NBA Thread 2019-20 Season

[MSOrange]

Magic's Jonathan Isaac suffers torn ACL in win over Kings

Isaac's knee buckled and gave way after he drove into the lane

www.cbssports.com

 

[Alsacs]

Toronto should be the favorite in the East.
They are the only team in the bubble playing any form of defense.
Defense has been optional in the return.

Milwaukee needs Bledsoe and Connington.

Toronto is playing really well all around.

Spurs might make the playoffs as well.

 

[sutomcat]

Magic's Jonathan Isaac suffers torn ACL in win over Kings

Isaac's knee buckled and gave way after he drove into the lane

www.cbssports.com

What a shame. He was one of the better athletes I have seen in the Carrier Dome. Hope he makes a full recovery.

 

[MikeSU02]

What a shame. He was one of the better athletes I have seen in the Carrier Dome. Hope he makes a full recovery.

Back to back injuries for a guy that was legitimately vying for an all defense team when healthy. That Orlando team was fun with him in there.

 

[MikeSU02]

Toronto should be the favorite in the East.
They are the only team in the bubble playing any form of defense.
Defense has been optional in the return.

Milwaukee needs Bledsoe and Connington.

Toronto is playing really well all around.

Spurs might make the playoffs as well.

Interesting the Spurs playing well without LMA. He's a good player, but man does his mid range game clog up the offense.

 

[MikeSU02]

Some of these games have been unbelievable. I actually like the no fans. Basketball home court is huge so it really balances it out when it's on a neutral court.

NBA did this so well. Hope it all continues with no issues. I've loved it.

Best commish + a lot of new-money (type) owners + (I would argue) savviest player leadership group.

I know MLBPA is the strongest union, but the power the stars have in the NBA and how they are handling themselves, it's not surprising that the NBA is doing well, imo.

And overall credit to the players. While it's not mid-season form just yet, these guys all came to play (except for the Wizards, of course).

 

[Fireball Jr.]

NBA Power Rankings: Bucks clinch playoff berth, Lakers and Celtics renew rivalry

The Bucks clinched the earliest playoff berth in the past 15 years, while the Lakers won their fifth straight game on Sunday, against the rival Celtics.

es.pn

 

[Eric15]

If these bubble playoffs are able to play to completion, I like the Raptors to repeat. And I think it would be one of the coolest achievements in my lifetime to see a team lose a Top 5 player in the league and seamlessly recover from it.

 

[samspann1]

Jeff Van Gundy, during the Jazz/Lakers game: “Jim Boeheim is rolling over in his grave now...”

 

[OrangeDW]

The Jazz should go back to their 80’s-mid 90s uniforms. Those late career Stockton-Malone mountain range ones were terrible, and these new ones look like a Phoenix Suns alternate.

 

[Melancer46]

The Jazz should go back to their 80’s-mid 90s uniforms. Those late career Stockton-Malone mountain range ones were terrible, and these new ones look like a Phoenix Suns alternate.

The ones they wore tonight are probably my favorite Non-Bucks jersey in the league

 

[OrangeDW]

The ones they wore tonight are probably my favorite Non-Bucks jersey in the league

They just don’t look like “the Jazz” to me!

 

[Fireball Jr.]

Jeff Van Gundy, during the Jazz/Lakers game: “Jim Boeheim is rolling over in his grave now...”

 

[OttoinGrotto]

The Jazz should go back to their 80’s-mid 90s uniforms. Those late career Stockton-Malone mountain range ones were terrible, and these new ones look like a Phoenix Suns alternate.

I love their "city edition" uniforms.

 

[Briancuse]

 

[jncuse]

Toronto should be the favorite in the East.
They are the only team in the bubble playing any form of defense.
Defense has been optional in the return.

Milwaukee needs Bledsoe and Connington.

Toronto is playing really well all around.

Spurs might make the playoffs as well.

I do worry though that is the professionalism of the Raptors that allows them to get up and play so hard defensively in these games that do not have the meaning of the playoffs.

Once the playoffs get more intense, and the games have more meaning, inherently most other teams will ramp it up defensively and the Raps will lose some of the advantage they have right now.. and the lack of an established go to guy could hurt when other teams get more intense.

