NBA Thread 2022-23 Season

[Day2]

I don't think Kawhi's ever really looked like an insane athlete or anything. Even at the peak of his powers, I'd always watch him against the Bucks and be like "Nice, got him to settle for a heavily contested jumper again" and it would go in, or he'd just kinda slowly get to the rim and felt like he was going to be blocked because he didn't elevate much and then it's another easy 2 points for him. He relies more on body control and overall coordination than being a supreme athlete. There will probably be a day where the athleticism slips a little too much and he just can't hack it anymore but he's nowhere near that point right now.

Good analysis.

Clipper Nation is hoping he’ll get himself in shape and rediscover the fountain of youth, so he can return to stat lines like this: 33 points, 7-9 from three, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

He hasn’t had a game like that since - checks notes - last Tuesday.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

It does feel like Kawhi is still flying under the radar.

If he rounds into playoff Kawhi by the time the playoffs come, things could get interesting.

 

[Day2]

It does feel like Kawhi is still flying under the radar.

If he rounds into playoff Kawhi by the time the playoffs come, things could get interesting.

Yeah, Leonard and the Clips in general are hard to figure this season because of their approach. They’re taking an abundance of caution with injuries and it seems like they’re just trying to get through the schedule. As Barkley noted last night, the two biggest questions are the health/consistency of their two biggest stars. Maybe the can flip a switch in the playoffs, maybe not.

I’ll say this, though: While they’ve underachieved all year and the Kings have overachieved, only one game separates them for the division lead and third seed overall.

 

[OrangeDW]

I don’t feel good about where the league is going.

Feels like in 10 years, everybody will averaged 170 ppg, you’ll have 15+ players averaging triple doubles, you’ll be playing midseason tournaments for no reason, and the play in will include everybody except like 4 teams. This all star game stuff is really stupid. I hate how both NBA and MLB used COVID as an excuse to gimmick up their sports.

 

[Melancer46]

I don’t feel good about where the league is going.

Feels like in 10 years, everybody will averaged 170 ppg, you’ll have 15+ players averaging triple doubles, you’ll be playing midseason tournaments for no reason, and the play in will include everybody except like 4 teams. This all star game stuff is really stupid. I hate how both NBA and MLB used COVID as an excuse to gimmick up their sports.

I’d be fine with all of this if you could just ensure that I can buy tickets for a game and not partially expect a starting lineup of Jevon Carter, MarJon Beauchamp, AJ Green, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and Sandro Mamukelishvili just because the team I flew a few hours to watch didn’t feel like playing that night.

But yeah, there’s a lot of issues with the sport and sports in general right now. I saw some studies the other day that basically showed young people don’t really watch live sports anymore and teens in particular straight up don’t like sports. If that kinda thing continues it’s going to be a lot for these leagues to reckon with.

 

[Knicks411]

I don’t feel good about where the league is going.

Feels like in 10 years, everybody will averaged 170 ppg, you’ll have 15+ players averaging triple doubles, you’ll be playing midseason tournaments for no reason, and the play in will include everybody except like 4 teams. This all star game stuff is really stupid. I hate how both NBA and MLB used COVID as an excuse to gimmick up their sports.

I was going to look at the stats and basically say well actually, scoring is at a similar level to where it was in the Bird/Magic/MJ era, which is the era boomers seem to think was the peak of basketball. And before this year, that would've been the case. The average team the last few years was around 111/112 points per game; in the 80's we peaked around 111 points per game. Very similar. But this year, we're up to 114.3 points per game, which is the most since the 60s. (In 1962, the league averaged 118.8 points per game and shot 42.6% from the field; the average team took 20 more shots per game than now. Wilt Chamberlain was amazing, don't get me wrong guys, but you can't average 30 rebounds a game unless teams are shooting, and missing, a lot of shots)

The absolute #1 issue the league has is making sure the star players play as often as they can. All the other stuff, to me at least, is whatever. The in season tournaments could be cool. (Or it could suck!) I'm a soccer fan, they have multiple competitions going on, in college basketball you have your early season tournaments, conference tournaments, etc. But it sucks for the league if you have star players just sitting games out to rest. I understand where teams are coming from. But it sucks.

I remember in the 21 season, the finals were pushed out to July because the season started later; i thought maybe something like that could help. Extend the length of the season, same number of games over a little bit longer period of time.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I was going to look at the stats and basically say well actually, scoring is at a similar level to where it was in the Bird/Magic/MJ era, which is the era boomers seem to think was the peak of basketball. And before this year, that would've been the case. The average team the last few years was around 111/112 points per game; in the 80's we peaked around 111 points per game. Very similar. But this year, we're up to 114.3 points per game, which is the most since the 60s. (In 1962, the league averaged 118.8 points per game and shot 42.6% from the field; the average team took 20 more shots per game than now. Wilt Chamberlain was amazing, don't get me wrong guys, but you can't average 30 rebounds a game unless teams are shooting, and missing, a lot of shots)

The absolute #1 issue the league has is making sure the star players play as often as they can. All the other stuff, to me at least, is whatever. The in season tournaments could be cool. (Or it could suck!) I'm a soccer fan, they have multiple competitions going on, in college basketball you have your early season tournaments, conference tournaments, etc. But it sucks for the league if you have star players just sitting games out to rest. I understand where teams are coming from. But it sucks.

