2022-23 NBA Thread: “you’ll never let me down like the Heat did”, Miami fan says to giant pile of cocaine (3 Viewers)

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I love Tim Duncan, but you have to put Shaq ahead of him I think. Those Lakers teams beat the Spurs more than once. I do think Duncan is top 10-12.

 

[Zow]

That whole 5-10 area of the all-time list is always a pretty tough one to rank. Duncan definitely has an argument there. So do contemporaries like Kobe, Shaq, and now Steph. I think what Tim did with the Spurs is pretty highly rated by most fans.

Yeah I did this the other day and it’s so hard. I think I had Duncan at nine.

Correction, Duncan was ten.

My top ten:
MJ
Lebron
Kareem
Russell
Magic
Shaq
Wilt
Kobe
Bird
Duncan

Terrible list

Terrible? Really?

I could see argue for moving some guys up and some down but terrible? C'mon.

I assumed it was in jest, given this is the #HOTTAKESHERE thread


I'd argue Bird and Duncan are both a bit too low and should be ahead of Shaq. Not sure Kobe is really deserving of a top 10 spot either.

Ah. I assumed it was serious because this thread is serious business.

Shaq and Kobe are some of the toughest to rank. While Duncan and Bird probably had better careers than Shaq, Shaq is probably the most dominant player ever at any single point in NBA history. As for Kobe, he, along with MJ, are probably the absolute fiercest competitors in NBA history and Kobe garnered more respect from his peers than any player in history. So, while I very much appreciate and did also factor in advanced statistics and longevity, I couldn't ignore these factors when ranking players like Shaw and Kobe.

 

[Desert_Power]

Shaq and Kobe are some of the toughest to rank. While Duncan and Bird probably had better careers than Shaq, Shaq is probably the most dominant player ever at any single point in NBA history. As for Kobe, he, along with MJ, are probably the absolute fiercest competitors in NBA history and Kobe garnered more respect from his peers than any player in history. So, while I very much appreciate and did also factor in advanced statistics and longevity, I couldn't ignore these factors when ranking players like Shaw and Kobe.

Yeah. I always find the absolute peak of Shaq so hard to ignore. Peak vs longevity is what makes this area so tough to rank. Your past the guys that clearly have both and it really is about what you prefer. Worse, the preferences between those two can change daily.

 

[The Z Machine]

Shaq is probably the most dominant player ever at any single point in NBA history

I think Wilt would disagree if he were alive.

BTW, AD is the closest thing to a Wilt clone that I've ever seen.

 

[Desert_Power]

Shaq is probably the most dominant player ever at any single point in NBA history

I think Wilt would disagree if he were alive.

BTW, AD is the closest thing to a Wilt clone that I've ever seen.

I think Bill Russell might disagree with you about his friend Wilt. Wilt was a dominant offensive force, but he gets bested by Russell's Celtics in 7 out of 8 matchups. The year Wilt averages 50 PPG, Russell holds him to 37 PPG.

It is a team sport and everything, but dominance includes winning IMO. Not that we were around to see it. Those series must have been awesome.

 

[Anarchy99]

Shaq is probably the most dominant player ever at any single point in NBA history

I think Wilt would disagree if he were alive.

BTW, AD is the closest thing to a Wilt clone that I've ever seen.

I think Bill Russell might disagree with you about his friend Wilt. Wilt was a dominant offensive force, but he gets bested by Russell's Celtics in 7 out of 8 matchups. The year Wilt averages 50 PPG, Russell holds him to 37 PPG.

It is a team sport and everything, but dominance includes winning IMO. Not that we were around to see it. Those series must have been awesome.

The year Wilt averaged 50 ppg, Russell had 51 first place votes for MVP vs. 9 for Chamberlain. Oscar Robertson even had more first place votes (13) but ended up 3rd in total MVP points.

 

[Instinctive]

I'd argue Bird and Duncan are both a bit too low and should be ahead of Shaq. Not sure Kobe is really deserving of a top 10 spot either.

Some of this comes down to how the player played at their peak vs. how they played over their entire career. Maybe your top 10 values continued contribution over the course of their career. Maybe your top 10 values peak performance and how dominate that player was at their best.

