2021 Playoff and Offseason Speculation - the playoffs. PLAYOFFS????

[WeekapaugGroove]

Yeah, looking at the lotto odds, the odds between 9 and 10 are negligible, though 11 drops a bit, but I don't know if the play in teams are automatically 11-14 or if Washington could somehow end up with a higher pick than SAC/NOP even though they had the play in game.

Speaking of tanking teams if I was still gambling I'd lay a little money on Houston to beat the Clippers tonight. Houston is past the point where they need to lose anymore and this is a game that would sneaky be really good for the Clippers to lose and backdoor into an easier path as the 4 seed.

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Yeah, we will see, but I noticed last game Houston gave DNPs to Wood, Porter Jr and House Jr and Wall is out. They still only lost by 2 to the Lakers though. I'm sure Dallas doesn't want to see the Clips again in the first round. LAC I'm sure would like their revenge against Denver though after blowing that 3-1 lead.

Denver is resting some guys tonight, I think they are positioning for the 4 seed too. That's why I warn anyone who still has hope that the Lakers will pass Portland so temper expectations because I don't think Denver is going to play any of their good players that last game against the Blazers.

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[Slim Charless]

Yeah I'm not disagreeing with the stuff he's doing off ball. I think he's been good overall on that end but I'm more talking about what he's doing with the ball which isn't a ton. I don't believe I said he was just standing around. He's just not setting up post positions or looking to get the ball to make plays which is why I said his role on offense is pretty simple.

I don't agree here. I've seen him call for the ball at least once every game honestly. Book and Paul ignore him more often than not. Now, you can say that's because they don't trust him due him fumbling the ball too often. That's a different issue, but he DOES call for it.

They need to work on getting the ball to him on the low block. He seems to do better imo on the left side but I haven't checked the numbers on that. Either way, getting him the ball there and allowing/forcing him to set-up and inflict his will on the opposing big would be a night and day change for this team.

I love both of our guards and hope we can convince CP3 to finish his HOF career in the valley. That said, we have too much Booker iso-CP3 iso in our offense. Especially in the 4th. Now I don't expect us to give the ball to DA down 3 when there's like a minute left in the 4th, but we can do a better job of using him. A much better job.

The blame here is misguided and should go to Monty, not the two most unselfish guys on the team. I really don't think the two guys out here are ignoring Ayton, he's just not a great offensive option to dump the ball to. Booker/CP3 could do WAY more with the ball by using Ayton as a PnR threat or as a screen to move the ball to get a better shot than force feeding Ayton. That's primarily how he's been getting his quality buckets; not by trying to post up. The simple fact that Monty doesn't run specific sets for Ayton means he's not concerned with Ayton getting shots and the times Ayton has tried to get open to receive the ball isn't within the offense so it's not going to be a great shot. We've also heard Ayton himself say he's not concerned about getting his on offense and focusing mainly on being a defensive anchor. Monty as set the role for Ayton which I think was done so Ayton can settle into a role that he's comfortable with and within his current skill set. Look overall, I do think he should get more opportunities to keep him engaged even if it means he's shooting less efficiently but I do think there's also a risk it backfires with Ayton losing confidence when he's getting blocked or missing shots.

I agree with too much Booker iso, especially down the stretch and I've been critical of his execution most of the season.

See, again I'm not sure I see this either. Monty needs to call more plays but I noticed alot of times we do make an appoint to get DA touches in the 1st couple plays of the first quarter. After that, it falls off. That tells me that Monty/CP3 know they need to get him involved early. They need to do this more-way more.

There's alot of guys w/ Booker's skill set. There's not that many dudes walking around the league that are like Ayton. We need to be pushing the envelope on this more. You brought up DA saying that he wants to focus on defense. I think he's playing the good soldier. I remember Shaq asking him once a few weeks ago if he thought he can do more and he answered "absolutely I think I can do more".

