NBA Regular Season & Playoffs 2017-18

Carcharodon · 05-01-2018 5:43am

Refs wasting around 3 mins in thunder game on a video replay for absolutely nothing, my god, they must get a bonus when they get to use it

Gregk961 · 06-01-2018 3:03pm

Not even half way through the season and the playoff seedings look pretty much the way I suspect they will come April.

In the west the only other team I can see getting in is the Clippers but its hard to pick one to fall out of the places. Maybe Boogie might get traded again but the Pelicans have a good chance of a deep playoff run with him, Davis and playoff Rondo so that seems unlikely. OKC might finish in the 4th seed, on recent evidence they look a better team than the T-Wolves (defensively they are miles better at least)

Hard to pick any team in the East to make a run into the playoff spots, Charlotte might click and have a good second half to the season barring any injuries.

LuckyLloyd · 06-01-2018 3:09pm

Not sure I agree there. The Heat have a negative points differential (-1.4) and that is normally a very reliable indicator that they are due a poor run of results at some point. On the basis of the season thus far, I'd fancy the Pacers to end up higher than them after 82 games.

ButtersSuki · 06-01-2018 6:58pm

Gregk961 wrote: »

Not even half way through the season and the playoff seedings look pretty much the way I suspect they will come April.

In the west the only other team I can see getting in is the Clippers but its hard to pick one to fall out of the places. Maybe Boogie might get traded again but the Pelicans have a good chance of a deep playoff run with him, Davis and playoff Rondo so that seems unlikely. OKC might finish in the 4th seed, on recent evidence they look a better team than the T-Wolves (defensively they are miles better at least)

Hard to pick any team in the East to make a run into the playoff spots, Charlotte might click and have a good second half to the season barring any injuries.

It's fairly predictable 1-4 in each Conference alright (!-5 in the West maybe as the TWolves are prob. a little higher than expected).

I can see them making the Playoffs for sure, but a deep run is highly doubtful. I see them at best the 7, but most likely the 8 seed; which means they play GS or Houston, both of whom will just run them off the court. And I say all of this as a huge Boogie fan (check my posts going back to when Garnett was a Celtic on this!), + a big fan of AD.

If it's OKC v TWolves I only see one winner there - OKC.

The match up I would LOVE to see would be Houston v OKC as I think OKC could beat Houston for a variety of reasons (none of them Melo based btw).

I don't think anyone would want to play OKC to be fair.

But a lot can happen between now and then re. trades, injuries etc.

Gregk961 · 06-01-2018 10:54pm

I just think the Pelicans match up well with the likes of Houston and GS. Of course the likely outcome is the Pelicans losing in 4 or 5 games but neither of those teams will enjoy being up against Rondo Cousins and Davis.

Steph definatly hates the clippers, just dropped 27 in the first half always seems to do some outrageous stuff against them.

ButtersSuki · 07-01-2018 12:38am

Gregk961 wrote: »

I just think the Pelicans match up well with the likes of Houston and GS. Of course the likely outcome is the Pelicans losing in 4 or 5 games but neither of those teams will enjoy being up against Rondo Cousins and Davis.

Steph definatly hates the clippers, just dropped 27 in the first half always seems to do some outrageous stuff against them.

It's the whole team - they really have the Clippers number. From memory they've beaten them 11 or 12 times in a row now and most of those have been blowouts.

Steph finishes with 45 in 29mins.......:eek:

You'd have to wonder what he could do if Kerr said you're playing 48mins and I want you to shoot every time you come up the court?

ButtersSuki · 07-01-2018 12:47am

So today I learned something I didn't know about Gerald Green. It was nice to see him back in the league with Houston who have extended his 10 day to the rest of the year. This is a guy who started games for the Celtics in the Play Offs last year but who couldn't find a team this year. He's had some very impressive scoring games for Houston since he joined, and everyone knows about his insane leaping ability and in game dunks. He's had an awful lot of NBA teams though which raises some questions about his character (or something) as to why he can't seem to secure a long-term home.

