NBA Season 2021-22

[Moranis]

No LA teams in playoffs (Lakers & Clippers) & soon no New York teams in playoffs (Nets & Knicks) for 2nd round, plus Lakers, Clippers & Knicks didn’t even make it..who would thought that in November!

perhaps letting all-star buddies conspire to play together on these talent-poaching franchises doesn't automatically lead to winning titles.  who knew   

Lakers won a title though.

[Goldstar88]

I quit watching the NBA for 5 years because of terrible reffing.

Today, this happened:

https://old.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/ubcxgk/the_mavericks_suns_and_grizzlies_all_had_a_chance/

Freethrows:
Jazz 42 - 23 Mavericks
Wolves 40 - 25 Grizzlies
Pelicans 42 - 15 Suns

Guess which teams had a chance to go up 3-1 in their series



Might hang it up again after this season. I hate biased reffing more than anything. Completely invalidates anything won.



.edit: lemme add in this for good measure. Look at where the referee is: https://twitter.com/protectedpick/status/1518428171334414336

What about the C’s game when they went up 3-0? Wouldn’t the league want to extend that series as much as possible since it’s by far the most intriguing matchup. Celtics were called for 19 fouls to the Nets 22.

[Moranis]

I quit watching the NBA for 5 years because of terrible reffing.

Today, this happened:

https://old.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/ubcxgk/the_mavericks_suns_and_grizzlies_all_had_a_chance/

Freethrows:
Jazz 42 - 23 Mavericks
Wolves 40 - 25 Grizzlies
Pelicans 42 - 15 Suns

Guess which teams had a chance to go up 3-1 in their series



Might hang it up again after this season. I hate biased reffing more than anything. Completely invalidates anything won.



.edit: lemme add in this for good measure. Look at where the referee is: https://twitter.com/protectedpick/status/1518428171334414336

What about the C’s game when they went up 3-0? Wouldn’t the league want to extend that series as much as possible since it’s by far the most intriguing matchup. Celtics were called for 19 fouls to the Nets 22.

Bucks and Bulls were also very close.

The simple reality is, a lot of the time the foul discrepancy is a result of the aggressiveness of one team vs. the other.  Teams down 1-2 with their season on the line almost always have more fire and aggression than the other team.  That generally leads to more fouls. 

[pokeKingCurtis]

Random question.

It was 17 guys Nick Wright listed ahead of Tatum, right?

That was a couple months ago.  He has him around his top 5 now.  Seems right to me.

Need him to come out and say he's not the best player ever.

Because JT has seemed hell-bent on proving him completely wrong.

He most definitely does not have him in his top 5.  Listened a bit this morning and he was still hedging on if he was better than Booker, which is just absolutely ridiculous as he's always been better than Booker.

Didn't realise (I never listen to him). That is a laughable comparison right there.

Booker and Tatum is not a laughable comparison. Booker has been really really good for the last 2 and a half years. In fact, Booker is going to finish in the top 5 of MVP this year, and Tatum isn't. I think it's really close, and probably give the edge to Tatum, but it's not crazy talk to debate between the 2.

I think it's laughable to have Booker above Tatum, personally. Offensively, at worst, they're equals. Defensively there is no discussion to be had.

Tatum can actually pass now. Does that put him above Booker offensively too?

[mobilija]

No LA teams in playoffs (Lakers & Clippers) & soon no New York teams in playoffs (Nets & Knicks) for 2nd round, plus Lakers, Clippers & Knicks didn’t even make it..who would thought that in November!

perhaps letting all-star buddies conspire to play together on these talent-poaching franchises doesn't automatically lead to winning titles.  who knew   

Lakers won a title though.

Between Lakers and Nets since they started making SuperFriend teams, 2018 Lebron to Lakers and 2019 Kyrie to Nets, they are 1-7 in titles, an injury/tanking season each, 2 first round exits (assuming Nets lose this year), and 1 missed playoff. That's not a great percentage....feast or famine with famine far more likely. Count me out of that fan experience.

[Phantom255x]

The series summed up so far 



And no, nothing is photoshopped in this picture, it's 100% real

Also I love this comment on Reddit related to this pic:

Guy dunking tore his meniscus less than a month ago. Willy Wonka still has “soreness”

[Goldstar88]

The series summed up so far 



And no, nothing is photoshopped in this picture, it's 100% real

Also I love this comment on Reddit related to this pic:

Guy dunking tore his meniscus less than a month ago. Willy Wonka still has “soreness”

That is brilliant. Brilliant! TP to you, sir.

