Playoffs Thread

Hell even milking 27 wins out of that 13/14 Lakers team was an accomplishment just look at the roster.

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Originally Posted by Taker597

Denver was down 3-1 in this series, right?

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Utah choked hard. Atlanta level choke.

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Originally Posted by NOMan78

Utah choked hard. Atlanta level choke.

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Hard fought game 7 on both sides but yes Utah let it slip. Where is our Quinn Snyder fans at?

People say that Utah choked, but in reality Utah outpunched it’s weight class. They were down Conley for 1 game, and Bogdonavic the entire season. If anything this should put Utah on people’s radar for next year.

I am a Quin Snyder fan, and I think he had his team in a great position to play. I would still hire him 9 days a week.

Miami plays hard. Looks like they play a different sport from the Pelicans.

Goran finally getting the recognition he deserves too

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Originally Posted by Pelifan

Miami plays hard. Looks like they play a different sport from the Pelicans.

Goran finally getting the recognition he deserves too

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Until the bubble, he was coming off the bench. If we had a 1 who could do just 75% of what Dragic does, I'd be ecstatic.

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Originally Posted by Pelifan

Miami plays hard. Looks like they play a different sport from the Pelicans.

Goran finally getting the recognition he deserves too

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Did the just rest Goran until the playoffs?
Why isn't Nunn starting anymore?

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Originally Posted by AUSSIE_PELICAN

Did the just rest Goran until the playoffs?
Why isn't Nunn starting anymore?

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I think Nunn left the bubble but don't quote me. I know he's back now.

Boy, I’m glad we drafted Jaxson over Tyler.

Jimmy Butler came awfully close to pulling a Russell Westbrook Tonight.

''It's Russell Westbrook time'' - Russell Westbrook

[this is not a good thing]

I want OKC to win this so badly because it would be the funniest possible outcome.

That is OKC ball. James Harden touched the ball in the air before he reestablished position in bounds.

James Harden with a clutch defensive play in crunch time... Okay.... The bubble playoff needs an asterisk

Not a Chris Paul hater - but that was not a clutch possession with it ALL on the line right there. no idea where he was passing it. That should be his ball, his moment.

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Originally Posted by neworleanshoo

Not a Chris Paul hater - but that was not a clutch possession with it ALL on the line right there. no idea where he was passing it. That should be his ball, his moment.

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Yeah... that whole play just looked horrible.

CP is a rapscallion

— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) September 3, 2020

That was some ugly basketball tonight from some of the game's best.

Lol what was that

Chris Paul played like a complete ********** in that final minute.

Lakers vs. Rockets... It's like when two Pokemon with got weakness to each other attack... It's gonna be wild.

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Originally Posted by Taker597

Lakers vs. Rockets... It's like when two Pokemon with got weakness to each other attack... It's gonna be wild.

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I actually think the Rockets are better suited to take on a team like the Lakers than they were the Thunder.

The Thunder have about 3 and a half good players on the entire roster, but Houston is very weak to good guard play because they have a priority on team defense, but don't really have anyone who is a true point of attack super-defender, so against a team that featured Chris Paul and (to a lesser extent) SGA, they struggled a lot. That's why it went a close 7 games despite the Rockets being (to most people) the clear better team.

By comparison, the Lakers don't have real guard play. They have no quality guards to speak of, really, especially not the kind who can create off the bounce for themselves. Yes, they have Lebron who often plays a PG on offense, but even he's more of a driver than the type of guy who creates dynamite pullups, which is something that team defense can help with a lot. If Lebron does decide to try and pull the shots from a distance then hey, you live with that. If you lose to Lebron shooting pullup 19 footers then that's just what you have to deal with.

I also think that, assuming your team has a good basic system in place, there are two super important things for a coach to do in the playoffs.

1) Play your best players and best lineups as often as possible, for as long as possible without overworking them.
2) Make constant adjustments to counter the other team and maximise your advantages while minimising theirs.

The problem the Bucks have is that Bud is a really really good coach, especially in the regular season, and he has a really great basic system for them to run, but he is not very good at these two things.

He minutes manages in close playoff games like it's game 6 of the regular season and he's trying to keep Giannis' minutes down. It's just not the right approach when every single game counts. Giannis is averaging about 32 minutes per game in the playoffs, and this is down from 34 per game last year. This makes sense if the Bucks are just demolishing everyone and he's getting to sit in blowouts but that's not what's happening. Bud just doesn't like the idea of playing Giannis 38 or 40 minutes, which I understand,, but if you're ever going to do it, the playoffs is the time.