What I didn't know however is he's missing a large part of the ring finger on his shooting hand:
483239011.0.0.jpg

Which makes everything he's accomplished on court even more amazing. He's broken or dislocated all the other fingers too by the look of that pic at the knuckles of each (this I know from experience - my non shooting hand has 2 fingers like that from trying to strip a ball on a layup and getting knee instead). His happened as a child apparently wearing a ring that got caught on a nail while he was testing his vertical.

rushfan · 07-01-2018 9:06am

That last sentence would nearly put me off my brekky!! Bloody hell.

ButtersSuki · 07-01-2018 3:58pm

ButtersSuki wrote: »

So today I learned something I didn't know about Gerald Green. It was nice to see him back in the league with Houston who have extended his 10 day to the rest of the year. This is a guy who started games for the Celtics in the Play Offs last year but who couldn't find a team this year. He's had some very impressive scoring games for Houston since he joined, and everyone knows about his insane leaping ability and in game dunks. He's had an awful lot of NBA teams though which raises some questions about his character (or something) as to why he can't seem to secure a long-term home.

Just listened to one of my regular pods and apparently he's considered a great teammate, a great locker-room guy and a great "glue" guy - so it's not what I wrongly suspected. Which makes his inability to find a team all the more baffling. He's too good not to have be on the league on some team. If only Doc Rivers was his Dad.........:rolleyes:

ButtersSuki · 07-01-2018 4:03pm

rushfan wrote: »

That last sentence would nearly put me off my brekky!! Bloody hell.

Oh it gets better; I read the full story and it didn't come off cleanly in the incident. They tried to save it in surgery but it didn't work and he ended up in a strapping for 18months......that must have been horrendously hard for a young kid (he was 11 at the time) to have to endure. He talks openly about it and how it set him off on a belligerent route.

He can't properly palm a basketball - imagine the dunks he could do if he could?

Always liked him as a role guy, respect has gone through the roof since I found this out.

Carcharodon · 08-01-2018 3:29am

Just saw a headline on my espn app about Lavar ball saying Luke Walton has lost control of the team.
I rarely read anything on espn, just use it for scores and stuff but I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of reading that.
ESPN really have zero credibility by giving that clown a platform, it probably annoys me more than it should but the fact I even have to write this to vent pisses me off.

LuckyLloyd · 08-01-2018 2:01pm

Carcharodon wrote: »

Just saw a headline on my espn app about Lavar ball saying Luke Walton has lost control of the team.
I rarely read anything on espn, just use it for scores and stuff but I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of reading that.
ESPN really have zero credibility by giving that clown a platform, it probably annoys me more than it should but the fact I even have to write this to vent pisses me off.

Luke Walton probably has lost control of the team. Having a team meeting to air grievances hints at that. Why would that annoy you so much? Walton laughed it off in the post game presser. But the record and the way they're playing speaks for itself.

Walton will be fired (at the latest) by the end of this season. He'll get another shot somewhere else.

rushfan · 08-01-2018 2:21pm

It's my go-to app for results for NBA & NFL results, sometimes read the news articles as well. We were in NYC last summer and watched the draft live ( it definitely wasn't anyone else's idea ) and the thing that struck me was that Lonzo actually looked mortified/embarrassed when the old man was being interviewed. Total self publicist.

Carcharodon · 08-01-2018 4:26pm

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Carcharodon wrote: »

Just saw a headline on my espn app about Lavar ball saying Luke Walton has lost control of the team.
I rarely read anything on espn, just use it for scores and stuff but I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of reading that.
ESPN really have zero credibility by giving that clown a platform, it probably annoys me more than it should but the fact I even have to write this to vent pisses me off.

Luke Walton probably has lost control of the team. Having a team meeting to air grievances hints at that. Why would that annoy you so much? Walton laughed it off in the post game presser. But the record and the way they're playing speaks for itself.

Walton will be fired (at the latest) by the end of this season. He'll get another shot somewhere else.

It annoys me that Ball is given a national platform to speak about it, this guy speaks utter nonsense and now espn have added more fuel to the fire with a young coach.

