NBA 2023 CAPSTONE **DENVER NUGGETS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP**

[DragonAttack]

I hope the Pistons sign him. If that happens, he won’t have to worry about another season ending injury in the playoffs. 😉

[TheOutlawXanadu]

800-year-old Chris Paul is now an unrestricted free agent after he was waived by the Suns.

Honestly, one of the most bizarre careers. He is a great regular season player and, when healthy, generally excellent in the playoffs too. But as certain as death and taxes, you can always count on him getting injured in the playoffs. If you're lucky, it's just an injury where he plays a bit worse. If you're not lucky, he completely misses the series altogether. It's just really bizarre.

[Azyiu]

Honestly, one of the most bizarre careers. He is a great regular season player and, when healthy, generally excellent in the playoffs too. But as certain as death and taxes, you can always count on him getting injured in the playoffs. If you're lucky, it's just an injury where he plays a bit worse. If you're not lucky, he completely misses the series altogether. It's just really bizarre.

I agree. Whoever signs him next must have a plan B on point guard in mind, and be prepared to play him just 50 or so games in the regular season. Hopefully, he can stay healthy enough to play in the playoffs. One of his biggest accomplishments has to be how he singlehandedly brought the 2020 OKC Thunder into the playoffs, and ALMOST beat the Rockets in the final seconds of game 7 in the bubble.

[KevShmev]

I can count on one hand the number of NBA players I hate (sports hate, not real hate) more than Chris Paul. He is a dirty player and an asshole. I hope his career is over.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I can count on one hand the number of NBA players I hate (sports hate, not real hate) more than Chris Paul. He is a dirty player and an asshole. I hope his career is over.

He seems like one of those guys who no one has a bad thing to say about off the court but no one has a good thing to say about in terms of on-the-court behavior and leadership. I don't know which is his true self but he definitely rubs a lot of people the wrong way.

[Samsara]

I hate Chris Paul. I hate Jimmy Butler more. They deserve one another. That way I can hate The Heat again, and again, and again.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I hate Chris Paul. I hate Jimmy Butler more. They deserve one another. That way I can hate The Heat again, and again, and again.

Screw it, let's put Dillon Brooks on that team too

[T-ski]

Chris Paul would make my list of great players I’d never want to play for my team.

[KevShmev]

Congrats to the Nuggets and all their fans (but not Stan Kroenke, fuck that guy)!!

Gritty win tonight.  Well done. 

[Azyiu]

The Denver Nuggets, NBA Champions, congratulations, well deserved. 

Now we can move on to the good stuff... the Ja Morant suspension, lol. 

[King Postwhore]

Nice to see a team finally win a championship for the 1st time.

[KevShmev]

What's wild as well is that this is the first time since the 70s that five straight NBA championships were won by five different teams. 

[King Postwhore]

I didn't know that.  Very cool.

[Lonk]

Nice to see a team finally win a championship for the 1st time.

Cleveland in 2016 and Toronto in 2019 were first time champions, no?

Congrats to the Nuggets though 

[KevShmev]

I do wish the sports media would shut up about the sudden comparisons of Jokic to the all-time great centers, but I get that they hate a guy from Europe coming over and dominating what they consider "our" sport, so it's merely an excuse to find a way to knock Jokic. "He's great, but he's no Akeem or Shaq!"  It's probably why some are often hesitant to praise Giannis too much.  And these are the same clowns who actively root for nitwits like Ja Morant and Kyrie Irving to do well.

[jingle.boy]

That 4th Quarter defense was most impressive. Miami got off very few good looks.

[crazy climber dude]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbUAJML2Ej8

[T-ski]

I feel the Nuggets were the best team all season. Congrats on getting it done.

Now the crazy that is the NBA off season can begin.

[Jamesman42]

Disappointed as a Miami fan but happy for Denver to get their first.

[romdrums]

Yeah Nugs, glad to see them finally find a way to get to the top!

What's wild as well is that this is the first time since the 70s that five straight NBA championships were won by five different teams. 

I'm sure this is just a coincidence, but has anyone else noticed how this started happening once David Stern retired? During Stern's reign from 1984-2014, there were only 8 NBA teams to win championships. Since he retired, there have been 7 different champions, and only one of those seven also won a title during Stern's tenure. 

[Samsara]

F General Soreness. No one remembers the losers. But every single Timberwolves fan is laughing at Jimmy Butler. The guy deserved to be left at the altar. When you are on a TEAM, and throw games just to try and get yourself off the team, you're no "great player." You're a loser. And that's what Jimmy Butler is right now. And should be called for the rest of his career. The whole narrative about him being this clutch player, it's all bull. Yes, he's good. But Jimmy's nowhere near the realm of an all time great clutch player. He's a self-centered, my way or the highway guy, who at the end of the day, wants everyone to capitulate to him, and of course, get his bag of loot.

