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NBA
Aug 2, 2020 14:15:39 GMT
Post by B.E. on Aug 2, 2020 14:15:39 GMT
Oooh, another good game on TV tonight! Boston v Milwaukee at 5:30 CT. I enjoy watching both of those teams, especially when they're generally healthy (as they are, though I think Milwaukee is missing Eric Bledsoe). I caught the end of the game. How bizarre was that no-call, hostile act review on Giannis? So, there's enough contact to warrant reviewing whether it was an hostile act, but not enough to warrant a personal foul call? He would have fouled out on the play, with significant time on the clock. The overturned charge of Marcus Smart, though, was a good call.
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NBA
Aug 2, 2020 14:37:12 GMT
B.E. likes this
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 2, 2020 14:37:12 GMT
I'm scrolling down the box score: -T. Harris w/ 30-8 -Embiid w/ 41-21-4 -B. Simmons w/ 19-13-4 Damn, how did they lose?!...scrolling...Oh wait, the guard play is abysmal...more scrolling... -TJ Warren w/ 53 points!!! (I realize he's been, essentially, a 20pt scorer for a while now but he's still under-the-radar. Who was guarding him, Ben Simmons?! SJS, did you watch? What changes would you make, if any? Yeah, I watched it. Very disappointing loss. Too many turnovers, inconsistent defense, inconsistent outside shooting, IMO not enough intensity. Both Ben Simmons and the Sixers' best defender, Matisse Thybulle, covered T.J. Warren. The Sixers gave him too much space but Warren was on fire (9 for 12 from 3-point land). Same old Sixers. Al Horford was nowhere to be found. Simmons was back playing point guard for a lot of the game. I think I'd give the starting lineup with Shake Milton one more game, but Shake could not have played much worse. He even got into a verbal tussle with Embiid. Thybulle looked good in the recent scrimmages and last night. I might give him more minutes. The Sixers are not a championship-contending team right now.
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NBA
Aug 2, 2020 16:47:51 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Aug 2, 2020 16:47:51 GMT
There is something very frustrating about teams that rebuild along the lines of how the 76ers did, acquiring numerous young players and high draft picks, stockpiling talent and retaining cap flexibility, only to make a few "bold moves" that in essence cripple them (if the moves don't work). The 76ers, with the trades for Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, and the free agent signings of Al Horford and Tobias Harris (after the trade), are one of these teams, just as the Wolves were when Thibs came aboard.
I understand the idea of cashing in your chips, but if you are drafting and developing talent well, you don't need to make so many dramatic moves as these teams tend to do. And once they make those moves, their central players are so expensive, there just isn't the cap flexibility to correct very easily.
If I were Philly, I'd probably be happier with my chances based on the team I had before the Jimmy Butler trade. I'm I'm Minnesota, ditto.
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NBA
Aug 3, 2020 14:26:14 GMT
Post by B.E. on Aug 3, 2020 14:26:14 GMT
Sorry, SJS, but I'll be rooting against the Sixers tonight. Spurs are 2-0 in the bubble. First defeating the Kings 129-120, then the Grizzlies last night 108-106. That was a big win for them, making it most likely now that it'll be SA/MEM in a Western Conference play-in. I'd think the Sixers gotta win tonight. They're the more talented team, with rest. There might be a letdown for SA (especially if they rest players).
What to watch for? In addition to DeMar DeRozan, young players Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Lonnie Walker IV have been playing well.
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NBA
Aug 3, 2020 14:32:40 GMT
B.E. likes this
Post by Kapitan on Aug 3, 2020 14:32:40 GMT
What to watch for? In addition to DeMar DeRozan, young players Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Lonnie Walker IV have been playing well. Not just those players, but those players all starting! Two combo guards, one off-guard, and one wing surrounding their true center, Jakob Poeltl. I love it! Beats the hell out of the Lamarcus Aldridge/Rudy Gay/Derozan team we've gotten used to falling asleep to...
On another note, I feel awful for Jonathan Isaac. Talented young forward for Orlando who comes back from an injury just to tear his ACL and potentially miss much or all of next season.
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NBA
Aug 5, 2020 13:42:06 GMT
Post by B.E. on Aug 5, 2020 13:42:06 GMT
Well, I hope Shake Milton enjoyed his (1-game) run as starting PG. Seems he might not be long for that role...
He bounced back in a big way with a game winning 3 pointer against the Spurs. A game in which Ben Simmons stumbled and bumbled his way to 6 fouls in 25 minutes (which felt more like 15 minutes). Not gonna lie, as a Spurs fan, I enjoyed his futility. The game, overall, was very entertaining. A little disappointing, though, because the Spurs (after scoring 43 points in the 4th!) had 3-4 chances to win at the end but just didn't execute.
