2021-22 NBA Season Discussion

[GSP]

46 Ws for Timberwolves is a pretty solid carry job for KAT

Kat wasnt carrying ****

[eminence]

I'm looking forward to a young vs young Memphis/Minnesota series, think it'll be fun.

[Colbinii]

Well...I gotta say--I thought after the worst performance that I ever saw from a Star player in my lifetime the Timberwolves were dead but Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley were simply too much for the Clippers.

Its always different watching teams in person.

After the 1st quarter you could tell the Clippers had been in high pressure games and the Timberwolves haven't. Towns was horrible. Towns was forcing every touch he had and although was was hacked a couple times with no call, he had no idea what he was doing. The Clippers were shadowing him every touch while Batum played him straight up and Towns couldn't figure out that the Wolves were playing 4 v 3 if he made a pass.

The second quarter started out more of the same but eventually the Wolves started making shots and you could see the talent disparity between the Clippers and Wolves [Wolves more talented, Clippers more experienced].

After Towns fouled out of the 4th [Thankfully], Edwards took over offensively and the defense tightened up. It is going to be interesting to see how Memphis does defensively versus Towns and vice-versa. The Grizzles don't have a Batum or a coach as good as Lue to come up with a strategic advantage. Edwards shooting is something Morant simply doesn't have and--if he isn't 100%--I don't think Memphis has enough fire power to match Minnesota.

Onto Patrick Beverley. He completely owned the 4th quarter. He is the closest player to Kevin Garnett I have seen in terms of his energy and effort level in a Timberwolves jersey. He was on the court in tears after the victory and I can't imagine him not being brought back.

Fun experience. Beer is expensive. Nobody in my life is sharing this experiences except my girlfriend who came with and this silly forum board!

[falcolombardi]

Well...I gotta say--I thought after the worst performance that I ever saw from a Star player in my lifetime the Timberwolves were dead but Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley were simply too much for the Clippers.

Its always different watching teams in person.

After the 1st quarter you could tell the Clippers had been in high pressure games and the Timberwolves haven't. Towns was horrible. Towns was forcing every touch he had and although was was hacked a couple times with no call, he had no idea what he was doing. The Clippers were shadowing him every touch while Batum played him straight up and Towns couldn't figure out that the Wolves were playing 4 v 3 if he made a pass.

The second quarter started out more of the same but eventually the Wolves started making shots and you could see the talent disparity between the Clippers and Wolves [Wolves more talented, Clippers more experienced].

After Towns fouled out of the 4th [Thankfully], Edwards took over offensively and the defense tightened up. It is going to be interesting to see how Memphis does defensively versus Towns and vice-versa. The Grizzles don't have a Batum or a coach as good as Lue to come up with a strategic advantage. Edwards shooting is something Morant simply doesn't have and--if he isn't 100%--I don't think Memphis has enough fire power to match Minnesota.

Onto Patrick Beverley. He completely owned the 4th quarter. He is the closest player to Kevin Garnett I have seen in terms of his energy and effort level in a Timberwolves jersey. He was on the court in tears after the victory and I can't imagine him not being brought back.

Fun experience. Beer is expensive. Nobody in my life is sharing this experiences except my girlfriend who came with and this silly forum board!

glad you had fun!

i hope to ve able to watch a nba game some day too

[LukaTheGOAT]

Watch on YouTube

Ben Taylor with George Lopez

Some interesting stories regarding the Lakers (Lopez is a Lakers fan), Dr. J., Kareem, etc.

[LukaTheGOAT]

Well...I gotta say--I thought after the worst performance that I ever saw from a Star player in my lifetime the Timberwolves were dead but Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley were simply too much for the Clippers.

Its always different watching teams in person.

After the 1st quarter you could tell the Clippers had been in high pressure games and the Timberwolves haven't. Towns was horrible. Towns was forcing every touch he had and although was was hacked a couple times with no call, he had no idea what he was doing. The Clippers were shadowing him every touch while Batum played him straight up and Towns couldn't figure out that the Wolves were playing 4 v 3 if he made a pass.

The second quarter started out more of the same but eventually the Wolves started making shots and you could see the talent disparity between the Clippers and Wolves [Wolves more talented, Clippers more experienced].

