Playoffs: Nuggets @ Suns Sunday game thread 5-7-2023 - Game 4

[DJ Tabooh]

Walked into the kitchen this morning. Wife was making her lunch. I poured myself an iced espresso and grabbed 3 chocolate covered Ding Dongs

She looks over at my Ding Dongs and said "seriously?" as she went to throw away a empty ham container

So I jumped in front of her and D'd that ass up. She said "seriously?" again - but then she actually tried to get a shot off

I swatted that empty ham container clear into the dining room

Gimme that **** lol. Great job on defense lock in Hahahahaha

 

[Covert Rain]

I know, but it doesn’t fit my self-serving narrative lol

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[Dback Jon]

Just came here to post that exact thing. it's not after a made basket so he can't inbound it without the ref touching it.

All the Denver Media and fans keep whining about how Jokic always does that, to iniatate a fast break, but none of them will acknowledge it was a dead ball and the ref wouldn't give him the ball until Josh was up anyways.

 

[Germz249]

I hope they suspend him. Its nothing against Jokic. Its the bitter Suns fan in me that is tired of being screwed over.

Every time some team gets screwed over off BS calls it brings a smile to my face.

 

[BirdGangThing]

Gimme that **** lol. Great job on defense lock in Hahahahaha

She thinks she's slick with her little pump fake to finger roll but it's all about not leaving your feet

 

[SeattleCardinal]

Ishbia probably earned a made free throw for the Suns by flopping the way he did. Can you imagine the uproar had the Suns won by a single point?

 

[Yuma]

She thinks she's slick with her little pump fake to finger roll but it's all about not leaving your feet

My wife knows how to use her elbows and hip check to make space. She has three brothers.

 

[Ronin]

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[JosiahLee]

Is it game time already?

 

[Matt L]

The other thing that burns me about Jokic is that he is the biggest beneficiary of playing in an era when there are almost literally no athletic skilled big men in the league. Put him back in the 1970s/1980s (heck, even 1990s), playing against the likes of Jabbar, Walton, Lanier, Gilmore, Parish, Olajuwon, Ewing, Malone, Shaq, Mourning, Motumbo, etc. on a nightly basis and he would struggle to even get his shot off. I'm not saying he would be total crap, but he would be Jeff Ruland or Bill Laimbeer... instead of a multiple MVP guy.

Instead, he's lucky to be playing in an era where just about every NBA big man is a plodder (Valancunias, Adams, Zubav, Vucevic, et al.), or an anti-physical guy who plays 20 feet from the basket (Towns, Porzingis, etc.). I bet Jeff Ruland and Bill Laimbeer are wishing they could have been born 30 years later.

I gotta disagree. I don't think any of those guys could handle him on defense and I think he wouldn't be as exposed defending in a prior era.

 

[Phrazbit]

I gotta disagree. I don't think any of those guys could handle him on defense and I think he wouldn't be as exposed defending in a prior era.

I agree that he would be a big problem for anyone, in any era, to defend.

But if you put Jokic in the 90s or late 80s, with all those great bigs AND he had to play with the rules the way they were, specifically, zone defending being illegal, he would be constantly isolated against low post monsters that could either feast on him or put him in foul trouble.

The defensive rule changes are a big reason that bigs are less valuable now. Rim protection does not hold the value it once did and almost every team in the NBA plays a defensive style that makes interior passes extremely difficult... and those defenses used to be flat out illegal.

So yeah, moral of the story, he is the perfect big for his time and I don't think that is only because there isn't a Hakeem or Robinson around to defend him, but if he were playing back when those dudes were, the rules would make his life difficult, he'd get feasted on, stuck on an island in the low post.

 

[djm75]

Great effort from Ayton on those 3 offensive rebounds at the beginning of the game and also on that lunge right at the end. I think it’s not more than a B game from him overall. A couple of ugly jumpers that fell short, then he got blocked trying to make a weak sauce layup when it should have been a dunk, and he also just watched from out of bounds as Murray picked up a ball and went to the rim for a dunk.

That said, a B game is still an improvement.

 

[djm75]

Oh, and here’s DA fighting for a rebound. His hands are ready for sure. Or maybe he’s thinking KD is passing him the ball?

 

[95pro]

Great effort from Ayton on those 3 offensive rebounds at the beginning of the game and also on that lunge right at the end. I think it’s not more than a B game from him overall. A couple of ugly jumpers that fell short, then he got blocked trying to make a weak sauce layup when it should have been a dunk, and he also just watched from out of bounds as Murray picked up a ball and went to the rim for a dunk.

That said, a B game is still an improvement.

There's a clip that show the ball went out of bounds, but Murray grabs it then scores. Which is why i think KD and Ayton were a little slow to challenging that score.

 

[95pro]

Oh, and here’s DA fighting for a rebound. His hands are ready for sure. Or maybe he’s thinking KD is passing him the ball?

Those sets are designed for one of two things, him to stay back to provide space for a drive. Or he makes a run to set a pick for the person with the ball. So when we end up shooting, often he's doesn't react fast enough to the shot to gain better position and relegates himself to watching.

 

[djm75]

There's a clip that show the ball went out of bounds, but Murray grabs it then scores. Which is why i think KD and Ayton were a little slow to challenging that score.

Yeah, KD may have been equally guilty, but I can’t see the ball getting out of bounds.

 

[djm75]

Those sets are designed for one of two things, him to stay back to provide space for a drive. Or he makes a run to set a pick for the person with the ball. So when we end up shooting, often he's doesn't react fast enough to the shot to gain better position and relegates himself to watching.

This is really bizarre. If it were for the space providing purposes, wouldn’t it be better to stand somewhere outside of the paint but not out of bounds? That way he’d get a chance of an accidental rebound. There is zero chance of getting a rebound behind the backboard, lol

Besides, I’ve never seen anyone else do this.

Oh, and he does not set picks, he just goes out of bounds and stays there.

 

[Sunstroke]

FYI, Durant is 34 not 38.

Good call. My bad.

 

[95pro]

This is really bizarre. If it were for the space providing purposes, wouldn’t it be better to stand somewhere outside of the paint but not out of bounds? That way he’d get a chance of an accidental rebound. There is zero chance of getting a rebound behind the backboard, lol

Besides, I’ve never seen anyone else do this.

Oh, and he does not set picks, he just goes out of bounds and stays there.

Are you sure watch Denver. They do it too sometimes.

 

[Phrazbit]

KD randomly falls over and loses his dribble a lot.

 

[GatorAZ]

KD randomly falls over and loses his dribble a lot.

I love KD the talent but age and injuries have caught up. I wanna think more time with the team would help but it’s basic stuff he’s struggling with.

 

[Phrazbit]

KD’s shot selection couldn’t be worse.

 

[Hoop Head]

KD’s shot selection couldn’t be worse.

Game 4 thread