It’s such a joke. Pacers are a bad team yet are advancing not because of what they have done but because their opponents are literally like half strength. Or maybe less than that. Crown their asses.
Assuming Denver advances this is the easiest 4 game or gentlemen sweep ever.
It's a war of attrition, just like the NFL, you play with who you got at the time. Do the best you can and hope for the best from the injury riddled teams.
But it’s not. No team I can think of in the last 30 years has benefitted like Indiana.
The shame of it is Boston continues to get a pass as well. Donovan Mitchell didn’t play their last two games and that series was even up to that point.
And no it’s not the 2021 Bucks because Giannis got hurt in the ECF and didn’t play most of that Atlanta series.
Wolves come back from a 15 point halftime deficit to win game 7 by 8 points in Denver.
Of the 4 teams left in the tournament, only three players on the remaining 4 teams have ever won a title or even played in the Finals. Kyrie Irving, Jrue Holiday, and Pascal Siakam.
Jokic would have moved into the top 10-15 all-time with another title. Now, he's still on the same level with Giannis, Dirk, and a few others in the 20-25 range.
Just goes to show how hard it is to repeat. Bucks had a great chance in 2022 until Middleton got hurt in a fluke situation.
Nuggets need a bench badly. Joker played the whole (almost) game 7. It showed. Not an excuse, Minny played a great 4th quarter and deserved the win.
"Cant recall a less deserving flawed team like the Pacers making the conference finals."
But, but, but they have Reggie "Never Been" Miller doing color for their broadcasts!!! He's the most minnesota viking-like, of any NBA player, past or present! Hoping the Pacers lose this next series.
@Pikes Peak posted:Nuggets need a bench badly. Joker played the whole (almost) game 7. It showed. Not an excuse, Minny played a great 4th quarter and deserved the win.
The NBA (just like the NFL) salary cap is almost designed to weaken title teams. The supporting guys look a lot better playing with Hall of Famers and end up making more money than they are really worth. The max guys eat up the salary cap so that if you let your supporting guys leave you can't replace them with anyone but a minimum salary player. So, you overpay to keep them and get older with no way to reset your roster with younger guys unless you hit the jackpot picking late in the draft (assuming you have any picks left). Jokic and Murray are worthy of being max players, but Michael Porter Jr. is getting paid 36 million a year. Aaron Gordon is at 24 million. KCP is at 15 million.
Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins parlayed one good season into about 30 millon a year each from the Warriors and crippled them (along with some terrible draft decisions).
That's what's done in the Bucks more than anything. It's obviously the injuries that have done it, but the Bucks have no depth and that forces Giannis to play bigger minutes throughout the regular season than he should at this point in his career. Brook Lopez was the best contract in the NBA when he was making 3 million in 2018-19. Even the 3 years and 40 million he was getting in 2020-22 was fair. But 50 million over two years for this year and next year is not his true value. Pat Connaughton is a minimum type guy and he's making 10 million a year.
I’m not sure I will watch any of the Pacers and Celtics series. Both teams are completely annoying and can’t stand either group.
I’ll be pulling for whatever team from the West advances. You would think that would be Minnesota, but Kyrie Irving actually looks engaged and is playing extremely well.
@Tschmack posted:I’m not sure I will watch any of the Pacers and Celtics series. Both teams are completely annoying and can’t stand either group.
I’ll be pulling for whatever team from the West advances. You would think that would be Minnesota, but Kyrie Irving actually looks engaged and is playing extremely well.
The Timberwolves are a really, really good defensive team. There aren't a lot of easy baskets at the rim when you have Gobert and McDaniels out there. KAT is a poor overall defender, but if he just jumps straight up in the paint he can bother shots because he is 7 feet tall.
A Jrue Holiday - Anthony Edwards matchup in the finals would be fascinating.
@mrtundra posted:"Cant recall a less deserving flawed team like the Pacers making the conference finals."
But, but, but they have Reggie "Never Been" Miller doing color for their broadcasts!!! He's the most minnesota viking-like, of any NBA player, past or present! Hoping the Pacers lose this next series.
Reggie Miller should pay Spike Lee royalties for his career earnings. Almost all of Miller's "legend" is generated from the 8 points in 9 seconds moment in the 1995 playoffs. And while it was memorable, what made it iconic was the trash talk back and forth with Spike Lee and Reggie signaling choke to Spike.
Compare these two players:
Player A
Career regular season: 18-3-3, shooting splits of 47.1/39.5/88.8
Career playoffs: 21-3-3, 44.9/39.0/88/3
5 All-star games
0 titles
Player B
Career regular season: 17-5-4, 46.0/38.8/87.9
Career playoffs: 21-7-5, 44.1/39.0/86.6
3 All-star games
1 title
Also important to note that player B is a much better defensive player.
Player A is Reggie Miller and was ranked a top 75 player all-time.
Player B is Khris Middleton and will probably not even make the Hall of Fame.
I'm hoping for a Pacers T-Wolves final. NBA would just love that.
The Wolves have a real shot at making the Finals. They have home court, and are better defensively than Dallas. Still, if Luka and Kyrie go nuclear they might be able to get into the Finals.
