Lakers now in the 5th seed, with Denver surging- the Gordon trade seems to be fitting in better than expected.
And the Mavs are surging from the play-in group (seeds 7-10) which is making it very distinct possibility the Lakers will need to play a play-in game if they don’t get their stars back.
The Bucks play the Warriors tonight... they’re falling out of the sky.
The West is loaded and the Mavs and Nuggets are dangerous teams. Everyone seems to think it’s a forgone conclusion that the Lakers are the best team in the league (when healthy) but I’m not so sure of that. Even if they are, their path to a repeat will be nearly impossible. If they continue their downward spiral they may end up a 6-8 seed.
Of their remaining 22 games, they still have Dallas and Utah twice, Denver, the LAC, and some pesky team in the East like Toronto and Boston and Brooklyn and Miami. It’s not an easy schedule especially their next dozen or so games.
Perhaps the worst place to be would be a 4-5 seed having to play a team like Denver or the Clippers in round 1. Personally, I think Denver has the roster and the chops to win it all. The Joker is my MVP choice and they have so many offensive weapons around them. They also have a lot of size and athleticism with Porter Jr and Gordon and they will present matchup problems for most teams they play.
And then you have Phoenix and Utah that just continue to roll. I can’t stand Chris Paul, but man does he elevate the play of everyone around him.
Jamal Murray with torn ACL
Bummer for the Nuggets
Joe Johnson for the Bucks? Can he still play? Hmmm!
It's such a gut punch. They looked like a legit contender after the Gordon trade. Even worse, he's likely going to miss next season too (at least the majority). This one hurts.
@Tschmack posted:Jamal Murray with torn ACL
Bummer for the Nuggets
Wow... the door cracks open for LAL. They would not have hotten past them... no how no way.
@Goalline posted:Joe Johnson for the Bucks? Can he still play? Hmmm!
Iso Joe! Well, I’m not too thrilled about another iso player out there pounding the rock for 15 seconds and fading away from 20, we already got too much of that as it is.
Let’s see if ‘ol LeBron James gets any “justice” for this idiocy...
The LeBron comment ( and erasure) is nowhere to be found on the MSM news or ESPN. That's really curious.
No it’s not... not curious at all.
Outrage over ESPN, completely warranted. ESPN has been shit with covering both sides as a news organization. BOYCOTT!
I get all the news I need from Brett Favre.
Should have been covered more for sure.
Note too all.....wait till the facts are in before commenting.
There will be plenty of time later to make an ass out of yourself.
Got that T Shirt.
If I can't be an ass right out of the gate, I'm not leaving the yard.
@Blair Kiel posted:I get all the news I need from Brett Favre.
Good ol’ Bert Favor....... 😂 🤣 😂
Well, he walked it back... kinda not kinda, anyway. But here’s the thing...
We can all wait until more info is released, and that seems reasonable- but LeBron James didn’t. Millions of people know what he thinks- and what he thinks is “YOU’RE NEXT!!!”
“YOU’RE NEXT!!!” is some sort of MLK level call for peace? It’s a threat... and it’s totally inappropriate- especially for someone with millions of followers all over the world.
It’s a noble message and one we should take to heart. The most vulnerable among us is not determined by race. If the message truly was one of hope and love for mankind, the actions/statements would would look more like the work of Dikembe Mutumbo or David Robinson.
But the NBA has a big problem on their hands... their biggest star is using race divisively at nearly every opportunity in the name of “justice” while promoting the opposite because of his (and the NBA’s) business interests. But don’t take my word for it...
When does the racial “dialogue” start in this country? It seems to be pretty much a lecture, accusations and a list of demands at this point.
We start dialogueing and this thread is hammered shut by noon.
Exactly. That statement is exactly what we’ve come to in this nation.
Folks whose livelihood depend on the continuation of racial division are more than happy to stoke the flames. Same as it ever was.
But the good thing is there's no racism anymore because Obama was elected president.
That's my favorite Traitor derpism.
Yet others say he was a cause.
LeBron James explains why he deleted tweet on police shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant (espn.com)
Props to ESPN for not ignoring the story.
Their wokeness, however couldn't prevent them from making sure they gave his side (sorry not sorry) first.
In their follow-up story, ESPN will be asking LeBron about his stance on Chinese genocide.
I mean... Gina Carano needs to be publicly destroyed for her insensitivity for that thing, you know, that she said about the Holocaust or whatever. She’s got some nerve.
LeBron? Nah, we cool. Do your thing in China and threaten law enforcement officers, and we’ll ignore that and all your other your racist shit... 👊
Let there be JUSTICE! 🔥🔥🔥 Amiright???
