Author Topic: NBA Playoffs 2023  (Read 223483 times)

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Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #300 on: April 17, 2023, 09:28:31 AM »

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It is amazing the balance scoring LAL got yesterday. 5 guys with 20pts or thereabouts.

29pts for Hachimura
23pts for A Reeves
22pts for LeBron
21pts for A Davis
19pts for D Russell

That is a heck of a lot of help for LBJ and AD. LAL cannot expect that type of production from their supporting cast moving forward.

5 guys with 20pts. And on that mediocre LAL team. Huh.


Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #301 on: April 17, 2023, 09:41:38 AM »

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I do wonder if KD being hurt might have affected the rhythm and chemistry Phoenix has. Durant obviously missed a good chunk of time with the ankle injury, and has only played about 10 games with Phoenix since. They can still figure it out soon, but they have to do it fast otherwise the Clips will take this series.

Yeah, we've never seen a team play so little together and expect to make a title push. This is a real test for how quickly a team can come together. We've had some big mid-season trades before like Drexler to the Rockets in 1995 and Sheed to DET in 2004 but those guys had 30 games to bed in and develop chemistry. KD has been injured almost the entire time since the trade. Only 9-10 games played. No chemistry developed. They are going purely off of talent.


It kind of reminds me of last year's Nets. Now obviously there's no Kyrie and his shenanigans, but that team had all the talent and hype, but fizzled out first round and it became kind of clear something was off, but also Kyrie missed a significant amount of time due to "personal reasons" and being unvaccinated, and they didn't seem to gel together late in the season despite being talented players. CP3 is older, and not as talented now. Ayton also to me is overrated.

On BKN, I don't think their problems were chemistry related last year. They had a few injuries with Ben Simmons and Joe Harris. Maybe somebody else. They had no wings left. Guys with size who could help their defense and defend Jaylen & Tatum. They were too reliant on small guards which hampered their D. To me it wasn't about chemistry (guys not knowing how to play with each other) and more about not having the horses for the job (lacking wings).


We'll see. But also, Phoenix's bench is pretty thin. They are relying a ton on Booker and KD to score a bunch each game

I like PHO's bench. I made zero impact last nigh but I believe that was more down to coaching than talent. I do not like how Monty Williams used them and I do not like how he has been using them since the trade deadline.

Monty Williams has failed to integrate Terrence Ross and TJ Warren into the team. These are their two best bench scorers. Both guys are double digit points producers. Ross got 4 minutes last night. TJ Warren was a DNP although he may be still hurt. He was shaking off an injury. So we'll see how that changes moving forward.

But if you remove those two guys from the bench, you are only left with limited offensive talent. Perimeter players who are spot up shooters and big men who are garbage men. Except for Cameron Payne who is legit (who did not play last night. Is he injured?).

This is why he had to lean so heavily on the starters and play them around 40 minutes each.

I'd love to see T Ross get more of a run. This is the first time in a long long time that he has played alongside good players who will get a lot of defensive attention and will thus be open a good chunk of the time for easy scoring opportunities. I believe he could be dynamite as a bench scorer alongside the type of offensive talent PHO has and in a run and gun system. Such an explosive scorer. And then you got TJ Warren who has always been a reliable scorer.

I put more of PHO's bench struggles down to their poor usage of the coaching staff than the lack of talent available on the bench.

So in effect PHO were down their 3 best offensive bench players. C Payne with injury. TJ Warren a DNP (maybe injury, maybe coach). T Ross only 4 minutes due to coach.

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #302 on: April 17, 2023, 09:46:06 AM »

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4 points...should be called Karl Anthony Hamlet after this game  :angel:

TP :)

Different series: Would be a wonderful postseason if KD and CP3 go out in the first round to the terminally under-performing Clippers (edit: and Westbrook!)

It would be so much fun to see CP3 and Durant get knocked out. Screw those guys.

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #303 on: April 17, 2023, 09:51:29 AM »

Offline Vermont Green

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BOS, DEN, and PHI took care of business, held serve, no real surprises in those games.

LAL beat MEM and MIA beat MIL but due to injuries and other factors, not sure how much you can extrapolate from these game.  If Morant is not himself, MEM is in trouble.  If Giannis is actually injured for any period of time, MIL still might beat MIA but the complexion of that series changed dramatically.  LAL and MIA took advantage of the opportunities and secured big road wins.

