NBA Season 2021-22

[jpotter33]

Oh boy. Coach Bud says Middleton suffered a sprained MCL and will get an MRI tomorrow. Idk specifics of course but this doesn’t sound like some minor thing either. He might miss some time

Oh man, that’s rough. I think this series is much closer to a toss-up now if he’s out for the series, which you have to assume is true. I probably still give Milwaukee the edge - something like 55-45 odds. But man, if he’s out for several weeks that makes a second round versus us much more of a good matchup for us, too.

[keevsnick]

Middleton MCL strain is huge, gonna need an MRI to tell the severity. Grade one strain is about a 2-3 week injury, so possible he could be back very early in second round. But a more severe strain and he's  maybe out all of the second round or even longer.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Always the excuses. Booker sitting isn't the reason the Ingram was super aggressive to start the game and the Pelicans played much more physical and at a faster pace. Nor the reason Hayes took over the third quarter, Alvarado and Murphy were great again off the bench, and Ingram (37 pts) and McCollum took over the 4th. This is a really, really good basketball team.

Tar Heels let’s not be over the top. Even with their semi strong second half of the season the overwelming majority of the pelicans wins were against Sacramento, Lakers, Rockets and trailblazers. In fact  Ten of their 36 wins came against these teams in the last two months of the season alone. They are not a really really good basketball team by any stretch of the imagination.

Ingram missed 13 games after the all star break.

You realize just about every team in the league had one of their best players miss a bunch of games right? I don’t think they are terrible but they are not a really really good team. I think they will be very exciting next year with Zion and a year of experience for jones. A really good team like us or the warriors is heads and toes above them. Doubt they would beat jazz, Dallas with doncic, Philly, bucks, nets etc.

They are a really, really good team.  I've watched nearly every game they played this season.  After a tough start, they were clearly playoff-level talented before the McCollum trade, and he has made them significantly better. If the world ends when the elderly and unmotivated Clippers lose Paul George, and the #1 team in the league loses Booker for 1.5 quarters (after also scoring 31 in the first half), then 13 meaningful games without Ingram matter too.  They're young, improving every game, and more motivated (and youthfully ignorant) than the teams we're comparing them to.

Zion could make them significantly better, but he could also make them worse. His ambiguous foot injury and lack of availability all year -- till now, after a big trade and during a promising playoff run -- screams diva to me.  Historically, the Tarstradamus Group has been very successful in predicting the consequences of diva-hood.

I think they'd peel off two wins in a 7 game series against any of the teams mentioned.  They might even beat the Jazz and Dallas outright; again, their ceiling is tough to estimate right now because they're constantly improving.

[celticsclay]

Always the excuses. Booker sitting isn't the reason the Ingram was super aggressive to start the game and the Pelicans played much more physical and at a faster pace. Nor the reason Hayes took over the third quarter, Alvarado and Murphy were great again off the bench, and Ingram (37 pts) and McCollum took over the 4th. This is a really, really good basketball team.

Tar Heels let’s not be over the top. Even with their semi strong second half of the season the overwelming majority of the pelicans wins were against Sacramento, Lakers, Rockets and trailblazers. In fact  Ten of their 36 wins came against these teams in the last two months of the season alone. They are not a really really good basketball team by any stretch of the imagination.

Ingram missed 13 games after the all star break.

You realize just about every team in the league had one of their best players miss a bunch of games right? I don’t think they are terrible but they are not a really really good team. I think they will be very exciting next year with Zion and a year of experience for jones. A really good team like us or the warriors is heads and toes above them. Doubt they would beat jazz, Dallas with doncic, Philly, bucks, nets etc.

They are a really, really good team.  I've watched nearly every game they played this season.  After a tough start, they were clearly playoff-level talented before the McCollum trade, and he has made them significantly better. If the world ends when the elderly and unmotivated Clippers lose Paul George, and the #1 team in the league loses Booker for 1.5 quarters (after also scoring 31 in the first half), then 13 meaningful games without Ingram matter too.  They're young, improving every game, and more motivated (and youthfully ignorant) than the teams we're comparing them to.

Zion could make them significantly better, but he could also make them worse. His ambiguous foot injury and lack of availability all year -- till now, after a big trade and during a promising playoff run -- screams diva to me.  Historically, the Tarstradamus Group has been very successful in identifying the consequences of diva-hood.

They'd peel off two wins in a 7 game series against any of the teams mentioned.  I think they'd beat the Jazz and possibly Dallas outright.

