NBA playoffs start this coming weekend.

SanctionII

Predictions for the opening and subsequent rounds?

It will be very strange not to see LeBron James in the playoffs this year.

DIMEMAN

They could save us all some time and agony and just crown GS. It's over before it starts.

SanctionII

Dimeman.

I think that the NBA playoffs will be very competitive this year, in both conferences.

After watching GS and other teams play this season I think the gap between GS and the other teams in both conferences has become very small. However, if GS flips the switch and for 48 minutes plays defense, offense and the transition game the way they are capable of playing they will likely win the title again.

DIMEMAN

The East might be open, but they will be playing to see who gets to lose to GS in the finals........prolly 4-zip!

erikthredd

I've been looking forward to seeing which Celtics team will show up for the playoffs,the one that turns up their defensive effort to 110% and just owns teams or the team that plays with zero passion and loses home games to bad teams.
Losing their best defender,Marcus Smart, for 4-6 weeks with an oblique injury just days before the playoffs start really sucks but on the plus side Gordon Hayward is finally playing like the All Star we've been waiting for all season..

I can see the Celtics-Pacers,Rockets-Jazz and Blazers-Thunder series all possibly going to 7 games,maybe even Nets-76ers if Embiid misses multiple games with his knee injury. Denver playing the Spurs should be a good test for a young Nuggets team and Toronto,Milwaukee & GS should all walk right into the 2nd round.

erikthredd

So much for homecourt advantage to start the playoffs in the East.

erikthredd

@erikthredd said:
I've been looking forward to seeing which Celtics team will show up for the playoffs,the one that turns up their defensive effort to 110% and just owns teams or the team that plays with zero passion and loses home games to bad teams.

The C's gave us a glimpse of both teams during their game yesterday. They went from looking like a lottery team over the first two quarters then giving up just 8 total points in the 3rd quarter on 2-19 shooting and 29 total points in the 2nd half. Hopefully they bring that same intensity into their next game on wednesday.

galaxy27

out of the last 14 games played, 12 have been won by the road team. i assume the Bucks will put the Pistons to sleep in the first game tonight making it 13 out of 15, then i hope the Rockets can follow suit and sweep away the Jazz

craziness

erikthredd

I didn't see the C's winning both games in Indy but they pulled it off. We're gonna see some great round two matchups,the only question really left is will it be Denver or SA moving on.

DIMEMAN

Everybody is playing to see who looses to GS.

breakdown

First round is a snoozer but second round should get interesting:
GS and Houston for the pre-championship Championship.
Milwaukee-Boston should be rough and tumble. And Sixers Toronto is also promising.

SanctionII

Damian Lillard was amazing tonight. 50 points including a game winning 37' three point shot to win the game at the buzzer.

galaxy27

@SanctionII said:

Damian Lillard was amazing tonight. 50 points including a game winning 37' three point shot to win the game at the buzzer.

saw it. i thought to myself, "what is he doing?"

he knew exactly what he was doing

erikthredd

That Lillard game winner was one hell of a shot. I've been waiting for the NBA to release the Celtics-Bucks schedule since sunday and they haven't made it public yet . Does anyone know if they wait until the entire first round is completed,or even just all 4 teams in one conference, before releasing the round two schedule?

erikthredd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiQFVjyP148

DIMEMAN

@erikthredd said:
That Lillard game winner was one hell of a shot. I've been waiting for the NBA to release the Celtics-Bucks schedule since sunday and they haven't made it public yet . Does anyone know if they wait until the entire first round is completed,or even just all 4 teams in one conference, before releasing the round two schedule?

You can do that (and should) with the game tied. I liked the way he waived good bye.

galaxy27

@erikthredd said:

Does anyone know if they wait until the entire first round is completed,or even just all 4 teams in one conference, before releasing the round two schedule?

i don't know if they have changed things up, but in years past i recall a new round starting right up even when an old one was still going on. and if they needed to play catch-up, things slowed down as the conference finals drew near.

i have had a Masters hangover, but i'm starting to get into the playoffs now. i watched the entire Port-OKC game last night and it was a good one. at one point mid-3rd Portland was up by 9, but within the blink of an eye they were down 15. then they stormed back and ended the Thunder's season, courtesy of Dame's rainmaker. must have been a very contentious series, because after the shot he waved at the OKC bench as if to say, "now get the hell outta here." lol

galaxy27

how awesome is this lol

erikthredd

@galaxy27 I just heard an update that the Bucks-Celtics series starts on sunday afternoon which would give them a week off between rounds. The Bucks should be getting Brogdon back soon and I'm hoping all of these off days help Smart get back mid-series at least. Both teams should be well rested and I really like the C's chances even without homecourt advantage.

