Playoffs Discussion

[JMac1]

It's amazing what a great coach can do for a team.

And piss poor passing!

[Mulhollanddrive]

I'd love to see them beat Cleveland without Irving and Hayward.

[Kdab]

It's amazing what a great coach can do for a team.

And piss poor passing!

All those late turnovers were just killer. I'll chalk that down to lack of playoff experience from the 76ers. Especially Embiid and Simmons who are just getting exposed.

[bwgood77]

Man, Simmons was incredibly un-clutch in crucial moments. That turnover at the end of regulation appeared to clearly be his fault, since they had called a play. Redick threw it back to him, and Simmons turned around and ran into Embiid, so Embiid clearly was not on the same page as Simmons either....he looked to be going to set a screen for Simmons and they ran into each other while the ball got stolen.

Then that inbounds at the end of regulation. Those were both brutal moments in the game...I can't imagine how Sixers fans felt after each of those boneheaded turnovers. Almost reminds me of Brandon Knight executing end of game or in bound plays in close games.

[kennydorglas]

Damn, Stevens is a GOD.

[saintEscaton]

Man, Simmons was incredibly un-clutch in crucial moments. That turnover at the end of regulation appeared to clearly be his fault, since they had called a play. Redick threw it back to him, and Simmons turned around and ran into Embiid, so Embiid clearly was not on the same page as Simmons either....he looked to be going to set a screen for Simmons and they ran into each other while the ball got stolen.

Then that inbounds at the end of regulation. Those were both brutal moments in the game...I can't imagine how Sixers fans felt after each of those boneheaded turnovers. Almost reminds me of Brandon Knight executing end of game or in bound plays in close games.

He was like this at LSU, main reason they couldn't close games and get to the big dance.

[kennydorglas]

Read on Twitter

[AtheJ415]

After watching Embiid...give me Bagley Young or Doncic. Slows the game down way too much and it isn’t worth his possible two points. Sixers are so stagnant on O, especially since Ben can’t shoot.

Embiid looks fine with McConnell in. Embiid isn't the issue.

[darealjuice]

Problem is, you point out the fact that Mitchell is two months older than Booker (which is meaningless), but don't point out the fact that Booker has three years of NBA experience compared to Mitchell's one year (which is not meaningless).

How is age meaningless lol

Age difference is meaningless. Or you want to say that two months matter?

Ah I see. You mean their age difference is meaningless, not age difference in general. I'd agree 2 months is pretty insignificant.

I don't see why that makes AtheJ wrong though. It's not like Booker didn't have nearly the same stat line on similar efficiency to Mitchell both last year and after he got the green light his rookie year, but he was also stuck on a bad roster with bad coaching while Jazz have a solid roster and very good coaching.

I'm not going to act like Mitchell isn't really good, because he is. I just don't get why Suns fans like yourself and Escaton look to go out of your way to **** on fellow Suns fans for thinking Booker is going to be as good as or better than Mitchell. They're the same age and there's certainly an argument that Booker is the better player right now, so why act like Mitchell is going to get better and Booker won't?

[saintEscaton]

How is age meaningless lol

Age difference is meaningless. Or you want to say that two months matter?

Ah I see. You mean their age difference is meaningless, not age difference in general. I'd agree 2 months is pretty insignificant.

I don't see why that makes AtheJ wrong though. It's not like Booker didn't have nearly the same stat line on similar efficiency to Mitchell both last year and after he got the green light his rookie year, but he was also stuck on a bad roster with bad coaching while Jazz have a solid roster and very good coaching.

I'm not going to act like Mitchell isn't really good, because he is. I just don't get why Suns fans like yourself and Escaton look to go out of your way to **** on fellow Suns fans for thinking Booker is going to be as good as or better than Mitchell. They're the same age and there's certainly an argument that Booker is the better player right now, so why act like Mitchell is going to get better and Booker won't?

Booker is the superior high volume scorer/shot creator but Mitchell is the bettter playmaker,defender and penetrator

[darealjuice]

Age difference is meaningless. Or you want to say that two months matter?

Ah I see. You mean their age difference is meaningless, not age difference in general. I'd agree 2 months is pretty insignificant.

I don't see why that makes AtheJ wrong though. It's not like Booker didn't have nearly the same stat line on similar efficiency to Mitchell both last year and after he got the green light his rookie year, but he was also stuck on a bad roster with bad coaching while Jazz have a solid roster and very good coaching.

I'm not going to act like Mitchell isn't really good, because he is. I just don't get why Suns fans like yourself and Escaton look to go out of your way to **** on fellow Suns fans for thinking Booker is going to be as good as or better than Mitchell. They're the same age and there's certainly an argument that Booker is the better player right now, so why act like Mitchell is going to get better and Booker won't?

Booker is the superior high volume scorer/shot creator but Mitchell is the bettter playmaker,defender and penetrator

In what way is Mitchell a better playmaker? Devin Booker had a higher AST%, APG, AP36, AP 100 possessions. He had 9.6 potential assists per game to Mitchell's 6.8. I'll admit that Booker isn't a significantly better playmaker, but I'm not sure how you can say Mitchell is better.

