2023-24 NBA Thread

[MuggsyB]

Mavs are having making the wolves their bi tch in the paint.

Any time a wolves player does try to drive he immediately panics.

Yes.  Minny lost their poise and essentially their minds. 

[rocket surgeon]

Edwards ran out of gas

[MU82]

At his post-game press conference Edwards invoked his inner Wojo: He blamed tired legs for his team getting outplayed and outworked by Dallas in the 4th quarter.

Trying to remember if the Original Jordan ever blamed tired legs. Maybe he did.

[PGsHeroes32]

Will be interesting if Pacers get trucked tonight after the game 1 slip away.

Or if the Boston sports game 2 curse lives on.

[MuggsyB]

Will be interesting if Pacers get trucked tonight after the game 1 slip away.

Or if the Boston sports game 2 curse lives on.

I'm concerned with the Pacers in this one.  Hopefully I'm dead wrong.

[PGsHeroes32]

I'm concerned with the Pacers in this one.  Hopefully I'm dead wrong.

Playing well in Qtr 1 at least

[MuggsyB]

Playing well in Qtr 1 at least

Indians's defense and rebounding is a problem.   These guys look like they're taking an afternoon stroll for some reason. 

[MuggsyB]

Does Carlisle know he has time-outs left?  WTF?

[PGsHeroes32]

Yeah looks like that Indiana hope last 1 qtr

[MuggsyB]

Big last 2.5 mins from Siakam. 

[PGsHeroes32]

Indy back alive

[MuggsyB]

Indy back alive

Tatum has been brutal. 

[PGsHeroes32]

Tatum has been brutal.

Browns team

[WhiteTrash]

At his post-game press conference Edwards invoked his inner Wojo: He blamed tired legs for his team getting outplayed and outworked by Dallas in the 4th quarter.

Trying to remember if the Original Jordan ever blamed tired legs. Maybe he did.

23 did some of his best work sick as a dog.

[MuggsyB]

Doncic is cold-blooded.  But that defense and switch didn't make any sense whatsoever. 

[Dish]

Anthony Edwards hasn't been bad, but he certainly hasn't been great for about the last 5 games now.

[MuggsyB]

Anthony Edwards hasn't been bad, but he certainly hasn't been great for about the last 5 games now.

True.  But the bigger problem is Dallas' bigs absolutely dominating.  14-16 with dunk, after dunk, after dunk.

[forgetful]

Doncic should have been MVP. Jokic was equally deserving, but it should have been Doncic. It was an absolute crime for him to finish 3rd.

Edwards complaining about tired legs. Meanwhile Doncic is torching them with triple doubles with two injured legs.

[wadesworld]

Doncic should have been MVP. Jokic was equally deserving, but it should have been Doncic. It was an absolute crime for him to finish 3rd.

Edwards complaining about tired legs. Meanwhile Doncic is torching them with triple doubles with two injured legs.

SGA should've been 2nd no doubt about it.

[forgetful]

SGA should've been 2nd no doubt about it.

If anyone else put up the numbers and the record that Doncic did this season, they would have been MVP.

There is some strange disrespect for Doncic.

[MuggsyB]

If anyone else put up the numbers and the record that Doncic did this season, they would have been MVP.

There is some strange disrespect for Doncic.

He complains a lot, which probably doesn't help him.  The bottom line is Edwards and Towns haven't been good in this series. But what's most eye-opening is how great Gafford and Lively have been on both ends of the floor.  People can talk about analytics all they want, but going 23/29 from 2 isn't the same thing as going like 15/29 from three.  Why?  Because as far as I know it doesn't measure what happens on those 6 and 14 missed shots.  The other team is far more likely to get into transition and score on the other end on a missed 3 vs a missed shot inside the paint.

Lively/Gafford have also been way better defensively than Golbert/Towns.  Reid has been really good but none of Minny's bigs or Edwards are getting easy chippies.   Lively can also guard the perimeter, Towns and Golbert can't.  Minnesota is not winning this series if Dallas gets 10+ uncontested dunks per game.  They have to take that away and axe this "drop coverage".  If Luke and Kyrie each get 35 a game and are highly efficient you just tip your cap but you simply can't allow two players who only score at the rim to go 23/29. 

[MU82]

Anthony Edwards hasn't been bad, but he certainly hasn't been great for about the last 5 games now.

He's 11-for-33 in this series, 30-89 the last five games. The Timberwolves are 1-4 during the stretch.

Difficult to win when your superduperstar can't hit shots.

But at least Minnesota fans get Chick-fil-A because Irving missed a couple FTs.

[tower912]

Young players hit walls?   Defenses in playoffs make adjustments?   
Team OMax looking good.

[The Sultan]

I also think Jason Kidd has grown as a coach and done some good things in these series with match-ups and adjustments. Most importantly he keeps calm when things look like they are disintegrating. That was always a problem for him in Milwaukee.

[forgetful]

He complains a lot, which probably doesn't help him.  The bottom line is Edwards and Towns haven't been good in this series. But what's most eye-opening is how great Gafford and Lively have been on both ends of the floor.  People can talk about analytics all they want, but going 23/29 from 2 isn't the same thing as going like 15/29 from three.  Why?  Because as far as I know it doesn't measure what happens on those 6 and 14 missed shots.  The other team is far more likely to get into transition and score on the other end on a missed 3 vs a missed shot inside the paint.

Lively/Gafford have also been way better defensively than Golbert/Towns.  Reid has been really good but none of Minny's bigs or Edwards are getting easy chippies.   Lively can also guard the perimeter, Towns and Golbert can't.  Minnesota is not winning this series if Dallas gets 10+ uncontested dunks per game.  They have to take that away and axe this "drop coverage".  If Luke and Kyrie each get 35 a game and are highly efficient you just tip your cap but you simply can't allow two players who only score at the rim to go 23/29.

There isn't a player that whines more than Lebron has his entire career, throws actual temper tantrums at times flopping around on the ground. It never hurt his MVP chances.

Jokic is a deserving MVP winner. And it would be splitting hairs between him and Doncic, I think Doncic had a historic season that should have been rewarded and he deserved the MVP. Him being 3rd is just insane.