@SanctionII said:
One thing about the NBA that has become apparent is that the very best players in the league are no longer solely USA born and raised.
When the current crop of 32 years and older star players retire (i.e. LBJ, Durant, Curry, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, etc.), their replacement will be players born and raised outside of the USA (i.e. Jokic, Giannis, Wemby, Luca, etc.).
NBA rosters will move away from being mostly USA born black players; and will be filled with the best of the best players born and raised on all six continents (excluding Antarctica for now).
American born and raised players will need to work harder to get a roster spot, due to the NBA becoming a global enterprise.
I wonder if this scenario will hold as strong a viewership once the American born players retire.
Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
It is interesting that commencing in the 1960s USA born black players obtained more and more NBA roster spots, resulting in fewer and fewer USA born white players being on NBA teams (how many USA born white players are on 2023-2024 NBA teams).
With more and more roster spots being filled with non USA born players, the number of USA born players filling roster spots is shrinking.
Viewership of NBA games includes a huge American market. However, I suspect that the revenue stream paid to the league from Television contracts will see an increase in the percentage of revenue coming from non USA contracts as the game becomes more globalized. Especially if (and more likely when) the league expands outside of North America.
Boston's Sam Hauser caught a bad break (but really didn't) last night against the Wizards. Hauser got the start after the team sat three starters and he was on fire from three in the 1st half, shooting 7/9, then went 3/3 in the first few minutes of the 3rd. On his 13th 3 attempt he was fading backwards towards the Wiz bench and ended up landing on someone's foot, rolling his ankle and having to leave the game.
Luckily it wasn't a serious injury but Mazzulla had him call it a night when he was shooting 10/13 from three and just four short of Klay Thompson's record of 14. Hauser would have had 9 more mins of the 3rd and all of the 4th to try tying Klay.
The Lakers and the Warriors currently occupy the 9th and 10th spot in the Western Conference, each team having 32 losses.
Both of those teams should be worried about the Houston Rockets, who are in 11th spot with 35 losses, but an 8-2 record over the last 10 games. Houston is young, big, talented and hungry. Houston may very well pass one or both of the Lakers and Warriors in the Western Conference standings.
It would be interesting if the NBA playoffs this year take place without the Lakers and/or Warriors (LeBron and Curry) making it into and out of the play in games. Father time waits for no one and always wins.
Houston may make it close in the standings by the time the play-in games tip-off but my money would be on Lebron or Curry winning enough games down the stretch to, at the very least, stay in that 9-10 range.
Just currently separated by 1.5 games right now, the Dubs have a 2-0 edge on the Rockets H2H with a 3rd matchup on 4/4 at home. LA is up 3.5 games on Houston with their season series having ended split 2-2.
If the West play-in stays with the same four teams currently sitting 7-10 (Dallas/Phoenix/LAL/GS) those PI games are going to have a March Madness type feel to them where Luka, KD, Lebron & Steph are all capable of going nuclear for one game. Those games are going to be really entertaining!
I don't get the chance to be able to see the Rockets being I'm in the Cleveland area but I saw where the Cavs lost to them and I thought they were a good team - I was surprised they are 33-35
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
They've already won 10 more games than 2022-23 and with 14 games to go finishing with another 7 wins isn't out of the question. What's surprising is they lost their best player Alperen Sengun for the remainder of the season and have still won 4 straight games since then.
They have a ton of young talent and own a nice stash of future draft picks including two 1sts/a 2nd/two pick swaps still due from Brooklyn from that horrible James Harden trade. The guy is already on his 2nd team since leaving Brooklyn. 🤣
Went to last night's game at the Chase Center. It is a fantastic venue for hoops, concerts and other events.
The fans in attendance were a cross section of the Bay Area population. Young, old, from every ethnic/cultural background and very well behaved.
I have attended Warrior games in Oakland and SF since 1986. A tag line for attending a game is "A great time out." and it is true.
The mindset of those who attend these games is to have fun and enjoy yourself. Everyone sitting next to and around me has been in a good mood, willing to talk with each other and just enjoy watching a game for a couple or three hours. All the nonsense of daily life is put on a shelf, in order to enjoy one's self.
I have never seen people attending these games get hostile. No fights, no drama, no conflict. It is so unlike other sporting events where people go nuts and blow their tops.
In any event the game was very competitive in the first half. In the third quarter Indiana pulled away and GSW could not mount a rally. GSW is very inconsistent this year. One game they look like they can beat anyone. The next game they play horrible.
I suspect that GSW will be caught by Houston, fall below #10 in the Western Conference and not make the play in tournament.
I have never seen people attending these games get hostile. No fights, no drama, no conflict. It is so unlike other sporting events where people go nuts and blow their tops.
I agree, basketball games for some reason don't draw many fans that start drama as far as fan to fan unlike baseball & football where you hear stories all of the time during their seasons. Although the NBA has had its share of idiots that feel its ok to curse out a player to the point that they get tossed from the arena. There was an incident involving Kevin Durant within the past few months where some guy & his wife called KD a bitch as walked past them during pregame, a ref attempted to toss them before the game had even started but Durant asked him not to.
In any event the game was very competitive in the first half. In the third quarter Indiana pulled away and GSW could not mount a rally. GSW is very inconsistent this year. One game they look like they can beat anyone. The next game they play horrible.
I suspect that GSW will be caught by Houston, fall below #10 in the Western Conference and not make the play in tournament.
I didn't watch the game but did check the boxscore and it looked like GS had a horrible night shooting the three,especially Steph & Klay who went 9/28 combined. Indy's overall defense is bad but they tend the defend the three well at times and make you beat them scoring two's. They beat Boston earlier in the season and IIRC they held the C's to like 12 made threes with a very subpar 3pt%.
Houston won their 8th straight game tonight and out up 147pts against Utah. Udoka has them playing at a very high level right now and that game at GS in a couple weeks could be huge,they're 1.5 games behind the Dubs right now and a win could gain them a whole game in the standings.
Hats off to the Atlanta Hawks for erasing a 30pt lead against the Celtics and pulling out the win in the end.
in that 2nd half
best record in the NBA, yet they have some of the most epic meltdowns
when they blew a 22-pointer in the 4th against Mitchell-less Cleveland i thought i'd seen it all
then tonight they said hold my beer
read where they were just the 6th team in the past 25 seasons to lose a game after leading by at least 30
Honestly they were due for a game like this. They had won 9 straight were each game was by 10 or more points,they were playing their 5th game in 7 nights and probably most important of all they didn't have either of their top 2 point guards in Jrue or Derrick White.
That last one may not seem like much but once Atlanta upped the pressure in the 2nd half,Boston was setting their offense up with around 10-12 seconds left on the clock. Tatum even had an 8 seconds violation for not getting the ball over halfcourt in time while Brown just went ISO on a couple late plays as the primary ballhandler,missing the two shots that I remember.
They have 10 games remaining on the schedule and they really don't matter after the fact that they're 6 games up on Denver,7 on OKC for the homecourt throughout the the playoffs, They just need to stay ahead of them but those two really aren't catching them for best overall record,not this late in the season.