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Originally Posted by Taker597

Chris Paul played like a complete ********** in that final minute.

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Disagree strongly. Paul wasn't great down the strecth (even though he and Dort were literally carrying the team up to that point) but this loss falls entirely on the corpse of Steven Adams, and Billy Donovan for playing the corpse of Steven Adams late (and really, for most of the series). Dude is a complete negative on both ends of the court in this series, and Donovan continued to give him run when the obvious play was to move to Bazley/Noel at the 5. The last two possessions are inexcusable, all Adams had to do was cut to the basket for the alley but doesn't even have the requisite IQ to recognize something as novel as that. Not to mention Schroeder was wide open in the corner both times and Shai somehow didn't see him (even though he's like, directly in his line of sight). If im being honest everyone playing for the Thunder blew this game outside of CP & Dort.

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Originally Posted by Funcrusher

Disagree strongly. Paul wasn't great down the strecth (even though he and Dort were literally carrying the team up to that point) but this loss falls entirely on the corpse of Steven Adams, and Billy Donovan for playing the corpse of Steven Adams late (and really, for most of the series). Dude is a complete negative on both ends of the court in this series, and Donovan continued to give him run when the obvious play was to move to Bazley/Noel at the 5. The last two possessions are inexcusable, all Adams had to do was cut to the basket for the alley but doesn't even have the requisite IQ to recognize something as novel as that. Not to mention Schroeder was wide open in the corner both times and Shai somehow didn't see him (even though he's like, directly in his line of sight). If im being honest everyone playing for the Thunder blew this game outside of CP & Dort.

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Mostly agree. Was CP3 picture perfect the end of the game? Nah, you can nitpick.

But Adams had no business being on the floor the entire last 5 minutes, and that's on Adams partly but also Donovan more significantly. Bazley was far from a miracle worker this series but he had been better than Adams was playing in that game. Schroeder was awful all series.

Blaming CP3 for this loss would be absurd. He's far down on the list of people to blame.

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Originally Posted by UNO Gracias

Boy, I’m glad we drafted Jaxson over Tyler.

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Hindsight makes that easy to claim.

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Originally Posted by PELICANSFAN

Hindsight makes that easy to claim.

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It's also kind of a poor comparison because when we drafted Jax, it was mostly on potential. He had played relatively little basketball in highschool, and wasn't a big minutes starter in college either. It was all ''we know what this guy has as tools, let's see if we can get it out of him''.

Herro, by comparison, was seen generally as a fairly polished player with an established skillset coming out of college, and to a large extent that has translated. Yes, he's been more impactful than Jax as a rookie, but Jax wasn't drafted to be impactful as a rookie: half the fanbase thought he was gonna get redshirted entirely. Herro, by comparison, was drafted to be a plug-and-play, NBA ready guy.

Different situations entirely.

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Originally Posted by UNO Gracias

Glad to hear you are well. I will be in your area this weekend cutting up tree limbs and clean up. DM me if you or anyone you know needs help cleaning up. I volunteer with my church group, and I can put your name on the list.

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You're awesome, man!

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

It's also kind of a poor comparison because when we drafted Jax, it was mostly on potential. He had played relatively little basketball in highschool, and wasn't a big minutes starter in college either. It was all ''we know what this guy has as tools, let's see if we can get it out of him''.

Herro, by comparison, was seen generally as a fairly polished player with an established skillset coming out of college, and to a large extent that has translated. Yes, he's been more impactful than Jax as a rookie, but Jax wasn't drafted to be impactful as a rookie: half the fanbase thought he was gonna get redshirted entirely. Herro, by comparison, was drafted to be a plug-and-play, NBA ready guy.

Different situations entirely.

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This. IF Hayes can add a tight handle to his game, he’ll be a foul drawing, finishing at the rim with ease, MACHINE!! The upside for sure is there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I said it when we drafted JAX.

You don't go from a high school back-up to an NBA caliber player in two years. When drafted, he was three years away from being NBA-ready (I even argued that he should be assigned to Erie). That said, I praised the pick and it would take a lot for me to move him (there is simply too much upside to ignore). But with his limited playing experience, he does not have a 'feel' for the game. Everything he does (especially defensively) is very mechanical and he is very unsure of himself. You can see this every time a foul is called on him. That, "what did I do wrong" look on his face is not by coincidence. Though is frame is slight (that will work itself out with maturity), his footwork is atrocious as evidenced by his inability to defend, boxout and rebound.

