2013-14 NBA thread v. Adam Silver Lays the Pipe on Donald Sterling ©2014antigoon

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'd be shocked if Miami won the title this year. The problem isn't LeBron (he was coasting all year and will turn it up starting Sunday); it's that their role players from last year are either gone (Miller) or old as f!@# (Allen, Battier). Plus you have no idea what you're getting from Wade.

[Azyiu]

I'd be shocked if Miami won the title this year. The problem isn't LeBron (he was coasting all year and will turn it up starting Sunday); it's that their role players from last year are either gone (Miller) or old as f!@# (Allen, Battier). Plus you have no idea what you're getting from Wade.

Agreed for the most part, yet I think Wade, Allen and Battier will be fine in the playoffs. Rather, I wonder what their bench and other guys like Chalmers, Beasley and how about Oden and Lewis can bring to the table. They won their last 2 titles with intense D and great / timely productions from those "lesser" guys; but based on the regular season this year, I just don't see those other guys can bring it.

[ReaPsTA]

I'd be shocked if Miami won the title this year. The problem isn't LeBron (he was coasting all year and will turn it up starting Sunday); it's that their role players from last year are either gone (Miller) or old as f!@# (Allen, Battier). Plus you have no idea what you're getting from Wade.

Also, San Antonio and OKC got better.

[contest_sanity]

Steve Nash -- Grantland's Finish Line Eps. 4:

Dinner With Dirk

This was great!

[ReaPsTA]

Does anyone have a read on how the Bulls Wizards series will go down? 

The Wizards have the better roster, but the intangibles favor the Bulls so strongly.

Both teams are theoretically close enough for this to be a seven game series, but I can also imagine one or both teams either hugely over or under performing expectations and the series ending in four or five games.  I don't get it.

[Jamesman42]

Haven't watched the Wizards this year. Are they really that good? I would assume Bulls no question.

[contest_sanity]

Dinner With Dirk

Opening it for discussion here bc they brought it up in the above clip: what would the Mavs have been able to accomplish if Cuban had decided to pay Nash in 2004?

Do the Mavs at least win it in 06? Do they possibly claim 07 too (when they had the league's best record and Dirk's MVP year)? Subquestion: assuming the 2011 Mavs had kept Chandler and then been able to pull in a Deron Williams, could they have made another run in 2012 or 13?

I will continue to maintain that letting those two players walk in 04 (Nash) and 11 (Chandler) were huge F-ups by Cuban -- and I'm a Cuban fan!

[ReaPsTA]

In retrospect, letting Chandler go was indefensible.

Cuban had a very important insight - The 2011 team wasn't winning another ring.  But he was too willing to gamble on either DWill or Howard signing in Dallas.  By keeping Chandler he:

(a) Would have had, along with Dirk, two really attractive potential teammates for free agents.

(b) One of the best trade assets in the league.

Yeah, keeping Chandler would have been expensive.  But he's a good enough player to justify the money.

[contest_sanity]

^ It's pretty much an established fact that only the Joe Johnson trade convinced D-Will to resign in Brooklyn, and that was AFTER Chandler had been allowed to leave Dallas.  Mavs keep Chandler and D-Will no doubt comes to Dallas. Then you could possibly even let Chandler walk after another season or trade him -- and then sign Dwight Howard too. Can you say BIG 3??? Wouldn't that have been an amazing Finals rematch with the Heat?

I don't want to think about this anymore...

EDIT: yes, I know both Dirk and Howard were hurt with significant injuries in the 2012-13 season, but, since this is my speculation, I'm gonna pretend they would not have gotten hurt in my scenario.

[j]

^ It's pretty much an established fact that only the Joe Johnson trade convinced D-Will to resign in Brooklyn, and that was AFTER Chandler had been allowed to leave Dallas.  Mavs keep Chandler and D-Will no doubt comes to Dallas. Then you could possibly even let Chandler walk after another season or trade him -- and then sign Dwight Howard too. Can you say BIG 3??? Wouldn't that have been an amazing Finals rematch with the Heat?

I'm not sure keeping Chandler would have made D-Will coming to Dallas a sure thing.  The dude's judgment is clearly suspect if he was eager to play with Joe Johnson for Christ's sake.  However, not paying up for Chandler was still a huge mistake, even if not for that reason alone.

That was a great video by the way.  Dirk seems to be a pretty no-bullshit dude.

-J

[ReaPsTA]

Playoff predictions:

Clippers > Warriors in Six
Even without Bogut, the Warriors feel very threatening.

