No, I'm not questioning who you call a "star" -- but I know that just three stars will not win a 7-game series in the NBA finals. Winning the NBA finals (IMHO) requires "role players" who step up and shine when called on to do so. It takes a village.
Winning the NBA finals certainly requires more than one star and role players who step up. It also requires having the right role players in the first place. We can look at the Mavericks as proof of that. Only one star. Sub-par starters. Sub-par role players.
Most of all, I'm trying to add some level-headed (unbiased) thinking to this thread. You Boston fans tend to see everything through "green-colored glasses" ...
Get out of here with that crap already! You've been reading a thread that is 80-90% about the Celtics because two Celtics fans are the only ones bothering to comment on the NBA's playoffs outside of Sanction's respectable opnions every few days about the Warriors. You know,guys that actually care to watch and talk about our favorite basketball teams.
Then there are the other guys, the type that start threads to give backhanded compliments to (Boston) fans then get offended when your little circle jerk party didn't get the reaction you'd hoped for(guess it did this time). If you've got nothing to add to the topic outside of making most of your comments about You Boston fans then all you're doing is trying to start crap for no reason at all.
Lastly, no one gives two chits that you're from the East coast too.
erikthredd wrote: " ... the only ones bothering to comment on the NBA's playoffs ..."
Why would anyone else comment when we can all be enlightened by "you" -- "you" are clearly the most knowledgeable, the "basketball god", God's gift to every sports thread.
*charliej2356 wrote: "...God's gift to every sports thread."
Sure because my two threads commented in over the past week clearly lead to this (ass)umption.
Why don't you just use the Quote button like the rest of us well adjusted normal human beings?
@charliej2356 said:
erikthredd wrote: " ... the only ones bothering to comment on the NBA's playoffs ..."
Why would anyone else comment when we can all be enlightened by "you" -- "you" are clearly the most knowledgeable, the "basketball god", God's gift to every sports thread.
.... @charliej2356 your animosity towards what you see as an east coast or Boston bias seems to be misplaced here or at least incorrectly projected on the forum. The conversation has been Boston-centric due to the participants. Like you mentioned in the other thread I linked, there seems to be a propensity of Boston team fans here. It is true. You are not the first one to bring this up in a negative manner.
As I mentioned in the other Boston thread, I've lived in different areas of the country. I moved to NYC from Boston, where I heard "Oh, you're from Boston..." I moved to Texas from NYC, where I heard, "Oh, you're from New York". I've worked with people from all over the world. I'm married to a woman who grew up in Brazil. I understand about cultural differences and all of the surprising yet abundant similarities we share. I've heard it from the Yankees fans, the Cowboys fans. I've had my accent change and morph. In Texas people who just met me know right away I'm from the North. I visit Massachusetts and people think I'm from the South. After about three years in NYC I had developed a lot of the New York accent. In Texas I've had people from New Orleans ask me what parish I'm from. My point is....people tend to jump to assumptions and conclusions without looking very deep.
One more to go! If Boston can end this series at home on friday they'd then have 6 days rest before the Finals start that would be huge for the ailing players.
@erikthredd said:
One more to go! If Boston can end this series at home on friday they'd then have 6 days rest before the Finals start that would be huge for the ailing players.
..
We should be able to. This game was won in the 3rd quarter. So many of the playoff games are. Of course it's common in basketball, but seems very prevalent in the playoffs.
@erikthredd said:
One more to go! If Boston can end this series at home on friday they'd then have 6 days rest before the Finals start that would be huge for the ailing players.
..
We should be able to. This game was won in the 3rd quarter. So many of the playoff games are. Of course it's common in basketball, but seems very prevalent in the playoffs.
I agree and we're at the point in the playoffs where some of the better coached teams are the only ones still playing so we're seeing great halftime adjustments.
On a sidenote,that new site that I sent you recently has been working great with no issues other than having to refresh a few times during the game.
@erikthredd said:
One more to go! If Boston can end this series at home on friday they'd then have 6 days rest before the Finals start that would be huge for the ailing players.
..
We should be able to. This game was won in the 3rd quarter. So many of the playoff games are. Of course it's common in basketball, but seems very prevalent in the playoffs.
I agree and we're at the point in the playoffs where some of the better coached teams are the only ones still playing so we're seeing great halftime adjustments.
On a sidenote,that new site that I sent you recently has been working great with no issues other than having to refresh a few times during the game.
That's a great point about the coaching. Half time adjustments are so important. The Mavs were up 19 at the half game 2 and lost. I like Jason Kidd as a coach. This version of him I should say. And he will only get better. I don't really see him being out coached by Kerr, but the Mavs don't have the personnel. Udoka has been great all year, and continues to be.
