2021-2022 NBA Game Thread!

Euclis20

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Howard is a pretty brutal omission. He's a clown, never became the dominant offensive player he had the physical gifts to be and it seemed like his prime ended too soon (last all-star appearance at 28), but he was the best center in the league by age 22. He was the league's best defender, rebounder and center for 4-6 years and was good enough to lead a team to the finals when the second best player was either Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu or Jameer Nelson (3 guys with a combined 3 all-star appearances). He deserved to make it.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Howard is a pretty brutal omission. He's a clown, never became the dominant offensive player he had the physical gifts to be and it seemed like his prime ended too soon (last all-star appearance at 28), but he was the best center in the league by age 22. He was the league's best defender, rebounder and center for 4-6 years and was good enough to lead a team to the finals when the second best player was either Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu or Jameer Nelson (3 guys with a combined 3 all-star appearances). He deserved to make it.
Agreed. The vote was a popularity contest (you can see who voted - essentially a mix of players, coaches, execs and media). Maybe it was Howard's precipitous decline from such a dominant start to his career or perhaps it was something entirely different. He has had a hell of a run regardless.
 

Kliq

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I'm not that upset about Dwight, to me he is more of a borderline guy to me. JA Adande and Simmons had a good discussion about it, and the main guy they pointed out was Dennis Johnson, who has always been a pet favorite of Simmons. Johnson was arguably the best player on a championship team (the '79 Sonics) and then a key starter on two additional title teams. Hard to look at his resume and his reputation as an elite defender, his success as a player (played in six Finals) and think he shouldn't be in. I think someone like Pete Maravich, who is an iconic individual player but basically just scored a lot of points for a few seasons for teams that never won anything, should probably dropped in favor of DJ.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Someone’s going down 0-2 tonight. If it’s the Lakers their next game is vs Brooklyn. Hmmmm.
 

Devizier

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Absolutely hilarious that Dave Bing, Tiny Archibald, etc. make the list but Dwyane Wade does not. I guess Celtics fans aren't the only folks who don't like the guy.

Other notable exclusions: Dwight Howard (mentioned), Artis Gilmore, Adrian Dantley, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, etc.

Overall a massive anti-big bias, which is probably reflective of how the game is played now.
 

Kliq

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Absolutely hilarious that Dave Bing, Tiny Archibald, etc. make the list but Dwyane Wade does not. I guess Celtics fans aren't the only folks who don't like the guy.

Other notable exclusions: Dwight Howard (mentioned), Artis Gilmore, Adrian Dantley, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, etc.

Overall a massive anti-big bias, which is probably reflective of how the game is played now.
Wade is on the list. The other guys I don't think are huge snubs. Dwight yeah could have made the list; Gilmore suffers from the ABA probably not being considered for a lot of guys. Dantley, Carter and McGrady scored a lot of points but never won anything (that's Dave Bing too). Not sure about an anti-big bias though; feels like they were well-represented.
 

Kliq

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The one thing on the list I think was undervalued was team-success or people who won things. Guys that didn't put up the biggest numbers but where #2-#3 on multiple title winning teams. Joe Dumars, Parker/Ginobili, Pau Gasol, Dennis Johnson, Tommy Heinsohn, etc.
 

johnmd20

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Wade is on the list. The other guys I don't think are huge snubs. Dwight yeah could have made the list; Gilmore suffers from the ABA probably not being considered for a lot of guys. Dantley, Carter and McGrady scored a lot of points but never won anything (that's Dave Bing too). Not sure about an anti-big bias though; feels like they were well-represented.
Dwight should be on the list. He's a 5 time First Team All NBA. 3 time defensive player of the year.

The 5 first teams should get him on the list. But it's fair to say that Dwight comes with some baggage.
 

Tony C

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I also think there's recency bias. Dwight has been a solid reserve journeyman for a few years now, so that probably does more to make memories fuzzy than others. Maybe Howard is a bit like Bill Walton in that respect? Obviously all such comparisons are by definition quite general, as Walton had fewer elite years.
 

Devizier

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Wade is on the list. The other guys I don't think are huge snubs. Dwight yeah could have made the list; Gilmore suffers from the ABA probably not being considered for a lot of guys. Dantley, Carter and McGrady scored a lot of points but never won anything (that's Dave Bing too). Not sure about an anti-big bias though; feels like they were well-represented.
McGrady was the best player in the league during the Shaq-Lebron interregnum and remained an elite player even after injuries started taking their toll. If they’re going to have very short peak guys like Maravich and Archibald on the list, McGrady is way more deserving.

As for role players, Worthy is on the list! He was a great player but c’mon, ahead of Vince and McGrady, etc.
 

Kliq

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McGrady was the best player in the league during the Shaq-Lebron interregnum and remained an elite player even after injuries started taking their toll. If they’re going to have very short peak guys like Maravich and Archibald on the list, McGrady is way more deserving.

As for role players, Worthy is on the list! He was a great player but c’mon, ahead of Vince and McGrady, etc.
T-Mac and Carter never won anything. McGrady was a dynamic scorer and McGrady v Maravich is a real debate since they gave similar careers. Worthy obviously was in a beneficial situation going to LA but was far from a role player and deserved to be on the list. He was the second best player on some all time great teams.

