NBA Thread 2020-21

[JWags85]

Giannis free throw shooting in a small sample does appear to be badly plummeting and has I think been terrible throughout his playoff career.

63%, but was 70% in the playoffs in 2018. Yes it's bad, but FWIW, to the previous point, you don't want Lebron shooting FTs in critical moments either.

[PGsHeroes32]

63%, but was 70% in the playoffs in 2018. Yes it's bad, but FWIW, to the previous point, you don't want Lebron shooting FTs in critical moments either.

I might be looking wrong but I see GIannis playoff free throw% as follows

73.9, 54.3, 69.1, 63.7 and 58% in order. So his first year was the only real strong one. 62.7% average for his playoff career. I believe Lebron is actually slightly better in playoffs than regular season at like 74%.

You are definitely right though that LeBron isnt some guy make it a point to have at the line.

My comment was more so just to show that I can see where the free throw comment came from. Recency bias(Giannis has been declining) or strictly in playoffs(basically what a casual viewer like myself mostly sees) point towards him needing to work at it.

As a more casual viewer who only watches big games and playoffs, I probably woulda had a similar take on Giannis at the line as that poster.

[MU24]

Last nights game was fun. A series of Bucks + Nets would be amazing.
Bucks had plenty of chances to win the game and you arent going to stop Harden/Durant. Can only hope to contain the supporting players which Bucks did not do (Harris had a great shooting night which is very unlikely to happen consistently).

I like Bucks chances in a 7 game series. The Nets had no answer for the Giannis/Khris p&r. Granted, Bucks had no answer to Durant pullups and Harden floaters. So it comes down to the bench and role players, and I think Bucks have a better of the two but a slim margin.

[wadesworld]

Last nights game was fun. A series of Bucks + Nets would be amazing.
Bucks had plenty of chances to win the game and you arent going to stop Harden/Durant. Can only hope to contain the supporting players which Bucks did not do (Harris had a great shooting night which is very unlikely to happen consistently).

I like Bucks chances in a 7 game series. The Nets had no answer for the Giannis/Khris p&r. Granted, Bucks had no answer to Durant pullups and Harden floaters. So it comes down to the bench and role players, and I think Bucks have a better of the two but a slim margin.

Harris shoots like that every night. The Nets are a terrible matchup for the Bucks for a number of reasons. The biggest being they have their big just stand under the hoop on defense and Harden will hit 20 floaters a game plus get Jordan on the lob 5 more times, and KD will get into pick and rolls with Jordan and hit the midrange pull-up 20 times a game.

The Bucks only real chance against the Nets in a 7 game series would be Kyrie blowing up the locker room or Bud being canned and a new defensive system being implemented. That defensive system will get abused by the Nets. The Bucks have absolutely incredible on ball defenders on the perimeter in Jrue and Donte but they have to play 2 on one defense in the pick and roll because whoever the Bucks play at the 5 isn't allowed to step outside of the semicircle under the hoop it seems. Their thought process of "let's make average perimeter stretch bigs like Jeff Green beat us 4 out of 7 games." The theory is very sound. The problem is Jeff Green will be a 30-35% perimeter shooter on normal shots, while the Bucks give him shots with 10 feet of nobody around him. Those aren't the shots he's making 30-35% of the time. Those are shots NBA players make 50% of the time. So then these "bad" perimeter shooters suddenly are having career shooting against the Bucks (Jae, Jimmy last year, VanVleet the year before) and the Bucks are just like "Well damn, these dudes couldn't throw it into the ocean while standing next to it the next round!" Well yeah, they're entirely different qualities of shots, even though they're all the same distance from the basket.

[MUfan12]

You can live with KD and Harden getting theirs, but I still struggle with Bud's approach to guarding the perimeter. Harris and Jeff Green were the ones who killed them. I was screaming at the last three Harris got... Jrue and Donte didn't talk on whether to stick or switch, and Harris got a wide open look.

Agreed on the depth, though I do think the Bucks need some help on the wing. Can you count on DDV/Pat/Forbes in the playoffs? Not sold.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Getting pretty tired of players manufacturing super teams.

Hoping for Bucks vs Nuggets in the Finals.  Even Mavs vs Celtics would be fine.

I especially DON'T want Lakers vs Nets but feels kind of inevitable at this point.

[JWags85]

I really like Kyrie, but you cant make this up. He returns after 2 weeks, leading the Nets in scoring...but they are losing by double digits to a terrible Cavs team scoring at will.  Just a perfect drama storyline

[The Sultan]

I really like Kyrie, but you cant make this up. He returns after 2 weeks, leading the Nets in scoring...but they are losing by double digits to a terrible Cavs team scoring at will.  Just a perfect drama storyline

And people thought Lebron was the problem...

