NBA Thread 2020-21 Season

[Alsacs]

Chris Paul playoff teams are 0-12 in the last 12 playoff games officiated by Scott Foster.

Pretty funny.

 

[Arangeman]

The best ability is availability. Teams that rely on injury prone players can’t whine when those players miss time in the playoffs.
Having guys that don’t miss time with injuries is part of building a winning roster.

The Suns built a winning roster by anchoring it with one of the most playoff injury prone players in the league in the last 5-6 years.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Chris Paul playoff teams are 0-12 in the last 12 playoff games officiated by Scott Foster.

Pretty funny.

Last night reminded me that the worst part of the NBA is the home-cooking every team gets. I know the Suns benefitted in Phoenix, and the Bucks were rewarded last night.

 

[Melancer46]

Last night reminded me that the worst part of the NBA is the home-cooking every team gets. I know the Suns benefitted in Phoenix, and the Bucks were rewarded last night.

I feel like it hasn't been as much of a thing in recent years, but it's been crazy to see how drastically different the Bucks games have been officiated when home vs. away this year. I don't think Game 2 was bad honestly, but Game 1 was very lopsided and Game 3 was, to be generous, a friendly whistle for the Bucks.

I do think it's kinda laughable though that Monty complains about Giannis shooting a ton of free throws when it's literally Phoenix's strategy to put him on the line. I get that this is just what coaches do but it's laughable nonetheless.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I think either the healthy Lakers or healthy Clips vs. healthy Nets goes 7.

The Lakers were in control of that Suns series before AD went down. The Suns are winning a war of attrition.

They were losing the game to the Suns when AD got hurt. I think the Nets were the obvious choice to win if Harden and Kyrie were healthy. Maybe the Clips could have taken them out, but I'm not sure.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I feel like it hasn't been as much of a thing in recent years, but it's been crazy to see how drastically different the Bucks games have been officiated when home vs. away this year. I don't think Game 2 was bad honestly, but Game 1 was very lopsided and Game 3 was, to be generous, a friendly whistle for the Bucks.

I do think it's kinda laughable though that Monty complains about Giannis shooting a ton of free throws when it's literally Phoenix's strategy to put him on the line. I get that this is just what coaches do but it's laughable nonetheless.

Yup. Booker and Paul get called, probably rightfully, for pushing off on drives in Milwaukie, but not at home. It's the same play, call it one way or the other and let the guys adjust for the series, not just based on where they are playing. That's why winning one on the road is the decider in the Finals, it takes herculean effort to actually do it.

That play where Crowder grabbed all ball from Giannis and they still called a foul is another one that stood out last night. Yes, there was arm contact after the initial held ball, but the held ball should have stopped that play.

 

[Knicks411]

I feel like it hasn't been as much of a thing in recent years, but it's been crazy to see how drastically different the Bucks games have been officiated when home vs. away this year. I don't think Game 2 was bad honestly, but Game 1 was very lopsided and Game 3 was, to be generous, a friendly whistle for the Bucks.

I do think it's kinda laughable though that Monty complains about Giannis shooting a ton of free throws when it's literally Phoenix's strategy to put him on the line. I get that this is just what coaches do but it's laughable nonetheless.

It sucks that this stuff matters, but it sure seems like this stuff (coaches complaining in the media) does have some effect, so whether or not you believe it, you gotta do it. It's all performative in a way.

 

[Alsacs]

My observation is this.
I don’t think Phoenix has a chance to win a road game this series.
Their only chance to win this series will be to win games 5 and 7.

Scott Foster will likely get game 6 in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee can win in Phoenix.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

The best ability is availability. Teams that rely on injury prone players can’t whine when those players miss time in the playoffs.
Having guys that don’t miss time with injuries is part of building a winning roster.

and I don't think anyone should be surprised that Anthony Davis was not healthy either. Last year in the bubble he was hurt a bit as well. It's always something with him and he's so talented that you overlook it but he is out a lot for a number of different type of injuries. You can tell it has gotten to him as well as he tried to play that last game

 

[Melancer46]

Yup. Booker and Paul get called, probably rightfully, for pushing off on drives in Milwaukie, but not at home. It's the same play, call it one way or the other and let the guys adjust for the series, not just based on where they are playing. That's why winning one on the road is the decider in the Finals, it takes herculean effort to actually do it.

