Official 2024-25 NBA Season Thread

[kipgen]

Surprised Dillingham isn't getting more buzz, dude looks electric and just turned 20

[drobfan8]

That 6th down to 10th in the West is a helluva race.

GS do look good at the moment

[yiguiri2002]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

They have a pretty brutal ROS. Will find out a lot about them in the next 2 weeks (assuming opposing big stars aren't out).

Shame we're robbed of the AD showdown manana. That would have been a really good one.

I will say this, I went from thinking they have no chance to thinking they can adjust a couple of things and potentially upset Denver to lose in 5 against OKC in the Finals.

Of course, I can also see them lose to Houston, Clippers, Minny, GS or Dallas in the first round. March basketball is finally gonna be interesting.

[yiguiri2002]

Originally Posted by drobfan8

That 6th down to 10th in the West is a helluva race.

GS do look good at the moment

Motivated Jimmy in a team that fits him perfectly is scary.

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by yiguiri2002

Motivated Jimmy in a team that fits him perfectly is scary.

I get that Steph can singlehandedly win you playoffs games but like... realistically who could you see GSW beating in a series?

Houston, maybe Memphis. That's about it

[rhigh2390]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

I get that Steph can singlehandedly win you playoffs games but like... realistically who could you see GSW beating in a series?

Houston, maybe Memphis. That's about it

Agreed. They are definitely a better team than before, but it doesn't ultimately lead to anything. They will probably be playing OKC, LAL, or DEN in the first round. I don't see them taking down any of them.

[sportzluvr1]

As NBA fans we should be happy that the WC playoffs should be super entertaining with a bunch of fun matchups and storylines.

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

I get that Steph can singlehandedly win you playoffs games but like... realistically who could you see GSW beating in a series?

Houston, maybe Memphis. That's about it

Originally Posted by rhigh2390

Agreed. They are definitely a better team than before, but it doesn't ultimately lead to anything. They will probably be playing OKC, LAL, or DEN in the first round. I don't see them taking down any of them.

It all comes back to the fact that right now there are just 3 teams miles ahead of anyone else:

Boston, Cleveland, and OKC.

They all have size, depth, athleticism. They're the most complete teams in the league.

As much as the LeBron/Luka combo could look great on offense, they are totally mismatched on defense. As much as Curry and Butler could still light it up, there just isn't enough depth or athleticism there. As much as Jokic is an absolute machine, you're relying on guys like Christian Braun, Russell Westbrook, Deandre Jordan, and Julian Strawther????

Any other team besides these top 3 are going to need injury help to get a title this year.

[Nomad]

The Eastern Conference is just as interesting. Teams just stood pat on their assets. Wish there was time to follow both....

[eastbayak]

Originally Posted by tjforce

It all comes back to the fact that right now there are just 3 teams miles ahead of anyone else:

Boston, Cleveland, and OKC.

They all have size, depth, athleticism. They're the most complete teams in the league.

As much as the LeBron/Luka combo could look great on offense, they are totally mismatched on defense. As much as Curry and Butler could still light it up, there just isn't enough depth or athleticism there. As much as Jokic is an absolute machine, you're relying on guys like Christian Braun, Russell Westbrook, Deandre Jordan, and Julian Strawther????

Any other team besides these top 3 are going to need injury help to get a title this year.

Kuminga?! He can do the work of 3!

[jcardstore]

With Butler I'm not even sure how Kuminga is gonna fit. Another non-shooting wing player is not what the Warriors need

[rhigh2390]

Originally Posted by tjforce

It all comes back to the fact that right now there are just 3 teams miles ahead of anyone else:

Boston, Cleveland, and OKC.

They all have size, depth, athleticism. They're the most complete teams in the league.

As much as the LeBron/Luka combo could look great on offense, they are totally mismatched on defense. As much as Curry and Butler could still light it up, there just isn't enough depth or athleticism there. As much as Jokic is an absolute machine, you're relying on guys like Christian Braun, Russell Westbrook, Deandre Jordan, and Julian Strawther????

Any other team besides these top 3 are going to need injury help to get a title this year.

I agree that those 3 seem to be ahead of everyone right now, but Boston can go cold so they aren't untouchable, and the other 2 haven't proven anything in the playoffs so there just seem to be more possibilities than those 3.

[daeve]

Originally Posted by sportzluvr1

As NBA fans we should be happy that the WC playoffs should be super entertaining with a bunch of fun matchups and storylines.

It's only the boring chuds around here who complain about these games being boring.

Last night I watched Jaden McDaniels lead the Minny 2nd unit on an unreal comeback against the top team in the league. Ant sat on the bench and didn't pout, he was screaming and jumping around during the entire run.

He got back in the game in OT and did this against the MVP [runner-up]
https://streamable.com/x5052m

[yiguiri2002]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

With Butler I'm not even sure how Kuminga is gonna fit. Another non-shooting wing player is not what the Warriors need

Played them together with the rest of the bench (Podz, Hield, Post).

I don't think he can close a game though, if Jimmy and Draymond are playing.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

I get that Steph can singlehandedly win you playoffs games but like... realistically who could you see GSW beating in a series?

Houston, maybe Memphis. That's about it

I can see just about anybody beating just about anybody in the West in a single playoff series because every team has flaws that can be exploited by good coaching and execution.

Combine that with the statistical variability from game to game (or quarter to quarter) in 3-point shooting, and the fact that higher seeds get only get one more home game than lower seeds, and anything can happen.

You've got some comparatively inexperienced teams (OKC/MEM/HOU), some very experienced teams (LAL/DEN/GS), and who knows what else.

And 1-superstar teams like OKC and Denver are even more vulnerable, because if that one superstar gets hurt, they're dead in the water.

