***2021-2022 NBA Season Thread***

[Momma There Goes That Man]

4 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

Everyone is tired at this point in a season.  I don't like this excuse for Golden State.

 

Kawhi didn’t play last year and the Raps exited early. That’s not nearly the same as a team coming off a 5 year run of 100 games and crazy intense playoff minutes. 

 

It shouldnt be a surprise this is pretty much the way every NBA dynasty looks at the end. Reminds of the 14 Heat just not knowing what to do against the Spurs 

Edited June 8, 2019 by Momma There Goes That Man

[Mr. Sinister]

8 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

It's the owners getting greedy, prices go up for playoffs games no matter the team

 

It's been a problem with them all year. Comes with the territory, although you're right about playoff crowds in general

[Renegade7]

1 minute ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

 

It shouldnt be a surprise this is pretty much the way every NBA dynasty looks at the end. Reminds of the 14 Heat just not knowing what to do against the Spurs 

 

Heat looked out classed in that series realizing the reality of having limited depth and star players with their mind elsewhere.  That's what this looks like as well.

[Mr. Sinister]

2 minutes ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

 

Kawhi didn’t play last year and the Raps exited early. That’s not nearly the same as a team coming off a 5 year run of 100 games and crazy intense playoff minutes. 

 

It shouldnt be a surprise this is pretty much the way every NBA dynasty looks at the end. Reminds of the 14 Heat just not knowing what to do against the Spurs 

 

'13 was awesome, but it killed an already old team. It's a lot to handle. We went for it all.  Even saw it with the Bulls, who kinda old man gamed their way to that last title

[Going Commando]

Just now, Spaceman Spiff said:

Tell me GSW hasn't looked tired.

  

And you're right, everyone's tired at this point of the season.  But GSW has been doing it for 5 years now. 

 

They look complacent and out of sorts, not tired.  You get an offseason.  Toronto has played as many games as they have this year.  Fatigue is a factor for both.

 

But Toronto developed better continuity in the postseason.  The rotations have been a ****ing mess for Golden State.  Very reactive, lacking identity, lacking cohesion.  Feels like they have no idea how to play with each other, which is absolutely inexcusable for a team that's been together this long.  Toronto is the team that was cobbled together this year via trades, but they've been totally on point.  Nick Nurse and his staff have coached circles around the Golden State staff.

 

It goes back to hubris.  I think that Warriors organization has operated with hubris throughout the entire season.  Draymond talking about winning it in six and celebrating after getting beat.  A ****ing minority owner shoving an opponent on the sideline.  The team is getting their medicine and it is glorious cosmic justice being done.  I hope they get crushed in game five.

[Renegade7]

5 minutes ago, Mr. Sinister said:

 

It's been a problem with them all year. Comes with the territory, although you're right about playoff crowds in general

 

You right that's it's been pretty easy to be a Warriors fan the last 5 years at least.  They probably got a whole new generation of fans out of this, and jus saw live how many fairweathers they have.

[Going Commando]

Fatigue doesn't explain not being able to stay with a friggin high ball screen and roll.  That is basketball 101 stuff.  They just aren't really competing.  They don't know how to play as a cohesive team any more, and that is inexplicable.  And inexcusable.  It's like they lost their championship DNA and their coaches forgot how to coach.

 

I honestly think everyone--the executives, to the coaching staff, to the videographers, to the stat people, to the trainers, to the players themselves--fell asleep at the wheel.  They took this season for granted and didn't put in the work to win a championship.

 

They can still win this thing because they do have overwhelming talent, but it's been ugly.   They need to figure a lot of **** out this summer or else this run is going to end well before it's time.

[Renegade7]

8 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

I hope they get crushed in game five.

 

Ill admit I got caught up in the underdog narrative, but it's time for women and children first.  For the good of the NBA, this ship needs to sink.

[Hersh]

I don't care at all about GS, but some of the posts here are absurd. First GS loses Cousins to start the playoffs. Then Durant. Still make the finals. Then Thompson goes down plus a role player in Looney. Effectively they have two healthy players of their starting 5. Cousins can't jump and had one good game but otherwise has been awful. Thompson was great offensively, but defensively he was clearly impacted by the hammy and KD is still out. Of course Toronto has better continuity and of course GS rotations have been a mess. 

