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  • The Western conference is in a huge state of flux this season. At this moment, there are 9 teams with 5 or 6 losses in the W-L column. You have a bad 2-week stretch and you could go from 3rd to 11th in the blink of an eye. The conference is basically just the Warriors followed by a boat-load of treadmill teams.

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    • golden wrote: View Post
      The Western conference is in a huge state of flux this season. At this moment, there are 9 teams with 5 or 6 losses in the W-L column. You have a bad 2-week stretch and you could go from 3rd to 11th in the blink of an eye. The conference is basically just the Warriors followed by a boat-load of treadmill teams.
      Since its a predictions and general talking smack about other teams thread I think your right on this being a dog fight out west.

      As the NBA season approaches the end of the "its early" segment of the season a few observations out West.

      Of the teams currently in the playoffs right now... my cheap seat view is that the ones that are most likely to fall out are the Kings, The Grizz and possibly the Spurs.

      Going to exempt the Clips because these guys look to be real. Yep they are 8 and 5. But have a look at who they have played in building that 8 and 5 record. The Rockets twice... OKC twice...The Warriors, Bucks, Hinkies, TrailBlazers, Pelicans and the Nuggets. On the stiff side its been the Magic, Wiz and Timberpups. They sport some hard ass players in Beverly / Bradley and Harrell. Some solid NBA scorers in Harris, Gallo and Williams, ROY candidate in Alexander. A likeable team as opposed the Griffin/Paul tandem.

      Which then leaves 4 teams currently on the outside looking in trying to take 3 spots away. Rockets , Jazz, Pelicans and the Lakers.

      The Rockets with Harden and Paul and Capella seem to be a good bet to start the climb back and make it in.

      The Jazz have scuffled out of the gate but with DPOY in Gobert, the offense of Mitchell and the steady play of Ingles, Crowder should get a unanimous pre season western conference playoff team in .

      We just saw the Pelicans ( looking beyond it was one of those games for the Raps) and this looks to be a team with a top five player in Davis, an allstar PG in Holiday and a very good supporting cast in Randle Mirotic and Moore.

      WHich leaves the Lakers as the 5th wheel out west.
      Are the Lakers better than the Kings, Grizz or Spurs. From here I'd say they are prolly better than 2 of those 3.
      Are they better better than any of the Jazz Pelicans or Rockets who are chasing right now ? Prolly not.
      Butler is now off the table which says the the Lakers are unlikely to materially change from whats suiting up now.

      Think Lebron for the first time in forever.. misses the post season.
      There's no such thing as a 2nd round bust.
      - TGO

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      • LJ2 wrote: View Post
        The problem with the East is you have a few good teams and everyone else is just so far away from being remotely competitive. In the West you have the clear contenders and then a solid group of good teams like Portland, Denver etc. before you fall off a cliff in terms of competitive teams.
        I actually disagree. I think, talent-wise, Toronto/Boston/Philadelphia are all capable of winning a seven-game series against the Warriors, if the ball falls in the right hoop. The three East teams pose a specific matchup problem or solution, on paper.

        Indiana/Milwaukee fall in the same category as Utah/Houston, in my opinion.

        If I looked at it from tiers (ranked from best to worst in each tier):

        Tier 1: Golden State, Boston, Toronto, Philly
        Tier 2: Houston, Milwaukee, Utah, Indiana, Denver
        Tier 3: Portland, Thunder, Spurs, Clippers

        To me, the East is a lot more top-heavy, while the West has better depth.

        If we go purely from an individual standpoint, the West has all the stars: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, James Harden, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins (when healthy), Russell Westbrook, Paul George, etc.

        The East has: Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo, Joel Embiid, Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker... and the list sorta has a gap from tiers of all-stars in the West vs. East.

        Demographic Shift wrote: View Post
        Yeah.. been thinking about this and trying to be objective.. however when the NBA National MSM is all in on this as a big win for Philly a red flag goes up...This is the same gang who said no way would Leonard accept a trade to Toronto, next it was he wouldn't report, then it was he hadn't got a clean bill of health and the injury could still linger and finally it was the thought that Leonard wouldn't give the requisite effort to the Raptors and dog it while looking for real estate in LA.
        Look back at some of those Chris Broussad and Shannon Sharpe clips... They are laughable.

        Heres some reasons from this cheap seat as to why this isn't as one sided a deal as is being portrayed.


        Jimmy is 29 years old and has played a lot of hard minutes under Coach Thibieau. a lot of hard minutes.

        He is what you might call a high maintenance guy. There are plenty of apologists saying its his competitive nature and all but the guy went after his much younger teammates in both Chicago and Minny. Some call it competitive and tough love..... Others say total asshole.

        Jimmy is at his best as a shot creator and that means he has to have the ball a lot. Well Ben Simmons who can't shoot also needs the ball a lot to make use of his skills. Theres only one ball. So let Simmons have the ball and set Jimmy up on drive and kick.. well Jimmy for all the good things on his CV doesn't have 3 point shooter as an item high on the list.

