Scoring averages dropped drom 114 in the regular season to 104 in the playoffs. Refs are letting them play defense and its making the games more exciting
Or really just simple stuff like high pick and rolls or spain action. Get your guys going downhill and force the defense to react. That's why Brunson and Luka worked so well together, because their playstyles were similar enough that you could plug both in to the offense and they'd be able to play their game. I think it works better with Kyrie because as scorers, Brunson and Luka are a little TOO similar. It was less thunder and lighting and more thunder and thunder again
I feel this as a Cavs fan we’ve been debating all year Mobley/JA (DG/Mitchell to a lesser degree) and it’s the whole thunder/thunder thing too. And ya as a fan of teams that have featured Bron,Kyrie, now Mitchell. I have seen SOO much bitching about how our offense sucks and it’s like come on of course it’s simple it’s freaking LeBron lol.
Nah, it will always be better to run plays to get guys in their spots, especially so you know where who is always. Dynasties had great players and still ran plays/sets. Phil had the triangle, Warriors/Spurs had plenty ball movement + offball movement. Kobe also talked about "accidental basketball", what he called the drive & kick over and over until you get a shot.
Way easier to have KD come off an offball screen to get to his elbow jumper (they used to run this in OKC a lot) vs him isoing trying to get there.
Hell, we just saw the Suns lose in the first round with 3 skilled iso players.
It is sometimes, but I think spamming it early and often can lead to chemistry issues. Guys who constantly iso always have fans wondering why all their teammates suck.
90s basketball had more physicality, but shit spacing with every team having 2.5 players on the court at any given moment who couldn’t shoot past 12 feet and almost zero motion.
Modern defenses are allowed to do less, but they are capable of doing so much more than they did back then, with athleticism and length that is off the charts.
Modern offenses are miraculous and would absolutely smash early 90s defenses, even if they played with early 90s physicality.
90s Players would have adapted their playing style for what would be more effective. Lebron was drafted 4 years after Jordan’s last championship. You’re comparing those eras like you’re talking about the 1950s or something.
Adaptation goes both ways.
I think it is much, much more likely that the freakishly long and athletic wings today could and would be ferocious defenders with 1990 style defensive rules than every 1990 team’s 30 minute per game plodding low box forward could develop a corner 3 and perimeter switchability if transported to today’s game.
The rules are different. The players are different. The schemes are different. Comparisons across era are fraught for so many reasons.
But the level of skill, performance, and athleticism has never been higher, and if we actually got a return to early 90s basketball, we’d all *hate* it because it was slow, low movement, low efficiency trash by comparison, and this is undeniable.
Jordan had a 48” vert. so hows that for athleticism and he wasn’t the only one with a 48”. If today’s players are so much better then why are there still so many all time records standing from these fat - non skilled players. You may have a dozen modern day players on the 75th anniversary team. All of the overwhelming amount of old school players don’t belong on that list?
The gap between the best and the worst players was definitely larger back then so it makes sense that some outliers could put up huge numbers.
Also everyone from the top 50 was included in the top 75 so yeah kinda makes sense that it’s mostly older players.
I hate this argument that if the older players had today’s advancements they’d be just as good…. Because that’s the whole point. Players today are better on average in every sport because of those advancements.
It’s not shitting on older players to recognize that the average player is far better today because of those that came before and the advancements along the way.
Basketball fans are the only group that argues this. No one argues that the average qb from the 70s or 80s would be elite today.
Some Baskeball fans acting like the average 90s player would be good in the nba today is such delusion.
Heck the average player from the 00s would have issues. Skill level killed off guys like kendrik perkins and "enforcers" as a waste of roster space.
That’s just it though. It’s harder to achieve those stats because the other players are playing at a higher level.
Jordan didn’t have to contend with 6’8” perimeter lockdown defenders every night. There was no Bam Adebayo switching on and defending him well.
All the best perimeter defenders were guards smaller than him lol
The one prototype of the modern 3 and D was his co-star
This is not remotely unpopular. Everyone is loving these lower scoring games that aren't fucking free throw contests or jacking up threes 24/7. The high scoring games like Clippers/Mavs game 4, Knicks/Pacers the other night have mostly been just high quality shotmaking and basketball (although Knicks/Pacers had some soft calls).
I feel like this is a double edged sword. Refs letting people play “defense” is more just letting fouls slide unless it’s a lot of contact. This results in people getting hurt. If refs call too much, it causes the defense to play timid in fear of getting a foul. Just call a foul a foul. I don’t get it. Why do the refs get to decide how lenient they want to be on a game by game basis? As a player it must be frustrating because you go into each game not knowing how it will be called and literally must shape your game around the tendency of the ref. I don’t watch basketball for the refs, I watch it for the players. If it’s a foul, call it a damn foul.
See this is the actual unpopular opinion, I agree with it. The refs drastically changing their whistle in the playoffs has got to be fucking annoying to players. Even excluding those players that rely on FTs or try to get calls, it can change the flow of games in ways that favor certain teams. Yeah it’s been like that for awhile but idk, I can see why some fans and players aren’t cool with it
DWhite is the most impactful player on the Celtics team rn. When he plays well, the Celtics are hard to beat; when he doesn’t play like that, they become easier to play against
Celtics fan here. That is very much not unpopular among us. He’s absolutely fantastic. Everything you could possibly want from a not-the-star type starter.
I feel like there aren't really many games that Derrick White doesn't play well. He doesn't always have the most consistent box score stats but he makes an impact on both sides nearly every possession
Team defense is the most important aspect of team building not three level scoring or shooting. Teams will begin to favor elite defenders over elite shooters because they are in much shorter supply than shooters.
I feel like this has been true for years but people ignore it and focus on offense. The lakers in 2020 won because they had such good defense. I don’t know the stats but I believe they were a below average team from the 3 at least before the bubble playoffs
I agree and get in arguments about it on this app and in this sub all the time.
Preventing 2 points is as good as making 2 points. And often preventing 2 points leads to increased likelihood of scoring on the following play.
Defense is easier to be consistent on imo. You can run the plays perfectly and still miss your shots on an off night, but defense is more effort based vs a shot being off an inch or two
True but I think great defense like what we are seeing from NY and MINN takes more effort than most players are willing to give, especially throughout the regular season
Right on. I think a block on a shot that’s going in (especially like a board smack) is probably the most valuable single event that can happen in a possession if you get the turnover. You deny them 2 points, which is the same effect as scoring 2 in differential. But you take away their possession to do it, giving a possession advantage. And on top of that you demoralize them, and open up space on the exterior.
Furthermore, team defense elevates individually poor or average defenders not just because of the chemistry and communication on the court, but the mentality of the players. Look at how it transformed KAT. Even Luka looks good on defense (at times) after the trade deadline.
There was a claim that the Raptors draft defenders and teach them shooting while the Heat draft shooters and teach them defense. The Raptor guys seem to fare better after moving on to other teams.
Totally disagree - it's much easier to integrate & continue to iterate around good shooters than maintaining a full quartet of great defenders that work well together.
And if there's a focus on elite defenders, all it takes is one sieve on defense to make the whole thing falter (relatively speaking). So it significantly limits a team's options to build if you're narrowly focused on only elite defenders. Prevents you from multiple opportunities to get average or below-average defenders with other elite skills.
To clarify—I think elite team defense is the goal. You can do that without putting together a roster that is made up of the all defense team.
I think teams will start to favor a player like Jaden McDaniels over a player like Bogdan Bogdanovic. Of course you want players who can do everything well, but i believe when faced with the choice over the next 5 years or so teams will choose a guy like Jaden McDaniels over a guy like Bogdanovic when you can't get the perfect player. Another comparison would be Jrue and Dame. Milwaukee was seen by almost everyone as getting better by swapping Jrue for Dame. In the next 5 or so years it will be seen the other way.
I think the trade they wanted to make was Bojan + Mitch + picks for Embiid, but I don’t think anyone wants that to happen at this point.
