NBA 2019-20: Who wins the bubble?

[Betterread]

Miami- Boston. Miami is holding on. Hierro is playing great. Jaylen Brown is playing just short of great, only because Tatum and Kemba can’t share.
Adebayo switches his pivot foot almost every time he gets the ball. Should be called a travel.

[adkindo]

one more win and Miami is going to the Finals....wow

[Kingspoint]

Herro was phenomenal.

[Mutaman]

Top NBA post season games by players 20 or younger:

Magic Johnson 42 points
Tyler Herro 37 points

Really bad officiating down the stretch-just a lack of common sense. Miami never lost their composure.

[Revering4Blue]

He's a better shooter and more athletic than Theus ever was.

It's difficult to quantify the shooting between the two (Theus and Murray), as one never played in this 3-point-centric era. Given that Theus regularly hit 20 footers as if they were layups, it's hard for me to believe that he wouldn't have been a proficient 3 point marksman today. And I disagree about the athleticism aspect. But we're really over-parsing this in any case.

Anyway, the comp that kept running through my mind as Murray was taking over games during this playoff bubble was/is a more recent star, whose career, sadly, came to a premature end due to injury: Brandon Roy, of whom many have forgotten was also a solid play-maker.

[Revering4Blue]

I'll go with Mahoud Abdul-Rauf (but taller) for a Murray style comp.

I don't believe that there's any doubt that Abdul-Rauf's game was better suited for today's pace-and-space environment. Michael Adams - for as solid as he was back in the day - too.

[Kingspoint]

It's difficult to quantify the shooting between the two (Theus and Murray), as one never played in this 3-point-centric era. Given that Theus regularly hit 20 footers as if they were layups, it's hard for me to believe that he wouldn't have been a proficient 3 point marksman today. And I disagree about the athleticism aspect. But we're really over-parsing this in any case.

Anyway, the comp that kept running through my mind as Murray was taking over games during this playoff bubble was/is a more recent star, whose career, sadly, came to a premature end due to injury: Brandon Roy, of whom many have forgotten was also a solid play-maker.

True on Roy. Surprised I didn't think of that. Roy controlled the team and game like Murray, got to the rim at will, and extended his range in the 4th quarters, saving his best for the most important times. This is Murray.

[M2]

I don't believe that there's any doubt that Abdul-Rauf's game was better suited for today's pace-and-space environment. Michael Adams - for as solid as he was back in the day - too.

Different franchise, but I'd toss Hersey Hawkins in there as well.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Notes on Boston v. Miami, Round Four:

1. They can't all be beautiful. This one was a rockfest at times. Neither team hit open shots. Miami's starting forwards-- Crowder and Robinson-- again struggled to shoot. That's expected of Crowder, who's largely played a bit over his head during the playoffs, but Robinson? His season is one of the all-timers in terms of accuracy from long distance. (You could argue it's the best shooting season of all time, and I kid you not.) Miami is one of the rare teams who can withstand that, find other options, and still find a way to win.

2. Just in case you were wondering, Tyler Herro beat Kemba Walker (five times), Jaylen Brown (three), Tatum (three), Marcus Smart (two), and Robert Williams (one) on his assorted moves to score. Stevens was super late in moving Walker off him, but I get it-- in the regular season, you just don't give the rookie the star treatment. Especially a rookie as relatively unheralded as Herro. That said, these are the playoffs. Stevens' issue hasn't been that he's been bad. He's just been unimaginative. Basic. As a result, Spo has coached rings around him. There's something to be said about not being afraid of the moment.

3. Tatum's Jeckyll and Hyde halves presage a kid who's going to dominate next season. That step-back three he's added over the bubble is lethal. But, man, does he need to work on his handle. He's young, but the mistakes he makes are avoidable. The tools he has are incredible, but there needs to be some growth there. Again, putting him in spots where he doesn't have to do as much one-on-one may prove beneficial, if only because it would allow him not to be a play maker. Why not, for example, initiate the offense with Walker, who's proven to be All-NBA over his career at just that type of thing? That might get him going and make Miami work harder on defense. (Trying to tire out the legs of Dragic strikes me as a smart move.) He attacked in Game Three, but the Celtics went back to Tatum at the wing extended for nearly every play in Game Four. That's (again) on Stevens.

4. Bam played with one arm most of the fourth quarter and still found ways to contribute. That can't happen. Why Stevens doesn't play Kanter at this point is beyond me. Theis can't do it. Robert Williams wasn't up for the moment. Draymond Green said to play Grant Williams. That also would be worth the gamble, if only because he's another guy who can go one-on-one. (I'd hesitate to do that, however, due to the idea that good offenses move the ball with the pass more often than the dribble.) It's worth watching to see if Adebayo's wing is okay in the next game. There are a couple of days between games so he can rest it. Something to watch, at any rate.

5. Tyler Herro has me intrigued as an All-Star possibility as early as next season. Dragic is likely to get paid and, fairly, has proven he can still start and do damage in this league. Miami is going to keep its powder dry for a shot at Giannis and likely won't tender more than the $9M they have available. (That's not going to be enough, most likely) Kendrick Nunn has all but disappeared due to Covid (...dang... want to stress how wrong that sentence is to type in a country as rich in resources as ours is). That absence has allowed Herro to blossom. Going into next year, Herro's probably going to be the starting PG for Miami, with Butler actually initiating most of the offense off the wing. Robinson will still be there. So will Adebayo. That's four. The beauty of Miami's situation is that they have some room to chase someone, and Pat Riley is not known for rebuilding. I'm wondering if they might swing a deal to land a big-time 3-and-D guy or a mobile big. It's an enviable situation, and Riley almost always does something fun.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Interesting story outside of the normal sports world on Tyler Herro from Slate.

