NBA 2023-24

[sho]

3 minutes ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

There are others who think the Lakers wouldn't have gotten this far if they were still relying on Westbrook for anything. 

 

We would have missed the playoffs completely with Westbrook on the team.   Even as we get deeper in the playoffs and getting some diminishing returns DLo, the added depth alone allowed the Lakers to make that run to even be a 7 seed.  

[Guy Chamberlin]

2 hours ago, sho said:

 

We would have missed the playoffs completely with Westbrook on the team.   Even as we get deeper in the playoffs and getting some diminishing returns DLo, the added depth alone allowed the Lakers to make that run to even be a 7 seed.  

 

Yep. At this point it's still possible that DeAngelo is bust or a wrong fit: if you can't play defense you're on the bench in crunch time. But I think the Lakers more than make up for him with Hachimura and the incredibly cost effective (for the moment) Austin Reeves, Lonnie Walker IV, and Jared Vanderbilt. Dennis Shroder is one of my least favorite players in the NBA, but he's still a legit role player. I can't remember what I think about Mo Bamba.

[Jason Sitoke]

4 hours ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

Yep. At this point it's still possible that DeAngelo is bust or a wrong fit: if you can't play defense you're on the bench in crunch time. But I think the Lakers more than make up for him with Hachimura and the incredibly cost effective (for the moment) Austin Reeves, Lonnie Walker IV, and Jared Vanderbilt. Dennis Shroder is one of my least favorite players in the NBA, but he's still a legit role player. I can't remember what I think about Mo Bamba.

Hachimura is a damn good player. Reaves can shoot and foul bait with the best of them, but I think he’s overrated as a defender. Honestly, Anthony Davis should get 30 and 15 every single night. Figure that out, and the lakers can go further. 
 

In he meanwhile…go nuggets!

[Mavric]

 

[AZRaiderH8r]

I am so frigging happy right now, could barely even sleep last night. As a LONG suffering Nuggets fan, this has been an incredible season and playoff run. And to sweep the Lakers is just icing on the cake. 

[Hagg]

17 hours ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

There are others who think the Lakers wouldn't have gotten this far if they were still relying on Westbrook for anything. 

 

I can't find any of those others.  How did you find them?  I tried google and alta vista.

[Lorewarn]

What if the Nuggets and Heat both come out for Game 1 donning the 'retro' shiny thick polyester uniforms of the mid-2000s?

 

[Mavric]

58 minutes ago, Lorewarn said:

What if the Nuggets and Heat both come out for Game 1 donning the 'retro' shiny thick polyester uniforms of the mid-2000s?

 

I saw the pic first and was wondering if you were going to ask if Carmello was going to come out of retirement to play for the Nuggets.  

[Guy Chamberlin]

4 hours ago, Hagg said:

 

I can't find any of those others.  How did you find them?  I tried google and alta vista.

 

Check out the article you linked us to. It claims --- with plenty of evidence -- that the Lakers got better immediately after the Westbrook trade. Then it goes on to say that the players in that trade -- DeAngelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jared Vanderbilt -- didn't turn out to be the main reason for the turnaround, and by the playoffs it was Hachimura, Austin Reeves, and Dennis Shroder delivering in the clutch. 

 

Lakers didn't "loose their mojo" they actually made a damn good run out of a season that was tanking, before running into a historically good Denver Nuggets team.

 

It's a stretch shared by no one that they lost because they missed Russell Westbrook. I'll be shocked if they don't try to unload DeAngelo.  

[admo]

So let me try to wrap my brain around this and put it into words and perspective.......

 

The shot clock is down to 2 seconds, final minutes of a close game, on the road, and the Nuggets 7-foot Center (YO-kitch) takes a step back, 3 point rainbow shot attempt - with the NBA's best defensive 7-foot center in his face trying to block the shot (Anthony Davis)..........  And Jokic (YO-kitch) nails the fall back 3 point shot attempt off of one leg - shooting it 50 feet in the air, 25 feet away and getting nothing but net...... 

 

NBA ballers dream of doing this, just not 7-foot centers.   And he did it with the game on the line.  Amazing.......like super amazing and unfathomable.  

 

Wish the NBA media would stop referring him as "the joker" and recognize he has a name worthy of pronouncing correctly.  The Joker is as easy to say as Yo-Kitch.  

[Guy Chamberlin]

6 minutes ago, admo said:

So let me try to wrap my brain around this and put it into words and perspective.......

 

The shot clock is down to 2 seconds, final minutes of a close game, on the road, and the Nuggets 7-foot Center (YO-kitch) takes a step back, 3 point rainbow shot attempt - with the NBA's best defensive 7-foot center in his face trying to block the shot..........  And Jokic (YO-kitch) nails the fall back 3 point shot attempt - with nothing but net...... 

 

NBA ballers dream of doing this, just not 7-footers.   And he did it with the game on the line.  Amazing.......like super amazing and unfathomable.  

 

Wish the NBA media would stop referring him as "the joker" and recognize he has a name worthy of pronouncing correctly.  The Joker is as easy to say as Yo-Kitch.  

 

The thing that impresses me about Jokic, and Denver, and the Heat for that matter, is that they don't seem to ruffle or get streaky. Every game, all four quarters, No drama, except the good stuff. 

[admo]

1 hour ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

The thing that impresses me about Jokic, and Denver, and the Heat for that matter, is that they don't seem to ruffle or get streaky. Every game, all four quarters, No drama, except the good stuff. 

1000% correct

[sho]

7 hours ago, AZRaiderH8r said:

I am so frigging happy right now, could barely even sleep last night. As a LONG suffering Nuggets fan, this has been an incredible season and playoff run. And to sweep the Lakers is just icing on the cake. 

 

Enjoy it, this Nuggets team is a fantastic team and a with a very good front office that did a great job of staying the course and building this team over time and not rushing to make major overhauls year after year. I'll be rooting for them in the Finals against Miami. 

[admo]

I like watching this Heat team, so good collectively with a go-to superstar that plays better on the biggest stage in the biggest moments (Butler), but he also shares the ball with a solid group of players.  And they have great coaching.  A team playing good defense and offense. 

 

This Denver team is among the best teams that I have seen in decades.  All around.  And great coaching.  Locked in.  Shooters.  Team passing.  Fast breaks.  Tempo.  And defense.

 

Reminds me of the 2010-2011 Dallas Mavericks.  Except the Nuggets were 1st place all season.  Complete team with great coaching and nothing was going to stop them.  That year the Mavericks went through Portland, swept the reigning NBA champs LA Lakers (Phil Jackson retired after that embarrassment), beat #1 OKC in the Conf Finals (they had Durrant, Westbrook, Harden, Serge Ibaka, and ESPN's Kendrick Perkins who hated Dirk - and Dirk hated him too).  Then they shocked the world and beat the #1 Miami Heat with Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Chalmers.  Wade and Lebron made fun of Dirk being sick, and with 10 seconds left in the game - Dirk posted up on Bosh, then scored the winning layup - left-handed - with a second left in the game.... Afterwards saying "I have never faked being sick, or faked anything in my life.  It was rude what they did and said"

 

This Denver team reminds me of them a lot.  The Nuggets are so enjoyable to watch.  And the Lakers are a really good team that was playing really well too.  Nuggets keep finding ways to win.

[Guy Chamberlin]

As a basketball fan with only Warriors allegiance, I have no idea who I'm going to root for in the Finals. I like both teams and the way they got here.