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NBA
Apr 19, 2019 16:14:13 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 19, 2019 16:14:13 GMT
One or two thoughts on the Sixers... I think the Sixers have played quite well with Boban on the court. Conversely, Monroe looks like a bum. Anyway, do you guys think Boban should be getting more minutes? Is the reason he doesn't play more minutes, because he can't handle more minutes? He's played on multiple teams at this point, typically averaging about 10mpg. The Sixers did play well with Boban on the court last night. Boban, in particular, played well. But to answer your question - "Is the reason he (Boban) doesn't play more minutes because he can't handle more minutes?' - I don't think so. Boban can handle more minutes, but who is he replacing? The Sixers don't always play well with Boban on the court, and that's not specifically his fault. The problem is that Embiid exits the game, and I've seen the opposing teams immediately make changes to exploit that situation. I've seen the Sixers come out firing and build big leads and then...blow them when Brett goes to his bench. And, again, that's not specifically blaming Boban, but the lineup and match ups really change with Embiid out.
But, as I mentioned above, and as you pointed out regarding tendonitis, and as The Kapitan pointed out in regard to Boban being a skilled player, I think Boban will be getting more minutes, well, starting now and going into next season. If Embiid's minutes/games are reduced, Boban is the next man up. I think Monroe is a temporary stopgap; honestly I don't know much about him.
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NBA
Apr 19, 2019 16:19:48 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 19, 2019 16:19:48 GMT
Greg Monroe is similarly outdated with respect to the modern game, but unfortunately for him he's not as good in those elements of the game where Boban excels, either. His strengths historically were that he was a very good team player, a guy who had that Georgetown JTIII game (e.g., cutting, passing a la Princeton) that we also saw in relative contemporaries like Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert, and Otto Porter. Very good passer for his size. Decent scorer.
Unfortunately he isn't especially big and yet adds no speed into the mix. He has never been a great rebounder (at about 10 per 36 minutes over his career). And at this point, he's not only limited as a player, but aging. It's odd seeing someone who was a 15-and-10 guy become a replacement-level guy, but that's the deal with Monroe.
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NBA
Apr 20, 2019 23:59:28 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 20, 2019 23:59:28 GMT
The shortest press conference ever! Vintage Pop:
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NBA
Apr 21, 2019 12:49:07 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 21, 2019 12:49:07 GMT
Another big win for Philly yesterday--and what a game by Embiid! (31, 16, and 7, with 6 blocks!) Kind of ugly little skirmish there, though.
Fun to see Denver fight back and even things out against SAS. Jokic and Murray are a heck of a tandem, I don't think they get the attention they deserve. And Torrey Craig was almost out of nowhere with a nice performance.
Detroit, with or without Blake Griffin, appears to be all but finished. Can they steal one game? Even with Giannis out of the equation, it seems like really only Griffin and Drummond are as good as the top seven or so remaining Bucks. Otherwise guys like Luke Kennard (whom I like!), Reggie Jackson (whom I don't!), Wayne Flippin Ellington, Ish Smith, Langston Galloway ... these are not playoff caliber starters and rotation players. The Pistons REALLY need to land a big score with their draft pick.
Houston-Utah has me sad, because I don't enjoy Houston at all. Not one bit. And conversely, I love a lot of the guys in Utah. At least I can enjoy Harden's trash shooting percentage (3-20; 2-13 3pt).
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NBA
Apr 22, 2019 12:58:11 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 22, 2019 12:58:11 GMT
Another big win for Philly yesterday--and what a game by Embiid! (31, 16, and 7, with 6 blocks!) Kind of ugly little skirmish there, though.
I know it appears I am hammering the Sixers lately and not being appreciative of their recent success after years of losing...
Yes, Embiid had a great game - with or without the knee condition - but he also almost blew the game. He had some key turnovers (throwing the ball into the hands of the Nets!) a few times during crunch time that almost cost them the game. And those kind of turnovers HAVE cost them in the past. Embiid has not cleaned up that part of his game.
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NBA
Apr 25, 2019 23:40:51 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 25, 2019 23:40:51 GMT
A couple more teams are done. Russell Westbrook is causing a stir, as usual, with his final interviews of the season. Basically: nope, I wouldn't change a thing; none of you know anything; next question. His feud with a beat writer is RIDICULOUS.
And Utah ... poor Utah. I like them. I like Quin Snyder. I love Ricky Rubio. So many good players, seemingly good guys, a beautiful brand of team ball. But they do need to up their talent, particularly offensively. Donovan Mitchell is a really good player, so now we need to see just how good. And then, can Dante Exum finally stay healthy and show something special? After that, everyone seems at or near his ceiling...
