Jokic is so bad this season. I have never seen an All Star player go downhill this fast since Vin Baker.
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December 2019 General NBA Game Thread
- Thread starter Ale Xander
- Start date
I'll always have love in my heart for Doc. Besides, we upgraded coaches in the transition. It's also hard to stop loving him when he still trash talks the Lakers: "[their load management philosophy] is whatever LeBron says it is".
If you're still bitter about that, you must have a lot of sports bitterness.
How is Jokic playing any differently than last season? He seems like pretty much the same guy to me. Yes, I lol’d when people called him a Top-5 player last year too.
This was a key thing down the stretch and what stood out to me as well. Clippers had a lot of offensive diversity, Kawhi/PG/LouWill can all go iso, plus you can run PnR with Harrell. Lakers it was either a Davis post-up, LeBron iso or trying to get them in a PnR, and the Clippers were so ready for that down the stretch. With Kawhi and Paul George, they have two guys who can credibly guard LeBron 1 on 1; when they either posted Davis or ran the PnR, they doubled on Davis and forced Green/Kuzma/KCP to beat them; with the exception of Green, neither of those guys have proven anything in big games. They really struggled to score down the stretch and Kawhi really put the clamps on LeBron.
The Clipper are really a perfectly built team. They have two wings who are Top 10 players, who can also both play great defense in addition to scoring. They have another excellent offensive creator in Williams. They have two great defensive players that bring a lot of energy and can still contribute on offense, a guard (Beverley) and a big (Harrell). They have three other big wings in Harkless, Patterson and Green who are also credible outside shooters. They have a solid 3 and D guard in Shamet, and even a burly 7 footer who can exploit mismatches on switches and score close to the basket in situations you may need that. Right now, with health permitting, they are clearly the best team in the NBA.
This isn’t crazy at all, and I thought the same thing when I watched them play Milwaukee. The problem with the AD/LeBron PnR is that the players covering them are usually like-sized, so you can switch fairly easily. Teams will also live with LeBron as a jump shooter, so easier to go under. You simply can’t do that against a quick guard with a shot, and the switch generates more mismatches.
Don’t get me wrong—the Lakers with AD and LeBron are really freaking good, and absolutely title contenders. But the lack of a jitterbug PnR threat is a slight weakness.
Edit: just watched the replay of last night’s game. Woof. The Clippers in the 2nd half completely ignored LeBron’s jumper and went under any screen. I’m generally in the “Mark Jackson is an idiot” camp, but he’s dead on here imo.
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??? I mean, yes?
Getting any team-building asset is more valuable than winning a championship, since championships don’t give extra assets. The idea that an organization can get a substantial asset (doesn’t have to be a #8 pick, could be #15) for winning is a cool dynamic imo.
Imagine LeBron and AD killing themselves to win because it’s the only way to get the pick needed to bring in help midseason, only to lose on an Oladipo buzzer-beater (single elimination tourneys have a lot of randomness that you don’t want deciding a champion, but that is fine for awarding a pick). Conveying that type of asset to the winner strikes a good balance between giving something to compete HARD for, without creating a Durant to the Warriors situation.
Put another way: the NBA already has a ridiculous lottery that impacts franchise destinies to a crazy degree. Why not award something of lesser value for actual on-court play?
As I stated, I think their problem is a third creator...and that Kuzma could be that, but to date has not shown he can be. Which is why I said they have so much risk from an injury to LBJ or AD which you seem to also feel
The problem isn't that the PnR isn't deadly, the problem is that once they get into Davis or LeBron attacks the basket, defenders can rotate over and help because they don't fear leaving Kuzma/KCP open for three. This is kind of where LeBron's unselfishness and preference for making the "right" basketball play can sometimes be a weakness; he was passing up shots at the rim down the stretch to pass it out to KCP or Kuzma, who had gone cold.
Even if they got Igoudala, I'm not sure how much that would help them because he isn't a knockdown shooter.
So the shooting issues definitely hurt (relative to LeBron's days in Cleveland), but the like-size thing and ability to go under on LeBron are also issues. We saw similar stagnation against Milwaukee.
