Game 4: Golden State Warriors (2-1) @ Phoenix Suns (2-1) l Tuesday l 7:00pm l TNT

[WeekapaugGroove]

Still won't get excited. It's October and 4 games in.

We all saw 64 wins and resulted into a pile of trash elimination Game 7... and the severely declined chemistry and system just several games before that.

It's way too early.

Still concerned at the lack of ball handler and play maker depth.

I will assess the team during the 20 games after All Star break to see how they are tracking for post season.... suns finished top 5 offense and defense last season... and win 64 games. We've all seen that type of success... it's pretty much ring or bust for me. Sad as that is... suns have zero rings and haters will only shut up once the team hoist a trophy in June.

Well yeah we're like 5% into the season so of course it's too early to make sweeping statements.

Now I will say because of how last year ended and the drama this summer I think it was especially important for this suns team to start out the season on a high note.

Of course a championship is the ultimate goal but it's also good to enjoy the ride and enjoy wins like last night's.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

[Qwigglez]

Still won't get excited. It's October and 4 games in.

We all saw 64 wins and resulted into a pile of trash elimination Game 7... and the severely declined chemistry and system just several games before that.

It's way too early.

Still concerned at the lack of ball handler and play maker depth.

I will assess the team during the 20 games after All Star break to see how they are tracking for post season.... suns finished top 5 offense and defense last season... and win 64 games. We've all seen that type of success... it's pretty much ring or bust for me. Sad as that is... suns have zero rings and haters will only shut up once the team hoist a trophy in June.

Well yeah we're like 5% into the season so of course it's too early to make sweeping statements.

Now I will say because of how last year ended and the drama this summer I think it was especially important for this suns team to start out the season on a high note.

Of course a championship is the ultimate goal but it's also good to enjoy the ride and enjoy wins like last night's.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

I don't like the ring or bust mentality. Last season was still a pleasure to watch the team. This year should be too. I hope they win a ring, but that takes a lot of luck due to durability.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Still won't get excited. It's October and 4 games in.

We all saw 64 wins and resulted into a pile of trash elimination Game 7... and the severely declined chemistry and system just several games before that.

It's way too early.

Still concerned at the lack of ball handler and play maker depth.

I will assess the team during the 20 games after All Star break to see how they are tracking for post season.... suns finished top 5 offense and defense last season... and win 64 games. We've all seen that type of success... it's pretty much ring or bust for me. Sad as that is... suns have zero rings and haters will only shut up once the team hoist a trophy in June.

Well yeah we're like 5% into the season so of course it's too early to make sweeping statements.

Now I will say because of how last year ended and the drama this summer I think it was especially important for this suns team to start out the season on a high note.

Of course a championship is the ultimate goal but it's also good to enjoy the ride and enjoy wins like last night's.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

I don't like the ring or bust mentality. Last season was still a pleasure to watch the team. This year should be too. I hope they win a ring, but that takes a lot of luck due to durability.

Yeah if a championship is the only enjoyment you can get out of being a sports fan you should probably pick another hobby because 98% of the time you'll end up disappointed.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

[bwgood77]

Still won't get excited. It's October and 4 games in.

We all saw 64 wins and resulted into a pile of trash elimination Game 7... and the severely declined chemistry and system just several games before that.

It's way too early.

Still concerned at the lack of ball handler and play maker depth.

I will assess the team during the 20 games after All Star break to see how they are tracking for post season.... suns finished top 5 offense and defense last season... and win 64 games. We've all seen that type of success... it's pretty much ring or bust for me. Sad as that is... suns have zero rings and haters will only shut up once the team hoist a trophy in June.

Well yeah we're like 5% into the season so of course it's too early to make sweeping statements.

Now I will say because of how last year ended and the drama this summer I think it was especially important for this suns team to start out the season on a high note.

Of course a championship is the ultimate goal but it's also good to enjoy the ride and enjoy wins like last night's.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Yeah, last year the Suns started 1-2 and finished with 64 wins and in 06-07 1-5 and finished 62-20 I think.

And of course people saying Brooklyn is no good after losing to the Griz and Pelicans and beating the Raptors is premature, and the Jazz and Spurs being good, the Jazz a playoff team, etc.

I will say the Clippers do not look good though of course Kawhi has barely played and George has been out too so without them they won't be too good. They lost the play in without either of them last year.

Though of course I still think completely healthy they will be as good as anyone but obviously Kawhi is not even close to his normal self.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Still won't get excited. It's October and 4 games in.

We all saw 64 wins and resulted into a pile of trash elimination Game 7... and the severely declined chemistry and system just several games before that.

It's way too early.

Still concerned at the lack of ball handler and play maker depth.