@erikthredd said:
One more to go! If Boston can end this series at home on friday they'd then have 6 days rest before the Finals start that would be huge for the ailing players.
..
We should be able to. This game was won in the 3rd quarter. So many of the playoff games are. Of course it's common in basketball, but seems very prevalent in the playoffs.
I agree and we're at the point in the playoffs where some of the better coached teams are the only ones still playing so we're seeing great halftime adjustments.
On a sidenote,that new site that I sent you recently has been working great with no issues other than having to refresh a few times during the game.
That's a great point about the coaching. Half time adjustments are so important. The Mavs were up 19 at the half game 2 and lost. I like Jason Kidd as a coach. This version of him I should say. And he will only get better. I don't really see him being out coached by Kerr, but the Mavs don't have the personnel. Udoka has been great all year, and continues to be.
How is Cuban considered as an owner down there? I know personally that he's been a very successful businessman and from watching from afar over the years he seemed like he always took care of his players especially during those Dirk/Nash years. Is he going to be willing to spend to put a better supporting cast around Luka? I just did a quick check and the Mavs were 26th in payroll this year with $0 in luxury tax but you'd think that is likely to change with Brunson's expected bump in pay this summer. He's likely going from his 1.8Mish salary to somewhere in the 20-30M range from what I've read and I think if your Dallas you gotta pay to keep him.
Chase Center will be quite lively tonight as Game 5 of the WCF unfolds.
Local sports talk radio today has been discussing the GSW and the opinions given at the start of the 2021-2022 season about the team. Candidly the show hosts and their guests admitted that their predictions were that, at best, the GSW team would qualify for the playoffs as a 6th to 8th seed and not get past the first round. They also opined at the beginning of the season that if the GSW made the simply made the playoffs this year it would be considered a great success.
Fast forward to today and much chatter is that unless the GSW wins the 2021-2022 NBA title the season will be considered a big disappointment.
Fandom and Sports Talk is very, very strange.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how Game 5 plays out tonight (as will Game 6 of the ECF tomorrow).
Will the GSW close out Dallas on its home floor and avoid the tension of going back to Dallas for Game 6?
Or will Dallas win Game 5 and begin to replicate (and even exceed) its upset of Phoenix?
Answers to the above questions will reveal themselves in about 7 hours.
@erikthredd said:
One more to go! If Boston can end this series at home on friday they'd then have 6 days rest before the Finals start that would be huge for the ailing players.
..
We should be able to. This game was won in the 3rd quarter. So many of the playoff games are. Of course it's common in basketball, but seems very prevalent in the playoffs.
I agree and we're at the point in the playoffs where some of the better coached teams are the only ones still playing so we're seeing great halftime adjustments.
On a sidenote,that new site that I sent you recently has been working great with no issues other than having to refresh a few times during the game.
That's a great point about the coaching. Half time adjustments are so important. The Mavs were up 19 at the half game 2 and lost. I like Jason Kidd as a coach. This version of him I should say. And he will only get better. I don't really see him being out coached by Kerr, but the Mavs don't have the personnel. Udoka has been great all year, and continues to be.
How is Cuban considered as an owner down there? I know personally that he's been a very successful businessman and from watching from afar over the years he seemed like he always took care of his players especially during those Dirk/Nash years. Is he going to be willing to spend to put a better supporting cast around Luka? I just did a quick check and the Mavs were 26th in payroll this year with $0 in luxury tax but you'd think that is likely to change with Brunson's expected bump in pay this summer. He's likely going from his 1.8Mish salary to somewhere in the 20-30M range from what I've read and I think if your Dallas you gotta pay to keep him.
....
Cuban is seen as a good owner, in a lot of ways. Players tend to live him. Super passionate. He's a fan who bought the team. He veers into Jerry Jones territory with his involvement in personnel decisions. I don't think he'll be afraid to spend the money. But will he get the right pieces? There was a big shakeup in Mavericks country when Rick Carlisle left and so did Donnie Nelson. They had both been around forever. Nelson was seen as a top notch executive when it came to scouting foreign players. And they have Dirk and then Luka to show as proof of that. But the Mavericks also spent years dismissing the draft. They gave brought in Nico Harrison to run things with Cuban, and the results have been positive so far. But the Mavs are probably two years, not one, away from putting the right pieces around Luka. They need to get a better starting center. Just an average center would do wonders. As for Brunson, I don't know if they plan to keep him. But if they roll out the same team next year minus Brunson Luka will not like it.
@erikthredd said:
One more to go! If Boston can end this series at home on friday they'd then have 6 days rest before the Finals start that would be huge for the ailing players.
..
