2023-2024 NBA Season Thread • Page 657

Rude

 

The reason why Boston is so successful doing it is that they can credibly play five out on offense, which means that there is more space for the Dallas help to cover and the Mavs’ good rim protectors aren’t near the rim.

When Luka gets cooked by Anthony Edwards, Lively/ Gafford can quickly hedge off of Gobert and allow Luka to recover.

With Boston, when Luka gets cooked, the hedge has to come from the three point line. And Boston either beats the help to the rim for a dunk or whips the ball around and Dallas is in a pure scramble. And Boston are built to shoot those 3’s.

OKC is probably the only team the Mavs played who could have put Luka in similar trouble. They definitely should have done that more.

 

Just like a movie, if the ending is bad the whole thing seems like a waste of time.

 

Knicks and Sixers was pretty fun at times along with Knicks and pacers minus the injuries at the end

 

OKC don’t shoot 3’s like Boston and they really need to. Especially SGA

 

That's a fair point, too. And I almost considered editing my post to point that out lol.

OKC were 16th in the NBA in 3PA. They are on the SA track from a few years ago where they don't shoot a ton of 3's but they make the ones they do shoot at a really good clip. But that also makes it difficult to switch gears and just jack up more 3's when needed in the playoffs.

The Wolves shot even less 3's than OKC per game, and they didn't make anywhere near as many. So that made it really difficult to punish the Mavs because they were comfortable sagging off of guys to help Luka.

 

Every season is seemingly the same thing:

- hype for season to start
- Feb/Mar: this is boring get to the playoffs
- playoffs: I hate these teams end the season already
- playoffs end: I miss basketball why isn’t there any wtf

 

You hate to see it

 

I wonder if the beer would have helped his defense lol

 

could it honestly make it any worse

 

I genuinely thought him fouling out would help last night. Like "you only need one or two buckets, Kyrie can get that for you and now you can have 4.25 defenders"

 

I think he does certain things really well and has proven that since the all-star break and in the first few rounds of the playoffs, but he absolutely does not match up well with guys like Jaylen, nor do most guys in the league, he's a beast. I think people are glossing over the fact that this is Boston's lowest scoring series of the playoffs. Luka has seemed less engaged for sure, but I don't think his defense is the biggest issue here. The one or two guys who were showing up in the other series' have completely disappeared and Kidd is doing some absolutely bone headed things with lineups, schemes, and coaching (who the fuck calls a timeout when you're on a 20-2 run and why do you keep running a defensive scheme that isn't working?). Anyways, I'm just proud we made it this far with how things looked before the all-star break and think we have a super solid core to improve with next year.

 

Ultimately, I've come to accept that this Boston team is just really good.

 

last comment is I hope more than anything that Luka doesn't try and play in the Olympics after the beating he has taken lmao

 

Would be shocked if he didn’t play in the Olympics imo

 

Oh! I see something we can turn into a controversy when it's not one lol

 

Windhorst sucks but he was correct.

 

Kidd is on borrowed time

 

I am of the mindset that everyone healthy, this Celtics team handles the 08 Celtics relatively easily.

 

I'll continue to hate Boston sports, but I'll be happy for a bunch of guys on this Celtics team (Tatum, Jrue, White, etc.)

Also certainly don't mind that Joe Mazzulla will deny Kidd of the title.

Now, they just need to finish it off on Friday, so the Sixers (and everyone else) can start negotiating with their own FA on Saturday.

 

lmao he just signed an extension

 

lol well maybe not then

 

i know but man the guy needs to rest. i get wanting to play for your country, but he is broken right now