2021-2022 NBA Game Thread!

McBride11

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Can Stewart play RB?

It was clearly intentional, Stewart doesn't his arm locked, LBJ eyed him up not the ball and swung hard.
 

shoelace

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Agreed on the “get off me” swing. In the heat of battle there isn’t time to think of where your hand/arm is landing, you are just swinging your arm out of their as violently as you can, and LeBron’s immediate reaction doesn’t indicate that he was looking to hit Stewart in the face.
This feels on brand from you. Weren't you arguing, years ago, that Draymond's blatant attempts to kick people in the nuts were just like natural athletic reactions? It's amazing how Draymond managed to suddenly control that stuff once he started getting suspended for it. That won't happen with LeBron, but I'm glad to see the consistency here.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Poole + Wiggins for Ben Simmons, who says no?

sorry can't help myself
Not even sure the Warriors would flip Wiggs for Simmons straight up, let alone throw in JP3.

On the season…

Poole 22.3 pts per 36 on .583 true shooting
Wiggs 23.3 pts per 36 on .594 true shooting

Even Draymond has suddenly found efficiency at his low volume (9.4 pts per 36 on .595 true shooting, 9.6 reb, 9.2 ast).

Warriors now have the #2 offense in the league, to go with their #1 defense. With Klay on schedule to return before Christmas. Everything old is new again…
 
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HomeRunBaker

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This feels on brand from you. Weren't you arguing, years ago, that Draymond's blatant attempts to kick people in the nuts were just like natural athletic reactions? It's amazing how Draymond managed to suddenly control that stuff once he started getting suspended for it. That won't happen with LeBron, but I'm glad to see the consistency here.
Yes it’s amazing how slo-motion replay cannot capture instinctual heat of the moment reactions.
 

Tony C

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Yeah, I don't know how anyone can pronounce on intent one way or the other. A freeze frame of a guy looking at another guy gives the impression of intent, but these things happen so quick pretty silly to think one can know.

Good job by Detroit fans to not get carried away -- Stewart was really out of control.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Yes it’s amazing how slo-motion replay cannot capture instinctual heat of the moment reactions.
That's fair, though you are guessing at intent every bit as much as others are so saying it is an "instinctual heat of the moment reaction" and not intentional is also just speculation.
 

Cellar-Door

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I think you can very easily gauge intent there. LeBron intended to drive his fist into another player... any reading of that play as anything else is delusional. If we want to argue about where he intended to hit him... maybe, but arguing he hit him by accident is not supported by that video at any pace.
 

benhogan

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I imagine it's been a frustrating season for Bron so far. Injuries/age rearing its head. Russ trade looks terrible/while the Wiz celebrate w/ Kuz/Trez/KCP.

It's been especially stressful over the last 3 days with Kanter comments, Celtic blowout and then Detroit leading by double digits up to that point.

How often do we see a balled fist and a forearm snap in a hoops game? Thats clearly a punch with intent to do damage to the kids face

NBA will provide coverage for their stars, as they always have.
 

chilidawg

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Russ was pretty bad the first half of last year and a force the second half. Lebron will play better, and the role players will benefit once the stars get rolling. Pains me to say it, but way too early to kick dirt on the Lakers.
 

GB5

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Aug 26, 2013
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There must have been something going on personally between Lebron and Stewart. The number of times that a younger player in this league has tried to get up in LeBron's business and prove themselves has to be in the many hundreds. Why did he pick this one time to deliver a face shot? This wasnt LeBron's first rodeo.

Either which way, he will get max protection from the league here. I dont know how he escapes a suspension, but it wouldnt stun me. Bron runs the league, and he is very very into his stats and accomplishments. I dont know if he has ever been tossed from a game before, but if he hasnt, I wouldnt be surprised if he hasnt. that he makes it known to the league that he can take a $50,000 fine but no suspension. They would do it for him. In the event he gets suspended, he will be further protected. They will wait few days, and if he needs to appeal, he will get whatever he needs so that...he doesnt miss marquee Christmas game, and two...he gets to serve his suspension three days later when the Pistons are in town so he doesnt have to deal with Stewart chasing him around the court looking to knock his head off. I cant see any way that Lebron plays in that game because the chances of Stewart getting him or one of his teammates exacting revenge is too much. Lebron rightfully doesnt want that smoke. that game has high odds for suspension/load management for Bron.

