msudaisy26
Footballguy
After seeing that Twitter video, I can't see a Jokic interview without hearing him say "I don't care"
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2023-24 NBA (Playoffs!) Thread: Mavs - Boston it is (48 Viewers)
- Thread starter Capella
- Start date
Mr.Pack
Footballguy
The punk Tyreese Haliburton
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Frostillicus
Footballguy
I can’t imagine hating the Pacers.
Frostillicus
Footballguy
More proof that people from Wisconsin aren’t all that bright.
Major
Footballguy
It's not going to be easy if Porzingis doesn't come back. Pacers are a tough out if they're shooting well.
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
I vaguely remember Halliburton being a high school star at Oshkosh but I don't think either Wisconsin or Marquette even recruited him. We could also have a soft spot for the Celtics due to Jrue being such a beloved player and member of the Milwaukee community when he was here. For me, Indiana is the more interesting team in the East although I don't think either of them are as compelling as the two in the West. I don't really care much either way who wins either of these series.
the moops
Footballguy
Porzingis offers back line protection which will help with Indy's drive and kick game, but Boston should absolutely beat this team easily. Indy has a terrible defense that is giving up 118 points per 100 this postseason. They faced a bottom 10 offense in Orlando, and what would have been a bottom 10 offense with all the guys NY was missing. Boston should score pretty efficiently and will relentlessly hunt Haliburton.
I think Indy wins one or two when they absolutely shoot lights out, but I expect a pretty one sided series
msudaisy26
Footballguy
Because he was a clown in High school? Seems odd.
mr. furley
Footballguy
not sure i'm picking up what you're putting down here, fella
Desert_Power
Footballguy
Them giving Barkley crap for referring to himself as "CB" was great too.
I liked Vince Carter in studio too. Not sure if there was some nervousness or something in his voice. Much less punch-able face than Draymond.
Leeroy Jenkins
Footballguy
He is my mom's friends' grandson or something.
Instinctive
Footballguy
Don't care if he's a nutjob if he keeps his nutjob thoughts to himself like he has all year. (praying that continues).I'm not sure, but I think most fans would prefer seeing new teams win it to adding onto the Celtics pile of trophies...Or reverse it (IND & MIN) and we get a bunch of media types telling us about ratings between two small market teams.Not sure why anybody (outside of the league itself) cares. So the ratings go down? Oh no.
If it's Boston-Dallas then I probably won't even watch. I like Jalen but Tatum and Doncic are maybe the two biggest whiners in the league and it seems like some people have forgotten what a nutjob Kyrie is.
Zow
Footballguy
trader jake
Footballguy
Nope. Kyrie's act is what it is. Behaving like a professional for 6 months doesn't erase the last 6 years.
You and KG Moops. https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/commen...mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
the moops
Footballguy
trader jake
Footballguy
Even better? Barkley saying he hasn't been in Minnesota in 20 years ...then they show him there at the Final Four 5 years ago.
Understand that from a Dallas fans perspective but the fact that he’s an antisemite makes him a bad person and I think it’s fair for the population at large to not like him for that reason even if he’s not bringing it up at every opportunity these days.Don't care if he's a nutjob if he keeps his nutjob thoughts to himself like he has all year. (praying that continues).I'm not sure, but I think most fans would prefer seeing new teams win it to adding onto the Celtics pile of trophies...Or reverse it (IND & MIN) and we get a bunch of media types telling us about ratings between two small market teams.
If it's Boston-Dallas then I probably won't even watch. I like Jalen but Tatum and Doncic are maybe the two biggest whiners in the league and it seems like some people have forgotten what a nutjob Kyrie is.
nirad3
Footballguy
By blood I'm a Bulls fan (sigh). By location and growing up in the Showtime Era I'm a Lakers fan (ugh)... but I must say a couple of my favorite teams to watch over the past year or so have been the Wolves and the Mavs. Lived in both Texas and Minnesota for a spell each so I'm just rooting for a good series there and will most certainly root for whomever may make it to the Finals against the hated C's.
msudaisy26
Footballguy
This is the first conference finals since the 1955 1956 season that doesn't have an active player that has already won an MVP participating in either series.
