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

RonArtest15

By RonArtest15
in The Tailgate

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Destino

Destino

Posted
Posted (edited)

I don't see it that way. I saw two even teams that took some and gave some, with one team giving a little more. Now if the Cowboys/Seahawks lost to someone I would say they choked.... Because I don't like them :) and will concede nothing, wanting to see them suffer endlessly till the end of all humanity.

I respect the Spurs too much to say they choked. I also respect them enough to not make excuses for them. If that series was played out 10 times, maybe they win 9. They just couldn't win that one. Did they have a chance? Sure? Did they squander that chance? Yep. But none of it matters if the Heat don't capitalize. Games between great teams come down to moments like that. It isn't as black and white as "Choke/Non-Choke" to me. Maybe as a fan on the outside, it is. But not to me.

Choking is not an excuse, it's the opposite. It's essentially the worst thing a team can do in the normal course of competitive team sports. If a team just flat out beats another because they are better, that's life. If a team has control but mentally falls apart? That's a lot harder to accept. The spurs had control of the game and then started making mental errors. Even on that last play by Ray Allen, they were down three when Bosh got the rebound... Tackle him. Foul anyone as soon as that ball hits the rim. They pride themselves on being smarter than everyone but the heat were given a stay of execution because the spurs lost their situational awareness. The basketball Gods do not forgive mistakes like that.

This is not to say the Heat didn't earn every bit of that title. Unlike the Spurs they didn't shrink in the big moment or lose their BBIQ. They knew exactly what they had to do and when game 7 came along only one of those teams showed up believing they were the champions. The Heat were the better team.

Edited by Destino
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Going Commando

Going Commando

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I expect close games, comes down to if the Bullets can score against Bulls D and Bulls ineptitude to score baskets.

Sounds about right. Chicago isn't going to beat itself or let up on D. Wizards are going to have to make shots over good defense, which certainly favors the Bulls. They are absolutely going to take away the things that the Wizards like to do best. The key for the Bulls is just sticking to their game. Play elite defense and rely on their vastly superior experience and coaching to frustrate the Wizards. The only way this becomes a rout for the Wizards is if Chicago has lapses and lets the Wizards get into rhythm and push the pace. I don't see that happening.

The key for Washington is making shots and getting turnovers. Nene and Gortat are going to have to win their matchups some of those nights--be tough and match Chicago's physicality. But Wall and Beal are going to have to make plays against set defenses and Webster and Ariza are going to have to hit their threes, because those will be the only halfway decent shots we'll typically get. Turnovers for starting the fast break. And Chicago is a seven man team, getting Noah in foul trouble would utterly cripple them.

It's a really tough series for the Wizards. Tough for Chicago too, because frankly, the Wizards are more talented. Wall is the best player in the series and a pretty massive mismatch for Hinrich. Much bigger gap between them than the gap between Noah and Gortat. And the Butler/Beal and Nene/Boozer match ups are a draw at best for Chicago and Ariza is a solid advantage over Mike Dunleavey.

I think the winner of this series beats Indy in round 2.

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BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93

BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93

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It's a really tough series for the Wizards. Tough for Chicago too, because frankly, the Wizards are more talented. Wall is the best player in the series and a pretty massive mismatch for Hinrich. Much bigger gap between them than the gap between Noah and Gortat. And the Butler/Beal and Nene/Boozer match ups are a draw at best for Chicago and Ariza is a solid advantage over Mike Dunleavey.

I think the winner of this series beats Indy in round 2.

I agree with everything except the talent remark.

 

Wall is the best player in the series no doubt but I believe that Noah and Taj are better than everyone on the Wizards not named Wall. 

 

Noah is better than Gortat, Taj (yeah he comes off the bench but hey, ask Thibs) is better than Nene, and Dunleavy is more consistent than Ariza. DJ has REALLY come on since January and if Hinrich can just hinder Wall a bit, we'll have the advantage. If Boozer plays with a semblance of effort, that's even better. Also, Jimmy is going to strap Beal up. 

 

The Wiz are a decent tean from deep (I think?) and the Bulls struggle a bit against teams that can shoot from deep due to their defensive strategy. That worries me a lot. Webster is gonna have a big series

 

Finally, I don't think Wittman is even a decent coach so there's that too

Edited by BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93
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Going Commando

Going Commando

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I agree with everything except the talent remark.

 

Wall is the best player in the series no doubt but I believe that Noah and Taj are better than everyone on the Wizards not named Wall. 

 

Noah is better than Gortat, Taj (yeah he comes off the bench but hey, ask Thibs) is better than Nene, and Dunleavy is more consistent than Ariza. DJ has REALLY come on since January and if Hinrich can just hinder Wall a bit, we'll have the advantage. If Boozer plays with a semblance of effort, that's even better. Also, Jimmy is going to strap Beal up. 

