NBA Playoffs 2023

[celticsclay]

Giannis has perhaps the worst 36/20 game in NBA history.  7 turnovers and more importantly 13 missed free throws.  I think it is time for Giannis to develop an underhand free throw.  His hands are just to big.  Just spend all summer going underhand.  You can't miss 13 free throws in an elimination game on your own floor when you have a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter.  Just an embarrassing loss and that follows a blown 14 point lead in game 4.  Back to back terrible losses.  And Bud not calling a timeout at the end is just crazy.  You call that timeout you complain to the refs about the non-call, you tell them there should be more time on the clock, and then you set up a play that gets Giannis the ball in the post for a last second shot.  They didn't even get a shot off at the end of regulation or overtime.  They may need to move on from Bud, not because he is a bad coach, but they've now gone out two straight years with losing the 4th quarter in the series badly (overall).  The C's out played them down the stretch last year and now the Heat have done it this year.  You can't let that happen when you have the best player in the world on your team.

OR he's not the best player in the world AND that having Middleton back playing for them doesn't make them champions or an automatic winner over any other team.   

your unwavering belief in the Bucks and Giannis as the best team and player and holding them up as team that would have won last year with a healthy Middleton AND your much-professed certainty that the best players always win in the season and especially the playoffs just took a huge hit with how the Bucks just got their butts handed to them by an inferior team that had a really good player who really pushed his team to win. 

talent will typically win but it needs to perform up to its abilities and effort/will can overcome talent.

the best player loses a playoff series all of the time.  If you are going to take shots at me, at least understand my argument, otherwise you just come off like an a**hat.

you've been unwavering in your argument, that's the point.  if the best player loses all the time, that's contrary to what you've stated repeatedly over the years.

you clearly don't understand my argument because the team with the best player loses playoff series all of the time, that has never been my argument.

I say again, if you are going to take unnecessary shots, at least understand the argument, otherwise you are nothing more than an a**hat.  So either learn the argument so we can reasonably talk about it or shut up.

Jeez guess we can just talk to each other however we want today. Aggressive!

We're all down bad after losing Game 5 

I remember the days when a poster telling another to "shut up" would get a warning from a mod or an outright 'temporary vacation" from the site -- never mind a mod saying that.  Think I've had enough.

Nah I completely agree. It was out of line. Not sure where the mods are though about it

I agree with both of you. Repeatedly using masked profanity at someone and telling them to shut up just because you were wrong about something is not something that should be tolerated. But please don’t leave on account of one posters actions.

[Neurotic Guy]

Giannis has perhaps the worst 36/20 game in NBA history.  7 turnovers and more importantly 13 missed free throws.  I think it is time for Giannis to develop an underhand free throw.  His hands are just to big.  Just spend all summer going underhand.  You can't miss 13 free throws in an elimination game on your own floor when you have a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter.  Just an embarrassing loss and that follows a blown 14 point lead in game 4.  Back to back terrible losses.  And Bud not calling a timeout at the end is just crazy.  You call that timeout you complain to the refs about the non-call, you tell them there should be more time on the clock, and then you set up a play that gets Giannis the ball in the post for a last second shot.  They didn't even get a shot off at the end of regulation or overtime.  They may need to move on from Bud, not because he is a bad coach, but they've now gone out two straight years with losing the 4th quarter in the series badly (overall).  The C's out played them down the stretch last year and now the Heat have done it this year.  You can't let that happen when you have the best player in the world on your team.

OR he's not the best player in the world AND that having Middleton back playing for them doesn't make them champions or an automatic winner over any other team.   

your unwavering belief in the Bucks and Giannis as the best team and player and holding them up as team that would have won last year with a healthy Middleton AND your much-professed certainty that the best players always win in the season and especially the playoffs just took a huge hit with how the Bucks just got their butts handed to them by an inferior team that had a really good player who really pushed his team to win. 

talent will typically win but it needs to perform up to its abilities and effort/will can overcome talent.

the best player loses a playoff series all of the time.  If you are going to take shots at me, at least understand my argument, otherwise you just come off like an a**hat.

you've been unwavering in your argument, that's the point.  if the best player loses all the time, that's contrary to what you've stated repeatedly over the years.

you clearly don't understand my argument because the team with the best player loses playoff series all of the time, that has never been my argument.

I say again, if you are going to take unnecessary shots, at least understand the argument, otherwise you are nothing more than an a**hat.  So either learn the argument so we can reasonably talk about it or shut up.

Jeez guess we can just talk to each other however we want today. Aggressive!

We're all down bad after losing Game 5 

I remember the days when a poster telling another to "shut up" would get a warning from a mod or an outright 'temporary vacation" from the site -- never mind a mod saying that.  Think I've had enough.