Then you had what I would call the upsets, NYK over CLE, LAC (without PG) over PHO, and SAC over GSW.  I get that these were expected to be close series in any case but I thought in particular that CLE was better than NYK.  These two west series had lots of questions.  Would GSW win on the road?  Would PHO gel as a team around Durant.  Is SAC for real?  The case is not closed for any of these questions but the opening statements have been made.  SAC needs to win two at home so all they have done is hold serve.  NYK and LAC can claim victory with even a spit on the road but these series are far from over obviously.

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #304 on: April 17, 2023, 09:56:04 AM »

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Mmm ... I think I saw somewhere late last night that Morant did not believe he would be able to play in Gm 2. No word yet how long he may be out but looks unlikely for Gm 2.

Big loss for MEM.

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #305 on: April 17, 2023, 10:00:07 AM »

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Mmm ... I think I saw somewhere late last night that Morant did not believe he would be able to play in Gm 2. No word yet how long he may be out but looks unlikely for Gm 2.

Big loss for MEM.

Just to go off of this in a different direction. Thought experiment.

Would MEM be better off with (1) S Adams & B Clarke and no Morant, or, (2) with Morant but no S Adams & B Clarke.

They have played so well without Morant in the past that I believe there is a pretty strong case that S Adams and B Clarke being out hurts them more than Morant.

There is also a pretty interesting debate on how much Morant really effects wins and losses. He is a fantastic ball-handler, dribble penetrator and playmaker but Morant is also a lousy defender with middling scoring efficiency (55.7% TS% this season). So he helps his team with his driving and playmaking but subtracts on defense and doesn't move the needle much with his scoring due to mediocre efficiency.


Of course, this is not the situation MEM are facing. They are going to be without all 3 of these guys which would kill off their chances of beating LAL.

But it is interesting to wonder whether two role players (big men) are as valuable as their star PG ... and what does that mean for how valuable that star PG really is.

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #306 on: April 17, 2023, 10:43:01 AM »

Offline Moranis

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Mmm ... I think I saw somewhere late last night that Morant did not believe he would be able to play in Gm 2. No word yet how long he may be out but looks unlikely for Gm 2.

Big loss for MEM.

Just to go off of this in a different direction. Thought experiment.

Would MEM be better off with (1) S Adams & B Clarke and no Morant, or, (2) with Morant but no S Adams & B Clarke.

They have played so well without Morant in the past that I believe there is a pretty strong case that S Adams and B Clarke being out hurts them more than Morant.

There is also a pretty interesting debate on how much Morant really effects wins and losses. He is a fantastic ball-handler, dribble penetrator and playmaker but Morant is also a lousy defender with middling scoring efficiency (55.7% TS% this season). So he helps his team with his driving and playmaking but subtracts on defense and doesn't move the needle much with his scoring due to mediocre efficiency.


Of course, this is not the situation MEM are facing. They are going to be without all 3 of these guys which would kill off their chances of beating LAL.

But it is interesting to wonder whether two role players (big men) are as valuable as their star PG ... and what does that mean for how valuable that star PG really is.
Morant isn't that valuable, we saw that all of last year when they were like 20-2 without him (before the final 3 games which they lost).  His value has been better this year, but he is still a very ball dominant small guard that can't play defense.  And he isn't efficient at all as a scorer with a TS% of just 55.7.  Excellent rebounder and he has improved his passing, but unless he really ups his shooting efficiency or becomes a much better defender (and if he does both he jumps into the top 5 player discussion), I think he is always going to struggle in the true value to winning area. 

That is actually why I think he is only the 3rd best player in the series.  Long term, sure you'd rather have Morant than Lebron or Davis, but for this playoff run, I'd put Morant 3rd, which is why I always thought the Lakers would win the series. 
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Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #307 on: April 17, 2023, 10:52:24 AM »

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I wonder how they approach it with Giannis in the coming games. I also wonder if Giannis is going to have to adjust. I mean, if he wants to keep driving/attacking recklessly like he does, he can go ahead, but I think he really risks reinjuring his back or getting hurt in another area doing so. And make no mistake, Miami will play physical with these guys, and so will Cleveland next round with their size
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Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #308 on: April 17, 2023, 11:15:45 AM »

Offline slamtheking

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have to admit, I'm really torn on who I want to 'win' the series between the Clips and Suns.  On one hand, I'd like to see the Clips knock off Durant and Paul because I just cannot stand either one at this point.  On the other hand, I'd like to see the Suns knock off the Clips so we won't be barraged by Greenly trade threads insisting we have to get Kawhi (or at least as many as usual)  ::)

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #309 on: April 17, 2023, 11:17:57 AM »

Offline slamtheking

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Mmm ... I think I saw somewhere late last night that Morant did not believe he would be able to play in Gm 2. No word yet how long he may be out but looks unlikely for Gm 2.

