NBA Playoffs 2021

[Goldstar88]

Right now it’s between the Nets, Bucks, Jazz & unfortunately the Lakers for the title in my eyes.. I’m not sold on the 76ers..Portland are too up & down & Denver without Murray hurts them

I feel like whoever wins the next series between the Bucks and the Nets is wining it all. Don’t think any team in the West is good enough.

[Moranis]

I just don't think Brooklyn will have an answer for Giannis, which is why I picked the Bucks to win.  During the regular season Giannis went for 36 and 49 in the Bucks wins and 34 in the 2 point loss.  And the 2 wins were in May (so not long ago).  The Nets could certainly outscore the Bucks, but doing that 4 times when you have absolutely no answer for the best player in the world, I just don't think they will do.

The Nets didn’t have all 3 of their stars for any of those games.
I’m not sure Milwaukee will have an answer for Harden. I hope you are right, though. I think the Bucks are the only team in the NBA that has a shot against Brooklyn.

Unless Harden is going to guard Giannis, I don't think it matters.

[Moranis]

Right now it’s between the Nets, Bucks, Jazz & unfortunately the Lakers for the title in my eyes.. I’m not sold on the 76ers..Portland are too up & down & Denver without Murray hurts them

I feel like whoever wins the next series between the Bucks and the Nets is wining it all. Don’t think any team in the West is good enough.

Lakers are clearly on those two teams level if they are healthy.  I mean they are now up 2-1 on the 2nd best regular season team and Lebron has yet to play very well and still looks a bit timid on the ankle. 

[Goldstar88]

Right now it’s between the Nets, Bucks, Jazz & unfortunately the Lakers for the title in my eyes.. I’m not sold on the 76ers..Portland are too up & down & Denver without Murray hurts them

I feel like whoever wins the next series between the Bucks and the Nets is wining it all. Don’t think any team in the West is good enough.

Lakers are clearly on those two teams level if they are healthy.  I mean they are now up 2-1 on the 2nd best regular season team and Lebron has yet to play very well and still looks a bit timid on the ankle.

Disagree. Plus, they are not healthy and I also think they had a better team last year. If CP3 wasn’t injured, Suns might be winning the series... Lakers will probably win in 6 games, now that he’s compromised.

[Who]

Malone is a very good coach

I love the way he coaches big men. The way he uses them as centers - as in center to everything they do. Everything revolves around them. The way it should be.

He did the same in Sacramento with Cousins. They ran the offense through him in the high post and used him as a facilitator similar to how they use Jokic. Jokic is just more dynamic than Cousins and can do even more than Cousins could with the basketball.

Malone uses skilled centers properly. The rest of the league needs to pay attention to what he does and reorganize their offense to use their skilled size the right way. So many teams have skilled big men that are being mis-used / not taught the game the right way. It is awful.

There is nothing more beautiful in basketball than skilled size being utilized within a team concept.

[Moranis]

Right now it’s between the Nets, Bucks, Jazz & unfortunately the Lakers for the title in my eyes.. I’m not sold on the 76ers..Portland are too up & down & Denver without Murray hurts them

I feel like whoever wins the next series between the Bucks and the Nets is wining it all. Don’t think any team in the West is good enough.

Lakers are clearly on those two teams level if they are healthy.  I mean they are now up 2-1 on the 2nd best regular season team and Lebron has yet to play very well and still looks a bit timid on the ankle.

Disagree. Plus, they are not healthy and I also think they had a better team last year. If CP3 wasn’t injured, Suns might be winning the series... Lakers will probably win in 6 games, now that he’s compromised.

The Lakers are better this year as they quite simply have better players.  And it isn't close.

The main differences from their teams

Schroder > Rondo
Drummond > Howard
Matthews < Green
Harrell > McGee
Gasol > Waiters

It isn't close.  The Lakers supporting cast is just flat out better this year.  I mean it is so much better than Markieff Morris has barely played in the 3 games this year after being an every game solid minute rotation player and spot starter for them last year. 

It is obviously contingent on James and Davis rounding back into form.  It appears Davis is all the way back as he has been fantastic the last couple of games, and Lebron's 2nd half last night looked like his normal self right when the Lakers needed that guy to show up.

I picked Milwaukee to win the title before the playoffs started and I see no reason to change that prediction, but the Lakers absolutely could beat them and it wouldn't be an upset.  In fact, the Lakers will probably be favored given there are 3 superstars among those 2 teams and the Lakers have 2 of those guys.

[Who]

Malone is a very good coach

I love the way he coaches big men. The way he uses them as centers - as in center to everything they do. Everything revolves around them. The way it should be.

He did the same in Sacramento with Cousins. They ran the offense through him in the high post and used him as a facilitator similar to how they use Jokic. Jokic is just more dynamic than Cousins and can do even more than Cousins could with the basketball.

Malone uses skilled centers properly. The rest of the league needs to pay attention to what he does and reorganize their offense to use their skilled size the right way. So many teams have skilled big men that are being mis-used / not taught the game the right way. It is awful.

There is nothing more beautiful in basketball than skilled size being utilized within a team concept.

Just to bang on a Celtics-centric angle on this:

This is how Rob Williams should be developed. Not be Jokic or Cousins but to be like Joakim Noah. To be what Noah was to the Bulls offense 7-8 years ago. Everything ran through him. Noah had high level passing skills and decision making. Rob Williams has similar qualities but they are not being properly developed because Brad Stevens (like most NBA coaches) has no clue how to coach big men.

