FNG wrote:What a game! Fun to read the GDT this morning, as I agreed with most of the sentiments. I also saw little chance for the Bucks to win in OT after not prevailing in regulation...psychologically devastating...really gutsy performance, and so happy to see them beat the Nets. Some other thoughts:
1) Yes, like him or not, Durant is the greatest in the world right now.
2) How about some love for Lopez in Q4 and OT? How many times did he keep offensive possessions alive with his (and Tucker's) tap outs? And his block on Durant was epic!
3) I have to admit I got a kick out of the Nets' fans counting to 13 or 14 during Giannis' free throws.
4) I don't share the belief that Tucker shouldn't have been guarding Durant all game. Tucker is a 1-way player who is able to save all his energy for defense. And Giannis expends so much energy on the offensive side, Bud needs to give him easier assignments on defense. Tucker lacks height, but you can't underestimate what a toll his physical play had on Durant...I don't think anyone would want to have PJ on him all game! Durant scored 48 efficient points, but his shooting percentages were actually considerably below his averages, and PJ has to take some credit for that.
5) As great as this game was, fans of ball movement must have hated it. I don't know if I've ever watched 53 minutes of one-on-one basketball before.
6) I admire Harden's toughness and desire to win...he showed me some things on defense last night I haven't seen often from him. But I actively cheer against him, so I was happy to see another bad game from him.
7) I missed the first half so I didn't see how awful Jrue must have been. But you have to admire his willingness to take and make big shots in the 4th quarter. And yes, I trade DLO for Jrue in a second, despite him being 6 years older.
8) So great to see a Superteam lose in the semis...I think must of us thought it was a foregone conclusion they were going to coast to the championship after Kawhi went down. But let's not kid ourselves. The Nets win this series in 5 if Irving and Harden are healthy.
FNG - My thought wasn't that Tucker should have been guarding Durant the entire game. You made a good point about the physical and mental drain on Giannis if he had to defend Durant for 40+ minutes or even 30+ minutes. My issue was that last play of regulation. I think that was Q's issue too. At that point in the game, knowing that Durant was going to take the last shot and that it would be a perimeter shot, Giannis absolutely should have been tasked with guarding him. Giannis has the mobility and length to effectively challenge Durant on the perimeter while Tucker does not. Putting Tucker on Durant at that moment was a truly boneheaded move by Bud.
As for who should have been guarding Durant the entire game and throughout the series, I think it should have been a mix of players, including Giannis and Middleton as well as Tucker, but relying a lot less on Tucker. Having said that, Durant is too good for anyone to stop.
Speaking of super teams, here's some news from LA that has fans there talking about adding Westbrook to their failed super team:
"Los Angeles Lakers fans are getting excited over some Instagram activity involving the wife of Russell Westbrook. An Instagram user pointed out that Anthony Davis and LeBron James are now following Nina Westbrook on Instagram." Nina is Russell's wife. - via Larry Brown Sports
I imagine the Lakers organization will continue star-chasing. I'm sure the Nets will do the same, although I think their tapped out with their current big three contracts. The Nets' Dinwiddie has a $12M option, but I would expect him to opt out and become a free agent. I'm pretty sure the Knicks will make a big offer to Dinwiddie. It will be interesting to see if the Nets go toe-to-toe with the Knicks in a bidding war to keep him. I'd say the Nets have no choice but to make an all-out effort to keep him. With a payroll of around $168K next season, the Nets are well over the luxury-tax threshold and have no cap flexibility. As a luxury-tax repeat offender, their MLE is limited as well. They will likely take one more run with their big three next season, will be the last contract year for all three before they can opt out. For the Nets, it's all about the health and availability of those three guys, which is not something I'd bet on given their individual histories.
FNG wrote:What a game! Fun to read the GDT this morning, as I agreed with most of the sentiments. I also saw little chance for the Bucks to win in OT after not prevailing in regulation...psychologically devastating...really gutsy performance, and so happy to see them beat the Nets. Some other thoughts:
1) Yes, like him or not, Durant is the greatest in the world right now.
2) How about some love for Lopez in Q4 and OT? How many times did he keep offensive possessions alive with his (and Tucker's) tap outs? And his block on Durant was epic!
3) I have to admit I got a kick out of the Nets' fans counting to 13 or 14 during Giannis' free throws.