Nah I completely agree. It was out of line. Not sure where the mods are though about it

I agree with both of you. Repeatedly using masked profanity at someone and telling them to shut up just because you were wrong about something is not something that should be tolerated. But please don’t leave on account of one posters actions.

Hey Slam - please don’t leave because of this. Your voice is needed.  I also appreciate CC and Moranis.  A bit of an ongoing feud there but it’s usually entertaining and usually doesn’t boil over.  Hope it gets ironed out for now - we need all with positive energy we can muster tonight. 

[radiohead]

Just realized that we now have HCA all throughout the playoffs. Just take care of business at home and we hang that banner! Some road wins would be welcome though, including tonight vs Atlanta!

[celticsclay]

Giannis has perhaps the worst 36/20 game in NBA history.  7 turnovers and more importantly 13 missed free throws.  I think it is time for Giannis to develop an underhand free throw.  His hands are just to big.  Just spend all summer going underhand.  You can't miss 13 free throws in an elimination game on your own floor when you have a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter.  Just an embarrassing loss and that follows a blown 14 point lead in game 4.  Back to back terrible losses.  And Bud not calling a timeout at the end is just crazy.  You call that timeout you complain to the refs about the non-call, you tell them there should be more time on the clock, and then you set up a play that gets Giannis the ball in the post for a last second shot.  They didn't even get a shot off at the end of regulation or overtime.  They may need to move on from Bud, not because he is a bad coach, but they've now gone out two straight years with losing the 4th quarter in the series badly (overall).  The C's out played them down the stretch last year and now the Heat have done it this year.  You can't let that happen when you have the best player in the world on your team.

OR he's not the best player in the world AND that having Middleton back playing for them doesn't make them champions or an automatic winner over any other team.   

your unwavering belief in the Bucks and Giannis as the best team and player and holding them up as team that would have won last year with a healthy Middleton AND your much-professed certainty that the best players always win in the season and especially the playoffs just took a huge hit with how the Bucks just got their butts handed to them by an inferior team that had a really good player who really pushed his team to win. 

talent will typically win but it needs to perform up to its abilities and effort/will can overcome talent.

the best player loses a playoff series all of the time.  If you are going to take shots at me, at least understand my argument, otherwise you just come off like an a**hat.

you've been unwavering in your argument, that's the point.  if the best player loses all the time, that's contrary to what you've stated repeatedly over the years.

you clearly don't understand my argument because the team with the best player loses playoff series all of the time, that has never been my argument.

I say again, if you are going to take unnecessary shots, at least understand the argument, otherwise you are nothing more than an a**hat.  So either learn the argument so we can reasonably talk about it or shut up.

Jeez guess we can just talk to each other however we want today. Aggressive!

We're all down bad after losing Game 5 

I remember the days when a poster telling another to "shut up" would get a warning from a mod or an outright 'temporary vacation" from the site -- never mind a mod saying that.  Think I've had enough.

Nah I completely agree. It was out of line. Not sure where the mods are though about it

I agree with both of you. Repeatedly using masked profanity at someone and telling them to shut up just because you were wrong about something is not something that should be tolerated. But please don’t leave on account of one posters actions.

Hey Slam - please don’t leave because of this. Your voice is needed.  I also appreciate CC and Moranis.  A bit of an ongoing feud there but it’s usually entertaining and usually doesn’t boil over.  Hope it gets ironed out for now - we need all with positive energy we can muster tonight.

Obviously I argue with Moranis a lot and have for years, but I respect his contrarian takes when he makes them in good faith (which is most of the time). I think everyone on the board just wants to see posters treated the same. You can’t have one poster being banned for saying “Jesus Tatum is playing like absolute ass” a few times in a game thread and another poster just repeatedly calling another poster an asshat and being told to shut up with no rules or discipline. That’s not a road I want to see after 15 years on this forum.

[Phantom255x]

Full Schedule Released (Round 2 Sixers-Celtics):

[SparzWizard]

Alright now for the two remaining series left in the West. C'mon Grizzlies and Kings!!

If not Grizzlies, then I need the Warriors to win lol

[Donoghus]

Full Schedule Released (Round 2 Sixers-Celtics):

Mothers Day Game 7 will go over well in a lot of households 

[mobilija]

Full Schedule Released (Round 2 Sixers-Celtics):

Mothers Day Game 7 will go over well in a lot of households 

Yeah, all those Philly mothers gonna be sad there team is no longer playing! Celtics in 6!

[angryguy77]

Full Schedule Released (Round 2 Sixers-Celtics):

Mothers Day Game 7 will go over well in a lot of households 

Well, I enjoyed my marriage while it lasted.

[jpotter33]

I'm sorry, but all this praise about Giannis' remarks last night about "there not being failure in sports" and that the Bucks did not fail this year is just nonsense. This segment on Inside the NBA is so cringe.