Not every team needs a 20-10-5 big to use bigs better. They need to properly evaluate their skills and understand how to incorporate them within the offense. So many big men in the league today are getting underutilized because of bad coaching.

[Phantom255x]

The Bucks have been legit. But I also think the Heat are getting exposed too.

It's frustrating how all of MIA's shooters go scorched-earth against us like in the bubble last year but against other teams a lot of them suddenly become mediocre.

Like Tyler Herro is a good player and I wish we drafted him. But notice how you never hear about him nowadays (even during the season, before the Bucks series).

[Who]

I can't get over how bad the Nuggets starting guards are -- Campazzo and Austin Rivers!?

I mean, my god, how are the competing with that? That is the backcourt of a team that wins 10-15 games in an 82 game season. It is terrible. All time, throughout the history of this league, this backcourt has got to rank among the worst in NBA playoff history.

What other playoff teams can you remember with starting guards that were this bad?

And they are up 2-1 on Portland. Amazing.

[Who]

Like Tyler Herro is a good player and I wish we drafted him. But notice how you never hear about him nowadays (even during the season, before the Bucks series).

Herro has had a bad season. All season long. He has taken a step back. Rumours of Miami being unhappy with him. With a lack of professionalism / lack of dedication. An overindulgence in personal life while wasting his basketball opportunities.

Shame to see. The guy has talent. But if he doesn't do the work ... it don't matter, he won't make it.

[wdleehi]

Are we going to start about how the Heat needs to be blown up and that the coach and gm need to be replaced?   They seem to be having a very similar season as the Celtics.

[Phantom255x]

Like Tyler Herro is a good player and I wish we drafted him. But notice how you never hear about him nowadays (even during the season, before the Bucks series).

Herro has had a bad season. All season long. He has taken a step back. Rumours of Miami being unhappy with him. With a lack of professionalism / lack of dedication. An overindulgence in personal life while wasting his basketball opportunities.

Shame to see. The guy has talent. But if he doesn't do the work ... it don't matter, he won't make it.

Yeah maybe Miami should have dangled him and others for Harden lol

[Moranis]

Like Tyler Herro is a good player and I wish we drafted him. But notice how you never hear about him nowadays (even during the season, before the Bucks series).

Herro has had a bad season. All season long. He has taken a step back. Rumours of Miami being unhappy with him. With a lack of professionalism / lack of dedication. An overindulgence in personal life while wasting his basketball opportunities.

Shame to see. The guy has talent. But if he doesn't do the work ... it don't matter, he won't make it.

and to think the reason James Harden isn't in Miami is because they wouldn't include Herro in the trade.  Epic fail by Riley on that one.

[Moranis]

Malone is a very good coach

I love the way he coaches big men. The way he uses them as centers - as in center to everything they do. Everything revolves around them. The way it should be.

He did the same in Sacramento with Cousins. They ran the offense through him in the high post and used him as a facilitator similar to how they use Jokic. Jokic is just more dynamic than Cousins and can do even more than Cousins could with the basketball.

Malone uses skilled centers properly. The rest of the league needs to pay attention to what he does and reorganize their offense to use their skilled size the right way. So many teams have skilled big men that are being mis-used / not taught the game the right way. It is awful.

There is nothing more beautiful in basketball than skilled size being utilized within a team concept.

Just to bang on a Celtics-centric angle on this:

This is how Rob Williams should be developed. Not be Jokic or Cousins but to be like Joakim Noah. To be what Noah was to the Bulls offense 7-8 years ago. Everything ran through him. Noah had high level passing skills and decision making. Rob Williams has similar qualities but they are not being properly developed because Brad Stevens (like most NBA coaches) has no clue how to coach big men.

Not every team needs a 20-10-5 big to use bigs better. They need to properly evaluate their skills and understand how to incorporate them within the offense. So many big men in the league today are getting underutilized because of bad coaching.

The problem with that, is Williams just can't stay on the court.  Even when he is healthy he can't play enough minutes for this to be really effective. 

[Neurotic Guy]

Malone is a very good coach

I love the way he coaches big men. The way he uses them as centers - as in center to everything they do. Everything revolves around them. The way it should be.

He did the same in Sacramento with Cousins. They ran the offense through him in the high post and used him as a facilitator similar to how they use Jokic. Jokic is just more dynamic than Cousins and can do even more than Cousins could with the basketball.

Malone uses skilled centers properly. The rest of the league needs to pay attention to what he does and reorganize their offense to use their skilled size the right way. So many teams have skilled big men that are being mis-used / not taught the game the right way. It is awful.

There is nothing more beautiful in basketball than skilled size being utilized within a team concept.

Just to bang on a Celtics-centric angle on this:

This is how Rob Williams should be developed. Not be Jokic or Cousins but to be like Joakim Noah. To be what Noah was to the Bulls offense 7-8 years ago. Everything ran through him. Noah had high level passing skills and decision making. Rob Williams has similar qualities but they are not being properly developed because Brad Stevens (like most NBA coaches) has no clue how to coach big men.

Not every team needs a 20-10-5 big to use bigs better. They need to properly evaluate their skills and understand how to incorporate them within the offense. So many big men in the league today are getting underutilized because of bad coaching.

The problem with that, is Williams just can't stay on the court.  Even when he is healthy he can't play enough minutes for this to be really effective.

It really feels that Rob will be unlikely be able to stay healthy enough for his career to match his potential.  As predictable as I thought it was that Gordon Hayward would not stay healthy in 20-21, I think even more so for Rob’s career unfortunately.  I hate to say this because I love watching him play, but if he is a sweetener in a trade to upgrade this roster I think I’d be sadly in favor.