We need to use him better. It might be too late to make drastic changes to our offense now, but in the summer I hope Monty/Paul design a more Ayton-centric offense. There's only a cpl guys that could shut down a featured (and motivated) DeAndre Ayton.

[bwgood77]

Speaking of tanking teams if I was still gambling I'd lay a little money on Houston to beat the Clippers tonight. Houston is past the point where they need to lose anymore and this is a game that would sneaky be really good for the Clippers to lose and backdoor into an easier path as the 4 seed.

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Yeah, we will see, but I noticed last game Houston gave DNPs to Wood, Porter Jr and House Jr and Wall is out. They still only lost by 2 to the Lakers though. I'm sure Dallas doesn't want to see the Clips again in the first round. LAC I'm sure would like their revenge against Denver though after blowing that 3-1 lead.

Denver is resting some guys tonight, I think they are positioning for the 4 seed too. That's why I warn anyone who still has hope that the Lakers will pass Portland so temper expectations because I don't think Denver is going to play any of their good players that last game against the Blazers.

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Well, I don't know if the Lakers are beatable in a series if LeBron is healthy, but if he is hurting, you never know.

Would be nice to see them get knocked out completely in the play in, though if that happened the Pelicans could end up with the top 2 picks. I wonder how they'd be with a backcourt of Cade and Suggs (or Green) with Ingram and Zion. I don't know if they'd want Mobley but he has shot some 3s on limited sample size at 30%.

[lilfishi22]

I don't agree here. I've seen him call for the ball at least once every game honestly. Book and Paul ignore him more often than not. Now, you can say that's because they don't trust him due him fumbling the ball too often. That's a different issue, but he DOES call for it.

They need to work on getting the ball to him on the low block. He seems to do better imo on the left side but I haven't checked the numbers on that. Either way, getting him the ball there and allowing/forcing him to set-up and inflict his will on the opposing big would be a night and day change for this team.

I love both of our guards and hope we can convince CP3 to finish his HOF career in the valley. That said, we have too much Booker iso-CP3 iso in our offense. Especially in the 4th. Now I don't expect us to give the ball to DA down 3 when there's like a minute left in the 4th, but we can do a better job of using him. A much better job.

The blame here is misguided and should go to Monty, not the two most unselfish guys on the team. I really don't think the two guys out here are ignoring Ayton, he's just not a great offensive option to dump the ball to. Booker/CP3 could do WAY more with the ball by using Ayton as a PnR threat or as a screen to move the ball to get a better shot than force feeding Ayton. That's primarily how he's been getting his quality buckets; not by trying to post up. The simple fact that Monty doesn't run specific sets for Ayton means he's not concerned with Ayton getting shots and the times Ayton has tried to get open to receive the ball isn't within the offense so it's not going to be a great shot. We've also heard Ayton himself say he's not concerned about getting his on offense and focusing mainly on being a defensive anchor. Monty as set the role for Ayton which I think was done so Ayton can settle into a role that he's comfortable with and within his current skill set. Look overall, I do think he should get more opportunities to keep him engaged even if it means he's shooting less efficiently but I do think there's also a risk it backfires with Ayton losing confidence when he's getting blocked or missing shots.

I agree with too much Booker iso, especially down the stretch and I've been critical of his execution most of the season.

See, again I'm not sure I see this either. Monty needs to call more plays but I noticed alot of times we do make an appoint to get DA touches in the 1st couple plays of the first quarter. After that, it falls off. That tells me that Monty/CP3 know they need to get him involved early. They need to do this more-way more.

There's alot of guys w/ Booker's skill set. There's not that many dudes walking around the league that are like Ayton. We need to be pushing the envelope on this more. You brought up DA saying that he wants to focus on defense. I think he's playing the good soldier. I remember Shaq asking him once a few weeks ago if he thought he can do more and he answered "absolutely I think I can do more".

