NBA- OU players and general (this thread only)

It looks like the Celtics will sweep the Pacers after their second improbable win in this series. I realize I'm beating a dead horse now, but I need to give it just one last beating. When the Pacers traded Buddy away, the primary recipient of his playing time was a rookie named Ben Sheppard. Well, he's 0-9 from three-point land in this series with a total of 9 points altogether. In hindsight, it might have been a wiser decision to let the rookie sit behind the guy who is #22 in career 3-point shots made...for this year, anyway.
 
Though he's riding the bench will be nice to see Blake get a ring in his last hurrah.
 
Looking ahead, does anyone see Dallas beating Boston in the Finals? While Tatum and Brown vs Doncic and Irving is a great matchup, the Celtics have a better supporting cast. Still, as a lifelong Lakers fan, I'm wired to always root against the Celtics. The one advantage for the Mavericks is that the Celtics are not a good defensive team - that was the one drawback to trading Marcus Smart. I think it will go 6 or 7 games, but bracing myself for the Celtics to take an 18-17 lead over the Lakers in NBA titles.
 
Looking ahead, does anyone see Dallas beating Boston in the Finals? While Tatum and Brown vs Doncic and Irving is a great matchup, the Celtics have a better supporting cast. Still, as a lifelong Lakers fan, I'm wired to always root against the Celtics. The one advantage for the Mavericks is that the Celtics are not a good defensive team - that was the one drawback to trading Marcus Smart. I think it will go 6 or 7 games, but bracing myself for the Celtics to take an 18-17 lead over the Lakers in NBA titles.
I think it will be a great series. Boston hasn't looked that impressive in the playoffs.
 
Looking ahead, does anyone see Dallas beating Boston in the Finals? While Tatum and Brown vs Doncic and Irving is a great matchup, the Celtics have a better supporting cast. Still, as a lifelong Lakers fan, I'm wired to always root against the Celtics. The one advantage for the Mavericks is that the Celtics are not a good defensive team - that was the one drawback to trading Marcus Smart. I think it will go 6 or 7 games, but bracing myself for the Celtics to take an 18-17 lead over the Lakers in NBA titles.
Boston was literally a top 2 defensive team in the NBA this year. And defense is what has turned a couple of the last few games, including last night when Derrick White made a stupid number of elite defensive plays in the 3rd quarter alone.

And Boston is doing this without Porzingis, our third best offensive player and only real rim protector.
 
Boston was literally a top 2 defensive team in the NBA this year. And defense is what has turned a couple of the last few games, including last night when Derrick White made a stupid number of elite defensive plays in the 3rd quarter alone.

And Boston is doing this without Porzingis, our third best offensive player and only real rim protector.
if Porzingis is back for the finals I think Boston will be very hard to beat ..

with out him Dallas (with a healthy front line) has a real chance to win it all
 
Looking ahead, does anyone see Dallas beating Boston in the Finals? While Tatum and Brown vs Doncic and Irving is a great matchup, the Celtics have a better supporting cast. Still, as a lifelong Lakers fan, I'm wired to always root against the Celtics. The one advantage for the Mavericks is that the Celtics are not a good defensive team - that was the one drawback to trading Marcus Smart. I think it will go 6 or 7 games, but bracing myself for the Celtics to take an 18-17 lead over the Lakers in NBA titles.
For sure, it's going to be a great series. Dallas has an elite defense and a scheme proof superstar in Luka. And if the games are close, Luka/Kyrie are the two guys you want in crunch time.
 
Looking ahead, does anyone see Dallas beating Boston in the Finals? While Tatum and Brown vs Doncic and Irving is a great matchup, the Celtics have a better supporting cast. Still, as a lifelong Lakers fan, I'm wired to always root against the Celtics. The one advantage for the Mavericks is that the Celtics are not a good defensive team - that was the one drawback to trading Marcus Smart. I think it will go 6 or 7 games, but bracing myself for the Celtics to take an 18-17 lead over the Lakers in NBA titles.
Jrue Holiday is a better defensive player than Smart. I think it will be a very competitive series with Boston winning in 6, maybe 7. Biggest weakness Boston has is thin front line with Porzingis out and coaching.
 