        Have watched a couple of Philly games this year and they tended to be close down to the wire games. You need semtex to take the ball out of Joel Embiids hands on each posssesion as the game winds down possession by possesion. Joel wants that ball as much as Jimmy. Again.. there is only one ball. They'll share... Well Joel has an ego as big as anyones. Maybe he doesn't want to.

        Jimmy is a plus defender on the wing. But is he that much better a defender than Covington ?.. maybe yes.. maybe no.. but if its yes.. its incremental.

        Is Jimmy as good a 3 point shooter as Saric ? No.

        And heres the heresey part.. How good is he really ? The NBA markets everyone as a star and Basketball has become littered with analytics. However there is only one metric that really matters in sports. Wins and Losses. Jimmy in his 8th campaign has taken his team no further than the 2nd round. Thats it. Never been further than that. Yes we have seen up close and personal that he has broken Raptor fans hearts in the regular season but so has Gerald Henderson. But then Gerald didn't play in a top 5 media hub like chicago.

        Saric is a low maintenance 24 year old guy who gives the Wolves a player who will space the floor from the PF slot and can and will make shots from the arc. He is going to open it up a little more inside for Towns and for more slashes from Wiggins. He isn't a slouch on the block either and at 6'10" 245LBs he can get boards on both ends of the floor. I think he is excited for a bigger role in Minny than he was ever going to get with Embiid and Simmons. Perhaps a little euro ethnocentrism at play here.

        Covington is another low maintenance guy who plays really good defense. He made life miserable for Demar and other wings when he turned up the gas on them. That game and his motor are going to travel easily and will be on display again in Minny. He can also make 35% plus shots from the arc and he is a couple years younger than Jimmy at 27 years old.

        Its not like a Knicks trade here. Philly gave up 2 bona fide starters on a team that was fairly or unfairly touted as a top 3 team in the east to start the season. Thats a lot to give up. They were the glue and sandpaper on that team. They are going to play a lot in Minny and play well.

        Thibs.. for all the guff he is going to take in the next week or so... got a very good return on a player he had to move.
        Nice breakdown, exactly my thoughts.

        To further the point, Sixers lack a great fifth guy, even a fourth... Redick is good, but one-dimensional. He's an obvious, lethal threat from beyond, but a poor defender. Great part of Sixers' roster was the length and spread of guys like Covington/Saric. I honestly thought they just needed one or two veteran shooters and another capable big to relieve Embiid for 15 solid minutes. We all know Amir just doesn't cut it anymore.

        While trading for Butler, on paper, has a big reward... the risk is just as high.

        In this day and age of basketball, the successful teams are those with depth, shooting, and length. The Sixers fit in one of the three categories, while the Raptors/Celtics/Utah have or do all those things at an elite level.

        It's going to be interesting seeing the tug-of-war between Butler/Embiid/Simmons for the ball. In my opinion, Embiid should be touching the ball every single possession. Hard to do that when your ball-dominant point guard/point forward can't shoot, and plays within the same space as you.

        I think Butler will be solid from three, he's shooting at the league % at about 38% this year. He'll probably get good looks considering opposing teams will scheme to close the paint, and his rep as a shooter doesn't proceed. We'll see if his current % holds up throughout the year. If he hits threes consistently, then the risk was well worth it.
        Twitter: @ReubenJRD • NBA, Raptors writer for Daily Hive Vancouver, Toronto.

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        • Golden state is on a tier unto themselves. Putting philly next to them instead of with the rockets and the bucks? Nah chief this ain't it
          9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

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          • KeonClark wrote: View Post
            Golden state is on a tier unto themselves. Putting philly next to them instead of with the rockets and the bucks? Nah chief this ain't it
            Philly on one level has the core talent + potential to be a top team. But such big fit question marks - for the importance of that, look to how Bud has changed the Bucks or to how Houston has fallen off from losing 2 of their 3 3+D wing role players. That' all it take to drop off the very top level, everything has to be going right for you to be up there (save for GS, which has so much talent they can have hissy fit bench fights or an All-Star sitting out for half the year or their best player sitting out the first round and none of that even matters, they'll beat everybody anyway).
            "We're playing in a building." -- Kawhi Leonard

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            • KeonClark wrote: View Post
              Golden state is on a tier unto themselves. Putting philly next to them instead of with the rockets and the bucks? Nah chief this ain't it
              I think they're winning the championship, regardless of what kind of tension is happening over there.

              I'm speaking strictly on a talent-on-paper standpoint.

              S.R. wrote: View Post
              Philly on one level has the core talent + potential to be a top team. But such big fit question marks - for the importance of that, look to how Bud has changed the Bucks or to how Houston has fallen off from losing 2 of their 3 3+D wing role players. That' all it take to drop off the very top level, everything has to be going right for you to be up there (save for GS, which has so much talent they can have hissy fit bench fights or an All-Star sitting out for half the year or their best player sitting out the first round and none of that even matters, they'll beat everybody anyway).
              Yeup. Simmons is already an all-star level talent, Embiid is a star, if the health is consistent, and Butler is also an all-star/fringe superstar player.