We need to use him better. It might be too late to make drastic changes to our offense now, but in the summer I hope Monty/Paul design a more Ayton-centric offense. There's only a cpl guys that could shut down a featured (and motivated) DeAndre Ayton.

Totally agree. I've always said an engaged Ayton is a focused Ayton and a focused Ayton is a dangerous Ayton. If it means we need to run more sets with Ayton taking the shot then we should do that. Ayton is the type of guy that need to be kept engaged, kept incentivised by being involved. If we're not involving him then he loses focus.

[WeekapaugGroove]

These playoffs are going to very important for so many suns players.

Paul, opt in/out and obviously he's still chasing that elusive finals appearance/title that would really change how we view his career.

Ayton, this might sound drastic but his play could determine if he's a max type extension or if the suns quietly shop him before they would have to pay him.

Payne, if he absolutely kills it he could be land a big ass deal this off-season (I hope he's just good enough but doesn't price the suns out

Bridges, honestly he's probably getting a good deal this off-season regardless but the playoffs could boost that

Saric, can he get out of this horrid slump and contribute? If not I expect he's part of a trade this summer

Booker, last but certainly not least. I actually think these playoffs are more important for him than any other Suns player. Playoffs are when the stars shine. If he's at the level himself and some of this fan base thinks he needs to show out. As I mentioned in the other thread the suns are going to NEED his hero ball in the playoffs, defenses get tough and you need your best player to take the ball and make tough shots and close out games. For all the talk of the suns needing to be good to keep booker past this deal the other side of this is Bookers next contract can be absolutely huge and he needs to prove he can be one of the two best players on a contender to justify that deal. Not saying if Booker's sucks in a series they should trade him this summer but this is the **** that matters and it would be nice to come out of these playoffs knowing that Booker is a true blue chip building block.

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[Slim Charless]

These playoffs are going to very important for so many suns players.

Paul, opt in/out and obviously he's still chasing that elusive finals appearance/title that would really change how we view his career.

Ayton, this might sound drastic but his play could determine if he's a max type extension or if the suns quietly shop him before they would have to pay him.

Payne, if he absolutely kills it he could be land a big ass deal this off-season (I hope he's just good enough but doesn't price the suns out

Bridges, honestly he's probably getting a good deal this off-season regardless but the playoffs could boost that

Saric, can he get out of this horrid slump and contribute? If not I expect he's part of a trade this summer

Booker, last but certainly not least. I actually think these playoffs are more important for him than any other Suns player. Playoffs are when the stars shine. If he's at the level himself and some of this fan base thinks he needs to show out. As I mentioned in the other thread the suns are going to NEED his hero ball in the playoffs, defenses get tough and you need your best player to take the ball and make tough shots and close out games. For all the talk of the suns needing to be good to keep booker past this deal the other side of this is Bookers next contract can be absolutely huge and he needs to prove he can be one of the two best players on a contender to justify that deal. Not saying if Booker's sucks in a series they should trade him this summer but this is the **** that matters and it would be nice to come out of these playoffs knowing that Booker is a true blue chip building block.

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Damn. I was just looking at that Dario deal. Is that full? No team options on that or anything? It's not a lot but if he's playing like this it's gonna suck for the next cpl years..

[Calvin Klein]

It's quite interesting hearing what the media has to say about players like Ayton or Saric. Because of the Suns' record and great season you hear a lot of media guys saying Ayton's having a great year and Saric's been one of our best bench guys. It seems most of them just watched a few games here and there. Saric's game against the Lakers must have stuck in their heads.

[Frank Lee]

Gambo show sans gambo was like reading this board’s dark clouders

[bwgood77]

It's quite interesting hearing what the media has to say about players like Ayton or Saric. Because of the Suns' record and great season you hear a lot of media guys saying Ayton's having a great year and Saric's been one of our best bench guys. It seems most of them just watched a few games here and there. Saric's game against the Lakers must have stuck in their heads.