I think you can't discount the fact that the Clippers have two wings that are basically the two best players in the entire league at guarding LeBron. That is a huge advantage the Clippers are going to have over every other team that relies on a wing player to score.
Lebron James is set if he keeps averaging 35 minutes per game over the remaining games this season to move into 8th place all time in minutes played. These nagging injuries are starting to pile up, and he could be breaking down before our eyes. This could be the biggest piece to watch for the Lakers the rest of this season, how they manage his workload and still work to remain competitive with the top 5 in the west(Nuggest, Clips, Rockers, Mavs & Jazz).
Snoop is pissed.
View: https://twitter.com/ComplexSports/status/1210216574608662528
And he calls out "sorry motherfucka" missing threes at end of game---uh, wasn't that Lebron and AD?
View: https://twitter.com/ComplexSports/status/1210216574608662528
And he calls out "sorry motherfucka" missing threes at end of game---uh, wasn't that Lebron and AD?
I don’t think their risk is the 3rd option it is the risk of injury to their 1st and 2nd. If LeBron or Davis are out or limited in the playoffs the 3rd option isn’t going to matter. This isn’t like the Celtics questioning whether Tatum or Jaylen can step up......I’ve always felt the Lakers hopes were pretty cut and dry. The Big2 healthy and they are a 60-win team and top contender......either are injured and their Championship hopes are eliminated.
When you have MaMo defending your wings the best chance you have of scoring is by jacking deep 3's. #benhogan
For this season, at least, Seth Curry can lay claim to most productive immediate Curry family member in the NBA.
View: https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1210374959719157760?s=20
View: https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1210374959719157760?s=20
"The Brooklyn Nets' eight two-point field goals on Thursday were the fewest by a team in a game since Nov. 22, 1950, when the Lakers and Pistons each made four FG in a game famous for its final score (19-18, Ft. Wayne). The 24-second shot clock debuted less than four years later."
clearly Kenny did not get my MaMo memo
Just checking in on the Kings game. High-energy big man, Richaun Holmes doing everything possible (16pts/15 rebs) to keep the Wolves 11-game losing streak alive.
Both Fox (they say back spasms but he was grabbing by his oblique) and Bagley (his and not Christy Brown's left foot) left the game so the Kings are back to Walton going with a shorter rotation against the TWolves. Bagley was huge for them until got hurt. 90-88 Minnesota with ~ three minutes left.
Wolves have been playing 4 guards with Dieng or Vonleh the entire game while Holmes grabs pretty much every Kings missed shot. This is a fascinating game. I have no idea what sport I'm watching...….but it surely is fascinating.
Edit: Trevor Ariza with the goose egg on 1 FGA in 24 minutes. Jaylen Brown is smiling somewhere. (sorry, couldn't resist)
Edit: Trevor Ariza with the goose egg on 1 FGA in 24 minutes. Jaylen Brown is smiling somewhere. (sorry, couldn't resist)
Wiggins shoves Ariza to the ground and then proceeds to miss an open midrange which would been the game winner at the buzzer. Its ugly alright...
OVERTIME!! That's what I'm talking about! 5 bonus minutes of watching Treveon Graham, Cory Joseph, and Gorgui Dieng! Good god this is one awful T-Wolves team without KAT. This is how you want to spend your Boxing Day!
Dieng slander is kind of unwarranted. He has had a really good game with 19 points on 6-10 shooting and 13 boards.
Well he is doing it against new SoSH binky Rashaun Holmes so there's that.
They are literally the only two non-guards/wings on the floor the entire game. Somebody has to collect the missed shots......it may as well be the two big guys standing in the paint.
Holmes is the new "it" guy not just here but around the NBA punditverse. And its deserved. We are almost certainly getting two OTs now...Well he is doing it against new SoSH binky Rashaun Holmes so there's that.
They are literally the only two non-guards/wings on the floor the entire game. Somebody has to collect the missed shots......it may as well be the two big guys standing in the paint.
TWO OT's!!
I was told if I was a good boy that Santa Claus would be good to me! Thank you Santa for gift wrapping a SECOND Overtime to me!! I believe!!!