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NBA
Apr 26, 2019 12:07:44 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 26, 2019 12:07:44 GMT
Deviating from the playoffs and today's players for a second...my childhood favorite player, the kind of player I wanted to be, passed away:
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NBA
Apr 26, 2019 12:20:31 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 26, 2019 12:20:31 GMT
I never got to see him play, but career averages of 20.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 4.8 apg show how great he was. (In his peak season of '70-'71, he got 28.9, 9.0, and 7.5!) He rarely missed games, either, never playing fewer than 71 games in a season. Great player.
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NBA
Apr 28, 2019 12:33:48 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 28, 2019 12:33:48 GMT
Prediction time. I've got GSW (4-0), HOU (4-2), OKC (4-2), SAS (4-2), MIL (4-0), BOS (4-1), PHI (4-2), and TOR (4-1) advancing to the semifinals. Then I've got GSW defeating HOU (4-2), OKC defeating SAS (4-2), MIL defeating BOS (4-3), and TOR defeating PHI (4-2). Then GSW defeating OKC (4-1) and TOR defeating MIL (4-2). Then I've got GSW defeating TOR (4-3). I'm most unsure about DEN, SAS, and OKC. One of these three teams will lose to GS in the conference finals. It could be either one. Obviously, being a fan, I'm a little extra optimistic that SA will beat DEN, but I could also see them losing in 5. OK, B.E., I re-posted this just for the fun of it. 6 out of 8, not bad. I thought San Antonio would win that series, too, but then I thought the Nets would upset the Sixers.
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NBA
Apr 28, 2019 14:32:36 GMT
Post by B.E. on Apr 28, 2019 14:32:36 GMT
Prediction time. I've got GSW (4-0), HOU (4-2), OKC (4-2), SAS (4-2), MIL (4-0), BOS (4-1), PHI (4-2), and TOR (4-1) advancing to the semifinals. Then I've got GSW defeating HOU (4-2), OKC defeating SAS (4-2), MIL defeating BOS (4-3), and TOR defeating PHI (4-2). Then GSW defeating OKC (4-1) and TOR defeating MIL (4-2). Then I've got GSW defeating TOR (4-3). I'm most unsure about DEN, SAS, and OKC. One of these three teams will lose to GS in the conference finals. It could be either one. Obviously, being a fan, I'm a little extra optimistic that SA will beat DEN, but I could also see them losing in 5. OK, B.E., I re-posted this just for the fun of it. 6 out of 8, not bad. I thought San Antonio would win that series, too, but then I thought the Nets would upset the Sixers. Yeah, not too bad. I guess I ought to update my predictions for the DEN/POR series. Hmm, I'll take DEN (4-3). It'll be interesting to see how hungry DEN is to advance. And, if they do advance (after another long series), how much fight will they have left then? It's really, really tough to bet against Lillard right now, but I think DEN is the better team and they now have valuable playoff experience. Man, I would have been right about the Spurs if they hadn't given game 2 away! OKC? That's the last time I give a Russell Westbrook led team the benefit of the doubt. I counted out POR when Nurkic went down. Now, the health of GS is in question. Oh well, I'm sticking with them to win it all.
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NBA
Apr 28, 2019 14:32:53 GMT
Post by B.E. on Apr 28, 2019 14:32:53 GMT
SJS, how scary did TOR look last night?!
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NBA
Apr 28, 2019 17:51:42 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Apr 28, 2019 17:51:42 GMT
I was thinking with Toronto last night, when was the last time you saw an NBA team win a second-round playoff game with only two guys score in double figures!? Just Kawhi and Siakam. Crazy.
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NBA
Apr 28, 2019 18:48:07 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 28, 2019 18:48:07 GMT
SJS, how scary did TOR look last night?! Very scary. I figured Kawhi would show up, but Pascal Siakam has developed into a very good player in a short time. Toronto played good team defense, especially against Embiid. This will be a tough series for the Sixers to win, but hey, this is what they were building for. Remember they got knocked out in the second round last year by Boston.
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NBA
Apr 30, 2019 3:14:15 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 30, 2019 3:14:15 GMT
A huge - HUGE - win for the 76ers. To split in Toronto...yes! Jimmy Butler showed up tonight; he was the difference; that and great team defense by the Sixers. They need players other than Joel Embiid to step up like The Butler did tonight. That's what has been frustrating lately with the Sixers. They have potentially four All Stars in their starting lineup. And you would think that each game, one or two or even three of them would take control of games, but they haven't been doing that. They've been very inconsistent. Winning but inconsistent. Now they have two days to rest Embiid before Thursday's game.
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NBA
Apr 30, 2019 12:24:22 GMT
via mobile
Post by Kapitan on Apr 30, 2019 12:24:22 GMT
Must feel good in Philadelphia.
Nice start for Denver too.
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