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NBA
Aug 5, 2020 17:51:59 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Aug 5, 2020 17:51:59 GMT
I really hope the Spurs keep going with that younger, smaller lineup, not just this late season, but indefinitely going forward. It's a tough thing considering Lamarcus Aldridge is still around and he doesn't like playing center, but I think it will bode well for them longer term. They can play a style like their last title-winning team, which (while bigger) featured smart and athletic players who moved the ball, like Boris Diaw as a smallball 5 or otherwise a facilitating 4.
I'll change my mind if they play more like Houston and its smallball lineup though. By that I mean the iso and ball dominance of Westbrook and Harden, which is about as much fun to watch as paint drying.
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NBA
Aug 6, 2020 15:25:08 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Aug 6, 2020 15:25:08 GMT
I sure hope Ben Simmons' knee is OK. He's a special player, really fun to watch. Yes, there are issues with him, particularly his fit on that team. I get it. But he's a real talent. (And even if he weren't, you just hate to see injuries.)
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NBA
Aug 6, 2020 16:37:13 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 6, 2020 16:37:13 GMT
I sure hope Ben Simmons' knee is OK. He's a special player, really fun to watch. Yes, there are issues with him, particularly his fit on that team. I get it. But he's a real talent. (And even if he weren't, you just hate to see injuries.) The MRI came back OK. Simmons is day-to-day. 76ers' injuries? What else is new...
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NBA
Aug 6, 2020 17:02:03 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Aug 6, 2020 17:02:03 GMT
76ers' injuries? What else is new... As a fan of what might be the most star-crossed franchise in league history, I know the feeling.
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NBA
Aug 6, 2020 18:52:38 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 6, 2020 18:52:38 GMT
I sure hope Ben Simmons' knee is OK. He's a special player, really fun to watch. Yes, there are issues with him, particularly his fit on that team. I get it. But he's a real talent. (And even if he weren't, you just hate to see injuries.) The MRI came back OK. Simmons is day-to-day. 76ers' injuries? What else is new... Simmons' injury update: a subluxation of the patela tendon...or...a partially dislocated knee cap. Prediction? He's done for the season.
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NBA
Aug 6, 2020 19:05:34 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Aug 6, 2020 19:05:34 GMT
Oh, you've got to assume so. Especially these days, when there are fewer people or organizations interested in the old-school "play through it at all costs" mentality. Too much "costs" in "at all costs"!
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NBA
Aug 7, 2020 13:57:17 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Aug 7, 2020 13:57:17 GMT
SJS, I wonder whether you've followed Markelle Fultz much since he was moved from Philly, and what you think of his progression on the court. ESPN's Mike Schmitz had a story on his improvement. I checked his stats on basketball-reference.com and see that his stats this season are 11.9 ppg on 47.2 FG% and 71.6 FT%, but just 27.6 3pt%. He also averaged 3.3 rpg and 5.1 apg. He is just 21 years old. He played 68 games so far this season after injuries and/or psychological issues limited him to just 33 total games in his first two seasons.
It's going to be fun watching him from here on out. Rarely has such a high pick gone from star-in-waiting to bust to successful reclamation.
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NBA
Aug 7, 2020 20:38:46 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 7, 2020 20:38:46 GMT
SJS, I wonder whether you've followed Markelle Fultz much since he was moved from Philly, and what you think of his progression on the court. ESPN's Mike Schmitz had a story on his improvement. I checked his stats on basketball-reference.com and see that his stats this season are 11.9 ppg on 47.2 FG% and 71.6 FT%, but just 27.6 3pt%. He also averaged 3.3 rpg and 5.1 apg. He is just 21 years old. He played 68 games so far this season after injuries and/or psychological issues limited him to just 33 total games in his first two seasons.
It's going to be fun watching him from here on out. Rarely has such a high pick gone from star-in-waiting to bust to successful reclamation.
I only saw Markelle Fultz play a few times when Orlando played the Sixers. I saw the occasional box score or highlight on ESPN when he had a good game. I didn't realize his stats were as good as they are until you posted them. I don't know if he's a reclamation yet. Let's wait a few more years.
From everything I've seen, Fultz is a poor outside shooter and a poor free throw shooter. I'm guessing his high(er) FG% is a result of fast breaks and the occasional drive to the basket. He does possess good speed and quickness. His defense was below average.
If he can stay healthy, I can see him contributing off the bench, maybe as the first guard substitute. IMO, and again with only limited exposure to his progression, I don't know if he could ever be a team's starting point guard or shooting/scoring guard. And because of that, especially as the first pick in the NBA draft, he will probably always be a bit of an enigma.
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NBA
Aug 7, 2020 20:54:51 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Aug 7, 2020 20:54:51 GMT
Reportedly his jump shot is improving. And he was a very good 3-pt shooter in his one season at Washington: 41.3 3pt%. It really seems like it was either his injuries, his mental blocks, or some attempt at changing his shot that messed it up. So he could get back there.
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