Kev4029
Footballguy
So I've had a day to come to think about the Nuggets - I've been avoiding any discourse (twitter, Reddit, here, podcasts, TV, etc.) so I don't know what the world is saying but here are my thoughts.
- The 23-24 Nuggets were not as good as the 22-23 Nuggets and they missed Brown in the post season as a secondary ball handler and somebody that would get out and run and attack the basket. Malone was also outcoached this postseason - I still have a lot of trust in him as the Nuggets coach, but I thought he was slow to adapt this post season and it was part of the reason they lost.
- The Nuggets badly need two things. First, a rotation caliber ball handler that they can play both with and without Murray (i.e. somebody that can shoot and not get murdered defensively... easier said that done). Second, somebody that can legitimately shoot off the bench (this might be Julian Strawther next season), even if that person is a bit of a liability defensively.
- They need to either make MPJ somebody they can run offense for, or move on before he gets hurt again. Some guys that I think would be good fits as part of the potential trade - Simone Fontecchio, Miles Bridges, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Dejounte Murray. I have no idea how S&Ts work with over the tax teams any more, so some of those might be impossible. I do think the MPJ would fit well in CHO/DET/ATL though.
- Pushing for the #1 seed in spite of rest was a organizational mistake. Pretty much everybody other than Gordon looked tired in both series.
- They need to let DJ and Holiday walk. They need to fill those positions with real players. I think DJ will make a great coach if he decides to go that route, so I would try to bring him back in that role. It's tough to have a roster with so many young guys that couldn't play in the playoffs (while also holding on to Cancar (inured) and DJ (terrible). That's why Holiday ended up playing.
- I still 100% believe in the core of Jokic/Murray/Gordon plus Braun and Watson are great rotation players. MPJ is miscast on this roster, Reggie Jackson should be stretched if he can't traded, Nnaji should be traded with a first rounder for a real player or traded into somebody's cap space if they will take him. The young non-rotation players (Pickett, Strawther, Tyson) and Cancar are likely on the roster and I wouldn't be surprised to see any of them, other than Pickett, with a real role next year.
- KCP is probably not catching a lot of love right now, but if they can get him on a 3 year contract for under $20m a year, they need to resign him. He was hurt all post season (ankle/leg/messed up finger) but fought through it and played a boat load of minutes. He's a great defender, a very good shooter, and surprisingly skilled for somebody that has a usage rate of like 10.
the moops
Footballguy
He is signed through next year. I think they wait it out cause Murray is due a huge raise then too
Kev4029
Footballguy
He has a player option for like $16m or whatever. I would be shocked if he just plays on that contract next year - he's either going to extend off of it (hopefully) or opt out and either resign or sign elsewhere.
the moops
Footballguy
Yep, you are right. Misread. Looks like 15.5 million.
I don’t think they have to or can do much. They were good enough to win the title this year given a couple more breaks and nobody is taking on the MPJ contract. The Nuggets have been stuck with that one since the ink dried. They also owe three firsts already. They should be able to add a couple minimum guys willing to take less on a title contender and run it back.
Mister CIA
Footballguy
Who art in Minnesota.
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
His free agency will be one of the more interesting ones (or his extension)
offdee
Footballguy
I was out on a date watching it at a bar but with no sound on. Had a conversation with her and look up and all of the sudden it's 6 pts. Like WTF?
