3 scorers like that will also exhaust our D, esp over a long series. I understand their defensive challenges, but that fire power is actually better than the Warriors woth KD - Kyrie and Harden do so much off the dribble. Nets have a gauntlet too though - Bucks, Sixers, C-Bags. Maybe Miami. Imagine adding KD to Dame and CJ? This is better - all I am saying. They could win it all.
Only 1 player can dribble at a time. Warriors were so dangerous because they had two of the best shooters in the league and both go down as two of the best shooters in league history. KD could pound the ball for 20 seconds if he wanted and either of the Splash Brothers were there to make the 3. They didn't need a shot clock possession each to contribute. GS had elite defenders with Green, Klay, and Iggy. Role playing defenders with McGee and Livingston. Nets only have another shooter outside of their big 3 and Jordan... neither solve any of their issues. Just look at what they're allowing other teams to score since the trade... Bucks-123 Cavs-147, 125. Both Ls Heat-124 without Butler Hawks-128 OKC-125 Wiz-149 and a L They're giving up the most points in the league. The OKC game was the only one they won convincingly. The rest, the teams had a chance all the way to the end. You have to combine the records of the Heat, Wiz and Thunder to get a winning record. Bucks are also the only one of those teams with a winning record. And as you said, top of the East will be tough for them. Bucks and Boston matchup really well against them. 6ers could, but Doc will be their undoing in the playoffs as usual. If they have to face two of those teams, do they have anything left if they made it to the Finals? We're not exactly talking about NBA Iron Men here.
doncic looks just fine to me. the rest of the squad forgot how to shoot after the early part of the season and nobody's defending, which was supposed to be a strength of their reshaped roster. whoops!
Makes me think that there may be some dissension on that team, maybe jealousy. ????? Some faces need a new home on that team.
Luka, Steph and Joker all with absurd games Steph is a god given talent, so efortless... but these other guys, trained in Europe are freakin special.
yeah, i was wondering, too. it seems minor, but finney-smith was a much more engaged defender last year. richardson just looks like he lost confidence. the scary thing for them is that zinger has lost all defensive mobility. teams go at him everywhere now, where you couldn't really do that before the knee injuries. in fairness, they've played half the season without 3/4 of their anticipated top 8 (many of those came in the same games during their long losing streak, too), so i don't think their record reflects their ability. honestly, steph also obviously works incredibly hard. look at his body now compared to his rookie year. look at his ball-handling and finishing at the rim. those shots last night were insane and quite effort-ful, imo. he almost fell down trying to get one of those threes off, and it hit all net. insane.
There’s nothing to dislike about them anymore. Morey, ‘Antoni, and Harden are all gone. Wall doesn’t talk a lot, he mostly just plays, and Oladipo isn’t unlikable to me either. Guys like Gordon and Tucker were never unlikable either IMO, Harden just clouded everything. Speaking of Harden, heh heh heh
Most likely, but I guess we can enjoy any dysfunction they have now before it’s too late. They’re 5-5 in their last 10 games, so that’s not super impressive. Still, I expect them to represent the East in the Finals this season, with Harden playing the coward role of if you can’t beat them, join them, that Durant played for the Warriors.
i had strongly disliked the rockets since that 09 series and it turned into a strong hate when harden became harden, then was joined by extremely hateable guys like d'antoni, cp3, and westbrook. now that those clowns are all gone, the hate is gone
i think in the end, morey and his weird cult following was the main part of my houston hate. i'd never seen people fawn over an unaccomplished management figure so much before (or since). and he's such a smug mfer. just do not like him. of course i can't stand harden, either, and there was some synergy there. when dantoni joined i thought my head might explode. but now MDA is an assistant, harden's a third banana on a team no one really follows despite their being in a major market, and morey's managing a good team that he had nothing to do with building (i bet this is really grinding his gears, btw). i want to muster up nets hate, but it's almost too easy? like nobody likes any of those guys. at least with houston you had the various devotees for each of the unholy triumvirate, but once harden demanded out, you could see most of his media defenders retreat. now he's a unanimous villain instead of a fan villain who's propped up by the media (notice you haven't read the monthly "hate if you will (and don't understand ANALYTICS), but harden's da best!" pieces lately?). anyway, yes, the nets are probably right there with the clippers and C Bags as the teams i really don't want to win if the lakers can't win, but none of them have really jumped out to grab the crown of most odious organization. i think this is good.
yeah, and it could have some lingering effects, too. i think some of the guys who had it have taken a while to get their conditioning back--moreso than just missing for a sprained ankle or something. it can be a very nasty bug for some people, and it's clear we don't really fully understand why. some of my parents' friends (older folks) had it and were basically just lethargic for a while, but an acquaintance closer to my age (and in excellent physical condition) had it and was just leveled.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...ta-hawks-fuming-1-point-loss-dallas-mavericks there's a lesson here about crying wolf/flopping all game long, trae. think it's funny how a) he didn't fume until gallo missed the shot, b) he really thought they'd call that to ice the game, c) the successful screen wasn't used (that was probably the biggest issue, tbh). anyway, quit flopping and play the game and maybe the refs don't jump to the conclusion that you flopped. WCS knew what was happening.
