'Cause the fucking OKC Thunder (CPU controlled) keeps trying to do trade offers for Steven Adams with my 2K Knicks squad on MyLeague modeH20Knick wrote: J... why do you know the 2K ratings for steven adams...
Around the NBA 2017-18
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big_j_NY
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gradyandrew
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The All- Star game is always a bitter sweet time of the year for me. Bitter because, let’s admit it, I’d rather watch the Suns and Bulls play a game that means something than the ‘showmanship’ of not playing any defense; and sweet because now the NBA has finally broken up into its 3 camps: the contenders, the bubble teams, and the lottery junkies. For the next 30 games the intra camp games are always exciting. Nothing beats two squads fighting against their entire fan bases to try to win a game that everyone else desperately wishes they lose, and then the pseudo- playoff match-ups are always fun as teams size each other up. At least until the last week when the seeding has been determined and all the stars get ‘ankle sprains.’ Minny, Boston, OKC, and Houston all rolled the dice big time in the dog days of summer 2017, and while those moves worked out with varying effects over the first 2/3rds of the season, we the fans are still wondering what we have been since last June: will the space-time continuum ever become unstuck or will we be watching another Cavs- Warriors matchup again?
East
I’ll meekly raise my hand and admit that I thought signing Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade for the vet minimum was, at the time, the height of unfairness in the case of LeBron James vs the rest of us. That that capped out shit fest of the 2016-17 Cavs was able to add the two best scoring guards of the last 10 years for nothing still makes my blood boi.. ehh, never mind. If anyone could have predicted how disastrously that worked out, please send me some time stamped evidence. Just as I was preparing myself for the eventuality of a non- LeBron Eastern conference team losing in the finals, Koby Altman googled Magic’s cell and sent off a raven to Vlade Divac. Let’s not forget that both the guys who gift wrapped another conference title to Cleveland were former players. Remember that when you hire or fire your own GM.
Those trades got the Cavs out of the ICU and on the way home with their brand new babies. George Hill is probably the best PG LeBron has ever had, if you consider defense and decision making as part of a PG’s job, and the fact that he isn’t named Matt Delladova, Mario Chalmers, or Mo Williams. Clarkson can do the job he was born to do, score buckets off the bench while LeBron gets a breather; Rodney Hood can do an RJ impression, and Larry Nance can do a Tristan Thompson.
But the real beauty of these trades is how they cleared up the rotation for the two keys of the 2015 almost rans and 2016 championship Cavs, JR and Tristan. JR has been in slumber since he put his shirt back on post White House visit. He never cared last year (he’s JR) and this season he’s been able to rely on Rose, Wade, and IT taking the blame for whatever happens on the court. Now, with a clear path to 30 minutes a game, he no longer has that excuse. At his best, he’s as good as any other 3 and D wing in the league. He’s got that quick release on the break, where you really can’t discern the different motions between sprinting to the corner, catching, and shooting; it all kind of blurs into one. On defense, he can Vulcan mind meld with LeBron on the weak side and know exactly where to be so that the two of them can cover two guys at the 3 point line and whatever big is down below.
Tristan Thompson did what every one of us would do if we were 20 something championship millionaires- get our noses as far up a Kardashicooch as possible. For that, we can forgive him as I’m sure everyone except maybe Dan Gilbert has. But now that Frye is gone and Kevin “Old Man” Love is injured, he too has a clear line to minutes and rediscovering the player that he is: the perfect roll partner for LeBron and an offensive rebound machine. While the new Cavs all have their parts to play none of them really duplicate what JR and Thompson do, except for Nance, who pretty much is a thinner, younger Thompson. Thompson will split minutes with him until (hopefully never) Love comes back. That’s the exact kind of pressure TT needs, because seriously how would Kourtney feel if Tris were playing behind a guy named Larry?
What gives me giddy optimism for the Cavs was the thrashing they gave the Celtics their first game together. As a Knicks fan, the only thing better than a Knicks win is a Celtics loss; preferably of the “blow- out on national TV” variety. When Kyrie says he ‘misses Gordon’ just know that that is flat- world speak for ‘don’t blame me when we get swept in June.’ And believe me Kyrie, ye of the silky handles, no one will. These Celtics teams have always been over achievers or, as I might call them, long term losers. How can they win when they start a guy named Bayne? A man who’s name only reminds me of the Batman villain; and not the Batman 3 one but the Lego Batman version. Because, at the end of the day, no matter how much you tell me about what ‘a great season’ Al Horford is having, there’s just no way he’s keeping Tristan off the offensive glass for a 7 game (it won’t go that long) series. So cool, Boston, win home court for the playoffs, it will be a shorter drive to the fishing hole when you lose.
