2019-20 NBA Season Discussion

[Dupp]

I’m not blaming kawhi at all but imagine if a lebron, harden or curry team blew back to back double digit leads and looking at potentially losing a 3-1 lead. They’d be getting destroyed.

[GSP]

The stars are aligning for this to be the Lakers year. Clippers looking disjointed, Bucks choking, Raptors not finding enough consistency...

I think LeBron is smelling the blood in the water and has enough talent around him this time to bring it home. Not saying it will be easy, but i'd feel fairly confident in my chances if i'm the Lakers.

Theyre easily gonna win at this point. Lakers have looked incredible.

Not sure how much of it is "stars aligning" tho

It was obvious pre playoffs at least to me that a team with playoff Bron/Ad and a great defense wasnt gonna lose 4/7

[Joey Wheeler]

The stars are aligning for this to be the Lakers year. Clippers looking disjointed, Bucks choking, Raptors not finding enough consistency...

I think LeBron is smelling the blood in the water and has enough talent around him this time to bring it home. Not saying it will be easy, but i'd feel fairly confident in my chances if i'm the Lakers.

The stars are not "aligning", the Lakers are simply much better than everyone else and have the 2 best players in every series they play, that's why they're going to win. The stars would have to align for them not to win.

[Orin]

If Denver pulls this off, Kawhi will get re-evaluated like Giannis has and much of where he lands will depend on what happens with his conqueror in the next round. I realize that Kawhi's rightfully seen as a lot more established, but blowing a 3-1 series against a team that largely was not taken seriously as a true contender is a big deal and really blows to hell the notion that he is "inevitable".

Frankly it's still hard for me to imagine the Clippers losing Game 7 given how I've seen the teams, but if they do...

Why? I don't think the two situations are similar at all. Giannis played badly and couldn't overcome his weakness, for the second straight year. So it makes sense to re-evaluate how he stacks up against the best players in the world.

Kawhi on the other hand had an amazing first round and played 6 games already on an average level (for him). If he plays like poop but still get bailed out by his team, that shouldn't make him rank higher than if he lost and played godly.

Why? Because that's what happens. Forget about anything I've said about Kawhi's strengths and weaknesses, Kawhi is going to get re-evaluated if his team blows a 3-1 series lead to a team that wasn't seen as a real contender, particularly if it appears that Denver was easily the better team from their Game 5 run onward.

So, if the Clippers lose the next game on a buzzer beater and Kawhi plays the game of his life, would you would rate him, as a player, lower than if he if wins Game 7 while played horribly, and then go on and gets 4-0 by the Lakers in a one sided serie?

[eminence]

Not near as down on the East as everyone else seems to be. I think the Celtics in particular could give anybody trouble.

[Joey Wheeler]

Again, that's cool but it doesn't make him the best ever.

Best ever is very subjective. For me, Jokic is the most skilled offensive big man I've seen.

That's different debate and he has solid case, but it still depends on what you call "skill". If you take defensive skillset into account, I'd take Duncan over him overall without thinking twice. Hakeem probably as well. Then there is Kareem, who is not as good passer but he's just better scorer.

Why would you take defensively skillsets into account when talking about offense? Duncan and Hakeem have zero case over Jokic offensively imo, Kareem if you really value post scoring has a case of course, he did it at a high level for such a long time, never the playmaker Jokic is though.

To be clear, I'd take all those guys about Jokic overall because Jokic is a C who can't protect the rim at a high level, which is very problemetic to build a contender...

[Orin]

I’m not blaming kawhi at all but imagine if a lebron, harden or curry team blew back to back double digit leads and looking at potentially losing a 3-1 lead. They’d be getting destroyed.

Of course. It's natural and it's legit. But how they played in those series should be the main reason why they'd get destroyed.

[Joey Wheeler]

If Denver pulls this off, Kawhi will get re-evaluated like Giannis has and much of where he lands will depend on what happens with his conqueror in the next round. I realize that Kawhi's rightfully seen as a lot more established, but blowing a 3-1 series against a team that largely was not taken seriously as a true contender is a big deal and really blows to hell the notion that he is "inevitable".

Frankly it's still hard for me to imagine the Clippers losing Game 7 given how I've seen the teams, but if they do...

Why? I don't think the two situations are similar at all. Giannis played badly and couldn't overcome his weakness, for the second straight year. So it makes sense to re-evaluate how he stacks up against the best players in the world.

Kawhi on the other hand had an amazing first round and played 6 games already on an average level (for him). If he plays like poop but still get bailed out by his team, that shouldn't make him rank higher than if he lost and played godly.

Why? Because that's what happens. Forget about anything I've said about Kawhi's strengths and weaknesses, Kawhi is going to get re-evaluated if his team blows a 3-1 series lead to a team that wasn't seen as a real contender, particularly if it appears that Denver was easily the better team from their Game 5 run onward.

