NBA 2019-2020

[Sarni]

Why isn’t Giannis playing?

He played in the game although limited minutes. I guess it’s because they have nothing to play for.

What a shot by Booker to win that game. 3 wins for Suns in the bubble and they are back in playoffs race at 29-39 with minimal margin for error (they probably have to go at least 4-1 to have a chance).

Warren with 17 in first quarter after 53 & 34 in his previous games... bubble MVP. Pacers have been excellent there overall. 43 points in first quarter against Magic tonight, good wins over Sixers and Wiz.

 

[SportingCP96]

HUGE HUGE shot be Melo there with 30 seconds to go and up by 2. They put the game to bed.

This is a BIG win for Portland in the hunt for that 8th seed.

To think they could of won that game vs the Celtics ad well.

They have looked good since the restart.

 

[SportingCP96]

Also Nurkic was absolutely fantastic tonight.

 

[Fracture90]

Huge win for the Nuggets to go 2.5 games above Thunder. If Jazz lose to Lakers tonight my bet is starting to look proper solid (5/5 football league outcomes have come through, Rockets and Raptors to win divisions look virtually done).

I don’t really trust Nuggets in the playoffs but they looked solid tonight. MPJ was fantastic and it was not first time, he has great offensive potential and was a complete steal where they drafted him. It also made complete sense for them to pick him as with the talent they already had there was no issue waiting another year or two before he’s ready to contribute. He’s a massive conspiracy idiot but a good player.

Raptors looked great against Heat up until final 5 minutes of third quarter where they completely collapsed, somehow recovered in fourth though. VanVleet was fantastic. They are such a good team.

Why are Grizzlies playing back to back now? Seems so unfair. They will get destroyed by Pelicans. Pels may need to win all their remaining games to have a shot at playoffs and looking at their calendar they are capable of pulling that off.

They had 5 months without any basketball and yet 3 of their starters are out, injured...

Think they need just 1 more win to secure 3-6th seed but if all started aren't recovered by the playoffs time, It'll gonna be an express exit for them.

 

[SportingCP96]

They had 5 months without any basketball and yet 3 of their starters are out, injured...

Think they need just 1 more win to secure 3-6th seed but if all started aren't recovered by the playoffs time, It'll gonna be an express exit for them.

They do have one big team too look forward too and that is Michael Porter JR. That kid looks like he will
Be a problem!

 

[Fracture90]

They do have one big team too look forward too and that is Michael Porter JR. That kid looks like he will
Be a problem!

Could be, but seems that he's way too injury prone. His whole family has issues. Remember seeing somewhere that both his brother and sister have had something like 4 ACL surgeries combined. Hope he can stay healthy.

 

[drdoityourself]

Giannis, Middleton, Bledsoe and Hill didn't play in the second half. Matthews and Brook Lopez were rested.

See the media in my country only looking at the final score and are talking about a bit of a crisis.

Almost seemed as Bud wanted to show he didn't care about the win. Korver put down two vital baskets with a minute to go and was immediately pulled off.
Nets were also without just about everybody so this is a very good win for them. The lack of character and ability to step up from Bucks role players is a bit worrying, but some of these guys are not going to see any minutes in the playoffs.

 

[RobinLFC]

Giannis, Middleton, Bledsoe and Hill didn't play in the second half. Matthews and Brook Lopez were rested.

See the media in my country only looking at the final score and are talking about a bit of a crisis.

Almost seemed as Bud wanted to show he didn't care about the win. Korver put down two vital baskets with a minute to go and was immediately pulled off.
Nets were also without just about everybody so this is a very good win for them. The lack of character and ability to step up from Bucks role players is a bit worrying, but some of these guys are not going to see any minutes in the playoffs.

Might be that they rather have Orlando in the first round then the Nets. A loss would make sense in that case, and even if they somehow face the Nets: don't give too much away from your starting line-up (even though it'd be pretty obvious anyway).

They literally have nothing left to play for, #1 seed in the East locked up and there's no home-court advantage in the Finals so the #1 overall seed means nothing this season. I wouldn't risk an injury to Giannis either in that case.

 

[WeePat]

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[Sarni]

Could be, but seems that he's way too injury prone. His whole family has issues. Remember seeing somewhere that both his brother and sister have had something like 4 ACL surgeries combined. Hope he can stay healthy.

