Board 8 > NBA Discussion Topic, Part 1 - finally!

(+) Yeah! (+)

Even if it doesn't last and everything eventually settles back in where we think it all will, a chaotic early part of the season is a pretty refreshing change from last year, where everything was predetermined before the season even started.
---

https://twitter.com/MicahAdams13/status/924832934791712773
---

Xfd Cavs!
---

Man, I was at work all day today and missed a completely bonkers day of basketball.

Pacers beat the Spurs. Knicks beat the Cavs.

What
---

Cavs lost their fourth in their last five with that loss, too

And if you were watching that game, you can tell the players were all upset about it
---

LeBron is counting the days til he can hit the road.
---

ExThaNemesis posted...

LeBron is counting the days til he can hit the road.

Come join an up and coming Orlando or Detroit team!
---

here's how weird basketball is right now.

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Indiana
(2) Orlando vs. (7) Charlotte
(3) Washington vs. (6) Toronto
(4) Boston vs. (5) Milwaukee

(1) Memphis vs. (8) New Orleans
(2) LA Clippers vs. (7) Oklahoma City
(3) Houston vs. (6) Golden State
(4) Portland vs. (5) San Antonio

Denver and Utah are tied with OKC and NO so you could take any of those. I went with highest point differential to seed teams.
---

transience posted...

here's how weird basketball is right now.

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Indiana
(2) Orlando vs. (7) Charlotte
(3) Washington vs. (6) Toronto
(4) Boston vs. (5) Milwaukee

(1) Memphis vs. (8) New Orleans
(2) LA Clippers vs. (7) Oklahoma City
(3) Houston vs. (6) Golden State
(4) Portland vs. (5) San Antonio

Denver and Utah are tied with OKC and NO so you could take any of those. I went with highest point differential to seed teams.

I feel like the crazy opening month is a reflection of the crazy offseason we had.

Maybe we aren't destined for Cavs/Warriors again!
---

transience posted...

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Indiana
(2) Orlando vs. (7) Charlotte
(3) Washington vs. (6) Toronto
(4) Boston vs. (5) Milwaukee

(1) Memphis vs. (8) New Orleans
(2) LA Clippers vs. (7) Oklahoma City
(3) Houston vs. (6) Golden State
(4) Portland vs. (5) San Antonio

amazing
---

here's what I think. we didn't have a full training camp and teams are kinda just playing their way into game shape. we usually start basketball around 10/29 so tonight is like opening night. I think it'll start to stabilize.

the cavs, though, they had major question marks coming into the season with the roster they put together. they're also missing their #2 guy which I think goes under the radar compared to, like, Boston being without Hayward. I'm pretty worried about them but they'll be okay if IT is healthy.

Orlando is cute but they have like 3 or 4 guys in the top 10 3pt% in the league. they're going to cool off.

Detroit I can't come up with a way to write them off so maybe they're legit. I'm doubtful, but I'm a bit of a hater when it comes to that team. they're playing hard though and that's great.

Golden State just doesn't really care. Kerr has even come out and said that he doesn't want his team to be playing like it's the finals. they're going to coast to 55 wins or something and blast everyone in the postseason.

I do like Memphis and the Clippers, though. I think they're real.
---

transience posted...

Detroit I can't come up with a way to write them off so maybe they're legit. I'm doubtful, but I'm a bit of a hater when it comes to that team. they're playing hard though and that's great.

If you want to know the key differences:

- Reggie Jackson is healthy. Last year he was not by a wide margin.
- Drummond isn't forcing his offense as much (he was the worst post-up player in the league and took an insane amount of shots).
- Avery Bradley is a hard worker who keeps his mouth shut and just plays. Marcus Morris (who we traded for Bradley) is a loud-mouthed asshole who had to go to trial for beating up a dude, held a "players only" meeting that basically was just blame Jackson for everything, and then told reporters that he doesn't play as hard on defense when he's not getting touches.

Now I'm still the mindset that this is largely a .500 team but I would probably revise it a bit to push them more over .500, but I'm still not thinking this is a 50 win team until they get deeper into the season.
---

I'll make a new power rankings towards the end of the week. GS will still be #1.
---

Also shows how interesting the opening to the season is because this didn't purge.

