2018 Playoffs Thread

[Hoop Head]

I like Chris Paul, so I wouldn't mind seeing him win a ring. Just not a fan of Harden or how he plays. If he didn't get the calls that he does by jumping into defenders I don't think he'd be the player some think he is. He's good, really good, and that's part of what's frustrating. He's too talented to play like that at this stage of his career.

I don't think Houston can outgun Golden State though. The Warriors are even preparing for that series with their lineup of Curry, Klay, Durant, Iggy, and Green starting for them and getting a lot of time together. D'Antoni will go small against them with a lineup like Paul, Harden, Ariza, Tucker, and Ryan Anderson. Wouldn't be surprised if some of the games are in the 130's and 140's for their final scores.

 

[BC867]

Suns have connections to both teams, not to mention Harden having played locally.

It's sad to read, Mainstreet, that our claim to fame is that various players on winning teams once played in the Valley.

I don't look at that as a connection to any playoff teams.

What is Phoenix, the G League?

I don't mean to come on strong, but I want so much for Phoenix to be strong in the NBA based upon the Suns merits.

 

[Cheesebeef]

It's sad to read, Mainstreet, that our claim to fame is that various players on winning teams once played in the Valley.

I don't look at that as a connection to any playoff teams.

What is Phoenix, the G League?

I don't mean to come on strong, but I want so much for Phoenix to be strong in the NBA.

Once we get Ayton, everything changes.

And it’s going to happen. Book(er) it!

 

[Hoop Head]

It's sad to read, Mainstreet, that our claim to fame is that various players on winning teams once played in the Valley.

I don't look at that as a connection to any playoff teams.

What is Phoenix, the G League?

I don't mean to come on strong, but I want so much for Phoenix to be strong in the NBA based upon the Suns merits.

That's not the Suns "claim to fame", it's just a reason to root for Houston against the Warriors. I take it you're not much of a basketball fan, are you? That's fine, you can be a Suns fan and follow the team but I think most people posting here now are fans of the game in general and their favorite team is the Suns. They don't just follow the NBA for the Suns. If the Suns ceased to exist they'd find another team to support, whoever that may be.

 

[BC867]

Once we get Ayton, everything changes.

And it’s going to happen. Book(er) it!

I believe, cheese, I believe. Hallelujah!

(And I'm Agnostic.)

 

[Hoop Head]

It's officially going to be the Warriors vs the Rockets, with the Rockets having home court advantage. Should be a fun series to watch.

I don't think the Sixers can come back and beat the Celtics, if they did that would be the most entertaining eastern conference finals possible, based on the teams that made it to the 2nd round. Damn shame the Celtics don't have Kyrie and Hayward because I think they could beat the Cavs if they did. They can probably get a game or two anyways, just because of their superior coaching. Probably another Warriors vs Cavs finals. Wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors swept the Cavs. Only chance the Cavs have is if the Rockets can knock the Warriors out. The Rockets would be the favorites in the finals but the Cavs would have a chance.

 

[GatorAZ]

Crazy that the Celtics will essentially replace Marcus Morris with Gordon Hayward plus they’ll have a top-10 pick.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Crazy that the Celtics will essentially replace Marcus Morris with Gordon Hayward plus they’ll have a top-10 pick.

And potentially Rozier with a healthy Kyrie.

 

[Russ Smith]

I actually think the Rockets will beat the Warriors I've felt that way for months. The Warriors don't match up well with Houston, and with Curry not 100% it's going to be difficult for them to guard Houston. he's going to have to guard someone, I don't think he's healthy enough to guard Paul, he's too small to guard Harden or Ariza and when they go 3 guards with Gordon, he's too small to guard Gordon. I think Houston's going to attack Curry on defense they know he's not 100% and they're going after him, NO did that with some success and Houston has much better guards.

I also think Capela inside is a big issue, you saw at times in the NO series how Davis just took away the paint, Capela is not that good but he's going to be a rim protector much like Davis was. A huge part of the NO comeback late last night was Davis in the paint. over and over the Warriors got by the first line of the defense only to be met by Davis who blocked or changed the shot and then got the rebound.

Will be a fun series to watch but I think it's Rockets in 6 unless Curry gets considerably healthier in the next few days.

