NBA Season/Playoffs 2025-26

[Donoghus]

NBA Finals here we come- Thunder vs Spurs.

We might potentially get an NBA Finals rematch too...Spurs vs Knicks lol

The NYK appear to be playing better than either CLE or DET.  Could be their year.

I do wonder how the long layoff will affect them.  They were shooting lights out that Philly series. Just wonder if the layoff will disrupt things to an extent.

[Moranis]

I know the Spurs did well in the regular season against the Thunder, but I don't think this will be a particularly close series. Games won't be blowouts, but don't see the series as ever being in doubt.

[Goldstar88]

I know the Spurs did well in the regular season against the Thunder, but I don't think this will be a particularly close series. Games won't be blowouts, but don't see the series as ever being in doubt.

Based on what? Spurs play well against them and Jalen Williams is injured.

[SparzWizard]

I know the Spurs did well in the regular season against the Thunder, but I don't think this will be a particularly close series. Games won't be blowouts, but don't see the series as ever being in doubt.

Based on what? Spurs play well against them and Jalen Williams is injured.

OKC says he is healthy for WCF.

[Who]

I know the Spurs did well in the regular season against the Thunder, but I don't think this will be a particularly close series. Games won't be blowouts, but don't see the series as ever being in doubt.

I think San Antonio will play OKC tough. Wemby's shot blocking at the rim will keep SGA more in the midrange and less at the rim. San Antonio do a great job avoiding fouls. They will be able to minimize his FTAs. They will turn SGA from a highly efficient scorer to an average efficiency scorer. When that happens, OKC's often offense drops off a cliff.

That will make San Antonio competitive in the series. Like Indy was in the Finals last year. And if SAS find a way to get their offense going, they'll be the better side.

[Who]

Over the past four seasons (2022-23 to 2025-26), the Jazz lost more games - 221 - than they had since their first four seasons in Utah, from 1979 to 1983, when they lost, oddly enough, exactly 221.

In the 39 years between those two collapses, the Jazz had 31 winning seasons and just eight losers. 

That is impressive

1984-1986 = Adrian Dantley & Mark Eaton era
1986-2003 = Stockton & K Malone era
2006-2011 = Deron & Boozer era
2017-2022 = Rudy Gobert & D Mitchell era

They had that brief rebuild (2004 .500, bad 2005, 2006 .500) around AK-47 after Stockton and Malone left before signing FAs Carlos Boozer & Memo Okur and drafting Deron Williams.

The loss of Boozer in 2010 and trade of Deron in 2011 led to a middling era built around Millsap, Al Jefferson and Gordon Hayward. They finished above .500 once but were mostly a losing team. Hayward was part of the first Gobert team that made the playoffs with D Mitchell replacing him.