2023 NBA playoffs will be starting soon.

erikthredd · April 28, 2023 1:55PM

@erikthredd said:
Apparently the Hawks weren't expecting to play a game 6 at home and whoever owns the stadium booked a Janet Jackson concert that night that had to get postponed lol .

Thanks alot...Boston Celtics
Signed Janet Jackson fans

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1651783795765551104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1651783795765551104%7Ctwgr%5Eee3828f32564176e38b69477ba31d8976f536003%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.espn.com%2Fnba%2Fstory%2F_%2Fid%2F36309014%2Fjayson-tatum-janet-jackson-apology-boston-celtics

Jayson Tatum be out there prowling for that second Baby Mama like...

😎😎

erikthredd · April 29, 2023 8:11AM

GS didn't look like a team trying to close out their series especially on their homecourt. Hats off to the Kings for fighting till the end.
On the other hand, the Lakers did look like a team playing with an edge right now. AD set a Lakers record for most blocks in a playoff series.

thisistheshow · April 29, 2023 10:26AM

@erikthredd said:
GS didn't look like a team trying to close out their series especially on their homecourt. Hats off to the Kings for fighting till the end.
On the other hand, the Lakers did look like a team playing with an edge right now. AD set a Lakers record for most blocks in a playoff series.

...
Celtics Lakers finals confirmed.

💪💪🏀 🍀

erikthredd · April 29, 2023 11:45AM

https://twitter.com/rich_hofmann/status/1652355662804811777

thisistheshow · April 29, 2023 12:12PM

@erikthredd said:
https://twitter.com/rich_hofmann/status/1652355662804811777

...
Just reading through the comments on that Twitter post, you have Philly fans talking about how he should be playing, same old stuff, Harden's in Vegas, etc.

Lol

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 9:16AM

If Denver keeps playing like they did last night its going to be real tough for any other West team knocking them out. Jamal Murray looked like the best player out there in game that also had Jokic,Durant & Booker.

This Heat/Knicks series should be reminiscent of those old matchups back in the 90's where they'd have hard fought 90-80 type games.
After that the Kings/Dubs game 7 should be must see tv,i bet that the Kings arena will be rockin.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 11:18AM

Today's fun playoff fact:
The last time that the 76ers beat the Celtics in a playoff series, the 76ers starting five were Andrew Toney,Julius Erving,Caldwell Jones, Mo Cheeks and Bobby Jones. 😎

Steven59 · April 30, 2023 11:48AM

Heat - Knicks game a good one. Nice minutes off the bench for Kevin love - 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in 16:13 so far.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 12:08PM

@Steven59 said:
Heat - Knicks game a good one. Nice minutes off the bench for Kevin love - 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in 16:13 so far.

It has been a a good game so far. Miami looks like they finally settled in during this 3rd quarter and taken the lead.

I don't know if you saw this yet but they're already predicting that Mitchell will want out of Cleveland soon. If this is true,that he wants to go to NY, the Cavs will be in a tough spot trying to get a comparable package back for him to the one they gave up.
https://archive.is/rX1Qo

Steven59 · April 30, 2023 12:23PM

No, haven't heard that yet. I'll have to keep an ear on the AM sports talk radio stations around here to see if they mention anything like that.

thisistheshow · April 30, 2023 12:26PM

Knicks looking terrible in crunch time despite playing 5 on 4

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 12:35PM

Heat get the win in NY but Butler rolled an ankle. Miami is now 3-1 on the road during these playoffs, definitely not playing like an 8 seed.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 12:36PM

@Steven59 said:
No, haven't heard that yet. I'll have to keep an ear on the AM sports talk radio stations around here to see if they mention anything like that.

That writer is pretty plugged in around the league but that could just be his opinion and nothing more.He just didn't waste any time throwing that out there though.

Steven59 · April 30, 2023 12:43PM

@erikthredd said:
That writer is pretty plugged in around the league but that could just be his opinion and nothing more.He just didn't waste any time throwing that out there though.