 

 

Yet there are people here trashing GS cause they don't look good out there as if any team losing that many starters would be flowing seamlessly. Take Gasol and Siakam out for Toronto and hobble Lowry and they would look terrible too. 

 

Yet, as bad as GS looked, this game came down to FT shooting and 10 careless GS turnovers.   

 

At the end of the day, a healthy GS team, wins this series easy. 

[Going Commando]

1 minute ago, Renegade7 said:

 

Ill admit I got caught up in the underdog narrative, but it's time for women and children first.  For the good of the NBA, this ship needs to sink. 

 

Toronto is the underdog.  But Golden State committed some pretty serious offenses against the Basketball Gods.  Maybe they still win this series, but these first four games have been a cosmic re-balancing.

 

I try to be an optimist, and I hope that the destruction of Golden State and the DPVE would be enough to usher in an era of broader and more legitimate competition in the NBA.

 

But that realistic voice in the back of my head says the DPVE is just a toothless half-measure, there are still fundamental flaws in the NBA's player acquisition system, and the next super team will form up soon.

[Mr. Sinister]

7 minutes ago, Hersh said:

At the end of the day, a healthy GS team, wins this series easy. 

 

They're not healthy, snd they're not going to get healthy

[Hersh]

1 minute ago, Mr. Sinister said:

 

They're not healthy, snd they're not going to get healthy

 

That was the point of the rest of the post. 

[Renegade7]

1 minute ago, Hersh said:

 

Yet, as bad as GS looked, this game came down to FT shooting and 10 careless GS turnovers.   

 

At the end of the day, a healthy GS team, wins this series easy. 

 

Of course a healthy GS team wins, but what got exposed is the lack of depth on that team.  I dont think Cousins even counts as a starter considering how many games hes missed, and again, only 4 players scored in double figures for GS. 

 

Their role players didnt step up, not enough shooters, that's the real reason this series is over.  KD isnt coming back and they arent fixing that depth in one offseason, theres nothing wrong with acknowledging they are finally coming south of the stratosphere.

[Dr. Do Itch Big]

They look tired. Curry looked physically tired. The rotation is thin with all the injuries. 

[Hersh]

1 minute ago, Renegade7 said:

 

Of course a healthy GS team wins, but what got exposed is the lack of depth on that team.  I dont think Cousins even counts as a starter considering how many games hes missed, and again, only 4 players scored in double figures for GS. 

 

Their role players didnt step up, not enough shooters, that's the real reason this series is over.  KD isnt coming back and they arent fixing that depth in one offseason, theres nothing wrong with acknowledging they are finally coming south of the stratosphere.

 

It's not a lack of depth when you have that many starters out and guys playing roles they shouldn't be playing. As was pointed out here by Steve, Toronto plays 8 guys. You take their Kawhi and Gasol off that team and the depth would not look good. GS doesn't want Iggy playing that much. 

 

Speaking of which, I forgot he got hurt too this playoff series. Heck, Curry was hurt this playoffs too. Curry, Thompson, Cousins, Durant, Iggy and Looney have all been injured this playoff run. I think only Curry didn't miss a game. 

[StillUnknown]

 

[Going Commando]

Toronto is not healthy either.  But they're playing at a high level anyway.

 

Consider this: Klay Thompson hurt his hamstring on a flop.  He lobbies to play the next game but the coaches hold him out, causing him to miss the first postseason game of his career, despite the fact that he's played through stuff like high ankle sprains in the past.  Then he comes out in game four--two days later--and drops an easy 28.  Am I actually supposed to believe that two days was the difference between him being able to kick ass and not being able to go at all??

 

THIS is Golden State taking this series for granted.  They didn't take Toronto seriously and thought they could win this thing with only one foot in the door.  Meanwhile Kawhi is on an absolute mission, as utterly dialed in as we've ever seen, playing huge minutes, and coming through almost every game, despite playing with some kind of injury in his upper leg.  Lowry comes up big in multiple games despite a serious hand injury.  They've been running an 8 man rotation for weeks because Anunoby is out and they can't really trust anyone on the other half of their bench.  Their dudes are spent, but they're playing tough and competing hard and maintaining a superior level of focus.  They are playing like champions and earning these wins against a superior opponent.

[Renegade7]

8 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

Toronto is the underdog. 

