Around the League - IST Games talk

[tedbrogen]

Celts still have a Brown/Tatum, your turn/my turn issue at the end of games. Neither pass in those scenarios. Brown killed them late by taking a couple of not ideal shots when a pass to someone else was open.

This is why a lot of us want Dame/Giannis both involved in the action instead of simply taking turns.

Name me one championship team that simply took turns ISOing.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Kind of annoying Luke Kornet has been playable for the Celtics. 125 minutes in 10 games with a 160 ortg and 106 drtg..

Last year 143/111, year before 145/106

[Ron Swanson]

Kind of annoying Luke Kornet has been playable for the Celtics. 125 minutes in 10 games with a 160 ortg and 106 drtg

And in the playoffs he'll get absolutely run off the court. Same with Payton Pritchard.

[skbucks1985]

Cavs and Sixers play tonight in the play in, in what is an elimination game for both teams since Indiana has the tiebreaker on both of them.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Cavs and Sixers play tonight in the play in, in what is an elimination game for both teams since Indiana has the tiebreaker on both of them.

The play-in for the in-season tournament, which is different than the play-in tournament for those keeping track at home.


I know this is rich coming from a fan of a team who was eliminated in 5 games in R1 as a 1 seed last year, but this feels like another year where you really want the 1 seed. Let Boston beat Philly and then we can take them on. Feel less confident playing Philly than Boston, but definitely don't want to play both.

[paulpressey25]

Bill was basically saying Jrue was CP3 on offense and prime Gary Payton on defense. Despite Jrue having just looked like Playoff Bledsoe on offense and Prime Beasley on defense against the Heat.

Yep, that's about where Bill Simmons sold him as.

He worked incredibly well for us, until he was asked to do too much.

[skbucks1985]

Cavs and Sixers play tonight in the play in, in what is an elimination game for both teams since Indiana has the tiebreaker on both of them.

The play-in for the in-season tournament, which is different than the play-in tournament for those keeping track at home.


I know this is rich coming from a fan of a team who was eliminated in 5 games in R1 as a 1 seed last year, but this feels like another year where you really want the 1 seed. Let Boston beat Philly and then we can take them on. Feel less confident playing Philly than Boston, but definitely don't want to play both.

I'm going to get those 2 mixed up for a couple years.

I'm still not sure there's a huge advantage to being the 1 seed. I'm still a Philly skeptic and still don't trust them come playoff time. I think Miami is going to be tough as they'll always be in a playoff series. Unless Miami goes on a bit of a swoon and you end up with something like Orlando and Indiana at 4 and 5 and Miami at 6 (which is very plausible), the path through the East will be tough no matter what seed you have.

[German Athens]

The East is looking really good this year. You have the usual 4 teams, then it looks like two of the young teams are making jumps into clear playoff teams, and then you have the two teams who made jumps last year.

Solid ball.

[tedbrogen]

Kind of annoying Luke Kornet has been playable for the Celtics. 125 minutes in 10 games with a 160 ortg and 106 drtg..

Last year 143/111, year before 145/106

I would love if the Celtics played Kornet against the Bucks in a playoff series.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

The East is looking really good this year. You have the usual 4 teams, then it looks like two of the young teams are making jumps into clear playoff teams, and then you have the two teams who made jumps last year.

Solid ball.

As the resident Heat hater, I want to know who the usual 4 teams are? Are you including the 2023-24 Miami Heat? I think they are going to be a play-in team. Jimmy Butler is basically doubling his 3 point attempts over the previous 4 years and raising his percentage from like high 20s to 42%? I just don't think it is sustainable. Your 4th guy in minutes is Duncan Robinson who is extremely flawed, and 5th is Kyle Lowry who turns 38 this year. They are an annual Bam or Jimmy injury from being 25-win pace team.

[ReasonablySober]

There isn't a team in sports I enjoy watching fail more than the Miami Heat, but at this point they've more than earned the benefit of the doubt. Sure, an injury could derail them the same way injuries derail all teams. But if they've got Butler and Bam come postseason, they're going to be as hard an out as anyone in the East.

[rilamann]

Cavs and Sixers play tonight in the play in, in what is an elimination game for both teams since Indiana has the tiebreaker on both of them.

The play-in for the in-season tournament, which is different than the play-in tournament for those keeping track at home.