Mazzulla has been resting at least two starters every game for these past couple weeks with IIRC the Bucks as the exception and he'll probably keep doing the same for these last two weeks. Going deep into the bench like he has lately could possibly lead to another loss or two but not likely.
read where they were just the 6th team in the past 25 seasons to lose a game after leading by at least 30
They're also on pace to become just the 18th team in history to finish a season with an .800 winning percentage.
Feast or Famine baby! 😎
if a team like, say, the Blazers somehow -- miraculously -- built up a 30-pt lead on anybody and managed to puke it away, i could comprehend that to an extent.............because they don't have any dawgs. but when you're the perceived best team and have one of the few players in the league who can regularly create his own high-percentage shot on your roster, losing games like that is the epitome of inexcusable and should never, ever happen. yet it seems like the Celtics are good for 2-3 of those every season.
on its face, a loss like that was relatively meaningless in the grand scheme because Boston has locked up the 1-spot. but was it really? are those the type of complacent habits you want to develop heading into the playoffs? all it would take is to pull a stunt like that in a vital postseason game, then all of a sudden a seemingly innocuous problem becomes very, very real.
bottom line for me is that Jayson Tatum needs to realize he's the best player on the court in almost every game he plays in. so when shit like that starts to go down, it's time for him to channel his inner-MJ and choke out the other team. never in a million years would Michael Jordan have allowed the Bulls to get punked like that by a lesser opponent.
Blowing huge leads happens weekly in this league and every team takes their foot off the gas when they go up big,it happens. Maybe not to the extent of a 30pt lead but the Hawks whittled that lead down over 3 quarters with some very hot 3pt shooting.
Quarters 2-4
Hawks 17-29 from three
Celtics 3-27 and not having their two starting point guards hurt running the offense when they weren't shooting threes.
Everyone likes to point how bad Boston fails when they lose yet literally everyone forgets that they rarely ever lose games so it gets magnified even more when it does happen. The Celtics are 26-2 versus teams under .500 in 2023-24, that record was 24-10 a year ago.
A loss to the Atlanta Hawks with 10 games to go when you're up at least 6 games in the league standings is no big deal to everyone but Joe Mazzulla who know has a reason to ride their ass in practice.
I admit blowing the 30pt lead is definitely bad optics but overall a nothing burger when they've lost just 4 games over the past 2 months. They've been crushing teams at a historical level.
@galaxy27 brother, you have a habit of pointing out Tatum's deficiencies when Boston loses a game and act like he's not growing as a closer but aren't watching the overall picture.
We had this same conversation after the loss to the Nuggets and in his next primetime game against the Bucks last week he was in the same situation: big lead,hadn't scored in the 2nd half and Milwaukee fueld by a 3pt barrage from Dame & Bobby Portis came back to either tie ir get within 1-2pt late. Tatum took over late just by driving to the rim and getting to the line, Boston won by 3 and IIRC Tatum had 8pts in the final 2mins w/6 in FTs.
I've said it a few times in this thread already,this team's play isn't like its been in previous years. They know its title or bust and have played at a high level all season, last night they took their foot of the gas which happens much less in 2023-24 than it has in previous seasons.
I'm sure we'll have this same conversation after every Boston loss going forward 😉but just keep in an eye on how many weeks pass inbetween them. For the most part they're closing out all teams handily, just need to follow all the up with a Chip in June.
Tatum took over late just by driving to the rim and getting to the line, Boston won by 3 and IIRC Tatum had 8pts in the final 2mins w/6 in FTs.
you just solidified my point with this comment, probably without even knowing it. this is exactly what he needs to do, but more importantly CAN do, at some point when his team's big lead is being siphoned. take the game over and prevent some completely avoidable nonsense from happening. create your own shot and/or attack the cup relentlessly to stem the tide if need be.
i've said this before: Tatum is a stud. which is why i hold him and his #1-ranked team to a higher standard than a crap team like the Spurs, who blow almost every considerable lead they have. if you want to break that game down and justify the outcome (and i say that with complete respect), more power to you. but for me personally, it's far more simplistic: when you're the best team in the league and have an aforementioned stud like him, you take teams like the 10th place, 32-39 Atlanta Hawks out to pasture and lodge a bullet in their head. and you especially do so after you've already put one in there to the tune of a 30-point lead. period, end of story, no excuses. and i don't care if they were short-handed because the Cleveland Cavs were down their best player and found a way to come back from 22 down with 9 mins to go and added a +1 to the Celtics' L column a few weeks ago.
i'm not a Boston fan nor am i a Boston hater. you know this. and i didn't have a cent on that game, btw. i'm just an unbiased, no nonsense, lukewarm fan of the association who has a difficult time digesting teams that snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. it's revolting to me. and yes, i get that it happens a lot. the variance this season has been nauseating. but again, this is the Celtics we're talking about. if the Charlotte Bobcats did it, it's slightly less gross because at the end of the day they're a garbage team. they don't have a player on their roster who can strap the team on his back to extricate them from an embarrassing predicament. so i could see them, to an extent, not being able to maintain a big lead. but the Celtics? they have talent oozing from their ears and should never be subjected to such a situation.
i have nothing against your team, bro. apparently i just hold them to a higher standard than you do, regardless of the significance of the game. to me, if they put on a jersey and walk onto a court, their execution -- or lack thereof -- matters. because again, it's all fun and games to lose a game like last night when it really doesn't mean pop tarts.................until it does.
Tatum took over late just by driving to the rim and getting to the line, Boston won by 3 and IIRC Tatum had 8pts in the final 2mins w/6 in FTs.
you just solidified my point with this comment, probably without even knowing it. this is exactly what he needs to do, but more importantly CAN do, at some point when his team's big lead is being siphoned. take the game over and prevent some completely avoidable nonsense from happening. create your own shot and/or attack the cup relentlessly to stem the tide if need be.
i've said this before: Tatum is a stud. which is why i hold him and his #1-ranked team to a higher standard than a crap team like the Spurs, who blow almost every considerable lead they have. if you want to break that game down and justify the outcome (and i say that with complete respect), more power to you. but for me personally, it's far more simplistic: when you're the best team in the league and have an aforementioned stud like him, you take teams like the 10th place, 32-39 Atlanta Hawks out to pasture and lodge a bullet in their head. and you especially do so after you've already put one in there to the tune of a 30-point lead. period, end of story, no excuses. and i don't care if they were short-handed because the Cleveland Cavs were down their best player and found a way to come back from 22 down with 9 mins to go and added a +1 to the Celtics' L column a few weeks ago.
i'm not a Boston fan nor am i a Boston hater. you know this. and i didn't have a cent on that game, btw. i'm just an unbiased, no nonsense, lukewarm fan of the association who has a difficult time digesting teams that snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. it's revolting to me. and yes, i get that it happens a lot. the variance this season has been nauseating. but again, this is the Celtics we're talking about. if the Charlotte Bobcats did it, it's slightly less gross because at the end of the day they're a garbage team. they don't have a player on their roster who can strap the team on his back to extricate them from an embarrassing predicament. so i could see them, to an extent, not being able to maintain a big lead. but the Celtics? they have talent oozing from their ears and should never be subjected to such a situation.
i have nothing against your team, bro. apparently i just hold them to a higher standard than you do, regardless of the significance of the game. to me, if they put on a jersey and walk onto a court, their execution -- or lack thereof -- matters. because again, it's all fun and games to lose a game like last night when it really doesn't mean pop tarts.................until it does.
