2024-25 NBA Thread

[MuggsyB]

I agree on Doc, but Giannis is way too prideful to play out the string. And Dame is motivated. The rest of the guys will follow.

If they lose game 3 it's obviously done, but I don't expect them to. Trent and AJ and others will feed off the crowd. Pacers get rattled when things don't go their way. Only 20-20 on the road this year (same as Milwaukee)

They should win G3 and G4. 

[forgetful]

With as much money there is in the NBA, how can NBA officiating be so atrocious.

[MuggsyB]

Butler could be out for a game or two. 

[forgetful]

Butler could be out for a game or two. 

That looked really painful.

[forgetful]

That review highlights a big problem with NBA challenges.

That contact would not and has not been called a foul at any point in this game. But because of a challenge and a single frame from slo-mo where there was apparently contact, they get 2 shots.

Even in slo motion reviews there was no evidence of contact, but a different angle and a still shot shows mild contact?

Kind of absurd.

Post bodyslams Adams and they both get Techs. Lol.

[MuggsyB]

That review highlights a big problem with NBA challenges.

That contact would not and has not been called a foul at any point in this game. But because of a challenge and a single frame from slo-mo where there was apparently contact, they get 2 shots.

Even in slo motion reviews there was no evidence of contact, but a different angle and a still shot shows mild contact?

Kind of absurd.

As SVG said:  This game is really tough to officiate. 

[forgetful]

As SVG said:  This game is really tough to officiate. 

The officials lost control, and have made it worse through really bad calls both ways.

It's only hard to officiate, when they forget to officiate.

[MuggsyB]

I'm trying to figure out why Houston feels it's necessary to play so fast?  If it's not there in transition, why not simply get the ball to Sengun in tbe wide-post on every possession?  The Dubs can't guard him in the paint. 

[MuggsyB]

Houston does a lot of dumb things offensively.  GSW is hanging around with a bunch of scrubs. 

[MuggsyB]

Wow.  Those 2 fouls on Sengun were interesting. 

[forgetful]

Wow.  Those 2 fouls on Sengun were interesting. 

Yeah, now the officials are blowing a whistle for anything and everything.

[MuggsyB]

Draymond has to show up with Butler out:

1pt
1 reb
0 assists
3 steals
3 turns.

That ain't gonna cut it. 

Podziemski has also been abysmal.. 
 

[forgetful]

Draymond has to show up with Butler out:

1pt
1 reb
0 assists
3 steals
3 turns.

That ain't gonna cut it. 

Podziemski has also been abysmal.. 

Podziemski is very sick, was surprised he played at all.

[MuggsyB]

Podziemski is very sick, was surprised he played at all.

Oh.   I didn't know he is ill. 

[MuggsyB]

Houston continues to do moronic things offensively. 

[MU82]

Steph fired an airball near the end of the 3Q ... which according to Goose means he's not a "shooter."

[The Sultan]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1915422981448147178

[wadesworld]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1915422981448147178

Absolutely brutal.

[MU82]

I thought this, from Yahoo Sports, was real interesting:

The Clippers host the Nuggets tonight in the inaugural playoff game at the Intuit Dome, where Los Angeles will unleash its unique home-court advantage: The Wall.

51 rows of distraction: When Steve Ballmer spent $2 billion on his team's new arena, he included an unusually steep section right behind one of the baskets featuring 51 rows of seats reserved only for pre-vetted super fans. One intent of "The Wall" was to be the league's best home-court advantage, distracting opponents at the free throw line. Turns out, it worked.

‌By the numbers: Opponents shot just 73.4% from the line this season when facing The Wall, which would have ranked dead last in the NBA and was well below what they shot on the other end of the floor (76.1%), per Sportico. That 73.4% figure was also 4.7% worse than league average (78.1%), representing the second-largest gap this century between one environment and the rest of the NBA.

Perhaps most telling: The Clippers' advantage grew as the pressure mounted later in games, with opponents shooting an abysmal 67.7% against The Wall in the second half, per statistician Mike Beuoy. That might explain why twice as many teams chose to face The Wall in the first half rather than risk distraction in crunch time.

‌What they're saying: "Yeah, it was crazy," said Kevin Durant after missing two fourth-quarter free throws in an October game. "I was just staring at it the whole time. You're not used to that."

How it came to be: The concept for The Wall came after the Clippers researched the world's most rabid fanbases, specifically those in college sports and European soccer, ultimately drawing inspiration from Borussia Dortmund's "Yellow Wall" in the Bundesliga.

They couldn't quite replicate the sheer volume of 25,000 yellow-clad fans in a single section, but they've gotten as close as could be reasonably expected in their 18,000-seat arena.

Only pre-certified fans can purchase tickets, cheering for the other team (or wearing their gear) is prohibited and diehards have a dedicated section right behind the basket.

What to watch: In the small sample of a playoff series, it stands to reason that the teams most affected by The Wall would be the ones who usually make a living at the charity stripe. Well, the Nuggets just so happened to take the most free throws of any team this season.

[cheebs09]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1915422981448147178

My coping mechanism is that he wanted Atkinson and management overruled him on the last two coaching hires.

I'll only have some hope if Doc is fired once the clock strikes zero on this season.

[Jockey]

Well, somebody needs to be able to pick the next Marjon Beauchamp.

[Uncle Rico]

Doubling down on Horst, man, woof.

[GB Warrior]

This isn't what I had in mind when I said to burn it all down

[MuggsyB]

Doubling down on Horst, man, woof.

Why in tbe F would they do this?  Based on what?  Absolutely egregious decision, and inexcusable at a level rarely seen. 

[Uncle Rico]

Why in tbe F would they do this?  Based on what?  Absolutely egregious decision, and inexcusable at a level rarely seen. 

Well, Jimmy Haslam is in charge