I remember in the 21 season, the finals were pushed out to July because the season started later; i thought maybe something like that could help. Extend the length of the season, same number of games over a little bit longer period of time.

Players making more money and playing less games. Happening in MLB also. It sucks for the fan.

 

[Fireball Jr.]

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeit!!

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeit!!

That's Riff Raff's cousin!

 

[NineOneSeven]

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeit!!

Kid was cramming dunks in high school. Good for him to do this on this stage. Not surprising to me at all though.

 

[Newhouser]

When an NBA All-Star event needs a League guy to save it, it's time to move on. Guy was great, but that event needs to go.

 

[OrangeDW]

When an NBA All-Star event needs a League guy to save it, it's time to move on. Guy was great, but that event needs to go.

While the event doesn’t excite me all that much anymore, I don’t see why it needs to go? What’s the harm in having it?

 

[Day2]

When an NBA All-Star event needs a League guy to save it, it's time to move on. Guy was great, but that event needs to go.

There’s a video on YouTube of all the 50-point dunks in contest history. I think you’ll be surprised by two things:

1. The number of dunks from the last ten years
2. How pedestrian most of the dunks from the 80s look

 

[jncuse]

There’s a video on YouTube of all the 50-point dunks in contest history. I think you’ll be surprised by two things:

1. The number of dunks from the last ten years
2. How pedestrian most of the dunks from the 80s look

The 80's dunk contests remain memorable and elevated due to the star power involved, and not the quality of the dunks historically (not that they were bad, but meh).

That being said even if the dunk contest had more star power, not sure if that is the solution. The quality of the dunks really wouldn't go up, but perhaps people would get into it. I sort of feel ASG's are less important now because there is so much NBA content available now throughout the year, that the ASG is no longer the big highlight it was several years ago (30 years+_

 

[jncuse]

While the event doesn’t excite me all that much anymore, I don’t see why it needs to go? What’s the harm in having it?

Sort of like fans that freak out about 30+ Bowl Games and says it garbage TV - why do you care, just don't watch a particular bowl game.

People have this feeling that taking it away for a time will somehow inspire them to make it better going forward. They will point to the 2000 Dunk Contest (Vince Carter)... but that had everything to do with Vince, and nothing to do with shutting it down for 3 years.


Personally I think the Dunk Contest went off the rails a bit when they started to allow blown dunks. But then how are you going to ask guys to do something special without missing dunks -- only a few players can pull that off. (Lavine, Gordon, McClung). They are sort in a trap.

 

[OrangeDW]

Sort of like fans that freak out about 30+ Bowl Games and says it garbage TV - why do you care, just don't watch a particular bowl game.

People have this feeling that taking it away for a time will somehow inspire them to make it better going forward. They will point to the 2000 Dunk Contest (Vince Carter)... but that had everything to do with Vince, and nothing to do with shutting it down for 3 years.


Personally I think the Dunk Contest went off the rails a bit when they started to allow blown dunks. But then how are you going to ask guys to do something special without missing dunks -- only a few players can pull that off. (Lavine, Gordon, McClung). They are sort in a trap.

At some point people should probably consider that once you’ve already seen it all, it’s probably not going to do much for you.

But the kids haven’t seen it all. I bet it still blows their mind when they see amazing dunks that older people have already seen done.

 

[MSOrange]

 

[Knicks411]

Kid was cramming dunks in high school. Good for him to do this on this stage. Not surprising to me at all though.

Not trying to be a basketball hipster or whatever, but if you didnt know before last night Mac was a sick dunker, I guess you weren't really paying attention? Like you said, the guy has been throwing them down for years.

At some point people should probably consider that once you’ve already seen it all, it’s probably not going to do much for you.

But the kids haven’t seen it all. I bet it still blows their mind when they see amazing dunks that older people have already seen done.

Agree. And also, we've seen some amazing (and innovative!) dunks in the last few years too. Thinking of the Aaron Gordon Zach Lavine era.

 

[samspann1]

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I mean, yeah, Chuck, that's kinda the plan here.

 

[OrangeDW]

They’ve pretty much destroyed what was the only watchable All Star game in pro sports. And for what? Why? Stupid changes.

Silver and his gimmicks are just the worst.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

They’ve pretty much destroyed what was the only watchable All Star game in pro sports. And for what? Why? Stupid changes.

Silver and his gimmicks are just the worst.

It will never happen because of the $ but they should just give the league a 10 day break and do away with all this nonsense. Nobody affiliated with the NBA wants to be there, sure they want the $ that some have tied into it but that's it. With the contracts that will be out there after the next TV deal they should just drop 10 games per year, no more back to backs and make contracts and post season awards tied into minimum games played etc.. The regular season has turned into a joke and fans keep lapping it up still.

 

[OrangeDW]

It will never happen because of the $ but they should just give the league a 10 day break and do away with all this nonsense. Nobody affiliated with the NBA wants to be there, sure they want the $ that some have tied into it but that's it

Or just play a normal East-West game like they used to, and put some money on the line or something.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Or just play a normal East-West game like they used to, and put some money on the line or something.

That would be fine too. Anything would be an improvement from where they are at now but the players clearly don't want to play 82 games and an all star game anymore. Unless you are Anthony Edwards.

 

[samspann1]