@erikthredd said:
I saw this mentioned elsewhere, 3 out of the previous 4 coaches who won the Finals have already been fired (Vogel,Nurse,Budenholzer) and 5 out of the previous 7 to win Coach of the Year have as well.
The NBA is definitely a what have you done for me lately league.
...
I think more than anything this reflects the shift to it being a player's league.
Coaches, and front office people, have long been scapegoats. And there is a constant rinse and repeat cycle with overlapping players and front office.
Still, this looks like the byproduct of being a league where it is the players who run the show, and the coach is seen as ...
I agree. At least Monty Williams is walking away with some good money, here are some details on how much: "Monty has one year left on his original contract of 5 years (I'm told it was 5 years for $25 million) so $5 million left on that. He signed an extension (in June 2022) that made him a top 5 highest paid coach - it was either 2 or 3 years for between $8-10 million per from what I am told. So to buy him out you are looking at roughly either $21-$25 million OR $29-$35 million," said Gambo in a tweet. https://www.si.com/nba/suns/analysis/firing-monty-williams-wont-be-cheap-phoenix-suns
Monty won't be be jobless long,imo.
I did find this other part interesting too: The decision to fire Williams reportedly came from Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who will be paying out of his own pockets whatever is owed to his now former head coach. Between the deal for Kevin Durant (which pushed the Suns deeper into the luxury tax) and now this, it's clear Ishbia is willing to spend the required money in order to make things happen.
While adding a player like KD to their core was a great move, gutting the team of its depth and setting themselves up for salary tax problems in the very near future wasn't. This guy is gonna learn real quick that consistently throwing money away in the hopes of winning a title usually doesn't work in the NBA.
Here's a pretty bold prediction, with the new Suns owner having played basketball and even winning a National title at Michigan State, he attempts to bring in Draymond Green this summer. If Green picks up his player option, a Green for DeAndre Ayton trade would work great for both teams. If Green doesn't pick it up then they find a way to add him as a free agent.
@erikthredd said:
The Show is out there looking for the Heat like...
@thisistheshow I don't know if you caught it but about 2/3rds of the way thru the third quarter during a timeout, my stream showed what they were playing on the arena jumbotron and it was clips from this Predator movie. people watching on ESPN/ABC probably didn't see it but right then I knew we were winning this game lol.
Philly made this series much harder than I expected it to be and Embiid deserves a ton of credit for playing through that injury.
I never want to see Scott Foster referee another Celtics game ever. I swear that guy was making calls against the Celtics just because the fans chanted he sucked.
I do feel bad for Doc here though, he did make some great adjustments midway thru the series that helped put them up 3-2 like putting Tucker,their best wing defender, on Brown then doubling Tatum whenever they could and it helped get them two wins to go up 3-2.
He's gonna get the majority of the blame but you can't blame him for how Harden,Maxey & Embiid were basically no shows in this game with the three combining for 41pts.
I do feel bad for Doc here though, he did make some great adjustments midway thru the series that helped put them up 3-2 like putting Tucker,their best wing defender, on Brown then doubling Tatum whenever they could and it helped get them two wins to go up 3-2.
He's gonna get the majority of the blame but you can't blame him for how Harden,Maxey & Embiid were basically no shows in this game with the three combining for 41pts.
...
You can look at that stat from both directions. With enough success and longevity this happens. The problem is that he hasn't been able to help get a team far enough in a long time.
"Me and James, we can't win alone. That's why basketball is played five-on-five. We need everybody to find ways to be better.”
That's your NBA 2023 MVP after he scored 15pts on 5-18 shooting while James had 9 on 3-11 shooting.
The everybody else in that five?
Harris 7-13 for 19pts
Maxey 5-12 for 17pts
Tucker 4-7 for 11pts
@erikthredd said: "Me and James, we can't win alone. That's why basketball is played five-on-five. We need everybody to find ways to be better.”
That's your NBA 2023 MVP after he scored 15pts on 5-18 shooting while James had 9 on 3-11 shooting.
The everybody else in that five?
Harris 7-13 for 19pts
Maxey 5-12 for 17pts
Tucker 4-7 for 11pts
...
Wow! He said that? After the game I couldn't watch anything or listen.
That doesn't sound like taking accountability at all. And regardless of whether or not he thinks his supporting cast is less than what he wants, you should never say anything like that after a game like this.
I just checked it out, and he made a huge mistake saying this. It is being circulated online as an isolated quote. It's not exactly out of context, but it of course doesn't also include the other statements he made.
I just went on the sixers subreddit on Reddit, and of course there is a lot of threads going. One was started based on this quotation. He is getting killed by Philly fans.
@thisistheshow said:
I just checked it out, and he made a huge mistake saying this. It is being circulated online as an isolated quote. It's not exactly out of context, but it of course doesn't also include the other statements he made.
I just went on the sixers subreddit on Reddit, and of course there is a lot of threads going. One was started based on this quotation. He is getting killed by Philly fans.
This is the same guy that threw Ben Simmons under the bus after they lost that playoffs series to Atlanta a few years back.
Embiid,Harden & Doc are definitely getting the brunt of the blame right now.
Its going to be interesting to see how Harden handles hearing it from Sixers fans all summer. He did play like crap at times in this series but he did win them two games where he looked like peak Harden and that was totally unexpected.
Does he decide to not pick up his player option to then sign elsewhere? There were the rumors of Houston wanting to bring him back.
