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

[KevShmev]

I mean. Z-Bo punched a guy in the face.

Eh, watch the replay.  Looked to me like it was more of an attempted shove gone wrong.  Really dumb and deserved a flagrant for sure, but not a suspension.

Arguably more concerning was Paul George's clearly leaving the bench during the altercation the other night without consequence.

If I am Suns fan who saw my team's best shot at a title ruined because of that stupid rule in 2007, I'd be pretty peeved.  Granted, Stern isn't the commish anymore, so maybe Silver is gonna be a bit more lenient with that one, but George absolutely should have been suspended, by the letter of the law.

[ReaPsTA]

Rich Bucher made a great point on Simmons's podcast:  The only players who get respect from the refs are the ones who whine a lot for calls.

Think about it.  Here are the league leaders in free throw attempts:

1.   Kevin Durant-OKC   805
2.   Blake Griffin-LAC   674
3.   James Harden-HOU   665
4.   Dwight Howard-HOU   638
5.   Kevin Love-MIN   633
6.   DeMar DeRozan-TOR   630
7.   DeMarcus Cousins-SAC   595
8.   LeBron James-MIA   585
9.   Carmelo Anthony-NYK   541
10.   Paul George-IND   464

Almost all of them are known for being petulant with officials.

And then you think about guys in general who gets a lot of respect from officials, like Chris Paul.  They're always throwing a fit after calls.

This is why the league doesn't want players whining to the officials.  It's not the whining that's bad, it's that the whining works, which makes it even worse.

[ReaPsTA]

Dwane Casey extended.  He earned it.

[j]

Rich Bucher made a great point on Simmons's podcast:  The only players who get respect from the refs are the ones who whine a lot for calls.

Think about it.  Here are the league leaders in free throw attempts:

1.   Kevin Durant-OKC   805
2.   Blake Griffin-LAC   674
3.   James Harden-HOU   665
4.   Dwight Howard-HOU   638
5.   Kevin Love-MIN   633
6.   DeMar DeRozan-TOR   630
7.   DeMarcus Cousins-SAC   595
8.   LeBron James-MIA   585
9.   Carmelo Anthony-NYK   541
10.   Paul George-IND   464

Almost all of them are known for being petulant with officials.

And then you think about guys in general who gets a lot of respect from officials, like Chris Paul.  They're always throwing a fit after calls.

This is why the league doesn't want players whining to the officials.  It's not the whining that's bad, it's that the whining works, which makes it even worse.

I don't buy it.  I mean it may or may not be true, but that list is just a bunch of players who have the ball more than anyone else on their team.  Of course they're going to get fouled more and shoot more free throws.

Also Rick Bucher making a good point, come on.

-J

[ReaPsTA]

Also Rick Bucher making a good point, come on.

-J

He spent a lot of the podcast defending Mark Jackson.  Believe me, I'm not getting on the Bucher train.

[Aefenwelg]

Wow, Thunder getting killed.

[ReaPsTA]

Mark Jackson fired.

He wasn't a good enough coach to deserve the cult of personality he built around himself.

[Syzzle]

I'm surprised LeBron is on that list for FT attempts he is easily the most disrespected star when it comes to getting calls the guy gets hacked every time he drives to the basket

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Kevin Durant's MVP Press Conference was truly moving. He's a class act, and easily my favorite player since he entered the league.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Durant is an all-time great player in the making. We're lucky to be watching him.

[ReaPsTA]

I'm surprised LeBron is on that list for FT attempts he is easily the most disrespected star when it comes to getting calls the guy gets hacked every time he drives to the basket

It's interesting, because last year I think there was a real backlash by the refs against LeBron.  The game 6 running across the court due to an offensive foul was a major tipping point, but even then LeBron had just done so much whining that the refs stopped giving him respect.  It didn't hurt that the Pacers played physical, but clean defense against him.  He only attempted 5.57 free throws a game versus the Spurs.

This year though I'm not sure he has the same stigma.  He averaged 7.6 FTA/game this year (up from last year) and generated 11 FTA/game vs. the Bobcats.  Granted, I know it's the Bobcats, but that's still an insane number.

[bosk1]

Mark Jackson fired.

This organization is so stupid.  It is really hard to get behind them in any way, shape, or form no matter how much I may like some of the players.

[Syzzle]

Mark Jackson was well liked by his players, but he wasn't a very good coach. They have too much talent to be wasted with a mediocre coach. It's kind of similar to OKC's situation except honestly Mark Jackson is probably better than Brooks.

[j]

One one hand, the Warriors have been on a steady and unprecedented rise on his watch.  Their record is better every year and they had a legitimate shot to go further in the playoffs this year, despite the west being so strong.  On the surface it seems like the season should be called a success and the notion of firing a head coach after such a season seems ridiculous.

However, there are some pretty obvious problems with the Warriors' style of play.  They eschew any type of interior game in favor of an offense that consists of guards chucking a crap load of low percentage jump shots.  That is simply a statistically unsustainable offense, even though you've got a couple of the very best shooters in the league on your roster.  Not only that, but Jackson seems like a good preacher and motivator, but I'm not sure how good a coach he is.  But given that his team plays next to no defense and runs and guns like a rec league team, I have to be a little skeptical.

