2021-22 NBA Thread: The Bucks are Reigning Champs

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I still can't figure out why some  fully vaccinated coaches, are wearing a cloth mask and moving it up and down, during the course of the game.  Seriously, it's fking weird.

Why are you bringing this up here?

[MuggsyB]

Why are you bringing this up here?

Because it's totally bizarre.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Because It's totally bizarre.

And not really relevant to the topic.

[MuggsyB]

And not really relevant to the topic.

You don't think it's weird Fluffy?   It's relevant because they keep showing it.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

You don't think it's weird Fluffy?   It's relevant because they keep showing it.

It's fine. No reason to be judgmental about  it.

[MuggsyB]

It's fine. No reason to be judgmental about  it.

We'll agree to disagree.  It's not fine.  It's bizarre as fk and should be highlighted for the general public. 

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

We'll agree to disagree.  It's not fine.  It's bizarre as fk and should be highlighted for the general public. 

You're insufferable

[MuggsyB]

You're insufferable

I'm 100% sure you agree with me because you have a scintilla of intelligence.  Why don't you just admit it's beyond bizarre and free yourself of la-la land narratives?  Believe me you will feel better Fluffy. 

[Uncle Rico]

I'm 100% sure you agree with me because you have a scintilla of intelligence.  Why don't you just admit it's beyond bizarre and free yourself of la-la land narratives?  Believe me you will feel better Fluffy.

Nobody cares

[forgetful]

This is such a lazy hot take you're better than.

The Nets were a KD big toe away from the ECF where they would have rolled the Hawks just like the Bucks did.

This year he again put up all NBA numbers but had a mediocre coach and F'd up roster to contend with.  One that he didn't player-GM himself.  I love the Warriors, I love Kerr, I love Steph and Klay, but this is the first time they'd had success without Durant since he left.  And as good as they were without him, they don't win some of the titles they did without him.

You can praise the resiliance and rebuild of the Warriors organization with new pieces like Poole and somehow turning Wiggins into a contributor on a title contending team...without needing to take a shot at KD.  Leave terrible basketball hot takes to idiots like Nick Wright.

Jwags. This is a lazy hot take.

Prior to Durant coming, the GSWs set an all time best record. After he left they have never been healthy.

In 19/20, Klay was out all year and Curry only played 5-games.
In 20/21, Klay was out all year (without one of their big 3, they still made the play-in tournament).

This is the first year they have had a healthy roster. Even then, Klay was out the majority of the year. They are back to being dominant, despite significant injuries to the team all year long.

Comparing post-Durant Warriors to the Durant Warriors based on horrifically bad injury luck is a lazy hot take.

A healthy GSW team wins championships. The only seasons they lost were injury laden post-seasons.

Durant made the Warriors better, but it was not that large a bump as only one person can have the ball at a time. What it gave them is another elite player to offset any injuries or off days by Curry/Klay, but the net team was only marginally better.

[tower912]

GSW have won championships without KD and may do the same this year.  KD has not won without GSW.   Very talented player, no doubt.

[MuggsyB]

The Celtics are crazy unlikable.  Hopefully it's the Heat in 6/7.

[Holy hell all time]

Jwags. This is a lazy hot take.

Prior to Durant coming, the GSWs set an all time best record. After he left they have never been healthy.

In 19/20, Klay was out all year and Curry only played 5-games.
In 20/21, Klay was out all year (without one of their big 3, they still made the play-in tournament).

This is the first year they have had a healthy roster. Even then, Klay was out the majority of the year. They are back to being dominant, despite significant injuries to the team all year long.

Comparing post-Durant Warriors to the Durant Warriors based on horrifically bad injury luck is a lazy hot take.

A healthy GSW team wins championships. The only seasons they lost were injury laden post-seasons.

Durant made the Warriors better, but it was not that large a bump as only one person can have the ball at a time. What it gave them is another elite player to offset any injuries or off days by Curry/Klay, but the net team was only marginally better.

Stop it. They were SIGNIFICANTLY better with KD. Yes, they were great before him and are looking great again now without him. But what went from a great but beatable team (Houston had them on the brink twice, the Cavs beat them once) to completely unbeatable with KD.

[forgetful]

Stop it. They were SIGNIFICANTLY better with KD. Yes, they were great before him and are looking great again now without him. But what went from a great but beatable team (Houston had them on the brink twice, the Cavs beat them once) to completely unbeatable with KD.

They lost in 2019. They were taken to game 7 by Houston in 2018.

The 2016 team that Cleveland beat was a hobbled Curry (injured himself in the 1st round series and wasn't the same). That 2016 was unbeatable until Curry was injured.