Which leads us to the real challenge: the colossus of the North. Who’d have thunk when they chose that hackneyed Jurassic Park name, they’d eventually outlive whatever cultural relevance it once had. When my 12 year old asks me if they ever actually had Raptors in Toronto, I can only get teary eyed and respond, “Only in the theatres son, only in theatres.” And as unlikely as that turn of events was 25 years ago, so is the fact that it’s all because of their unlikely GM. Til this day he’s the only Ujiri in the Toronto White pages, and Ontario for that matter. He didn’t even double down when they got swept last season, he just turned in his worst card and stuck the rest up his sleeve while waiting for a re-deal. I’d also like to know who saw that coming. And now as we get to the money stretch of the season we’ll soon get to know the truth. I never thought I’d see a black man elected President in my lifetime, but I have, twice. And if that can happen, then maybe, just maybe a Canadian team, THE Canadian team for that matter can make the Finals. The key stat to watch in the Cavs- Raptors conference finals will neither be fast break points or offensive rebounds but which refs work which games. If the score card has Nick Buchert working all the games in Cleveland and Leon Wood working all the ones in Toronto, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Mad love to the other teams in the Eastern playoffs, hell I’d rather be there than in a KP ACL tear lottery nightmare, but if it’s not Toronto or Cleveland representing the East, I’ll eat my shoe; the one I have made out of chocolate that I keep for just such an occasion.
West
Before we turn to the Westerosian blood bath that will be the Western playoffs, let’s all bow our heads in silence and remember that it would be a hell of a lot more interesting if Kawhi wasn’t injured and missing. Let’s not forget that the highlights of the 2016-17 season were, in order, the Spurs beating the new look Warriors on the road by 20 opening night, a mid- season road win vs. the Cavs that literally finished with Kawhi hitting a 3, grabbing the ball out of LeBron’s hands and hitting another 3 to turn a 5 point deficit into a convincing win in the last minute, and then blowing out the Warriors, again on the road, in the playoffs by 20 in the 3rd quarter. Anything else you say about how ‘awesome’ the KDrriors are has to take account of those facts: they basically won by injury default. And while LaMarcia has certainly been having ‘a great year’ I can count the number of times he’s seized control of a game and just won it on my tail. OKC and Minny join the Spurs as pretty good teams but at the end of the day, nothing has changed since that WTF announcement that Chris Paul had joined mission control.
While the Rockets seemed to have cooled down a little, there was definitely a game where I was googling “has any team ever scored 100 points in a half.” And, God bless Mike D’Antoni’s shaved stache, that’s just what kind of a team they are. Hell, Ryan Anderson looks like he’s living up to his contract. Trevor Ariza , is Mr Cool and they have a host of other ‘break glass when needed’ players backing up, what has to be, the best back court in NBA history. I’m a firm believer in the ‘regular season don’t mean shit’ school of philosophy but the Harden, Paul, Capela triumvirate is 28-1. That’s some shit!
And against this backdrop we still have the invincible Warriors. Right before the break I caught them falling behind by 20 in the first to the Blazers before losing it. Let’s just say I saw a few Smaug sized holes on their underbelly. Technical fouls- a sure sign of frustration and entitlement are on the rise. Green and KD are nearing automatic suspension territory. A point here or there isn’t a big deal but it’s definitely a sign of unhappiness. Steph’s 3 point shooting, which really has been their hall mark as a team is, well, just not as fearsome as it once was. But the biggest worry was, wait- what’s that dude’s name? You know with the goatee? All quiet like. His dad was also a player- you know the other fucking Splash Brother? That guy! You know who I’m talking about. Anyway, that guy well he’s just been forgotten. Can you imagine a guy who once got 60 points in 29 minutes or something crazy like that, going whole rotations without getting the ball? To me, that’s a spot that a sniper like Bard the Bowman or Chris Paul, for that matter can take advantage of. Klay Thompson, that’s who I was thinking about.
So now we all get to sit back and enjoy the greatest show on earth for another 4 months, and finally it looks like it will have what we’ve all been hoping for- a surprise ending!