Apparently he’s sorted out his issues and isn’t at a significant risk. It was always the same issue from what I remember.

Another win for Denver which brings them closer to division title and myself closer to that $2k. Also makes it much more clear for 8-9 run in, Spurs are now very unlikely to make it. Grizzlies lost fourth in a row and have gone to 32-37... there’s a chance Portland will go to 8th and will only need to win one over them. Our calendar is awful but the way we’ve been playing so far in the bubble there’s not a team we can’t beat. I don’t even think Lakers would find it that easy to beat us in first round.

Pelicans have a super easy run in though. It’s not really unthinkable that they end up above Grizzlies either... Griz could lose all remaining games to go 32-41. Pelicans are 29-38 with 5 to go so with 3-2 they’d already better that. Suns have been on a roll but at 29-39 they probably need to win out to have a good chance at Mega Ball. Maybe 4-1 from now would give them a tiny chance.

 

[Fracture90]

Apparently he’s sorted out his issues and isn’t at a significant risk. It was always the same issue from what I remember.

Another win for Denver which brings them closer to division title and myself closer to that $2k. Also makes it much more clear for 8-9 run in, Spurs are now very unlikely to make it. Grizzlies lost fourth in a row and have gone to 32-37... there’s a chance Portland will go to 8th and will only need to win one over them. Our calendar is awful but the way we’ve been playing so far in the bubble there’s not a team we can’t beat. I don’t even think Lakers would find it that easy to beat us in first round.

Pelicans have a super easy run in though. It’s not really unthinkable that they end up above Grizzlies either... Griz could lose all remaining games to go 32-41. Pelicans are 29-38 with 5 to go so with 3-2 they’d already better that. Suns have been on a roll but at 29-39 they probably need to win out to have a good chance at Mega Ball. Maybe 4-1 from now would give them a tiny chance.

Don't think there's a long term fix for bad back, especially in the NBA my dude.

 

[RobinLFC]

Feck sake Memphis, can't buy a win to save their lives in Orlando so far. A play-in seems unavoidable at the moment. I really want Morant vs us in the first round, not the Blazers or the Spurs once again. Gonna be a dog's race for that 9th spot.

Although the Spurs continuing their playoff streak against all odds would also be kinda cool.

 

[Fracture90]

I'd prefer NOLA to get that 8th spot ahead of Portland and Memphis tbh. Young and exiting team, playoff experience would do wonders for them.

 

[RobinLFC]

I'd prefer NOLA to get that 8th spot ahead of Portland and Memphis tbh. Young and exiting team, playoff experience would do wonders for them.

Their schedule is certainly favorable as well. They play the Wizards, Spurs, Kings and Magic in their last 4 games. If they win against the Spurs, 4-0 isn't out of the question.

The Spurs have the Jazz twice, the Pelicans and the Rockets. Portland has the Nuggets and Clippers as their next two, should win at least one of those games to stay in contention imo.

Memphis is still #8 but they face OKC now and then close out against the top 3 from the East. If they're already resting players by then it might be doable to have a spot in the play-in, think they only need to win one or max two games from those. A win against OKC would do wonders for their chances.

Right now I'd say Grizzlies vs Pelicans. Zion vs Morant for the playoff spot

 

[Fracture90]

Their schedule is certainly favorable as well. They play the Wizards, Spurs, Kings and Magic in their last 4 games. If they win against the Spurs, 4-0 isn't out of the question.

The Spurs have the Jazz twice, the Pelicans and the Rockets. Portland has the Nuggets and Clippers as their next two, should win at least one of those games to stay in contention imo.

Memphis is still #8 but they face OKC now and then close out against the top 3 from the East. If they're already resting players by then it might be doable to have a spot in the play-in, think they only need to win one or max two games from those. A win against OKC would do wonders for their chances.

Right now I'd say Grizzlies vs Pelicans. Zion vs Morant for the playoff spot

Portland will probably win against Nuggets tonight. Malone will look to rest MPJ on back to back games whilst Murray, Harris and Barton are still injured.

 

[Sarni]

Feck sake Memphis, can't buy a win to save their lives in Orlando so far. A play-in seems unavoidable at the moment. I really want Morant vs us in the first round, not the Blazers or the Spurs once again. Gonna be a dog's race for that 9th spot.

