Jrue and Middleton are 8/26. That's why the Bulls are back in the game. The Bucks were downtooling and always playing down to the opposition in the regular season. I see they have not stopped

Abeg Caruso is an elite defender. He is just so pesky and instinctive.

A40:
I've heard all types today bro. And I like Trae but really the core of his game is 3pt spamming. This ninja takes 8 to 9 3pters a game and he's a 31% shooter.

No student of the game will say that anyways.

A40:
What are you talking about? Are you going to blow out every opponent you face? Weren't they almost losing to Brick Ross before CP3's hammy gave way and historically calamitous shooting from 3 was the final coup de grace?

That was 2018 and 19. In 2017 gsw went 4-0, 4-0, 4-0, and then 4-1 in the finals. That is why I said clutch shots did not matter to them that year

donlittle25:
No student of the game will say that anyways.

Oga , first 4 years of Parker and Trea young who was better. We are not talking the whole career here

Bulls can only get better though. I think nerves were bad when the game started. Let’s see how game two pans out.

I believe if lonzo was playing, Game would have been different

This suns series will not be a contest at all.

felix00:


This is where you wrong bro. We will surely get better defensively with Simmons even if it's just 15 minutes per game.

And you think KD Playing better than today's shitshow won't improve the Nets offense?

I think this is it from Boston(Both defensively and Offensively).. it's not the same for the Nets tho

There's more games to go sha. It's probably going to be down to 7.

Claxton should start over Drummond From this point forward

KD can get better but you and me know that Kyrie won't outperform what he did in game 1. Him and Kyrie will likely produce 27 ppg respectively so Kyrie will produce numbers that will make my prediction a reality.

Offensively I think this is peak Celtics as well. Tatum and brown will average 26ppg in the series but Smart and Horford will not average 20ppg or 19 ppg. They'll likely do around 10-15ppg.

The advantage they have is defensive as they were the best defensive team in the last 40 games of the entire league. On the contrary, I don't believe the Nets can reproduce the type of defense we saw today except Ben Simmons comes back and has his lateral movement and strength. But he is less likely to have it. I know because I am dealing with Klay Thompson.

felix00:


Yep. Mainly from KD.

I have never see Durant have bad games in a row Sha. So I'm looking forward to game 2

This is all what the Celtics can throw at us and yet it came down to the last second

The nets just need to steal 1 in Boston then hopefully we get Simmons back before game 3/4

Nawa oo, see how you dey call simmons like sey na one kind Mega superstar. He'll contribute but that's about it, even with simmons the nets aren't winning the east.

A40:
Jrue and Middleton are 8/26. That's why the Bulls are back in the game. The Bucks were downtooling and always playing down to the opposition in the regular season. I see they have not stopped

Jrue still dey ok, but Middleton that was touted as batman is the most annoying and inconsistent player the game has ever seen. The bucks are that team though, they'll play nonsense and still scrap it through cos they have Giannis.

donlittle25:
Bulls can only get better though. I think nerves were bad when the game started. Let’s see how game two pans out.

I believe if lonzo was playing, Game would have been different

We've really missed him; his defense, vision and ingenuity.

joshboo:


Jrue still dey ok, but Middleton that was touted as batman is the most annoying and inconsistent player the game has ever seen. The bucks are that team though, they'll play nonsense and still scrap it through cos they have Giannis.

They always start slowly. And Giannis has to carry the load. They shoot too many shots to be that inefficient. They are lucky Demar DeRozan was even worse. 6 of 25. (Told y'all DeRozan get as e be)

A40:
They always start slowly. And Giannis has to carry the load. They shoot too many shots to be that inefficient. They are lucky Demar DeRozan was even worse. 6 of 25. (Told y'all DeRozan get as e be)

DeRozan, LaVine, Vucevic...the entire big three was trash from the field yesterday, and our three point shooting was worse than atrocious, as has been the case lately. Again, this is where we really miss Lonzo Ball.

Brook Lopez bailed Milwaukee out big time yesterday; took over on both ends of the court down the stretch.

As for DeRozan, I don't expect him to be so horrible again.

Roland17:
Once again, this thread will never forget the disrespect Tatum suffered.. Led by @Birdman, I will never let this go.. Come and submit your routine apologies!!!!

Lol! I sensed this attack was coming yesterday, so I boycotted this thread. I checked this morning hoping bro Roland17 go don calm down. Meanwhile d guy man dey wait me with shotgun.

On one hand, I am happy to see Tatum deliver for his team in such dramatic fashion. Its been a long time coming. On the other hand, I hate the fact that they have to play the Nets in round 1. With KD and Kyrie, anything can happen. And after this, they play Bucks next!