I think he has a chance to be a real game changer...but right now he changes the game in the wrong direction save for the occasional highlight reel dunk..

For Best Portrayal in the Nutcracker, the Oscar Award goes to KYLE LOWERY.

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Originally Posted by As I See It

For Best Portrayal in the Nutcracker, the Oscar Award goes to KYLE LOWERY.

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That was a hell of a finish

Budenholzer is just so garbage at 2 of the most vital playoff skills a coach can have.

Brilliant regular season coach. Great system. But he's too ideologically wedded to that system to make the necessary changes in the playoffs: either his roster has the ability to overcome his coaching issues or it doesn't, but that's the deciding factor, not the coaching mind game. Cause when he runs into a coach who really does that stuff, like Spoelstra or Nurse, he just gets mopped up.

This series is a great example. Down 2-0, he played Giannis 36 minutes game 2, 37 minutes game 1, and he's on pace to play Giannis 32 minutes game 3.

Meanwhile, Toronto has 34 year old Kyle Lowry playing 46 minutes when they're down 2-0 because Nurse knows that's the only way they're going to win.

Giannis is 25 years old and does not have significant injury history. If he has to average 41 minutes a game to win this series, you have to play him 41 minutes a game: no use trying to keep it down to 34 if the end result is elimination and you end up saving him for nothing.

Play your best players, together, for as many minutes as is possible. How is this so difficult?

Jimmy Butler is gonna have to show up...

Somebody alert the news media.

Coach Bud has made an adjustment.

Took him 11 quarters but he's done it. By God.

It's a one possession game with less than 7 minutes on the clock. If the Bucks lose this game, they're down 0-3: that's a killer.

Giannis has played 28 minutes.

Bud has him benched.

What a collapse

Sounds wild to think about Bud getting fired, but might he? You've got to think there's some discomfort in the Bucks organisation. Giannis is a year away from free agency and this is the second post-season in a row that they're truly underachieving, and a huge part of why is Budenholzer's inflexible coaching style and obsession with minutes management. He's legitimately a big part of their problem at this point.

The refusal to play Giannis 40 minutes under any circumstances might be a bigger problem for the Bucks than any individual roster issue.

It's just baffling to me that in the 3rd quarter Bud finally made an adjustment to create some motion and get Giannis moving without the ball, it started to create some opportunities, and then at the start of the 4th Bud sat Giannis and apparently just forgot about that idea entirely.

Brought him back in, stagnation's returned, Miami are putting the hurt on Milwaukee, and Bud just watches.

Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful

But hey, at least Giannis only played 35 minutes. Khris Middleton only 36. Thank GOD, they have to save their energy for their fishing vacation next week. Jesus Christ.

Anyway Celtics are winning the chip

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Anyway Celtics are winning the chip

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Nahhhhhhh...

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Originally Posted by Taker597

Nahhhhhhh...

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I mean, that was a knee-jerk comment.

I don't think it's impossible though. Bucks have been a monstrous disappointment. Don't see the Lakers as an overwhelming force or anything. Neither the Clippers. Raptors are the best coached team left in the playoffs but Celtics have the roster superiority.

Getting big ''David Robinson wins the MVP only to get absolutely worked by Hakeem in the playoffs'' vibes from Bucks/Heat except it's not even Giannis' fault that they're getting worked. At least not entirely.

Sad!

Budenholzer says Giannis/Middleton playign 35-36 minutes is “pushing the ceiling”…wow

— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) September 5, 2020

Clown mentality

Giannis in response to a question from @eric_nehm: "I feel great. Yeah, I could play more."

— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) September 5, 2020

lol

Giannis all but telling us

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Budenholzer says Giannis/Middleton playign 35-36 minutes is “pushing the ceiling”…wow

— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) September 5, 2020

Clown mentality

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Lol... What!?

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Originally Posted by Taker597

Lol... What!?

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Dude has to be getting fired tbh

Inexcusable to do this kind of thing. A fundamental inability to understand playoff basketball.

Lakers vs Rockets is a rare series where the Lakers should be playing 2 bigs. They don't have the perimeter defense to lock Harden down, let alone Harden and Russ together but we all know they're happy to take a million bad threes and long 2s if you let them.

So let them, and focus on preventing drives.

Westbrook is alive.

Imagine that 19 year old rookie Zion was roasting this same PJ Tucker...looking like an all world defender tonight...:D