2014-15 NBA season (or, will the Sixers go 0-82?)

[jro]

Glad to see McGee get dumped off. I would rather have seen Wilson Chandler get traded than Afflalo, but we'll have tons of cap room and a lot of draft picks these next few years. I'm just worried they'll wait too long to fire Shaw. They need to get someone like Mark Jackson in here.

At first I was like "some team took JaVale off of the Nugs' hands? Holy fuck, that should have been impossible with his deal." When I saw that it was Philly, and the move was made strictly to come closer to the salary floor, it made sense.

I'm not a Shaw fan but I'm very much not a Mark Jackson fan, either. Doesn't handle front offices well, hires shitty assistants intentionally and then fucks them over, and gets along with very few of his players. I think they'll either go with D'Antoni or some young cheap guy.

Also: holy shit the Cavs look scary. Warriors need to step their game up if that really was a Finals preview (Memphis would be tougher, I think).

Conventional wisdom is that Curry is the MVP frontrunner, with James Harden right after him, with LeBron creeping up. IMO, though, how is Russell Westbrook not getting some love on this? He's one of the three most unstoppable players in the league, next to LeBron and Anthony Davis, and his stats are ridiculous, and he's kept the Thunder winning even with Durant missing games.

 

[100proof]

The bottom fell out of my Wizards' season. Hopefully when Beal comes back, they'll get a decent 15-20 game run going to warm up for the playoffs but any chance they had to make it out of the 2nd round pretty much evaporated when all of their 3-pt. shooters dried up at the same time.

Best time to be a Wiz fan in 30 years but these next 12 months are going to be what determines whether they become a title contender or just another team that gets dismissed in the first round of the playoffs every year until Wall gives up and goes elsewhere. They currently have above average players at all five positions but they have zero depth and 3 of their starters are old/injury-prone.

Good luck to all of the teams with horses still in the race. Gotta say this is probably going to be the most exciting and unpredictable NBA playoffs since Jordan went to go play baseball. 5 or 6 teams could win the West if they get hot at the right time and the East could be hella fun if the Bulls or Raps can pull it together to compete with the Cavs and Hawks.

 

[jro]

Brian Shaw just got fired.

YES. Nuggets will still suck but at least with Mike D'Antoni running it they'll be watchable again.

edit: I had forgotten that his best answer to the team quitting on him was to read books on how to communicate with millenials.

Team should be ashamed of how they played, though. Trying to lose in order to get a coach fired is pretty sad at any level.

edit: fuck me, who the hell is Melvin Hunt? No D'Antoni until next year at the earliest. I guess paying head coaches tiny salaries isn't just a Rockies thing anymore.

 

[jro]

Chris Paul nearly killed DeAndre Jordan at the end of regulation. Was hilarious.

Also, Russell Westbrook is bonkers right now. 4th straight triple-double. He's MVP, has to be.

 

[dspoonrt]

Chris Paul nearly killed DeAndre Jordan at the end of regulation. Was hilarious.

Also, Russell Westbrook is bonkers right now. 4th straight triple-double. He's MVP, has to be.

It's certainly going to be a close race between Westbrook, Harden, and James.

And that clip is hilarious. "Motherfucking shoot it!!!!!"

 

[Fygee]

Watching my Phoenix Suns last season was like watching the first Rocky.

Watching my Phoenix Suns this season is like watching Rocky 5.

The whole thing with Goran demanding he jump ship to another team (Miami) is old news now, but it still hurts my heart whenever I don't see him on the court. We really kicked our own ass on that one.

On a more general note, I think that Westbrook, much as I dislike the guy, should be the one to win MVP. He's been putting up triple doubles and stats that surpass Michael Freaking Jordan. Harden comes a close second, while Lebron is still very, very good, but not deserving of the top nod.

 

[Kristian Meller]

The whole thing with Goran demanding he jump ship to another team (Miami) is old news now, but it still hurts my heart whenever I don't see him on the court. We really kicked our own ass on that one.

I was thinking about that earlier tonight. Knight is like a shorter, less explosive Goran and now you don't have Isaiah Thomas either.

 

[Fygee]

I was thinking about that earlier tonight. Knight is like a shorter, less explosive Goran and now you don't have Isaiah Thomas either.