East
I’ll meekly raise my hand and admit that I thought signing Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade for the vet minimum was, at the time, the height of unfairness in the case of LeBron James vs the rest of us. That that capped out shit fest of the 2016-17 Cavs was able to add the two best scoring guards of the last 10 years for nothing still makes my blood boi.. ehh, never mind. If anyone could have predicted how disastrously that worked out, please send me some time stamped evidence. Just as I was preparing myself for the eventuality of a non- LeBron Eastern conference team losing in the finals, Koby Altman googled Magic’s cell and sent off a raven to Vlade Divac. Let’s not forget that both the guys who gift wrapped another conference title to Cleveland were former players. Remember that when you hire or fire your own GM.
Those trades got the Cavs out of the ICU and on the way home with their brand new babies. George Hill is probably the best PG LeBron has ever had, if you consider defense and decision making as part of a PG’s job, and the fact that he isn’t named Matt Delladova, Mario Chalmers, or Mo Williams. Clarkson can do the job he was born to do, score buckets off the bench while LeBron gets a breather; Rodney Hood can do an RJ impression, and Larry Nance can do a Tristan Thompson.
But the real beauty of these trades is how they cleared up the rotation for the two keys of the 2015 almost rans and 2016 championship Cavs, JR and Tristan. JR has been in slumber since he put his shirt back on post White House visit. He never cared last year (he’s JR) and this season he’s been able to rely on Rose, Wade, and IT taking the blame for whatever happens on the court. Now, with a clear path to 30 minutes a game, he no longer has that excuse. At his best, he’s as good as any other 3 and D wing in the league. He’s got that quick release on the break, where you really can’t discern the different motions between sprinting to the corner, catching, and shooting; it all kind of blurs into one. On defense, he can Vulcan mind meld with LeBron on the weak side and know exactly where to be so that the two of them can cover two guys at the 3 point line and whatever big is down below.
Tristan Thompson did what every one of us would do if we were 20 something championship millionaires- get our noses as far up a Kardashicooch as possible. For that, we can forgive him as I’m sure everyone except maybe Dan Gilbert has. But now that Frye is gone and Kevin “Old Man” Love is injured, he too has a clear line to minutes and rediscovering the player that he is: the perfect roll partner for LeBron and an offensive rebound machine. While the new Cavs all have their parts to play none of them really duplicate what JR and Thompson do, except for Nance, who pretty much is a thinner, younger Thompson. Thompson will split minutes with him until (hopefully never) Love comes back. That’s the exact kind of pressure TT needs, because seriously how would Kourtney feel if Tris were playing behind a guy named Larry?
What gives me giddy optimism for the Cavs was the thrashing they gave the Celtics their first game together. As a Knicks fan, the only thing better than a Knicks win is a Celtics loss; preferably of the “blow- out on national TV” variety. When Kyrie says he ‘misses Gordon’ just know that that is flat- world speak for ‘don’t blame me when we get swept in June.’ And believe me Kyrie, ye of the silky handles, no one will. These Celtics teams have always been over achievers or, as I might call them, long term losers. How can they win when they start a guy named Bayne? A man who’s name only reminds me of the Batman villain; and not the Batman 3 one but the Lego Batman version. Because, at the end of the day, no matter how much you tell me about what ‘a great season’ Al Horford is having, there’s just no way he’s keeping Tristan off the offensive glass for a 7 game (it won’t go that long) series. So cool, Boston, win home court for the playoffs, it will be a shorter drive to the fishing hole when you lose.
Which leads us to the real challenge: the colossus of the North. Who’d have thunk when they chose that hackneyed Jurassic Park name, they’d eventually outlive whatever cultural relevance it once had. When my 12 year old asks me if they ever actually had Raptors in Toronto, I can only get teary eyed and respond, “Only in the theatres son, only in theatres.” And as unlikely as that turn of events was 25 years ago, so is the fact that it’s all because of their unlikely GM. Til this day he’s the only Ujiri in the Toronto White pages, and Ontario for that matter. He didn’t even double down when they got swept last season, he just turned in his worst card and stuck the rest up his sleeve while waiting for a re-deal. I’d also like to know who saw that coming. And now as we get to the money stretch of the season we’ll soon get to know the truth. I never thought I’d see a black man elected President in my lifetime, but I have, twice. And if that can happen, then maybe, just maybe a Canadian team, THE Canadian team for that matter can make the Finals. The key stat to watch in the Cavs- Raptors conference finals will neither be fast break points or offensive rebounds but which refs work which games. If the score card has Nick Buchert working all the games in Cleveland and Leon Wood working all the ones in Toronto, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Mad love to the other teams in the Eastern playoffs, hell I’d rather be there than in a KP ACL tear lottery nightmare, but if it’s not Toronto or Cleveland representing the East, I’ll eat my shoe; the one I have made out of chocolate that I keep for just such an occasion.
