2020/21 NBA season + Olympics

GoldFour4

New thread for the new season kicking off.

kmart6

Hard to be motivated to watch the games last night. Started watching the Warriors/Nets but was very obvious early how that was going and then the Clippers/Lakers just didn't appeal to me at all.

Coneygree

Anyone make any season bets? I'm staying away from the MVP market as I don't really like any of the prices and I hate the narrative that Giannis is basically automatically ruled out due to voter fatigue. I think he'll probably deserve it again tbh. Durant might have been the value bet a few weeks back.

I've backed Ayton and Wood for MIP @12/1 and a token bet on Reddish @50/1 who should do his odds great justice. I'm expecting a huge season from him.

Patrick Williams has blown me away at times and I like him for ROY @16/1 on that Bulls team. I didn't like Cole Anthony as a top prospect but he seems to have the right attitude and I've backed him @20/1 for change. And Devin Vassell's price at 40/1 is stupid. He looked the best Spurs player during preseason and should get a tonne of minutes as he's already fairly polished. I sort of wanted the Hawks to draft him but he's in a perfect setup with Pop.

Backed Gallo for 6MOTY @10/1 just because of the Hawks.

ButtersSuki

I meant to post this last week but Denver with a very below the radar pick up of Facundo Campazzo. Great signing.

Itssoeasy

The rockets and thunder game has been postponed because Houston doesn’t have the eight players required by the league for a game. And of course James harden isn’t happy and went out to a club.

And the Celtics have lowered eight banners from the roof with four each behind the baskets in honour of Tommy heinsohn who died earlier this year. They all have significance to him and I know one is one of the ones he won as a coach(1976) and there’s the 84 and 86 banners because he was on the cbs commentary for them and 2008 is the last one he was involved with. The other four I couldn’t see from the pic that was posted but presumably one of the others is 1974 which was his first win as a coach. I assume the other three are from the Russell era.

ctrl-alt-delete

Itssoeasy wrote: »

The rockets and thunder game has been postponed because Houston doesn’t have the eight players required by the league for a game. And of course James harden isn’t happy and went out to a club.

And the Celtics have lowered eight banners from the roof with four each behind the baskets in honour of Tommy heinsohn who died earlier this year. They all have significance to him and I know one is one of the ones he won as a coach(1976) and there’s the 84 and 86 banners because he was on the cbs commentary for them and 2008 is the last one he was involved with. The other four I couldn’t see from the pic that was posted but presumably one of the others is 1974 which was his first win as a coach. I assume the other three are from the Russell era.

pjohnson

Ja Morant was a demon in the opener.

Carcharodon

Some great games lined up for today,

Zion v The Heat, looking forward to seeing how much Zion can improve this year and if he has the potential to bring a title to the Pelicans down the road, also will the Heat pick up where they left off, Adebayo is a unique player, he should improve also.

Curry V The Bucks, don’t expect much from The Warriors this season if game 1 is anything to go by but I’ll keep on watching, Wiseman showed real flashes of quality and could be a great draft pick, keep on giving him plenty of minutes.
Bucks are the Bucks, they should be dominating most teams

Nets v Celtics, Nets looked so good in their opening game, they have a serious offense and Durant looks to be back to being the best player in the league, he is unstoppable when healthy
Iam assume the Celtics will be their usual well coached and drilled team

Luka v The Lakers, the darling of the NBA Luka is the real deal, can’t wait to watch him today
Lakers got better on paper but everyone is waiting for LeBron to crack, don’t see it happening

Clippers V Nuggets, I think a fresh approach from the Clippers will find them hard to beat, people shouldn’t forget Kawhi is still a god damn beast, George might be too unreliable but will still get big points in games
Jokic and Murray were fantastic in the bubble, they will look to build on that

Great games all round

Carcharodon

Just turned in ESPN, Stephen A Smith and Perkins doing pre game, my god, painful !

Coneygree

Zion looked really good the other night, his touch around the rim is really something else. I hope he stays healthy and develops some sort of a shot, the Pelicans will be such an exciting team to watch.

I'm softly rooting for the Clippers this year. I've always loved Kawhi but the hate Paul George has gotten in the last year has been awful and even though he has underperformed and said some stupid things it is undeserved. It was great to see him shoot lights out the other night and I hope he keeps that sting in his game.

GoldFour4

Pelicans will be a fun team to watch for sure anyway

Carcharodon

Coneygree wrote: »

Zion looked really good the other night, his touch around the rim is really something else. I hope he stays healthy and develops some sort of a shot, the Pelicans will be such an exciting team to watch.

I'm softly rooting for the Clippers this year. I've always loved Kawhi but the hate Paul George has gotten in the last year has been awful and even though he has underperformed and said some stupid things it is undeserved. It was great to see him shoot lights out the other night and I hope he keeps that sting in his game.