 

The Wiz are a decent tean from deep (I think?) and the Bulls struggle a bit against teams that can shoot from deep due to their defensive strategy. That worries me a lot. Webster is gonna have a big series

 

Finally, I don't think Wittman is even a decent coach so there's that too

Noah is definitely the second best player in the series. Not a huge gap between him and the Wizards bigs though. There's a big gap between the Wizards guards and wings and the Bulls guards and wings. Marcin Gortat is a good player and the Wizards have a bench now. Chicago really on has Gibson in the front court.

Gibson is a fine player. I paid money for him on my fantasy team. But Nene is a better all around player than him. Bigger. Better offensive player. And a high quality defender too. Bulls are probably looking at a draw at best between those two.

Beal is young, therefore inconsistent, and Butler is a junk yard dog. I agree Butler is probably going to smother him on defense. But Beal's talent is such that, he can get hot and torch Butler even when he's playing good defense. And Butler isn't going to be hard for Beal to guard in return. This is another spot where you're probably looking at a draw at best.

And I assure, Ariza is a markedly better player than Dunleavy. Ariza was one of the best three and d players in the league this season. Dunleavy is a journeyman that the Bulls are forced to go with because they don't have anyone else after trading Deng. And the Wizards have legit depth at SF.

Augustin was really good this season. He's a better third guard than Andre Miller, but Miller is a much better third guard than what the Wizards were going with the first two times they beat Chicago and he's looking pretty comfortable now.

The Wizards are going to have to keep Augustin from going off and getting a lot of easy buckets. And they need to keep silly stuff like Tony Snell coming in and dropping 15 from happening.

The Wizards are indeed good at shooting threes. They had four guys make 100+ threes this year and Beal, Webster, and Ariza are all knockdown set shot shooters from three. The team got dialed in right at the end of the season. If they keep making their threes, they're going to score on Chicago. If they don't, they're going to have a lot of problems scoring.

I think the biggest thing people are sleeping on with the Wizards is that they aren't going to be scared of Chicago. People assume they will be scared because this is their first trip to the playoffs. But this Wizards team isn't scared of teams. And they're not scared to go on the road. They've got some veteran leadership. They're tough and aren't intimidated by size. And they are playing with confidence right now. It'll be a good series. I'm thinking seven games either way.

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BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93

BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93

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Noah is definitely the second best player in the series. Not a huge gap between him and the Wizards bigs though. There's a big gap between the Wizards guards and wings and the Bulls guards and wings. Marcin Gortat is a good player and the Wizards have a bench now. Chicago really on has Gibson in the front court.

Gibson is a fine player. I paid money for him on my fantasy team. But Nene is a better all around player than him. Bigger. Better offensive player. And a high quality defender too. Bulls are probably looking at a draw at best between those two.

Beal is young, therefore inconsistent, and Butler is a junk yard dog. I agree Butler is probably going to smother him on defense. But Beal's talent is such that, he can get hot and torch Butler even when he's playing good defense. And Butler isn't going to be hard for Beal to guard in return. This is another spot where you're probably looking at a draw at best.

And I assure, Ariza is a markedly better player than Dunleavy. Ariza was one of the best three and d players in the league this season. Dunleavy is a journeyman that the Bulls are forced to go with because they don't have anyone else after trading Deng. And the Wizards have legit depth at SF.

Augustin was really good this season. He's a better third guard than Andre Miller, but Miller is a much better third guard than what the Wizards were going with the first two times they beat Chicago and he's looking pretty comfortable now.

The Wizards are going to have to keep Augustin from going off and getting a lot of easy buckets. And they need to keep silly stuff like Tony Snell coming in and dropping 15 from happening.

The Wizards are indeed good at shooting threes. They had four guys make 100+ threes this year and Beal, Webster, and Ariza are all knockdown set shot shooters from three. The team got dialed in right at the end of the season. If they keep making their threes, they're going to score on Chicago. If they don't, they're going to have a lot of problems scoring.

I think the biggest thing people are sleeping on with the Wizards is that they aren't going to be scared of Chicago. People assume they will be scared because this is their first trip to the playoffs. But this Wizards team isn't scared of teams. And they're not scared to go on the road. They've got some veteran leadership. They're tough and aren't intimidated by size. And they are playing with confidence right now. It'll be a good series. I'm thinking seven games either way.

I can see every game being within 5 points.

Oh and there's no way in hell Snell is dropping 15 in any game lol. I like him but he's still adjusting to the pros. He may not score more than 10 points in the entire series lol

Edited by BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93
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Going Commando

Going Commando

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I can see every game being within 5 points.

