2020-21 NBA *Playoffs* Thread: Bucks are the champs and you can take that to the bank bromigos (6 Viewers)

[DJackson10]

I was rooting for the Sixers for 3 reasons:  1) hate seeing Trae Young flop, 2) Dr J, 3) Charles Barkley.   

A lot of people in here aren't really anti-Sixers IMO.  Most just seem to be bemused by the constant mental gymnastics to defend Ben Simmons' horrific FT shooting.

Or team issues in general. If you think it's bad here you should've seen all the people on twitter trying to Trade Simmons with draft picks for Doncic or Lillard saying Joel was off the table. 

 

[The Big Donkey]

Maybe because it was the way they went about losing a how a lot of Sixers went about acting like there was a guaranteed titled at the end of this? 

I mean for me personally living here and seeing trends with where I work I will say the team has the biggest bandwagon fanbase of them all and incredible annoying. I have everyday customers I've seen for yrs coming in now with 76ers gear who just 3 seasons ago had Lebron Jerseys on Warrior jerseys, etc claiming they were "big fans of those teams." I also think they are the most sensitive group of fans in the city. And considering the stories I've heard of the guy from former Managers it makes me sick seeing people put a guy like AI on a pedestal constantly. Talented player but absolute garbage trash human being who the organizations and fans enabled his behavior and why he is where he is today. On top of all of that they traded my favorite Player in Jerry Stackhouse all because AI wanted to act like a baby. 

I didn't live there but often visited a friend and his wife. AI was a must watch on TV when I was down there.      I hear you on the stories though.    

edit:  Dalessandros was a must eat also, man i miss that place.

 

[Capella]

i don't think i have ever seen so many people so gleeful and happy when a team loses. There is like 1-2 Hawks fans in here and like 30+ anti-Sixers fans. 

Nah I like the Sixers. Cool name, jerseys, logo etc. Nobody has a reason to hate the Sixers, they’ve hardly ever won anything. People don’t hate mediocre ### franchises. You’re just being purposefully obtuse. 

 

[DJackson10]

Yeah, the lack of self awareness of the Sixer fans ITT is off the charts. 

I just finally started seeing friends of mine complain about Simmons lack of work ethic and other things that I've been telling them about for 4-5 yrs now who use to do mental gymnastics to defend him. My girlfriend being one of them 

Oh yeah thanks to the 76ers I now got a   off GF a week before my Birthday to deal with. If they lose the Series and eliminated tomorrow I'm gonna have to start worrying about horrible birthday with a B***hy GF . So just another reason for me to hate them. At least she's finally siding on me on Ben. She now wants him traded like Yesterday so I got that going at least. Its gonna be a rough week I feel like. She's suppose to go on girls weekend till Mon starting tomorrow so maybe if they do get eliminated she won't be too bad. 

 

[identikit]

On top of all of that they traded my favorite Player in Jerry Stackhouse all because AI wanted to act like a baby. 

Man, I think the world is in perfect balance between us two.

I didn't like Stackhouse at all.

I don't think he ever received a pass he didn't shoot.

Please don't hit me....

 

[need2know]

Ben did sink the 2 FTs when they first started hacking Ben in the 4th. And he had missed plenty with no pressure to get more points so I don’t think his issue is with pressure. 

No he's a pro basketball player who can't shoot a basketball.   

 

[DJackson10]

That's the exact time I started watching.  

I was out in the city. DIdn't start watching till about 6 mins left into the 3rd QTR 

 

[DJackson10]

I always wondered how it's even possible for Doc Rivers led teams to blow 3-1 leads in series so many times. Now I see it. He lets his teams fall into a sense of comfort that they've already won, compounds that by not making any adjustments when the other team starts to comeback, then he full on panics right as they're about to blow it to ensure his players are so confused and scared that they forget how to play basketball altogether.

Hope Atlanta ends it in 6.