@erikthredd said:
Its going to be interesting to see how Harden handles hearing it from Sixers fans all summer.
His contract pays him $33 million this season with a $35 million player option for the 2023-24 season
Would you give a damn what the Sixers fans say???????????
Normally,no but he turns 34 in august and this summer might be his last chance at one last multi year deal.
Most players at this stage of their careers would rather try getting a 3-4yr deal in the 70-100M over picking up that player option for 35M.
If he doesn't pick it up then we'll know that there's a better deal out there for him. I doubt that he'd give up that 35 unless his agent knows that someone is offereing more.
@erikthredd said:
Its going to be interesting to see how Harden handles hearing it from Sixers fans all summer.
His contract pays him $33 million this season with a $35 million player option for the 2023-24 season
Would you give a damn what the Sixers fans say???????????
...
I understand your point, but as sports fans participating in the Sports Talk forum , we do have to suspend belief and pretend that these guys care, at a minimum, at least as much as we do. 😂
I do feel bad for Doc here though, he did make some great adjustments midway thru the series that helped put them up 3-2 like putting Tucker,their best wing defender, on Brown then doubling Tatum whenever they could and it helped get them two wins to go up 3-2.
He's gonna get the majority of the blame but you can't blame him for how Harden,Maxey & Embiid were basically no shows in this game with the three combining for 41pts.
i feel you, but we both know the protocol. when you're the HC of a team that's up 3-2 in a series and this happens to your squad in the 4th quarter of G6 and the second half of G7, consider yourself extremely fortunate if you keep your job
(btw i love my new av. very blingy. like my shoes that darin made fun of. 😅)
no one here going to give Tatum props? dude was on the verge of becoming persona non grata in Boston, then developed amnesia like an all-pro cornerback. 4 daggers in the 4th of G6 and completely went off in G7.
no one here going to give Tatum props? dude was on the verge of becoming persona non grata in Boston, then developed amnesia like an all-pro cornerback. 4 daggers in the 4th of G6 and completely went off in G7.
..
Oh, he's getting the love.
I've been very harsh on Tatum. I even said here, quite recently, that he was very hard to root for.
At the end of game 6, he showed me everything I have ever wanted to see from him. I felt like, it hoped, that he had gotten over the proverbial hump. Game 7 made me believe that he truly had.
I told @erikthredd last night, as we messaged back and forth basking in the win, that I now feel confident that Tatum can get to that place where his "zero" is revered like "double zero" is in Celtics lore...meaning the Chief Robert Parish.
@erikthredd said: "Me and James, we can't win alone. That's why basketball is played five-on-five. We need everybody to find ways to be better.”
That's your NBA 2023 MVP after he scored 15pts on 5-18 shooting while James had 9 on 3-11 shooting.
The everybody else in that five?
Harris 7-13 for 19pts
Maxey 5-12 for 17pts
Tucker 4-7 for 11pts
Oh man, that is a really bad look. dont players realize how things sound before they say them?
I do feel bad for Doc here though, he did make some great adjustments midway thru the series that helped put them up 3-2 like putting Tucker,their best wing defender, on Brown then doubling Tatum whenever they could and it helped get them two wins to go up 3-2.
He's gonna get the majority of the blame but you can't blame him for how Harden,Maxey & Embiid were basically no shows in this game with the three combining for 41pts.
i feel you, but we both know the protocol. when you're the HC of a team that's up 3-2 in a series and this happens to your squad in the 4th quarter of G6 and the second half of G7, consider yourself extremely fortunate if you keep your job
(btw i love my new av. very blingy. like my shoes that darin made fun of. 😅)
I watched Doc's postgame interview late last night and his body language didn't look good at all. I'm not just talking about after a big loss but its almost like he knows he's about to get canned. Unfortunately its easier to get rid of him than Harden,Embiid or Daryl Morey.
no one here going to give Tatum props? dude was on the verge of becoming persona non grata in Boston, then developed amnesia like an all-pro cornerback. 4 daggers in the 4th of G6 and completely went off in G7.
The show and I have been going back & forth about him through PM's since the game ended. I thought this was by far his best playoffs signature moment and Eric's now the president of the Jayson Tatum fan club lol.
He was phenomenal as was everyone that played for the C's in that game.
@craig44 said:
I think if the C's can come out and blow the doors off the Heat in game 1, it may be a sweep or done in 5.
I don't think it will be anywhere near that easy. While Miami may have underperformed during the season to land themselevs as the 8th seed,their confidence should be sky high right now after knocking out the Bucks & Knicks.
Maimi is gonna turn this series into a low scoring - grind it out slugfest where they can feed jimmy Butler in the halfcourt.
They could also be getting their 2nd best scorer,Tyler Herro, back in this series after he broke a bone in his shooting hand back in their first playoff game. I don't know the exact timetable but there was talk that he may be available if the Heat made it this far.
I'm seeing that Joel Embiid is getting killed today not only for his play but also his comments. Leaving the comments aside,his offensive game really isn't built to win in the playoffs unless you surround him with elite shooters and his conditioning seems to become a huge factor every year at this time.
When you look at the three bigs in the NBA today that just finished 1-3 in the MVP voting you have Embiid,Jokic and Giannis. Joker finished his season a handful of assists short of averaging a triple double on the season. The guy is a basketball savant when it comes to his passing abilities so while he may have a low post/3pt shooting game similar to Embiid,he's also setting his teammates up on a nightly basis where it keeps everyone involved.
