NBA Play In Tourney

Kliq

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Everyone agrees that it isn't a flagrant foul but also agree that it will be called as such.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Kerr needed to call TO immediately. In a foul situation you can’t waste time getting the ball up court.
 

ElUno20

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Lakers bailed out with lebron's horse shoe stuck up his ass 3.

Awful execution down the stretch from the dubs
 

Kliq

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If you watched a decent amount of the Warriors this season, this was kind of a typical game for them. Steph is amazing, and the rest of the parts work hard, but at the end of the day they have a lot of fringe NBA players and in a game like this they were relying on a lot of inexperienced players to really execute in crunch time, and I think that was reflected in the gigantic disparity in turnovers between the two teams. They really aren't a very good team.

The Lakers, I don't know. LeBron isn't 100% and while he will have time to get to 100%, if he plays like he did tonight throughout the playoffs the Lakers will get dusted in the first round. They really didn't play that well tonight and were bailed out by the defense of Caruso/Matthews, some crucial offensive foul calls, and a big money shot from LeBron. Davis was bad for most of this game and lacked aggression, although he rallied in the fourth quarter. LeBron was passive and made his big shot almost by accident.

I don't think the West is that good so I could see them rounding into form and making the Finals. I think whoever wins the East will probably be the favorite, though.
 

radsoxfan

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If you watched a decent amount of the Warriors this season, this was kind of a typical game for them. Steph is amazing, and the rest of the parts work hard, but at the end of the day they have a lot of fringe NBA players and in a game like this they were relying on a lot of inexperienced players to really execute in crunch time, and I think that was reflected in the gigantic disparity in turnovers between the two teams. They really aren't a very good team.
Agreed completely. The Warriors without Steph are deep lotto, they are just not very good.

I'd be surprised if the Lakers make the Finals. Lebron had a great shot tonight but I don't think he is going to be 40 minutes per game of Super Lebron this year, and the Lakers outside AD and Lebron are just not very good either.
 

ElUno20

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Agreed completely. The Warriors without Steph are deep lotto, they are just not very good.

I'd be surprised if the Lakers make the Finals. Lebron had a great shot tonight but I don't think he is going to be 40 minutes per game of Super Lebron this year, and the Lakers outside AD and Lebron are just not very good either.
Surprised? Id be surprised if phx got a game off them. They are just going to get better and gel and phx is a good 4 games to get thay rhythm.
 
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radsoxfan

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Surprised? Id be surprised if phx got a game off them.
No way. A Lakers sweep would surprise me quite a bit. I think it's a toss up series.

Lebron is not himself. He made a great shot but he doesn't have the same lift/explosion. Their non-Lebron/AD team is terrible.

I expect a tough series with the Suns. They might get lucky to face a similarly limited Nuggets team Round 2.

I think the Lakers are underdogs vs either the Clippers or Jazz if they face one of them in the WCF..
 
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HomeRunBaker

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Surprised? Id be surprised if phx got a game off them. They are just going to get better and gel and phx is a good 4 games to get thay rhythm.
I don’t agree with this. I feel the Lakers are prime fade material in this tournament. Last year they had an edge about them that they’ve lost. This is not a very good Warrior team that they struggled with tonight. TV crew was drooling over their defense in the 1H when the truth was that the Warriors were moving the ball fine and just missing open looks. Phoenix is the better team and the hungrier team. Suns in 6.
 

lovegtm

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I don’t agree with this. I feel the Lakers are prime fade material in this tournament. Last year they had an edge about them that they’ve lost. This is not a very good Warrior team that they struggled with tonight. TV crew was drooling over their defense in the 1H when the truth was that the Warriors were moving the ball fine and just missing open looks. Phoenix is the better team and the hungrier team. Suns in 6.
Yeah, this feels like one of those series that will feel inevitable after the fact, but at the time was very much in doubt.
 

lovegtm

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I’d like to believe this but I can’t. I think it’s because I don’t like Curry that my brain is like a record skipping thinking “fuck, this motherfucker is so good”.
It's because, in contrast with something like baseball, he does this stuff with 6-8 infinite length dudes flying at him all game. His hand-eye has to be used in really dynamic/physical environments.

I hope for my kids' sake I'm wrong, but we may not see someone like Steph again.
 

jon abbey

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Rondo bailed the Lakers out in a bunch of playoff games last year as a 3rd guy behind LBJ/AD, and ever since LA decided to go with Schroder over him, I have been waiting to see how that plays out once the games really count. They are going to need a lot more from Schroder to make another run, Caruso helped cover for him tonight.
 

BigSoxFan

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Not that the Spurs were going to win any titles this year, but that loss to Boston really seemed to break them.

Devin Vassell, who was picked a couple spots ahead of Nesmith, ended up having an underwhelming rookie season:

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/v/vassede01.html
Yeah, although rookies in year 1 with Pop generally underperform. I expect a sizable leap in the next year or two. He showed some good flashes. They need to get rid of DeRozan once and for all and commit to the youth movement.
 

cheech13

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Surprised? Id be surprised if phx got a game off them. They are just going to get better and gel and phx is a good 4 games to get thay rhythm.
Can’t say I agree with this at all. Championship-caliber teams don’t end up as 7th seeds, even during weird seasons dealing with injuries. The Lakers barely beat a bad Warriors team in a must-win game. They can beat Phoenix, but I don’t think they are prohibitive favorites. It’s a mediocre team beyond Lebron and AD.
 