I'm not taking away anything from Durant at all. I love Durant. It is just at a certain point that adding additional stars only adds marginal improvement, because the ball can only be in one players hands at a time. The offense can only improve marginally, the defense in theory can improve more, but that would require an elite defender.

[Holy hell all time]

They lost in 2019. They were taken to game 7 by Houston in 2018.

The 2016 team that Cleveland beat was a hobbled Curry (injured himself in the 1st round series and wasn't the same). That 2016 was unbeatable until Curry was injured.

I'm not taking away anything from Durant at all. I love Durant. It is just at a certain point that adding additional stars only adds marginal improvement, because the ball can only be in one players hands at a time. The offense can only improve marginally, the defense in theory can improve more, but that would require an elite defender.

You can't call someone out for ignoring injuries and then ignore that they lost in 2019 because KD tore his Achilles and Klay tore his ACL. KD played 12 total minutes in that series and Klay missed the last game and a half.

Steph sprained his ankle on April 18, 2016. The Warriors had a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals on the morning of June 13, 2016. He averaged 31 points per game in games 2-4 of that Finals. The ankle seemed just fine. Steph's sprained ankle was not why the Warriors didn't win that NBA Finals. They got beat by an equally good team. The next two years the same Cavs team had absolutely no chance whatsoever. They were 32-6 in the Playoffs the two years they had a healthy roster when KD was on the team.

They were WAY better with KD than they were before him and than they are now. Which is saying a LOT because they were incredible before he joined and are great now.

[MU82]

It wasn't a "hot take," it was a fact, every single word of it.

And I like KD, and think he'll retire as an all-time great. Those Warriors teams were great to watch. It's nonetheless a fact that while his current effed-up Nets team -- one he left GS for and one he helped put together -- barely made the playoffs and then was swept aside, his former team is on the cusp of another title.

That he was a big toe away from beating the Bucks is immaterial. Everybody who loses has an excuse or two or 10. Whose fault was it that he didn't have his big toe behind the freakin' line?

[JWags85]

It wasn't a "hot take," it was a fact, every single word of it.

And I like KD, and think he'll retire as an all-time great. Those Warriors teams were great to watch. It's nonetheless a fact that while his current effed-up Nets team -- one he left GS for and one he helped put together -- barely made the playoffs and then was swept aside, his former team is on the cusp of another title.

That he was a big toe away from beating the Bucks is immaterial. Everybody who loses has an excuse or two or 10. Whose fault was it that he didn't have his big toe behind the freakin' line?

You know perfectly well you wrote it as a slight to Durant.  Barely losing to the Bucks is not immaterial    Cause you made it seem like he's floundered while his former team has cruised. He had a 48 win team that barely lost to the NBA champs.

KD didn't injure Joe Harris.  KD didn't sideline Kyrie due to Covid most of the year.  Nor did he trade a star for a player who decided to not play an entire year.  We can say "oh the Warriors didn't have Klay last year, doesn't count" but then be like "oh KD can't win without the Warriors" when his team is f'd up.

Again, it's REALLY hard to make the Finals, much less win.  The Warriors are an incredible organization with a culture and a plan that allowed them to restructure and reconfigure.  Which is super admirable and amazing to watch.  None of that needs to be at the expense of KD for cheap talking points 3 years after he left.  It's odd that 2 people who "like/love KD" are needing to revel in or be very matter of fact about him not making a finals after leaving GS and ignore any peripheral details that may have contributed to that.

[4everwarriors]

Der beain' xtra karefull, aina?

[Hards Alumni]

We'll agree to disagree.  It's not fine.  It's bizarre as fk and should be highlighted for the general public.

Nah, not really.  To each their own.

[forgetful]

You can't call someone out for ignoring injuries and then ignore that they lost in 2019 because KD tore his Achilles and Klay tore his ACL. KD played 12 total minutes in that series and Klay missed the last game and a half.

Steph sprained his ankle on April 18, 2016. The Warriors had a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals on the morning of June 13, 2016. He averaged 31 points per game in games 2-4 of that Finals. The ankle seemed just fine. Steph's sprained ankle was not why the Warriors didn't win that NBA Finals. They got beat by an equally good team. The next two years the same Cavs team had absolutely no chance whatsoever. They were 32-6 in the Playoffs the two years they had a healthy roster when KD was on the team.

They were WAY better with KD than they were before him and than they are now. Which is saying a LOT because they were incredible before he joined and are great now.

Steph sprained his knee in round 1 of the 2016 playoffs (same injury as Middleton). Rushed back because they needed him. Despite still doing well, he was not himself. He didn't have the mobility he needed in that series. It was particularly evident as the series went on. A healthy Steph and they might have swept Cleveland.