Zion is really hard to stop around the rim, he is one big dude, the size of his ass....lol. Hopefully he stays healthy and keeps in shape

Carcharodon

Flagrant 1 foul for a hip check, my god, shocking, took them 4 minutes to come to that decision

ButtersSuki

Carcharodon wrote: »

Just turned in ESPN, Stephen A Smith and Perkins doing pre game, my god, painful !

Perkins is the worst ex-player by a country mile to get one of those gigs. And he’s by far the worst ex-player analyst too.

ButtersSuki

I didn’t think it was possible for Giannis to get any worse from the foul line, but lo and behold he has based on the first 2 games anyway. Small sample size for sure, but it doesn’t look good.

Carcharodon

I knew the Warriors would struggle but my god the shooting is the worst I’ve seen in 15 years, it’s embarrassing, they are going to have to totally rethink the game plan if they want to be any bit competitive this year or else just tank.
Wiggins and Oubre have been shocking so far, I’ve tried to see the positives in Wiggins but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
I would concentrate on pick and rolls with wiseman and Curry and wait for next year when Klay come back

I might put a bet on the Nets for the championship this year, if they stay healthy, both physically and mentally (Kylie) then they are legit, I would love to see them play the Lakers in the final

ButtersSuki

Carcharodon wrote: »

I knew the Warriors would struggle but my god the shooting is the worst I’ve seen in 15 years, it’s embarrassing, they are going to have to totally rethink the game plan if they want to be any bit competitive this year or else just tank.
Wiggins and Oubre have been shocking so far, I’ve tried to see the positives in Wiggins but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
I would concentrate on pick and rolls with wiseman and Curry and wait for next year when Klay come back

I might put a bet on the Nets for the championship this year, if they stay healthy, both physically and mentally (Kylie) then they are legit, I would love to see them play the Lakers in the final

As above, I’ve been shocked at how bad GS are, and quite surprised at how good the Nets have been.

Milwaukee didn’t look great in the games I’ve seen, and Boston have looked like they haven’t improved since last year. Haven’t seen the sixers yet but the East could be there for the Nets if they stay healthy.

pjohnson

Klay Thompson is obviously a very big miss for GSW.

chopperbyrne

Anyone watching this Clippers vs Mavericks game?

Clippers getting destroyed. Down by 44 with 3:30 left in the first half.

ButtersSuki

chopperbyrne wrote: »

Anyone watching this Clippers vs Mavericks game?

Clippers getting destroyed. Down by 44 with 3:30 left in the first half.

Down 50 at the half. 50. I’m watching NBA 35+ years. I can’t ever remember a team down 50.

PG will say he played well though. :rolleyes:

Coneygree

Just how good is Kawhi :pac:

ButtersSuki

I’ve just seen the clip of Grayson Allen trying to trip/stand on Trae Young’s foot. I know they have previous and clearly hate each other but that is so low and dirty. Scumbag play tbh.

jk23

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Down 50 at the half. 50. I’m watching NBA 35+ years. I can’t ever remember a team down 50.

PG will say he played well though. :rolleyes:

If I was the clippers I would trade George for Harden, I don't know if they could do it now though

Coneygree

ButtersSuki wrote: »

I’ve just seen the clip of Grayson Allen trying to trip/stand on Trae Young’s foot. I know they have previous and clearly hate each other but that is so low and dirty. Scumbag play tbh.

If anyone was deserving of a Ron Artest or Karl Malone elbow it is Allen. He's had a few incidents now.

K.O.Kiki

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Down 50 at the half. 50. I’m watching NBA 35+ years. I can’t ever remember a team down 50.

PG will say he played well though. :rolleyes:

Previous record was 47 points, Golden State Warriors’ 88-41 lead against Sacramento Kings in 1991-92 NBA season.
:pac:

K.O.Kiki

https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1343245207299612672

Warriors are cursed.

ButtersSuki

Wish Dallas went out to bury them in the second half. I think only once has a team won by more than the other team scored in NBA history, that was clearly on the cards tonight if Dallas wanted it.

ButtersSuki

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1343245207299612672

Warriors are cursed.

It really seems like they’re paying an insane price for the 3 championships alright doesn’t it?

Coneygree

Mavericks could have scored 0 in the second half and would have still won by 4. Paul George will get all the hate as it is the 2020 trend but serious questions need to be asked of that team effort tonight.

ButtersSuki

Coneygree wrote: »

Mavericks could have scored 0 in the second half and would have still won by 4. Paul George will get all the hate as it is the 2020 trend but serious questions need to be asked of that team effort tonight.

Coach needs to take a lot of the criticism for this too.

ButtersSuki

jk23 wrote: »

If I was the clippers I would trade George for Harden, I don't know if they could do it now though

Rockets wouldn’t do it, and Clippers have nothing else to offer with all their picks gone to OKC.