No worries,I know that you're just keeping it real and being honest from your point of view and i respect that. Believe me when I say I want to see them go full Masters of the Universe and own it everynight on the way to winning the first of many championships.
The thing with Tatum is, 95% of the time the team doesn't need him to score a ton of second half points because they're moving the ball and his teammates are scoring a crapload of points. Its just that when they occasionally lose, outside of the Nuggets losses which IMO were to a better team, its from self inflicted wounds. Meaning they got up big and let go of the rope (Hawks/Cavs) or the see that Lebron & AD aren't playing that night and they go on to give less effort in the game and lose.
They've absolutely learning from these mistakes as everyone can see in the standings compared to previous seasons but they're at the point where nothing else matters until they win the ring.
I totally agree that losing a 30pt lead to a play-in is very bad optics but its a meaningless regular season game. There's no big picture meaning behind it and like when every NBA team loses any game its because they usually revert back to bad habits. So that one or two games a month that Boston loses, Tatum &/or Brown will have likely reverted back to old form. It happens with every player including the superstars.
Also I get holding Tatum & Brown to a certain standard because...
1) its Boston and not some small market team.
2) they've made quite a few trips to the ECF plus one Finals appearence
3) both players over the next two year stretch will have each signed the highest paid contract in NBA history.
I won't say I feel bad for the amount of pressure they're under to win championships at the age of just 26 & 27 but that pressure has reached an incredible point just within the Boston fanbase let alone everyone else.
Just looking back to that week when they stomped the Dubs then lost B2B games to the Cavs & Nuggets, the media would have you think that they just got swept in B2B Finals when its was a couple freaking regular season games in early March lol.
Right now you'd be hard-pressed to find any one athlete,let alone two, in a similar situation like they're in where its all Ring or bust especially when all of the drama is surrounding midseason games and the playoffs haven't even started yet. 🤷♂️
I say this regardless of being a lifelong Celtics fan, i really do hope they win a title in Boston just for their own sake because the NBA world and its fans are holding them to a standard that is honestly unrealistic. Lebron is the only other player that I can remember dealing with a similar situation during his time in Cleveland especially that first stint but not many other NBA superstars have been in their position at their age. Maybe Wilt & West after losing to Russell's Celtics so many times?
That all being said,it would be kinda nice if they could just get this freakin thing out of the way this time around. 😉👍
You know, if the team or athlete that is "favored" (by fans and/or sports books) to win an athletic contest "always" ended up being the victor, then there would be no need to actually play the game.
Life does not work out that way (thank goodness); and as a result you have games where the "favored" team gets beat by the "disfavored" team.
The uncertainty of athletic competition is what provides entertainment to the masses.
I just watched a replay of that BOS/ATL 4th quarter and Tatum scored 10 of the 22 Celtics points in the quarter including 6 in the final 3:20. His scoring,or lack of, wasn't the reason they lost, it was their defense. They gave up 34/34/30 over their final 3 quarters.
They're actually scheduled to play the Hawks again tomorrow night in Atlanta so it will be interesting to see how that game plays out.
@erikthredd said:
I just watched a replay of that BOS/ATL 4th quarter and Tatum scored 10 of the 22 Celtics points in the quarter including 6 in the final 3:20. His scoring,or lack of, wasn't the reason they lost, it was their defense. They gave up 34/34/30 over their final 3 quarters.
They're actually scheduled to play the Hawks again tomorrow night in Atlanta so it will be interesting to see how that game plays out.
One of my adult sons and I are going to the game tonight. The Celtics have been my favorite team since the late 80's, but after I moved to Georgia in 1996, my loyalties have been split between these two! It's bittersweet though. The op and I no doubt would have been talking a lot about it once we acquired the tickets last month. I know It's only been 4 months, but I still miss him everyday! I will try to post pictures if anyone is interested.
@erikthredd said:
I just watched a replay of that BOS/ATL 4th quarter and Tatum scored 10 of the 22 Celtics points in the quarter including 6 in the final 3:20. His scoring,or lack of, wasn't the reason they lost, it was their defense. They gave up 34/34/30 over their final 3 quarters.
They're actually scheduled to play the Hawks again tomorrow night in Atlanta so it will be interesting to see how that game plays
One of my adult sons and I are going to the game tonight. The Celtics have been my favorite team since the late 80's, but after I moved to Georgia in 1996, my loyalties have been split between these two! It's bittersweet though. The op and I no doubt would have been talking a lot about it once we acquired the tickets last month. I know It's only been 4 months, but I still miss him everyday! I will try to post pictures if anyone is interested.
I miss homie too. He & I would go back & forth after each Celtics game and he would have really loved how the team has played this year. We talked alot about those 80's C's teams with Bird being is his favorite player and even how much of a fan he was of Luka with getting to watch all of his games locally. He was just a good dude that always took the time to ask how you're doing and talk about everyday life.
Are you from MA originally? The Hawks looked fantastic while making that comeback and this should be a great game tonight if both teams come out swinging from the start. Hopefully you & your son have fun!
The Celtics lose a 2nd game in a row down in Atlanta but Hallco got to see live one hell of a back & forth battle that literally came down to the last shot in OT. 40 lead changes and 14 ties, its going to get real interesting if these two teams end up meeting in round one of the playoffs again.
@erikthredd said:
I just watched a replay of that BOS/ATL 4th quarter and Tatum scored 10 of the 22 Celtics points in the quarter including 6 in the final 3:20. His scoring,or lack of, wasn't the reason they lost, it was their defense. They gave up 34/34/30 over their final 3 quarters.
They're actually scheduled to play the Hawks again tomorrow night in Atlanta so it will be interesting to see how that game plays
One of my adult sons and I are going to the game tonight. The Celtics have been my favorite team since the late 80's, but after I moved to Georgia in 1996, my loyalties have been split between these two! It's bittersweet though. The op and I no doubt would have been talking a lot about it once we acquired the tickets last month. I know It's only been 4 months, but I still miss him everyday! I will try to post pictures if anyone is interested.
I miss homie too. He & I would go back & forth after each Celtics game and he would have really loved how the team has played this year. We talked alot about those 80's C's teams with Bird being is his favorite player and even how much of a fan he was of Luka with getting to watch all of his games locally. He was just a good dude that always took the time to ask how you're doing and talk about everyday life.
Are you from MA originally? The Hawks looked fantastic while making that comeback and this should be a great game tonight if both teams come out swinging from the start. Hopefully you & your son have fun!