That's what I was thinking. You know how the media is now a days - say what you want to get readers/likes whether it's truthful or not.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 12:52PM

@Steven59 said:

@erikthredd said:
That writer is pretty plugged in around the league but that could just be his opinion and nothing more.He just didn't waste any time throwing that out there though.

That's what I was thinking. You know how the media is now a days - say what you want to get readers/likes whether it's truthful or not.

Every other month some media guy here near Boston is telling us that Jaylen Brown wants to leave the Celtics to go play in Atlanta even though there is never one remark or incident hinting at that. It happens.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 1:01PM

One thing about this Kings-Dubs series is neither team needed to hop on a play in between playing at each arena. That must be great for both teams but even moreso for some of those older GS players.

Steven59 · April 30, 2023 1:56PM

I see Klay Thompson is doing his best Donavon Mitchell impersonation in the 1st half- 1 of 10 from the field (0-4 from 3)

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 2:04PM

@Steven59 said:
I see Klay Thompson is doing his best Donavon Mitchell impersonation in the 1st half- 1 of 10 from the field (0-4 from 3)

true but he's such a great shooter it wouldn't surprise me if he got hot in the second half. With someone like him it just takes 1 or 2 going in to get him going.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 2:10PM

Lol nvm,Klay just missed two FTs then got the ball stuck between the rim/backboard on a three. Steph & Klay both have missed multiple FTs.

Steven59 · April 30, 2023 2:28PM

GS can't buy a damn free throw, have missed 10 so far.............. Sac should just put them on the line the rest of the game

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 2:46PM

Giving up that 4pt play to end the quarter was rough. The Kings need to start getting some stops then scoring on the other end. They've pretty much just been trading made & missed baskets with GS and the lead has been in that 6 -10pt range for awhile now. The Warriors are capable of turning that 10pt lead into 20 in a blink of the eye.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 3:00PM

Sacramento is 2-10 from the floor with 4 TOs in this quarter, its a tough way to end the great season that they just had.

Steven59 · April 30, 2023 3:12PM

Should be fun watching Dryamont trying to push around LeBron and AD this next series.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 3:14PM

Hats off to GS for coming back from down 0-2 to moving on in the playoffs. This GS/LA series is gonna be real good although i hate those 10:30 starts lol.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 3:16PM

@Steven59 said:
Should be fun watching Dryamont trying to push around LeBron and AD this next series.

Draft Kings already has their Over/Under on Draymond nut shots on Lebron for the series set at 4.5. 😎

SanctionII · April 30, 2023 3:17PM

Steph Curry.

What else needs to be said?

He is lethal.

The Kings are really good and will be in the future. Congrats to them on a fine season.

Me thinks the league, networks and advertisers are very happy to see Curry v. LeBron in round 2.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 3:21PM

@SanctionII said:
Steph Curry.

What else needs to be said?

He is lethal.

The Kings are really good and will be in the future. Congrats to them on a fine season.

Me thinks the league, networks and advertisers are very happy to see Curry v. LeBron in round 2.

Curry & Looney really willed that team to the win each in ther own way. Even when the Kings had them down 0-2 it was so hard to actually count them out of this series. Rudy T had it right all of those years ago...never underestimate the heart of a champion.

edit: GS-LA, another series where neither team needs to hop on a plane in between the switch of arenas. This could be huge down the road in these playoffs if either team makes it that far.

athleticsfan · April 30, 2023 4:07PM

I think both teams will opt to fly its 5+ hours in a bus vs 1 hour in the air.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 4:23PM

@athleticsfan said:
I think both teams will opt to fly its 5+ hours in a bus vs 1 hour in the air.

Didn't know that,still though its not the same as taking a plane to a different part of the country. For the older players that could be huge.

Steven59 · April 30, 2023 5:15PM

"never underestimate the heart of a champion."

Absolutely - a great saying to live by - Kinda like the Saying Rick Flair always said -

He forgot to add: "While you can! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Steven59 · April 30, 2023 5:24PM

@athleticsfan said:
I think both teams will opt to fly its 5+ hours in a bus vs 1 hour in the air.

