The Basketball Thread
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@Arkandel This is the exact reason why I like these playoffs so much. It's the Revenge of the Small Market. All these teams in the playoffs who have categorically sucked more or less for years. As a Bucks fan, I can't tell you the kind of languishing we've had. The last time we were even remotely 'good' was during the Glenn Robinson run back in the late 90s/early 00s. Philly, Portland, and Toronto? More or less all small market teams, who were, until the last, what? The last five season have all been considered write-offs. At the very best, they were 8th seed chowder destined for an early exit, and that's if they were lucky. Even Golden State, who until it's current dynastic status had been a literal nobody team, only marginally better than Sacramento for what felt like forever.
These are all amazing teams, and all of them are from smaller markets. And to me, that's great. This is partly why I get salty when people talk that it's not nearly as interesting because LA, or NY, or Miami, or Chicago isn't involved. Because they have the markets and pull in viewership.
Fuck that. It's the little guy's turn for once. All these odd teams most people who don't pay attention would wonder 'well, how'd they get that deep in the playoffs'. Because it's not the expected outcome.
And personally, I love shit like that.
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Double post.
But, I feel like Toronto gave Milwaukee their best shot last night. I did not expect that kind of play from Lopez though. Series isn't over, but damn the Raptors threw everything but the bench seats at the Bucks.
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@Testament Yeah, if Middleton and all were missing so many open shots and Lowry had one of his rare 30-point games and they still lost, it doesn't look great.
I think wear and tear is a big deal here, too. Rust is a thing, and it definitely showed, but so is rest. The Raptors won't get any less tired and by the 4th quarter you could see what it's like to come off a 7 game series.
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@Ganymede said in The Basketball Thread:
The Warriors are tired. Curry and Thompson have miles on them after being in deep in the post-season so often, and it shows. Durant will be coming back from a leg injury. No Boogie.
I don't believe in the theory that playoffs take an extra toll, but even if they did, the Warriors have let Durant carry the weight for the last two years. Curry and Thompson showed no signs of slowing in the first game. If it goes to 5 I'll be a little surprised. If it goes past that I'll be shocked.
But I've been wrong before...
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26758769/raptors-not-named-lowry-go-0-15-4th
I thought the Bucks would handle the Raptors easily, but that first win sounds ooogly. Now I didn't watch it but when you win by 8, it shouldn't be because only one person on the other team can make a basket in the clutch quarter. But the Bucks lost big to the C's in their first game before running the table. Maybe they just start slow... -
It did not look good when Toronto couldn't close out the Bucks, no.
The second game will be the predictor. If Toronto takes it, they have a chance; if Toronto loses it, they are out.
I just hope it was enough to convince Leonard to come back.
“It is better to live doing the things that you like. It is foolish to live within this dream of a world seeing unpleasantness and doing only things that you do not like.” -- Yamamoto Tsunetomo.
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@Ganymede See, I think it's ironic in a way. The best chance Toronto has (assuming they lose the next game) is dragging the series into a 7-game grind in order to use their gritty, far more experienced players. Guys like Gasol, Green, Lowry and the rest are very seasoned.
But on the other hand they just came from a 7-game series, and it shows they are tired. Plus their bench is just not contributing, and Nurse has put so many more minutes on his stars than the Bucks have.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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Nurse doesn’t have enough confidence in his bench. Lin for the win!
“It is better to live doing the things that you like. It is foolish to live within this dream of a world seeing unpleasantness and doing only things that you do not like.” -- Yamamoto Tsunetomo.
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@Ganymede The way I see it is this: Unless Toronto's offense can make Brook Lopez unplayable, they are in for a rough ride.
Lopez + Giannis is a fucking problem for anyone trying to get in the paint, and then on the offensive end Lopez stretches the floor. These two have crazy synergy.
On the other hand Brook is older and not that quick on his feet. He can't chase players on the perimeter or handle switches to guards. This needs to be exploited to the point of making him a liability.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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Put VanFleet on the floor with Green, Lowry, Leonard, and Siakam. Rotate Ibaka and Lin in. Make them work for each basket defensively, then run around them.
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2-0 on both sides.
Who loses first? Warriors or Bucks?
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@Warma-Sheen Bucks. I trust Steph+Klay to deliver on that stage more than guys like Lopez and Ilyasova to step up.
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@Arkandel Maybe if the Warriors weren't playing the Blazers. I had a small amount of hope for them, but that was misplaced pretty quickly.