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
What about MPJ to Orlando if they can’t get what they want in free agency? They have the room in their salary structure, desperately need shooting and have a lot of good defensive players. If Orlando doesn’t feel like they want to deal with Isaac anymore since he probably can’t really hold up over the whole season, they could guarantee him and send him to Denver in exchange. Or send Cole Anthony and/or Joe ingles (after guaranteeing him). Draft compensation probably has to go from Denver too, but Isaac could be a decent bench piece for Denver just to use sparingly and they wouldn’t need him quite as much or they could get a guard to help facilitate on the second unit.
I don’t know, just trying to think of anywhere they could realistically send MPJ if they want to get rid of him and get future salary relief and somehow help the team for next year.
I don’t know, just trying to think of anywhere they could realistically send MPJ if they want to get rid of him and get future salary relief and somehow help the team for next year.
Capella
Footballguy
If the Magic burn their cap space on that guy I’ll just start rooting for the Celtics or something.
Instinctive
Footballguy
Don't worry, they're far more likely to make a Bruce Brown offer to Derrick Jones Jr.
Capella
Footballguy
Nah. Think they go after Malik Monk.
Frostillicus
Footballguy
Minnesota vs Dallas game 1 I am really interested in seeing what happens iwth Gafford and Lively. The Wolves made it clear they don't mind ignoring someone on the perimeter (Gordon) and now Dallas brings in two non shooters, letting Rudy basically just camp inside. I know Luka and Kyrie are tremendous outside shooters and I'll be watching to see what happens becaause I know Ant/Jadn/NAW have given them some fits in the past, and if Rudy can jamp up the paint who knows.
Instinctive
Footballguy
I'm finding it hard to come up with a good perspective so far.
All 4 regular season games were before deadline. Only one game had Kyrie. Luka missed two of the four games. The highest played minutes for Dallas in those four games was Tim Hardaway Jr. Dwight Powell was top 5 in minutes against Minnesota.
So now how do Washington and Gafford change it up?
Sucks no Maxi, for the Gobert reason you mention, would be nice.
Minnesota's number one regular season defense...post deadline behind the Mavs #1 defense over the last ~30 games I heard on Lowe. So you'd think rhythm of the games will be very different than Denver or Phoenix who are mediocre on D.
jvdesigns2002
Footballguy
Wow. A lot of Michael Porter Jr. hate in here. Dude averaged like 17pts-7rebounds a game this season on nearly 48.5% from the field and 40% from the 3 point line. He’s one of the better defenders on the Nuggets and it’s not like he had a horrid playoff run. I think he averaged 1 fewer point per game and had effectively the same efficiency. Being that like 3 of his brothers were dealing with some serious and nasty issues around playoff time—just seems like people are just looking for somebody to blame for the Nuggets losing. The Nuggets lost to a really great and well balanced team. Sure Porter Jr didn’t play great in the elimination game, but if the guy can stay healthy—he’s absolutely an asset. A wing player that can shoot, defend, has height and length, can rebound well—and that is still pretty young—and we’re somehow trashing the guy. Seems odd. The Nuggets are a good team that just lost some depth pieces. They could use a back up big. They basically had a 7 man playoff rotation and their main guys played a lot last season—and they played a lot down the stretch this season. They need minor tweaks- not an overhaul
scoobus
Footballguy
He was absolutely not good on defense in the TWolves series. And he's getting hate because he just had a really awful series, as a guy making a ton of money, in a series they lost. This on the heels of a dreadful finals last year as well.
jvdesigns2002
Footballguy
He was not the reason they lost that series. Jamal Murray also had an awful series. The dude averaged 18pts 4 assists and nearly 3 turnovers a game. He shot just 40% from the field and only 33% from the 3point line—and he’s supposed to be the main producer of offense outside of Jokic. The dude lost his composure so much that he threw stuff at refs and on the court and frankly should have been suspended. MPJ is effectively a fourth option on the Nuggets after Jokic, Murray, and Gordon. Minnesota is a fantastic defensive team that is better than the Nuggets this year. It’s funny how when Denver loses—it’s just about searching for the Nugget player that is the reason behind the loss—as opposed to actually giving credit to the opposing team for being better. Denver was fortunate to get past the Lakers as they outplayed the Nuggets for nearly 75% of the series. Denver should have went down 0-3 in this series as Jamal deserved a suspension and the league didn’t give him one because the league was concerned about ratings (per an anonymous NBA executive). The reality of the situation is that the Nuggets were fortunate to get by the Lakers the way they did, and the only reason this series went seven is because Adam Silver gifted them an opportunity to get back in the series by not suspending Jamal. The Nuggets didn’t lose because of MPJ—they lost because the Wolves were better and they beat them. Calling a really great player trash because he had a bad couple of series is nonsense.