How bout just post it notes on the players locker room areas that say "Be at Chase Center by May 2nd - the earlier the better - No pampering untill you win the championship!"

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 6:25PM

@Steven59 said:
"never underestimate the heart of a champion."

Absolutely - a great saying to live by - Kinda like the Saying Rick Flair always said -

He forgot to add: "While you can! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

He was just on the new Netflix series about Ken Goldin's auction house King of Collectibles. The show was actually pretty good,imo.

SanctionII · April 30, 2023 6:58PM

Time for some Round 2 predictions.

Whatcha got?

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 7:11PM

My picks are:
the Lakers in 7, a healthy AD adds a different type of dynamic that GS hasn't really had to face in the playoffs. I also don't see the Lakers clamming up like the Kings did today in that 2nd half. GS might not survive another game like earlier where Wiggins/Klay shot bad and all of those missed FTs.

the Nuggets in 7,that Nuggets team looked so deep last night and the Suns just aren't. they'll only go as far as KD & Book can carry them and the Murray/Joker pairing are good enough to match them.

Miami/NY is tougher to call because of Butler's ankle injury,if he doesn't miss any games I can see Miami in 5. NY already lost homecourt advantage and that Miami team has considerably more playoff experience than the Knicks plus the edge at HC with Speolstra.

and of course I'm going with Boston over Philly,how long it takes likely depends on how many games Embiid plays. If he were healthy I'd say Boston in 6 but where he could possibly miss games 1 and maybe 2, C's in 5.
Boston has multiple bigs that they can throw in front of Embiid like Horford,Rob Williams,Grant Williams & Blake Griffin not to mention numerous wing defenders in Brown,Tatum & Smart that could stick with him here and there. On the other side I don't think Philly has good enough defenders that can stay with Brown & Tatum all game and that isn't counting White,Brogdon or Horford being able to go off for 20+ on any given night.
My only worry with Philly is if Embiid plays,will he & Harden get the calls from the refs sending them to the line 10+ times each. Games like that tend to slow things down considerably and the opposing team might find it harder to get in a rhythm.If it turns into a shootout,I think that favors Boston more than it does Philly.

erikthredd · April 30, 2023 7:12PM

That all being said,these are four really great matchups. I can't remember if there has ever been a playoffs like this where the 1&4 seeds from one conference and the 2&3 from the other all lost in the first round. The Dubs,Lakers & Heat aren't your prototypical low seeded teams.

SanctionII · May 1, 2023 10:18AM

Today my thoughts on Round 2 are:

Heat v. Knicks - If Jimmy Butler's ankle injury is minor (allowing him to play at 80%-90% of his ability) and if Randle is not able to play at full strength, I think the Heat will win. Miami is playoff tested, while the Knicks have not been in the playoffs for a while.

Celtics v. 76rs - If Embid is not able to play at full strength I give the nod to the Celtics.

Nuggets v. Suns - The Nuggets have a deeper roster. If the Suns have to rely on Booker and KD to carry the team I think that the Nuggets will win.

Warriors v. Lakers - The Warriors have been an enigma this season, but they may be pulling things together for another deep playoff run. I think that the 7 game series v. the Kings was a good thing for the Warriors to have to go through. The Lakers are playing really well (I am very pleased they beat Memphis, with game 6 being a 40 point blowout) and are bigger than the Warriors. Coaching and matchups will go a long way to deciding this series. Today I give this series a toss up, however I think that if the Warriors are playing their perpetual motion pass and move game while shooting 35% -40% from three the Lakers will run out of gas (hopefully we will see Curry going one on one against James on the perimeter multiple times).

erikthredd · May 1, 2023 10:58AM

Whenever it is that Embiid comes back I fully expect the Celtics to run him as much as possible to wear him down.

Steven59 · May 1, 2023 11:04AM

"Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid underwent a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment on his injured knee, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Charania added that Embiid is doubtful to open the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Some around the Sixers would consider it a "miracle" if he plays in Game 1."

