2017-18 NBA Regular Season Game/Observation Thread

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Punting on the season? Were my clippers title contenders and I didn't know about it? Everyone is punting until the warriors breakup.

To clarify, what I mean is if they trade Williams and Jordan they are punting on the *playoffs*. And I agree with you that they can still make the playoffs with the current roster plus Harris and Bradley. As currently constituted they actually may be a bit better than they were with just Griffin though I suspect others here may disagree.

Surely you have noted that I am on the Clippers bandwagon of late. I love me some Lou Will and I think the Clippers find of Tyrone Wallace in the G League was one of the steals of the NBA season. The guy is better than many established three and D players in the league and he was literally there for anyone to pick up.

 

[Devizier]

I'm sure the Clippers had buyers remorse... with Galinari. Not a terrific signing even at the time.

 

[ElUno20]

To clarify, what I mean is if they trade Williams and Jordan they are punting on the *playoffs*. And I agree with you that they can still make the playoffs with the current roster plus Harris and Bradley. As currently constituted they actually may be a bit better than they were with just Griffin though I suspect others here may disagree.

Surely you have noted that I am on the Clippers bandwagon of late. I love me some Lou Will and I think the Clippers find of Tyrone Wallace in the G League was one of the steals of the NBA season. The guy is better than many established three and D players in the league and he was literally there for anyone to pick up.

Gotcha. Agree. They're spinning this as they're still gunning for the playoffs. That's great cover if they can't find good offers between now and the 8th.

As for if they're better, right now I'd probably have to lean towards yes.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Utah is kicking the ever living shit out of the Warriors. Up by 21 with three and half minutes left in the third.

 

[benhogan]

Utah uni's are off the hook

Utah is kicking the ever living shit out of the Warriors. Up by 21 with three and half minutes left in the third.

they'll come back and win

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Utah uni's are off the hook

they'll come back and win

Those uniforms are something. And yeah, you might be right normally but Utah is well coached and a good team, playing at home. If anyone can do it beside the comeback Stevenses, its the Warriors.

 

[Sportsbstn]

Not tonight for the warriors.

 

[benhogan]

Not tonight for the warriors.

yep, starters pulled. Kerr calls a TO to scream at his bench guys for not running the play called.

OK, we're back in action. Utah, Kings, Pistons, Knicks with wins. Just need the Lakers to start losing again

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

yep, starters pulled. Kerr calls a TO to scream at his bench guys for not running the play called.

OK, we're back in action. Utah, Kings, Pistons, Knicks with wins. Just need the Lakers to start losing again

The Lakers are going to trade at least one of Clarkson and Randle. That will hurt their win total going forward.

 

[Apisith]

Harden with a 60 point triple double. Amazing.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Harden with a 60 point triple double. Amazing.

There is a part of me that wonders if he went for this to eclipse Curry's 49 point game on Saturday night given that performance gave Steph a boost in the MVP race. Your results may vary but I think many of these guys are following each other closely and feel the need to one-up each other.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Jazz destroy the full-strength, rested Warriors, 129-99. Rubio and Ingles absolutely own Curry and Durant, who were both garbage. Jazz win all four quarters, and shoot 50% from 3 to the Warriors 20%.

The SOTU address might have made want to gouge my eyes out less.

 

[Kliq]

Damn I skip paying attention to the NBA for one night and look what happens.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Harden's 60 point triple double is the first in NBA history.

 

[Apisith]

Incredible performance, and he did it with Ariza, CP3 and Gordon out. Dude is just ballin' this year, has to be the favorite for the MVP. Improved year-in year-out for 5 years in a row now. Although he missed some games, I don't feel there is a legitimate contender this year.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Harden's 60 point triple double is the first in NBA history.

Wilt had one in '62-'63. It took him OT to get it though.

 

[Kliq]

The 60 point game is one of my favorite things about the NBA regular season. Every game there is a moment where a scorching-hot player just throws up a crazy shot that goes in and the place goes nuts. At one point Harden was stuck on his pivot foot on the left wing and had to pivot away and take a crazy leaning 25 foot shoot that was nothing but net. I will say though Orlando played TERRIBLE defense; allowing Harden early to easily finish with his left hand on numerous drives and never doubling him late. I guess he needed to score 70 in order for Vogel to decide to double-team him.

 

[ugmo33]

I mean, the game was tied with a minute left so they must have been doing something right

 

[RedOctober3829]

Those Jazz alternate uniforms are some kind of awful now that I've seen them on the court.

 

[mostman]

Speaking of City uniforms - I think I like the ones the Magic have on.

 

[Kliq]

Those Jazz alternate uniforms are some kind of awful now that I've seen them on the court.

I thought the uniforms were shit but the court design was sublime.

 

[mostman]

I thought the uniforms were shit but the court design was sublime.

Given how they played I bet they haven’t taken them off.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

As currently constituted they actually may be a bit better than they were with just Griffin though I suspect others here may disagree.

If you factor in how fragile Griffin, it's a no-brainer they are better now.

 

[DJnVa]

Lakers lose, Nets up 10 with about 7 to go in Philly, and either Dallas or Phoenix will get a win tonight as well.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

Nets hold on to beat Philly

 

[Deathofthebambino]

CJ McCollum just scored 28 points in the 1st quarter against Chicago. That's picking up the slack for Lillard.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

CJ McCollum just scored 28 points in the 1st quarter against Chicago. That's picking up the slack for Lillard.

The Bulls didn't score 28 total points until midway through the second.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

The Bulls didn't score 28 total points until midway through the second.

Why isn't Markkanen playing? Hurt?