Although the Spurs continuing their playoff streak against all odds would also be kinda cool.

I don't think Memphis will even make it into play-in. Think it will be Pelicans v Blazers.

Pelicans (29-38): Kings, Wizards, Spurs, Kings, Magic
Grizzlies (32-37): Thunder, Raptors, Celtics, Bucks
Blazers (31-38): Nuggets, Clippers, Sixers, Mavericks, Nets

Spurs and Suns too far behind IMO. Blazers will beat Nets, so if they go 2-2 in the other 4 games they will finish 34-40. Grizzlies would need to go 2-2 to beat that and looking at their schedule I'm not sure if they are going to win even 1 game.

 

[Sarni]

I'd prefer NOLA to get that 8th spot ahead of Portland and Memphis tbh. Young and exiting team, playoff experience would do wonders for them.

They haven't done shit this season. I'm backing my Portland to get it. In current shape by far the best of all 8th spot contenders.

 

[Sarni]

Portland will probably win against Nuggets tonight. Malone will look to rest MPJ on back to back games whilst Murray, Harris and Barton are still injured.

Yeah I expect that, back to backs suck in the bubble. I need Nuggets to finish ahead of Jazz and Thunder though (+2.0 and +2.5 respectively now), my massive bet relies on them and Rockets winning their divisions (I've already counted in Raptors as a win).

 

[Fracture90]

They haven't done shit this season. I'm backing my Portland to get it. In current shape by far the best of all 8th spot contenders.

You can back whomever you want, your choice. But have Portland done more than NOLA? Portland despite missing Nurkic, had CJ and Dame yet they're still lagging behind. NOLA being a young team was without Zion for a huge chunk of the season and they're in the rebuild phase.

 

[Sarni]

You can back whomever you want, your choice. But have Portland done more than NOLA? Portland despite missing Nurkic, had CJ and Dame yet they're still lagging behind. NOLA being a young team was without Zion for a huge chunk of the season and they're in the rebuild phase.

Of course Portland have done more. They were in conference finals last year and have been battling injuries all season long, it's not just Nurkic - it's Nurkic, Collins and Hood, three starters. Fully healthy it's easily a 45-50 win team as proven before.

For all the hype Pelicans are barely .500 even with Zion. They're long way from being good and Lakers would easily destroy them in the first round. Portland are the only possible 8th seed that will make it a series.

 

[Fracture90]

Of course Portland have done more. They were in conference finals last year and have been battling injuries all season long, it's not just Nurkic - it's Nurkic, Collins and Hood, three starters. Fully healthy it's easily a 45-50 win team as proven before.

For all the hype Pelicans are barely .500 even with Zion. They're long way from being good and Lakers would easily destroy them in the first round. Portland are the only possible 8th seed that will make it a series.

So Portland deserve to spot because they were in the conference final last year? Then going by that logic NOLA deserve to be ahead of Portland because they've swept Portland 2 years ago in the first round, was it? Collins yes, but Hood transitioned to a starter only this season and also Portland has Whiteside who did a good job of replacing Nurkic, scoring almost 16 pts per game.

 

[Sarni]

So Portland deserve to spot because they were in the conference final last year? Then going by that logic NOLA deserve to be ahead of Portland because they've swept Portland 2 years ago in the first round, was it? Collins yes, but Hood transitioned to a starter only this season and also Portland has Whiteside who did a good job of replacing Nurkic, scoring almost 16 pts per game.

Whiteside is a stat padder and nowhere near Nurkic. Jrue and Moore are the only players from the team that swept Blazers who are still there. Portland are quite clearly a better team than New Orleans and will be more competitive in the playoffs, there wouldn’t even be a battle for 8th if we had the team heathy for whole season as we would be somewhere around Jazz and Mavs. The fact we are still close is just because Dame is amazing.

 

[Fracture90]

Whiteside is a stat padder and nowhere near Nurkic. Jrue and Moore are the only players from the team that swept Blazers who are still there. Portland are quite clearly a better team than New Orleans and will be more competitive in the playoffs, there wouldn’t even be a battle for 8th if we had the team heathy for whole season as we would be somewhere around Jazz and Mavs. The fact we are still close is just because Dame is amazing.