LuckyLloyd · 08-01-2018 4:50pm

Carcharodon wrote: »

It annoys me that Ball is given a national platform to speak about it, this guy speaks utter nonsense and now espn have added more fuel to the fire with a young coach.

Ball created the national platform in many respects. He's a loon, but he's good value for the media and he took advantage of that. Ideally he'd butt out and let his son do his thing, but hey.

Young coach or not, Walton is losing lots and lots of games and this is the second season in a row where a decentish start (10 - 10 last year, 8 - 10 this year) has been followed by a long losing streak to essentially end the competitive season by Christmas. He's not doing a good job and will be fired, irrespective of what Ball says to the media.

ButtersSuki · 08-01-2018 5:50pm

Carcharodon wrote: »

Just saw a headline on my espn app about Lavar ball saying Luke Walton has lost control of the team.
I rarely read anything on espn, just use it for scores and stuff but I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of reading that.
ESPN really have zero credibility by giving that clown a platform, it probably annoys me more than it should but the fact I even have to write this to vent pisses me off.

I normally agree with pretty much everything you say, but have you heard the expression "even a stopped clock is right twice a day"? Who knows, Lavar could have some genuine insight on this. Is he a loon? Of course. Does that make everything he's saying wrong? No. The team meeting is a very worrying sign, and though not quite the soccer manager's dreaded vote of confidence, it's not great either.

I was suprised Walton got that job when he did - I posted at the time of his appointment if his surname wasn't Walton and he wasn't white he wouldn't be getting it, and I stand by that. He hasn't done anything to impress and while you could argue that's fair enough given the talent at his disposal the team doesn't really seem to have any identity or playing style. The biggest problem I see is he's trying to play a sort of GS-type system without the players or talent. The failure to recognise and adapt to that is on him. They look awful, and they were on a 9 game slide until they won last night. Lonzo's quote (posted by another poster) isn't exactly a vote of confidence, but in fairness it's not his job to do so.

I'm not sure if I'm LeBron (I know they were team mates for a while) and/or Paul George and/or AN Other is going to want to put their destiny in Walton's hands. Bar a short stint covering for Steve Kerr, he's done nothing of note from a coaching standpoint. And let's be honest, you or I could likely have coached that team - they were running Kerr's system.

irishman86 · 08-01-2018 6:34pm

Carcharodon wrote: »

Just saw a headline on my espn app about Lavar ball saying Luke Walton has lost control of the team.
I rarely read anything on espn, just use it for scores and stuff but I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of reading that.
ESPN really have zero credibility by giving that clown a platform, it probably annoys me more than it should but the fact I even have to write this to vent pisses me off.

They should have known what they were getting drafting Ball
Hes the definition of low class
All he does it put unneeded pressure on his son

Carcharodon · 09-01-2018 12:55am

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Carcharodon wrote: »

Just saw a headline on my espn app about Lavar ball saying Luke Walton has lost control of the team.
I rarely read anything on espn, just use it for scores and stuff but I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of reading that.
ESPN really have zero credibility by giving that clown a platform, it probably annoys me more than it should but the fact I even have to write this to vent pisses me off.

I normally agree with pretty much everything you say, but have you heard the expression "even a stopped clock is right twice a day"? Who knows, Lavar could have some genuine insight on this. Is he a loon? Of course. Does that make everything he's saying wrong? No. The team meeting is a very worrying sign, and though not quite the soccer manager's dreaded vote of confidence, it's not great either.

I was suprised Walton got that job when he did - I posted at the time of his appointment if his surname wasn't Walton and he wasn't white he wouldn't be getting it, and I stand by that. He hasn't done anything to impress and while you could argue that's fair enough given the talent at his disposal the team doesn't really seem to have any identity or playing style. The biggest problem I see is he's trying to play a sort of GS-type system without the players or talent. The failure to recognise and adapt to that is on him. They look awful, and they were on a 9 game slide until they won last night. Lonzo's quote (posted by another poster) isn't exactly a vote of confidence, but in fairness it's not his job to do so.

