2022-23 NBA Game Thread
- Thread starter Deathofthebambino
- Start date
Not only that, but a quick perusal of the Internet would make it obvious to anyone that Embiid has a reputation issue across NBA fandom. Right or wrong, he’s very controversial.
I don't know who Embed should have replaced, but the guy is having a ridiculous season: 33.4 points (#1), 9.8 rebounds (#13), 4.1 assists, 1.7 blocks (#6), shooting 53.2% from the floor and even 34.5% from three, and 86.1% from the line. The guy is awesome. It's actually almost unfathomable that he's not an AS game starter.
I believe it was Lowe and Simmons together who made the point that 4 of the 5 top MVP candidates might be in the East frontcourt (at least, were before Durant went down) and so there's no fair way to keep any of them out of the starting lineup. But that's the reality of only being allowed 3 in the voting.
I have zero interest in All-Star games
(actually less than zero)
But since they treat it like a pick-up game they should just go with a TOP10 list and then round out the rosters with the next 16 best players.
OR
They could set it up as a preview of All-NBA teams + honorable mention the remaining players
Eastern Conf and Western Conf are irrelevant since they Captain and pick sides
(actually less than zero)
But since they treat it like a pick-up game they should just go with a TOP10 list and then round out the rosters with the next 16 best players.
OR
They could set it up as a preview of All-NBA teams + honorable mention the remaining players
Eastern Conf and Western Conf are irrelevant since they Captain and pick sides
Who said anything about mad? He just can never stay on the floor. He is likely not to be in the all-star game. Frustrated is more like it.
The most important ability is availability and I’m afraid that he may never be able to play a full season.
As for this year, will be a starter in the all-star game having played 1/2 to 2/3 of the minutes that his peers have. Where do you draw the line on that?
like I said, frustrated.
I just want to see World vs. USA.
Your World starting lineup could be:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Luka Dončić
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Joel Embiid
Nikola Jokić
Miami wins another close one, beating Orlando. That team just seems to know how to close out games.
This is the whole thing. He's not 1st in points, he's not 13th in rebounds, and he's not 6th in blocks. He's 9th in points, 34th in rebounds and 12th in blocks. And he's 80th in assists. That's very good, but it's not some travesty of justice that someone like Tatum, who is 2nd in points and 18th in rebounds (and 46th in blocks and 41st in assists) starts ahead of him.
Actually showing up matters. It's not some character flaw that he misses so much time, but it's a big part of his story. The complaining about him not getting what he (and Philly) feels is his proper respect is 1000% because the NBA world thinks points per game is more important than total points and rebounds per game is more important that total rebounds. I understand why we focus on per game totals (because it's a lot easier to know that 20 points and 8 rebounds per game is good than it is to know that 1600 points and 640 rebounds is probably better), but smart people should know better. A healthy and in shape Embiid is probably the best player in the league. So what? That's like saying if Tatum was a legit 50/40/90 guy, he'd be the best player in the league. Neither guy is doing it for the whole year, so let's not act like Embiid doing what he does for 75% of the season is as impressive as what someone like Tatum (or Jokic) does for 95% of the season. It's just not.
Embiid is a whiner and part of that makes me think he is kind of soft. Rusillo pointed this out last year, but after he came in second in MVP he was whining about how "nobody liked him" even though they just voted him as the #2 best player in the league last year.
Embiid is currently 3rd in MVP odds behind Jokic and Doncic so it’s been impressive to quite a few people.
Good points. Of course I was just talking about averages, and it’s not like Embiid is only playing a dozen games or so. There’s plenty of precedent for a player with amazing averages but fewer games played to be an all star over a guy with worse (but still terrific) averages but more games played.
But it makes me think they the NBA scoring title should not go to the guy with the best per game average over a minimum number of games; it should go to the guy who ends the year with the most points scored, period.
Embiid is great, and to me he is way more fun to watch than Giannis. But yes he's hurt a lot AND when you are talking about him and Tatum it is hard to get past what they've done in the playoffs. Same number of playoff years (5), 4 playoff series wins for Embiid, 8 for Tatum including two brutal beatdowns of the Sixers (including Tatum's rookie year when I believe the 76ers were favored). It's not as if Embiid hasn't had good teammates.
Embiid has every chance to change that narrative but for now this is the way it must remain.
Embiid has every chance to change that narrative but for now this is the way it must remain.
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76ers host Denver at 3 p.m. today. Doc’s latest rotation is working well with Maxey playing the Andrew Toney role off the bench. Melton guards almost anyone and Thybulle gets 15 minutes off the bench. Defense is definitely a weakness right now.
Celtics-Lakers tonight. The season is starting to become interesting.
Celtics-Lakers tonight. The season is starting to become interesting.
Durant has played 4 more games than Embiid, and it feels like Durant has been out for a month. Hell, Kyrie Irving has played more games than Embiid.
While I love Haliburton's potential and thought he was atop 3 talent during the draft it's a bit premature to mention his name for MVP or as a top candidate. I doubt he even gets a TOP10 vote
The Pacers have lost quite a bit in his absence but that may have a lot to do with the schedule/opponent
I'd like to see both his +/- & On-Off go positive for a season before the MVP talk begins.
With Klay and Steph revving their engines I have no idea why Kerr keeps on throwing Poole into the starting group. Surround those two with Wiggins, Loon, & Dray.
Bench: Poole, Kuminga, Donte, + a vet BIG (Poeltl or Plumlee) would make them the WC favorite in my book
Maybe there is pressure to start an overpaid Jordan Poole.
