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  • MixxAOR wrote: View Post
    Bucks are Finals bound. I dont see how they’ll lose unless all of their role players underperform.
    Something that has never happened before in the history of the NBA...... oh, wait.

    Comment


    • slaw wrote: View Post

      Something that has never happened before in the history of the NBA...... oh, wait.
      Yeah, it's very very rare a team with one bona fide star gets to the finals. Bucks may have the best player in the east, but we have the 2nd best and I feel our depth 2 thru 6 is better and more battle tested
      9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

      Comment


      • And down the stretch they come....

        So there are 6 dogs in the running to fill the 6 through 8 slots in the Eastern playoff hunt. Which ones will hunt and which ones have fleas.

        the longest of shots is the Whiz,, hesitated to even put them in the discussion with 27 wins out of 64 tries... but incredibly they are 3 back with 18 to go in the loss column. Its possible .. but not likely....At 12:01 AM after the last game of the season Ernie Grundfeld will be fired and the Whiz will begin the long road back to relevance.. there is a pantload to do...the Whiz are in cap hell and they are living with the sobering realization that they are on the hook for 40M$ a year for a broken down John Wall ...the road back is going to be loooooooong.

        next up is Charlotte.... Charlotte is a bit aromatic right now.. They have lost 10 of their last 15 and don't look they can put the brakes on the skid they have been on... Charlotte is only 1 game back in the loss column to current 8th place Miami so its not like they are out of it at 30 and 36. Charlotte isn't a good road team and they have 11 of their 19 on the road and the SOS is the leagues 7th hardest. If Charlotte were to make it this would be my dream matchup for the Raps in round 1....

        from 6th to 9th in a week went The magic.... these guys have a shot to finish anywhere from 6 to 10...with 16 to go they have the 3rd easiest schedule left to seasons end.. lots of games with tank nation..... they are going to need that as they are 2 games back of the Heat and 3 games back of the Nets in the loss column. Be great to see if TROSS and AARON GORDON and VUCEVIC can get it together and get the magic into the post season. They have the schedule .. can the above mentioned guys stay focused and will they show the ability to play well when it matters ?

        the heat have won their last 3 as goran dragic comes back off of IR and is playing well enough to post some wins for them.... can they hang on ? odds say yes as the heat can win on the road... they have the 9th toughest schedule left....They get a 4 games in six nights all road game stretch before the end of the month... ouch.... However they have Dragic back and with the Heats ability to win on the road I see Miami in it to the end. .

        Da Nets ! the nets had 6 place in hand about 3 or 4 weeks ago but have since come back to the pack.... Surprising because its their better players who are coming back off of injury... Dinwidde and LeVert.... They have the toughest schedule in the league. Its really ugly..8 of the next 9 are on the road and they are facing the leagues better teams.... Portland ....Utah.... OKC Sacto...Philly... Clips... after the roadie they get the Bucks twice and the Raps.. Boston...Indy .. All those teams are going to be jockeying for the 3-4-5 slots and seeding out west.... If the Nets want to make the playoffs this year....looks like they are going to have to go 500 or better. Buckle up in Brooklyn.

        The Pistons I thought that Griffin had lost interest in the season when the pistons hit the skids after christmas and began a steady slide to the other side of the playoff mendoza line... But the Pistons have been playing very well lately... winners of 11 of their last 15 they sit in 6th....they have a pretty favourable schedule in terms of aggregated win loss .. but peel it back and they only have 6 tankers left on the schedule ..the other 13 games are against teams who are fighting to get into or get their desired seeding ..Its a classic Dwane Casey set up... he has to beat the teams he is supposed to beat and get 40% against the better teams... If Grittin and Drummond decide to play well and they get anything from Reggie Jackson Dwane Casey is a good enough coach to get it done.


        So 6 teams for three spots...Fearless prediction for at least today is that Miami Detroit and the Magic get in....

        Any and all rebuttals and comments welcomed...
        There's no such thing as a 2nd round bust.
        - TGO

        Comment


        • slaw wrote: View Post

          Something that has never happened before in the history of the NBA...... oh, wait.
          Yep. Speaking of NBA history, over the past 22 years (since 1997), there are only two seasons where a team made the NBA finals without at least getting out the first round the year before (2011 Mavs vs. Heat, and 2008 Celtics vs Lakers).