@erikthredd said:
The Celtics lose a 2nd game in a row down in Atlanta but Hallco got to see live one hell of a back & forth battle that literally came down to the last shot in OT. 40 lead changes and 14 ties, its going to get real interesting if these two teams end up meeting in round one of the playoffs again.
It was amazing! To answer your question, no I grew up in Michigan. I think my Irish connection happened when I was a teenager, but living in Big 10 land, I refused to be a Notre Dame fan! Here are a few pictures. Yes, my photography skills are severely lacking.
2 of the many disappointed Celtic fans after the game:
And this was unexpected:
Atlanta Artist "Cee-lo Green" did a short performance at halftime.
Thank you for letting me share part of this great night!
I hated seeing them lose but both teams played their asses off and Murray hit some incredible shots. Atlanta has a tough decision to make this summer in do they trade Dejounte or Trae? I'd probably keep Murray and move Young,
The C's broadcasters mentioned that the 40 lead changes were the 2nd most ever in a game since they started tracking that stat back in 96-97.
Sounds like you had a great night! I saw the fan at halftime hit the halfcourt shot for 10K and was hoping it might have been you or your son, maybe next time. 😉
I found this funny as the state of professional athletes and injuries:
Zion Williamson has sore finger, day-to-day, Pelicans coach says
#LetsGoSwitzerlandThe Man Who Does Not Read Has No Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read. The biggest obstacle to progress is a habit of “buying what we want and begging for what we need.”You get the Freedom you fight for and get the Oppression you deserve.
Tough break for the Bucks last night against Boston. After having lost the previous four games they return home and had an incredible display of 3pt shooting in the first quarter, essentially just blowing out the Celtics right from the start to gain back some of their confidence after a horrible week of play.
Then Giannis gets hurt and reports today say that its not an actual Achilles tear but it is strained which means he may miss some time. How long? Who knows but if it means sitting some round 1 games,just last season's playoffs saw the Bucks lose in the first round while he dealt with an injury. Dame could replace the scoring/playmaking but he can't replace the defense & rebounding.
@SanctionII said:
Regular season is about over. The playin games should be compelling. As should round one of the playoffs.
Last night, GS gave everyone another reminder that you really don't want to face them in an elimination game when they're still capable of setting single game NBA records for 3pt%. Shooting 26/41 from three for 63% is unheard of but we may not see Draymond finish 5/7 again.
I think that 9-10 play-in matchup out west will be LAL/GS and its going to be interesting to see if Anthony Davis will be able to play or not. The Lakers are still fighting for that 7-8th seed and AD missing these finals games due to another injury may end up really hurting their seeding.
Since January 30 GS is 25-11. They have won 8 out of their last 9 games and have won 16 of their last 20 road games. Their only loss in the last 9 games was to Dallas by 2 points last weekend in Dallas. GS came back from being down to tie that game in the last minute or less, Dallas made a basket to go up by 2 and SG had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. Klay Thompson's 3 point shot as time expired was slightly off and missed.
It appears that the 10-12 players on the GS roster that have seen significant time on the court this season are all healthy; they are meshing; and they are getting locked in. Further they are playing smothering defense; which is leading to a much better showing on offense. As was on display last night, when GS is shooting the ball well (58%+ and 62%+ from 3 last night) and playing great defense it is a really good team. I would not want to play GS in the seven game first round series if I was the #1 or #2 seed in the Western Conference.
It is possible that GS can still end up in the #8 or even the #7 spot. Currently Phoenix, Sacramento, the Lakers and GS occupy spots 7-10. Out of those for teams GS is playing the best. Those four teams appear to be destined to play each other next week to determine which of the two teams advance to the first round of the playoffs. Superstars LBJ, K.D., Curry and De'Aaron Fox will be in the spotlight next week as only two of these four players will make it to the first round, while the other two will go on vacation. I suspect that the league and advertisers hope that LBJ and Curry advance, simply for ratings.
While technically it IS still possible for the Warriors to end up in one of the 7-8 positions but with just 3 games left I honestly don't see it happening.
Here's the remaining schedule for each team.
GS has at Portland, then 2 homes games vs the Pelicans & Jazz.
LAL has two away games at Memphis & New Orleans.
Sacramento has three home games vs NO, Phoenix & Portland.
Phoenix has the toughest schedule left of the four with three away games at the Clippers,Kings & Wolves.
Back on March 20th, GS was just two games behind LAL at that time and today just .5 behind for that 9th spot. they only moved 1.5 games during that entire 3 week stretch.
As of right now, they're 1 game behind #8 and 2 behind #7 Phoenix, to pass either of the two it would likely require GS finishing 3-0 and one or both of the other two teams finishing 0-3.
The Suns own the tiebreakers with GS (3-1) finished even with SAC (2-2) and lost the season series to LAL (1-3.)
Sacramento swept the Lakers (4-0) and split with the Dubs (2-2.)
With last night's win, the Warriors finished 3-1 vs LAL and now own the tiebreaker for that 9th spot. Ultimately that's probably where they end up, playing the Lakers in GS in their play-in game. Other scenarios for 7-8 are still possible but it would take an epic last week meltdown from Phoenix or Sacramento for that to happen.
Very true. The different possibilities for these four teams as the last 2-3 games of the regular season play out make for an interesting Wednesday through Sunday.
Given how GS has played better on the road than at home this season it would probably be better for GS if it stays in the #10 spot, resulting in it needing to play and win 2 road games to advance to the first round as the 8th seed (and play either Denver, Minnesota or OKC).
The top of the West is extremely close with Minnesota & Denver tied for first w/OKC just 1 game back.
The Wolves are at Denver tonight then Hawks/Suns at home. They hold the season series lead vs the Nuggets (2-1) while tied with OKC (2-2.)
Denver has MIN coming in tonight then away games at SA/Memphis and lost their season series to OKC (1-3.)
OKC has three home games vs the Spurs,Bucks & Mavs.
In the East, seeds 3-6 are separated by just 1.5 games right now with NY,ORL & CLE all having 3 games left and Indy with just 2.
I think that the only two teams that maybe locked into their current position are Boston,definitely, and Milwaukee,maybe depending on the Giannis injury. We may not see many teams get to rest their key players but the PI tourney should give them some decent rest time.
@BLUEJAYWAY said:
Last night the Suns were down 53 to 16. Only 10 points in the first quarter. Thought only 2 Suns were on the floor. Pathetic for a pro team.
And their future honestly looks even worse. i've never seen a new owner from any of the top 4 pro sports come onto the scene and go all-in like Phoenix saw with Matt Ishbia. Not only did he trade every single tradable draft pick that Phoenix owned but also the rights to swap picks with the handful of 1st rounders that couldn't be dealt due to the Stepien rule.
Trading away every single draft pick and betting on 3 very high paid stars with their injury history was, in all probability, a truly horrible gamble. 🤣
@BLUEJAYWAY said:
Last night the Suns were down 53 to 16. Only 10 points in the first quarter. Thought only 2 Suns were on the floor. Pathetic for a pro team.