It will take an absolute miracle for Indiana to get to the Finals but the Celtics are one injury to Tatum or Brown away from the Pacers lucking into the next round. Not having Porzingis makes Boston much more one dimensional and Siakam and Myles Turner won’t have to defend him.
@ammo posted:I'm hoping for a Pacers T-Wolves final. NBA would just love that.
I am pretty sure the NBA will make sure the Celtics are in the finals at all costs. But, they also would like to have the Pacers in there so they can work in the Caitlin Clark angle.
@Tschmack posted:The Wolves have a real shot at making the Finals. They have home court, and are better defensively than Dallas. Still, if Luka and Kyrie go nuclear they might be able to get into the Finals.
It will take an absolute miracle for Indiana to get to the Finals but the Celtics are one injury to Tatum or Brown away from the Pacers lucking into the next round. Not having Porzingis makes Boston much more one dimensional and Siakam and Myles Turner won’t have to defend him.
The Celtics should roll, but Turner and Siakam can bother Tatum and Brown enough to make the other Celtics players hit wide open shots. Porzingis really benefitted from that.
We've all seen what can happen when that other player is Jrue Holiday. No Porzingis means Jrue and Derrick White will get more shots.
If Conley can stay healthy, the Wolves have a chance to go to the Finals. They need Conley to steady the ship when Ant and Towns get frazzled. Ant is only 22 and is already starting to show that it's his team, but he does get a bit locked in on trying to take over the game when they get down. Conley keeps him level. It's a fun team to watch, that's for sure.
Tough loss. Nuggets jut didn't look the same this year. Jamal Murray didn't become playoff Murray. MPJ didn't take that next step like we expected him to. And having Christian Braun and Justin Holiday as your 6th and 7th guys wasn't the same as Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. You guys experienced it a few years ago, it's hard to repeat.
Path back to a championship is going to be interesting. They need to take a real look at MPJ and Murray. I think trading MPJ is a no-brainer - there has to be a lottery team that'll take a swing at his upside that wasn't going to be realized in Denver as the 4th option.
Murray is a tougher one. He's not an all-star and you really can't argue that he should be. He played out of his mind in the bubble and in last years playoffs but can you really expect that going forward? This year we didn't see it.
Trade MPJ for cap space and a backup big. Bring back KCP. I think Bruce Brown does not have his team option picked up by the Raptors, so bring him back. Hope that Braun and Watson develop into a legit 6th and 7th guys. Probably the best and least disruptive way to get back on track.
I want the Wolves to go all the way if for no other reason that we can all laugh our asses off at them getting a ring before the vikings.
@MNPackman posted:I want the Wolves to go all the way if for no other reason that we can all laugh our asses off at them getting a ring before the vikings.
Who knows. Maybe the Minnesota media will preempt the Championship Final game and air a Poker Tournament, like they did when the Lynx won their Championship.
@MNPackman posted:I want the Wolves to go all the way if for no other reason that we can all laugh our asses off at them getting a ring before the vikings.
I also want to see what happens in Boston if they don't win this year. Everyone in the East except for the Pacers dealt with major injuries. They might be the heaviest favorite ever at this point in the playoffs given who else is left.
@MNPackman posted:I want the Wolves to go all the way if for no other reason that we can all laugh our asses off at them getting a ring before the vikings.
Please make it happen! 
The Wolves are probably a year away. I just do not see them overcoming Boston, and yes, I think the Celtics beat the Pacers.
But, part of the reason Murray had a bear of a time against the Wolves was that Ant took over guarding him when the Wolves really needed stops. Murray averaged almost 24 ppg against the Lakers in the first round, but only 18.4 against MN. In game 2 against MN, he had only 8 pts and in game 6 he had 10. Murray went off in the first half of game 7, they Ant moved over on him and Murray became just a guy the rest of the game. Ant stuck to him like glue, and you could see how frustrated and confused Murray was. Game over.
The Pacers had the Celtics beat tonight in Game 1 and blew it with some terrible turnovers (22 overall) and Carlisle failed to foul up 3 with less than 5 seconds left and the Celtics having no timeouts in regulation.
Jrue going for 28-7-8 tonight is not making the Dame trade look better.
Too close, Boston! You almost blew it.
@MichiganPacker2 posted:Jrue going for 28-7-8 tonight is not making the Dame trade look better.
He was a nothing burger for the first 7 games of the playoffs.
It's sad the Bucks weren't healthy this year. They would've been in the finals. Both these teams can't keep up with the Bucks
@Boris posted:He was a nothing burger for the first 7 games of the playoffs.
It's sad the Bucks weren't healthy this year. They would've been in the finals. Both these teams can't keep up with the Bucks
I agree that the Bucks had to do something and paying Jrue Holiday over 130 million for the next 4 years was not something the Bucks could afford to do. But, if they had known he was going to end up on the Celtics with the Celtics giving up relatively little to get him, I wonder if they still would have made this trade.
Holiday is 34 years of age. He’s got a players option in 2027-2028 for almost 40M which I pretty much assure he will opt in and collect.
