NBA Playoffs 2023

[Who]

I wonder if this is a series for Kuminga. GSW were too reliant on the outside shot. Nobody looked comfortable driving. I wonder if Kuminga attacking an already broken defense and taking it hard to the basket could be a good asset (off the bench) in this series.

[scaryjerry]

Lakers made all the right moves at the trade deadline, while we made none...Pretty sure we could have had Vanderbilt...SMH, No. 18 coming this year for our rivals.

Good moves at the deadline but the lakers are winning because they have a healthy Lebron and Davis. Not because of Vanderbilt.

[SparzWizard]

Lakers made all the right moves at the trade deadline, while we made none...Pretty sure we could have had Vanderbilt...SMH, No. 18 coming this year for our rivals.

NBA finals rematch between Lakers and Heat? Yuck

No way...there is still us the Sixers if we dont make it and the Nuggets standing in the way of the Fakers...Heat aint getting past the Sixers or gulp...the Cs.

This eerily sounds like an eventual Final 4 that was in the 2020 bubble. Lakers/Nuggets, Celtics/Heat. Getting deja vu!

[angryguy77]

Not one of the 7 teams should be able to beat us, but here we are nervous thanks to boston looking AAU.

[celticsclay]

The Fakers may have been the strongest 7th seed ive seen in history...when AD and LeWhine are healthy its like they are a top 3 seed in the West.

But i still think the Warriors will beat them. Heck the dubs came back from 2-0 so this is nothing to them where as these Fakers may have already gave it their all but i dont think they can really keep up with the Warriors if the dubs would just play fast.

Wouldn’t count out the warriors by any means but they just lost home court advantage which seems pretty significant to me in this series and the lakers are playing amazing, clearly best in the league right now.

Do people forget the nuggets exist? They are 6-1 in the playoffs with one loss in OT

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

The Fakers may have been the strongest 7th seed ive seen in history...when AD and LeWhine are healthy its like they are a top 3 seed in the West.

But i still think the Warriors will beat them. Heck the dubs came back from 2-0 so this is nothing to them where as these Fakers may have already gave it their all but i dont think they can really keep up with the Warriors if the dubs would just play fast.

Wouldn’t count out the warriors by any means but they just lost home court advantage which seems pretty significant to me in this series and the lakers are playing amazing, clearly best in the league right now.

Do people forget the nuggets exist? They are 6-1 in the playoffs with one loss in OT

I think it's because the Nuggets usually underperform at some point. They've been good in recent seasons, but they reached the WCF only once.

[SparzWizard]

The Fakers may have been the strongest 7th seed ive seen in history...when AD and LeWhine are healthy its like they are a top 3 seed in the West.

But i still think the Warriors will beat them. Heck the dubs came back from 2-0 so this is nothing to them where as these Fakers may have already gave it their all but i dont think they can really keep up with the Warriors if the dubs would just play fast.

Wouldn’t count out the warriors by any means but they just lost home court advantage which seems pretty significant to me in this series and the lakers are playing amazing, clearly best in the league right now.

Do people forget the nuggets exist? They are 6-1 in the playoffs with one loss in OT

I think it's because the Nuggets usually underperform at some point. They've been good in recent seasons, but they reached the WCF only once.

Yeah, I'm not sold on the Nuggets until they actually make the Finals. They a one-trick pony. They're basically like a mini-CP3 or another LA Clippers; always falling short in the postseason and unable to make the Finals

So far they played the Wolves, and now they're playing a slightly banged up Suns team

[tenn_smoothie]

Lakers made all the right moves at the trade deadline, while we made none...Pretty sure we could have had Vanderbilt...SMH, No. 18 coming this year for our rivals.

After the train wreck the Lakers have been the past two seasons -
If they sneak in at the end this year and win their supposed 18th title, I will have no reason to live.

[scaryjerry]

Not one of the 7 teams should be able to beat us, but here we are nervous thanks to boston looking AAU.

This is just blatant homerism.
So the warriors, the exact team that beat us last season, shouldn’t be able to beat us?
A team with Lebron James and Anthony Davis shouldn’t be able to beat us?
No one in the east should beat us I guess, but cmon man.

