₦airaland Forum

Roland17:
You read my mind..

His FTs have improved but YES, in my opinion I thought Ime could have employed it, especially since we were playing at home and if he makes a good number, then you move away from it. It could have slowed the Bucks offense, disrupted their offensive rhythm and cut down the number of 3s they made in transition after defensive rebounds.

He made his first 4 though, so maybe that's why he canceled that tactic.

One thing I like about Coach Bud, as soon as the game looks to be out of reach he immediately yanks off Giannis. Not playing with any stupid injury in stupid minutes

The Smart injury is not going away, or is it me that is reading too much on the way he is his moving

benji93:
Jayson getting clamped as he did to KD. . The beauty of the NBA.

Assinn

The Bucks have just been more patient on offense. They are actually taking the time to set up their play sets.

A40:
I understand Gobert's handles are dodgy. I pointed it out as well. I'm just saying that they have to find ways to incorporate him to the offense somehow. Otherwise it's no point playing him. I don't see why Gobert and Mitchell cannot have a PnR game running at all

Personally, the Jazz needs to get someone in their development program who can work with Gorbert on just his PnR action, both as an effective roller and also making him at least comfortable with the ball in his hands within 5ft of the rim.
If he can just be even 50% when he has the ball with his feet on the ground within 5ft and they solve the wing defense they might just be able to keep both of their 2 stars.

Both teams are playing well minus the TOs. Both defenses came to play. Giannis is doing what the Nets big 2 refused to do, move the ball when you get doubled with length.

Giannis is not KD!!!!

donlittle25:
Twolves should just do a trade and swap for both centers. Gobert would improve wolves defense and Anthony Edwards become the number one option and KAt, well should do KAT things with Donovan

If the Jazz can flip Bog and Conley for athletic wings also that might not be too bad a trade. With KAT, Donovan and Clarkson they've enough volume scorers, so what remains are 3nD guys to help improve their perimeter defense

A40:
I said that initially. I think it's an open secret that the Jazz lack the ability to contest or run teams off the 3pt line. I made reference of the Clippers doing the same thing last season.

The issue was the Jazz were shooting at a low clip and didn't at least try to feed Gobert some easy buckets. With the Mavs lack of size it's a warcrime for a 7'2 center to be averaging single digits in the series

Did you not see who was guarding Gorbert down the stretch, they put Doncic on him and the few times he got the ball he was still not comfortable taking it to the basket. If he cannot score against an average defender who he has at least 6 inches on and is more athletic than, then there is no need feeding him the ball.

Roland17:
I agree with what Chuck said, the Grizzlies are doing it with S. Adams who has not been involved in the Timberwolves series. At the end of the day, something has to give. While they have both core players tied long term, I think they need to move one of them, Donovan if you ask me. I have been saying this for 2 seasons now, it is best to break this team.

Donovan will bring back more, at least his contract is cheaper based on his production and his ability to be at the very least a number 2

A40:
That is the state of basketball now. Who can spam the most 3s. That is the skill we keep hearing wey we no go hear word

Anyway Utah need to make up their mind on what they need to do. Defending the corner 3s is their weakness which the Clippers also exposed last year so like Chuck said if you're not going to feed Gobert on the other end and punish their lack of size then you might as well not play him and just run all out small ball and see who bombs the most 3s

The Jazz as a team defensively has 1 major strength and that is, Gobert at the rim and they also have 1 major weakness, which is perimeter defending. So any team that wants to beat them, when Gobert is on the floor has to do it from about 8ft out, which is how Denver and the Clippers did it in back to back seasons. The midrange jumper, runner or floater are all harder shots to make than a set 3 pointer.
That is why apart from Doncic, Brunson and sometimes Dinwiddie all the role players from the Mavs will mostly take the set 3 because it's a more efficient shot especially against the Jazz. At least that is the way I see it

steady986:
There's actually blood in the water. The question is whether Dallas can smell it. They can take a thing or two away from the Suns/Pelicans series. I still fancy Suns sha. With Booker back, it would be difficult.

