2023-24 NBA (Playoffs!) Thread: Message board poster furiously types out one more horrible post before thread closes (3 Viewers)

[Kev4029]

Joel Embiid has three games on the road vs. teams over .500 this season: Bucks in the opener, Thunder and Chet Holmgren's 208 lb. center, and Indiana this week. He has played 33 games.

Via Matt Moore on Twitter

He 100% ducked that game. It’s embarrassing for the sport. ESPN spent a week hyping that game. Meanwhile two old guys in Lebron and Steph put on the game of the year.

He was out for warmups and the doctor didn’t like how he was moving with his knee hurt the other day. Denver isn’t a great place to play when hurt with the altitude.

Why wouldn't they have had him on the injury report then? My theory is that he planned on playing until the Sixers ruled out Maxey and Harris and he didn't want the MVP narrative to shift with the likely loss and potential poor play because he was missing his best two teammates.

 

[Moe.]

so is LeBron just PED’d to the gills or what? How is this possible?

 

[Major]

so is LeBron just PED’d to the gills or what? How is this possible?

I wouldn't say to the gills but docs have him on some sort of regiment. Test used to be a banned steroid and was frowned upon by the masses but now they have fancy words for it like TRT which can easily be procured at Men's "Wellness and Rejuvenation" clinics. Crazy how it's almost become a multivitamin for middle aged men.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

II am aware of the history with Denver and I am aware of the narrative. I would have to see the full list of games he has missed over the last 4 years to feel more strongly about it. He has a lot of injuries just in general, so I still don’t think that it can be concluded that he is ducking, he is perfectly capable of just sulking around the court when better teams are beating him.

You can go look at his game logs on Basketball Reference as easy as I can. Go take a peek. He's not missing a chance to play the Pistons, Spurs, and their ilk on the road.

I have reviewed all of the logs and will be preparing a summary later. Everyone has been warned.

I actually forgot that the bb-ref game logs show all the team games, not just the one the play played in.

So, this is Embiid's 7th full season in the league. During that time, the Sixers have played 517 games. Embiid has missed 121 of them.

I categorized those 121 games by whether they were single games, 1 of a 2-game absence, the last game of an absence of 3 games or more, or the start or a middle of a 3-game absence or more. I deemed the first 3 categories to be potential "duck" games, which I think is generous. (Full transparency: There were 2 games that technically fit in cagtegory 3, but they were the last game of an extended west-coast trip, so I didn't think that they counted. I am also considering a 2017 game @ Denver to be a "duck" game even though Denver wasn't really a championship contender that year, since games in Denver are the main root of this narrative.)

59 of the 121 games missed could be considered "duck" games. Of those 59, there were 25 that I consider to be against a "good" team, which I count as either a clear home-court advantage playoff team or a clear lower-end playoff team. Those games break down as follows:

Top Contender (Away) - 13

Top Contender (Home) - 6

Solid Playoff Team (Away) - 5

Solid Playoff Team (Home) - 1

So 13-18 games in 7 years would fit into the conventional "ducking" narrative. That includes 3 games in Denver, 2 games in Memphis and 2 in Utah (also 1 in PHI vs. DEN and 2 vs. MEM). Those are the most disproportionately represented game conditions.

I would have to do the same thing with other top stars to determine whether this is really such an outlier, but on the surface, it is not obvious to me that it is. I still maintain that it feels like a bigger thing because of the high-profile games missed against Denver and the fact that Embiid is injured a lot.

I also agree with these points:

-It is totally bizarre that Embiid was not even listed on the injury report at all and then suddenly was listed as out.

-That the fact that Maxey and Harris (and others) were out led to an organizational decision to sit Embiid, who did have a legitimate injury that he re-aggravated in the Pacers' game that I saw as it happened.

-That when there is a choice in his overall health management, the Sixers' organization as a whole favors having him sit out games that they have a better than 50% chance to lose even if he plays.

Happy to share the data so that anyone can have their own forensic data teams conduct a full audit...

 

[Long Ball Larry]

so is LeBron just PED’d to the gills or what? How is this possible?

He switched his urine sample with Tristan Thompson. Tristan's sacrifice for Lebron getting him that $82 million contract.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

Watching the Lakers get homer calls on Golden State’s court is fun

i’m at the game, not seeing homer calls for either team

Cool game to be at. Jealous.

