Ish Smith sighting again in playoffs
Issssssshhhhh
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Ish Smith sighting again in playoffs
Issssssshhhhh
Beal is playing amazingly well
Hurry up and get him Griff
Westbrook's descent from 90% of NBA fans viewing him as a super fantastic, intense, underdog super-competitor into about 70% of NBA fans viewing him as the definition of bark and no bite has been rapid.
Just three or four years ago, the vast majority of people were over-awed at his intense playstyle, his overt displays of expression, and the gaudy triple doubles.
These days, he racks up box score stats like a maniac and barely anyone cares. General consensus is that if you need someone to fill a box score up, he's your man, but if you actually want to win games he's far far far down on the list.
I really don't think Beal's getting traded. At every turn, both the Wizards and Beal himself have doubled down on him staying there. Neither of them have ever said anything that indicates they want to move on, they made an all-in move by going to get Westbrook (say what you want about Westbrook and Wall but at least Westbrook can be relied on to play), and they extended Beal through 2023 for $37m a year.
The only evidence there is that the Wizards and Beal might be parting ways seems to be in the form of wishful thinking.
Could it happen? Stranger things have, but I think just assuming Beal will be moved as an inevitability is a bit weird.
This game has to be disheartening for Wizards fans.
They shoot 56/44/83 as a team, Westbrook doesn't jack up threes, Beal's on his highest efficiency mode overall, only 14 turnovers (which isn't great but isn't outlier bad), they win the rebounding battle (40-39), Embiid spends half the game settling for jumpers and doesn't even play 30 minutes, Ben Simmons shoots 3/9 from the field and 0/5 from the line, the Sixers shoot 31% from 3, and the Wizards still lose.
Hard loss to swallow. A lot went well for the Wizards this game and it just didn't matter.
Okay, Lakers/Suns, Lebron looks awake lol
Also will be fun because both guys 100% think, "I got this" when that situation materializes, regardless who is on the other side.
— Eustacchio Raulli (@EVR1022) May 23, 2021
Lebron and CP3 are going to have the ref-argument of a lifetime this series. Someone's going to pop a blood vessel.
The way this first half has gone so far is why I don't get those people who expected a Lakers landslide.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's silly to pick the Lakers overall in the series, I think that's fair: the Lakers have the best individual player, and may (when he can find it in himself to be motivated) have the best two players in the series, and it's hard to pick against that. If you have Lakers in 6 or Lakers in 7, I think that's a justifiable and defensible position.
But there have been so many people claiming it'll be Lakers in a landslide and I just find that really hard to imagine. Phoenix has the talent, with CP3 and Booker and Ayton, to keep things relatively close in the Lebron minutes, and then it's no mystery that the Lebronless, AD-led minutes have always been rough for the Lakers and the Suns have capitalised on that so far.
Given such an obvious strategic advantage for the Suns, it's hard to imagine them not taking at least a game or two. Especially cause, while the Lakers have the talent advantage at the top end, it's not like CP3/Booker/Ayton is a scrub trio, and they arguably have the better depth.
I'm a few minutes behind on the feed and oh no.
That's bad.
Well if Chris Paul is seriously injured that obviously changes everything.
What the hell is with his luck? Every playoffs it seems like this happens to him. Who did he annoy to get cursed like this
Sometimes, Davis can be the most invisible superstar in sports.
Suns star Chris Paul is available to return and play in Game 1 vs. Lakers.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 23, 2021
Okay good
CHRIS PAUL IS BACK ON THE FLOOR LADIES AND GENTS.
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) May 23, 2021
Suns fans don’t like E'Twaun Moore either?
Andre Drummond just caught a ball, had three obvious passes, looked at all three of them, and instead decided to dribble directly into his defender first.
Decision making >>>>
I'll be honest, watching so many young stars in the playoffs this year is kinda bittersweet. Like yeah it's great to see new faces like Devin Booker and Ja Morant, but it's like.....Zion should be there too. I know it's a process and they'll be there one day, but......I don't know. Maybe I'm being greedy.
CP3 threading the needle for an extremely tight window only to have it end in a 10ft floater from Dario Saric is one of life's cruellest jokes.
Neither CP3 nor Lebron actually look that healthy, honestly.
Free throws in the first half
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 23, 2021
17 — Lakers
0 — Suns pic.twitter.com/4xjmF8g8Za
Suns have 34 points in the paint too, it's not like they've just been jacking threes.
Andre Drummond has the processing speed of a particularly lackadaisical turtle
Also there are going to be suspensions for Game 2.
I'm guessing CP3 and Ayton will be suspended for the Suns - Ayton stepped on court, after all - and, to feign objectivity, maybe Harrell too.
Chris Paul is not right after injury
Good win for Monty . Transforming this team in just 2 years.
Absolutely.
Luckily for the Suns, Ayton has decided tonight would be a good night to make AD look like an idiot, so they're managing to maintain the lead.
If CP3's injury really plagues him though, that could be the competitiveness of this series out of the window.
Demps was also the one who found and hired Monty for his first head coaching job.
Monty also admitted that he had to change some of his stubborn views and adapt. Which is why CP signed with them after that conversation. I have actual unhidden sources for that info...:hihi:
Was nice to see the Suns swarming TEAM defense not allow Lebron to just violate them play after play. Unlike another team we know.
Hopefully this team gets there soon.
The Garden is unreal right now. Packed arenas are back. Deafening noise. Can you imagine the Blender right now if we actually were not a 7 year rebuild and in playoffs? You think Zion is noticing this right now too?
How do you think Zion feels right now RJ Barrett is playing in a packed loud playoff game at MSG righ now?
On that note Randle has been non existent for NY so far. Let’s see if he wakes up in 2nd half
Randle has awoken
So happy for Trae dude is a beast.
Looking at the Suns after 10 years of rebuilding and the Knicks after 8
''Wow these sure were some quick 2 year rebuilds!'' :rolleyes:
Nate McMillian did not meet Griff’s coaching criteria. Young was a beast tonight.
An interesting thing that showed up in this Knicks/Hawks game is how anodyne the Knicks offense is. It was a problem for them all year - they were kept going by a really great defense, but their offense was bottom 10 the entire season - and now in the playoffs it will be interesting to see how they put up points on a consistent basis. Obviously Randle won't shoot 6/24 every night, but neither will Alec Burks shoot 9/13; they're going to need to try and find some consistency.
The ability of a team to generate high value looks consistently really seems to be one of the core playoff values; if you just can't do it, you're likely not going anywhere fast.
Oh I know, I just think it's silly to watch a team 10 years into a rebuild making its playoff debut (Devin Booker's first playoff trip, 6 years in, for example) and praise the quick turnaround on the rebuild.
The rebuild in Phoenix didn't start when Monty arrived. Both Ayton and Booker, for example, had both already been drafted and been working there as part of that core rebuild before Monty got hired. He, and the acquisition of CP3, were not the start of rebuild; rather, they were the finishing touches.
Assuming a rebuild starts at the end is a very convenient way of trying to make it look quick, but unfortunately it just doesn't match reality.