We should be able to. This game was won in the 3rd quarter. So many of the playoff games are. Of course it's common in basketball, but seems very prevalent in the playoffs.
I agree and we're at the point in the playoffs where some of the better coached teams are the only ones still playing so we're seeing great halftime adjustments.
On a sidenote,that new site that I sent you recently has been working great with no issues other than having to refresh a few times during the game.
That's a great point about the coaching. Half time adjustments are so important. The Mavs were up 19 at the half game 2 and lost. I like Jason Kidd as a coach. This version of him I should say. And he will only get better. I don't really see him being out coached by Kerr, but the Mavs don't have the personnel. Udoka has been great all year, and continues to be.
How is Cuban considered as an owner down there? I know personally that he's been a very successful businessman and from watching from afar over the years he seemed like he always took care of his players especially during those Dirk/Nash years. Is he going to be willing to spend to put a better supporting cast around Luka? I just did a quick check and the Mavs were 26th in payroll this year with $0 in luxury tax but you'd think that is likely to change with Brunson's expected bump in pay this summer. He's likely going from his 1.8Mish salary to somewhere in the 20-30M range from what I've read and I think if your Dallas you gotta pay to keep him.
....
Cuban is seen as a good owner, in a lot of ways. Players tend to live him. Super passionate. He's a fan who bought the team. He veers into Jerry Jones territory with his involvement in personnel decisions. I don't think he'll be afraid to spend the money. But will he get the right pieces? There was a big shakeup in Mavericks country when Rick Carlisle left and so did Donnie Nelson. They had both been around forever. Nelson was seen as a top notch executive when it came to scouting foreign players. And they have Dirk and then Luka to show as proof of that. But the Mavericks also spent years dismissing the draft. They gave brought in Nico Harrison to run things with Cuban, and the results have been positive so far. But the Mavs are probably two years, not one, away from putting the right pieces around Luka. They need to get a better starting center. Just an average center would do wonders. As for Brunson, I don't know if they plan to keep him. But if they roll out the same team next year minus Brunson Luka will not like it.
Suns center DeAndre Ayton is about to be a FA where the Suns weren't willing to max him out,maybe the Mavs could find a way to convince to come to Dallas. Hawks center Clint Capela is another name I've read that might be on the trade block. he'd be that rim-running Timelord type that would probably cost them (in trade) much less than what Ayton would cost. Or they could think big and hope that Jokic decides he's had enough with carrying the Nuggets basically on his own. He's only got one more year on his deal and he's kind of in the same situation as Luka. It would be pretty interesting to see how those two would fit on court together.
@SanctionII said:
Chase Center will be quite lively tonight as Game 5 of the WCF unfolds.
Local sports talk radio today has been discussing the GSW and the opinions given at the start of the 2021-2022 season about the team. Candidly the show hosts and their guests admitted that their predictions were that, at best, the GSW team would qualify for the playoffs as a 6th to 8th seed and not get past the first round. They also opined at the beginning of the season that if the GSW made the simply made the playoffs this year it would be considered a great success.
Fast forward to today and much chatter is that unless the GSW wins the 2021-2022 NBA title the season will be considered a big disappointment.
I think they've done very well with the development of their younger players like Poole,Kuminga,Gary Payton II and even Andrew Wiggins to an extent which kind of put them back ahead of schedule. We know that Kerr's system has a proven track record and while Curry,Klay & Green might not be playing at peak 2015-2018 levels they're still pretty damn good to great on any given night.
If the games over the next couple nights turn out as most people are expecting and we get a GS-Boston finals it will be pretty interesting to see how they matchup. Danny Ainge & Brad Stevens vision when building this C's roster over the past 5-6 seasons was done with the Warriors blueprint of positionless basketball in mind. It seemed like for the longest time Boston could never get past that Lebron hurdle in the East,going up against the Warriors in the Finals would be a great test for this young roster. What would a Marcus Smart-Steph Curry matchup look like? Jayson Tatum vs Draymond would be another great one to look forward to. I know I'm kind of getting ahead of myself with both series still with unfinished business but I just hope that if both teams finish out over the next couple nights, we then see both get plenty of rest before the Finals start next thursday.
@SanctionII said:
GS wins and is headed to the Finals.
6 Finals appearances in the last 8 years is quite impressive.
This might be the most impressive one to date considering how far they fell off over the past few years due to injuries.
No kidding.
I didn't realize they'd made the Finals quite that often. They had 5 straight before Steph and Klay and everybody else got hurt. I also didn't realize four of those five were against Cleveland, who made four in a row.
Da C's crack me up. Their fans crack me up too. I think Boston would play better at home if they removed that silly logo from mid-court -- it kinda makes the C's look like clowns.