Edit to add: I’m about a full quarter behind real-time, so my comment was directed at phantom calls end of 2nd quarter

i came in here to check the AD injury, after i posted this the refs really seemed to go crazy calling fouls on the warriors. so many bs calls happened it was crazy.

 

[Major]

Joel Embiid has three games on the road vs. teams over .500 this season: Bucks in the opener, Thunder and Chet Holmgren's 208 lb. center, and Indiana this week. He has played 33 games.

Via Matt Moore on Twitter

This narrative is so funny. I mean do people really think Embiid is scared to play in some games?and if they do, is there any other player in the NBA scared to play games or this is all just the MVP of the league is the only one scared to play other teams.

Just is funny talk. Embiid gets crapped on for not getting out of 2nd round in playoffs, and at the same time gets crapped on for taking care of his body so he can be healthy for the playoffs

I don't think he's scared, I think some combination of the organization and Embiid personally are curating his schedule to avoid some difficult matchups.

Regarding the Nuggets specifically, yesterday sure felt like he was ducking the Nuggets. He wasn't on the injury report, he warmed up, then didn't come out with the team for pregame - then sat in the locker room until 5:50 left in the game then he comes out to sit on the bench.

Last season he 100%, unequivocally dodged the Nuggets in Denver to avoid a game which could have "lost" him the MVP. He played the 13 games before the Nuggets and the 5 after, but missed the game in Denver.

I could never imagine Hakeem ducking the great centers of the 90s. One of my favorite things was seeing him dominate every worthy opponent when media pundits were constantly hyping up Ewing, Robinson, Shaq, etc. Lets face it, Embiid is soft and a major reason why he fails come playoff time.

 

[Anarchy99]

So, this is Embiid's 7th full season in the league. During that time, the Sixers have played 517 games. Embiid has missed 121 of them.

Embiid was the 3rd pick in the 2014 draft. He missed all of his first two seasons. Since he was drafted, he's played in 427 games of the 763 that the 76ers have played, meaning he didn't play in 336 of them (44%).

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Watching the Lakers get homer calls on Golden State’s court is fun

i’m at the game, not seeing homer calls for either team

Cool game to be at. Jealous.

Edit to add: I’m about a full quarter behind real-time, so my comment was directed at phantom calls end of 2nd quarter

i came in here to check the AD injury, after i posted this the refs really seemed to go crazy calling fouls on the warriors. so many bs calls happened it was crazy.

I don’t even have words for the final 6 minutes of the 4th quarter.

OT1 and OT2 were awesome though

 

[msudaisy26]

so is LeBron just PED’d to the gills or what? How is this possible?

I wouldn't say he is for sure. He is just a freak of nature. Remember when he came into the league at 18. He looked like most college seniors that were on a weight and eating program for 4 years in college.

 

[msudaisy26]

So, this is Embiid's 7th full season in the league. During that time, the Sixers have played 517 games. Embiid has missed 121 of them.

Embiid was the 3rd pick in the 2014 draft. He missed all of his first two seasons. Since he was drafted, he's played in 427 games of the 763 that the 76ers have played, meaning he didn't play in 336 of them (44%).

He was taking those two seasons out because he obviously wasn't ducking anyone.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

So, this is Embiid's 7th full season in the league. During that time, the Sixers have played 517 games. Embiid has missed 121 of them.

Embiid was the 3rd pick in the 2014 draft. He missed all of his first two seasons. Since he was drafted, he's played in 427 games of the 763 that the 76ers have played, meaning he didn't play in 336 of them (44%).

My point was to review games where Embiid might have been accused of ducking someone, not to show total percentage of games missed. The first two seasons where he played no games and the third where he only played 31 didn’t seem to have anything to do with that.

 

[Major]

Pistons without Cade beat OKC. May tell you something about his inherent value.

 

[msudaisy26]

Pistons without Cade beat OKC. May tell you something about his inherent value.

You really like your overreactions. It really doesn't.

 

[Major]

Pistons without Cade beat OKC. May tell you something about his inherent value.

You really like your overreactions. It really doesn't.

They haven't exactly won many games this year and to do it against the league's best may be telling. Time to trade him for a Center and a few expirings.

