2023-2024 General NBA Season Thread

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

When Eddie was recounting his conversation with Ayton on the broadcast last night, he was talking about how Ayton was all excited to do his thing in Portland, not be the third banana, etc., and it was just nonsensical. He plays basically the same amount of minutes, shoots less (and worse), has the same amount of rebounds, assists, blocks, etc., and gets to the line less. Essentially, the exact same guy, except now his team is abysmal, where previously he was on a contender basically every year of his career.

Sounds like a dude who likes that the pressure is off and no one is watching and he can just go out and do some paycheck collecting. Glad he's not on my team. Yikes.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Well he did have 22/15 in 33 minutes. Maybe it's his teammates not getting him the ball because there's no doubt he's an efficient scorer.

No blocks though, maybe he's not the force on defense he needs to be.

One of Ayton’s biggest flaws offensively was not demanding the ball. By that I mean he was never one to aggressively fight for position to receive a pass in scoring position once the primary set broke down. He has always been more likely to sit back and watch dribble penetration. He was this way in college too.

 

[benhogan]

One of Ayton’s biggest flaws offensively was not demanding the ball. By that I mean he was never one to aggressively fight for position to receive a pass in scoring position once the primary set broke down. He has always been more likely to sit back and watch dribble penetration. He was this way in college too.

Like Tom said above, Ayton is a high-level check casher. They're probably more of those guys in Pro Sports than folks like to admit. Gilbert Arenas loves talking about his massive pay daze on his pod, but is short on playoff success stories.

PHX gets similar production from Nurkic at half the cost with twice the effort

 

[greek_gawd_of_walks]

Neither Philly nor NYK have been able to break the 100 point mark in their five quarters of head-to-head, back-to-back play

 

[greek_gawd_of_walks]

Dbl

 

[EvilEmpire]

Welcome back OG.

 

[ElUno20]

Clipps seasons always end in new shitty ways.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Clipps seasons always end in new shitty ways.

Did someone get hurt? Missed the first half watching the other game.

Edit: TNT reported about the Leonard injury. Its not a season ender though or at least not yet.

 

[jon abbey]

Welcome back OG.

NY played PHI twice this year with OG playing, the first with Embiid (and Randle) too. The average score of those two was 117-86 NY, +63 point differential.

 

[jon abbey]

Celtics have the best point differential in the league by far, then the next five are all in the Western Conference. CLE/NY are tied for 2nd in the East and 7th in the league, I would love to see the playoffs seeded 1-16.

 

[timelysarcasm]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shamelessly stat padding with 14 seconds left in a loss to the Pacers.

Terrible look after his self-aggrandizing about consistency.

 

[lovegtm]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shamelessly stat padding with 14 seconds left in a loss to the Pacers.

Terrible look after his self-aggrandizing about consistency.

He understands what being an MVP is all about.

 

[tims4wins]

Bucks with bookend 35 point losses on their 4 game road trip.

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

Since the trade, the Knicks are 13-2 with OG. 8-10 without him.

+280 with him on the court, -70 with him off it.

 

[tims4wins]

Josh Hart's 40 minute streak finally came to an end last night. He only played 39 despite the 27 point win - good thing there was garbage time! With a 20-19-10 triple double.

 

[benhogan]

NY played PHI twice this year with OG playing, the first with Embiid (and Randle) too. The average score of those two was 117-86 NY, +63 point differential.

OG was a heist, while retaining plenty of draft capital/trade assets

Not sure the Knicks were excited about paying Quickly & every NYK fan I know was off RJ Barrett

It's been said a few times BUT the Knicks have made a bunch of really good signings, trades, & draft picks over the last few seasons.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Bucks with bookend 35 point losses on their 4 game road trip.

These two games will skew their numbers that would otherwise show more clearly how this team has turned around since Doc got there a loss is a loss,….and that even includes those first handful of games when half of the rotation was out.

 

[tims4wins]

These two games will skew their numbers that would otherwise show more clearly how this team has turned around since Doc got there a loss is a loss,….and that even includes those first handful of games when half of the rotation was out.