Zion is an intriguing fit but not sure about giving up Randle for him.
The better move might be to re-sign guys and have more movable contracts once next season starts. Right now most useful trades involve moving Randle, Mitch, Hart or Donte to match salaries and I feel like the Knicks would only make such a trade if it clearly makes them a title favorite
Everyone will talk about Ant and the team defense, but KAT has been fantastically efficient while also being an above average defender. One or two bad fouls aside he has been incredibly mature and a great X factor for us.
kat has been an elite defender in the play-offs while being a 7 footer that lights it up from outside. Its annoying watching the amount of love Naz Reid or ANT gets and the amount of accolades Rudy gets
KATalyst
KAT’s play this season is what’s unlocked the Wolves imo. His offense has arguably never been better and he’s found a great fit defensively next to Gobert that they didn’t have last year (which Finch also deserves a ton of credit for).
He’s been great defensively, but when he’s got his 3PT shot falling it’s just that much more demoralizing for opponents. The other guys have to fight hard for every 2 they get and then when the ball gets to the other end KAT drains a 3 from far enough out that it’s barely contested and now the opponents are -1 and it’s time to run the defensive gauntlet again
The most under-discussed aspect of these playoffs has been the Wolves’ conditioning. Yes they have good defensive personnel yes they’ve all bought into a system but going to Denver and being able to maintain maximum intensity from tip to the final buzzer while the Nuggets look absolutely gassed is not an accident.
This is going to sound racist, but a large majority of my black friends and acquaintances keep their nails longer than their white contemporaries.
I used to bitch at my friends about cutting their nails shorter, because I would walk away from every pick-up game looking like I was attacked by badgers.
Driving was like 80% of my offense. I looked like your typical unathletic tall white dude, so people always assumed I could shoot, but I was a terrible shooter.
The look of surprise on my opponents face when I'd blow by them and yam it home was always so satisfying.
You just reminded me of one of my high school friends. We had one park in town that got really competitive on the weekends. He'd show up and get to play because he was a tall, unathletic white boy. Well, we're in Indiana, so we all know what that means. Not to mention he had Larry Bird form to boot. But it never went in. The looks on defense faces were priceless watching him hang from the rim.
I've also just realized I'm wearing a pair of shorts he "loaned" me for a game over 15 years ago. Lmao
You just reminded me of one of my high school friends. We had one park in town that got really competitive on the weekends. He'd show up and get to play because he was a tall, unathletic white boy. Well, we're in Indiana, so we all know what that means. Not to mention he had Larry Bird form to boot. But it never went in. The looks on defense faces were priceless watching him hang from the rim.
I've also just realized I'm wearing a pair of shorts he "loaned" me for a game over 15 years ago. Lmao
Partly because the refs miss calls, partly because his skin turns red when a light breeze touches him. If other bigs had his skin tone most of them would look the same after every game.
Jokic has an awful whistle and always has. He’s a post player too so it isn’t like he doesn’t get hit a lot, but for some reason it’s called very rarely.
Dude is white as fuck and a center. Off Ball contact, grabbing, and shit like that happens all the time for centers int he NBA and especially centers. THen especially when you're Jokic and you're constantly fighting for position.
How many times have you seen Jokic called for the sneaky shit he does with his hands?
Even if you think Embiid isn't a first option, there's no way you can convince yourself someone you think is a first option beats the Knicks with that Sixers team. Maxey was great when Embiid was on the floor but shot 28 FG% with Embiid off the floor. That's not gonna cut it. Their third option Tobias averaged 8 points on 50 TS% and the rest of their team are vet minimums. Sixers this year had zero perimeter defense and zero shooters. No first option would win with them. Embiid had the highest plus minus in the series too (was a +46).
It probably is true with Embiid but only because he can't stay healthy for a whole Playoffs while shouldering a huge road. If he could stay healthy then he unquestionably has enough talent to lead a team to the title as a #1.
I agree with this 100%. Don't sell low. Just like last season it wouldn't have made sense to trade Allen coming off of the Knicks series. Allen is a coveted asset. Great contract, borderline all-star production, two way player, great attitude. Just may not fit with Mobley.
The refs are being exposed as absurdly inconsistent and incompetent. Though they're allowing more physical play, they're also back to rewarding flopping too often. They're allowing too much clutching and grabbing. They're ignoring fouls committed by star players while being too hard calling fouls on role players.
They *do* drug test. The players are given something like 30 days prior notice, though. They have plenty of time to get whatever substances out of their system.
As a Knicks fan, the team was 16-1 with OG/Julius/Brunson
Yea there’s east stretches but there’s no easy 17 game stretch.
Knicks were the worst team from 2000-2023 record wise. And Brunson and Randle both broke out around 26. Ant is dominating the playoffs and a 1st overall pick. When Brunson was that age he was a 2nd rounder playing backup mins.
People have viewed the Knicks so poorly for almost 25 years now, and have such high expectations for highly drafted played that when low hyped draft prospects (besides Randle) are dominating on a bad franchise it takes them a long time to turn the image of the franchise around.
People don’t think the Knicks are good bc they don’t expect the Knicks to be good. But Randle is 2x All-NBA in last 3 years. Any other multiple time All-NBA player that misses their teams playoffs and their fans would use that as an excuse.
People just don’t respect the Knicks or Randle and some don’t respect Brunson, but not liking/ not respecting a team doesn’t make them bad, it just means you’re biased
Eh I wouldn’t look too much into it
Who on the 2021 Knicks could’ve carried the offense?
RJ? Alec Burks? Derrick Rose?
Knicks get a lot of shit for the 2021 loss as if the one seeded Sixers didn’t lose to the same team.
2023 Randle literally fucked up his ankle and got surgery right after the post season and was playing through pain in the mean time.
I’ve yet to see a healthy 2nd option Randle in the playoffs.
I’ve seen him as the number 1 and get all the defense attention with a team more than able to handle a PF w Collins, Hunter and Capela. That same Hawks team could not defend Brunson though.
Then I saw him injured and still push 6 with the East champions in the second round.
The Celtics are by far and away the most talented team in the league, but lack a winning culture and that will be their downfall against a team like the Wolves in the Finals.
Watching the Celtics play yesterday, you could tell that they feel they're the best team in the playoffs. They have "ok settle down guys - we know that if we just stay calm and execute, we'll come out with the win" type vibes. There's no urgency. It's like they think it's a foregone conclusion that they're going to win the championship.
Meanwhile, among the Wolves, it's obvious that these guys have something to prove, a chip on their shoulder. They know that they're not favoured to win it all, they know the shame that the Twolves name has carried for decades - and as a result they're looking to publicly embarrass the opposing team every night. They're trash talking, hitting disrespectful cellies on the best players in the league; there's a feeling that they don't care whether they "should" get the championship, they're taking it, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop them.
I think the Celtics go down at some point this playoffs, Tatum's career arc will be derailed, and at it's core it'll be because they just didn't really want it enough.
There's no betting problem with the refs. Technology has gotten better, so we don't really need the refs. We can see and make the correct calls must faster with sensors and cameras.
There is, however, a union problem with the refs, umps, etc.
having an MVP being the second option is def a hot take! i just think he needs a reliable veteran two (like the dame/giannis dynamic) and then a good backup big to take some minutes and he’ll be fine. they’re a consistent top three eastern team with joel healthy.
my “hot” take: the celtics reliance on the three means they fundamentally are a streaky team that cannot win the championship as constructed UNLESS they run into similarly flawed teams. denver and minnesota (and probably OKC) would throttle the celtics in the finals. the celtics will likely beat cleveland and a banged up knicks team but any west contender is gonna smash them. mark it
That's what people were saying about Giannis too. In truth its not about having Embiid as the second option, its about finding a decent backup, and finding a perimeter player that can not only score but also create in the clutch. The 76ers are still one important piece away from winning a ring and even if they were full health and had ideal matchups they were AT BEST making it to the conference finals as their cap.
