Around The NBA : 2024-25 Season

kodo · Post #221 » by **kodo** » Mon Mar 31, 2025 2:58 pm

If there's a brawl in the NBA, you could have guessed the teams involved.

NecessaryEvil · Post #222 » by **NecessaryEvil** » Mon Mar 31, 2025 5:41 pm

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dumbell78 · Post #223 » by **dumbell78** » Mon Mar 31, 2025 8:47 pm

Zach Lowe joining the Ringer is what should have happened. Glad dude is back.

Jcool0 · Post #224 » by **Jcool0** » Mon Mar 31, 2025 11:46 pm

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Post #225 » by **Ice Man** » Tue Apr 1, 2025 1:10 pm

Jcool0 wrote:

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Of course they have. I'd say in Zion's case that decision is 50% due to tanking, 50% due to it's Zion. He's in the Kawhi/AD tier for health.

sco · Post #226 » by **sco** » Tue Apr 1, 2025 6:03 pm

Schedule has been a huge issue IMO around the league. So many teams tanking since the ASB, it seems higher than usual (Wizard, Hornets, Sixers, Raptors, Nets, Jazz, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns, Mavs)

dumbell78 · Post #227 » by **dumbell78** » Tue Apr 1, 2025 7:24 pm

They might as well just cancel the remainder of the season and jump into the playoffs now.

MrSparkle · Post #228 » by **MrSparkle** » Tue Apr 1, 2025 7:45 pm

Well, the West is still a gauntlet. Seeds 5-8 are 1 win apart with about 7 games left, so whoever has the tougher schedule and crappier play is going to have a rough time falling to play-in.

The other dumb thing about play-in is when there’s a huge gap between 8 and 9. Why do the 37-win Mavs get a life-line against the 43-win Clippers? If the 9-seed is that many games behind, the play-in seeds should be eliminated entirely. They’re pretty much mathematically eliminated from having a shot at #8.

#8-seed is 1-win away from #5 seed, but instead they have to waste their time playing extra games against crappy teams that have zero chance of surpassing their record- problem is in an elimination game, 1 bad shooting night or injury could screw everything up.

ImSlower · Post #229 » by **ImSlower** » Tue Apr 1, 2025 8:46 pm

I was scrolling down the Athletic's NBA Power Rankings - not something I ever take seriously, but an easy way to digest what's happened around the league the last week. Murray made a throwaway crack that OKC have outscored their opponents by 1000 points this season. He's right. They have scored 9031 and allowed 8029.

Holy. ****.

For reference, the Bulls are +8801 and -9003 for the season. We've allowed nearly 1000 points more than they have.

Dan Z · Post #230 » by **Dan Z** » Tue Apr 1, 2025 10:31 pm

Ice Man wrote:
Jcool0 wrote:

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Of course they have. I'd say in Zion's case that decision is 50% due to tanking, 50% due to it's Zion. He's in the Kawhi/AD tier for health.

Must be nice to get paid 37.6 million and only show up to work 36.5% of the time.

Muzbar · Post #231 » by **Muzbar** » Tue Apr 1, 2025 11:17 pm

Dan Z wrote:
Ice Man wrote:
Jcool0 wrote:

Read on Twitter

Of course they have. I'd say in Zion's case that decision is 50% due to tanking, 50% due to it's Zion. He's in the Kawhi/AD tier for health.

Must be nice to get paid 37.6 million and only show up to work 36.5% of the time.

But he's a top 5 player that 36.5% of the time, quick, trade for him.

Dan Z · Post #232 » by **Dan Z** » Tue Apr 1, 2025 11:28 pm

Muzbar wrote:
Dan Z wrote:
Ice Man wrote:
Of course they have. I'd say in Zion's case that decision is 50% due to tanking, 50% due to it's Zion. He's in the Kawhi/AD tier for health.

Must be nice to get paid 37.6 million and only show up to work 36.5% of the time.

But he's a top 5 player that 36.5% of the time, quick, trade for him.