The Paul George thing is silly. Yes a single elimination game without your best player is more significant than missing regular season games (and George missed way more than 13 games making it a particularly silly comparison. I get getting excited about a young team but no need to rush and it be unrealistic about it. They had no significant period of the season where they were playing at a significantly above .500 and even in their strong second have they were benefitting repeatedly playing the dregs of the west (I outlined the number of victories over lakers, portland, Houston, Sacramento above). Frankly they probably lose to healthy hawks team. Dallas is well coached and doncic is miles better than anyone on the pelicans. Brunson is no slouch either. Not really seeing why the pelicans would beat them.

[celticsclay]

Oh boy. Coach Bud says Middleton suffered a sprained MCL and will get an MRI tomorrow. Idk specifics of course but this doesn’t sound like some minor thing either. He might miss some time

Oh man, that’s rough. I think this series is much closer to a toss-up now if he’s out for the series, which you have to assume is true. I probably still give Milwaukee the edge - something like 55-45 odds. But man, if he’s out for several weeks that makes a second round versus us much more of a good matchup for us, too.

Bulls are a lot stronger than their swoon second half of season having Caruso and Williams healthy. That being said I do actually agree with the TNT guys that I think they have been taking bulls lightly. I think if Middleton is out they will come out pretty focused. If they lose game 3 though I will change my tune.

[Moranis]

Also, I take what I said back about the first round being kind of boring a few days ago. Games have been great today

It's weird, the East has had much more competitive games, but the West has the series' that have had actual upset games.

because the West is the deeper better conference. 

[gouki88]

Also, I take what I said back about the first round being kind of boring a few days ago. Games have been great today

It's weird, the East has had much more competitive games, but the West has the series' that have had actual upset games.

because the West is the deeper better conference. 

I'm not sure that what has happened supports that. But I'm not reopening arguments over what depth means

[mobilija]

Also, I take what I said back about the first round being kind of boring a few days ago. Games have been great today

It's weird, the East has had much more competitive games, but the West has the series' that have had actual upset games.

because the West is the deeper better conference. 

Parity doesnt equal depth 

[gift]

Also, I take what I said back about the first round being kind of boring a few days ago. Games have been great today

It's weird, the East has had much more competitive games, but the West has the series' that have had actual upset games.

because the West is the deeper better conference. 

Parity doesnt equal depth 

Topographically, the east is deeper and always has been.

[slamtheking]

Also, I take what I said back about the first round being kind of boring a few days ago. Games have been great today

It's weird, the East has had much more competitive games, but the West has the series' that have had actual upset games.

because the West is the deeper better conference. 

I'm not sure that what has happened supports that. But I'm not reopening arguments over what depth means

the number of inappropriate responses to that line are just mindboggling   

[hpantazo]

Middleton diagnosed with a sprained MCL. The Bucks are now in trouble.


https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33775519/milwaukee-bucks-expect-guard-george-hill-return-soon-abdominal-strain

[slamtheking]

Middleton diagnosed with a sprained MCL. The Bucks are now in trouble.


https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33775519/milwaukee-bucks-expect-guard-george-hill-return-soon-abdominal-strain

could make them vulnerable in this round and in the next one against us (I know I shouldn't count the chickens before they hatch but feeling pretty good about being up 2-0 right now)

[Phantom255x]

Milwaukee should still have no problem beating the Bulls even without Middleton, but their chances of beating Brooklyn or Boston in Round 2 are low if Middleton misses significant time. Even with Giannis I don't think they'd have enough as Middleton's also been their best closer this season.

Best case scenario for Middleton is this is only a 3-4 day thing, but worst case is 8+ weeks if significant, which the MRI today will reveal.

The next few games at Chicago though could be tricky for the Bucks without Middleton

[Redz]

Sean Grande@SeanGrandePBP

Doesn't seem like much given the emotion of it all, but in the interest of packing up the day, the Celtics walk-off win in Game 1 broke a tie with the Spurs atop this list...

That's a pretty amazing stat.  WOuldn't have thought it, but it does make sense when you stop and think about it.  Just seems like the KG era is so much longer ago. 

[mobilija]

Also, I take what I said back about the first round being kind of boring a few days ago. Games have been great today

It's weird, the East has had much more competitive games, but the West has the series' that have had actual upset games.

because the West is the deeper better conference. 

Parity doesnt equal depth 

Topographically, the east is deeper and always has been.

But....the west has the Rocky Mts and the Grand Canyon...color me confused