West
Before we turn to the Westerosian blood bath that will be the Western playoffs, let’s all bow our heads in silence and remember that it would be a hell of a lot more interesting if Kawhi wasn’t injured and missing. Let’s not forget that the highlights of the 2016-17 season were, in order, the Spurs beating the new look Warriors on the road by 20 opening night, a mid- season road win vs. the Cavs that literally finished with Kawhi hitting a 3, grabbing the ball out of LeBron’s hands and hitting another 3 to turn a 5 point deficit into a convincing win in the last minute, and then blowing out the Warriors, again on the road, in the playoffs by 20 in the 3rd quarter. Anything else you say about how ‘awesome’ the KDrriors are has to take account of those facts: they basically won by injury default. And while LaMarcia has certainly been having ‘a great year’ I can count the number of times he’s seized control of a game and just won it on my tail. OKC and Minny join the Spurs as pretty good teams but at the end of the day, nothing has changed since that WTF announcement that Chris Paul had joined mission control.
While the Rockets seemed to have cooled down a little, there was definitely a game where I was googling “has any team ever scored 100 points in a half.” And, God bless Mike D’Antoni’s shaved stache, that’s just what kind of a team they are. Hell, Ryan Anderson looks like he’s living up to his contract. Trevor Ariza , is Mr Cool and they have a host of other ‘break glass when needed’ players backing up, what has to be, the best back court in NBA history. I’m a firm believer in the ‘regular season don’t mean shit’ school of philosophy but the Harden, Paul, Capela triumvirate is 28-1. That’s some shit!
And against this backdrop we still have the invincible Warriors. Right before the break I caught them falling behind by 20 in the first to the Blazers before losing it. Let’s just say I saw a few Smaug sized holes on their underbelly. Technical fouls- a sure sign of frustration and entitlement are on the rise. Green and KD are nearing automatic suspension territory. A point here or there isn’t a big deal but it’s definitely a sign of unhappiness. Steph’s 3 point shooting, which really has been their hall mark as a team is, well, just not as fearsome as it once was. But the biggest worry was, wait- what’s that dude’s name? You know with the goatee? All quiet like. His dad was also a player- you know the other fucking Splash Brother? That guy! You know who I’m talking about. Anyway, that guy well he’s just been forgotten. Can you imagine a guy who once got 60 points in 29 minutes or something crazy like that, going whole rotations without getting the ball? To me, that’s a spot that a sniper like Bard the Bowman or Chris Paul, for that matter can take advantage of. Klay Thompson, that’s who I was thinking about.
So now we all get to sit back and enjoy the greatest show on earth for another 4 months, and finally it looks like it will have what we’ve all been hoping for- a surprise ending!
Randle in the Rafters
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shakespeare
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Sadly, I’ve reached the point in my life where the All-Star game and the Dunk Contest bore me.
#TeamTank
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shakespeare
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Teams I look forward to watching in the playoffs:
Eastern Conference
Bucks
Cavs
6ers
Western Conference
Timberwolves
Rockets
Warriors
Eastern Conference
Bucks
Cavs
6ers
Western Conference
Timberwolves
Rockets
Warriors
#TeamTank
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shakespeare
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Probably the best read ever on James Harden http://hoopshype.com/2018/02/18/james-h ... satisfied/
Rockets may get swept in the playoffs via Golden State.
Rockets may shake up the world via defeating Golden State.
Regardless of whatever happens, James Harden is clearly the ‘18 MVP.
Rockets may get swept in the playoffs via Golden State.
Rockets may shake up the world via defeating Golden State.
Regardless of whatever happens, James Harden is clearly the ‘18 MVP.
#TeamTank
shakespeare wrote:Probably the best read ever on James Harden http://hoopshype.com/2018/02/18/james-h ... satisfied/
Rockets may get swept in the playoffs via Golden State.
Rockets may shake up the world via defeating Golden State.
Regardless of whatever happens, James Harden is clearly the ‘18 MVP.