 

I dont agree with assessment GS has better roster going into start of this series, think we all jus thought they'd play better then they are right now anyway.  That's jus my opinion, game 3 exposed how few shooters they have outside their usual suspects. 

 

I mean, Warriors have only beat this team once all year, and I know no one likes to count regular season, but this box score speak volumes to me, it should've been an omen with only 3 players in double figures:

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401070997

 

Warriors

All Stats

MIN	FG	3PT	REB	AST	PF	PTS
36	3-7	0-3	4	5	2	6
43	18-31	4-7	11	6	4	51
11	1-1	0-0	0	0	2	2
21	4-9	0-2	0	1	2	8
44	9-20	3-9	3	3	3	23
MIN	FG	3PT	REB	AST	PF	PTS
16	0-3	0-0	4	0	1	0
33	8-13	3-5	9	3	5	20
26	3-7	0-1	10	2	3	7
17	1-5	0-0	2	7	0	4
--	-----	-----	--	--	--	--
18	3-7	1-3	3	0	0	7
	50-103	11-30	46	27	22	128

[Dr. Do Itch Big]

25 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

Ill admit I got caught up in the underdog narrative, but it's time for women and children first.  For the good of the NBA, this ship needs to sink.

For the good of the nba? Lol sure

[Hersh]

4 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

Toronto is not healthy either.  But they're playing at a high level anyway.

 

Consider this: Klay Thompson hurt his hamstring on a flop.  He lobbies to play the next game but the coaches hold him out, causing him to miss the first postseason game of his career, despite the fact that he's played through stuff like high ankle sprains in the past.  Then he comes out in game four--two days later--and drops an easy 28.  Am I actually supposed to believe that two days was the difference between him being able to kick ass and not being able to go at all??

 

THIS is Golden State taking this series for granted.  They didn't take Toronto seriously and thought they could win this thing with only one foot in the door.  Meanwhile Kawhi is on an absolute mission, as utterly dialed in as we've ever seen, playing huge minutes, and coming through almost every game, despite playing with some kind of injury in his upper leg.  Lowry comes up big in multiple games despite a serious hand injury.  They've been running an 8 man rotation for weeks because Anunoby is out and they can't really trust anyone on the other half of their bench.  Their dudes are spent, but they're playing tough and competing hard and maintaining a superior level of focus.  They are playing like champions and earning these wins against a superior opponent.

 

You aren't seriously trying to make the case that Toronto's health issues are comparable to GS?

 

Klay's defense wasn't good and he wasn't as active on offense, which coincidentally may be good for his game. GS was really smart working him in the post so he wasn't running around as much. 

 

Oh, Klay probably could've gone to some degree in game three, but he even tweaked his hammy a little tonight so the two days probably helped a ton. 

7 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

I dont agree with assessment GS has better roster going into start of this series, think we all jus thought they'd play better then they are right now anyway.  That's jus my opinion, game 3 exposed how few shooters they have outside their usual suspects. 

 

I mean, Warriors have only beat this team once all year, and I know no one likes to count regular season, but this box score speak volumes to me, it should've been an omen with only 3 players in double figures:

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401070997

 

Warriors

All Stats

MIN	FG	3PT	REB	AST	PF	PTS
36	3-7	0-3	4	5	2	6
43	18-31	4-7	11	6	4	51
11	1-1	0-0	0	0	2	2
21	4-9	0-2	0	1	2	8
44	9-20	3-9	3	3	3	23
MIN	FG	3PT	REB	AST	PF	PTS
16	0-3	0-0	4	0	1	0
33	8-13	3-5	9	3	5	20
26	3-7	0-1	10	2	3	7
17	1-5	0-0	2	7	0	4
--	-----	-----	--	--	--	--
18	3-7	1-3	3	0	0	7
	50-103	11-30	46	27	22	128

 

You're aware that Curry, Cousins and Draymond all missed that game?

Edited June 8, 2019 by Hersh

[Mr. Sinister]

10 minutes ago, Hersh said:

 

That was the point of the rest of the post. 

 

True. But it just seems like apples to oranges. Siakam, Gasol and Lowry do not equal Durant, Cousins, and Thompson. They lost the best scorer on this planet, and it didnt matter until one of the greatest shooters in the history of the sport got hurt.... And they didn't have one of the best bigs in the game to rely on.... And still were going toe to toe with an Eastern Conference heavyweight.

