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Official NBA 2022-2023 Thread


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White's putback as time expires lifts Celtics past Heat, forces Game 7 in East finals


What a game! And what a result: the Celtics are now the first NBA team to host a Game 7 after having been down 0-3. If they win the final game, they will be the first NBA team ever to win a series after having been down 0-3.

 

In the meantime, the Nuggets grow rust while waiting for the Finals to begin...


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Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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The Heat must be a bit unnerved now. They had three games to close them out and did not.

 

During Game 6, it kept looking like the Heat had to work harder for for so many of their shots except for some of the three-point shots.

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Alright, glad the Heat won! I am guessing the Nuggets will win it all, but who knows, the Heat have been resilient.

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I hope not either. I think most of us would love to see an exciting, tightly-contested seven game series.

 

Denver is so consistently great....I just don't see how the Heat beat them. They've been rolling opponents for the entire season now, and they play a great brand of share-the-ball basketball and tough defense.

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16 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

Alright, glad the Heat won! I am guessing the Nuggets will win it all, but who knows, the Heat have been resilient.

 

It's hard not to wonder what would have happened if Jayson Tatum hadn't injured his ankle in the first possession of the game. I was rooting for the Celtics because it's fun to watch sports history in the making. Now, they're just one of 151 teams to have started 0-3 and lost the series.

 

To be fair, Miami was hampered by injury the whole series, and they managed to prevail nonetheless; so Tatum's injury merely leveled the playing field. It's reported that Tyler Herro is expected to return around Game 3 of the NBA Finals, so that will help the Heat against the relatively healthy Nuggets.

 

Like most people, I expect Denver to win it all; but I am concerned about how long they've been resting. I expect them to be rusty, while Miami is still acclimated to the court.

 

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Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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In the meantime, it’s the offseason for the rest of the league. Here are some recent developments:


Warriors president-general manager Bob Myers steps down


Sources: Philadelphia 76ers to hire Nick Nurse as head coach


Bucks hiring Raptors' Adrian Griffin as coach, sources say


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Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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3 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

 

It's hard not to wonder what would have happened if Jayson Tatum hadn't injured his ankle in the first possession of the game. I was rooting for the Celtics because it's fun to watch sports history in the making. Now, they're just one of 151 teams to have started 0-3 and lost the series.

 

To be fair, Miami was hampered by injury the whole series, and they managed to prevail nonetheless; so Tatum's injury merely leveled the playing field. It's reported that Tyler Herro is expected to return around Game 3 of the NBA Finals, so that will help the Heat against the relatively healthy Nuggets.

 

Like most people, I expect Denver to win it all; but I am concerned about how long they've been resting. I expect them to be rusty, while Miami is still acclimated to the court.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

 

I agree with Miami prevailing without Herro. I feel that more than equaled things vs. a hobbled Tatum.

 

It's doubtful that I would root for the Celtics for anything. I did sort of root for them to get in the Finals when the Lakers were going to play them for a second time, but that was only because I wanted the Lakers to beat them. Which they did.

 

A likely scenario might be that Miami comes in and steals the first game, and then the Nuggets reels off several wins, and maybe Miami wins one more, with the Nuggets winning in six.

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8 minutes ago, Geoff Grace said:

Wishing Monty Williams the best of luck. He’ll be missed in Phoenix.


Monty Williams to coach Pistons on record 6-year, $78.5M deal

 

Good for him.

 

I think it was dopey for Phoenix to fire him.  They fell to Denver (who look like a wrecking ball, IMO) this year, won over 80 games the last two years and made it to the Finals in 2021, losing to a ridiculously good Bucks team.

 

dB

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:snax:

 

:keys:==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <==:rawk:

 

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So, tonight is Game 1 of the Finals. Miami has won their last six Game 1s and Denver is undefeated at home, so we have an irresistible force against an immovable object. Add to the equation that the Nuggets have taken 10 days off, and I think Miami has a great shot of winning tonight. If not, it's hard to see their path forward for another upset series.

