National Basketball Association - Anything NBA (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

LeBron and Luka have a nice summer vacation.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I don't really hate any NBA franchises, but I don't mind the Lakers exiting the playoffs. I get tired of hearing about them on ESPN and wish there was more balanced coverage of all the NBA markets. Having them out of the picture will give other clubs a bit more exposure as the playoffs continue.

Rockets were impressive last night. Hope they can bring it back to Houston for game 7.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I don't really hate any NBA franchises, but I don't mind the Lakers exiting the playoffs. I get tired of hearing about them on ESPN and wish there was more balanced coverage of all the NBA markets. Having them out of the picture will give other clubs a bit more exposure as the playoffs continue.

Rockets were impressive last night. Hope they can bring it back to Houston for game 7.

- Walter.

Today, I hate the Lakers. ESPN has made me hate them because of their love for that franchise and LeBron and now Luka. Another reason is that they continue to get generational type players from other teams starting with Wilt and continuing throughout the decades with Kareem, Shaq, LeBron and now Luka. I'm a long-suffering Knicks fan, who haven't won an NBA championship since I was a high school senior. Because of that, I do gravitate towards surrogate playoff teams when the Knicks are eliminated which is all the time. Back in the day, it was the Lakers with Magic and Kareem because of my lifetime hate for the Boston Celtics and I was a fan of Magic going back to his college days. Then it was the Bulls with Michael because I admire greatness even though he would kill my Knicks. I never liked the Lakers with Kobe and Shaq. I enjoyed watching the Warriors with the Splash Brothers. Today, I feel the same way about OKC. I love that team and how hard they play the game. I'll be rooting against the Celtics again, but it wouldn't bother me too much if they won it again because there aren't any players on that team, I really dislike. I always thought that Tatum and Brown received some unnecessary criticism from the sports media like ESPN and such when they were learning how to win a championship. Both players are really good and seem to be nice guys so I can't really hate on them besides my lifetime hatred for their organization. Born and raised in New England, but being an hour away from NYC, I grew up a New York City sports fan.

 

[Robert Crawford]

By the way, JJ Redick is another guy you root against because of his Dukie arrogance.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Today, I hate the Lakers. ESPN has made me hate them because of their love for that franchise and LeBron and now Luka. Another reason is that they continue to get generational type players from other teams starting with Wilt and continuing throughout the decades with Kareem, Shaq, LeBron and now Luka. I'm a long-suffering Knicks fan, who haven't won an NBA championship since I was a high school senior. Because of that, I do gravitate towards surrogate playoff teams when the Knicks are eliminated which is all the time. Back in the day, it was the Lakers with Magic and Kareem because of my lifetime hate for the Boston Celtics and I was a fan of Magic going back to his college days. Then it was the Bulls with Michael because I admire greatness even though he would kill my Knicks. I never liked the Lakers with Kobe and Shaq. I enjoyed watching the Warriors with the Splash Brothers. Today, I feel the same way about OKC. I love that team and how hard they play the game. I'll be rooting against the Celtics again, but it wouldn't bother me too much if they won it again because there aren't any players on that team, I really dislike. I always thought that Tatum and Brown received some unnecessary criticism from the sports media like ESPN and such when they were learning how to win a championship. Both players are really good and seem to be nice guys so I can't really hate on them besides my lifetime hatred for their organization. Born and raised in New England, but being an hour away from NYC, I grew up a New York City sports fan.

ESPN can easily be accused of being partial to teams and players, to the point of openly rooting. This doesn’t stop at the NBA- teams and players across other sports get their love.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Amazing resilience by the Pacers in game one of the NBA Finals.

Revisiting the topic of announcer bias, during the entire game it was a real love fest for OKC to the point that I wanted to mute the broadcast. (They are a talented team and had a great season, but I don't need to hear about it every moment of the contest.) I think the announcers and commentators on ESPN were as shocked as the OKC fans when Haliburton hit the game winner with 0.3 seconds left in regulation. (Incidentally, the only time the Pacers led in game one was the final 0.3 seconds - which is the most important time to lead. )

OKC has blown out so many teams this season that they don't have a lot of experience with close contests and I wonder if that was a factor down the stretch. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

OKC blew game one of an earlier playoff series. They’ve been off eight freaking days. That’s a long layoff.

 

[Walter Kittel]

It is a long layoff, but they really didn't look that rusty. OKC looked sharper than Indy in the first half, and they played defense at a high level. They were able to open up some decent leads, but they could never really blow the game open. One of the more important stats of the game was OKC's poor point production off of Pacer turnovers. They didn't convert the turnovers into points at a high rate which kept the Pacers in the game. Indy's defense or OKC's layoff or a bit of both?

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It is a long layoff, but they really didn't look that rusty. OKC looked sharper than Indy in the first half, and they played defense at a high level. They were able to open up some decent leads, but they could never really blow the game open. One of the more important stats of the game was OKC's poor point production off of Pacer turnovers. They didn't convert the turnovers into points at a high rate which kept the Pacers in the game. Indy's defense or OKC's layoff or a bit of both?

- Walter.

Their shooting was rusty, they missed a ton of shots they should have made like some bunnies at the basket. Good defensive basketball teams usually stay consistent because good defense is predicated on effort.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Man, I hate James Dolan, owner of the Knicks. What a clown! Fire your HC but without any real plan to replace him with a better coach.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I have somewhat mixed feelings on the dismissal of Thibodeau.