We couldn't even keep a topic alive last year.
---

TheRock1525 posted...

Also shows how interesting the opening to the season is because this didn't purge.

We couldn't even keep a topic alive last year.

It's coz I'm in here talking about my fantasy teams mostly
---

ExThaNemesis posted...

Man, I was at work all day today and missed a completely bonkers day of basketball.

Pacers beat the Spurs. Knicks beat the Cavs.

What

spurs are just regressing to the mean without kawhi and parker. cavs apparently just do not give a shit at the moment.

also, avery bradley fucking owns the warriors/steph curry. i think this is like his third W vs the warriors in 3 seasons.

TheRock1525 posted...

- Avery Bradley is a hard worker who keeps his mouth shut and just plays. Marcus Morris (who we traded for Bradley) is a loud-mouthed asshole who had to go to trial for beating up a dude, held a "players only" meeting that basically was just blame Jackson for everything, and then told reporters that he doesn't play as hard on defense when he's not getting touches.

well fuck my life
---

MVP kawhi please fully heal and come back quickly
---

Like has been said, Orlando for sure will cool off. Last night was kind of an example of what to expect where they had all the hustle still but buckets just weren't dropping. It's actually amazing that game was as close as it was late on because the gap should have been way bigger. Kemba Walker single handedly won that game for them though, he was immense

Orlando were predicted 34 wins at season start, I'd be happy with anything above that. If we can make .500 I'd be ecstatic

kyrie absolutely wrecking face vs san antonio

16-5 at the half, with 2 steals
---

Kyrie has been ridiculously fun to watch
---

woah I turned away from the game when the lead was over 10 and now it's 6.l
---

that foul on Smart before the end of the quarter was hilariously bad

Gasol so half-heartedly sold it, I expected him to be surprised he got the call
---

last celtic W against the spurs: 2011

last time the celtics outrebounded the spurs: 2004
---

imagine how those numbers would've reversed if the Celtics actually drafted Tim Duncan

LOLOLOLOLO
---

Knicks win 3 straight somehow

Porzingis looks absoutely fantastic and Frank has shown some flashes of good play even if he's still extremely rough
---

I watched a good video on Frank's defense. he looks like he'll be real good for that if nothing else
---

Can't believe the Knicks have won three in a row.
---

LeonhartFour posted...

imagine how those numbers would've reversed if the Celtics actually drafted Tim Duncan

LOLOLOLOLO

too soon :(

duncan-pierce would have gone to the finals more straight times than lebron, augh
---

I hate the Paul Pierce hagiography

dude was never top ten in any year. maaaaybe 08? thanks KG
---

Pierce's legacy changed completely because of the Big Three, yeah.

I do kinda miss the Pierce/Antoine Walker days but not because they were great
---

Man... these Sixers can be hella frustrating to watch. Having a few more vets on the team has definitely helped them compared to last year, but they still seem to lose all their discipline when the W is in sight. So many unforced turnovers when it matters most. I guess the difference this year is that we actually have a starting 5 rather than a rotation of bench players. The fact that they're playing this well without Fultz making an impact is really promising.
---

I hear some people talk about Paul Pierce as a top 50 all-time guy and it's like.. was he even in the top 5 at his position while he played? I'm not sure. a quick check tells me he finished in the top 10 of mvp voting once and had one all-nba second team. eh. lucking into a super team really did wonders for his legacy.
---

the sixers need time to learn how to win. they've been losing for so long and have no identity yet. I think they're doing pretty okay considering how many different pieces they have to integrate. so far, only Fultz has been a failure and it's been like five injury plagued games.
---

1. pierce was better than any teammate duncan had in that 2003 title run, and arguably better than any teammate duncan had between his first and last title runs.

2. look at the east's winners during pierce and duncan's prime years - pierce and antoine took the nets to 6. each of pierce or duncan would have been the best player on that pistons team (though the 2004 and 05 versions were really fucking good). wade and shaq were good for only one year. they would be better (knowing everything else) than the east's finals teams in '99, '01, '02, '03, '07, and '08 (the next-best team in the east that year was aging detroit).

