Standings Watch: Race To The Playoffs

OKC took care of business. So if they beat the Grizz, Mavs are out.

 

Suns win. 4th locked. Against Den backups - who took it down to the last 30 seconds. KD, CP3, and Book all played 40 minutes.

Why would any of them play tomorrow against us ??

 

This was exactly what we needed. Close win with Durant at 41 minutes and Booker and Paul at 37 minutes. Would be surprised if any of them play tomorrow, maybe Booker for limited minutes but at that point why do it at all.

 

Take nothing for granted.

 

Something to ponder over we were such a bad team before the trade deadline

 

That's not really relevant when presented in that way. League average FT% is 0.782. So....

For instance that game vs Portland on Oct 23 we made 80%... so, if I go by the narrative, we should have lost by 2.5 (LOL) instead of by 2 as it happened.

Oh, BTW... Portland made 81.5%

---

I hate people doing "statistics" (not directed at you Kareem may be a little bit ).

 

The worst of all of this is -- GSW is unlikely to lose to either Kings (who's gonna rest all their players) or Portland.

 

I just copy stuff from Reddit I have nothing to do on Holy Week

 

assuming phx sits their guys and we take care of utah at home, that final phx/lac game is going to be a travesty. phx is likely to want to rest players but still win because the clips will fully tank the game. the outcome allows both teams to duck each other in the first round and gives phx likely the west's easiest 1st round opponent (NO) instead of the clippers. clips get sacramento. phx/lac get to collude to make each's playoff route better. lame.

edit: i wonder if we could backdoor threaten to toss the utah game if the clips don't play their guys. that would put us in 8th, but it would put the clips in 7th, as a three-way tie between them, NO, and GS has them coming out on the bottom.

 

We all know the Lakers are better than that and more than likely wouldn’t do the tanking route like other teams clearly would.

i wonder what that’s even like… like does tyronn or Monty tell their starters their sitting X game or do they all openly talk about it or discuss in secret w players/coaches. Maybe it’s just a hush hush vibe and no player says anything but it’s obvious or they think it. Sorry if that whole thing was confusing.

it’s kind of like how I’ve always wondered what it’s like when GMs trade…. Like do they literally pick up a cell phone or team cisco phone and call other GMs? Then hang up, call back, change mind… counter… call other GMs etc. sit by a phone?

Didn’t mean to get a bit off topic.

 

possibly. i don't think we'd do it, but the clips would (and, iirc, actually have in the recent past).

it is risky for the clips this time, though, as they need us in the tiebreaker to boost their spot. if they lose and end up tied with gs and/or NO without us (because we lost a game), they're in the play-in (against us).

they should just try to win their games and finish 5th.

 

The last one is truer than all the rest

 

We really were. That’s why all of the frustrations with Rob were completely warranted as well as all of the praise now for his shrewd trades at the deadline.

 

I would let him sit until next season. Trying to ramp up in a potential playoff series is asking for trouble




Brutal

 

playing with fire to try to tank a game but play luka. dude can win games basically all by himself (see: olympics).

and it's totally defensible to sit luka, as he's been pretty banged up for the last half of the season.

resting josh green and christian wood is...pretty strange and might make silver prick up his ears a bit. those guys are young and afaik, not currently dealing with injuries.

 

He and Wood sitting both made me laugh. It's with a "rest" designation. Mavs aren't even trying to be discreet. Saying a 27 and 22 year old played 25 and 31 minutes two nights ago and they have to sit because of it. That's good.

 

yeah, i think i edited my response while you were typing this. maxi, thj, kyrie, and even luka would all be defensible. obviously a tank, but one could point to evidence that holding each out would be in theirs or the team's best interest. but resting two of your youngest players, each who play less than 30 mpg?