Reasons to keep him:
- This year's Knicks, under Thibodeau went further into the playoffs vs. any other Knick team in the past 25 years.
- Jalen Brunson's career numbers under Thibodeau have improved.

Reasons to dismiss him:
- Thibodeau's reluctance to use his bench contributed to some fatigue issues for his starters late in games.
- As great as Brunson was in the playoffs, because he was in the contest for extended periods, he picked up fouls that made him a defensive liability late in games, which ties back into Thibodeau's philosophy of relying heavily on his starting five.
- I've read reports that Thibodeau didn't effectively counter some of the defensive schemes that opponents developed to counter KAT and Brunson's two man game. There were a lot of times in the playoffs where Brunson basically had to create his own shot.

Personally speaking, the fact that the Knicks went as far as they did would have been enough for me to keep him on as coach. And I certainly agree that you should have a candidate (or candidates) lined up if you were going to make a change at that position.

Bad sports ownership - the gift that keeps on giving.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I have somewhat mixed feelings on the dismissal of Thibodeau.

Reasons to keep him:
- This year's Knicks, under Thibodeau went further into the playoffs vs. any other Knick team in the past 25 years.
- Jalen Brunson's career numbers under Thibodeau have improved.

Reasons to dismiss him:
- Thibodeau's reluctance to use his bench contributed to some fatigue issues for his starters late in games.
- As great as Brunson was in the playoffs, because he was in the contest for extended periods, he picked up fouls that made him a defensive liability late in games, which ties back into Thibodeau's philosophy of relying heavily on his starting five.
- I've read reports that Thibodeau didn't effectively counter some of the defensive schemes that opponents developed to counter KAT and Brunson's two man game. There were a lot of times in the playoffs where Brunson basically had to create his own shot.

Personally speaking, the fact that the Knicks went as far as they did would have been enough for me to keep him on as coach. And I certainly agree that you should have a candidate (or candidates) lined up if you were going to make a change at that position.

Bad sports ownership - the gift that keeps on giving.

- Walter.

The Knicks bench is a weakness because of a lack of good players. Of course, Thibs became the front office scapegoat because he recognized his bench players were lacking compared to other teams like the Pacers, Celtics and Cleveland. There is a negative narrative towards Thibs when it comes to playing his starters. It's media generated because he's never been a media darling with his gruff personality.

 

[Robert Crawford]

By the way, I don't have a problem with an owner and his front office changing coaches. However, before you do so, you should have a plan to replace him with a better coach with specific candidate(s) that you know you can hire. The Knicks don't have such a plan. Typical Jame Dolan, with his incompetent ownership over the last 30+ years.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Buss family selling Lakers for 10B.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Buss family selling Lakers for 10B.

Is that for the team only, or is the arena included? The short article I read didn’t say.
It’s the owner of the Dodgers that’s buying controlling interest.

 

[Robert Crawford]

NBA finals seventh game on Sunday night with two small market teams battling it out.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Good thing I am not a betting man, because I thought OKC would wrap it up in game six. The series has been really hard for me to read as it feels like a 'which team shows up that night?' series, given the wild swings in overall outcomes with both teams having dominating wins in the Finals. OKC has to be the prohibitive favorite in game seven, but I feel like either club is capable of winning. I do think that if the game is close that the Pacers have a slight advantage as they are much more familiar with tight contests, vs. OKC which tends to blow teams out. Regardless, looking forward to game seven and whatever the outcome either club is a deserving champion.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Good thing I am not a betting man, because I thought OKC would wrap it up in game six. The series has been really hard for me to read as it feels like a 'which team shows up that night?' series, given the wild swings in overall outcomes with both teams having dominating wins in the Finals. OKC has to be the prohibitive favorite in game seven, but I feel like either club is capable of winning. I do think that if the game is close that the Pacers have a slight advantage as they are much more familiar with tight contests, vs. OKC which tends to blow teams out. Regardless, looking forward to game seven and whatever the outcome either club is a deserving champion.

- Walter.

During these playoffs, I think because OKC is the youngest team in the NBA has hurt them at times in putting their foot on their opponent's neck. Barring injuries, if it wins on Sunday, this OKC team will be tough to deal with in the coming years.

 

[Walter Kittel]

During these playoffs, I think because OKC is the youngest team in the NBA has hurt them at times in putting their foot on their opponent's neck. Barring injuries, if it wins on Sunday, this OKC team will be tough to deal with in the coming years.

I believe that their entire lineup is under contract for next season, so barring any major injuries I would agree they will be a chore for everyone next year. Being in a smaller market, I am sure they will eventually bleed some talent to larger franchises but (once again) not next year. We see the cyclic nature of franchises in sports and OKC appears to be at the start of a great run of seasons.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I believe that their entire lineup is under contract for next season, so barring any major injuries I would agree they will be a chore for everyone next year. Being in a smaller market, I am sure they will eventually bleed some talent to larger franchises but (once again) not next year. We see the cyclic nature of franchises in sports and OKC appears to be at the start of a great run of seasons.

- Walter.

They also own several future first round draft choices from other teams as well as their own. Hell, they have two first round picks in next week's draft. Their first-round pick from last year didn't even play this year because he was recovering from ACL surgery last summer. Watch out if Chet Holmgren goes to a higher level next season.