That was a great moment for the Blazers and their fans especially after getting swept last season. I don't think I've ever seen a stepback three go in from that distance before,it was pretty incredible that he hit.

SanctionII

If things play out as they likely will the conference semi-finals of:

1. Celtics-Bucks;

2. Toronto-Philly;

3. GS-Houston; and

4. Denver-Portland

should be very, very entertaining.

galaxy27

couple of thoughts after G1 of Raps-Sixers

Kawhi looked like the most complete player on the planet. i really hope he stays in Toronto. that city.......that country......deserves him. if he sells his soul to the devil & ends up on the Lakers roster it'll feel so gross.

Siakam may be the most improved player in the history of the world. when did that dude get so good? last year he was a fringe starter; last night he looked like a bonafide star to the tune of 29 points on 15 shots.

i can't see Philly beating them 4 times in 6 games

erikthredd

@galaxy27 said:
couple of thoughts after G1 of Raps-Sixers

Kawhi looked like the most complete player on the planet. i really hope he stays in Toronto. that city.......that country......deserves him. if he sells his soul to the devil & ends up on the Lakers roster it'll feel so gross.

Siakam may be the most improved player in the history of the world. when did that dude get so good? last year he was a fringe starter; last night he looked like a bonafide star to the tune of 29 points on 15 shots.

i can't see Philly beating them 4 times in 6 games

I think the Clippers would have a better chance at signing Kawhi than the Lakers would especially after they just took GS to 6 games. They'll have enough cap space to go after two stars this summer and I think they'd be a better choice than any of the other teams with major cap space available. Just imagine if Kawhi & Durant teamed up there,Lebron with the Lakers would probably steal all of the media attention and those two can just ball.

galaxy27

@erikthredd said:

I think the Clippers would have a better chance at signing Kawhi than the Lakers would especially after they just took GS to 6 games. They'll have enough cap space to go after two stars this summer and I think they'd be a better choice than any of the other teams with major cap space available. Just imagine if Kawhi & Durant teamed up there,Lebron with the Lakers would probably steal all of the media attention and those two can just ball.

i would love that. not only would LeBron never be on the best team again, but he wouldn't even be on the best team in LA

couple of intriguing matchups today. from a purely impartial standpoint, i don't like the Cs chances against Milwaukee in this series. hope i'm wrong not only for your sake (and others on this board), but from a purely selfish standpoint i want to see a deep, 6-or-7 game series.

as for GS-Hou, it's time. time for the champs to be dethroned, that is. i see this being a riveting series going all 7. Curry & Thompson are by all accounts a touch gimpy for G1, so today is the day to steal home court advantage. but i'm still not sold on chinks in the Warriors' armor. i think they relish playing possum. when you have that much talent, the ability to flip the switch is always there.

erikthredd

I actually like Boston's chances against Milwaukee,they match-up well with the Bucks compared to the Raptors. Usually when they play Giannis they try to cut off his path to the basket and make his shooters beat them. I think the C's lucked out with Brogdon missing the first two games,after Middleton he was their next best player in that Round 1 series a year ago where the home team won every game. This time around both teams are better,even though Boston was the lower seed having Kyrie & Hayward at full health is huge. I think Boston has the better supporting cast but I do think its going 7. Smart is due back around game 4 or 5 and hopefully that happens.

I'm lovin that this GS-HOU game is on early,had this been one of their 10:30 start games I'd be lucky to catch maybe the first half and I really would like to see this series. I think this is the Rockets best chance to finally get bye the Dubs but like you said that switch can flip at any moment.
These four teams were my pick for the conference finals so this should be pretty entertaining.

PatsGuy5000

@DIMEMAN said:
The East might be open, but they will be playing to see who gets to lose to GS in the finals........prolly 4-zip!