I know this is rich coming from a fan of a team who was eliminated in 5 games in R1 as a 1 seed last year, but this feels like another year where you really want the 1 seed. Let Boston beat Philly and then we can take them on. Feel less confident playing Philly than Boston, but definitely don't want to play both.

I was probably one of the top guys around here last season when it came to We're toast if we don't the #1 seed and have to play both Philly and Boston in the playoffs.

This season it's a lot different, playing Boston and Philly wouldn't be all that big of a deal for us. Not as big of a deal for us as it would have been last season. I am with you on Philly as far being a team that makes me a bit more nervous than Boston in a 7 game series. But both teams are actually pretty favorable for us match-up wise now.

I haven't been able to stop thanking Boston for trading away Smart, Grant Williams, Timelord and even Brogdon.

Brogdon can't defend Giannis, but he was huge for them last season. You can go back and check my posts from last season. I watched a ton of Celtics games last season and must have said 20 times that Boston would be batting for the #4 seed if it wasn't for Brogdon. He bailed them out so many times. Last night vs Charlotte was one of those games where Brogdon probably bails them out.

[skbucks1985]

There isn't a team in sports I enjoy watching fail more than the Miami Heat, but at this point they've more than earned the benefit of the doubt. Sure, an injury could derail them the same way injuries derail all teams. But if they've got Butler and Bam come postseason, they're going to be as hard an out as anyone in the East.

Going into the season I thought the biggest hurdle this team will have is games Jimmy misses, they were 9-9 in those games last year. Because on on paper they've gotten worse but Bam is playing better than he was a year ago, Duncan Robinson is playing A LOT better than he was a year ago and Jacquez has been an immediate contributor. I don't expect Jimmy Butler to turn into prime MJ for 3 weeks like he did last year so I don't think they'll go as far as they did a year ago but I expect them to be finish well outside the play-in and they're going to be a damn tough out in the playoffs.

[RogerMurdock]

I'm going to get those 2 mixed up for a couple years.

The name "In-Season Tournament" is a problem, but not because people can confuse it with the play-in games. It just has no gravitas whatsoever. I know lots of players are excited to try to win it, but, "YAY, WE'RE IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT CHAMPS!" just sounds lame. The name kind of cheapens the event.

Call it something like the "Ball Rockin' Championship" or the "Carlton Banks Classic."

[pifhluk23]

Celts still have a Brown/Tatum, your turn/my turn issue at the end of games. Neither pass in those scenarios. Brown killed them late by taking a couple of not ideal shots when a pass to someone else was open.

This is why a lot of us want Dame/Giannis both involved in the action instead of simply taking turns.

Name me one championship team that simply took turns ISOing.

Shaq and Kobe 3 peated doing that.

[tedbrogen]

Celts still have a Brown/Tatum, your turn/my turn issue at the end of games. Neither pass in those scenarios. Brown killed them late by taking a couple of not ideal shots when a pass to someone else was open.

This is why a lot of us want Dame/Giannis both involved in the action instead of simply taking turns.

Name me one championship team that simply took turns ISOing.

Shaq and Kobe 3 peated doing that.

Phil Jackson had them running an actual offense from my memory. And I wouldn’t call what Shaq did ISOing. Posting up and dunking on entire teams isn’t exactly an ISO.imo

[Ron Swanson]

Pumping the brakes on the OKC hype (for now). They're 1st in 3PT%, 2nd in 3PT defense, and 29th in rebounding rate. The talent might eventually trump all of that, but ridiculously hot 3PT shooting, jedi mind-trick "defense", and being a garbage rebounding team aren't indicators of sustainable success.

All the people saying they shouldn't make a big move and start dealing all those picks are slurping the kool-aid a little too much IMO. Guys like OG, Siakam, Caruso, Jerami Grant, etc. should all be on their list. If I'm a Thunder fan, my worry is that Presti still has too much PTSD from the Harden trade to where he'll get complacent and rest on his laurels.

[tedbrogen]

Wait, if garbage rebounding rate isn’t indicative of success, we might want to pump the brakes in the Bucks as well.

[Ron Swanson]

We're a bad rebounding team (21st) because of scheme and the first 5-6 games still tainting the overall sample size. OKC is a garbage rebounding team because of personnel. Big difference.

[Plossum]

You know my greatest failure in life? My son came out to me the other day: he's a Miami Heat fan and wants a jersey for Christmas.

Edit: A Jimmy **** Butler one at that.