Giannis doesn't average the same amount of assists as a Jokic but between his athleticism and his handle he'll end up as the primary ballhandler in that Bucks offense most of the time. He's also capable of dishing out 10+ assists on any given night.
With Embiid,that Sixers offense is at their best when Harden & Joel run their pick & roll looking to create easy shots for one another. They'll tend to slow the pace down,create opportunites to get to the free throw line as much as possible then kick it to an open shooter when the defense doubles down on them.
This works great during the regular season when its just one team then onto the next but in the postseason where you're facing a team up to 7 games,once that team figures out how to stop you on offense you're in trouble if you can't change it up.
For the Sixers changing it up is playing like they did in Game 1 without Embiid,fast paced while spreading the ball around to all of their shooters. Letting the game come to a guy like Harden where he can get in a rhythm and do his thing. Maxey has alot more freedom to get out in the open court. Harris does as well where he can switch between his 3pt shooting,his midrange game and driving to the hoop where he becomes so effective.
When Joel is out there Philly is basically running the offense through him and while he's a decent passer he isn't setting up teammates like Jokic & Giannis tend to do. I think this is where his game needs to evolve if he's ever going to win a ring as the guy. The guy is a giant and when he's at the top of the key or at the elbow he's towering over everyone to see what's happening. Just having some players cut to the rim more could probably do wonders for their halfcourt offense when teams are taking them out of what they do best. Joel has averaged 4/apg over the past two seasons, if he can get that number up to around 7-8 per game it would make their offense run much more efficiently. It would also cutdown on double teams while making defenders account for everybody out there for Philly.
His conditioning always seems to become a problem later in the season and thats really on him. I know he got hurt in round one and he deserves a ton of credit for coming back as quick as he did. I really thought his mobility would become an issue and was proven wrong on that. His defense was absolutely phenomenal throughout that series. It was so good I got to the point wondering if it was even smart driving to the basket so much with him in the vicinity. 18 blocks over 6 games was brutal to watch.
The 76ers have some tough choices to make in the coming weeks, Do they fire Doc? How about the GM Daryl Morey? Harden has a player option so the team has to wait on his decision. If he doesn't pick it up that would free up some cap space but not nearly enough to sign a top tier FA in an offseason where the free agent list is pretty subpar.
Embiid & Maxey are their two best trade chips and I don't see either player getting dealt. When I think of the 76ers its Joel Embiid that i picture, The Process was all about ending up with him and it just seems like he'll finish out his career there. The guy is heading into the back nine and it just seems like the best option for the team would be keep adding pieces around him and see if he can take his game to the next level.
I watched Friday's Warriors v. Lakers game 6. I had hoped that GS would find a way to win the game and force a game 7.
No dice.
My observations about that game are that the Warriors lost the game because of:
Horrible shooting (38% overall on 39/103 shots and 21% from 3 on 13/48 shots) by almost all of the GS players from the top to the bottom of the roster. Had GS shot 40% from 3 and missed only 1 free throw the game would have been tied and gone into overtime;
Fouls (30 fouls on GS and 17 fouls on LA leading to 10/14 free throws for GS and 31/42 free throws for LA, with the 21 point free throw advantage being the margin of victory in the game);
GS being unable to stop the LA players from scoring whenever and wherever they chose to shoot (at the rim, midrange and from three). LA shot 52% overall and 50% from 3. This in part stems from LA having taller, younger players; and in part from LA simply having a good night shooting the ball.
LA rose to the occasion (it has one of the best if not the best record since the All Star break) and GS did not.
GS in the playoffs mirrored what it did in the regular season. Extremely inconsistent. At times horribly bad. At times amazingly good. The players did not mesh this year (unlike last year towards the end of the regular season and during the playoff run to the title).
This off season will likely see significant changes in the roster, plus possible the coaching staff and GM. Keeping the starting five of Curry, Thompson, Green, Wiggins and Looney together may or may not be something that ownership desires. Younger players, may not want to stick around if the starters all come back. Veterans who signed on last year may get better offers elsewhere.
As for the other series, Philly choked big time losing games 6 and 7. Hardin is an enigma. Embid disappeared in game 7. Doc Rivers may get the boot. The Celtics move on to the ECF to play Miami (who beat a Knicks team that showed it is not ready to play deep into the playoffs). Miami is a gritty, tough, well coached team. It will be interesting to see the Celtics v. the Heat in the ECF.
LA v. Denver in the WCF will also be interesting. Denver is playing very well, as it has all season. Denver has players that will match up better against the Lakers than GS. Jokic v. Davis should be a good match up to watch.
So how many who read this thread want to see Boston v. LA in the Finals? Both teams have 17 rings and the winner of that series (if it happens) will take the "ring lead" with 18.
I would like to see Denver advance to the Finals (it has never done so since it joined the NBA during the ABA-NBA merger).
If Philly doesn't procrastinate and fires Doc asap they''ll have their choice between three unemployed head coaches who've each won a COY award during the previous 5 seasons,with two also having won a ring during that stretch in Nick Nurse,Mike Budenholzer & Monty Williams. Nurse's success could be viewed as having traded for Kawhi but the other two would both be solid options,imo.
Replacing the head coach would do nothing to change how Embiid & Harden played in a game 7 though.
Of all of the coaches who have won an NBA title since 2015 (Steve Kerr, Tyrone Lue, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer) all of them have been fired except Steve Kerr.
