Jimmy Butler is made for the playoffs.
Jimmy Butler is made for the playoffs.
M2 (05-12-2022)
Sixers, trailing by one point, come out of the halftime break and put up four points in half a quarter. That was ballgame. Miami played well enough to win and poorly enough to lose, but the Sixers simply couldn't capitalize by hitting anything tonight, which made the slanted officiating (7 free throws, really? Again?) barely worth mentioning. Tobias Harris disappeared until it didn't matter, James Harden didn't show up, Danny Green on crutches. The number of bad, really really bad turnovers was unacceptable as was the continuation of exceptionally poor starts to quarters. Rivers can go now. Please. His post-third quarter comments were idiotic- blaming the defense, which held Miami to 99 points and no quarter above 28, rather than an invisible offensive game plan. Just staggeringly stupid.
I'm sure I'll have comments about what must an inevitable offseason shake-up at some point, but it's crystal clear that they cannot simply run this back.
Oh, and will someone please tell Hubie Brown to retire? Yeesh. If it weren't for the Rangers color commentator last night, who literally didn't know what was going on, I'd consider Brown the worst announcer in sports.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
Maxey's good enough now, IMO, to be their third star. Can he improve enough to be a #2 guy?Originally Posted by SteelSD
Is Harden worth the max he's going to demand? Should Philadelphia pay it?
Maxey? No. He's a great change-of-pace, and can just explode at times, but he's not a Bradley Beal/Zach LaVine.
And no for the Harden question. Not if this is the real version of him going forward. If it is, he's played himself out of a max extension anywhere. His best bet for a payday would be to sign his extension for next year, come into the season fully healthy and use it as a prove-it season. The Sixers best move would probably be to move on if he doesn't sign, deal Harris, and look for a sign-and-trade opportunity for either of the two guys I just mentioned. I'm too tired right now to check on cap/contract specifics right now, but I'll take a gander at the possibilities sometime soon I'm sure.
"The problem with strikeouts isn't that they hurt your team, it's that they hurt your feelings..." --Rob Neyer
"The single most important thing for a hitter is to get a good pitch to hit. A good hitter can hit a pitch that’s over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a ball in a tough spot.”
--Ted Williams
Revering4Blue (05-13-2022)
I hope I am wrong but the C's are done.
“The guys we've had for the most part have been serviceable at this level.”
With that series any scenario you want to lay out, I'll believe that could happen. I expect the Celtics at the very least are going to be a tough out. Because I'm kind of looking at this series as the de facto NBA Finals.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
I think the Celtics are tough, but they're not any tougher than the Heat, the Suns, or the Warriors.
I don't buy the Heat. They could win the title and I'll be like "nope, still don't see it."
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
C's up 14 just missed 4 straight 3 pointers. lead down to 9. They will lose.
“The guys we've had for the most part have been serviceable at this level.”
They pulled it together. This series must go seven games.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Suns, Warriors and Bucks seem to be cruising. I have the feeling they all have another gear. One of them will be champion, the other two will regret a lack of full engagement.
Boston, Dallas and Miami are all playing hard and playing great. If they lose, they should have no regrets
Warriors head to the WCF. They let the Ja-less Grizzlies linger way too long. Seems like Golden State did not enjoy the way the Grizz got into them physically, and there is nothing but physical teams left in the playoffs.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Pretty incredible game by Tatum. What are you going to do?
Chip R (05-16-2022)
I'm glad to wake up and see that I was wrong. (I have been on quite the wrong prediction roll the past couple of weeks)
“The guys we've had for the most part have been serviceable at this level.”
Chip R (05-16-2022)
The Heat are built, IMO, for playoff basketball.
The value of bucket-getters is magnified when everyone plays hard defensively. Miami has, arguably, the second-best player left in the playoffs and a unique talent most teams can't match. Butler might be the best bucket-getter in the playoffs. That's a bold statement, I know-- but he has a fairly long history of elevating his game when games matter.
They also have an elite defense with a DPoY in the middle who can legitimately wreck entire possessions by himself. Adebayo is Green without the crazy or the kick-people-in-the-balls "jumper". That defense can (and does) switch one through five. Among their rotation players, only Duncan Robinson has to be hidden. Everyone else locks in with relish.
And Robinson, for his defensive flaws, is an elite shooter from deep. Strus, Vincent, and Martin were above average to elite regular-season three-point shooters. Tucker, Robinson, and Strus have been really, really good in the playoffs.
Bwyond that, Herro, Oladipo, and Lowry are one-on-one guys that can be depended on to make a play behind Butler.
I'm not sure they match up well with Milwaukee. (Who does?) Golden State also looks like it'd be tough sledding in the finals. Against everyone else, I think they match up really well.
That possible Phoenix/ Miami series would be a blast:
Lowry/ Oladipo v. Paul
Herro v. Booker
Butler v. Bridges/ Johnson
Tucker v. Crowder (!)
Adebayo v. Ayton (!!)
There's not a matchup there that isn't fascinating.
If you don't believe they're for real, it all comes down to who they've beaten. So far, though,Miami manhandled the Hawks in five and beat the most talented team in the East in six. They're the top seed from the East. At some point, you have to put some respect on that name.
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