[JMac1]

Man, Simmons was incredibly un-clutch in crucial moments. That turnover at the end of regulation appeared to clearly be his fault, since they had called a play. Redick threw it back to him, and Simmons turned around and ran into Embiid, so Embiid clearly was not on the same page as Simmons either....he looked to be going to set a screen for Simmons and they ran into each other while the ball got stolen. Thanks

Then that inbounds at the end of regulation. Those were both brutal moments in the game...I can't imagine how Sixers fans felt after each of those boneheaded turnovers. Almost reminds me of Brandon Knight executing end of game or in bound plays in close games.

And Tatum was really good. Love his game! Dude is fo real.

[JMac1]

After watching Embiid...give me Bagley Young or Doncic. Slows the game down way too much and it isn’t worth his possible two points. Sixers are so stagnant on O, especially since Ben can’t shoot.

Embiid looks fine with McConnell in. Embiid isn't the issue.

Just saying his game doesn’t dominate when needed. See Tatum, they couldn’t stop him.

[lilfishi22]

TJ is a better 2PT scorer, sure. But that's about it. You say PJ wouldn't be able to start on any other title team but TJ for sure isn't starting on any top playoff teams. PJ is making winning plays, playing defense, hitting the occasional 3 and just being a solid role player. TJ thus far has been a one-trick pony, a very good one but a one-trick pony nonetheless. Without defense and without 3PT shooting, he's not starting for any top playoff team, let alone a title contender.

I saw one pub that came out in January that ranked TJ as the #7 overall sf in the league (based upon play this year). http://www.nba.com/magic/news/ranking-best-small-forwards-9-20180129

TJ is an efficient 20 point scorer who takes good shots. That is so much more valuable than a role playing SF who cannot dribble, makes basic basketball look difficult, and is basically useless on offense outside of the corner 3, and who while a good defender has never made an All-defensive team like truly elite defenders.

You look at raw numbers and they are fine. But if we're giving Bagley crap *already* for empty 20 points, then TJ is that but in the NBA now. TJ is a guy off the bench on an elite playoff team. He's not a starter. You can't have a starter that can't defend or shoot 3's.

Look at the starting 3 at any of the top 3 teams in the playoffs. Does he start?

Warriors - No, need 3pt shooting, defense and ball movement
Houston - No, need 3pt shooting, defense and ball movement
Portland - No, need 3PT shooting and 3rd playmaker
Toronto - OG is their starting 3 because of his level of defense already. He also brings a 37% 3pt clip at almost 3 attempts a game. They are already a top 2 scoring team.
Boston - Tatum has already superseded TJ in terms of usefulness with his defense, 3pt shooting and shot creation. With Gordon coming back next season, definitely won't need a TJ
Philly - definitely don't need another non-shooter playing next to Simmons. Covington is also a fantastic defender, defending wings and bigs

I could see PJ starting on at least half of those teams. How far do you have to go down in the list of playoff teams before you find a team that could really use TJ as their starting 3?

Like I said, TJ is a significantly more talented and efficient 2PT scorer than PJ and on a lotto team, you just need scoring where you can get it. But that's about it. But he's not an elite level scorer and when you are an elite team with star level scorers, you HAVE to be able to do other things as well. He doesn't do much outside of scoring.

Listen, I love TJ, we drafted him at the end of the lotto, we developed him into a 20ppg scorer and I'm always going to root for him. But unless he takes some serious steps towards a reliable 3PT shot or being an above average defender, his game just isn't really what you call modern NBA. Why has there already been discussion about TJ coming off the bench for *us* next season?

[suns91fan]

How is age meaningless lol

Age difference is meaningless. Or you want to say that two months matter?

Ah I see. You mean their age difference is meaningless, not age difference in general. I'd agree 2 months is pretty insignificant.

I don't see why that makes AtheJ wrong though. It's not like Booker didn't have nearly the same stat line on similar efficiency to Mitchell both last year and after he got the green light his rookie year, but he was also stuck on a bad roster with bad coaching while Jazz have a solid roster and very good coaching.

I'm not going to act like Mitchell isn't really good, because he is. I just don't get why Suns fans like yourself and Escaton look to go out of your way to **** on fellow Suns fans for thinking Booker is going to be as good as or better than Mitchell. They're the same age and there's certainly an argument that Booker is the better player right now, so why act like Mitchell is going to get better and Booker won't?

I never really delved into this whole Booker vs Mitchell discussion. All i was trying, was to explain AtheJ415, why Mitchell isn't criticized for his play and Booker is. Because he's a rookie. And i don't think people in general criticize Booker as much as they did last year, so not sure where this "Everyone hates Booker" is coming from. People acknowledged his improvement this year, and expect him to keep improving.

Also, AtheJ415 specifically mentioned Jazz reporters preferring Mitchell. Not sure what's strange about it, as most reporters are biased towards their own team.

