ATL - CP3 to Clippers

[Ron Swanson]

Yeah, it's absolutely crazy that the Pacers can get these kind of no-show performances from their three best players in Hali/Turner/Siakam (33 points on 12-for-35 from the field combined) and yet still win comfortably because any 2-3 of their bench/role guys always show up huge. Carlisle is an absolute wizard.

[MickeyDavis]

Late June, it's going to be 95 and steamy Sunday, college hoops ended 11 weeks ago and we finally get an end to the stupidly long NBA season.

[Licensed to Il]

Late June, it's going to be 95 and steamy Sunday, college hoops ended 11 weeks ago and we finally get an end to the stupidly long NBA season.

I get that no one has the balls or juice to shorten the season. But with franchises selling for multiple billions, it would be nice to have a commish who shifted attention to legacy and product.

A November - Early June season with about 75 games, less back to backs, and good officiating would solve a lot of problems thoughtful fans have with the current product.

[GoldenAntlers]

I love TJ McConnell

Was just about to post this. Hate watching him against the Bucks but man I love that dude.

Feel so much this. Wanna punch him he's so frustrating against the bucks. But against another team just loving the guy. Man he would instantly be the highest bball iq on the team if the bucks got him.

Really happy for TJ but torn because i dislike Hali so much.

I think indy takes this momentum to win the series, and their trapping game worked so well against Sha and OKC had no answer and Chet was pure trash.

I noticed his teammates pass him back the ball when Plan A doesn't work and they have to shift the ball to the next option.

Numerous times I have noticed where he probes, gets stuck, kicks it out, the guy he passes it to passes it back to him, the ball swings around the arc for an open 3. We don't have that kind of IQ consistently.

[GoldenAntlers]

Late June, it's going to be 95 and steamy Sunday, college hoops ended 11 weeks ago and we finally get an end to the stupidly long NBA season.

I was looking forward to a Saturday Summer Solstice Game 7 out on the town, but nah, it's a Sunday night game.

[jakecronus8]

Late June, it's going to be 95 and steamy Sunday, college hoops ended 11 weeks ago and we finally get an end to the stupidly long NBA season.

I get that no one has the balls or juice to shorten the season. But with franchises selling for multiple billions, it would be nice to have a commish who shifted attention to legacy and product.

A November - Early June season with about 75 games, less back to backs, and good officiating would solve a lot of problems thoughtful fans have with the current product.

Ideally I think 65ish is the right number. And figuring out new methods to deter tanking would go a long way.

[Licensed to Il]

Late June, it's going to be 95 and steamy Sunday, college hoops ended 11 weeks ago and we finally get an end to the stupidly long NBA season.

I get that no one has the balls or juice to shorten the season. But with franchises selling for multiple billions, it would be nice to have a commish who shifted attention to legacy and product.

A November - Early June season with about 75 games, less back to backs, and good officiating would solve a lot of problems thoughtful fans have with the current product.

Ideally I think 65ish is the right number. And figuring out new methods to deter tanking would go a long way.

I know that all the owners care about is grabbing cash. But if they made the right moves, the NBA could be #2 to the NFL in America, but grab so much of China and Europe that it would be the #1 overall watched league, worldwide. But it starts with adding legitimacy (officiate the same for everyone), making regular season games more meaningful, and figuring out a way to get teams to play with variance.

[MickeyDavis]

Nobody pays attention to the NBA until football is over in early February. Starting that late of course would never happen. I'd start it on Xmas Day. Or start the season in early December with the Cup games. But it's all a pipedream, no one wants to give up revenue. So we'll have a late June end of the season and the draft 3 days later.

[paulpressey25]

Legacy defining game for Shai on Sunday. Unless OKC has a 40+ point lead, every single butthole in that arena is gonna be puckered going into the 4th quarter.

Also for Halliburton, since he has disappeared in losses.

The difference is Hali is still emerging. We've just gotten done with six-months of every NBA talking head telling us that Shai is perhaps the greatest SG ever and should be accorded the MVP over Jokic and Giannis.

[Ron Swanson]

Legacy defining game for Shai on Sunday. Unless OKC has a 40+ point lead, every single butthole in that arena is gonna be puckered going into the 4th quarter.

Also for Halliburton, since he has disappeared in losses.

The difference is Hali is still emerging. We've just gotten done with six-months of every NBA talking head telling us that Shai is perhaps the greatest SG ever and should be accorded the MVP over Jokic and Giannis.

Dude's like only 18-months younger than Shai lol. Could certainly argue it as a legacy defining game for him as well, considering I think it's way more likely he never finds himself in another Finals series. But I think with the calf injury excuse and everyone rightfully acknowledging that the Pacers' depth and Carlisle are the real MVP's of this playoff run, he's not facing anywhere near the same kind of pressure.

[Ron Swanson]

Nobody pays attention to the NBA until football is over in early February. Starting that late of course would never happen. I'd start it on Xmas Day. Or start the season in early December with the Cup games. But it's all a pipedream, no one wants to give up revenue. So we'll have a late June end of the season and the draft 3 days later.

And to be clear, the NBA absolutely wants it this way even for reasons outside of revenue. Constant exposure/engagement drives casual interest. "Oh, my team just got eliminated, but the draft is only a couple weeks away, and summer league right after that! Then free agency drama!" Their business model is essentially being the 24-hour news of pro sports leagues. Loved it when I was a kid, in college, and as a young adult, but now I just find most of it annoying.

