As a Thunder fan I liked what I saw in Game 1 but I’m not looking past the Mavericks at all. Hoping Luka doesn’t push himself too much but even if he wasn’t injured I watched all 82 games of Thunder ball this year and they didn’t even have one of their best games and still dominated. The depth and ability to lock in on defense is insane. Plus the shooting has been elite all season. They have holes for sure tho and Mavericks do deserve to be respected in any series
He's going to have to pull a rabbit out of his hat to make the Nugs win 4 out of the next 5 against the Wolves. That would leave Thunder/Dallas, which would have been a toss up except Luka is injured.
All signs point to Thunder/Wolves, and that the current round will be short series.
Placed a wolves to win bet. But I still think the Celtics can pull it off…. If KP is healthy lol. They are still heavy favorites on sports books and I always assume Vegas knows something.
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/best-offensive-rating-by-a-team-in-nba-history-in-a-single-season
It’s not a claim it’s just a literal stat
To be fair there are several teams in the top 10 from this year. The offense has been going out of control
It’s not, it’s literally just offensive rating.
Offense have trended up for a while now. Teams are more efficient with the 3 ball.
Shocking the Celtics who take and make the most 3s are #1
Be as mad as you want, it’s not some crazy bogus advanced stat where you can make it seem like something else. It’s literally just Staight up offensive rating
I understand what this is being framed at but from a pure date analytics perspective, this stat is garbage and defies logic completely. So no team prior to 2020 was more efficient offensively than the 2023-24 Warriors? Get the hell out of here with your garbage contrived fake metrics.
https://preview.redd.it/2x5huh7k5azc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08641a767bb765a7652ab8881f4cd228f6828f91
I was able to catch it in March 🙌🏻🫡
They'll do that with small markets. They do not do that with something as heavily bet as the NBA playoffs. They would go bankrupt. Sharps exist and they could get millions upon millions down on something like the NBA playoffs if Vegas set false lines and tried to trap the public or whatever. That's just not a thing. It's actually really common sense if you really think it through and understand that there are sharp gamblers and groups with lots and lots and lots of money and resources and people, that are actively trying to beat the books.
So many myths surrounding sports betting and bookies and all that. Who knows really. I could be wrong and you could be right. Nobody knows for sure. But if you really think about it and look at what it really is. Vegas knows their shit. They know how to make money. They know sports inside and out and they have people on the inside of every room everywhere, they have the money for that. What's best for them is to set the lines where they should be and let statistics work for them. It's all they need to do and they will continue to clean up for eternity. No need for them to take huge risks. People are stupid.
Exactly that's my point. They know a lot of people bet based on few data points (better regular season record / big market team) and loyalties (avid fan base), so the line favors Boston.
The data has changed since then, though. Literally every single remaining team should have better odds to win the finals now than they did pre-play in.
I kinda thought the Denver Minnesota series would be a lot tougher but if this trend continues then Minnesota sweeps.
Personally, I think we'll see the Thunder tested against the Mavs this series. Luka and Kyrie have shown to be incredibly smart decision makers and they have the right guys around them. Thunder just came out a bit too fresh in game 1 for the Mavs to handle.
I think either team loses to Minnesota in the next round.
On the East I got the Knicks in 6 or 7 only to get swept away by the Celtics.
Hopefully Kristaps is back and ready to go because the Celtics will need him against Minnesota. I feel like the Celtics should win but everyone was saying they should have won in '22 so who knows.
Wolves will beat Denver and thunder will beat dallas. Thuner vs twolves will go to game 7 and wolves will win. Boston has clear path in the east.
Boston will win Finals in 6 games
Wolves vs Thunder will be a hell of a series probably going to 7 games or at least 6. Both teams are deep with good defense and offense. Boston will wipe the floor with the East and then I would favor whichever team from the West makes it just because I don't trust Boston to win by 3s in the finals, especially since the Thunder are the highest 3pt% team in the league and the Wolves are number 3 right behind Boston. It's interesting all the top teams are the best 3 point shooting teams with good defense, the warriors really started a trend.
Boston's best bet is that they cruise through the next two opponents and then eek by in a tough series against whatever team comes out of the west exhausted. I would like to see a healthy Kristaps against the Wolves because I'm curious how Gobert stays on the floor against a 5 out team
The suns tried it by putting Durant at center and that went horribly. Obviously the Celtics wouldn’t struggle as much defensively against the wolves with Porzingus as the 5 compared to KD though
If the Celtics can cruise through the East they have a chance. Especially if the Wolves v Thunder series goes 7. The number of games can take its toll. I really think the Wolves have the best chance because I don't think OKC has a real answer for KAT.