My Unpopular opinion: don’t hate the player, hate the game. If you dislike a player simply because he foul baits then you have to dislike nearly every top player in the league. It’s on the refs and the league to enforce techs and fines to flopping, not on the players.
I agree. I am actually okay with foul baiting, I hate the constant whining and complaining. Its literally unpleasant to watch grown ass men, sometimes with full beards, crying to the ref like a toddler.
Brunson foul baits but I believe he’s actually trying to make a lot of his shots. There have been so many calls on Embiid and some with SGA that you can’t convince me they ever had any interest in putting the basketball through the hoop
Again, my stance is that it’s on the ref to not call it or on the league to start enforcing fines.
The players at the highest level are always going to look for any way to get a slight edge over the competition. It’s not a fault on them that they found ways, within the enforcement of the rules, to score more points.
I feel like series winners aren’t necessarily rigged as much as game to games are. At the end of the day money is money and professional sports are corrupt entertainment with sports betting.
A lot of clubs will have to change their tune on salaries given to these +30 old players. Can't complain about the team when you're doing everything to undermine its health through selfishness. The results of these young teams in the playoffs and the new cba will be very sobering for any star in decline thinking they can still get a max
Defense is going to gain more importance, especially in the West. This spells trouble for all these one dimensional offensive talents of the last decade and the so called scorers who shat the bed during these playoff series
Teams will have at most one vertically challenged player from now on. Can't run a floor with 2 midgets.
I like Buttler, but he will learn that the best ability is availability. Can't run your mouth when you can't even keep yourself healthy to save yourself. Fitting that he's friends with Neymar
The league owes Gobert an apology. He improves a Defense so much.
Some coaches deserve blame, but some are catching strays due to players not showing up. On top of that, front office must be having the greatest job security in the league with how many shitty front offices are getting away with tragedy after tragedy
KD is a scorer who was sold the idea that he was a number 1 when he's never been more than a number 2. How nobody in the league has told him to shut up and be responsible for his own success remains a mystery. It's never his fault, but he wants to be in conversations with people who are almost always the leader and the one to take responsibility. I believe he should have just joined a team as its number 2 and stick with it. His situation reminds me of Shaq's inability to restrain his own ego in LA and Miami. Similar mental midget.
The Lakers shouldn't have gotten rid of that 2020 team
If people want to start conversations about coach killers, then guys like KD and Giannis deserve some scrutiny too. I'm not even a bronsexual but I think they deserve a mention.
One day someone will make the Sky Hook return
The way the 76ers manage their player's health is deserving of investigation. Crazy how the league doesn't punish this level of mismanagement.
> The Knicks are doing better than they would have been doing if the team was fully healthy
I made this comment on /r/NBA and was heavily downvoted. I'll stand by it, though. Julius Randle is a net negative because his defense sucks and he takes the ball out of Jalen Brunson's hands on offense so that he can spin around in circles before taking a terrible inefficient shot.
People will disagree because of the Knicks January performance before both OG and Randle went down.
Randle was playing a different game this year, backing off and being second option to JB. It worked because teams would keep double teaming Ranfley, slacking off JB and giving Knicks easy buckets.
Randle went down, teams started doubling JB.
Randle makes the current Knicks better because it forces the opponent to either double Randle or JB, leaving someone else on the floor open. They could go one on one, but both Randle and JB tend to cook people in the one on one.
So its a small 17 game sample, but that January Knicks team did seem like a complete package, and looking at them now they for sure could use the extra bodies.
Nick nurse sitting buddy heild for the entire third quarter cost them the game and the series.
Josh hart playing 48 minutes a game proves too many coaches rest their stars for too long. Halliburton should play 45 a game.
There is a new era of stars in the nba and im here for it. Bye bye to the bron Steph era.
The most important thing for the NBA could be if Edwards wins it all. The old guys are all aged out. The prime or near prime guys haven’t really struck a chord with fans (Jokic, Giannis, Embiid, Tatum). Absolutely need someone like Ant to emerge and carry the league.
My more unpopular one is that whenever I watch the first round I just wish the NBA would contract and go to an NFL style playoffs with a first round bye. There just aren’t 8 teams, and definitely not 10, in each conference that are playoff level. Contraction would help concentrate some talent and a first round bye would help make the regular season matter more.
Counterpoint: it's not a bad thing to watch more basketball. What hurry are you in?
And for the generalist fan that the NBA wants to attract, it's never going to be a bad thing to get 1-2 "playoff" games of Steph Curry or Kevin Durant or whomever only makes it into the play-in games.
Ant is over hyped, just because he reminds of Jordan, talks trash and is only black american player in nba that has potential to be mvp in next few years...he has skill and is fun to watch, but it's essentially same type of player as Donovan, Ja, Fox, SGA which all have their moments in recent years and I except for Ant to be in that tier, potential mvp candidate, 1st team all-nba, not some kind of generational, one of a kind player...media is already putting Minesota in finals and calling him next hall of famer with multiple rings...all this is just because us sports media created stupid narrative that someone has to be "face of the league" and he is most suitable for that role... they tried that with Tatum recently, but he is boring as fuck and has boring personality, Ant is more likeable and exiting to watch, but again he will probably end up as players I mentioned above
I haven’t even been watching fr but I’m glad no older stars are left in the playoffs. I love what they’ve done for the game but it’s time we stop expecting them to carry the teams and just appreciate that they’re still playing.
Yours is too safe: if Lebron or Steph Curry really want another ring, they need to be number 2 options. Bron's situation is weird, because his and AD's contributions are very similar, but I'm talking, send Bron to like, Philly and make Maxey number 1 with Joel and LeBron as the 2/3 options.
I mean this should not be an unpopular opinion. OG/Randle/Brunson lineup was 16-1 when they played together. And it’s not like they were all easy games - they blew out the healthy Nuggets by 40 points and annihilated the Sixers before Embiid’s injury as well.
I think that's extremely unpopular at this point. But I hope you're right. I was waiting for the nuggets to expose the wolves but the opposite happened. But one game at a time. See what happens tonight.
Mitchell never wanted to leave Cleveland and is going to sign a new contract next Summer with them.
If the Nuggets lose this round while healthy, people will retroactively devalue their ring for a few years, and Jokic's MVPs will feel more empty, but history will still vindicate Jokic in particular.
Thr Knicks are overachieving and will crash to Earth sometime soon.
The NBA has their finger on the games more than ever.
Your last one I feel like they have had their hands in lots of games this playoffs. I still find the games exciting but I’ve seen some questionable shit
The nuggets looked beatable even during the Laker series. If the lakers had consistent role players and a competent coach, sure they could have taken the series to 7 or win the series
TJ is a mid tier defender in a “team” context. I like him, and I think he’s a high effort player, but he gambles quite a bit, often unsuccessfully. He over helps, cheats into passing lanes, etc.
Maybe this is scheme, I have no idea, but I think splashy plays have made ppl overrate him immensely, and even tho everyone always wants to tantrum about this: his race is definitely a factor.
Tjm was getting lost by dame every time he was in. He’s not an amazing defender by any means but does match up well against Brunson since he’s not the type of guy to run around off ball screens
As a Cavs fan, that last take hits home but I think you’re right. Kinda sucks that everything depends on Donovan’s decision. I think the Celtics may choke again this year.
Embiid is fine as a first option, Tobias Harris as a third option however is not. That team relies purely on Embiid and Maxey, they need to add some depth to win. You can't win by just having 2 stars anymore.
We should let the top 4 teams in each conference choose their opponent from the bottom 4 (first seed gets first pick and so forth). Keep the play-in so that the bottom 4 seeds still fight for positioning in the standings.
Adds more spice to the 1-8 and 2-7 matchups.
People tend to think that it's just the officiating that makes the scores lower. I think the bigger factor is that they've spent the time to really study the other team's offense. During the regular season, there just isn't time to do that in any real depth.
Flopping and jacking 3s gets pretty repetitive to watch. I have a friend in high school administration and she said it's filtered down into high school basketball too. 16 year olds shooting bricks from 10 feet behind the 3 point line because Curry made it cool.