4) I don't share the belief that Tucker shouldn't have been guarding Durant all game. Tucker is a 1-way player who is able to save all his energy for defense. And Giannis expends so much energy on the offensive side, Bud needs to give him easier assignments on defense. Tucker lacks height, but you can't underestimate what a toll his physical play had on Durant...I don't think anyone would want to have PJ on him all game! Durant scored 48 efficient points, but his shooting percentages were actually considerably below his averages, and PJ has to take some credit for that.
5) As great as this game was, fans of ball movement must have hated it. I don't know if I've ever watched 53 minutes of one-on-one basketball before.
6) I admire Harden's toughness and desire to win...he showed me some things on defense last night I haven't seen often from him. But I actively cheer against him, so I was happy to see another bad game from him.
7) I missed the first half so I didn't see how awful Jrue must have been. But you have to admire his willingness to take and make big shots in the 4th quarter. And yes, I trade DLO for Jrue in a second, despite him being 6 years older.
8) So great to see a Superteam lose in the semis...I think must of us thought it was a foregone conclusion they were going to coast to the championship after Kawhi went down. But let's not kid ourselves. The Nets win this series in 5 if Irving and Harden are healthy.
The bucks were also missing Donte D who obviously isn't on the level of the Nets injured players but he is a legit starting player.
The reality is if you are going to commit to Kyrie as part of your team you are taking a chance on him being healthy. Generally speaking the chances of him being healthy in the playoffs when it really matters..are not something I would want to count on.
FNG wrote:What a game! Fun to read the GDT this morning, as I agreed with most of the sentiments. I also saw little chance for the Bucks to win in OT after not prevailing in regulation...psychologically devastating...really gutsy performance, and so happy to see them beat the Nets. Some other thoughts:
1) Yes, like him or not, Durant is the greatest in the world right now.
2) How about some love for Lopez in Q4 and OT? How many times did he keep offensive possessions alive with his (and Tucker's) tap outs? And his block on Durant was epic!
3) I have to admit I got a kick out of the Nets' fans counting to 13 or 14 during Giannis' free throws.
4) I don't share the belief that Tucker shouldn't have been guarding Durant all game. Tucker is a 1-way player who is able to save all his energy for defense. And Giannis expends so much energy on the offensive side, Bud needs to give him easier assignments on defense. Tucker lacks height, but you can't underestimate what a toll his physical play had on Durant...I don't think anyone would want to have PJ on him all game! Durant scored 48 efficient points, but his shooting percentages were actually considerably below his averages, and PJ has to take some credit for that.
5) As great as this game was, fans of ball movement must have hated it. I don't know if I've ever watched 53 minutes of one-on-one basketball before.
6) I admire Harden's toughness and desire to win...he showed me some things on defense last night I haven't seen often from him. But I actively cheer against him, so I was happy to see another bad game from him.
7) I missed the first half so I didn't see how awful Jrue must have been. But you have to admire his willingness to take and make big shots in the 4th quarter. And yes, I trade DLO for Jrue in a second, despite him being 6 years older.
8) So great to see a Superteam lose in the semis...I think must of us thought it was a foregone conclusion they were going to coast to the championship after Kawhi went down. But let's not kid ourselves. The Nets win this series in 5 if Irving and Harden are healthy.
The bucks were also missing Donte D who obviously isn't on the level of the Nets injured players but he is a legit starting player.
The reality is if you are going to commit to Kyrie as part of your team you are taking a chance on him being healthy. Generally speaking the chances of him being healthy in the playoffs when it really matters..are not something I would want to count on.
lipoli390 wrote:Speaking of super teams, here's some news from LA that has fans there talking about adding Westbrook to their failed super team:
"Los Angeles Lakers fans are getting excited over some Instagram activity involving the wife of Russell Westbrook. An Instagram user pointed out that Anthony Davis and LeBron James are now following Nina Westbrook on Instagram." Nina is Russell's wife. - via Larry Brown Sports
I imagine the Lakers organization will continue star-chasing. I'm sure the Nets will do the same, although I think their tapped out with their current big three contracts. The Nets' Dinwiddie has a $12M option, but I would expect him to opt out and become a free agent. I'm pretty sure the Knicks will make a big offer to Dinwiddie. It will be interesting to see if the Nets go toe-to-toe with the Knicks in a bidding war to keep him. I'd say the Nets have no choice but to make an all-out effort to keep him. With a payroll of around $168K next season, the Nets are well over the luxury-tax threshold and have no cap flexibility. As a luxury-tax repeat offender, their MLE is limited as well. They will likely take one more run with their big three next season, will be the last contract year for all three before they can opt out. For the Nets, it's all about the health and availability of those three guys, which is not something I'd bet on given their individual histories.
