Around the league thread

[Porckchop]

Butler is a heck of a player with a high motor but it doesn't make up for his lack of a perimeter game offensively . Same can be said for Westbrook. Come playoff time you have to be able to shoulder the offensive burden in crunch time when defenses are focused on you.

Didn't he do that all last playoffs. Don't think the issue is Jimmy ability. The rest of the team is not the best. Iggy, nunn and Dragic all took a step back. Herro didn't improve. They start Ariza and Robinson was not as good as last year.

There is Kawhi rumors to the heat. The big question is will Jimmy allow more talented players then him on roster because he hasn't loved it his whole career

The Heat caught lightning in a bottle last year and yes Butler lead them offensively. But if you look at championship caliber teams right now he is best suited as a number 2 and if you look at teams like LA, Brooklyn and Philly he's a number 3. He would be amazing in Denver next to Murray and Jokic.

[Lipoli390]

Butler is a heck of a player with a high motor but it doesn't make up for his lack of a perimeter game offensively . Same can be said for Westbrook. Come playoff time you have to be able to shoulder the offensive burden in crunch time when defenses are focused on you.

Didn't he do that all last playoffs. Don't think the issue is Jimmy ability. The rest of the team is not the best. Iggy, nunn and Dragic all took a step back. Herro didn't improve. They start Ariza and Robinson was not as good as last year.

There is Kawhi rumors to the heat. The big question is will Jimmy allow more talented players then him on roster because he hasn't loved it his whole career

The Heat caught lightning in a bottle last year and yes Butler lead them offensively. But if you look at championship caliber teams right now he is best suited as a number 2 and if you look at teams like LA, Brooklyn and Philly he's a number 3. He would be amazing in Denver next to Murray and Jokic.

Yes. Butler, Herro and Bam were all playing as well as they could possible play in the playoffs. And it was a pretty strange playoffs with the pandemic just starting. This season we are once again seeing the playoffs being determined by talent. The most talented teams are rising. After barely winning their first game, the Bucks are now dominating. After losing their first game to the Suns, the Lakers are now starting to fire on all cylinders and overwhelming the Suns. With Donovan Mitchell back, the Jazz have the Grizzlies on their heels. The Sixers are dominating.

The Kicks are the only underdog that seems to have a chance of winning the first-round series, but I still wouldn't bet on it. Ultimately, i think Atlanta's superior talent will win out and the Hawks will advance. However, I'd like to see the Knicks win and I wouldn't bet the farm against them. I love the way they play. Denver, without Murray, doesn't have a decided talent advantage over Portland. So that will be an interesting series to watch.

The most talented teams in the playoffs right now are the Lakers and Nets. They are the two teams most likely to face off in the NBA finals. The Sixers and Bucks have the best chance of knocking out the Nets in the East. I don't see any team in the West stopping the Lakers unless LeBron or Anthony Davis gets hurt.

[Coolbreeze44]

They are starting Giannis on Butler and he can't do anything against him. When they ball screen for Jimmy, they switch to Holiday, Middleton, or Tucker - none of those guys are a picnic either. Basically, they have taken Butler out of the half court offense. The only thing he is getting are pull up mid-range shots in transition. And I'm enjoying the hek out of this series.

[Lipoli390]

They are starting Giannis on Butler and he can't do anything against him. When they ball screen for Jimmy, they switch to Holiday, Middleton, or Tucker - none of those guys are a picnic either. Basically, they have taken Butler out of the half court offense. The only thing he is getting are pull up mid-range shots in transition. And I'm enjoying the hek out of this series.

Good analysis, Cool. The Bucks are really talented. Giannis is their star, but Holiday and Middleton are both all-star caliber players. Brook Lopez is no slouch either. And then there are Tucker and others. I'm really pulling for the Bucks. It would be great to see a Midwest mid-size market team succeed. And I'd like to see Giannis rewarded for his loyalty to the Bucks. Yes, I know he's been rewarded financially through his contract. But you know what I mean.

[BloopOracle]

I know the New York chants got a little loud but what ESPN has done to turn down the Atlanta crowd noise is a disgrace

[Monster]

Good to see the Celtics win a game against the Nets just to keep things at least a little bit interesting. Tatum went for 50. Something I noticed in the box score is Romeo Langford (who has been even worse than Culver in his career statistically) played 27 minutes in this playoff win. I read a little about him a couple weeks ago and it seems there is still belief in him as a player and the surprising thing was there seems to be praise for his D which I think was a negative coming out of college not a positive.

[kekgeek]

Brynn Forbes outscores Jimmy Butler in this series. Bam also was really exposed in this series.

Im smiling so much that the Heat got swept. (Still wish Jimmy worked out here in Minny, also Jimmy was right but still happy when he fails)

[Lipoli390]

Brynn Forbes outscores Jimmy Butler in this series. Bam also was really exposed in this series.

Im smiling so much that the Heat got swept. (Still wish Jimmy worked out here in Minny, also Jimmy was right but still happy when he fails)

I feel exactly the same way about this.

[Lipoli390]

If I had told you that Lillard hit only 1 of 10 shots from the field tonight, you'd think that Portland must have lost to the Nuggets tonight. Instead, the Blazers won by 20 points. The you look a little deeper and see that Lillard had 10 assists and 8 rebounds and you begin to see how they might have won. Then you look at the numbers put up by Powell and others and you get it. When your best player has a terrible shooting night, he needs to do other things. And you need other talented players who can step up and fill some of the scoring void. That's what Lillard and his teammates did tonight and that's why they won.

This has turned into a great series. I wouldn't bet against either team in this series. Too bad Denver lost Murray. Add him and I don't think there's much doubt that Denver would have won this series. They still might win the series, but it it's a coin toss right now.

[Porckchop]

Where does a team like Miami go from here?