Biggest team surprises this year? Teams that have already surpassed their predicted win totals: Cavs 25.5 (projected CBS prior to season) 37 wins 45 projected +19.5 wins Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland are a legit inside/outside duo – and Kevin Love has played well. Grizz 40.5 44 wins 54 projected +13.5 wins Ja Morant posting Kobe numbers and leading a young crew – no one over 28 on the roster! Wolves 32.5 37 wins 46 projected +13.5 wins Towns, Ant, and D-lo have been one of the best trios in the game this season. Vanderbilt looks legit, too. Suns 50.5 51 wins 62 projected +11.5 Paul playing exceptionally well for a 36-year-old. Booker, Johnson, Bridges, and Ayton are all under 26. Teams that cannot reach their projections. Nets 54.5 32 wins 42 projected -12.5 wins The Kyrie fiasco really screwed a team that should have been in competition. Instead, they’re in limbo. Pacers 41.5 22 wins 29 projected -12.5 wins I don’t know what happened to this team. Sabonis balled out, but it didn’t matter. Brogdon hit his peak, maybe. And they blew it up. Lakers 51.5 28 wins 34 projected -17.5 wins Age and injuries, boys. LBJ: 63,000 career minutes, 79 games missed in last four seasons. AD 72 games missed last three seasons. Russ: 43,000 minutes played and 23 games missed last three seasons. Blazers 44.5 25 wins 31 projected -13.5 wins Dame and CJ couldn’t get it going together. Should we be worried about Lillard?
I watch box scores and read a bit on the Wolves. Not spending too much time on the nba or basketball these days. But thanks. You’ll see one from me occasionally.
here for this. i've said over and over how much the cavs have pleasantly surprised me. love that they're doing it in an unconventional way, too. i'm equally befuddled by the pacers. i thought with sabaonis/turner/brogdon/levert and hiring carlisle, they'd be a top 4-6 team in the east, and just...no. several injuries obviously hurt there, but they were bad before that. surprised the suns keep winning without paul. i was wrong there, i guess. i think there's reason for concern on lillard. he's not that young and has carried a huge load. any slippage in burst, and he's not a max guy. never been a defender. wolves are another pleasant surprise. i might be wrong about anthony edwards, too, as i thought he was too low-iq to be a major star. looking like a modern dominique wilkins. and towns finally starting to get it and harness his incredible talent. he's not talked about enough. just a monster on offense and improving defensively (though he should be better there). we suck, and it's hard to even think/talk about.
Just two years ago, Lillard averaged 30-8-4 on 46-40-89% shooting. Insane! It's not that he was bad last year either. He just wasn't quite as impressive, statistically. This yea, he's about as bad as he has been since entering the league. I see that. His athleticism is off the charts. Towns just dominates some teams. He has a game on offense like few bigs. His shooting numbers are like Dirk's, but he's grabbing 12 boards a game. Sick. I mean, I get it.
Adam Silver and the ad buyers (not suggesting they intervene). Ja is your only marketable player. From a basketball purist enjoyment level, I'm in. Just don't think it's the sell the league wants. Based on who's at the upper tier of the standings GS vs. Philly would be their pick. Followed by representation by Suns and Bucks or Heat in the East.
yeah, and he was my hope to join AD here, too. this makes sense, though. he'll use his leverage with his opt-out to get to philly, no problem. he could probably use his leverage to get pretty much anywhere, tbh. tobias harris + maxey is my guess, though. i'm tired of the big threes, though. don't think i've liked any teams that have done it. and i'm glad we struck out on kawhi because we'd have been another one. i like the league better when stars pair up instead of try to fully stack the deck.
I'm with you! I thought the Nets and Lakers experiment would make teams avoid it but maybe it will not be the case. Supporting cast is as important if not more than a 3rd star. Warriors were not a big 3, they were a big 4. And their games were all different so the fit was outstanding. That's not the case with Beal in Philly. Dumb move imo.
Never thought I’d cheer for this Nets team, but that’s the cost of having the Harden Sixers lose. Currently the Nets are up 90-65 and Harden has 11 points on 3-16 shooting, has been blocked like 6 times. He always shows up for big games. This brings me great joy. Enjoy it Philly, you deserve him.
philly's managed to concentrate my least favorite gm, coach, and star players on the same team. i'll root for literally anyone against them. including the C Bags and clippers. i will throw a personal parade if their season ends without a ring. this is my championship now.
This is a tough one, but I think I’m there with you. We could always catch the C Bags again if they won, and the Clippers would still be at 1 to our 17. The damage done if Harden wins a ring though, irreparable. Plus Doc winning a ring would feel like the C Bags winning one as well.
Suns are a legit team. Even with CP3 down, now Cam too and even Booker last week, they just kept winning
if the nets can integrate simmons, they could easily win it all. their pieces fit better without harden, imo. i'd actually REALLY enjoy that storyline.