IMO, peak Shaq was better than peak Duncan. Shaq was essentially unguardable at his peak and the rules in place at the time. Remember, Hack-a-Shaq? When the guy is hitting 60% of his FGs, all from like 3' from the basket and he shoots 50% from the FT line... do the math. Duncan was never that dominant. Without looking at the stats, I think Shaq better on D during his peak, getting more blocks, more rebounds than Duncan. I think he affected the opposition slightly more than Duncan.

Yeah there's definitely something to "pick guys for one game" vs "pick guys for a one year all time season" vs "pick guys whose careers were greatest"

 

[the moops]

That whole 5-10 area of the all-time list is always a pretty tough one to rank. Duncan definitely has an argument there. So do contemporaries like Kobe, Shaq, and now Steph. I think what Tim did with the Spurs is pretty highly rated by most fans.

Yeah I did this the other day and it’s so hard. I think I had Duncan at nine.

Correction, Duncan was ten.

My top ten:
MJ
Lebron
Kareem
Russell
Magic
Shaq
Wilt
Kobe
Bird
Duncan

Terrible list

Terrible? Really?

I could see argue for moving some guys up and some down but terrible? C'mon.

I assumed it was in jest, given this is the #HOTTAKESHERE thread


I'd argue Bird and Duncan are both a bit too low and should be ahead of Shaq. Not sure Kobe is really deserving of a top 10 spot either.

Ah. I assumed it was serious because this thread is serious business.

Shaq and Kobe are some of the toughest to rank. While Duncan and Bird probably had better careers than Shaq, Shaq is probably the most dominant player ever at any single point in NBA history. As for Kobe, he, along with MJ, are probably the absolute fiercest competitors in NBA history and Kobe garnered more respect from his peers than any player in history. So, while I very much appreciate and did also factor in advanced statistics and longevity, I couldn't ignore these factors when ranking players like Shaw and Kobe.

This is serious business.

Too much deference given to older dudes and taller dudes.

Curry and Durant belong in the top 10. Kobe is barely top 20

 

[Tau837]

That whole 5-10 area of the all-time list is always a pretty tough one to rank. Duncan definitely has an argument there. So do contemporaries like Kobe, Shaq, and now Steph. I think what Tim did with the Spurs is pretty highly rated by most fans.

Yeah I did this the other day and it’s so hard. I think I had Duncan at nine.

Correction, Duncan was ten.

My top ten:
MJ
Lebron
Kareem
Russell
Magic
Shaq
Wilt
Kobe
Bird
Duncan

Terrible list

Terrible? Really?

I could see argue for moving some guys up and some down but terrible? C'mon.

I assumed it was in jest, given this is the #HOTTAKESHERE thread


I'd argue Bird and Duncan are both a bit too low and should be ahead of Shaq. Not sure Kobe is really deserving of a top 10 spot either.

Ah. I assumed it was serious because this thread is serious business.

Shaq and Kobe are some of the toughest to rank. While Duncan and Bird probably had better careers than Shaq, Shaq is probably the most dominant player ever at any single point in NBA history. As for Kobe, he, along with MJ, are probably the absolute fiercest competitors in NBA history and Kobe garnered more respect from his peers than any player in history. So, while I very much appreciate and did also factor in advanced statistics and longevity, I couldn't ignore these factors when ranking players like Shaw and Kobe.

This is serious business.

Too much deference given to older dudes and taller dudes.

Curry and Durant belong in the top 10. Kobe is barely top 20

LOL at Durant being a top 10 all time NBA player *today*.

 

[General Malaise]

I love Tim Duncan, but you have to put Shaq ahead of him I think. Those Lakers teams beat the Spurs more than once. I do think Duncan is top 10-12.

Duncan was a MUCH better three point shooter.


































adding this because I'm not sure everybody in this thread has a sense of humor, Reporty McReport Faces.

 

[Gatorman]

This is such a hard thing, bc Hakeem isn't on this list either, and I can understand Duncan basically pushing him out of the top 10.

Centers:
Shaq
Wilt
Russell
Kareem
Duncan
Hakeem

Again, you can nitpick with Russell and Duncan being considered Power forwards, but Hard to argue with any of them in the top 6 and also the evolution of the game that there is no "current" center that wil match these guys.

Power forwards:

There are no power forwards considered. Amazing, but true. Karl Malone likely the only one. Barkley was somewhere between a PF and a SF. Maybe Garnett?

Small Forwards:

Again, this gets nit picky bc a lot of SG = Small forwards especially in how the game has changed, but...