[Kingspoint]

From La-La-Land:

“The Lakers have presented a case to the NBA that their star, LeBron James, is not nearly getting his fair share of free throws even though they are positive the hard-charging forward is getting fouled plenty by the Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference finals playoff series. James shot just two free throws during the Game 3 defeat to the Nuggets on Tuesday night at AdventHealth Arena. And those two free throws came after Denver guard Jamal Murray was called for a flagrant foul for an elbow to James' jaw.”

[adkindo]

that Murray up and under basket against Lebron was special.....

[Betterread]

What has happened to Gary Harris? He is paid $18 million and is a shell of the player he was in 17-18.

[Kingspoint]

What has happened to Gary Harris? He is paid $18 million and is a shell of the player he was in 17-18.

He played very good Defense on Lillard in last year's 2nd round of the playoffs. For him, it's always been about his Defense. Without that, he's bad. His Defense has not been good in the bubble. Barton needed to be alongside Murray. His length would have been better against the Lakers.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Notes on Game Four:

- Key to the game? That's easy. The LeBron no-calls on a driving Jamal Murray. LeBron fouled him, of course. Twice. Two no calls because that's always how it's been in the NBA. Stars get friendly whistles, especially down the stretch. Especially defensively. (Star big men are exempt from this rule-- call it the Boogie Effect or the Shaq Shock.) Murray will get those calls, likely next season, and it will open up another 5 - 7 points a game for him as a scorer. This isn't a harangue on the league's refs. It's a tip of the cap to Vogel, LeBron, and the Laker organization. Because stars don't get those calls on offense. They get them on defense. James was a willing late-game defender on Murray. That (and Vogel's complaints to the league office from a day or two earlier) was big-time.

- Speaking of Murray, he didn't hit a deep shot all night. Two long twos and one fadeaway lefty jumper (with his off-hand, naturally, changed in mid-air). The rest were layups or shots at the rim. He hunted those deep threes, but the Laker's defensive scheme meant he had to drive. And man, was that fun! Murray's quicker than the so-called experts give him credit for. Way, way quicker. He leaves defenders behind him consistently. And his finishes! So, so much style. He might be the most creative finisher in basketball. He makes HORSE shots with two or three guys draped on him in the middle of an NBA game. How many of these could you hit with no one around?

How can you not love a game that allows that combination of work and improvisation? Woody Allen was right: Basketball is jazz.

- As good as Murray has been in these playoffs, AD has been better. As flashy as Murray is, AD is quiet. That long, leaning three he hit to win Game Two? It's maybe the fifth or sixth thing you remember from these playoffs. He's just really, really good all the time. But he has to rebound the ball. Too often, Davis is a passive audience instead of a willing participant in scrums under the hoop. Part of that is still being young (how in God's name is he still just 27?). Part of it is that he's so good from 15 feet that he can impact the game without killing himself underneath. No rebounds at the half is unacceptable, however.

- The two-man graybeard Laker bench showed out again last night (even if one of them got the start). Dwight Howard, when engaged, and Rajon Rondo were huge at the beginning of the game and at the end. Howard had a double-double about 90 seconds into the game. (He's one of the reasons AD didn't get any-- there weren't many to get after Howard ate them up.) LA didn't run a play or look for Howard on offense at all, but he still scored on four early possessions, all on offensive rebounds. Rondo saved his heroics for late in the game. His three was massive, pushing the Laker lead to nine. He then hit a dagger 19-footer to push them up with less than two minutes left and, for good measure, grabbed the biggest offensive rebound of the game before getting fouled. Huge, huge plays. 11/7/5 in 22 minutes doesn't seem like a huge boxscore, but it was. LA needed it all.

- I'm really intrigued about a possible Miami - Laker championship. The matchups are positively tasty. Dragic v. Rondo? Yes. All day. Herro and Butler on the wings against a focused LeBron and KCP? Uh-huh. Howard/ McGee/ Morris v. Olynyk/ Crowder/ Meyers Leonard as a wildcard? Hells to the yeah. But the one matchup that makes me go all giddy?

Bam v. AD.

Give me that.

Other matchups of other teams are still good, of course, (This is, after all, the NBA, where matchups can always be fun.) Murray v. Herro and Bam v. Jokic are two that would make anyone tune in. Tatum v. LeBron as a changing of the guard is a great story. But that AD/ Bam game-within-a-game has me all sorts of pumped for what may come.

- Speaking of what may come, these playoffs have provided us with a preview of who's made that next leap. Murray looks like a real Reggie Miller type now, but with a better handle. Perennial All-Star for sure. Spider took that jump in the first round. Herro looks like a possible All-Star in the East. Tatum took that leap into All-NBA territory and could well be wrestling with Giannis, Harden, and LeBron for immediate consideration as part of the best five. AD too. And Jokic. Bam may now be an All-NBA guy, if only because the playoffs have shown how unorthodox and effective he is for Miami. (Who would you rather have-- Bam or Embiid? Bam or KAT? That's a discussion I never thought I'd have.)