 

[msudaisy26]

Pistons without Cade beat OKC. May tell you something about his inherent value.

You really like your overreactions. It really doesn't.

They haven't exactly won many games this year and to do it against the league's best may be telling. Time to trade him for a Center and a few expirings.

Ahh so you just like trolling. Thanks for the update.

 

[Moe.]

The team who should really think about a trade in response to today’s game is the Thunder. They are ahead of schedule, blah blah blah, but Duren totally dominated the game today. Thunder did throw in the towel a little early I thought, but Minnesota at home tomorrow and Denver at home Wednesday. I don’t think dropping to the play-in is a risk, but no matter where they finish it’s going to be a tough round 1 matchup, especially so if they don’t do anything before the deadline

 

[msudaisy26]

The team who should really think about a trade in response to today’s game is the Thunder. They are ahead of schedule, blah blah blah, but Duren totally dominated the game today. Thunder did throw in the towel a little early I thought, but Minnesota at home tomorrow and Denver at home Wednesday. I don’t think dropping to the play-in is a risk, but no matter where they finish it’s going to be a tough round 1 matchup, especially so if they don’t do anything before the deadline

This is so very true. I am pretty sure this is the first winning team the Pistons have beaten all year. A lot of good teams rest people against the Pistons blow them out.

Plus in the west there aren't any gimme series in the playoffs. The one, two, three seeds most likely are drawing someone like the Lakers, Warriors, Mavs, Pelicans or Suns, or Kings in round one.

 

[Major]

Pistons without Cade beat OKC. May tell you something about his inherent value.

You really like your overreactions. It really doesn't.

They haven't exactly won many games this year and to do it against the league's best may be telling. Time to trade him for a Center and a few expirings.

Ahh so you just like trolling. Thanks for the update.

A bit of trolling but could be cause for concern. I often wonder if the Rockets are better off without Jalen Green.

My condolences to your city though. I posted this before the Lions debacle

 

[Spartans Rule]

Thread title

 

[Kev4029]

The team who should really think about a trade in response to today’s game is the Thunder. They are ahead of schedule, blah blah blah, but Duren totally dominated the game today. Thunder did throw in the towel a little early I thought, but Minnesota at home tomorrow and Denver at home Wednesday. I don’t think dropping to the play-in is a risk, but no matter where they finish it’s going to be a tough round 1 matchup, especially so if they don’t do anything before the deadline

If they could get Wendell Carter, I think that is who they should go after. He's big enough to be a real center and rebounds as such, he can step out a bit to shoot so he won't completely bog down their spacing, and he has the feet to move on the perimeter a bit so their defensive strategy wouldn't be totally trashed when they are playing him with Chet or one of their other small-ball 5s. Plus he's still only 24 and has a great contract, so he'll fit their timeline and salary.

 

[Capella]

The team who should really think about a trade in response to today’s game is the Thunder. They are ahead of schedule, blah blah blah, but Duren totally dominated the game today. Thunder did throw in the towel a little early I thought, but Minnesota at home tomorrow and Denver at home Wednesday. I don’t think dropping to the play-in is a risk, but no matter where they finish it’s going to be a tough round 1 matchup, especially so if they don’t do anything before the deadline

If they could get Wendell Carter, I think that is who they should go after. He's big enough to be a real center and rebounds as such, he can step out a bit to shoot so he won't completely bog down their spacing, and he has the feet to move on the perimeter a bit so their defensive strategy wouldn't be totally trashed when they are playing him with Chet or one of their other small-ball 5s. Plus he's still only 24 and has a great contract, so he'll fit their timeline and salary.

Why would the Magic trade him.

 

[msudaisy26]

The team who should really think about a trade in response to today’s game is the Thunder. They are ahead of schedule, blah blah blah, but Duren totally dominated the game today. Thunder did throw in the towel a little early I thought, but Minnesota at home tomorrow and Denver at home Wednesday. I don’t think dropping to the play-in is a risk, but no matter where they finish it’s going to be a tough round 1 matchup, especially so if they don’t do anything before the deadline

If they could get Wendell Carter, I think that is who they should go after. He's big enough to be a real center and rebounds as such, he can step out a bit to shoot so he won't completely bog down their spacing, and he has the feet to move on the perimeter a bit so their defensive strategy wouldn't be totally trashed when they are playing him with Chet or one of their other small-ball 5s. Plus he's still only 24 and has a great contract, so he'll fit their timeline and salary.

