On deck for the eve (9/24/20):

Lakers vs Nuggets (LA up 2-1)

Both teams have made mention about fouls called in this series. Its the conference finals, we know the deal: Adjustments will be made, no excuses.

Possession is always the theme for the winning team, right? Rebounding and turnovers have truly been the difference in this series. As previously stated, I think Dwight Howard should get the start.





*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

When Denver attacked like Houston did, that was the ballgame. Going small doesn't help the Lakers...so they are going to have to control the boards to make it a game or its going to be 2-2.

They also can't turn the ball with reckless abandon like they have in the past 2 games. Denver is a real threat - Lakers been sleepwalking thus far in this series. They were far more aware, active and energized vs. Houston. I look for them to turn up tonight.

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I think that 4th quarter surge (hopefully) energized them.

can't happen again EVER. Dwight & JaVale had 2 rebounds in 22 minutes, that can't happened again either. Dnny Green in 20 minutes has as many rebounds as all those dudes combined.

So, while a loss would not surprise me tonight, I think the Lakers win in a stressful one.

That said, the narrative is going to be, "Can the Nuggets do it again" if they lose, and if they win it becomes a "must win" Game 5 for the Lakers. So I basically expect the story to be about the Nuggets either way.

Jason Tatum
Jamal Murray
Tyler Hierro
Duncan Robinson
Jaylen Brown
Michael Porter Jr.

The future megastars of the NBA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdp8a20yUWA. (fox news edit)

and AD is locked in.....

welp they made their adjustments.....Murray starting out hot too.

Gonna be a dogfight.

..Howard got the start, with 8 pts & 8 rbs.

Lakers need to improve FT% (esp Bron). Kuz has been slow to re-engage for the 2nd unit and his defense is lackluster at best.

Jokic has been relatively quiet, but Murray is on one tonight.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

And both were against the lakers.

like 70% of the time.

i hate it. especially early in the shot clock when it makes everyone just wait around for him to shoot.

move that rock or penetrate bron.

..Vogel made the right move, inserting Howard into the starting lineup to the tune of a double/double @ the half (11/10).

The Lakers are being aggressive at both ends, but still settling for too many perimeter shots instead of taking advantage of their size inside.

The nuggets are hustling for everything. Get caught slippin' and they'll make you pay.




*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

They outrebounded the Lakers in the 2nd quarter. If the Lakers aren't controlling the boards, they cannot win. AD gotta go for at least 40 for a win. If they can get another first quarter like effort from Dwight, that will give the Lakers the momentum back and they can pull away. Given Malone's ability to make adjustments, Vogel should be worried. He made the right adjustments between games, but Denver is the type of team you gotta crush.

..taking care of business and getting people involved.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

.

Lakers gotta keep Dwight in there to control the boards. He's given them good production offensively too....he only has 2 fouls so Vogel should roll with him as much as he can.

I like how Vogel is almost platooning Bron and AD to make sure one of them is on the floor. He should stick with that....he needs at least one of them on the floor to stop Denver's runs.

.

And Jokic has 5 fouls.

Cmon let’s see who the best is so with everyone on the floor. Don’t put Denver
at a disadvantage.

And there was no foul on AD. And AD came down on Milsap foot.

This is terrible.

And that was an and one for Murray...

.

This is nuts.

Go at Jokic and body up Jamal

..With Davis clearly comfortable on the perimeter, they don't need KCP.

Howard's defense and rebounds give you energy, 2nd chance opportunities, and FTs.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Clearly slapped the shit out of his arm on the layup attempt

If you are not going to call shit. Then do the same on the other end.

these are some horrible offensive possessions down the stretch.

Every possession we move the ball we get a good look
Sometimes we don’t even get a look with bron pounding the air out of the rock

Move the ball around make Denver actually work on D. Rn they just get to lineup like traffic cones

He's one win away from his tenth finals.

I'm good with his tact here.

Wining isn't always pretty. Just get these chips.

like you had to let 9 seconds run off the clock just to set *that* up?

dead-eye from the line too. Haven't seen a performance like this in a minute.

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guard, he’s uncomfortable with his back to the basket.

We already had Lebron who is the ultimate big guard so it’s kinda redundant.