@charliej2356 said:
Da C's crack me up. Their fans crack me up too. I think Boston would play better at home if they removed that silly logo from mid-court -- it kinda makes the C's look like clowns.
.....
Is this supposed to be trash talk or just Boston hate? Or both? You are the one looking silly in all of this.
@charliej2356 said:
Da C's crack me up. Their fans crack me up too. I think Boston would play better at home if they removed that silly logo from mid-court -- it kinda makes the C's look like clowns.
.....
Is this supposed to be trash talk or just Boston hate? Or both? You are the one looking silly in all of this.
Don’t feed the troll, he’s probably touching himself because he got another rise from the hated C’s fans. This is nothing but a clown who probably spent all week hoping for another C’s loss so he can come here and make a bigger ass of himself.
Golden State Warriors @ 3.60
Championship Winner
NBA Finals 2022
Jul 30, 7:00 pm ET
1 Bet(s) x $300.00 @ 3.60
Bet Amount: $300.00 Returns: $1080.00
i'd be happy with that bet as well. i think you're going to cash that one in. i'm just an impartial observer who watches a little hoops, and the eye test tells me that neither Boston nor Miami can beat Golden State four times.
besides, did anyone really think back in 2018 that Steph Curry (now 34) was going to go the rest of his career without another ring? that would have been hard to fathom. well, now is the time.
Golden State Warriors @ 3.60
Championship Winner
NBA Finals 2022
Jul 30, 7:00 pm ET
1 Bet(s) x $300.00 @ 3.60
Bet Amount: $300.00 Returns: $1080.00
i'd be happy with that bet as well. i think you're going to cash that one in. i'm just an impartial observer who watches a little hoops, and the eye test tells me that neither Boston nor Miami can beat Golden State four times.
besides, did anyone really think back in 2018 that Steph Curry (now 34) was going to go the rest of his career without another ring? that would have been hard to fathom. well, now is the time.
...
If the Celtics make the finals they are winning the Championship. ☘️
thisistheshow: Full disclosure -- I'm hoping that Miami wins Game 7 for three reasons:
1) I think it's easier to beat a one-star team like Miami
2) Miami's best line-up is not very tall (and should be easier for the Warriors to defend)
3) I really don't enjoy watching games played in Boston (the fans are "different", "insulting", the "bomb-diggities")
Charlie,I'm gonna give you a little of friendly advice so please pay attention,I'm honestly trying to be sincere here. Most of your minor contribution to this forum since joining in 2018 has been nothing but goading Boston fans because YOU have the problem with us not the other way around.
Of your 185 total posts to date about a quarter of them,at the very least, might have been what you consider friendly ribbing between fanbases but some of us have no clue who you are. You average about 40-50 comments/year and clearly this past 50 have been nothing but coming off as a complete clown because of YOUR problem with all things related with Boston sports.
Now guys like Galaxy,DD,Wheaties,Larkin,Darin (to just name a handful among many others) have been interacting with us Boston/NE fans for years so when they tend to give us crap we know when its just playful banter or when its actually something that they're being serious about but even then it rarely gets that serious here. Its only when someone fairly new or who rarely comments comes in and acts like you've been doing is when we tend to have problems here. Eric (thisistheshow) and I have not done or said anything close to warrant all of the BS you've bringing to this thread/ forum lately so please give it a rest already.
On a sidenote about this suggestion below, honestly there's a reason that the background image in that link shows girls
playing basketball and not NBA players. Its because the box and 1 defense is about 30-40 years outdated and NBA players are just to big,to fast with off the charts athleticism that would make this defense useless. There's a reason why all of the basketball tips on that site are for younger players and its because the box & 1 is as basic as basic gets. Great for teaching a bunch of 7th graders but its not something an NBA HC coach,who is still coaching late in the conference finals, is just going to pull out of thin air to try stopping a guy who was 7-32 from the field in his previous two games.
@charliej2356 said:
BTW, here's the defensive strategy that I'd employ against a one-man-show (Jimmy Butler) like the Miami Heat:
Eric wrote: "... coming off as a complete clown because of YOUR problem with all things related with Boston sports.
... have been interacting with us Boston/NE fans for years so when they tend to give us crap we know when its just playful banter ..."
Wake up Eric. For a good example of the "just playful banter", please research the treatment that your Fenway fans gave Darryl Strawberry in the 1986 World Series. It was a pitiful, public display of Boston venom. No wonder the good Lord shamed the Red Sox fans (see Bill Buckner's blunder).
And if you don't believe the "spirit/essence of the box-and-one defense" is used by NBA teams against opponents with only one superstar (preferably not a superstar Center), then you simply don't understand the essence of that defensive strategy.
