What do the next 4 or 5 top ranked teams need to do

[SweaterBae]

OKC is probably the only team with a legit chance at drastically improving. I guess the sixers are a threat depending on what they can do, but very few if any other potentially contending teams have any flexibility. Is Dame even better than Jrue and/or White Buffalo? Denver and Minneosta are top 3? in salary next season. What can they do?

[Riverwalk2021]

The Bucks are ass with an old roster and mentally ill fan base. They will be a first round exit team until Giannis forces his way out

Warned for baiting.

[Godymas]

1. Philadelphia - spend that cap money to get some elite guys. Look at Paul George, OG Anunoby, KCP, Klay Thompson, Tyus Jones, etc.

2. Milwaukee - Let Doc cook, find some value depth pieces

3. Denver - break MPJ's contract into Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert

4. Minnesota - Trade KAT for Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson

5. OKC - Sign Derrick White, Andre Drummond, and Jonas Valancunas

6. Dallas - Get rid of Maxi Kleber, put all effort into acquiring Sam Hauser

[RHODEY]

If the Knicks are healthy they would give the Celts serious competition. If they manage to upgrade their talent they could be favorites.

[RHODEY]

1. Philadelphia - spend that cap money to get some elite guys. Look at Paul George, OG Anunoby, KCP, Klay Thompson, Tyus Jones, etc.

2. Milwaukee - Let Doc cook, find some value depth pieces

3. Denver - break MPJ's contract into Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert

4. Minnesota - Trade KAT for Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson

5. OKC - Sign Derrick White, Andre Drummond, and Jonas Valancunas

6. Dallas - Get rid of Maxi Kleber, put all effort into acquiring Sam Hauser

Interesting you left the team was 2nd in the East and clobbered the Sixers while missing major pieces.... off your list.... Y'all are so scared of the Knicks you pretend they don't even exist.

[jkvonny]

FWIW.

Read on Twitter

[whatisacenter]

super easy....develop a roster that is great on defense and at the same time all 5 players can score.

[SpreeS]

DEN - Get a bench players and better they be good defenders.
MIN - Get rid of KAT for second scoring option in big wing position or good playmaker.
OKC - Get trade Giddy and bunch of picks for real PF.
MIL - Needs only health (Giannis/Middleton/Lillard)
PHI - Needs not injured Embiid and get a good wing player (George)
DAL - I dont believe in them at all.

[SlimShady83]

This ones easy for all teams, ok maybe not that easy lol

STAY HEALTHY!. Especially the East.

[SpreeS]

I want badly BOS - MIL matchup next year.

[hauntedcomputer]

You need to find a way to equal their number of quality 2 way players. And with the CBA coming who knows

A team with six two-way players just beat a team with zero two-way players.

Two-way players are gold. You can probably get away with two offensive stars if your next three or four are two-way players, or an exquisite blend of a stopper and a shooter and a couple of legit two-way guys.

The trouble is, just like there are probably fewer than 10 true #1s to spread among 30 teams, there are only a few dozen true two-way players. Most of the time it's a #3 being paid like a #1, a couple of "3-and-D" wings who shoot 32 percent from three, and a limited rim runner/protector.

[warriorschamps]

In the East - teams #2, 3, 4 in the regular season standings - New York, Milwaukee, and Cleveland - didn't have the benefit of being healthy during the playoffs.

In addition, the defending Eastern Conference championships - Miami Heat - were not healthy all year and arguably the best player in the conference - Joel Embiid - wasn't healthy either - which made both teams play-in teams.

I think having to play against healthy teams is a starting point to beating the Celtics. A few more games/miles on Al and a tweak injury on Brown or Tatum - like Luka had these finals - and the narrative is different.

Boston deserves credit for a great season, they won the championship fair and square, but there needs to be some context to how these playoffs played out.

There is some truth here. But what is also true is none of New York, Cleveland or Miami were going to win the championship even if perfectly healthy. Milwaukee, if healthy and playing their basketball, ok would of had a chance.

