2022-2023 NBA Season Thread

[Cobra Mgr]

Been a fun couple of days to be a Boston sports fan.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Been a fun couple of days to be a Boston sports fan.

I would have put money on the Bruins doing much better than they ended up doing.

[rudel.dietrich]

That was a fantastic game.

Now they have to get Embiid back by Wednesday. The 76ers have a razor thin margin for error and their team got this win after a monster Harden game.
He has to play next game for them to win this series.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

That was a fantastic game.

Now they have to get Embiid back by Wednesday. The 76ers have a razor thin margin for error and their team got this win after a monster Harden game.
He has to play next game for them to win this series.

Still trying to figure out what the problem - since late-January - is with the Celtics. Is it the players' failure to consistently play smart & hard, or is it simply a coaching problem - an unqualified rookie coach in way over his head? I mean, it could be a combo, that the rookie coach is unable to command the respect needed to get the most out of his players... At any rate, it's mind-boggling that this roster is not blowing thru the weakened EC.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

That was a fantastic game.

Now they have to get Embiid back by Wednesday. The 76ers have a razor thin margin for error and their team got this win after a monster Harden game.
He has to play next game for them to win this series.

Maybe. I gotta say though, maybe we need to recognize what we are seeing. C's didn't exactly catch fire down the stretch. They struggled to put away the Hawks. And now Embiid-less Philly wins game 1. Not to mention it is the Sixers 2nd W in a row w/o the presumed MVP. This might be Philly's series to win.

[Pelican]

Just watched an amazing effort by the Sixers in Boston without Joel Embiid, the likely MVP. Ferocious defense. James Harden was dominant, turning back the clock. Not letting Boston get a shot off, and then an unforced error - passing to Maxey for a layup and the lead. Two clutch free throws from B-ball Paul Reed. To me, this is like the Conference Finals, if not the NBA Finals. Two best teams left. Respect to the Dubs, and Phoenix is tough with Durant. I don't think anybody is worried about playing the Knicks or Miami. I guess we'll see. Lots of ball left.

[Cobra Mgr]

Sources say Villain Brooks, er Dillion Brooks, has been told under no circumstances will he be re signed by Memphis..

Twitter, naturally, has gone to work.

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[monkeyman576]

I don't think Embiid should have won MVP over Jokic. It's like Ohtani in MLB, if anyone has a halfway decent season Jokic doesn't get it due to fatigue.

[Cobra Mgr]

I don't think it is like Ohtani at all. At least Jokic can get his team into the playoffs. And I'm not one of those who looks @ stats only to name an MVP. To me, I wouldn't have argued for or against Embiid, Jokic or Giannis.

[Cobra Mgr]

Are we underrating Erik Spoelstra?

[pilight]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Are we underrating Erik Spoelstra?

He's the best coach in the league.

[pilight]

The Celtics win makes 15 consecutive Game 2 wins for teams that lost Game 1 of the series at home. Warriors should make it 16 tomorrow.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by monkeyman576

I don't think Embiid should have won MVP over Jokic. It's like Ohtani in MLB, if anyone has a halfway decent season Jokic doesn't get it due to fatigue.

Agree on Jokic over Embiid. Every time I see Embiid play I think that he's great. But Jokic is at a slightly higher overall level, IMO.

Not sure about the Ohtani comparison, but I agree that in the NBA when there is more than one guy seen as MVP-worthy (and this year there were at least 4), the "it's this guy's turn" mentality creeps into sportswriters' minds and can override that among the multiple candidates, one is every-so-slightly more deserving of the award. That's probably Embiid this year.

[monkeyman576]

Originally Posted by thehef

Agree on Jokic over Embiid. Every time I see Embiid play I think that he's great. But Jokic is at a slightly higher overall level, IMO.

Not sure about the Ohtani comparison, but I agree that in the NBA when there is more than one guy seen as MVP-worthy (and this year there were at least 4), the "it's this guy's turn" mentality creeps into sportswriters' minds and can override that among the multiple candidates, one is every-so-slightly more deserving of the award. That's probably Embiid this year.

Also, note that the guys who beat Ohtani and Jokic, Judge and Embiid, were both players in the northeast market.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by monkeyman576

Also, note that the guys who beat Ohtani and Jokic, Judge and Embiid, were both players in the northeast market.

Again, on Ohtani, some of us think winning is kind of important. Ohtani's stats are just numbers. Judge's stats meant victory.

[Cobra Mgr]

This Bud's not Milwaukee's best. Bux fire Budenholzer. Not surprised. He was a Durant toenail from getting canned 2 seasons ago. And this year's fiasco I felt screamed coaching screwup.

[monkeyman576]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Again, on Ohtani, some of us think winning is kind of important. Ohtani's stats are just numbers. Judge's stats meant victory.

And some think a player shouldn't be blamed for having a poor team.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by monkeyman576

And some think a player shouldn't be blamed for having a poor team.

I don't either. But you've got 2 box score stuffers everyone wants to claim is the best & yet they can't even play meaningful ball in September. Sometimes August. They put butts in the seats, but dust in the trophy case. Helping your team win has to be a significant criteria for a lot of us. Especially when the only argument for the number crunchers is a subjective math formula tailored to the individual's taste.

But I'm going to end my thought on that in this thread cause this is after all the NBA thread. I just bristle at the thought of the Jokic & Ohtani comparison. One wins, the other doesn't.

[thehef]

Just wanted to revisit this...

Originally Posted by thehef

Related... the Brooklyn Nets are Exhibit A for GM's - rather than players - making personnel decisions. The diva-driven gang-up of Durant, Irving, and Harden/Simmons couldn't have gone much worse. But after that train-wreck, what the Nets received from the Suns and Mavs in exchange for KD and Kyrie was pretty impressive.

If the Nets are Exhibit A, the Lakers are Exhibit B. In short, when James & his posse were pulling the strings, the Lakers pretty much sucked. However, after the front office essentially jettisoned the supporting cast and brought in a new one, the Lakers have become legit fringe contenders.

(The Clippers' gang up approach - PG & Kawhi - hasn't worked out well, either.)

Also, kudos to Kevin Love for choosing the Heat over riding the bench with a top contender. Often, buyout guys try to ring-chase by signing with a team that's already a title-favorite. Much less often does a player take the approach that Love did, essentially joining a team that's a tier below the title-contenders and trying to help elevate them. Taking on a challenge, rather than going with the safe route. I respect that.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Again, on Ohtani, some of us think winning is kind of important. Ohtani's stats are just numbers. Judge's stats meant victory.

Kind of surprised they did not wait a bit after what happened in his personal life during round 1.