NBA Season/Playoffs 2025-26

[Redz]

Jokic finished 8-22 FGA. I think he was 8-13 FGA early in Q3 when I last looked. If correct, that means he went 0-9 FGA for the reset of the 2nd half.

J Murray did a great job for DEN in Q4. He stepped up and gave Jokic the scoring help Jokic needed. Jokic is the one who failed to live up to his end of things.

Minnesota made him look slow, clumsy and careless.  He has an amazing workaround for dealing with the first two, but the third seldom comes up. 

[SparzWizard]

Wolves' Anthony Edwards suffered a hyperextended knee and bone bruise and is expected to miss multiple weeks per Shams

"Multiple weeks" is probably 3 weeks minimum but could be more. We might be by the Conference Finals by then

[Who]

Strange lineup to close Q1 for CLE

G: Schroder
G: D Mitchell
G: M Strus
F: H Tyson
C: E Mobley

That is a small group. I am surprised they don't keep two bigs on the court (Mobley, J Allen, D Wade) nearly at all times. Or if you go smaller with one big, keep Harden in the backcourt to avoid going small there too.

CLE don't have the forwards for small ball. Max Strus has been playing SF for them for last few years but he is truly a SG. H Tyson is a limited SF/PF. Not athletic enough. You don't want to ask him to do too much. Here is covering for 3 undersized perimeter players and is the next best rebounder & interior defender to Mobley. That is too much.

[Who]

I am surprised they use E Mobley off ball as a floor spacer so much in that small ball lineup with him at center. I would want him around the ball as much as possible. Play through him more in the high post. He is a good ball-handler, passer and decision maker. Dribble hand offs. Cutting action off ball. Then PnR plays. Get Mobley slashing to the rim with that quickness and leaping ability for lobs.

It feels a waste just to stand him away from the ball spotting up for 3.

[Who]

I'd like to see some reps with Schroder, D Mitchell and Harden on the court together on the perimeter. Alongside the two bigs.

CLE's SF options are being too passive. D Wade, M Strus, H Tyson. Schroder is actually attacking. Toronto are having problems staying in front of him. Make Toronto defend.

[Who]

Toronto's big powerful forwards are causing problems for CLE. Good sign for Boston with Tatum & Jaylen. S Barnes and C Murray Boyles are too big, too physical, too active for their smaller guys.

And E Mobley hasn't been comfortable defending them. That is disappointing for CLE. He should be able to defend those guys. Neither one of them are competent shooters. He should be able to stand off them and use his length. He is quick enough. I understand him having more problems with guys who can stroke that 3 ball but he should be able to defend S Barnes & C Murray Boyle.

[Who]

Toronto not getting much out of their bigs (Poeltl, Mamu) or their role player guards (Shead, J Walter). It is a good thing Colin Murray Boyles is playing so well. It is making their small ball lineup with him at the 5 more effective. Causing problems for CLE with their defensive quickness.

D Mitchell has been quiet. 3-13 FGA for 8pts. Invisible. Not giving CLE anything. Harden is the only guy who has shown up. J Allen has given the team nothing against that small ball Raptors lineup.

I don't understand why CLE was using J Allen or E Mobley against that Raptors small ball lineup instead of both. Use both. Put more pressure on them. Two big guys rolling to the paint. Two big guys going after the offensive glass. CLE instead were either using D Wade as a spot up 3 point shooter or went small with H Tyson at PF. That lets Toronto's small ball lineup off the hook. It is easy for their smaller defenders to defend those guys at the three point line. Put your bigs in and make those smaller defenders defend them in the paint.

[Who]

Harden has 14 turnovers in these 2 games in TOR. One quarter still to go. Will he match Cade Cunningham's 16 turnovers in DET's last two games?

Update: 15th Harden turnover early in Q4.

Update: Yep, loses the ball late. 16th turnover in 2 games. Ties Cade Cunningham. Amazing 1 guy can have 16 TOVs in 2 games nevermind 2 players.

[SparzWizard]

Wemby cleared concussion protocol, will return for Game 4!

[Phantom255x]

We gotta have a serious conversation about Durant and his legacy. Individually, he's an extraordinary talent and a surefire HOFer and one of the best scorers in NBA history. No doubting that. In terms of his legacy though? He'll always be remembered as the guy who won two titles with a superteam, and besides that couldn't do much else. And his last 6 seasons as a whole have probably negatively impacted his legacy. I think he's a bit overrated. There was a time he was considered up there in discussions with Kobe, Lebron, Jordan, etc. but now I personally don't even view him Top-20 all-time.

He's basically quit on his last two teams and now is doing the same to a third team. He was healthy most of the year, now all of a sudden he can't even suit up for playoff games and it's to the point where even his own teammates don't know how he's doing or where he is lol. That's crazy. Wasn't there on the sideline for the most recent game at home to cheer his guys.

There's also a lot of theories online that Durant was mad that Jabari Smith lowkey called him out about being bad with the double-teams and not making the right decisions, and Durant probably took it to heart and is sitting out now to say "fine, go win without me". So petty...

Phoenix traded away Durant and they still made the playoffs without him a year later. 

[Who]

Ja'Kobe Walter 0-15 FGA last two games for TOR. Ouch!

[Phantom255x]

WOW. Massive win for the Raptors. That series now 2-2.

Toronto shot 4-30 from 3 and still won. CRAZY

[Who]

Scottie Barnes is Pippen-esque with his passing in traffic off of dribble drives. Some beautiful looks to teammates.

[Who]

That was a fun game. Great finish. Low scoring game as neither team could throw it in the ocean but it was a well fought game. Very competitive. Intense. I love it.

[Who]

I did not like CLE's small ball lineup in response to TOR's small ball units.

I disliked the one big four smalls lineup in the 1st half but also the two bigs (D Wade as one big) was problematic as well. Jarrett Allen struggled to do anything offensively against that small ball unit. Evan Mobley was a peripheral threat on offense which was an upgrade on J Allen. However ...

G: D Mitchell vs J Shead
G: S Merrill vs RJ Barrett
F: J Harden vs Ingram
F: D Wade vs S Barnes
C: E Mobley vs C Murray Boyles

Colin Murray Boyles and Scottie Barnes are both much stronger and more physical players than Mobley. Mobley is a finesse big. The Raptors guys were pushing the Cavs around in the paint. CLE did not have enough physicality.

And on offense Dean Wade might as well be 6-4 200lbs because all he does is stand out at the three point doing nothing. Easy to defend. He does play physical defense but he absorbs physicality more than instigates it. Not an instigator. Both S Barnes and C Murray Boyles are instigators. They get after things. Both are quicker than Dean Wade too and were beating him to lose balls.

Add in Toronto's size advantage on the wings with RJ Barrett (6-7 230lbs) who was beating up each and every defender CLE tried to put on him on the wings and with Brandon Ingram at SF (6-8/6-9 with 7-3 wingspan). Jamal Shead is a small but physically strong and aggressive PG as well.

So Toronto were the aggressors. They were beating CLE up. Too small too soft. CLE needed to keep Jarrett Allen on the floor and leave Mobley at PF in order to compete against Toronto's physicality. They gave the Toronto the advantage by refusing to do so.