Board 8 > NBA playoffs - where Devin Booker happens

(+) Yeah! (+)

it's not just getting duncan, it's getting duncan when you already have david robinson and a perennial 55-win team. that one targeted year of tanking worked out so incredibly, improbably well

it's kind of comparable to cleveland having lebron, then also getting 3 #1 picks in 4 years while he comes back

And the big difference is that Cleveland botched two of those picks and the other was Kyrie

SeabassDebeste posted...

it's not just getting duncan, it's getting duncan when you already have david robinson and a perennial 55-win team. that one targeted year of tanking worked out so incredibly, improbably well

it's kind of comparable to cleveland having lebron, then also getting 3 #1 picks in 4 years while he comes back

Robinson being there only accounts for one of those rings! Three of them were post-Robinson and one Robinson contributed in the sense that he was physically there for it.

Leonhart4 posted...

And the big difference is that Cleveland botched two of those picks and the other was Kyrie

One of those picks was Kevin Love, which worked out very well. One of those finals losses was injury luck and the other two...well, prime KD joining a 73-win team happened.

Oh, I guess you're talking about trading for Kevin Love, which, yeah, that's why you trade for assets instead of trying to make the right pick.

And you could argue Duncan was already the best player on the team when the Spurs won the first one, but Robinson was definitely still a key player.

Leonhart4 posted...

Oh, I guess you're talking about trading for Kevin Love, which, yeah, that's why you trade for assets instead of trying to make the right pick.

And you could argue Duncan was already the best player on the team when the Spurs won the first one, but Robinson was definitely still a key player.

Here is another way to look at #1 overall picks.

In the last 30 drafts, the only teams to have their #1 overall pick contribute to a title are the Duncan Spurs and the LeBron-Kyrie-Love Cavs.

The LeBron first run Cavs, Shaq Magic, Iverson Sixers, and Ayton Suns are the only other teams to even make the finals.

Turning great players into title opportunities, let alone titles, is really, really, really hard.

Magic made the finals with Dwight Howard but point still stands

https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1656863411375054850

Bye bye Knicks

no sign of game 6 klay

game 6 austin reaves

austin reaves has that devin booker neck syndrome where he has to snap it back like he got shot at the slightest contact

Draymond sticks the ball in Schroeder's face, somehow Schroeder gets ejected

Lonnie Walker IV Warrior killer

Champs with no defense can't defend.

Oldest story in the world.

Go Lebron
Go Heat

VESTED interest finals!!

Puke

The warriors needed to play well enough to win 1 in LA to stay in the series.

4 days ago they did exactly that. We should be going to 7 instead of getting eliminated right now.

Better team won tbh

I would enjoy the novelty of a 7 vs 8 finals but not if one of those teams is the Lakers. Let's go Nuggets

SirChris posted...

Better team won tbh

Possibly. The core of the warriors dynasty doesn't have as much in the tank and they used to and the newer pieces didn't step it up when they needed to. Not to mention Draymond doing more harm than good in his attempt to galvanize the team... but it didn't deserve to end yet. Game 4 was a winning performance imo and a game 7 loss would have been easier to bear.

No one can beat the Lakers left besides the Celtics.

Denver should but if LA is getting to the line 42 times then it aint happening. The last few months have been obvious and stupid ugh

Bostons season was done game 1 of this series imo

Corrik7 posted...

No one can beat the Lakers left besides the Celtics.

Yeah, except the Nuggets.

And the Sixers

And the Heat

Oh, you East coast dwellers and your eternal optimism. :p

ChichiriMuyo posted...

Yeah, except the Nuggets.

They match up terribly. Nah.

please, nikola jokic, you're our only hope

ChichiriMuyo posted...

Oh, you East coast dwellers and your eternal optimism. :p

Nah, it's not that. I just don't think we can say any of these teams can't lose to the others at this point.

Denver disrespect is real. Not only would I rate them the best chance to beat the Lakers, I think they should be the favorites still. Heat probably next (but I would favor LA here) because HEAT CULTURE.

I feel like Denver was the joke team when I was a kid, and that's never really left my mind, despite the good years with Melo and a bunch of really good seasons.

I mean they're the nuggets. Until they change their name they're always going to be disrespected.

They need to change their name to the Spicy Nugs and then they'd get more respect

well i mean part of the issue with denver is that melo years were considered good lol

By their standards, they were! This year is the, what, fifth time they've made the Conference Finals, and two of them have been in last four seasons. So making one with Melo counts as a highlight!