I'm unaware of the alleged butting of heads between him and Warriors management, but I hear there were some other things that contributed to his firing.  I'm sure they were the main factor.

-J

[antigoon]

I wouldn't say Jackson is a bad coach, but it definitely seems like the team had reached a peak with him in charge. You just hope they can find an adequate replacement.

[antigoon]

Mark Jackson was well liked by his players, but he wasn't a very good coach. They have too much talent to be wasted with a mediocre coach. It's kind of similar to OKC's situation except honestly Mark Jackson is probably better than Brooks.

For all of Brooks' faults, OKC has been a really good defensive team under his watch.

[Accelerando]

Not only does Tony Parker have one of the best mid-range shots, but he's one of the best post-players in the game too. What he does in the paint is a treat to watch

[ReaPsTA]

Spurs put on a clinic again.  They came out with the same energy they did against Dallas in game 7, and their game-planning was masterful.

But this series still has a lot of potential to be interesting.  Even though the Blazers were being blown out, Stotts (the coach) kept his starters in to see what they could do against San Antonio's defense.  And they found something important. 

The Spurs were willing to guard the paint very lightly in order to be sure Portland's 3-point shooters never had a good look (the Blazers shot 25.7 threes per game against Houston, and only 16 tonight against San Antonio).  So the Blazers started posting up Aldridge very close to the basket and having their guards (especially Lillard) penetrate more.  In theory, this is bad.  You want Aldridge outside the paint stretching the defense, and you don't want Lillard driving because he's a bad shooter near the rim.  But the Spurs guarded the three so heavily that the Blazers had to do something to adjust, and it worked out very well for them.  Lillard got some open looks in the paint, and the Blazers revealed how unwilling the Spurs are to double team Aldridge (who had 32 points even in a blowout).

This makes for a very interesting game 2.  How heavily will Stotts exploit his new-found knowledge?  Will Pop make adjustments to stay ahead strategically?  We'll find out Thursday.  Can't wait.

[Syzzle]

Mark Jackson was well liked by his players, but he wasn't a very good coach. They have too much talent to be wasted with a mediocre coach. It's kind of similar to OKC's situation except honestly Mark Jackson is probably better than Brooks.

For all of Brooks' faults, OKC has been a really good defensive team under his watch.

He can coach defense, but his offensive coaching leaves a lot to be desired. Honestly I don't even want OKC to fire Scott Brooks just get him someone to help with the offense and they would be set.

[dparrott]

Listening on the radio about Lady Gaga's concert in DC being rescheduled because the Wizards made the next round, and her fans' reaction to it.  Stupid.

[black_biff_stadler]

I still think POR/SA ain't even seeing game 6 as long as the Blazers continue to be as deplorable as they've been on the boards. In defensive rebounding situations, they're more concerned with not bumping into each other than they are with securing the ball and the other team routinely takes candy from a baby. Also, they don't box out and are constantly out of position.

[Dark Castle]

Listening on the radio about Lady Gaga's concert in DC being rescheduled because the Wizards made the next round, and her fans' reaction to it.  Stupid.

Well hey, some of us happen to like Lady Gaga way more than basketball. Her fans can get mad about something they really want to see being postponed, and basketball can seem stupid to others. Just saying.

[black_biff_stadler]

So we're all on the same page here, Lady Gaga's last DC show was canceled as well so I feel the fans are justified for being pissed but threatening riots is retarded.

[Dark Castle]

Yeah, threatening riots is a bit overboard

[KevShmev]

Fan overreaction aside, I do think that it is bull shit that they are changing the concert date like this at the last minute.  I'd be royally pissed, too, if I were coming from another city and already had hotel and plane reservations booked, which takes a lot of planning and rearranging things in your life to make it work, and then, boom, they pull the rug out from under you at the last minute.  Hell, I don't even like Lady Gaga, but it's bull shit.

[dparrott]

Well the same could be said for changing the playoff game date for her concert.  There's no win-win here. 

[Dark Castle]

Well the same could be said for changing the playoff game date for her concert.  There's no win-win here.

Not really, that concert's probably been scheduled for quite awhile.

[KevShmev]

Well the same could be said for changing the playoff game date for her concert. 

That doesn't make any sense, given the timeline.  The playoff series wasn't set in stone until four days ago; the concert has been scheduled for months.

[ReaPsTA]

OMG ROY HIBBERT!!!!

[Accelerando]

Alright big fella, you go ahead and drop those 28 pts.

[Jamesman42]

Fuck, the Pacers looked dangerous again. Now I can say with confidence again that I can see Miami and Ind in the ECF

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Hold your horses people... It was one game, at home, and they got more out of Hibbert than they're going to get again all series. I'm still skeptical about the Pacers.

[antigoon]

Wiz in 6

[KevShmev]

Hold your horses people... It was one game, at home, and they got more out of Hibbert than they're going to get again all series. I'm still skeptical about the Pacers.

This.  Even with that monster game from Hibbert, they still barely beat the Wizards at home.

[j]

Wiz in 6

Yep.

-J