I couldn't agree more.Regardless of whatever happens, James Harden is clearly the ‘18 MVP
Also, their pickups of Johnson and Wright were spot on to their needs. Veteran depth at the right spots. Now, it is all about staying healthy for the playoffs for them. If they go in healthy, it should be a great series.With Leonard out the road should be easier for both the Rockets and GS. SHOULD, being the key word (can OKC pull off a "miracle"). A GS/Rockets matchup is really what the NBA is all about these days. It will be played at a speed/level that will be nothing but fun to watch and this comes from an "old-timer" type that harkens back to the tough Knicks squads. Those days are well behind us and a GS/Rockets matchup is about as good as it can get these days.
- Me being the resident optimist around this cesspool of doom and gloom, StevoStarks, circa 2019
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nazrmohamed
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I don't know why Harden wasn't the mvp last year and I love Westbrook. But statistically they were nearly identical and Harden was winning.
So, OKC looks like they are all fired up going into GS. Westbrook, Melo....strutting and pointing fingers....
They woke up GS and the Warriors dropped 'em by 30.
Let sleeping dogs lay and try to get in and get out while they are still asleep.
They woke up GS and the Warriors dropped 'em by 30.
Let sleeping dogs lay and try to get in and get out while they are still asleep.
- Me being the resident optimist around this cesspool of doom and gloom, StevoStarks, circa 2019
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shakespeare
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shakespeare wrote:Teams I look forward to watching in the playoffs:
Eastern Conference
Bucks
Cavs
6ers
Western Conference
Timberwolves
Rockets
Warriors
Jimmy Butler is out indefinitely for Minnesota, torn meniscus. https://deadspin.com/jimmy-butlers-inju ... 1823309231
#TeamTank
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gradyandrew
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The triple doubles man, the triple doubles. Most of the voters chose to go with the history making season. However good Harden was, the story line for that whole season was post Durant Russ just doing everything by himself. I think the voters made the right choice. I can't remember Harden's stats, but no one is ever going to forget Russ's.nazrmohamed wrote:I don't know why Harden wasn't the mvp last year and I love Westbrook. But statistically they were nearly identical and Harden was winning.
Randle in the Rafters
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gradyandrew
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The Warriors have been waiting all season to get the playoffs started. I think their only chasing the Jordan Bull's and history now. It will be interesting to watch them vs. the Rockets. They've been sleeping on defense a lot of the season but now that they woke up, they're starting to look unstoppable. They're finally starting McGee and he just seems like the perfect counter for Capela. Klay will take Harden off his game more than vice versa so a lot of it will come down to Chris Paul posting up Curry, as that's the only play where the Rockets will have a clear advantage. The problem is that will take the Rockets out of their rhythm and Paul has never been a prolific scorer. Don't bet against Golden State.dcapodic wrote:So, OKC looks like they are all fired up going into GS. Westbrook, Melo....strutting and pointing fingers....
They woke up GS and the Warriors dropped 'em by 30.
Let sleeping dogs lay and try to get in and get out while they are still asleep.
Randle in the Rafters
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gradyandrew
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Meanwhile, avoiding all the drama the Raptors continue to play the best ball in the East.
Randle in the Rafters
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gradyandrew
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Corey Brewer to OKC seems like just what they needed. He can do a lot of what Roberson did while also bringing an offensive game. Good fit for everyone.
Randle in the Rafters
Anyone see Harden crossing up Wes Johnson last night??
It was ultra nasty..
Not only did he cross him up,he broke his ankles,stared him down for 3 seconds before nailing the 3...
Just not right
Silver should fine Harden...
It was ultra nasty..
Not only did he cross him up,he broke his ankles,stared him down for 3 seconds before nailing the 3...
Just not right
Silver should fine Harden...
There must be something going on between them two. It looked out of character for Harden but man, he really played it up. The way he just looked at him, waited then just drilled the 3-pter!taowave wrote:Anyone see Harden crossing up Wes Johnson last night??
It was ultra nasty..
Not only did he cross him up,he broke his ankles,stared him down for 3 seconds before nailing the 3...
Just not right
Silver should fine Harden...
https://www.si.com/nba/2018/02/28/james ... ey-johnson
- Me being the resident optimist around this cesspool of doom and gloom, StevoStarks, circa 2019
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NewlyKnicked
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That was 100% awesome
True there was some history between the two teams from the previous game
True there was some history between the two teams from the previous game
2017 NYKFP Mock Lottery Competition Champion
2020 Co-NYKFP Mock Lottery Competition Champion
2021 NYKFP Mock Lottery Competition Champion
2020 Co-NYKFP Mock Lottery Competition Champion
2021 NYKFP Mock Lottery Competition Champion