scoobus
Footballguy
Bunch of odd takes in here. Nobody's calling him a trash player, nobody isn't giving Minnesota credit, so you can stop with the strawman. Bringing up the Lakers series and potential suspension also has really nothing to do with this.
MPJ is making the same money as Murray, and considerably more than Gordon. He's absolutely not the 4th option behind Gordon, at least not when he's playing like what he should be. Murray had a rough series as well, but there's soooooooooooo much more on his plate in terms of scoring and creation, in no small part because MPJ played like such ***. Game 7 is an absolute blowout if not for Murray.
From MPJ himself
jvdesigns2002
Footballguy
Look above. People are saying that if MPJ got traded to their team that they would stop supporting their team. MPJ and Jamal Murray have very similar career stats. Murray is averaging 17.5 pts per game and Porter is just under 16pts per game on their careers. Murray gets approximately 3 more assists per game over his career than Porter, and Porter gets nearly 3 more rebounds per game than Murray. Murray has shot 45% from the field and 38% from 3pt line over his career and MPJ has shot nearly 50% from the field and nearly 41% from the 3 point line for his career. The reason they make similar money is because they produce similarly.
Frankly, I would argue that Murrays creating ability as a PG are pretty lacking. A starting PG playing with Jokic should easily be averaging more than 4-5 assists per game imo. He’s a scoring point guard that doesn’t create much for his teammates other than a two man game with Jokic. A scoring first point guard is not rarer than a 6 foot 10 young wing that has incredible range on his shot, is a very efficient shooter, is a solid defender, and is athletic. Am I saying that Porter is a better player than Murray—no. I’m saying that young wing players that can shoot the ball efficiently from range and that are solid defenders are a very valuable commodity in the league. If the Nuggets get rid of MPJ, unless they replace him with a wing superstar (maybe a Paul George type)—more likely than not—they will be downgrading at that position imo.
the moops
Footballguy
jvdesigns2002
Footballguy
Look at the Nuggets players defensive ratings this season. I believe he is 3rd after jokic and Watson. MPJ is a decent defensive player regardless of whether or not you like him
Tau837
Footballguy
You are asserting this based on their careers. But that does not represent the difference between them this year. Murray was considerably better this season. Look at the advanced metrics -- Murray was far better in PER, VORP, BPM, and WS/48.
Murray averaged 6.5 assists per game this season, which was #15 in the league, and his assist percentage (31.2%) was #14. IMO your statement is backwards. Having arguably the best passing big man in NBA history and running much of the offense through him transfers assist opportunities from Murray to Jokic, making it more impressive that Murray ranks as high as he does in assist metrics.
Look at DBPM. Porter ranked #14 out of 17 Nuggets players this season. The only regular in the rotation who was worse is Reggie Jackson.
msudaisy26
Footballguy
Look at the Nuggets players defensive ratings this season. I believe he is 3rd after jokic and Watson. MPJ is a decent defensive player regardless of whether or not you like him
I guessing they hide him. There is no way that he is a better defender than Gordon.
Frostillicus
Footballguy
Arguing MPJ is similar in ability and production to Murray is not a good argument. I never even noticed MPJ against the Wolves. You could have told me he didn't play in a full game and I probably would have believed you. I wanted Murray to die. I noticed him.
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