Why would the Magic trade him.

If a center is being traded you all don't stand a chance. He will be a Piston.

 

[Kev4029]

The team who should really think about a trade in response to today’s game is the Thunder. They are ahead of schedule, blah blah blah, but Duren totally dominated the game today. Thunder did throw in the towel a little early I thought, but Minnesota at home tomorrow and Denver at home Wednesday. I don’t think dropping to the play-in is a risk, but no matter where they finish it’s going to be a tough round 1 matchup, especially so if they don’t do anything before the deadline

If they could get Wendell Carter, I think that is who they should go after. He's big enough to be a real center and rebounds as such, he can step out a bit to shoot so he won't completely bog down their spacing, and he has the feet to move on the perimeter a bit so their defensive strategy wouldn't be totally trashed when they are playing him with Chet or one of their other small-ball 5s. Plus he's still only 24 and has a great contract, so he'll fit their timeline and salary.

Why would the Magic trade him.

The talks have died down after Carter came back from his injury the second time, but there were some rumors swirling about nationally around New Years because Goga and Wagner Sr were both playing so well and Carter is always hurt.

 

[thecatch]

The thought of sending out more draft capital than he’s getting in a trade might be physically painful to Presti.

 

[Hot Diggity Dog]

Joel Embiid has three games on the road vs. teams over .500 this season: Bucks in the opener, Thunder and Chet Holmgren's 208 lb. center, and Indiana this week. He has played 33 games.

Via Matt Moore on Twitter

This narrative is so funny. I mean do people really think Embiid is scared to play in some games?and if they do, is there any other player in the NBA scared to play games or this is all just the MVP of the league is the only one scared to play other teams.

Just is funny talk. Embiid gets crapped on for not getting out of 2nd round in playoffs, and at the same time gets crapped on for taking care of his body so he can be healthy for the playoffs

Taking this at face value, if Embiid does need all this time off how he is going to be able to play all the games in the playoffs? He is on pace to miss more than 20% of the season, how is he suddenly going to make it through 4 playoff series?

 

[Hot Diggity Dog]

II am aware of the history with Denver and I am aware of the narrative. I would have to see the full list of games he has missed over the last 4 years to feel more strongly about it. He has a lot of injuries just in general, so I still don’t think that it can be concluded that he is ducking, he is perfectly capable of just sulking around the court when better teams are beating him.

You can go look at his game logs on Basketball Reference as easy as I can. Go take a peek. He's not missing a chance to play the Pistons, Spurs, and their ilk on the road.

I have reviewed all of the logs and will be preparing a summary later. Everyone has been warned.

I actually forgot that the bb-ref game logs show all the team games, not just the one the play played in.

So, this is Embiid's 7th full season in the league. During that time, the Sixers have played 517 games. Embiid has missed 121 of them.

I categorized those 121 games by whether they were single games, 1 of a 2-game absence, the last game of an absence of 3 games or more, or the start or a middle of a 3-game absence or more. I deemed the first 3 categories to be potential "duck" games, which I think is generous. (Full transparency: There were 2 games that technically fit in cagtegory 3, but they were the last game of an extended west-coast trip, so I didn't think that they counted. I am also considering a 2017 game @ Denver to be a "duck" game even though Denver wasn't really a championship contender that year, since games in Denver are the main root of this narrative.)

59 of the 121 games missed could be considered "duck" games. Of those 59, there were 25 that I consider to be against a "good" team, which I count as either a clear home-court advantage playoff team or a clear lower-end playoff team. Those games break down as follows:

Top Contender (Away) - 13

Top Contender (Home) - 6

Solid Playoff Team (Away) - 5

Solid Playoff Team (Home) - 1

So 13-18 games in 7 years would fit into the conventional "ducking" narrative. That includes 3 games in Denver, 2 games in Memphis and 2 in Utah (also 1 in PHI vs. DEN and 2 vs. MEM). Those are the most disproportionately represented game conditions.

I would have to do the same thing with other top stars to determine whether this is really such an outlier, but on the surface, it is not obvious to me that it is. I still maintain that it feels like a bigger thing because of the high-profile games missed against Denver and the fact that Embiid is injured a lot.

