NBA Season 2021-22

[Moranis]

In case you're wondering about early returns on All-NBA



https://twitter.com/HoopsEmpire_/status/1514785195009863692/photo/1

I really hope that holds and Embiid or Jokic doesn't make it as a forward.  That would have been a real travesty and if you do keep those 2 guys at center then I really can't see how it isn't Giannis and Tatum on the 1st Team.  2nd Team makes sense as well with Durant and DeRozan with Lebron very close to DeRozan for the 2nd 2nd team spot.  Be interesting to see who makes the 3rd team as the other forward.

So if a team is voted for two different positions, do they add them together, or does it kind of mess it up for the player? For example is Demar Derozen losing some votes because people are putting in him in at guard? It seems like he is missing some votes. I cant imagine many people that just watched Lebron play 55 games for a near 50 loss team is competitive with Derozen's season.

Perhaps, but DeRozan played 0 minutes at guard so he shouldn't be getting any votes there either.  The NBA has done a great disservice by allowing players to count for positions they didn't play.  Guys like Jaylen Brown, absolutely should be available for multiple positions, but they went crazy overboard and it is causes all sorts of problems.

[Moranis]

The Clippers were 6 games ahead of NOP during the regular season and yet they’re going home. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

And its the first time in the Play in that 9th seeds in the reg season reach the Playoffs..and it so happened in both conferences.

Yes its annoying as hell if you played 82 games to position yourself atleast in the 8th seed only to be knocked off by the 9th or even possibly the 10th seed...but the motivation for the 9th 10th or even the 11th place team to keep grinding and play to win is atleast making the regular season games in late March and April interesting with lower seeded teams vested for the win.

Play in games should stay .

Memphis was 9 last year.

[colincb]

Only on Celticsblog that people are afraid to face the Nets.

I don’t think this is true. I think everyone has a healthy respect for Durant. The nets played like a 50 win team when he was in the lineup and he almost beat the champion bucks basically by himself last year. I am actually getting a bit worried how arrogant some fans on here are being about this. Not good karma.

I'm more worried why fans aren't excited to face the Nets. After the run the Celtics had this year, with Marcus Smart likely to become DPOY (seriously why is NO ONE on this site is talking about this?). This is an elite team ready and focused, if they're truly worthy of becoming champions then they should be able to beat the Nets.

I think the C’s win in 6 or 7 games, but that doesn’t mean I’d prefer to have to face the Nets first round. Boston played them at home a month ago and they needed a 54 point performance out of Tatum to get that win. It was tight the whole way. I have no idea why people think this is going to be an easy series, especially with Simmons likely back for game 3 in Brooklyn. The C’s have the most difficult path to the Finals as they will need to go though the Nets and more than likely the Bucks, followed by the Heat. That’s a brutal draw.

Because Brooklyn has looked so incredibly vulnerable since then.

They've had the 2nd best net margin in the East since KD's return.

Sean Grande@SeanGrandePBP

Celtics-Nets doesn't need any statistical support to make it the most compelling first round series. Of course it already is. But just in case, since Kevin Durant's return in early March, Boston and Brooklyn have been, by a wide margin, the two best teams in the East.

[kraidstar]

Only on Celticsblog that people are afraid to face the Nets.

I don’t think this is true. I think everyone has a healthy respect for Durant. The nets played like a 50 win team when he was in the lineup and he almost beat the champion bucks basically by himself last year. I am actually getting a bit worried how arrogant some fans on here are being about this. Not good karma.

I'm more worried why fans aren't excited to face the Nets. After the run the Celtics had this year, with Marcus Smart likely to become DPOY (seriously why is NO ONE on this site is talking about this?). This is an elite team ready and focused, if they're truly worthy of becoming champions then they should be able to beat the Nets.

I think the C’s win in 6 or 7 games, but that doesn’t mean I’d prefer to have to face the Nets first round. Boston played them at home a month ago and they needed a 54 point performance out of Tatum to get that win. It was tight the whole way. I have no idea why people think this is going to be an easy series, especially with Simmons likely back for game 3 in Brooklyn. The C’s have the most difficult path to the Finals as they will need to go though the Nets and more than likely the Bucks, followed by the Heat. That’s a brutal draw.