I feel like they traded Thomas away just to appease Goran (which would have been the right move), and did so at the last minute, but since Goran said "I'm out, fuck you guys" they couldn't back pedal and had to pull the trigger. Losing him AND Goran was a really bad idea. Since Dragic and Thomas exited stage left, our scoring in games has gone way down.

I like Brandon Knight, and I think he'll develop into a near or full All Star eventually, but he's still young, and also down with an ankle injury so he doesn't give us any benefit. He's also an RFA after this season and may either be traded, or get a better deal elsewhere and bolt if the Suns don't match.

I really feel like we're screwed. This is the longest "rebuild" the Suns have been in since the franchise started.

 

[jro]

This some quality tanking right here. I think Nerlens ought to be player-coach, why not.

Pretty big final day, all in all. Spurs fell to sixth, OKC missed out.

I'll stick with my pick from the beginning of the season- Spurs/Cavs in the Finals, though I'm much less comfortable picking the Spurs to come out of the West (the Warriors are really, really good).

Curry is going to win MVP, but I'd pick Westbrook first (he was a one-man wrecking crew in the second half and at worst the third-best player in the game right now), Harden second (he's just behind Westbrook in overall talent on my list and he does all kinds of things to make his teammates better), Curry third. Then LeBron and A Davis to round out the top five. I know in all likelihood, though, the voting is Curry, Harden, Westbrook.

And Mike Budenholzer vs. Steve Kerr is a helluva matchup for coach of the year.

Wiggins wins ROY going away.

 

[dspoonrt]

Westbrook has been unstoppable, but the fact that he couldn't will his team into the playoffs will keep him out of contention for MVP. Like everyone, I'm sure Curry will win it.

I'm predicting a Warriors/Cavs finals. Getting past the Bulls and Hawks in the East should thoroughly test Cleveland.

 

[tacoguy]

I predict Spurs/Cavs. Warriors are really good and can beat any team but I still think that the Spurs can take them and it won't even be close. They still have the deepest bench, can clamp it down on the defense, and can keep up with the scoring against an team. That team scares the the most.

 

[jro]

Hey, Scott Brooks got fired.

He's, what, the third-worst coach in the NBA (I'm talking Randy Wittman and Byron Scott, here, though, so I mean, c'mon).

Now maybe KD and Russ can play for someone who's capable of installing an actual offense.

edit: goddamnit "Brooks will be a candidate for the Denver and Orlando jobs..." No, no, no, no, no. One coach who had no clue what he was doing is enough for the Nuggets for a while (I mean Shaw, not Hunt. I like Hunt).

 

[ForeverSublime]

If you were Doc Rivers, would you keep DJ out of the final minutes of the game? Loss-by-offensive goaltending. I didn't see any funny CP3 reaction gifs, though.

Kevin Love likely out for the rest of the post season. There goes that storyline should the Warriors meet Cleveland in the Finals.

 

[100proof]

As a Wiz fan, should I be psyched that they dropped the fucking hammer on Toronto or depressed that now we're probably stuck with Randy Wittman for two or three more seasons? Ugh. Hawks are looking vulnerable though so we'll see what happens. Just happy to have a team that's relevant.

 

[evil wasabi]

As a Wiz fan, should I be psyched that they dropped the fucking hammer on Toronto or depressed that now we're probably stuck with Randy Wittman for two or three more seasons? Ugh. Hawks are looking vulnerable though so we'll see what happens. Just happy to have a team that's relevant.

The Hawks look vulnerable, but I think the real shame is that the Wizards aren't taking on the Cavs now. They are ready to be knocked out with Love gone.

 

[jro]

If you were Doc Rivers, would you keep DJ out of the final minutes of the game? Loss-by-offensive goaltending. I didn't see any funny CP3 reaction gifs, though.

Kevin Love likely out for the rest of the post season. There goes that storyline should the Warriors meet Cleveland in the Finals.

I would think that you'd want to go defense/offense with him, considering that he's also a horrendous FT shooter. He's obviously fantastic at throwing down lobs and can get you an offensive rebound, but his drawbacks are getting to be too much, at least for that critical moment. Sub him to defend the rim on the other end, though.

