Everything Playoffs 2022 (Non-Raptors Thread)

[saints91]

I would say pairing three top 25 guys together constitutes a super team. One must be in the top 10 though. I think it also has to be a manufactured team as well. I think if it’s a home grown team like the 80’s Celtics or the 80’s Lakers, Bulls (maybe the Rodman years puts them over the line). or even the Spurs it doesn’t count.

Lebron’s Cavs team was a super team IMO. Love was a perennial all-star double double guy.

[Primer]

Sorry Demo, there's absolutely no vindication for Tim W to be had here. He projected Wiggins to be a sure-fire Batman, when in fact, he turned out to be a nice Robin. We already had our Robins in Pascal and Lowry. Tim W still remains... Tim L.

I mean not even Robin. Their team isn't a 2-piece. Keeping the comic book analogy going he's like Cyborg on the Justice League. Cool in spurts but it's really Superman doing all the heavy lifting.

Also we saw Wiggins as lead dog and it did not result in a championship. It was a very bad team. Tim W was also all about Jabari Parker too, it was a can't miss draft, so yeah he's still a total buffoon.

[planetmars]

I don't think we're far off each other in our definitions. Except AS games (especially those with team quotas or popularity components) should never be used to define greatness.

Celtics were the first modern day super team. Then Miami did it in brazen collusion. lebron attempted it again in LA, Ballmer tried his version with the Clippers and then the Nets did the same. It's not worked out for most of them.

GSW, with the exception of the Durant Chip have done it the right way, more the old Spurs way. Celtics now too.
The modern day buddy-ups cheapen the ring imo.

I used all-nba not all-star. All-nba is a lot more legit, as there is no fan voting. Wade was legit in 2011. He fell off a cliff not too long after though.

I don't consider that Celtics team with KG, Allen and Pierce a super team. Pierce wasn't quite a top 5 player. But I am splitting hairs there since Allen was still a really, really good player.

And I do agree that Balmer wanted to create something.. I just think he missed the mark. George isn't a super star. And they had nobody else to play 3rd fiddle.

GSW with KD was definitely a super team. I agree.

[G__Deane]

You have to define what "elite" is though. I don't think you can be too broad in that definition. Kevin Love was absolutely not elite. Neither was Kyrie when the Cavs won. I don't think Kyrie was ever really elite. He wasn't ever an MVP candidate or a type 5-7 player in the league. He made the all-nba second team in 2019. That was his peak there. He's a really good player, but elite and very good should have a pretty sizable gap.

Wade was a 2010 all-nba first team selection.. so in that sense he was a top 5 player when Lebron joined him.

I think you need 2 of some of the greatest players in the game on the team at the same time. And by greatest I mean guys that are all-nba first team every other year. Like hall of fame locks. Guys that should carry their own team to a championship on their own. The league usually has 4-5 guys like this every year. Harden doesn't fit that this year. Kyrie doesn't either. George doesn't either.

This season there were no super teams in my opinion. Mostly because Lebron and Davis were both old and hurt.

A super team example would be if Giannis went to Dallas to play with Luka. Or Jokic played with KD. Or Embiid played with Curry. Those would be super teams. An out of shape Harden who doesn't give a sh!t anymore is no longer "elite" IMO.

I don't think we're far off each other in our definitions. Except AS games (especially those with team quotas or popularity components) should never be used to define greatness.

Celtics were the first modern day super team. Then Miami did it in brazen collusion. lebron attempted it again in LA, Ballmer tried his version with the Clippers and then the Nets did the same. It's not worked out for most of them.

GSW, with the exception of the Durant Chip have done it the right way, more the old Spurs way. Celtics now too.
The modern day buddy-ups cheapen the ring imo.

[Demographic Shift]

Sorry Demo, there's absolutely no vindication for Tim W to be had here. He projected Wiggins to be a sure-fire Batman, when in fact, he turned out to be a nice Robin. We already had our Robins in Pascal and Lowry. Tim W still remains... Tim L.

Time heals all wounds... even those from the epic tong wars on tank vs no tank.
Happy for Wiggins. ...
and
In the spirit of truth and reconciliation Tim W's name gets a small mention on page 36 of the Sunday classifieds right after the used lawn mower ads as being right on Wiggins ability.

A little something for the greatest tank commander of all time.

[planetmars]

Well you would have had to quality you definition then

A super team to me is the current buddy up system where two or more elite players (along with a 3rd very good player usually) sign or collude to play together.

By your definition, was lebron in Miami with Wade a super team? Not sure if Wade was top 5 in the league then but they were the very definition of a super team. Nets were a super team this year but But neither Harden nor Irving or Simmons are top 5 with Durant. GSW sure was the best team this year but not because Wiggins, Green or Klay are top 5....

You have to define what "elite" is though. I don't think you can be too broad in that definition. Kevin Love was absolutely not elite. Neither was Kyrie when the Cavs won. I don't think Kyrie was ever really elite. He wasn't ever an MVP candidate or a type 5-7 player in the league. He made the all-nba second team in 2019. That was his peak there. He's a really good player, but elite and very good should have a pretty sizable gap.

Wade was a 2010 all-nba first team selection.. so in that sense he was a top 5 player when Lebron joined him.

