NBA Season/Playoffs 2025-26

[Moranis]

Denver really needs that 3rd scorer when teams load up on the Jokic/Murray two man game.  Watson seemed like he was developing into that when he got hurt.

Yeah, someone like MPJ. 

I think MPJ was too limited a creator.  They need someone more dynamic.

I thought Westbrook was the right kind of player just too inefficient. Somebody like Mathurin or Jaquez or Grimes who you can sing the ball too weakside and they can run their own scoring actions against a recovering defense.

Feel like MPJ is a much better scorer than any of those guys and the Nuggets won a championship with him as their 3rd option. He is a career 50/40/80 guy. Averaged 24ppg this season and can score from everywhere. That trade was a big mistake. Cam Johnson has been a disaster.

He can absolutely score but not in the contexts they needed. He averaged 13 per game in 5 playoff campaigns for them.

When teams overloaded on the Jokic/Murray 2 man game he wasn't the guy who could punish a weaker matchup or act as a pressure release valve. Became peripheral, not unlike Cam Johnson (who has disappointed because he hasn't offered any more guard skills).

A guy like Jaquez with more on- ball game fits their needs from a 3rd wheel better.

maybe it is a Denver issue not a 3rd player issue. 

[snively]

Denver really needs that 3rd scorer when teams load up on the Jokic/Murray two man game.  Watson seemed like he was developing into that when he got hurt.

Yeah, someone like MPJ. 

I think MPJ was too limited a creator.  They need someone more dynamic.

I thought Westbrook was the right kind of player just too inefficient. Somebody like Mathurin or Jaquez or Grimes who you can sing the ball too weakside and they can run their own scoring actions against a recovering defense.

Feel like MPJ is a much better scorer than any of those guys and the Nuggets won a championship with him as their 3rd option. He is a career 50/40/80 guy. Averaged 24ppg this season and can score from everywhere. That trade was a big mistake. Cam Johnson has been a disaster.

He can absolutely score but not in the contexts they needed. He averaged 13 per game in 5 playoff campaigns for them.

When teams overloaded on the Jokic/Murray 2 man game he wasn't the guy who could punish a weaker matchup or act as a pressure release valve. Became peripheral, not unlike Cam Johnson (who has disappointed because he hasn't offered any more guard skills).

A guy like Jaquez with more on- ball game fits their needs from a 3rd wheel better.

maybe it is a Denver issue not a 3rd player issue.

Could be. But I think it's a roster construction philosophy. They love to surround Jokic with shooter/cutter/defenders and understandably. But whenever I watch them I'm struck by how little quality on-ball guard play they have outside of Murray. Been a problem for them for years. Bruce Brown in their championship year was probably the best non-Murray option they've had, but he seems to have lost whatever mojo he had that year.

It's strange too because scoring/ballhandling on the perimeter is not exactly in short supply in the modern NBA. Coby White, Sexton, Mathurin and Dosunmu all got traded midseason.

[Goldstar88]

Let?s go Detroit. Extend this series! 

[Billz401]

Just turned on the Magic vs Pistons game, the teams have shot a combined 43 free throws so far in the 1st half. What the heck is going on?? Lol

[SparzWizard]

Eh doesn't matter who wins today's game. Would be nice for all teams today to extend the series.

Still getting that sour taste from last night's game

[Phantom255x]

Even if CLE goes on to win in 6, I was dead wrong about that series. Raptors are giving it to them, made it 2-2 and are now leading at halftime. I thought it was "Cavs in 3" or something like that lol, Toronto has played hard and battled

[Larry for 3]

Even if CLE goes on to win in 6, I was dead wrong about that series. Raptors are giving it to them, made it 2-2 and are now leading at halftime. I thought it was "Cavs in 3" or something like that lol, Toronto has played hard and battled

But is that more about Toronto or more about Cleveland, you know the team with James Harden and the team that choked last year ?  Didn't Toronto win last game shooting 32 percent ?  This is more about Cleveland to me.

[Phantom255x]

Even if CLE goes on to win in 6, I was dead wrong about that series. Raptors are giving it to them, made it 2-2 and are now leading at halftime. I thought it was "Cavs in 3" or something like that lol, Toronto has played hard and battled

But is that more about Toronto or more about Cleveland, you know the team with James Harden and the team that choked last year ?  Didn't Toronto win last game shooting 32 percent ?  This is more about Cleveland to me.

Probably. Still doesn't change what I said. The Raptors are still giving it to them and I think most people assumed this was gonna be a short and quick, uncompetitive series.

If anything, this just further shows too how weak the East is. Detroit is barely hanging on against a Wagner-less Magic team at home down 3-1. It's just a 5-point game late despite having a big lead. BUT, the Celtics aren't taking advantage of it and are playing with their own food sadly. That's what is annoying me the most, the path is there for the C's, don't F around

[SparzWizard]

Pistons survived another night, forcing Game 6.

Do we want Orlando to close them out though?

As for Raptors, hope they overcome the Cavs in the States. Would like to see the Raptors close this out in Canada.

[Goldstar88]

Even if CLE goes on to win in 6, I was dead wrong about that series. Raptors are giving it to them, made it 2-2 and are now leading at halftime. I thought it was "Cavs in 3" or something like that lol, Toronto has played hard and battled

But is that more about Toronto or more about Cleveland, you know the team with James Harden and the team that choked last year ?  Didn't Toronto win last game shooting 32 percent ?  This is more about Cleveland to me.

Probably. Still doesn't change what I said. The Raptors are still giving it to them and I think most people assumed this was gonna be a short and quick, uncompetitive series.

If anything, this just further shows too how weak the East is. Detroit is barely hanging on against a Wagner-less Magic team at home down 3-1. It's just a 5-point game late despite having a big lead. BUT, the Celtics aren't taking advantage of it and are playing with their own food sadly. That's what is annoying me the most, the path is there for the C's, don't F around

The other way to look at it is teams like Orlando and Toronto are better than their records. Magic have 3 very good players with Banchero, F. Wagner and Bane. Suggs is solid too. Cade is elite, but after him I?d take those guys over anyone else the Pistons have. Paolo had 45pts/9rebs/7ast tonight. He is a beast.

Toronto underperformed as well. Barnes, Ingram, Barrett, Poeltl, Quickley are good players. Scottie and Brandon have made the all-star team multiple times.

[Moranis]

Mobley has been a vastly different player in the 3 Cleveland games verse the 2 Toronto games.  The Cavs have been going how he has been going.  Should be interesting to see if the Cavs can close this one out and then how Mobley plays in Toronto.

[SparzWizard]

Lakers getting some relief as Austin Reaves return from his oblique injury tonight.

[Phantom255x]

It's still weird to me Durant has this injury yet outside of Shams reporting it, whenever they ask other reporters, local beat guys or even Rockets players they act like they're not sure what ails him or how he's doing in his rehab. Then he wasn't on the sideline for Game 3 which was a bad look so he got bullied into sitting there Game 4. Now there's already trade rumors circling. Sorry but I lean towards he got mad at Jabari Smith calling him out and he quit on the team. And probably didn't want the optics of losing to Lebron this round.

It's a shame because despite the Game 2 loss with him, Houston probably could still make this a competitive series or even be 2-2 if KD was playing, they sorely need his scoring.

[Goldstar88]

Rockets are such an undisciplined team. Back to back horrible turnovers.

[Phantom255x]

Rockets actually came to play today. Finally. We'll see if they can hold on in the 2nd half