2023 NBA Playoffs thread

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by mfw13

And lost....doesn't make a difference how many games you take a team to if you still lose the series.

And while AD at his best (which he rarely is these days) may be better than Sabonis in a vacuum, he won't be against the Warriors because Looney matches up very well against him. Unlike Sabonis, he's not a very involved in the Lakers offense until he receives the ball, and like Sabonis he's not much of a threat away from the basket (2.6 APG vs 7.3 APG for Sabonis).

The fact that the Warriors were able to beat the Kings without getting much production from anyone other than Curry & Looney is scary.

Semantics also but Barnes had plenty of playoff experience.

Kings crumbled at home, that's about it.

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

As long as Poole plays as little as possible and Klay doesn't attempt too much hero ball I got Warriors in 6.

This is the recipe for success.

[NeedChapmans]

Originally Posted by mfw13

The fact that the Warriors were able to beat the Kings without getting much production from anyone other than Curry & Looney is scary.

It's hard not to think the series turned completely when Fox broke his finger. He was incredibly awful in SAC both games and couldn't shoot or handle.

Golden State played a single complete game, out of 7 ... and I would not be worried facing them in a series if I were LAL, DEN, or PHO. There are still massive holes and no bench production of any kind.

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Agreed...and I'm a Warriors fan.

I've still got Denver as favorites....

I have no idea between GSW, Denver, and Phoenix. Fairly confident LA doesn’t get to the Finals. I just don’t think Lebron has the juice to carry a team to the Finals anymore… he’s 38 and has played like 25 seasons worth of basketball with the playoffs factored in, but we shall see. I’m hype for all of it the rest of the way.

[jcmel323]

The heat / knicks game looked kinda easy for the Heat compared to what we saw last series vs bucks.
It changes everything now with Jimmy Butler ankle.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by mfw13

And lost....doesn't make a difference how many games you take a team to if you still lose the series.

And while AD at his best (which he rarely is these days) may be better than Sabonis in a vacuum, he won't be against the Warriors because Looney matches up very well against him. Unlike Sabonis, he's not a very involved in the Lakers offense until he receives the ball, and like Sabonis he's not much of a threat away from the basket (2.6 APG vs 7.3 APG for Sabonis).

The fact that the Warriors were able to beat the Kings without getting much production from anyone other than Curry & Looney is scary.

Sabonis is nowhere near as dynamic or athletic as AD from a scoring standpoint. Which is why they rarely lean on him for high output. Far superior passer, but that's about where it ends.

AD doesn't need to be heavily involved in facilitation, as the Lakers have 3 versatile distributors in James, Reeves, and Dlo. This is where the Kings faltered. Huerter/Keegan are spot up shooters in Klay's mold, and Barnes is the antithesis of versatile. That leaves everything in the hands of Fox and your starting center who may or may not have his head in the game due to physicality concerns.

LA has 3 legit starters that can get you 8 dimes any given night.

I'll be honest. I don't believe the Fakers and Kings rosters are anywhere near the same caliber. People can disagree. That's fine. But I've been calling for the Lakers bubble run as soon as the trade went down before even seeing how the pieces fit. They are the most well-rounded and deepest squad in the west.

And soon they will prove it.

[jcmel323]

Not sure what im more impressed:
Curry with 50pts
Looney with 11pts, 10off reb + 11 def reb or
the trio of Wiggins/Poole/Thompson combine for 12/44 FG and still won.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by NeedChapmans

It's hard not to think the series turned completely when Fox broke his finger. He was incredibly awful in SAC both games and couldn't shoot or handle.

Not buying that....he played great in Game 6, after all.

The bigger issue was that he got himself in foul trouble and started mouthing off to the officials (got T'd up in both games 5 and 6), as well as the fact that the Warriors started to get better at preventing him to getting to his favorite shooting spot at the elbow.

[rhigh2390]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

I have no idea between GSW, Denver, and Phoenix. Fairly confident LA doesn’t get to the Finals. I just don’t think Lebron has the juice to carry a team to the Finals anymore… he’s 38 and has played like 25 seasons worth of basketball with the playoffs factored in, but we shall see. I’m hype for all of it the rest of the way.

He doesn't have to do that with this Lakers team. They don't need him to go out and play hero with the team they have and with who is in front of them. I actually don't see them not winning the chip this year with who is in front of them. There just isn't a tem that I see beating them 4 out of 7.

Obviously, they are an AD injury away from that not being the case though.

I have Lakers in 6, at most, against GS. I think AD is going to dominate Looney, Steph and lebron will be a wash, LA bench will be so much better than GS, and Lakers defense is going to harass Klay/Poole. Not to mention GS can't guard without fouling and the refs already love LA. Wouldn't shock me at all if it went 5.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

Sabonis is nowhere near as dynamic or athletic as AD from a scoring standpoint. Which is why they rarely lean on him for high output. Far superior passer, but that's about where it ends.