That play where Crowder grabbed all ball from Giannis and they still called a foul is another one that stood out last night. Yes, there was arm contact after the initial held ball, but the held ball should have stopped that play.

I'm sure there were others but that's the first play that came to mind for me too. And agreed, Crowder obviously "hit his arms" after Giannis kept bringing his arms up but Crowder got pretty much all ball initially and it probably should have been a jump. Giannis' drives are always so hard to officiate because (1) he's so strong that he's often beat up but it doesn't look like anything at full speed (2) he changes direction on his drives so much and it creates a ton of block/charge situations, and (3) he's just coming downhill so damn fast lol.

I don't think we got an egregious amount of foul calls but I do think we probably got away with fouls on the defensive end or at least were allowed to play more physically than we were in Phoenix.

 

[OrangeDW]

Last night reminded me that the worst part of the NBA is the home-cooking every team gets. I know the Suns benefitted in Phoenix, and the Bucks were rewarded last night.

The Bucks winning game 3 was the most predictable thing in the world, partially for that reason.

 

[kirbivore]

Chris Paul playoff teams are 0-12 in the last 12 playoff games officiated by Scott Foster.

Pretty funny.

Don't they have more to go before breaking the record of Joey Crawford vs. the Spurs?

 

[jordville]

Here's a fun game, I remember reading about it during covid last year (I think? Maybe before that). Don't think it was mentioned here, if not, well, whatever

Pick a 5 man all time team for an NBA team, but the catch is, none of the players can have been teammates with any of the other 4 guys. So if I was doing the Knicks (I am), and I wanted Clyde Frazier as my PG (I do), then it rules out everyone he ever played with on the Knicks.

It's not easy!

For my Bulls squad, I purposely went with no players pre-MJ...
Michael Jordan (1984-1993, 1995-1998)
Elton Brand (1999-2001)
Derrick Rose (2008-2012, 2013-2016)
Dwayne Wade (2016-2017)
Carmelo Anthony (2019 *Although Melo never suited up for the Bulls... On January 22, 2019, the Rockets traded Anthony, the draft rights to Jon Diebler, and undisclosed cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Tadija Dragićević. This trade allowed the Rockets to alleviate luxury-tax penalties up to $2.6 million. On February 1, he was waived by the Bulls.)

Other players considered that would've worked under this format...
Tyson Chandler (2001-2006)
Ben Wallace (2006-2008)
Zach LaVine (2017-present)

 

[OrangeDW]

For my Bulls squad, I purposely went with no players pre-MJ...
Michael Jordan (1984-1993, 1995-1998)
Elton Brand (1999-2001)
Derrick Rose (2008-2012, 2013-2016)
Dwayne Wade (2016-2017)
Carmelo Anthony (2019 *Although Melo never suited up for the Bulls... On January 22, 2019, the Rockets traded Anthony, the draft rights to Jon Diebler, and undisclosed cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to Tadija Dragićević. This trade allowed the Rockets to alleviate luxury-tax penalties up to $2.6 million. On February 1, he was waived by the Bulls.)

Other players considered that would've worked under this format...
Tyson Chandler (2001-2006)
Ben Wallace (2006-2008)
Zach LaVine (2017-present)

Lol, Melo can’t count.

 

[MikeSU02]

I'm sure there were others but that's the first play that came to mind for me too. And agreed, Crowder obviously "hit his arms" after Giannis kept bringing his arms up but Crowder got pretty much all ball initially and it probably should have been a jump. Giannis' drives are always so hard to officiate because (1) he's so strong that he's often beat up but it doesn't look like anything at full speed (2) he changes direction on his drives so much and it creates a ton of block/charge situations, and (3) he's just coming downhill so damn fast lol.

I don't think we got an egregious amount of foul calls but I do think we probably got away with fouls on the defensive end or at least were allowed to play more physically than we were in Phoenix.

Giannis got fouled almost every time he touched the ball last night. He could have shot more FTs if we're being honest.

When he is attacking, there isn't really a way to stop him if he's locked in. It's just like Shaq was.

Book and CP3 are taking jump shots, they will never be fouled as much as an attacking Bucks team.

If PHX wants more foul calls then CP3 has to be more aggressive when they are pressuring him while he brings the ball up the court, try to get Ayton more touches in the post if he's on and, in general, go to the rack (but the Bucks are great at defending the tin).