Westbrook to LA would be interesting. I would guess a 3rd team would need to be in involved unless the Lakers traded Kuzma KCP and Harrell (who would probably have to ok the deal).
FNG wrote:What a game! Fun to read the GDT this morning, as I agreed with most of the sentiments. I also saw little chance for the Bucks to win in OT after not prevailing in regulation...psychologically devastating...really gutsy performance, and so happy to see them beat the Nets. Some other thoughts:
1) Yes, like him or not, Durant is the greatest in the world right now.
2) How about some love for Lopez in Q4 and OT? How many times did he keep offensive possessions alive with his (and Tucker's) tap outs? And his block on Durant was epic!
3) I have to admit I got a kick out of the Nets' fans counting to 13 or 14 during Giannis' free throws.
4) I don't share the belief that Tucker shouldn't have been guarding Durant all game. Tucker is a 1-way player who is able to save all his energy for defense. And Giannis expends so much energy on the offensive side, Bud needs to give him easier assignments on defense. Tucker lacks height, but you can't underestimate what a toll his physical play had on Durant...I don't think anyone would want to have PJ on him all game! Durant scored 48 efficient points, but his shooting percentages were actually considerably below his averages, and PJ has to take some credit for that.
5) As great as this game was, fans of ball movement must have hated it. I don't know if I've ever watched 53 minutes of one-on-one basketball before.
6) I admire Harden's toughness and desire to win...he showed me some things on defense last night I haven't seen often from him. But I actively cheer against him, so I was happy to see another bad game from him.
7) I missed the first half so I didn't see how awful Jrue must have been. But you have to admire his willingness to take and make big shots in the 4th quarter. And yes, I trade DLO for Jrue in a second, despite him being 6 years older.
8) So great to see a Superteam lose in the semis...I think must of us thought it was a foregone conclusion they were going to coast to the championship after Kawhi went down. But let's not kid ourselves. The Nets win this series in 5 if Irving and Harden are healthy.
The bucks were also missing Donte D who obviously isn't on the level of the Nets injured players but he is a legit starting player.
The reality is if you are going to commit to Kyrie as part of your team you are taking a chance on him being healthy. Generally speaking the chances of him being healthy in the playoffs when it really matters..are not something I would want to count on.
The best ability is.............
....sensibility?
Definitely capability. Naz Reid had much more durability than Kevin Durant this last season, but Durant was much more capable. I submit Steve Nash would not trade Durant even up for Naz. However, I would be supportive of that trade, and would even toss in Culver.
FNG wrote:What a game! Fun to read the GDT this morning, as I agreed with most of the sentiments. I also saw little chance for the Bucks to win in OT after not prevailing in regulation...psychologically devastating...really gutsy performance, and so happy to see them beat the Nets. Some other thoughts:
1) Yes, like him or not, Durant is the greatest in the world right now.
2) How about some love for Lopez in Q4 and OT? How many times did he keep offensive possessions alive with his (and Tucker's) tap outs? And his block on Durant was epic!
3) I have to admit I got a kick out of the Nets' fans counting to 13 or 14 during Giannis' free throws.
4) I don't share the belief that Tucker shouldn't have been guarding Durant all game. Tucker is a 1-way player who is able to save all his energy for defense. And Giannis expends so much energy on the offensive side, Bud needs to give him easier assignments on defense. Tucker lacks height, but you can't underestimate what a toll his physical play had on Durant...I don't think anyone would want to have PJ on him all game! Durant scored 48 efficient points, but his shooting percentages were actually considerably below his averages, and PJ has to take some credit for that.
5) As great as this game was, fans of ball movement must have hated it. I don't know if I've ever watched 53 minutes of one-on-one basketball before.
6) I admire Harden's toughness and desire to win...he showed me some things on defense last night I haven't seen often from him. But I actively cheer against him, so I was happy to see another bad game from him.