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Isaiah Canaan just had a Gordon Hayward like injury in the game. Uggh, teammates reacting the same way.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Why isn't Markkanen playing? Hurt?

He stayed in Chicago due to a personal issue. Dunn is out too for the concussion protocol.

 

[The Needler]

Isaiah Canaan just suffered a GH-like injury to his ankle.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

He stayed in Chicago due to a personal issue. Dunn is out too for the concussion protocol.

And they're keeping Mirotic out while they try to trade him. It's an out-manned Bulls team.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

CJ with 50 points on 18-25 shooting at the end of the third (Blazers up 102-75 over the Calves) - in just 29 minutes

 

[Imbricus]

I don't know exactly where to put this, but the hot news this morning:

If the Golden State Warriors can create a max salary slot this offseason, the defending NBA champions could position themselves to secure a meeting with LeBron James, league sources told ESPN.

The story goes on to say:

A sign-and-trade scenario would be the most realistic way for Golden State to acquire James. The Warriors could build an offer around Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala to match salary and tempt the Cavaliers into making a deal, according to ESPN's Kevin Pelton.

Ugh. This is just what the NBA doesn't need.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

There’s nothing in that story resembling “news,” though. Devin Nunes would feel ashamed to publish that shite.

 

[joe dokes]

There’s nothing in that story resembling “news,” though. Devin Nunes would feel ashamed to publish that shite.

Right. There's nothing in there that even said they're considering anything mentioned.
"If the Golden State Warriors release all of they're players, they will suck," a league source said, adding that the salary cap implications of a meteor hitting Oakland could result in a long period of rebuilding.

 

[moondog80]

I don't think this is nothing. LeBron 's camp could have just said "we'll worry about that when the season is over". But they didn't, they let it be known that this is an option he would consider. Like it or not, The Decision Part III is going to be big news.

 

[Imbricus]

My guess is LeBron's camp planted the story, to send up a trial balloon and see if Golden State has interest. Golden State's reaction may be "Nah, we're good." But James is clearly a generational player, and as he's shown this year, he can still turn it on at will (even if he's not fully engaged on defense).

 

[BigSoxFan]

I honestly think it’d be hilarious if LeBron joined them.

 

[ishmael]

I honestly think it’d be hilarious if LeBron joined them.

Has any team ever had 3 MVPs in the starting lineup? I'm going to assume no.

 

[moondog80]

Has any team ever had 3 MVPs in the starting lineup? I'm going to assume no.

Not sure about staring but the Lakers has Magic, Kareem, and Bob McAdoo for a few years.

EDIT: Shaq, Kobe, and Karl Malone definitely all started games for the 2003-04 Lakers.

I acknowledge that in both of these examples, only two of the three were in MVP form at the time. Which would not be the case if LeBron went to GS.

 

[ishmael]

Not sure about staring but the Lakers has Magic, Kareem, and Bob McAdoo for a few years.

EDIT: Shaq, Kobe, and Karl Malone definitely all started games for the 2003-04 Lakers.

I acknowledge that in both of these examples, only two of the three were in MVP form at the time. Which would not be the case if LeBron went to GS.

Good call on the McAdoo Lakers team.

I was thinking about Shaq later in his career (i.e. the Shaq/KG Celtics), but at the time the 2003-2004 Lakers took the court, Kobe had yet to actually win an MVP award.

 

[moondog80]

Actually Magic didn't get his MVP until post-McAdoo. So it looks like it never happened.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

McAdoo, Moses, and Dr. J were on a Sixers team together (85-86). I doubt McAdoo was starting at the time.

 

[cheech13]

McAdoo, Moses, and Dr. J were on a Sixers team together (85-86). I doubt McAdoo was starting at the time.

No, McAdoo barely played and didn't start a single game. That team did, however, also included future MVP Charles Barkley.

 

[GreenMonster49]

McAdoo only played 29 games because he was signed at the end of January that year and hurt his knee at the end of March. He did average 21 minutes a game, albeit while earning -0.3 VORP.

Edit: excising what Cheech said.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

I don't think this is nothing. LeBron 's camp could have just said "we'll worry about that when the season is over". But they didn't, they let it be known that this is an option he would consider.

We have no idea what LeBron's camp said or didn't say. As far as I can tell, the only thing to see here is Chris Haynes' unsourced impression that if GS pursued him, LeBron "would listen." How is that different from what we knew yesterday? If anything, it would be bigger "news" if someone in his camp had said "noway, nohow is he going to listen to offers from Team X."

Like it or not, The Decision Part III is going to be big news.

Clearly, but we're not at that point right now. Until the offseason, we can reasonably assume that as an unrestricted free agent he'll consider a wide range of options, including GS, Boston, Turkey, China, retirement, baseball, etc.

 

[RetractableRoof]

Isaiah Canaan just suffered a GH-like injury to his ankle.

Ugh, My first thought was GH = Grant Hill, and realized that I was both right and wrong.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

My guess is LeBron's camp planted the story, to send up a trial balloon and see if Golden State has interest. Golden State's reaction may be "Nah, we're good." But James is clearly a generational player, and as he's shown this year, he can still turn it on at will (even if he's not fully engaged on defense).

I think all parties would have more to lose than gain. They win: "DUH. Of course they won. They were already champions before Lebron even got there."

On the infinitesimal chance they lose, it would be the epic NBA fail of the 21st century.

 

[snowmanny]

Has any team ever had 3 MVPs in the starting lineup? I'm going to assume no.

It would be like having last year's MVP, this year's MVP and Kevin Durant at the same time.