NBA 2023-24

[Mavric]

I guess if you don't embellish it you don't get the call.

 

 

[Lorewarn]

If I was that person in the front row I would demand reparations from Lebron for my ruined $18 margarita in a cup.

[AZRaiderH8r]

I did appreciate that the King's flop resulted in him getting doused with a beverage.

[Guy Chamberlin]

14 hours ago, JJ Husker said:

They are so blatantly for LAL. It’s way over the top. ESPN is just trash anymore. Their hockey coverage has been terrible, this might be worse.

 

Eh, it's mostly a Mark Jackson/Van Gundy problem. ESPN has tried to turn them into a bickering couple comedy act. At least once a game the camera cuts to them DURING PLAY so we can see some of their patented banter.

 

They rage against foul calls every game. It's not just a Laker thing. They're clearly huge Jokic fans and Mike Malone supporters. Jackson obviously has an interesting history with the Warriors, but he has never affected my enjoyment of the game.  

 

Even my wife looks forward to seeing Shaq and Barkley talk basketball, or whatever they're in the mood to talk about. 

[Jason Sitoke]

2 hours ago, AZRaiderH8r said:

I like Breen too. I know that I'm a homer, but the obvious Laker love from Jackson (by the way, dude got FAT) and Van Gundy is so annoying. I wish announcers could just call the game and not make themselves part of the narrative, although I did laugh at the "What happened to the game I love" comment after the flagrant call on DLo. I was watching with my son, and we were talking about Murray's struggles about midway through the third. I told him to just wait, Jamal is going to go off in the fourth. Holy hell! Dude had 23 in the fourth, Lakers had 24. That string of threes the Nuggets hit in the quarter was crazy. 

 

I'm not typically a guy that complains about biased commentary.  I usually poke fun at our fans in the game threads that think every announcer is against Nebraska.  That being said, last night was over the top.  In the first half, every point the Nuggets scored was 'bad Laker defense' and every point the Lakers scored was a great Laker play.  Van Gundy and Jackson freaking out about the Flagrant 1 where Russel wound up and hit Murray in the face.  Whether you agree that the league is soft or not, that is a play that has been called a Flagrant 1 for several years now.  Hell, Jokic got tossed on a Flagrant 2 for a similar play (where he actually hit the ball too) in a closeout semifinal game against the Suns 2 years ago.  Then Jackson goes full retard and agrees with a call where everyone else seems to agree that Lebron flops into the 1st row.  

 

It's not that I think they're rooting for the Lakers.  I think it's an artifact of the main character syndrome that befalls the Laker Empire.  Whatever happens, it is happening to or because of the Lakers.  The Nuggets certainly aren't winning this series so much as the Lakers have missed opportunities and should be winning.  The story after game 1 was that the Nuggets won, but should be scared because the Lakers have figured them out.  Today, I'm sure the story is that the Lakers blew a chance and Lebron looks old.

[Jason Sitoke]

8 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

They're clearly huge Jokic fans and Mike Malone supporters.

Not sure I agree that Jackson is:

Mark Jackson says leaving Jokic off MVP ballot was 'absolute mistake' - ESPN

12 minutes ago, AZRaiderH8r said:

I did appreciate that the King's flop resulted in him getting doused with a beverage.

Classy fan gave him a towel though, which James seemed to appreciate.

[AZRaiderH8r]

3 minutes ago, Jason Sitoke said:

Not sure I agree that Jackson is:

Mark Jackson says leaving Jokic off MVP ballot was 'absolute mistake' - ESPN

Classy fan gave him a towel though, which James seemed to appreciate.

I did appreciate that interaction. Lebron even thanking them for the towel, it was just a funny situation to watch.

[JJ Husker]

13 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

Eh, it's mostly a Mark Jackson/Van Gundy problem. ESPN has tried to turn them into a bickering couple comedy act. At least once a game the camera cuts to them DURING PLAY so we can see some of their patented banter.

 

They rage against foul calls every game. It's not just a Laker thing. They're clearly huge Jokic fans and Mike Malone supporters. Jackson obviously has an interesting history with the Warriors, but he has never affected my enjoyment of the game.  