Anyhow, I will reserve tendering a full apology until round 1 concludes

A40:
My own is in a conference with 12 teams competing for the playoffs a LeNomad led team somehow managed to finish outside the top 10. There are no rational excuses for this type of failure. Not even injuries. A team with 3 all star caliber players?

Lakers got sloppy. The days of stacking superstars to get far in the playoffs are over. The league is sufficiently skilled, even role players like Maxey and Poole will light you up. And this generation of coaches are much better, they dont lean too much on defensive or offensive identities like the JVG, Larry Brown (defense) vs Don Nelson, Adelman (offense). They are very balanced, coach stingy and technical defense and their offensive playbooks start to look like football. For that same reason, Nash will be on the hot seat soon. All the Kyrie and Harden issues have covered his faults for now.

Lakers entered this season believing they could ignore all this, just put 4 big names on the roster hoping it would all work out. I already told you at the beginning of the season that it wouldnt work - Westbrook cannot fit anywhere in today's league. Its hard to blame Vogel given all the injuries, but the rotation never really made sense. I guess he was trying to please players. I would have loved to see Fizdale imprint a defensive identity on the team. Maybe you cant keep up with the young legs, but you can slow things down and play some ugly.

And Lebron actually put in work last offseason. His offensive skill is as good as its ever been. But I think he was too nice guyish at the beginning and refused to address issues that were obvious to everyone watching. Me I learned lesson from it o, your skill is not enough if you cant make others follow your lead.

That maxey shot was Poetry In Motion

Congratulations to M. Smart for winning DPOY, well deserved.
#Greenrunsdeep

If only my Luka was fit. We would have swept this jazz team.

So Jokic got ejected tonight. This playoff thing no easy o.

This is a very tough and rough matchup for the Nuggets. They can’t stay focused and are losing their concentrations during games which led to points for the Nuggets. Their offense seems too labored and I can see a lot of frustration which is an evidence of a mentally broken team.

Don’t get it twisted, the Warriors are playing on another level. They are locked in right now with the way they are executing on both ends of the court. I am really worried about Jokic because there is no help or matched intention from his team mates.

joshboo:


Jrue still dey ok, but Middleton that was touted as batman is the most annoying and inconsistent player the game has ever seen. The bucks are that team though, they'll play nonsense and still scrap it through cos they have Giannis.

That is why I feel somehow when people call this Milwaukee a big 3.

My own issue with Middleton is his floor is unacceptable for a team that consistently wants to win. You can't oscillate from 36pts one game to 6pts the next. There should be a floor that no matter how bad the game you're having you should never fall beneath a certain level

Roland17:
This is a very tough and rough matchup for the Nuggets. They can’t stay focused and are losing their concentrations during games which led to points for the Nuggets. Their offense seems too labored and I can see a lot of frustration which is an evidence of a mentally broken team.

Don’t get it twisted, the Warriors are playing on another level. They are locked in right now with the way they are executing on both ends of the court. I am really worried about Jokic because there is no help or matched intention from his team mates.

If I'm Jokic I would strongly consider either demanding a trade or moving certain guys off the team. After looking at that Nuggets team it is abundantly clear that Jokic should be MVP. Cos no other player is beating that Warriors team with a supporting cast this bad

Aaron Gordon was shooting airballs from 12ft fgs

All that clown can do is dunk. He has no staple, no go to move to get to the rim, nothing

Incredible performance thus far from Jordan Poole. Arguably the best player in the playoffs thus far

Thanos:
If only my Luka was fit. We would have swept this jazz team.

Someone is going to have to give Jalen Brunson a big bag if he keeps performing like this. Impressed by the Mavs fighting spirit. It would have been too easy to roll over and give up but Brunson and Kleber said to hell with that

A40:
If I'm Jokic I would strongly consider either demanding a trade or moving certain guys off the team. After looking at that Nuggets team it is abundantly clear that Jokic should be MVP. Cos no other player is beating that Warriors team with a supporting cast this bad

Aaron Gordon was shooting airballs from 12ft fgs

All that clown can do is dunk. He has no staple, no go to move to get to the rim, nothing

Incredible performance thus far from Jordan Poole. Arguably the best player in the playoffs thus far

You don see wetin I Dey talk wen I reason Jokic matter last week? His team mates don’t have the same kind of dog he has in a fight. These guys were missing rotations, strolling on the court, not contesting shots m, air balling and just lashing around with no intention. Jokic has seen a lot of that over the last two games and openly frustrated with his team mates and if you listen to M. Malone, he alluded to that without calling out certain players.

A40:
That is why I feel somehow when people call this Milwaukee a big 3.

My own issue with Middleton is his floor is unacceptable for a team that consistently wants to win. You can't oscillate from 36pts one game to 6pts the next. There should be a floor that no matter how bad the game you're having you should never fall beneath a certain level

He is what I call a low end number 2. The gap between his floor and his ceiling is just too wide.