              It was hard for me not to put Houston in the 1st tier, considering Harden/Paul/Capela, but there's so much inconsistency around them on that roster. Damn. Everyone said losing Ariza and Mbah a Moute would be huge, but it's crazy it would affect them this much.
              Twitter: @ReubenJRD • NBA, Raptors writer for Daily Hive Vancouver, Toronto.

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              • As I say golden state is on their own tier, they're a steph curry injury from us being the best team in the NBA.
                9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

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                • KeonClark wrote: View Post
                  As I say golden state is on their own tier, they're a steph curry injury from us being the best team in the NBA.
                  1969....NY Jets vs Baltimore Colts
                  1983....North Carolina State vs. Phi Slamma Jamma
                  1985 ...Villanova vs Georgetown
                  1990....Career Tomato Can Buster Douglas vs. Iron Mike Tyson
                  2015.....Leicester City wins the Preimer League

                  It’s sports..anything can happen.
                  Last edited by Demographic Shift; Wed Nov 14, 2018, 08:32 PM.
                  There's no such thing as a 2nd round bust.
                  - TGO

                  Comment


                  • Demographic Shift wrote: View Post
                    1969....NY Jets vs Baltimore Colts
                    1983....North Carolina State vs. Phi Slamma Jamma
                    1985 ...Villanova vs Georgetown
                    1990....Career Tomato Can Buster Douglas vs. Iron Mike Tyson
                    2015.....Leicester City wins the Preimer League

                    It’s sports..anything can happen.
                    What about yhe CFL where teams with losing records can make the playoffs and some. 500 club wins the championship every year? Miracles I tell ya.
                    "We're playing in a building." -- Kawhi Leonard

                    Comment


                    • Demographic Shift wrote: View Post
                      1969....NY Jets vs Baltimore Colts
                      1983....North Carolina State vs. Phi Slamma Jamma
                      1985 ...Villanova vs Georgetown
                      1990....Career Tomato Can Buster Douglas vs. Iron Mike Tyson
                      2015.....Leicester City wins the Preimer League

                      It’s sports..anything can happen.
                      Lebron 1-3 comeback vs. the Warriors.
                      Stacked Lakers lose to the Pistons in 04 (I think it was 04).

                      Comment


                      • S.R. wrote: View Post
                        What about yhe CFL where teams with losing records can make the playoffs and some. 500 club wins the championship every year? Miracles I tell ya.
                        Truth Teller wrote: View Post
                        Lebron 1-3 comeback vs. the Warriors.
                        Stacked Lakers lose to the Pistons in 04 (I think it was 04).
                        It’s all possible..even a now suspect 12 and 3 raptors team could recover from a game 15 of 82 crippling loss that puts the season on the brink. It could happen.

                        Raptor fans are the best. In a 48 hour cycle they can go from planning the parade route to firing the coach and cutting anyone that can’t be traded.

                        Hope we win n Boston or the fire nurse thread will be up and pushing 50 pages.

                        Can’t believe Utah lost by 50..let alone to Dallas.
                        Last edited by Demographic Shift; Thu Nov 15, 2018, 09:30 AM.
                        There's no such thing as a 2nd round bust.
                        - TGO

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                        • s.r. wrote: View Post
                          what about yhe cfl where teams with losing records can make the playoffs and some. 500 club wins the championship every year? Miracles i tell ya.
                          argooooooozzzzzz

                          If you think the raps can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory think about the calgary stampeders...two years in a row the best team in the league takes it in gonads....
                          Last edited by Demographic Shift; Thu Nov 15, 2018, 03:06 PM.
                          There's no such thing as a 2nd round bust.
                          - TGO

                          Comment


                          • Demographic Shift wrote: View Post
                            argooooooozzzzzz

                            If you think the raps can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory think about the calgary stampeders...two years in a row the best team in the league takes it in gonads....
                            And dozens of people went wild
                            9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

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                            • KeonClark wrote: View Post
                              And dozens of people went wild
                              you will always have the red mile in 04

                              and we leaf fans can fixate on the the missed call on Dougie by Kerry Fraser...oh what could have been eh ?
                              There's no such thing as a 2nd round bust.
                              - TGO

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                              • Demographic Shift wrote: View Post
                                you will always have the red mile in 04

                                and we leaf fans can fixate on the the missed call on Dougie by Kerry Fraser...oh what could have been eh ?
                                That will remain one of mine and many calgarians most magical times of our lives. Just an indescribable aura around that very few Canadian cities have ever matched.

                                It was the perfect storm of getting out of s flames drought, civic pride, healthy economy, bursting at the seams to celebrate. Today's generation would never pull it off like we did. They'd be busy at home hiding in their safe space, too much social anxiety to slap a strangers hand.

                                I was 17. May and June of 04 showed me more boobies in person than I ever anticipated seeing at that time. So. Many. Boobies.
                                9 time first team all-RR, First Ballot Hall of Forum

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