I see the same thing next year. Only a healthy and fully engaged Bucks can challenge the Celtics in the East next year. Maybe the Sixers will finally show us something next year they have never shown before. But really I put the Sixers in the same category as the Mavs, meaning they are a tier below the Celtics even if healthy.

Assuming everybody in the East is healthy all year which is unlikely but if they were I say the East will be something like this

1) Celtics
2) Bucks
3) Sixers
4) Knicks
5) Pacers
6) Cavs
7) Magic
8) Heat


But really the Celtics should cruise through the East again next year. Their best players are in their prime (Tatum, Brown), they have unmatched depth of smart veteran players who aren't too far past their prime(Holiday, Kristaps, White), they have the continuity and chemistry of a team that has been together for awhile and the confidence of winning a championship. That's not even mentioning guys like Sam Hauser & Payton Pritchard who look like they can come in and be great spot up shooters.

[R-DAWG]

But this is what happens every season in the playoffs. Some players are sidelined, some play through injuries. So why is it that this Celtics championship needs context? For example, when Kevin Garnett got injured in 2009, did the Lakers' championship need some context?

Did the Lakers go up against other teams that were fully healthy during those playoffs?

Facts are facts, Boston played 3 teams in the eastern conference playoffs that were missing their best players.

I don't really remember, but that Celtics team was the best in the league. For reference:

Feb. 19, 2009 -- The Celtics were the best team in the world. Period. Not only were they the defending Champions, they were on top of the standings with a gaudy 44-11 record. Earlier in the year they posted a 19 game winning streak. They were dominant on defense and efficient on offense. Everything was going according to plan and the word "dynasty" was starting to creep into people's minds.
(...)
That was a painful process for fans (not to mention Kevin himself) as the team kept hinting at a return before the playoffs. The team posted a very solid record down the stretch without him (finishing 62-20) but they were visibly undermanned in the playoffs.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/2013/8/21/4638636/what-if-kevin-garnett-doesnt-get-hurt-in-2009

In light of this, does it really matter of those Lakers went up against other teams that were fully healthy during those playoffs? The fact is, the absolute best team was missing its best player, yet no one called for asterisks or context for that Lakers' title. So I'm just wondering why in the Celtics case it's important to have "context."

If you want to bring up a championship that was clearly affected by health let's talk about the 2015 Warriors - when Cleveland lost Kevin Love in the first round and Kyrie Irving in game 1. It took historic performances by Lebron in games 2 and 3 to make it a 2-1 series before CLE ran out of gas.

[dhsilv2]

Jokic - give him more reliable defenders/shooters and try to find a number 2 if at all possible.
Jokic, go actually condition and care again now that you're facing adversity.

Jokic is maybe the most well conditioned big man in the game...i swear...

[dhsilv2]

Bucks win a championship they are the next dynasty.

Nuggets win a championship they are the next dynasty.

Celtics on the other hand have something those other 2 teams didn't have. 2 superstars just entering their prime. If I had to bet on one team making a dynasty run this Celtics team has that feel. Jrue/KP/White is just a trio you can't match as far as role players. This Celtics team is stacked!

Biggest thing the celtics have is depth and a complete roster...something nobody else has had. Jrue and Al are their only real concerns with age.

[bledredwine]

Jokic - give him more reliable defenders/shooters and try to find a number 2 if at all possible.
Jokic, go actually condition and care again now that you're facing adversity.

Jokic is maybe the most well conditioned big man in the game...i swear...

He looked tired against the Wolves.

And most well-conditioned? Have you conditioned before? Conditioning usually leads to
less fat and less weight to carry around. Boxers are the prototype for good conditioning.




Look at that stomach.

This is typical- it's very hard to repeat and to stay motivated after the high of a championship.
You're mistaking conditioning and strength. Strength is just a part of conditioning.

Jokic is awesome because of his talent and skills, not because of his conditioning. To play at his or Luka's level consistently,
you need a lot of conditioning, and it showed against the Wolves. I'm as big of a fan as you, but I'm objective about it with my favorite players.