So if that's true, it kind of makes sense.

hes always crying and acting like one of his limbs just got blown off.

i mean he took a basic shoulder bump to the chest on a screen and you woulda thought someone elbow dropped him off the top rope.

He was like 6’2 in high school and shot up in a stretch of a couple of years.

Out of the Chi!

>He was like 6’2 in high school and shot up in a stretch of
>a couple of years.
>
>Out of the Chi!

crawling, on fire, but still crawling. Die, Murray, Die!

They won the boards. That saved them.

Yet still hold a 3-1 lead. Nuggets shot better than the Lakers from 3, from the line, and overall (FG%). Murray was also unstoppable.
They had to win the boards tonight and they did - and ultimately that was enough to pull it out in what was otherwise a pretty stale performance across the board from L.A.

Playoff Rondo and Bron hitting this FTs in the clutch was key - but they gotta get more continuity on offense.

Nuggets don't care at all about being down 3-1 - and Lakers will have to put them away, they ain't going anywhere.

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lakers gotta keep him off the court for long stretches of time to be able to win.

which makes it even more baffling when ad wont be aggressive and attack him.

not to say he hasn't played well - he has - particularly scoring - but he's not been all that mindful in key moments in games 3 & 4.

And it's very obvious he doesn't like physical play.


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https://youtu.be/K_Zz5un_BDE

Horrid calls on both sides - mainly benefiting the Lakers. I’m hoping for better officiating next game.

Playoff Rondo is for real. Dwight did exactly what he needed to. Kuz, Caruso and DG were awful.

5 more. Let’s go.

>Horrid calls on both sides - mainly benefiting the Lakers.
>I’m hoping for better officiating next game.
>
>Playoff Rondo is for real. Dwight did exactly what he needed
>to. Kuz, Caruso and DG were awful.
>
>5 more. Let’s go.

Not being able to have an effective Jokic or Milsap in the paint to get
buckets and boards....Murray can only do so much. The rebounds and the fouls were the difference.

Maybe Denver needs to write a letter to the league’s office.

Let’s see what takes place with Mia vs La.

..over a tough Denver team.

AD was cookin' EARLY.

Murray, Grant, & Millsap all stepped up throughout the game. Jokic had a very quiet 15.

Vogel made the smart move to start Howard. needs to let go of the nice guy approach and let the dogs loose at pivotal points. He wants Dwight to be aggressive but less animated, when that's part of his overall game. He's controlled the paint every minute that he was on the floor.

RONDO!

LOL @ anyone complaining about the refs. They missed a few calls for BOTH teams.




*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Before Bron locked in on him, he was simply unstoppable. Bron slowed him down just enough to allow the Lakers to maintain that lead.
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because bron would pick up murray and lakers had big bodies (and 18 fouls) to throw at jokic.

sounded simple to me but i guess not.

Wondering what your critique of Brons ball stopping though.

No question - key to the win, of course. But man it was a bit frustrating.

>Wondering what your critique of Brons ball stopping though.
>
>No question - key to the win, of course. But man it was a bit
>frustrating.

I didn't like it - but I've seen this many times. In those last years in Cleveland he would do this as well - particularly in the playoffs - though it played out a lot better than it did tonight as he usually doesn't just settle for that top of the key jumper and instead usually sets up a teammate w/ a great look.

He did need to control/slow the pace - and he did - but man it was ugly tonight.


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and run over defenders on the offensive end.

Speaking truth through a megaphone!

Didn’t even want to talk in that interview.....but he has to keep his energy
Up and keep his mind focused. Can’t control the refs.

They can’t stop you.

dudes pain tolerance is ridiculously low


i'm not talking about the ankle tweak either.

Like what NOW lol

toddler learning to walk

he's fluid, but definitely not very strong. Joker mostly pushes him around. he also that to howard, but not as much.

I feel like that shit is within you or it aint


I'm also not a medical expert

he's not gritty enough. he could use what he has way better, but getting stronger might help him realize he can do more in the paint.

Vince was always crumpling to the floor looking like he was really hurt, and then would get up and be fine.

>Vince was always crumpling to the floor looking like he was
>really hurt, and then would get up and be fine.

C-Webb, Penny, Grant Hill, some changes are more drastic and noticeable that others.

Can't blame him if he's squeamish in that regard.

... holding my breath cuz he fell down or something happened.

Now I know what it is. So I simply eye roll.

