NBA 2019-2020

[Sarni]

A few predictions for round 1, some quite brave and probably over 100/1 odds:

• Dame will beat Jordan’s playoffs point record of 63
• Bucks, Raptors, Celtics and Heat won’t even drop a single game
• Thunder will beat Rockets with CP3 averaging well over 20 ppg
• LeBron will have a 40 points triple double

 

[RobinLFC]

A few predictions for round 1, some quite brave and probably over 100/1 odds:

• Dame will beat Jordan’s playoffs point record of 63
• Bucks, Raptors, Celtics and Heat won’t even drop a single game
• Thunder will beat Rockets with CP3 averaging well over 20 ppg
• LeBron will have a 40 points triple double

I'd love all of those to happen (not necessarily the sweeps, don't care about that).

I'd even bet on Dame beating MJ's record if it gets good odds.

Meanwhile the Nets are back within single digits after being down 2934 midway through the second.

 

[freeurmind]

Porzingis ejection was 100% BS. Tired of refs deciding playoff games.

 

[Fracture90]

Porzingis ejection was 100% BS. Tired of refs deciding playoff games.

Such a weak call.

 

[Sarni]

Mavericks may be slightly more competitive against Clippers than I expected them to be. Still I do not expect this to go over 6 games, and it will probably end in 5 or even 4 but games will be close. I thought this would really be four easy wins for LA.

 

[freeurmind]

If Doncic continues at that level, Dallas deffo have a shot.

 

[Sarni]

If Doncic continues at that level, Dallas deffo have a shot.

At winning 1 or 2 games?

 

[freeurmind]

At winning 1 or 2 games?

No at winning the series. Carlisle is a great coach and while Kawhi's playoff resume is impressive, I like this Dallas team to make some noise. Dallas kept things close in the 4th without KP.

 

[Fracture90]

No at winning the series. Carlisle is a great coach and while Kawhi's playoff resume is impressive, I like this Dallas team to make some noise. Dallas kept things close in the 4th without KP.

They haven't got enough depth to do so. Clippers are a unique team because where teams like Bucks, Raptors, Heat can contain other teams, Clippers can straight up lock down an opponent.

 

[RobinLFC]

They haven't got enough depth to do so. Clippers are a unique team because where teams like Bucks, Raptors, Heat can contain other teams, Clippers can straight up lock down an opponent.

They’re overhyped.

 

[Sarni]

No at winning the series. Carlisle is a great coach and while Kawhi's playoff resume is impressive, I like this Dallas team to make some noise. Dallas kept things close in the 4th without KP.

There's no chance they will win the series. Clippers are a tier above.

 

[Fridge chutney]

Porzingis ejection was 100% BS. Tired of refs deciding playoff games.

Agreed. I thought it was harsh.

 

[Sarni]

They’re overhyped.

They aren't. Strongest roster in the NBA and hardest matchup for any team. The only reason they aren't overwhelming favorites for the title is they cruised through regular season. For me title chances are:

Clippers 30%
Bucks 25%
Lakers 20%
Field 25% (I really do feel this good about other teams making it all the way - Raptors, Heat, Celtics all have a chance, maybe even Rockets or Nuggets)

 

[Fracture90]

They’re overhyped.

Doubt that mate.

 

[RobinLFC]

They aren't. Strongest roster in the NBA and hardest matchup for any team. The only reason they aren't overwhelming favorites for the title is they cruised through regular season. For me title chances are:

Clippers 30%
Bucks 25%
Lakers 20%
Field 25% (I really do feel this good about other teams making it all the way - Raptors, Heat, Celtics all have a chance, maybe even Rockets or Nuggets)

Doubt that mate.

They haven’t been anything special - you can call that “cruising” if you want but their best players haven’t played together a lot and I haven’t seen them really click yet. When playing at their best this season they were a tier below the best that the Lakers, Bucks, Raptors and maybe even the Rockets have shown. The Raptors are also showing that Kawhi’s presence there last season might just be a bit overblown too. They’re a great team and it’s not like he carried them imo.

Agree that they have the strongest roster altogether but nah I don’t have them over the Bucks, Raptors and Lakers at the moment. Not to mention that they’re still a franchise with a reputation of bottling it in the playoffs, historically speaking. I’ll bet against them until they prove me wrong.