Bird is really the only true SF on this list.
KD gets some love here as well.
James Worthy probably deserves a mention here.

Shooting guards:

MJ
Lebron
Kobe
guys like Drexler and Wade and a whole slew of similar guys get in fot the next tier.

PG:
Magic
then Curry
Stockton
Iverson

These lists are hard and still quite big man oriented.

 

[Jayrod]

My list:

The undisputed top - and only in this order
1. MJ
2. LBJ
3. Kareem

The muddled middle - can go in any order here depending on preferences
4. Wilt
5. Bird
6. Magic
7. Russell

The next 5 - another group depending on preferences
8. Duncan
9. Olajuwon
10. Curry
11. Shaq
12. Kobe

I think I value longevity, availability, advanced stats and defense more than most. I also downgrade championships to an extent because it really is effected by several things out of the players control. Bird over Magic is a hill I will die on due to his rebounding and defensive prowess. Kobe's consistent inefficiency prevents me from putting him higher. I've said it before, but Russell is such an enigma on this list so I put him at the "bottom of the top". I've really never considered anyone in the bottom five for a spot in the top 7. Just feels like a hard tier to me. Curry creeping in with last year's amazing championship run pushed Oscar out.

 

[Yo Mama]

Elgin Baylor and Oscar Robinson need to be on more lists - especially the top 20 ones.

 

[Anarchy99]

4. Wilt
7. Russell

Not singling you out, but a lot / many / most people these days seem to have Wilt ranked higher than Russell. Except back in the day, it was more the opposite. Russell ended up playing one season less than Wilt did, but Russell won 5 MVP's vs. 4 for Wilt and had more MVP shares than Chamberlain did. All these years later, Russell still ranks 6th in MVP vote shares (vs. 11th for Wilt). Wilt always had better offensive numbers, but obviously Bill had more rings (11 to 2). When I talk to old timers, they generally side with Russell . . . but I chalk that up to living in New England.

 

[the moops]

LOL at Durant being a top 10 all time NBA player *today*.

Not sure why it is so automatic that Larry Bird deserves to be higher on any list than Durant. And I say this as a 48 year old who grew up in Boston and am still a huge Celtic fan. Bird rebounded and passed better than Durant, but he was a far more inefficient scorer (Bird's best year was a TS% of .612, Durant is at .619 for his career) and a worse defender

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Jordan

Everyone else

 

[Tau837]

Small Forwards:

Again, this gets nit picky bc a lot of SG = Small forwards especially in how the game has changed, but...

Bird is really the only true SF on this list.
KD gets some love here as well.
James Worthy probably deserves a mention here.

Shooting guards:

MJ
Lebron
Kobe
guys like Drexler and Wade and a whole slew of similar guys get in fot the next tier.

I think Lebron would best be classified as a SF, so he would head that list for me.

I don't think Worthy deserves mention among the top 3 names at SF, surprised to see that. I would think of Dr. J, Pippen, and Baylor ahead of him for sure, probably at least a few others as well.

Forgot to add that you may have neglected Oscar in your post. Not sure if that was intentional.

 

[Tau837]

LOL at Durant being a top 10 all time NBA player *today*.

Not sure why it is so automatic that Larry Bird deserves to be higher on any list than Durant. And I say this as a 48 year old who grew up in Boston and am still a huge Celtic fan. Bird rebounded and passed better than Durant, but he was a far more inefficient scorer (Bird's best year was a TS% of .612, Durant is at .619 for his career) and a worse defender

You are completely ignoring the difference in eras in this comparison. That matters.

 

[Desert_Power]

ESPN on TikTok

Masterful work from the King 👑🧠 #lebronjames #lakers #warriors #nbaplayoffs

www.tiktok.com

Good clip of how Lebron completely sniffed out the play

 

[Jayrod]

4. Wilt
7. Russell

Not singling you out, but a lot / many / most people these days seem to have Wilt ranked higher than Russell. Except back in the day, it was more the opposite. Russell ended up playing one season less than Wilt did, but Russell won 5 MVP's vs. 4 for Wilt and had more MVP shares than Chamberlain did. All these years later, Russell still ranks 6th in MVP vote shares (vs. 11th for Wilt). Wilt always had better offensive numbers, but obviously Bill had more rings (11 to 2). When I talk to old timers, they generally side with Russell . . . but I chalk that up to living in New England.