AD doesn't need to be heavily involved in facilitation, as the Lakers have 3 versatile distributors in James, Reeves, and Dlo. This is where the Kings faltered. Huerter/Keegan are spot up shooters in Klay's mold, and Barnes is the antithesis of versatile. That leaves everything in the hands of Fox and your starting center who may or may not have his head in the game due to physicality concerns.

LA has 3 legit starters that can get you 8 dimes any given night.

I'll be honest. I don't believe the Fakers and Kings rosters are anywhere near the same caliber. People can disagree. That's fine. But I've been calling for the Lakers bubble run as soon as the trade went down before even seeing how the pieces fit. They are the most well-rounded and deepest squad in the west.

And soon they will prove it.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

As I see it, AD's lack of anything resembling an outside game means that Looney should be able to defend him reasonably well.

And yes, while Lebron can distribute, the Warriors will make it very difficult for him to do so by defending him with Wiggins & Dray and encouraging him to settle for long jumpers, which he is willing to do with increasing frequency. If they discourage him from driving the lane, that reduces his effectiveness as a passer by taking away the drive and kick.

Reaves seems to be a very dynamic young player, but if he starts to get going the Warriors will stick GPII on him to slow him down. And DLo is about as inconsistent as they get.

So while the Lakers certainly can click and get running on all cylinders, I think the Warriors are good enough defensively that they will for the most part be able to keep the Lakers offense under control.

The bigger question for me is whether the new and improved Lakers defense will be good enough to keep the Warriors offense under control. Neither Reeves or DLo are good enough defensively to stop Curry, and if Klay, Wiggins, or Poole get going, things will get even tougher defensively for the Lakers.

[JustinVerlander07]

Draymond has guarded AD in the past (and done so well), not sure why you guys think its Looney vs AD

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by mfw13

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

As I see it, AD's lack of anything resembling an outside game means that Looney should be able to defend him reasonably well.

And yes, while Lebron can distribute, the Warriors will make it very difficult for him to do so by defending him with Wiggins & Dray and encouraging him to settle for long jumpers, which he is willing to do with increasing frequency. If they discourage him from driving the lane, that reduces his effectiveness as a passer by taking away the drive and kick.

Reaves seems to be a very dynamic young player, but if he starts to get going the Warriors will stick GPII on him to slow him down. And DLo is about as inconsistent as they get.

So while the Lakers certainly can click and get running on all cylinders, I think the Warriors are good enough defensively that they will for the most part be able to keep the Lakers offense under control.

The bigger question for me is whether the new and improved Lakers defense will be good enough to keep the Warriors offense under control. Neither Reeves or DLo are good enough defensively to stop Curry, and if Klay, Wiggins, or Poole get going, things will get even tougher defensively for the Lakers.

I expect similar up and down results from AD like we witnessed in the Grizz series, and Grizz had the second best defensive rating this year (especially tough inside) while Warriors were bottom half of the pack. I think the key between those two is who grabs the most boards. Both crashed them hard the first round.


The only one stopping Lebron from driving is Lebron. Wiggs and Dray lack either the girth/strength/speed to hang with him even in his late years. If he stupidly settles for 3's, that's on him. He is his own worst enemy. We've seen it too many times to count.

They both play at frantic top 3 paces. The defensive argument holds for both. They've both been super mid towards the end of the season. But both handled the job in the first round...the Lakers with slightly greater ease.


For me, this comes down to LA's role players being complete no-shows, particularly Russell (since Shroodur offers nada at this point). If it happens, they won't have a shot. But if it doesn't, their overall versatility and depth should edge it.

[Asian62150]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

I expect similar up and down results from AD like we witnessed in the Grizz series, and Grizz had the second best defensive rating this year (especially tough inside) while Warriors were bottom half of the pack. I think the key between those two is who grabs the most boards. Both crashed them hard the first round.


The only one stopping Lebron from driving is Lebron. Wiggs and Dray lack either the girth/strength/speed to hang with him even in his late years. If he stupidly settles for 3's, that's on him. He is his own worst enemy. We've seen it too many times to count.

They both play at frantic top 3 paces. The defensive argument holds for both. They've both been super mid towards the end of the season. But both handled the job in the first round...the Lakers with slightly greater ease.


For me, this comes down to LA's role players being complete no-shows, particularly Russell (since Shroodur offers nada at this point). If it happens, they won't have a shot. But if it doesn't, their overall versatility and depth should edge it.

Agree D Lo can/will swing the series. This is also assuming Rui plays like he did in R1 and contributes at least 12-15 ppg and 6-8 boards.

