The basketball thread
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@Misadventure said:
Newp. Nerds know their team, and it's stats. Geeks, like their carnival forebears, make a spectacle of themselves by painting their bodies, dressing head to toe in team colors, etc.
You are clearly wrong. I will put it in the bin with the bad Daredevil and Elektra movies. History will remember your crimes.
You are even wrong when you're agreeing with me, how is that even possible? You've truly sank to a new depth.
So nerds know their team, stats, etc. They go deeper, they become experts. Geeks are there to look the part, they know more than the casual fan but they care more about the trappings than the essence (so they'd recognize Curry's brilliance but they'd not know the evolution of small ball).
Also I will now make fun of you for typing "it's stats" in order to further invalidate everything else you said or will ever say. Hah-hah.
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@Misadventure said:
I've never seen the term Fanboi in use in a way to give me a true sense of it's meaning, so I can't say for sure.
Fanboi is normally given an insulting connotation, as someone who is brand-loyal in spite of evidence. (As an Apple fan, I'm sometimes given this label by Apple Haters or OS War Trolls.)
@Arkandel, I'm going to agree more with Mis, here. A geek is more outspoken and closer to fanboi on the spectrum, though I'm finding about a 50/50 split on Google's results about this.
In the case of most sports, I am a casual fan at best. For instance, I heard someone in basketball retired and a lot of people were sad.
edit: Nerds.
“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos -
@Thenomain said:
In the case of most sports, I am a casual fan at best. For instance, I heard someone in basketball retired and a lot of people were sad.
Here, I'll give you a freebie sports tip you can reuse forever.
Father Time has yet to be defeated. All great players retire (*) and make a lot of people sad.
(*) Except for Tim Duncan of course who is an immortal and has yet to hit his peak.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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@Arkandel said:
Father Time has yet to be defeated. All great players retire (*) and make a lot of people sad.
Except for when Jordan came back, and that made a lot of people sad.
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@Arkandel said:
Here, I'll give you a freebie sports tip you can reuse forever.
Here's another one.
No one will ever break Gretzky's pro-hockey career point total. Ever.
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@Arkandel said:
@Thenomain said:
In the case of most sports, I am a casual fan at best. For instance, I heard someone in basketball retired and a lot of people were sad.
Here, I'll give you a freebie sports tip you can reuse forever.
Father Time has yet to be defeated. All great players retire (*) and make a lot of people sad.
(*) Except for Tim Duncan of course who is an immortal and has yet to hit his peak.
Timmy Duncan is not a man, he is the Avatar of Fundamentals.
God bless!
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Sadly I would not be surprised if this was Tim Duncan's last ride.
I do not want this to be the case but I think we have at most of two years more to enjoy him. -
@ThatGuyThere said:
Sadly I would not be surprised if this was Tim Duncan's last ride.
I wouldn't be surprised, but I think Duncan is biding his time, wanting to win just one more before he rides off into the sunset.
His performance isn't slipping that much.
“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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Y'all are fools. The guy is just bidding his time, mastering more fundamentals before he truly hits his peak.
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Note the Warriors still have not beaten the Spurs in their place, in the regular season, when Duncan actually played.
(Not that he's been very effective against them this year)
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@Wolfs
The Spurs are great this year no mistake. I think any other year in resent memory they would be favorites for the title, however Golden State is having a historically great year, one with a valid argument for best ever.
As a basketball fan, I really want to see them in the Western Conference finals against each other.
My prediction for that is a wonderful series that will be a joy to watch, and Warriors in six. (Note I would be cheering for the Spurs in this match up but Curry is just so on this year it is scary.) -
I support the Spurs (second choice: the Thunder, because Westbrook) in these playoffs but I think it bears saying: if somehow LeBron manages to walk away from this one with a chip then he has a legitimate claim on GOAT. The Cavs are such underdogs compared to the big two in the west that he'd need to carry them there kicking and screaming.
I don't see that happening, though.
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The game Curry had in San Antonio a couple nights ago after taking what the defense was trying to give him in Oakland last week makes me feel a lot better about things. I believe the Warriors are good enough, top to bottom, to take care of the Spurs in a series, but so much of it hinges on how well Curry plays. When he's settling for difficult 3-pointers, it isn't good overall. When he cuts to the basket, he's still so good at finishing shots for a smaller player, it opens up more opportunities for others.
The Warriors didn't shoot well in their two games in San Antonio, but the Spurs shot even worse. The games in Oakland were more fast-paced in comparison, and both teams shot better.
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- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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The Thimberwolves are a thing!
This team, based on a 21-year old Wiggins and 20-year old KAT is going to be scary as hell in 2-3 seasons. They even get a pretty good chance at a nice draft pick this year, although it doesn't seem to be a very deep pool to begin with.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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@Arkandel said in The basketball thread:
This team, based on a 21-year old Wiggins and 20-year old KAT is going to be scary as hell in 2-3 seasons. They even get a pretty good chance at a nice draft pick this year, although it doesn't seem to be a very deep pool to begin with.
Color me skeptical on this one. OKC demonstrates that having two young, dominant players does not get you to the promised land, and Thibodeau's success in Chicago was likely due to having a team of players with talent at Wiggins' and Towns' level.
Not that I'd ever dis my homeboy Wiggins, mind, but the Wolves didn't do a whole lot with Marbury and Garnett.
“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 Ah, but the Bulls had a much worse bench - probably the product of a not-exactly-ideal front office - which led to their stars being overused in the regular season, which in turn combined with a reportedly iffy medical staff led to injuries.
Thib's defensive mindfulness combined with a much richer, younger roster than the Bulls bad at their core in their DRose years before his knees exploded, the upcoming draft pick and the fact they will quite likely get the time to gel before expectations mount too high gives me a lot of hope. KAT is amazing, the guy looks like Anthony Davis but healthier and surrounded by actual talent. Even Rubio (a veteran at 25!) is an old-school pass-first playmaker which actually fits this group very well I think, and he's one of the league's best peripheral defenders to boot.
If they stay healthy they will be contenders for sure.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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@Arkandel said in The basketball thread:
If they stay healthy they will be contenders for sure.
When 16 teams make the big dance, there are a lot of contenders.
You talk of depth. What's the depth on the Wolves? Guards look fine with Wiggins potentially moving to SG, and having Rubio, LaVine, and Muhammed. Forward depth looks awful. If Wiggins or Towns goes down, this team ain't going anywhere.
And I'm not sold on Rubio, or his style of play. His PPG and other relevant shooting stats are lower than Jeremy Lin, who plays fewer minutes per game to boot. I don't see any evidence that he can effectively guard faster or larger guards, which means that Westbrook, et al., are going to walk all over him.
So, sure, they'll be a decent team. Probably a consistent 6-8 seed for 3 to 4 years. But I see no reason to believe they can, or will, unseat a dynasty team like the Spurs.
“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 said in The basketball thread:
But I see no reason to believe they can, or will, unseat a dynasty team like the Spurs.
Tthibodeau is that reason! The Spurs didn't simply happen, they evolved because Popovich was there to cultivate the team.
I have very high hopes for this squad because of him. Also don't forget their most likely high draft pick this year, which can round up the squad considerably.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
