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NBA
Mar 11, 2024 12:18:54 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Mar 11, 2024 12:18:54 GMT
Knicks vs. Sixers tonight on ESPN. I did not watch the game, but just checked the box score. UG-LY! Those shooting percentages, my goodness.
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NBA
Mar 11, 2024 18:58:21 GMT
Post by B.E. on Mar 11, 2024 18:58:21 GMT
Knicks vs. Sixers tonight on ESPN. I did not watch the game, but just checked the box score. UG-LY! Those shooting percentages, my goodness. Yeah, it was ugly. A very bad loss for the Knicks. Fortunately, I only watched the beginning and end of the game. There’s a rematch tomorrow (at MSG again). Hopefully, the Knicks will bounce back. But you know the Sixers would love to win both of these games.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 11, 2024 19:03:47 GMT
I did not watch the game, but just checked the box score. UG-LY! Those shooting percentages, my goodness. Yeah, it was ugly. A very bad loss for the Knicks. Fortunately, I only watched the beginning and end of the game. There’s a rematch tomorrow (at MSG again). Hopefully, the Knicks will bounce back. But you know the Sixers would love to win both of these games. I hung in for most of the game. The score was 37-31 at halftime. Inept offensive skills and teamwork for both teams.
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NBA
Mar 18, 2024 23:55:48 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Mar 18, 2024 23:55:48 GMT
I'm watching the fun matchup of Philly v Miami on ESPN. It's a good one even though each team is missing two key players: Embiid and Harris for Philly, and Butler and Herro for Miami. A few early observations.
Tyrese Maxey has been on the floor four times in the first four minutes of game time, and the first time he got up very gingerly. He's going to get hurt, which would end Philly's season immediately.
Mo Bamba is so confusing. He had one nice block and he hit a nice 3; but he took and missed another inadvisable 3 and missed a gimme, and he has been beaten about 4x under the hoop (though the Heat players didn't always hit the shots). Athletic, big, talented, and enragingly inconsistent...
Jamie Jacquez Jr, the rookie for Miami out of UCLA, is such a Heat-style player. He's not in the upper eschelon of athletes by NBA standards, but he moves constantly and decisively, he is in good position on both ends of the court, and he really moves the ball confidently. He's also 2-2 shooting.
Philly's season is over if they can't get people healthy again. This team has some decent players--Maxey is really good--but they aren't going to be remotely competitive in the playoffs unless they get both Embiid and Harris healthy. Not just back, but healthy. Miami, I think, is a serious threat if they're healthy, despite having the same record as Philly right now. I think they could win the East.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 19, 2024 12:01:14 GMT
I'm watching the fun matchup of Philly v Miami on ESPN. It's a good one even though each team is missing two key players: Embiid and Harris for Philly, and Butler and Herro for Miami. A few early observations. Tyrese Maxey has been on the floor four times in the first four minutes of game time, and the first time he got up very gingerly. He's going to get hurt, which would end Philly's season immediately. Mo Bamba is so confusing. He had one nice block and he hit a nice 3; but he took and missed another inadvisable 3 and missed a gimme, and he has been beaten about 4x under the hoop (though the Heat players didn't always hit the shots). Athletic, big, talented, and enragingly inconsistent... Philly's season is over if they can't get people healthy again. This team has some decent players--Maxey is really good--but they aren't going to be remotely competitive in the playoffs unless they get both Embiid and Harris healthy. Not just back, but healthy. Miami, I think, is a serious threat if they're healthy, despite having the same record as Philly right now. I think they could win the East. I agree with all of your points and they're good ones.
Regarding Maxey falling to the floor, it is disturbing and it's something that has been increasing as his career progresses. It's almost like he's imitating Embiid and in this instance that is not a good thing. Yes, Bamba is confusing and inconsistent. Obviously with Embiid out, he's getting more minutes. Some games he makes a real impact, but other games Nick Nurse has to get him out of there.
Yes, without a healthy Embiid, Maxey, and Tobias Harris they don't have a chance. They won't even make the playoffs. Embiid is supposed to return in early April now. They beat Miami last night. The biggest or best takeaway, for me anyway, is that despite being very flawed offensively, they played with intensity and didn't fold when Miami made a run. If there is a silver lining with the multiple injuries, it's that some players are getting valuable minutes, minutes they wouldn't be getting otherwise.