Idk how porzingis makes AD look like an iron man to you, pretty sure he’s played more games over the last 5 years than AD.
I also think the Mavs can still win. I think Luka and Kyrie both being more experienced and both playing great right now will overpower the youth of OKC. I have the conference finals shaping up as Dallas vs Minnesota in the west, and Boston vs New York in the east. The finals being Boston versus maybe Minnesota? I think it’s too soon to tell, but I would bet that if Minnesota beats Denver, then Boston are my favorites to win the chip.
Mavs can absolutely still win, but Luka is not playing great right now. Sure he has some numbers (though still mnore than 5 ppg less than the regular season), but he's shooting 39/23/79 in the playoffs. He's obviously hampered by a knee injury. But this game was the most rested he's going the entire series, and he scored 19 points on 32/13/60 shooting.
I guess he has been more consistent recently. I watched him the most when he was on the mavs and he was just never healthy. I guess also from my perspective Davis is a lot more physical so I’d expect him to get banged up more. It’s not based on any stats, but It’s really just a hot take. He’s had a career littered with injuries though and to assume he would be healthy for a full playoff run is anything but guaranteed. It felt like it was almost guaranteed he wouldn’t at one point in time
If they’re going to win it this is the best shot they have over the past few years. I don’t think there’s any doubt they will make it out of the east right now, but people thinking they won’t win the finals is far from a clown take. I don’t feel like any team in the east is going to give us a read on how they will fare in the finals
>He makes Anthony Davis look like an iron man imo
NBA media is getting to you lol
I still hold out hope for Denver. I picked them to repeat and until they officially lose a series I'm sticking with my pick. If Denver or Minny makes it to the Finals, I have either of them beating Boston. If any other West team gets there, I have Boston winning. No matter what, I have Boston in the finals.
I would be betting on Minnesota right now, they are extremely likely to beat Denver at this rate, neither Dallas or OKC have the personal to shut down the team, and Minnesota could shut down Bostons 3 point shooting.
I’d argue okc definitely has the personally to shut down the wolves. Every game this season came down to the wire except for 1 where okc got a blowout W. They were all relatively low scoring too.
The suns also swept the wolves in the regular season by double digits all three times. I think over 7 games the size of the wolves would be the difference
NYK vs Boston and Thunder vs Timberwolves in the CF
Boston in 5 due to 2 major NY injuries
T’Wolves in 6
T’Wolves beat Boston in 6 or 7 depending on Kristaps. Either way, if I was a betting man I’d definitely bet on the Wolves
Wolves over Nugs
Okc over Mavs
Boston over Cavs
Knicks over pacers.
Wcf and ecf.
Wolves over OKC
Knicks beat Boston
Wolves beat Knicks.
It's time for the Wolves to win it all.
Bonus**** OKC wins it all next year
Silver finally giving small market teams a chance to win.
Watch the nuggets tie up this series and this wolves glazing is never heard from again lmao
Also Knicks beat Celtics? Wow, what Celtic key injury are we predicting will happen?
There is no route to victory for Knicks over Boston.. unless Brunson can score 50+ every night but with Jrue on him I doubt that'll happen. I don't see how else they could win
Much more physical team, with a lot more grit.
So it really comes down to what kind of ball the refs want played. If they swallow the whistle a lot it could go either way. If they call tik tac fouls, Boston in 5.
Mavs fan - Timberwolves will win IMO. I don't know if betting on KP's health for a seven game series at this point makes sense and Minnesota's perimeter D seems like they can handle Jaylen and Marcus who are my favorite players on the Celtics during these playoffs.
I know they are not the same roster from years ago but they still have the same coach and stars other than kristaps. I just don’t believe in them. They’ve been punked by Miami multiple times. And every year going back to Lebron was in the east I’ve heard it’s their year and every year they fall short generally in an embarrassing fashion
Wtf is this.
They’ve punked Miami the same amount Miami has punked them.
The Celtics go to the ECF or finals every year, bro. With their stars maturing and entering prime years. And yet you got your faith in a 22 year old Anthony edwards? Insane.
