Top 5 Contenders?

[Catchall]

Bucks
Suns
Sixers

Heat are interesting, but I don't think they can score enough.
Nuggets could be interesting if guys come back, but I don't think they can defend well enough in a later-round series.
Jazz would need to avoid teams that combine a 5-out, multiple long, athletic wing defenders and elite coaching.
I think the Warriors' ship has sailed at this point. They're putting an awful lot of pressure on Draymond.
Nets would need everything to come together beautifully right at the last minute. Then there's the vaccine mandate issue.

[PierceFan4ever]

This entire section is an argument FOR Boston. Everyone thinks the Warriors are a contender despite their recent stretch. Philly was a fringe contender before Harden and now are firmly a contender.

Context matters. If Boston was healthy all year there is a reasonable chance they are a top 2 seed. Also historical data doesn't mean that much imo. Not when we are in the resting players era. Literally any team in the top 5 in the east could win the title. Phoenix and the Dubs could win a title. You can have teams over Boston and that's fine but it's a dumb take to dismiss the opinion of several people in this thread that Boston is absolutely a contender.

Also Boston's net rating > Phoenix. They have been the best team in 2022.

Because net rating is everything? Phoenix was 24-2 in 2022 before CP3 got hurt and then Booker entered protocols, and now Cam Johnson is hurt too.

Boston got to play Phoenix twice this season with Phoenix not healthy in both games.

Phoenix had both Booker and cp3 playing when they lost to the Celtics by 20 WITHOUT Jayson Tatum playing who is better than anyone on the Suns.

[schnakenpopanz]

Tatum better than anyone on the Suns?
I guess I have seen it all.

Gesendet von meinem SM-G780F mit Tapatalk

[pace31]

Suns
Warriors
Heat
Bucks
76ers

[pace31]

Tatum better than anyone on the Suns?
I guess I have seen it all.

Gesendet von meinem SM-G780F mit Tapatalk

I think Tatum is better than anyone on the Suns....

[SkyBill40]

This entire section is an argument FOR Boston. Everyone thinks the Warriors are a contender despite their recent stretch. Philly was a fringe contender before Harden and now are firmly a contender.

Context matters. If Boston was healthy all year there is a reasonable chance they are a top 2 seed. Also historical data doesn't mean that much imo. Not when we are in the resting players era. Literally any team in the top 5 in the east could win the title. Phoenix and the Dubs could win a title. You can have teams over Boston and that's fine but it's a dumb take to dismiss the opinion of several people in this thread that Boston is absolutely a contender.

Also Boston's net rating > Phoenix. They have been the best team in 2022.

Because net rating is everything? Phoenix was 24-2 in 2022 before CP3 got hurt and then Booker entered protocols, and now Cam Johnson is hurt too.

Boston got to play Phoenix twice this season with Phoenix not healthy in both games.

Phoenix had both Booker and cp3 playing when they lost to the Celtics by 20 WITHOUT Jayson Tatum playing who is better than anyone on the Suns.

Your math is bad. It was by 15 and the Suns were without Ayton. We can bench GM all night, but that doesn't change anything. The bottom line is that neither the Suns nor the Celtics were at full strength. Alas, since you seem to want to cherry pick games, it was actually the SUNS who beat BOS by 20 in DEC and guess what? They didn't have Ayton but BOS did have Tatum then. Now what?

Try again but with more effort this time. Please.

[NZB2323]

Suns
Bucks
76ers
Heat
Warriors

I wanted to put Brooklyn, but I don’t know if I can count on Durant being healthy, Simmons mental issues, and Kyrie playing. Plus if they start Curry with those 3, who is the 5th starter? If they put in a small guard then they’ll have Kyrie/Curry/Mills on defense and if they start a guy who can’t shoot then they’ll have 2 non shooters.

[PaulLee]

Bucks
Warriors
Sixers
Nets
Suns

[CobraCommander]

This is a bit intresting tbh. For me anyone in the top 11 league total can win it, maybe even 13 if u count in the 2 LA teams. But most intresting is that most got 3-4 teams from the east when they this far into the season proven to more be middle of the pack. But I dont think memphis will have anything to do with contention.

Suns
GSW
Heat
Bucks
Mavs

Surprised you got GSW over then Nets....I agree with the rest

[PierceFan4ever]

Because net rating is everything? Phoenix was 24-2 in 2022 before CP3 got hurt and then Booker entered protocols, and now Cam Johnson is hurt too.

Boston got to play Phoenix twice this season with Phoenix not healthy in both games.

Phoenix had both Booker and cp3 playing when they lost to the Celtics by 20 WITHOUT Jayson Tatum playing who is better than anyone on the Suns.

