NBA

[B.E.]

Sounds like OG and Hart are going to try to play. That’s all well and good, but if they aren’t effective due to their injuries I hope Thibs pulls them quickly. I’d rather go down with 5 healthy players flying around the court and crashing the boards. It’s not like OG and Hart are knock down perimeter shooters. Their athleticism is a huge part of their game. There’s no shame in being injured or losing because half your team is out. 

[Sheriff John Stone]

To beat Denver. At Denver. In a Game 7. Down by 20 points. To advance to the Western Conference finals. Wow!

[Kapitan]

...when your three backcourt players seeing action combine to shoot 9-40!

Had you asked me coming into the season which of the Sixers, Knicks, and Wolves would make their conference finals, I'd have put the Wolves as third most likely. Even coming into the playoffs, seeing Phoenix and either Denver or the Lakers second, I'd probably have been skeptical (though Embiid just coming back from injury and the Knicks being down a few guys by that point made it closer).

Minnesota is suddenly full of Wolves fans, though. That's pretty funny for those of us who always follow them. They're usually about third or fourth in the pecking order of teams.

Dallas will prove interesting. While their bigs aren't stars, Gafford and Lively are both solid, athletic players. And defending both Luka and World B. Flat will be a challenge.

Edit - I hadn't realized the game yesterday was 20 years to the day from the franchise's previous highlight, the game 7 victory over a really tough Sacramento team: May 19, 2004, Wolves 83, Kings 80. Kevin Garnett was a powerhouse in that series, averaging 23.9 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 4.3 apg, 3.4 bpg, 1.7 spg. He had 32 and 21 in that win (plus 5 blocks and 4 steals), and held his counterpart Chris Webber to 16 points. 

Twenty years ... I'm getting old.

[Kapitan]

Very frustrating Game One. Towns is supposed to be the second star, but I've learned long ago not to count on him to produce. Sure enough, he got his 16 points ... on 20 shots (6-20 FG, 2-9 3pt). He got just 7 rebounds. PJ Washington, whom he was guarding, had 13, 7 and 2 blocks, and was +12 on the night. When KAT is guarding a role player, the stat line has to be one-sided, not a near-draw.

Meanwhile both starting PG Mike Conley and backup combo guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker were bad. They combined to shoot 3-13 FG, 1-10 3pt, and combined for 4 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, but just 3 TO. They certainly did not shut down the opposing guards: Doncic had 33, B-Flat had 30. We actually had nice contributions from others, including a 24-point breakout from Jaden McDaniels, though he cooled off a lot in the second half. (His first-half defense on Doncic was also fantastic, but Luka got his eventually.)

I'd like to see us use our size to assert ourselves. Doncic and Irving prefer to drive, and in the case of Doncic, drive and dish. I'd like to see our bigs clogging the lane, Thibs-style, and our primary perimeter defenders really tight on those two. Really make Hardaway or Green or Hardy or Washington beat us.

But KAT has to step up.

[Kapitan]

Probably even more frustrating Game Two, and now the Wolves are down 0-2 going to Dallas. It may even feel worse than if we were being blown out, because we could easily be up 2-0 despite Edwards and Towns both playing like trash. In G1, we had to thank Jaden McDaniels; in G2, it's Naz Reid.

The Wolves led by 16 in the third quarter, only to let Irving heat up and Doncic continue to dominate and lose at the last second.

[Kapitan]

The Wolves' season came to a decisive end last night. The Mavericks were a tough matchup for Minnesota, with Luka Doncic being particularly unstoppable. Irving was also very tough, and their center duo of Daniel Gafford and Derreck Lively II gave us a lot of trouble. (Last night that center duo combined for 20 points on 6-6 FG, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks.)