I also agree with these points:

-It is totally bizarre that Embiid was not even listed on the injury report at all and then suddenly was listed as out.

-That the fact that Maxey and Harris (and others) were out led to an organizational decision to sit Embiid, who did have a legitimate injury that he re-aggravated in the Pacers' game that I saw as it happened.

-That when there is a choice in his overall health management, the Sixers' organization as a whole favors having him sit out games that they have a better than 50% chance to lose even if he plays.

Happy to share the data so that anyone can have their own forensic data teams conduct a full audit...

Something is going on. Coach Malone is questioning why Embiid didn't play. Talking heads on ESPN of all places are talking about it. If it is all just health related, I don't see the guy being able to play all the games in the playoffs necessary to win a Championship. Trade him now before his glass knees and ankles leave you high and dry Philly.

 

[SWC]

it’s been fun watching the knicks recently. obviously a cut below the big boys and the real contenders, but playing meaningful games is something that hasn’t been seen in a long time. i loved the anunoby deal and it seems a big win. they are a star away from being something maybe more, but finding that star is something else.

they are an owner away from being a team that i will ever actually consider liking he was a bad dude before and now hes named in a lawsuit accusing him of sex trafficking and assault call me when hes gone take that to the bank brohans

 

[Hot Diggity Dog]

Joel Embiid has three games on the road vs. teams over .500 this season: Bucks in the opener, Thunder and Chet Holmgren's 208 lb. center, and Indiana this week. He has played 33 games.

Via Matt Moore on Twitter

He 100% ducked that game. It’s embarrassing for the sport. ESPN spent a week hyping that game. Meanwhile two old guys in Lebron and Steph put on the game of the year.

He was out for warmups and the doctor didn’t like how he was moving with his knee hurt the other day. Denver isn’t a great place to play when hurt with the altitude.

What is the science of this? Embiid fears altitude sickness?

 

[SWC]

Joel Embiid has three games on the road vs. teams over .500 this season: Bucks in the opener, Thunder and Chet Holmgren's 208 lb. center, and Indiana this week. He has played 33 games.

Via Matt Moore on Twitter

This narrative is so funny. I mean do people really think Embiid is scared to play in some games?and if they do, is there any other player in the NBA scared to play games or this is all just the MVP of the league is the only one scared to play other teams.

Just is funny talk. Embiid gets crapped on for not getting out of 2nd round in playoffs, and at the same time gets crapped on for taking care of his body so he can be healthy for the playoffs

I don't think he's scared, I think some combination of the organization and Embiid personally are curating his schedule to avoid some difficult matchups.

Regarding the Nuggets specifically, yesterday sure felt like he was ducking the Nuggets. He wasn't on the injury report, he warmed up, then didn't come out with the team for pregame - then sat in the locker room until 5:50 left in the game then he comes out to sit on the bench.

Last season he 100%, unequivocally dodged the Nuggets in Denver to avoid a game which could have "lost" him the MVP. He played the 13 games before the Nuggets and the 5 after, but missed the game in Denver.

I could never imagine Hakeem ducking the great centers of the 90s. One of my favorite things was seeing him dominate every worthy opponent when media pundits were constantly hyping up Ewing, Robinson, Shaq, etc. Lets face it, Embiid is soft and a major reason why he fails come playoff time.

he should never have won the mvp he did win and thats a fact jack take that to the bank brohans

 

[General Malaise]

Thread title

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Joel Embiid has three games on the road vs. teams over .500 this season: Bucks in the opener, Thunder and Chet Holmgren's 208 lb. center, and Indiana this week. He has played 33 games.

Via Matt Moore on Twitter

This narrative is so funny. I mean do people really think Embiid is scared to play in some games?and if they do, is there any other player in the NBA scared to play games or this is all just the MVP of the league is the only one scared to play other teams.

Just is funny talk. Embiid gets crapped on for not getting out of 2nd round in playoffs, and at the same time gets crapped on for taking care of his body so he can be healthy for the playoffs

Taking this at face value, if Embiid does need all this time off how he is going to be able to play all the games in the playoffs? He is on pace to miss more than 20% of the season, how is he suddenly going to make it through 4 playoff series?

i mean, yes, this has literally been a question about Embiid every year and he has only had 1 year where he didn't get injured and miss games in the playoffs (though one was a freak thing with Siakam hitting him in the face).

