That would end it.Suns up 23 against OKC at the half.
Fultz, Ball, Tatum or Jackson, welcome to Boston!Suns win! That clinches the #1 lottery seed.
He's been awesome this year; 26.5-5-6 with good shooting percentages and he didn't make the all-star team and won't make All-NBA; just a crazy good year for guards.Damian Lilliard has 45 points after 3 as the Blazers lead the Jazz 77-60.
Finishes with 59. No turnovers.Damian Lilliard has 45 points after 3 as the Blazers lead the Jazz 77-60.
Scoreless in six minutes in the second quarter, also the only time he sat all game, so 59 in the other 36 minutes.Finishes with 59. No turnovers.
I just can't see leaving Butler out of there. He'd be ahead of both Giannis and George for me, or Wall if you want him at guard. But agreed, tough choices.All NBA is super hard to figure out this year. Good to hear some media guys talking about how serious they are taking it, considering the amount of money it means to players like George and Hayward.
Can't figure out a way to squeeze all the deserving players in. Davis as 1st team center helps a bit, for then you can put Gobert and Cousins as 2nd and 3rd. Leaving Durant off seems foolish, but I am wondering if the 60 games played is gonna be enough. If he is on, and he should be, that means one of Butler or George needs to be left off. Or if you put Butler at guard, it means one of Thomas or Wall need to be left off.
Harden, Westbrook, Kawhi, Lebron, Davis
Curry, Paul, Durant, Giannis, Gobert
Thomas, Wall, George, Green, Cousins
Ugh
24.9 PPG and 12.1 boards with a 57.1 EFG% and 1.3 blocks per game. He is within the top 15 of all three categories and yet you are right - he doesn't even rate for All NBA. Insane...The amount of talent in the NBA might be at an all time high. Towns stats are unbelievable and he won't sniff an All NBA team.
Yea, I think there is almost zero chance. With George's amazing finish, and Durant making his way back before the end of the season, there really isn't any room on it for him.So, there's virtually no chance Hayward makes any of the all-NBA teams, which is good for us since it reduces Utah's financial advantage over us in FA, right?
Arguably not even in the top 3 for Centers 24 and under with Davis, Jokic, Embiid, and maybe even Gobert. Even the 2nd tier of young centers is stacked with guys like Myles Turner and Josef Nurkic. Then you have Hernangomez, WCS, Zubac and the like showing flashes with the playing time they have gotten. This is the best group of centers we've had since the late 80s and early 90's with Shaq, Mourning, Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Parrish, Smits and the like. Towns has stepped it up a notch since the LaVine injury. They are 12-17 since, but 15-17 for the season without LaVine. Compared to 16-31 with him.24.9 PPG and 12.1 boards with a 57.1 EFG% and 1.3 blocks per game. He is within the top 15 of all three categories and yet you are right - he doesn't even rate for All NBA. Insane...
Paul George has been really good all year minus a terrible February. His especially strong finish makes me wonder why people think he's damaged goods. He's now shooting a career high from the field and FT line while posting his 2nd best 3 point shooting season to date. Granted, he was really, really bad in February.Yea, I think there is almost zero chance. With George's amazing finish, and Durant making his way back before the end of the season, there really isn't any room on it for him.
Still a chance that George doesn't make it. If Davis is considered a forward on enought ballots, there is a chance that he sneaks onto 2nd team as a forward, putting Gobert as 1st team center.
I can't believe he made that shot. Wow.lololol
Russ eliminates the Nuggets, puts the Blazers in the playoffs, and wraps up the MVP (if it wasn't wrapped up already) with one shot.
Two games back with two to play, and the Blazers own the tiebreak.Why are nugs eliminated?? Only a game behind blazers and they have 3 to play and Portland has 2?
Ahhh gotcha thanks. ESPN app must not have updated.Two games back with two to play, and the Blazers own the tiebreak.
Haha. First one is a straw man you invented. I'd agree with the second — if the criteria for "all NBA" is "best players at helping their team win." It's no shame to be worse at basketball than Chris Paul and Steph Curry, who are arguably the two best small guys ever to play the game.But he doesn't help his team win games!! He's third team all-NBA at best!!!! He doesn't play for a contender!!!
Do you think Chris Paul has had a better season than Westbrook? I already know you think Curry did.Haha. First one is a straw man you invented. I'd agree with the second — if the criteria for "all NBA" is "best players at helping their team win." It's no shame to be worse at basketball than Chris Paul and Steph Curry, who are arguably the two best small guys ever to play the game.
As for the third, I mean, he doesn't play for a contender. I'm cool with that not being one's overriding criterion for MVP, but I think it's at least worth noting.
So, I guess the Cavs just decided to "turn it on" for one game.I can't believe the Hawks came back to win. Cavs totally came apart in the 4th
I agree. I would buy the "flip the switch" argument more if Kyrie and LeBron were resting a lot or playing under 30 minutes a game frequently. Cleveland has struggled and LeBron and Kyrie are bringing their A games. Tonight Kyrie scored 45 and LeBron had a monster triple-double and it still wasn't enough. Cleveland is in a position where LeBron can have a ridiculous game and they can still beaten. They are the favorites but this is maybe the weakest LeBron team since before he left Miami.So, I guess the Cavs just decided to "turn it on" for one game.
They can be had, and that's why I was disappointed the other night.
No, but that's largely because he only played 60 games. I think I made it pretty clear in my post that my criteria for all NBA first team / second team / third team is a little different from my criteria for MVP: not so much "who had the best season?" as "who's the best player at their position at this point in history?" ("a dispassionate snapshot for posterity of the actual best players at each position in a given year").Do you think Chris Paul has had a better season than Westbrook?
I would love to be on this train but I just can't see it, even with Cleveland struggling a little bit. I think the Celtics are more likely to get swept by Cleveland than to win a series.Two things - first, that Westbrook shot was amazing. He is getting the MVP regardless of the arguments in favor of Harden's efficiency or Kawhi's two way prowess or LeBron being the best player on the face of the planet.
Regarding the Cavs/Cs game last week, I will simply say that you cannot read too much into one NBA game. I realize I am in a very tiny minority but I think under the right circumstances, the C's can still steal a series from Cleveland. It won't be easy - no playoff series will be easy for Boston - but they can take a closely contested set of games if their defense shows up and they get enough points out of the other guys not named Thomas. The coaching also favors Boston. Again, I realize that I am probably the last person on this board who believes this so all grief aimed here will be accepted without tears.
No argument on either count. I think the other three are pretty much disqualified at this point:Two things - first, that Westbrook shot was amazing. He is getting the MVP regardless of the arguments in favor of Harden's efficiency or Kawhi's two way prowess or LeBron being the best player on the face of the planet.