RealGM

This one will be a tough test, although with this team, I rule out nothing positive or negative.

Typically, teams perform sluggishly on day 2 of a back-to-back, and lose more often than they otherwise would. To our credit, we are 3-2 in such scenarios so far this season, and we've done it while missing key guys as we are tonight with KD.

Phoenix is one of the hottest teams in the league, currently enjoying a 7-game win streak. They are small-ish, they don't shoot a ton of 3's and don't make them at a fantastic rate. How are they 4th in the brutal Western Conference? Defense, particularly on the perimeter. James and Kai will be blanketed by elite defenders Paul and Bridges, and screens won't free them like it does with other teams. Their "bigs" Johnson and Crowder can check guards just as well, so last night's strategy will not work tonight. We're going to need to focus on delivering crisp, penetrating passes into the paint, whether by traditional post-ups, back cuts or offensive boards.

If the Suns have one vulnerability, it's paint defense. If we can dish inside without turning over the ball, their wings will have to collapse and help defend. That's the only way we'll get clean looks from 3. If we try to execute our typical offense and take a bunch of guarded 3's, we will play into their hands and have an uphill battle.

No Kyrie tonight he is out with a a sore lower back.

We are going to need a big game from Joe and the bench to pull this one off. Love to see James Harden put us on his back and carry us to a W.

Rocking this over til the wheels fall off the ball cart.

The second of back-to-backs on a west coast trip is always extremely difficult, even for the best eastern conference teams, so I don't expect the Nets to win tonight although I'm hopeful they will.

That said, I'd feel a lot better about our chances verses a hot Suns team if we had KD back, thus ALL of the BIG 3. Unfortunately we don't and you can thank the NBA. The length of that forced isolation definitely put KD at risk for things like strained hamstrings when he returned.

vincecarter4pres wrote:Rocking this over til the wheels fall off the ball cart.

If Irving was playing I would take 226.5 all NIGHT.

Now I'm not so sure. We are so top heavy that there is little room for error if we are missing 2/3rds of Scary Hours... we are literally running our 2nd unit (Harden and The Boys) for four quarters. I don't like it. This is where not having Dinwiddie is brutal.

Stone wrote:No Kyrie tonight he is out with a a sore lower back.

Are you kidding me?

No KD ... and no Kyrie, for the second of west coast back-to-backs?

We might as well concede this game.

Of course I don't mean that literally, but then again, I almost do.

OH WELL **** IT WE ARE PLAYING WITH HOUSE MONEY LETS TAKE THE OVER AND WIN THE **** ING GAME AND OVERTAKE THE BUCKS FOR 2ND PLACE



WE ARE IN CONTROL

It was scheduled loss written all over it. I'm just not sure why we didn't give Harden day off too. Got me dumb founded.

MrDollarBills wrote:

vincecarter4pres wrote:Rocking this over til the wheels fall off the ball cart.

If Irving was playing I would take 226.5 all NIGHT.

Now I'm not so sure. We are so top heavy that there is little room for error if we are missing 2/3rds of Scary Hours... we are literally running our 2nd unit (Harden and The Boys) for four quarters. I don't like it. This is where not having Dinwiddie is brutal.

Can't help myself, had to keep it moving haha.

Also parlayed it with the Nets ML, though I feel like I'm lighting $25 on fire with that one, sucker odds got this sucker though lol, along with the line moving both on the points and ML in the right direction, and the over too, it's up to 227.5 on some sites, I got in at 226.

Harden proves to be our most healthy (yet sluggish) star lol... respect

With Irving out, we're gonna need someone other than Harden to be a facilitator. This could be a repeat of that miserable game at Phoenix last year, where they hit like 25 treys and whooped us by 35.

Bucks are about to lose to the Tampa Bay Raptors. We take back sole possession of 2nd in the East with a win and Bucks loss.

CalamityX12 wrote:Harden proves to be our most healthy (yet sluggish) star lol... respect

dude has the strength and body control to get anywhere he wants to go while playing at his own speed. he's a warhorse.

So what's the starting lineup tonight?

PG James Harden
SG Bruce Brown
SF Joe Harris
PF Jeff Green
C DeAndre Jordan

And what's the second unit?

someone buy RJ a green screen or a backdrop or something.

Damn, I don’t think James likes DeAndre Jordan too much. All jokes aside. That clip was really really uncomfortable from last night.

I hope we don’t see any developing issues.

GTR11 wrote:It was scheduled loss written all over it. I'm just not sure why we didn't give Harden day off too. Got me dumb founded.

You're not wrong.

Soon as it becomes obvious we're too undermanned to compete in this game, I hope Nash yanks Harden too.

"Sometimes you have to lose a battle to win the war." - Sun Tzu

Paradise wrote:Damn, I don’t think James likes DeAndre Jordan too much. All jokes aside. That clip was really really uncomfortable from last night.

I hope we don’t see any developing issues.

No matter what comes out of Harden's mouth DJ should LOVE him. If DJ wasn't locked contract wise James would be writing his checks.

Can’t wait until we have our completed roster. A night like this with just one of the nWo still wouldn’t be a problem. I’m sure load management will be common with this era(but so will championships).

Anywho just Shoto tonight with no Deku or Bakugo. Let’s get this win.

vincecarter4pres wrote:

MrDollarBills wrote:

vincecarter4pres wrote:Rocking this over til the wheels fall off the ball cart.

If Irving was playing I would take 226.5 all NIGHT.

Now I'm not so sure. We are so top heavy that there is little room for error if we are missing 2/3rds of Scary Hours... we are literally running our 2nd unit (Harden and The Boys) for four quarters. I don't like it. This is where not having Dinwiddie is brutal.

Can't help myself, had to keep it moving haha.

Also parlayed it with the Nets ML, though I feel like I'm lighting $25 on fire with that one, sucker odds got this sucker though lol, along with the line moving both on the points and ML in the right direction, and the over too, it's up to 227.5 on some sites, I got in at 226.

I got in at 226.5, lets go NETS!!!!!