[scaryjerry]

The Fakers may have been the strongest 7th seed ive seen in history...when AD and LeWhine are healthy its like they are a top 3 seed in the West.

But i still think the Warriors will beat them. Heck the dubs came back from 2-0 so this is nothing to them where as these Fakers may have already gave it their all but i dont think they can really keep up with the Warriors if the dubs would just play fast.

Wouldn’t count out the warriors by any means but they just lost home court advantage which seems pretty significant to me in this series and the lakers are playing amazing, clearly best in the league right now.

Do people forget the nuggets exist? They are 6-1 in the playoffs with one loss in OT

Nuggets are fine and playing really well, I don’t completely count them out but yeah I think whoever wins this warriors/lakers series will beat them and as good as the nuggets are I haven’t for one second all season thought they would actually make the finals

[Neurotic Guy]

Lakers made all the right moves at the trade deadline, while we made none...Pretty sure we could have had Vanderbilt...SMH, No. 18 coming this year for our rivals.

After the train wreck the Lakers have been the past two seasons -
If they sneak in at the end this year and win their supposed 18th title, I will have no reason to live.

It’s already keeping me up nights. Absolute worst case, nightmare scenario unfolding. I fear it always and I had the audacity to believe it couldn’t happen this year. But it’s happening. Celtics faltering; Lakers suddenly world beaters.  I need to vomit.  The path is clearing for LAL - they could end up facing the Knicks in the Finals for crying out loud.

[Kernewek]

Lakers made all the right moves at the trade deadline, while we made none...Pretty sure we could have had Vanderbilt...SMH, No. 18 coming this year for our rivals.

After the train wreck the Lakers have been the past two seasons -
If they sneak in at the end this year and win their supposed 18th title, I will have no reason to live.

It’s already keeping me up nights. Absolute worst case, nightmare scenario unfolding. I fear it always and I had the audacity to believe it couldn’t happen this year. But it’s happening. Celtics faltering; Lakers suddenly world beaters.  I need to vomit.  The path is clearing for LAL - they could end up facing the Knicks in the Finals for crying out loud.

It's not ideal, but imagine... the LeLakers losing to the Julius Randle Knicks. That would be hilarious.

[Vermont Green]

People have been down on LAL and DEN.  Of DEN, it is silly to say I am not going to believe they can win a championship until they win a championship.  That is pretzel logic.  Last season, Murray and Porter were hurt.  They have all their horses right now.  And they caught a break with CP3 getting hurt.  They aren't the Jets.  They are a good, well constructed team, with one of the top players in the game.

And the Lakers, someone said it above, it isn't about Vanderbilt or Hachimura, it is about LeBron and LeBrow being healthy.  It is just one game.  GSW can come back from this.  Long way to go.  If Davis and LeBron hold up, and they may not (44 min for Davis, 40 for LeBron), GSW are going to have their hands full.  GSW will live and die by the 3.  They hit 39.6% of 53 3PA and still lost at home.  Held LAL to 24% from 3, and still lost at home.  GSW fans should be plenty worried.

[celticinorlando]

Lakers going to win the west unfortunately.

[Vermont Green]

Getting back to the east, MIA was able to stay pretty close vs. NYK without Butler.  They got their one game in NYC though, they could afford to lose this game.  If it was a game 7, I wonder if Butler would have played.  Next game is not until Saturday afternoon.  To me, that is a big game, not so much because a team having 2 wins but more who is going to establish themselves as the better team.  Are the Knicks able to do that, like they should be able to.

I am not sure what to make of all this.  I went into the playoffs thinking CLE was pretty good and NYK and MIA were not very good.  Remember, MIA lost to ATL in a playin game but then blew by a wounded MIL team.  NYK blew through CLE but now I am wondering that  maybe what I was the most wrong about was thinking CLE good.  I am not sure that either MIA or NYK have proven anything yet.  My gut tells me NYK is the better team and that MIA just caught a good tail wind or something.  Game 3 will go a long way towards determining that or not.