Doc is so overrated. He's been living off the success of his one title win in Boston for 12 yrs or so now. Should've had at least 2 more in Bos and another one in LA with the Clips. It boggles my mind how anyone defends this guy anymore or considers him one of the top coaches. He's a regular season stat padding coach who caves under the pressure. Only Reason he even won A TITLE is he had like 5 Future HOFers in the starting 5 up in Boston. 

 

[DJackson10]

lou really hurt. hes an old ex sixer and I wish he had never left

Another one they never should've let go along with Vucevic who was in the Bynum Trade. 

 

[DJackson10]

He's an ex every team.

He's Team Strip club 100% especially during a pandemic 

 

[DJackson10]

Even CNBC is trolling Ben Simmons today.

Dan Patrick went off on him on his show today 

 

[DJackson10]

you'd know better than me, but does the Leonard Hamilton FSU program seemingly crank out more than their fair share of NBA ready players?  i feel like all these dudes come in well-rounded, ready to go and compete.

there doesn't seem be a steep curve and they don't seem to flame out.

maybe it's all in my imagination.

I hate FSU with a passion being a Florida guy but I'm starting to like this Patrick Williams guy the Bulls drafted last summer. Hopefully he fills the wing spot we've been missing and all we need to do is look to upgrade the PG playmaking 

 

[Chris B.]

Ben Simmons is @ 32.8% so far for FTs in these playoffs.

Ouch. I had a drinking game to take a shot every time Deandre Jordan made a FT for the Clippers. I'd have to make it a double with Simmons numbers.

 

[DJackson10]

In regards to Ben Simmons, I think there comes a point where you accept a player is not capable of certain things. There's no argument to be made at this point. He just cost you a 20 point lead.

You cannot start Ben Simmons in the 4th Quarter and being benched is the one thing that may actually motivate him to practice his craft. He's officially entered Shaq territory.

Shaq actually cared about his play and worked on it. Simmons has a terrible work ethic. Then if you call him out on it he acts like a drama queen 

 

[DJackson10]

it's different with Simmons. i'm told he shoots FTs twice as good w his other hand, which happens to be his natural hand, btw.

that's why, as an advocate for his exceptional talent for longer than anyone here and for the entertainment of those who reveled in my formal Borderline Personality Disorder analysis of Kyrie Irving a coupla yrs ago, i'm going back to the diagnostic manual to suggest that Simmons might be an autistic savant - yes, like Rain Man.

i remember as far back as his LSU days, when his coach kept yelling at him to start the offense high. without a hint of it being from ego, Ben didn't stop until he was running the Tiger offense from the spot on the floor where PJTucker shoots treys.

then, in his second year with the Sixers, i'd watch him on D and sensed that, oblivious to the actual play as it occurred, he was "practicing" his peripheral vision, seeing how far he could get from the action while still being able to respond to it at shot time. this resulted in the next year him being always halfway between what was happening and what could happen, which has what has made him one of the best defensive (and THE best @ zone) players in the game. 

it's literally ALL in his head. he's counting all the toothpicks but cant add 1 + 3. the terrible coaching of Brett Brown (and imperial nature of Embiid) "forced" him away from finding a two-man game with his fellow superstar when that was the natural thing; the call for him to expand out to shooting treys in his early years "forced" him to not only avoid them like the plague but actually get worse @ deuces; and the attention on his free throws has made him "want" to get worse&worse at it so that his self-concept can be just as far as possible from the public concept of him. combine that with the faraway look in his eyes and the more placidly he acts the worse it gets, and i'm pretty sure there's something dramatically Aspergerish at play making him such an assburger.

I mean it'd explain his stubbornness to not practice and other things but I think you are looking way to deep into this. 

This again if you read the article I linked last night with his behavior maybe it's not far off 

 

[DJackson10]

Will Cuban call this bull#### too?

I think Cuban is the best owner in the NBA. But mostly because he acts like I would if I owned an NBA team most of the time. 

I hope he figures everything out and Doncic stays though. 

 

[DJackson10]

Are the Philly fans in here representative of the Philly fan base as a whole in terms of being insanely defensive and overly emotional as it relates to anything negative about their team or players?  Yeesh.  