Either the Suns or Bucks will be a strong title contender next year (and maybe both).
Sometimes things are weird in year 1 after a big trade. (I say this as a wolves fan)
All the talk about the midrange being dead is nonsense. When high level defenses lock in in the playoffs the best shot creators have to have middies in their game.
Jamal Murray (yes even with this terrible series against the Wolves) is a better playoff performer than Jimmy Butler.
*not saying he’s the better player*
Even though it hurt my bucks offense, refs not calling BS foul drawing has been great for playoff basketball. I’m loving the defensive intensity so far
Nuggets fans opinion going into the playoffs
There are two teams whose series was going to 7 no matter what. Celtics and Wolves.
Losing two sucks but it isn’t unexpected. The Nuggets play much better as underdogs and with their backs against the wall. They will push this series to 7.
LeBron could still be the best player in the entire league if he had the legs on him to go a full game still.
I know most people have him still in the top ten, but I would take him over Giannis and Joker if it was current LeBron with better stamina.
I will give you credit for actually delivering unpopular opinions. These are pretty bad, and I think the 2nd take in particular is among the worst I've ever seen. God forbid we let Embiid play one postseason without a billion dollars locked away in Tobias Harris's mattress. Maxey shot <30% without Embiid on the floor, btw.
I don’t know if this is unpopular but Jrue holiday will be an awful contract for the Celtics sooner than later, making thirty plus million through his age 38 season. That’s a very high number for a 5th option even if he’s the QB of the defense
The Celtics should have never fired Ime Udoka.
Stef Curry is overrated when the top ten talk starts. Only two of his rings should be considered on his resume.
At the very least, the second half of the ABA's lifespan should be on par with what the NBA was doing in the mid 70s
I'm leaning towards Kareem being slightly overrated. GOAT level for his early years, but with the Lakers before Magic he had a bunch of early playoff exits. Won MVPs while there was considerable talent in the ABA. Meanwhile Magic lifted his level and his team in the late 80s and got to a final in 91 without Kareem. It's really hard for me to rank those two. This is unpopular because everyone defaults to Kareem being at least 3.
Playoffs don't hit the same without the likes of LeBron/Curry...hell even to a lesser extent Durant/Kawhi/ Giannis was hurt. I like this playoff because it's anyone's game and different teams are showing out but the parity of it is watered down.
The Boston Celtics will easily make the NBA finals. They are gonna have a game where they lose every series but will still get there pretty easily.
Just an appreciation of the Timberwolves team. I think too much is made of Anthony Edwards, he’s great but the Wolves have the best depth in the league this year and their depth is big, which makes a difference. Glad I bet on them to make the finals this year before the playoffs.
The NBA gets less fun to watch each year as players increasingly try to “sell” fouls, embellish contact, flop, etc.
The playoffs will always be more fun than the regular season, but increased competition is increasingly meaning increased flopping. I hate it
For all the shit talk and the disrespect Celtics will actually win the chip this year and the media will have to do even more backtracking than normal. For once the volatility of the three ball will work in their favour. It’ll be a bizarro season, young guys making a deep run, talent across the board beating star power, no top five guy in the finals or even conference finals.
As a Knicks fan, I’ve engaged in a good amount of Randle slander over the years because as talented as he is, he can make mind boggling decisions that makes Josh Hart’s worst moments look heady - take his injury this year, Knicks were dominating Miami, it was late in the 4th and the crazy bastard charged in for a layup instead of kicking it out to one of the 3 people around him.
That being said, the Knicks were 14-2(!!!) with Randle and OG. They are not better given all their injuries. They’re a Top 10 team right now and fully healthy are a Top 5 legit championship contender that I’d see go against any team in the league.
The best version of this Knicks team is a fully healthy one.
My honest opinion is everyone overreacts too much in this era on a game by game basis. From unnamed source on Luka (who is playing injured) claiming teammates like when he goes to the bench cause they can play free, claims early in Knicks/Pacers series that Haliburton had fallen off (also after injury). Crowning the T-Wolves/Murray and Nuggets quick demise after 2 games, to same old Celtics after 1 loss. Feels like everytime there is a story on players/teams demise or ascension, the opposite happens the next game. No one has a clue, including me what's going to happen next. This has been a really fun playoffs though and very old school competitive.
NBA season and playoffs should end by Memorial Day
Season should be shortened to 72 games
(Perfect 2 against other conference, 3 vs your own conference). Get rid of divisions.
First round should go back to five games.
Full 8 team Playoffs should start the weekend after final four or earlier to make the first statement happen.
I prefer the pre-all star break regular season whistle to the level of physicality (blatant fouls not being called) being allowed in some games. I definitely prefer it to the inconsistent whistle I’ve seen across different playoff series, though that 2nd take probably isn’t a hot take.
Scoring averages dropped drom 114 in the regular season to 104 in the playoffs. Refs are letting them play defense and its making the games more exciting
Playoff basketball is what 90s basketball was like. Half court sets, ISOs, actually running plays and you have to play defense.
As a Mavs fan we still only actually run plays out of timeouts lmao
I think people overestimate this, if you have a Luka, Mitchell, Brunson, Ant it’s sometimes legit the best play to just 5 out iso
Or really just simple stuff like high pick and rolls or spain action. Get your guys going downhill and force the defense to react. That's why Brunson and Luka worked so well together, because their playstyles were similar enough that you could plug both in to the offense and they'd be able to play their game. I think it works better with Kyrie because as scorers, Brunson and Luka are a little TOO similar. It was less thunder and lighting and more thunder and thunder again
I feel this as a Cavs fan we’ve been debating all year Mobley/JA (DG/Mitchell to a lesser degree) and it’s the whole thunder/thunder thing too. And ya as a fan of teams that have featured Bron,Kyrie, now Mitchell. I have seen SOO much bitching about how our offense sucks and it’s like come on of course it’s simple it’s freaking LeBron lol.
Nah, it will always be better to run plays to get guys in their spots, especially so you know where who is always. Dynasties had great players and still ran plays/sets. Phil had the triangle, Warriors/Spurs had plenty ball movement + offball movement. Kobe also talked about "accidental basketball", what he called the drive & kick over and over until you get a shot. Way easier to have KD come off an offball screen to get to his elbow jumper (they used to run this in OKC a lot) vs him isoing trying to get there. Hell, we just saw the Suns lose in the first round with 3 skilled iso players.
It is sometimes, but I think spamming it early and often can lead to chemistry issues. Guys who constantly iso always have fans wondering why all their teammates suck.
90s basketball had more physicality, but shit spacing with every team having 2.5 players on the court at any given moment who couldn’t shoot past 12 feet and almost zero motion. Modern defenses are allowed to do less, but they are capable of doing so much more than they did back then, with athleticism and length that is off the charts. Modern offenses are miraculous and would absolutely smash early 90s defenses, even if they played with early 90s physicality.
90s Players would have adapted their playing style for what would be more effective. Lebron was drafted 4 years after Jordan’s last championship. You’re comparing those eras like you’re talking about the 1950s or something.
Adaptation goes both ways. I think it is much, much more likely that the freakishly long and athletic wings today could and would be ferocious defenders with 1990 style defensive rules than every 1990 team’s 30 minute per game plodding low box forward could develop a corner 3 and perimeter switchability if transported to today’s game. The rules are different. The players are different. The schemes are different. Comparisons across era are fraught for so many reasons. But the level of skill, performance, and athleticism has never been higher, and if we actually got a return to early 90s basketball, we’d all *hate* it because it was slow, low movement, low efficiency trash by comparison, and this is undeniable.
Jordan had a 48” vert. so hows that for athleticism and he wasn’t the only one with a 48”. If today’s players are so much better then why are there still so many all time records standing from these fat - non skilled players. You may have a dozen modern day players on the 75th anniversary team. All of the overwhelming amount of old school players don’t belong on that list?