 

[mazhar13]

They haven’t been anything special - you can call that “cruising” if you want but their best players haven’t played together a lot and I haven’t seen them really click yet. When playing at their best this season they were a tier below the best that the Lakers, Bucks, Raptors and maybe even the Rockets have shown. The Raptors are also showing that Kawhi’s presence there last season might just be a bit overblown too. They’re a great team and it’s not like he carried them imo.

Agree that they have the strongest roster altogether but nah I don’t have them over the Bucks, Raptors and Lakers at the moment. Not to mention that they’re still a franchise with a reputation of bottling it in the playoffs, historically speaking. I’ll bet against them until they prove me wrong.

Whilst their regular season wasn't impressive, we've started to see the impact both Kawhi and George will have in the playoffs. Both players were impressive on both ends of the floor, and they were the primary reason behind the Clippers eventually beating the Mavericks (alongside Porzingis's dismissal). The rest of the team...we'll see how they fare in the playoffs. For all the hype about their depth, I think the Bucks, Raptors, and Heat have a deeper roster, whilst the Celtics have a surprisingly underrated bench.

 

[Sarni]

They haven’t been anything special - you can call that “cruising” if you want but their best players haven’t played together a lot and I haven’t seen them really click yet. When playing at their best this season they were a tier below the best that the Lakers, Bucks, Raptors and maybe even the Rockets have shown. The Raptors are also showing that Kawhi’s presence there last season might just be a bit overblown too. They’re a great team and it’s not like he carried them imo.

Agree that they have the strongest roster altogether but nah I don’t have them over the Bucks, Raptors and Lakers at the moment. Not to mention that they’re still a franchise with a reputation of bottling it in the playoffs, historically speaking. I’ll bet against them until they prove me wrong.

At full strength they’ve been as impressive as any other team, definitely not a tier below anyone.

 

[Fridge chutney]

They haven’t been anything special - you can call that “cruising” if you want but their best players haven’t played together a lot and I haven’t seen them really click yet. When playing at their best this season they were a tier below the best that the Lakers, Bucks, Raptors and maybe even the Rockets have shown. The Raptors are also showing that Kawhi’s presence there last season might just be a bit overblown too. They’re a great team and it’s not like he carried them imo.

Agree that they have the strongest roster altogether but nah I don’t have them over the Bucks, Raptors and Lakers at the moment. Not to mention that they’re still a franchise with a reputation of bottling it in the playoffs, historically speaking. I’ll bet against them until they prove me wrong.

This is an interesting take and one that I mostly agree with. I'm really disappointed that we didn't get to see the game end with Porzingis down the stretch. I think Kawhi/George would have proven too much in the end, but you never know.

Also, at the start of this season I remember some analysts saying that the Raptors would struggle to make the playoffs without Kawhi. Pretty laughable at the time, not only in hindsight.

 

[freeurmind]

Coach Bud determined to give EVERYBODY minutes.

 

[Sarni]

This is an interesting take and one that I mostly agree with. I'm really disappointed that we didn't get to see the game end with Porzingis down the stretch. I think Kawhi/George would have proven too much in the end, but you never know.

Also, at the start of this season I remember some analysts saying that the Raptors would struggle to make the playoffs without Kawhi. Pretty laughable at the time, not only in hindsight.

Raptors are an incredibly run franchise. Not a single one of their key players was drafted in lottery, their key players were either late first round picks or undrafted. Nick Nurse’s path to becoming first team coach in NBA was extremely gritty too and it shows. Them vs Celtics will be very interesting, I expect Celtics to prove to be too much (though with Hayward gone their bench gets significantly shorter).

 

[Sarni]

Coach Bud determined to give EVERYBODY minutes.

I hope it’s just because he’s convinced he will knock Orlando out regardless. Once they start playing serious team with Heat in the second round he has to make that rotation 9 deep at most and give Giannis and Middleton at least 38 minutes each every game. Knowing him he probably won’t realize that, he’s been very stubborn about limiting his starters minutes.

 

[freeurmind]

I know it's one game, but I think the Bucks need a new coach.

 

[RobinLFC]

I know it's neutral venue and all that, but when's the last time an #8 seed won Game 1 in the first round?