@charliej2356 said:
Wake up Eric. For a good example of the "just playful banter", please research the treatment that your Fenway fans gave Darryl Strawberry in the 1986 World Series. It was a pitiful, public display of Boston venom. No wonder the good Lord shamed the Red Sox fans (see Bill Buckner's blunder).
And if you don't believe the "spirit/essence of the box-and-one defense" is used by NBA teams against opponents with only one superstar (preferably not a superstar Center), then you simply don't understand the essence of that defensive strategy.
First off,I was twelve years old in 1986 and that incident has ZERO to do with this 2021-22 NBA Playoff Discussion thread. judging by that SI cover that you use for your avatar I'm guessing you're a SF Giants fan, are you gonna try to tell me that how Darryl Strawberry was treated that day was worse than this Dodgers fan getting stabbed to death by a SF Giants fan? https://www.denverpost.com/2013/09/27/police-stabbed-dodgers-fan-was-killed-by-giants-fans-over-rivalry/
When I mentioned playful banter,I'm directly talking about on this very forum not some stadium with anywhere from 20K to 60K of fans. I was pretty specific on that remark but feel free to go ahead and point out what Boston fans have done or said during a game in the past, I guarantee you that if you name every single team that you root for I can find plenty of stupid crap done/said by their fans. That is nature of the beast with ALL pro sports franchises not just that ones you don't like.
Again with the box & 1, why would a team that literally owned Jimmy Butler for two straight games, forcing him to shoot 21.9% from the field, do something as drastic as changing up how they've played defense all season? The Celtics were the #1 ranked defense during the regular season and are currently ranked #2 in the playoffs, you go with what got you to this point with some minor wrinkles thrown in. They're a team with great length in their starting lineup that likes to be able to switch anyone in their top 7 rotation on defense. just give Butler his due for playing as well as he did hitting some pretty tough shots in that fourth and finding ways to attack Derrick White,arguably the only guy in Boston's top 7 that Butler can score on anytime he wants.
With all of the betting odds talk above,I'd love to know the over/under on how many cortizone shots Butler took in that knee before last night's game? He went from not being able to get any lift on shots he attempted 5 feet from the basket in game 5 to last night where he was making drives to the hoop and swinging his entire lower body into the defender creating contact. Homie looked like he was doing karate kicks on some of those drives lol.
Eric, I enjoy sports (mainly baseball and basketball) and I root for teams of players who I like (follow their careers). My all-time favorite athlete is George Brett. Some others (in no particular order) who I've rooted for are: Tim Lincecum, Darryl Strawberry, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Buster Posey, Steph Curry, Chris Mullin, Steve Nash, ...
Go right ahead -- start bad-mouthing me or any of my "faves" -- I don't really care. You be you and I'll be me. One day you'll realize that the sun doesn't rise and set solely for the fans of teams who play in Boston. Nuf said.
Comments
No, I'm not questioning who you call a "star" -- but I know that just three stars will not win a 7-game series in the NBA finals. Winning the NBA finals (IMHO) requires "role players" who step up and shine when called on to do so. It takes a village.
Winning the NBA finals certainly requires more than one star and role players who step up. It also requires having the right role players in the first place. We can look at the Mavericks as proof of that. Only one star. Sub-par starters. Sub-par role players.
Most of all, I'm trying to add some level-headed (unbiased) thinking to this thread. You Boston fans tend to see everything through "green-colored glasses" ...
Get out of here with that crap already! You've been reading a thread that is 80-90% about the Celtics because two Celtics fans are the only ones bothering to comment on the NBA's playoffs outside of Sanction's respectable opnions every few days about the Warriors. You know,guys that actually care to watch and talk about our favorite basketball teams.
Then there are the other guys, the type that start threads to give backhanded compliments to (Boston) fans then get offended when your little circle jerk party didn't get the reaction you'd hoped for(guess it did this time). If you've got nothing to add to the topic outside of making most of your comments about You Boston fans then all you're doing is trying to start crap for no reason at all.
Lastly, no one gives two chits that you're from the East coast too.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
erikthredd wrote: " ... the only ones bothering to comment on the NBA's playoffs ..."
Why would anyone else comment when we can all be enlightened by "you" -- "you" are clearly the most knowledgeable, the "basketball god", God's gift to every sports thread.
*charliej2356 wrote: "...God's gift to every sports thread."
Sure because my two threads commented in over the past week clearly lead to this (ass)umption.
Why don't you just use the Quote button like the rest of us well adjusted normal human beings?
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
....