Doc is likely going to get axed but a majority of their issues came down to Harden's play. I'm listening to a C's podcast and just heard a stat that Harden didn't score a single point in the 4th quarter of games 5-6-7. Philly won game 5 so that didn't really hurt them there but with the final two games it cost them their season.
That really was just an overall odd series from Harden, he looked unstoppable in certain games and was a complete non factor in others. I could say the same about Tatum but Boston has a deeper team that more than made up for it at times plus Jayson never let his FG percentage affect his defense.
its gonna be interesting to see what Philly decides to do, I'm already seeing the inevitable Dame Lillard & Bradley Beal trade rumors. Add one of those two to that starting core and it changes how they look on offense entirely. Harden could slot in as the 3rd option/PG and average upwards of 13-15 assists per game.
@SanctionII said:
Of all of the coaches who have won an NBA title since 2015 (Steve Kerr, Tyrone Lue, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer) all of them have been fired except Steve Kerr.
Kerr is like Popovich down in San Antonio imo, after all of their success the job is theirs until they decide to move on. Kerr is much younger than Pop so he'll likely stick around for awhile.
Harden's NBA career has seen multiple stops along the way (OKC, Houston, Brooklyn and Philly) has seen him win multiple individual accolades and awards. He has never won a title and has made it to the NBA Finals once in 2012 while playing for OKC. He can be a phenomenal player (mostly a ball dominant ISO player; however he has also shown he can play more of a team game where he plays the role of ball distributor).
I recall he has always had his "Beard" since his first season with OKC. However, I have seen a photo of him playing college ball in Arizona State. In that photo he has no beard. Very strange to see him without facial hair.
Maybe Dame isn't the best pick for new teammate material down in Philly lol.
I usually don't agree with anything that Stephen A Smith or Kendrick Perkins has to say but after hearing their thoughts on this game 7/series,I'm in agreement.
Stephen pointed out that Harden,a 3x scoring champ in the NBA, only making 4 or less field goals in 5 out of 7 of the games is pretty crazy for a guy making 33M.
Perkins was talking about how that loss shouldn't be put on Doc and that game 7's are all about your best players standing up after 6 games and carrying your team to a win. Doc couldn't make Harden to shoot more or for Embiid to forget about
hanging around the 3pt line and instead get down in the paint.
Another interesting name for Philly to think about is, if Harden leaves would you bring in Kyrie Irving? Harden got sick of Kyrie's antics in Brooklyn then asked out so pairing the two again makes no sense. Kyrie still plays at an elite level its just that you don't know when he'll decide to flake out for a week or two during the season..
I do feel bad for Doc here though, he did make some great adjustments midway thru the series that helped put them up 3-2 like putting Tucker,their best wing defender, on Brown then doubling Tatum whenever they could and it helped get them two wins to go up 3-2.
He's gonna get the majority of the blame but you can't blame him for how Harden,Maxey & Embiid were basically no shows in this game with the three combining for 41pts.
i feel you, but we both know the protocol. when you're the HC of a team that's up 3-2 in a series and this happens to your squad in the 4th quarter of G6 and the second half of G7, consider yourself extremely fortunate if you keep your job
(btw i love my new av. very blingy. like my shoes that darin made fun of. 😅)
I watched Doc's postgame interview late last night and his body language didn't look good at all. I'm not just talking about after a big loss but its almost like he knows he's about to get canned. Unfortunately its easier to get rid of him than Harden,Embiid or Daryl Morey.
no one here going to give Tatum props? dude was on the verge of becoming persona non grata in Boston, then developed amnesia like an all-pro cornerback. 4 daggers in the 4th of G6 and completely went off in G7.
The show and I have been going back & forth about him through PM's since the game ended. I thought this was by far his best playoffs signature moment and Eric's now the president of the Jayson Tatum fan club lol.
He was phenomenal as was everyone that played for the C's in that game.
Spoiler alert.... No, @erikthredd isn't speaking in first person. thisistheshow is the Eric being referred to here . I am Eric. @erikthredd is TheOtherEric, but you can just call him 'toe' to keep things simple. Or 'big toe"...if you dare.. 😉
I do feel bad for Doc here though, he did make some great adjustments midway thru the series that helped put them up 3-2 like putting Tucker,their best wing defender, on Brown then doubling Tatum whenever they could and it helped get them two wins to go up 3-2.
He's gonna get the majority of the blame but you can't blame him for how Harden,Maxey & Embiid were basically no shows in this game with the three combining for 41pts.
i feel you, but we both know the protocol. when you're the HC of a team that's up 3-2 in a series and this happens to your squad in the 4th quarter of G6 and the second half of G7, consider yourself extremely fortunate if you keep your job
(btw i love my new av. very blingy. like my shoes that darin made fun of. 😅)
I watched Doc's postgame interview late last night and his body language didn't look good at all. I'm not just talking about after a big loss but its almost like he knows he's about to get canned. Unfortunately its easier to get rid of him than Harden,Embiid or Daryl Morey.
no one here going to give Tatum props? dude was on the verge of becoming persona non grata in Boston, then developed amnesia like an all-pro cornerback. 4 daggers in the 4th of G6 and completely went off in G7.
The show and I have been going back & forth about him through PM's since the game ended. I thought this was by far his best playoffs signature moment and Eric's now the president of the Jayson Tatum fan club lol.
He was phenomenal as was everyone that played for the C's in that game.
