Thursday 3/24 Game Thread

[drdrG]

Imagine thinking the NBA wants the officials to give the Suns wins. Almost every game, the other team shoots 2 or 3 times the FTs as the Suns, even when the Suns score more in the paint than the other team.

This game was just evenly officiated for once.

Laughable take for a team that has a smaller percentage of shots at the rim than any other good team by a lot

[Wolfgang630]

Satoranski put Grayson Allen on his ass. He needed that.

[Ill News]

Maybe I’m watching too much Celtics basketball but sheesh anyone in this nuggets Suns game wanna play some defense

Better hope you don't see us in the Finals. We'll run circles around Smart and Timelord

Celtics blew out the Suns to start 2022 though, and that was without Tatum playing

In all seriousness though, Suns look primed to take this championship. They've just been so good all year. Outside of my Celtics, they're the team I'm rooting for the most to win it all this year. The Suns fanbase deserves it.

[Slim Charless]

Maybe I’m watching too much Celtics basketball but sheesh anyone in this nuggets Suns game wanna play some defense

Better hope you don't see us in the Finals. We'll run circles around Smart and Timelord

Celtics blew out the Suns to start 2022 though, and that was without Tatum playing

In all seriousness though, Suns look primed to take this championship. They've just been so good all year. Outside of my Celtics, they're the team I'm rooting for the most to win it all this year. The Suns fanbase deserves it.

Thanks. I really do think it's you guys coming out of the East. Unless the Nets get back Simmons...and he can still be Simmons-defensively.

[grumpysaddle]

Imagine thinking the NBA wants the officials to give the Suns wins. Almost every game, the other team shoots 2 or 3 times the FTs as the Suns, even when the Suns score more in the paint than the other team.

This game was just evenly officiated for once.

Laughable take for a team that has a smaller percentage of shots at the rim than any other good team by a lot

WTF are you talking about...

https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/misc/?sort=PTS_PAINT&dir=-1

The Suns are 6th in the league at PITP.

EDIT: The Bucks are 25th in the league at PITP, btw.

[Hsker4Life]

refs force feeding the game to the suns. and i mean the refs will not TOLERATE a victory by any team other than the suns. gross and weird.

why?

I believe something like 26 NBA teams have shot more free throws than the Suns this year, but yes…the refs fix games to ensure the Suns win.

LMAO, you can’t make this stuff up!

[SunsLyf3]

Imagine thinking the NBA wants the officials to give the Suns wins. Almost every game, the other team shoots 2 or 3 times the FTs as the Suns, even when the Suns score more in the paint than the other team.

This game was just evenly officiated for once.

Laughable take for a team that has a smaller percentage of shots at the rim than any other good team by a lot

WTF are you talking about...

https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/misc/?sort=PTS_PAINT&dir=-1

The Suns are 6th in the league at PITP.

EDIT: The Bucks are 25th in the league at PITP, btw.

People don't even know what to use for excuses.

[GeorgeSears]

Booker's first steal on Jokic was a clear reaching foul that wasn't called. Early in the first quarter, Ayton blatantly reaches in on Jokic twice with no call. Jokic slaps the ball on Booker's drive and gets called for a foul.

[jcsunsfan]

Booker's first steal on Jokic was a clear reaching foul that wasn't called. Early in the first quarter, Ayton blatantly reaches in on Jokic twice with no call. Jokic slaps the ball on Booker's drive and gets called for a foul.

This is just lame. These types of plays are called like this in every NBA game ever played. And they go both ways.

I have not seen every NBA game ever played but I sure have watched a lot of them in my 45 years as an NBA fanatic.

[Hsker4Life]

Booker's first steal on Jokic was a clear reaching foul that wasn't called. Early in the first quarter, Ayton blatantly reaches in on Jokic twice with no call. Jokic slaps the ball on Booker's drive and gets called for a foul.

Fouls

Suns 23
Nuggets 22

[Slim Charless]

did you just accuse the suns of getting help by the refs? dud you watch the sacramento game on sunday?

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

Or the Finals last year vs MIL. Couldn't even walk by Giannis w/o getting called for a foul.

Awful take there at the end ^ Giannis is one of the few guys in the league who doesn't shoot enough FTs

Giannis barrels into opposing players like he's an NFL running back and the refs reward him with FTs. It's 1 of the lamest things about the NBA really.

[drdrG]

Laughable take for a team that has a smaller percentage of shots at the rim than any other good team by a lot

WTF are you talking about...

https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/misc/?sort=PTS_PAINT&dir=-1

The Suns are 6th in the league at PITP.

EDIT: The Bucks are 25th in the league at PITP, btw.

People don't even know what to use for excuses.

PITP includes more than shots at the rim. Here it's sorted by shot attempts from inside 5 ft and wouldn't you know, the Suns are 29th. If you read my post closely, notice I say shots at the rim ^

https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/shooting/?sort=Less%20Than%205%20ft.%20FGA&dir=1

Actually if you sort based on shots from 5-9 ft, Phx is 2nd in attempts and easily 1st in percentage. The whole starting lineup save Crowder is great at those shots which makes total sense and explains how they are 6th in PITP. Those short jumpers, push shots and floaters are not going to draw a lot of fouls. But I can see the confusion.