I think you need 2 of some of the greatest players in the game on the team at the same time. And by greatest I mean guys that are all-nba first team every other year. Like hall of fame locks. Guys that should carry their own team to a championship on their own. The league usually has 4-5 guys like this every year. Harden doesn't fit that this year. Kyrie doesn't either. George doesn't either.

This season there were no super teams in my opinion. Mostly because Lebron and Davis were both old and hurt.

A super team example would be if Giannis went to Dallas to play with Luka. Or Jokic played with KD. Or Embiid played with Curry. Those would be super teams. An out of shape Harden who doesn't give a sh!t anymore is no longer "elite" IMO.

[G__Deane]

Global is one thing.. but just casual North Americans seem to have less interest. What were the NBA ratings like with Giannis in the finals though? I bet it wasn't all that great.

A super team has to have at least 2 of the best 5 players in the league on the same team. Lakers had that in 2020 and won it all. But it was in the bubble. George isn't a top 5 player in the league, and neither is Harden anymore.

Well you would have had to quality you definition then

A super team to me is the current buddy up system where two or more elite players (along with a 3rd very good player usually) sign or collude to play together.

By your definition, was lebron in Miami with Wade a super team? Not sure if Wade was top 5 in the league then but they were the very definition of a super team. Nets were a super team this year but But neither Harden nor Irving or Simmons are top 5 with Durant. GSW sure was the best team this year but not because Wiggins, Green or Klay are top 5....

[LJ2]

I honestly don’t think we are that far off from the Celtics. Their top 6 is better than ours but I think we are also a bit behind in our development trajectory.

Tatum (24), Brown (25), Williams(24), Horford (36), White (27), Smart (28), and a bunch of middling bench guys

Pascal (28), Fred (28), OG(24), Scottie (20), GTJ (23), Precious (22), and a less than middling bench guys.

So we need to hit on our picks to find decent role players to round out our bench. At a minimum we need to see 2 of the 4 youngest players take a leap in their improvement (Scottie, Precious, OG, and GTJ). Which seems realistic.

I think we are about 2-3 years away from having a legit contender… that’s also counting on this team to stay together.

Boston is the team I've been comparing the Raps to as well. Most likely one of OG or Trent won't be a part of this team when they are ready to contend from the talk around the forum.

Also due to the age gap there is an opportunity at some point to flip Siakam and FVV to pair Barnes up with another star. Lots of ways it can go.

[saints91]

I honestly don’t think we are that far off from the Celtics. Their top 6 is better than ours but I think we are also a bit behind in our development trajectory.

Tatum (24), Brown (25), Williams(24), Horford (36), White (27), Smart (28), and a bunch of middling bench guys

Pascal (28), Fred (28), OG(24), Scottie (20), GTJ (23), Precious (22), and a less than middling bench guys.

So we need to hit on our picks to find decent role players to round out our bench. At a minimum we need to see 2 of the 4 youngest players take a leap in their improvement (Scottie, Precious, OG, and GTJ). Which seems realistic.

I think we are about 2-3 years away from having a legit contender… that’s also counting on this team to stay together.

[chris]

I meant the best regular season record too

oh ok. sorry i was confused because you said you could see the warriors taking it and i was talking about the east, though i see in my original post that i did not actually specify that

[chris]

Could also be the Nets as they were the top team before everything collapsed due to plethora of reasons. Lots of good pieces remain on that team.

certainly a possibility. they've also been heavy favorites two years running but have instead been a pretty dysfunctional mess. if i had to put my money on one team to come out of the east right now, i wouldn't pick them. but they definitely have the talent to do it and it wouldn't shock me if they did

[Kagemusha]

was not making any predictions about who's winning it all next year. warriors opened up as favorites in vegas and that sounds about right to me, and i think milwaukee should be favorites to come out of the east.

was just saying i think there's a good chance boston has the best record in the regular season in the east.

but yeah it's always about health, that goes without saying

I meant the best regular season record too.
GSW was going for the most wins this season until Steph got injured

[Hotshot]

agree milwaukee would have been in the finals were it not for middleton's injury and are still the best in the east.

i do think boston might have the best regular season record next season though. they were .500 two-thirds of they way through this season, then started winning at a 67 win clip.

and i think they're closer to the team that finished the season than the .500 team that started it

Could also be the Nets as they were the top team before everything collapsed due to plethora of reasons. Lots of good pieces remain on that team.

[chris]

It's all about health.
A healthy Warriors could take it.
The East will still be strong next year.
The West is filled with either old or inexperienced young teams.

was not making any predictions about who's winning it all next year. warriors opened up as favorites in vegas and that sounds about right to me, and i think milwaukee should be favorites to come out of the east.

was just saying i think there's a good chance boston has the best record in the regular season in the east.

but yeah it's always about health, that goes without saying

[Hotshot]

Yeah his run at the title was maybe done regardless, but he still had some more all nbas and totals to stack up. He was 9 years consecutive 1st team the year he retired. He was nowhere near washed.

Probably had another 3 years of being All NBA + All star and getting very close to Stockton all time assists record (he wasn't going to pass him as Malone was simply one of the greatest scoring big's of all time)

Maybe 6 years in total with his final year playing next to Shaq and rookie Kobe.