Your math is bad. It was by 15 and the Suns were without Ayton. We can bench GM all night, but that doesn't change anything. The bottom line is that neither the Suns nor the Celtics were at full strength. Alas, since you seem to want to cherry pick games, it was actually the SUNS who beat BOS by 20 in DEC and guess what? They didn't have Ayton but BOS did have Tatum then. Now what?

Try again but with more effort this time. Please.

My bad I didn’t look up the box score because I had a vivid memory of that ass whooping but the Celtics were up by 26 late in the third before the Suns made it respectable late in the game and lost by…15….does that make your point any better? Lmaoo And Tatum is way more valuable and important to his team than Ayton is. No excuses, the Suns got beat up that day which makes your point terrible.


The point is you are the one cherry picking both your points saying the Suns were not in full strength (true because of ayton) but fail to mention the Celtics were without Tatum who is the clear best player on their team and lost badly. The Suns were the better team that day in December, I don’t have a problem arguing that. So either way your bias is showing because you seem to have a hard time accepting the Celtics beat the Suns 2 months ago?

This is a pointless debate because those 2 games don’t have any impact on either team but I like to point out your extreme bias and poor reasoning as to why the Suns lost pointing to injuries when the Celtics had injuries themselves with their best player out.

[SkyBill40]

Phoenix had both Booker and cp3 playing when they lost to the Celtics by 20 WITHOUT Jayson Tatum playing who is better than anyone on the Suns.

Your math is bad. It was by 15 and the Suns were without Ayton. We can bench GM all night, but that doesn't change anything. The bottom line is that neither the Suns nor the Celtics were at full strength. Alas, since you seem to want to cherry pick games, it was actually the SUNS who beat BOS by 20 in DEC and guess what? They didn't have Ayton but BOS did have Tatum then. Now what?

Try again but with more effort this time. Please.

My bad I didn’t look up the box score because I had a vivid memory of that ass whooping but the Celtics were up by 26 late in the third before the Suns made it respectable late in the game and lost by…15….does that make your point any better? Lmaoo And Tatum is way more valuable and important to his team than Ayton is. No excuses, the Suns got beat up that day which makes your point terrible.

The Celtics were also without Brown that first meeting when the Suns were healthy but I’m not gonna use the health excuse as to why the Celtics lost that game like you are using.

The point is you are the one cherry picking both your points saying the Suns were not in full strength (true because of ayton) but fail to mention the Celtics were without Tatum who is the clear best player on their team and lost badly. Then you mention now the Suns winning in December but fail to mention Brown was out. The Suns were the better team that day in December, I don’t have a problem arguing that. So either way your bias is showing because you seem to have a hard time accepting the Celtics beat the Suns 2 months ago?

This is a pointless debate because those 2 games don’t have any impact on either team but I like to point out your extreme bias and poor reasoning as to why the Suns lost.

Nah, man. You made the excuses to begin with as for Tatum being out. Just own it and be done. That's all. Go back and rethread my post and your rebuttal. You willfully ignore the fact that I said BOTH TEAMS were not at full strength. Is reading not your strong suit? Or is it comprehension?

I mentioned that the Celtics HAD Tatum and got wrecked by PHX. There wasn't any cherry picking there. Both teams were missing players at that point and your boys still got worked. Tatum's your main dude, right? And he was on the court, was he not? Ayton was out and anchors our defense. He's not some bench filler scrub, so he easily equates to Brown being out. You lost a key guy and so did we. No excuses to be made whatsoever.

My bias is showing? Sure, sport. Whatever fits your flawed narrative. Funny how you want to call me for having bias when you're doing precisely the same thing. That's called a tu quoque fallacy. Might want to look that up. Cute though how you have a Boston player in your handle yet want to call me biased? Your laughable hypocrisy seems to be nearly limitless.

And you're right. There isn't any point in arguing it because it's not likely BOS makes it that far anyway. Should they, I guess we'll see who gets the last laugh. Until then, best of luck.

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

[SkyBill40]

Wait...

So did you delete the post? Why? I thought we were having a discussion amongst passionate fans here?

[PierceFan4ever]

Your math is bad. It was by 15 and the Suns were without Ayton. We can bench GM all night, but that doesn't change anything. The bottom line is that neither the Suns nor the Celtics were at full strength. Alas, since you seem to want to cherry pick games, it was actually the SUNS who beat BOS by 20 in DEC and guess what? They didn't have Ayton but BOS did have Tatum then. Now what?

Try again but with more effort this time. Please.

