2024 NBA Season and Playoffs

[liam]

More of the Heat being punks and the refs letting them:


https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39598791/nba-suspends-five-players-roles-heat-pelicans-fight

[Phantom255x]

More of the Heat being punks and the refs letting them:


https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39598791/nba-suspends-five-players-roles-heat-pelicans-fight

[celticsclay]

Bucks rallying together and figuring out their identities? B2b wins against playoff-caliber teams on the road.

Philly is not a good team without Embid. I think they are Even sub .500 without him. You have quickly Become the king of saying a team is figuring things out when they win two games in a row though so i will give you a tp
For the commitment to the bit.

The bucks are absolutely legit and a threat, don’t care if Philly isn’t good without Embiid. They have 2 first ballot hall of famers and probably are “figuring it out” but keep acting like the aren’t legit over there in delusional green land

There’s quite a disparity between the benefit of doubt you give to Celtics rivals than the benefit of doubt you give the Celtics.

I mean I pointed out Philly wasn’t a very good team without Embid and it was like I somehow insulted his first born…. Lol

Just to be clear I absolutely hate the bucks and Giannis but what I can’t stand more is delusional Celtics fans acting like the bucks and other teams don’t stand a chance.
Celtics are by far and away the best team in the league this year and once the playoffs start everyone has a clean slate and they’ll have to prove it again. I fear the bucks and absolutely dread having to be locked into a playoff series against them.

Your comments literally have nothing to do with what I posted tho… you are creating nonsense that nobody even said. Philly being a bad team without Embid is not even tangentially related to how the Celtics would do in a playoff series against the bucks and I have no idea how you even made that connection.

Clearly because you tried discrediting the bucks beating the 6ers or “figuring it out” because the 6ers “aren’t good”
The bucks will be a legit threat whether they beat the 6ers last night or got blown out by them, but ok.

No. I’m going to assume you are an intelligent rational person.
The 76ers are a pretty lousy team without Embid. I pointed that out. That has nothing to with whether I think the bucks are a tough matchup for us in the playoffs (which I do). If we blow out the hawks I’m not gonna say the Celtics are figuring out something either. So you have a choice here. You can admit your response of calling me a delusional fan for saying the bucks beating a .500 level team isn’t relevant as to whether they are a good team (which hilariously you said in your reply here). Or you can keep digging in responding to things nobody is saying. Totally up to you but I’ve given you the benefit of the doubt here and treated you with respect.

[celticsclay]

Lakers might steal this. Suns are playing with their food

Lakers are good enough to hang in games because of Davis and Lebron. But they lose these close games more often than not because they don’t have the defensive players to get a stop when they need to (asides from Davis who teams can obviously avoid). I was kind of shocked the lakers did not address their perimeter defense at the trade deadline and rolled with Reaves and Russell. They have zero shot of slowing down Edwards, sga, Booker, Murray etc and they will always lose down the stretch against those good teams without roster changes. I don’t love Lebron but the lakers did him no favors keeping this defensive backcourt for one of his last effective healthy years.

[Phantom255x]

Lakers might steal this. Suns are playing with their food

Lakers are good enough to hang in games because of Davis and Lebron. But they lose these close games more often than not because they don’t have the defensive players to get a stop when they need to (asides from Davis who teams can obviously avoid). I was kind of shocked the lakers did not address their perimeter defense at the trade deadline and rolled with Reaves and Russell. They have zero shot of slowing down Edwards, sga, Booker, Murray etc and they will always lose down the stretch against those good teams without roster changes. I don’t love Lebron but the lakers did him no favors keeping this defensive backcourt for one of his last effective healthy years.

The Lakers last year benefitted from a favorable path. Maybe they still beat the Grizzlies but idk, it doesn't help when the Grizzlies practically lose their entire frontcourt to injuries right before a series with the Lakers and Anthony Davis. Then they faced a Warriors team who were wiped out after an electric 7-game series with a young Kings team.

Their path this year is gonna be a whole lot tougher. Like you said,  they'll have to contend with the likes of Ant Edwards, KAT, SGA, Chet, Booker, KD, Murray, Fox, Jokic, Kawhi, PG13, etc. The West is just so much more loaded this year. And this isn't even until they make it out of the play-in where they will likely have to play 2 of Golden State/Phoenix/Dallas/Sacramento. 

[celticsclay]

Lakers might steal this. Suns are playing with their food

Lakers are good enough to hang in games because of Davis and Lebron. But they lose these close games more often than not because they don’t have the defensive players to get a stop when they need to (asides from Davis who teams can obviously avoid). I was kind of shocked the lakers did not address their perimeter defense at the trade deadline and rolled with Reaves and Russell. They have zero shot of slowing down Edwards, sga, Booker, Murray etc and they will always lose down the stretch against those good teams without roster changes. I don’t love Lebron but the lakers did him no favors keeping this defensive backcourt for one of his last effective healthy years.