@charliej2356 your animosity towards what you see as an east coast or Boston bias seems to be misplaced here or at least incorrectly projected on the forum. The conversation has been Boston-centric due to the participants. Like you mentioned in the other thread I linked, there seems to be a propensity of Boston team fans here. It is true. You are not the first one to bring this up in a negative manner.
As I mentioned in the other Boston thread, I've lived in different areas of the country. I moved to NYC from Boston, where I heard "Oh, you're from Boston..." I moved to Texas from NYC, where I heard, "Oh, you're from New York". I've worked with people from all over the world. I'm married to a woman who grew up in Brazil. I understand about cultural differences and all of the surprising yet abundant similarities we share. I've heard it from the Yankees fans, the Cowboys fans. I've had my accent change and morph. In Texas people who just met me know right away I'm from the North. I visit Massachusetts and people think I'm from the South. After about three years in NYC I had developed a lot of the New York accent. In Texas I've had people from New Orleans ask me what parish I'm from. My point is....people tend to jump to assumptions and conclusions without looking very deep.
@thisistheshow Looks like both Smart and Rob Williams are a go tonight.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
One more to go! If Boston can end this series at home on friday they'd then have 6 days rest before the Finals start that would be huge for the ailing players.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
..
We should be able to. This game was won in the 3rd quarter. So many of the playoff games are. Of course it's common in basketball, but seems very prevalent in the playoffs.
I agree and we're at the point in the playoffs where some of the better coached teams are the only ones still playing so we're seeing great halftime adjustments.
On a sidenote,that new site that I sent you recently has been working great with no issues other than having to refresh a few times during the game.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
That's a great point about the coaching. Half time adjustments are so important. The Mavs were up 19 at the half game 2 and lost. I like Jason Kidd as a coach. This version of him I should say. And he will only get better. I don't really see him being out coached by Kerr, but the Mavs don't have the personnel. Udoka has been great all year, and continues to be.
How is Cuban considered as an owner down there? I know personally that he's been a very successful businessman and from watching from afar over the years he seemed like he always took care of his players especially during those Dirk/Nash years. Is he going to be willing to spend to put a better supporting cast around Luka? I just did a quick check and the Mavs were 26th in payroll this year with $0 in luxury tax but you'd think that is likely to change with Brunson's expected bump in pay this summer. He's likely going from his 1.8Mish salary to somewhere in the 20-30M range from what I've read and I think if your Dallas you gotta pay to keep him.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Chase Center will be quite lively tonight as Game 5 of the WCF unfolds.
Local sports talk radio today has been discussing the GSW and the opinions given at the start of the 2021-2022 season about the team. Candidly the show hosts and their guests admitted that their predictions were that, at best, the GSW team would qualify for the playoffs as a 6th to 8th seed and not get past the first round. They also opined at the beginning of the season that if the GSW made the simply made the playoffs this year it would be considered a great success.
Fast forward to today and much chatter is that unless the GSW wins the 2021-2022 NBA title the season will be considered a big disappointment.
Fandom and Sports Talk is very, very strange.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how Game 5 plays out tonight (as will Game 6 of the ECF tomorrow).
Will the GSW close out Dallas on its home floor and avoid the tension of going back to Dallas for Game 6?
Or will Dallas win Game 5 and begin to replicate (and even exceed) its upset of Phoenix?
Answers to the above questions will reveal themselves in about 7 hours.
....
Cuban is seen as a good owner, in a lot of ways. Players tend to live him. Super passionate. He's a fan who bought the team. He veers into Jerry Jones territory with his involvement in personnel decisions. I don't think he'll be afraid to spend the money. But will he get the right pieces? There was a big shakeup in Mavericks country when Rick Carlisle left and so did Donnie Nelson. They had both been around forever. Nelson was seen as a top notch executive when it came to scouting foreign players. And they have Dirk and then Luka to show as proof of that. But the Mavericks also spent years dismissing the draft. They gave brought in Nico Harrison to run things with Cuban, and the results have been positive so far. But the Mavs are probably two years, not one, away from putting the right pieces around Luka. They need to get a better starting center. Just an average center would do wonders. As for Brunson, I don't know if they plan to keep him. But if they roll out the same team next year minus Brunson Luka will not like it.
Suns center DeAndre Ayton is about to be a FA where the Suns weren't willing to max him out,maybe the Mavs could find a way to convince to come to Dallas. Hawks center Clint Capela is another name I've read that might be on the trade block. he'd be that rim-running Timelord type that would probably cost them (in trade) much less than what Ayton would cost. Or they could think big and hope that Jokic decides he's had enough with carrying the Nuggets basically on his own. He's only got one more year on his deal and he's kind of in the same situation as Luka. It would be pretty interesting to see how those two would fit on court together.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I think they've done very well with the development of their younger players like Poole,Kuminga,Gary Payton II and even Andrew Wiggins to an extent which kind of put them back ahead of schedule. We know that Kerr's system has a proven track record and while Curry,Klay & Green might not be playing at peak 2015-2018 levels they're still pretty damn good to great on any given night.