Spoiler alert.... No, @erikthredd isn't speaking in first person. thisistheshow is the Eric being referred to here . I am Eric. @erikthredd is TheOtherEric, but you can just call him 'toe' to keep things simple. Or 'big toe"...if you dare.. 😉
Most people here have called me Erik anyways because of my user ID lol. A hundred years ago when I attempted to name my new AOL email address with EricTheRed it was already taken and that one I have above is what I was able to use.
I do feel bad for Doc here though, he did make some great adjustments midway thru the series that helped put them up 3-2 like putting Tucker,their best wing defender, on Brown then doubling Tatum whenever they could and it helped get them two wins to go up 3-2.
He's gonna get the majority of the blame but you can't blame him for how Harden,Maxey & Embiid were basically no shows in this game with the three combining for 41pts.
i feel you, but we both know the protocol. when you're the HC of a team that's up 3-2 in a series and this happens to your squad in the 4th quarter of G6 and the second half of G7, consider yourself extremely fortunate if you keep your job
(btw i love my new av. very blingy. like my shoes that darin made fun of. 😅)
I watched Doc's postgame interview late last night and his body language didn't look good at all. I'm not just talking about after a big loss but its almost like he knows he's about to get canned. Unfortunately its easier to get rid of him than Harden,Embiid or Daryl Morey.
no one here going to give Tatum props? dude was on the verge of becoming persona non grata in Boston, then developed amnesia like an all-pro cornerback. 4 daggers in the 4th of G6 and completely went off in G7.
The show and I have been going back & forth about him through PM's since the game ended. I thought this was by far his best playoffs signature moment and Eric's now the president of the Jayson Tatum fan club lol.
He was phenomenal as was everyone that played for the C's in that game.
Spoiler alert.... No, @erikthredd isn't speaking in first person. thisistheshow is the Eric being referred to here . I am Eric. @erikthredd is TheOtherEric, but you can just call him 'toe' to keep things simple. Or 'big toe"...if you dare.. 😉
Most people here have called me Erik anyways because of my user ID lol. A hundred years ago when I attempted to name my new AOL email address with EricTheRed it was already taken and that one I have above is what I was able to use.
...
Alright, got it. So you're toe and I'm big toe, or vice versa? 😂😂
I think we all know where this is heading after this tweet. If they don't fire Doc, Harden will probably not pick up his option. If they do,he likely stays. GM Daryl Morey is Harden's biggest fan so I can't see him choosing Doc over James.
As I spent more time reading about the Sixers, it was interesting to see how the guy who owns part of the Sixers now also owns the Washington "Commanders". Philadelphia sports fans were sprinkling in some negative nuggets about this situation as they discussed the Sixers. That is a huge in-division NFL rival. We all know that most owners are just businessmen first. But this would definitely rub me the wrong way. And I think there is a hockey team involved too???
Doc Rivers just got canned. Pretty crazy when one of your stars finishes 5 of the 7 games with 4 or fewer made FGs,
Then your other star, the MVP, finished the series with this stat: The only instances in NBA history of a scoring leader making the playoffs and not being top-10 in PPG in those playoffs : ’22 Embiid and ’23 Embiid.
It’s actually quite rare for the scoring leader to make the playoffs and even finish outside of the top-5 in playoff PPG. Out of the 65 seasons in which the scoring leader made the playoffs, it’s only happened 3 times outside of the two times Embiid has done it.
Comments
I agree. At least Monty Williams is walking away with some good money, here are some details on how much:
"Monty has one year left on his original contract of 5 years (I'm told it was 5 years for $25 million) so $5 million left on that. He signed an extension (in June 2022) that made him a top 5 highest paid coach - it was either 2 or 3 years for between $8-10 million per from what I am told. So to buy him out you are looking at roughly either $21-$25 million OR $29-$35 million," said Gambo in a tweet.
https://www.si.com/nba/suns/analysis/firing-monty-williams-wont-be-cheap-phoenix-suns
Monty won't be be jobless long,imo.
I did find this other part interesting too:
The decision to fire Williams reportedly came from Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who will be paying out of his own pockets whatever is owed to his now former head coach.
Between the deal for Kevin Durant (which pushed the Suns deeper into the luxury tax) and now this, it's clear Ishbia is willing to spend the required money in order to make things happen.
While adding a player like KD to their core was a great move, gutting the team of its depth and setting themselves up for salary tax problems in the very near future wasn't. This guy is gonna learn real quick that consistently throwing money away in the hopes of winning a title usually doesn't work in the NBA.
Here's a pretty bold prediction, with the new Suns owner having played basketball and even winning a National title at Michigan State, he attempts to bring in Draymond Green this summer. If Green picks up his player option, a Green for DeAndre Ayton trade would work great for both teams. If Green doesn't pick it up then they find a way to add him as a free agent.
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
So far so good - Celts up by 3 at the Half.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Sixers were up by 9 in the 2nd, and down by 28 in the 3rd
what. an. ambush.
congrats to all of the C's fans
if all of these other coaches are getting canned, Doc Rivers certainly deserves a pink slip for the way his team folded like a cheap tent in 6 & 7
Celts outscore Philly 33-10 in the 3rd. Looks like game over.......
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Hard to believe Tatum has outscored BOTH Harden and Embiid combined by 20 (so far)
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
@thisistheshow I don't know if you caught it but about 2/3rds of the way thru the third quarter during a timeout, my stream showed what they were playing on the arena jumbotron and it was clips from this Predator movie. people watching on ESPN/ABC probably didn't see it but right then I knew we were winning this game lol.