Khanben:


He is what I call a low end number 2. The gap between his floor and his ceiling is just too wide.

He can stroke that mid range jump shot, a rarity in today's league. Thats about it.

birdman:


Lol! I sensed this attack was coming yesterday, so I boycotted this thread. I checked this morning hoping bro Roland17 go don calm down. Meanwhile d guy man dey wait me with shotgun.

On one hand, I am happy to see Tatum deliver for his team in such dramatic fashion. Its been a long time coming. On the other hand, I hate the fact that they have to play the Nets in round 1. With KD and Kyrie, anything can happen. And after this, they play Bucks next!

Anyhow, I will reserve tendering a full apology until round 1 concludes

I knew your absence was abnormal, I knew it!

Khanben:


He is what I call a low end number 2. The gap between his floor and his ceiling is just too wide.

Lmao. Una too complain. Even Pippen in his prime was scoring 9 points in a playoff game. The difference between the two is that unlike Pippen, Middleton can errupt for 40 in a playoff game. What more are we asking the guy to do as a number 2 abi na 3? He closes games, gives you solid defense, is a secondary ball handler and facilitator. This is a guy who averaged 23/7/5 the entire playoffs last year, and 24/6/5 on 45% shooting and 88% from the stripe in the finals. Abeg, what more do we want him to do?

birdman:


Lakers got sloppy. The days of stacking superstars to get far in the playoffs are over. The league is sufficiently skilled, even role players like Maxey and Poole will light you up. And this generation of coaches are much better, they dont lean too much on defensive or offensive identities like the JVG, Larry Brown (defense) vs Don Nelson, Adelman (offense). They are very balanced, coach stingy and technical defense and their offensive playbooks start to look like football. For that same reason, Nash will be on the hot seat soon. All the Kyrie and Harden issues have covered his faults for now.

The problem was not stacking stars. It was not doing the work to build an identity and thinking the league would just roll over and fold because Lakers, they had this arrogance and assuming energy. You listened to their press conferences from LeNomad to AD to Westbrook. They took the warning signs for granted right from preseason where they lost every single game. That should have rung alarm bells but they stayed snoozing. I said it here that teams seemed to be intentionally raising their game just to humiliate the Lakers. This was kinda what Shaq was talking about. Though in a slightly different context, nobody was scared of this team

birdman:

Lakers entered this season believing they could ignore all this, just put 4 big names on the roster hoping it would all work out. I already told you at the beginning of the season that it wouldnt work - Westbrook cannot fit anywhere in today's league. Its hard to blame Vogel given all the injuries, but the rotation never really made sense. I guess he was trying to please players. I would have loved to see Fizdale imprint a defensive identity on the team. Maybe you cant keep up with the young legs, but you can slow things down and play some ugly.

And Lebron actually put in work last offseason. His offensive skill is as good as its ever been. But I think he was too nice guyish at the beginning and refused to address issues that were obvious to everyone watching. Me I learned lesson from it o, your skill is not enough if you cant make others follow your lead.

I don't know that anyone expected them to fail this badly. It's hard to convince me that you believed a team with AD, Lebron and Westbrook would not finish top 10 in the conference. Not even the most doomday scenario could have seen this happening. Vogel has already proven himself as an elite defensive coach when he had the personnel. The problem is the ingredients Pelinka handed him did not give the man a fighting chance

Lebron was caught up in proving he was still that guy and stopped defending, the man was launching 8 3's a game. Assist numbers dropped and this whole myth of how he makes others better was further rubbished this season. His usual passive aggressive vibe instead of being the bad guy with his chest like Kobe or the GOAT would do caused further issues. You recruited a guy you couldn't tame and get to buy in to what you were trying to achieve. It remains to be seen who gets Westbrook cause I wouldn't give away a tuber of yam for Westbrook

Roland17:


You don see wetin I Dey talk wen I reason Jokic matter last week? His team mates don’t have the same kind of dog he has in a fight. These guys were missing rotations, strolling on the court, not contesting shots m, air balling and just lashing around with no intention. Jokic has seen a lot of that over the last two games and openly frustrated with his team mates and if you listen to M. Malone, he alluded to that without calling out certain players.

Jokic is not entirely free of blame. He's been substantially slowed down by Draymond Green who is 6'6. Can you imagine putting a 6'6 ninja on prime Hakeem

The team is just so lifeless and their two primary role players are looking like G-League level. Let's see if they can steal a game at the least. Would be a bit embarrassing to get swept twice

The Heat are pretty much telling the Hawks, you are going to need someone not named Trae Young to beat us because we will lock Trae and toss the key in the beaches of Miami. This is going to be very long series for the Hawks if the Heat continue to make Trae inconsequential.