 

Even my wife looks forward to seeing Shaq and Barkley talk basketball, or whatever they're in the mood to talk about. 

I’m sure you’re right. I rarely watch the NBA so I’m not aware of the announcers or trends. All I know is those two wore thin within just a few minutes.

[Guy Chamberlin]

4 minutes ago, Jason Sitoke said:

 

 

It's not that I think they're rooting for the Lakers.  I think it's an artifact of the main character syndrome that befalls the Laker Empire.  Whatever happens, it is happening to or because of the Lakers.  The Nuggets certainly aren't winning this series so much as the Lakers have missed opportunities and should be winning.  The story after game 1 was that the Nuggets won, but should be scared because the Lakers have figured them out.  Today, I'm sure the story is that the Lakers blew a chance and Lebron looks old.

 

I think the real story is that the Nuggets are the better team; they have been all season and so far in the first two games. The other story is that the Lakers are actually much better than they were a couple months ago, and both the network executives and casual fans think another Laker/Celtics final would be cool. 

[Jason Sitoke]

42 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

I think the real story is that the Nuggets are the better team; they have been all season and so far in the first two games. The other story is that the Lakers are actually much better than they were a couple months ago, and both the network executives and casual fans think another Laker/Celtics final would be cool. 

We're definitely in agreement that this should be the real story.  And honestly I have to give credit.  I underestimated how good their supporting cast was improved at the deadline.  I thought it was overblown because the Lakers weren't as terrible as they were before, and they were just getting over-covered.  But they're tough and they mostly play together.  

[sho]

4 hours ago, AZRaiderH8r said:

Lastly, Rui is a beast. Dude is going to get paid... 

 

I was most excited for him to come to LA.   Love his game and how he fits with this team.   Between him, Lil Country Austin Reaves and Schroeder we have some very solid role players that can take over games.    Now we just need the stars to shine on both ends of the court.

[Jason Sitoke]

2 hours ago, sho said:

 

I was most excited for him to come to LA.   Love his game and how he fits with this team.   Between him, Lil Country Austin Reaves and Schroeder we have some very solid role players that can take over games.    Now we just need the stars to shine on both ends of the court.

RUI is really good.  A guy that can play physical defense, has length, and can shoot the 3 and finish around the rim.  You win with guys like that.  Reaves is decent, but I think he's overachieving a bit.  I feel like he's the kinda guy that will ride this run into a max contract from the Hornets and disappear from relevancy.

[Lorewarn]

4 hours ago, Jason Sitoke said:

Van Gundy and Jackson freaking out about the Flagrant 1 where Russel wound up and hit Murray in the face.  Whether you agree that the league is soft or not, that is a play that has been called a Flagrant 1 for several years now. 

 

 

..you're agreeing with them. Their criticism wasn't that it was the wrong call, but that the rule and the state of the NBA's officiating as a whole are a joke.

[sho]

6 minutes ago, Jason Sitoke said:

RUI is really good.  A guy that can play physical defense, has length, and can shoot the 3 and finish around the rim.  You win with guys like that.  Reaves is decent, but I think he's overachieving a bit.  I feel like he's the kinda guy that will ride this run into a max contract from the Hornets and disappear from relevancy.

 

He's the definition of a role player.   He fits perfectly with this team, if you have the right schemes and talent around him he's going to elevate the play.   You make him the square peg in a round system, he'll muck up the whole thing.   He's like Peanut Butter, works perfect with jelly and on pancakes, but a complete disaster with steak.  Some GM is going to over pay him and match him with steak and wonder why he's not living up to the contract (see AC Fresh in Chicago or Russell Westbrook in LA as examples). 

[Jason Sitoke]

1 hour ago, Lorewarn said:

 

 

..you're agreeing with them. Their criticism wasn't that it was the wrong call, but that the rule and the state of the NBA's officiating as a whole are a joke.

Ugh, I’m not. I said whether you agree the rules are soft, they are the rules and it was a textbook flagrant 1. I’m saying they spent 10 minutes of game time criticizing the call, to the point where every foul after that Van Gundy kept saying ‘oh isn’t that a flagrant’?  He doesn’t go over the top like that for as long as he did typically.