I’d rather be a Wolves fan than be lumped in that pool.  

To some extent yes where some others have been more realistic. But yeah it's a very sensitive fanbase. I remember in the Early days of The Tank you couldn't say anything bad even if it was constructive about the team without people getting defensive. I've had friends comment 50 times to me from a FB post on one negative thing acting like I just called their more a corner girl who charges $5 

 

[AAABatteries]

Thinking Bucks will win this one tonight.

Bud may be coaching for his job.

Force the ball out of KD's hands and attack Harden on defense.

Pass the ball more than once on offense...oy

I was thinking about this earlier - he (rightfully) has taken a lot of heat for game 5 but what happens if they manage to win the next 2 games and then go on to win the championship?  I'm sure people were saying after game 5 that it won't happen but some of those same people were saying at halftime of game 5 that they would.  It took a collapse and an otherworldly game from Durant to beat them.  I wouldn't totally count them out just yet.

Honestly, I'm not sure you can count anybody out that isn't eliminated.  Kawhi, Conley, Irvin out - Harden and Simmons gimpy.  Paul appears to be recovered but now is in the protocol and his shoulder could go again at any point. 

 

[identikit]

I was thinking about this earlier - he (rightfully) has taken a lot of heat for game 5 but what happens if they manage to win the next 2 games and then go on to win the championship?  I'm sure people were saying after game 5 that it won't happen but some of those same people were saying at halftime of game 5 that they would.  It took a collapse and an otherworldly game from Durant to beat them.  I wouldn't totally count them out just yet.

Honestly, I'm not sure you can count anybody out that isn't eliminated.  Kawhi, Conley, Irvin out - Harden and Simmons gimpy.  Paul appears to be recovered but now is in the protocol and his shoulder could go again at any point. 

Guess I'm saying he's playing for his job tonight (possibly).

He loses tonight, Bucks will be out.

 

[AAABatteries]

Guess I'm saying he's playing for his job tonight (possibly).

He loses tonight, Bucks will be out.

Oh, totally agree - I think he almost has to win the whole thing now to stick around.  I'm sure the Bucks would love to have Carlisle.

 

[identikit]

Oh, totally agree - I think he almost has to win the whole thing now to stick around.  I'm sure the Bucks would love to have Carlisle.

Unsure if the Pacers would be interested in a another Carlisle tenure.

I'm not confident they could do any better as naptown isn't a huge draw for players or coaches. 

 

[DJackson10]

I didn't live there but often visited a friend and his wife. AI was a must watch on TV when I was down there.      I hear you on the stories though.    

edit:  Dalessandros was a must eat also, man i miss that place.

He once threatened to go into the store and shoot my managers store Director the one night over a parking issue. A lot of AI's issues could be more defended and hidden back then without many knowing about it. Age of Cell phones now the team couldn't protect him now like then. I just think with Cell footage of these incidents we'd have people with much different opinions of the guy in town. Friend of mine dad use to work in the city. Can't remember where but had more then his fare share of run ins with AI. He hated AI with a passion and was always talking how he hoped they traded him. Some of the other dads and my friends hated him just because of the passionate hatred he had for AI. I will say it made for some pretty interesting fights (Arguments) about the guy. But yeah The Sixers protected him religiously.

I was at Novacare PT (Former co sixers Owner Pat Croce owns them) and ran into Pat Croce maybe 09 or so when I was doing some PT for toe walking (Part of the neurological problem from my Aspergers, casted twice when I was younger to hopefully correct it), and me and another patient would talk to him when he'd come down. He had some cool sixers stories and he went nuts when I told him Aaron McKie lived down the street from me (Was dating a girl who's daughter was in my one friends Sister Grade). However his AI Stories were crazy at best. Literally admitted the team hid a lot of the issues the team and AI had. A few stories he wouldn't go into detail but basically admitted if he could've done things over again they'd be different. More or less he said at the time people didn't react to certain off the court issues like they do today. Ran into Pat a few yrs ago when he came back to Philly for something and we chatted. He asked me "Remember those stories I use to tell you an that other guy at the Novacare Center?" I told him Yeah I couldn't forget them. Pat "With Cellphones I will just say we'd have been F'd with AI then. He probably be getting suspended for half the season every year now or close to it." I mean the 76ers are no different then a lot of sports franchises back then protecting stars but Jesus yes the guy was talented I don't think he'd have lasted in todays league with all his issues and I'd be shocked if he wasn't playing in China. 

