Minnesota Sports Forum

AbeVigodaLive wrote:For what it's worth... 538 has has penciled in as the #3 seed at the moment (48 wins)... with the Spurs and Thunder (47) and Jazz (46) right there... and Denver and Portland within shouting distance (45).

Personally, I think anywhere between #3 - #7 is in play.

I'm predicting a 6 seed playing at San Anton.

kekgeek1 wrote:

Camden0916 wrote:I have to chuckle at the pessimism here. The overreaction is just too much, friends. We're comparing the Wolves after their worst stretch of basketball to the Thunder, Blazers, and Nuggets who just played arguably their best basketball of the year. The law of averages will come into play. Minnesota is not nearly as "meh" of a team as they've been the past 10 or so games. And I can assure you the other three Western Conference teams aren't as good as they're being made out to be here. Everybody take a deep breath. Our guys are getting a much needed break.

And by the way, Minnesota is 3-1 against Oklahoma City, 2-1 against Portland, and 2-0 against Denver. We're collectively 7-2 against these teams and will more than likely own the tiebreakers against all three. I'm not focused on the rear view in the standings. We should be excited about the possibility of surpassing San Antonio in the coming weeks. Sheesh.

Yep, I agree 100% cam. We hold every tie breaker. We have the easiest schedule remaining of those 4 teams. They all play each other and are going to beat up on each other. We are 1 of 2 teams in the NBA that haven't lost 3 or more games in a row this season.

Now could we fall, possibly. But we have had so many things go wrong in the past that it is out brains that worst case scenario. But for now we are the 3 seed and we control our destiny to remain the 3 seed.

We also act like we are the only team with any problems. Well we are not. There is a reason we are ahead of those teams

The Spurs could also drop. They haven't been playing well and it's remarkable they've done as well as they have without Leonard.

lipoli390 wrote:

kekgeek1 wrote:

Camden0916 wrote:I have to chuckle at the pessimism here. The overreaction is just too much, friends. We're comparing the Wolves after their worst stretch of basketball to the Thunder, Blazers, and Nuggets who just played arguably their best basketball of the year. The law of averages will come into play. Minnesota is not nearly as "meh" of a team as they've been the past 10 or so games. And I can assure you the other three Western Conference teams aren't as good as they're being made out to be here. Everybody take a deep breath. Our guys are getting a much needed break.

And by the way, Minnesota is 3-1 against Oklahoma City, 2-1 against Portland, and 2-0 against Denver. We're collectively 7-2 against these teams and will more than likely own the tiebreakers against all three. I'm not focused on the rear view in the standings. We should be excited about the possibility of surpassing San Antonio in the coming weeks. Sheesh.

Yep, I agree 100% cam. We hold every tie breaker. We have the easiest schedule remaining of those 4 teams. They all play each other and are going to beat up on each other. We are 1 of 2 teams in the NBA that haven't lost 3 or more games in a row this season.

Now could we fall, possibly. But we have had so many things go wrong in the past that it is out brains that worst case scenario. But for now we are the 3 seed and we control our destiny to remain the 3 seed.

We also act like we are the only team with any problems. Well we are not. There is a reason we are ahead of those teams

The Spurs could also drop. They haven't been playing well and it's remarkable they've done as well as they have without Leonard.

Also have the 2nd hardest schedule remaining

Here's part of an ESPN article on Giannis. It reveals the sort of inner character that typically distinguishes the great players who get the most out of their abilities and those who don't. It's a love of the game, an inner drive to be better stemming from a sense that you have to outwork and out-compete everyone else. Jimmy Butler has it. KG had it. And clearly Giannis has it too:

LOS ANGELES -- In late November, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks teammates had just finished practicing at the University of California in Berkeley. On the walk back to the team bus, Antetokounmpo was approached by a few autograph seekers holding portraits of him.

The 6-foot-11 forward obliged and continued on his way. Before hopping on the bus, one of his teammates asked why he chose to sign the items, knowing the autograph seekers would probably only attempt to hawk them. Antetokounmpo responded: "I signed them because that used to be me."

Struggling and hustling is what the two-time All-Star is all too familiar with.

"You can just never forget where you came from," Antetokounmpo told ESPN. "I know that they're going to go out there and they're going to sell it, but I used to be that little kid or that little guy that was selling stuff in the street.

"So, just growing up and going through life and how tough life was for me and my family, I'm always going to stay humble. Even now, it doesn't really matter if I've got a $100 million contract or a $100 million Nike contract, it's the way I grew up, it's the way I go through life. I'm not changing."

Growing up in his native Greece, it was a day-to-day struggle to survive. Antetokounmpo's parents were Nigerian immigrants and found it difficult to obtain steady work. Securing funds, food and shelter became a collective family objective, and a young Antetokounmpo and his older brother, Thanasis, helped his parents sell products in the streets.

"I was young," Antetokounmpo recalls. "I was selling stuff probably since I could remember, like 6 or 7 years old. I was always out there helping my mom and dad sell watches, glasses, CDs, DVDs, stuff like that. Whatever we could put our hands on. I did it until I was around 17. But I was just doing it because I had to. There was no other option. If we didn't sell that night, we wouldn't have food. Or if we sold, we'd have to think if we're going to pay the rent or buy some food. It wasn't easy. And that's something that wasn't long ago. Like five years ago, six years ago; it's not easy to forget.