The Bucks' season was absolutely a failure. They were the odds-on favorite to win the title, so it is objectively a failure for them to not make it past the first round, let alone a five game series. There's simply no arguing it. Even considering the injuries, that's part of the sport, and it's still a failure. They don't win the title in 2021 without injuries to Brooklyn.

His remarks really just are "participation trophy-esque" to me. Nonsense.

[cman88]

I'm sorry, but all this praise about Giannis' remarks last night about "there not being failure in sports" and that the Bucks did not fail this year is just nonsense. This segment on Inside the NBA is so cringe.

The Bucks' season was absolutely a failure. They were the odds-on favorite to win the title, so it is objectively a failure for them to not make it past the first round, let alone a five game series. There's simply no arguing it. Even considering the injuries, that's part of the sport, and it's still a failure. They don't win the title in 2021 without injuries to Brooklyn.

His remarks really just are "participation trophy-esque" to me. Nonsense.

Was just going to post something similar. I see a lot of praise for his comments. But when you win 58 games and are the #1 seed how is it not a failure if you lose to the #8 seed in the first round on your home floor? I can see if he said this after losing in an ECF against the Celtics. But you fight all year to get that #1 seed and then lose 4-1 against a play in team

[radiohead]

It was nice seeing Kemba watching game 6. How many times has he been seen watching the Celtics? It seems like he’s really following the team’s games in the playoffs. I would love to see back as part of Joe’s staff. Or if he somehow proves that he can still play, maybe he can be a PP replacement as an end of the bench energy guy?

[Kernewek]

I'm sorry, but all this praise about Giannis' remarks last night about "there not being failure in sports" and that the Bucks did not fail this year is just nonsense. This segment on Inside the NBA is so cringe.

The Bucks' season was absolutely a failure. They were the odds-on favorite to win the title, so it is objectively a failure for them to not make it past the first round, let alone a five game series. There's simply no arguing it. Even considering the injuries, that's part of the sport, and it's still a failure. They don't win the title in 2021 without injuries to Brooklyn.

His remarks really just are "participation trophy-esque" to me. Nonsense.

Or it's a reasonable rejoinder to a stupid question.

At it's core, asking a professional athlete in so many words 'would you rather win than lose?' is insipid. Even for a journalist that can't rock the boat.

[Vermont Green]

I'm sorry, but all this praise about Giannis' remarks last night about "there not being failure in sports" and that the Bucks did not fail this year is just nonsense. This segment on Inside the NBA is so cringe.

The Bucks' season was absolutely a failure. They were the odds-on favorite to win the title, so it is objectively a failure for them to not make it past the first round, let alone a five game series. There's simply no arguing it. Even considering the injuries, that's part of the sport, and it's still a failure. They don't win the title in 2021 without injuries to Brooklyn.

His remarks really just are "participation trophy-esque" to me. Nonsense.

Or it's a reasonable rejoinder to a stupid question.

At it's core, asking a professional athlete in so many words 'would you rather win than lose?' is insipid. Even for a journalist that can't rock the boat.

Yeah, I think if the question was are you disappointed with how the season ended, then it is not as much of an issue.  But it is a trigger word to use failure.  There no right way to answer the question when worded that way.

[Phantom255x]

I'm sorry, but all this praise about Giannis' remarks last night about "there not being failure in sports" and that the Bucks did not fail this year is just nonsense. This segment on Inside the NBA is so cringe.

The Bucks' season was absolutely a failure. They were the odds-on favorite to win the title, so it is objectively a failure for them to not make it past the first round, let alone a five game series. There's simply no arguing it. Even considering the injuries, that's part of the sport, and it's still a failure. They don't win the title in 2021 without injuries to Brooklyn.

His remarks really just are "participation trophy-esque" to me. Nonsense.

Or it's a reasonable rejoinder to a stupid question.

At it's core, asking a professional athlete in so many words 'would you rather win than lose?' is insipid. Even for a journalist that can't rock the boat.

Yeah, I think if the question was are you disappointed with how the season ended, then it is not as much of an issue.  But it is a trigger word to use failure.  There no right way to answer the question when worded that way.

Yeah I thought Giannis' response to that question was solid and well-said.

Disappointed? Absolutely. Failure? Idk, seems a bit much.

But that said, people are acting like he took the high road but Giannis was pretty disrespectful when interacting with the reporter too. Idk if people actually heard the entire cut, but he literally asked the reporter, "is that a failure, yes or no", - silence -, "YES OR NO" he asked pretty loudly back to the reporter. I mean I get he just came off a tough season-ending loss but that felt disrespectful too. Didn't even feel like a sarcastic jab or anything, it felt hostile to me.

But again, maybe that was just my interpretation.