Around The NBA : 2023-24 Season #3

[Dresden]

Eve of the NBA Finals and ESPN is all in on the Lakers and Dan Hurley as their target head coach. Never change ESPN.

If it's not that, then it's "which team will Lebron play for next year, and will he play with Bronny".

[DASMACKDOWN]

KP making a huge impact so far. Hés the freshest guy on the floor lol

[dumbell78]

KP and 3-pt shots X factor for game 1.

[Chi town]

Hurley to Lakers…

Don’t see how his grinder high energy ways would work with that crew.

[Jeffster81]

Hurley to Lakers…

Don’t see how his grinder high energy ways would work with that crew.

This is going to fail spectularly, imo. Leaving UConn for the Lakers is a step down.

[DASMACKDOWN]

I think the series is a wrap.

Boston is just a bad matchup for Dallas.

It was the game plan for Boston against and Dallas ability to actually counter to it. I don't think Dallas has an answer for it other than Kyrie to get 30-40 each game.

Basically Boston said, Luka you can try to beat us but we are going to make you have to give it up. Basically leaving it wide open for PJ Washington, DJJ and Gafford to beat them. Not good.

The only thing that balances this out, is if Kyrie is Kyrie. Even then it would be tough.

This would have been Boston's game plan even without KP

But with KP they might sweep.

I think Dallas only hope is if Boston has a stinker/choke job in a few of these games.

I say Boston in 5.

[DuckIII]

Cannot count out Dallas with the postseason run they had through a meat grinder out West. But it just feels like Boston’s year. They have been dominant throughout and last night was no different.

Dallas made an admirable late game run to send a message and show so pride but well before the first half was over Dallas wasn’t just losing, they looked stunned and completely shook.

[jc23]

Didnt watch the game; from the box score it looked like both teams played evenly after the first.

[ChiefILL53]

Missed the 1st, but the Mavs made a good run and then proceeded to shoot themselves outta the game after Mazzula took a time out when they got it down to 8. Mavs still have a chance cuz I doubt the C's shoot that well for an entire series. They got up NINETEEN 3s in the 1st quarter and made almost half lol and even with the cool down they STILL ended up shooting 38% for the game. They also shot 42 to Dallas' 27 and made over twice as many. They lose this game purely on the 3 ball.

Dallas' defense was not very good in large chunks. I'm not sure why they were switching on PnRs involving KP and they're a notoriously bad group defending the 3pt line. They need to stop switching screens and stay home and if they're gonna leave players open for 3, give harder effort to run them off the line. While Boston's defense did a good job of making Luka be the main scorer, I think Luka was taking a lot of bad shots and other times people were just standing around letting Boston's defense get set. I need to see some offball action or something or this is gonna be a very short series. It also seemed like they weren't even trying to run PnR and get some lob attempts cuz jumpers were being settled for. 9 assists TOTAL for the game is unacceptable lol.

[CBS7]

I don't like Tatum, think he's mega overrated. I'm pulling for Dallas here, but a Boston win where Tatum continues to be mid and someone else wins FMVP would be a distant 2nd best outcome for me.

[Charlesareed]

I think the series is a wrap.

Boston is just a bad matchup for Dallas.

It was the game plan for Boston against and Dallas ability to actually counter to it. I don't think Dallas has an answer for it other than Kyrie to get 30-40 each game.

Basically Boston said, Luka you can try to beat us but we are going to make you have to give it up. Basically leaving it wide open for PJ Washington, DJJ and Gafford to beat them. Not good.

The only thing that balances this out, is if Kyrie is Kyrie. Even then it would be tough.

This would have been Boston's game plan even without KP

But with KP they might sweep.

I think Dallas only hope is if Boston has a stinker/choke job in a few of these games.

I say Boston in 5.

This Boston Celtics team is a bad match up for all they might be a dynasty in the making thanks in large part to Portland not willing to trade dame to Miami & Milwaukee foolishly trading jrue holiday who was the missing piece to their 2021 championship team Boston is loaded whatever they add in the offseason will set them up for success


A special shoutout to the legend that is Billy king & the Brooklyn nets who gifted the Celtics Jayson tatum & Jaylon brown

[Charlesareed]

I don't like Tatum, think he's mega overrated. I'm pulling for Dallas here, but a Boston win where Tatum continues to be mid and someone else wins FMVP would be a distant 2nd best outcome for me.

If hate tatum he’s just not that good Jaylin brown is better I predicted brown to win fmvp before the series started and im sticking to that although if PORZINGIS continues to play like this it’s his to lose

[Dresden]

It's just one game, hopefully DAL learns from this.