I'm sure he'd have fun in street clothes right next to Lonzo.

MrSparkle · Post #233 » by **MrSparkle** » Wed Apr 2, 2025 12:02 am

ImSlower wrote:I was scrolling down the Athletic's NBA Power Rankings - not something I ever take seriously, but an easy way to digest what's happened around the league the last week. Murray made a throwaway crack that OKC have outscored their opponents by 1000 points this season. He's right. They have scored 9031 and allowed 8029.

Holy. ****.

For reference, the Bulls are +8801 and -9003 for the season. We've allowed nearly 1000 points more than they have.

OKC’s dominance has been kinda understated. Shai’s numbers are on par with MJ’s, and they’re flirting with 70 wins here, with 1 of their all-stars missing most the season.

But playoffs will be different. All comes down to that one mismatch. And veterans do have an advantage (with refs, if anything). But I dunno- as the bracket stands, they could just lay an ass whooping to everyone. Nuggets and Warriors, at their best, are the two I’d imagine pose the only real threat. Lakers and Wolves maybe, but they seem to be far worse teams.

ImSlower · Post #234 » by **ImSlower** » Wed Apr 2, 2025 1:34 am

As always, I expect a significant injury (or multiple) to completely change what we expected to happen in the playoffs. The 76ers already went from what everyone thought was 3rd-ish in the East to pathetic. I loathe injury in sports, but it's inevitably going to happen that some team's losing a star come May.

If my miserably pessimistic ass is wrong, though, the Thunder would have to really collapse badly on court to lose a 7 game series until the Finals and Boston (or Cavs, but don't they own the Cavs this year?)

Thunder are just crazy dominant, like how Boston was last year. If it ends up being both those teams healthy - Hell yeah that'd be a Finals.

Repeat 3-peat · Post #235 » by **Repeat 3-peat** » Wed Apr 2, 2025 2:47 am

Memphis in free-fall. Once viewed as one of the top up and coming teams to now a team with a lot of questions.

Curry with 52-10-8, 12-20 3pt. Seems like we may be on our way to having another LeBron-Curry playoff series.

2weekswithpay · Post #236 » by **2weekswithpay** » Wed Apr 2, 2025 5:32 am

Game of the year

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dumbell78 · Post #237 » by **dumbell78** » Wed Apr 2, 2025 5:44 am

2weekswithpay wrote:Game of the year

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So much wrong in that sequence. Wow.

Post #238 » by **Ice Man** » Wed Apr 2, 2025 11:16 am

Hoo boy.

Russ's case is a classic warning sign against believing hot-take narratives. Because the Denver won a few games after moving Russ into the starting lineup, fans widely hailed the signing as a genius move. That was one of the most common stories of this season. There was a bit of truth, in that Russ played unusually well for a few games, but after a short while he became Russ again. Denver is 4-8 in his last 12 starts and overall, this year's stats are the worst in his career.

He's an OK rotation player, but no more than that. Definitely not a difference maker for a contender.

sco · Post #239 » by **sco** » Wed Apr 2, 2025 12:50 pm

dumbell78 wrote:
2weekswithpay wrote:Game of the year

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So much wrong in that sequence. Wow.

Yeah Russ is Russ, but WOW I'm not sure what is more amazing, Joker's 61pt trip dub or the fact that dude played 53 minutes of high-level basketball. His skill level and durability are crazy. He is the Babe Ruth of basketball. Dude is single-handedly carrying my fantasy team.

Post #240 » by **Ice Man** » Wed Apr 2, 2025 2:12 pm

sco wrote:Yeah Russ is Russ, but WOW I'm not sure what is more amazing, Joker's 61pt trip dub or the fact that dude played 53 minutes of high-level basketball. His skill level and durability are crazy. He is the Babe Ruth of basketball. Dude is single-handedly carrying my fantasy team.

Jokic is why so many great players (but not him) become FAs and/or demand a trade. Jokic doesn't have the support to win another title in Denver, so after he is retired people will start to question his legacy because he only won one ring.