Board 8 > NBA Offseason/Regular Season Topic

(+) Yeah! (+)

The Suns are back baby

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I don't love Kemba Walker

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Final score

Lakers 92
Pistons 107

5-14 NBA title here we come

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Kyle Lowry just fucking injured Aaron Gordon again by being dirty. Reminder he ended Gordon's season by doing it last season. He also broke MCW's nose the previous season

Gordon knew he was going off injured so stayed in an extra possession and hit Lowry with a hard bodycheck off ball (and got a Flagrant for it) then walked down the tunnel

I'm not watching the game but Raptors twitter seems to be having a very different reaction to what happened and I'm not sure what to believe.

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does Raptors Twitter believe Lowry is a dirty player

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Lowry is a fine man

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It's not as bad as the usual Lowry dirty plays but it's still a dirty play. Backed into Gordon on a boxout

https://mobile.twitter.com/Dan_Savage/status/1356042411097681920

Edit: I didn't see the play myself but Magic Twitter also saying Lowry tried to take Gordon's knee out on another play separate to the above

The play from another angle they just showed at half time makes the above play look worse with clear intent. Trying to find a video on Twitter now

I did see Lowry tell T-Ross that he was gonna fuck up Aaron Gordon after he ran into the locker room following the parting shot, which is exactly the kind of thing I'd expect him to say there.

Seems like Gordon tried to pull a Scott Stevens on his after.

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This gives you the other angle after the initial play

https://mobile.twitter.com/PapageorgiouMBO/status/1356048524497068036

Lowry's ass really is a weapon with all that thiccness back there

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Tbh, having looked at all the plays:
1) The play from last year was absolutely dirty by lowry.
2) This play tonight by lowry seemed kinda incidental and just what happens when a shorter guy tries to box out a taller guy, but it's questionable at least. With the feud started from last year, I can see why someone would think it dirty.
3) Gordon's shoulder to lowry looks kinda the same as lowry's play tonight. He took a small step forward and didn't cold cock him or anything and looked a bit like a flop from lowry, but might have still been intentional. And with again the ongoing feud, it's certainly possible gordon just said **** it, and honestly lowry would probably deserve it just after the play last year.
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Emeraldegg posted...

Tbh, having looked at all the plays:
1) The play from last year was absolutely dirty by lowry.
2) This play tonight by lowry seemed kinda incidental and just what happens when a shorter guy tries to box out a taller guy, but it's questionable at least. With the feud started from last year, I can see why someone would think it dirty.
3) Gordon's shoulder to lowry looks kinda the same as lowry's play tonight. He took a small step forward and didn't cold cock him or anything and looked a bit like a flop from lowry, but might have still been intentional. And with again the ongoing feud, it's certainly possible gordon just said **** it, and honestly lowry would probably deserve it just after the play last year.

Did you watch the other angle? That is not incidental.

ShatteredElysium posted...

Did you watch the other angle? That is not incidental.

Well I did at first, and I thought he was just boxing out, but looking at it again, he doesn't spread his arms like he's boxing out or anything, so yeah I can see more how that is intentional
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Does anyone else feel absolutely no sympathy for Beal? He could have been an unrestricted free agent I think after this season, but he chose money and signed an extension with the Wizards. You dont get to do that, and then immediately check out and demand to be traded

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Has he actually demanded to be traded? I was under the impression that it just made sense for both sides since beal is like the best player on the market now that harden is gone and so many impending FAs signed extensions, plus the wizards are terrible and could probably get a nice haul considering what harden just went for.
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Mainly in response to this

https://twitter.com/worldwidewob/status/1356047857766301698?s=21

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I mean it sucks to lead the league in scoring on a really bad team but he chose to stay there

Not that it matters in today's NBA

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In fairness to Beal, he signed the extension in 2019 and the team has declined every year since.

I do think it's shitty that players sign contracts and then ask out early but Beal had been professional until now unlike other players who have made a mess to get a trade. He also only has 2 years left after this season and one of those is a player option. So really only 1.

Magic injuries this season. Just a wee bit of an outlier

https://mobile.twitter.com/DiNucciMane/status/1356063844632813568

And of course Beal and Westbrook hit back to back threes to beat the Nets

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I errrr don't think Gordon will be back anytime soon.

https://mobile.twitter.com/InthemindofCP/status/1356069178206261248

Magic players out injured

Isaac
Fultz
Gordon
Aminu
Okeke
Carter-Williams

All are long term or season ending.

Number of healthy PGs - 1 (a rookie) plus a 2 way players
Number of healthy PFs - 1 (a dude waived by the Rockets midseason last year)

Suns beat the Mavs on a 3 from Booker with 1.5 seconds left, Luka missed a buzzer beater. DeAndre Ayton is now 8-1 against Luka Doncic. Or should I say...

*puts on sunglasses*

Ayton won

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MZero posted...

Suns beat the Mavs on a 3 from Booker with 1.5 seconds left, Luka missed a buzzer beater. DeAndre Ayton is now 8-1 against Luka Doncic. Or should I say...