Zach Lowe had a piece today and it mentioned Saric fading at the end of the season. Most of the Ayton stuff I read talks about how effective his screens are and PPP on his screens and then how his efficiency this season has skyrocketed as he has reduced the mid range shots out of his game. They do usually talk some about how he has improved on defense but still gets exploited sometimes on switches, but also that he is versatile in who he can guard. Reading your post I looked for some recent articles to see what you were referring to.

[spanishninja]

Hmm Clips losing to the rockets currently. Maybe Nuggets have a reason to try against Portland

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[starbosa10]

Hmm Clips losing to the rockets currently. Maybe Nuggets have a reason to try against Portland

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Probably not. If they move up to 3 by beating Portland it will make the Lakers the 6. They won't do that

[Hitachi77]

Hmm Clips losing to the rockets currently. Maybe Nuggets have a reason to try against Portland

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Well if they win their reward would probably be the Lakers.

Good news for us is that the Kings have played pretty damn well recently, so I don't expect them to be a easy win for Utah, and the Spurs are locked into the 10. Not sure if Pop will rest everyone, but he might at least rest people in the 4th.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Making the case for 2nd.

Lakers (h)
Denver (h)
Utah (a)
Philadelphia (h)

It's not the worst draw and we get the hardest matchup at their most vulnerable.

[starbosa10]

Did this to ourselves by blowing that lead vs the warriors

[WeekapaugGroove]

Yeah kings are the best bet even though they have nothing to play for either

Yeah, looking at the lotto odds, the odds between 9 and 10 are negligible, though 11 drops a bit, but I don't know if the play in teams are automatically 11-14 or if Washington could somehow end up with a higher pick than SAC/NOP even though they had the play in game.

Speaking of tanking teams if I was still gambling I'd lay a little money on Houston to beat the Clippers tonight. Houston is past the point where they need to lose anymore and this is a game that would sneaky be really good for the Clippers to lose and backdoor into an easier path as the 4 seed.

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Hope someone made this bet

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[Mulhollanddrive]

Clippers playoff tank vs OKC draft tank is going to be ridiculous.

[spanishninja]

I think the Nuggets match up pretty well against the Lakers even without Murray. They got nobody to guard MPJ and their front line is formidable. And I think they would rather play Lakers early than late.

Hmm Clips losing to the rockets currently. Maybe Nuggets have a reason to try against Portland

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Well if they win their reward would probably be the Lakers.

Good news for us is that the Kings have played pretty damn well recently, so I don't expect them to be a easy win for Utah, and the Spurs are locked into the 10. Not sure if Pop will rest everyone, but he might at least rest people in the 4th.

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[bwgood77]

I think the Nuggets match up pretty well against the Lakers even without Murray. They got nobody to guard MPJ and their front line is formidable. And I think they would rather play Lakers early than late.

Hmm Clips losing to the rockets currently. Maybe Nuggets have a reason to try against Portland

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Well if they win their reward would probably be the Lakers.

Good news for us is that the Kings have played pretty damn well recently, so I don't expect them to be a easy win for Utah, and the Spurs are locked into the 10. Not sure if Pop will rest everyone, but he might at least rest people in the 4th.

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You don't think LeBron or AD can guard MPJ? MPJ starts at PF, and even if the Lakers go small with AD at C, that leaves LeBron. If they play big that leaves AD. I don't think they would have that big of a problem, though I'm sure MPJ will still do fairly well, though he hasn't had much playoff time so who knows.

[bwgood77]

Would be crazy if LeBron having refused to get the vaccine contracted COVID in the next week.

[King4Day]

West 8v7 matchup is Wednesday.
I assume they'll then start the next round 2 days later for those teams (Suns v. Warriors/Lakers). So that gives u about 4-5 days of rest which is outstanding. If we win tomorrow, we sadly need to pull out all stops to try and get that 1 seed. But if we lose, then rest guys that final game and prepare

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