And their future honestly looks even worse. i've never seen a new owner from any of the top 4 pro sports come onto the scene and go all-in like Phoenix saw with Matt Ishbia. Not only did he trade every single tradable draft pick that Phoenix owned but also the rights to swap picks with the handful of 1st rounders that couldn't be dealt due to the Stepien rule.
Trading away every single draft pick and betting on 3 very high paid stars with their injury history was, in all probability, a truly horrible gamble. 🤣
Don't see KD winning anything there. He may bolt for better chances elsewhere.
Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
KD will be 36 by the time that 2024-25 season starts, this is probably his last chance to try winning and if it fails,very likely, then there won't be another team thinking about bringing him as their main piece like Brooklyn did.
He'll just be that team's small/power forward and nothing else, Charles Barkley won't even be able to call him just a bus driver anymore lol.
Huge win by Denver last night beating Minnesota to give the Nuggets a full game lead over the Wolves & Thunder (who also won.) Each team has two games left.
Phoenix also won and is now at least 1.5 games up on the Kings,Lakers & Warriors with just two games left.
Saw that Boston gave 33yr old Jrue Holiday a 4yr/135M deal extension and honestly wish that this money should have gone to Derrick White who would have also been a FA in the 2025 offseason. If they keep White on a longterm deal then I'm all good and have no problem locking in this starting five for the forseeable future. its only been 79 ragular season games but they've played incredibly together.
@SanctionII said:
If GSW wins its final two games and if Sacramento loses one of its two final games GSW will be in the 8th spot and will likely play Phoenix.
I kind of just want to see LA vs GS in a winner take all meeting. 😎
It seems like all of their recent games against each other have either gone to OT or double OT.
It would be weird if neither the Lakers and the Warriors did not make the playoffs this year. LBJ and Curry have collectively been a mainstay in the NBA playoffs since 2004. I think one or both of them have been in the playoffs every year since 2004.
I don't think the Adam Silver could have asked for a better situation heading into the final day on the league's regular season schedule.
You have OKC,Minnesota & Denver all tied for the 1st overall seed in the West. LAL, Sacramento & Golden State are all fighting for the last 3 spots for the play-in.
In the East, you have the 2nd (Milwaukee) & 3rd (NY) seeds tied with the same overall record and Cleveland just one game behind. Then seeds 5-8 are only separated by just 1 game.
just looking at the overall playoff seeding,there really aren't any teams who could look ahead and starting planning for their 1st round opponent with so much uncertainty holding things up.
The three playin games and the follow up playoffs (especially the 8 first round series) have the potential to be a ratings bonanza for the league.
If teams with aging superstars make the playoffs as 7 and 8 seeds they and their teams play first round games against teams that are young, talented and inexperienced, will the older teams and players be swept away be the younger teams, or will the older teams and players hold off the next generation of superstars for another season?
Its a sad day in Boston Celtics history where longtime TV play by play guy Mike Gorman is retiring after 43 years calling Celtics games. For those that don't know or remember him, he was always the voice of reason while sitting next to Tommy Heinsohn and his comical outbursts aimed at the officiating. It would be great seeing the team send him off into retirement after winning one more Chip.
Comments
Wemby with the block on Jokic on the first shot of 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
I wonder if this scenario will hold as strong a viewership once the American born players retire.
It is interesting that commencing in the 1960s USA born black players obtained more and more NBA roster spots, resulting in fewer and fewer USA born white players being on NBA teams (how many USA born white players are on 2023-2024 NBA teams).
With more and more roster spots being filled with non USA born players, the number of USA born players filling roster spots is shrinking.
Viewership of NBA games includes a huge American market. However, I suspect that the revenue stream paid to the league from Television contracts will see an increase in the percentage of revenue coming from non USA contracts as the game becomes more globalized. Especially if (and more likely when) the league expands outside of North America.
This was an incredible game winner by Kyrie with Jokic chasing him. A lefty floater from out past the FT line for the win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkuxg6-YCVo
Boston's Sam Hauser caught a bad break (but really didn't) last night against the Wizards. Hauser got the start after the team sat three starters and he was on fire from three in the 1st half, shooting 7/9, then went 3/3 in the first few minutes of the 3rd. On his 13th 3 attempt he was fading backwards towards the Wiz bench and ended up landing on someone's foot, rolling his ankle and having to leave the game.
Luckily it wasn't a serious injury but Mazzulla had him call it a night when he was shooting 10/13 from three and just four short of Klay Thompson's record of 14. Hauser would have had 9 more mins of the 3rd and all of the 4th to try tying Klay.
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
This is brutal that it worked at the NBA level lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXJ5G_VLq8
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
The Lakers and the Warriors currently occupy the 9th and 10th spot in the Western Conference, each team having 32 losses.
Both of those teams should be worried about the Houston Rockets, who are in 11th spot with 35 losses, but an 8-2 record over the last 10 games. Houston is young, big, talented and hungry. Houston may very well pass one or both of the Lakers and Warriors in the Western Conference standings.
It would be interesting if the NBA playoffs this year take place without the Lakers and/or Warriors (LeBron and Curry) making it into and out of the play in games. Father time waits for no one and always wins.
Houston may make it close in the standings by the time the play-in games tip-off but my money would be on Lebron or Curry winning enough games down the stretch to, at the very least, stay in that 9-10 range.
Just currently separated by 1.5 games right now, the Dubs have a 2-0 edge on the Rockets H2H with a 3rd matchup on 4/4 at home. LA is up 3.5 games on Houston with their season series having ended split 2-2.
If the West play-in stays with the same four teams currently sitting 7-10 (Dallas/Phoenix/LAL/GS) those PI games are going to have a March Madness type feel to them where Luka, KD, Lebron & Steph are all capable of going nuclear for one game. Those games are going to be really entertaining!
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 get the chance to be able to see the Rockets being I'm in the Cleveland area but I saw where the Cavs lost to them and I thought they were a good team - I was surprised they are 33-35
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
They've already won 10 more games than 2022-23 and with 14 games to go finishing with another 7 wins isn't out of the question. What's surprising is they lost their best player Alperen Sengun for the remainder of the season and have still won 4 straight games since then.
They have a ton of young talent and own a nice stash of future draft picks including two 1sts/a 2nd/two pick swaps still due from Brooklyn from that horrible James Harden trade. The guy is already on his 2nd team since leaving Brooklyn. 🤣
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
My better half and I are going to Chase Center tomorrow to see the Warriors play the Pacers. Hopefully it will be a good game.
I will provide an update on how the game turned out.
Went to last night's game at the Chase Center. It is a fantastic venue for hoops, concerts and other events.
The fans in attendance were a cross section of the Bay Area population. Young, old, from every ethnic/cultural background and very well behaved.
I have attended Warrior games in Oakland and SF since 1986. A tag line for attending a game is "A great time out." and it is true.
The mindset of those who attend these games is to have fun and enjoy yourself. Everyone sitting next to and around me has been in a good mood, willing to talk with each other and just enjoy watching a game for a couple or three hours. All the nonsense of daily life is put on a shelf, in order to enjoy one's self.