[slamtheking]

No LA teams in playoffs (Lakers & Clippers) & soon no New York teams in playoffs (Nets & Knicks) for 2nd round, plus Lakers, Clippers & Knicks didn’t even make it..who would thought that in November!

perhaps letting all-star buddies conspire to play together on these talent-poaching franchises doesn't automatically lead to winning titles.  who knew   

Lakers won a title though.

Between Lakers and Nets since they started making SuperFriend teams, 2018 Lebron to Lakers and 2019 Kyrie to Nets, they are 1-7 in titles, an injury/tanking season each, 2 first round exits (assuming Nets lose this year), and 1 missed playoff. That's not a great percentage....feast or famine with famine far more likely. Count me out of that fan experience.

agreed and the Lakers title needed a lot of assistance from that Bubble atmosphere with players missing games, players not being healthy and less than strenuous path to the title

[celticsclay]

Despite Luka's numbers and the Mavs record they really aren't much better with Luka on the floor because he is so ball dominant.  On the year his on/off per 100 possessions was just 0.2. That is pretty low for a great player with great stats.  That is why despite his injury I picked them to win the West and I still think that holds.  They have a pretty deep team and in the key moments against most teams will have the best player on the floor.  That stuff matters.

you think they are winning the west? That’s pretty wild. If you really believe this and aren’t just being contrarian you can bet 200 dollars on them to win 7000. There’s not a lot of people seeing what you are seeing.

it is in the prediction thread I started a couple of weeks ago.  Mavs were the 2nd best team in 2022 behind only the Suns (they had 1 more win than the C's).  They were absolutely on fire and Luka has been a monster in basically every playoff game he has played in.  He shows up

They would be underdogs against memphis, golden state and Phoenix (especially without homecourt). As good as Brunson and doncic are, they have a thoroughly mediocre frontcourt. Is powell, bertans and kleber the worst frontcourt in playoffs? Seems worse than a lot of lottery teams even.

The Mavs went 3-1 against GS this year (all in 2022).  3-1 against Memphis (2-0 in 2022).  0-3 against Phoenix (0-1 in 2022). 

I picked them before the playoffs, so I obviously thought they'd beat Phoenix in the 2nd round, but I really like their chances now that is appears Booker isn't going to play for at least the first couple of games if not more. 

After their game on December 29th, the Mavs were 16-18. They closed the year at 36-12.  They were just on fire and I see no reason they won't continue to be on fire now that Luka is back. 

I do expect them to lose to the Eastern representative in the Finals.  I predicted it would be Milwaukee before the playoffs started, though if Middleton is out, I do like Boston's chances assuming they win 1 of the next 4 against the Nets.  In all honestly I expect that 2nd round series to decide the championship.

That is a bold take. Take a look once more at DAL's front court - I think I would honestly take Daniel Theis over all of their Centers and Forwards. Luka is an incredible player and Brunson/Dinwiddie are reliable, but I have no idea how they even come close to beating a healthy GSW team...or a semi-healthy PHX team for that matter.

As a Cs fan who [of course] has us going all the way to the Finals, I would be jumping through the roof if DAL was the West representative.

Isn’t Dallas the only team we didn’t get a win against?  Not sure why you’d like that matchup.

I mean regular season records are completely irrelevant between two teams. Like for example we have this fun fact from mo that Dallas was 3-1 against them. Then you look at the games and see draymond played in one of them and klay missed 2 or 3 of them. They are a completely different team when those guys play. Dallas is well coached and doncic and Brunson are great. The rest of their roster is incredibly mediocre. In my mind it’s a scorching hot take to think they beat the warriors. Would be very surprised if that haopens unless draymond or curry gets injured.

[Moranis]

Despite Luka's numbers and the Mavs record they really aren't much better with Luka on the floor because he is so ball dominant.  On the year his on/off per 100 possessions was just 0.2. That is pretty low for a great player with great stats.  That is why despite his injury I picked them to win the West and I still think that holds.  They have a pretty deep team and in the key moments against most teams will have the best player on the floor.  That stuff matters.

you think they are winning the west? That’s pretty wild. If you really believe this and aren’t just being contrarian you can bet 200 dollars on them to win 7000. There’s not a lot of people seeing what you are seeing.

it is in the prediction thread I started a couple of weeks ago.  Mavs were the 2nd best team in 2022 behind only the Suns (they had 1 more win than the C's).  They were absolutely on fire and Luka has been a monster in basically every playoff game he has played in.  He shows up

They would be underdogs against memphis, golden state and Phoenix (especially without homecourt). As good as Brunson and doncic are, they have a thoroughly mediocre frontcourt. Is powell, bertans and kleber the worst frontcourt in playoffs? Seems worse than a lot of lottery teams even.