I haven't seen evidence that Brad wants to try anything new here.

Everyone used to blame Kyrie for the offense looking too iso heavy too often, but I think this series is showing that that's... kind of just what Brad runs.

That changes the dynamic considerably if AD isn't out there - and taking Denver out in 5 would require a vintage herculean Bron effort.

Lakers still really haven't had a consistent 3rd scorer. Kuz just hasn't filled that void - though he plays well in spurts. Green is wildly inconsistent and really hasn't had a big break-out game at all in the playoffs (was the season-opener his biggest game of the year?). KCP might actually be the most consistent third scorer right now.

Playoff Rondo might play heavier minutes if AD is out. Caruso/Morris might also have to look to score more.


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.

If the Lakers advance, they might be the best team they'll have faced to that point. I think Miami would struggle with the Nuggets or the Lakers, and I'd have either of those teams in 6...but this is probably the most Cinderella-like Finals run I can remember.

.

.

He has no presence defensively or offensively, and they had a chance
to send him to Houston for Capela, and refused to include him a trade.
They could how’ve gotten Drummond as well.

That is the difference in this series, no answer for Bam. Capela’s
Speed and 15/15 a night ability, as well as being an outstanding shot blocker
would have put them over the top. They have no rim protection. Zero.

They are going to have to let one of those pieces go, because they lack
a true anchor, and they have too many hands that need the ball

Why isn't Robert Williams that rim protector?

I mean, he's so obviously going to be a top 5 dude in the NBA soon. League's in a good place.

Like I told you, kid is 22, and has been in the league for
only 3 years. It was quite obvious that your assessment was premature,
and your incorrect assessment when he was drafted.

So that’s Rondo, Tatum, etc,etc

Or like OJ Mayo is the next dude?
Or that Lebron shoots off his heels?

I ADMITTED I was bullshitting to stir the pot. I own up to being wrong - like, all the time. You?

The lean back shot!

Like I told you, kid is 22, and has been in the league for
only 3 years. It was quite obvious that your assessment was premature,
and your incorrect assessment when he was drafted.

Players don’t truly mature to about 25-26, to be able to effectively lead a squad.

So that’s Rondo, Tatum, etc,etc

It used to be part of the fun.

.

Haslem prolly slid him a yard to do it.

.

He's like vintage Horry now....he might posterize your ass, drop 12 in a quarter...or two piece a muhphucka

For those who dissed him in the draft, in the playoffs, come stand in the
L line.

Illest nigga out of Duke, and I hate duke. But once I saw him, it was KD all over again...a pure assassin. Second illest 22 year old I have ever seen behind KD.

Crazy what this dude is going to be at 25...at 27 ..at 29

>For those who dissed him in the draft, in the playoffs, come
>stand in the
>L line.
>
>Illest nigga out of Duke, and I hate duke. But once I saw him,
>it was KD all over again...a pure assassin. Second illest 22
>year old I have ever seen behind KD.
>
>Crazy what this dude is going to be at 25...at 27 ..at 29

Facts. He doesn’t even have his grown man body yet.

not the same energy for Tatum. An actual two-way star


you already know

And the Luka thing? I didn't want to give him no love but he nice. ***Shrugs*** All NBA nice? Not yet but he looked the part in the playoffs .

..taking care of business.

Vogel made the move that I've been stating since this series began by starting Howard at center. It might be time to consider using him down the stretch to close out games as well.

We all know Denver isn't going down without a fight.

Let's get it.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I

Jokic has been in foul trouble all series and it has hurt his team a lot. Knowing that, he picks up that foul in the first quarter to stop a fast break? Horrible basketball IQ

Porter with 2 fouls
Jokic with 2 fouls
Murray with 2 fouls

First quarter!

Denver teams to dangerous and skillful ....they ain’t going to let them get off

..when Joker made *3 stupid fouls???

c'mon.

Just admit that Denver is young and not very poised when it comes to defensive fouls.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

..i've been wondering how long before someone pulled his card.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Ive seen Lebron just bowl over grant and short ass Morris in the paint and get a blocking foul.

On jokic? Offensive foul. And he was already turning right when caruso planted.

Caruso getting favor on a call over jokic

That’s crazy

Jokic three fouls before half time.