Philly made this series much harder than I expected it to be and Embiid deserves a ton of credit for playing through that injury.
I never want to see Scott Foster referee another Celtics game ever. I swear that guy was making calls against the Celtics just because the fans chanted he sucked.
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
Earlier today I told someone that I really wanted to see not just a win, but a decisive win. And that is what we got.
This tweet was posted after Game 6, its up to 33 now.
I do feel bad for Doc here though, he did make some great adjustments midway thru the series that helped put them up 3-2 like putting Tucker,their best wing defender, on Brown then doubling Tatum whenever they could and it helped get them two wins to go up 3-2.
He's gonna get the majority of the blame but you can't blame him for how Harden,Maxey & Embiid were basically no shows in this game with the three combining for 41pts.
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
...
You can look at that stat from both directions. With enough success and longevity this happens. The problem is that he hasn't been able to help get a team far enough in a long time.
I just saw that the WCF are all 8:30 starts, no more late nights trying to catch the end of the 10:30 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
"Me and James, we can't win alone. That's why basketball is played five-on-five. We need everybody to find ways to be better.”
That's your NBA 2023 MVP after he scored 15pts on 5-18 shooting while James had 9 on 3-11 shooting.
The everybody else in that five?
Harris 7-13 for 19pts
Maxey 5-12 for 17pts
Tucker 4-7 for 11pts
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
...
Wow! He said that? After the game I couldn't watch anything or listen.
That doesn't sound like taking accountability at all. And regardless of whether or not he thinks his supporting cast is less than what he wants, you should never say anything like that after a game like this.
I just checked it out, and he made a huge mistake saying this. It is being circulated online as an isolated quote. It's not exactly out of context, but it of course doesn't also include the other statements he made.
I just went on the sixers subreddit on Reddit, and of course there is a lot of threads going. One was started based on this quotation. He is getting killed by Philly fans.
This is the same guy that threw Ben Simmons under the bus after they lost that playoffs series to Atlanta a few years back.
Embiid,Harden & Doc are definitely getting the brunt of the blame right now.
Its going to be interesting to see how Harden handles hearing it from Sixers fans all summer. He did play like crap at times in this series but he did win them two games where he looked like peak Harden and that was totally unexpected.
Does he decide to not pick up his player option to then sign elsewhere? There were the rumors of Houston wanting to bring him back.
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
His contract pays him $33 million this season with a $35 million player option for the 2023-24 season
Would you give a damn what the Sixers fans say???????????
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
James Harden worrying about what ANYBODY says about him
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
"Basketball be beddy, beddy good to me!
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Normally,no but he turns 34 in august and this summer might be his last chance at one last multi year deal.
Most players at this stage of their careers would rather try getting a 3-4yr deal in the 70-100M over picking up that player option for 35M.
If he doesn't pick it up then we'll know that there's a better deal out there for him. I doubt that he'd give up that 35 unless his agent knows that someone is offereing more.
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
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I understand your point, but as sports fans participating in the Sports Talk forum , we do have to suspend belief and pretend that these guys care, at a minimum, at least as much as we do. 😂
He knows damn well some team will pick him up - I doubt he's shaking in his boots -
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
we do have to suspend belief and pretend that these guys care, at a minimum, at least as much as we do. 😂
LOL! So other Sports fans be like:
And I want to believe in the Cleveland sports teams but I always get this -
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
i feel you, but we both know the protocol. when you're the HC of a team that's up 3-2 in a series and this happens to your squad in the 4th quarter of G6 and the second half of G7, consider yourself extremely fortunate if you keep your job
(btw i love my new av. very blingy. like my shoes that darin made fun of. 😅)
forgot to add this shout-out
no one here going to give Tatum props? dude was on the verge of becoming persona non grata in Boston, then developed amnesia like an all-pro cornerback. 4 daggers in the 4th of G6 and completely went off in G7.
..
Oh, he's getting the love.
I've been very harsh on Tatum. I even said here, quite recently, that he was very hard to root for.
At the end of game 6, he showed me everything I have ever wanted to see from him. I felt like, it hoped, that he had gotten over the proverbial hump. Game 7 made me believe that he truly had.
I told @erikthredd last night, as we messaged back and forth basking in the win, that I now feel confident that Tatum can get to that place where his "zero" is revered like "double zero" is in Celtics lore...meaning the Chief Robert Parish.
I was looking for one that was Celtics colors, but immediately stumbled upon this one and thought that it fit the bill.
If anyone wants to know what the 'L' stands for, ask Embiid and Harden.
Oh man, that is a really bad look. dont players realize how things sound before they say them?
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
are you sure thats James Harden and not Aaron Rodgers?
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I hope Tatum can keep up the momentum. He has all the talent, he just needs to keep pushing. He needs more of that Kobe/Jordan killer mentality.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I think if the C's can come out and blow the doors off the Heat in game 1, it may be a sweep or done in 5.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I watched Doc's postgame interview late last night and his body language didn't look good at all. I'm not just talking about after a big loss but its almost like he knows he's about to get canned. Unfortunately its easier to get rid of him than Harden,Embiid or Daryl Morey.
The show and I have been going back & forth about him through PM's since the game ended. I thought this was by far his best playoffs signature moment and Eric's now the president of the Jayson Tatum fan club lol.
He was phenomenal as was everyone that played for the C's in that 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
I don't think it will be anywhere near that easy. While Miami may have underperformed during the season to land themselevs as the 8th seed,their confidence should be sky high right now after knocking out the Bucks & Knicks.