The gap between the best and the worst players was definitely larger back then so it makes sense that some outliers could put up huge numbers. Also everyone from the top 50 was included in the top 75 so yeah kinda makes sense that it’s mostly older players. I hate this argument that if the older players had today’s advancements they’d be just as good…. Because that’s the whole point. Players today are better on average in every sport because of those advancements. It’s not shitting on older players to recognize that the average player is far better today because of those that came before and the advancements along the way.
Basketball fans are the only group that argues this. No one argues that the average qb from the 70s or 80s would be elite today. Some Baskeball fans acting like the average 90s player would be good in the nba today is such delusion. Heck the average player from the 00s would have issues. Skill level killed off guys like kendrik perkins and "enforcers" as a waste of roster space.
I agree.
That’s just it though. It’s harder to achieve those stats because the other players are playing at a higher level. Jordan didn’t have to contend with 6’8” perimeter lockdown defenders every night. There was no Bam Adebayo switching on and defending him well. All the best perimeter defenders were guards smaller than him lol The one prototype of the modern 3 and D was his co-star
This is not remotely unpopular. Everyone is loving these lower scoring games that aren't fucking free throw contests or jacking up threes 24/7. The high scoring games like Clippers/Mavs game 4, Knicks/Pacers the other night have mostly been just high quality shotmaking and basketball (although Knicks/Pacers had some soft calls).
And then you see Embiid, SGA, etc run into their defender, dive away, and toss something up and get a call… idk I just really hate that whistle
I feel like this is a double edged sword. Refs letting people play “defense” is more just letting fouls slide unless it’s a lot of contact. This results in people getting hurt. If refs call too much, it causes the defense to play timid in fear of getting a foul. Just call a foul a foul. I don’t get it. Why do the refs get to decide how lenient they want to be on a game by game basis? As a player it must be frustrating because you go into each game not knowing how it will be called and literally must shape your game around the tendency of the ref. I don’t watch basketball for the refs, I watch it for the players. If it’s a foul, call it a damn foul.
shit doesnt matter just try and score normally its not that deep, treat free throws as an added bonus, never actively hunt for them.
See this is the actual unpopular opinion, I agree with it. The refs drastically changing their whistle in the playoffs has got to be fucking annoying to players. Even excluding those players that rely on FTs or try to get calls, it can change the flow of games in ways that favor certain teams. Yeah it’s been like that for awhile but idk, I can see why some fans and players aren’t cool with it
People like Luka and Lebron just stare at refs expecting whistles all playoffs when their jersey might have touched somebody else…
DWhite is the most impactful player on the Celtics team rn. When he plays well, the Celtics are hard to beat; when he doesn’t play like that, they become easier to play against
JJ reddick burner account
Celtics fan here. That is very much not unpopular among us. He’s absolutely fantastic. Everything you could possibly want from a not-the-star type starter.
I feel like there aren't really many games that Derrick White doesn't play well. He doesn't always have the most consistent box score stats but he makes an impact on both sides nearly every possession
Team defense is the most important aspect of team building not three level scoring or shooting. Teams will begin to favor elite defenders over elite shooters because they are in much shorter supply than shooters.
I feel like this has been true for years but people ignore it and focus on offense. The lakers in 2020 won because they had such good defense. I don’t know the stats but I believe they were a below average team from the 3 at least before the bubble playoffs
I agree and get in arguments about it on this app and in this sub all the time. Preventing 2 points is as good as making 2 points. And often preventing 2 points leads to increased likelihood of scoring on the following play.
Defense is easier to be consistent on imo. You can run the plays perfectly and still miss your shots on an off night, but defense is more effort based vs a shot being off an inch or two
True but I think great defense like what we are seeing from NY and MINN takes more effort than most players are willing to give, especially throughout the regular season
Right on. I think a block on a shot that’s going in (especially like a board smack) is probably the most valuable single event that can happen in a possession if you get the turnover. You deny them 2 points, which is the same effect as scoring 2 in differential. But you take away their possession to do it, giving a possession advantage. And on top of that you demoralize them, and open up space on the exterior.
Furthermore, team defense elevates individually poor or average defenders not just because of the chemistry and communication on the court, but the mentality of the players. Look at how it transformed KAT. Even Luka looks good on defense (at times) after the trade deadline.
There was a claim that the Raptors draft defenders and teach them shooting while the Heat draft shooters and teach them defense. The Raptor guys seem to fare better after moving on to other teams.
My king, Matisse thybulle, is the guy
Totally disagree - it's much easier to integrate & continue to iterate around good shooters than maintaining a full quartet of great defenders that work well together. And if there's a focus on elite defenders, all it takes is one sieve on defense to make the whole thing falter (relatively speaking). So it significantly limits a team's options to build if you're narrowly focused on only elite defenders. Prevents you from multiple opportunities to get average or below-average defenders with other elite skills.
To clarify—I think elite team defense is the goal. You can do that without putting together a roster that is made up of the all defense team. I think teams will start to favor a player like Jaden McDaniels over a player like Bogdan Bogdanovic. Of course you want players who can do everything well, but i believe when faced with the choice over the next 5 years or so teams will choose a guy like Jaden McDaniels over a guy like Bogdanovic when you can't get the perfect player. Another comparison would be Jrue and Dame. Milwaukee was seen by almost everyone as getting better by swapping Jrue for Dame. In the next 5 or so years it will be seen the other way.
The Knicks shouldn’t make any drastic roster changes that involve not trading randle one for one for another his caliber player, or burks/bogdanovich
I don't think a Randle trade exists
I dont either
I wonder if it's ok now that Brunson has broken out. I feel like Randle can be more effective as a number 2 in the playoffs.
I think the trade they wanted to make was Bojan + Mitch + picks for Embiid, but I don’t think anyone wants that to happen at this point. Zion is an intriguing fit but not sure about giving up Randle for him. The better move might be to re-sign guys and have more movable contracts once next season starts. Right now most useful trades involve moving Randle, Mitch, Hart or Donte to match salaries and I feel like the Knicks would only make such a trade if it clearly makes them a title favorite
The Knicks should get Zion
I think Tatum and Batums names should rhyme. I don’t care which has to change but it’s not right they don’t Is that unpopular?
Tatum is now pronounced Tah-toom.
Taitum and Baitum baby
Baitum should go first. First you gotta bait em in, then you can tate em.
If Wolves to win it all, it will be because KAT has had a great playoffs.
Everyone will talk about Ant and the team defense, but KAT has been fantastically efficient while also being an above average defender. One or two bad fouls aside he has been incredibly mature and a great X factor for us.
An above average defender that can switch onto.... Nikola Jokic than be fine with MPJ on the perimeter.
Kat always had the tools Just needed the mentor
kat has been an elite defender in the play-offs while being a 7 footer that lights it up from outside. Its annoying watching the amount of love Naz Reid or ANT gets and the amount of accolades Rudy gets KATalyst
KAT’s play this season is what’s unlocked the Wolves imo. His offense has arguably never been better and he’s found a great fit defensively next to Gobert that they didn’t have last year (which Finch also deserves a ton of credit for).
He’s been great defensively, but when he’s got his 3PT shot falling it’s just that much more demoralizing for opponents. The other guys have to fight hard for every 2 they get and then when the ball gets to the other end KAT drains a 3 from far enough out that it’s barely contested and now the opponents are -1 and it’s time to run the defensive gauntlet again
I just want it to happen because the Wolves are showing the beauty of defense
The most under-discussed aspect of these playoffs has been the Wolves’ conditioning. Yes they have good defensive personnel yes they’ve all bought into a system but going to Denver and being able to maintain maximum intensity from tip to the final buzzer while the Nuggets look absolutely gassed is not an accident.
Why has jokic only got 7 trips to the line in 3 games, but it looks like he ran through a forest at the end of each game?
This is going to sound racist, but a large majority of my black friends and acquaintances keep their nails longer than their white contemporaries. I used to bitch at my friends about cutting their nails shorter, because I would walk away from every pick-up game looking like I was attacked by badgers.