Steven59 · May 1, 2023 6:05PM

Damn, Harden taking up the slack for no Embid - 30 points through 3

Steven59 · May 1, 2023 6:53PM

Uh Oh!! Without Embid..........

thisistheshow · May 1, 2023 6:55PM

No comment.

erikthredd · May 1, 2023 6:56PM

@Steven59 said:
Damn, Harden taking up the slack for no Embid - 30 points through 3

MVP Harden showed up in his place. Philly deserves a ton of credit after that win. Still plenty of series to go though.

erikthredd · May 1, 2023 8:34PM

The Celtics lost to this guy lol. Homie looks like he's heading to a Furry afterparty.

SanctionII · May 1, 2023 10:23PM

Denver up 2-0 on the Suns.

Jokic outplaying Ayton; Chris Paul injured his groin; KD missing shots he usually makes; and Denver playing better.

Game 3 at home is a must win for the Suns.

Very surprised the Celtics let Philly win game 1.

perkdog · May 2, 2023 3:20AM

The Celts letting Harden run all over them at home fir game 1 and they didn't even have to.face Embiid.

galaxy27 · May 2, 2023 7:24AM

@thisistheshow said:
No comment.

erikthredd · May 2, 2023 8:11AM

@SanctionII said:
Denver up 2-0 on the Suns.

Jokic outplaying Ayton; Chris Paul injured his groin; KD missing shots he usually makes; and Denver playing better.

Game 3 at home is a must win for the Suns.

Very surprised the Celtics let Philly win game 1.

Not surprised to hear about the CP3 injury but was to see that KD/Booker combined for only 59pts with the Suns putting up just 87 as a team. KD needs to start carrying that team to justify what the Suns gave up for him.

Really looking forward to this Curry vs Lebron matchup tonight. With both players getting up there in age this series might be the last playoff meeting between the two.

SanctionII · May 2, 2023 11:12AM

I have watched the Suns play in this year's playoffs; and have paid attention to Durant.

I previously watched Durant play during the playoffs when he was with the Warriors.

Thus far there is a difference is his play.

In the 2022-2023 playoffs so far Durant's success in making his jump shots (from the perimeter; or as he drives towards the basket, stops, elevates and shoots a pull up jumper) has been noticeably less than it was during his three years with GS. During those three years his jump shot was almost automatic. No one could defend against it because he was so accurate and it left his hand at the apex of his jump (likely 11'+ off the floor given his height and jumping ability). Last night he missed a number of jump shots (he was 10-27, plus 2-12 from 3). Further, last night it seemed that Denver defenders were able to stay with Durant and make it more difficult for him to shoot. During his three years with GS he could easily get separation from a defender.

I will watch him closely in Game 3. Hopefully he will bounce back and play like he usually does.

I do not know if this difference is merely in my mind, or if it has a basis in reality. Durant is older (34, turning 35 in September), is in his 15th season (16 if you count 2019-2020 when he was out for the year with an injury) and has missed significant parts of the last 4 seasons due to injuries.

thisistheshow · May 2, 2023 11:21AM

A lot of talk today in Dallas about a potential sign and trade involving Kyrie and Ayton.

erikthredd · May 2, 2023 11:52AM

@SanctionII I'm not making excuses for KD but he did have an ankle injury right before the playoffs started that could be still affecting him on jumpers. That being said,he's been solid with his 27ppg in the playoffs but if CP3 is hurt and no real bench depth Phoenix will need him and Booker going for 30-40 each from here on out.

@thisistheshow said:
A lot of talk today in Dallas about a potential sign and trade involving Kyrie and Ayton.

That would be great for Dallas,horrible for Phoenix.
The Suns would have to go real small with 6' Chris Paul, 6'-2" Kyrie & 6'-5" Booker and it would definitely hurt their defense.
Ayton would be a great addition for Luka but he'd still need another scoring/shooter.

2023 NBA playoffs will be starting soon.

Comments

Categories