If the games over the next couple nights turn out as most people are expecting and we get a GS-Boston finals it will be pretty interesting to see how they matchup. Danny Ainge & Brad Stevens vision when building this C's roster over the past 5-6 seasons was done with the Warriors blueprint of positionless basketball in mind. It seemed like for the longest time Boston could never get past that Lebron hurdle in the East,going up against the Warriors in the Finals would be a great test for this young roster. What would a Marcus Smart-Steph Curry matchup look like? Jayson Tatum vs Draymond would be another great one to look forward to. I know I'm kind of getting ahead of myself with both series still with unfinished business but I just hope that if both teams finish out over the next couple nights, we then see both get plenty of rest before the Finals start next thursday.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
GS wins and is headed to the Finals.
6 Finals appearances in the last 8 years is quite impressive.
This might be the most impressive one to date considering how far they fell off over the past few years due to injuries.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
No kidding.
I didn't realize they'd made the Finals quite that often. They had 5 straight before Steph and Klay and everybody else got hurt. I also didn't realize four of those five were against Cleveland, who made four in a row.
Here's to Boston getting it done tonight!
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Smart & Timelord are both a go!
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
erikthredd: Bird is out tonight! ;-)
And Kevin McHale & Robert Parish aren't walking through that door.
Thanks,Rick.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
jimmy butler scores 27 point in the last 3 games and looks like jordan tonight. go figure
Da C's crack me up. Their fans crack me up too. I think Boston would play better at home if they removed that silly logo from mid-court -- it kinda makes the C's look like clowns.
.....
Is this supposed to be trash talk or just Boston hate? Or both? You are the one looking silly in all of this.
Don’t feed the troll, he’s probably touching himself because he got another rise from the hated C’s fans. This is nothing but a clown who probably spent all week hoping for another C’s loss so he can come here and make a bigger ass of himself.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Calm down Eric and 'the show'. Teams regularly change their logo (heck, they change their name in MLB and NFL).
BTW, here's the defensive strategy that I'd employ against a one-man-show (Jimmy Butler) like the Miami Heat:
https://www.basketballforcoaches.com/box-and-1-defense/
curiosity was killing this cat, so i looked up a few odds this morning at my book
to win the nba championship:
golden state -220
boston +275
miami +650
i also stumbled across a prop bet that i found moderately seductive:
thisistheshow, erikthredd and charliej going bowling together in the next calendar year +1,250,000
i'll take that bet only if I'm allowed to use charlie's head as the bowling ball.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I'm happy with the bet I made a few weeks ago:
1 Bet(s) x $300.00 @ 3.60
Bet Amount: $300.00 Returns: $1080.00
...
Remember. Hindsight. 20/20
"Remember. Hindsight. 20/20" I don't understand this retort. In English, please.
You might not feel as happy with your bet when you look back on it later.
The Warriors can win a series against the Heat. No chance they win four games against Boston.
How do you feel @charliej2356 ? Are you rooting for the Heat in Game 7?
Nonsense. I've got a good bet.
Current Odds: -220
My odds: +360
It's still gambling (so I could lose). But it's a great bet. I'll get 300-bucks worth of entertainment while watching the Finals.
....
But who are you hoping wins Game 7 , and why?
i'd be happy with that bet as well. i think you're going to cash that one in. i'm just an impartial observer who watches a little hoops, and the eye test tells me that neither Boston nor Miami can beat Golden State four times.
besides, did anyone really think back in 2018 that Steph Curry (now 34) was going to go the rest of his career without another ring? that would have been hard to fathom. well, now is the time.
...
If the Celtics make the finals they are winning the Championship. ☘️
"But who are you hoping wins Game 7 , and why?"
thisistheshow: Full disclosure -- I'm hoping that Miami wins Game 7 for three reasons:
1) I think it's easier to beat a one-star team like Miami
2) Miami's best line-up is not very tall (and should be easier for the Warriors to defend)
3) I really don't enjoy watching games played in Boston (the fans are "different", "insulting", the "bomb-diggities")
Charlie,I'm gonna give you a little of friendly advice so please pay attention,I'm honestly trying to be sincere here. Most of your minor contribution to this forum since joining in 2018 has been nothing but goading Boston fans because YOU have the problem with us not the other way around.
