NBA Playoffs Thread

[Atradees]

Did it feel like the Blazers were playing against the refs for the entire third quarter tonight?

Pretty much...Denver was tough down the stretch..Its now a three game series. The refs wont be any better with the next round and the Mercenary team of the ages.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

I thought Blazers won the 4 OT game because Stotts went to his bench and Malone didn't. Harkless getting hurt made Stotts put Hood in, which really helped them win that game. Neither coach went to the bench in the OT's, basically playing guys for close to 30 minutes straight. Obviously keep your stars like CJ and Dame in, but thought he should have rotated Aminu, Harkless and Kanter throughout the OT. On the other side, Malone should have rested Jokic in the OT's, he could barely give them productive minutes.

As for last nights game, Blazers didn't get a lot of calls but I think they were fair. The refs are letting them play. Denver has the physical guards to keep Dame in check. Portland has to work a lot harder for easy looks than Denver. Portland really has no answer for Jokic, whereas the Nuggets can throw a number of guys at Dame. I think the winner of last nights game wins the series, so I don't see Portland moving on. The big issue with Portland is that when they run that three guard lineup with Curry, all those guys are so small they can't really defend. Whereas the Nuggets have big physical guards that can play both ways.

 

[Threedee]

Nicely done, Blazers.

 

[Palmegranite]

Toronto Raptors advance to the Eastrrn finals. First time in 18 years.

Go Raptors!

 

[mistaowen]

Raptors 76ers ending was insane. One hell of a series!

 

[mrt144]

Raptors 76ers ending was insane. One hell of a series!

[tweet]https://twitter.com/doornumero3/status/1127779074573787137[/tweet]

Don't you guys know, basketball is boring now. Don't tell the players, they should be the last to know

 

[mistaowen]

Raptors 76ers ending was insane. One hell of a series!

[tweet]https://twitter.com/doornumero3/status/1127779074573787137[/tweet]

Don't you guys know, basketball is boring now. Don't tell the players, they should be the last to know

Man, the double bounce and ball freezing on the rim for a full second is literally a Hollywood movie :lol: Should be another great series.

Big shoutout to Embiid too. Played one hell of a game and shouldered the blame for the loss even though he didn't need to. Lot different than watching Kyrie talk about it not being a big deal for the Celtics or taking accountability for the worst 4 game stretch of his career.

 

[CPHawk]

Somewhere, Paul Allen is smiling today.

 

[Threedee]

Unfortunately, Portlandia doesn't seem to want it enough. That blown lead and the general inability to clean up the errant passes/dribbles/etc that lead to silly turnovers.

 

[knownone]

Giannis is the best basketball player I've seen since Michael Jordan. He can play the 4 like Kevin Garnett and attack the rim like LeBron. The Warriors are the more talented team, but it would not shock me if the Bucks beat them in 6. Giannis is just that impactful all over the court.

 

[Threedee]

Welp, Portlandia has been on the court for 12 quarters against GS, but, has only played for six quarters. Not sure that is a winning formula. Hopefully, the Bucks can present a better challenge.

 

[Thepeelsessions]

Welp, Portlandia has been on the court for 12 quarters against GS, but, has only played for six quarters. Not sure that is a winning formula. Hopefully, the Bucks can present a better challenge.

Man I hate the Warriors with the fire of 1000 sun's, but Portland has been pathetic this series. Getting a barnyard beating in game 1, literally letting GS take the win right out of their grubby little hands in game 2, and letting a big lead turn into a big loss in game 3. I think it's clear that their core of Lillard and McCollum can't seriously compete in the West. McCollum has been better than Lillard thus far, but when one of them is off, it's usually not good. And when both of them are off, it's usually curtains.

 

[IndyHawk]

Do they play any defense in the NBA?
They used to when I watched years ago.

 

[knownone]

Portland is a less talented version of the Warriors without KD. They should be up in the series 2-1, but they've failed miserably to get buckets when their offense breaks down. What Portland needs is a wing with length who can create his own shot. That's their biggest issue. You can't consistently win in the playoffs when your 2 best creators are 6'3 or under. If they had a guy like Jimmy Butler, they'd easily be winning this serious.

 

[knownone]

Do they play any defense in the NBA?
They used to when I watched years ago.

They play better defense now than they ever did in the 80s or 90s. The league is just less physical, and teams figured out how to stretch the floor.

 

[Threedee]

Do they play any defense in the NBA?
They used to when I watched years ago.

They play better defense now than they ever did in the 80s or 90s. The league is just less physical, and teams figured out how to stretch the floor.

Plus, you now have successful teams that are actually known for playing defense, such as the Spurs and Warriors. This creates an incentive for other teams to emulate them, because their respective fan bases will want to see it for themselves.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

The fact that GS is beating Houston and Portland without Durant shows just how far away the other teams in the west are from GS.

 

[IndyHawk]

Do they play any defense in the NBA?
They used to when I watched years ago.

They play better defense now than they ever did in the 80s or 90s. The league is just less physical, and teams figured out how to stretch the floor.

The scores I see say they don't..The rule changes
since 2000 have a big hand in this as well..Love that
stretch the floor with three point attempts comment :lol:

 

[mrt144]

Portland is a less talented version of the Warriors without KD. They should be up in the series 2-1, but they've failed miserably to get buckets when their offense breaks down. What Portland needs is a wing with length who can create his own shot. That's their biggest issue. You can't consistently win in the playoffs when your 2 best creators are 6'3 or under. If they had a guy like Jimmy Butler, they'd easily be winning this serious.

I am conscripting you into being the GM of the Blazers...NOW!

 

[Threedee]

What a waste of space. They should have moved this team to the middle of nowhere.