NBA: *** 2024 NBA thread ***
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OKC is gonna just be sitting there for 6-10 days while the other three west series all go 6-7 games. They’re already done when four of the teams on the other side haven’t played a fourth game yet.
Going to be tough to oust OKC. Most complete team I’ve seen in a long time.
I’m probably rooting for an OKC-Cavs final. Plenty of other storylines rhat would make other teams entertaining to see in the finals but I think that would be fun to see OKC start something big with the young core. But also watched a fair amount of Cavs before they traded Niang and I like them out of the East if it’s not the Pacers.
I’ll never understand the people who prefer lakers/celtics/yankees etc. That’s the least interesting to me. More interesting was seeing Milwaukee and Denver win one (even though I’ve grown to hate Milwaukee past few years vs pacers).
It’s not what the people want, that’s what the networks want. They want big name veteran stars in big cities. And since the networks control the narrative around the playoffs with their pre and post game shows, that’s what you hear the people want. The young stars will be talked about, but not taken seriously until their rookie contracts are done and can move to a big market team and then the networks will gush all over them.
I don’t like the Lakers or Celtics, but I can appreciate their team-building abilities. Especially the Celtics who are mostly homegrown with some complementary free agents pieces. Fit is so important in basketball.
MLB takes 0 skill to build a championship team and a computer could manage the teams just using analytics. If you’re the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox just pay the most for each player at an individual position and defer the salaries. Not very exciting to root for imo.
There’s no real strategic concern how they fit together because every position player is just trying to hit a home run and every pitcher is just trying to strike out the batter. The only piece of strategy comes around the use of relief pitchers.
It does the league no favors, it kind of kills any potential to get back to 90s popularity.
Especially not when the greatest talents since LeBron have been exclusively in Milwaukee, Denver and Oklahoma. SGA is young but with Joker and Giannis we are talking top 25 all time players easily if they never played another game.
MLB takes loads of skill if you are a small or mid market team. And those teams often win series and go far in playoffs. The many layers of development in the minors can really differentiate franchises.
KAT could have easily picked up 5th foul mid 3rd when Cunningham dunked on him. Knicks extremely lucky. Hart…how did he not get tech’d for a total spaz attack on the floor then on the ref in the ref’s face.
Team building at the mid and small markets is more difficult in that you need to identify and develop talent at a better rate.
But you still don’t really need to worry about “fit” or putting together a complementary team.
I admire the Celtics organization and would probably chose Stevens to run my franchise over anybody, but I have zero excitement to see them hang more banners. The Lakers admittedly are kind of annoying to me just always targeting top talent to bring in, not that they draft horribly over the years when they have good picks, the draft pretty well and lucky.
If a Cyclone somehow ever played for Lakers or Celtics…or even Knicks…I’d probably cheer them on but otherwise barf. Living here in LA the Lakers and Dodgers do actually register as “local teams”, all the rest except for maybe USC football you wouldn’t even know it exists.
For being the most clutch player of all time…per ESPN…Brunson sure frequently goes to the locker room with minor injuries only to return in games where is team is getting their @$$ kicked.
College-only fans really aren’t watching basketball. It’s no different than if people claimed the NFL was worse football than Big 12.
Look at this game, absolute total defensive battle all game and yet at the end everybody is tired and draining absolutely insane shots on both teams.
With shot clock and 48 minute game this is like a 65-66 college game where both teams stars hit every shot the last 5-6 possessions.
Look at this game, absolute total defensive battle all game and yet at the end everybody is tired and draining absolutely insane shots on both teams.
With shot clock and 48 minute game this is like a 65-66 college game where both teams stars hit every shot the last 5-6 possessions.