Big loss for MEM.

Just to go off of this in a different direction. Thought experiment.

Would MEM be better off with (1) S Adams & B Clarke and no Morant, or, (2) with Morant but no S Adams & B Clarke.

They have played so well without Morant in the past that I believe there is a pretty strong case that S Adams and B Clarke being out hurts them more than Morant.

There is also a pretty interesting debate on how much Morant really effects wins and losses. He is a fantastic ball-handler, dribble penetrator and playmaker but Morant is also a lousy defender with middling scoring efficiency (55.7% TS% this season). So he helps his team with his driving and playmaking but subtracts on defense and doesn't move the needle much with his scoring due to mediocre efficiency.


Of course, this is not the situation MEM are facing. They are going to be without all 3 of these guys which would kill off their chances of beating LAL.

But it is interesting to wonder whether two role players (big men) are as valuable as their star PG ... and what does that mean for how valuable that star PG really is.
Morant isn't that valuable, we saw that all of last year when they were like 20-2 without him (before the final 3 games which they lost).  His value has been better this year, but he is still a very ball dominant small guard that can't play defense.  And he isn't efficient at all as a scorer with a TS% of just 55.7.  Excellent rebounder and he has improved his passing, but unless he really ups his shooting efficiency or becomes a much better defender (and if he does both he jumps into the top 5 player discussion), I think he is always going to struggle in the true value to winning area. 

That is actually why I think he is only the 3rd best player in the series.  Long term, sure you'd rather have Morant than Lebron or Davis, but for this playoff run, I'd put Morant 3rd, which is why I always thought the Lakers would win the series.
Have to agree with you that I don't think Morant is as valuable as many would think.  A lot of flash and can certainly carry a team offensively for stretches but he's a negative on the court in several aspects that are a lot more consistently impactful to the team's performance.

having all 3 of those guys out for any length of time is going to turn this into a cakewalk for the Lakers unfortunately.

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #310 on: April 17, 2023, 11:18:23 AM »

Offline Moranis

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have to admit, I'm really torn on who I want to 'win' the series between the Clips and Suns.  On one hand, I'd like to see the Clips knock off Durant and Paul because I just cannot stand either one at this point.  On the other hand, I'd like to see the Suns knock off the Clips so we won't be barraged by Greenly trade threads insisting we have to get Kawhi (or at least as many as usual)  ::)
You might see more of those if the Clips lose and Kawhi plays well, because then the Clips might realize they need to start over and recoup the draft capital and assets they gave up to get Kawhi and PG. 
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Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #311 on: April 17, 2023, 11:23:47 AM »

Offline jambr380

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As the fan of a team we hope makes the Finals, I think we need to be pulling for PHX in a tough 7-game series. If the Clippers are able to cruise through PHX in 4 or 5 - and then get PG back - they are going to be really difficult to eventually face.

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #312 on: April 17, 2023, 11:37:20 AM »

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As the fan of a team we hope makes the Finals, I think we need to be pulling for PHX in a tough 7-game series. If the Clippers are able to cruise through PHX in 4 or 5 - and then get PG back - they are going to be really difficult to eventually face.

Also be interesting to see if PG13's return disrupts their chemistry. They have a volatile player there in Westbrook who looks very comfortable in his increased role while PG13 has been out injured. It'll be interesting to see if Westbrook can adjust well to PG13's demand for shots & time on the ball without hurting his own (Westbrook) game.

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #313 on: April 17, 2023, 11:44:24 AM »

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LeBron finished 2nd in the NBA this season in transition scoring. He is 38 years old. 2nd in transition scoring! That is incredible.

Jaylen was 4th. Bane and Morant were 6th and 7th respectively.

Re: NBA Playoffs 2023
« Reply #314 on: April 17, 2023, 11:58:01 AM »

Offline jpotter33

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As the fan of a team we hope makes the Finals, I think we need to be pulling for PHX in a tough 7-game series. If the Clippers are able to cruise through PHX in 4 or 5 - and then get PG back - they are going to be really difficult to eventually face.

Yeah, I think a fully healthy Clippers team is about the most difficult matchup for us out of the West. A lot of similarities between the two teams, and they have the wing defenders to challenge us.

Would be a really fun and interesting series.
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