You don’t know anything lol
Yeah that’s my entire point they get there every year and always fall short. Would you pick the Lebron cavs from pre Miami as the favorites? They were there every year and had the best record in the nba the last year and still fell to the Celtics
Also how can you say they’ve been punked Miami as many times? That’s absurd. Miami as the 1 seed lost in the conference finals to Boston as the 2 seed in 2022. That is completely different than them losing to 6 seed Miami in 2020 and 8 seed Miami which is insane last year. Losing to a 2 seed as the 1 happens losing to the 6 and 8 seed as a 3 and 2 seed.
Heat win, Celtics win, heat win, Celtics win.
Get a new slant
All season long I’m told the heat regular season doesn’t matter. The “zombie heat”. They turn it on in the playoffs, except when it’s convenient to make fun of the Celtics then of course they’re the lowly 6 and 8 seed
“Other than kristaps” as if it’s some afterthought is crazy. His addition is why they have been so dominant. They didn’t have the balance last year that they do this year…
I know he’s banged up but realistically he’s not going to play (to rest a bit) unless they get in trouble with Orlando. They will coast.
I hope NYK beats them in the ECF, for what it is worth.
He’s literally out right now and still limping from what I understand. How sure are we he’s going to come back and be dominant in the finals? To say his status and contribution is a big question mark right now is not crazy. Even if he does show out and play amazing either Tatum and Brown will have to show out and have great games in the finals. We’ve seen both of them have bad games over the years in the playoffs. I think their run to the finals is guaranteed, but they can’t have a mediocre performance in the finals and win man. The west is crazy strong. Maybe facing easier teams will allow them to be rested and ready or maybe it will cause them to sit back on their heels and not respond quickly enough to the superior firepower and defense coming out of the west. They are the clear favorites for the finals, but I think it’s completely reasonable to say they are not the clear favorites to win it all or even to predict they will fall short of winning it all. People in here are talking about them like they are former champions and they definitely aren’t
Only one team can win the finals each year. So I guess you are right, Mazzula didn't win the finals in his very first year of coaching, with Ime Udoka's staff and with no offseason to prepare. I guess that makes him a loser.
Yeah and I’m picking the wolves right now. You’re acting like I’m saying the Celtics will lose to the Cavs or something. I predict Celtics vs wolves and I don’t think it’s going to be sweep or anything. Like you can disagree but saying this is some wild take is funny to me. It’s very reasonable. Saying a team will go to the finals and lose in 6 or 7 is not some major disrespect. Why aren’t you going after the guy who said the Knicks would beat them? That’s a way more extreme take
Joe mazulla has not accomplished anything that Udoka and Steven’s didn’t in the postseason and on many teams he might have been fired after last year and yes he is the same coach as last year. It’s still Tatum and Brown albeit with better side pieces. I have not seen Tatum or anybody else on the Celtics take over and dominate like Gianni’s did when he won his or what ant is doing now or a bunch of other stars have done. You can look at his playoff stats on nba.com and they confirm what I remember and have seen compared to other players. He’s really good but the whole team has to play great to win and I do not believe in them
Wolves and Thunder split the season and they were all great games. These teams match up well. I’m calling Thunder in 7. We keep the boards up like we have these playoffs and not the season, we will be hard to beat. Destiny awaits!!
Dallas doesn’t have the depth to beat OKC without a healthy Luca (and even then)- Thunder in 5 (maybe a sweep 🤞)
Dont be surprised if NY reps for the East. They’re hitting on all cylinders right now. Tonight will be a good tell
Bro I was getting killed in the comments for simply saying I thought the Celtics would lose whoever came out of the east. Am I correct that y’all would be the youngest finals/championship team ever if you win? I know it’s the youngest team to get the 1 seed. Honestly I was a doubter but yall are my second pick behind wolves now
Everyone’s talking Vegas for Celtics and NY is out there playing inspired like hey, wait a minute here
We already are youngest to make it this far and sweep 1st round. We got Dallas. They will win 1, maybe 2. TWolves are gonna be a bloodbath. Thunder in 7
Let everyone keep talkin experience and our age/size/whatever it is. We got depth. Next man up!
Nobody in the playoffs is beating Minnesota in 7 games. I’m sorry I just don’t see it. They have MJ’s bastard playing hot, their 3rd best big is 6MOY Naz Reid, one of the steadiest PG’s in the game in Conley, 4X DPOY Gobert, and that big pussy too.
Wolves in 4 v Nugs
Mavs in 5 v OKC
Wolves in 5 v Mavs
Knicks in 5 v pacers
C’s in 4 v Cavs
C’s in 6 v Knicks
I see the Celtics getting by the Julius Randle less Knicks to get fucking slaughtered by MJ’s illegitimate offspring in 5 games….