My bad I didn’t look up the box score because I had a vivid memory of that ass whooping but the Celtics were up by 26 late in the third before the Suns made it respectable late in the game and lost by…15….does that make your point any better? Lmaoo And Tatum is way more valuable and important to his team than Ayton is. No excuses, the Suns got beat up that day which makes your point terrible.

The Celtics were also without Brown that first meeting when the Suns were healthy but I’m not gonna use the health excuse as to why the Celtics lost that game like you are using.

The point is you are the one cherry picking both your points saying the Suns were not in full strength (true because of ayton) but fail to mention the Celtics were without Tatum who is the clear best player on their team and lost badly. Then you mention now the Suns winning in December but fail to mention Brown was out. The Suns were the better team that day in December, I don’t have a problem arguing that. So either way your bias is showing because you seem to have a hard time accepting the Celtics beat the Suns 2 months ago?

This is a pointless debate because those 2 games don’t have any impact on either team but I like to point out your extreme bias and poor reasoning as to why the Suns lost.

Nah, man. You made the excuses to begin with as for Tatum being out. Just own it and be done. That's all. Go back and rethread my post and your rebuttal. You willfully ignore the fact that I said BOTH TEAMS were not at full strength. Is reading not your strong suit? Or is it comprehension?

I mentioned that the Celtics HAD Tatum and got wrecked by PHX. There wasn't any cherry picking there. Both teams were missing players at that point and your boys still got worked. Tatum's your main dude, right? And he was on the court, was he not? Ayton was out and anchors our defense. He's not some bench filler scrub, so he easily equates to Brown being out. You lost a key guy and so did we. No excuses to be made whatsoever.

My bias is showing? Sure, sport. Whatever fits your flawed narrative. Funny how you want to call me for having bias when you're doing precisely the same thing. That's called a tu quoque fallacy. Might want to look that up. Cute though how you have a Boston player in your handle yet want to call me biased? Your laughable hypocrisy seems to be nearly limitless.

And you're right. There isn't any point in arguing it because it's not likely BOS makes it that far anyway. Should they, I guess we'll see who gets the last laugh. Until then, best of luck.

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

Ah **** my bad dude it’s late, but I thought you were the same original poster who mentioned the Suns injury without failing to mention the Celtics but yeah my point is the Suns beat up on the Celtics once and so did the Celtics as well. Both teams had injuries as long as it’s mentioned and not favoring heavily towards one side having the advantage I’m good with that.


So…uh what is your point then at the end of the day? I don’t even get what you’re trying to argue

[SkyBill40]

My bad I didn’t look up the box score because I had a vivid memory of that ass whooping but the Celtics were up by 26 late in the third before the Suns made it respectable late in the game and lost by…15….does that make your point any better? Lmaoo And Tatum is way more valuable and important to his team than Ayton is. No excuses, the Suns got beat up that day which makes your point terrible.

The Celtics were also without Brown that first meeting when the Suns were healthy but I’m not gonna use the health excuse as to why the Celtics lost that game like you are using.

The point is you are the one cherry picking both your points saying the Suns were not in full strength (true because of ayton) but fail to mention the Celtics were without Tatum who is the clear best player on their team and lost badly. Then you mention now the Suns winning in December but fail to mention Brown was out. The Suns were the better team that day in December, I don’t have a problem arguing that. So either way your bias is showing because you seem to have a hard time accepting the Celtics beat the Suns 2 months ago?

This is a pointless debate because those 2 games don’t have any impact on either team but I like to point out your extreme bias and poor reasoning as to why the Suns lost.

Nah, man. You made the excuses to begin with as for Tatum being out. Just own it and be done. That's all. Go back and rethread my post and your rebuttal. You willfully ignore the fact that I said BOTH TEAMS were not at full strength. Is reading not your strong suit? Or is it comprehension?

I mentioned that the Celtics HAD Tatum and got wrecked by PHX. There wasn't any cherry picking there. Both teams were missing players at that point and your boys still got worked. Tatum's your main dude, right? And he was on the court, was he not? Ayton was out and anchors our defense. He's not some bench filler scrub, so he easily equates to Brown being out. You lost a key guy and so did we. No excuses to be made whatsoever.

My bias is showing? Sure, sport. Whatever fits your flawed narrative. Funny how you want to call me for having bias when you're doing precisely the same thing. That's called a tu quoque fallacy. Might want to look that up. Cute though how you have a Boston player in your handle yet want to call me biased? Your laughable hypocrisy seems to be nearly limitless.

And you're right. There isn't any point in arguing it because it's not likely BOS makes it that far anyway. Should they, I guess we'll see who gets the last laugh. Until then, best of luck.