[Finn]

Spoiler:

I get that no one has the balls or juice to shorten the season. But with franchises selling for multiple billions, it would be nice to have a commish who shifted attention to legacy and product.

A November - Early June season with about 75 games, less back to backs, and good officiating would solve a lot of problems thoughtful fans have with the current product.

Ideally I think 65ish is the right number. And figuring out new methods to deter tanking would go a long way.

I know that all the owners care about is grabbing cash. But if they made the right moves, the NBA could be #2 to the NFL in America, but grab so much of China and Europe that it would be the #1 overall watched league, worldwide. But it starts with adding legitimacy (officiate the same for everyone), making regular season games more meaningful, and figuring out a way to get teams to play with variance.

Isn't soccer by far the most watched sport worldwide? I don't see basketball changing that.

[BUCKnation]

Personally would not mind at all if the NBA season went deep into July like it did the year we won the chip. The gap from NBA finals to the NFL season is brutal, even if its the summer.

[Licensed to Il]

Spoiler:

Ideally I think 65ish is the right number. And figuring out new methods to deter tanking would go a long way.

I know that all the owners care about is grabbing cash. But if they made the right moves, the NBA could be #2 to the NFL in America, but grab so much of China and Europe that it would be the #1 overall watched league, worldwide. But it starts with adding legitimacy (officiate the same for everyone), making regular season games more meaningful, and figuring out a way to get teams to play with variance.

Isn't soccer by far the most watched sport worldwide? I don't see basketball changing that.

I mean as a league. Soccer viewership gets divided up between leagues on multiple continents. The NBA could become even more of a global league, and I don’t mean via expansion. Make the product better, sell it all over.

[jschligs]

Personally would not mind at all if the NBA season went deep into July like it did the year we won the chip. The gap from NBA finals to the NFL season is brutal, even if its the summer.

As someone who works the whole week, sports at night is what keeps me going lol. Weekends in the summer are packed, but I cannot and will not watch baseball. I hate the gap between NBA and college football/NFL.

[drew881]

Also for Halliburton, since he has disappeared in losses.

The difference is Hali is still emerging. We've just gotten done with six-months of every NBA talking head telling us that Shai is perhaps the greatest SG ever and should be accorded the MVP over Jokic and Giannis.

Dude's like only 18-months younger than Shai lol. Could certainly argue it as a legacy defining game for him as well, considering I think it's way more likely he never finds himself in another Finals series. But I think with the calf injury excuse and everyone rightfully acknowledging that the Pacers' depth and Carlisle are the real MVP's of this playoff run, he's not facing anywhere near the same kind of pressure.

Ages and hype aside, this could be defining for either because it isn’t guaranteed either gets back.

[rilamann]

Late June, it's going to be 95 and steamy Sunday, college hoops ended 11 weeks ago and we finally get an end to the stupidly long NBA season.

I was looking forward to a Saturday Summer Solstice Game 7 out on the town, but nah, it's a Sunday night game.

The NBA season is already almost 3 months long (If you count camp/preseason) when we hit winter solstice.

And that same season is still going when we hit summer solstice.

That is one way to put it into perspective how incredibly long an NBA season is....lol.

And that is one of the reasons why I can't think of anything that would be as gut wrenching as watching your team lose a game 7 of the NBA Finals.

With the Exception of Big O probably, most of us have never experienced that as Bucks fans, but I can't imagine anything would be worse as a sports fan. Seeing your team lose a Super Bowl sucks, but the NFL season goes by pretty fast and you only need to win 2 or 3 games to reach the Super Bowl.

But the NBA season is so long and the playoffs alone are such a methodical grind. To get all the way to game 7 of the Finals and lose. That's gotta be tough.

Even just as a fan watching the Bucks win the championship in 2021. When it was finally over I almost felt a sense of relief. It was fun as hell of course, but it was exhausting watching all the those high pressure games and the high lows of it all every other day for 2 months.

I can't imagine how it is for the guys who are actually playing in the games...lol.

[rilamann]

Late June, it's going to be 95 and steamy Sunday, college hoops ended 11 weeks ago and we finally get an end to the stupidly long NBA season.

As we talk about this game 7 on Sunday.

It's almost hard to believe this is still the same season that we were talking about last October.

For a second you almost second guess everything and you're like, Wait, this is still the same season, right?

[rilamann]

Don't get me wrong, SGA is really good, but watching him regularly over the past 2 months. He seems a bit overrated to me. Or at least not as good as I thought he was.

I would never in a million years ever consider taking him over Giannis.

As a Bucks fan. I feel like these playoffs have simultaneously proven how insanely good Giannis is.

While also making you question, how bad are the Bucks that even with a guy like Giannis, they could only manage to win 1 single playoff game?

[KidA24]

Nobody pays attention to the NBA until football is over in early February. Starting that late of course would never happen. I'd start it on Xmas Day. Or start the season in early December with the Cup games. But it's all a pipedream, no one wants to give up revenue. So we'll have a late June end of the season and the draft 3 days later.

I always thought that having a 5-game setup like Christmas day on Black Friday would be the perfect way to start the season.