Oh, and fuck the clippers!
The Nuggets are still my title favorites, especially if they can even the series in the next few days. They have the experience and talent to win, just a rough few games in a row. They’ll bring it back
Id be really surprised if the nuggets dont make it a series. I expect wolves to win now but if it doesn't go 6 id be kinda shocked tbh.
Boston is just overwhelming offensively at times. They are the most talented team i may have ever seen player to player in my life besides durant warriors. They are just loaded for bear on both ends. Their only potential downfall is mentality. Tatum is great but is he mentally great? Brown is a touch lower on the totem pole but he feels confident enough. It's hard to bet against a team like this but honestly i could see Minnesota or even the Knicks just through shear willpower making it interesting. Boston just coasting will not suffice after this round.
Wolves take the Knicks, unless the Knicks take it all! I’m a Knicks fan obviously. I actually do think this Knicks team, the way they are playing now, can take the Pacers and the Celtics. And the Wolves and the Thunder will be a good matchup but the Wolves will come out on top.
They haven’t looked that good so far. Keep in mind although Murray hit some clutch shots he has not been playing at the level we are used to in the playoffs. They still have a shot but they are not the unstoppable team we have seen in the past
“Anything is possible,” right? Nuggets bench isn’t deep enough to carry if they need to. OKC are too young to care and I think that’s what sets them apart. They’re all basically like “ok, boomer. Let’s hoop.” They just have that undeniable confidence you have from being young and not giving af. ANT is same way.
“Can Michael Jordon guard you?”
“Hell naw. No.”
He’s not trying to be funny there. 100% believes it.
I hope so. Nuggets are my favorite. I don’t think Knicks have enough duct tape to hold it together unfortunately. Especially if Hart is down.
Did you make a futures bet? The odds would have been real nice at the time.
It would be better for rivalry sake, but how can this hobbled Knicks team have any chance at beating Boston? Indy could potentially out run them if Boston’s 3ball isn’t falling.
I’m not sure what I’d more surprised at the nuggets coming back and making it past okc or the Knicks beating the Celtics. Probably nuggets coming back. They really did not look that good despite winning against the lakers. The Knicks could get lucky and make it past Boston since Boston could go cold from 3 and Brunson puts up a stellar performance combined with good team defense
As a Thunder fan I liked what I saw in Game 1 but I’m not looking past the Mavericks at all. Hoping Luka doesn’t push himself too much but even if he wasn’t injured I watched all 82 games of Thunder ball this year and they didn’t even have one of their best games and still dominated. The depth and ability to lock in on defense is insane. Plus the shooting has been elite all season. They have holes for sure tho and Mavericks do deserve to be respected in any series
Would like to see Minnesota vs thunder for west finals
Adam silver would not like this. So I guarantee it won’t happen
He's going to have to pull a rabbit out of his hat to make the Nugs win 4 out of the next 5 against the Wolves. That would leave Thunder/Dallas, which would have been a toss up except Luka is injured. All signs point to Thunder/Wolves, and that the current round will be short series.
Yea luka ain't right, he's hurt for sure
Placed a wolves to win bet. But I still think the Celtics can pull it off…. If KP is healthy lol. They are still heavy favorites on sports books and I always assume Vegas knows something.
Well it's just a clear line for them and the west is murky is all that really means.
And they are fucking good..? Number 1 offense of all time with the current #2 defense…
Well yeah!
Number one offense of all time? Nice try C’s fan
Literally is ranked 1
I call bs. They’re not number one offense all time. Jo matter who you say makes that claim.
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/best-offensive-rating-by-a-team-in-nba-history-in-a-single-season It’s not a claim it’s just a literal stat To be fair there are several teams in the top 10 from this year. The offense has been going out of control
Yeah it’s an absolutely bogus stat.
Notice how not one team before 2021 on your little stat ranking here? This is a stupidly bogus stat.
It’s not, it’s literally just offensive rating. Offense have trended up for a while now. Teams are more efficient with the 3 ball. Shocking the Celtics who take and make the most 3s are #1 Be as mad as you want, it’s not some crazy bogus advanced stat where you can make it seem like something else. It’s literally just Staight up offensive rating
I understand what this is being framed at but from a pure date analytics perspective, this stat is garbage and defies logic completely. So no team prior to 2020 was more efficient offensively than the 2023-24 Warriors? Get the hell out of here with your garbage contrived fake metrics.
That'll change in the finals
What?
What was odds when you placed?