The Bucks are low on this list too but no one on the Bucks shoots FTs at a high rate other than Giannis and no one gets to the rim like him in the entire league save Zion. These aren't excuses either. This exactly matches the eye test and I watch a lot of Suns basketball too given how enjoyable their incredible execution is as a basketball fan.

[drdrG]

Or the Finals last year vs MIL. Couldn't even walk by Giannis w/o getting called for a foul.

Awful take there at the end ^ Giannis is one of the few guys in the league who doesn't shoot enough FTs

Giannis barrels into opposing players like he's an NFL running back and the refs reward him with FTs. It's 1 of the lamest things about the NBA really.

Go back and watch game 6 of the finals and tell me honestly that Giannis was out of control, shot any FTs he didn't deserve or tried drawing a foul rather than trying to score and a foul was called. Then go watch Harden, Embiid, CP3, Gary Trent Jr hook someone's arm, fall with minimal contact, rip through or kick a leg out on every 3 with the goal of drawing fouls. If you still think Giannis is one of the lamest things about the NBA after that then we aren't going to find common ground.

[Slim Charless]

Awful take there at the end ^ Giannis is one of the few guys in the league who doesn't shoot enough FTs

Giannis barrels into opposing players like he's an NFL running back and the refs reward him with FTs. It's 1 of the lamest things about the NBA really.

Go back and watch game 6 of the finals and tell me honestly that Giannis was out of control, shot any FTs he didn't deserve or tried drawing a foul rather than trying to score and a foul was called. Then go watch Harden, Embiid, CP3, Gary Trent Jr hook someone's arm, fall with minimal contact, rip through or kick a leg out on every 3 with the goal of drawing fouls. If you still think Giannis is one of the lamest things about the NBA after that then we aren't going to find common ground.

Welp. Let's take a look at who's shot the most FTs this year

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask?q=most+free+throw+attempts+2021-2022

Well, what do you know Embiid is #1 at 698 shot....and 2nd place is Giannis at 691.


So what were you saying again about him not shooting alot? I know, I know all of those 691 attempts were legit....and if anything he deserves more right....?

[Perseus1966]

refs force feeding the game to the suns. and i mean the refs will not TOLERATE a victory by any team other than the suns. gross and weird.

why?

did you just accuse the suns of getting help by the refs? dud you watch the sacramento game on sunday?

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

Or the Finals last year vs MIL. Couldn't even walk by Giannis w/o getting called for a foul.

Yes i remember that Bucks player who did 7 fouls ,what was his name.... Booker.

[Perseus1966]

Giannis is the only star who travels ,carry ,and majes offensive fouls ,he is probably the only star who gets 6 fouls at least 3 -4 times per year ,if someone can find this statistic.

[pingpongrac]

Not as easy as the entire Raptors lineup hand checking, reaching and commiting body contact fouls on every possession with no call

They are like Philly lite in that regard.

Scottie Barnes has thrown like 4 hips into Cavs guards on screens and im reasonably confident not one has been called and FVV has never seen a push off he didn't like. He just pushed off Okoro to call a timeout hahaha

Cleveland has been grabbing Fred on almost every pick and roll. Refs let both teams be physical tonight.

Its just tough, I feel like we go through this every game for the last month. Darius Garland is officiated like hes a nobody. He cant buy a foul if his life depended on it. He gets knocked, bumped, grabbed and smothered on drives to the rim 10x per game and they only call fouls 1/5 times. If he got a whistle like Trae Young he would average 35.

To put that in perspective that Im not just BSing. Young has shot 482 FTs this year. Garland has shot 195.. WHAT??!?!?

Same for Mobley. He is slight in frame and gets shoved around everytime he posts up with no calls. If I had a dollar for everytime a defender put a forearm into his ribs on a shot attempt I could retire.

Meanwhile I cant help but notice the 5-10x per game the other team drives to the rim with a full steam and the slightest reach in from the Cavs bigs draws a foul.

Its not the Raptors, its everything. Its become mind numbing that aggressive teams are allowed to get away with murder because the refs cant just foul everybody out by halftime. Meanwhile Okoro cant look at somebody wrong on defense without a whistle being called. It doesnt make sense.

Toronto had 8 more PF than Cleveland and finished with 3 less FTA in a game where both teams were scoring inside and outside. That doesn't seem like the game to complain about officiating.

Furthermore, the Cavs are #1 in OPP FTA (18.7) and #1 in fouls committed (17.2) while they are #15 in FTA (21.8) and #10 in fouls drawn (20.0) on the other end. If anything, Cleveland is actually a team that benefits from officiating...not Toronto or anyone else against the Cavs for that matter lol.

[Statlanta]

The highlights make it look like the Nuggets got mugged in the 3rd but I too wish Jokic was more aggressive. The Nuggets especially Mike Malone can be low key whiners at times.

[sca]

Big win against the Cavs. I just hope that we can get that 6th seed.