 

[Meller]

I might only have time to watch 1 game tomorrow (in Europe so not live). Should I choose Rockets-Thunder or Lakers-Trail Blazers? In terms of competitiveness, not rooting for any team really.

 

[Sarni]

I know it's neutral venue and all that, but when's the last time an #8 seed won Game 1 in the first round?

Bulls v Celtics 2017. Also won game 2.

 

[Sarni]

I might only have time to watch 1 game tomorrow (in Europe so not live). Should I choose Rockets-Thunder or Lakers-Trail Blazers? In terms of competitiveness, not rooting for any team really.

Rockets v Thunder will be really competitive. Blazers v Lakers might be too.

I will watch both live from Europe btw.

 

[RobinLFC]

Rockets v Thunder will be really competitive. Blazers v Lakers might be too.

I will watch both live from Europe btw.

Do you ever sleep?

I'm contemplating getting up at 3am but that's tomorrow pretty much fecked if I do. Might leave the sleep deprivation for the latter stages of the playoffs if the Lakers go deep.

 

[Meller]

Rockets v Thunder will be really competitive. Blazers v Lakers might be too.

I will watch both live from Europe btw.

I know you're a Blazers fan so makes sense you'd watch it live. The good thing about Europe, well Sweden is that no one cares about the NBA so super easy to avoid all the results.

I'll watch Thunder-Rockets first and if I have time I'll watch the Lakers-Blazers I guess!

 

[Sarni]

Do you ever sleep?

I'm contemplating getting up at 3am but that's tomorrow pretty much fecked if I do. Might leave the sleep deprivation for the latter stages of the playoffs if the Lakers go deep.

I work from home so I’ll probably go to sleep at 6, wake up at 10, work for 2-3 hours and go back to sleep for 30 mins during lunch break and then catch up on sleep after work. It’s doable. Not healthy but I’ll do that mostly for Blazers games.

 

[drdoityourself]

Well that was an ugly loss. The rotation seems as you say way too deep , the shot selection is also just awful sometimes. How Brook Lopez and Blodsoe are allowed to continuously take a three with 16 seconds remaining on the shotclock and no-one in place to take a rebound astounds me.

Just seemed as though nobody, from the coaches to the players, treated the game with an intensity of a playoff game. They've coasted throughout the bubble and haven't snapped back into gear.

 

[syrian_scholes]

Harden been so great tonight, love how the rockets performed tonight.

 

[Bubz27]

Annoying the Lakers ain't on sky sports.

 

[Fridge chutney]

Annoying the Lakers ain't on sky sports.

There are a lot of good NBA rivers.

 

[Fridge chutney]

Raptors are an incredibly run franchise. Not a single one of their key players was drafted in lottery, their key players were either late first round picks or undrafted. Nick Nurse’s path to becoming first team coach in NBA was extremely gritty too and it shows. Them vs Celtics will be very interesting, I expect Celtics to prove to be too much (though with Hayward gone their bench gets significantly shorter).

Yeah I agree. I actually think that the Celtics will be the toughest challenge for the Raps in the East, even more than the Bucks. For whatever reason, the Raptors don't match up as well against Boston. But if their bench performs like last playoff run, I think we'll see them in the final with a decent shot at retention.

 

[ZDwyr]

Rockets v Thunder will be really competitive. Blazers v Lakers might be too.

I will watch both live from Europe btw.

Keep your jinx away from us.

 

[Bubz27]

There are a lot of good NBA rivers.

On second thought...

Lakers have shot so terribly since the restart. Doesn't look like it'll turn back on either.

 

[Sandyman]

Brilliant 4th quarter from the Blazers

 

[SportingCP96]

This series will go to 7 games most likely.

Blazers just seem to be on another level as of recently. Real dark horses in the west.

 

[SportingCP96]

Yeah I agree. I actually think that the Celtics will be the toughest challenge for the Raps in the East, even more than the Bucks. For whatever reason, the Raptors don't match up as well against Boston. But if their bench performs like last playoff run, I think we'll see them in the final with a decent shot at retention.

Raptors are my pick to win the east over the Bucks tbh. They are a great team.

 

[ZDwyr]

The Lakers are no good offensively. They're bottom 10 in the league for 3P%. No team has won a title being that bad for a long time (if ever?). I think Portland will win this series.