I have never seen people attending these games get hostile. No fights, no drama, no conflict. It is so unlike other sporting events where people go nuts and blow their tops.
In any event the game was very competitive in the first half. In the third quarter Indiana pulled away and GSW could not mount a rally. GSW is very inconsistent this year. One game they look like they can beat anyone. The next game they play horrible.
I suspect that GSW will be caught by Houston, fall below #10 in the Western Conference and not make the play in tournament.
I agree, basketball games for some reason don't draw many fans that start drama as far as fan to fan unlike baseball & football where you hear stories all of the time during their seasons. Although the NBA has had its share of idiots that feel its ok to curse out a player to the point that they get tossed from the arena. There was an incident involving Kevin Durant within the past few months where some guy & his wife called KD a bitch as walked past them during pregame, a ref attempted to toss them before the game had even started but Durant asked him not to.
I didn't watch the game but did check the boxscore and it looked like GS had a horrible night shooting the three,especially Steph & Klay who went 9/28 combined. Indy's overall defense is bad but they tend the defend the three well at times and make you beat them scoring two's. They beat Boston earlier in the season and IIRC they held the C's to like 12 made threes with a very subpar 3pt%.
Houston won their 8th straight game tonight and out up 147pts against Utah. Udoka has them playing at a very high level right now and that game at GS in a couple weeks could be huge,they're 1.5 games behind the Dubs right now and a win could gain them a whole game in the standings.
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
Hats off to the Atlanta Hawks for erasing a 30pt lead against the Celtics and pulling out the win in the end.
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
best record in the NBA, yet they have some of the most epic meltdowns
when they blew a 22-pointer in the 4th against Mitchell-less Cleveland i thought i'd seen it all
then tonight they said hold my beer
read where they were just the 6th team in the past 25 seasons to lose a game after leading by at least 30
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Honestly they were due for a game like this. They had won 9 straight were each game was by 10 or more points,they were playing their 5th game in 7 nights and probably most important of all they didn't have either of their top 2 point guards in Jrue or Derrick White.
That last one may not seem like much but once Atlanta upped the pressure in the 2nd half,Boston was setting their offense up with around 10-12 seconds left on the clock. Tatum even had an 8 seconds violation for not getting the ball over halfcourt in time while Brown just went ISO on a couple late plays as the primary ballhandler,missing the two shots that I remember.
They have 10 games remaining on the schedule and they really don't matter after the fact that they're 6 games up on Denver,7 on OKC for the homecourt throughout the the playoffs, They just need to stay ahead of them but those two really aren't catching them for best overall record,not this late in the season.
Mazzulla has been resting at least two starters every game for these past couple weeks with IIRC the Bucks as the exception and he'll probably keep doing the same for these last two weeks. Going deep into the bench like he has lately could possibly lead to another loss or two but not likely.
They're also on pace to become just the 18th team in history to finish a season with an .800 winning percentage.
Feast or Famine baby! 😎
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
Go Celtics.
if a team like, say, the Blazers somehow -- miraculously -- built up a 30-pt lead on anybody and managed to puke it away, i could comprehend that to an extent.............because they don't have any dawgs. but when you're the perceived best team and have one of the few players in the league who can regularly create his own high-percentage shot on your roster, losing games like that is the epitome of inexcusable and should never, ever happen. yet it seems like the Celtics are good for 2-3 of those every season.
on its face, a loss like that was relatively meaningless in the grand scheme because Boston has locked up the 1-spot. but was it really? are those the type of complacent habits you want to develop heading into the playoffs? all it would take is to pull a stunt like that in a vital postseason game, then all of a sudden a seemingly innocuous problem becomes very, very real.
bottom line for me is that Jayson Tatum needs to realize he's the best player on the court in almost every game he plays in. so when shit like that starts to go down, it's time for him to channel his inner-MJ and choke out the other team. never in a million years would Michael Jordan have allowed the Bulls to get punked like that by a lesser opponent.
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Blowing huge leads happens weekly in this league and every team takes their foot off the gas when they go up big,it happens. Maybe not to the extent of a 30pt lead but the Hawks whittled that lead down over 3 quarters with some very hot 3pt shooting.
Quarters 2-4
Hawks 17-29 from three
Celtics 3-27 and not having their two starting point guards hurt running the offense when they weren't shooting threes.
Everyone likes to point how bad Boston fails when they lose yet literally everyone forgets that they rarely ever lose games so it gets magnified even more when it does happen. The Celtics are 26-2 versus teams under .500 in 2023-24, that record was 24-10 a year ago.
A loss to the Atlanta Hawks with 10 games to go when you're up at least 6 games in the league standings is no big deal to everyone but Joe Mazzulla who know has a reason to ride their ass in practice.
I admit blowing the 30pt lead is definitely bad optics but overall a nothing burger when they've lost just 4 games over the past 2 months. They've been crushing teams at a historical level.
@galaxy27 brother, you have a habit of pointing out Tatum's deficiencies when Boston loses a game and act like he's not growing as a closer but aren't watching the overall picture.
We had this same conversation after the loss to the Nuggets and in his next primetime game against the Bucks last week he was in the same situation: big lead,hadn't scored in the 2nd half and Milwaukee fueld by a 3pt barrage from Dame & Bobby Portis came back to either tie ir get within 1-2pt late. Tatum took over late just by driving to the rim and getting to the line, Boston won by 3 and IIRC Tatum had 8pts in the final 2mins w/6 in FTs.
I've said it a few times in this thread already,this team's play isn't like its been in previous years. They know its title or bust and have played at a high level all season, last night they took their foot of the gas which happens much less in 2023-24 than it has in previous seasons.
I'm sure we'll have this same conversation after every Boston loss going forward 😉but just keep in an eye on how many weeks pass inbetween them. For the most part they're closing out all teams handily, just need to follow all the up with a Chip in June.
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 just solidified my point with this comment, probably without even knowing it. this is exactly what he needs to do, but more importantly CAN do, at some point when his team's big lead is being siphoned. take the game over and prevent some completely avoidable nonsense from happening. create your own shot and/or attack the cup relentlessly to stem the tide if need be.
i've said this before: Tatum is a stud. which is why i hold him and his #1-ranked team to a higher standard than a crap team like the Spurs, who blow almost every considerable lead they have. if you want to break that game down and justify the outcome (and i say that with complete respect), more power to you. but for me personally, it's far more simplistic: when you're the best team in the league and have an aforementioned stud like him, you take teams like the 10th place, 32-39 Atlanta Hawks out to pasture and lodge a bullet in their head. and you especially do so after you've already put one in there to the tune of a 30-point lead. period, end of story, no excuses. and i don't care if they were short-handed because the Cleveland Cavs were down their best player and found a way to come back from 22 down with 9 mins to go and added a +1 to the Celtics' L column a few weeks ago.
i'm not a Boston fan nor am i a Boston hater. you know this. and i didn't have a cent on that game, btw. i'm just an unbiased, no nonsense, lukewarm fan of the association who has a difficult time digesting teams that snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. it's revolting to me. and yes, i get that it happens a lot. the variance this season has been nauseating. but again, this is the Celtics we're talking about. if the Charlotte Bobcats did it, it's slightly less gross because at the end of the day they're a garbage team. they don't have a player on their roster who can strap the team on his back to extricate them from an embarrassing predicament. so i could see them, to an extent, not being able to maintain a big lead. but the Celtics? they have talent oozing from their ears and should never be subjected to such a situation.
i have nothing against your team, bro. apparently i just hold them to a higher standard than you do, regardless of the significance of the game. to me, if they put on a jersey and walk onto a court, their execution -- or lack thereof -- matters. because again, it's all fun and games to lose a game like last night when it really doesn't mean pop tarts.................until it does.