Mate, stat padder or not he contributed and he's a defensive anchor. Also is a bit unfair to count what happened last year but ignore what happened two years ago.

Either way, you're biased which i understand. Are Blazers better team than NOLA? They probably are, but better teams don't always end up on the winning side. Can NOLA also surprise LAL? Yes, i believe so.

The sense of entitlement that Portland should be ahead of some teams is purely ridiculous when you take in consideration just how young and inexperienced both NOLA and Grizzlies teams are and how much they're overachieving, they should be rewarded for it.

Inuries happen, last season Nuggets were without bunch of starters for a huge chunk of the season yet they still managed to get that 2nd seed.

 

[Sarni]

Mate, stat padder or not he contributed and he's a defensive anchor. Also is a bit unfair to count what happened last year but ignore what happened two years ago.

Either way, you're biased which i understand. Are Blazers better team than NOLA? They probably are, but better teams don't always end up on the winning side. Can NOLA also surprise LAL? Yes, i believe so.

The sense of entitlement that Portland should be ahead of some teams is purely ridiculous when you take in consideration just how young and inexperienced both NOLA and Grizzlies teams are and how much they're overachieving, they should be rewarded for it.

Inuries happen, last season Nuggets were without bunch of starters for a huge chunk of the season yet they still managed to get that 2nd seed.

Defensive anchor? Have you actually seen Whiteside play? He's a bad defender. There's a reason why Heat have been so much better on defense without him, and were reluctant to put him on the floor in crucial moments when he was there.

How is it unfair to count what happened 12 months ago? It's virtually the same team minus Seth Curry, but with Carmelo. Of course it's relevant as they've already proven to be a good playoffs and regular season team. Pelicans have proven nothing, they are just hype.

Sense of entitlement? You literally want Pelicans to be there just because they are "young and fun" while not recognizing the fact that they haven't actually been good at any point this season. Pelicans hype has been one of the most appalling things about this NBA season, both Grizzlies and Blazers have been better than them yet all the talk is about how awesome Pelicans are. NBA has literally built their bubble rules around the possibility of getting Zion into playoffs.

 

[Scarecrow]

Whiteside is far from a "defensive anchor". He jumps on every pump fake in search for blocks and has no awareness of what's going on around him.

@Sarni I agree with you on the Pelicans but I'll remind you that you were on that hype train for a while there, as well . It's easy to get sucked-in.

 

[Fracture90]

Defensive anchor? Have you actually seen Whiteside play? He's a bad defender. There's a reason why Heat have been so much better on defense without him, and were reluctant to put him on the floor in crucial moments when he was there.

How is it unfair to count what happened 12 months ago? It's virtually the same team minus Seth Curry, but with Carmelo. Of course it's relevant as they've already proven to be a good playoffs and regular season team. Pelicans have proven nothing, they are just hype.

Sense of entitlement? You literally want Pelicans to be there just because they are "young and fun" while not recognizing the fact that they haven't actually been good at any point this season. Pelicans hype has been one of the most appalling things about this NBA season, both Grizzlies and Blazers have been better than them yet all the talk is about how awesome Pelicans are.

In the absence of Nurkic, he sure was. Is he a perfect defender, nope? Has he done a decent job? Yes

Two years isn't 10 years ago, that's why.

I want them to be there because despite being young and inexperienced they're in the contention for that 8th spot and you don't get in that position by not doing anything, especially in the western conference.

On the other hand you want Portland to make it because "they've played in the conference final last season" and because they'd give a stronger resistance to LAL.. Yes, that's entitlement my dude.

 

[Stacks]

Could be, but seems that he's way too injury prone. His whole family has issues. Remember seeing somewhere that both his brother and sister have had something like 4 ACL surgeries combined. Hope he can stay healthy.

He has had back and ankle. Lets hope he doesn't do his ACL!

 

[Sarni]

Whiteside is far from a "defensive anchor". He jumps on every pump fake in search for blocks and has no awareness of what's going on around him.

@Sarni I agree with you on the Pelicans but I'll remind you that you were on that hype train for a while there, as well . It's easy to get sucked-in.

I know, I still like them and root for them in the long run. They can be a great team. It's just that they aren't one now, far from it and it's extremely annoying how talked up they are despite barely having a good game all season long.