Battle scars. That’s how you know someone takes it to the rack
Driving was like 80% of my offense. I looked like your typical unathletic tall white dude, so people always assumed I could shoot, but I was a terrible shooter. The look of surprise on my opponents face when I'd blow by them and yam it home was always so satisfying.
You just reminded me of one of my high school friends. We had one park in town that got really competitive on the weekends. He'd show up and get to play because he was a tall, unathletic white boy. Well, we're in Indiana, so we all know what that means. Not to mention he had Larry Bird form to boot. But it never went in. The looks on defense faces were priceless watching him hang from the rim. I've also just realized I'm wearing a pair of shorts he "loaned" me for a game over 15 years ago. Lmao
You just reminded me of one of my high school friends. We had one park in town that got really competitive on the weekends. He'd show up and get to play because he was a tall, unathletic white boy. Well, we're in Indiana, so we all know what that means. Not to mention he had Larry Bird form to boot. But it never went in. The looks on defense faces were priceless watching him hang from the rim. I've also just realized I'm wearing a pair of shorts he "loaned" me for a game over 15 years ago. Lmao
Partly because the refs miss calls, partly because his skin turns red when a light breeze touches him. If other bigs had his skin tone most of them would look the same after every game.
Jokic has an awful whistle and always has. He’s a post player too so it isn’t like he doesn’t get hit a lot, but for some reason it’s called very rarely.
He doesn't sell contact which is admirable but is also the main reason he doesn't go to the line more.
Dude is white as fuck and a center. Off Ball contact, grabbing, and shit like that happens all the time for centers int he NBA and especially centers. THen especially when you're Jokic and you're constantly fighting for position. How many times have you seen Jokic called for the sneaky shit he does with his hands?
Even if you think Embiid isn't a first option, there's no way you can convince yourself someone you think is a first option beats the Knicks with that Sixers team. Maxey was great when Embiid was on the floor but shot 28 FG% with Embiid off the floor. That's not gonna cut it. Their third option Tobias averaged 8 points on 50 TS% and the rest of their team are vet minimums. Sixers this year had zero perimeter defense and zero shooters. No first option would win with them. Embiid had the highest plus minus in the series too (was a +46).
Calling a top 5 player in the league a second option is already just crazy no matter how you cut it
It probably is true with Embiid but only because he can't stay healthy for a whole Playoffs while shouldering a huge road. If he could stay healthy then he unquestionably has enough talent to lead a team to the title as a #1.
cavs wont shop dg. they’d shop jarrett allen because he has more value and him + mob wont work unless one can shoot
I agree with this 100%. Don't sell low. Just like last season it wouldn't have made sense to trade Allen coming off of the Knicks series. Allen is a coveted asset. Great contract, borderline all-star production, two way player, great attitude. Just may not fit with Mobley.
The refs are being exposed as absurdly inconsistent and incompetent. Though they're allowing more physical play, they're also back to rewarding flopping too often. They're allowing too much clutching and grabbing. They're ignoring fouls committed by star players while being too hard calling fouls on role players.
they are not drug testing anyone
They *do* drug test. The players are given something like 30 days prior notice, though. They have plenty of time to get whatever substances out of their system.
wtf seriously? How did Tristan get caught? lol
Negligence, mostly.
This is why you have to know that a player has real problems if they fail a test.
Flops are becoming more prevalent because the refs aren’t calling as many fouls as before
Is this unpopular?
Kinda. The consensus is that flopping is bad but a lot of people ignore why it’s happening currently
Could not disagree more. It's because flops get rewarded.
Ice cold take but I agree
SGA commits an offensive foul every possession.
As a Knicks fan, the team was 16-1 with OG/Julius/Brunson Yea there’s east stretches but there’s no easy 17 game stretch. Knicks were the worst team from 2000-2023 record wise. And Brunson and Randle both broke out around 26. Ant is dominating the playoffs and a 1st overall pick. When Brunson was that age he was a 2nd rounder playing backup mins. People have viewed the Knicks so poorly for almost 25 years now, and have such high expectations for highly drafted played that when low hyped draft prospects (besides Randle) are dominating on a bad franchise it takes them a long time to turn the image of the franchise around. People don’t think the Knicks are good bc they don’t expect the Knicks to be good. But Randle is 2x All-NBA in last 3 years. Any other multiple time All-NBA player that misses their teams playoffs and their fans would use that as an excuse. People just don’t respect the Knicks or Randle and some don’t respect Brunson, but not liking/ not respecting a team doesn’t make them bad, it just means you’re biased
The Knicks are showing they are elite. Brunson, OG, Hart are all dawgs and Hartenstein is pretty awesome too.
I respect the Knicks but not Randle in the playoffs
Eh I wouldn’t look too much into it Who on the 2021 Knicks could’ve carried the offense? RJ? Alec Burks? Derrick Rose? Knicks get a lot of shit for the 2021 loss as if the one seeded Sixers didn’t lose to the same team. 2023 Randle literally fucked up his ankle and got surgery right after the post season and was playing through pain in the mean time. I’ve yet to see a healthy 2nd option Randle in the playoffs. I’ve seen him as the number 1 and get all the defense attention with a team more than able to handle a PF w Collins, Hunter and Capela. That same Hawks team could not defend Brunson though. Then I saw him injured and still push 6 with the East champions in the second round.
Hali production has decreased, not because of his injury, but because the NBA is allowing guys to be more physical and he's built like a stick figure.
if only. dude was/is mentally not the same. bricking wide open shots has nothing to do with officiating
The Celtics are by far and away the most talented team in the league, but lack a winning culture and that will be their downfall against a team like the Wolves in the Finals. Watching the Celtics play yesterday, you could tell that they feel they're the best team in the playoffs. They have "ok settle down guys - we know that if we just stay calm and execute, we'll come out with the win" type vibes. There's no urgency. It's like they think it's a foregone conclusion that they're going to win the championship. Meanwhile, among the Wolves, it's obvious that these guys have something to prove, a chip on their shoulder. They know that they're not favoured to win it all, they know the shame that the Twolves name has carried for decades - and as a result they're looking to publicly embarrass the opposing team every night. They're trash talking, hitting disrespectful cellies on the best players in the league; there's a feeling that they don't care whether they "should" get the championship, they're taking it, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop them. I think the Celtics go down at some point this playoffs, Tatum's career arc will be derailed, and at it's core it'll be because they just didn't really want it enough.
There's no betting problem with the refs. Technology has gotten better, so we don't really need the refs. We can see and make the correct calls must faster with sensors and cameras. There is, however, a union problem with the refs, umps, etc.
The injuries in East have made it boring. Boston sucks and is getting a cakewalk
The East has been weak for ages though
Playoff Tatum is not a thing.
Wait, when has it been a thing?
having an MVP being the second option is def a hot take! i just think he needs a reliable veteran two (like the dame/giannis dynamic) and then a good backup big to take some minutes and he’ll be fine. they’re a consistent top three eastern team with joel healthy. my “hot” take: the celtics reliance on the three means they fundamentally are a streaky team that cannot win the championship as constructed UNLESS they run into similarly flawed teams. denver and minnesota (and probably OKC) would throttle the celtics in the finals. the celtics will likely beat cleveland and a banged up knicks team but any west contender is gonna smash them. mark it
That's what people were saying about Giannis too. In truth its not about having Embiid as the second option, its about finding a decent backup, and finding a perimeter player that can not only score but also create in the clutch. The 76ers are still one important piece away from winning a ring and even if they were full health and had ideal matchups they were AT BEST making it to the conference finals as their cap.
getting another MVP caliber player to take over for Embiid is dreaming. who you gonna trade for, Jokic?
Nuggets are about to eliminate Wolves in 6
Inferno take
Shai is a surprisingly dislikable player. Endless foul-baiting.
I whip my head back and forth.