As a Timberwolves fan, we don't like the Nuggets. We're rivals. But I am so happy they were able to send General Soreness home a loser. Congrats to all of them. Mike Malone is a favorite coach of mine, his assistant Ryan Saunders is our former assistant and head coach, not to mention the son of our best ever coach, Flip Saunders, and I'm thrilled for him. The Joker and Jamal Murray are a dynamic punch, and they have a hell of a supporting cast. Well deserved chip, all the way around.

[Stadler]

^^^ I don't follow pro basketball, so I don't know the details, but the player you describe is the player I dislike the most in pro sports. Contrast that with hockey, where you've got a guy like Matthew Tkachuk that can barely lift his arm, and he's taking a potentially game-winning shot with 0.2 left on the clock, and you see the difference.   Sure, Tkachuck lost that game, but he's got, what, four other game-winners?   Or a guy like Patrice Bergeron who plays the entire finals series then AFTER it's over it's released that he had a couple broken ribs and a collapsed lung.  Those are extreme cases, I grant you, but you're either in it to win it, or you're not, IMO. 

[pg1067]

Nice to see a team finally win a championship for the 1st time.

Cleveland in 2016 and Toronto in 2019 were first time champions, no?

Yup.  The Nuggets are the 4th first-time NBA champ in the past 13 NBA seasons:  2011 Mavs, 2016 Cavs, 2019 Raptors and 2023 Nuggets.  That's more than any of the NFL, NHL or MLB had over their prior 13 seasons (2013 Seahawks and 2017 Eagles; 2012 Kings, 2018 Capitals and 2019 Blues; 2017 Astros and 2019 Nationals) (of course, the NHL will have another first-time champ sometime between tonight and next Monday).

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'm really happy for the Nuggets and also Murray and Jokic specifically. Jokic in particular really shined a light on how terrible NBA coverage by the national media is. For years, people said he was just an empty stats guy simply because the Nuggets weren't winning championships. You also had people like Shaq who couldn't even be bothered to pronounce his name correctly and even dumber things I won't mention here.

[T-ski]

Jokic is the only player I’d trade Giannis for.

[dparrott]

I knew Denver was gonna be too good.    At least the Heat got there, that was amazing! 

I wish Denver still wore their powder blue color from a few years ago. 

[Samsara]

Jokic is the only player I’d trade Giannis for.

Jokic is the most complete player in the NBA. If Giannis is just able to develop a jumper (and it has improved over the last several years), I'd say the two of them are the top-2 in the league, given LeBron and Durant being a bit older now.

[Azyiu]

Morant gets a 25-game suspension. I think that sounds about right, though I was expecting a few games more.

[Samsara]

Should have been at least 41. But in this day and age of coddling players and it being a player's league...

Anyway. So Jordan sold the Hornets for THREE BILLION dollars. He bought them for 275 million. I'd say he made a good investment.

Been thinking about this a lot today. Not saying MJ would do this, but how interesting would it be if he, along with some of the other biggest earners that are NBA alumni, partnered and started a rival league to the NBA. I mean, it would take a lot more than 3 billion, but given how well Jordan has capitalized on his earnings (same with Magic, LeBron, etc.) it would be kind of cool to see if it would make any traction. Like the old rival ABA/NBA days....

[Jamesman42]

Cool idea but I wouldn't have the time to invest into one more thing to watch or keep up with, personally.

[TAC]

LIV Basketball

[Samsara]

Suns getting Beal is pretty impressive.

I mean:

Ayton
Durant
Booker
Beal
Payne

>>>>That is a pretty damn impressive starting unit. That bench though - woefully thin. With them at the second level of cap penalties, they can only sign guys for the league minimum, and given how much Beal and Durant get hurt, that is a big, big risk. But I have to think some good guys will flock to the Suns now for the minimum for a chance at a chip.

The fire sale is ON in Washington. Going to be interesting to see if Porzingis and Kuzma now decline their player options and go into free agency. I could see both getting big deals. Which would mean Washington may win 15 games next year. 

[Azyiu]

That is a pretty damn impressive starting unit. That bench though - woefully thin. With them at the second level of cap penalties, they can only sign guys for the league minimum, and given how much Beal and Durant get hurt, that is a big, big risk. But I have to think some good guys will flock to the Suns now for the minimum for a chance at a chip.

The fire sale is ON in Washington. Going to be interesting to see if Porzingis and Kuzma now decline their player options and go into free agency. I could see both getting big deals. Which would mean Washington may win 15 games next year. 

That is why I think the Suns ain't done dealing. Something tells me they will try to trade Ayton for role players or picks.

The Wizards seem to be picking the wrong year to tank. 

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Should have been at least 41. But in this day and age of coddling players and it being a player's league...

Can you even imagine what David Stern would have done?

[Azyiu]

So the WAS, BOS, LAC trade fell apart, and now WAS sending Porzingis to BOS, BOS sending Smart to MEM, MEM sending Tyus Jones to WAS.

Funny thing is on BOS part, if the post is still on ig and Twitter, they posted a Smart hype video hours before the trade... not a very smart move, lol