The Mavs went 3-1 against GS this year (all in 2022).  3-1 against Memphis (2-0 in 2022).  0-3 against Phoenix (0-1 in 2022). 

I picked them before the playoffs, so I obviously thought they'd beat Phoenix in the 2nd round, but I really like their chances now that is appears Booker isn't going to play for at least the first couple of games if not more. 

After their game on December 29th, the Mavs were 16-18. They closed the year at 36-12.  They were just on fire and I see no reason they won't continue to be on fire now that Luka is back. 

I do expect them to lose to the Eastern representative in the Finals.  I predicted it would be Milwaukee before the playoffs started, though if Middleton is out, I do like Boston's chances assuming they win 1 of the next 4 against the Nets.  In all honestly I expect that 2nd round series to decide the championship.

That is a bold take. Take a look once more at DAL's front court - I think I would honestly take Daniel Theis over all of their Centers and Forwards. Luka is an incredible player and Brunson/Dinwiddie are reliable, but I have no idea how they even come close to beating a healthy GSW team...or a semi-healthy PHX team for that matter.

As a Cs fan who [of course] has us going all the way to the Finals, I would be jumping through the roof if DAL was the West representative.

Isn’t Dallas the only team we didn’t get a win against?  Not sure why you’d like that matchup.

I mean regular season records are completely irrelevant between two teams. Like for example we have this fun fact from mo that Dallas was 3-1 against them. Then you look at the games and see draymond played in one of them and klay missed 2 or 3 of them. They are a completely different team when those guys play. Dallas is well coached and doncic and Brunson are great. The rest of their roster is incredibly mediocre. In my mind it’s a scorching hot take to think they beat the warriors. Would be very surprised if that haopens unless draymond or curry gets injured.

Sure and 2 of the games were before the KP trade and he didn't even play in 1 of them (the only game Dallas lost was the game the Zinger played in - coincidence?).  That is why I didn't bring random players being out.

[Vermont Green]

I have been feeling for a while that the top teams in the East are better than the top teams in the West.  Things can change with an injury and other factors but PHO now has a question with Booker hurt.  I wasn't that worried about them to start with.  They are good, well balanced but I don't see them as way better than the Celtics or anyone else.  I am more worried about MIL or even PHI and MIA.

As to GSW, yes, they have their guys back and they are playing well.  Poole is playing out of his mind, enough so that he is really changing the calculus, but it is against Denver.  Denver is depleted due to injury.  They have hung in through the regular season, good for them, but GSW beating them is not telling me anything about how good GSW may be.  I am not sure that GSW beats a healthy PHO but I will put them right there with PHO.

As to DAL, I believe in Doncic for sure but I am not sure about Brunson and Dinwiddie.  UTA is overrated (or was based on regular season record), not sure what is going on with Conley, but they just won a big game.  If Conley plays like he did in the regular season (41% 3pt vs 25% in playoffs so far), i think UTA can beat DAL.  I have DAL, UTA, MEM, and MIN all in the same range but a tier down from the top teams East or West.  Better than CHI or ATL but not MIL or PHI.

[Phantom255x]

The Mavericks, Suns, and Grizzlies all had a chance to go up 3-1 in their respective series. Their opponents shot 42, 40, and 42 free throws in all three game 4s. Scott Foster was also in Sixers-Raptors Game 4 and seemed to help Toronto do enough to win it lol.

[Moranis]

The Mavericks, Suns, and Grizzlies all had a chance to go up 3-1 in their respective series. Their opponents shot 42, 40, and 42 free throws in all three game 4s. Scott Foster was also in Sixers-Raptors Game 4 and seemed to help Toronto do enough to win it lol.

Utah had 33 FTA's in game 3, a game they lost, so it isn't like they aren't capable of getting to the line. 

New Orleans had 31 in game 3 also and has had more FTA's in every single game in the series.  Style of play matters. 

Minnesota had a 40 to 25 edge, but that is actually less than Memphis had in game 1 at 43 to 27 and I don't think I heard these complaints after the 1st game.

And for the record, basically every team in the playoffs has more FTA's at home then they do on the road, in a very large part because the role players play better at home and the team has more energy and aggression.   

