NBA Chatter Thread

[Cotton]

Congrats, 1big.

 

[Genghis Khan]

I'm no basketball expert, but I'd say the most impressed I've ever been by an NBA champion would be the 95-96 Bulls, 2000-2001 Lakers, and the 2016-2017 Warriors.

I'd put the showtime Lakers ahead of the 2000 one.

 

[Bipo]

Pacers gambled their future for a chance at gold and lost big time. Way bigger chance for Achilles injury when you have a bad calf.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I'd put the showtime Lakers ahead of the 2000 one.

He's probably not old enough to have seen those teams. We are.

 

[1bigfan13]

Here's your weekly OKC Thunder update.

They're currently 8-3 in the month of January with some quality wins over NBA title contenders: Sixers, Celtics, Nuggets, Nets, and Mavs.

They're currently sitting at 23-24 with a nice homestand on the horizon.

Shai hit his 3rd game winning shot of the season last night and continues to play at an All-NBA level.

And 2nd year forward Josh Giddey has taken his game to a new level. Over the last 10 games Giddey's at 18.9 ppg, 7 apg, 7.9 rpg, 52% FG, 92% FT.

Basically what I'm trying to say is....


View attachment 692960

From January 2023.

You were warned.

 

[Texas Ace]

LOL. Nico made a short trip down i 45 it seems

I actually don't think it's that bad of a deal for Houston.

Jalen Green has the makings of a 10 time all star, but as we saw with James harden, what good is that if you're one of those types that always checks out in the biggest games and in crunch time?

So why not trade him right now before the reputation gets out there about him being one of those players?

The only issue I have is the 1st round pick.

As good as KD is, he's 37.

Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and all those 2nd rounders should have been enough for a player that age.

But I don't think the deal is so bad that they got fleeced. If KD has one more season of elite scoring capability left in him, the Rockets will have a hell of a chance to get to the Finals.

 

[Genghis Khan]

I actually don't think it's that bad of a deal for Houston.

Jalen Green has the makings of a 10 time all star, but as we saw with James harden, what good is that if you're one of those types that always checks out in the biggest games and in crunch time?

So why not trade him right now before the reputation gets out there about him being one of those players?

The only issue I have is the 1st round pick.

As good as KD is, he's 37.

Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and all those 2nd rounders should have been enough for a player that age.

But I don't think the deal is so bad that they got fleeced. If KD has one more season of elite scoring capability left in him, the Rockets will have a hell of a chance to get to the Finals.

Yeah, they didn't get fleeced, but throwing a 37 year old (granted all timer) with almost no window left into a young up and coming team seems odd to me.

 

[Texas Ace]

Yeah, they didn't get fleeced, but throwing a 37 year old (granted all timer) with almost no window left into a young up and coming team seems odd to me.

I think they feel like they're one elite piece away and I don't think they're wrong.

Again, it's a lot to gamble on because you're counting on a guy that old to have another elite season in him and at this age, you can lose it from one season to the next.

But if he does have one more in him? This young and really good defensive team with an all time of a scorer has a chance to be as good as any team in the conference.

 

[Simpleton]

1Bigfan's Official Top 10 teams all time.

1. 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls
2. 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors
3. 1986-1987 LA Lakers
4. 1985-1986 Boston Celtics
5. 1971-1972 LA Lakers
6. 2012-2013 Miami Heat
7. 1982-1983 Philadelphia 76ers
8. 2007-2008 Boston Celtics
9. 2024-2025 OKC Thunder
10. 1988-1989 Detroit Pistons

I had to dock the Thunder a couple of spots because they weren't as strong on the road during the playoffs. But still firmly in the top 10.

I assume you're kidding but if not, there's no chance this OKC team is top 10 all time.

I don't care what the advanced stats or whatever say, the league was sort of weak this year and they had to scratch and claw to drag out the Finals in 7 against a pretty weak Pacers team, historically speaking. That was on top of having to go 7 against Denver as well.

Hell, I think Boston last year was probably better.

If they go on to win 3 more titles in the next 6-7 years or something then we can talk.

 

[Simpleton]

I think they feel like they're one elite piece away and I don't think they're wrong.

Again, it's a lot to gamble on because you're counting on a guy that old to have another elite season in him and at this age, you can lose it from one season to the next.

But if he does have one more in him? This young and really good defensive team with an all time of a scorer has a chance to be as good as any team in the conference.

I think the deal made sense for both sides really, Houston still has a gaping hole at the 2/3 spot, but giving up the 10th pick in a weak draft and Jalen Green isn't a huge price to pay to potentially compete for it all over the next 2 years or so.

 

[Cotton]

 

[boozeman]

 

[Simpleton]

That's kind of how he always is, probably just barely slept.

 

[1bigfan13]

I assume you're kidding but if not, there's no chance this OKC team is top 10 all time.

I don't care what the advanced stats or whatever say, the league was sort of weak this year and they had to scratch and claw to drag out the Finals in 7 against a pretty weak Pacers team, historically speaking. That was on top of having to go 7 against Denver as well.

I can't help it if you and the rest of the odds makers ignored that the Pacers were arguably the 2nd best team in the NBA over an approximately 50-game stretch heading into the playoffs.

They also won the season series vs the Celtics and the Cavs. Far from a weak team.

If their jerseys said Lakers across the chest everyone would look at them completely differently.

 

[1bigfan13]

The Celtics are dismantling that team rather quickly. The Tatum injury probably adjusted their timeline for doing this.

I'm willing to bet they'd have kept everyone together for another year if Tatum hadn't torn his Achilles.

 

[Genghis Khan]

The Celtics are dismantling that team rather quickly. The Tatum injury probably adjusted their timeline for doing this.

I'm willing to bet they'd have kept everyone together for another year if Tatum hadn't torn his Achilles.

Is this just a salary dump? Otherwise I don't get this trade for the Celtics.

 

[1bigfan13]

Is this just a salary dump? Otherwise I don't get this trade for the Celtics.

I think so. The Jrue Holiday trade was definitely a salary dump.

They were way over the cap and were paying an insane amount in luxury taxes for being in the 2nd tax apron.

 

[Simpleton]

I can't help it if you and the rest of the odds makers ignored that the Pacers were arguably the 2nd best team in the NBA over an approximately 50-game stretch heading into the playoffs.

They also won the season series vs the Celtics and the Cavs. Far from a weak team.

If their jerseys said Lakers across the chest everyone would look at them completely differently.

I get that they were underrated but this wasn't analogous to the 80's Celtics/Lakers beating each other, or the Warriors/Cavs in the 2010's, or a team like the 90's Jazz that would've won against basically anybody except the GOAT.

Yes, the Pacers are a good team, but they aren't such a great team that they should be taking a supposed "top 10 team of all time" to the absolute brink. OKC was very close to going down 3-1 both against Denver and Indiana, to me that's not good enough to prematurely put them in the pantheon like that.

Indiana/Haliburton are 50/50 at absolute best to even make another Finals in the next 5 years, and I'd have said that even before his injury.

You also seemed to not want to put multiple iterations of the same dynasty runs in the ranking, but without OKC actually having a dynastic run themselves that's pretty unfair. Like you had the 95-96 Bulls on your list but what about the 96-97 team that won 69 games, winning the 2nd of an eventual 3 in a row?

Or the 2014-15 Warriors when they won their first title the year before winning 73?

Unless OKC wins about 3 in the next 6-8 years there's absolutely no argument that they are better than those teams, even if you're sort of double counting.

 

[1bigfan13]

I was trolling, @Simpleton.

You've been bigfan'd.

 

[Genghis Khan]

I think Edgecombe over Bailey will age very poorly for the Sixers.