2021-22 NBA Season Discussion

[sp6r=underrated]

Total number of playoff series won in the 2020s as of this data:

Bucks 6 (maybe soon 7)
Heat 5
Lakers 4
Suns 4 (maybe soon 5)
Celtics 3 (maybe soon 4)
Clippers 3
Nuggets 3
76ers 2
Hawks 2

It's really something to think that the Heat have been one of the most successful franchises this decade

Spo is phenonmenial. Very few coaches would be comfortable making the decision to ditch a 15 million player.

9 CFs in 27 years since Riley took over. 6 Finals in those 27 years too. Even taking out the Lebron years it is 5 CFs/2 Finals/1 title. Just an amazing run.

And what is really amazing is they only landed 1 ATG through the draft. It has been mostly trades/free agents signings.

When the Heat acquired Riley, it was Riley the coach with the executive role as an afterthought in the public's mind. In retrospect, it was Riley the executive with the Coach as an after thought.

As a Knicks fan, I used to hate him and consider him a rat for leaving. Now I'm angry at the Knicks for not letting him take over.

[ardee]

this is **** hilarious............he did NOT like the Harden trade

mentions hed love to still battle with Jimmy, ppl expecting Houston Harden but he isnt him anymore and is a playmaker now, Morey had great moves as Gm getting Seth and Drummond...........I mean the only thing missing is "I dont want to play with Harden"

Ben for Harden is one of my favorite trades ever a true and RARE lose lose trade

I get where you're coming from but probably wait till next season to see if Harden can get some of his old mojo back after a few months' rest.

Is that before or after he spends all his time time eating cheeseburgers, hitting the strip clubs and going on vacations with rappers? Harden is who he is at this point since the officiating changes

Ok I just saw what Embiid said about "he's not Houston James Harden".

Holy ****, this is going nowhere now. Even if Harden has more left than we think, their relationship is going to be **** after that.

At this point I'm questioning how long Embiid is gonna be in Philly for.... He has three more guaranteed years. I could see him potentially asking for a trade as early as next summer at this rate.

[falcolombardi]

if boston and grizzlies take their series to game 7 this will be a goated second round

[sp6r=underrated]

if boston and grizzlies take their series to game 7 this will be a goated second round

Makes up for no 7 games in the first round. We still haven't had a lower seed win a series. Chance for 2 tomorrow.

[PaulieWal]

I said it the other day Embiid was the worst flopper in the league or one of the worst and today his flopping ended the career of Danny Green. Not a fan of this guy at all. Huge flopper and has 0 leadership skills.

[falcolombardi]

i wouldnt wanna be a sixer fan right now, i dont see how they move forward from this mess

not giving harden his super max is mighty tempting right now, althougg risky on its own

[falcolombardi]

also, the process documentary is gonna be insane when it gets produced

gonna need a 10 part, the last dance style documentary

[falcolombardi]

also, the process documentary is gonna be insane when it gets produced

gonna need a 10 part, the last dance style documentary

[toodles23]

James Harden 80 games before and after his hamstring injury in vs the Bucks in the 2021 playoffs

Before (Keep in mind he might have mailed in his last few games with the Rockets since he didn't want to be there so the numbers probably understate his impact)
26.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 9.6 APG, 4.0 TOV
46.8% FG, 34.8% 3P, 63.4% TS

After Hamstring Injury:
21.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 9.9 APG, 4.3 TOV
40.7% FG, 31.9% 3P, 58.0% TS

Yeah, it's really hard to tell with Harden if he's cooked or if he's been bothered by the hamstring all year (and the conditioning issues resulting from that). His whole game relied heavily on his quick burst for drives and to set up his stepback, and once that starts to go he could fall off a cliff very quickly. Maybe he can adjust and improve his off ball skills but I'm not at all optimistic about that.

Regardless, his performance today further solidified his legacy as Small Game James.

[Outside]

What a weird postseason. I'm glad I don't bet on games.

[ardee]

I feel like Milwaukee and Miami might be the de facto Finals.

None of the West teams look convincing right now.

[sp6r=underrated]

What a weird postseason. I'm glad I don't bet on games.

I'm a guy who truly believes the world is getting better. We're smarter, kinder and overall more decent people. But one area we have regressed on is the promotion of gambling during sporting events.

Every commerical break has a gambling ad. Announcers pitch it during games. It is gross. Every study has shown lines are efficient. By that I mean properly priced and accordingly nearly impossible to beat with any regularity. All of the sports leagues know it and still they try to get their fans hooked. GROSS.

The saddest ads are the ones featuring Barkley given that he's acknowledged he's lost a lot of money gambling over the years. It'd be like if Vin Baker was an announcer and they had asked to say what his favorite brand of beer was.

[sp6r=underrated]

I feel like Milwaukee and Miami might be the de facto Finals.

None of the West teams look convincing right now.

This is probably the most open playoffs I remember. There are 7 clubs left and I legit feel all 7 could win the title

[dcstanley]

I really believe Boston is the best team left. Some confounding late game execution and an inexplicably poor performance from Tatum is likely going to end their season prematurely.

Wrt Tatum, Matthews is playing excellent defense but Tatum's 3pt % should not be as bad as it is against Milwaukee's drop coverage.

[GSP]

Still floored by Embiids comments.............did Morey even consult him about Harden trade b/c it feels like he didnt from this

[70sFan]

Missed this day, this ended very rough for the Sixers.

Can't wait to watch Suns vs Mavs game 7, this one will be special.

[RCM88x]

Many of Harden's issues feel more mental to me, when a guy like him only takes a couple shots in a half you know there is an issue upstairs in addition to something physical.

I know the officiating has "changed" but he never even bothers to try to go for calls anymore, his classic crossover to drive and then the rip thru move he would do endlessly in Houston was completely absent from his game for what I saw. Maybe he doesn't have the leaping ability or the quickness he used to but even if that's declined his game has completely changed from what it was last year.

[tsherkin]

Many of Harden's issues feel more mental to me, when a guy like him only takes a couple shots in a half you know there is an issue upstairs in addition to something physical.

I know the officiating has "changed" but he never even bothers to try to go for calls anymore, his classic crossover to drive and then the rip thru move he would do endlessly in Houston was completely absent from his game for what I saw. Maybe he doesn't have the leaping ability or the quickness he used to but even if that's declined his game has completely changed from what it was last year.

He looks like he isnt even thinking "drive" most lf the time. His most common play is that little back and forth between his forward leg, then stepback three. He will sometimes get a step, but it feels like he mostly isnt even present, like he is just filling clock time many possessions.

[No-more-rings]

I feel like Milwaukee and Miami might be the de facto Finals.

None of the West teams look convincing right now.

The Suns would definitely lose if they manage to get there, though they better handle what's in front of them first. If Paul doesn't show up in game 7 they are going home.

The Warriors do seem kind of sluggish, and the Curry/Klay/Dray trio definitely aren't what they were 4-5 years ago but I wouldn't sleep on them you never know when Curry/Klay can get super hot. I'm not real impressed with their depth, but I wouldn't just pencil in the Heat or Bucks over them really.

[No-more-rings]

I said it the other day Embiid was the worst flopper in the league or one of the worst and today his flopping ended the career of Danny Green. Not a fan of this guy at all. Huge flopper and has 0 leadership skills.

Embiid had a 19 PER and 0.1 BPM in the postseason lol. People always say how he's not fully healthy, but at some point that just has to be factored into his value.