2024 NBA Season and Playoffs

[celticsclay]

Lakers really have nobody to guard Murray. Even on a bad ankle he had 24 and 11.

[SparzWizard]

Nice to see Lebron's night getting spoiled and lose at home to a more worthy team like the Nuggets

[scaryjerry]

Man I have mad respect for this Nuggets team. Jokic MVP. Great coaching. Smart coaches and players. Great, balanced roster and all likable guys. And they sure know how to play well in the clutch and close games out. And it’s not like they need the refs help or anything they just get it done and adjust as needed. Lakers felt like the better team and it didn’t matter, Nuggets stayed in it and then played an excellent 2nd half for a great road win

Unless someone on our team plays like an absolute god or we play perfect basketball constantly I just don’t see how we would beat them in the finals

[Silas]

Man I have mad respect for this Nuggets team. Jokic MVP. Great coaching. Smart coaches and players. Great, balanced roster and all likable guys. And they sure know how to play well in the clutch and close games out. And it’s not like they need the refs help or anything they just get it done and adjust as needed. Lakers felt like the better team and it didn’t matter, Nuggets stayed in it and then played an excellent 2nd half for a great road win

Unless someone on our team plays like an absolute god or we play perfect basketball constantly I just don’t see how we would beat them in the finals

maybe you need some new glasses....lol

[SHAQATTACK]

Man I have mad respect for this Nuggets team. Jokic MVP. Great coaching. Smart coaches and players. Great, balanced roster and all likable guys. And they sure know how to play well in the clutch and close games out. And it’s not like they need the refs help or anything they just get it done and adjust as needed. Lakers felt like the better team and it didn’t matter, Nuggets stayed in it and then played an excellent 2nd half for a great road win

Unless someone on our team plays like an absolute god or we play perfect basketball constantly I just don’t see how we would beat them in the finals

maybe you need some new glasses....lol

If Zinger , Tatum and Brown are 100% ….Nuggets could easily get beat

Take both centers away, we own the Nuggets . IF Zinger is as healthy as jokic then we are as good or better.

It’s all about Celtics being 100% Health at playoff time. Our coach has improved too.  He is at least serviceable now as a head coach. Not a liability anymore.

[Birdman]

Porzingus healthy be a nightmare for Denver

[Moranis]

The thing is, we've seen Luka put a team on his back and win playoff series before.  And for as much as I dislike and badmouth team killer Kyrie, we've also seen him drop 40 point playoff games with ease.  The Mavs are a scary playoff team to face for those reasons.  Supreme talent like that, that has actually shown it in the playoffs, should always be trusted.  Now the rest of the team just isn't any good, but when you have 2 guys at the top like that, I wouldn't bet against the Mavs.

Without LeBron by his side, I haven't seen Kyrie excel in the playoffs.

when Kyrie plays he is fairly similar whether with or without Lebron.  He has always been inconsistent,  but when he is on, he can win you a game or 2.  Luka can win 2 or 3 quite easily as well. That gets you a series win.

Kyrie can win you a game or two does not impress. Kelly Olynk or even Leon Powe can win u a game in the playoffs.

Granted Kyrie is a different level than those two, but he’s not really a guy that wins playoff games on his own. Has he won a playoff game as the best player on a team? He’s clearly a second banana, and arguably a lower tier one at that.

That is fair, but he is also on a team with a clearly better player, so that fits him at his best.  There will be a couple of games in any series when Kyrie has a monster game which unless the other team has a similar output will win them the game.  There will be 3 or 4 games in a playoff series where Luka goes mega (he will always be good, but the mega games).  If Kyrie's monster games aren't Luka's mega games, they will be very difficult to beat in a series.  Top end talent like that, is how you win consistently in the playoffs.  If they are both healthy, I might just favor the Mavs over every team in the west that doesn't have Jokic.