          For the other 20 years, the teams making the finals had at least made to the second round the year before, often making the conference finals once or twice in years prior. Bucks haven't passed the 1st round in a long time. They will for sure do that this year, but to make the finals, besides talent, you need experience and mental toughness. They certainly got the talent, but the experience is not really there. If they make it, it would be against a pretty strong statistical trend.

          Not that I would bet against them, they've been really good, but they're far from a lock to get out of the east.


          Comment


          • slaw wrote: View Post

            Something that has never happened before in the history of the NBA...... oh, wait.
            "Gave them chances" wasn't directed at role players.

            Comment


            • Demographic Shift wrote: View Post
              And down the stretch they come....

              So there are 6 dogs in the running to fill the 6 through 8 slots in the Eastern playoff hunt. Which ones will hunt and which ones have fleas.

              the longest of shots is the Whiz,, hesitated to even put them in the discussion with 27 wins out of 64 tries... but incredibly they are 3 back with 18 to go in the loss column. Its possible .. but not likely....At 12:01 AM after the last game of the season Ernie Grundfeld will be fired and the Whiz will begin the long road back to relevance.. there is a pantload to do...the Whiz are in cap hell and they are living with the sobering realization that they are on the hook for 40M$ a year for a broken down John Wall ...the road back is going to be loooooooong.

              next up is Charlotte.... Charlotte is a bit aromatic right now.. They have lost 10 of their last 15 and don't look they can put the brakes on the skid they have been on... Charlotte is only 1 game back in the loss column to current 8th place Miami so its not like they are out of it at 30 and 36. Charlotte isn't a good road team and they have 11 of their 19 on the road and the SOS is the leagues 7th hardest. If Charlotte were to make it this would be my dream matchup for the Raps in round 1....

              from 6th to 9th in a week went The magic.... these guys have a shot to finish anywhere from 6 to 10...with 16 to go they have the 3rd easiest schedule left to seasons end.. lots of games with tank nation..... they are going to need that as they are 2 games back of the Heat and 3 games back of the Nets in the loss column. Be great to see if TROSS and AARON GORDON and VUCEVIC can get it together and get the magic into the post season. They have the schedule .. can the above mentioned guys stay focused and will they show the ability to play well when it matters ?

              the heat have won their last 3 as goran dragic comes back off of IR and is playing well enough to post some wins for them.... can they hang on ? odds say yes as the heat can win on the road... they have the 9th toughest schedule left....They get a 4 games in six nights all road game stretch before the end of the month... ouch.... However they have Dragic back and with the Heats ability to win on the road I see Miami in it to the end. .

              Da Nets ! the nets had 6 place in hand about 3 or 4 weeks ago but have since come back to the pack.... Surprising because its their better players who are coming back off of injury... Dinwidde and LeVert.... They have the toughest schedule in the league. Its really ugly..8 of the next 9 are on the road and they are facing the leagues better teams.... Portland ....Utah.... OKC Sacto...Philly... Clips... after the roadie they get the Bucks twice and the Raps.. Boston...Indy .. All those teams are going to be jockeying for the 3-4-5 slots and seeding out west.... If the Nets want to make the playoffs this year....looks like they are going to have to go 500 or better. Buckle up in Brooklyn.

              The Pistons I thought that Griffin had lost interest in the season when the pistons hit the skids after christmas and began a steady slide to the other side of the playoff mendoza line... But the Pistons have been playing very well lately... winners of 11 of their last 15 they sit in 6th....they have a pretty favourable schedule in terms of aggregated win loss .. but peel it back and they only have 6 tankers left on the schedule ..the other 13 games are against teams who are fighting to get into or get their desired seeding ..Its a classic Dwane Casey set up... he has to beat the teams he is supposed to beat and get 40% against the better teams... If Grittin and Drummond decide to play well and they get anything from Reggie Jackson Dwane Casey is a good enough coach to get it done.


              So 6 teams for three spots...Fearless prediction for at least today is that Miami Detroit and the Magic get in....

              Any and all rebuttals and comments welcomed...
              Im taking Detroit, Brooklyn and Magic
              To be the champs you got to beat the champs

              Comment


              • golden wrote: View Post

                "Gave them chances" wasn't directed at role players.
                I didn't get the impression he was solely referring to the 2014-18 Raptors.

                Time and time again throughout recent history we're seeing teams of depth and role players that win 50-60 games and then flame out when the going gets tougher.
                9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

                Comment


                • KeonClark wrote: View Post

                  I didn't get the impression he was solely referring to the 2014-18 Raptors.