3. i also didn't say they'd win 8 rings. shaq and kobe definitely still win in 00 and 01 - but with no duncan on the spurs, 99, 03, and 07 are wiiiide open.

4. pierce couldn't always carry a bad team the way mcgrady could, but neither could kyrie irving. irving was a bomb #2 though. as a #2, i'd put pierce up there with mcgrady or vince carter for sure.

5. do you honestly think prime duncan and pierce wouldn't be a huge cut above any non-cavs/celtics team in the east, even now? assume their supporting cast is around the level of miami's after their big 3, or cleveland's after their current big 2.

all of this pretty much assumes you've got a top coach/GM the whole time, which obviously wasn't the case during those years for the C's, but i don't think it's a ludicrous claim that duncan and pierce could have ruled the east
---

on a tangentially related note:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/79psgv/avery_bradley_holds_curry_to_0_points_and_3/dp3vbu1/?context=1
---

The sixers of all teams should be used to playing without draft picks >_>

Pierce/Duncan would be good but I feel like you could probably put Tim Duncan with any team in the East and theyd be a contender in those years. Saying what if Prime TD was on the Celtics is like saying what if Prime KG was on the Celtics (even later KG got them a title!)
---

oh my comment wasn't about Duncan and Pierce ruling the east. Duncan alone could have ruled the east. taking those Nets teams to 6 wasn't exactly a big accomplishment (though you're right, McGrady and Carter and Iverson couldn't consistently do it)

you know, I loved them at the time but the 03-07 years were kind of the dark years of the NBA. people liked those Pistons and Pacers and Spurs teams but yeah. you could extend this to 99-07 but at least those Lakers teams made for good tv. it was really the Suns that kept those years alive.
---

just think, if duncan had come to the celtics then those would have been banner years for the nba, just like when kg came...!

VeryInsane posted...

Pierce/Duncan would be good but I feel like you could probably put Tim Duncan with any team in the East and theyd be a contender in those years. Saying what if Prime TD was on the Celtics is like saying what if Prime KG was on the Celtics (even later KG got them a title!)

the reason this specific hypothetical is mentioned is because the celtics had the 1st or 2nd worst record in 1997, the year duncan was in the draft. leon was just taking shots at me! it would be like mocking charlotte for not getting anthony davis, if anthony davis won 5 rings and 3 FMVPs with new orleans.
---

SeabassDebeste posted...

the reason this specific hypothetical is mentioned is because the celtics had the 1st or 2nd worst record in 1997, the year duncan was in the draft. leon was just taking shots at me! it would be like mocking charlotte for not getting anthony davis, if anthony davis won 5 rings and 3 FMVPs with new orleans.

2nd worst record and also Dallas' draft pick which ended up at 6th, so they had two pretty good shots at Duncan :/
---

I dunno if I would laugh at teams not getting a number 1 overall pick in the lottery

I would more make fun of them if like, TD fell to 7th and all those teams didnt pick him up
---

*NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce
---

yeah he's up there with Andre Iguodala who basically won the award because they couldn't give it to Lebron

Pierce scored 21.8 points on 43% shooting. he had 4 rebounds and 6 assists but also almost 4 turnovers a game. MVP
---

anything is possibllllllleeee
---

it's more comparable to iggy winning it because curry's box score #s dropped and his full impact not appearing on the stat sheet

MZero11 posted...

2nd worst record and also Dallas' draft pick which ended up at 6th, so they had two pretty good shots at Duncan :/

imagine if we could've traded that pick for dallas's 1998 pick...
---

you woulda gotten tractor traylor!
---

VeryInsane posted...

I dunno if I would laugh at teams not getting a number 1 overall pick in the lottery

I laugh because I'm a Spurs fan and we only got him because David Robinson got hurt. Literally the only bad year the Spurs have had in almost 30 years, and they got Duncan out of it.
---

pop and RC are incredible, but they've gotten massively lucky a few times

that said...

renouncing jonathon simmons for rudy gay is unacceptable
---

Simmons has been another reason the Magic have been doing so well
---

About the only thing I've learned about this season so far are that the Kings, Mavs, Bulls and Hawks are all really bad and will probably have a ridiculous number of losses by the end of the season. Everything else is so up in the air.
---

Year of the Wolf.
---