 

 They've also benefitted greatly throughout this run with their opponents getting untimely injuries.

 

Feeling a bit tangental, "If they were healthy" to me, just sounds like a branch they shouldn't be afforded the luxury of hitting on the way to taking this dirt sample.

 

I think tonight in particular had more to do with effort than anything else.

 

 

[Renegade7]

15 minutes ago, Hersh said:

 

It's not a lack of depth when you have that many starters out and guys playing roles they shouldn't be playing. As was pointed out here by Steve, Toronto plays 8 guys. You take their Kawhi and Gasol off that team and the depth would not look good. GS doesn't want Iggy playing that much. 

 

Speaking of which, I forgot he got hurt too this playoff series. Heck, Curry was hurt this playoffs too. Curry, Thompson, Cousins, Durant, Iggy and Looney have all been injured this playoff run. I think only Curry didn't miss a game. 

Say hypothetical you start both of these series without KL and KD then Gasol and Klay both miss game three, is this series tied, is it 3-1 warriors? 

 

Raptors have an extremely impressive record without KL, I dont agree they'd be lost without him versus a KD-less Warriors in this series the way with the Warriors looked lost today.  Were talking about them missing their best player, they still have a two time MVP on their team and they didnt look like it at all.

 

This is all jus my opinion, think Raptors were underestimated and Warriors overestimated walking into this series i was wrong on Toronto.

13 minutes ago, Dr. Do Itch Big said:

For the good of the nba? Lol sure

Yep, I'm an idealist like Steve hoping for an end to dynasty days of the NBA.  Sacrifices have to be made.

[Hersh]

2 minutes ago, Mr. Sinister said:

 

True. But it just seems like apples to oranges. Siakam, Gasol and Lowry do not equal Durant, Cousins, and Thompson. They lost the best scorer on this planet, and it didnt matter until one of the greatest shooters in the history of the sport got hurt.... And they didn't have one of the best bigs in the game to rely on.... And still were going toe to toe with an Eastern Conference heavyweight.

 

 They've also benefitted greatly throughout this run with their opponents getting untimely injuries.

 

Feeling a bit tangental, "If they were healthy" to me, just sounds like a branch they shouldn't be afforded the luxury of hitting on the way to taking this dirt sample.

 

I think tonight in particular had more to do with effort than anything else.

 

 

 

We are pretty much in complete agreement. I wasn't meaning to equate the Raptors players to the quality GS lost, more that losing three key guys just destroys rotations and depth on any team. 

 

 

4 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

Say hypothetical you start both of these series without KL and KD then Gasol and Klay both miss game three, is this series tied, is it 3-1 warriors? 

 

Raptors have an extremely impressive record without KL, I dont agree they'd be lost without him versus a KD-less Warriors in this series the way with the Warriors looked lost today.  Were talking about them missing their best player, they still have a two time MVP on their team and they didnt look like it at all.

 

This is all jus my opinion, think Raptors were underestimated and Warriors overestimated walking into this series i was wrong on Toronto.

Yep, I'm an idealist like Steve hoping for an end to dynasty days of the NBA.  Sacrifices have to be made.

 

In your hypothetical, Raptors have ZERO chance to win the series. Maybe they get A game. Warriors would've won both in Toronto. Kawhi, even in an off-night offensively, is still elite defensively and draws a ton of attention. 

[Renegade7]

18 minutes ago, Hersh said:

 

You're aware that Curry, Cousins and Draymond all missed that game?

 

I am, and it wasnt any better when Raptors scraped them in Oakland with Curry and Draymond back.

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071096

 

Why are we talking about the Warriors missing Cousins like they are missing the all-star version of him?  At this point hes showing to be more of a liability then anything else, they are almost better off without him.  We're past the point of if he was healthy and heading into he cant stay healthy.

[Renegade7]

22 minutes ago, Hersh said:

 

In your hypothetical, Raptors have ZERO chance to win the series. Maybe they get A game. Warriors would've won both in Toronto. Kawhi, even in an off-night offensively, is still elite defensively and draws a ton of attention. 

 

They beat the crap out of the Warriors in Oakland without KL but KD actually playing earlier in the year.  Agree to disagree.

Edited June 8, 2019 by Renegade7