Leonhart4 posted...

By their standards, they were! This year is the, what, fifth time they've made the Conference Finals, and two of them have been in last four seasons. So making one with Melo counts as a highlight!

and the fourth time they're playing the Lakers in the Conference Finals!

Nuggets in 5 tbh.

Eh, I'd say 6 personally but 5 wouldn't shock me.

if boston wins we really are gonna repeat the bubble season huh

Monty Williams out as the Suns coach

Not too surprising at this point

Leonhart4 posted...

Monty Williams out as the Suns coach

Not too surprising at this point

Leonhart4 posted...

https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1656863411375054850

Yeah, this'll do it.

I appreciate what Monty and did and brought to the team to get them to this point, but he had to go. A lot of their problems were coaching based.

Both coaches from the 2021 finals have already been fired

That has to be a record right?

I keep on drawing parallels between the Suns and the Bucks. Two franchises without any real championship pedigree who just recently have become relevant due to some rare superstar talent on their team. It just feels like the path to a championship is harder for those two teams for some reason, which made that finals between them all the more important. While both fanbases will never admit it, that could end up being either team's only crack at a championship. Something I suppose Bucks fans can take comfort in having been able to win it, while Suns fans are doomed to be left wondering.

More coaching candidates for the pistons to call

And Monty would fit our team better than all the other rumored finalists

WarThaNemesis2 posted...

Robinson being there only accounts for one of those rings! Three of them were post-Robinson and one Robinson contributed in the sense that he was physically there for it.

duncan was better than robinson, but the continuity of a 55 win team still helped a lot. obviously it's part of why jayson tatum haa had such great success early, even if it's hasn't results in a championship. (bird and magic getting drafted into super successful teams also helped)

but it's definitely true that the spurs continued to get great luck by finding parker and ginobli at the bottom of the draft

guffguy89 posted...

I keep on drawing parallels between the Suns and the Bucks. Two franchises without any real championship pedigree who just recently have become relevant due to some rare superstar talent on their team. It just feels like the path to a championship is harder for those two teams for some reason, which made that finals between them all the more important. While both fanbases will never admit it, that could end up being either team's only crack at a championship. Something I suppose Bucks fans can take comfort in having been able to win it, while Suns fans are doomed to be left wondering.

this is just how life works in the NBA if you aren't one of the 5-8 franchises who can just sign a prime lebron james or kevin durant in free agency, or have a 26yo prime generational talent force his way onto your team

the suns also never had a surefire top 10 guy during these three successful postseason runs. booker is fringe at best, chris paul and kevin durant are old.

Ja doing stupid shit again. On IG live with a gun

So much from learning from it and not being a problem for the team

Also in the case of Milwaukee and Phoenix, they both have new ownership groups who were probably looking for an excuse to fire the coach so they could bring in their own guy

why ja, why

Leonhart4 posted...

Nah, it's not that. I just don't think we can say any of these teams can't lose to the others at this point.

Oh, I didn't actually think it was that. In fact, for some reason I think you might actually live somewhere like Las Vegas, though I could be confusing you with someone else. But I do feel like even if the East teams have chance, the West is so stacked in comparison that overall the Eastern Conference is a joke. Not every team, but the conference as a whole.

Sorozone posted...

Yeah, this'll do it.

I appreciate what Monty and did and brought to the team to get them to this point, but he had to go. A lot of their problems were coaching based.

Hard disagree. All of the problems the team faced were outside of his control. He can't control injuries. It wasn't his choice to not trade a player that doesn't want to be there. It wasn't his choice to trade off the team's depth on the hope of an aging and injury prone star. He's a scape goat, plain and simple. I would bet he's already received multiple calls from teams that want him. The problem the Suns have is the problem they so often have had for a long time - ownership. Even new owners aren't doing the team any favor. The last time a Suns owner did the team a favor, he got the league to make some changes to the rules in a way the let Steve Nash excel, but even then they didn't follow through all that well.

ChichiriMuyo posted...

Oh, I didn't actually think it was that. In fact, for some reason I think you might actually live somewhere like Las Vegas, though I could be confusing you with someone else. But I do feel like even if the East teams have chance, the West is so stacked in comparison that overall the Eastern Conference is a joke. Not every team, but the conference as a whole.

Disagree.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/2/2/AAFutCAAEedK.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/2/4/AAFutCAAEedM.jpg