Maimi is gonna turn this series into a low scoring - grind it out slugfest where they can feed jimmy Butler in the halfcourt.
They could also be getting their 2nd best scorer,Tyler Herro, back in this series after he broke a bone in his shooting hand back in their first playoff game. I don't know the exact timetable but there was talk that he may be available if the Heat made it this far.
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 seeing that Joel Embiid is getting killed today not only for his play but also his comments. Leaving the comments aside,his offensive game really isn't built to win in the playoffs unless you surround him with elite shooters and his conditioning seems to become a huge factor every year at this time.
When you look at the three bigs in the NBA today that just finished 1-3 in the MVP voting you have Embiid,Jokic and Giannis. Joker finished his season a handful of assists short of averaging a triple double on the season. The guy is a basketball savant when it comes to his passing abilities so while he may have a low post/3pt shooting game similar to Embiid,he's also setting his teammates up on a nightly basis where it keeps everyone involved.
Giannis doesn't average the same amount of assists as a Jokic but between his athleticism and his handle he'll end up as the primary ballhandler in that Bucks offense most of the time. He's also capable of dishing out 10+ assists on any given night.
With Embiid,that Sixers offense is at their best when Harden & Joel run their pick & roll looking to create easy shots for one another. They'll tend to slow the pace down,create opportunites to get to the free throw line as much as possible then kick it to an open shooter when the defense doubles down on them.
This works great during the regular season when its just one team then onto the next but in the postseason where you're facing a team up to 7 games,once that team figures out how to stop you on offense you're in trouble if you can't change it up.
For the Sixers changing it up is playing like they did in Game 1 without Embiid,fast paced while spreading the ball around to all of their shooters. Letting the game come to a guy like Harden where he can get in a rhythm and do his thing. Maxey has alot more freedom to get out in the open court. Harris does as well where he can switch between his 3pt shooting,his midrange game and driving to the hoop where he becomes so effective.
When Joel is out there Philly is basically running the offense through him and while he's a decent passer he isn't setting up teammates like Jokic & Giannis tend to do. I think this is where his game needs to evolve if he's ever going to win a ring as the guy. The guy is a giant and when he's at the top of the key or at the elbow he's towering over everyone to see what's happening. Just having some players cut to the rim more could probably do wonders for their halfcourt offense when teams are taking them out of what they do best. Joel has averaged 4/apg over the past two seasons, if he can get that number up to around 7-8 per game it would make their offense run much more efficiently. It would also cutdown on double teams while making defenders account for everybody out there for Philly.
His conditioning always seems to become a problem later in the season and thats really on him. I know he got hurt in round one and he deserves a ton of credit for coming back as quick as he did. I really thought his mobility would become an issue and was proven wrong on that. His defense was absolutely phenomenal throughout that series. It was so good I got to the point wondering if it was even smart driving to the basket so much with him in the vicinity. 18 blocks over 6 games was brutal to watch.
The 76ers have some tough choices to make in the coming weeks, Do they fire Doc? How about the GM Daryl Morey? Harden has a player option so the team has to wait on his decision. If he doesn't pick it up that would free up some cap space but not nearly enough to sign a top tier FA in an offseason where the free agent list is pretty subpar.
Embiid & Maxey are their two best trade chips and I don't see either player getting dealt. When I think of the 76ers its Joel Embiid that i picture, The Process was all about ending up with him and it just seems like he'll finish out his career there. The guy is heading into the back nine and it just seems like the best option for the team would be keep adding pieces around him and see if he can take his game to the next level.
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
not exactly a ringing endorsement 😅
no way both Rivers and Harden are back next season. at least one is gone
I watched Friday's Warriors v. Lakers game 6. I had hoped that GS would find a way to win the game and force a game 7.
No dice.
My observations about that game are that the Warriors lost the game because of:
Horrible shooting (38% overall on 39/103 shots and 21% from 3 on 13/48 shots) by almost all of the GS players from the top to the bottom of the roster. Had GS shot 40% from 3 and missed only 1 free throw the game would have been tied and gone into overtime;
Fouls (30 fouls on GS and 17 fouls on LA leading to 10/14 free throws for GS and 31/42 free throws for LA, with the 21 point free throw advantage being the margin of victory in the game);
GS being unable to stop the LA players from scoring whenever and wherever they chose to shoot (at the rim, midrange and from three). LA shot 52% overall and 50% from 3. This in part stems from LA having taller, younger players; and in part from LA simply having a good night shooting the ball.
LA rose to the occasion (it has one of the best if not the best record since the All Star break) and GS did not.
GS in the playoffs mirrored what it did in the regular season. Extremely inconsistent. At times horribly bad. At times amazingly good. The players did not mesh this year (unlike last year towards the end of the regular season and during the playoff run to the title).
This off season will likely see significant changes in the roster, plus possible the coaching staff and GM. Keeping the starting five of Curry, Thompson, Green, Wiggins and Looney together may or may not be something that ownership desires. Younger players, may not want to stick around if the starters all come back. Veterans who signed on last year may get better offers elsewhere.
As for the other series, Philly choked big time losing games 6 and 7. Hardin is an enigma. Embid disappeared in game 7. Doc Rivers may get the boot. The Celtics move on to the ECF to play Miami (who beat a Knicks team that showed it is not ready to play deep into the playoffs). Miami is a gritty, tough, well coached team. It will be interesting to see the Celtics v. the Heat in the ECF.
