Nba playoffs thread

[Q-is-here]

What a game. Jimmy had a shot to win the thing.

Also I never want to hear Kat and Bam in the same sentence Kat is twice the player Bam is

I wouldn't go that far. Bam is probably nearly twice the defender that KAT is and on offense he's an elite screen setter, rim roller, and not a bad ball handler and passer to boot.

I agree that Bam could have been more aggressive offensively in this series and he is somewhat limited on that side. But to me he's in that second tier of Centers, with KAT at the top of it and Bam somewhere below him.

[Q-is-here]

What a game. Jimmy had a shot to win the thing.

Also I never want to hear Kat and Bam in the same sentence Kat is twice the player Bam is

Agreed, all those soft comments need to be transferred from towns to Bam, everything is a fade away

Part of the "soft" label with KAT is simply how he acts and reacts to things on the floor. You don't see Bam whining and having a bunch of stray voltage, over-dramatizing every little contact or perceived injustice that occurs.

And speaking of one's actions, not sure if anyone noticed just how damn stoic Butler was in this whole series. But unlike KAT's occasional flirtations with stoicism, Butler's is authentic. It's unfortunate things didn't work out in Minnesota and a lot of it is his own fault, but damn, Butler really is a tough SOB you want in the trenches with you. That MIami team as a whole had no business taking Boston to 7 games.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Whew.

If anything is clear... we just saw just how far the Timberwolves are mentally (and relatedly, defensively) from being able to have a deep playoff run.

[Q-is-here]

Whew.

If anything is clear... we just saw just how far the Timberwolves are mentally (and relatedly, defensively) from being able to have a deep playoff run.

Yeah, the Bucks-Celtics series and Heat-Celtics series were humbling to watch as a Wolves fan. Holy shit do these teams compete.

And you know your defense is good when Derrick White is the guy the other team is targeting. He's borderline elite defensively, but unless Pritchard is out there you literally can't pick on anyone else. They are so good.

Elite offense vs. elite defense in the Finals. But both teams are good on the other side too, it's just that their strengths are so pronounced.

[Monster]

Whew.

If anything is clear... we just saw just how far the Timberwolves are mentally (and relatedly, defensively) from being able to have a deep playoff run.

Yeah, the Bucks-Celtics series and Heat-Celtics series were humbling to watch as a Wolves fan. Holy shit do these teams compete.

And you know your defense is good when Derrick White is the guy the other team is targeting. He's borderline elite defensively, but unless Pritchard is out there you literally can't pick on anyone else. They are so good.

Elite offense vs. elite defense in the Finals. But both teams are good on the other side too, it's just that their strengths are so pronounced.

Those teams also have a ton of playoff experience. I'm not saying that the Wolves only need to get more experience and they will be fine but I mean Jayson Tatum has played in 68 playoff games already and how many game 7's? The Wolves took a step this year and they need to take another one. Some of that has to come from within their own roster but obviously they need to add some more toughness and talent otherwise as well. It would be nice to add another player that had some playoff experience this offseason but I'll settle for a guy/s that are good at basketball. :)

[Lipoli390]

Excerpt from Souhan article:

The "three stars'' blueprint for playoff success is no longer valid, nor is the "one dominant player'' model.

The Warriors are loaded with talent, but Klay Thompson is a lesser version of his former self. The other three teams rely on one star -- Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic -- and a cohesive group of non-stars.

The top four vote-getters in the NBA MVP Award -- Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Devin Booker -- did not make it to the conference finals. Kevin Durant, LeBron James and James Harden didn't come close.

In today's NBA, coaching, cohesiveness, defense and three-point shooting mean as much as star power.

[Q-is-here]

Excerpt from Souhan article:

The "three stars'' blueprint for playoff success is no longer valid, nor is the "one dominant player'' model.

The Warriors are loaded with talent, but Klay Thompson is a lesser version of his former self. The other three teams rely on one star -- Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic -- and a cohesive group of non-stars.

The top four vote-getters in the NBA MVP Award -- Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Devin Booker -- did not make it to the conference finals. Kevin Durant, LeBron James and James Harden didn't come close.

In today's NBA, coaching, cohesiveness, defense and three-point shooting mean as much as star power.

Mmmmm. I have a few nit picks here, but I kind of agree with his overall conclusion.

First, he's absolutely wrong that Tatum is the Celtics "one star". What about Jaylen Brown!?! Granted, he's a notch below Tatum on the pecking order, but the difference between him and Tatum is a hell of a lot more narrow than the difference between Butler and Adebayo or Doncic and Brunson.

Second, what is a star? I consider Marcus Smart a star. He was the DPOY and can create his own shot in a pinch, as we saw him do multiple times against Miami. Draymond Green is a star too. He is also a perennial DPOY candidate and he is integral to the ball movement offense at Golden State.

But overall I agree with his conclusion and it sort of relates to the DLO thread I started. I think we want to become more reliant on Ant and KAT offensively, while continuing to surround them with defenders, shooters, and high IQ type players.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Jaylen Brown vs. Miami:

24.1 ppg / 7.1 reb / 3 ast / 49% fg / 40% 3fg / 73% ft

He's been an efficient 24 ppg scorer in each of the past two regular seasons... with above average defense.

He should be considered a star by this point.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I see Wiggins as a bit of an X factor in this series. He's a versatile wing who can defend and score.

It's just that the Celtics have a couple of guys much better at it... along with other plus defenders to match up with our erstwhile star.

[Q-is-here]

Jaylen Brown vs. Miami:

24.1 ppg / 7.1 reb / 3 ast / 49% fg / 40% 3fg / 73% ft

He's been an efficient 24 ppg scorer in each of the past two regular seasons... with above average defense.

He should be considered a star by this point.

No doubt, which makes Souhan look a little foolish for grouping Tatum with Doncic and Butler. Neither of those guys have a sidekick like Brown.

Celtics absolutely nailed those two #3 picks in '16 and '17. Tatum seemed to show signs of becoming a star relatively early while Brown has been a slower process. It wasn't until year 4 that he really started to distinguish himself as a top tier NBA wing.

(BTW, Anthony Edwards is ahead of both these guys in terms of comparing second years, so that's a good sign).