As to the Warriors specifically, do you really want to bet against playoff Jimmy given what he did with the Heat, especially now that he's playing with Steph and Dray instead of Bam and a bunch of nobodies?

[eastbayak]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

With Butler I'm not even sure how Kuminga is gonna fit. Another non-shooting wing player is not what the Warriors need

Supposedly coming off the bench, which offers some depth.

[yiguiri2002]

Originally Posted by rhigh2390

I agree that those 3 seem to be ahead of everyone right now, but Boston can go cold so they aren't untouchable, and the other 2 haven't proven anything in the playoffs so there just seem to be more possibilities than those 3.

No championship team have proved anything in the playoffs until they win. OKC has made the second round and was the biggest threat Dallas had in the West.

[eastbayak]

Originally Posted by tjforce

It all comes back to the fact that right now there are just 3 teams miles ahead of anyone else:

Boston, Cleveland, and OKC.

They all have size, depth, athleticism. They're the most complete teams in the league.

As much as the LeBron/Luka combo could look great on offense, they are totally mismatched on defense. As much as Curry and Butler could still light it up, there just isn't enough depth or athleticism there. As much as Jokic is an absolute machine, you're relying on guys like Christian Braun, Russell Westbrook, Deandre Jordan, and Julian Strawther????

Any other team besides these top 3 are going to need injury help to get a title this year.

Originally Posted by rhigh2390

I agree that those 3 seem to be ahead of everyone right now, but Boston can go cold so they aren't untouchable, and the other 2 haven't proven anything in the playoffs so there just seem to be more possibilities than those 3.

Celtics are still the team to beat if healthy (enough).

Also agree with rhigh (rare occurrence) that the other 2 teams haven't accomplished anything noteworthy in the playoffs so they haven't proven themselves yet. It doesn't mean that they're incapable of winning it all, but as of right now, they're just a regular season success team.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by jcardstore

With Butler I'm not even sure how Kuminga is gonna fit. Another non-shooting wing player is not what the Warriors need

If Kuminga wants to get playing time back, he's going to have to earn it by making his free throws....because his strength is his ability to get to the rim (and get fouled).

He shot 70.5% from the stripe in the last eight games before getting hurt, which was a huge improvement, but had been shooting <60% on the season before that.

If he can make 70-75% of his free throws, he'll get more playing time and be a valuable weapon. If not, he won't. Hopefully, he's been in the gym shooting 500 free throws a day while he's been hurt.

[rhigh2390]

Originally Posted by eastbayak

Celtics are still the team to beat if healthy (enough).

Also agree with rhigh (rare occurrence) that the other 2 teams haven't accomplished anything noteworthy in the playoffs so they haven't proven themselves yet. It doesn't mean that they're incapable of winning it all, but as of right now, they're just a regular season success team.

Agreed. Definitely not saying the inexperienced teams can't win. Just saying that haven't proven that they can, so you can't just assume they're going to because they look good in the regular season.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by rhigh2390

Agreed. Definitely not saying the inexperienced teams can't win. Just saying that haven't proven that they can, so you can't just assume they're going to because they look good in the regular season.

Yep.....postseason basketball is a VERY different game than regular season basketball.

To start with, coaching really matters in a close series....you're playing the same team 6-7 consecutive times...the best coaches figure out what their opponents' weaknesses are and how to exploit them. That's where having an experienced coach can make a huge difference, and having an inexperienced coach can be a huge liability.

Mark Daigneult (OKC): 1-1
Mike Malone (DEN): 9-6
Taylor Jenkins (MEM) 1-3
JJ Redick (LAL): no playoff coaching experience
Ime Udoka (HOU): 3-1
Ty Lue (LAC): 10-2 w/LeBron, 2-3 with the Clippers
Chris Finch (MIN): 2-3
Jason Kidd (DAL): 6-5
Steve Kerr (GSW): 23-3

Kerr's experience, along with that of his key players (Curry/Green/Butler) is going to be a huge factor in the Warriors favor in just about any series.

[yiguiri2002]

The Thunder disrespect is crazy to me. How people can be so down on this team and treat them like just another contender is insane.

They are currently on pace to have the second best net rating of all-time (or since it was tracked). The top 4 teams won the title relatively easy and 8 of the top 10 won the title.

Funny thing is, the two that didn't win were experienced, well coached teams (Spurs and Warriors). And since they were playing in the same season, only one could have won (neither did). And they were both beaten by a less experienced team and coach.

[eastbayak]

Originally Posted by yiguiri2002

The Thunder disrespect is crazy to me. How people can be so down on this team and treat them like just another contender is insane.

They are currently on pace to have the second best net rating of all-time (or since it was tracked). The top 4 teams won the title relatively easy and 8 of the top 10 won the title.

Funny thing is, the two that didn't win were experienced, well coached teams (Spurs and Warriors). And since they were playing in the same season, only one could have won (neither did). And they were both beaten by a less experienced team and coach.

Respect isn't just handed out, it's earned. It's the same reason why no one respects hermanotarjeta, he hasn't earned it yet.

We're all aware of what the Thunder are capable of, including the Thunder. But without any actual playoff success, how can one argue that their regular season dominance translates to postseason dominance.

We've seen it many times before, some athletes/teams crumble when the pressure is on. Not just within the world of basketball but in all sports. There's also additional variables to consider (such as what mfw shared).

No one is disrespecting the Thunder, we're just being cautious and looking at the facts.

[Nomad]

Anyone knows what's up with Clippervision? Still can't watch the Pacers - Clippers game from 3 days ago on NBA.com. Have come to terms with the fact may never see the game. Even ESPN releases feeds after 3 days. Sheesh!

[ninjacookies]

>This modern day halfcourt chuck era ball is just the worst.

> Well then, why aren't you an Orlando magic superfan?