 

[leclerc]

I expect what turd is saying. Warriors beat Cavs in the finals.

 

[Ronin]

SportsCenter‏Verified account@SportsCenter 6m6 minutes ago

The Warriors will not have home-court advantage in a playoff series for the first time under Steve Kerr. The last time they had a Game 1 on the road was the 2014 1st round. #SCFacts

 

[Ronin]

ESPN Stats & Info‏Verified account@ESPNStatsInfo 3m3 minutes ago

Going by efficiency, Warriors-Rockets is the best offensive matchup in modern NBA history. Since team turnovers became official in 1973-74, this is the 1st NBA playoff series between teams that both averaged at least 112 points per 100 possessions that regular season.

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[Ronin]

CBS Sports‏Verified account@CBSSports 56s56 seconds ago

Draymond Green averaged 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 10.0 assists per game against the Pelicans. He became the first player in Warriors history to average a triple-double in a playoff series. (via: @jkubatko)

 

[Mainstreet]

It's sad to read, Mainstreet, that our claim to fame is that various players on winning teams once played in the Valley.

I don't look at that as a connection to any playoff teams.

What is Phoenix, the G League?

I don't mean to come on strong, but I want so much for Phoenix to be strong in the NBA based upon the Suns merits.

For me, having connections to teams in the playoffs makes it more fun to watch. Why limit your basketball interests to the Suns?

Also, some of those same players and coaches like Igor, will become or were Suns.

The Jazz were an incredibly well coached team with limited talent. They gave the Suns a blueprint on how to do more with less.

 

[leclerc]

I'm rooting for ex Suns players on Houston plus, you know, it's not the douchebag Warriors or floppitty floppitty Brons.

 

[Ronin]

ESPN Stats & Info‏Verified account@ESPNStatsInfo 1m1 minute ago
This will be the 7th time LeBron James is facing the Celtics in the postseason. He's been on the wining side the last 4 meetings

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[Russ Smith]

For Philly IMO the obvious question is what the hell happens with Fultz going forward? Him not being healthy or mentally able to shoot is the main issue they had in this series. They'd get into key points in the game and have both Simmons and TJ McConnell on the floor. You can't win games wtih 2 non shooters on the court together like that, too easy to guard, too easy to double off of. Fultz just sitting on the bench was a huge problem but clearly Brown doesn't trust him to actually play in games yet. I am by no means a fan of Fultz, but if he was the kid from college, healthy and able to shoot, he'd have made a big difference in this series with rotations.

Stevens is a terrific coach but one of the main issues Philly had was just not enough guys on the bench who can stop Stevens from doing all that doubling on Embiid, and laying off Simmons. If they can keep that roster together and get Fultz back to normal, they can be really good. I also wonder about their coach, I read where he said the minutes is an analytics thing it's not his idea to split up Simmons and Embiid as much as they do, going forward will be interesting do they keep him or get someone else to get to the next level.

Oh and of course again, Tatum was an absolute monster in this series, he took over again last night.

 

[ColdPickleNachos]

For Philly IMO the obvious question is what the hell happens with Fultz going forward? Him not being healthy or mentally able to shoot is the main issue they had in this series. They'd get into key points in the game and have both Simmons and TJ McConnell on the floor. You can't win games wtih 2 non shooters on the court together like that, too easy to guard, too easy to double off of. Fultz just sitting on the bench was a huge problem but clearly Brown doesn't trust him to actually play in games yet. I am by no means a fan of Fultz, but if he was the kid from college, healthy and able to shoot, he'd have made a big difference in this series with rotations.

Oh and of course again, Tatum was an absolute monster in this series, he took over again last night.

It's crazy to think that the Celtics GET the Kings pick next year for swapping Fultz for Tatum! (barring a surprise in the lottery, of course)

 

[Hoop Head]

For Philly IMO the obvious question is what the hell happens with Fultz going forward? Him not being healthy or mentally able to shoot is the main issue they had in this series. They'd get into key points in the game and have both Simmons and TJ McConnell on the floor. You can't win games wtih 2 non shooters on the court together like that, too easy to guard, too easy to double off of. Fultz just sitting on the bench was a huge problem but clearly Brown doesn't trust him to actually play in games yet. I am by no means a fan of Fultz, but if he was the kid from college, healthy and able to shoot, he'd have made a big difference in this series with rotations.