 

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Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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I would have said this before Game 1 but....the Heat is a movable object.

 

Miami is will need to dig really deep to avoid being swept.

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I was worried that the Nuggets would be rusty after ten days rest, but I forgot that gold never rusts. 
 

The Heat were lucky to get as close as nine points behind during the second half. They spent most of the time behind by at least 10 points. I suppose once Tyler Herro returns, Miami might win one or more at home; but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they were swept. 
 

Best,

 

Geoff

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My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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9 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

Miami might win one or more at home; but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they were swept. 

Same here.  Miami will be lucky to win 1 game.  They have already overachieved this season.  Bless their hearts.😁😎

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PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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I wonder how much playing in Denver (for the first game at least) matters.   A couple of the former players (might have been Chuck, Kenny and Shaq) remarked on how hard it was to come in there and play.  The Heat obviously didn't have a ton of time between series.

Love watching Jokic.  That dude would be a top player in any era of the game, he doesn't rely on the 3 like so many big dudes nowadays (as a Magic fan it irked me mightily to see Mo Bamba with his 19-foot wingspan hanging around the 3 point line).   

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The thinner air in the mile-high city makes a noticeable difference in all sports. The ball travels farther, which can help the home team and visitors alike in sports like football and baseball, by extending the field goal range and creating more home runs. This factor helps less in basketball because the accuracy of the throw is more important than the distance traveled.

 

The thin air also make it easier to get winded, especially for those who don’t live in it and aren’t acclimated. It seems to make a bigger difference in a sport like basketball, in which the running is more like a marathon than a sprint, whereas there are more periods of rest between sprints in baseball and football.

 

In short, yes, the thin air helps the home team in Denver, and it’s likely to be even more of a detriment to the away team in basketball than in other sports.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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Jokic can be around for a very long time. Much of his skillset involves basketball smarts, vision, and physical skills that don't need you to be super-quick or be a hyper-athletic high-fly act. He could be around for a long time while remaining super-dominant.

 

And by dominant, I mean that the guy almost single-handedly controls the game. He scores, he distributes, he rebounds, he orchestrates, he brings the ball up, he bodies up people, he's an imposing presence. That's an enormous amount of ways to influence a game. I'm not saying he's not a fantastically well-conditioned athlete. He is. But his skillset is one that is not dependent on uber-athletic ability that wanes as one gets older.

 

And there's a good chance he hasn't even peaked yet.

 

usatsi_19125551_168388303_lowres.jpg

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Sources: Suns finalizing 5-year deal to hire Frank Vogel


On the plus side, Vogel is a talented defensive coach. The Suns aren’t weak on defense like they were during the Mike D’Antoni days, but they could still stand some improvement in that area.


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Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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How about that? The Heat accomplished something no one else has this post season: they beat the Nuggets in Denver. I thought they’d win the series opener. They didn’t. I thought they lose Game 2. They didn’t. The result is the same: 1-1, but I predicted the order wrong.
 

Anyway, kudos to Miami. They just took home court away from Denver. 
 

Best,

 

Geoff

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My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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In an impressive win last night, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray became the first teammates in NBA history to record triple-doubles in the same game:


Jokic and Murray both have triple-doubles, Nuggets beat Heat 109-94 for 2-1 lead


In the meantime, Tyler Herro was a no-show:


Miami Heat rule Tyler Herro out for Game 3 of NBA Finals


"We're taking it one day at a time," Erik Spoelstra said.


Best,


Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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Miami plays with a lot of energy and heart, but the Nuggets are just too much for them. I guess you could say that about the Lakers as well when they faced the Nuggets. Lots of heart, but just not as good as the Nuggets. The Nuggets have someone who is arguably the best person playing in the NBA right now, and they have a really solid team that shares the ball, plays good defense, and can shoot well. And they have a center who is a basketball savant and apparently can do everything well.

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