Thunder > Grizzlies in Six
The Grizz are sneaky good, but the Thunder are just better.  And they have enough experience not to play around and find themselves in a game seven.

Spurs > Mavericks in Five
Dirk will win the Mavs a game.

Rockets > Blazers in Six
The Rockets are definitely the better team, but they're hard to trust.  They should win in five, but they'll give up a game they shouldn't have.

Heat > Bobcats in Five
Big Al will win a game for the Bobcats.

Bulls > Wizards in Seven
Noah's the best player, and I have a hard time believing the Wizards are ready.

Nets > Raptors in Six
The Nets have the roster and veteran experience to end this one without going to game 7.

Pacers > Hawks in Six
The Pacers have such a better roster, but they aren't trustworthy until they play a few consecutive games of good Basketball.

[Dimitrius]

https://instagram.com/p/m-l6tRSstd/

[Azyiu]

 I love the pace of the Nets @ Raptors first half, but I do not like the way the Raptors are playing. At times they play like they are out of control!

[antigoon]

This Toronto crowd is absolutely insane. So pumped for them. Hopefully they come out in the 2nd half with a bit more composure.

[Syzzle]

Toronto might have passed Golden State for the best fans in the NBA. They have thousands of fans outside watching the game on the big screen, and the crowd inside is just insane.

[antigoon]

If only DeRozan would snap out of it.

[Azyiu]

If only DeRozan would snap out of it.

He is forcing things thus far... the Raptors have better turn to Lowry and Valanciunas if they want to win game 1.

[Azyiu]

The Truth! Are you kidding me?!

[antigoon]

fucking paul pierce.

[jammindude]

What a freakin SLOPPY game the beginning of this LAC/GSW game is!   

[ReaPsTA]

https://instagram.com/p/m-l6tRSstd/

MASAI!!!!!!!!!!!!

But yeah, when it came down to it Brooklyn handled themselves better.  Experience matters.

On the other hand, Toronto has a lot of room to clean up their play.  If they could pull off some combination of better shooting, DeRozen finding his best rhythm, fewer turnovers, and better passing, they can really compete with Brooklyn as the series goes on.  It's not over.

[Syzzle]

Holy shit these refs in the LAC vs GSW game need to chill out they're literally calling everything an offensive foul completely ruining the game.

[ReaPsTA]

Holy shit these refs in the LAC vs GSW game need to chill out they're literally calling everything an offensive foul completely ruining the game.

Awful reffing.  Since it's Warriors vs. Clippers, they decided they needed to 'keep the series under control.'  Haven't the refs ruined enough games this way for the league to make them back off on this?

Still, very worrying loss for the Clippers.

[jammindude]

Anyone watching the Hawks dismantling of the Pacers?   

[ReaPsTA]

Anyone watching the Hawks dismantling of the Pacers?   

I didn't see the game, but good lord.

[jammindude]

Anyone watching the Hawks dismantling of the Pacers?   

I didn't see the game, but good lord.

...and that final score is not really indicative of the slaughter it was.   The Pacers brought it back to a single digit deficit in junk time.   It was pretty bad. 

[contest_sanity]

Go Hawks!

lulz at Roy Hibbert getting blocked TWICE by... wait for it... beast of the paint Kyle Korver!

I was really hoping that the Pacers would find themselves again, and give Miami a serious run, but they could easily lose this series to the Hawks.

Another positive besides A GA team winning is that if the Pacers lose the series, they can claim the crown of worst #1 seed implosion from my 07 Mavericks.

[Azyiu]

The Pacers have absolutely NO sense of urgency whatsoever, as if they collectively just don't care about the series. They deserve to lose! 

[Jamesman42]

Good.

[Accelerando]

If Marc Gasol didn't play like his brother during playoff time, he probably could be the best big man in the game.

Anyway, I'm thinking OKC is going to sweep. At least Memphis made it interesting in the second half

[Syzzle]

You mean his brother that bailed Kobe out in the Finals and got robbed of a Finals MVP? If he played that good they would probably have a better chance against OKC.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Depressing game yesterday for the Raptors. So many unforced turnovers, but you also have to give the Nets credit because they answered every Toronto run with a run of their own.

[KevShmev]

It must make Larry Bird, who played with such heart, sick to see this Pacers team play with none.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I was shocked by how confident the Pacers were following the loss. You don't want out-right panic but I think a sense of urgency is warranted at this point.

[j]

Argh, Mavs like to open and close with their weakest shit.  Hard to watch.

Why their offense includes so many jumpers by Devin Harris, one of the poorer jump shooters among NBA guards (and on the Mavs roster), I do not understand.

-J