Because Brooklyn has looked so incredibly vulnerable since then.

They've had the 2nd best net margin in the East since KD's return.

Sean Grande@SeanGrandePBP

Celtics-Nets doesn't need any statistical support to make it the most compelling first round series. Of course it already is. But just in case, since Kevin Durant's return in early March, Boston and Brooklyn have been, by a wide margin, the two best teams in the East.

Yes, but the top teams in the east haven't had much to play for the last few weeks. The Nets meanwhile had been going full bore to try to get out of the play-in.

So while the Nets are indeed dangerous,  those stats are a bit skewed.

[Celtics2021]

Only on Celticsblog that people are afraid to face the Nets.

I don’t think this is true. I think everyone has a healthy respect for Durant. The nets played like a 50 win team when he was in the lineup and he almost beat the champion bucks basically by himself last year. I am actually getting a bit worried how arrogant some fans on here are being about this. Not good karma.

I'm more worried why fans aren't excited to face the Nets. After the run the Celtics had this year, with Marcus Smart likely to become DPOY (seriously why is NO ONE on this site is talking about this?). This is an elite team ready and focused, if they're truly worthy of becoming champions then they should be able to beat the Nets.

I think the C’s win in 6 or 7 games, but that doesn’t mean I’d prefer to have to face the Nets first round. Boston played them at home a month ago and they needed a 54 point performance out of Tatum to get that win. It was tight the whole way. I have no idea why people think this is going to be an easy series, especially with Simmons likely back for game 3 in Brooklyn. The C’s have the most difficult path to the Finals as they will need to go though the Nets and more than likely the Bucks, followed by the Heat. That’s a brutal draw.

Because Brooklyn has looked so incredibly vulnerable since then.

They've had the 2nd best net margin in the East since KD's return.

Sean Grande@SeanGrandePBP

Celtics-Nets doesn't need any statistical support to make it the most compelling first round series. Of course it already is. But just in case, since Kevin Durant's return in early March, Boston and Brooklyn have been, by a wide margin, the two best teams in the East.

Right, but you see the gap between the Celtics and the Nets in that chart?

[celticsclay]

Man this hawks heat game is uggggly

[jpotter33]

In what world do you not look at that Herro face hit on Young? Not intentional, but that’s a clear flagrant usually when it hits the head that hard. Just be consistent.

[RJD1974]

In what world do you not look at that Herro face hit on Young? Not intentional, but that’s a clear flagrant usually when it hits the head that hard. Just be consistent.

There's also an argument to be made that it wasn't not intentional.

[perks-a-beast]

Go Hawks!!! Can not bloody stand this Heat team...

[Goldstar88]

Atlanta really struggling early on..

[celticsclay]

Hawks getting destroyed so far. Wonder if this looks less bad with capela. The hawks did finally start to look like themselves the last month of season. Heat could be a legit style of play for playoffs

[kraidstar]

Hawks getting destroyed so far. Wonder if this looks less bad with capela. The hawks did finally start to look like themselves the last month of season. Heat could be a legit style of play for playoffs

You really need good bigs in these tense playoff games. Sometimes guys are missing jumpers so badly that rebounds become one of the only viable ways to score. That's why the Lakers won that 2010 game 7.

It's a lot harder to choke a putback dunk than a 3pointer (unless you're Ben Simmons, in which case you'd choke either 😉)

Which is great for us once Rob comes back
 The action around the rim just becomes so much more important in the pressure cooker that is the playoffs.

[Big333223]

I'm just not that impressed with Trae Young. The numbers are incredible and his ballhandling is impressive but every time I watch him play I see a lot of bad decisions.

[Who]

Go Hawks!!! Can not bloody stand this Heat team...

I love this Hawks team. Shooting, movement, defense.

Why do you dislike them?

[mobilija]

Hawks getting destroyed so far. Wonder if this looks less bad with capela. The hawks did finally start to look like themselves the last month of season. Heat could be a legit style of play for playoffs

Heat are legit. Completely under rated by people on CelticStrong. Absolute contenders.