I think there is a couple of East teams that can win a few games (Raptors, Bucks, Celtics), however if Golden State plays like they can, it should be a third straight championship.

erikthredd

One down,three to go.

galaxy27

i think i pissed Boston off lol

dude that was beyond impressive -- on both ends of the floor. an almost 20% disparity in the FG dept will get it done every time. i thought when Milwaukee made an inevitable push to regain the lead they would then take control. i think that just pissed the Celtics off even more

just one game, but congrats to all Cs fans on the board 🍻

erikthredd

That was a perfect start to this series and they're really rolling right now,that's 3-0 on the road in these playoffs. Hopefully Baynes injury isn't serious,he's a huge part of their interior defense. Lets see them come back tuesday night and do it again.
Lets go Rockets!

PatsGuy5000

@erikthredd said:
That was a perfect start to this series and they're really rolling right now,that's 3-0 on the road in these playoffs. Hopefully Baynes injury isn't serious,he's a huge part of their interior defense. Lets see them come back tuesday night and do it again.
Lets go Rockets!

Celtics looked real good.... they have a lot of options, Tatum had a quiet game.

galaxy27

3 thoughts thus far

Rockets arent shooting 3-balls effectively enough to win this game

how many times is Klay Thompson going to undercut Harden, create contact, and not get called for it?

i'm getting to where i despise the Warriors. does any team bitch, whine and moan more than they do?

galaxy27

late push to make the 1st half a wash.....i'll more than take it

DIMEMAN

@galaxy27 said:
3 thoughts thus far

Rockets arent shooting 3-balls effectively enough to win this game

how many times is Klay Thompson going to undercut Harden, create contact, and not get called for it?

i'm getting to where i despise the Warriors. does any team bitch, whine and moan more than they do?

I don't feel sorry for Harden at all. He gets away with creating contact and running over people and not getting the OF more than anybody in the league except for the Master at it Lebron the whinner.

erikthredd

@PatsGuy5000 said:

@erikthredd said:
That was a perfect start to this series and they're really rolling right now,that's 3-0 on the road in these playoffs. Hopefully Baynes injury isn't serious,he's a huge part of their interior defense. Lets see them come back tuesday night and do it again.
Lets go Rockets!

Celtics looked real good.... they have a lot of options, Tatum had a quiet game.

I'm ok with him not forcing up shots to pad his stats. They had 5 guys in double figures and tonight wasn't his night. He still had a productive game with 6 boards,3 blocks and solid defense on Middleton. The team effort of clogging up the middle on Giannis was probably the best we've seen all year,he had a hand in that too.

galaxy27

final thoughts

highly entertaining game

thankfully, one game a series does not make

Golden State simply played better, but they best know they're in for a best-of-7 brawl

i don't know wtf constitutes a foul anymore. by my count, the Rockets should have had 10+ more free throw attempts. i consider myself an above average fan, but maybe someone else can explain to me how a defender can leave his feet, land in the area of a 3-pt shooter, make contact, and the ref swallows his whistle

i've been drinking so i'll eject before i get ejected

erikthredd

On that CP3 ejection play,I don't know why he didn't just turn towards the corner and launch a three himself rather than try passing it to his teammate(don't remember if it was Gordon or Tucker) who was covered. Would have still been a tough shot either way though.
I feel your pain with the noncalls,it looked like both #1 seeds got some homecooking whistles. The Bucks got to the line 24 times compared to just 8 for Boston in an extremely physical game from both sides.

DIMEMAN

@galaxy27 said:
final thoughts

highly entertaining game

thankfully, one game a series does not make

Golden State simply played better, but they best know they're in for a best-of-7 brawl

i don't know wtf constitutes a foul anymore. by my count, the Rockets should have had 10+ more free throw attempts. i consider myself an above average fan, but maybe someone else can explain to me how a defender can leave his feet, land in the area of a 3-pt shooter, make contact, and the ref swallows his whistle

i've been drinking so i'll eject before i get ejected

I didn't see the game, but I hate when the opposite happens. Example.....when the shooter fakes and gets the defender in the air then moves under him and gets the foul. I call it the "Paul Pearce" move. I HATE IT!!

SanctionII

Watched the GS v Houston game. Many ticky tack fouls were called. Some fouls were not called.

Harden is very skilled at drawing fouls while initiating the contact with the defender (i.e. pushing off with his shoulder, elbow, arm or hand). He also kicks out with his legs during and after shooting to make contact with a defender, often times falling down. This worked and did not work today.