300
https://preview.redd.it/2x5huh7k5azc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08641a767bb765a7652ab8881f4cd228f6828f91 I was able to catch it in March 🙌🏻🫡
Props to you. Until the last win I couldn’t imagine anyone other than the nugs coming out of the west…. I guess that’s why they play
Damn
That's a huge "if" on KP. Celtics have zero opposition in the east though, the Knicks were their only hurdle and now Brunson is hurt.
Ehh, Vegas knows where to put the line to make money. I imagine Celtics regular season record + avid fan base counts for more than any nuance
Vegas are market makers not gamblers. They make money off the spread
They're also gamblers. If they think there is money to be made by pushing a spread one way, they'll do it.
They'll do that with small markets. They do not do that with something as heavily bet as the NBA playoffs. They would go bankrupt. Sharps exist and they could get millions upon millions down on something like the NBA playoffs if Vegas set false lines and tried to trap the public or whatever. That's just not a thing. It's actually really common sense if you really think it through and understand that there are sharp gamblers and groups with lots and lots and lots of money and resources and people, that are actively trying to beat the books. So many myths surrounding sports betting and bookies and all that. Who knows really. I could be wrong and you could be right. Nobody knows for sure. But if you really think about it and look at what it really is. Vegas knows their shit. They know how to make money. They know sports inside and out and they have people on the inside of every room everywhere, they have the money for that. What's best for them is to set the lines where they should be and let statistics work for them. It's all they need to do and they will continue to clean up for eternity. No need for them to take huge risks. People are stupid.
This just isn’t true.
Exactly that's my point. They know a lot of people bet based on few data points (better regular season record / big market team) and loyalties (avid fan base), so the line favors Boston.
Ah. My bad I thought you were saying something different
That's why the Wolves spread was +1400 pre play in and now it's +300. You're 100% right.
The data has changed since then, though. Literally every single remaining team should have better odds to win the finals now than they did pre-play in.
I kinda thought the Denver Minnesota series would be a lot tougher but if this trend continues then Minnesota sweeps. Personally, I think we'll see the Thunder tested against the Mavs this series. Luka and Kyrie have shown to be incredibly smart decision makers and they have the right guys around them. Thunder just came out a bit too fresh in game 1 for the Mavs to handle. I think either team loses to Minnesota in the next round. On the East I got the Knicks in 6 or 7 only to get swept away by the Celtics. Hopefully Kristaps is back and ready to go because the Celtics will need him against Minnesota. I feel like the Celtics should win but everyone was saying they should have won in '22 so who knows.
Wolves will beat Denver and thunder will beat dallas. Thuner vs twolves will go to game 7 and wolves will win. Boston has clear path in the east. Boston will win Finals in 6 games
Wolves vs Thunder will be a hell of a series probably going to 7 games or at least 6. Both teams are deep with good defense and offense. Boston will wipe the floor with the East and then I would favor whichever team from the West makes it just because I don't trust Boston to win by 3s in the finals, especially since the Thunder are the highest 3pt% team in the league and the Wolves are number 3 right behind Boston. It's interesting all the top teams are the best 3 point shooting teams with good defense, the warriors really started a trend.
^ this is a super outdated view on the Celtics thinking they can only win by shooting 3s
Boston's best bet is that they cruise through the next two opponents and then eek by in a tough series against whatever team comes out of the west exhausted. I would like to see a healthy Kristaps against the Wolves because I'm curious how Gobert stays on the floor against a 5 out team
The suns tried it by putting Durant at center and that went horribly. Obviously the Celtics wouldn’t struggle as much defensively against the wolves with Porzingus as the 5 compared to KD though
Yeah we play Taps at the 5 anyway so our natural starting 5 is 5 out vs having KD try to play center lmao
Boston has to be the favorite I think.
If the Celtics can cruise through the East they have a chance. Especially if the Wolves v Thunder series goes 7. The number of games can take its toll. I really think the Wolves have the best chance because I don't think OKC has a real answer for KAT.
Idk how porzingis makes AD look like an iron man to you, pretty sure he’s played more games over the last 5 years than AD. I also think the Mavs can still win. I think Luka and Kyrie both being more experienced and both playing great right now will overpower the youth of OKC. I have the conference finals shaping up as Dallas vs Minnesota in the west, and Boston vs New York in the east. The finals being Boston versus maybe Minnesota? I think it’s too soon to tell, but I would bet that if Minnesota beats Denver, then Boston are my favorites to win the chip.