The Mavs only have a chance if Booker is not fully back. Let's face it, the Mavs only have 2 volume scorers in Doncic and Brunson, with comparative less able role players as compared to the Suns. If Booker is full go, the best the Mavs can get is 2 games.

steady986:
They place so much worth on D. Mitch and Gobert. Those guys are 2nd and 3rd options at best on a championship team.

That is where they made a mistake, they should never have paid Gorbert an above max and below supermax deal. Dude should be on max a 4yr/120mil deal and they gave him over 200mil.

CP3 14-14fg, the dude is a PG god

Roland17:
I remember saying I didn’t think this would be a 7 game series but credit to the Pelicans for refusing to rank the season, make it into the play in and the playoffs. These are the experiences that help young teams. We saw the Grizzlies go through this and I think the Pelicans are on the right path, even without Zion.

They have finally gotten the right coach. All they now need is a team that fits and the good news for them is that they have a lot of young guns which will allow them some flexibility.

Quick question, has Ayton helped his case for a Max contract with his playoffs performance so far?

benji93:
Obviously he didn't mean he wasn't a great player, just not a great great player. The man got swept. He couldn't even get a game, despite some of the role players exploding. You got swept by an up and coming team. . So yes if he was a top 15 player before,, how's it going well I don't know I'm trying to move this sweep puts him out of it until he goes on an all-time run through the play offs.
Does everyone not still blame Stephen Curry for that epic comeback by LeBron and company even though the man is only 6,3. Thanks to Draymond Green, who despite being one of the major reasons that team works, can get unstable in his thoughts. I mean after that unnecessary encounter with LeBron, you couldn't own up your mess and come back the following here to win chip. It did not occur to him that perhaps if he had maintained his composure it could have turned out differently. He went crying to get KD as some pundits would remind us. I don't know why Curry did not object to it. The man just takes everything.

Sorry for just going on a tangent. That move by GSW still pains me. They just gave KD a free ride to consideration for top 15, such a gross overestimation of his greatness. Neither would I consider Curry top 15, the man still has some debt to pay. The discussion is not about who are the greatest pound for pound players.

So with what most of us thought of him, based on his exploits at GSW, a criticism questioning if he should have been considered that high up the ranking of greatest players is welcome.

Besides cut Sir Charles some slack, He has been at receiving end of criticism all his life on TV, for not winning a ring, even sometimes from Kenny, the prototypical bus rider even though he was instrumental in those Rocket championships. It's just awkward for Sir Charles to say that, when there's one sitting next to him.

Barkley was already talking about how a great player shouldn't be swept in a 7 game playoff series as it pertains to Jokic before the Nets got swept, so he had already put it out their before.

Furthermore, the talk about being the bus driver on a championship team did not start today, what Barkley said about KD has been said about Magic, when people wondered if he could do it as the best player when KAJ started to decline, it was said about Kobe from the day Shaq left, it was also said about Lebron after his 2 chips with the heat, which was one of the main reasons he went back to Cleveland.
guys like the Admiral, Clyde etc all have to own the fact that yes they were great, but they were not the bus drivers for their championship runs.

One of the reasons I personally don't begrudge sports superstars their huge wages, is because it is one of the few jobs that not only are you trying to perform why people of equal or near equal talent are trying to stop you, you are doing it 50% of the time in hostile environment and worst of all every tom dick and Harry will have an opinion or insult about your performance including those who know or don't know anything about the sport.
It's a time honored tradition and the internet vis a vis social media has made it worse.
As a sportsman you, either need to come to terms, with it, or keep up a back and forth with media members and general public, or you quit.
KD chose the second of those options as is his right, but the tradition of wanting the best to continue to prove themselves by changing the stakes will never end , it's simply human nature, one which a large section of the species do not consider toxic behavior.

donlittle25:
Was this the same TNT we watched yesterday after the game? Barkley made fun of him and even Kenny Smith had to say he has been waiting for this.

Stop being so disingenuous man, it's sickening. Barkley flat out called him out yesterday unless it's not the same thing we watched Abi na YouTube you take see am?

Did you watch him today?

donlittle25:
I don't really understand Ajala fans man.