An interesting tid-bit from yesterdays game, regarding Lebron and his records. He has scored in double figures in 1024 consecutive games, which is just an insanely incredible statistic. It was threatened once, comically last year. Lebron went down hard with an injury early in a game, and rolled around on the floor for five minutes and then heroically "dragging" himself to the bench against all odds. He needed essentially a trauma unit team to carry him off the bench towards the tunnel. In the midst of this Broadway production one of Bron's minions came rushing over to talk to him. At the time of the injury Bron had 7 points. As soon as the minion got to him, Lourdes came down and magically gave Bron about 45 seconds of healing power. He ran back to the bench, checked himself in, buried a three to get to 10 points, and then immediately checked himself out, called the triage unit back and got the Mirabelli escort back to the locker room. Highest of high comedy.

The reason I mention this is, because a tthe time of his ejection yesterday he had....10 points. Streak alive..
 

bakahump

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"There, Some backup center no one has heard of will be calling me out anymore"
"But Bron.....it was Kanter in Boston....not Stewart in Detroit."
"What? .....ahhhh man!"
 

HomeRunBaker

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That's fair, though you are guessing at intent every bit as much as others are so saying it is an "instinctual heat of the moment reaction" and not intentional is also just speculation.
I’m not guessing I’m saying that it isn’t possible for there to be time for such an act to be intentional as in being planned.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I’m not guessing I’m saying that it isn’t possible for there to be time for such an act to be intentional as in being planned.
So, even if Lebron decided he was going to hit him before they stepped to the free throw line there wouldn't have been enough time to plan it? That is surely not so, of course.

To be clear, you are in fact just guessing....on both whether Lebron did it intentionally, and when he might have decided to do so.
 

djbayko

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I’m not guessing I’m saying that it isn’t possible for there to be time for such an act to be intentional as in being planned.
I'm really trying to sort through what you mean here. You truly don't think there was enough time for him to decide he was going to hit him? Such a decision can happen in an instant, just like any other move in basketball. It may have been a rash decision driven by lizard brain emotion, and he even may have instantly regretted doing it. But based on what we see in the video he clearly made the decision, and it wasn't just something that happened due to them getting tangled up.
 

Bleedred

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I’m not guessing I’m saying that it isn’t possible for there to be time for such an act to be intentional as in being planned.
You're confusing premeditated with intentional. I can buy that Lebron hadn't contemplated punching the guy in the face, but the punch that made contact was intentional.
 

nattysez

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PedroKsBambino

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I'm good with this. Stewart had about 5 different chances to calm down AND tried to run to the Lakers locker room after they finally got him off the court. Can't do that.
I agree. Optics of being the victim and getting more games is bad, but his suspension is for running around like a crazy person after and escalating the overall situation. As bad and intentional as Lebron's cheap shot was, what Stewart did after is a lot less common and more egregious. Unfortunate that Lebron media will spin that all differently.

As a side note: what Stewart got for that reaction is Lebron being thrown out and suspended at all, neither of which would have happened if he just quietly went about his business
 

Tony C

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I don't understand the argument that Stewart didn't deserve more games than LeBron. Stewart repeatedly tried to start a melee -- that's the sort of escalation that these penalties are precisely designed to punish (and to avert). A game for the elbow LeBron threw recklessly (leaving aside intent) seems right to me. 2 games for Stewart losing control and running around like a nut at a WWE match strikes me as a touch light, especially as Stewart now has a track record over his short career of losing control.
 

Sam Ray Not

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I don't understand the argument that Stewart didn't deserve more games than LeBron. Stewart repeatedly tried to start a melee -- that's the sort of escalation that these penalties are precisely designed to punish (and to avert). A game for the elbow LeBron threw recklessly (leaving aside intent) seems right to me. 2 games for Stewart losing control and running around like a nut at a WWE match strikes me as a touch light, especially as Stewart now has a track record over his short career of losing control.
It wasn’t just a “reckless” elbow — it was also a closed fist punch in the face. Side fist, so we’re not quite talking Kermit Washington, but how often do you see a closed fist blow to the head in basketball?
 

