NBA Chatter Thread

Clay_Allison

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As expected, Mavs are starting to show some cracks.

2 losses in a row on the road to OKC and Memphis. Hopefully they can snap out of it and continue to get the wins against the decent teams plus a surprise win here and there, but I'm sure they'll be flirting with .500 for most of the year.

Also, in what has already been an absolutely horrid year for Kobe Bryant, the guy went 1-14 tonight. One for fourteen!

Is he even going to make it to the end of the season? Right now, he looks like a guy who needs to pull a Jim Kelly and just retired mid-season. He is completely finished and needs to let it go.
That's the same Memphis team SA destroyed without playing good basketball? Yikes.
 

Simpleton

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Kobe is a joke at this point. Ok, we get it, he's are obsessed with Jordan and has floundered through three seasons of not doing shit just so he could pass him on the all time points list, but now he's passed him, the team has no hope of doing anything and he's doing nothing but embarrassing himself.

This is what he gets for insisting on the ridiculous salary that he gets, he could have taken less money, maybe gone to an actual contender, accepted a role as a 2nd or 3rd scorer and aged more gracefully. Instead he stubbornly chose the money and the supposed role of being the lead scorer, and now he's a joke.

Can't blame him for taking the money really, but don't act like you're playing for anything besides your all-time stats and money at this point.
 

Clay_Allison

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Kobe is a joke at this point. Ok, we get it, he's are obsessed with Jordan and has floundered through three seasons of not doing shit just so he could pass him on the all time points list, but now he's passed him, the team has no hope of doing anything and he's doing nothing but embarrassing himself.

This is what he gets for insisting on the ridiculous salary that he gets, he could have taken less money, maybe gone to an actual contender, accepted a role as a 2nd or 3rd scorer and aged more gracefully. Instead he stubbornly chose the money and the supposed role of being the lead scorer, and now he's a joke.

Can't blame him for taking the money really, but don't act like you're playing for anything besides your all-time stats and money at this point.
The real joke is the Lakers letting him do it.
 

Simpleton

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The real joke is the Lakers letting him do it.
They know they have nothing to play for, might as well just let a legend ride out his last few years. I don't know if this was a conscious decision on their part or not but he's definitely helping their tanking efforts with his shit play and exorbitant salary as well.
 

Clay_Allison

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They know they have nothing to play for, might as well just let a legend ride out his last few years. I don't know if this was a conscious decision on their part or not but he's definitely helping their tanking efforts with his shit play and exorbitant salary as well.
They should have let him go to the Clippers instead of signing him to that deal.
 

Cotton

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Kobe has announced he is retiring after the season.
 

1bigfan13

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I hope he stays healthy all year. I hate to see all time greats limp off in their final performance.

I got to watch the entire Jordan era, Kobe era, and Lebron era.....I feel blessed.
 

1bigfan13

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Just saw this interesting nugget in a tweet.

Kobe or Lebron have been in every NBA Finals since 2007.

I hate that the Cavs couldn't get past Orlando in 2009 that was our best chance of seeing them go head to head in the Finals.
 

1bigfan13

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He shouldn't even wait that long.

He's so bad that he should just do it now.
I don't think he needs to call it quits immediately but he should be coming off the bench and only playing about 20 minutes a night.

But he's always been the alpha dog and he has such a huge ego that he'd probably never accept that role.

Pierce and Garnett have gladly taken backseats and they're still able to contribute effectively. Kobe should do the same but he probably won't.
 

Clay_Allison

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Just saw this interesting nugget in a tweet.

Kobe or Lebron have been in every NBA Finals since 2007.

I hate that the Cavs couldn't get past Orlando in 2009 that was our best chance of seeing them go head to head in the Finals.
LeBron would have just gotten swept like he was when he faced San Antonio with the Cavs. That Cavs team was LeBron and nobody.
 

Texas Ace

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Just as I expected, the Mavs have now lost 4 of their last 5.

The overachieving has come to an end.
 