 

[Trueblue25]

Van Gundy’s confirmed Zombie Boeheim

 

[Arangeman]

Toronto is good and fun to watch but they are generating a lot of buzz off squeaking by the heat and beating a Laker team that wasn’t interested in winning the game.

 

[Alsacs]

They just don’t look like “the Jazz” to me!

The fact the team is called the Utah Jazz makes no sense to me.

There is nothing Jazz About Utah.

When the Hornets went back to Charlotte the Jazz should have gone back to New Orleans and let Utah pick a new name.

Those mountain uniforms from the Stockton/Malone era atleast are about Utah is about.

They aren’t Jazz but they are Utah.

 

[Newhouser]

Toronto is good and fun to watch but they are generating a lot of buzz off squeaking by the heat and beating a Laker team that wasn’t interested in winning the game.

I agree. The Ringer had a great article on them today. They pound bad teams as they force the role player to beat them not as easy in the playoffs when there are more good players, and again THEY HAD LEONARD. The impact of his loss will be more glaring in the playoffs. That said Nurse seems to be worth 5 points a game.

 

[Alsacs]

I like Toronto because Giannis and Milwaukee will be refed differently in the postseason.

I also think George Hill vs. Malcolm Brogdon without homecourt advantage is a huge difference. Milwaukee at home was almost unbeatable.
In the bubble I like the Raptors defense over the Bucks.

Plus the Bucks need Bledsoe and Connington.

I like the 76ers vs. Raptors second round winner to win the East.

I see Boston losing to Philly.
Miami taking Milwaukee to 7 and Toronto/Philly winner vs. LAC/LAL in the finals.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Where is he played for SU/JB

 

[Trueblue25]

I like Toronto because Giannis and Milwaukee will be refed differently in the postseason.

I also think George Hill vs. Malcolm Brogdon without homecourt advantage is a huge difference. Milwaukee at home was almost unbeatable.
In the bubble I like the Raptors defense over the Bucks.

Plus the Bucks need Bledsoe and Connington.

I like the 76ers vs. Raptors second round winner to win the East.

I see Boston losing to Philly.
Miami taking Milwaukee to 7 and Toronto/Philly winner vs. LAC/LAL in the finals.

Still mad Al’s in Philly.

 

[Alsacs]

Still mad Al’s in Philly.

Embiid is why Boston can’t beat Philly.

Just a bad matchup for the C’s.
Horford’s contract is going to kill Philly once Simmons extension kicks in.

They will have Harris/Horford/Embiid/Simmons all making 25 million per year plus.

Celtics need a Lopez type big to rotate with Theis.

They have a good core but Embiid is just too tough for them.

 

[Melancer46]

I like Toronto because Giannis and Milwaukee will be refed differently in the postseason.

I also think George Hill vs. Malcolm Brogdon without homecourt advantage is a huge difference. Milwaukee at home was almost unbeatable.
In the bubble I like the Raptors defense over the Bucks.

Plus the Bucks need Bledsoe and Connington.

I like the 76ers vs. Raptors second round winner to win the East.

I see Boston losing to Philly.
Miami taking Milwaukee to 7 and Toronto/Philly winner vs. LAC/LAL in the finals.

Hill vs. Brogdon isn't really the comparison though. It's really Matthews/DiVincenzo vs. Brogdon, which isn't any better based on how the bubble games have gone so far, but the Matthews/DiVincenzo combo has been better overall this year than Brogdon was as a Buck. The Bucks have plenty of shot creators, so that part of Brogdon's game hasn't really been missed, and more minutes for DiVincenzo + the addition of Matthews have improved the team's defense and spacing.

Bledsoe and Connoughton are expected back today I believe; obviously they'll need to shake the rust off a bit and there's certainly reason to question whether either of them will be good in the playoffs. Really gotta hope that Bledsoe can just play like himself in the playoffs for once.

As I've said, I think the hiatus will make the playoffs weirder than you'd generally expect. If everyone ultimately plays at their normal levels, I don't think there's really any chance Philly can beat Milwaukee; Milwaukee is just by far the better team there. Toronto is really the only team that can hang with Milwaukee if Milwaukee plays like themselves.

Hard to predict how things will go with everyone being rusty though.