If you think T-Mac was better than Tim Duncan...
 

Cellar-Door

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Maravich is pretty clearly in there for "influence" more than performance, and to balance out a weak era, his on-court performance is worse than a lot of guys on the snub list (basically all of them). Dwight Howard was pretty clearly a better player than Pete.
 

ElUno20

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Suns still excellent defensively combined with whatever the fuck the lakers are doing in the half court and we have ourselves a rock fight.

Booker feel free to show up and make this a runway
 

JCizzle

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Not only that, but Rondo was fake shooting a Laker fan? What the hell went down in this game lol

 

Cellar-Door

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Not only that, but Rondo was fake shooting a Laker fan? What the hell went down in this game lol

DOris losing it that the fan slapped Rondo's hand when he stuck it inches from the guy's face and pretended to shoot him is embarrasing.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Beyond Murray. Jokic is one the best passers the game and perhaps of all time however they need more outlets for him from outside. A guy like Fournier or Seth Curry would be lethal for them.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Hornet have a change of being really good this year if they stay healthy. Big if with Gordon.

Bridges looks great 3 games in. Him and Ball should be a very good pairing.

Mo Bamba will be fun to watch this year, rough shooting night tonight though.

Davion Mitchell is having a much better game 3.
 

Kliq

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The Celtics' next opponent, the Charlotte Hornets, are an interesting team. They are off to a great start, beating Indiana, Cleveland and Brooklyn and piling up a lot of points (119 ppg) in the process.

Charlotte is a weird team in that they have some notable, win-now veteran acquisitions (Hayward and Rozier being chief among them) but they are also still very young with the core of LaMelo, Miles Bridges and PJ Washington being 23 or younger. Charlotte has drafted very well in recent years; they nailed the LaMelo pick and also found good value outside the Top 10 with players like Bridges and Washington. They also have some intriguing players who are outside the core rotation (Kai Jones, James Bouknight, Vernon Carey Jr.) who may break out eventually.

I think you can see part of their vision in that with their main core, they can roll you 4-5 players who are either wings or have wing-like-length (Rozier) that can also shoot. With LaMelo and Hayward you have two guys who have great size and can operate as primarily ball-handlers, but also are excellent off-the-ball and can make quick passes/decisions that can set up teammates. Bridges is off to a torrid start, and shot 40% from three last season and has hit 30 points in his last two games. This is year four for him, but it might be a breakout year for him. LaMelo looks like a future All-NBA guy so far; my only concerns for him are that he doesn't get to the line and his defense can be lacking, but he's so young that all of that can improve in time.

They added some veterans in the off-season, most notably Kelly Oubre who could be a real fit if he can make threes consistently. They added Mason Plumlee, who I've always kind of liked as a big that can pass, rebound and protect the rim a bit. Ish Smith is a guy who randomly scores 20+ points against the Celtics. It's an interesting team and I'm intrigued in how they eventually fit into the East playoff picture.
 

128

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The Celtics' next opponent, the Charlotte Hornets, are an interesting team. They are off to a great start, beating Indiana, Cleveland and Brooklyn and piling up a lot of points (119 ppg) in the process.

Charlotte is a weird team in that they have some notable, win-now veteran acquisitions (Hayward and Rozier being chief among them) but they are also still very young with the core of LaMelo, Miles Bridges and PJ Washington being 23 or younger. Charlotte has drafted very well in recent years; they nailed the LaMelo pick and also found good value outside the Top 10 with players like Bridges and Washington. They also have some intriguing players who are outside the core rotation (Kai Jones, James Bouknight, Vernon Carey Jr.) who may break out eventually.

I think you can see part of their vision in that with their main core, they can roll you 4-5 players who are either wings or have wing-like-length (Rozier) that can also shoot. With LaMelo and Hayward you have two guys who have great size and can operate as primarily ball-handlers, but also are excellent off-the-ball and can make quick passes/decisions that can set up teammates. Bridges is off to a torrid start, and shot 40% from three last season and has hit 30 points in his last two games. This is year four for him, but it might be a breakout year for him. LaMelo looks like a future All-NBA guy so far; my only concerns for him are that he doesn't get to the line and his defense can be lacking, but he's so young that all of that can improve in time.

They added some veterans in the off-season, most notably Kelly Oubre who could be a real fit if he can make threes consistently. They added Mason Plumlee, who I've always kind of liked as a big that can pass, rebound and protect the rim a bit. Ish Smith is a guy who randomly scores 20+ points against the Celtics. It's an interesting team and I'm intrigued in how they eventually fit into the East playoff picture.
Ish is now a Hornet? We're doomed.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Pretty sure they've been doing it all year. They have Love as one of the first guys off the bench too. And Rubio. It's interesting.
I like this team. People are talking like Mobley and Lauri are pure 5’s bc they are 7-feet. Mobley is a pure 4 imo who projects as a plus 3-pt shooter, Lauri is a natural 4 with perimeter skills of a 3. It’s not surprising to me at all that this is working out. Garland is a future All-Star and Sexton is finally playing on a functional team. Rubio, Love and Okoro give them super strong depth. Did I mention that I like this team?
 