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
No worries,I know that you're just keeping it real and being honest from your point of view and i respect that. Believe me when I say I want to see them go full Masters of the Universe and own it everynight on the way to winning the first of many championships.
The thing with Tatum is, 95% of the time the team doesn't need him to score a ton of second half points because they're moving the ball and his teammates are scoring a crapload of points. Its just that when they occasionally lose, outside of the Nuggets losses which IMO were to a better team, its from self inflicted wounds. Meaning they got up big and let go of the rope (Hawks/Cavs) or the see that Lebron & AD aren't playing that night and they go on to give less effort in the game and lose.
They've absolutely learning from these mistakes as everyone can see in the standings compared to previous seasons but they're at the point where nothing else matters until they win the ring.
I totally agree that losing a 30pt lead to a play-in is very bad optics but its a meaningless regular season game. There's no big picture meaning behind it and like when every NBA team loses any game its because they usually revert back to bad habits. So that one or two games a month that Boston loses, Tatum &/or Brown will have likely reverted back to old form. It happens with every player including the superstars.
Also I get holding Tatum & Brown to a certain standard because...
1) its Boston and not some small market team.
2) they've made quite a few trips to the ECF plus one Finals appearence
3) both players over the next two year stretch will have each signed the highest paid contract in NBA history.
I won't say I feel bad for the amount of pressure they're under to win championships at the age of just 26 & 27 but that pressure has reached an incredible point just within the Boston fanbase let alone everyone else.
Just looking back to that week when they stomped the Dubs then lost B2B games to the Cavs & Nuggets, the media would have you think that they just got swept in B2B Finals when its was a couple freaking regular season games in early March lol.
Right now you'd be hard-pressed to find any one athlete,let alone two, in a similar situation like they're in where its all Ring or bust especially when all of the drama is surrounding midseason games and the playoffs haven't even started yet. 🤷♂️
I say this regardless of being a lifelong Celtics fan, i really do hope they win a title in Boston just for their own sake because the NBA world and its fans are holding them to a standard that is honestly unrealistic. Lebron is the only other player that I can remember dealing with a similar situation during his time in Cleveland especially that first stint but not many other NBA superstars have been in their position at their age. Maybe Wilt & West after losing to Russell's Celtics so many times?
That all being said,it would be kinda nice if they could just get this freakin thing out of the way this time around. 😉👍
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 know, if the team or athlete that is "favored" (by fans and/or sports books) to win an athletic contest "always" ended up being the victor, then there would be no need to actually play the game.
Life does not work out that way (thank goodness); and as a result you have games where the "favored" team gets beat by the "disfavored" team.
The uncertainty of athletic competition is what provides entertainment to the masses.
I just watched a replay of that BOS/ATL 4th quarter and Tatum scored 10 of the 22 Celtics points in the quarter including 6 in the final 3:20. His scoring,or lack of, wasn't the reason they lost, it was their defense. They gave up 34/34/30 over their final 3 quarters.
They're actually scheduled to play the Hawks again tomorrow night in Atlanta so it will be interesting to see how that game plays out.
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 of my adult sons and I are going to the game tonight. The Celtics have been my favorite team since the late 80's, but after I moved to Georgia in 1996, my loyalties have been split between these two! It's bittersweet though. The op and I no doubt would have been talking a lot about it once we acquired the tickets last month. I know It's only been 4 months, but I still miss him everyday! I will try to post pictures if anyone is interested.
I miss homie too. He & I would go back & forth after each Celtics game and he would have really loved how the team has played this year. We talked alot about those 80's C's teams with Bird being is his favorite player and even how much of a fan he was of Luka with getting to watch all of his games locally. He was just a good dude that always took the time to ask how you're doing and talk about everyday life.
Are you from MA originally? The Hawks looked fantastic while making that comeback and this should be a great game tonight if both teams come out swinging from the start. Hopefully you & your son have fun!
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
The Celtics lose a 2nd game in a row down in Atlanta but Hallco got to see live one hell of a back & forth battle that literally came down to the last shot in OT. 40 lead changes and 14 ties, its going to get real interesting if these two teams end up meeting in round one of the playoffs again.
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
It was amazing! To answer your question, no I grew up in Michigan. I think my Irish connection happened when I was a teenager, but living in Big 10 land, I refused to be a Notre Dame fan!
Here are a few pictures. Yes, my photography skills are severely lacking.
2 of the many disappointed Celtic fans after the game:
And this was unexpected:
Atlanta Artist "Cee-lo Green" did a short performance at halftime.
Thank you for letting me share part of this great night!
I hated seeing them lose but both teams played their asses off and Murray hit some incredible shots. Atlanta has a tough decision to make this summer in do they trade Dejounte or Trae? I'd probably keep Murray and move Young,
The C's broadcasters mentioned that the 40 lead changes were the 2nd most ever in a game since they started tracking that stat back in 96-97.
Sounds like you had a great night! I saw the fan at halftime hit the halfcourt shot for 10K and was hoping it might have been you or your son, maybe next time. 😉
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 found this funny as the state of professional athletes and injuries:
Zion Williamson has sore finger, day-to-day, Pelicans coach says
Its because he's constantly dipping it into Cheez Wiz and chip dip. 😎
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
fonzie do you have any idea how heavy a double quarter pounder with cheese is
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Regular season is about over. The playin games should be compelling. As should round one of the playoffs.
Tough break for the Bucks last night against Boston. After having lost the previous four games they return home and had an incredible display of 3pt shooting in the first quarter, essentially just blowing out the Celtics right from the start to gain back some of their confidence after a horrible week of play.
Then Giannis gets hurt and reports today say that its not an actual Achilles tear but it is strained which means he may miss some time. How long? Who knows but if it means sitting some round 1 games,just last season's playoffs saw the Bucks lose in the first round while he dealt with an injury. Dame could replace the scoring/playmaking but he can't replace the defense & rebounding.
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
Last night, GS gave everyone another reminder that you really don't want to face them in an elimination game when they're still capable of setting single game NBA records for 3pt%. Shooting 26/41 from three for 63% is unheard of but we may not see Draymond finish 5/7 again.
I think that 9-10 play-in matchup out west will be LAL/GS and its going to be interesting to see if Anthony Davis will be able to play or not. The Lakers are still fighting for that 7-8th seed and AD missing these finals games due to another injury may end up really hurting their seeding.