Isn't Gina out of a job because of capitalism? Doesn't Lebron have one because of it?
Every situation is different and someone like LeBron James needs to understand this.
I watched the Columbus shooting video over and over again and I fail to understand (at a minimum) how the officer wasn’t trying to take the appropriate action? Yet we are supposed to simply condemn law enforcement right out of the gate because of a few scumbag cops like Chauvin? Cmon now.
The rush to judgment in this country is out of control. James should know better as he has a very large and influential platform not unlike Kevin Durant and his recent BS.
@El-Ka-Bong posted:Isn't Gina out of a job because of capitalism? Doesn't Lebron have one because of it?
No.
It was rhetorical. I could have said, "Isn't Collin Kaepernick out of a job because of capitalism" and it would have been the same point.
Back on topic
Coming down to the wire and looking very likely the Wizards are in the play in game and the Lakers and Warriors could play each other in the 7/8 game.
LeBron can complain all he wants but this is fantastic for fans.
The Knicks now in the 6 hole and I would surely want to play them v the Heat in round 1. I don’t think Brooklyn or Philly want any part of the Wizards.
The East looks like this right now.
1. Philly
2/3. Milwaukee and Brooklyn
4/5/6. Heat, Knicks, Hawks
7. Celtics
8. Hornets
9. Pacers
10. Wizards
As Tschmack says, no one wants any part of the Wizards. They can't stop anybody, but they are going to put up a lot of points and the games are going to be at a frenetic pace. Right now, I think the Hornets beat the Celtics and the Wizards beat the Pacers in the those play-in games. Then the Wizards will beat the Celtics.
The Bucks may have an interesting dilemma in their penultimate game. They play the Heat. A win against the Heat makes it much more likely they drop to the 6 seed and play the Bucks in Round 1. The Nets have the Spurs tonight and if they win, they only need to beat the Bulls and the Cavs to clinch the #2 seed. Do you go all out against the Heat in that scenario or do you load manage and make it more likely to get a matchup against the Hawks or Knicks?
They match up a whole lot better against ATL and NYK than Miami.
Although, not having Crowder and Olynyk makes the Heat less of a threat not to mention Herro has taken a step back and Oladipo and Nunn are getting more minutes than Dragic. Simply put, the 2020 Heat matched up a lot better against Milwaukee than this version.
@Tschmack posted:They match up a whole lot better against ATL and NYK than Miami.
Although, not having Crowder and Olynyk makes the Heat less of a threat not to mention Herro has taken a step back and Oladipo and Nunn are getting more minutes than Dragic. Simply put, the 2020 Heat matched up a lot better against Milwaukee than this version.
Not to mention that ATL and NYK are much more likely to have a "just happy to finally make the playoffs" attitude. They've already had successful seasons based on their goals going in. Miami obviously has a very different mindset.
The Heat are one of a few teams that can throw someone directly at Giannis (Bam) and another guy at Middleton or Holiday (Jimmy Buckets). I would say Philly is another one as is Toronto and maybe a couple of teams in the West.
I still think the Bucks would be fine against the Nets. They have no one to defend Giannis and Milwaukee can throw several good defenders at the Brooklyn trio.
I think the Knicks are dangerous simply because of Thibideaux. They’re going to defend you, take away what you like to do, and muck everything up. They’re undermanned, so they will struggle to score. But they’re going to grind out every game.
Well isn’t this an interesting dilemma...
Bucks play the Heat Saturday, Bulls Sunday to finish.
Nets play the Bulls Saturday, Cavs Sunday.
Heat play Bucks Saturday, Pistons Sunday to finish.
Knicks play Charlotte Saturday, and a free-falling Celtics team Sunday.
- Bucks win out, Nets win out, Knicks win out- Miami is the 6th seed and play the Bucks.
- Bucks win out, Nets lose one, Bucks are the 2 seed and play the winner of the first play-in between 7 and 8.
- Buck lose to Miami, Knicks win out, Miami wins out, Bucks play the Knicks.
- Bucks lose to Miami, Knicks lose one, Miami wins Sunday, Bucks play the Knicks.
Those throw away games that the Bucks just decided not to show up for... they fucking matter now, don’t they? 🤬🤬🤬
So honestly, do you just mail in the game against Miami? The way the Heat are playing I think they will be a tough out. I’d rather play the NYK in round 1.
The thing that sucks is everyone talks about how the West is better but Milwaukee is likely to play Brooklyn in R2 and then Philly or Miami after that just to get to the NBA Finals. Not an easy task.