Bench: Poole, Kuminga, Donte, + a vet BIG (Poeltl or Plumlee) would make them the WC favorite in my book
Maybe there is pressure to start an overpaid Jordan Poole.
Whether Poole starts is six of one, half dozen of the other, imo; but a key rotational development over the last several weeks is that Donte D has been leveling up into something resembling a better-shooting peak Iguodala — guarding the opponent’s best perimeter player, ripping boards left and right, reading and reacting at Kerrball speed, “connecting” stuff, making the high IQ play, draining threes when left open, etc. Not surprising that he’s been regularly crushing JP by plus-minus — team-high +24 last night, now a net +6.1 on the season, which puts him in a group with the starters, miles above JP and the bench mob.
The closing five is a bigger deal than the starting five. DDV was in that group last night (in place of JP), and to my mind has probably locked down that spot for the post season, with Steph, Klay, Wiggs, and Dray.
As far as that elusive “vet BIG,” I’m still with you, though I think there’s a world where JaMychal Green (14-10 per 36 on .601 TS and finally starting to stroke the three) has enough to be playable for the 5-15 minutes they need outside of the top 8 (starters plus Donte, JP, and Kuminga).
Not gonna get too excited about a two-game win streak with the team one game above .500 49 games in. But the fact that Steph is pissed off enough at the long run of mediocrity to toss his mouthguard bodes pretty well, I think. Last night he appeared to be in the same “pissed off MVP mode” from last year’s Game 4; if that guy starts appearing regularly, maybe they can start stringing together some wins.
As it stands: they’re one game back of the #4 Pels … and two games up on the #13 Lakers. Crazy season.
I mean I like it when I see JP on the floor stealing shots from Steph/Klay/Wiggs, turning the ball over, & playing crappy D.
VS.
Loon playing defense/screening/rebounding for the Legends
JP a career 33.6% 3pt shooter (worse this season) taking the team's biggest shots
... no wonder Steph is tossing his mouthguard into Tech Bro Nation.Yeah that got a chuckle. I have to assume SRN meant peak Warriors Iguodala, which was basically a really good 6th man who didn't score (as opposed to the guy who averaged 19/6/5/ with excellent defense in Philly during his prime).
Philly defense just getting ripped to shreds by Denver, 73 points in the first half.
One thing about Denver is with Jokic/Gordon/MPJ + 2 guards, they not only can play a 5 out offense, but they can play big while also having five guys that can handle the ball and pass.
One thing about Denver is with Jokic/Gordon/MPJ + 2 guards, they not only can play a 5 out offense, but they can play big while also having five guys that can handle the ball and pass.
There are 178 players averaging 20+ mpg, and PJ Tucker is the only guy in that group averaging under 5 points per game (and he's not that close to either bar, averaging 26.5 minutes and just 3.3 points). It's pretty incredible when you think about it.
76ers are the champions of January. Harden finally decided to pass the ball. It’s almost fun to watch.
Yeah, “something resembling” was doing a lot of work in my post. For one thing, he’s a lot less long. But Donte does a lot of the same good things on both ends — Andre himself has raved about it. Even if Andre somehow gets right physically, I think Donte has basically usurped his role and then some (similar to what happened with GP2 last year).
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There is no sport where the difference between regular season and playoffs is so stark than the nba. Keep accumulating, Joel. You're great at it.
Very understated role in win over Denver, bellying up yo Jokic in the post, not giving him room to pass or shoot like he normally does. Jokic put up 24 points, 9 assists in 38 minutes. Tucker played 24 minutes and let Embiid stay free of the banging so he could focus on his offense. This is why they got Tucker. Defense and policeman for the big man.
Agreed.
Using a mobile 4 like PJ (or Grant) to get underneath Jokic helps, while using a floating BIG/shot blocker like Embiid (or TL that Boston popularized last season) is becoming the norm.
"Credit Doc Rivers" hahaha for stealing Boston's gameplan
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfHP0b-voTA
That's a great video, which is to say par for the course for Ben Taylor. I particularly recommend everyone look at the play at 6:10" there, which is just some tactical genius by the 76ers.
View: https://youtu.be/qfHP0b-voTA?t=371
That's a hilarious Pop Warner* play. Not surprised the NBA has rules on the books against that.
*The actual Pop Warner, against whose tactics many current football rules were developed.
They dropped to 5-20 on 12/5 with a loss to the Bucks, and are 15-11 since (although it's just 12-11 against non-Boston teams, ugh). They're probably too far behind the ball to get into the playoffs this year, but next season, with another top draft pick? I've said this before, I'd take Banchero over any draft pick since Luka (and Wagner is great). I really, really like where they are going.
Orlando is only 4 games back with 30 to go and those aren’t exactly juggernauts in front of them. I have a decent plus money wager on them to make the playoffs from when they were way back but just getting healthy and I’m confident it will at least come down to the wire.
Lakers go to Brooklyn without Bron or Brow. 17-point Nets win, and it wasn't even that close.
Hachimura looked very good on both ends. With the Hachimura-Watanabe matchup, I bet this was among the most-watched NBA regular season games in Japan. They... don't have very many NBA players.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qpl60MOkMY
Hachimura looked very good on both ends. With the Hachimura-Watanabe matchup, I bet this was among the most-watched NBA regular season games in Japan. They... don't have very many NBA players.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qpl60MOkMY
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Fultz appears in Philly and puts up 12pts, 10 assists, no turnovers and 4 steals.
Markelle is the gift that keeps on giving