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ElUno20

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Can’t say I agree with this at all. Championship-caliber teams don’t end up as 7th seeds, even during weird seasons dealing with injuries. The Lakers barely beat a bad Warriors team in a must-win game. They can beat Phoenix, but I don’t think they are prohibitive favorites. It’s a mediocre team beyond Lebron and AD.
Yes but as i got killed for in the other thread, look at their path. Phx, an injured denver team and then a shaky utah squad or a perpetual charlie brown with the football in the Clippers.

I just dont see them losing. They're games are going to look like crap like last night but they have lebron and ad so they'll pull thorough.
 

cheech13

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Lots of posts putting Denver into the 2nd round. Not sure I see that either. With Murray out Portland should probably be the slight favorite.
 

Kliq

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Yes but as i got killed for in the other thread, look at their path. Phx, an injured denver team and then a shaky utah squad or a perpetual charlie brown with the football in the Clippers.

I just dont see them losing. They're games are going to look like crap like last night but they have lebron and ad so they'll pull thorough.
I'm not 100% with you but I agree that I think a lot of people are overrating the West right now and how difficult it is; I think the top tier of the East is far better than the top tier of the West right now. Isn't it like, kind of suspicious that Phoenix went from out of the playoffs to the #2 seed this year? I know CP3 is good but, that is a huge jump forward. Utah lost Mitchell and still cruised to the #1 seed. Denver and Dallas are relying on one guy to do everything for them, Portland has nobody to cover Davis and LeBron unless they clone Robert Covington. The Clippers have the most talent on paper but we know what their faults can be.
 

jon abbey

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Can you win an NBA Championship with Caruso as your 3rd best player? I don't think so.
They did last year with Rajon Rondo, Hollinger had Caruso as second team All-NBA defense. They need to play AD at 5 more and Schroder to be a lot better, but they’re as likely to come out of the West as anyone if healthy, I think.
 

Gunfighter 09

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Caruso has been the Lakers best player.
Holy shit Schroder was minus 20
View attachment 41261
Can you win an NBA Championship with Caruso as your 3rd best player? I don't think so.
Caruso has become a hell of a player. I really love how much of his game is about athleticism, very quick hands and explosiveness and the conversation is always about how smart he plays (Lebron did it last night in the post game interview where he kept forgetting to wink.)

Health and LeBron actually getting in shape is obviously the main key for the Lakers making a repeat run. But Vogel actually playing their best lineup when it matters is really important as well. Caruso is their third best player until Schroeder gets his shit together. Matthews has had an impact every time he has played recently. They need to dump the AD at PF and one of the giants at C experiment for the important minutes and go with AD/LBJ/Caruso & two of Matthews / Schroeder / Kuzma.
 

Tony C

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Pretty much agree with all of this. Caruso remains really underrated. The Lakers struggles in the 1st half have everything to do with Vogel still having the instinct to go Hibbert style at the 5 -- Drummond (and Schroder) just killed them. It was only when they moved Davis to the 5 that they picked it up. If Vogel keeps insisting on playing Drummond major minutes, the Lakers will keep struggling.
I don’t agree with this. I feel the Lakers are prime fade material in this tournament. Last year they had an edge about them that they’ve lost. This is not a very good Warrior team that they struggled with tonight. TV crew was drooling over their defense in the 1H when the truth was that the Warriors were moving the ball fine and just missing open looks. Phoenix is the better team and the hungrier team. Suns in 6.
I'd pick the Suns in 6, too, but "the edge they have lost" is 100% about LeBron's ankle. With him healthy they're as good as last year if not better. But despite that great clutch shot last night, his lack of speed and jump was obvious. They can't win with LeBron at 80%.
They did last year with Rajon Rondo, Hollinger had Caruso as second team All-NBA defense. They need to play AD at 5 more and Schroder to be a lot better, but they’re as likely to come out of the West as anyone if healthy, I think.
All true, as well. Schroder really seems like a head case. Apparently refused the vaccine and then was out for 2 weeks with Covid but says he didn't test positive but then says he's winded/out of shape due to having been out, and was pretty awful last night -- couldn't get up and down the court and just awful decision-making. I don't think I'm the only one who would take Schroder over Rondo every day of the week, but turns out there's something to "playoff Rondo" -- intelligence matters in this game.
 

Kliq

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The Davis at the 5 thing is an Anthony Davis, not Vogel, issue. Davis has never wanted to play the 5, even if everyone knows its the best use of his skills. He has always been paired with another big man, and they only use him at the 5 in kind of a "break in case of emergency" situation in the playoffs. And for the most of the time its fine if he wants to avoid banging around with some 275lb bruiser, as long as he is willing to do it in crunch time.