[Repeat 3-peat]

Dallas made a big run in the 3rd getting it to an 8 point game but Kyrie was just flat out dreadful. Felt like he was playing against the crowd first then the opposing players 2nd all night. He was shook. They have to get game 2 Imo.

Kristaps was insanely dominant in the first half.

[kodo]

Didn't expect this to be a lopsided series in favor of Dallas where they actually start out beating Boston in Boston. They're serious underdogs. As they say, it's not a series until someone loses at home.

[DASMACKDOWN]

This Boston Celtics team is a bad match up for all they might be a dynasty in the making thanks in large part to Portland not willing to trade dame to Miami & Milwaukee foolishly trading jrue holiday who was the missing piece to their 2021 championship team Boston is loaded whatever they add in the offseason will set them up for success


A special shoutout to the legend that is Billy king & the Brooklyn nets who gifted the Celtics Jayson tatum & Jaylon brown

Also lets not forget Memphis and Washington who traded with Boston to give them

Kristaps
1st round pick from Memphis this year
1st round pick from Golden St next year.

They traded, Marcus Smart, Gallo, Muscala and a second rounder.

Gotta admit, Brad Stevens was a mid-ish coach but has been a legendary Jerry West level GM in 3 years.

[dumbell78]

Dallas will adjust, this will be a long series in my view. Boston also has that ability to shoot itself out of games. Things will calm down for Dallas.

[Ice Man]

I don't like Tatum, think he's mega overrated.

The General Board posted my one of my all-time favorite basketball quips - "Jayson Tatum is the Michael Jordan of Tobias Harrises." True that. But if you have a team with 6 guys who have either been All Stars (Tatum, Brown, Jrue, Horford) or are near All Stars (KP, White) that also has great chemistry, being the MJ of Tobias Harrisses is quite enough, thanks much.

Also, as a longtime skeptic of fans' evaluation of NBA coaches, I would be remiss if I did not point out that the two coaches in these Finals were almost universally regarded as garbage entering this season. In fact, I would dare say that they were the least popular coaches of any of the contending teams. Spo and Nurse were worshipped, Thibs was largely respected, Bickerstaff was treated neutrally, Malone was highly respected, Daigneault and Finch were respected as good up and comers, Darvin Ham was not insulted (after all, the Lakers had made the WCF), Kerr is respected, Vogel was a former champ and not insulted until after this season.

But Mazzulla and Kidd were widely regarded as chuckleheads. Boston had lost to Miami in last year's ECF because it was outcoached and Kidd, well Kidd, nothing more need to be said. I don't ever recall an NBA head coach who was so thoroughly reviled, year after year.

Demonstrating once again not that coaching quality is not important, because it is, but rather than it does not matter much in the NBA, because every coach is of high quality. They neutralize each other.

[MrSparkle]

I find it funny that the Celtics keep being downplayed. I remember 5 years ago or so, the forum polls about “team with best future” and Boston being absent. I always went with Celtics. Two young two-way wings with complete games who consistently performed in deep playoff runs since they were each 19. They’re not Jordan and Pippen, but they’re pretty damn good esp. considering they haven’t even turned 28. In what world are they overrated?

Their coaches have all been very good. Ainge and Stevens are the best GMs. They had some off years, but they also had their own Lonzo disaster with Hayward, and a loose cannon with younger Kyrie. But they always recovered and traded up.

This current team is super stacked. Dallas might win 1-2 but with Jrue there, I think he’s got the championship experience needed to lead and close out.

Everyone wants to talk about blueprints for winning. This Celtics team is the best current model of a team with no virtuosic MVP (Jokic/Luka/Lebron/Giannis/etc.). 7 3D players who can handle the ball at a slightly above-average level, with length and athleticism. I assume this is what the Bulls were supposed to be, minus the 3, D, length and athleticism. This said, Tatum's fringe top-10 and Brown's top-20. Jrue is top-30, Zing on a good knee is top-30, and Horford's got a nice deal with Father Time.

[kodo]

Worst Finals ratings since 07, excluding the covid years.

The series opener averaged a 5.7 rating and 10.99 million viewers on ABC, per Sports Media Watch, making it the least-watched NBA Finals Game 1 since the league hit its ratings nadir with the 2020 and 2021 Finals. Beyond those two, 10.99 is the league's lowest number since 2007.

I was surprised since both teams have huge markets. I guess it's really about star power. Luka isn't a household name yet, and I guess Tatum/Brown aren't superstars at least by media standards.