I'm not sure if I'm LeBron (I know they were team mates for a while) and/or Paul George and/or AN Other is going to want to put their destiny in Walton's hands. Bar a short stint covering for Steve Kerr, he's done nothing of note from a coaching standpoint. And let's be honest, you or I could likely have coached that team - they were running Kerr's system.

I get what your saying, I really do but my grievance is with ESPN giving this idiot a platform, it’s lazy sensationalist journalism that only aims to stir the pot.
Luke Waltons performance to date can be discussed on its own merits. How an outspoken dad of a rookie player can possibly affect a team is ridiculous.

On Luke Walton, he probably got such a big job too early but was too hard for him to turn down. By all accounts from players and coaches he has the makings of a really good head coach, it was never going to be easy at the Lakers but I think he has done ok, he had them playing really hard at the start of the season. Those players may be getting frustrated because things aren’t going their way but the talent level just isn’t that good right now, that’s just a basic fact.
Firing a coach in this situation of a rebuild wouldn’t make much sense to me.

This Warriors team needs little X’s and O’s coaching, I think Kerr’s biggest skill is his management of people, he really knows how to communicate, the guy is unbelievably cool.

ButtersSuki · 09-01-2018 12:26pm

Carcharodon wrote: »

I get what your saying, I really do but my grievance is with ESPN giving this idiot a platform, it’s lazy sensationalist journalism that only aims to stir the pot.
Luke Waltons performance to date can be discussed on its own merits. How an outspoken dad of a rookie player can possibly affect a team is ridiculous.

Agreed to a degree. ESPN has become the TMZ-lite of sports broadcasting; which is a shame as it used to be excellent. It still has some good content, but there's some amount of crap on it too. I don't have it anymore as a channel (it's not available as far as I know on Virgin in Ireland but I haven't looked in a while either), but I did quite enjoy Pardon The Interruption and Around The Horn amongst others; I actually quite liked Dan Le Batard's show too, partly for the trolling

. I think PTI may have finished but that's besides the point I guess.

I do think Walton's tenure deserves deeper scrutiny though. You can't blame him for taking the job but i don't think he was ready, or qualified for same.

Carcharodon wrote: »

On Luke Walton, he probably got such a big job too early but was too hard for him to turn down. By all accounts from players and coaches he has the makings of a really good head coach, it was never going to be easy at the Lakers but I think he has done ok, he had them playing really hard at the start of the season. Those players may be getting frustrated because things aren’t going their way but the talent level just isn’t that good right now, that’s just a basic fact.
Firing a coach in this situation of a rebuild wouldn’t make much sense to me.

Agreed on too early and he couldn't really refuse. Points to the mess the Lakers front office are/were though as he should never have gotten that job in the first place. I do think there's a large amount of fraud behind Magic though, I don't think he's the genius he's made out to be by any means. He does the Mike Brown thing of smiling his way through everything as a means of deflection. I'd love to see a body language expert analyse him to see what comes out of it.

Part of Walton's problem is his youth and his lack of real credibility as a former player. He was an average at best journeyman that a la Austin Rivers got bonus points for his surname - which shouldn't happen, but does. He could be a great coach in time, but I'm judging him on the now. I don't necessarily blame kids (because that's what some of them are) for not respecting him the way they would a Pop. Brad Stevens is younger (I think) but no one disrespects Brad Stevens because of his coaching pedigree. Walton just doesn't have anything remotely comparable to that.

Firing makes perfect sense if it's the difference between landing LeBron or not. That's the hard reality of it. I couldn't give a toss about the Lakers personally as a Celtics fan, but I don't think there's a single Lakers fan out there who wouldn't fire him to get LeBron.

Carcharodon wrote: »

This Warriors team needs little X’s and O’s coaching, I think Kerr’s biggest skill is his management of people, he really knows how to communicate, the guy is unbelievably cool.

He totally is an unbelievably cool guy and incredibly smart. He did two hour long pods with Bill Simmons recently that are worth listening to. I've read a lot about his upbringing and his father etc. and how that has shaped his world views and I really like some of the things he's said about society/Trump etc. (a la Pop). He generally comes across very well in media interviews - even the saying nothing ones.

