OT NBA Playoffs
NBA hoops on all afternoon.
Currently Caris Levert is having an incredible game and has helped the Brooklyn Nets get back into the game against defending world champ Toronto
Boston v Philadelphia at 630
And
Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway and the Dallas Mavericks play the Los Angels clippers at 9pm
August 17th, 2020 at 6:05 PM ^
Next year the Nets will be ridiculous with Caris, KD and Kyrie. But it's gonna be a collective heart attack for their fan base every time one of those guys hits the floor.
August 17th, 2020 at 6:34 PM ^
I really can’t picture the 3 of them on the court together. Caris will turn into a corner 3 guy which would be terrible.
August 17th, 2020 at 9:22 PM ^
He doesn't shoot well enough to be a corner 3 guy...but his usage will go way down.
If Kemba, Brown, Hayward and Tatum can figure it out...Caris, KD and Kyrie can.
Steph, Klay and KD figured it out and none of those guys were corner 3 guys.
That said, the Nets should probably go get a corner 3, Al Horford type big to unclog the lane so guys can get in the paint.
August 17th, 2020 at 10:24 PM ^
Yes, but Brown, Tatum, and Hayward couldn’t figure it out with Kyrie. I think Carlos gets frozen out of that team quickly.
August 17th, 2020 at 7:26 PM ^
Team is going to be a disaster next year. Why has Kyrie been hurt for 6 months? No one seems to know. KD and Kyrie demanded they fire a really good coach and that they sign their buddy DeAndre Jordan who is completely washed. Caris won't make any sense at all on that team unless he's a 6th man. Drama will be fun next year though.
August 17th, 2020 at 9:28 PM ^
This makes no sense. DeAndre Jordan won't start on that team.
Go "small"
C - Allen
F - Harris (spot up, corner 3 guy)
G/F - Durant
G/F - Levert
G - Irving
...or take Harris out and go a corner 3 guy like Al Horford to get another big on the floor.
August 17th, 2020 at 7:49 PM ^
He probably won’t be there next year. Plus his role will be diminished. I hope he does get to another team honestly. Playing with kyrie just seems to make people unhappy.
August 17th, 2020 at 6:33 PM ^
I'm gonna be honest and say, I've haven't watch any nba since they returned. Has nothing to do with their politics it's just, I'm too lazy to watch basketball in August.
August 17th, 2020 at 7:29 PM ^
I upvoted you because complaining about the NBA in an NBA thread is actually quite the high mark for you.
August 17th, 2020 at 7:07 PM ^
I like this format. It is kind of like the Tournament, in that it is on all day and, well, it is a literal tournament.
August 17th, 2020 at 8:59 PM ^
This is a good point. Now, instead of waiting til the conference finals to really get into it because each series takes two weeks to finish, you've got so much action packed together it's easier to follow the storylines you find most compelling.
August 18th, 2020 at 1:47 AM ^
The bubble has actually been great basketball, and this format is a great cap/extension of it.
August 17th, 2020 at 7:19 PM ^
I watched part of the 4th Q and OT of the Nuggets vs Jazz. It was like:
And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces.
God, I miss sports.
Edit: This was the first basketball action I've watched since the B1G season ended.
August 17th, 2020 at 7:27 PM ^
NBA action? It's fantastic!
August 17th, 2020 at 7:31 PM ^
If the Nets haven't figured out that his could be one the best "Big 3's" in the league next year God help them.
And no doubt they'll trade Caris since his contract is a steal. It's the Brooklyn way.
August 17th, 2020 at 8:05 PM ^
I would love to see Caris get moved in the offseason. Like others have said, he'll be the odd man out next year.
Maybe a team like Memphis who appears to be up and coming could be a good landing spot.
August 18th, 2020 at 1:21 AM ^
They'll try to move him for Beal or McCollum. Maybe if Book is tied off Phoenix they'd go after him but doubt Bets would have enough draft capital.
August 17th, 2020 at 8:10 PM ^
Haven't watched. Might wait till the finals.
August 17th, 2020 at 8:26 PM ^
I dont understand why their league is allowing them to play. Arent they worried about a potential class action lawsuit form the players parent decades from now?
Is indoor basketball not associated with the same unknown rate of transmission as outdoor football?
Someone help me out here
August 17th, 2020 at 10:34 PM ^
1. NBA players are paid at least $900k a year to play (rookie minimum). CFB players get free classes and free room and board.
2. The NBA Players Association negotiated the terms of returning to play with the league. CFB players do not have union representation.
3. NBA games are held in a bubble, with all participants required to quarantine 10-14 days before interacting with others. CFB players have no bubble to play in.
4. NBA players are tested regularly. Maybe CFB players are getting equivalent testing, maybe not.
One nice thing is that the NBA testing included multiple experimental tests at the same time, which is how SalivaDirect is now a potential tool for the massive testing regime that will be needed if we are going to have football in the spring.
August 18th, 2020 at 5:00 AM ^
Ah, thank you for that explanation. So it is just about money
August 17th, 2020 at 9:06 PM ^
I was very impressed with Toronto they played like they had been here before.
Denver is an absolute ton of fun to watch. Nikola Jokić is the best passing big man I've ever seen play.
Really looking forward to watching the Dallas LAC game tonight. I love Luka Dončićs game.
August 17th, 2020 at 9:07 PM ^
I have moderately high hopes for these playoffs. The NBA seems to be doing alright in quality and the NHL bubble playoffs so far have been spectacular. Now the MLB on the other hand is a shitshow.
Going to be interesting to see how the NFL does not playing in a bubble. So far the two sports that chose to go that route are doing well, while the one league that didn’t is looking horrible.
August 17th, 2020 at 9:08 PM ^
I'm excited to see the Mavericks game tonight. This Boston/Philly game sort of looks like two teams a step below the best teams in the East battling it out. It's weird how all I kept hearing for half a decade was that both were poised for championship dominance and neither of them look better than they did a year or two ago.
August 18th, 2020 at 7:42 AM ^
Philly was setting up so nicely. And then:
Ben Simmons can’t shoot
Markelle Fulz fiasco
Overpay for Jimmy Butler rental
Al Horford not a fit
Tobias Harris paid like a star
”The Process” was so promising, but it all looks undone to me now. Embiid is super talented but he’s going to have to go elsewhere to win, I’m afraid.
August 18th, 2020 at 9:41 AM ^
I’m going to disagree about Boston. They shot poorly yesterday, but this team was top 4 in offensive efficiency for the regular season. They were also top 4 on defense as well, the only team to be top-4 in both. The elite two-way play from Tatum and Brown is going to be very difficult for any opponent to match up with over the course of a series.
They’ve got some real depth issues, both in quality and in terms of experience (6 of their bench players are rookies or second-year players and 29th in bench scoring), but if playoff series are typically decided by the top 6-7 players on a team, they can hang with anyone. They do need that Hayward injury to heal up quickly, however.
August 18th, 2020 at 12:40 PM ^
Agreed. Boston was better this year because Kyrie really was addition by subtraction. They're not the same team that got casually dismissed by the Bucks last year, but they're still, I think, a tier below Milwaukee (who are themselves better than last year) and Toronto, who I think is right there with the 3 big title contenders.