Stevens is a terrific coach but one of the main issues Philly had was just not enough guys on the bench who can stop Stevens from doing all that doubling on Embiid, and laying off Simmons. If they can keep that roster together and get Fultz back to normal, they can be really good. I also wonder about their coach, I read where he said the minutes is an analytics thing it's not his idea to split up Simmons and Embiid as much as they do, going forward will be interesting do they keep him or get someone else to get to the next level.

Oh and of course again, Tatum was an absolute monster in this series, he took over again last night.

It's weird because Fultz was playing well at the end of the regular season for a minute and then he seemed to revert back into the scared broken version of himself in the postseason. I think coaching plays a part in that. He was the #1 overall pick, selected ahead of Ball, Jackson, and Tatum, who he just played in that series, but he could barely sniff the court while Tatum was leaned on heavily by Boston. I'm not sure if Brett Brown is part of the reason he's broken or not but I don't think he's helped get him back at it. This next year will be telling for the Sixers. I think Brown could be replaced early if the Sixers sputter out the gate. He wasn't Colangelo's hire so he's on borrowed time anyways but he was brought in to coach the players up until they were done tanking. It would have been a little messed up if they didn't give him a chance to coach the team when the tank was over.

 

[Russ Smith]

It's weird because Fultz was playing well at the end of the regular season for a minute and then he seemed to revert back into the scared broken version of himself in the postseason. I think coaching plays a part in that. He was the #1 overall pick, selected ahead of Ball, Jackson, and Tatum, who he just played in that series, but he could barely sniff the court while Tatum was leaned on heavily by Boston. I'm not sure if Brett Brown is part of the reason he's broken or not but I don't think he's helped get him back at it. This next year will be telling for the Sixers. I think Brown could be replaced early if the Sixers sputter out the gate. He wasn't Colangelo's hire so he's on borrowed time anyways but he was brought in to coach the players up until they were done tanking. It would have been a little messed up if they didn't give him a chance to coach the team when the tank was over.

The last few weeks he had several games of double digits with high assists in very few minutes. Mostly in garbage time but some of them were in somewhat close games. he had a triple double in his last game of the regular season, in only 25 minutes but it was a 35 point blowout win so not a close game. But yeah postseason he was awful, 23 minutes total 1-7 and just horrible defense.

his season is one of the most bizarre in NBA history IMO. He played 253 minutes in the regular season, 23 in the post so 276 total minutes, and took exactly ONE three pointer! That's stunning considering he took 126 in college, which is just over 5 per game played.

 

[Ronin]

The Cavaliers and Celtics will meet for the 2nd straight year in the Eastern Conference Finals, but only 9 of the 26 players from last year's series is still on their respective team

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[elindholm]

but only 9 of the 26 players from last year's series is still on their respective team

Man, I know that social media is all about informality, but is subject-verb agreement really that hard? Maybe ESPN could use 5% of the money they're giving Steven A. Smith to hire an elementary grammar instructor for their Twitter content writers?

 

[Hoop Head]

his season is one of the most bizarre in NBA history IMO. He played 253 minutes in the regular season, 23 in the post so 276 total minutes, and took exactly ONE three pointer! That's stunning considering he took 126 in college, which is just over 5 per game played.

That would be fine if he were a big but he was drafted as a scoring combo guard compared to players like Dewayne Wade or James Harden. His ceiling was as high as them but he was supposed to be a starting caliber player. Glad the Suns didn't pick him. We get frustrated enough with Bender and Len's inconsistencies, I think someone would have had aneurysm watching Fultz play up and down. I don't think our trainers would have messed him like that though.

 

[SirStefan32]

Man, I know that social media is all about informality, but is subject-verb agreement really that hard? Maybe ESPN could use 5% of the money they're giving Steven A. Smith to hire an elementary grammar instructor for their Twitter content writers?

We is in agreement.

 

[Ronin]

Jayson Tatum averaged 23.6 PPG, 52.6 FG%, 3.4 RPG, 3.2 APG in this year's Eastern Conference Semi-Finals for the @Celtics. (link: https://on.nba.com/2wtt6kN) on.nba.com/2wtt6kN

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