                  Time and time again throughout recent history we're seeing teams of depth and role players that win 50-60 games and then flame out when the going gets tougher.
                  Only 2 teams make it to the Finals, so of course there's going to be disproportionately more 50+ win flameout teams - so I'm not even sure what the point here is, other than just a statement of an obvious fact. Warriors were one of those flameouts until Steve Kerr unlocked the potential of the same roster - otherwise we could be talking about them today like Nash's Phoenix Suns. Kawhi was a role player and the Spurs were a textbook "depth" team when they steamrolled the Heat in 2014. Mavs won it all with a highly flawed Dirk and a bunch of way past-prime veterans as their depth. Orlando Magic made it all the way to Finals in 2009 with what, in hindsight, looks like a complete trash roster.

                  That said, I think Mixx is trying to imply that we can count on Kawhi and Giannis to bring it in the playoffs, but it will come down to role players stepping up and executing. On paper, the Bucks seem to have the edge in talented depth. Interesting thing when you look at those examples above, superior coaching was also a big factor, so we need to consider Nurse vs. Bud. My guess is that Nurse is going to look like either a total genius, or an overmatched rookie in these playoffs.

                  Comment


                  • golden wrote: View Post

                    Only 2 teams make it to the Finals, so of course there's going to be disproportionately more 50+ win flameout teams - so I'm not even sure what the point here is, other than just a statement of an obvious fact. Warriors were one of those flameouts until Steve Kerr unlocked the potential of the same roster - otherwise we could be talking about them today like Nash's Phoenix Suns. Kawhi was a role player and the Spurs were a textbook "depth" team when they steamrolled the Heat in 2014. Mavs won it all with a highly flawed Dirk and a bunch of way past-prime veterans as their depth. Orlando Magic made it all the way to Finals in 2009 with what, in hindsight, looks like a complete trash roster.
                    I don't know anymore how much Kerr unlocked the Warriors vs Mark Jackson just had them before their prime. Curry made his first ASG in Jackson's last season there. Klay wasn't an AS yet. Draymond didn't break out and make an ASG yet. All three of those guys were still in their early to mid 20's and not in their NBA primes with Jackson. Huge difference in where they were at in their careers under the two coaches. So Kerr figured out the Lineup of Death but he also got to coach prime Curry/Klay/Draymond. A lot of people argue anybody could be coaching that team now (see: Walton, Luke).

                    Then when people pull the outliers like the Mavs team, that really goes to prove the point if the argument has to try to recall a couple exceptions from the last 20 years. The Mavs were a more cohesive team that beat a recently slapped together Heat team that hadn't figured out how to maximize playing together yet (my-turn your-turn basketball) - which goes back to an earlier point in the thread that teams need to get some playoff experience together. Also, Dirk has admitted they had a window there and wouldn't have won most years, it was after Kobe's Lakers and before Lebron's Heat peak, they had a little window there. (This is not one of those years with the Warriors out West.)

                    That Spurs team won 62 games, Parker was an All-Star, Duncan was between two All-Star seasons, they had an emerging Kawhi and still had Ginobli and Danny Green. A bit much to call them just a depth team. They had the most trouble with the Mavs first round (underrated team, see above) and steamrolled everybody else.

                    Nash's suns were never quite good enough and Nash was never quite as good as a Lebron, Kawhi, Duncan, or Curry. You need a guy who dominates. Nash was the engine of the groundbreaking SSOL movement but he wasn't personally as dominant as a lot of championship team's best players (e.g. even a prime Dirk, who nobody could guard).

                    That Magic team was hilarious and maybe the last year a big man pounded his way to the Finals? 23 year old Dwight gave them 20 and 15 in the playoffs and they beat a 62 win Celtics Big Three team and a 66 win Lebron Cavs team. They ran out of magic pixie dust against Kobe, who had Pau and Bynum to deal with Dwight.

                    The 50-60 win flameout teams are generally identifiable in the regular season and virtually always lack a dominant player. They're Bud's Hawks, Dame's Trailblazers, DeRozan's Raptors. They also lack a way to just break you down - Dwight in that Magic run was the guy teams couldn't handle, prime Dirk was a guy teams couldn't defend (and he had a perfect supporting cast). Some guy on the team that breaks through has to be a guy you just can't stop.