Buster Olney the Lonely

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Pretty sure they've been doing it all year. They have Love as one of the first guys off the bench too. And Rubio. It's interesting.
I like this team. People are talking like Mobley and Lauri are pure 5’s bc they are 7-feet. Mobley is a pure 4 imo who projects as a plus 3-pt shooter, Lauri is a natural 4 with perimeter skills of a 3. It’s not surprising to me at all that this is working out. Garland is a future All-Star and Sexton is finally playing on a functional team. Rubio, Love and Okoro give them super strong depth. Did I mention that I like this team?
It is interesting. I was flipping around and locked into this game in the third quarter. I guess if they run into a quicker 3 they sub in Okoro for Lauri? Seems like that's a rough matchup for him.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Blazers v Clippers tonight with the increasingly rare battle of a player on each team with male pattern baldness.
I specifically remember a Clipper game about 20 years ago when Eric Piatkowski was on a break out, took the long pass, and was hard fouled and wrapped by John Crotty as two balding whites guys showed sportsmanship to each other. What a moment in NBA history.
 

HomeRunBaker

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It is interesting. I was flipping around and locked into this game in the third quarter. I guess if they run into a quicker 3 they sub in Okoro for Lauri? Seems like that's a rough matchup for him.
Yeah it’s not ideal but that team was criticized in the offseason in one of these threads when I was defending their roster moves. Allen is the perfect complement to Mobley. That team has a ton of talent to build around.
 

Tony C

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I think there were (and are) some legit question about who will handle the great wings in the league -- Kawhi types -- but I think that was more in re signing Lauri who seen as more of a 4 than a 3. Wasn't Mobley pretty much seen as a no-brainer at #3 in the draft? I don't recall criticism (interesting that a real chance the best long-term player will be drafted at #3 for two years running.) But I'm a big Garland fan and you're right there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. After this year Love's contract is down to being owed just $30 million; with an interesting young core there might be some chances to make some moves.
 

ernieshore

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I specifically remember a Clipper game about 20 years ago when Eric Piatkowski was on a break out, took the long pass, and was hard fouled and wrapped by John Crotty as two balding whites guys showed sportsmanship to each other. What a moment in NBA history.
That’s hilarious. You really don’t see it much anymore. It makes me happy to see these guys still sporting the balding hairline. European soccer in the 90s also had some great male pattern bald players. Lombardo was my favorite.

I guess soccer and basketball are the two sports without headwear where you can really see it.
 

128

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I specifically remember a Clipper game about 20 years ago when Eric Piatkowski was on a break out, took the long pass, and was hard fouled and wrapped by John Crotty as two balding whites guys showed sportsmanship to each other. What a moment in NBA history.
You sure it was Crotty? I've talked to him recently, and, unlike me, he has a full head of hair.

45846
 

HomeRunBaker

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You sure it was Crotty? I've talked to him recently, and, unlike me, he has a full head of hair.

View attachment 45846
100% certain it was Crotty. I forget if he was more “parted on the side” or had the full PP look (Pure Piatkowski) but he’s much more even in this recent pic. Back then he wasn’t.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I like this team. People are talking like Mobley and Lauri are pure 5’s bc they are 7-feet. Mobley is a pure 4 imo who projects as a plus 3-pt shooter, Lauri is a natural 4 with perimeter skills of a 3. It’s not surprising to me at all that this is working out. Garland is a future All-Star and Sexton is finally playing on a functional team. Rubio, Love and Okoro give them super strong depth. Did I mention that I like this team?
Did you take the over in wins? I mentioned in another thread that Rubio thinks that the 3 big lineup with him and another guard is the best defensive team he's ever played on.

I think Lauri will be good enough on defense with Allen snd Mobley behind him. Agree that CLE will be much better this year; I think cetainly challenge for play-in game and maybe more if they stay healthy.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Did you take the over in wins? I mentioned in another thread that Rubio thinks that the 3 big lineup with him and another guard is the best defensive team he's ever played on.

I think Lauri will be good enough on defense with Allen snd Mobley behind him. Agree that CLE will be much better this year; I think cetainly challenge for play-in game and maybe more if they stay healthy.
No, I liked too many Totals and would have spread myself way too thin so only player Utah Over and Phoenix Under strrong. My next tier is also off to a great start I think I had Chicago O, Lakers U, Cleveland O, Memphis O and Portland U from recollection (I’m at airport and don’t have it with me). The big one I’m kicking myself for right now are the Bulls as I loved loved loved their offseason moves that I posted on this summer but I hated hated hated that their number was so much higher than even I had them at so I passed.
 

jmcc5400

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No, I liked too many Totals and would have spread myself way too thin so only player Utah Over and Phoenix Under strrong. My next tier is also off to a great start I think I had Chicago O, Lakers U, Cleveland O, Memphis O and Portland U from recollection (I’m at airport and don’t have it with me). The big one I’m kicking myself for right now are the Bulls as I loved loved loved their offseason moves that I posted on this summer but I hated hated hated that their number was so much higher than even I had them at so I passed.
Decent night for Lakers U so far.