Funny you should mention Dalessandros. Up until a year ago my brother lived around the corner from them. Made it a priority to get one before I got to his place or after. My Other brother lived in East Falls at the time (Train stop before him) so if I was getting a ride to my other brothers we'd stop there on the day home. Always is a must and probably the best in town to get a streak, 

 

[mr. furley]

Ben Simmons is @ 32.8% so far for FTs in these playoffs.

ah. i was ####### lost and didn't make the connection.

 

[DJackson10]

Ouch. I had a drinking game to take a shot every time Deandre Jordan made a FT for the Clippers. I'd have to make it a double with Simmons numbers.

See you in the ICU 

 

[mr. furley]

coach Bud:  Brooklyn has absolutely no interest in defending near the basket. they don't have the size. pound the ball inside and drive the basket. over and over and over.

 

[DJackson10]

This whole Mans situation is very Interesting. Cuban is defiantly an owner who will do everything to make sure he can keep his star player happy. 

 

[identikit]

coach Bud:  Brooklyn has absolutely no interest in defending near the basket. they don't have the size. pound the ball inside and drive the basket. over and over and over.

Playing Lopez 26 feet from the basket is killing me.

 

[identikit]

Harris making one after the buzzer...

 

[DJackson10]

I didn't live there but often visited a friend and his wife. AI was a must watch on TV when I was down there.      I hear you on the stories though.    

edit:  Dalessandros was a must eat also, man i miss that place.

 Friend of mine dad use to work in the city. Can't remember where but had more then his fare share of run ins with AI. He hated AI with a passion and was always talking how he hoped they traded him. Some of the other dads and my friends hated him just because of the passionate hatred he had for AI. I will say it made for some pretty interesting fights (Arguments) about the guy.

Funny this is I can't remember which Friend's dad it was or their name right now. I can picture what he looked like and remember all of us at the local swim club and him going off on something AI did in the past or before. This was that summer he had the huge incident where he kicked his wife out of the house naked and there were all sorts of issues with him. 

Also I hated Stephen A Smith a lot back then because he use to write for the Inquire and cover the Sixers. He was probably the biggest AI apologist out of all the Beat writers. I loved Phil Jasner's takes though because they were always well thought out and not knee jerk reactions. Ironically Stephan A defending AI back then now reminds me how some people defend Ben Simmons today. only difference is off the court Ben I'd take over off the Court AI any day and we're talking Ben's play not off court stuff. 

 

[mr. furley]

Playing Lopez 26 feet from the basket is killing me.

coach Bud sees his true usefulness differently

he's so far ahead of the game he realizes 7', 260lb centers with no defender of equivalent size are better stationed nearer half court so they can get back on defense more quickly.

 

[identikit]

There you go, Bucks

 

[identikit]

Stupid foul for anteater to get...

Though I like the idea of picking Harden up @ 3/4 court.

 

[TripItUp]

Anybody know why Deandre Jordan doesn't get more minutes?  Seems like he could help defend Lopez and Giannis, which have been killing the Nets in the paint.  

 

[identikit]

Bucks:

Stop shooting 3s!!!

 

[identikit]

Bud looks like a PE teacher that's seen better days

 

[msudaisy26]

Anybody know why Deandre Jordan doesn't get more minutes?  Seems like he could help defend Lopez and Giannis, which have been killing the Nets in the paint.  

Because he plays no defense. 

 

[identikit]

I think the Bucks have discovered (re-discovered?) point blank basketball.

 

[caustic]

Anybody know why Deandre Jordan doesn't get more minutes?  Seems like he could help defend Lopez and Giannis, which have been killing the Nets in the paint.  

