NBA Playoffs 2023

[Ed Monix]

Really like the clippers but no Kawhi, no George doom them again..wonder if Russell will resign there? Seem to fit good there

Kawhi's had a tough few days.

According to ESPN, his sister just got sentenced to life without parole for killing an elderly woman back in 2019.

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https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/36264681/la-clippers-star-kawhi-leonard-sister-sentenced-murder

[hpantazo]

Giannis, Embiid, Kawhi, Morant and now Smart. It's been a rough 1st round.

[Phantom255x]

Heat off to a good start. 19-0 run now to go up 13

[Neurotic Guy]

Giannis, Embiid, Kawhi, Morant and now Smart. It's been a rough 1st round.

It was pretty obvious that Smart would sit this out - the way he landed and his reaction, you could tell he was going very sore.  Hope it heals quickly, much less concerned if Cs win - Smart should take his time.  And Cs shouldn’t miss him too much. I hope Payton gets some run tomorrow.

[jpotter33]

Man, if the score holds, even if Milwaukee gets Giannis back for game 4 that’s going to be a challenging rest of the series. Miami is going to have confidence, and they’re going to have to win 3 of 4 with 2 of those in Miami.

And that’s assuming Giannis will be back for game 4 on Monday, which is hardly a given.

[Phantom255x]

This is part of the reason why I'm so glad we drew Atlanta first round and not Miami.

For most of the season, the Heat struggled offensively and a lot of guys regressed shooting-wise. That said, when they are hitting their shots at a good clip, especially the 3, they are tough to beat for anyone. And there's obviously the Jimmy Butler factor too and the sneaky good defense the Heat can play (with the zone, coaching, and physicality they have on the team)

I know Giannis has been out and that's a big thing too, but the Heat are shooting very, very well in 2 of the 3 games against MIL so far. We'll see if this score holds, but if it does, MIA will be up 2-1 thanks to it. Hell, even Duncan Robinson has been contributing for them

[bello_man09]

So happy we are playing the hawks- this heat team will have guys out and beat up.

[Phantom255x]

Idk if Giannis will be available Game 4, but if MIL falls behind 3-1 then I think they are in serious danger of being bounced in the first round even if he returns after Game 4. Despite the talent advantage when healthy for the Bucks, it's still very tough for any team to come back from down 3-1. Only 13 times has it happened on 270 occasions in history (so a whopping 5% rate lol)

I wonder if that'll factor into the decision of whether Giannis plays Monday

But either way, this series is going 6 games. Pretty good for us if you ask me. Force MIL to play into late next week (Friday), then have a short turnaround before playing CLE/NY in what should be another 6-7 game series IMO before the ECF. We'll see how Giannis and Middleton hold up as well as the playoffs progress with their lingering issues
 

[SparzWizard]

Bucks getting blown out. This is at least going six games.

Only if the Nets could've helped us beat the 76ers...ugh. Idc about the Cavs/Knicks because one of them will lose in the next round (if they draw Milwaukee).

C's just need to make sure they take care of business tomorrow night.

[MattyIce]

poor Dipo

[Phantom255x]

poor Dipo

Man he deserves better 

[hpantazo]

The Bucks are in some trouble. This is turning into a nightmare 1st round series for them. The Celtics better take care of business against Atlanta because the path to the Finals is getting a bit easier.

[blink]

poor Dipo

Man he deserves better 

oh man that sucks...hope it isn't career ending

[Phantom255x]

Bucks have allowed 130, 122, and 121 points to the Heat so far this series.

People keep saying that the Bucks will be fine because the other team won't shoot this well, and while that may be true, it isn't always going to be. Because the Bucks defense is garbage. If you watch their games, a lot of the 3s they give up are wide open or open looks. If they play defense like that, they can definitely get torched multiple times in a series. C's did that to them a few times last year in the 2nd round (and remember the Game 7 with G-Will and Pritchard lol), and Miami has done it twice so far this round.

Milwaukee themselves shot very well in Game 2 and won by scoring 139 points, but MIL isn't a team that's going to often win shootouts against tougher competition (MIA, BOS, PHI, CLE).

Maybe someone who religiously watches the Bucks more can explain it better, but I don't think their defense is good at all. And it's also not ideal for them that MIA suddenly has learned how to shoot again. They need Giannis back ASAP

[jpotter33]

Lebron is going to 2012, Conference Finals Game 6 the Grizzlies after all Brooks’ smack talk.