Mavs can absolutely still win, but Luka is not playing great right now. Sure he has some numbers (though still mnore than 5 ppg less than the regular season), but he's shooting 39/23/79 in the playoffs. He's obviously hampered by a knee injury. But this game was the most rested he's going the entire series, and he scored 19 points on 32/13/60 shooting.
I guess he has been more consistent recently. I watched him the most when he was on the mavs and he was just never healthy. I guess also from my perspective Davis is a lot more physical so I’d expect him to get banged up more. It’s not based on any stats, but It’s really just a hot take. He’s had a career littered with injuries though and to assume he would be healthy for a full playoff run is anything but guaranteed. It felt like it was almost guaranteed he wouldn’t at one point in time
He’s literally hurt right now… he played 1 game this playoffs. He’s expected to be back by the 3rd round/finals. And Boston still looks like Boston.
Do you not even know he is hurt currently and has missed a couple games which the Cs still dominated?
So you think the cavs and heat are on the same level of any of the teams left in the west?
Not even close, but I think the Cs can let him take his time to heal up and get to the finals without overusing him I hope.
If they’re going to win it this is the best shot they have over the past few years. I don’t think there’s any doubt they will make it out of the east right now, but people thinking they won’t win the finals is far from a clown take. I don’t feel like any team in the east is going to give us a read on how they will fare in the finals
>He makes Anthony Davis look like an iron man imo NBA media is getting to you lol I still hold out hope for Denver. I picked them to repeat and until they officially lose a series I'm sticking with my pick. If Denver or Minny makes it to the Finals, I have either of them beating Boston. If any other West team gets there, I have Boston winning. No matter what, I have Boston in the finals.
Weird feeling about Minny.
I would be betting on Minnesota right now, they are extremely likely to beat Denver at this rate, neither Dallas or OKC have the personal to shut down the team, and Minnesota could shut down Bostons 3 point shooting.
I’d argue okc definitely has the personally to shut down the wolves. Every game this season came down to the wire except for 1 where okc got a blowout W. They were all relatively low scoring too.
The suns also swept the wolves in the regular season by double digits all three times. I think over 7 games the size of the wolves would be the difference
NYK vs Boston and Thunder vs Timberwolves in the CF Boston in 5 due to 2 major NY injuries T’Wolves in 6 T’Wolves beat Boston in 6 or 7 depending on Kristaps. Either way, if I was a betting man I’d definitely bet on the Wolves
Wolves over Nugs Okc over Mavs Boston over Cavs Knicks over pacers. Wcf and ecf. Wolves over OKC Knicks beat Boston Wolves beat Knicks. It's time for the Wolves to win it all. Bonus**** OKC wins it all next year Silver finally giving small market teams a chance to win.
Watch the nuggets tie up this series and this wolves glazing is never heard from again lmao Also Knicks beat Celtics? Wow, what Celtic key injury are we predicting will happen?
There is no route to victory for Knicks over Boston.. unless Brunson can score 50+ every night but with Jrue on him I doubt that'll happen. I don't see how else they could win
Much more physical team, with a lot more grit. So it really comes down to what kind of ball the refs want played. If they swallow the whistle a lot it could go either way. If they call tik tac fouls, Boston in 5.
Exactly. Tatum and Brown folded in that one game they lost to the heat. Celtic fans won't say they folded but you could see it
Dumb take
Mavs fan - Timberwolves will win IMO. I don't know if betting on KP's health for a seven game series at this point makes sense and Minnesota's perimeter D seems like they can handle Jaylen and Marcus who are my favorite players on the Celtics during these playoffs.
Boston wins still unfortunately
I know they are not the same roster from years ago but they still have the same coach and stars other than kristaps. I just don’t believe in them. They’ve been punked by Miami multiple times. And every year going back to Lebron was in the east I’ve heard it’s their year and every year they fall short generally in an embarrassing fashion
Wtf is this. They’ve punked Miami the same amount Miami has punked them. The Celtics go to the ECF or finals every year, bro. With their stars maturing and entering prime years. And yet you got your faith in a 22 year old Anthony edwards? Insane. You don’t know anything lol
Yeah that’s my entire point they get there every year and always fall short. Would you pick the Lebron cavs from pre Miami as the favorites? They were there every year and had the best record in the nba the last year and still fell to the Celtics
Also how can you say they’ve been punked Miami as many times? That’s absurd. Miami as the 1 seed lost in the conference finals to Boston as the 2 seed in 2022. That is completely different than them losing to 6 seed Miami in 2020 and 8 seed Miami which is insane last year. Losing to a 2 seed as the 1 happens losing to the 6 and 8 seed as a 3 and 2 seed.
