Official NBA 2021-2022 Thread

[zxcvbnm098]

Interesting take from Bill Plaschke at the LA Times suggesting the Lakers should trade LeBron. 

 

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2022-02-24/lakers-must-be-open-to-trading-lebron-james

[Dave Bryce]

LeBron himself is fueling the daylights out of that.  Now that he’s ruined the Lakers, time for him to leave town.

 

Multiple media sources have noticed a pattern.

 

dB

[Joe Muscara]

Ya gotta wonder if that's going to be his legacy long term. Will it be "he won all these championships with all these teams and had these great stats," or will it include that he burned each of these teams to the ground and that's why none of them became longer term dynasties while he was there? 🤔

[Geoff Grace]

Phoenix Suns clinch top seed in NBA playoffs in Chris Paul's return from broken thumb

Win number 60 tonight!

Best,

Geoff

[GuitarMage]

I hope Nikola Jokić and Denver make it to the playoffs.

[Geoff Grace]

When close friends Josh Hart and Larry Nance, Jr were traded for each other, they swapped houses as well:

What happens when best friends are traded for each other in the middle of the NBA season?

Best,

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

What a season for us Suns fans!

Suns Tie Franchise-Record With 62 Wins

Best,

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

And now, it's official:

Phoenix Suns set franchise record for wins in season, end Los Angeles Lakers playoff hopes

The Suns' hitting a new franchise record for wins in season is a great accomplishment! In that respect at least, this is the best Suns team ever.

Unfortunately, the media largely ignored it, focusing instead on the Lakers getting eliminated from playoff contention. I get it. The Lakers were a dynasty for decades. Then, signing LeBron and winning a championship a couple of years ago gave fans hope for rekindling that level of greatness. This season has proven a great disappointment. If this year’s collection of star players were still in their prime, they could have won yet another championship.

As a Suns fan first and Lakers fan second, I had mixed emotions at tonight's result; but I'm going to focus on the positive: this Suns team is in the record books, and they could finally win it all this year. I've had plenty of satisfaction over the years as a Lakers fan; I'm more than ready for the Suns' turn at greatness.

Best,

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

It looks like the West's top seed is going to struggle to win a series against a Play-In team:

 

Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker likely to miss Games 3 and 4 vs. New Orleans Pelicans with mild hamstring strain, sources say

Devin Booker scored 31 points in the first half of Game 2, including seven 3-pointers, before he left in the third period. Without Booker, the Suns went on to lose 125-114.

 

The series is now tied at 1-1. The Suns were 8-6 in games without Booker this season.

Best,

Geoff

[Morrissey]

3 minutes ago, Geoff Grace said:

looks like the West's top seed is going to struggle to win a series against a Play-In team

 

I read an article today: "Why do the basketball gods hate Chris Paul?"

[Geoff Grace]

I hunted it down:

Why do the basketball gods hate Chris Paul?

The article has some good points. Fortunately, there are games that have yet to be played; and Scott Foster isn't officiating all of them. Booker's injury may yet heal well enough to keep him contending. The Suns have a chance as long as they're in the playoffs.

 

  

 

GO SUNS!!!

 

Best,

 

Geoff

 

[ProfD]

Nets down 0-2 to the Celtics.  I've got a feeling the series will be tied 2-2 before they leave Brooklyn.  KD and Kyrie gonna show up and out at home. 😎

[Dave Bryce]

10 minutes ago, ProfD said:

Nets down 0-2 to the Celtics.  I've got a feeling the series will be tied 2-2 before they leave Brooklyn.  KD and Kyrie gonna show up and out at home. 😎

…but I hear that SImmons guy is gonna be ready to play in Game 4!!!! 🤔

 

Too bad.  Philly and their fans were excited to see him. 😈

 

GO SIXERS!

 

dB

[Geoff Grace]

Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker has Grade 1 hamstring strain, sources say

 

So now instead of 2-3 days, we're talking about 2-3 weeks typical recovery time.

 

That said, Booker has a history of coming back sooner than most players. He played through a hamstring injury in the NBA Finals last year; so we may yet see a compromised Booker return in a week or so, if the Suns can remain in the playoffs until then.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[timwat]

Playoff attrition - outcomes defined more by injuries than anything else it seems.

 

My Dubs are now 3-0 over a Denver team missing Jamal Murray and Michael Porter to injuries, relying on one player (admittedly, last year's MVP). We're fortunate to get Steph back from injury just when it starts to count, as well as to have a culture that is healthier than some other teams (the Jazz comes to mind), with smart coaching (Minnesota comes to mind). But whether that's enough for all the marbles - too hard to predict. 

 

Fully expect Brooklyn to wake up and turn theirs into a dogfight. Fully expect Phoenix to stand up tall while Booker heals up as well. I love playoff basketball.

[KenElevenShadows]

I thought the Warriors might catch up and win Game 4, but not quite. I caught the last quarter of that game.

 

Brooklyn looked lethargic and disengaged!

[Dave Bryce]

Ben Simmons now bailing on Game 4 - guess his back still ain't quite right. 🙄

 

Brooklyn got took, man. 😬

 

I may have less respect for Ben Simmons than pretty much anyone who's ever donned an NBA uniform.  