Of your 185 total posts to date about a quarter of them,at the very least, might have been what you consider friendly ribbing between fanbases but some of us have no clue who you are. You average about 40-50 comments/year and clearly this past 50 have been nothing but coming off as a complete clown because of YOUR problem with all things related with Boston sports.
Now guys like Galaxy,DD,Wheaties,Larkin,Darin (to just name a handful among many others) have been interacting with us Boston/NE fans for years so when they tend to give us crap we know when its just playful banter or when its actually something that they're being serious about but even then it rarely gets that serious here. Its only when someone fairly new or who rarely comments comes in and acts like you've been doing is when we tend to have problems here. Eric (thisistheshow) and I have not done or said anything close to warrant all of the BS you've bringing to this thread/ forum lately so please give it a rest already.
On a sidenote about this suggestion below, honestly there's a reason that the background image in that link shows girls
playing basketball and not NBA players. Its because the box and 1 defense is about 30-40 years outdated and NBA players are just to big,to fast with off the charts athleticism that would make this defense useless. There's a reason why all of the basketball tips on that site are for younger players and its because the box & 1 is as basic as basic gets. Great for teaching a bunch of 7th graders but its not something an NBA HC coach,who is still coaching late in the conference finals, is just going to pull out of thin air to try stopping a guy who was 7-32 from the field in his previous two games.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Eric wrote: "... coming off as a complete clown because of YOUR problem with all things related with Boston sports.
... have been interacting with us Boston/NE fans for years so when they tend to give us crap we know when its just playful banter ..."
Wake up Eric. For a good example of the "just playful banter", please research the treatment that your Fenway fans gave Darryl Strawberry in the 1986 World Series. It was a pitiful, public display of Boston venom. No wonder the good Lord shamed the Red Sox fans (see Bill Buckner's blunder).
And if you don't believe the "spirit/essence of the box-and-one defense" is used by NBA teams against opponents with only one superstar (preferably not a superstar Center), then you simply don't understand the essence of that defensive strategy.
First off,I was twelve years old in 1986 and that incident has ZERO to do with this 2021-22 NBA Playoff Discussion thread. judging by that SI cover that you use for your avatar I'm guessing you're a SF Giants fan, are you gonna try to tell me that how Darryl Strawberry was treated that day was worse than this Dodgers fan getting stabbed to death by a SF Giants fan?
https://www.denverpost.com/2013/09/27/police-stabbed-dodgers-fan-was-killed-by-giants-fans-over-rivalry/
When I mentioned playful banter,I'm directly talking about on this very forum not some stadium with anywhere from 20K to 60K of fans. I was pretty specific on that remark but feel free to go ahead and point out what Boston fans have done or said during a game in the past, I guarantee you that if you name every single team that you root for I can find plenty of stupid crap done/said by their fans. That is nature of the beast with ALL pro sports franchises not just that ones you don't like.
Again with the box & 1, why would a team that literally owned Jimmy Butler for two straight games, forcing him to shoot 21.9% from the field, do something as drastic as changing up how they've played defense all season? The Celtics were the #1 ranked defense during the regular season and are currently ranked #2 in the playoffs, you go with what got you to this point with some minor wrinkles thrown in. They're a team with great length in their starting lineup that likes to be able to switch anyone in their top 7 rotation on defense. just give Butler his due for playing as well as he did hitting some pretty tough shots in that fourth and finding ways to attack Derrick White,arguably the only guy in Boston's top 7 that Butler can score on anytime he wants.
With all of the betting odds talk above,I'd love to know the over/under on how many cortizone shots Butler took in that knee before last night's game? He went from not being able to get any lift on shots he attempted 5 feet from the basket in game 5 to last night where he was making drives to the hoop and swinging his entire lower body into the defender creating contact. Homie looked like he was doing karate kicks on some of those drives lol.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
Eric, I enjoy sports (mainly baseball and basketball) and I root for teams of players who I like (follow their careers). My all-time favorite athlete is George Brett. Some others (in no particular order) who I've rooted for are: Tim Lincecum, Darryl Strawberry, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Buster Posey, Steph Curry, Chris Mullin, Steve Nash, ...
Go right ahead -- start bad-mouthing me or any of my "faves" -- I don't really care. You be you and I'll be me. One day you'll realize that the sun doesn't rise and set solely for the fans of teams who play in Boston. Nuf said.
Peace, brother.
Charlie
You have problems with the character of certain fans while rooting for some of the guys on that list? LMAO!
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
@charliej2356 there is apparently some disconnect happening here. I dont feel as though i want to go down a negative road trying to sort it all out.
Based on your own words, you believe in God and are a Chris Mullin fan. So apparently we are more alike than you think.
Here's to Butler choking tonight and Boston going to the finals......................
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486