I'm sure both teams are glad there are no back to backs in the playoffs.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by Asian62150

Agree D Lo can/will swing the series. This is also assuming Rui plays like he did in R1 and contributes at least 12-15 ppg and 6-8 boards.

I'm not seeing any particular roadblock for Rui so it's all on him to keep going. It's clear the Warriors staff no longer trusts Kuminga, Green's too old, and GPIII/Moody give up too much size. If Kerr sticks to Dray off the bench, then he could face some resistance.

Think we'll see a lot of creative LU staggering by Ham to always keep at least one of the big 3 on the floor at all times.

[sportzluvr1]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

I'm not seeing any particular roadblock for Rui so it's all on him to keep going. It's clear the Warriors staff no longer trusts Kuminga, Green's too old, and GPIII/Moody give up too much size. If Kerr sticks to Dray off the bench, then he could face some resistance.

Think we'll see a lot of creative LU staggering by Ham to always keep at least one of the big 3 on the floor at all times.

Dray aint comin' off the bench mane.

[fabiani12333]

LeBron vs Curry -- are you not entertained!:

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by sportzluvr1

Dray aint comin' off the bench mane.

Probably not. But they may stagger his minutes depending on how LA comes out.


Should be an intriguing series. Fakers dominated 3-1 during the regular season, but we didn't really see either squad at full strength, as someone was always missing.

[mfw13]

Good Lakers-Warriors analysis on the Ringer:

https://www.theringer.com/2023/4/30/...y-lebron-james

[yiguiri2002]

Crazy how overrated the Lakers have become overnight.

They are not the deepest squad left (they are not even 8 deep). LeBron can't win a series by himself like he used to do. Their pieces fit but it's not some kind of magical chemistry.

They can win and it's simply because AD is finally living up to his potential. He's taking games over from the defensive side while bullying the paint on the other side.

[luke1014]

Originally Posted by Zedlaw

I don’t know who is getting past Denver this year

I could see the Warriors playing Jokic like they did Sabonis -- no double teams to keep him from passing. Could be a great matchup.

[jcmel323]

im pretty sure last year memphis are way better than this year memphis.

last year memphis was the 2nd seed and warriors #3 seed
this year memphis was the 2nd seed and lakers#7 seed

Both 2022 Warriors and 2023 lakers won the series 4-2
Both teams won the series by winning the 1st game on the road

[6celtics33]

Originally Posted by rhigh2390

He doesn't have to do that with this Lakers team. They don't need him to go out and play hero with the team they have and with who is in front of them. I actually don't see them not winning the chip this year with who is in front of them. There just isn't a tem that I see beating them 4 out of 7.

Obviously, they are an AD injury away from that not being the case though.

I have Lakers in 6, at most, against GS. I think AD is going to dominate Looney, Steph and lebron will be a wash, LA bench will be so much better than GS, and Lakers defense is going to harass Klay/Poole. Not to mention GS can't guard without fouling and the refs already love LA. Wouldn't shock me at all if it went 5.

All I’m wondering is if we can safely say they are better than the Timberwolves at this point? You reckon? Or is it too soon?

They love to pile on a few pages back and say blowout meltdown over goat more blah blah blah threads.

When we were two of the ones calling for the Lakers to win not lose.

Let’s see the meltdown if Lebron goes 3-14 and they lose. It’ll be trade everyone. Sign some 10 day contracts. Blow this team up. Lebron has never played for a good coach. Austin Reeves blew it. AD sucks and isn’t working. Ahhhhhh

I just hope for a good injury free competitive series.

[oldgoldy97]

Originally Posted by luke1014

I could see the Warriors playing Jokic like they did Sabonis -- no double teams to keep him from passing. Could be a great matchup.

Joker has some semblance of an outside game. Sabonis had trouble shooting from, well, anywhere.

[blockedbyjames]

Originally Posted by fabiani12333

LeBron vs Curry -- are you not entertained![/IMG]

We don't deserve to see this again. Cannot wait!

Neither team is a super team. Both teams very evenly matched.

We should see plenty of Lebron-Curry 1on1 action, even if they don't directly guard each other. }

Get yo popcorn ready.

[6celtics33]

Originally Posted by blockedbyjames

We don't deserve to see this again. Cannot wait!

Neither team is a super team. Both teams very evenly matched.

We should see plenty of Lebron-Curry 1on1 action, even if they don't directly guard each other. }

Get yo popcorn ready.

I agree. I think all 4 teams are solidly good with stars but none really at their peak. Curry, Lebron, and Durant all the best players of their generation with jokic on a potential 3 year mvp run. It’s pretty strong for a final 4. Everyone is healthy too at the moment. That won’t last I’m afraid but fingers crossed.