But the Clippers aren't much better than Denver, if at all. They're a poorly built team with no playmaking or rim protection.

Kawhi does have some limitations offensively, nothing that has been "exposed" in this series though, they've long been known. He needs someone else to run the offense.

[eminence]

Why? I don't think the two situations are similar at all. Giannis played badly and couldn't overcome his weakness, for the second straight year. So it makes sense to re-evaluate how he stacks up against the best players in the world.

Kawhi on the other hand had an amazing first round and played 6 games already on an average level (for him). If he plays like poop but still get bailed out by his team, that shouldn't make him rank higher than if he lost and played godly.

Why? Because that's what happens. Forget about anything I've said about Kawhi's strengths and weaknesses, Kawhi is going to get re-evaluated if his team blows a 3-1 series lead to a team that wasn't seen as a real contender, particularly if it appears that Denver was easily the better team from their Game 5 run onward.

But the Clippers aren't much better than Denver, if at all. They're a poorly built team with no playmaking or rim protection.

Kawhi does have some limitations offensively, nothing that has been "exposed" in this series though, they've long been known. He needs someone else to run the offense.

Similar to Harden some of that comes back on Kawhi as the PG trade (SGA/Gallo/many assets) was largely his doing.

Stars are taking their futures into their hands and reaping what they sow.

[MisterHibachi]

The stars are aligning for this to be the Lakers year. Clippers looking disjointed, Bucks choking, Raptors not finding enough consistency...

I think LeBron is smelling the blood in the water and has enough talent around him this time to bring it home. Not saying it will be easy, but i'd feel fairly confident in my chances if i'm the Lakers.

I think both east teams would give the Lakers a good shot. Boston is really good, especially on the wings, and Miami has the Butler/Bam combo to throw at LeBron/AD and shooters all over.

[limbo]

Theyre easily gonna win at this point. Lakers have looked incredible.

Not sure how much of it is "stars aligning" tho

It was obvious pre playoffs at least to me that a team with playoff Bron/Ad and a great defense wasnt gonna lose 4/7

Honestly, it has to do with me expecting more from the Clippers than thinking the Lakers wouldn't be a serious threat. Like, this Clippers team is essentially the same team that took 2 games off the Warriors last year, except they lost SGA and Gallo (who was pretty bad in that series) and replaced them with Kawhi and PG... These are astronomical upgrades... And then they've also added Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson. I thought putting Lou Williams next to Kawhi/PG would make it easier for him to be a more effective scorer and not struggle so much with his efficiency because he had to create a lot more off the dribble.
I thought having Kawhi/PG would make them better defensively, making it easier on guys like Harrell to not get exposed there...

[Joey Wheeler]

Why? Because that's what happens. Forget about anything I've said about Kawhi's strengths and weaknesses, Kawhi is going to get re-evaluated if his team blows a 3-1 series lead to a team that wasn't seen as a real contender, particularly if it appears that Denver was easily the better team from their Game 5 run onward.

But the Clippers aren't much better than Denver, if at all. They're a poorly built team with no playmaking or rim protection.

Kawhi does have some limitations offensively, nothing that has been "exposed" in this series though, they've long been known. He needs someone else to run the offense.

Similar to Harden some of that comes back on Kawhi as the PG trade (SGA/Gallo/many assets) was largely his doing.

Stars are taking their futures into their hands and reaping what they sow.

Oh absolutely, it shows that Kawhi (and most players) doesn't really know much about coherent team building.

Says nothing about his level as a player on the court though, great player with some weaknesses that his previous teams, built by elite GMs, had covered and allowed his strengths to shine. You can't have Kawhi as your primary playmaker, it's far from optimal offense as he doesn't have the vision and passing ability to get the best out of everyone.

[GSP]

The stars are aligning for this to be the Lakers year. Clippers looking disjointed, Bucks choking, Raptors not finding enough consistency...

I think LeBron is smelling the blood in the water and has enough talent around him this time to bring it home. Not saying it will be easy, but i'd feel fairly confident in my chances if i'm the Lakers.

I think both east teams would give the Lakers a good shot. Boston is really good, especially on the wings, and Miami has the Butler/Bam combo to throw at LeBron/AD and shooters all over.

Theyd give the Lakers a good shot by taking a game, 2 max. No one should be pretending theyre a real threat to win the chip as neither have any real shot of beating the Lakers

Honestly Houston likely beats us. Miami has a better chance but even then Bron/Ad are way too much for anyone to handle

[limbo]

The stars are aligning for this to be the Lakers year. Clippers looking disjointed, Bucks choking, Raptors not finding enough consistency...

I think LeBron is smelling the blood in the water and has enough talent around him this time to bring it home. Not saying it will be easy, but i'd feel fairly confident in my chances if i'm the Lakers.

The stars are not "aligning", the Lakers are simply much better than everyone else and have the 2 best players in every series they play, that's why they're going to win. The stars would have to align for them not to win.