After Towns fouled out of the 4th [Thankfully], Edwards took over offensively and the defense tightened up. It is going to be interesting to see how Memphis does defensively versus Towns and vice-versa. The Grizzles don't have a Batum or a coach as good as Lue to come up with a strategic advantage. Edwards shooting is something Morant simply doesn't have and--if he isn't 100%--I don't think Memphis has enough fire power to match Minnesota.

Onto Patrick Beverley. He completely owned the 4th quarter. He is the closest player to Kevin Garnett I have seen in terms of his energy and effort level in a Timberwolves jersey. He was on the court in tears after the victory and I can't imagine him not being brought back.

Fun experience. Beer is expensive. Nobody in my life is sharing this experiences except my girlfriend who came with and this silly forum board!

Pat Beverly was a huge Kevin Garnett fan growing up!

Read on Twitter

/photo/3

[LukaTheGOAT]

Ja Morant will likely be tested against the Wolves. During the RS in 4 games against the Wolves he averaged only:

20 ppg and 6.5 apg on 33.8 FG% and 15 3P%.

[parsnips33]

Yeah that was one of the most embarrassing performances from a star I've ever seen

Not sure why Lue stuck with Zubac out there so long in the fourth quarter, felt like a pretty big mistake in an other wise pretty well coached game

[falcolombardi]

the funny thingh is that towns was starting to get kt together but then fouled out

looked like really, really bad case of nerves

hope he comes back with a vengeance against grixzlies

[Peregrine01]

It's pretty crazy what refs let Pat Bev get away on defense. On every single one of the rips last night Pat Bev had his forearm in the dribbler's chest and was reaching with his other hand. I don't mind this kind of defense and wished we had more of this but it's completely inconsistent with how they ref virtually everyone else.

[Texas Chuck]

I love PatBev so much. Sport needs more heels.

[Doctor MJ]

When I watch KAT, I tend to see a guy who struggles to process the speed of the information of the game and make good decisions in a timely manner. People tend to call this choking, and there's truth to the idea that players get rattled, but I also just think we need to recognize that to some degree this is a talent just like height, hops, and shooting are.

On one end of the spectrum you have Jokic, on the other end you've got guys who couldn't even get to the NBA. KAT is below average relative to NBA stars on this front, and that's just how it goes.

As I say this, it's certainly true that it's common for guys to get better at this with experience, and also get better at handling pressure with experience. But I think we'd have seen more progress from KAT by now if it was in the cards for him.

In the end, a guy like KAT seems to be a guy who should be in a role where his decision making demands are simplified, and so long as you're able to do this - because you have other payers digesting decision making complexity - he ought to be able to valuable even against tough playoff opponents.

I will say though, KAT doesn't do himself any favors when he talks about being the greatest big man shooter in history. In a Kyle Korver-type sense, it's probably true, but it puts pressure on him that he doesn't respond well too. I feel similarly about Paul George talking trash - you have to know what you respond best to and what gets in your way. Some guys hype themselves up by bragging, others just make their mental state more fragile.

[Doctor MJ]

It's pretty crazy what refs let Pat Bev get away on defense. On every single one of the rips last night Pat Bev had his forearm in the dribbler's chest and was reaching with his other hand. I don't mind this kind of defense and wished we had more of this but it's completely inconsistent with how they ref virtually everyone else.

One thing I'll say:

After the refs took back the double technical that would have taken Morris out of the game leaving Beverley as the only one getting a foul - something they'd never do in a regular season game - I said to myself "Now, they're going to let PatBev get away with murder."

I feel like this is often how it goes. There's a tendency when refs make a mistake in a particular direction for them to make up for not just once but the rest of the game.

[parsnips33]

I definitely understand why Jimmy didn't like playing with KAT and Wiggins. I don't know what you want to call it, but neither of them have it

[Outside]

Odds are that KAT will figure it out at some point, but if anything, last night was regression for him from a postseason performance perspective, and that is a very low bar he had to limbo under. He was embarassingly awful in his one previous PS appearance against Houston in 2018. He's had a lot of time to mature since then, but against the Clippers, he was overly emotional -- that may be the engine that drives Beverly, but it apparently locks up KAT's brain cells so that he makes really dumb decisions. He forced shots. When questionable foul calls didn't go his way, the Clips were a team of floppers ready to hit the floor at the slightest touch, and KAT gave them the opportunity to draw fouls. They didn't even have to fake it when he went over the back on a rebound he had no chance at. He lost his composure, he hurt his team, and the Wolves made their two big runs with him on the bench.