They are not calling this shit fair ..Denver players can’t even play defense because of fear being called for a foul. You touch lebron at all..foul

Just send the lakers to the line for this victory.

This is really disgusting officiating


Just foul out the entire nuggets team.

he cant continue that for 4 quarters.

Like Cwebb said that ball was on the way down.....and Davis
gets the easy dunk on the other end.

.

I hate the lakers. But it ain’t even about that.
It’s like come on, who wants to see this type of basketball?

You only see that Shit in a lakers series..

You don’t see it in the east games, for either side... fouls or officiating aren’t an issue.

I hope Miami goes because they play zone all day...so if they still call blocking fouls while dudes are already set in a zone ...now you know something is up.

or Milsap on the floor.

Lakers are going to live in the paint all day.

Even shaq is saying that those charge fouls are incorrect.

It’s crazy how jokic and Denver never faced any serious foul issues against
The clippers or the jazz ....now they can barely stay on the floor.

On to Miami vs Lakers .

Will Miami be allowed to play their tough defensive style against the lakers?

We shall see.

..Bron already asserting his will.

Denver has no answer for Dwight Howard.

allStah is running out of excuses. LOL


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Howard flops....clearly acting...clearly

But Jokic gets called for his fourth?

Im not understanding.

after that 3rd quater

that was jokes

..at least they're consistent lol.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

No message

with that flagrant call.

but really...its because everybody but dwight took their foot off the pedal and stopped being aggressive.

with all them bricks and fouls in that stretch

Hope he stays in Denver. That’s a good spot for him and they’ve got a great shot at a ‘chip in the coming years.

good he can do everything but he’s wildly inconsistent.

At first it’s like “this guy is good why has he been on so many different teams?” then you observe him for a few games and see why

They constantly moved players in and out.

when he first got to OKC, he was basically alley oops and put backs. He couldn’t dribble, at ALL. We used to have a running joke during live tweets during games, that he couldn’t dribble more than twice without falling on the floor. Now he can put it on the deck and get to the rim and they corner three is damn near automatic. Plus, he can shoot the three off the dribble, some. He’s always been a good defender. He can play on the ball or be a rim defender because he so quick and long.

..lol.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

this is what i have waited for

Bath Salts flooded Orlando tonight.

It makes no sense to be this dominant in year 17.

GOAT.

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.

Always. Another player will always come along and do it better.

From Jesse Owens to Carl Lewis to Usain Bolt....now that kid Noah Lyles is on deck

From Babe Ruth to Hank Aaron to Barry Bonds...now you got Mike Trout on deck

From Navartilova to Graff to Serena ...Naomi is on deck

From Jim Brown to Walter Payton to Barry Sanders and Emmitt to Tomilson to Peterson... Now Mcaffery is doing insane shit.

From Wilt to Kareem to Jordan to Kobe to Lebron ....now Giannis is on Deck ...and this dude is getting 30-10-5 in 30 mins or less with the highest per in NBA history and he is only 25 ...no telling what he is going to destroy and accomplish when it is all said and done.

Through PEDs or natural talent ...someone will always be waiting in the wings...natural evolution.

Great players come and go, but the sport or game will always be here.

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>Always. Another player will always come along and do it
>better.

You’re saying another player will come in and have that firm of a grip on the finals spot? Not even the most optimistic Zion fans would claim that about him, and he’s definitely gonna be a star.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

niggas gonna be screaming asterisk like a muggg.

.

That’s how much a chip would mean to this city this year man.

i thought things might get a lil dicey if ad stepped up and took the lead with a dominant series...but that shit aint happening lol.

like, these playoffs have been better than non-"asterisk" years, LOL

(amazing what happens when you take away the NBA cheat code for a season)

..Denver tried everything. Kudos to their entire squad. But in the end, the Lakers were just too much.

Bron stepped up, showed poise and led the Lakers to the finals.

4 more wins.



*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

about the Clippers and we didn’t even have to play them

aint even make it into the club.

..2 players, 7 draft picks (five 1st-rounders??)

They just let Ditka off the hook lol.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Not quite the same but of course, but the emotional ride in LA has a lot of similarities

game 4 with defense, game 5 with offense

LeBron-AD-Rondo-Dwight. Who knew?

Congrats Lakers.