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NBA
Apr 4, 2024 18:46:08 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 4, 2024 18:46:08 GMT
B.E., I saw Julius Randle is officially out for the season. I feel for you. This team looked promising anyway, and then their trades really made them look like, if not a favorite, then at least a legit contender. But Anunoby has played in maybe 15 of 30-something games since the trade, Randle hasn't played since late January and won't return, Mitchell Robinson has missed his customary 50ish games... It's tough to win like that. I saw the other day they started Brunson, DiVincenzo, McBride, Hart, and Hartenstein: basically three small guards, one SG-sized PF type, and a 4/5.
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NBA
Apr 4, 2024 23:33:20 GMT
Post by B.E. on Apr 4, 2024 23:33:20 GMT
B.E. , I saw Julius Randle is officially out for the season. I feel for you. This team looked promising anyway, and then their trades really made them look like, if not a favorite, then at least a legit contender. But Anunoby has played in maybe 15 of 30-something games since the trade, Randle hasn't played since late January and won't return, Mitchell Robinson has missed his customary 50ish games... It's tough to win like that. I saw the other day they started Brunson, DiVincenzo, McBride, Hart, and Hartenstein: basically three small guards, one SG-sized PF type, and a 4/5. It's certainly a bummer. Prior to this news it was looking like everyone would be back for the playoffs. And I did think the Knicks were contenders, now I think the 2nd round is their ceiling. They still have a bright future, but you hate to see an opportunity like they had this year slip away like this. I'm sure, though, that it's the right decision. Julius is the type of guy who'll play injured, and it seems like they tried to get him back without surgery but it just wasn't to be. Not only should they protect Julius, but the team itself moving forward. Having the surgery now means he should be back for the start of the next season (or close to it). It's just a shame, too, because I remember when the injury happened. You could see it coming. It was fairly late in a game they were winning. I was thinking they should take him out. Then I was thinking he shouldn't drive so hard. Then it happened.
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NBA
Apr 5, 2024 12:12:59 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 5, 2024 12:12:59 GMT
Same starters for New York last night (admittedly in a win over SAC). Considering Burks, Bogdanovic, Achiuwa, and Mitchell are all available, I find that odd. And what I would find even more odd if not for having seen a lot of Thibs's coaching, is how many minutes those (small) starters played! We're approaching the playoffs, and he's riding Brunson (38 minutes), DiVincenzo (39), McBride and Hart (43 apiece) awfully hard.
I know that in the end, eight guys off the bench played...but only two played double-digit minutes, and four played just 1 minute. I hate that short-bench approach, especially when you've got other guys who can play who are available. Thibs historically grinds guys into the ground, they get tired/hurt, and they don't win in the playoffs. With a much deeper team than he's often had (especially in NY), it's frustrating to see he's reverting to his old habits.
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Post by B.E. on Apr 14, 2024 16:42:27 GMT
Big day today for the Knicks, Wolves, Sixers, and many other teams. I like that all the eastern conference teams are playing at 1pm EST and all western conference teams are playing at 3:30pm. The standings are so tight right now. How crazy is it, despite all the injuries, that the Knicks could end the day as the 2 seed!
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NBA
Apr 14, 2024 23:54:26 GMT
Post by B.E. on Apr 14, 2024 23:54:26 GMT
Big day today for the Knicks, Wolves, Sixers, and many other teams. I like that all the eastern conference teams are playing at 1pm EST and all western conference teams are playing at 3:30pm. The standings are so tight right now. How crazy is it, despite all the injuries, that the Knicks could end the day as the 2 seed! That was a heck of a finish to the season for the Knicks! And it was on ESPN so I could actually watch it. Well, I was really only listening to most of it, but I put the pencil down and watched the end! I give the Bulls a lot of credit for playing to win, despite being locked-in to the 9 seed. The Knicks could hardly inbound the ball at the end. The Bulls were all over them. I suppose the Knicks would rather face the Heat, not the Sixers? Either way, that should be a great game on Wednesday.
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NBA
Apr 15, 2024 11:58:38 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 15, 2024 11:58:38 GMT
It couldn't have gone worse for the Wolves (barring injuries or something) yesterday. We entered the day with a chance at the #1 seed and finished the day with the #3 seed, destined to play a dangerous Phoenix team (against which we are 0-3 this season).