I alluded to my reasoning with the "downgrade championships" comment. Russell benefitted from playing against a weak league with by far the best team. He was a big part of that, but Wilt had to do his work without much help for most of his career. Wilt was better on offense and a freak.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Elgin Baylor and Oscar Robinson need to be on more lists - especially the top 20 ones.

I think it is Curry who pushed those guys out of the top 10-12 over the last few years.

 

[Jayrod]

LOL at Durant being a top 10 all time NBA player *today*.

Not sure why it is so automatic that Larry Bird deserves to be higher on any list than Durant. And I say this as a 48 year old who grew up in Boston and am still a huge Celtic fan. Bird rebounded and passed better than Durant, but he was a far more inefficient scorer (Bird's best year was a TS% of .612, Durant is at .619 for his career) and a worse defender

Bird was a 3x 2nd team all defense.

Durant has zero I believe. Bird was also a FAR superior passer/playmaker and won 3 straight MVPs against the likes of Magic, Kareem and Moses Malone.

Peak Bird>>>>Peak Durant

 

[Synthesizer]

I'd argue Bird and Duncan are both a bit too low and should be ahead of Shaq. Not sure Kobe is really deserving of a top 10 spot either.

Some of this comes down to how the player played at their peak vs. how they played over their entire career. Maybe your top 10 values continued contribution over the course of their career. Maybe your top 10 values peak performance and how dominate that player was at their best.

IMO, peak Shaq was better than peak Duncan. Shaq was essentially unguardable at his peak and the rules in place at the time. Remember, Hack-a-Shaq? When the guy is hitting 60% of his FGs, all from like 3' from the basket and he shoots 50% from the FT line... do the math. Duncan was never that dominant. Without looking at the stats, I think Shaq better on D during his peak, getting more blocks, more rebounds than Duncan. I think he affected the opposition slightly more than Duncan.

The fact that Shaq was one of the worst FT shooters of all time should not be used in an argument FOR his greatness. Opposing teams hacked him because he completely sucked at shooting free throws, and it improved the opposing team's chance to win.

 

[the moops]

LOL at Durant being a top 10 all time NBA player *today*.

Not sure why it is so automatic that Larry Bird deserves to be higher on any list than Durant. And I say this as a 48 year old who grew up in Boston and am still a huge Celtic fan. Bird rebounded and passed better than Durant, but he was a far more inefficient scorer (Bird's best year was a TS% of .612, Durant is at .619 for his career) and a worse defender

You are completely ignoring the difference in eras in this comparison. That matters.

Defenses in the 80's were absolute garbage. If I took that into account I am not sure it would be helpful for your case

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I saw Duncan play in the NCAA tournament many years ago. Will never forget it because I went to the early games with a friend the first day. We were coming from work and had our suits on. Right after we get in the building, he walked up to the Wake Forest table in the concourse, introduced himself as Professor someone and asks for his tickets for the second day. As they're scrambling trying to find his name on the list, he feigns increasing annoyance. Ended up getting two sweet tickets for the second round games down low in the Wake section. Duncan was dominant and his team won both games but were knocked out the following weekend in the regionals.

 

[Desert_Power]

4. Wilt
7. Russell

Not singling you out, but a lot / many / most people these days seem to have Wilt ranked higher than Russell. Except back in the day, it was more the opposite. Russell ended up playing one season less than Wilt did, but Russell won 5 MVP's vs. 4 for Wilt and had more MVP shares than Chamberlain did. All these years later, Russell still ranks 6th in MVP vote shares (vs. 11th for Wilt). Wilt always had better offensive numbers, but obviously Bill had more rings (11 to 2). When I talk to old timers, they generally side with Russell . . . but I chalk that up to living in New England.

Not a Boston homer, but I do find the arguements for Russell over Wilt very convincing. I get discounting the era, but the relative ranking of the two seems obvious to be Russell IMO.

 

[SWC]

russel was the better player versus wilt and its not theoretical or comparing a 90s guy to a 60s guy it is about seeing two brohans face off against one another and seeing russel way more often than not come out on top the point is that in this case its not a guess we know what actually happened so the question was answered and russel was better take that to the bank bromigos

 

[SWC]

I saw Duncan play in the NCAA tournament many years ago. Will never forget it because I went to the early games with a friend the first day. We were coming from work and had our suits on. Right after we get in the building, he walked up to the Wake Forest table in the concourse, introduced himself as Professor someone and asks for his tickets for the second day. As they're scrambling trying to find his name on the list, he feigns increasing annoyance. Ended up getting two sweet tickets for the second round games down low in the Wake section. Duncan was dominant and his team won both games but were knocked out the following weekend in the regionals.

this is a great story was that at the bradley center or what take that to the bank brochacho

 

[Tau837]

LOL at Durant being a top 10 all time NBA player *today*.