I HATED the signing. Hated it. I wanted Noah. But Dwight has been the older, wiser version of what Kobe wanted him to be 8 years ago. Obviously, that team had issues...but Dwight has played his role to absolute perfection and for once, has kept his word. I could not be happier for him.

and has legit given the Lakers a real boost.


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a lot different.

..I can't help but wonder just how good that Laker team led by Kobe, Chris Paul, & Dwight Howard could've been.



*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

bitch ass saw to that...

>..I can't help but wonder just how good that Laker team led
>by Kobe, Chris Paul, & Dwight Howard could've been.

We could've had a better version of "Lob City"

dude has always been at least an above average NBA starting center.

His signing by the Lakers was HUGE

It was the whole “I’ve changed, im buying in to what the team needs” narrative he used in at least Washington and Atlanta. If he was going to complain about touches, it would have been toxic to a contender. But he kept his word this time. It’s great.

..I really wanted to see Cousins, AD, & Rondo get a shot and showing the world just how potent they could be on the floor together for an entire season in LA with Lebron. When Boogie went down with another injury, I was concerned that the Lakers wouldn't have the right goon on the squad that wouldn't budge.

Crazy that Dwight Howard turned out to be the goon I never knew they needed this season.

Its nice to see the level of maturity he's shown throughout the year.




*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

celtics gonna need another 20 or so 2nd half performance

I tend to think both Boston and Miami will be very competitive in the Finals - but Miami has arguably played the most consistent elite playoff basketball in the bubble.

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he gonna hit that 3.

if it wasnt for that crazy buzzer beater from kawhi.

the numbers were pretty hard baked regardless of far they went and the front office was pretty clear where they stood.

a max contract, he's a good player but not a max contract guy IMO

Not that he could've known he'd get hurt, but Hayward is making a fuckton of money for a guy that ineffective.

Say what you will about Kemba (and I don't love Kemba, obviously), but at least he plays a different role than Tatum/Brown-- and a role that's incredibly vital in today's NBA. Hayward is essentially a worse version of both Tatum and Brown, and he makes more money than both right now, if I'm not mistaken.

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/nba-rumors-jayson-tatum-getting-leadership-advice-kyrie-irving-nba-bubble

5

Is AD gonna win that matchup? It’s not a given. Bam is peak Kawhi level on defense right now. You know about Jimmy. And Spo is going to outcoach Vogel.

Ultimately, only one team has Lebron, but Lakers in 6 seems about right to me.

Its gonna take a lot to see Brom/AD outplayed by Bam and Buckets

I know you dudes still go back and forth 50 posts arguing bout shit still but im too old for that.

I got LA in 5 games or less.

If i gotta watch bron win im at least gon make some change off it.

because Bron and AD are soooo far beyond the other team's best player it's almost like they count for 2 people each.

RESPECT!!!!!

but stateside, yeah....a Florida Man through and through

Lakers in 6

shoutout to Drewmathic, and Maxx Dogg (Btw, Maxx is wearing his Miami Heat hat on his Youtube page, LOL)

I think Jimmy's elevated his stature in a big way just getting here.

I also don't expect a cakewalk.

I'll count this ring after the Lakers win four.

Till then, everyone needs to give this Heat team the utmost respect.

usually, Lakers over Heat is a no-brainer for me
especially THIS year

but the way the Heat have been playing deserves the utmost respect; they've earned it. They're like the Raptors.

but they're just the next victim to me.

what if?

his ego or his tongue was too much to co-exist peacefully with Riles.


It was pretty wild how Riley took over his team mid-season and won a ring though with that Wade-Shaq team. That has to hurt on some level.

know-it-all critical of every little detail and you're left wondering "why weren't your team's more successful?"

Who has played better basketball in the playoff bubble than Miami? They didn't have a cake walk to the finals - they just made it look easy. Swept Philly, destroyed the #1 seed in the league and made MVP Giannis look limited. Then handled a very good Boston team with relative ease.

Don't sleep on this team. They've thrived in the bubble.

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>Who has played better basketball in the playoff bubble than
>Miami?

Both Lakers and Miami have only lost 3 games throughout the playoffs - and Miami has arguably had a tougher road (mainly because they had to go through Milwaukee) - so if any team has played as well as the Lakers - it's Miami.



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If he is, it’s a real series.

If he’s not, I can’t imagine it going past 5.

