Seems like a ton of teams love forcing Harden to his right and it never seems to workGiannis has been covering Harden a lot, not doing a great job of it so far.
He is such an incredible offensive player. Playing at half speed doesn’t really affect his game as he isn’t a blow by guy anyway.Seems like a ton of teams love forcing Harden to his right and it never seems to work
My brother who lives near Philly told me today about a friend who attended last night’s game. He watched Simmons shoot 20 FTs before the game. Made 16.This SImmons stuff is insane. I’ve never seen anyone in his head this much about shooting free throws. I get he’s not a shooter, but I cannot remember seeing someone shoot in the 30s for an extended stretch like this. It’s awful to watch.
I haven’t watched much NBA in recent years but I’m trying to get back into it, and I didn’t understand what the big issue with the 76ers is… I’m getting a better idea now.
I’ve been to a Sixers practice. Was a few years ago but Simmons was draining jumpers and his form looked fine. Clearly almost all mental.My brother who lives near Philly told me today about a friend who attended last night’s game. He watched Simmons shoot 20 FTs before the game. Made 16.
Sadly, it is also a sign of weakness. The Hawks are like sharks in the water, closing in on Ben.I’ve been to a Sixers practice. Was a few years ago but Simmons was draining jumpers and his form looked fine. Clearly almost all mental.
That’s pretty bad for a professional in an empty gym, no?My brother who lives near Philly told me today about a friend who attended last night’s game. He watched Simmons shoot 20 FTs before the game. Made 16.
Yes.I have no doubt the Bucks shit their collective pants and blow this.
The doubt is somewhere between death and taxesI have no doubt the Bucks shit their collective pants and blow this.
Yikes: KD played 40 minutes tonight. Nash is playing with fire, but let's see how it works out.In addition to the current injuries, Durant just played 48 minutes high-effort minutes. If the Nets don't play KD only like 20 something minutes in Game 6 - maybe the Bucks jump out big early and the decision is made for them - then he is running the risk of his playoffs ending abruptly like his last year with the Warriors.
He's averaging 31 and 13 on high 50s% shooting for the series, that's pretty damn dominating. If MIddleton or Holiday showed up much this series the Bucks would have won in 5 or 6 alreadyGiannis should be able to dominate without the Nets having a post presence in but he doesn’t
I'll take this one--his defensive value is somewhat fake; he's definitely good, but it's very reputation-based, and he's not at the level of the very top guys either on the perimeter or in the interior. I'd take Simmons over him and wouldn't think twice. He's good as a free safety, but I'm not sure he's better than, say, Tatum in that role.It's really hard to get a read on Giannis at this point. On one hand, he's one of the most efficient high volume scorers in the league (of the 31 players who averaged 20+ ppg this year, only Jokic, Zion and Curry had a higher eFG%). On the other hand, he's unable to create a good look in a half court set when the defense really stiffens at the end of playoff games. On one hand, he just won back to back MVPs and is occasionally physically overwhelming. On the other hand, he's clearly the second best player in this series. On one hand he won DPOY last year and was 1st team all defense for the 3rd straight year. On the other hand, he's (at best) the 4th option for the Bucks against Durant, which is ridiculous on his face because they are almost the exact same size.
His inability to hit outside shots just neuters him in the half court, and while he could still improve in that regard (he's not exactly Simmons), he won't be getting any better this year. Even if improvement is a high possibility down the line, this is the year for him and the Bucks to break through. It just doesn't seem possibility that we'll ever get this many injuries to stars ever again.
He's 27 next year and has known about this room to grow for the past couple seasons, particularly after playoff disappointments.Agreed on the offense (especially when he tosses end of shot clock decisions to Holiday and Middleton who are often not up to it), although it's one of the things I'm really bullish on him in the future - he has a TON of room to grow, and he doesn't even need to develop a good 3 point shot for it to work. If he became a decent mid-range shooter, it would open up a lot for him in the half-court, even in the playoffs. Of course, that does nothing for Milwaukee this year.
....
For a lot of players (especially players who came into the league as raw as Giannis), 27 is the beginning of their prime, not the end. I don't think he'll ever be Kevin Garnett, but it's not unreasonable that a 26 year old two time MVP who has improved exponentially since coming into the league isn't done growing (skill-wise). It's not always a straight line and sometimes it takes more than a couple of years, and maybe the answer is instead of a mid-range shot he develops some real post moves (he's got the length and athleticism to make any hook shot or fadeaway unguardable). Deciding that he's a finished product at age 26 doesn't seem right here.He's 27 next year and has known about this room to grow for the past couple seasons, particularly after playoff disappointments.
What makes you optimistic that he will be able to learn to shoot from the mid-range when he's been trying to add that to his game for 2-3 years and has very little touch?
Prime is usually when players use the skills they have developed before the physical starts to go. Guys don't usually add a ton then (although there are exceptions).For a lot of players (especially players who came into the league as raw as Giannis), 27 is the beginning of their prime, not the end. I don't think he'll ever be Kevin Garnett, but it's not unreasonable that a 26 year old two time MVP who has improved exponentially since coming into the league isn't done growing (skill-wise). It's not always a straight line and sometimes it takes more than a couple of years, and maybe the answer is instead of a mid-range shot he develops some real post moves (he's got the length and athleticism to make any hook shot or fadeaway unguardable). Deciding that he's a finished product at age 26 doesn't seem right here.
[/HUMBLEBRAG]As a lifelong very skinny person, I have always admired Kevin Durant
They could definitely win the title this year, which is completely bonkers. I also admit to being surprised that no one has been consistently able to exploit Trae yet, and I don't think Milwaukee will be able to either, if that's the opponent.
I think the Hawks match up better with the Bucks than they do the Sixers, if only because Embiid does more to bully teams in the paint offensively than Giannis does. And they probably match up better with a hobbled Nets team as well, simply because the Nets don't play great defense. So if we can escape with a win tonight (or on Sunday)...it really could be on.They could definitely win the title this year, which is completely bonkers. I also admit to being surprised that no one has been consistently able to exploit Trae yet, and I don't think Milwaukee will be able to either, if that's the opponent.
Seriously: Andy Dalton can ball.Is Kevin Huerter the most unlikely looking NBA player in the league?
Both are still scoreless, midway through the third quarter. JFC. Talk about coming up small in a big moment. Bogdanovic and Collins aren't covering themselves in glory, either.LouWill and Gallinari have started out ICE COLD. Hawks need something from one or both those guys to close this out.