Defensively he’s not that great anymore and on offense he’s a disaster. Better to have a marginally worse defender out there who can actually space the floor for KD on offense.

 

[trader jake]

I think the Bucks have discovered (re-discovered?) point blank basketball.

When the Bucks push the pace they're a much better team.  Game 7 should be a good one.

Bucks in Six!!

 

[msudaisy26]

Defensively he’s not that great anymore and on offense he’s a disaster. Better to have a marginally worse defender out there who can actually space the floor for KD on offense.

He is Ben Simmons, if Simmons couldn't handle the ball or play defense. 

 

[identikit]

Bucks:

Stop shooting 3s!!!

Except for Middleton,,,heh

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

DeAndre is lucky he has friends.

He's a vet league min player at best at this stage that's making a nice chuck of change. Even at his peak, a player I'd want no part of in the playoffs. Particularly when you could play the Hack-A all game long on him away from ball. 

 

[gruecd]

DeAndre is lucky he has friends.

He's a vet league min player at best at this stage that's making a nice chuck of change. Even at his peak, a player I'd want no part of in the playoffs. Particularly when you could play the Hack-A all game long on him away from ball. 

Dude spends literally every timeout relentlessly working the refs. It's hilarious.

 

[Desert_Power]

Like seeing Middleton have a big game tonight. Just always feel he is a bit underrated. Bucks need him to have another big game to close the series out.

 

[Jayrod]

Like seeing Middleton have a big game tonight. Just always feel he is a bit underrated. Bucks need him to have another big game to close the series out.

He's not been consistent and disappeared in big games the last couple of years.

He's looking better this post season than I'd seen before.

 

[caustic]

Woj bomb! More picks for OKC  

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

The Celtics are trading Kemba Walker, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 draft and a 2025 second-round draft pick to Oklahoma City for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick, sources tell ESPN.

8:11 AM · Jun 18, 2021

 

[SayWhat?]

Woj bomb! More picks for OKC  

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

The Celtics are trading Kemba Walker, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 draft and a 2025 second-round draft pick to Oklahoma City for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick, sources tell ESPN.

8:11 AM · Jun 18, 2021

Big Al!!

 

[Instinctive]

Crazy week for the Mavs, but one I think was almost overdue. I have a couple theories about professional sports:

• A GM is really a ten-year max position with a team, and only if you're great at it
  
• A coach's lifespan is 5 if good, 10 if great. Can extend if absolutely legendary and willing to change with the game and times.
  

Clearly there are exceptions (Spurs, Heat, Patriots), but that kind of proves the rule. 

Carlisle is and has been a fantastic coach. One of the three best year in and year out. Donnie has been a bi-modal GM, with some huge hits and a lot of misses in the draft and trade market. It's time for some fresh faces in there.

I'm unsure if Michael Finley would be the best GM choice here, but could work. I think I'd really like to see Chauncey Billups as our head coach, although folks really like Jamahl Mosely. Hopefully the new GM doesn't go after Kidd. I wish they'd do a 49ers style co-search, and hire a package deal, but GM then coach is next best option. I think Stotts, while we love him for 2011, is not a great fit. I've been pinging a couple other friends in the league, including semi-jokingly telling one he should pass my name on to Mike Forde (LMAO). 

I think this is going to be a big positive for the Mavericks. But nothing in life is certain and the execution is what will really make this decision judged.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Woj bomb! More picks for OKC  

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

The Celtics are trading Kemba Walker, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 draft and a 2025 second-round draft pick to Oklahoma City for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick, sources tell ESPN.

8:11 AM · Jun 18, 2021

Wow. Surprised they were able to move Kemba (even if it's for Al Horford...his deal is only partially guaranteed in 22-23). I don't think it's a given Kemba can pass a physical. 

 

[identikit]

Wow. Surprised they were able to move Kemba (even if it's for Al Horford...his deal is only partially guaranteed in 22-23). I don't think it's a given Kemba can pass a physical. 

Gut feeling is he won't.