7) I missed the first half so I didn't see how awful Jrue must have been. But you have to admire his willingness to take and make big shots in the 4th quarter. And yes, I trade DLO for Jrue in a second, despite him being 6 years older.
8) So great to see a Superteam lose in the semis...I think must of us thought it was a foregone conclusion they were going to coast to the championship after Kawhi went down. But let's not kid ourselves. The Nets win this series in 5 if Irving and Harden are healthy.
The bucks were also missing Donte D who obviously isn't on the level of the Nets injured players but he is a legit starting player.
The reality is if you are going to commit to Kyrie as part of your team you are taking a chance on him being healthy. Generally speaking the chances of him being healthy in the playoffs when it really matters..are not something I would want to count on.
The best ability is.............
....sensibility?
Definitely capability. Naz Reid had much more durability than Kevin Durant this last season, but Durant was much more capable. I submit Steve Nash would not trade Durant even up for Naz. However, I would be supportive of that trade, and would even toss in Culver.
Sure and just to be clear I would be MUCH more willing to take a chance on Durant being available because of his capability then Kyrie. Kyrie is a good player but Durant is one of the best players in my lifetime.
Yeah, I don't have a problem putting PJ Tucker on Durant for stretches, as I agree he can wear him down and you need to preserve Giannis for offense. But one thing he can't do is contest shot sight-lines because he is so much shorter. Durant can always get a clean look off on PJ by simply rising up and shooting. I don't think he makes that last second shot with Giannis in his grill.
I like what the Clippers did against Doncic. They would put Kawhi on him during key moments and stretches, but not the entire series or even an entire game. Giannis was NEVER assigned to guard Durant, yet he is the one guy that can match him inch for inch while having the mobility to stay in front of him. He was almost born to guard Durant.
Q12543 wrote:Yeah, I don't have a problem putting PJ Tucker on Durant for stretches, as I agree he can wear him down and you need to preserve Giannis for offense. But one thing he can't do is contest shot sight-lines because he is so much shorter. Durant can always get a clean look off on PJ by simply rising up and shooting. I don't think he makes that last second shot with Giannis in his grill.
I like what the Clippers did against Doncic. They would put Kawhi on him during key moments and stretches, but not the entire series or even an entire game. Giannis was NEVER assigned to guard Durant, yet he is the one guy that can match him inch for inch while having the mobility to stay in front of him. He was almost born to guard Durant.
I wonder if part of the reason they stuck with Tucker is they may have had a specific game plan and they wanted to stick with that instead of making a significant switch at a key moment. I didn't watch the game just the highlights so I can't go farther than that but it's also worth mentioning that just because you want a certain player on Durant doesn't mean they will be able to stick with them through various screens etc. Just to be clear I would have wanted to put Giannis on Durant too but I'm just thinking of other options because Bud isn't an idiot. There had to be some sort of reasoning for what he did.
Q12543 wrote:Yeah, I don't have a problem putting PJ Tucker on Durant for stretches, as I agree he can wear him down and you need to preserve Giannis for offense. But one thing he can't do is contest shot sight-lines because he is so much shorter. Durant can always get a clean look off on PJ by simply rising up and shooting. I don't think he makes that last second shot with Giannis in his grill.
I like what the Clippers did against Doncic. They would put Kawhi on him during key moments and stretches, but not the entire series or even an entire game. Giannis was NEVER assigned to guard Durant, yet he is the one guy that can match him inch for inch while having the mobility to stay in front of him. He was almost born to guard Durant.
I wonder if part of the reason they stuck with Tucker is they may have had a specific game plan and they wanted to stick with that instead of making a significant switch at a key moment. I didn't watch the game just the highlights so I can't go farther than that but it's also worth mentioning that just because you want a certain player on Durant doesn't mean they will be able to stick with them through various screens etc. Just to be clear I would have wanted to put Giannis on Durant too but I'm just thinking of other options because Bud isn't an idiot. There had to be some sort of reasoning for what he did.
There's no explaining it. Bud may or may not be an idiot. But his decision on that play was idiotic. Everyone in the world knows that Durant was going to take that last shot and that it would probably be a three or a long two. Giannis was the obvious choice to guard him on that play base on length alone. Tucker was perhaps the worst choice to guard him. As for Bud more generally, I don't think he's an idiot. But I do think there are a lot of smarter head coaches in the League.