"But those moments back then, they were beautiful, man. Going through the struggle and making it out of it and seeing your family doing good now, it's unbelievable. I remember those moments and I'm happy I went through those times."

He's now considered by many people as the future face of the NBA, and the financial struggle is over for him and his family. Still, the hustle remains.

EDITOR'S PICKS

How Giannis Antetokounmpo is making the Greek community proud
The Milwaukee Bucks All-Star's ascent to celebrity status has his fellow countrymen beaming.

Giannis' second All-Star week beyond his dreams
Milwaukee Bucks phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo talks leadership and being an All-Star ahead of his second consecutive All-Star Game appearance.
This year, each player on the winning All-Star team will receive $100,000, with the losing team's players pocketing $25,000. That's a $50,000 boost from previous winning purses given to entice players to compete harder during the midseason classics.

But don't expect it to alter the way Antetokounmpo performs Sunday.

In last year's All-Star Game in New Orleans, Antetokounmpo's first All-Star appearance, he was the only player taking the game seriously -- picking up players full court on defense, attacking the basket relentlessly and hustling from end to end.

"It was crazy," Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "He was going hard out there, but it was good. I'm just happy he's on my team this year because I want to win."

On Saturday, Antetokounmpo was going through his usual pregame prep during All-Star practice, which was surprising since these practices usually doesn't involve a lot of effort.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who drafted Antetokounmpo with his first pick in the inaugural All-Star draft, detailed what he saw before practice:

"Giannis was getting ready before practice today, getting some stretching, some core work in, a little soft tissue rubdown and coach [Mike] D'Antoni walked up and was like, 'Hey, does he know we're actually not really practicing?'"

But taking it easy is not what got him here. He doesn't know any other way but to work hard and give it his all. Those are principles instilled by his father, Charles, who died of a heart attack on Sept. 29 at age 54. It's a tragedy with which Giannis is still trying to cope.

"It's tough for me," Antetokounmpo says, "it's tough for my family. As I move forward, it's going to be a lot easier. But you know, my dad is always going to be in my heart, he's always going to be on the court, he's always going to be in the stands sitting right there watching me play. He's always with me right now, and all I can do is help support my mom, try to support my family, be a leader, make sure my little brother is doing well in school and that's all I can do right now."

Antetokounmpo is doing everything in his power to keep the 32-25 Bucks in the playoff mix. But this is his current hustle: elevating Milwaukee to a championship-caliber team. As the cornerstone, Antetokounmpo is committed to leading the franchise to greater heights.

"As long as Milwaukee does the right moves and we're a championship [contending] team, I'm not going nowhere," Antetokounmpo said. "This is my home. All I know is loyalty and this is an organization that [has preached that] since day one and hopefully I can help them bring joy to the fans and bring joy to the city in the future with a championship."

Meanwhile, as his popularity grows, and more people grab at his attention, his focus remains on what has gotten him this far.

"A lot of people know who I am now," he said. "They want a little bit of me, a little bit of my time. But at the end of the day, I still have to remember who I am. What's the reason I'm playing basketball? I do it because I love it, I do it because of my family and that's it. I don't do it because of the money, I don't do it because of the fame, I just do it because I love it and I do it for my family because my family enjoys it."

More Giannis stuff...

I remember when he was in his 2nd year... and the Bucks were in the playoffs vs. Chicago. They were down BIG in the deciding game when he took Mike Dunleavy out with a "cheap shot."

Now... I can see why people could see THAT play and think that it was a cheap move by a frustrated guy getting blown out. But look closer... Mike Dunleavy hit multiple Bucks players up high with elbows and hands throughout that game. Dunleavy was sending a message... Giannis sent one back. It wasn't an ideal situation but I think it served to show that Giannis wasn't going to let his team be punked. And they became his team that day.

[youtube]G5CYCNZR30k[/youtube]

Did you guys see that dick move Harden put on Smilin' Wes the other night? No smiles after that one...

BizarroJerry wrote:Did you guys see that dick move Harden put on Smilin' Wes the other night? No smiles after that one...

I got a chuckle out of that play when I saw the video.

monsterpile wrote:

BizarroJerry wrote:Did you guys see that dick move Harden put on Smilin' Wes the other night? No smiles after that one...

I got a chuckle out of that play when I saw the video.

I just saw it again Monster. He was smiling after!! WTF??

BizarroJerry wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

BizarroJerry wrote:Did you guys see that dick move Harden put on Smilin' Wes the other night? No smiles after that one...

I got a chuckle out of that play when I saw the video.

I just saw it again Monster. He was smiling after!! WTF??

Ya gotta laugh, especially if you're Wes in that situation. Great players get punked like that on occasion, there is no shame there, especially when it's a guy like Harden who got you! If you cannot laugh at yourself life is going to be one long depressing ride!

TheSP wrote:

BizarroJerry wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

BizarroJerry wrote:Did you guys see that dick move Harden put on Smilin' Wes the other night? No smiles after that one...

I got a chuckle out of that play when I saw the video.

I just saw it again Monster. He was smiling after!! WTF??

Ya gotta laugh, especially if you're Wes in that situation. Great players get punked like that on occasion, there is no shame there, especially when it's a guy like Harden who got you! If you cannot laugh at yourself life is going to be one long depressing ride!

You're saying Wes is a great player? Big stones on Harden. Would have looked stupid if he missed.