[dhsilv2]

Jokic - give him more reliable defenders/shooters and try to find a number 2 if at all possible.
Jokic, go actually condition and care again now that you're facing adversity.

Jokic is maybe the most well conditioned big man in the game...i swear...

He looked tired against the Wolves.

And most well-conditioned? Have you conditioned before? Conditioning usually leads to
less fat and less weight to carry around. Boxers are the prototype for good conditioning.



Look at that stomach.

This is typical- it's very hard to repeat and to stay motivated after the high of a championship.

I'd agree he looked tired vs the wolves. He was carrying that team in possibly the most difficult matchup any team could throw at him with two big men. There really wasn't much he could do. That doesn't change the reality that he's about the best conditioned big man in the NBA. You're essentially say MJ needed to work on his free throw shooting. Like...no, that wasn't a weakness in MJ's game. To put this in terms you'd get.

[bledredwine]

Jokic is maybe the most well conditioned big man in the game...i swear...

He looked tired against the Wolves.

And most well-conditioned? Have you conditioned before? Conditioning usually leads to
less fat and less weight to carry around. Boxers are the prototype for good conditioning.



Look at that stomach.

This is typical- it's very hard to repeat and to stay motivated after the high of a championship.

I'd agree he looked tired vs the wolves. He was carrying that team in possibly the most difficult matchup any team could throw at him with two big men. There really wasn't much he could do. That doesn't change the reality that he's about the best conditioned big man in the NBA. You're essentially say MJ needed to work on his free throw shooting. Like...no, that wasn't a weakness in MJ's game. To put this in terms you'd get.

See my photo of him against Gobert.

Gobert is much better conditioning. Calling Jokic the best conditioned big man is wild considering how tired he got. He may be the least injury prone because he's strong. If you want to last through the playoffs with his role, you have to condition yourself to a low body fat.

[dhsilv2]

He looked tired against the Wolves.

And most well-conditioned? Have you conditioned before? Conditioning usually leads to
less fat and less weight to carry around. Boxers are the prototype for good conditioning.



Look at that stomach.

This is typical- it's very hard to repeat and to stay motivated after the high of a championship.

I'd agree he looked tired vs the wolves. He was carrying that team in possibly the most difficult matchup any team could throw at him with two big men. There really wasn't much he could do. That doesn't change the reality that he's about the best conditioned big man in the NBA. You're essentially say MJ needed to work on his free throw shooting. Like...no, that wasn't a weakness in MJ's game. To put this in terms you'd get.

See my photo of him against Gobert.

Gobert is much better conditioning. Calling Jokic the best conditioned big man is wild considering how tired he got. He may be the least injury prone because he's strong. If you want to last through the playoffs with his role, you have to condition yourself to a low body fat.

If you mean body building conditioning well then...ok he's not. But in terms of cardio conditioning he's about the best there is. Jokic can run harder, longer, and faster than Gobert.

Don't believe me...ask a young dude gasping for breath trying to defend him...

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jnX0w30eMZk

[bledredwine]

I'd agree he looked tired vs the wolves. He was carrying that team in possibly the most difficult matchup any team could throw at him with two big men. There really wasn't much he could do. That doesn't change the reality that he's about the best conditioned big man in the NBA. You're essentially say MJ needed to work on his free throw shooting. Like...no, that wasn't a weakness in MJ's game. To put this in terms you'd get.

See my photo of him against Gobert.

Gobert is much better conditioning. Calling Jokic the best conditioned big man is wild considering how tired he got. He may be the least injury prone because he's strong. If you want to last through the playoffs with his role, you have to condition yourself to a low body fat.

If you mean body building conditioning well then...ok he's not. But in terms of cardio conditioning he's about the best there is. Jokic can run harder, longer, and faster than Gobert.

Don't believe me...ask a young dude gasping for breath trying to defend him...

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jnX0w30eMZk

That's one player.

It's known that in Europe, one of his coaches literally begged him to stop eating. You can find this on youtube.

Watch on YouTube

This is all I could find since I have to get to the day (also part of the reason I don't reply to you at times- don't take offense as I have a whole routine)