All over social media, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube from Charles to Kenny to shaq to Stephen to Rose, to Skip and over 1 million tweets on Instagram in almost an hour after the game are ripping KD to shred.

Barkley sat on tv and said he is not a great player, even A40 said he is not among the top 15. Roland called him out. Everyone even on youtube, and Instagram comment is calling him out but for some weird reasons, Ajala fans said everyone his giving him a pass.

How did this become about a nigga that didn't make even the freaking play in?

Barkley never said he was not a great player. He just said their is a difference between being the bus driver (which is the culture setter) and sitting of the bus.
That is not disrespect, Barkley is the one person who does not care who the person his, he will give his opinion, he has done it to Kobe, Lebron, KG etc, so why should KD be different.
He just said in the HOF even he does not seat at the same table as those who won chips as the driver of the bus, so what did he say about KD that is blasphemous.

DeeMain:
Guy, hide this talk, Lebron gets zero mercy or consideration, injured or not, here. Besides, KD has been balling since last season, so no excuse bro.

Lebron is the only one player, I have ever seen who has never been given any slack at all in any of his performances.
This dude carried a bunch of roles players to the finals at least 3 times and in each of those finals he personally balled out, but he is still being stumped on for all of those losses as if any other player in history would have taken those teams to even a conference final.
Has Lebron been perfect through out his career?NO. But no one else has ever been.

PS
No player in nba history has been as scrutinized from the day they stepped into the league as Lebron as been.

felix00:
KD is not in his prime. It's a miracle he still has a career and playing this great after that achilles injury

KD is not in his prime at age 33 after missing at least 2 years of his career, which should have reduced the mileage on his body. but Lebron is being still expected to play defense at year 19 of an nba career.
That shows the difference in standards on which both players are judged on.

steady986:
Lol. We still dey wait for the shot. Perhaps it will come in game 5

LMAO, But seriously Kyrie has been feasting on that finals shot he made 6years ago. Since then he has done nothing of note in the league

A40:
Naah Claxton this is criminal

Is he a 2nd year player?

15 assists on 20 made basketball in the 1st half for the Celtics. That is why they are winning this series

I really like that the media is not giving Simmons a pass at all. But they are still giving KD a pass

donlittle25:
I was watching the highlight of the heats game yesterday.

PJ tucker was guarding Trae, Bam Adebayo switched on him, and Guess what? Jimmy Butler picked him up. All within 24 seconds.

In the first 2 games Kyle Lowry joined to make that a quartet.

donlittle25:
Not Really Tho, Although i get your point.

Look at it this way, Lets say Draymond Defended you 15 times, and out of those 15 times, you only made 4 shots. Yes you might have had 35pts maybe when dray went to the bench or you were able to get a mismatch, but did you really do a good job against draymond defended you one on one?

Agreed, if your 1v1 percentage is poor then you're not playing to your ability.

DeeMain:
MVP will still show why he is MVP bro but
Draymond slowed him down in this series and that's impressive to me. It's like the effect P.J.Tucker has on bigger players defensively, it's praise-worthy.

I'm not saying Draymond is not doing a great job, but if a player scores 35pts with 18rbs with great efficiency, IMHO that guy even if he is the MVP has done his job.

steady986:
Did he really stop Jokic though?

That's my issue with narratives, Jokic scored 35pts and grabbed 18rebounds in game 3 and somehow Draymond was stopping him. It's really baffling when you hear things like this.

Roland17:
Ben Simmons is out for game 4 because he felt some discomfort in his back after full workout yesterday.

This has become a joke at this point. NBA owners, over to you! I swear if you guys don't get these players in the next collective bargaining then you may never get another chance.

I don't think he is trolling. He probably went at full speed in practice, for the first time in nearly a year and his body told him NO NO NO. People forget that he was not training due his sixers hiatus, so to expect that he would be able to just go was stupid on his part.

A40:
Shaq sef chop sweeping oh. Even the GOAT. Sometimes your opponent just pass your power

IMHO, he needs to just remove any doubt that Draymond is slowing him down 1v1, whatever the result.