NBA Playoff Games 2025, Non-Celtics

[OnlyTheTruth]

The Lakers being gifted one of the greatest Playoff performers in NBA history when their window was closing is criminal

Call me a conspiracy theorist. That trade was orchestrated by the NBA behind the curtains. Ratings and the brand was going down to ****. Only a major news of that magnitude would make NBA a bit more interesting. Luka could of gotten you a better player than AD etc....thr way they went to Lakers straight tells you one thing. League also needs Lakers to stay relevant. Sports are entertainment but the more you dig down rabbit hole you see that all sports to a certain degree are fixed.

[threrf23]

The Lakers being gifted one of the greatest Playoff performers in NBA history when their window was closing is criminal

Call me a conspiracy theorist. That trade was orchestrated by the NBA behind the curtains. Ratings and the brand was going down to ****. Only a major news of that magnitude would make NBA a bit more interesting. Luka could of gotten you a better player than AD etc....thr way they went to Lakers straight tells you one thing. League also needs Lakers to stay relevant. Sports are entertainment but the more you dig down rabbit hole you see that all sports to a certain degree are fixed.

There are better conspiracy theories to be had.

PELINKA AND HARRISON'S relationship dates to the summer of 2003, when both were ambitious young executives who had earned the trust of a then-25-year-old Kobe Bryant. Bryant had left his longtime agent Arn Tellem in March 2002 and convinced Pelinka, then a junior executive at Tellem's company SFX, to leave with him.

He was also a sneaker free agent after his contract with Adidas had lapsed. Rather than re-sign with the company immediately, Bryant chose to open up the process. He'd wear Nikes one night, Reeboks another, all trying to froth the market after he'd helped the Lakers win their third championship in a row.

Nike was focused on a high schooler named LeBron James at the time and put its A-team on the case.

Harrison, then a junior executive in his mid-20s, was tasked with recruiting Bryant. He attended every home game that year, but Bryant mostly ignored him. Eventually his persistence paid off, and in the summer of 2003, Harrison and Pelinka closed a five-year, $40 million deal for Bryant to join Nike.

Their relationship was soon put to the test when Bryant was accused of rape by a woman in Colorado that September. Prosecutors eventually dropped their case against Bryant, who settled a civil suit with a financial payment and an apology, without admitting fault.

Over the next decade Pelinka and Harrison traveled the world together with Bryant on official Nike business and joint family vacations. They were members of Bryant's inner circle, and they leaned on each other when Bryant tragically died in a helicopter crash in 2020.

All of which is prologue to why Harrison only felt comfortable discussing the biggest gamble of his professional career with Pelinka.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43676830/how-stunning-luka-doncic-anthony-davis-trade-came-together-los-angeles-lakers-dallas-mavericks

[redslastlaugh]

This was a pretty fun day of playoff hoops.
Nuggets-Clips was great
Knicks-Pistons entertainting
& the Lakers Lost

Tomorrow the C’s title defense begins… EXCITING STUFF !!!

[Tatumfor2]

I'm reading that LeBron and Austin have to play better as if Luka didn't give everything he does on offense back to Minnesota with his defense.

[threrf23]

Luka's defensive metrics were actually solid this season.

Mavs defense was 5.3 points better with Luka on the court vs Luka on the bench. Only Lively posted a better mark. AD = 1.1 point difference.

1.6 steals + 0.4 blocks per 40, vs 2.5 fouls, not bad.

Per 82games, counterpart PER was 17.2, good for second best amongst Mavs rotation players.

Also, best DRTG on the Mavs, ignoring AD (and Moses Brown).

Like, statistically, he might have been their best defensive player this season. One of their best, at least.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

I'm reading that LeBron and Austin have to play better as if Luka didn't give everything he does on offense back to Minnesota with his defense.

Two things can be true at once.

[phincsfan]

Pistons became a deer in the headlights in that 4th qtr.

Playoffs a different animal.

I said before that i like JB but imo he’s just holding that spot until they find that guy who can get them over the hump. They can still beat the Knicks, but coaching will play a big part in how far they can go with that group. Very similar to his Cavs situation but I’m sure the vets understood. The young guys may not like it, but they’ll get it when they’re challenged in a different way.

IMO guys like Bud, Vogel and Malone are the shiny names but they’re not the answer. They need a detailed oriented coach.

IMO, JVG would love that group.

[ConstableGeneva]

OKC raising division banners??? Gross. That's not championship franchise behavior.

[Parliament10]

Read on Twitter

[NYCelticsfan136]

Memphis sucks. I don’t know if they can give the thunder any problems. They went 0-4 and the games were not even competitive.

[phincsfan]

I love how Edey has no problem sticking his nose in problems to defend his teammates. Lots of 7ftrs in the league are soft. IMO he’s not one of them.

[ConstableGeneva]

I just can't recall a defense that's as unrelenting and suffocating as OKC's. The whole team is doing it, starters or reserves, role players or stars, bigs or smalls. It's just frustrating to set up your offense and find a decent shot against them.

Early in the season I was wondering if they could keep this type of defense up. They've been very consistent all year round.

[ConstableGeneva]

Well, I'm not wasting my time on this series. This is gonna be a massacre. Just hoping someone in the West gives OKC a bit of a challenge at least.

[Shak_Celts]

Sweet baby Jesus

[Parliament10]

Am I reading that score right; 51-22, OKC?
Only Halfway through the 2nd Qtr.

[London2Boston]

Yeah. OKC is a problem.

[Shak_Celts]

Don’t have to bring your starters back the rest of the game and it’s only the second quarter, that’s obliteration!

[NYCelticsfan136]

This is a complete mismatch. Dallas would have been better.

[NYCelticsfan136]

Yeah. OKC is a problem.

Memphis is taylor made for them.

[Shak_Celts]

They will bring back their starters but they don’t have to.