Honestly, the Pacers look every bit as good as the Cavs. LeBron is lucky to go to Indiana tied at 1 game apiece.
Terrible news about the passing of Gregg Popovich's wife. Also, the playoffs have been fantastic. Indiana, New Orleans, Utah all refusing to play along with the script in their series.
Why have Lillard and co failed to adjust after two home spankings? They just got REKT game 3... is there something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about? or is Gentry just flat-out out-coaching Stottz? Is it a mental thing? Dame legit looks like deers caught in some headlights when the reporter asked him that question. "L-looked like what?!"
These 3 teams have played 4 games since I posted this, and have gone 4 and 0. Utah is putting the hurt on OKC. Have you guys looked at the rebounding numbers? So much has been made about the 3 point shot being decisive in basketball now but, honestly, Indiana and Utah are simply outworking the Cavs and OKC. And Jrue and AD have just become the best versions of themselves right before our very eyes, for the Pels.
I think this Utah series also demonstrates the importance of Steven Adams to OKC. Ever since Adams picked up his hand injury and hasn't been the same guy, OKC has been worked on the offensive glass and isn't protecting the rim. Adams is also a consistently high-motor guy for OKC, a team that, as @onefineesq has stated, is currently struggling with motor.
Gobert is a problem for sides with no inside presence because he is an excellent help defender and okc love an iso drive Utah are a great side. Would love to see them progress as they can trouble a lot of west sides I still pick Houston to win the west though
The difference is also Rubio. He's peaking at the right time for Utah. His offensive game has improved big time to compliment Donovan Mitchell.
I'm not usually the type to throw out "X team/X player choked" takes, but this Raptors team has no other way of describing what happens to them in the playoffs. This Wizards team is vulnerable and flawed. This series should not be close, and yet it is. The Raptors are straight jobbers. Forever regular season kings and postseason peasants.
These play-offs are oh so fun to watch. Cavs split the series in Indiana. Good all around team win for The Cavs. Questionable decision making down the stretch from The Pacers. Raptors are frauds, no way around it. Terrible #1 seed. Bucks split the series after winning the home stand. Celtics with a very cold first half, which was almost offset by their hot second half. Spurs get one for Pop and his wife ( )
Post 565 and 566 are both correct. I would add though that the Wizards themselves are chokers. However, your posts highlight what I continually say about modern day basketball, despite what you guys believe to be the superiority of it (I think it is inferior to the 80s and 90s). Charles Barkley and Shaq said it, overtly, during the TNT broadcast yesterday ... guys today don't know how to play the team game. It is ISO after ISO. Just because guys are all parked around the 3 point line, doesn't mean that they are masters of spacing. It just means that they have all reverted to being 1 trick ponies in the league. And the ball movement is terrible. The reason teams like Toronto, the Wizards, the Bucks, the Pacers, OKC .... hell, even the Cavs, etc. are so enigmatic is that the ball movement and player movement is nearly non-existent. That's what has made Golden State, in its dominance, so fun to watch. They move it beautifully. But at the end of games, for most teams, ball movement becomes MORE stagnant, as the ball is held by the best player, everyone clears out and it becomes a 1 v 1 fest. It is terrible basketball execution, but the closeness of the games themselves (and the upsets ... hello Pelicans) has made the playoffs great theater nonetheless!
Eh... I feel like we’ve seen a lot of really good ball movement from teams like Utah, Indiana, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Miami in this playoffs, even aside from Golden State. There’s a few teams who are running static PNR/iso offences like OKC, Washington, Minnesota, and Milwaukee, but there’s a fair amount of variety in what’s going on with these teams. Raptors had a lot of great ball movement in the regular season but that’s been MIA in the postseason unfortunately.
One hell of a game though. Went back and forth at the end of the 4th quarter. That monster dunk from Antetokounmpo over Baines was insane. Dude loves to dunk over Baines. Jabari Parker is a great player. Too bad the Bucks don't see it.
This Rockets/Wolves game is already laughable. 2 teams coming downcourt and jacking up the first 3 pointer they can find. Awful offense, once again. Movement? HA! Hopefully they either start running some ACTUAL offensive sets or they start at least taking better 3 point shots. Outside of a hot start by Ariza, this game is putrid from an offensive perspective.
You can't say the Rockets don't run an offense though... sure it's not the triangle, but it's fun to watch Harden and Paul make their reads.
What happened to Butler?? This can't be the same Butler we saw blossom at Chicago can it? Smh.. dude gettin abused now.