[Moranis]

Man I have mad respect for this Nuggets team. Jokic MVP. Great coaching. Smart coaches and players. Great, balanced roster and all likable guys. And they sure know how to play well in the clutch and close games out. And it’s not like they need the refs help or anything they just get it done and adjust as needed. Lakers felt like the better team and it didn’t matter, Nuggets stayed in it and then played an excellent 2nd half for a great road win

Unless someone on our team plays like an absolute god or we play perfect basketball constantly I just don’t see how we would beat them in the finals

maybe you need some new glasses....lol

If Zinger , Tatum and Brown are 100% ….Nuggets could easily get beat

Take both centers away, we own the Nuggets . IF Zinger is as healthy as jokic then we are as good or better.

It’s all about Celtics being 100% Health at playoff time. Our coach has improved too.  He is at least serviceable now as a head coach. Not a liability anymore.

easily?  Give me a break. 

[celticinorlando]

Lakers are just a bad team

[hpantazo]

Lakers are just a bad team

This. Despite the hype , the Lakers are and continue to be a mediocre team with a roster that lacks the defense and depth they would need to make a legit playoff run. They are going to get a reality check in the playoffs this year too. The West is tough, with OCK, the Twolves, Nuggets, Mavs, Clippers, Pelicans and Suns all significantly better than the Lakers. If they make it past the play-in, they will be a first round exit.

[RMO]

I'm not buying into the laker hype machine either but they are big and I could see them causing mismatch problems for certain teams.  Golden State comes to mind and based off standings today that would be the 9-10 matchup.  If they win that they'd get (again, just going by what it is today) any one of Dallas, Sacramento, New Orleans or Suns.  I don't think I'd ever say for certain that the lakers couldn't beat any of those teams in a one game series. 

If they get out of the play in the next would be either Minnesota or Oklahoma City.  I think Minnesota can take them but OKC's youth would concern me.  I also think the lakers length can give them problems.

Assuming the Nuggets are healthy they're not getting past them should they ever meet.

Getting out of the play in is probably their most likely best case (for them) outcome but if things line up favorably for them (as it did last year) I could see them advancing a little further.

[Donoghus]

Lakers have now lost 8 in a row to DEN.

Talk about having a team's number at the moment.

[scaryjerry]

Man I have mad respect for this Nuggets team. Jokic MVP. Great coaching. Smart coaches and players. Great, balanced roster and all likable guys. And they sure know how to play well in the clutch and close games out. And it’s not like they need the refs help or anything they just get it done and adjust as needed. Lakers felt like the better team and it didn’t matter, Nuggets stayed in it and then played an excellent 2nd half for a great road win

Unless someone on our team plays like an absolute god or we play perfect basketball constantly I just don’t see how we would beat them in the finals

maybe you need some new glasses....lol

Maybe you missed the game when they gave us our first loss at home? They’re the defending champs with the best player in the world, maybe you’re the one needing glasses 

[scaryjerry]

Man I have mad respect for this Nuggets team. Jokic MVP. Great coaching. Smart coaches and players. Great, balanced roster and all likable guys. And they sure know how to play well in the clutch and close games out. And it’s not like they need the refs help or anything they just get it done and adjust as needed. Lakers felt like the better team and it didn’t matter, Nuggets stayed in it and then played an excellent 2nd half for a great road win

Unless someone on our team plays like an absolute god or we play perfect basketball constantly I just don’t see how we would beat them in the finals

maybe you need some new glasses....lol

If Zinger , Tatum and Brown are 100% ….Nuggets could easily get beat

Take both centers away, we own the Nuggets . IF Zinger is as healthy as jokic then we are as good or better.

It’s all about Celtics being 100% Health at playoff time. Our coach has improved too.  He is at least serviceable now as a head coach. Not a liability anymore.

Take both centers away and we own the nuggets? Huh?
Pretty sure if Jokic, Murray, Gordon and porter jr are all healthy they are every bit as good or better then us fully healthy but ok keep thinking we would “easily” beat them…love that for you

[Phantom255x]

Denver can beat Boston in the Finals

But saying we got no chance and that we have to be fully perfect to beat them is definitely a bit too much.

I would pick Boston to win in 6. It’d be a dogfight