                    I wouldn't put the Bucks in the "flameout candidate" category right now though. Giannis is an MVP candidate and not just because of team success - he's dominating. He's maybe the best basketball player in the world at the moment and I think we're underrating the Bucks as a threat a bit here as Raptors fans. I need to see Kawhi elevate his playoff game like he did for his Finals run or the Raps are going to be in some trouble if they get in a series with the Bucks.

                    This has been a series of random thoughts, not sure what the point was.
                    Last edited by S.R.; Fri Mar 8, 2019, 05:27 PM.
                    "We're playing in a building." -- Kawhi Leonard

                    Comment


                    • I think you guys are overrating Bucks depth. We are simply better 2 thru 6. Here, here's our comparisons strictly by 2018-19 MPG

                      2. Khris Middleton vs Kyle Lowry = Lowry
                      3. Macolm Brogdon vs Marc Gasol = Gasol
                      4. Eric Bledsoe vs Pascal Siakam = Siakam
                      5. Brook Lopez vs Danny Green = Lopez
                      6. Nikola Mirotic vs Sege Ibaka = Ibaka

                      I mean, we are better role player wise. Keep the Raptors healthy all year, that means 2 more months of JV pre trade, that means Lowry all season, that means Kawhi all season...tell me we're not right there or ahead of Milwaukee.
                      9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

                      Comment


                      • Open Gym great as always. Probably the best insights you can get about the current Lowry/Kawhi/Team situation.

                        Official Pope of the Raptors sponsored by MLSE.

                        Comment


                        • 2nd spot as long as the Pacers remain as our potential 2nd round opponent.

                          They however have a very tough schedule the rest of the way, I just hope they weather the storm and rise on top of the Sixers to secure the no.3 spot.

                          Comment


                          • The Claw Reborn wrote: View Post
                            2nd spot as long as the Pacers remain as our potential 2nd round opponent.

                            They however have a very tough schedule the rest of the way, I just hope they weather the storm and rise on top of the Sixers to secure the no.3 spot.
                            Sadly I think that's very unlikely, they don't have Sabonis in their lineup as well, losing two of their 4 most important players will haunt them for the remainder of the season.

                            Official Pope of the Raptors sponsored by MLSE.

                            Comment


                            • RandomGuy wrote: View Post

                              Sadly I think that's very unlikely, they don't have Sabonis in their lineup as well, losing two of their 4 most important players will haunt them for the remainder of the season.
                              I think the same, it will be some heroic feat if the Pacers stayed in 3rd given their schedule and their injuries, unless the 76ers locker room start to implode kinda like the Celtics and they lose some games they should have won.

                              They play each other tomorrow, so that will be a key game. If the Pacers win they'll still have a chance of staying 3rd, but if they lose, then Philly should overtake them for 3rd most likely.

                              Comment


                              • The West has pretty much settled up on who makes the post season...it is now a matter of who finishes where.
                                Get out the butter.. The Lebrons West are toast... and unfortunately so are the try hard every night bust your ass to win every game...Kings.
                                Of course Sacto has shot.. but its pretty effing tough., Even if the Spurs go a pedestrian 9 and 7 and the Clips go a sedate 8 and 7... The Kings have to go 14 and 4 just to tie. Its possible of course.. but its not very likely...
                                The West is now a matter of seeding ...

                                The East is also shaping up.. The Bucks and the Raps are going to finish 1 and 2. Seeing who is in the mix scuffling to finish 6 or 7 or 8 it really doesn't matter who finishes 1 and 2 as your going to draw a barely 500 team.... but if you had a choice ... try to finish 1st just for home court in the ECF. ...Geez.. did I tip my hand as to who is going to the ECF ?.

                                Indy is still there at 3.. but they are about to enter the perfect storm scenario. The schedule is daunting. Still.. its not a fait accompli. Philly is scuffling along as well despite adding Tobias Harriss. If your Philly you have to start to become a little anxious as to when the King of Twitter is going to come back.. without him they are pretty average team. Case in point... Houston pulled out to a 20 point first Q lead and never gave it up.None of it. The Chowders then. Yes the Chowders. Well they are playing well this week but their schedule isn't a walk in the park either. Not as tough as Indys .. but they are 2 games back in the loss column. Who finishes 3 to 5 is very much up for grabs.

                                .
                                Last edited by Demographic Shift; Sat Mar 9, 2019, 01:17 PM.
                                There's no such thing as a 2nd round bust.
                                - TGO

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