 

[Sarni]

In the absence of Nurkic, he sure was. Is he a perfect defender, nope? Has he done a decent job? Yes

Two years isn't 10 years ago, that's why.

I want them to be there because despite being young and inexperienced they're in the contention for that 8th spot and you don't get in that position by not doing anything, especially in the western conference.

On the other hand you want Portland to make it because "they've played in the conference final last season" and because they'd give a stronger resistance to LAL.. Yes, that's entitlement my dude.

Whiteside has been bad defensively for Blazers. Our defense sucked against any half decent team all season, it's just because Dame was able to score 50 a night on a regular basis that we still have a shot at it.

Pelicans starting 5 when they swept Blazers: Holiday, Rondo, Moore, Mirotic, Davis
Pelicans starting 5 now: Ball, Holiday, Ingram, Zion, Favors
Difference: Davis, Mirotic and Rondo left. Moore on the bench.

Blazers starting 5 when they reached ECF: Lillard, McCollum, Hood, Collins, Nurkic
Blazers starting 5 now: Lillard, McCollum, Anthony, Collins, Nurkic
Difference: Hood got injured.

Blazers are clearly an above .500 team and they have proven that many times before. The same team got 53 wins last year. The only reason they are struggling to make the 8th seed this year is because of injuries, there's no other reason and it wouldn't even be remotely close with Nurkic and Collins in the team this year. Blazers have had a bad season but there's no way they'd be 31-38 otherwise, and the team that is on the floor right now is the (almost) complete one - that's why I think it'd be good for NBA if they made it because you are virtually getting a 45-50 win team up there against Lakers as opposed to a team that has basically not won a tough game all season.

Pelicans have really done nothing this season. They are 29-38. They are 9-27 against teams with winning record (which won't change because NBA has given them a schedule where they don't even get to play another team with a winning record until it's over). In a normal season they wouldn't even be in the playoffs race, it's just because other teams have been poor/injured that they are within a shout. I'd literally rather have Suns there because they have at least proven they have the guts to go up against the good teams and not fold like Pelicans have done on almost all occasions this year.

We already have two cannon fodders at the bottom of Eastern Conference playoffs, we don't need another one in the West. Lakers v Blazers will be competitive.

 

[SportingCP96]

Whiteside has been bad defensively for Blazers. Our defense sucked against any half decent team all season, it's just because Dame was able to score 50 a night on a regular basis that we still have a shot at it.

Pelicans starting 5 when they swept Blazers: Holiday, Rondo, Moore, Mirotic, Davis
Pelicans starting 5 now: Ball, Holiday, Ingram, Zion, Favors
Difference: Davis, Mirotic and Rondo left. Moore on the bench.

Blazers starting 5 when they reached ECF: Lillard, McCollum, Hood, Collins, Nurkic
Blazers starting 5 now: Lillard, McCollum, Anthony, Collins, Nurkic
Difference: Hood got injured.

Blazers are clearly an above .500 team and they have proven that many times before. The same team got 53 wins last year. The only reason they are struggling to make the 8th seed this year is because of injuries, there's no other reason and it wouldn't even be remotely close with Nurkic and Collins in the team this year. Blazers have had a bad season but there's no way they'd be 31-38 otherwise, and the team that is on the floor right now is the (almost) complete one - that's why I think it'd be good for NBA if they made it because you are virtually getting a 45-50 win team up there against Lakers as opposed to a team that has basically not won a tough game all season.

Pelicans have really done nothing this season. They are 29-38. They are 9-27 against teams with winning record (which won't change because NBA has given them a schedule where they don't even get to play another team with a winning record until it's over). In a normal season they wouldn't even be in the playoffs race, it's just because other teams have been poor/injured that they are within a shout. I'd literally rather have Suns there because they have at least proven they have the guts to go up against the good teams and not fold like Pelicans have done on almost all occasions this year.

We already have two cannon fodders at the bottom of Eastern Conference playoffs, we don't need another one in the West. Lakers v Blazers will be competitive.

I have to agree with this.What the NBA wants is Zion in the playoff BUT at this stage the pelicans have no reason being there. I do admit with Zo, Zion, and Ingram they have a great young potential core but it’s not there time right now.

Blazers would give LA a run for there money I have no doubt about it and they MAYBE could shock them ( I don’t think they will). Nonetheless blazers vs LA is what I want to see!