Agreed with all on the Hawks. They look pretty mediocre all of a sudden. Wiz may take them. Cavs should be more vulnerable, but it'll be the intangibles, like spacing, where they get hurt the most, since Irving is by far the second option over Love. I still think they'll hobble past the Wizards in the East, but then San Antonio or Golden State will cream them in the Finals.

 

[jro]

Billy Donovan is going to the Thunder! Good choice.

 

[Voodoohead]

i thinbk the bulls have a chance to get to the finals...cavs with a hurt kevin love...well no. as every year no one expects to the spurs to go anywhere, well i think only golden state have a shot.

 

[jro]

I had not seen this:

More proof of the Spurs' greatness.

 

[100proof]

Clippers/Spurs Game 7 was the best basketball game I've seen in a long time. A shame to see the champs go but I'm also happy to see some variety in the Finals (this will be only the second non-Spurs/Lakers/Mavs team in the Finals in 17 years).

My Wiz take Game 1 but if Beal and Wall are gimpy they're not gonna make it past the Hawks.

 

[jro]

Clippers/Spurs Game 7 was the best basketball game I've seen in a long time. A shame to see the champs go but I'm also happy to see some variety in the Finals (this will be only the second non-Spurs/Lakers/Mavs team in the Finals in 17 years).

My Wiz take Game 1 but if Beal and Wall are gimpy they're not gonna make it past the Hawks.

Agreed re: Spurs/Clips. I hate to see SA lose, especially if Timmy really retires, but that was such great basketball to watch and the Clippers earned it, I can't complain. Rooting for the Clips to take out the Rockets but I don't see it happening. Rockets/Warriors should make for a damn good WC Final.

Also on the Warriors- Curry is MVP, supposed to be announced this week. He had a great year, but I still think Harden deserved it more.

edit: The Wizards look great all of a sudden, and given how much worse the Hawks are playing, I like Washington to win the series. You're right about Wall and Beal needing to be healthier, but I think Wall, Pierce, and Porter (!?) are still enough, even with Wall at less than 100%. Atlanta just couldn't stop Washington's super-basic offensive sets. The Hawks are the Lakers on defense all of a sudden.

 

[Kristian Meller]

As long as Harden plays his standard matador defense, he doesn't deserve to even smell the MVP award.

 

[100proof]

As long as Harden plays his standard matador defense, he doesn't deserve to even smell the MVP award.

He's been MUCH better this year but yeah, he's not the MVP until he becomes a complete player.

 

[Kristian Meller]

This is one of the reasons I don't like him; he chooses not to play D. There's nothing stopping him from giving an effort and being a decent defender, ending all talks of his matador D. He's just so weird up there in his bearded head that he somehow thinks it's OK to take defensive possessions off. His excentricites make him a guy I definitely don't want on my team.

 

[evil wasabi]

Agreed re: Spurs/Clips. I hate to see SA lose, especially if Timmy really retires, but that was such great basketball to watch and the Clippers earned it, I can't complain. Rooting for the Clips to take out the Rockets but I don't see it happening. Rockets/Warriors should make for a damn good WC Final.

Also on the Warriors- Curry is MVP, supposed to be announced this week. He had a great year, but I still think Harden deserved it more.

edit: The Wizards look great all of a sudden, and given how much worse the Hawks are playing, I like Washington to win the series. You're right about Wall and Beal needing to be healthier, but I think Wall, Pierce, and Porter (!?) are still enough, even with Wall at less than 100%. Atlanta just couldn't stop Washington's super-basic offensive sets. The Hawks are the Lakers on defense all of a sudden.

The vanilla offensive sets are just high percentage shots. The Hawks live and die by the 3 pt arc. People don't respect the high percentage shots, but that strategy has worked for the Spurs for 20 years. They don't win all the time, but they will win more than they lose.

But overall, Washington is currently looking the same as they did in the playoffs last year:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_NBA_Playoffs

They even won game 1 against the top seeded Pacers in the second round. The wizards had an extended break, while the Pacers were taken to 7 games by the underdeveloped Hawks. Tomorrow in Atlanta won't be a make or break game for the Wizards, but they have to win at home if they want to prove that they aren't the same pretenders as last year.