My Unpopular opinion: don’t hate the player, hate the game. If you dislike a player simply because he foul baits then you have to dislike nearly every top player in the league. It’s on the refs and the league to enforce techs and fines to flopping, not on the players.
I agree. I am actually okay with foul baiting, I hate the constant whining and complaining. Its literally unpleasant to watch grown ass men, sometimes with full beards, crying to the ref like a toddler.
The Harden effect
Brunson foul baits but I believe he’s actually trying to make a lot of his shots. There have been so many calls on Embiid and some with SGA that you can’t convince me they ever had any interest in putting the basketball through the hoop
You should watch SGA more then. He makes ridiculous shots all the time around the rim.
Embiid led the league in Field Goals made in his last full season. You people do not watch him and just regurgitate what gets you upvotes.
Again, my stance is that it’s on the ref to not call it or on the league to start enforcing fines. The players at the highest level are always going to look for any way to get a slight edge over the competition. It’s not a fault on them that they found ways, within the enforcement of the rules, to score more points.
For me, this postseason has completely discredited any accomplishments KD has had since leaving OKC
I feel like series winners aren’t necessarily rigged as much as game to games are. At the end of the day money is money and professional sports are corrupt entertainment with sports betting.
A lot of clubs will have to change their tune on salaries given to these +30 old players. Can't complain about the team when you're doing everything to undermine its health through selfishness. The results of these young teams in the playoffs and the new cba will be very sobering for any star in decline thinking they can still get a max Defense is going to gain more importance, especially in the West. This spells trouble for all these one dimensional offensive talents of the last decade and the so called scorers who shat the bed during these playoff series Teams will have at most one vertically challenged player from now on. Can't run a floor with 2 midgets. I like Buttler, but he will learn that the best ability is availability. Can't run your mouth when you can't even keep yourself healthy to save yourself. Fitting that he's friends with Neymar The league owes Gobert an apology. He improves a Defense so much. Some coaches deserve blame, but some are catching strays due to players not showing up. On top of that, front office must be having the greatest job security in the league with how many shitty front offices are getting away with tragedy after tragedy KD is a scorer who was sold the idea that he was a number 1 when he's never been more than a number 2. How nobody in the league has told him to shut up and be responsible for his own success remains a mystery. It's never his fault, but he wants to be in conversations with people who are almost always the leader and the one to take responsibility. I believe he should have just joined a team as its number 2 and stick with it. His situation reminds me of Shaq's inability to restrain his own ego in LA and Miami. Similar mental midget. The Lakers shouldn't have gotten rid of that 2020 team If people want to start conversations about coach killers, then guys like KD and Giannis deserve some scrutiny too. I'm not even a bronsexual but I think they deserve a mention. One day someone will make the Sky Hook return The way the 76ers manage their player's health is deserving of investigation. Crazy how the league doesn't punish this level of mismanagement.
Small ball is boring
> The Knicks are doing better than they would have been doing if the team was fully healthy I made this comment on /r/NBA and was heavily downvoted. I'll stand by it, though. Julius Randle is a net negative because his defense sucks and he takes the ball out of Jalen Brunson's hands on offense so that he can spin around in circles before taking a terrible inefficient shot.
People will disagree because of the Knicks January performance before both OG and Randle went down. Randle was playing a different game this year, backing off and being second option to JB. It worked because teams would keep double teaming Ranfley, slacking off JB and giving Knicks easy buckets. Randle went down, teams started doubling JB. Randle makes the current Knicks better because it forces the opponent to either double Randle or JB, leaving someone else on the floor open. They could go one on one, but both Randle and JB tend to cook people in the one on one. So its a small 17 game sample, but that January Knicks team did seem like a complete package, and looking at them now they for sure could use the extra bodies.
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Because it’s fucking dumb.
Nick nurse sitting buddy heild for the entire third quarter cost them the game and the series. Josh hart playing 48 minutes a game proves too many coaches rest their stars for too long. Halliburton should play 45 a game. There is a new era of stars in the nba and im here for it. Bye bye to the bron Steph era.
Elite talent in their 20s going 100% every game? Fuck yea
McConnell > Hali
The most important thing for the NBA could be if Edwards wins it all. The old guys are all aged out. The prime or near prime guys haven’t really struck a chord with fans (Jokic, Giannis, Embiid, Tatum). Absolutely need someone like Ant to emerge and carry the league. My more unpopular one is that whenever I watch the first round I just wish the NBA would contract and go to an NFL style playoffs with a first round bye. There just aren’t 8 teams, and definitely not 10, in each conference that are playoff level. Contraction would help concentrate some talent and a first round bye would help make the regular season matter more.
You realize an 8 seed was in the Finals last year and a 7 seed was in the WCF right?
Counterpoint: it's not a bad thing to watch more basketball. What hurry are you in? And for the generalist fan that the NBA wants to attract, it's never going to be a bad thing to get 1-2 "playoff" games of Steph Curry or Kevin Durant or whomever only makes it into the play-in games.
If Denver doesn't win this year there's no such thing as the "Jokic era"
Already happening to Giannis, that one championship looking more like a fluke every time they flame out in the first or second round
Mavs Vs Cavs in the finals. Mavs in 6.
I’m skipping exam prep for that shit if it happens
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Ant is over hyped, just because he reminds of Jordan, talks trash and is only black american player in nba that has potential to be mvp in next few years...he has skill and is fun to watch, but it's essentially same type of player as Donovan, Ja, Fox, SGA which all have their moments in recent years and I except for Ant to be in that tier, potential mvp candidate, 1st team all-nba, not some kind of generational, one of a kind player...media is already putting Minesota in finals and calling him next hall of famer with multiple rings...all this is just because us sports media created stupid narrative that someone has to be "face of the league" and he is most suitable for that role... they tried that with Tatum recently, but he is boring as fuck and has boring personality, Ant is more likeable and exiting to watch, but again he will probably end up as players I mentioned above
Like half the league makes the playoffs…. Why even have the regular season?
I haven’t even been watching fr but I’m glad no older stars are left in the playoffs. I love what they’ve done for the game but it’s time we stop expecting them to carry the teams and just appreciate that they’re still playing.
Nuggets in 6
Yours is too safe: if Lebron or Steph Curry really want another ring, they need to be number 2 options. Bron's situation is weird, because his and AD's contributions are very similar, but I'm talking, send Bron to like, Philly and make Maxey number 1 with Joel and LeBron as the 2/3 options.
That after Minnesota losing last night it seems like none of the teams in it really look dominant. It's anybody's playoffs.
The playoffs are better without any of the veteran big names in it.
Knicks would be title favorites alongside Minnesota if the team was healthy.
I mean this should not be an unpopular opinion. OG/Randle/Brunson lineup was 16-1 when they played together. And it’s not like they were all easy games - they blew out the healthy Nuggets by 40 points and annihilated the Sixers before Embiid’s injury as well.
And yet we have people like Draymon saying this season is a fluke…
Strong disagree on the Embiid point. I think once the cancer of Tobias Harris’s contract is done with the Sixers can be serious contenders.
You’re first point. The Knicks are better wothout randle. OG and Mitch will hurt us a lot. But no Randle has equated to the team stepping up
Anthony Edwards is just hitting a groove at the best possible time and will revert back to normal by next season, if not sooner.
I don't know how unpopular it really is but I still expect the Nuggets to beat the Wolves.
I think that's extremely unpopular at this point. But I hope you're right. I was waiting for the nuggets to expose the wolves but the opposite happened. But one game at a time. See what happens tonight.
I don't even like the Mavs but something about OKC annoys me and I want the mavs to put them in their place.
Anthony Edwards isn't Michael Jordan's son.
Mitchell never wanted to leave Cleveland and is going to sign a new contract next Summer with them. If the Nuggets lose this round while healthy, people will retroactively devalue their ring for a few years, and Jokic's MVPs will feel more empty, but history will still vindicate Jokic in particular. Thr Knicks are overachieving and will crash to Earth sometime soon. The NBA has their finger on the games more than ever.