And I disregarded injuries in my second post, because it appeared to me as if you were disregarding injuries in your analysis...see 2016.

Regarding "way better" their record was worse. Their parts were way better, the sum of the parts was negligibly better.

This isn't a knock on KD. Had Steph come to a pre-made team of KD, Klay, and Green, Steph would have only made the team marginally better too. It is simply a fact of incremental benefit, beyond a certain point, of adding more elite talent. Elite talent needs the ball.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

You can't call someone out for ignoring injuries and then ignore that they lost in 2019 because KD tore his Achilles and Klay tore his ACL. KD played 12 total minutes in that series and Klay missed the last game and a half.

Steph sprained his ankle on April 18, 2016. The Warriors had a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals on the morning of June 13, 2016. He averaged 31 points per game in games 2-4 of that Finals. The ankle seemed just fine. Steph's sprained ankle was not why the Warriors didn't win that NBA Finals. They got beat by an equally good team. The next two years the same Cavs team had absolutely no chance whatsoever. They were 32-6 in the Playoffs the two years they had a healthy roster when KD was on the team.

They were WAY better with KD than they were before him and than they are now. Which is saying a LOT because they were incredible before he joined and are great now.

Yeah I gotta agree with this.  Their regular season record was worse no doubt, but that 2017 team lost *one* playoff game.  The 2018 team was taken to 7 by a darn good Rockets team in the WCF but other than that cruised.  I think both 2017 and 2018 were better than 2016 despite the regular season record.

Put it another way, if you have KD on that 2016 team, they aren't losing a 3-1 lead to the Cavs. 

[Holy hell all time]

Steph sprained his knee in round 1 of the 2016 playoffs (same injury as Middleton). Rushed back because they needed him. Despite still doing well, he was not himself. He didn't have the mobility he needed in that series. It was particularly evident as the series went on. A healthy Steph and they might have swept Cleveland.

And I disregarded injuries in my second post, because it appeared to me as if you were disregarding injuries in your analysis...see 2016.

Regarding "way better" their record was worse. Their parts were way better, the sum of the parts was negligibly better.

This isn't a knock on KD. Had Steph come to a pre-made team of KD, Klay, and Green, Steph would have only made the team marginally better too. It is simply a fact of incremental benefit, beyond a certain point, of adding more elite talent. Elite talent needs the ball.

Sorry, I forgot it was knee and not ankle.  I don't know if he was "rushed back" or not, but he returned for game 4 of the very next round against the Blazers while the Warriors were leading the series 2-1 (and went on to win 4-1).  The Warriors certainly didn't "need him" at that point.

Overall I just couldn't disagree more.  The regular season means nothing.  Look at the Bucks.  They had by far the best record in basketball for two straight years, and then lost in the Playoffs.  Then they had the 3 seed in the East and won the title.  Look at what the Cavs did basically every year with LeBron.  They'd be the 4 seed and then just run through the East in the Playoffs.  The regular season record means very little.  To me, the Warriors went from being the best team in the league with 3 or 4 teams (depending on the year, Rockets, Spurs, Cavs, etc.) being good enough to steal a series from them, to being so far better than the rest of the League that they needed at least one major injury, and possibly multiple, for teams to have a chance to knock them out of the Playoffs.  I think it was a LOT more than marginally better with KD.

[MU82]

You know perfectly well you wrote it as a slight to Durant.  Barely losing to the Bucks is not immaterial    Cause you made it seem like he's floundered while his former team has cruised. He had a 48 win team that barely lost to the NBA champs.

KD didn't injure Joe Harris.  KD didn't sideline Kyrie due to Covid most of the year.  Nor did he trade a star for a player who decided to not play an entire year.  We can say "oh the Warriors didn't have Klay last year, doesn't count" but then be like "oh KD can't win without the Warriors" when his team is f'd up.

Again, it's REALLY hard to make the Finals, much less win.  The Warriors are an incredible organization with a culture and a plan that allowed them to restructure and reconfigure.  Which is super admirable and amazing to watch.  None of that needs to be at the expense of KD for cheap talking points 3 years after he left.  It's odd that 2 people who "like/love KD" are needing to revel in or be very matter of fact about him not making a finals after leaving GS and ignore any peripheral details that may have contributed to that.

There are always peripheral details. KD's a hell of a player. Maybe he'll win it all next season.

[tower912]

Dallas role players with a solid first quarter

[forgetful]

Dallas role players with a solid first quarter

Dallas role players with an outstanding 3 quarters.