 

[Jayrod]

On Embiid, everyone needs to relax. He's a 7' scoring/rebounding machine. He gets banged up because he spends a lot of games running into people and he's doing it all at 280 lbs with the same bone/ligament/tendon strength that you and I have. What regular season games he plays or doesn't play means nothing. He hasn't won in the playoffs because he has had crappy teams around him. Give him a healthy Jamal Murray, Michael Porter & Aaron Gordon and he'll win a ring as well. Jokic is a better all around player, but the difference is minimal enough that the supporting cast makes the difference.

On the scoring explosions/shooting fouls...I'd like to see the shooting fouls when the offense initiates the contact eliminated. I get the "legal guarding position" intent, but the NBA takes it to an extreme and offensive players are allowed to lean/jump into the defender and get FT's on a regular basis. It isn't good basketball and leads to a lot of these stupid high FT numbers. Allowing the defender an opportunity to maintain position when a dribbler is trying to turn the corner would even the playing field a bit. I feel like NBA players get bailed out too often when they try to force the action.

 

[the moops]

he's doing it all at 280 lbs with the same bone/ligament/tendon strength that you and I have

I find this unlikely

 

[Jayrod]

he's doing it all at 280 lbs with the same bone/ligament/tendon strength that you and I have

I find this unlikely

His cells form differently than other humans? The connective strength of human bone and tissue is the same regardless of the size of the human.

ETA: My causation hypothesis may not be completely accurate, but it is a scientific fact that taller and heavier people get injured more often than shorter and lighter.

 

[the moops]

he's doing it all at 280 lbs with the same bone/ligament/tendon strength that you and I have

I find this unlikely

His cells form differently than other humans? The connective strength of human bone and tissue is the same regardless of the size of the human.

ETA: My causation hypothesis may not be completely accurate, but it is a scientific fact that taller and heavier people get injured more often than shorter and lighter.

ligaments and tendons are stronger in world class athletes than the schlubs in this place

 

[Frostillicus]

he's doing it all at 280 lbs with the same bone/ligament/tendon strength that you and I have

I find this unlikely

His cells form differently than other humans? The connective strength of human bone and tissue is the same regardless of the size of the human.

ETA: My causation hypothesis may not be completely accurate, but it is a scientific fact that taller and heavier people get injured more often than shorter and lighter.

ligaments and tendons are stronger in world class athletes than the schlubs in this place

I have the strongest ligaments and tendons. Many doctors have told me this. The best doctors.

 

[Moe.]

The team who should really think about a trade in response to today’s game is the Thunder. They are ahead of schedule, blah blah blah, but Duren totally dominated the game today. Thunder did throw in the towel a little early I thought, but Minnesota at home tomorrow and Denver at home Wednesday. I don’t think dropping to the play-in is a risk, but no matter where they finish it’s going to be a tough round 1 matchup, especially so if they don’t do anything before the deadline

If they could get Wendell Carter, I think that is who they should go after. He's big enough to be a real center and rebounds as such, he can step out a bit to shoot so he won't completely bog down their spacing, and he has the feet to move on the perimeter a bit so their defensive strategy wouldn't be totally trashed when they are playing him with Chet or one of their other small-ball 5s. Plus he's still only 24 and has a great contract, so he'll fit their timeline and salary.

PJ Washington would be my preference but yeah, someone like that

 

[Stoneworker]

Something is going on. Coach Malone is questioning why Embiid didn't play. Talking heads on ESPN of all places are talking about it. If it is all just health related, I don't see the guy being able to play all the games in the playoffs necessary to win a Championship. Trade him now before his glass knees and ankles leave you high and dry Philly.

Just to clarify, Malone's main beef was the extremely short time between "active" and "inactive" status. Less than an hour, I believe. Legit beef or not, it caused a letdown among the Nuggets players and impacted the entire game plan. He wasn't questioning Embiid's toughness.

 

[msudaisy26]

Joel Embiid has three games on the road vs. teams over .500 this season: Bucks in the opener, Thunder and Chet Holmgren's 208 lb. center, and Indiana this week. He has played 33 games.