[celticsclay]

Despite Luka's numbers and the Mavs record they really aren't much better with Luka on the floor because he is so ball dominant.  On the year his on/off per 100 possessions was just 0.2. That is pretty low for a great player with great stats.  That is why despite his injury I picked them to win the West and I still think that holds.  They have a pretty deep team and in the key moments against most teams will have the best player on the floor.  That stuff matters.

you think they are winning the west? That’s pretty wild. If you really believe this and aren’t just being contrarian you can bet 200 dollars on them to win 7000. There’s not a lot of people seeing what you are seeing.

it is in the prediction thread I started a couple of weeks ago.  Mavs were the 2nd best team in 2022 behind only the Suns (they had 1 more win than the C's).  They were absolutely on fire and Luka has been a monster in basically every playoff game he has played in.  He shows up

They would be underdogs against memphis, golden state and Phoenix (especially without homecourt). As good as Brunson and doncic are, they have a thoroughly mediocre frontcourt. Is powell, bertans and kleber the worst frontcourt in playoffs? Seems worse than a lot of lottery teams even.

The Mavs went 3-1 against GS this year (all in 2022).  3-1 against Memphis (2-0 in 2022).  0-3 against Phoenix (0-1 in 2022). 

I picked them before the playoffs, so I obviously thought they'd beat Phoenix in the 2nd round, but I really like their chances now that is appears Booker isn't going to play for at least the first couple of games if not more. 

After their game on December 29th, the Mavs were 16-18. They closed the year at 36-12.  They were just on fire and I see no reason they won't continue to be on fire now that Luka is back. 

I do expect them to lose to the Eastern representative in the Finals.  I predicted it would be Milwaukee before the playoffs started, though if Middleton is out, I do like Boston's chances assuming they win 1 of the next 4 against the Nets.  In all honestly I expect that 2nd round series to decide the championship.

That is a bold take. Take a look once more at DAL's front court - I think I would honestly take Daniel Theis over all of their Centers and Forwards. Luka is an incredible player and Brunson/Dinwiddie are reliable, but I have no idea how they even come close to beating a healthy GSW team...or a semi-healthy PHX team for that matter.

As a Cs fan who [of course] has us going all the way to the Finals, I would be jumping through the roof if DAL was the West representative.

Isn’t Dallas the only team we didn’t get a win against?  Not sure why you’d like that matchup.

I mean regular season records are completely irrelevant between two teams. Like for example we have this fun fact from mo that Dallas was 3-1 against them. Then you look at the games and see draymond played in one of them and klay missed 2 or 3 of them. They are a completely different team when those guys play. Dallas is well coached and doncic and Brunson are great. The rest of their roster is incredibly mediocre. In my mind it’s a scorching hot take to think they beat the warriors. Would be very surprised if that haopens unless draymond or curry gets injured.

Sure and 2 of the games were before the KP trade and he didn't even play in 1 of them (the only game Dallas lost was the game the Zinger played in - coincidence?).  That is why I didn't bring random players being out.

I agree the records are irrelevant, but you were the one that brought them up.

[celticsclay]

I have been feeling for a while that the top teams in the East are better than the top teams in the West.  Things can change with an injury and other factors but PHO now has a question with Booker hurt.  I wasn't that worried about them to start with.  They are good, well balanced but I don't see them as way better than the Celtics or anyone else.  I am more worried about MIL or even PHI and MIA.

As to GSW, yes, they have their guys back and they are playing well.  Poole is playing out of his mind, enough so that he is really changing the calculus, but it is against Denver.  Denver is depleted due to injury.  They have hung in through the regular season, good for them, but GSW beating them is not telling me anything about how good GSW may be.  I am not sure that GSW beats a healthy PHO but I will put them right there with PHO.

As to DAL, I believe in Doncic for sure but I am not sure about Brunson and Dinwiddie.  UTA is overrated (or was based on regular season record), not sure what is going on with Conley, but they just won a big game.  If Conley plays like he did in the regular season (41% 3pt vs 25% in playoffs so far), i think UTA can beat DAL.  I have DAL, UTA, MEM, and MIN all in the same range but a tier down from the top teams East or West.  Better than CHI or ATL but not MIL or PHI.

Oh absolutely, its become something of a running gag debating the conferences because the east was so much stronger. At the beginning of the playoffs there 4.5 teams being given a chance to win the title in the east and 2 in the west. As I said earlier in the thread Dallas is 35-1 to win the title for a reason.

You are also right that Utah is probably overrated. They really struggled the second half of the season and because of their defensive scheme and roster complexion they have struggled in the playoffs for years. Either team winning this series doesn't make them particularly scary.