I will assess the team during the 20 games after All Star break to see how they are tracking for post season.... suns finished top 5 offense and defense last season... and win 64 games. We've all seen that type of success... it's pretty much ring or bust for me. Sad as that is... suns have zero rings and haters will only shut up once the team hoist a trophy in June.

Well yeah we're like 5% into the season so of course it's too early to make sweeping statements.

Now I will say because of how last year ended and the drama this summer I think it was especially important for this suns team to start out the season on a high note.

Of course a championship is the ultimate goal but it's also good to enjoy the ride and enjoy wins like last night's.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Yeah, last year the Suns started 1-2 and finished with 64 wins and in 06-07 1-5 and finished 62-20 I think.

And of course people saying Brooklyn is no good after losing to the Griz and Pelicans and beating the Raptors is premature, and the Jazz and Spurs being good, the Jazz a playoff team, etc.

I will say the Clippers do not look good though of course Kawhi has barely played and George has been out too so without them they won't be too good. They lost the play in without either of them last year.

Though of course I still think completely healthy they will be as good as anyone but obviously Kawhi is not even close to his normal self.

Yeah if bad team has a good week in February no one notices. When it happens week 1 people go crazy.

Now I do think you can make some judgments.

Like if I were a Clippers fan the fact that Leonard still isn't healthy and not a full go would be concerning.

The Lakers unsurprisingly can't shoot and I don't see that really getting better with that roster.

The nets don't have a great vibe and have been a mess on D. Not time to write them off but that's a volitile situation so one to monitor.

The wolves need to figure some **** out but ultimately I think they'll be fine because they should be able to defend.

I doubt Utah will be good but they do have a little suns 2015 vibe where they have enough professionals who are playing for their careers that they might win more than anyone originally thought.

And finally the Suns.. they look like a group who's played a lot of basketball together. I doubt they win 60 again but they might be a little better than I thought coming into the year.



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[BobbieL]

Well yeah we're like 5% into the season so of course it's too early to make sweeping statements.

Now I will say because of how last year ended and the drama this summer I think it was especially important for this suns team to start out the season on a high note.

Of course a championship is the ultimate goal but it's also good to enjoy the ride and enjoy wins like last night's.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

I don't like the ring or bust mentality. Last season was still a pleasure to watch the team. This year should be too. I hope they win a ring, but that takes a lot of luck due to durability.

Yeah if a championship is the only enjoyment you can get out of being a sports fan you should probably pick another hobby because 98% of the time you'll end up disappointed.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Suns, Padres and Chargers fans. So I know about losing
But last two weeks - Padres in the playofs was great fun. Beating the Mets and Dodgers was great. Good games against the Phillies just the better team won.

So yes, part of the fun is the journey. Sure want the Suns to win in the playoffs but part of winning means potentially losing in the playoffs.

[bwgood77]

Well yeah we're like 5% into the season so of course it's too early to make sweeping statements.

Now I will say because of how last year ended and the drama this summer I think it was especially important for this suns team to start out the season on a high note.

Of course a championship is the ultimate goal but it's also good to enjoy the ride and enjoy wins like last night's.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Yeah, last year the Suns started 1-2 and finished with 64 wins and in 06-07 1-5 and finished 62-20 I think.

And of course people saying Brooklyn is no good after losing to the Griz and Pelicans and beating the Raptors is premature, and the Jazz and Spurs being good, the Jazz a playoff team, etc.

I will say the Clippers do not look good though of course Kawhi has barely played and George has been out too so without them they won't be too good. They lost the play in without either of them last year.

Though of course I still think completely healthy they will be as good as anyone but obviously Kawhi is not even close to his normal self.

Yeah if bad team has a good week in February no one notices. When it happens week 1 people go crazy.

Now I do think you can make some judgments.

Like if I were a Clippers fan the fact that Leonard still isn't healthy and not a full go would be concerning.

The Lakers unsurprisingly can't shoot and I don't see that really getting better with that roster.

The nets don't have a great vibe and have been a mess on D. Not time to write them off but that's a volitile situation so one to monitor.

The wolves need to figure some **** out but ultimately I think they'll be fine because they should be able to defend.

I doubt Utah will be good but they do have a little suns 2015 vibe where they have enough professionals who are playing for their careers that they might win more than anyone originally thought.

And finally the Suns.. they look like a group who's played a lot of basketball together. I doubt they win 60 again but they might be a little better than I thought coming into the year.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

What have you heard about a bad vibe in Brooklyn? I know they didn't have the most smooth sailing summer, but I hadn't heard anything regarding a bad vibe, though I don't listen to a lot of podcasts either. They have a couple tough games after starting 1-2 but then they have like 5 easy ones.

[bwgood77]

I don't like the ring or bust mentality. Last season was still a pleasure to watch the team. This year should be too. I hope they win a ring, but that takes a lot of luck due to durability.