The Lakers last year benefitted from a favorable path. Maybe they still beat the Grizzlies but idk, it doesn't help when the Grizzlies practically lose their entire frontcourt to injuries right before a series with the Lakers and Anthony Davis. Then they faced a Warriors team who were wiped out after an electric 7-game series with a young Kings team.

Their path this year is gonna be a whole lot tougher. Like you said,  they'll have to contend with the likes of Ant Edwards, KAT, SGA, Chet, Booker, KD, Murray, Fox, Jokic, Kawhi, PG13, etc. The West is just so much more loaded this year. And this isn't even until they make it out of the play-in where they will likely have to play 2 of Golden State/Phoenix/Dallas/Sacramento.

I agree with you 100% on all of this. I think if Adams and Clarke played they are knocked out round one. But it did create this fools gold of Rui being a budding star and Reaves being their third star. And these guys would not be a top 5 player on the Celtics. To their credit they got Reaves for a good deal but they are a deadend team right now. And unless Jokic, Durant, Leonard, Edwards and sga all get injured in a 6 car accident they are not making the finals.

[Phantom255x]

It could be all-star week rust, but the Cavs have looked pretty shaky since the resumption. Even today, only up 1 at halftime against the hopeless Wizards.

[Phantom255x]

Warriors might be figuring it out, which could be dangerous for the West. Kuminga is unleashed, Pod has turned into a nice player for them and they have a few other solid role players. They are much deeper than last year's squad and look good now, especially if Klay can at least be close to his previous self

[Moranis]

It could be all-star week rust, but the Cavs have looked pretty shaky since the resumption. Even today, only up 1 at halftime against the hopeless Wizards.

Mitchell has been in and out of the lineup and Garland hasn't quite figured out his role since coming back from injury.  That is especially magnified with Mitchell being in and out now.  I think they just need some time to figure out how to play together again.  That said, Mitchell is probably at best a top 15 player and more like a top 20 player, so they've always had a real up hill battle to title contention.  They need a solid year this year and Mobley to take a jump next year. The Cavs being true title contenders is almost entirely contingent on Mobley ascending into the upper echelon of the league.

[celticsclay]

It could be all-star week rust, but the Cavs have looked pretty shaky since the resumption. Even today, only up 1 at halftime against the hopeless Wizards.

Mitchell has been in and out of the lineup and Garland hasn't quite figured out his role since coming back from injury.  That is especially magnified with Mitchell being in and out now.  I think they just need some time to figure out how to play together again.  That said, Mitchell is probably at best a top 15 player and more like a top 20 player, so they've always had a real up hill battle to title contention.  They need a solid year this year and Mobley to take a jump next year. The Cavs being true title contenders is almost entirely contingent on Mobley ascending into the upper echelon of the league.

Mo is speaking facts here but I do think Mitchell is top 15.

[SparzWizard]

Warriors might be figuring it out, which could be dangerous for the West. Kuminga is unleashed, Pod has turned into a nice player for them and they have a few other solid role players. They are much deeper than last year's squad and look good now, especially if Klay can at least be close to his previous self

Warriors figuring it out gives me PTSD of 2022 NBA Finals.

[Birdman]

Jokic is unreal..32/16/16.. another triple double, MVP race over lol

[Moranis]

Jokic is unreal..32/16/16.. another triple double, MVP race over lol

It has been over since Embiid went down. He was the only guy that had a shot (I still wouldnhave favored Jokic, it just wasn't a given).

[liam]

Jokic is unreal..32/16/16.. another triple double, MVP race over lol

It has been over since Embiid went down. He was the only guy that had a shot (I still wouldnhave favored Jokic, it just wasn't a given).

Jokic is awesome no doubt but his team is in fourth place in League standings. Tatum's team is head and shoulders above the rest of the League. Winning should count for something.

[Donoghus]

Jokic is unreal..32/16/16.. another triple double, MVP race over lol

It has been over since Embiid went down. He was the only guy that had a shot (I still wouldnhave favored Jokic, it just wasn't a given).

Jokic is awesome no doubt but his team is in fourth place in League standings. Tatum's team is head and shoulders above the rest of the League. Winning should count for something.

They're a game & a half out of the 1 seed in the West.

It's not like they suck or anything.  They're one of the best teams in the league and the betting favorite to come out of the West. 

26/12/9 shooting at 58% is a ridiculous stat line.