[lilfishi22]

Age difference is meaningless. Or you want to say that two months matter?

Ah I see. You mean their age difference is meaningless, not age difference in general. I'd agree 2 months is pretty insignificant.

I don't see why that makes AtheJ wrong though. It's not like Booker didn't have nearly the same stat line on similar efficiency to Mitchell both last year and after he got the green light his rookie year, but he was also stuck on a bad roster with bad coaching while Jazz have a solid roster and very good coaching.

I'm not going to act like Mitchell isn't really good, because he is. I just don't get why Suns fans like yourself and Escaton look to go out of your way to **** on fellow Suns fans for thinking Booker is going to be as good as or better than Mitchell. They're the same age and there's certainly an argument that Booker is the better player right now, so why act like Mitchell is going to get better and Booker won't?

I never really delved into this whole Booker vs Mitchell discussion. All i was trying, was to explain AtheJ415, why Mitchell isn't criticized for his play and Booker is. Because he's a rookie. And i don't think people in general criticize Booker as much as they did last year, so not sure where this "Everyone hates Booker" is coming from. People acknowledged his improvement this year, and expect him to keep improving.

Also, AtheJ415 specifically mentioned Jazz reporters preferring Mitchell. Not sure what's strange about it, as most reporters are biased towards their own team.

Mitchell definitely does some things better than Booker even as a rookie but I don't think a lot of NBA fans has really moved on from their outdated opinion (as proven this year) that Booker is such an inefficient chucker. Without the media attention to show Booker's improvement, I think a lot of casual or even semi-casual fans still don't see enough of Booker to have changed their minds so I think that's where this "everyone hates Booker" generalisation comes from. I don't blame them either, as a Suns fan even we thought we were tough to watch. Mitchell is an amazing player and a worth ROY candidate but he's also much further along in his development than Booker was as a rookie, he plays under a great system that allows some of his mistakes to be covered up and Utah being an underdog team gets a ton of media love. It's not hard to see why Mitchell gets a lot more praise than Booker despite being closely matched players in terms of production

[lilfishi22]

Huge play by OG hitting that 3 to tie and then the basketball God returns with a game winner. Nothing you can do about that

[JMac1]

Just please leave LBJ alone and appreciate him. Man doesn’t do anything wrong but beat your team playing extraordinary basketball....

[Mulhollanddrive]

Got the Devin Booker bank.

[JMac1]

Ah I see. You mean their age difference is meaningless, not age difference in general. I'd agree 2 months is pretty insignificant.

I don't see why that makes AtheJ wrong though. It's not like Booker didn't have nearly the same stat line on similar efficiency to Mitchell both last year and after he got the green light his rookie year, but he was also stuck on a bad roster with bad coaching while Jazz have a solid roster and very good coaching.

I'm not going to act like Mitchell isn't really good, because he is. I just don't get why Suns fans like yourself and Escaton look to go out of your way to **** on fellow Suns fans for thinking Booker is going to be as good as or better than Mitchell. They're the same age and there's certainly an argument that Booker is the better player right now, so why act like Mitchell is going to get better and Booker won't?

I never really delved into this whole Booker vs Mitchell discussion. All i was trying, was to explain AtheJ415, why Mitchell isn't criticized for his play and Booker is. Because he's a rookie. And i don't think people in general criticize Booker as much as they did last year, so not sure where this "Everyone hates Booker" is coming from. People acknowledged his improvement this year, and expect him to keep improving.

Also, AtheJ415 specifically mentioned Jazz reporters preferring Mitchell. Not sure what's strange about it, as most reporters are biased towards their own team.

Mitchell definitely does some things better than Booker even as a rookie but I don't think a lot of NBA fans has really moved on from their outdated opinion (as proven this year) that Booker is such an inefficient chucker. Without the media attention to show Booker's improvement, I think a lot of casual or even semi-casual fans still don't see enough of Booker to have changed their minds so I think that's where this "everyone hates Booker" generalisation comes from. I don't blame them either, as a Suns fan even we thought we were tough to watch. Mitchell is an amazing player and a worth ROY candidate but he's also much further along in his development than Booker was as a rookie, he plays under a great system that allows some of his mistakes to be covered up and Utah being an underdog team gets a ton of media love. It's not hard to see why Mitchell gets a lot more praise than Booker despite being closely matched players in terms of production

If Booker is seen/was seen as a chucker....he has nothing on Mitchell. Only thing Mitchell does better than Booker is jump. Booker my not be flashy, but he gets to the hoop way better than Mitchell and draws more shooting fouls. Bookee shoots better, passes better and has a better Alpha makeup. Defensive of wise, Mitchell has a lot of help.

At the end of the day. Who cares? The proof is in the pudding.... Realgm is the only outlet that hates Booker. Advertisers don’t and NBA players don’t, and I don’t, that’s all that matters to me. Stop looking for people to like Booker. He puts a hurting on other teams, of course those fans don’t like him.