 

dB

[timwat]

1 hour ago, KenElevenShadows said:

I thought the Warriors might catch up and win Game 4, but not quite. I caught the last quarter of that game.

 

Brooklyn looked lethargic and disengaged!

 

Going to Wiggs for the last inbound was a head scratcher for me. Hopefully we'll get it put to bed upon return to the Bay.

 

Brooklyn...man, the beginning of season favorite has turned into a dumpster fire. Lots of Dubs fans here have very little empathy for the bed KD has made.

[Geoff Grace]

I've heard pundits claim that Kevin Durant is the best player in the NBA, completely ignoring LeBron James; but I think that the Lakers would have performed as well with a healthy Anthony Davis as KD seems to be faring with a healthy Kyrie Irving.

 

Speaking of washes, the Pelicans are showing us that they are roughly as good without Zion Williamson as the Suns are without Devin Booker. At almost 37 years of age, does CP3 still have enough left in the tank to play all out for the rest of the series?

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[KenElevenShadows]

11 hours ago, timwat said:

 

Going to Wiggs for the last inbound was a head scratcher for me. Hopefully we'll get it put to bed upon return to the Bay.

 

Brooklyn...man, the beginning of season favorite has turned into a dumpster fire. Lots of Dubs fans here have very little empathy for the bed KD has made.

 

I don't think I can blame them. I had my doubts about Brooklyn, although before the beginning the season, I certainly thought they'd do much better than this. When I heard about Kyrie playing half the games and then seeing Harden getting traded, I just didn't know about them.

 

I thought the Lakers would be competitive, but I didn't feel they would get past the second round once I saw they got Westbrook instead of Hield.

[MAJUSCULE]

Brooklyn folding like a cheap tent. Luckily there are a bunch of other very exciting series going on! Would be incredible if the Pels pulled off the upset. And can the Raps complete the historic comeback?

[ProfD]

14 minutes ago, MAJUSCULE said:

Brooklyn folding like a cheap tent.

Really did not expect them to get swept. 

 

Then again, therein lies the problem when a *team* is built around 1 or 2 players. 😎

[16251]

No offense to all you "Nets faded, didn't expect it, etc. ppl." but maybe it was that Celtics were better on many levels and coincidently the best team since the all star game  I don't know what next series will look like, but they got some team sh*t happening, which is fun to watch, no matter the outcome.

[Dave Bryce]

16 minutes ago, 16251 said:

No offense to all you "Nets faded, didn't expect it, etc. ppl." but maybe it was that Celtics were better on many levels and coincidently the best team since the all star game  I don't know what next series will look like, but they got some team sh*t happening, which is fun to watch, no matter the outcome.

 

I agree.

 

 As a Philly fan, IF we can put Toronto away I am not looking forward to playing Boston.  Nets would have been so much more entertaining.

 

dB

[timwat]

Absolutely the Celtics are a force to be reckoned with. Still, would not have predicted such a dominant, one-sided sweep that speaks to a lot more than a mismatch in talent. But then, I also would not have predicted Simmons would have still not logged any minutes with PF Flyers laced since June 2021.

Caught a little of Mavs - Jazz last night and found Utah's performance almost unwatchable. I had not watched much Dallas during regular season, and was interesting to see Doncic so dominant, and the Jazz so impotent.

 

[Geoff Grace]

The Suns took care of business tonight!

 

Bridges, Paul lead Suns past Pelicans 112-97 for 3-2 lead

 

Mikal Bridges really stepped up with 31 points.  

 

CP3 had a great performance on both sides of the ball. One more game like this, and the Suns can advance to the next round.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

Perfect Paul, top-seeded Suns finish off Pelicans in Game 6

Chris Paul was 14 for 14: the most field goals without a miss in an NBA playoff game. It was great that his old fans in New Orleans were able to witness it, even if he was playing against his former team.

The Pelicans put up a great fight the whole series. Few people gave them a chance, but they were tough opponents.

Best,

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

On 4/26/2022 at 9:26 AM, Dave Bryce said:

As a Philly fan, I we can put Toronto away I am not looking forward to playing Boston.

 

Congrats on the win, Dave! I can understand why you're not looking forward to playing Boston, but the 76ers are great too. This has the makings of a classic series.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Dave Bryce]

8 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

 

Congrats on the win, Dave! I can understand why you're not looking forward to playing Boston, but the 76ers are great too. This has the makings of a classic series.

 

Congrats to the Suns too, brother Geoff.

 

I think I was wrong before though -  Philly plays MIA now, don’t they?  BOS draws MIL, no?

 

Either way, some killa hoops headed our way in Round 2.

 

dB

[Geoff Grace]

3 hours ago, Dave Bryce said:

Congrats to the Suns too, brother Geoff.

 

I think I was wrong before though -  Philly plays MIA now, don’t they?  BOS draws MIL, no?

 

Either way, some killa hoops headed our way in Round 2.

Thanks, Dave. Yes, you’re right. Perhaps you were seeing further down the road to the Conference Finals then.
 

I agree that these series look great too!

 

Best,

 

Geoff