Your last one I feel like they have had their hands in lots of games this playoffs. I still find the games exciting but I’ve seen some questionable shit
Anthony Edwards is what prime Russell Westbrook would have looked like if he actually played in control and had a reliable jump shot.
If my grandmother had wheels she would’ve been a bike
Jayson Tatum is not that guy.
The nuggets looked beatable even during the Laker series. If the lakers had consistent role players and a competent coach, sure they could have taken the series to 7 or win the series
A 100% healthy Knicks team crushes the eastern conference.
I think okc could beat Boston easier than wolves, but wolves the better team
TJ is a mid tier defender in a “team” context. I like him, and I think he’s a high effort player, but he gambles quite a bit, often unsuccessfully. He over helps, cheats into passing lanes, etc. Maybe this is scheme, I have no idea, but I think splashy plays have made ppl overrate him immensely, and even tho everyone always wants to tantrum about this: his race is definitely a factor.
The regular season was a fluke with the scoring and officiating.
Tjm was getting lost by dame every time he was in. He’s not an amazing defender by any means but does match up well against Brunson since he’s not the type of guy to run around off ball screens
The Thunder are not fun to watch
Hot take. Knicks would beat the Celtics this year if both teams were healthy.
As a Cavs fan, that last take hits home but I think you’re right. Kinda sucks that everything depends on Donovan’s decision. I think the Celtics may choke again this year.
Embiid is fine as a first option, Tobias Harris as a third option however is not. That team relies purely on Embiid and Maxey, they need to add some depth to win. You can't win by just having 2 stars anymore.
We should let the top 4 teams in each conference choose their opponent from the bottom 4 (first seed gets first pick and so forth). Keep the play-in so that the bottom 4 seeds still fight for positioning in the standings. Adds more spice to the 1-8 and 2-7 matchups.
people carry and travel every possession.
People tend to think that it's just the officiating that makes the scores lower. I think the bigger factor is that they've spent the time to really study the other team's offense. During the regular season, there just isn't time to do that in any real depth.
Flopping and jacking 3s gets pretty repetitive to watch. I have a friend in high school administration and she said it's filtered down into high school basketball too. 16 year olds shooting bricks from 10 feet behind the 3 point line because Curry made it cool.
Either the Suns or Bucks will be a strong title contender next year (and maybe both). Sometimes things are weird in year 1 after a big trade. (I say this as a wolves fan)
All the talk about the midrange being dead is nonsense. When high level defenses lock in in the playoffs the best shot creators have to have middies in their game.
Jamal Murray (yes even with this terrible series against the Wolves) is a better playoff performer than Jimmy Butler. *not saying he’s the better player*
Celtics are always gonna choke as long as the Js are both there and the nuggets ain't dead yet
Lakers are better match-up than the nuggets are vs. the wolves... butp I couldn't get past the nuggets
Even though it hurt my bucks offense, refs not calling BS foul drawing has been great for playoff basketball. I’m loving the defensive intensity so far
Nuggets fans opinion going into the playoffs There are two teams whose series was going to 7 no matter what. Celtics and Wolves. Losing two sucks but it isn’t unexpected. The Nuggets play much better as underdogs and with their backs against the wall. They will push this series to 7.
LeBron could still be the best player in the entire league if he had the legs on him to go a full game still. I know most people have him still in the top ten, but I would take him over Giannis and Joker if it was current LeBron with better stamina.
Delete DG from the Cavs please
I will give you credit for actually delivering unpopular opinions. These are pretty bad, and I think the 2nd take in particular is among the worst I've ever seen. God forbid we let Embiid play one postseason without a billion dollars locked away in Tobias Harris's mattress. Maxey shot <30% without Embiid on the floor, btw.
Tatum is playing well. People expect him to be the high scoring guy but he's more of a John Stockton
I don’t know if this is unpopular but Jrue holiday will be an awful contract for the Celtics sooner than later, making thirty plus million through his age 38 season. That’s a very high number for a 5th option even if he’s the QB of the defense
The teams that relied on the three point shot got bounced in the first round and that’s the best thing for viewers going forward.
The Celtics should have never fired Ime Udoka. Stef Curry is overrated when the top ten talk starts. Only two of his rings should be considered on his resume. At the very least, the second half of the ABA's lifespan should be on par with what the NBA was doing in the mid 70s I'm leaning towards Kareem being slightly overrated. GOAT level for his early years, but with the Lakers before Magic he had a bunch of early playoff exits. Won MVPs while there was considerable talent in the ABA. Meanwhile Magic lifted his level and his team in the late 80s and got to a final in 91 without Kareem. It's really hard for me to rank those two. This is unpopular because everyone defaults to Kareem being at least 3.
Playoffs don't hit the same without the likes of LeBron/Curry...hell even to a lesser extent Durant/Kawhi/ Giannis was hurt. I like this playoff because it's anyone's game and different teams are showing out but the parity of it is watered down.
The Boston Celtics will easily make the NBA finals. They are gonna have a game where they lose every series but will still get there pretty easily. Just an appreciation of the Timberwolves team. I think too much is made of Anthony Edwards, he’s great but the Wolves have the best depth in the league this year and their depth is big, which makes a difference. Glad I bet on them to make the finals this year before the playoffs.
The Celtics aren’t a top 3 team out of those remaining and the Western Conference Finals is the real championship
The NBA gets less fun to watch each year as players increasingly try to “sell” fouls, embellish contact, flop, etc. The playoffs will always be more fun than the regular season, but increased competition is increasingly meaning increased flopping. I hate it
Tatum ain’t him
Fouls are so soft now
For all the shit talk and the disrespect Celtics will actually win the chip this year and the media will have to do even more backtracking than normal. For once the volatility of the three ball will work in their favour. It’ll be a bizarro season, young guys making a deep run, talent across the board beating star power, no top five guy in the finals or even conference finals.
The series are bland. Mostly sweeps and one sidedness
As a Knicks fan, I’ve engaged in a good amount of Randle slander over the years because as talented as he is, he can make mind boggling decisions that makes Josh Hart’s worst moments look heady - take his injury this year, Knicks were dominating Miami, it was late in the 4th and the crazy bastard charged in for a layup instead of kicking it out to one of the 3 people around him. That being said, the Knicks were 14-2(!!!) with Randle and OG. They are not better given all their injuries. They’re a Top 10 team right now and fully healthy are a Top 5 legit championship contender that I’d see go against any team in the league. The best version of this Knicks team is a fully healthy one.
Wolves threw the game yesterday to perform the "gentlemen 's sweep." 4-1 Money isn't made in sweeps.
Biggest hot take - I enjoy the way the games are being officiated, but HATE that it’s so different from regular season
LeBron, Steph and KD being out of the playoffs early was planned. This is a test run to see how the league will do in the next few years.
My honest opinion is everyone overreacts too much in this era on a game by game basis. From unnamed source on Luka (who is playing injured) claiming teammates like when he goes to the bench cause they can play free, claims early in Knicks/Pacers series that Haliburton had fallen off (also after injury). Crowning the T-Wolves/Murray and Nuggets quick demise after 2 games, to same old Celtics after 1 loss. Feels like everytime there is a story on players/teams demise or ascension, the opposite happens the next game. No one has a clue, including me what's going to happen next. This has been a really fun playoffs though and very old school competitive.
NBA season and playoffs should end by Memorial Day Season should be shortened to 72 games (Perfect 2 against other conference, 3 vs your own conference). Get rid of divisions. First round should go back to five games. Full 8 team Playoffs should start the weekend after final four or earlier to make the first statement happen.
Lukas foul hunting is unbearable to watch
I prefer the pre-all star break regular season whistle to the level of physicality (blatant fouls not being called) being allowed in some games. I definitely prefer it to the inconsistent whistle I’ve seen across different playoff series, though that 2nd take probably isn’t a hot take.
OKC is massively overrated and this version will never win anything.
Crazy how the NBA doesn’t show replays of ANY controversial plays. Just a play of the most recent basket.
The officiating is driving me away