etidy:


While the level of offensive talent in the nba is the highest we have ever seen, something has to be said about the defending. Nba defenses are now atrocious , mostly because of the rules and officiating.
The 2017 Warriors, a team who some consider the Greatest Team Ever would rank 18th in offensive rating behind the Nets in todays NBA.

That year I am sure the gap between the warriors and the next best team was about 5 points ( I will check that up).

Just 5 years ago (not even the 90s) teams scoring 120 was a rarity and that would imply a blow out, now you have at least one team scoring 140 points every night.

The 70 point games of doncic and embiid feel like 40 points if context is applied .

I will recommend Watch Pacers, Mavericks and Hawks and tell me if what these teams play is basketball. There's more teams but these 3 are especially egregious

2012-2013. That's not 90s oh or even 2000s. Just 10 years ago. You had just 9 players scoring 20pts or more. Let that sink in

etidy:

The 70 point games of doncic and embiid feel like 40 points if context is applied .

I disagree especially Lukas. His level of efficiency whilst scoring that many points is insane. I just watched the Kobe's 81 point again and this Hawks team is miles better than that team. If Luka faced that team on this form and neglected efficiency like Kobe did, He'll be the first to score 100 since Wilt.

chic2pimp:

I disagree especially Lukas. His level of efficiency whilst scoring that many points is insane. I just watched the Kobe's 81 point again and this Hawks team is miles better than that team. If Luka faced that team on this form and neglected efficiency like Kobe did, He'll be the first to score 100 since Wilt.

I saw some clips of that game and the defending is borderline atrocious. Luka is great offensive talent , no doubt about that the defending has a role to play in this offensive burst we are seeing.

KAT, Embiid, Booker and Doncic have all dropped 60+ games within 4 games against different opponents and you think all is well with the league defending. Hell no!

chic2pimp:

I disagree especially Lukas. His level of efficiency whilst scoring that many points is insane. I just watched the Kobe's 81 point again and this Hawks team is miles better than that team. If Luka faced that team on this form and neglected efficiency like Kobe did, He'll be the first to score 100 since Wilt.

Hawks defense is atrocious. They cant defend to save their lives.

etidy:


I saw some clips of that game and the defending is borderline atrocious. Luka is great offensive talent , no doubt about that the defending has a role to play in this offensive burst we are seeing.

KAT, Embiid, Booker and Doncic have all dropped 60+ games within 4 games against different opponents and you think all is well with the league defending. Hell no!

I definitely agree scoring inflation has certainly helped but I also think the players of today are just generally better shooters of the ball. Luka's especially was special because of His insane efficiency.

The league certainly has a lot to do to improve defending but if you put Luka and Embiid in any era, they'll still be sitting amongst the best scorers.

larride:


Hawks defense is atrocious. They cant defend to save their lives.

Atrocious defending is more often than not the root cause of players going off and scoring a ridiculous amount of points. For example The Raptors defense when Kobe went off for 81 was even worse. Luka taking 46 shots like Kobe did would have been the first to score 100 since Wilt.

That inbound play call after the timeout by Kerr to tie the game was beautiful.

Double OT..

Klay and Chef with some clutch buckets.

DLO with costly TOs but hits the 3

Reaves misses his 2nd FT and Kerr calls the TO

It’s the Chef once again.. This man is impossible I keep saying it. There is no way I am writing the Warriors off if they make it to the playoffs because of this man! What the hell!!!

Final play..Lakers call final TO

Ajala off to the FT line.. Bad defense by Kuminga

Ajala ices the game with 2 FTs.

Draymond. Smh. Got away again with that hit on AD

If Steph had sense God gave geese he would go to the Warriors front office and tell them it's either Him or Me

Roland17:
It’s the Chef once again.. This man is impossible I keep saying it. There is no way I am writing the Warriors off if they make it to the playoffs because of this man! What the hell!!!

They're not gonna make it bruv

A40:
They're not gonna make it bruv

Factos

That was a great game of basketball

Great game. The FT disparity is becoming ridiculous though....

Lmao. Would there ever be a Lakers/Warriors game without Warriors fans crying about the FT disparity?

Game of the season so far for me....

steady986:
Lmao. Would there ever be a Lakers/Warriors game without Warriors fans crying about the FT disparity?

Except now, the whole league talking about it....

Skrrrrrrr:


Except now, the whole league talking about it....