Most of the core of the roster is under contract for next season. Of regular rotation players, only backup forward Kyle "Slo-Mo" Anderson and backup PG Monte Morris will be free agents. But we'll also have very limited flexibility due to the massive contracts: just Karl-Anthony Towns ($49 million), Rudy Gobert ($44 million) and Anthony Edwards ($42 million) will account for about $135 million of the $141 million salary cap next year, and Jaden McDaniels ($23 million) will put us well over it. Toss in Naz Reid ($13m), Mike Conley ($9m) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($4m), and you get the picture. 

In short, our free agency will be limited to re-signing our own guys or minimum-salary guys.

Luckily we do still have our 1st rounder this year, though at #27 it's unlikely that player will be a contributor in the near future, if ever.

Going forward, we have fewer picks because of the Gobert trade, which I still consider to have been a mistake. He's a good player--DPOY--but not good enough to have been worth what we gave up. In all honesty, the rookie center Walker Kessler that we gave up would have given us a lot of the same; and we do have KAT and Naz Reid playing the same position, anyway.

Regardless, it was a good season and there's no reason to believe we can't be similarly good next year. But now I'll be cheering on Boston in the Finals.

[B.E.]

Kapitan, I'm sorry about how it ended, but what a great season for the Wolves!

Not having a chance to watch the series, I have to ask: Is Dallas just playing that well right now? Is it mainly Luka and Kyrie being unstoppable on the offensive end or are they playing well as team, including, defensively? Going into the series, I thought the Wolves were the better all-around team.

As a Knicks fan, I'll be rooting against the Celtics in the Finals. (I also like Luka.)

[Kapitan]

Jun 1, 2024 11:47:12 GMT B.E. said:

Kapitan , I'm sorry about how it ended, but what a great season for the Wolves!

Not having a chance to watch the series, I have to ask: Is Dallas just playing that well right now? Is it mainly Luka and Kyrie being unstoppable on the offensive end or are they playing well as team, including, defensively? Going into the series, I thought the Wolves were the better all-around team.

As a Knicks fan, I'll be rooting against the Celtics in the Finals. (I also like Luka.)

Dallas was far, far better than they were earlier in the season. I actually do think the Wolves are--or at least could and should be--the better team, but Dallas was the better team in this series. But it is worth noting that once Dallas made their two big trades to acquire Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington, they were a whole different team. Going into the trade deadline, they were 28-23 (.549). They finished 50-32 (.609), meaning they went 22-9 (.710) to close out the year. 

A lot of it was Luka, and a lot of it was B-Flat. But they weren't the only ones. Dallas isn't deep, but a few of those role players really stepped up. Derreck Lively II was coming off the bench, but he's going to be a better version of Tyson Chandler (because he's a very good passer). But he's that kind of long, lean, athletic big man who is ideal for rim-running and catching lobs. And he and Daniel Gafford--who is a similar, if lesser, player--make a great pair. They both go all-out every minute they're in, so you end up with a level of intensity and athleticism out of the C spot that's pretty rare. Considering how good Luka in particular is in the pick-and-roll (but B-Flat too), it's deadly.

And PJ Washington and, to a lesser extent, Derrick Jones Jr produced as well. They're role players, to be sure, but they were good enough that you couldn't ignore them. I haven't looked at the series box, but I'd bet Washington averaged about 12 and 6 on the series, and Jones probably about 8 and 4. Jones also did a nice job defensively, while Washington was a battler. After that Dallas thins out, but Jaden Hardy in particular had some moments, and guys like Dante Exum, Josh Green, Dwight Powell, and if he can get healthier, Max Kleber, are competent.

Defensively Dallas really tried to clog the lane, and had our guys been more consistent from 3, things might have been different. But KAT was mostly abysmal for the series, and Ant wasn't shooting very well, either. When we got in transition, we were much better. I don't know whether Dallas would try that same strategy against Boston, considering their shooting ability. But I do expect Boston to try to run them out of the gym. If Holiday guards B-Flat and presumably White or Brown take (and most likely, take turns on) Luka, that's a really good start. Nobody can guard those guys one on one, but Boston seems to have the guys to at least give it a go. If Porzingis is back and healthy enough to play well, that's another major factor, as he can protect the rim. Watching he and Lively chase one another around might be a lot of fun.