LA v. Denver in the WCF will also be interesting. Denver is playing very well, as it has all season. Denver has players that will match up better against the Lakers than GS. Jokic v. Davis should be a good match up to watch.
So how many who read this thread want to see Boston v. LA in the Finals? Both teams have 17 rings and the winner of that series (if it happens) will take the "ring lead" with 18.
I would like to see Denver advance to the Finals (it has never done so since it joined the NBA during the ABA-NBA merger).
If Philly doesn't procrastinate and fires Doc asap they''ll have their choice between three unemployed head coaches who've each won a COY award during the previous 5 seasons,with two also having won a ring during that stretch in Nick Nurse,Mike Budenholzer & Monty Williams. Nurse's success could be viewed as having traded for Kawhi but the other two would both be solid options,imo.
Replacing the head coach would do nothing to change how Embiid & Harden played in a game 7 though.
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
Of all of the coaches who have won an NBA title since 2015 (Steve Kerr, Tyrone Lue, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer) all of them have been fired except Steve Kerr.
Doc is likely going to get axed but a majority of their issues came down to Harden's play. I'm listening to a C's podcast and just heard a stat that Harden didn't score a single point in the 4th quarter of games 5-6-7. Philly won game 5 so that didn't really hurt them there but with the final two games it cost them their season.
That really was just an overall odd series from Harden, he looked unstoppable in certain games and was a complete non factor in others. I could say the same about Tatum but Boston has a deeper team that more than made up for it at times plus Jayson never let his FG percentage affect his defense.
its gonna be interesting to see what Philly decides to do, I'm already seeing the inevitable Dame Lillard & Bradley Beal trade rumors. Add one of those two to that starting core and it changes how they look on offense entirely. Harden could slot in as the 3rd option/PG and average upwards of 13-15 assists per 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
Kerr is like Popovich down in San Antonio imo, after all of their success the job is theirs until they decide to move on. Kerr is much younger than Pop so he'll likely stick around for awhile.
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
@thisistheshow
dame legit made me laugh out loud
Harden's NBA career has seen multiple stops along the way (OKC, Houston, Brooklyn and Philly) has seen him win multiple individual accolades and awards. He has never won a title and has made it to the NBA Finals once in 2012 while playing for OKC. He can be a phenomenal player (mostly a ball dominant ISO player; however he has also shown he can play more of a team game where he plays the role of ball distributor).
I recall he has always had his "Beard" since his first season with OKC. However, I have seen a photo of him playing college ball in Arizona State. In that photo he has no beard. Very strange to see him without facial hair.
Maybe Dame isn't the best pick for new teammate material down in Philly lol.
I usually don't agree with anything that Stephen A Smith or Kendrick Perkins has to say but after hearing their thoughts on this game 7/series,I'm in agreement.
Stephen pointed out that Harden,a 3x scoring champ in the NBA, only making 4 or less field goals in 5 out of 7 of the games is pretty crazy for a guy making 33M.
Perkins was talking about how that loss shouldn't be put on Doc and that game 7's are all about your best players standing up after 6 games and carrying your team to a win. Doc couldn't make Harden to shoot more or for Embiid to forget about
hanging around the 3pt line and instead get down in the paint.
Another interesting name for Philly to think about is, if Harden leaves would you bring in Kyrie Irving? Harden got sick of Kyrie's antics in Brooklyn then asked out so pairing the two again makes no sense. Kyrie still plays at an elite level its just that you don't know when he'll decide to flake out for a week or two during the season..
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
Spoiler alert.... No, @erikthredd isn't speaking in first person. thisistheshow is the Eric being referred to here . I am Eric. @erikthredd is TheOtherEric, but you can just call him 'toe' to keep things simple. Or 'big toe"...if you dare.. 😉
Most people here have called me Erik anyways because of my user ID lol. A hundred years ago when I attempted to name my new AOL email address with EricTheRed it was already taken and that one I have above is what I was able to use.
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
...
Alright, got it. So you're toe and I'm big toe, or vice versa? 😂😂
💪Jayson Tatum💪
OK - so now we do not positivley know which one is "Big Toe" but we do know how it came about.........
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
I think we all know where this is heading after this tweet. If they don't fire Doc, Harden will probably not pick up his option. If they do,he likely stays. GM Daryl Morey is Harden's biggest fan so I can't see him choosing Doc over James.
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
As I spent more time reading about the Sixers, it was interesting to see how the guy who owns part of the Sixers now also owns the Washington "Commanders". Philadelphia sports fans were sprinkling in some negative nuggets about this situation as they discussed the Sixers. That is a huge in-division NFL rival. We all know that most owners are just businessmen first. But this would definitely rub me the wrong way. And I think there is a hockey team involved too???
Looking forward to relaxing this evening while also starting to scout the Celtics next round opponent. 😉🍀🏀💪💪
Doc Rivers just got canned. Pretty crazy when one of your stars finishes 5 of the 7 games with 4 or fewer made FGs,
Then your other star, the MVP, finished the series with this stat:
The only instances in NBA history of a scoring leader making the playoffs and not being top-10 in PPG in those playoffs : ’22 Embiid and ’23 Embiid.
It’s actually quite rare for the scoring leader to make the playoffs and even finish outside of the top-5 in playoff PPG. Out of the 65 seasons in which the scoring leader made the playoffs, it’s only happened 3 times outside of the two times Embiid has done 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
Celtics in 6