Yeah if a championship is the only enjoyment you can get out of being a sports fan you should probably pick another hobby because 98% of the time you'll end up disappointed.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Suns, Padres and Chargers fans. So I know about losing
But last two weeks - Padres in the playofs was great fun. Beating the Mets and Dodgers was great. Good games against the Phillies just the better team won.

So yes, part of the fun is the journey. Sure want the Suns to win in the playoffs but part of winning means potentially losing in the playoffs.

Yeah, there is a lot of Monty blaming when things go bad. I am never a coach blamer but man do I question Staley and his decisions with Chargers, even if they luckily pull out a win like with the Browns missing that FG.

[lilfishi22]

Not breaking any news but with what happened with the KD situation in the offseason (and calling for Marks'/Nash's job) and Nash is probably on one of the hottest seats in the coaching circles, there is a dark cloud over that team. I think the larger problem for them isn't necessarily KD's presumed discontent but the fact that even if they replace Nash with someone better, there isn't a lot they can do roster wise to fix their defensive issue. Simmons was an elite defender but he looks to have taken several steps back athletically and I don't think their defensive schemes makes much sense either because they just don't have the requisite defensive players. But they've committed to Simmons when they traded Harden and I'd imagine it'll be damn hard to offload him.

I don't think there is a sounding of alarms (yet) but if they can't find competitive consistency, they might just pull that alarm sooner rather than later

[Hitachi77]

This team has the potential to once again win 60+ games and break our heart in an epic playoff flameout. But I will take that chance.

None of that 60+ win anymore please. I’d rather we finish 55-27 and be well rested for the playoffs. Last year cost us the season dearly where we didn’t rest anyone and aimed to set a franchise record for wins. Let’s hope we learned our lesson and just coast to a respectable record of around 53-56 wins for 2-3rd seed.

I think us taking our foot off the gas last year at the end hurt our momentum. You never heard the Bulls dynasty resting for the playoffs or Kobe resting when he was trying to win finals.

It almost feels like we rest guys, they get a little tight and injuries become more common. You start worrying about rest or getting hurt and all that, you take your mind off that winning mentality.

You can rest when you sweep people because you are on a roll.

But a chamionship for any one team is highly improbable no matter how you approach it.

Yeah honestly it's hard to say what's best. I've seen situations where teams seem like they should have rested, and situations where teams seem like they should have powered through. I'll say this, we looked really good last year in games 1/2 vs the Mavs. Then Paul fell off a cliff, and it's not simply what the Mavs did to him. It's still a mystery what happened, but having Paul ready to go in April is one of the biggest keys to the season, as they seem to know. I wince when I continue to see him playing heavy minutes, but simply relying on him less in playmaking situations, in the reg season anyway, helps as well.

[WeekapaugGroove]

Yeah, last year the Suns started 1-2 and finished with 64 wins and in 06-07 1-5 and finished 62-20 I think.

And of course people saying Brooklyn is no good after losing to the Griz and Pelicans and beating the Raptors is premature, and the Jazz and Spurs being good, the Jazz a playoff team, etc.

I will say the Clippers do not look good though of course Kawhi has barely played and George has been out too so without them they won't be too good. They lost the play in without either of them last year.

Though of course I still think completely healthy they will be as good as anyone but obviously Kawhi is not even close to his normal self.

Yeah if bad team has a good week in February no one notices. When it happens week 1 people go crazy.

Now I do think you can make some judgments.

Like if I were a Clippers fan the fact that Leonard still isn't healthy and not a full go would be concerning.

The Lakers unsurprisingly can't shoot and I don't see that really getting better with that roster.

The nets don't have a great vibe and have been a mess on D. Not time to write them off but that's a volitile situation so one to monitor.

The wolves need to figure some **** out but ultimately I think they'll be fine because they should be able to defend.

I doubt Utah will be good but they do have a little suns 2015 vibe where they have enough professionals who are playing for their careers that they might win more than anyone originally thought.

And finally the Suns.. they look like a group who's played a lot of basketball together. I doubt they win 60 again but they might be a little better than I thought coming into the year.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

What have you heard about a bad vibe in Brooklyn? I know they didn't have the most smooth sailing summer, but I hadn't heard anything regarding a bad vibe, though I don't listen to a lot of podcasts either. They have a couple tough games after starting 1-2 but then they have like 5 easy ones.

Read on Twitter

?t=1NmeWQHT-7kydhkzScfY6Q&s=19

Just watching the nets that bad vibe is evident. You're super star openly tried to get the coach fired and wanted out. Kyrie is Kyrie. Simmons doesn't seem to be the easiest guy to deal with.

You have stuff like this already coming out

Read on Twitter

?t=1NmeWQHT-7kydhkzScfY6Q&s=19

It's a powder keg of a situation. Maybe everything will be good when TJ Warren gets healthy

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

[bwgood77]

Yeah if bad team has a good week in February no one notices. When it happens week 1 people go crazy.