Fishy1

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It reminds me of the JR Smith hit on Crowder that left him with a concussion.
 

Kliq

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It wasn’t just a “reckless” elbow — it was also a closed fist punch in the face. Side fist, so we’re not quite talking Kermit Washington, but how often do you see a closed fist blow to the head in basketball?
You can't split guys open with a fist to the face. I don't really care that much for the length of a suspension, but its pretty rare to see someone bloodied up like that on a non-basketball play.
 

HomeRunBaker

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So, even if Lebron decided he was going to hit him before they stepped to the free throw line there wouldn't have been enough time to plan it? That is surely not so, of course.

To be clear, you are in fact just guessing....on both whether Lebron did it intentionally, and when he might have decided to do so.
Sure if you feel that after 19 years and over 50k minutes in the league that LeBron lined up for the FT and said, “I’m gonna get my arms tangled with this fool and punch him in the face” without any prior inclination of him making a move like this then yeah I suppose.
 

Smokey Joe

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You can't split guys open with a fist to the face. I don't really care that much for the length of a suspension, but its pretty rare to see someone bloodied up like that on a non-basketball play.
I am not clear what you are saying here, but if you are saying that you can’t open up some pretty good lacerations to the face with a fist, you are incorrect.
 

luckiestman

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I am not clear what you are saying here, but if you are saying that you can’t open up some pretty good lacerations to the face with a fist, you are incorrect.
The NBA cannot allow players to be punching people and cutting them up is how I read it.
 

Kliq

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I am not clear what you are saying here, but if you are saying that you can’t open up some pretty good lacerations to the face with a fist, you are incorrect.
I'm saying that players can't be allowed to do that, not that it's impossible.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Sure if you feel that after 19 years and over 50k minutes in the league that LeBron lined up for the FT and said, “I’m gonna get my arms tangled with this fool and punch him in the face” without any prior inclination of him making a move like this then yeah I suppose.
That's not what I said, of course. I used that example to show that your statement he couldn't have done it intentionally is asinine. Obviously, he could have and we just don't know whether he did.

If you want to argue he didn't have intent, that's ok---saying he couldn't have is ludicrous.
 

Auger34

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Yeah how crazy is it that you got a tech for running around (behind a wall of people by the way) throwing up the Fighting Irish pose trying to instigate a guy who was already seeing red? .
I’ve always been pretty neutral on Russ but his whole act last night (I call it an act because he only decided he was tough enough to fight after there were a ton of people between him and Stewart) and that press conference was the epitome of clown shit
 

Auger34

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Yeah, that was 100% a frustrated “get off me” swing. There’s reasonable doubt on the intent of hitting in the face vs. torso or something but there’s no doubt LeBron intended to make contact there.
100%. He was frustrated that a “nobody” like Stewart was boxing him out that hard after the shot and meant to throw him down.
I am 99.9% sure he didn’t mean to punch him because after the play was done you can tell that Bron realized he fucked with the wrong dude and tries to “apologize” right before all of the shit goes haywire
 

HomeRunBaker

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Chicago Bulls BRUTAL mid-November schedule finally caught up with them. Losing by 30 at home to the Pacers.

Bucks up 102-56….what?!?!?
 

Cesar Crespo

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I thought the Wolves would start winning this year but they struggled in the early going. They are on their way to 4 wins in a row if their lead holds tonight. They are up 15 with 10:30 to go on the road vs NO.

Everyone is also so focused on the Warriors hot start that the Suns hot start is getting overlooked. They could go to 14-3 tonight. Only a game back of the Warriors.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I thought the Wolves would start winning this year but they struggled in the early going. They are on their way to 4 wins in a row if their lead holds tonight. They are up 15 with 10:30 to go on the road vs NO.

Everyone is also so focused on the Warriors hot start that the Suns hot start is getting overlooked. They could go to 14-3 tonight. Only a game back of the Warriors.
I don’t know their official SOS numbers but the Suns have benefited by having a cupcake schedule thus far. They are 14-3 and haven’t played anyone who is more than one game above .500 with 4 of their wins against Spurs, Kings, and Pelicans.

Credit to them for taking care of business which isn’t something all teams do.
 
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