GS played very effective defense on the ball today and had off ball defenders cut off passing lanes. This aggressive defense took Houston out of its offensive flow, resulting in hurried, lower percentage shots and turn overs.

fergie23

Harden jumped into Green on that play and kicked his legs forward, that is not how he normally shoots 3 pointers. Look where Harden started and look where Green ended. Good no call IMO.

Robb

galaxy27

in his postgame presser, D'Antoni said that the refs caught him at half and admitted to four missed foul calls (on threes) in the first half alone

thisistheshow

I watched the game. Please excuse the following rant....

I am in my mid forties. I watched a ton of NBA and college basketball in the 80s and 90s. I have utilized YouTube to rewatch my favorite games of the past and to watch teams and stars I missed before my time. For the last 20 years I mostly just watch on holidays, playoffs, and finals.

Does anyone else just find it hard to watch the game now? Fundamentals are a mess. Shooting is a mess. They live and die by the 3. Sloppy play. It seems like it gets worse every year. It's not every team or every game, but this game was a mess. It looks jagged, without smooth edges , to my eyes.

Before the game I spent about an hour watching old Celtics games with Havlicek, so that didn't help. It only made it more obvious.

galaxy27

2-min report from yesterday's game is out. 3 blown calls went against the Rockets, the biggest of which was Curry not being called for #6 at the 1:10 mark. he later hit a dagger of a 3 with 24 seconds remaining.

it's getting to the point where it's becoming hard to take the NBA seriously

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26634678/nba-curry-fouled-game-1

thisistheshow

@galaxy27 said:
2-min report from yesterday's game is out. 3 blown calls went against the Rockets, the biggest of which was Curry not being called for #6 at the 1:10 mark. he later hit a dagger of a 3 with 24 seconds remaining.

it's getting to the point where it's becoming hard to take the NBA seriously

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26634678/nba-curry-fouled-game-1

That 3 sealed the game

SanctionII

When did the league start releasing to the public information (i.e. the 2 Minute Report) containing its after the fact assessment of the performance of the referees?

Further, what is the reason or purpose behind the league releasing this information to the public? I can see the league reviewing the performance of referees and using the results of said reviews to improve the quality of the referees. What I can not see is the benefit of releasing this information to the public (maybe it is for no purpose other than getting further attention from fans and the sports media). I would think that referees would not want this information made public.

Do any other sports leagues act in a similar manner?

galaxy27

sanction, they have been doing this for a few years now. i think it was meant to be a (futile) attempt at transparency for the public, because the league has been on the hot seat for quite sometime with the way games are being officiated. but i'm not so sure it's working in their favor, because very rarely have i ever read a 2-min report and the refs were infallible. always mistakes made. sometimes huge mistakes that -- one could argue -- decided the outcome.

erikthredd

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26634745/rockets-audited-18-game-7-say-finals-bid-taken

DIMEMAN

Unbelievable whining by Houston! If the refs called it right......Harden wouldn't make it to the end of the first half!

galaxy27

@erikthredd said:
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26634745/rockets-audited-18-game-7-say-finals-bid-taken

i saw that Eric

were there some dubious calls/non-calls? yeah. were there 81?? um, not so sure about that one. methinks there was an element of bias in that audit

unbelievable whining by Houston!

SanctionII

Over the past 5 years GS and Houston have played each other in the playoffs multiple times. GS has won every one of those series so far.

If Houston does not win the current series against GS me thinks that Houston should not whine. Nobody likes a whiner (If GS wins game 2 tonight it will be very difficult for Houston to win 4 out of the next 5).

If Houston wins the current series against GS then Houston should take satisfaction that it dethroned the reigning champs; and then turn its attention to winning the next one or two rounds of the 2019 playoffs.

erikthredd

Milwaukee came to play tonight and its been a good close game so far. I'm waiting to see how Boston looks coming out of the half,they've been at their best in these playoffs in the 3rd quarter. Hopefully Kyrie finally gets his game going soon.

erikthredd

@erikthredd said:
Milwaukee came to play tonight and its been a good close game so far. I'm waiting to see how Boston looks coming out of the half,they've been at their best in these playoffs in the 3rd quarter. Hopefully Kyrie finally gets his game going soon.

Open my big mouth and they get outscored by 21 in the 3rd. No more halftime comments.

erikthredd

Hats off to the Bucks tonight,they played like a one seed should. Middleton was on fire and Giannis eventually got going. I'm more than happy to see the C's come back to Boston for game 3 with a game in hand.
Go Rockets!