[wadesworld]

5 Nets played 42+ minutes. KD and Harden played 50+. In a January game against the Cavs. Yikes.

[MU82]

Getting pretty tired of players manufacturing super teams.

Why is it OK for GMs to manufacture super teams, but not for the players to do so?

Not trying to be snarky at all. I don't know why one would bother you if the other doesn't. Or maybe they both bother you.

[The Sultan]

5 Nets played 42+ minutes. KD and Harden played 50+. In a January game against the Cavs. Yikes.

In a game they ended up losing anyway.

[cheebs09]

Why is it OK for GMs to manufacture super teams, but not for the players to do so?

Not trying to be snarky at all. I don't know why one would bother you if the other doesn't. Or maybe they both bother you.

My guess is the players holding hostage where they go. I think it was AD who said he'd basically only play for the Lakers. Harden had a very limited number of teams, if any were true beyond NJ. It's one thing to demand a trade, but another to basically force your way onto a certain team to build a super team.

Just my opinion.

[forgetful]

And people thought Lebron was the problem...

This was their first game playing together.

Did you say the same thing when Lebron failed his first season in Miami, playing alongside an equal (Wade) and another top 10 player (Bosh), because they couldn't learn how to play together?

Or the first season in LA, playing alongside another equal in Davis?

Elite performers have ego's that are hard to work with, period.

Also, this guy is clearly a problem.

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/ny-kyrie-irving-absence-20210120-buw6yvgfabgevkb6iov4kglv5e-story.html

[The Sultan]

This was their first game playing together.

Did you say the same thing when Lebron failed his first season in Miami, playing alongside an equal (Wade) and another top 10 player (Bosh), because they couldn't learn how to play together?

Or the first season in LA, playing alongside another equal in Davis?

Elite performers have ego's that are hard to work with, period.

Also, this guy is clearly a problem.

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/ny-kyrie-irving-absence-20210120-buw6yvgfabgevkb6iov4kglv5e-story.html

Good lord, I hope you know that what he does off-court is completely irrelevant to what he does on court.

Anyway, there was a narrative here and elsewhere that Lebron was SOOO hard to play with and poor Kyrie had to put up with him.  Of course he's done nothing since while Lebron has won another championship.

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

My guess is the players holding hostage where they go. I think it was AD who said he'd basically only play for the Lakers. Harden had a very limited number of teams, if any were true beyond NJ. It's one thing to demand a trade, but another to basically force your way onto a certain team to build a super team.

Just my opinion.

This is it.  Especially since the trades are lopsided.  The Lakers got Davis, a top 6 player, for a fringe all-star and bunch of spare parts.  The first round picks that New Orleans gets are basically lottery tickets, not lottery picks.

Harden to the Nets required a convoluted 4 team trade.  The Rockets traded a top ten player for a fringe all star and a truckload of lottery tickets.

These trades are anti-competitive.

[The Sultan]

This is it.  Especially since the trades are lopsided.  The Lakers got Davis, a top 6 player, for a fringe all-star and bunch of spare parts.  The first round picks that New Orleans gets are basically lottery tickets, not lottery picks.

Harden to the Nets required a convoluted 4 team trade.  The Rockets traded a top ten player for a fringe all star and a truckload of lottery tickets.

These trades are anti-competitive.

The NBA is a star driven league.  Those stars are using the leverage they have earned.  They can't be faulted for that.

[StillAWarrior]

...terrible Cavs team...

Hey!

[Johnny B]

where do u watch the game. black out on tnt and not on fsw?? ive never seen this before in my life

[wadesworld]

where do u watch the game. black out on tnt and not on fsw?? ive never seen this before in my life

I'm watching NBA on TNT right now.  Is the game really blacked out in Milwaukee?

[Mr. Nielsen]

Game in not on FS Wisconsin. Game is onTNT in Milwaukee. Boardcast doesn't start until 6:45.

[Johnny B]

bizarrely the game is balcked out on my cable. i went on my dads youtube tv account and now i can watch. very odd. never seen that before

[GooooMarquette]

Giannis free throw shooting in a small sample does appear to be badly plummeting and has I think been terrible throughout his playoff career.

LeBron's best FT% years were 2011 and earlier....

[JWags85]

Bucks running and gunning to get into the lead. So late in the half Middleton decides to ball stop at the top of the key and start jab stepping for long 2s

[JWags85]

Bud stinks. This team is going nowhere

[wadesworld]

Bud has plateaued. But they lost a tight game to the Lakers with Giannis playing bad. Jrue and basically the entire bench have played 15 games with the Bucks. They're the second best team in the East.