Bruv

People were talking like the Lakers might be upset by Portland and/or have a serious chance of being knocked out by Houston just a couple of weeks ago. I was the one laughing about how ridiculous those propositions were...

That being said, going all the way to the opposite end and pretending like they were heavy favorites since trading for AD is foolish as well...

Right now i anticipate them to win the title, because the Clippers are at like 70% the power level i expected them to be by this stage of the season, but i'm still not going to say they're 'simply much better than everyone else' on the basis of playing two largely unimpressive teams so far... Portland was fool's gold and Lillard/McCollum apparently weren't even fully healthy. And the Rockets were a highly flawed team that almost lost to Lu Dort and Steven Adams... And this is before they got back Westbrook who wrecked that team dynamic even further... The Mavs (despite all their issues) and the Nuggets are easily better teams than Portland and Houston.

I'm confident in the Lakers, but i will wait how they do against a good team first before crowning them...

[Joey Wheeler]

The stars are aligning for this to be the Lakers year. Clippers looking disjointed, Bucks choking, Raptors not finding enough consistency...

I think LeBron is smelling the blood in the water and has enough talent around him this time to bring it home. Not saying it will be easy, but i'd feel fairly confident in my chances if i'm the Lakers.

The stars are not "aligning", the Lakers are simply much better than everyone else and have the 2 best players in every series they play, that's why they're going to win. The stars would have to align for them not to win.

Bruv

People were talking like the Lakers might be upset by Portland and/or have a serious chance of being knocked out by Houston just a couple of weeks ago. I was the one laughing about how ridiculous those propositions were...

That being said, going all the way to the opposite end and pretending like they were heavy favorites since trading for AD is foolish as well...

Right now i anticipate them to win the title, because the Clippers are at like 70% the power level i expected them to be by this stage of the season, but i'm still not going to say they're 'simply much better than everyone else' on the basis of playing two largely unimpressive teams so far... Portland was fool's gold and Lillard/McCollum apparently weren't even fully healthy. And the Rockets were a highly flawed team that almost lost to Lu Dort and Steven Adams... And this is before they got back Westbrook who wrecked that team dynamic even further... The Mavs (despite all their issues) and the Nuggets are easily better teams than Portland and Houston.

I'm confident in the Lakers, but i will wait how they do against a good team first before crowning them...

Foolish? It's a factual, from the moment they traded for AD the Lakers became huge favorites to win. Even the loaded Warriors from a few years ago would have big issues winning 4 of 7 against Lebron and AD, let alone highly flawed teams like the Clippers and the Bucks.

I'm not pretending btw, I called it on this forum the moment the trade went down.

[yoyoboy]

33/1 betting odds for Denver to make it to the Finals? I might honestly put $100 down on them for the hell of it.

https://www.vegasinsider.com/nba/odds/futures/

[eminence]

33/1 betting odds for Denver to make it to the Finals? I might honestly put $100 down on them for the hell of it.

https://www.vegasinsider.com/nba/odds/futures/

Yeah, those are spectacular odds as of right now.

And whew, short those Clippers.

[Blackmill]

I'm torn. As much as I want to see the battle for LA I would also love to see this Nuggets team pull off the upset. Regardless, I hope whoever meets the Lakers in the WCF is good enough to beat them. We haven't seen LeBron play his best except in the two G3s because otherwise he hasn't needed to play his best. From a viewing perspective, I really want a series where LeBron plays his best in 4 or 5 games, but I don't expect this to happen unless a team can really challenge the Lakers.

[Doctor MJ]

Why? I don't think the two situations are similar at all. Giannis played badly and couldn't overcome his weakness, for the second straight year. So it makes sense to re-evaluate how he stacks up against the best players in the world.

Kawhi on the other hand had an amazing first round and played 6 games already on an average level (for him). If he plays like poop but still get bailed out by his team, that shouldn't make him rank higher than if he lost and played godly.

Why? Because that's what happens. Forget about anything I've said about Kawhi's strengths and weaknesses, Kawhi is going to get re-evaluated if his team blows a 3-1 series lead to a team that wasn't seen as a real contender, particularly if it appears that Denver was easily the better team from their Game 5 run onward.

So, if the Clippers lose the next game on a buzzer beater and Kawhi plays the game of his life, would you would rate him, as a player, lower than if he if wins Game 7 while played horribly, and then go on and gets 4-0 by the Lakers in a one sided serie?

Stop making it about me. I'm making a statement about what will happen not what I think should happen.

The broad answer to your question here though is: I'm not going to decide my holistic player evaluation simply based on what a team result was.

[GSP]

33/1 betting odds for Denver to make it to the Finals? I might honestly put $100 down on them for the hell of it.

https://www.vegasinsider.com/nba/odds/futures/

LOL dont waste your money man

They have no shot VS La if they even do somehow make it to the Wcf

its interesting theyre playing this well without Will Barton whos arguably their 3rd best player