Also, I'm not gonna forget the fact that they lucked out of getting this far. If you ask me, it was Houston's series to lose. Which they did. I lost 50 bucks on that, as I made a bet that Houston would win in 7.
I was almost right.
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@Testament As they say in Greece, there's no such thing as almost pregnant.
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After watching the 3 games I can confidently say the Warriors aren't even playing at 100% until the middle of the third. They're basically tanking the first half off each game of this series. Its kind of ridiculous to watch. They focus on defense, and play loose on offense, like they're scrimmaging at practice. Then halfway through the third they flip the switch and play full. They came back from 18 like it was nothing. 12 the last game. I feel bad for the Blazers, too. They have no offense without Damian Lillard and it is easily exploited by a great defensive team. Also, it was weirdly pathetic to watch the Blazer big men lumbering around like treants while trying to play defense.
Now its up to the Raptors to see if they can put something together on their home court. I doubt it... but two conference finals sweeps just seem like bad business. I don't think anyone wants to see that.
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I initially said it was going to be a six game series between the Raptors and Bucks. Now, I'm not so sure. 5 probably, at this point. I don't see Milwaukee sweeping Toronto, I think they'll win one game.
Then again, if the last game is any indicator, I could be full of it.
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Holy crap. The Raptors won a game, by the power of Drake! It took double overtime with Giannis on the bench (Lopez and Ilyasova did not step up), but still. Hoorah for them.
In other news, Lillard apparently has a rib injury, probably from when someone fell on him in a loose ball scramble last game. I can believe it (since I saw it). But damn, that sucks for Portland, even if they didn't have much of a shot before.
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Whaaaat... 2-2? Home wins for errybody.
The Raptors stepped up and laid it to the Bucks. Drake as assistant coach/team mascot is key. Giannis seemed out of sorts trying to do it all, but imagine what they could do if they had someone to play with him. Reminds me of LeBron's first go with the Cavs way back in the day.
Does anyone else find the chatter around the Warriors hilarious? Maybe it is home team bias/familiarity. People are suddenly talking about Steph Curry being back in the conversation about being the leagues' best player, saying they might not need KD to win a championship. How is any of this a question? Is 3 and 4 years ago too long for sports talking heads to remember? Warriors are winning more than any team in history and being led by Steph Curry the whole way, blowing by KD's Thunder each and every year? Now people are talking like this is some new revelation. What's up with that? Is it just that they don't have anything else to talk about, or is this a legit realization that people are pondering?
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@Warma-Sheen said in The Basketball Thread:
The Raptors stepped up and laid it to the Bucks. Drake as assistant coach/team mascot is key. Giannis seemed out of sorts trying to do it all, but imagine what they could do if they had someone to play with him. Reminds me of LeBron's first go with the Cavs way back in the day.
That's because Giannis, like LeBron, thought that he had to carry the team, being its best player.
Kawhi knows otherwise.
Game 5 is in Milwaukee. We'll see what happens there. A loss for the Bucks would be a death knell.
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@Ganymede said in The Basketball Thread:
That's because Giannis, like LeBron, thought that he had to carry the team, being its best player.
Kawhi knows otherwise.
Game 5 is in Milwaukee. We'll see what happens there. A loss for the Bucks would be a death knell.
Yeah, the Raptors really stepped it up, especially with Leonard hobbled. He had some leg issue that they wouldn't specify but you could see it was obvious. And everyone else seemed to bring their A game.
Honestly, I thought the Bucks were better, but I hadn't watched them much during the season. I became a big Giannis fan just based on what I heard about him as a person and the non-diva personality he has despite his talent. So I might have had rose-colored glasses on how good they were and got caught up in the hype.
But watching them in the playoffs, they've got a long way to go. No one can do it by themselves and his help is lackluster. The NBA isn't built like that anymore. But even one top talent will make the Bucks a real contender. If either team in the East gets to the finals, I'll be surprised if they don't get swept, especially if KD comes back.
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The thing about Giannis is he absolutely needs his shooters to hit those shots. It's how the entire synergy works on offense - they spread the floor and then he forces defenses to make an impossible choice; double/triple team him and accept open jumpers or spread out and get dunked on every single time?
Unless Middleton, Ilyasova, Lopez etc become the threats (and Bledsoe is a non-factor in this series, so far) the Bucks could be in trouble. But if they do...