To your other points in this thread, PHX is going to win games if they hit jump shots. They cannot rely on the FT line. They need to get to their spots and put them in. Book complaining from the bench at the end of the game was ridiculous.

 

[OrangeDW]

NBA gimmicks are getting tired. It’s a great league...Have some confidence in the freakin product.

All Star game is sillier than it has ever been.

Play in tournament is meh at best.

This mid season tournament idea is basically the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

Maybe just officially put in a minimum games played mark for guys to be eligible for All NBA, MVP, etc. And maybe shell out more money for division winners or something. And stop calling fouls on stupid stuff. That’s all that’s needed.

No gimmicks.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

NBA gimmicks are getting tired. It’s a great league...Have some confidence in the freakin product.

All Star game is sillier than it has ever been.

Play in tournament is meh at best.

This mid season tournament idea is basically the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

Maybe just officially put in a minimum games played mark for guys to be eligible for All NBA, MVP, etc. And maybe shell out more money for division winners or something. And stop calling fouls on stupid stuff. That’s all that’s needed.

No gimmicks.

I like the playoff play-in.

But I'd up the ante. I'd give the playoff play-in teams better lotto odds if they hold the pick than the next closest teams in the standings.

 

[MikeSU02]

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Hey Coach Pop. Is your shirt a little tight around the collar? USA goes down again. This time to the
#3 ranked Boomers. And the Nigerians won again today. Beating the #4 ranked Argentinians. We know these are just exhibitions and the USA is missing some key guys still involved in the finals, but Australia just looked better.

 

[MikeSU02]

Hey Coach Pop. Is your shirt a little tight around the collar? USA goes down again. This time to the
#3 ranked Boomers. And the Nigerians won again today. Beating the #4 ranked Argentinians. We know these are just exhibitions and the USA is missing some key guys still involved in the finals, but Australia just looked better.

Yeah, I go to the mat for Pop as one of the best coaches in any sport, ever. But something is up with USA Basketball as a whole.

Something isn't right. Maybe it's Pop. Maybe it's the players. Maybe it's the org. Maybe it's all of it.

I dunno, but this shouldn't be happening.

At some point the "what would happen if you had all the same players and just rolled a ball out to play pick up, who should win?" should take over. Any team that started who we start against Nigeria or Australia should win handily.

I wrote this on a post in the bball board, I wonder if the guys are waiting to turn it on in non-exhibition games, but I dunno if they'd be able to.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Yeah, I go to the mat for Pop as one of the best coaches in any sport, ever. But something is up with USA Basketball as a whole.

Something isn't right. Maybe it's Pop. Maybe it's the players. Maybe it's the org. Maybe it's all of it.

I dunno, but this shouldn't be happening.

At some point the "what would happen if you had all the same players and just rolled a ball out to play pick up, who should win?" should take over. Any team that started who we start against Nigeria or Australia should win handily.

I wrote this on a post in the bball board, I wonder if the guys are waiting to turn it on in non-exhibition games, but I dunno if they'd be able to.

Time will tell but it wasn't as if the Aussies shot lights out. Their two big guns (Mills and Ingles) were 14 for 34 and they lost Aron Baynes a couple minutes into the game due to injury. I like Pop also, but like you said, something is not right.

 

[OrangeDW]

USA basketball isn’t the same without Jim Boeheim and Carmelo Anthony.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Yeah, I go to the mat for Pop as one of the best coaches in any sport, ever. But something is up with USA Basketball as a whole.

Something isn't right. Maybe it's Pop. Maybe it's the players. Maybe it's the org. Maybe it's all of it.

I dunno, but this shouldn't be happening.

At some point the "what would happen if you had all the same players and just rolled a ball out to play pick up, who should win?" should take over. Any team that started who we start against Nigeria or Australia should win handily.

I wrote this on a post in the bball board, I wonder if the guys are waiting to turn it on in non-exhibition games, but I dunno if they'd be able to.

I blame Kevin Love.

 

[OrangeDW]

 

[Briancuse]

Hey Coach Pop. Is your shirt a little tight around the collar? USA goes down again. This time to the
#3 ranked Boomers. And the Nigerians won again today. Beating the #4 ranked Argentinians. We know these are just exhibitions and the USA is missing some key guys still involved in the finals, but Australia just looked better.

Pop didn't forget how to coach. It's not 1992. Other countries have good players now. They had like 4 days to practice before that Nigeria game.