Neither game was a B2B and Dame/Giannis played in both.

If the Celts lost 2 games out of 4 by 35 under those circumstances, I can't even begin to imagine the level of panic around here.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Bucks with bookend 35 point losses on their 4 game road trip.

To fairly mediocre Warriors and Kings teams (without Middleton, but still).

 

[Euclis20]

To fairly mediocre Warriors and Kings teams (without Middleton, but still).

"without Middleton" is the default position now, especially because what it really means is "without 2018-2022 borderline all-star Middleton." Since the start of last year, he's missed 72 games and is averaging just 14.9 ppg with a .572 TS% and below average wing defense. If they're stuck waiting for the guy that was closing games for them during their title run, they might as well pack it in now.

 

[ElUno20]

Did someone get hurt? Missed the first half watching the other game.

Edit: TNT reported about the Leonard injury. Its not a season ender though or at least not yet.

Worse. It's back issues. He left the arena because he couldn't even sit on the bench. And after the game, harden spills the beans on his own shoulder and back issues.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Bucks are 17-17 away from home. Go .500 on the road is what they do.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Since the trade, the Knicks are 13-2 with OG. 8-10 without him.

+280 with him on the court, -70 with him off it.

His injury also overlapped with Randle's, so that's an important factor.

 

[Euclis20]

Since the trade, the Knicks are 13-2 with OG. 8-10 without him.

+280 with him on the court, -70 with him off it.

Wouldn't be the first time a player of that caliber (all-defense but not quite all-star level) completely turned around a team's fortunes:

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Neither game was a B2B and Dame/Giannis played in both.

If the Celts lost 2 games out of 4 by 35 under those circumstances, I can't even begin to imagine the level of panic around here.

They still rate among the better Off and Def teams since Doc got there even with the two no-shows and the first couple games. I tend to write those 20+ losses off, especially on the final game of a road trip, unless they obv become common.

 

[tims4wins]

They still rate among the better Off and Def teams since Doc got there even with the two no-shows and the first couple games. I tend to write those 20+ losses off, especially on the final game of a road trip, unless they obv become common.

They had 1 20+ point loss in 44 games pre-Doc and 4 20+ point losses post-Doc.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

They had 1 20+ point loss in 44 games pre-Doc and 4 20+ point losses post-Doc.

Context matters. The first two were just after he first arrived in the middle of their road trip with half the lineup out….and yet their numbers are STILL near the top of the league even with these baked in.

 

[tims4wins]

Context matters. The first two were just after he first arrived in the middle of their road trip with half the lineup out….and yet their numbers are STILL near the top of the league even with these baked in.

They were +4.3 net in their first 46 (32-14) and are +0.8 in their 20 (10-10) under Doc?

And no, the first one was a home game in his 6th game as coach. The 2nd one was also a home game.


Edit: I love you HRB and I trust you nearly implicitly, I'm just trying to understand what you are seeing / saying when you talk about them being near the top of the league, and saying context matters citing road games but the games I was referring to were home games.

 

[lovegtm]

I can buy citing eye test & context as reasons to like what Doc has done in Milwaukee, and I probably even lean myself towards "something is better there now, particularly on D."

That said, as @tims4wins notes, the numbers are worse no matter how you slice them.

 

[tims4wins]

I can buy citing eye test & context as reasons to like what Doc has done in Milwaukee, and I probably even lean myself towards "something is better there now, particularly on D."

That said, as @tims4wins notes, the numbers are worse no matter how you slice them.

They're much better on D. Pre Doc the margin was like 124.4-120.1. Now it is like 111.6-110.8.

 

[tims4wins]

Miami in their Heat Culture jerseys against Denver, you can chalk up the L.

 

[slamminsammya]

Miami in their Heat Culture jerseys against Denver, you can chalk up the L.

this has been the most egregious instance of sniffing your own farts in sports since Kobe named himself black mamba

 

[InstaFace]

they're up by 6 at half, let's remember Winston Wolf's words of caution.