And Bam has the talent defensively to give AD fits. I just don’t know if he’s slow-him-consistently-for-a-series ready. Might need another year or two. Or maybe he doesn’t! We’ll find out.

Just like I don't expect anyone on the Lakers to flat-out stop Butler, but if Bam can slow him down that's huge. One plus for the Lakers is that AD won't have to guard Bam (who has become a load on the offensive glass and in the paint). Dwight is capable of doing a good job keeping Bam at bay.

But the Heat have enough shooters and depth to give the Lakers problems - particularly when Bron is on the bench. I just don't see this as an easy series - nor should it be. Miami is in the Finals for a reason.

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>One
>plus for the Lakers is that AD won't have to guard Bam (who
>has become a load on the offensive glass and in the paint).
>Dwight is capable of doing a good job keeping Bam at bay.

Yeah, if the Heat play two bigs and AD can just guard Olynyk or whatever, that'd be great-- or he can just shadow Crowder or whomever. Either way, huge advantage.

>But the Heat have enough shooters and depth to give the Lakers
>problems - particularly when Bron is on the bench. I just
>don't see this as an easy series - nor should it be. Miami is
>in the Finals for a reason.

I don't think it'll be easy, but I do think it'll be hard for the Heat to win games. The Heat's best chance, imo, is to toss that zone at the Lakers frequently and to try to be as physical as possible when Bron/AD try to go inside-- even if it means fouling hard. We've seen the Lakers get lulled into running a jump shooting offense at times, and the Heat's zone is definitely capable of creating that situation... but when the Heat are in the zone, it'll also be eating time for LA bigs on the offensive glass potentially.

It's just gonna be really tough. The Heat will have to really stroke from 3 in a huge way to keep up either way.

ensuring Adebayo stays out of foul trouble while dealing with Howard and McGee will be crucial.

I wonder if there's a sliver of a chance Meyers Leonard will sniff any Finals minutes off the bench. I like him better for his size compared to Olynik. I'm assuming Spolestra prefers Olynik for a reason, so I'm guessing that's a no.

takes AD who's going to keep Dwight off the offensive boards? and who takes Bron? Jimmy? Crowder? Rondo can give Dragic and Herro fits bringing the ball up.

He's not a great option for a lot of things, but he's a really strong defensive rebounder.

I just don't think the Heat can afford to play Bam on the Laker centers. Bam is easily their most versatile defender, and he's honestly one of the few defensive talents in the NBA that seems tailor made to hang with versatile bigs like AD. Foul trouble will likely play a big role here, but no one else on the floor can guard AD, really-- like, maybe you can put Butler or Crowder on AD, get them to be super aggro and physical with him, and maybe use his relative aversion to bang in the paint to try to force him to take jumpers (I imagine that probably will be the plan when Bam is on the bench). But that will only be so effective.

I also really don't want Butler on AD at any point, because Butler's gotta be on Bron. I've seen people cysing the "Iggy knows him, he can handle him!" angle, but Iggy ain't even the Iggy of three years ago. He could certainly play Bron smart (a.k.a. force him to take jump shots as often as possible), but Miami's gotta have Butler on Bron. Crowder can't do anything with him other than be a bamma. Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro would just play matador D vs. him.

I imagine Spo will try to avoid a lot of these issues by zoning as much as possible-- get physical if they try to drive, persuade them to take jumpers. We've definitely seen the Lakers settle into that rhythm at times. If this happens, it could get interesting... but I'm just not sold on Miami's man-to-man defense personnel for this matchup. So much of it relies on Bam staying on the floor.

BAM can guard any and everyone from Embid to Giannis to AD.

The question is will the REFs allow him too?

BAM hasn’t even sniffed foul trouble, because he is an outstanding defender and
so is jimmy.

If they pick up early fouls or get called for bullshit like we saw with
Denver, then you know what times it is.

As tough and as aggressive as East playoffs have been , from Boston vs Toronto series to Boston vs Heat , no one sniffed serious foul trouble.

They’ve got a squad. I don’t see a real weakness.

Like usual though, when the chips are down the Lakers have the two best players on the floor. As long as enough of the role players have decent series’s, I like our chances.

>They’ve got a squad. I don’t see a real weakness.
>
>Like usual though, when the chips are down the Lakers have the
>two best players on the floor. As long as enough of the role
>players have decent series’s, I like our chances.