Paul won’t last his contract there though, I’d bet on that.

Carcharodon

There is a video of Curry making 105 consecutive 3s from the corner at practice yesterday, it’s pretty god damn impressive, crazy really!
Highlight of the Warriors season probably....

K.O.Kiki

Carcharodon wrote: »

There is a video of Curry making 105 consecutive 3s from the corner at practice yesterday, it’s pretty god damn impressive, crazy really!
Highlight of the Warriors season probably....

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1343399880853774338

Carcharodon

Damion Lee with a game winning 3 to beat the Bulls, channeling his inner steph curry (he is married to steps sister)
Pretty poor game between 2 weak teams otherwise

Carcharodon

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1343399880853774338

Whoops, didn’t see your post, exciting finish, let’s hope Warriors can remain some bit relevant, will be a long year I feel though, Draymond should add depth but isn’t the same player as a few years ago

It's gonna be another long season for my Bulls.

Hopefully we'll have Suggs at the end of it.

Coneygree

Dinwiddie has partially done his ACL. Ah well it was fun watching this Nets team while it lasted.

That's a great shame. I love watching Dinwiddie.

Carcharodon

Watched Warriors v Detroit this evening, not the most alluring game for the neutral but not a bad game.

I’ll stake a claim that Wiseman will be a fantastic player for many years in the NBA, he makes rookie mistakes but you can see the talent oozing out of him, he has got serious game for a big man, he gives me that little tingly feeling, he could be special.

ButtersSuki

This is a joke, ok?

I wonder did LeBron put in a trade request when Cleveland were 3-0?

:pac:

ButtersSuki

Carcharodon wrote: »

Watched Warriors v Detroit this evening, not the most alluring game for the neutral but not a bad game.

I’ll stake a claim that Wiseman will be a fantastic player for many years in the NBA, he makes rookie mistakes but you can see the talent oozing out of him, he has got serious game for a big man, he gives me that little tingly feeling, he could be special.

Yeah he looks legit, and he is huge. I don’t think his timeline however will match Curry’s/Klay’s/Draymond’s etc enough to make them contenders again.

Coneygree

Wiseman looks like he could grow an extra inch or two as well. Could be a real handful in a few years.

Haliburton looks a steal for the Kings, about time they got a bit of good fortune in the draft.

ButtersSuki

Coneygree wrote: »

Wiseman looks like he could grow an extra inch or two as well. Could be a real handful in a few years.

Haliburton looks a steal for the Kings, about time they got a bit of good fortune in the draft.

Well to be fair they passed on Klay Thompson and more recently and most unforgivably Luka. So they can’t really say they’ve been unlucky.

Carcharodon

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Well to be fair they passed on Klay Thompson and more recently and most unforgivably Luka. So they can’t really say they’ve been unlucky.

Luka is scandalous, I’ve listened to Mark Cuban talk about it, they couldn’t believe it

Coneygree

Yes the Hawks!

ButtersSuki

Coneygree wrote: »

Yes the Hawks!

I can only assume you’re referring to the alley oop pass off the backboard? Some play alright.

Coneygree

ButtersSuki wrote: »

I can only assume you’re referring to the alley oop pass off the backboard? Some okay alright.

Not just Collins doing that and baptising people, but in general, playing some great stuff, especially the younger lads. Reddish and Hunter really have begun to take the leap. The increase in depth has helped a tonne too. Good early signs but it is a long season but finally promising signs.

ButtersSuki

They’ve been good and better than expected, but early days. Think they’ll make the playoffs based on what I’ve seen so far barring injuries of course, but they play little defence. Their philosophy is clearly “we will score more than you”, which is fine in the regular season, but won’t get very far in the playoffs.

Coneygree

ButtersSuki wrote: »

They’ve been good and better than expected, but early days. Think they’ll make the playoffs based on what I’ve seen so far barring injuries of course, but they play little defence. Their philosophy is clearly “we will score more than you”, which is fine in the regular season, but won’t get very far in the playoffs.

Defence up until this season has been very shaky alright. Reddish as a rookie was often matched up with the oppositions top guy but he's shown All Defensive first team potential as has Hunter. All bias aside I don't think too many duos will guard Durant and Kyrie better this season han than Cam and Dre did last night considering Durant is a roll out of bed 30 a night guy still. With Capella back from injury and Dunn to add soon there's much better defence across the team this year. Trae has clearly worked on his defense too which helps considering his load. The rebuild has been very solid and a push for the playoffs is definitely a realistic goal.

pjohnson

I think the Hawks will definitely make play offs.

I've been suprised by how good Pelicans have looked tbh and think Adams has been a great addition.

pjohnson

With Siakam getting fouled out again I wonder if that will accelerate him being traded for Harden?