 

[Sarni]

I have to agree with this.What the NBA wants is Zion in the playoff BUT at this stage the pelicans have no reason being there. I do admit with Zo, Zion, and Ingram they have a great young potential core but it’s not there time right now.

Blazers would give LA a run for there money I have no doubt about it and they MAYBE could shock them ( I don’t think they will). Nonetheless blazers vs LA is what I want to see!

I think Blazers v Lakers will go at least 6 games, and will have at least one 40+ point performance from Dame and a 30+ performance from CJ. To be honest at full strength we are going to have a chance against them. We went into ECF without Nurkic who is so crucial for the way we play and our defense. The thing about Portland is that on our day we can beat anybody (except Bucks who are an awful matchup for us). Nurkic and Collins also have the strength to handle Davis now (as opposed to 2018 when he destroyed us), Lakers don't have backcourt to handle Dame and CJ... it could really get tricky. James vs whoever we put on him will obviously be tough for us.

Our calendar is dreadful but if we can go 3-2 we should be able to get at least 9th if not 8th. 8th is so important though as you then only have to win 1 of 2 against 9th seed. The rule is actually quite stupid now - it made sense when Grizzlies looked like they'd finish 3-4 games ahead of 9th but if it's Portland v New Orleans with one game separating them, it should be just best of 3.

 

[SportingCP96]

I think Blazers v Lakers will go at least 6 games, and will have at least one 40+ point performance from Dame and a 30+ performance from CJ. To be honest at full strength we are going to have a chance against them. We went into ECF without Nurkic who is so crucial for the way we play and our defense. The thing about Portland is that on our day we can beat anybody (except Bucks who are an awful matchup for us). Nurkic and Collins also have the strength to handle Davis now (as opposed to 2018 when he destroyed us), Lakers don't have backcourt to handle Dame and CJ... it could really get tricky. James vs whoever we put on him will obviously be tough for us.

Our calendar is dreadful but if we can go 3-2 we should be able to get at least 9th if not 8th. 8th is so important though as you then only have to win 1 of 2 against 9th seed. The rule is actually quite stupid now - it made sense when Grizzlies looked like they'd finish 3-4 games ahead of 9th but if it's Portland v New Orleans with one game separating them, it should be just best of 3.

The way it’s looking I think it will be NOLA vs Portland for that 8th seed for sure.

 

[RobinLFC]

The rule is actually quite stupid now - it made sense when Grizzlies looked like they'd finish 3-4 games ahead of 9th but if it's Portland v New Orleans with one game separating them, it should be just best of 3.

Indeed. Will be incredibly tough on a team missing out on a chance for the playoffs based on a tiebraker.

 

[Sarni]

Indeed. Will be incredibly tough on a team missing out on a chance for the playoffs based on a tiebraker.

On the other hand in a normal season if you end up 9th you don’t get the chance to slide into playoffs anyway, regardless if you are 1 or 10 games behind. They had the chance to make it more interesting though. I think one consensus is already that having a play-in tournament of any sort makes teams try more.

 

[Sarni]

Kings scoring at virtually every attempt in the first quarter here.

 

[Sarni]

49 points in a quarter.

 

[RORY65]

The Pelicans defensively are a mess currently, their future is obviously incredibly bright but they would be destroyed in the play offs, the Blazers would be a far more interesting match up for the Lakers.

 

[Sarni]

The Pelicans defensively are a mess currently, their future is obviously incredibly bright but they would be destroyed in the play offs, the Blazers would be a far more interesting match up for the Lakers.

On paper Lonzo and Jrue are both great defenders, easily top 10 in their positions and Jrue might be the best guard defender around. Favors used to be a good defender, Ingram is long and can move his feet, Zion is horrible on defense in NBA but used to be good in college. Is it Gentry? They should easily be above average defense.

They will probably win tonight because Kings are garbage but they will once again let the other team score 120+.

 

[Sarni]

Young and fun Pelicans lose again. 29-39 so probably need to win all 4 remaining games to have any chance. 32-40 won’t do it.

 

[SportingCP96]

Young and fun Pelicans lose again. 29-39 so probably need to win all 4 remaining games to have any chance. 32-40 won’t do it.

This was the end for them. Unless blazers and Memphis just collapse.

The pelicans have been terrible in the bubble!