New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[jadis]

I continue to marvel at the speed and finesse of OKC . Simply put, as good as the Wolves, Nuggs nd Clippers are the Thunder find themselves once again in the 1 spot also just 1/2 game ahead of Wolves. with the Nuggs knocking on both their doors at 1 game behind. This for me has always been the best part of the season (after All Star break) and OKC stats are beyond excellent and they cannot be ignored. Their only downside is their youth and playoff inexperience, but the are fast and very skilled scoring machine who happy n to be 8-2 in their last 10 games

The final downside is which Thunder will guard Jokic if they meet in the playoffs. Holmgren has less muscles than Porzingis.

 

[Steve Williams]

Reeves may not be the modern-day super athletic player in the mold of Ja Morant but he gets the job done at both ends of the court.

to me he has assumed Alex Caruso's role as the White Mamba

 

[Steve Williams]

The final downside is which Thunder will guard Jokic if they meet in the playoffs. Holmgren has less muscles than Porzingis.

there is truth in what you say however look at OKC stats and marvel......they are doing as good or better than the GSW when thee Warriors were at their peak

the Thunder are beating opponents by a ridiculous 10 points per 100 possessions.

 

[Steve Williams]

It would seem like More often than not the Phoenix Suns
have 2 out of 3 of their big three playing. Last night? The one missing was Booker.

Ive been quite disappointed in the Suns progress this year. Beal was to be the missing link but even with the 3 playing they just haven't performed the way I expected

 

[christoph]

Something just came into my mind. Could Shaquille stop the Joker?

Probably yes

 

[christoph]

the other unknown for me is Sacramento . They continue to beat all of the best teams but are never consistent. I think they lack one more strong player and they too will be a perennial contender.

So many good teams always result n surprises in the playoffs and every ow and again a Cinderella team such as the Lakers or the Heat emerge from the Play in round and end up in the conference finals. But like Lakers learned last year, Cinderella's coach turned into a pumpkin at midnight as the Nuggs swept the Lakers

I suppose the Celtics biggest worry would be to face the Heat once again as Miami is now in the 6th spot in the East

My only fear for the Celtics are the Nuggets.

 

[christoph]

true butTatum takes the criticism well and always tries to become better BUT his achilles tendon is his inability to close out teams in clutch situations

Let's just hope he improves in this regard.
Otherwise he is almost perfect.

 

[christoph]

Jokic is a super-dimensional player. His spin moves and bully ball is just what great centers do. And those long rainbow shots of his, honestly, upon release I would say they had a 50-50 chance but he now converts then basically at 90%

And of those 90% that go in, 30% do that via the glass and please don't tell me that is on purpose

 

[christoph]

The final downside is which Thunder will guard Jokic if they meet in the playoffs. Holmgren has less muscles than Porzingis.

Holmgren is even more toothstick than Wemby

 

[DLS]

3 centers - Wilt, Bill, and Kareem?

Yes...

 

[DLS]

I heard that Magic and Wilt bit only here. Thanks for the info. I live 5000 miles away from NBA country. And up until 1986 would just rely on a few '''delayed telecast' of NBA games and 100% of the time, NBA news came from the Sports Page of a local broadsheet. 1986 onwards, we had the privilege of getting NBA and other US sports games via the Clark Air Base Far East Network of the USAF via a special UHF antenna. I did not grow up with Wilt nor Bill, but saw some Celtics games and the only name I knew or kept hearing and seeing was Sam Jones. If I could trace back, that would be the first moment I became a Celtics 'fan'. I watched a lot of Knicks games too, against the Bullets in the East and against the Lakers in the Finals. I would have been a Knicks fan for in late grade school , I would spend by break writing down the starting Fives of the Knicks, which till today I remember very well. That should be around 1970-73. Then the Celtics vs Suns Finals of 1976 cemented by Celtic Cap. And a few years of sleepy Finals (Bullets and Sonics) then the age of awakening in the NBA happened, Bird vs Magic. The rest is history. So technically speaking, I've been a Celtics fan for about 54 years.

As for Magic being at the top of whatever is the highest mountain in basketball, I agree. I've mentioned that in the early pages of this thread. And totally agree he made people around him better. Plus that he led a Jabbar-less Lakers in the clinching game of the Finals by scoring 42 points and some boards in his rookie year. That, to me, is an impact player.

That performance by Magic in his rookie year was sensational and let us know what was coming. There is something truly inspiring about a player who has the best game of his career in the most important game. It's rare, but look up Clyde's game 7 numbers in game 7 in 1970. With Willis down, Clyde line: 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds. It made him a hero in NYC for all time.

 

[jadis]

And of those 90% that go in, 30% do that via the glass and please don't tell me that is on purpose

You beat me to that observation, Those 'bank shots' from way out are 99.99% not intended.

Last Finals or playoffs, he hit a banked shot and the announcer said it's amazing because the banks were still closed in Serbia.

 

[jadis]

That performance by Magic in his rookie year was sensational and let us know what was coming. There is something truly inspiring about a player who has the best game of his career in the most important game. It's rare, but look up Clyde's game 7 numbers in game 7 in 1970. With Willis down, Clyde line: 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds. It made him a hero in NYC for all time.

To me, the added significance of Magic's rookie year championship feat was the fact that he came in a Lakers team that had Kareem for the last 4 years but didn't win a title in that span. That's what I call an impact player and a feat that I have not seen thereafter.

Clyde was the idol of many of my classmates who played the game. His behind the back dribble always drew cheers from them when we watched Knicks games on TV then. There were some unique players then and Clyde's numbers as you pointed out indeed was truly heroic.

 

[jadis]

Let's just hope he improves in this regard.
Otherwise he is almost perfect.

Hope he does. And I think coach will continue to give him the last shot in the hope of 'boosting' his confidence. The worst thing now that can happen is for him to lose confidence as he's only 25 years old.

 

[Steve Williams]

Hope he does. And I think coach will continue to give him the last shot in the hope of 'boosting' his confidence. The worst thing now that can happen is for him to lose confidence as he's only 25 years old.

He's not going to lose confidence but rather experience which builds confidence

 

[jadis]

Celtics - Suns coming up, 3rd road game for the C's. Let's see. They used to be good road warriors.

 

[Steve Williams]

Celtics started slow but the Suns sans Booker can’t keep up and at the end of the half Celtics have this game under control and should easily get the “W”

Celtics 62-50

 

[Steve Williams]

And of those 90% that go in, 30% do that via the glass and please don't tell me that is on purpose

I truly don't understand why players are mocked if the shot banks in off the glass rather than swish through the net. a basket is a basket and a skilled player can use the glass to help sink the ball. The angle of incidence = the angle of reflection.

 

[Steve Williams]

What a game. It was Celtics vs KD who was making shots from everywhere. But do dis Tatum. You guys need to lighten up about Tatum as he’s a great player. It was Jalen Brown who missed shots including 2 FT’s with 3 minutes in the game. Suns brought it to within 5 but again Celtics turned on the burners and close out the Suns

117-107

Tatum scores :29

say what you will, I’m still betting Celtics

 

[jadis]

What a game. It was Celtics vs KD who was making shots from everywhere. But do dis Tatum. You guys need to lighten up about Tatum as he’s a great player. It was Jalen Brown who missed shots including 2 FT’s with 3 minutes in the game. Suns brought it to within 5 but again Celtics turned on the burners and close out the Suns

117-107

Tatum scores :29

say what you will, I’m still betting Celtics

Usually the case, you get critical of your own team, which helps them improve.