Oh of course I like the Lakers chances - but I just don't buy that this is a cake-walk versus Miami. You don't blitz through the East like that (knocking off the top seed) unless you're real.


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C's had a chance in the 4th quarter, and Hayward got put in...game went left....Grant Williams had been helping guard Bam. Hayward is Stephens security blanket and that worked fine in college but on the C's he is behind Tatum and Brown and Smart as a wing, and is too small to play a stretch 4.... great shooter, heady player, can get his shots, but a liability in this type of situation (vs. the Heat).

but he’s still the right PG for this team. Hayward is a mostly superfluous player with Tatum and Brown there. We can’t count on him to be healthy and his contract is down to 1 year. We’ll have to eat some cash to move him, but it’ll be worth it.

Both are defensive liabilities, but at least Kemba Walker can provide the occasional offensive flourish when he's hot.

Other than six fouls and the beat cop mustache, what can Gordon Hayward provide?

but couldn't figure out how to pull it off so Gordon was that next best thing

max contracts

he eats everyone else up, and can still get you a bucket against the best.

We forget that he had basically won that game against T-Dot with that crazy drive and no look assist to Theis before Anunoby decided to step out the phone booth.

When they get back to this level of the playoffs, they can create schemes so he doesn't get worn out.

The Ravens hid Ray Lewis in defensive schemes the last 3-4 years of his career and they still won a SB. Kemba will be fine. He also has the demeanor to manage the energy of Smart, Tatum and Brown in the locker room, which is invaluable.

It was a fine idea, but it hasn't *remotely* worked out.

the cap has to be altered dramatically with the current situation, so I assume that many of the moves that would have yielded the greater benefit a year ago would be different today.

And I bet they'll be making a move in the draft to try to trade their three first rounders to someone to move up. So they probably have a guy they like that they'll be adding already.

So yeah. Maybe they just let it expire and let him walk. What a shitty turnout to what was once an insanely promising signing.

>And I bet they'll be making a move in the draft to try to
>trade their three first rounders to someone to move up. So
>they probably have a guy they like that they'll be adding
>already.
>
>So yeah. Maybe they just let it expire and let him walk. What
>a shitty turnout to what was once an insanely promising
>signing.

Did Utah get better once he left as well?

... largely because Snyder and Gobert were both hitting their rhythm. Then Hayward leaving coincided with Mitchell arriving, so I think that probably played a bigger role tbh.

It is one thing to ROOT for a team against a team that you hate or dislike during the PO or whatever , but to continuously switch fan support from one team to another every year or when a team becomes champion, is pure felonious.

And what’s funny is he used to diss Kobe and the lakers as a form of advocacy for
lebron. Now he is a lakers fan? How does that Shit work? It’s akin to lakers fans ( sans cyren) having to support Lebron after degrading that dude for years to protect kobe’s legacy.

How does any of this shit work?

I want to know.

Dudes get murked in the streets for false flagging.

>Dudes get murked in the streets for false flagging.

I'd love to see you try that though.


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to you being more of a player stalker than actually being a fan of a team, or
some kind of sports base.

In sports, that’s a felony....

But of course you dodged it.

I get laker fans supporting lebron because he is on the lakers. It’s funny, but I get it.

However, you are just swinging on a dude’s scrotum.

unless you're a straight up weirdo talking about "sports felonies" and "getting murked in the street" because of who you're a fan of - nobody cares about your petty nonsense bruh. We all know how bitter and Skip Bayless you are about LeBron - riding the nuts of any and every player who you think can take him out. Shit's sad.

And for the record - fans of individual athletes is nothing new or unorthodox. My favorite sport is boxing - so I'm used to supporting individual athletes. But to talk about jumping on "scrotums" is rich, considering you jumped on Kawhi, Giannis, and anyone else this year who you thought could satisfy your childish hatred of LeBron.

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And I evaluate comedy for a living.

to him coming to the Lakers but once he put on the purple and gold and Magic and Kobe welcomed him to the family it was a wrap.

>It’s akin to lakers fans ( sans cyren) having to support
>Lebron after degrading that dude for years to protect kobe’s
>legacy.

Its no different when other people I hated on like Rondo, Nash, or Jeremy Lin came to the Lakers I became a #1 fan.

*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...