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

Ah **** my bad dude it’s late, but I thought you were the same original poster who mentioned the Suns injury without failing to mention the Celtics but yeah my point is the Suns beat up on the Celtics once and so did the Celtics as well. Both teams had injuries as long as it’s mentioned and not favoring heavily towards one side having the advantage I’m good with that.


So…uh what is your point then at the end of the day? I don’t even get what you’re trying to argue

Not the same dude. Appreciate the clarification on your part for that.

The bottom line here is a simple one: We took one in sizable fashion from your squad on our floor without a key player and you returned the favor a few months later. Two good teams battling it out when down someone important. Nothing at all wrong with that.

You're passionate about the Celtics and that much is abundantly obvious; I like the Suns as I have since I was old enough to watch basketball dating back to the 70's. And for what it's worth, I'd love nothing more than to see BOS beat MIL. Good luck on that task.

Catch you around... maybe in the NBA Finals.

[PierceFan4ever]

Nah, man. You made the excuses to begin with as for Tatum being out. Just own it and be done. That's all. Go back and rethread my post and your rebuttal. You willfully ignore the fact that I said BOTH TEAMS were not at full strength. Is reading not your strong suit? Or is it comprehension?

I mentioned that the Celtics HAD Tatum and got wrecked by PHX. There wasn't any cherry picking there. Both teams were missing players at that point and your boys still got worked. Tatum's your main dude, right? And he was on the court, was he not? Ayton was out and anchors our defense. He's not some bench filler scrub, so he easily equates to Brown being out. You lost a key guy and so did we. No excuses to be made whatsoever.

My bias is showing? Sure, sport. Whatever fits your flawed narrative. Funny how you want to call me for having bias when you're doing precisely the same thing. That's called a tu quoque fallacy. Might want to look that up. Cute though how you have a Boston player in your handle yet want to call me biased? Your laughable hypocrisy seems to be nearly limitless.

And you're right. There isn't any point in arguing it because it's not likely BOS makes it that far anyway. Should they, I guess we'll see who gets the last laugh. Until then, best of luck.

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

Ah **** my bad dude it’s late, but I thought you were the same original poster who mentioned the Suns injury without failing to mention the Celtics but yeah my point is the Suns beat up on the Celtics once and so did the Celtics as well. Both teams had injuries as long as it’s mentioned and not favoring heavily towards one side having the advantage I’m good with that.


So…uh what is your point then at the end of the day? I don’t even get what you’re trying to argue

Not the same dude. Appreciate the clarification on your part for that.

The bottom line here is a simple one: We took one in sizable fashion from your squad on our floor without a key player and you returned the favor a few months later. Two good teams battling it out when down someone important. Nothing at all wrong with that.

You're passionate about the Celtics and that much is abundantly obvious; I like the Suns as I have since I was old enough to watch basketball dating back to the 70's. And for what it's worth, I'd love nothing more than to see BOS beat MIL. Good luck on that task.

Catch you around... maybe in the NBA Finals.

I can agree with all that lol. Suns have always been my west coast team back to the Nash days so I’m rooting for them if it ain’t the celts.

[ajones9219]

Tatum better than anyone on the Suns?
I guess I have seen it all.

Gesendet von meinem SM-G780F mit Tapatalk

Homie I think most have Tatum better than anyone on the Suns. The Suns might be a better team though. We shall see

[KIRAG]

Either the Heat or the Bucks will go to the Finals

if not the above, Sixers/Celtics


For the West, GSW/Jazz

then Suns/Mavs

[Paz]

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

[rate_]

Bucks
Suns
Sixers

Heat are interesting, but I don't think they can score enough.
Nuggets could be interesting if guys come back, but I don't think they can defend well enough in a later-round series.
Jazz would need to avoid teams that combine a 5-out, multiple long, athletic wing defenders and elite coaching.
I think the Warriors' ship has sailed at this point. They're putting an awful lot of pressure on Draymond.
Nets would need everything to come together beautifully right at the last minute. Then there's the vaccine mandate issue.

Heat are TOP 10 in offensive efficiency this season, so they can definitely score enough. Herro has also been tearing it up as of late as he's been averaging 28.5/5.5/4.5 (per 75 poss) on 66% TS since the ASB. Won't be surprised if he morphs into an elite scorer this playoffs.

[IamBBAnalysis]

Tatum better than anyone on the Suns?
I guess I have seen it all.

Gesendet von meinem SM-G780F mit Tapatalk

I think Tatum is better than anyone on the Suns....

Okay, great. That opinion is not shared by all. Ask yourself this...who do you trust to make a play to win a playoff game more...Tatum, Booker, Chris Paul? It will be interesting how you answer this question.