Oh and there's no way in hell Snell is dropping 15 in any game lol. I like him but he's still adjusting to the pros. He may not score more than 10 points in the entire series lol

Yeah, a lot of games in the 80's and 90's. And I could see a couple OT games. These teams are dogged. OT games will favor Chicago, the Wizards lost a ridiculous amount of OT games this season.

The only way the Wizards are going to win is if they make their threes. But they can do that. They were shooting very well just before the playoffs. I could see the Wizards taking game one, but I don't see either team being daunted by winning on the road.

I think it'll be a seven game one. Chicago's experience and coaching and preparation are their major advantage and the reason why they're the favorites.

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Going Commando

Going Commando

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The series in the West look really good. LAC vs Golden State should be fun. Legit rivalry there. OKC vs Memphis is kind of meh, but it's at least an interesting contrast of styles. Dallas could potentially give SA a decent series. And I really like the Houston vs Portland match up. 120 points a game for both teams.

If Houston wins, that's a tough match up for San Antonio in round 2. And an LAC vs OKC second round series would be pretty great. Just some really good match ups all the way through the West.

The East is going to be really boring, ugly basketball for the most part. I'll be excited if the Wizards advance but most of the world isn't going to care about the East this year. Miami is the only legit contender and they don't look as good as the top three teams in the West. Feels like the WCF will be the real finals.

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Predicto

Predicto

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Posted

Interesting article with the shot charts for every team's point guard.  I was surprised to see that Wall's shot chart has so much red.   I thought he was a better shooter than that, but he's mostly a great finisher around the rim.

 

LOL at the shot chart for Steph Curry.

 

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24530751/playoff-assist-how-the-point-guards-match-up-in-the-first-round

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Destino

Destino

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Interesting article with the shot charts for every team's point guard. I was surprised to see that Wall's shot chart has so much red. I thought he was a better shooter than that, but he's mostly a great finisher around the rim.

LOL at the shot chart for Steph Curry.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24530751/playoff-assist-how-the-point-guards-match-up-in-the-first-round

Did you see the sports science clip they did on Steph Curry? His shot is ridiculous. Releases it faster than anyone and at a higher angle then most. Combine his insane shooting with arguably the best handles in the nba and you have what I think is the best shooter off the dribble that has ever played the game. Steph Curry is must see TV for any basketball fan. If he had Tony Parkers spot on the spurs he might have already won an MVP.

 

http://youtu.be/kOoMuQr46-g

As for Wall, he learned to shoot last season. He's a work in progress in this area and suffer from the inconsistency one can expect in a new area of improvement. He took a huge leap in three point shooting this season.

Edited by Destino
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Chew

Chew

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my bad.

 

the road to the finals in the west is a lot more difficult....more talented teams than the east.

 

I'm a hater, let me get that out there first.  Point I'm trying is....whoever makes it out of the west, Spurs, Thunder, Clippers, Rockets, Blazers, Warriors....etc...will have a lot tougher road than Lebron, as he skips through the east to the finals.  Seeing Lebron's "dynasty" in the east go through a Derrick Rose'less Bulls the last three years makes my blood boil.  Pacers will blow it easy

Edited by Chew
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Going Commando

Going Commando

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John Wall is a streak shooter at best Predicto. Destino covered it pretty well. He had no confidence in his jumper before the last year and a half or so. Didn't even shoot threes. He's still working it into his game and it gets rough sometimes. He's got a pronounced tendency to shoot off balance and he likes taking "the Jordan shots" a little too much.

John gave a pretty good interview with Bill Simmons around the AS break and talked about his style of play growing up. He said he didn't really work on his shot because he never really needed it before the NBA because he was so damn fast. I think that's really common with the hyper athletes of the NBA. Think LeBron and Wade--not pure jump shooters. John's like that and he's a PG, much less shooting responsibilities than wings. He just didn't develop a shot before he got drafted.

John has a different role than pretty much every other PG in the NBA this year though. And it depresses his shooting percentages. He plays on the ball far more than any other player in the league. Almost every single thing for him comes off the dribble. I'd guess that at most one or two shots a game is a set shot for him. A lot of games he never takes a set shot. The shots he gets are much harder to make and his percentages are lower. He is not Steph Curry or Kevin Durant. And the Wizards also don't have a go to scorer. And they don't have any other off the dribble creators. The shots John gets are the ones he creates for himself. And another factor is where in the clock a lot of them are coming. Similar to Derrick Rose two or three years ago, then the clock hits 7 or so, the Wizards pass to John at the top of the key and his job is to quickly create a dribble pull up against a straight up zone defense.

Edited by stevemcqueen1
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