(I like Luka a lot, too. But I like the Boston personnel more, and I can't stand a certain flat-earther on Dallas. So that's my rooting interest.)

[Sheriff John Stone]

Timberwolves' players boycotted Inside The NBA:

www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/anthony-edwards-and-the-timberwolves-chose-to-boycott-inside-the-nba-over-draymond-green-s-treatment-of-rudy-gobert/ar-BB1npLjp?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=069d41ebe515458bb53043a9dddb296e&ei=42

[Kapitan]

Jun 1, 2024 12:49:56 GMT Sheriff John Stone said:

Timberwolves' players boycotted Inside The NBA:

www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/anthony-edwards-and-the-timberwolves-chose-to-boycott-inside-the-nba-over-draymond-green-s-treatment-of-rudy-gobert/ar-BB1npLjp?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=069d41ebe515458bb53043a9dddb296e&ei=42

I don't blame them at all. I know the networks love having players as guest hosts and analysts, and that they love some drama to bring in viewers. And for all his nonsense jackassery, Draymond Green is very astute when it comes to basketball. But there has to be some degree of professionalism. He yelled "Gobert sucks" on national television while in a role as a guest co-host. I mean, come on... That's not giving an analyst's opinion, it's acting like a feuding middle schooler.

Not to mention, why is Draymond available to co-host in the first place? Oh, that's right: he failed to deliver a playoff appearance for his team. They lost in the play-in.

[B.E.]

I'm getting hyped for the finals, so I just checked to see when it starts...not until Thursday!

[Kapitan]

Jun 1, 2024 14:35:19 GMT B.E. said:

I'm getting hyped for the finals, so I just checked to see when it starts...not until Thursday!

The only thing I like about that is, hopefully it'll mean Doncic, Lively, and Porzingis are all healthier by the time the games begin. I hate seeing players--especially star players--limited or unavailable. It's so depressing, because it means you know for sure you're not seeing the best basketball you could've, the best versions of each team. (And B.E. and Sheriff John Stone, considering your teams' injury woes this season, I know you know what I mean.)

Semi-related note, I've gotta be honest, I hate how the playoffs drag on for nearly two months. Considering how much I love watching basketball, this might seem odd to say, but I'll do it: I actually preferred the era before every playoff series was seven games. I wouldn't go back to the days of the opening round being best of three, but I would have the first two rounds be five games and the conference and NBA finals remain at seven.

[B.E.]

I wouldn't be opposed to five games for the first round. Not sure about the second round. I suppose I could be swayed. It's tough, because I really do prefer seven game series, but it does go on a long time and injuries become more likely the longer you go. But, then again, a lot of the injuries exist before the playoffs start. Maybe shortening the regular season is better than shortening the playoffs?

[Kapitan]

Jun 1, 2024 15:07:29 GMT B.E. said:

I wouldn't be opposed to five games for the first round. Not sure about the second round. I suppose I could be swayed. It's tough, because I really do prefer seven game series, but it does go on a long time and injuries become more likely the longer you go. But, then again, a lot of the injuries exist before the playoffs start. Maybe shortening the regular season is better than shortening the playoffs?

A big issue then is the increased revenue differential for non-playoff teams. Suddenly nearly half of the owners have, say, 6 fewer home games (if you went to a 70-game season for example). That's always the big issue with the seasons in all sports: as good as TV money is, they still make a lot on home games, and for all the talk of protecting players, it's pretty clear that leagues are pretty unwilling to do that. Think NFL, with adding games, but cutting less profitable preseason games. NBA has tried to eliminate most back-to-backs and preseason games, but we're still at 82 for the regular season.

I'd probably like both, to be honest: shorter regular season and shorter playoffs until the conference and league finals. And then correspondingly I'd feel better about enforcing--and might even make more stringent--rules about load management.

[Kapitan]

Welcome back, Kristaps Porzingis: what a first quarter!