2022/2023 NBA Season

[japhy]

Question of the day.....

If YOU had to vote for the MVP of the 2023 playoffs SO FAR who would you vote for
1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place?

Without giving it much thought I would probably have a tough time choosing between these 5.
Booker, Jokic, Butler, Bruson, and Steph.

Jokic.

/thread

this

[pdub]

Game 7 Celts 6ers should be good.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Game 7 Celts 6ers should be good.

For the Celtics

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

The NBA....

Where one team scored a grand total of 13 points in the 4th Quarter in a game that had they won, they would have advanced to the conference finals - and their two players who are/were league MVPs literally gave up down 8 with 1:52 left in the game.
Now they have to play a game 7 on the road. With Doc Rivers as their coach. They're done.
TTP!?! Joel should be saying FTP!

Where one team played without 2 starters IN AN ELIMINATION GAME. One which absolutely should have been playing and the other one allegedly could have played if he pushed himself and the team pushed him to play - but he didn't.
Where that team gave up 44 points in the 1st Quarter and 37 points in the 2nd Quarter while only scoring 51 points of their own and rightfully got booed off the court at halftime by their own fans.


Now watch the Lakers and Heat lose at home in games that if those teams win they advance to the conference finals.
Actually, I like the Heat to win. I'm not sure which Lakers team shows up tonight but if they lose, I figure they're done.

[pdub]

Give me Celtics/Lakers or Celtics/Warriors and I’ll be happy regardless of which of those three win.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

I hope you get your wish (although I SLIGHTLY rooting for the 6ers over the Celts) and I hope either the Warriors or the Lakers beat the Celtics (or 6ers, or Heat, or Knicks).
I will and do give the Nuggets credit. That's a damn good TEAM with a heck of a player leading them.

[pdub]

For sure.
Beyond Braun, I just don’t have much interest in the Nuggets even though I get Joker might be the best in the league.

Warriors and Lakers both have legends on their team. I like Kerr a lot. Plus there’s Wiggins.

[pdub]

Wiggins is questionable with a rib injury.
Warriors need him on both ends of the court.

[pdub]

Warriors better hope Bron cools off.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Wiggins is questionable with a rib injury.
Warriors need him on both ends of the court.

Warriors wouldn't have been much worse off if they had you on both ends of the court last night instead of Wiggins.
Unlike the two chumps on the Suns who sat in an elimination game, I do give Wiggins credit for trying to play.
HUGE if but IF the Lakers can stay healthy, I think they got themselves a 'ship.
I got them at 55-1 odds back in February. Kid I work with put 100 on them at 50-1 on Fan Duel. He's not cashing out. As much as I think the Lakers might/can do it, I probably would cash out if I was him. Or at least try and figure out how to put a money making hedge on it.

Heat in the Eastern Finals. Didn't realize Coach Spo has never been COY. Just beat two supposedly superior teams with coaches that won it a couple of times.
Heat are 14-1 to win the Championship right now. That's disrespect to me.

Gotta figure the Celts at home will beat the 6ers tomorrow. Right?

[pdub]

I sure hope so.
Celtics Lakers would be drama.

I only caught the first quarter or so but it did look like Wiggins was bothered by his injury.

[Sparko]

Warriors were toasted pretty easily with Wiggins limited. I give him props for playing through pain.

[ousdahl]

If the dubs had survived and advanced, I’d prob be rooting for them over the nugs. I like Steph and Klay, plus Wiggs.

But, since the Lakers advanced, it’ll be that much easier to jump on the nugs bandwagon, not that anyone in CO cares about major league sports.

[Sparko]

Nugs it is. Would like to see another Jayhawk with a ring. Boston looks tough for Jojo.

[TDub]

anyone but LA.

[Mjl]

I just want to see an Embiid vs Jokic finals

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Seems I'm in the minority for hoping the Lakers win the Championship.

[pdub]

I still don’t see how the Warriors couldn’t pull it together.

I think they are the better collection of talent with a better coach. It just didn’t come together.

What do the Warriors do?

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

My worthless two cents on why the Warriors lost to the Lakers.....

Warriors don't have LeBron and AD. Warriors don't have Russell and Reaves as complimentary players.
At different times Rui, Dennis, and Lonnie coming off the bench helped the Lakers and hurt the Warriors.

Warriors had a very sub par Klay in games 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Warriors had a very sub par Poole in games 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Warriors needed those two to play well and they didn't.
I feel some credit has to go to the Lakers defense and coaching staff for that.

I feel Steve Kerr is a very good but dare I say, overrated coach. Just as I feel most NBA Champion HEAD coaches tend to be overrated. I might be able to win a championship as a HEAD coach of a team with a collection of great assistants and some of the best players in the league.
I think Darvin Ham considerably helped every NBA coaching staff he was with. I don't know how good of a HEAD coach he is but clearly the Lakers are doing well with him being in that role.

As far as what do the Warriors do, well.... Kerr did say this - "I think this team ultimately maxed out"... "This is not a championship team". Was Kerr trying to imply he feels they need to make major changes?
It sure seems like he was at least implying they need to make considerable changes.

What would I do? Steph is 35 and will turn 36 during the season next year. Do I try and rebuild around him? Probably not. I'm not so sure the team is "maxed out" but I explore what I can get in return for my core players and probably make big moves. When you have young teams on the rise and you're an old team on the decline - you're in trouble.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Is Dick Jeff eating crow?
P.S. They did lose to Milwaukee - but then went on an 18-8 run to finish the regular season.