35M average for the next 4 years is a crap ton of money for a player that age.
Lillard isn’t cheap by any stretch but honestly I think if it doesn’t work out next season my guess is the Bucks may turn the page. But Lillard will only be 34 and would still have value in terms of trade capital.
Watching the Mavs-Wolves playoff game and am wondering why so many players are slipping, on the court. Is it the shoes? The surface? Some of these guys are going down hard and awkwardly. I'd hate to see anyone get hurt due to bad shoes, etc.
Mavs beat the Wolves in Game 1, 108-105, in the Western Conference Finals.
Celtics take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Celtics beat the Pacers 126-110. Game 3 is in Indianapolis on Saturday. TWolves play Dallas on Friday.
Fuck boston. That is the most spoiled sports city in the world. They need some adversity to bring them back to reality.
Tyrese Haliburton had to leave the game in the third quarter last night when his hamstring started to bother him again, which turned a mildly competitive game into a rout.
The Celtics have had the easiest road to an NBA Finals in recent history. Even the Giannis-less Bucks would have won against these depleted teams. They took the Pacers to 6 games when Haliburton was playing.
The Heat without Butler.
The Cavs without Mitchell, Allen, and LaVert.
The Pacers without Haliburton.
The Knicks season ended without 4 of their 5 preferred starters after they lost Brunson, Randle, Anunoby, and Josh Hart was playing hurt.
The Bucks were missing Giannis, Dame sat out several games, and a 75% healthy Middleton still kept the series close.
Joel Embiid could barely walk.
Watch Luka get hurt after the Mavericks advance (or Edwards if the Wolves do).
Let’s be honest Indiana wouldn’t be in the conference finals either if either the Bucks or Knicks were even close to full strength. So while I can’t stand Boston, it’s not like Indiana hasn’t benefitted greatly from injuries so I’m not going to feel too badly for the Pacers at the moment. Now have Siakam get dinged and not play and Indiana will get a sense of what Milwaukee and New York had to deal with.
I’m completely pulling for Dallas or Minnesota right now.
@Tschmack posted:Let’s be honest Indiana wouldn’t be in the conference finals either if either the Bucks or Knicks were even close to full strength. So while I can’t stand Boston, it’s not like Indiana hasn’t benefitted greatly from injuries so I’m not going to feel too badly for the Pacers at the moment. Now have Siakam get dinged and not play and Indiana will get a sense of what Milwaukee and New York had to deal with.
I’m completely pulling for Dallas or Minnesota right now.
Kyrie Irving going for 50 points in a close out win in Boston would be worse for that team and the city than losing to the Pacers. I don't think that will happen because Derrick White and Jrue are too good on defense.
The Celtics might be one of the best defensive teams in recent history in terms of guarding the 1-3 positions. They have only two guys to guard the 4-5. One of them is 38 years old and was absolutely abused in Game of the current series for lack of foot speed and the other one of them is out right now (and he's not a good defender to begin with).
The Celtics are really only 7 deep to start with (and that's being overly generous to Pritchard) and are down to 5/6 guys with Porzingis being out, it hasn't hurt them because they could win the whole thing without playing against anyone at the 4 or 5 position that could really hurt them.
Embiid, Giannis, Jokic, AD, Lebron, KD (who is not technically a 4 or 5 but is 7 feet tall), etc. are eliminated or were injured. Al Horford was not going to hold up over a 7 game series against any of those guys and Luke Kornet is not playable.
Giannis might have averaged 40 in a series against the Celtics this year had they gotten there. They can't even stop Siakam (13 for 17 last night), but it doesn't matter because they've had a horseshoe up their ass the whole post season.
The Celtics might win a title when the best player over 6'7" they'll play in the whole playoffs will be either Siakam, Bam Adebayo or Myles Turner.
Doncic wins it for the Mavs with a 3, with 3 seconds left on the clock! 109-108. Mavs lead the series 2-0 as the series goes to Dallas. Doncic had his 5th triple double of the playoffs.
Luka is playing like the real MVP this year, not the guy that won it.
I’ve been really critical of Kyrie but he’s been elite the entire playoffs. Looks like 2016 Irving.
Minnesota is in serious trouble.
@Tschmack posted:Luka is playing like the real MVP this year, not the guy that won it.
I’ve been really critical of Kyrie but he’s been elite the entire playoffs. Looks like 2016 Irving.
Minnesota is in serious trouble.
LEAKED Audio Of Luka Doncic Trash Talking Rudy Gobert👀:
— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) May 25, 2024
“You motherf*cker…. can’t f*cking guard me!”
Then, Luka tells someone in the crowd: “Go home, b*tch”
Lastly, Luka’s teammates embrace this moment with him, with Dereck Lively saying:
“I’m here for you, bro” pic.twitter.com/vNUZxLtzKX
Lots of people not Rudy Gobert fans. Neither am I
Talking Slovakian or not Luka is a killer. Minnesota looks completely dazed right now. Their head coach has left a lot on the table given Jason Kidd has an IQ of 28 but players play and coaches (sort of) coach.