I was told if I was a good boy that Santa Claus would be good to me! Thank you Santa for gift wrapping a SECOND Overtime to me!! I believe!!!
Oh I'm well aware. It's a class case of deception with an energy big getting minutes by default on a losing team. This has been going on literally for decades.
It isn't only Dieng torching him tonight. Opposing 5's have been having field days against Holmes nearly every night which is evident in Holmes counterpart matchup numbers when they have averaged more points, more rebounds, more assists, and fewer personal fouls than Holmes while shooting over 60% from the field. This isn't a di(e)ng on Holmes as he's being placed in these difficult matchups which isn't really fair to him as it isn't what his role should be.
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The NBA, where no lead - no lead - is safe. Blazers are now within one point with ~ four and a half minutes after being down by 23 to the Jazz in Utah in the third.
What are the Blazers doing? Down 3 with the ball and 40 seconds.....a clear 2 for 1 spot but the Blazers treat this like they are down 3 with 5 seconds on the clock and forced to jack up a desperation heave!!???! This was one of the worst obvious clock management miscues you will ever see in this league.
Melo...I want to see the guy succeed but he make some terrible basketball decisions including shooting a very contested three (by some guy named Rudy Gobert) and then fouling Royce O'Neale (who had fouled Lillard the same way before) before the ball is inbounded
3-point shooting from this riveting one-point Timberwolve victory.
Minnesota
Covington 2-8
Wiggins 2-9
Teague 1-6
Napier 0-6
Sacramento
Bogdanovic 3-16
Hield 3-11
Dont forget, down 1, buddy drains the clock like he's kobe fucking bryant and then pulls up for another brick from 3.
It looked like a designed play from Snyder with Lillard dribbling around the perimeter recklessley with no plan and :35 still on the clock with CJ and Melo also behind the arc looking for a screen and pop for 3. Melo's fault on the inbound for sure but not on the offensive possession imo.
Stotts you mean (or Connor Roy to me). Perhaps, but if Rudy Gobert is
View: https://twitter.com/Travonne/status/1210442581688999936?s=20
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Yikes, I did 10 minutes of that Sac/Minn game and it was very painful. Covington, Bog, Hield clanging 3s. Then with a couple of minutes left Barnes fouls Wiggins on a deep 3. ugh....Turned it off and watched a Bill Burr special on Netflix with the wife.
Fox/Bagley left with injuries.
Seems like a bunch of NBA players checked out over the holidays.
Fox/Bagley left with injuries.
Seems like a bunch of NBA players checked out over the holidays.
Seth's been pretty great for a few years now, though depending on how you define immediate family, I think "Splash Brother-in-Law" Damion Lee has a claim:
17.4 pts per 36 on .551 true shooting
7.2 rebounds
3.2 assists
+12.5 net points per 100 (by far the best on the Warriors)
In the "brother-in-law" subcategory, I'd at least put Damion Lee over Austin Rivers, whose demeanor far outstrips his actual performance, as always. The complete Splash Family 2019-2020 ranking, to date:
1. Doc Rivers
2. Damion Lee
3. Seth
4. Steph
5. Klay
6. Austin Rivers
Ha, I was trying to keep it to active NBA players or coaches. If I include Dell, I’d of course have to put Sonya #1, with strong consideration for Sydel, Ayesha, Riley, Ryan, Canon et al...
Fultz with 10 first-half points against Philly tonight. Drained two threes with what looks like an old one-hand push borrowed from Bob Cousy. 76ers letting him shoot from beyond the arc. His first attempt hit back of rIm, bounced straight up in air, and came down through the hoop.
76ers lead at half, 47-46.
76ers lead at half, 47-46.
Lol Magic barely hold onto an 11 point lead with 1:30 left, as the Sixers hit five threes and Fultz and Fournier combine to brick five free throws In that span. Magic sneak off 98-97 as Embiid misses the potential game-winner at the buzzer (off a Ben Simmons steal of the final Magic inbounds pass, which was as predictable as a Star Wars movie).