Not sure why it is so automatic that Larry Bird deserves to be higher on any list than Durant. And I say this as a 48 year old who grew up in Boston and am still a huge Celtic fan. Bird rebounded and passed better than Durant, but he was a far more inefficient scorer (Bird's best year was a TS% of .612, Durant is at .619 for his career) and a worse defender

You are completely ignoring the difference in eras in this comparison. That matters.

Defenses in the 80's were absolute garbage. If I took that into account I am not sure it would be helpful for your case

You are the one who asserted that Durant belongs in the top 10. You then decided on your own to single out Bird. I wasn't "making a case," but it's easy to make the case for Bird over Durant:

1. Bird has 3 championships, and he was the alpha on his team for each of them; Durant has 2 championships, 0 as alpha
2. Both won ROY and were Finals MVP twice, but Bird won 3 MVPs to 1 for Durant and made 1st team All NBA 9 times to 6 for Durant so far
3. Bird was All Defensive 2nd team 3 times, Durant has never made an All Defensive team
4. Bird was a better rebounder, passer, and defender; Durant was a better shooter and scorer, though Bird was a better 3 point shooter relative to his peers
5. There is also the whole "Magic and Bird saved the NBA" narrative that matters to some people; there is nothing comparable for Durant

If you want to try to make a counter case for Durant, go ahead. I wish you luck.

 

[thecatch]

LOL at Durant being a top 10 all time NBA player *today*.

Not sure why it is so automatic that Larry Bird deserves to be higher on any list than Durant. And I say this as a 48 year old who grew up in Boston and am still a huge Celtic fan. Bird rebounded and passed better than Durant, but he was a far more inefficient scorer (Bird's best year was a TS% of .612, Durant is at .619 for his career) and a worse defender

Bird was a 3x 2nd team all defense.

Durant has zero I believe. Bird was also a FAR superior passer/playmaker and won 3 straight MVPs against the likes of Magic, Kareem and Moses Malone.

Peak Bird>>>>Peak Durant

I agree with you and don't think it's particularly close, but my experience seeing Kobe elected to all defensive teams leads me to believe that metric shouldn't be our focus here. Also Durant isn't a lockdown guy but his defensive versatility is a big reason why he's so awesome.

 

[trader jake]

People can have their all-time NBA player lists, within reason, in a slew of different tiers.

That said, anyone that has Kobe over Tim Duncan on their list is either too young to have watched them play, doesn't really understand basketball or how teams work, is a Lakers fan, or they're motivated by athletes self-promotion and myth building more than they should be.

PS - Is this where I drop my mic at half court and give my own self-gloss catch phrase?

 

[Kev4029]

I'd argue Bird and Duncan are both a bit too low and should be ahead of Shaq. Not sure Kobe is really deserving of a top 10 spot either.

Some of this comes down to how the player played at their peak vs. how they played over their entire career. Maybe your top 10 values continued contribution over the course of their career. Maybe your top 10 values peak performance and how dominate that player was at their best.

IMO, peak Shaq was better than peak Duncan. Shaq was essentially unguardable at his peak and the rules in place at the time. Remember, Hack-a-Shaq? When the guy is hitting 60% of his FGs, all from like 3' from the basket and he shoots 50% from the FT line... do the math. Duncan was never that dominant. Without looking at the stats, I think Shaq better on D during his peak, getting more blocks, more rebounds than Duncan. I think he affected the opposition slightly more than Duncan.

The fact that Shaq was one of the worst FT shooters of all time should not be used in an argument FOR his greatness. Opposing teams hacked him because he completely sucked at shooting free throws, and it improved the opposing team's chance to win.

Shaq led the league in FG% 10 times - he led the league in TS% zero times. His career FG% and TS% are nearly identical. His poor FT shooting is probably a bit underappreciated in these discussions. His efficiency also took a pretty big hit in the playoffs. He was still wildly efficient compared to his peers, but not probably as efficient as people remember from all the dunks over skinny white guys.