I think you're slightly underplaying his basketball brain though to be fair to the guy.

All that said - and this is something I repeatedly talk about when players move - he really f*cked up in Phoenix. In GS he's the perfect guy for what they have talent wise and what they need coaching wise. Phoenix goes to show what happens when everything isn't just right.

Final one on situation: can you imagine just how different the NBA landscape would be if Kerr went to the Knicks that time instead of GS? NY would likely still be sh*t, and it's debatable whether GS on talent alone win a Championship (and I called their first championship pre-season in my predictions on here - anyone who doubts that can fact check it!). I'm a huge fan of almost everything they've done as a team and an organisation, but I'm not sure they cross the line without Kerr in that first year.

rushfan · 09-01-2018 2:22pm

PTI is still on for all you knuckleheads!!

ButtersSuki · 09-01-2018 2:42pm

rushfan wrote: »

PTI is still on for all you knuckleheads!!

Any way to get it in Ireland on tv? Not illegally!

Love Kornheiser

Gregk961 · 09-01-2018 3:14pm

Kyle Lowry took a nasty fall last night, got up after it and then went down again holding his back. Hopefully nothing serious, the Raptors(well him and DeRozan mostly) are playing really well.

rushfan · 09-01-2018 4:05pm

ButtersSuki wrote:

Any way to get it in Ireland on tv? Not illegally!

If you have Sky , it's on 426 "BT 3/ESPN". We dumped Virgin after they discontinued with the BT package, not just for basketball, also the European rugby. Great show, drives the family nuts.

ButtersSuki · 09-01-2018 4:43pm

rushfan wrote: »

If you have Sky , it's on 426 "BT 3/ESPN". We dumped Virgin after they discontinued with the BT package, not just for basketball, also the European rugby. Great show, drives the family nuts.

Don't have Sky unfortunately and can't justify it with all of the other stuff we have TV wise (Virgin, Freeview and Freesat - no Saorview - lol).

BTW, there's a documentary on the Bill Simmons podcast network on PTI (only) at the moment that I haven't listened to yet but will get around to if you're interested in learning more about it.

rushfan · 09-01-2018 5:59pm

ButtersSuki wrote:

BTW, there's a documentary on the Bill Simmons podcast network on PTI (only) at the moment that I haven't listened to yet but will get around to if you're interested in learning more about it.

Any idea what episode no it Is? Looking on Spotify, can't see anything recent.

ButtersSuki · 09-01-2018 6:03pm

rushfan wrote: »

Any idea what episode no it Is? Looking on Spotify, can't see anything recent.

It's on the Bill Simmons Network...but not a Bill pod per se - apologies for the confusion!

It's Origins by James Andrew Miller. He's also done some on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" that I want to listen to at some stage.

Here's a link:
http://cadence13.com/origins-with-james-andrew-miller/

Don't know if that's on Spotify, but it's a link!

rushfan · 09-01-2018 6:06pm

ButtersSuki wrote:

It's on the Bill Simmons Network...but not a Bill pod per se - apologies for the confusion!

Cheers, I'll get to it at some stage.

ButtersSuki · 10-01-2018 11:50am

Jesus I was bored last night and couldn't sleep so watched highlights on the Ball brothers' debut in Lithuania, complete with Lavar grinning like a loon on the sideline. They were ok, but there was a lot better home-grown players on the court. Given his frailty compared to the men he was playing against, I guess you could say Lamelo did better of the two, but it's a relative statement.

There were a LOT of dunks in the game too - a surprising amount to be fair, but 90%+ looked boring or awkward.

And it looked like it was played in a school gym.....it's a long way from the NBA or UCLA.

rushfan · 10-01-2018 8:40pm

ButtersSuki wrote:

Don't know if that's on Spotify, but it's a link!

Had a listen this evening, very interesting.

ButtersSuki · 11-01-2018 1:16am

rushfan wrote: »

Had a listen this evening, very interesting.

Hope to get to it in the next week or so.

NBA Regular Season & Playoffs 2017-18

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