it would never actually happen, but if he had decided late in the 4th: "OK, if this goes to OT, I am going to go in", is there any rule against that? He was one of the 12 names in the box score with a 'DNP-Left Ankle', so I don't think he was officially inactive.
4 minutes into the game and Draymond Green gets ejected.
Bumps the official for T #1 then runs his mouth for 5 minutes to get his 2nd T.
Its Draymond's World, and the Warriors live in it.
Orlando's large frontline shouldn't be a problem.
Plus Golden State built a huge lead on Houston and is assured of playoff security
Bumps the official for T #1 then runs his mouth for 5 minutes to get his 2nd T.
Its Draymond's World, and the Warriors live in it.
Orlando's large frontline shouldn't be a problem.
Plus Golden State built a huge lead on Houston and is assured of playoff security
If he's a DNP, not a Did Not Dress or Inactive, and he was sitting there in his uniform, then I think he's technically active for the game, and can be inserted. In other words, I think "DNP-Left Ankle" is descriptive of what did happen, not prescriptive about what can / cannot happen in the game.
According to the NBA's Official Rules, the starting lineups have to be reported 30 minutes before the game, but that's just for media purposes. According to the League Bylaws, only players on the Active List are allowed to play in a game, and you need either 12 or 13 (sometimes briefly 11) players on the Active List, so the others are usually designated Inactive before the start of the game.
However, according to the official box score for the game, Lebron was listed as "Did Not Dress - Injury / Illness". The Lakers had 9 players who played minutes, 2 who were DNP-CD, and Lebron, with that designation. So whether he was officially the 12th Active player for the game, or whether they did the short-term 11 Active Players thing, I guess is something reasonable people could argue over. However, there is a separate Inactive Players list at the bottom of that box score, listing 6 Lakers (and 3 Bucks), and Lebron is not among them. So my guess is, if he was wearing his uniform (And I don't know if he was), he was technically Active, and could have taken the floor last night, and "DND" is an inaccurate description for him.
Maybe he could've gone and changed in the locker room, then. If he wasn't among the Inactives for the game, he was technically eligible to take the court.
Thanks! I’m sure warming up is a long process but I couldn’t stop thinking about that possibility late in that one.
Funniest part was he was arguing about a foul call that was called on Wiggins, he wasn't even involved in the play.4 minutes into the game and Draymond Green gets ejected.
Bumps the official for T #1 then runs his mouth for 5 minutes to get his 2nd T.
Its Draymond's World, and the Warriors live in it.
Orlando's large frontline shouldn't be a problem.
Plus Golden State built a huge lead on Houston and is assured of playoff security
I believe anyone who is active for the game could check in (subject to uniform requirements, of course!)
There is a separate question of whether the team might be fined for reporting the player in a way that proved inaccurate.
So, if it was quadruple overtime and Lebron ultimatley checked in and limped around on the court, guessing that's nothing...but if it's two minutes into game and he checks in fully healthy and plays 40 min, that likely costs the team some money. And Johntay Porter likely lost his prop bet on that too.
There is a separate question of whether the team might be fined for reporting the player in a way that proved inaccurate.
So, if it was quadruple overtime and Lebron ultimatley checked in and limped around on the court, guessing that's nothing...but if it's two minutes into game and he checks in fully healthy and plays 40 min, that likely costs the team some money. And Johntay Porter likely lost his prop bet on that too.
Steph no doubt realizes both how important Draymond is to the Warriors and how unhinged he clearly is at this point.
why would the league have something to say about Lebron playing 40 minutes in a game? Just because he wasn't listed as a starter? Their concern is with stars appearing on TV for nationally televised games. Lebron would have done so. If teams want to do some starter-substitute shenanigans, and they don't run afoul of the player resting policy, I can't imagine the league would get worked up about it.
Frankly I bet they'd welcome having the storyline, especially in this part of the season.
In a scenario where he's listed as out for an injury, which was I believe was the hypothetical, they'd worry about the misrepresentation if he then played 40 minutes. That has both competitive and betting implications, each of which the league cares about (though to different degrees).
If you don't think they care, then they wouldn't bother to ask teams to list who was out and why, would they?
That's a surprising one for me at least. I mean he isn't just a spot up player but who knew he had those hops?
Just turned on Cavs-Hornets (Hornets starting the 4th up by 4) only to see Grant Williams immediately get called for an offensive foul. His teammates don't even look at him.
edit: and now he's called for a flopping tech! Who knew that was even a thing!
edit2: and now misses a layup at the rim
edit3: and now having to make some big clutch free throws late in a game against the Cavs, any guess how those went?
Good thing his contract's guaranteed!
edit: and now he's called for a flopping tech! Who knew that was even a thing!
edit2: and now misses a layup at the rim
edit3: and now having to make some big clutch free throws late in a game against the Cavs, any guess how those went?
Good thing his contract's guaranteed!
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Yeah I just happened to see a comedy of errors all at once, I think. They said at some point this quarter he was 6 of 8 from the field, which is pretty good given his shot distribution, and he made a couple of nice drives including finishing over Jarrett Allen. I really do wish him well, and was mostly there to root for him (and against Max Strus).
The clutch free throws though... 2 of 4. Some serious 'Nam flashbacks for me there. They've iced it now, though, so nobody will remember. And pretty good atmosphere there in Charlotte, for a team that just got its 18th win in 72 tries.
Back over to Sixers-Clippers, the James Harden Grudge Game. And then it's probably Wemby o'clock.
The Warriors somehow survived both Draymond being tossed 4 minutes in and Steph continuing to slump (6-18 from the field). Everyone win is precious to them at this point, but they'll need Curry to snap out of this soon. Averaging just 22 ppg with a .545 TS% since the ASB (was 28 ppg and .636 TS% before the break).
Teasing Grant is all in good fun. He gave the Celtic's plenty as a late first on a rookie deal.
They aren’t bad, per se, they’re just going to lose to the Knicks in the 2nd round.
Oh I was more than fine with Grant leaving lol, I just was expecting a horrible box score when I checked.
This is why players don’t penetrate for last second shots. That is a whistle at any point during the first 47:30 of the game.
14-12 since Doc took over. On pace to win 6 fewer games than last year, that's with Giannis mostly healthy (he's already played 4 more games than all of last season, with 10 left) and with them outplaying their point differential by several games (though that may not be a coincidence, given how good their closers are). Their offensive ceiling is still near the very top of the league (especially late game) and they're roster is filled with vets who've gone deep into the playoffs, but their only hope on defense is that all opponents just miss wide open perimeter shots.
There's like nobody at the game in Utah. Seats look <20% full. Is it some sort of holiday for the Mormons? Polygamous Easter or some shit?
