2024 NBA Season and Playoffs

[Who]

Jeez, Jaden McDaniels stats from the series are depressing. He is playing 31mpg but averaging only 6.5ppg. He has shot 10-28 from the field for 35.7% FG%, 1-8 on threes, only 5-10 at the FT line. He has only 4 assists in 4 games and 4 turnovers to match those 4 assists. Non-factor offensively.

[Who]

Jake Paynting
@HowlsAndGrowls_

Wolves +/- over the playoffs:

Gobert: +73
McDaniels: +66
Edwards: +61
Conley: +56
Towns: +16
Alexander-Walker: +12
Reid: 0
Morris: 0
Anderson: -35

The Kyle Anderson one makes sense to me. He has looked much weaker as a small ball PF than any of the lineups with two of their three big men sharing the court. I would go away from him if I were Minnesota.

Bit of a surprise to see Towns so much lower than the other starters.

Not much of a surprise to see Gobert at the top. He often is in stats like this. His impact on Minnesota's defense and perhaps even more so on their rebounding is massive.

Jaden McDaniels was great against PHX. Against both D Booker and against Durant. Very good on offense too in that series. I don't think he has been as strong in the Minny series. No great wing for him to get stuck into on defense and his offense has abandoned him.

[Who]

I see a bunch of people questioning whether Minny needs to trade Towns in the summer in order to get over the hump. That Towns is too soft, too undependable. That they need to trade him for someone more reliable.

I am listing to Colin Cowerd and Jason Timpf. Timpf raised the idea of Minny trying to trade Towns for Durant in the summer. Shortens their window but Durant would be awesome alongside Ant & Gobert. And Towns would be awesome for PHX giving them a long term piece to put alongside D Booker.

[Birdman]

If Celtics reach the Finals, this who I like to play in order:

1 OKC
2 Minnesota
3 Dallas
4 Denver

Don’t want Denver but think we can beat them

[Who]

If Celtics reach the Finals, this who I like to play in order:

1 OKC
2 Minnesota
3 Dallas
4 Denver

Don’t want Denver but think we can beat them

(1) Dallas
(2) OKC
(3) Minny
(4) Denver

I don't think much of Dallas. I see them as the easy pickings of the group.

I am torn between OKC and Minny. OKC matches up well with us and Shai may be the best player in that series. OKC's lack of bulk in the inside is their big weakness and one we don't exploit well. I could flip flop on that one. I am not sure.

Denver is the one that scares me the most. The best individual player in Jokic. The best team offense. Championship poise and execution. Dodgy depth.

Denver are the one team that can out-execute and out-experience Boston. All the other teams are younger, more inexperienced and more prone to mistakes under pressure.

[Moranis]

Dallas is the only team left in the playoffs that could legitimately have 2 guys drop 40 at any given time. That makes them really scary because even if you shut Luka down some, Kyrie could go out and score 40. And I really worry about being able to defend Irving. He is still a lot faster than Jrue and Derrick, and Luka is just a beast.

If we have the Zinger, my preferred order of western teams would be: OKC, Minny, Dallas, Denver.  If we don't have Zinger, I'd swap Minny and Dallas.

[Who]

Crazy lineup

G: Cason
G: I Joe
F: A Wiggins
F: SGA
C: Jaylin Williams

Tiny lineup. SGA is at PF!

[Who]

We all talk about OKC's inexperience but I think it is the coach's inexperience that is hurting them in this series. Not the player's inexperience. His substitution patterns are maddening.

[keevsnick]

Doncic is playing some really solid defense.

[Atzar]

Dort is reckless.  Spends the whole game looking for people to crash into. 

[keevsnick]

I haven't watched much OKC this year. Whenever I do its immediately striking how Chet Holmgren is like 90% limbs.

[jpotter33]

Luka demonstrably waves off Zarba after the foul call. Tatum is immediately T’d up for that, but of course not Doncic.

[celticsclay]

Dallas is the only team left in the playoffs that could legitimately have 2 guys drop 40 at any given time. That makes them really scary because even if you shut Luka down some, Kyrie could go out and score 40. And I really worry about being able to defend Irving. He is still a lot faster than Jrue and Derrick, and Luka is just a beast.

If we have the Zinger, my preferred order of western teams would be: OKC, Minny, Dallas, Denver.  If we don't have Zingerf, I'd swap Minny and Dallas.

I mean obviously Murray and Jokic can both drop 40. Murray has actually dropped 50 points 3 times and he did it twice in the playoffs.

[keevsnick]

For those keeping track.

Assuming Boston wraps this up in 5 then the first game of the ECF will be on the 19th IF BOTH NYK/IND and DEN/MIN finish in 6. If either of those series goes 7 then game 1 of the ECF gets pushed back to the 21st in order to give the game 7(s) the premier slot(s) on Sunday.

Regardless of when the ECF starts games 3 and onward are all on the same dates, there will just be a larger break between games 2 and 3 with the earlier start.

[mr. dee]

People are calling Celtics as frauds but what about Thunder?