 

[128]

Jesus, the crowd in Miami is absolutely embarrassing.

 

[Euclis20]

Jesus, the crowd in Miami is absolutely embarrassing.

Evergreen post.

Denver is now 37-13 with Murray (over a full season, that's a 60-61 win pace). I can't really fault anyone that picks a healthy Nuggets team over the Celtics.

 

[Justthetippett]

Miami in their Heat Culture jerseys against Denver, you can chalk up the L.

I also never realized that they put it on the center circle. Particularly lame.

 

[Just a bit outside]

Crazy game in Indy. Siakam with a sick chase down block with 5 seconds left. Indy goes up 3. Indy fouls Derozan on purpose with 3 seconds left. He makes the first. Misses the second on purpose and Indy knocks it out of bounds. Derozan then hits a baseline turnaround to tie it and send it to OT.

 

[JCizzle]

Miami in their Heat Culture jerseys against Denver, you can chalk up the L.

It's a beautiful thing. FUCK the Heat. If only the Big Bad Bruins moniker led to the NHL treating the team with kid gloves by letting them play with a different standard.

Evergreen post.

Denver is now 37-13 with Murray (over a full season, that's a 60-61 win pace). I can't really fault anyone that picks a healthy Nuggets team over the Celtics.

Yeah, I want no part of Jokic as the best player in the world.

 

[Buster Olney the Lonely]

Crazy game in Indy. Siakam with a sick chase down block with 5 seconds left. Indy goes up 3. Indy fouls Derozan on purpose with 3 seconds left. He makes the first. Misses the second on purpose and Indy knocks it out of bounds. Derozan then hits a baseline turnaround to tie it and send it to OT.

On the block, Siakam fell on top of Coby White, whose leg bent back in a weird direction. White left to the locker room.

 

[Buster Olney the Lonely]

Siakam was backing up and stepped on the right leg of Caruso who was lying on the court.

Bulls win in OT. Exciting finish.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

They were +4.3 net in their first 46 (32-14) and are +0.8 in their 20 (10-10) under Doc?

And no, the first one was a home game in his 6th game as coach. The 2nd one was also a home game.


Edit: I love you HRB and I trust you nearly implicitly, I'm just trying to understand what you are seeing / saying when you talk about them being near the top of the league, and saying context matters citing road games but the games I was referring to were home games.

Love you too bro. Prior to the last two games the Bucks were Top-6 on both Off and Def Rating under Doc. Doc is running more pick n roll w Giannia and Lillard than they ever were under Griffin leading to their improved offense.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Hachimura and Reaves 9-11 from the field combining for 21 of Lakers 24 pts.

LeBron and AD 1-7.

What’s in the water in Sacramento tonight?

 

[chilidawg]

Hachimura and Reaves 9-11 from the field combining for 21 of Lakers 24 pts.

LeBron and AD 1-7.

What’s in the water in Sacramento tonight?

Very passive game from Lebron, not attacking the rim at all, just chucking and mostly missing 3's. Sabonis seems to like the matchup with Davis. Kings putting it to them in the 3rd.

 

[chilidawg]

Very passive game from Lebron, not attacking the rim at all, just chucking and mostly missing 3's. Sabonis seems to like the matchup with Davis. Kings putting it to them in the 3rd.

And of course Lebron responds with 2 monster dunks.

 

[Kliq]

All-NBA Sabonis cleaning out the Lakers.

 

[jmcc5400]

Let the beam be lit!

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Lakers and Dubs careening toward a #9 v #10 elimination game. The Port Cellar hates to see it.

 

[InstaFace]

Lakers and Dubs careening toward a #9 v #10 elimination game. The Port Cellar hates to see it.

The fun part is, I don't even know who the majority here would be rooting for in that game. I don't even know for myself! We'd have to have a live watchalong zoom with a 3-drink minimum or something.

 

[NYCSox]

Meteor. Root for the meteor.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

Kings season sweeping the Lakers is funny.