Via Matt Moore on Twitter

This narrative is so funny. I mean do people really think Embiid is scared to play in some games?and if they do, is there any other player in the NBA scared to play games or this is all just the MVP of the league is the only one scared to play other teams.

Just is funny talk. Embiid gets crapped on for not getting out of 2nd round in playoffs, and at the same time gets crapped on for taking care of his body so he can be healthy for the playoffs

Taking this at face value, if Embiid does need all this time off how he is going to be able to play all the games in the playoffs? He is on pace to miss more than 20% of the season, how is he suddenly going to make it through 4 playoff series?

i mean, yes, this has literally been a question about Embiid every year and he has only had 1 year where he didn't get injured and miss games in the playoffs (though one was a freak thing with Siakam hitting him in the face).

We call this the Doc Rivers effect. Closeout game up 30 with 4 minutes left and has all his starters in.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

The team who should really think about a trade in response to today’s game is the Thunder. They are ahead of schedule, blah blah blah, but Duren totally dominated the game today. Thunder did throw in the towel a little early I thought, but Minnesota at home tomorrow and Denver at home Wednesday. I don’t think dropping to the play-in is a risk, but no matter where they finish it’s going to be a tough round 1 matchup, especially so if they don’t do anything before the deadline

If they could get Wendell Carter, I think that is who they should go after. He's big enough to be a real center and rebounds as such, he can step out a bit to shoot so he won't completely bog down their spacing, and he has the feet to move on the perimeter a bit so their defensive strategy wouldn't be totally trashed when they are playing him with Chet or one of their other small-ball 5s. Plus he's still only 24 and has a great contract, so he'll fit their timeline and salary.

PJ Washington would be my preference but yeah, someone like that

Pj washington is not going to help them not get dominated inside. I suppose a more rugged rim protector could be useful as another option, but I’m not sure that it’s totally necessary. I actually think that the most useful thing in the playoffs for them might be another pure shot creator who could help when teams can really lock in on their offensive system.

 

[Mister CIA]

Block or a steal?

https://x.com/projectspurs/status/1752148764796559513?s=20

 

[Moe.]

The team who should really think about a trade in response to today’s game is the Thunder. They are ahead of schedule, blah blah blah, but Duren totally dominated the game today. Thunder did throw in the towel a little early I thought, but Minnesota at home tomorrow and Denver at home Wednesday. I don’t think dropping to the play-in is a risk, but no matter where they finish it’s going to be a tough round 1 matchup, especially so if they don’t do anything before the deadline

If they could get Wendell Carter, I think that is who they should go after. He's big enough to be a real center and rebounds as such, he can step out a bit to shoot so he won't completely bog down their spacing, and he has the feet to move on the perimeter a bit so their defensive strategy wouldn't be totally trashed when they are playing him with Chet or one of their other small-ball 5s. Plus he's still only 24 and has a great contract, so he'll fit their timeline and salary.

PJ Washington would be my preference but yeah, someone like that

Pj washington is not going to help them not get dominated inside. I suppose a more rugged rim protector could be useful as another option, but I’m not sure that it’s totally necessary. I actually think that the most useful thing in the playoffs for them might be another pure shot creator who could help when teams can really lock in on their offensive system.

I don’t think Chet the 5 is the problem in a vacuum, it’s Chet at the 5 with Jalen at the 4. It’s just not enough. I’d rather them go the direction of someone like Washington over Poeltl. I agree with the rugged rim protector not being necessary.

 

[Frostillicus]

Youngest players to score 6,000 points in the NBA:

1. Lebron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Anthony Edwards

 

[General Malaise]

Ben Simmons returned with a near triple double.

 

[scoobus]

Youngest players to score 6,000 points in the NBA:

1. Lebron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Anthony Edwards

#4?

 

[General Malaise]

Youngest players to score 6,000 points in the NBA:

1. Lebron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Anthony Edwards

#4?

Minnesota great Chone Figgins?

 

[Moe.]

I think it’s Gerry McNamara

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Ben Simmons returned with a near triple double.

He looked good, played with confidence and without any tentativeness.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Ben Simmons returned with a near triple double.

He looked good, played with confidence and without any tentativeness.

In only 18 minutes as well.

The all time record for least minutes played to get a triple double is 20.