Now I do think you can make some judgments.

Like if I were a Clippers fan the fact that Leonard still isn't healthy and not a full go would be concerning.

The Lakers unsurprisingly can't shoot and I don't see that really getting better with that roster.

The nets don't have a great vibe and have been a mess on D. Not time to write them off but that's a volitile situation so one to monitor.

The wolves need to figure some **** out but ultimately I think they'll be fine because they should be able to defend.

I doubt Utah will be good but they do have a little suns 2015 vibe where they have enough professionals who are playing for their careers that they might win more than anyone originally thought.

And finally the Suns.. they look like a group who's played a lot of basketball together. I doubt they win 60 again but they might be a little better than I thought coming into the year.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

What have you heard about a bad vibe in Brooklyn? I know they didn't have the most smooth sailing summer, but I hadn't heard anything regarding a bad vibe, though I don't listen to a lot of podcasts either. They have a couple tough games after starting 1-2 but then they have like 5 easy ones.

[

Spoiler:

tweet]1585725004003659776[/tweet]?t=1NmeWQHT-7kydhkzScfY6Q&s=19

Just watching the nets that bad vibe is evident. You're super star openly tried to get the coach fired and wanted out. Kyrie is Kyrie. Simmons doesn't seem to be the easiest guy to deal with.

You have stuff like this already coming out

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

?t=1NmeWQHT-7kydhkzScfY6Q&s=19

It's a powder keg of a situation. Maybe everything will be good when TJ Warren gets healthy

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Oh yeah, that goes back to the offseason....the change they really need is to fire Nash and get a good tactical coach in there. It's pretty crazy they are taking so long to realize this.

I don't know about Windbag and his scouts making assumptions, but among the players they all seem to be backing Ben publicly. Now if asked I imagine they wouldn't say anything negative, but they have been very supportive of him so far...meaning I think the players are ok.

The problem is Nash obviously. When your biggest star(s) don't want to play for a guy and he is a rookie unproven obviously not very good coach, move on. It's not often you can put 2 of the top 10-12 players in the NBA on a team. Don't be loyal to a bad coach the players can't stand.

Spoiler:

Nets players and coaches have repeatedly stood behind Simmons in his return and through his slow start. Simmons is averaging just 5.7 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists over his first four games. He has fouled out in two of the four games and is averaging 3.7 turnovers per 28 minutes. Despite the fact the Nets have started slowly with a 1-3 record, Irving and the rest of his teammates still say they believe better days are ahead for Simmons and the group.

"I just think like, if we're going to come in and be honest as a team, I'm not trying to just be critical over what Ben's done right or done wrong every single night," Irving said. "He's a basketball player, he's a professional, he has the skills to be a great professional, he's done it in the past. And he hasn't played in two years. So you guys keep coming in here asking me, 'What about Ben?' 'What about Ben?' and it's just he hasn't played in two years. Give him a f---ing chance."

Kyrie gave a passionate defense of Simmons in a news conference after the game. Kyrie Irving urges patience with Ben Simmons after the Nets' loss to the Bucks. Irving has defended Simmons several times since training camp and has given him advice about how to navigate some of the vitriol he has dealt with on social media.

"We stay on his s---," Irving said. "I wish I could say other words 'cause I'm from Jersey, but we stay on him. You just stay on him and we're just here to give him positive affirmations and just let him hoop. And then while he's hooping and getting back into it, we're going to really have to jell as a team in order to learn how to win as a group. It's not an individual job to go out there and be Superman."

Simmons said he "definitely" feels better on offense after each game.

"I think each game I feel more comfortable," Simmons said. "I think once I got hit and tweaked my back a little bit I was a little hesitant after that, as you guys could probably see, but I definitely feel like in each game I'm progressing a little bit in terms of my physicality and aggression."

Simmons tweaked his back in the first quarter but remained in the game. He is hopeful he'll be able to play in Thursday's game against the Dallas Mavericks. Nash continues to outwardly support Simmons and spent several minutes with him after Wednesday's shootaround going through different ways to impact the game.

"He's a huge piece of our team," Nash said, "and we just got to support him and keep working with him and trying to give him as much confidence as possible. ... We do what we can every day. We watch film, we talk, we prepare for games. And in time it's going to work, it's just going to take time and we have to have some patience and we all have to participate in this and fight for it."

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34886974/kyrie-irving-explains-shoot-ball-plea-ben-simmons-brooklyn-nets-loss

[Saberestar]

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In his first time talking to reporters since his ejection, Klay Thompson said that Devin Booker was one of the first person to text him after he tore his Achilles saying that the shooting guard competition wouldn't be the same without him.

[Qwigglez]

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