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
Since January 30 GS is 25-11. They have won 8 out of their last 9 games and have won 16 of their last 20 road games. Their only loss in the last 9 games was to Dallas by 2 points last weekend in Dallas. GS came back from being down to tie that game in the last minute or less, Dallas made a basket to go up by 2 and SG had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. Klay Thompson's 3 point shot as time expired was slightly off and missed.
It appears that the 10-12 players on the GS roster that have seen significant time on the court this season are all healthy; they are meshing; and they are getting locked in. Further they are playing smothering defense; which is leading to a much better showing on offense. As was on display last night, when GS is shooting the ball well (58%+ and 62%+ from 3 last night) and playing great defense it is a really good team. I would not want to play GS in the seven game first round series if I was the #1 or #2 seed in the Western Conference.
It is possible that GS can still end up in the #8 or even the #7 spot. Currently Phoenix, Sacramento, the Lakers and GS occupy spots 7-10. Out of those for teams GS is playing the best. Those four teams appear to be destined to play each other next week to determine which of the two teams advance to the first round of the playoffs. Superstars LBJ, K.D., Curry and De'Aaron Fox will be in the spotlight next week as only two of these four players will make it to the first round, while the other two will go on vacation. I suspect that the league and advertisers hope that LBJ and Curry advance, simply for ratings.
While technically it IS still possible for the Warriors to end up in one of the 7-8 positions but with just 3 games left I honestly don't see it happening.
Here's the remaining schedule for each team.
GS has at Portland, then 2 homes games vs the Pelicans & Jazz.
LAL has two away games at Memphis & New Orleans.
Sacramento has three home games vs NO, Phoenix & Portland.
Phoenix has the toughest schedule left of the four with three away games at the Clippers,Kings & Wolves.
Back on March 20th, GS was just two games behind LAL at that time and today just .5 behind for that 9th spot. they only moved 1.5 games during that entire 3 week stretch.
As of right now, they're 1 game behind #8 and 2 behind #7 Phoenix, to pass either of the two it would likely require GS finishing 3-0 and one or both of the other two teams finishing 0-3.
The Suns own the tiebreakers with GS (3-1) finished even with SAC (2-2) and lost the season series to LAL (1-3.)
Sacramento swept the Lakers (4-0) and split with the Dubs (2-2.)
With last night's win, the Warriors finished 3-1 vs LAL and now own the tiebreaker for that 9th spot. Ultimately that's probably where they end up, playing the Lakers in GS in their play-in game. Other scenarios for 7-8 are still possible but it would take an epic last week meltdown from Phoenix or Sacramento for that to happen.
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.
Very true. The different possibilities for these four teams as the last 2-3 games of the regular season play out make for an interesting Wednesday through Sunday.
Given how GS has played better on the road than at home this season it would probably be better for GS if it stays in the #10 spot, resulting in it needing to play and win 2 road games to advance to the first round as the 8th seed (and play either Denver, Minnesota or OKC).
The top of the West is extremely close with Minnesota & Denver tied for first w/OKC just 1 game back.
The Wolves are at Denver tonight then Hawks/Suns at home. They hold the season series lead vs the Nuggets (2-1) while tied with OKC (2-2.)
Denver has MIN coming in tonight then away games at SA/Memphis and lost their season series to OKC (1-3.)
OKC has three home games vs the Spurs,Bucks & Mavs.
In the East, seeds 3-6 are separated by just 1.5 games right now with NY,ORL & CLE all having 3 games left and Indy with just 2.
I think that the only two teams that maybe locked into their current position are Boston,definitely, and Milwaukee,maybe depending on the Giannis injury. We may not see many teams get to rest their key players but the PI tourney should give them some decent rest time.
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
Playin games and playoff games are the bet part of an NBA season.
After the regular season finishes a separate thread on the 2024 playin and playoffs should be started.
Last night the Suns were down 53 to 16. Only 10 points in the first quarter. Thought only 2 Suns were on the floor. Pathetic for a pro team.
And their future honestly looks even worse. i've never seen a new owner from any of the top 4 pro sports come onto the scene and go all-in like Phoenix saw with Matt Ishbia. Not only did he trade every single tradable draft pick that Phoenix owned but also the rights to swap picks with the handful of 1st rounders that couldn't be dealt due to the Stepien rule.
Trading away every single draft pick and betting on 3 very high paid stars with their injury history was, in all probability, a truly horrible gamble. 🤣
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
Don't see KD winning anything there. He may bolt for better chances elsewhere.
KD will be 36 by the time that 2024-25 season starts, this is probably his last chance to try winning and if it fails,very likely, then there won't be another team thinking about bringing him as their main piece like Brooklyn did.
He'll just be that team's small/power forward and nothing else, Charles Barkley won't even be able to call him just a bus driver anymore 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
Huge win by Denver last night beating Minnesota to give the Nuggets a full game lead over the Wolves & Thunder (who also won.) Each team has two games left.
Phoenix also won and is now at least 1.5 games up on the Kings,Lakers & Warriors with just two games left.
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
Saw that Boston gave 33yr old Jrue Holiday a 4yr/135M deal extension and honestly wish that this money should have gone to Derrick White who would have also been a FA in the 2025 offseason. If they keep White on a longterm deal then I'm all good and have no problem locking in this starting five for the forseeable future. its only been 79 ragular season games but they've played incredibly 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
If GSW wins its final two games and if Sacramento loses one of its two final games GSW will be in the 8th spot and will likely play Phoenix.
I kind of just want to see LA vs GS in a winner take all meeting. 😎
It seems like all of their recent games against each other have either gone to OT or double OT.
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
It would be weird if neither the Lakers and the Warriors did not make the playoffs this year. LBJ and Curry have collectively been a mainstay in the NBA playoffs since 2004. I think one or both of them have been in the playoffs every year since 2004.
I don't think the Adam Silver could have asked for a better situation heading into the final day on the league's regular season schedule.
You have OKC,Minnesota & Denver all tied for the 1st overall seed in the West. LAL, Sacramento & Golden State are all fighting for the last 3 spots for the play-in.
In the East, you have the 2nd (Milwaukee) & 3rd (NY) seeds tied with the same overall record and Cleveland just one game behind. Then seeds 5-8 are only separated by just 1 game.
just looking at the overall playoff seeding,there really aren't any teams who could look ahead and starting planning for their 1st round opponent with so much uncertainty holding things up.
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
The three playin games and the follow up playoffs (especially the 8 first round series) have the potential to be a ratings bonanza for the league.
If teams with aging superstars make the playoffs as 7 and 8 seeds they and their teams play first round games against teams that are young, talented and inexperienced, will the older teams and players be swept away be the younger teams, or will the older teams and players hold off the next generation of superstars for another season?
Its a sad day in Boston Celtics history where longtime TV play by play guy Mike Gorman is retiring after 43 years calling Celtics games. For those that don't know or remember him, he was always the voice of reason while sitting next to Tommy Heinsohn and his comical outbursts aimed at the officiating. It would be great seeing the team send him off into retirement after winning one more Chip.
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