Boston was literally a top 2 defensive team in the NBA this year. And defense is what has turned a couple of the last few games, including last night when Derrick White made a stupid number of elite defensive plays in the 3rd quarter alone.

And Boston is doing this without Porzingis, our third best offensive player and only real rim protector.

My bad...didn't realize they were that good of a defensive team. It just seemed like when the shooting of Tatum or Brown was off is when they would lose.
 
I think it will be a great series. Boston hasn't looked that impressive in the playoffs.
if Porzingis is back for the finals I think Boston will be very hard to beat ..

with out him Dallas (with a healthy front line) has a real chance to win it all
For sure, it's going to be a great series. Dallas has an elite defense and a scheme proof superstar in Luka. And if the games are close, Luka/Kyrie are the two guys you want in crunch time.

Don't quit your day jobs!

Ya'll are lucky I'm a little superstitious and didn't want to run my mouth BEFORE the series even started, but this was never going to be a close/tight series, with OR without Porzingis. Great matchup for Boston, terrible matchup for Dallas. Boston has easily been the best team in the NBA this season, and they showed that in the playoffs, largely without their starting Center. I think I read/heard that Dallas has beaten Boston one time (Game 4) in the last 2 seasons.

As a Boston fan I'd have been much more worried about a series with Denver or Minnesota.

Banner #18. Suck it!
 
Don't quit your day jobs!

Ya'll are lucky I'm a little superstitious and didn't want to run my mouth BEFORE the series even started, but this was never going to be a close/tight series, with OR without Porzingis. Great matchup for Boston, terrible matchup for Dallas. Boston has easily been the best team in the NBA this season, and they showed that in the playoffs, largely without their starting Center. I think I read/heard that Dallas has beaten Boston one time (Game 4) in the last 2 seasons.

As a Boston fan I'd have been much more worried about a series with Denver or Minnesota.

Banner #18. Suck it!
Figures you would be a Boston fan. All makes sense now
 
Boston has easily been the best team in the NBA this season

Not really. Boston dodged pretty much every great team and wouldn't have made it out of the West. Denver would have won in 5, but luckily for Boston, Denver got matched up against the only team that could beat them. Minnesota had flaws, but they were built to stop Jokic (and barely did so).
 
Luka is amazing, but the Mavs overachieved. They're a 2-man show and when Jrue is outplaying Kyrie, there was just no scenario that the Mavs were going to come out on top. Tatum could have say out the series and the Celtics could still have won.

Mavs wouldn't have beaten the TWolves in the first round and likely lose to OKC if PJ doesn't go nuts. No way would they have beaten Denver.

Mavs earned it on the court this postseason, so hats off to them, but they're not in the preseason top 5.
 
Luka is amazing, but the Mavs overachieved. They're a 2-man show and when Jrue is outplaying Kyrie, there was just no scenario that the Mavs were going to come out on top. Tatum could have say out the series and the Celtics could still have won.

Mavs wouldn't have beaten the TWolves in the first round and likely lose to OKC if PJ doesn't go nuts. No way would they have beaten Denver.

Mavs earned it on the court this postseason, so hats off to them, but they're not in the preseason top 5.
This reminds me of all the talk about how OU "should" have been in the tourney and "would" have done better than certain teams that made it. The results of games actually matter. I agree that the East was the weaker conference, but who the hell knows what would have happened in a particular series that never came to be? I am not a Celtics fan, but to just assume they "would" have lost to Denver is silly.
 
Not really. Boston dodged pretty much every great team and wouldn't have made it out of the West. Denver would have won in 5, but luckily for Boston, Denver got matched up against the only team that could beat them. Minnesota had flaws, but they were built to stop Jokic (and barely did so).
Stop it. Boston went 64-18 during the regular season. That was 14 games better than the next team in the East, and 7 games better than the best team(s) in the West.

Boston was dominant this year and was clearly the favorite to win the title once the playoffs started, even if some of the talking heads started looking for reasons to suggest otherwise.

Boston was one of only a couple of teams to finish top 2 in both offensive and defensive efficiency for a season. GS a few years back was the other.

So again, DOMINANT! Your hatred of them doesn't change the facts.
 
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