 

[Kev4029]

LOL at Durant being a top 10 all time NBA player *today*.

Not sure why it is so automatic that Larry Bird deserves to be higher on any list than Durant. And I say this as a 48 year old who grew up in Boston and am still a huge Celtic fan. Bird rebounded and passed better than Durant, but he was a far more inefficient scorer (Bird's best year was a TS% of .612, Durant is at .619 for his career) and a worse defender

You are completely ignoring the difference in eras in this comparison. That matters.

For whatever it counts for - Bird shot 105% of the league average TS% during his career (i.e. if the league average was 50% one year, he shot 52.5%), Durant is at 113%.

ETA: Shaq finished at 111% higher than league average.

 

[Juxtatarot]

2022-23 NBA All-Defensive teams:

First team: Jaren Jackson Jr., Brook Lopez, Alex Caruso, Evan Mobley, Jrue Holiday

Second team: Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dillon Brooks, Draymond Green, Derrick White

Very cool that Caruso got first team honors. He turned a team with DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic into a top 5 defensive team. I’m not sure any other player in the NBA could have done that.

 

[ShamrockPride]

1. LeBron
2. Kobe
3. Steph
4. KD
5. Kawhi
6. Jordan
7. Kareem
8. Magic
9. Shaq
10. Timmy

If this list looks off to you, blame your local 6'8" plumber.

 

[Tau837]

LOL at Durant being a top 10 all time NBA player *today*.

Not sure why it is so automatic that Larry Bird deserves to be higher on any list than Durant. And I say this as a 48 year old who grew up in Boston and am still a huge Celtic fan. Bird rebounded and passed better than Durant, but he was a far more inefficient scorer (Bird's best year was a TS% of .612, Durant is at .619 for his career) and a worse defender

You are completely ignoring the difference in eras in this comparison. That matters.

For whatever it counts for - Bird shot 105% of the league average TS% during his career (i.e. if the league average was 50% one year, he shot 52.5%), Durant is at 113%.

ETA: Shaq finished at 111% higher than league average.

Yes, in a later post I agreed that Durant was a better scorer and shooter, although Bird was a better 3 point shooter relative to his peers (Bird 127 3P+, Durant 108).

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I saw Duncan play in the NCAA tournament many years ago. Will never forget it because I went to the early games with a friend the first day. We were coming from work and had our suits on. Right after we get in the building, he walked up to the Wake Forest table in the concourse, introduced himself as Professor someone and asks for his tickets for the second day. As they're scrambling trying to find his name on the list, he feigns increasing annoyance. Ended up getting two sweet tickets for the second round games down low in the Wake section. Duncan was dominant and his team won both games but were knocked out the following weekend in the regionals.

this is a great story was that at the bradley center or what take that to the bank brochacho

Yes - the old BC. Electronic ticketing and the pesky internet has ruined some of the fun. My buddy's scam would never work today. We used to hang outside the arena after the first day's games to buy tickets from the losing fans for the second round session. I'm too old for that stuff now but I don't think its an option anymore with electronic tickets.

 

[caustic]

2022-23 NBA All-Defensive teams:

First team: Jaren Jackson Jr., Brook Lopez, Alex Caruso, Evan Mobley, Jrue Holiday

Second team: Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dillon Brooks, Draymond Green, Derrick White

Very cool that Caruso got first team honors. He turned a team with DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic into a top 5 defensive team. I’m not sure any other player in the NBA could have done that.

I know that All-NBA teams will be positionless under the new CBA, but will that be the case for All-Defense as well? I feel like the 1-center limit for All-Defense is even more ridiculous than it is for All-NBA, considering the outsized role that centers play in team defense.

(I promise I'm not just saying this because Nic Claxton was shut out)

 

[the moops]

2022-23 NBA All-Defensive teams:

First team: Jaren Jackson Jr., Brook Lopez, Alex Caruso, Evan Mobley, Jrue Holiday

Second team: Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dillon Brooks, Draymond Green, Derrick White

Very cool that Caruso got first team honors. He turned a team with DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic into a top 5 defensive team. I’m not sure any other player in the NBA could have done that.

I know that All-NBA teams will be positionless under the new CBA, but will that be the case for All-Defense as well? I feel like the 1-center limit for All-Defense is even more ridiculous than it is for All-NBA, considering the outsized role that centers play in team defense.

