i'm just glad boston lost. i had been expecting that their incredibly weak supporting cast would turn into pumpkins all year, but it didn't happen until the playoffs (i had already given up hope!). they ended up looking like the team did prior to the holiday and horford. died by the three. guessing philly's in trouble against ny, though. embiid got hurt, like, six times in the last five minutes of that game, lol.
Btw PG was awesome in that series. Philly finally clicked, they have a very good team. Maxey is a superstar, Embiid unguardable and then a good supporting cast with PG, Edgecombe, Oubre and Grimes. It's, on paper, the skeleton of a good team. It's always about health with them If they're healthy, I think they beat NY. Curious to see if KAT plays the 5 and guards Joel or if Mitch starts at some point. I also see Detroit beating Cleveland, there seems to be more chemistry there and I think they'll be too physical for the Cavs. But Detroit needs more offense, it's Cade or Tobias, no one else. OKC and Spurs should win in 4 or 5 and matchup for the early NBA Finals in the WCF
After seeing ORL play up to their potential, only to have DET come all the way back from down 3-1 to make a tight, even match in the first half of Game 7, DET ran away in the 2nd half. Whatever they have is workin' and I would not count them out in the East. Yes, they are the #1 seed in the East and shouldn't have been own 31 in the first place, but I think ORL really tuned them up to face the Cavs in the ECSF. Cade: ORL "made us take a look in the mirror." I'm taking 76ers over Knicks. So I'm with you, pika1708. But aye: what about Embiid's health? What a horrible factor for PHI. Maxey seemed to say to Embiid after - was it Jaylen Brown who pushed a 76er, who then fell back and against Embiid's knee? - Embiid's hobbled, still in the game, hopping up court on offense: "I got this!" And he drove the lane and banked in another running layup to ice it? You want Maxey to counter Brunson. They have different styles, but the stats are almost the same over the last 3 seasons. We'll see. Man, every year, decade after decade, the playoff season is always a thrill. Sad the Lakers aren't at full strength this year.
That was kind of shocking to me; not sure what Wemby was thinking there. It's not like Naz was about to tie him up for a jump ball. Wemby also appears to have not known it was a flagrant 2, because you could see him ask Harrison Barnes after they ruled Flag 2: "what does that mean?" It means you just effed up your team's chance of going up 3-1, Wemby. Spurs still made it a close game w/o the Alien. Damn. I didn't think he was that dude, but it may have been done with less malice than it looked. In the 1970s and 1980s you'd get the defensive rebound, then to ward off guys from trying to knock it away, you throw elbows left and right, to create "space." Enough guys caught those elbows. Expensive guys. They got rid of that.
when i saw the internet response, i expected something different than what i saw in the replay. like, yeah, i think you get ejected for that, and i understand why. but i don't think he was trying to hit a guy in the head. he's tall and not super strong, with super long arms. he was trying to secure the rebound and pull it from someone on his other side whilst protecting the ball. it didn't look malicious to me. aggressive, but not meant to harm reid. i think the ejection was warranted, but no suspension. now, if it becomes a pattern...
Yeah I'm with you. It also came after at least 3 physical plays in the 5 minutes before, including an elbow into his face. So he got extra physical on that one and it went wrong with the height difference He's a true hooper and is not Draymond or Dort. I like physical basketball, emotion and aggressiveness. Let them play. He got rightfully ejected and that's the end of it.
Like abeer said these later replays showing the entanglement on the other side of him fighting for the ball better explains what went on there, especially if he is getting beat up on previous plays. Wait until Dort the sweetheart he is starts taking body leverage shots him again knowing his legs are planted at bad angle in the paint.
I agree; it looked bad, but I don't think there was any malicious intent on the part of Wemby. Big Game 5 heating up in SA as I write this; I've found I like the MIN team and am mildly surprised they've managed to even the series at 2-2, but Spurs are the team that can beat OKC - didn't they beat them 4 of 5 in the regular 82? I don't think MIN could beat OKC in the WCF, so I find I'm rooting for SA here. Ant and Wemby are two of my favorite non-Laker players to watch, so it should be good. Ya worry about both guys' health. SA couldda been looking at a closeout game at home if Wemby hadn't thrown that elbow at Naz. Inadvertently. Meanwhile: that 76ers-Knicks series was a huge flop. Are the Knicks just hitting their stride? I don't think they're as good as they've looked since annihilating ATL and PHI, but they sure are clicking right now. Game 4 in CLE was a thriller: if DET falls down 15 in a game, you can count on them coming back and making a game of it, if not pulling it out. At the same time, I find myself wanting CLE to win. DET and SA were very bad teams just 2 (TWO) years ago. Now that we're out of it and the Bags have been knocked out first round, all-in-all, I'm an Anybody-But-OKC guy right now.
Cleveland win in OT I don't want Harden to win ,but it there's no repeat from Oklahoma I will prefer Harden and Cleveland