Lol. Only Warriors fans and Lakers haters/Warriors apologists are talking about it. But my advise to you is y'all need to get yourselves a few big dudes in your front court. That small ball sh*t ain't gonna work in 2024. You can't be playing midgets against an imposing team as the Lakers and not get FT disparity. And I watched that game...we should have had more free throws

steady986:


Lol. Only Warriors fans and Lakers haters/Warriors apologists are talking about it. But my advise to you is y'all need to get yourselves a few big dudes in your front court. That small ball sh*t ain't gonna work in 2024. You can't be playing midgets against an imposing team as the Lakers and not get FT disparity. And I watched that game...we should have had more free throws

The Raptors, pacers and suns have made similar complaints....

greypencils:
Between Shai and Jimmy Butler, who would you describe as the better baller? I would choose Jimmy despite the fact that he has never been first team All NBA. I would choose Jimmy because he is battle tested and has come out clutch in 3 Eastern Conference finals in 4 years. To me, 1st team All NBA means nothing. The likes of Luka and Shai put up good stats because they are the ones handling the ball mostly in their respective teams. MVPs, All NBAs, All Stars are regular season popularity contests. The playoffs is everything. The playoffs reveal who the real ballers are. Your nerves in game 7s,That's what determines the real ballers. Why do you think Embiid commands no respect irrespective of his high PPGs during regular season? If I was to choose between Embiid and Jimmy Butler, I will still choose Butler.
So your argument for Shai against Reggie Miller still holds no water. Reggie wasn't flashy, no First team All NBAs, no MVPs, no rings but he was a dog during playoffs. This is aside his longevity stats as you call it. Don't also forget, there was serious defence during Miller's time which also affected his PPG.
Give Shai time to prove himself. Until then, he is just another Trae Young without the showboating.

I personally disagree because this is the very mindset that led to extreme load management. Jimmy butler for all his playoffs heroics has never produced any body of work in the regular season that is any where close to what Shai has produced last season and so far this season, or what Luka has produced since his second season in the league. Jimmy has repeatedly been a coast during the season, and then turn it up in the playoffs in the last 5 seasons he has only played more than 60 games once, but he has in that same time produced 2 finals appearances and one conference finals.
I respect great playoffs performances but the regular season should either matter or it does not.
If fans and media continue to judge guys based on only playoffs performances, then don't blame them if they start implementing programs, that will allow them to coast during the regular season and then ramp up the intensity during the playoffs .

chic2pimp:


Atrocious defending is more often than not the root cause of players going off and scoring a ridiculous amount of points. For example The Raptors defense when Kobe went off for 81 was even worse. Luka taking 46 shots like Kobe did would have been the first to score 100 since Wilt.

Thank you, I recently watched and analysed every shot Kobe took during that game. What i observed was that, just like any other high scoring output it was a combination of incredible shot making on Kobe's part, plus questionable defense by the Raptors. With how hot the dude was they never doubled him, he only saw an extra Raptors defender when he got into the lane after either blowing past his primary defender. Don't get me wrong he made some incredible shots, but I also saw occasions where he was so wide ass open it was just laughable.

Khanben:



I personally disagree because this is the very mindset that led to extreme load management. Jimmy butler for all his playoffs heroics has never produced any body of work in the regular season that is any where close to what Shai has produced last season and so far this season, or what Luka has produced since his second season in the league. Jimmy has repeatedly been a coast during the season, and then turn it up in the playoffs in the last 5 seasons he has only played more than 60 games once, but he has in that same time produced 2 finals appearances and one conference finals.
I respect great playoffs performances but the regular season should either matter or it does not.
If fans and media continue to judge guys based on only playoffs performances, then don't blame them if they start implementing programs, that will allow them to coast during the regular season and then ramp up the intensity during the playoffs .

Jimmy Butler is 34 years in his 13th season. Surely you cannot be comparing that to rookies and guys with less than 5 years in the league practicing load management

Jimmy Butler has been second team once and third team All NBA 4 times so he has produced at regular season level as well.

Luka is a lottery pick, Jimmy was not projected as a franchise player anyway so the premise of your argument is flawed. You are claiming Jimmy does nothing in regular season and only balls in the playoffs but this is patently false considering they once finished as the #1 seed

Plus everyone is load managing. Luka missed 16 or more games the past 4 seasons

SGA missed combined 73 games last 3 seasons

The Lakers have shot 233 more free throws coming into this game than their opponents this year. Far and away ahead of the 2nd place team, the New York Knicks... Oddly, the Lakers are dead last in drives to the basket.

https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1752174846547775537?t=gxdBDQJRrSRch-Iug9DMzA&s=19

But but the warriors are just jacking up threes that's why there is a large free throws disparity between them and the lakers


in the paint during their last game
lakers - 52 fga
warriors - 49 fga

free throw discrepancy
lakers - 43
warriors - 16

steady986:


Lol. Only Warriors fans and Lakers haters/Warriors apologists are talking about it. But my advise to you is y'all need to get yourselves a few big dudes in your front court. That small ball sh*t ain't gonna work in 2024. You can't be playing midgets against an imposing team as the Lakers and not get FT disparity. And I watched that game...we should have had more free throws

@A40, the Bucks just conceded 67 before halftime....

Bucks?

chuckles...

aliondo:
Game of the season so far for me....

100%

Roland17:
@A40, the Bucks just conceded 67 before halftime....

Them go hire Doc Rivers. Might as well have stuck with the former guy