(I promise I'm not just saying this because Nic Claxton was shut out)

Aren't there three centers on first team in JJJ, Mobley, and Lopez?

 

[caustic]

2022-23 NBA All-Defensive teams:

First team: Jaren Jackson Jr., Brook Lopez, Alex Caruso, Evan Mobley, Jrue Holiday

Second team: Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dillon Brooks, Draymond Green, Derrick White

Very cool that Caruso got first team honors. He turned a team with DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic into a top 5 defensive team. I’m not sure any other player in the NBA could have done that.

I know that All-NBA teams will be positionless under the new CBA, but will that be the case for All-Defense as well? I feel like the 1-center limit for All-Defense is even more ridiculous than it is for All-NBA, considering the outsized role that centers play in team defense.

(I promise I'm not just saying this because Nic Claxton was shut out)

Aren't there three centers on first team in JJJ, Mobley, and Lopez?

I believe Jaren and Mobley got voted in as the two first team forwards since they spent a lot of time at PF this year.

 

[Deamon]

It would be so awesome if the Warriors could come back down 3-1 against Lebron.

 

[Juxtatarot]

2022-23 NBA All-Defensive teams:

First team: Jaren Jackson Jr., Brook Lopez, Alex Caruso, Evan Mobley, Jrue Holiday

Second team: Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dillon Brooks, Draymond Green, Derrick White

Very cool that Caruso got first team honors. He turned a team with DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic into a top 5 defensive team. I’m not sure any other player in the NBA could have done that.

I know that All-NBA teams will be positionless under the new CBA, but will that be the case for All-Defense as well? I feel like the 1-center limit for All-Defense is even more ridiculous than it is for All-NBA, considering the outsized role that centers play in team defense.

(I promise I'm not just saying this because Nic Claxton was shut out)

I think I agree about positionless although I wonder if we overrate rim protectors in drop coverage.

 

[Frostillicus]

Jaden McDaniels was robbed!

 

[Frostillicus]

It would be so awesome if the Warriors could come back down 3-1 against Lebron.

Nah

 

[Frostillicus]

I saw Duncan play in the NCAA tournament many years ago. Will never forget it because I went to the early games with a friend the first day. We were coming from work and had our suits on. Right after we get in the building, he walked up to the Wake Forest table in the concourse, introduced himself as Professor someone and asks for his tickets for the second day. As they're scrambling trying to find his name on the list, he feigns increasing annoyance. Ended up getting two sweet tickets for the second round games down low in the Wake section. Duncan was dominant and his team won both games but were knocked out the following weekend in the regionals.

Don't know if it was the same year and I'm not going to look it up, but I saw the game Duncan got eliminated his senior year at the good ole HHH Metrodome. They were bounced by Kentucky (who would go on to win) and I have rarely seen a player swarmed like that every time he touched the ball. I swear Kentucky was triple and quadruple teaming him. And it worked!

 

[ShamrockPride]

In other news, the Lakers have jumped all the way to the top after last night's win as favorites out of the West.

The disrespect to Denver is.....something.

 

[Gr00vus]

In other news, the Lakers have jumped all the way to the top after last night's win as favorites out of the West.

The disrespect to Denver is.....something.

From a statistics perspective it makes sense given where the two series stand. I imagine it would flip back if / when Denver is up 3-2 and the Warriors win game 5 to make it a 3-2 series with the Lakers.

 

[AAABatteries]

2022-23 NBA All-Defensive teams:

First team: Jaren Jackson Jr., Brook Lopez, Alex Caruso, Evan Mobley, Jrue Holiday

Second team: Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dillon Brooks, Draymond Green, Derrick White

Very cool that Caruso got first team honors. He turned a team with DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic into a top 5 defensive team. I’m not sure any other player in the NBA could have done that.

…..

90th Team: Trae Young and four fern plants

 

[Desert_Power]

In other news, the Lakers have jumped all the way to the top after last night's win as favorites out of the West.

The disrespect to Denver is.....something.

Told my buddy on Saturday this whole thing has a very 2020 rematch feel to it for the finals. Lakers and Heat are hot, getting some big performances out of unexpected players.

Denver is impressive in a lot of ways and it is awesome to watch Jokic just dominate at this level. I just wonder if they have the shooting consistency and depth.

 

[need2know]

No brace for embiid