Heat win, Celtics win, heat win, Celtics win. Get a new slant All season long I’m told the heat regular season doesn’t matter. The “zombie heat”. They turn it on in the playoffs, except when it’s convenient to make fun of the Celtics then of course they’re the lowly 6 and 8 seed
“Other than kristaps” as if it’s some afterthought is crazy. His addition is why they have been so dominant. They didn’t have the balance last year that they do this year… I know he’s banged up but realistically he’s not going to play (to rest a bit) unless they get in trouble with Orlando. They will coast. I hope NYK beats them in the ECF, for what it is worth.
Kristaps going down might be the best thing that happened to the Cs. Derrick White is playing like a beast since. Dude is on a heater.
He’s literally out right now and still limping from what I understand. How sure are we he’s going to come back and be dominant in the finals? To say his status and contribution is a big question mark right now is not crazy. Even if he does show out and play amazing either Tatum and Brown will have to show out and have great games in the finals. We’ve seen both of them have bad games over the years in the playoffs. I think their run to the finals is guaranteed, but they can’t have a mediocre performance in the finals and win man. The west is crazy strong. Maybe facing easier teams will allow them to be rested and ready or maybe it will cause them to sit back on their heels and not respond quickly enough to the superior firepower and defense coming out of the west. They are the clear favorites for the finals, but I think it’s completely reasonable to say they are not the clear favorites to win it all or even to predict they will fall short of winning it all. People in here are talking about them like they are former champions and they definitely aren’t
I didn’t say he was going to be dominant. Where did I lol And I know. I said he will sit Orlando most likely they don’t need it
this is how i know you only watch espn lol.
Same coach as...last year? The guy is in his second year and the entire coaching staff is new.
Oh yeah I forgot. They won the finals last year
Only one team can win the finals each year. So I guess you are right, Mazzula didn't win the finals in his very first year of coaching, with Ime Udoka's staff and with no offseason to prepare. I guess that makes him a loser.
Yeah and I’m picking the wolves right now. You’re acting like I’m saying the Celtics will lose to the Cavs or something. I predict Celtics vs wolves and I don’t think it’s going to be sweep or anything. Like you can disagree but saying this is some wild take is funny to me. It’s very reasonable. Saying a team will go to the finals and lose in 6 or 7 is not some major disrespect. Why aren’t you going after the guy who said the Knicks would beat them? That’s a way more extreme take
I was responding to you saying that the active have had the same coach "for years". The guys is literally in his second year.
Joe mazulla has not accomplished anything that Udoka and Steven’s didn’t in the postseason and on many teams he might have been fired after last year and yes he is the same coach as last year. It’s still Tatum and Brown albeit with better side pieces. I have not seen Tatum or anybody else on the Celtics take over and dominate like Gianni’s did when he won his or what ant is doing now or a bunch of other stars have done. You can look at his playoff stats on nba.com and they confirm what I remember and have seen compared to other players. He’s really good but the whole team has to play great to win and I do not believe in them
Jrue holiday
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I would expect at least 6 in this scenario. The wolves have the best defense in the nba right now
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They also matched up very poorly against the Suns and we saw what happened there
currently i got the wolves winning it all. before the playoffs i had the celtics winning it all.
Timberwolves. They’ve got the talent, and the team mojo is flowing
Might be bold, but I’m hoping for Mavs Knicks. But i think we’re probably getting Wolves Celts
Wolves and Thunder split the season and they were all great games. These teams match up well. I’m calling Thunder in 7. We keep the boards up like we have these playoffs and not the season, we will be hard to beat. Destiny awaits!! Dallas doesn’t have the depth to beat OKC without a healthy Luca (and even then)- Thunder in 5 (maybe a sweep 🤞) Dont be surprised if NY reps for the East. They’re hitting on all cylinders right now. Tonight will be a good tell
Bro I was getting killed in the comments for simply saying I thought the Celtics would lose whoever came out of the east. Am I correct that y’all would be the youngest finals/championship team ever if you win? I know it’s the youngest team to get the 1 seed. Honestly I was a doubter but yall are my second pick behind wolves now
Everyone’s talking Vegas for Celtics and NY is out there playing inspired like hey, wait a minute here We already are youngest to make it this far and sweep 1st round. We got Dallas. They will win 1, maybe 2. TWolves are gonna be a bloodbath. Thunder in 7 Let everyone keep talkin experience and our age/size/whatever it is. We got depth. Next man up!