I hope he figures it out. I really do. He seems like a decent guy. What his family has gone through during COVID is heartbreaking. He's obviously talented, and the Wolves have assembled a group that can be fun to watch at time.

One other thing -- the Wolves offense is awful. As far as I can tell, they have two plays -- give the ball to one of their main guys to iso ball to get a shot on their own or drive and kick for a three, or the variation where somebody runs 20 feet to set a screen for one of their main guys to iso ball off the screen. On every play, at least three guys are standing still around the perimeter, no movement, nothing but watching the guy with the ball. Five out has its place, but it is not the foundation of an entire offense (well, unless you have James Harden, I guess).

[parsnips33]

Also happy for D'Lo

It's always fun to see a guard who doesn't rely on speed, but superior body control instead. All his actions just seem so deliberate and considered

[Peregrine01]

One other thing -- the Wolves offense is awful. As far as I can tell, they have two plays -- give the ball to one of their main guys to iso ball to get a shot on their own or drive and kick for a three, or the variation where somebody runs 20 feet to set a screen for one of their main guys to iso ball off the screen. On every play, at least three guys are standing still around the perimeter, no movement, nothing but watching the guy with the ball. Five out has its place, but it is not the foundation of an entire offense (well, unless you have James Harden, I guess).

Minny is 8th in ORTG and I think they got even better in the latter half of the season. They have an absurd amount of offensive talent that doesn't always play together all that well. It's the talent that gets their offense to such heights but they freelance way too much, which probably explains their inconsistency.

[falcolombardi]

It's pretty crazy what refs let Pat Bev get away on defense. On every single one of the rips last night Pat Bev had his forearm in the dribbler's chest and was reaching with his other hand. I don't mind this kind of defense and wished we had more of this but it's completely inconsistent with how they ref virtually everyone else.

the refs also allowed paul georgee to use his elbows in drives but towns fouled out for doing that, like in straight possesions towms got called a offensove foul for the same thingh paul got free throws (driving with the elbows out)

[parsnips33]

It's pretty crazy what refs let Pat Bev get away on defense. On every single one of the rips last night Pat Bev had his forearm in the dribbler's chest and was reaching with his other hand. I don't mind this kind of defense and wished we had more of this but it's completely inconsistent with how they ref virtually everyone else.

the refs also allowed paul georgee to use his elbows in drives but towns fouled out for doing that, like in straight possesions towms got called a offensove foul for the same thingh paul got free throws (driving with the elbows out)

I think PG might get away with the most offensive fouls in the league. Looks like he's always pushing off

[sp6r=underrated]

When I watch KAT, I tend to see a guy who struggles to process the speed of the information of the game and make good decisions in a timely manner. People tend to call this choking, and there's truth to the idea that players get rattled, but I also just think we need to recognize that to some degree this is a talent just like height, hops, and shooting are.

On one end of the spectrum you have Jokic, on the other end you've got guys who couldn't even get to the NBA. KAT is below average relative to NBA stars on this front, and that's just how it goes.

As I say this, it's certainly true that it's common for guys to get better at this with experience, and also get better at handling pressure with experience. But I think we'd have seen more progress from KAT by now if it was in the cards for him.

In the end, a guy like KAT seems to be a guy who should be in a role where his decision making demands are simplified, and so long as you're able to do this - because you have other payers digesting decision making complexity - he ought to be able to valuable even against tough playoff opponents.

I will say though, KAT doesn't do himself any favors when he talks about being the greatest big man shooter in history. In a Kyle Korver-type sense, it's probably true, but it puts pressure on him that he doesn't respond well too. I feel similarly about Paul George talking trash - you have to know what you respond best to and what gets in your way. Some guys hype themselves up by bragging, others just make their mental state more fragile.

Great post about on court decision making. It is a talent, something individuals have different innate capacities rather than something everyone can learn. And on-court decision making doesn't necessarily relate to overall intelligence.

Chris Webber is the best example of that. Webber always comes off as a reasonably intelligent, insightful man in interviews. I wouldn't be overly concerned if I needed to have him take a school test for me in my youth. But his on court decision making, the application of his skills and athleticism to help his team wins was always disappointing.