1bigfan13

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I think I've finally come to the realization that OKC will never win a title. KD and Westbrook will be this generation's Stockton and Malone. A combo that's good enough to lead a team to 50+ wins each year but never good enough to win it all.

The only way I see them winning a title is if they finally decide to fully embrace ball movement and rid themselves of their ISO-heavy bad habits. I don't see that ever happening so it is what it is.

The frustrating part is our core players (KD, RW, Ibaka, & Collison) know firsthand that playing with Spurs-like ball movement works. During the 2012 WCF after falling into an 0-2 hole playing ISO ball, they committed themselves to moving the ball in order to create better shots. And as we all know it worked. They rattled off 4 straight wins to take that series. That was the best basketball the OKC Thunder have ever played, IMO.

So it boggles my mind that after seeing the results that moving the ball got them, our star players and coaching staff are still hell bent on being an ISO heavy team, particularly in late game situations.

Oh well, I'm just going to enjoy the season for what it's worth with no real expectations for winning anything of substance.
 

Jiggyfly

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Good news is that the west is very jumbled and the Rockets are not out of it.

The bad news is that we have lost all ability to shoot consistently and still look lost for prolonged stretches of time.

I can't even watch this team anymore it's painful when they hit those rough patches.
 

1bigfan13

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A common problem that I see with OKC and Houston is that both teams seem to be going through the motions as if pure talent will be enough to win games. The extra effort and hustle is lacking in both teams.

The Warriors are the defending champs and they are playing every game with a hungry, refuse-to-lose attitude. They are doing the little things and making the extra effort to pull out wins.

Conventional wisdom says Golden St. should not be hungrier than Houston & OKC. OKC and Houston should be the teams who are going the extra mile, doing any and every thing to get a win. Instead we're treated to lazy basketball night after night. It's especially bad when your team leader (Harden in particular) gives half ass effort on a nightly basis. If it ain't about offense Harden JDGAF. Harden's motto is "I'm all about that offense, boss".
 

Simpleton

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A common problem that I see with OKC and Houston is that both teams seem to be going through the motions as if pure talent will be enough to win games. The extra effort and hustle is lacking in both teams.

The Warriors are the defending champs and they are playing every game with a hungry, refuse-to-lose attitude. They are doing the little things and making the extra effort to pull out wins.

Conventional wisdom says Golden St. should not be hungrier than Houston & OKC. OKC and Houston should be the teams who are going the extra mile, doing any and every thing to get a win. Instead we're treated to lazy basketball night after night. It's especially bad when your team leader (Harden in particular) gives half ass effort on a nightly basis. If it ain't about offense Harden JDGAF. Harden's motto is "I'm all about that offense, boss".
Does that surprised you about Harden?

The guy just oozes selfishness and being an asshole.

As an aside, I think Rose has legitimately lost his mind. The guy is playing like complete and utter shit despite the fact that he had an injury free offseason, he seems to have gotten worse at just about everything except possibly defense and avoiding turnovers. His shot is horrendous and he can't finish around the rim at all, he also doesn't really use his explosiveness anymore. I know damn good and well that it's still there, but it's like the guy is consciously holding back for fear of getting injured and is trying to change his game around playing in a more plodding fashion.

That's all well and good in theory but it doesn't explain why his shot is so broken, which I think is due to a combination of laziness and lack of confidence. He's never been an elite shooter obviously but he had a very reliable mid-range shot before the injury and a somewhat reliable 3 point shot. Now his mechanics are all over the place and very awkward, and he seems to have regressed in just about every way conceivable as a shooter.

That has nothing to do with the injuries, not being as athletic or anything like that, I think he just plays with very little confidence these days and seems to be lackadaisical about improving his shot.
 

Jiggyfly

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Harden is a bit of a strange bird and I am disappointed that he took the offseason off instead of building on last year.

But this idea that he just half asses it every night is bullshit, yes he gets lazy from time to time and he ball watches but it is no worse than Durant or Rose even before injuries.

He will never probably be that completely locked in guy who can inspire a team with sheer will but there is a lot of piling on at the moment that is being driven by these random highlites.
 

Jiggyfly

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