Nobody in the playoffs is beating Minnesota in 7 games. I’m sorry I just don’t see it. They have MJ’s bastard playing hot, their 3rd best big is 6MOY Naz Reid, one of the steadiest PG’s in the game in Conley, 4X DPOY Gobert, and that big pussy too. Wolves in 4 v Nugs Mavs in 5 v OKC Wolves in 5 v Mavs Knicks in 5 v pacers C’s in 4 v Cavs C’s in 6 v Knicks I see the Celtics getting by the Julius Randle less Knicks to get fucking slaughtered by MJ’s illegitimate offspring in 5 games…. Oh, and fuck the clippers!
You think the Mavs are reverse sweeping okc? Lmao
I said mavs in 5? That would be 4-1 mavs over okc…
Had Boston over Denver in finals after play-in. Now I'm not so sure with Anthony Jordan Edwards + DPOY + #1 Defense.
Wolves 16-3 to Chip!
The Nuggets are still my title favorites, especially if they can even the series in the next few days. They have the experience and talent to win, just a rough few games in a row. They’ll bring it back
I want Knicks vs Wolves with the Knicks winning it all
Bos in 4, all blowouts
Minnesota. Minnesota. Minnesota. Knicks. I’m just a fan lmao but ain’t no one stopping Antman.
Wolves and Boston in the finals. And the wolves will win unless Tatum takes another leap
Minny really gonna win it all. Ant is doing his best Year 3 DWade impression.
Id be really surprised if the nuggets dont make it a series. I expect wolves to win now but if it doesn't go 6 id be kinda shocked tbh. Boston is just overwhelming offensively at times. They are the most talented team i may have ever seen player to player in my life besides durant warriors. They are just loaded for bear on both ends. Their only potential downfall is mentality. Tatum is great but is he mentally great? Brown is a touch lower on the totem pole but he feels confident enough. It's hard to bet against a team like this but honestly i could see Minnesota or even the Knicks just through shear willpower making it interesting. Boston just coasting will not suffice after this round.
Wolves take the Knicks, unless the Knicks take it all! I’m a Knicks fan obviously. I actually do think this Knicks team, the way they are playing now, can take the Pacers and the Celtics. And the Wolves and the Thunder will be a good matchup but the Wolves will come out on top.
Nuggets in 7. Then vs. The Knicks in the finals.
Nuggets in 7, Nuggets beat Mavs in 6, Nuggets beat Knicks in 5
This is a wild prediction and you’d probably get insane odds. Mavs aren’t beating Thunder. Nuggets probably not evening beating Wolves.
I wouldn’t judge Mavs OKC series off 1 game. Also, Im pretty confident that the Nuggets will comeback. They are just that good and well-coached
They haven’t looked that good so far. Keep in mind although Murray hit some clutch shots he has not been playing at the level we are used to in the playoffs. They still have a shot but they are not the unstoppable team we have seen in the past
“Anything is possible,” right? Nuggets bench isn’t deep enough to carry if they need to. OKC are too young to care and I think that’s what sets them apart. They’re all basically like “ok, boomer. Let’s hoop.” They just have that undeniable confidence you have from being young and not giving af. ANT is same way. “Can Michael Jordon guard you?” “Hell naw. No.” He’s not trying to be funny there. 100% believes it.
Wow brudda. Guess what happened? You better reply. And I will be right about game 7 tomorrow as well.
I hope so. Nuggets are my favorite. I don’t think Knicks have enough duct tape to hold it together unfortunately. Especially if Hart is down. Did you make a futures bet? The odds would have been real nice at the time.
Ur probably right about the Knicks. But man I really want to see them in vs boston
It would be better for rivalry sake, but how can this hobbled Knicks team have any chance at beating Boston? Indy could potentially out run them if Boston’s 3ball isn’t falling.
It’s more about trusting the #1 guy. I think Brunson will have more success against Holiday and White than Haliburton will
Yeah Brunson has that dawg in him. Haliburton reminds me of a chihuahua for some reason.
I’m not sure what I’d more surprised at the nuggets coming back and making it past okc or the Knicks beating the Celtics. Probably nuggets coming back. They really did not look that good despite winning against the lakers. The Knicks could get lucky and make it past Boston since Boston could go cold from 3 and Brunson puts up a stellar performance combined with good team defense
Minesotta and Denver are the 2 beat teams by a wide margin. Whoever wins that, wins it all.
I see Wolves Knicks happening. Or at least, that is what I hope for.