I realize Phoenix hasn't exactly set the world on fire, but with Kevin Durant, Brad Beal and Devin Booker all healthy, I think they're very dangerous. In fact, I think the entire bottom half of the WC playoff field (including play-in teams) is pretty dangerous. I don't think it's likely one of those bottom six teams WILL win the title ... but I think most of them COULD win it. Suns, Lakers, and Warriors have top-level talent with great championship experience. The Kings, Mavs, and Pelicans have some great players and could be dangerous, having played really well at times.
It's actually bizarre seeing some of those teams in the bottom half of the bracket, but the shift to push newbies like OKC and MN means somebody has to drop.
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NBA
Apr 17, 2024 16:51:25 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 17, 2024 16:51:25 GMT
Just as the playoffs are getting underway--I count the play-ins as the playoffs, because after all, they're not part of the regular season in that only eight teams "make it" and they're en route to pursuit of the title--we have some drama that I'm sure the league isn't happy about: Toronto Raptors reserve F/C Jontay Porter was banned for gambling, including that he "provided confidential information to bettors, limited his own participation in games for gambling purposes and bet on NBA games." The past decade or two has seen gambling legalized and expanded across the country, going into states it was previously outlawed, being allowed on things it previously wasn't, and of course, going online. You can't watch sports on TV, or even highlights shows, SportsCenter, etc., without endless gambling app ads. ESPN.com (and presumably other sports sites) even have sections dedicated to gambling. In other words, it seems pretty predictable to me. You shove an addictive habit in people's faces, you're going to catch more of those people in the addiction. I'm not moralizing. I tend to favor letting people do what they want to do, including screw up their own lives. Gambling has always been around and always will be, including on sports. Though I'm personally not a gambler. In fact, I'm not even especially into doing fantasy football NCAA brackets and things for small change anymore: I've just gotten tired of it all through the decades. But I do think the league is (or leagues are...) flirting with inevitable problems when they look at a major way to expand interest in games as being gambling. You intentionally bring in "fans" who don't actually care about the sports just for the gambling aspect, well, yeah, then there is going to be more gambling ... and more pressure on athletes to win, lose, beat the spread, or hit whatever other mark has been set.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 17, 2024 19:46:47 GMT
The NBA's decision made me happy. They really didn't have much of a choice; they had Porter on a few violations. I was surprised at how quickly the NBA arrived at their decision. Sometimes these things have a tendency to drag out, and they're not completely done with the investigation yet. The NBA - and all the other pro leagues and networks - are "in bed" with gambling/gamblers. This was bound to happen eventually. I guess they had to come out with a strong verdict/sentence and nip it in the bud. A precedent had to be set. However, the skeptic in me makes me wonder if things would've been different if it was a superstar instead of a journeyman role player (which might - might - be happening right now with Shohei Ohtani).
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NBA
Apr 17, 2024 19:57:39 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 17, 2024 19:57:39 GMT
What's crazy to me is that while Jontay Porter is a fringe player, he's still made roughly $3 million in salary so far; and his older brother is Michael Porter Jr, whose prior and already contracted earnings amount to $200 million. Their dad has been an assistant D1 basketball coach for years.
My point being, the family has money. Jontay seriously jeopardized his future over this? There's no way it was financially worth it. Nobody is putting $200 million bets on Jontay Porter's playing time!
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NBA
Apr 17, 2024 20:15:51 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 17, 2024 20:15:51 GMT
What's crazy to me is that while Jontay Porter is a fringe player, he's still made roughly $3 million in salary so far; and his older brother is Michael Porter Jr, whose prior and already contracted earnings amount to $200 million. Their dad has been an assistant D1 basketball coach for years. My point being, the family has money. Jontay seriously jeopardized his future over this? There's no way it was financially worth it. Nobody is putting $200 million bets on Jontay Porter's playing time! It is nuts! Not only did Porter ruin his reputation (his name will forever be mentioned/linked with gambling in pro sports), but, as you mentioned, he just blew a chance at being a millionaire several times over, retiring at age 30, and being on Easy Street for the rest of his life. Maybe his book(s) will make him a lot of money.
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