*puts on sunglasses*

Ayton won

Are you proud of this

do you feel good about it


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He should be that was ****in great
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You know whats not great

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKxf59KhJkY/?igshid=11s96bgfm20tv

What the fuck is this

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Yeah, that was amazing

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My pistonz in covid protocols

Probably not playing anymore games of this West Coast trip

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I said I would wait 20 games in to make any reservations about the Suns.

I think they'll make the playoffs as a lower half seed. 5-8, I don't see them making any runs unless they get crazy hot like last year and Booker goes insane. Ayton is looking good, so hopefully in a couple years they'll have that championship team.

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Magic are absolutely fucked from an injury standpoint so the fanbase is actually excited that we will likely get a top lottery pick and then have the potential to be good once healthy next season.

Cade would be ideal but even with the worst record, the odds are pretty low.

I actually really like Corey Kispert too as he's going to be a great shooter and NBA ready right now even if he's not going to be an all star. He's not going to go anywhere near our pick though, we'd have to pick up another mid 1st.

Man they actually are going to do an all star game

just... why (ok I know its money, but still)

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Final Score in DOUBLE OVERTIME

Pistons - 129
Lakers - 135

Old man Lebron woke up in that 2nd OT

The Tank continues!

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It really sucks that the Pistons started tanking now that lottery odds are flattened.

I fear getting that #5 pick.

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Even #5 might not be so bad this year. Cade is obv a bit of a cut above the rest, but I've heard Mobley, Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs, and Kuminga are all p close together in quality and that any of them might be worth a #1 in a normal draft
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During all the Tom Brady excitement I missed Pistons traded Rose to Knicks for DSJ and 2nd round pick

now to trick someone into taking Blake

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Final Score

Nets - 111
Pistons - 122

Pistons continue to beat all the title contenders while also tanking against everyone else

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Cole Anthony just subbed himself out of the game doubled over in shoulder pain after a jump shot with zero contact.

So for those keeping track the Magic are now missing

Fultz (Torn ACL - season)
Isaac (Torn ACL - season)
Gordon (Severe ankle sprain - mid March return)
Fournier (Back spasms - Missed 11 games now)
Anthony (Maybe torn rotator cuff?)
Carter Williams (Foot - Missed like 20 games now)

Okeke just came back from a knee injury after a Torn ACL (Missed 1 season, played 4 games, missed 17 games)

Aminu literally played his first minutes tonight since 2019 (Torn Meniscus)

And for whatever reason Clifford refuses to play Bamba in non garbage time (despite him looking good) since he got COVID.

Our only healthy PG now is a two way player we signed last week. Hopefully Anthony is not seriously hurt and it just looked worse than it is

EDIT: Shoulder strain is initial diagnosis, will not return tonight

Lol I spoke too soon.

Aminu played tonight for the first time since 2019. He played 5 minutes. Before the game they said he would play in both halves. They have just stated he will not return in the second half. So tack him back on the list too

It's kinda hilarious how much Clifford is still trying to win despite missing 7 players out of the starters/rotation.

He played Vucevic 33 minutes straight last night. In a game where we were fell behind by double digits early in the 1st and never got it below that for more than 1 possession

Suns got a big win against the Bucks. Jrue was out but Giannis went off and also hit like 90% of his free throws. Bucks went nuclear from 3 in the first half and led by like 16 at one point, and I think the Suns teams of old wouldn't have stuck in there, so that's good to see. I'd like to see them get better at holding leads though

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Does anyone know what the lottery situation is this year with the expanded playoffs/play in game in effect this year? What happens to the teams that are in the play in game (7-10 iirc)?
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I think the play-in tournament is in a kind of limbo where the winner of the 7-8 game becomes the "official" #7 seed and the loser hosts the winner of 9-10 to decide the "official" #8 seed so I assume it would resolve that way. So I think the teams that are eliminated in the play-in don't count as official playoff teams for lottery purposes and would be placed in the lottery by record while those that advance from the play-in are playoff teams and aren't in the lottery but I'm not 100% sure of this.

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Wasn't this the case last season? If so, all non-playoff teams end up in the lottery as usual.

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Basically the teams who lose in the play-in drop into the lotto in the position that there record would dictate prior to the play-in.

Which could theoretically lead to the hilarious situation where a 7 seed with a record way above .500 loses the play-in and wins the lotto. Very unlikely but it's possible

KCF0107 posted...

Wasn't this the case last season? If so, all non-playoff teams end up in the lottery as usual.

Little bit different last season in that records were effectively frozen based on pre-bubble records. There was 1 team who lost so many it would gave them a better lotto pick if not for that fact. But yeah for the most part same as last season, we just didn't see it change anything as the play-in lower seeds lost. More chance of something happening this year with double the playin slots.

Magic's available roster tonight

PG - Mason
SG - Bacon / Ross
SF - Ennis
PF - Clark / Okeke
C - Vuc / Birch / Bamba

Mason is a two way player. Nobody else on our team can really play point. I genuinely think Okeke may be the best option (which has zero chance of happening).

3 of those players (potentially 4) have no real business being in the league nevermind playing starting level minutes against Golden State.

lol

https://twitter.com/ManGamesLostNBA/status/1359306841214377986

Run Bamba at the point imo

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Mason went down injured in the first 4 minutes. So we are down to 8 guys and zero point guards