With his shooting and finishing this bad, what does an Adjusted Game Westbrook look like anyway? Gucci Bruce Brown? Even if he commits fully is his defensive ability even good enough for that?
With his shooting and finishing this bad, what does an Adjusted Game Westbrook look like anyway? Gucci Bruce Brown? Even if he commits fully is his defensive ability even good enough for that?
It wouldn't be on the defensive end. It would be to learn how to from 3 and be willing to screen and run off of screens, making him a player that the opposing defense had to pay attention to.
I want to cop to something here before continuing. Westbrook, to my mind, was a thrilling player prior to his MVP season. I think I made the thread here on these forums and made him the banner image a couple of times. I really liked him and thought that his tenacity taking the ball to the rim was admirable and put the defense on their heals. There was potential there for a career that could have involved multiple championships, IMO. But he had to have the right players around him or he had to be willing to add to his game.
Not only did he not add to his game from the MVP season on, but he doubled down on focusing on stats first. I mean, centers and forwards on the teams he played with would box out and then let him get the rebound on free throws. I suppose it's possible this was to get the ball more quickly into the hands of the primary ball-handler, but it was hard not to view that as state chasing.
It's been terribly disappointing since then that he's continued to double and triple down on playing one way and one way only. I can't see a road where he's a significant contributor to a title team ever. He may last a few more years in the league, but his relevancy is over and it really bums me out. The best case scenario is one where he does a complete 180 from everything he's done for the last half decade and I just don't see it.
Well the Lakers had their revenge game last night.
Beat the Raps in OT.
Scottie had a great game though, so I can't be too mad. 31 PTS 17 REB 6 AST 1 STL
Incredible.
NO fans, (fan?). Thank you from a Milwaukee fan perspective for Jrue Holliday. This guy as a witch. He has only gotten better. The trade was already a huge win after the finals last year, but this guy just keeps getting better. There will be a lot of teams trying (and failing) to capture this sort of trade.
Yeah but you have Greyson Allen.
Jazz blew another 25 point lead. 5 straight losses. Getting worried.
Frank Vogel got fired by the Lakers today. Man, is the release of HBO's Winning Time so perfectly timed.
That Westbrook trade never made any sense. Just wild.
That Westbrook trade never made any sense. Just wild.
Permalink back to October when most of us were saying, “This won’t work”.
That Westbrook trade never made any sense. Just wild.
Frank Vogel got fired by the Lakers today. Man, is the release of HBO's Winning Time so perfectly timed.
Man, if Vogel had anything to do with that, he should be fired. Wait, he didn't?
Stele wrote:That Westbrook trade never made any sense. Just wild.
Permalink back to October when most of us were saying, “This won’t work”.
I thought it wouldn't go well. I didn't have "not even in the play-in" on the cards though.
The Lakers were outscored even with Westbrook on the bencb and LeBron & AD on the court together. I really underestimated how bad the trade sapped their depth. I guess old veterans on the minimum are on the minimum for a reason.
To be fair, I didn’t think it would go that badly either, but what I find interesting is there was a pretty wide consensus here, among NBA writers I read, that it just made no sense. Especially sacrificing the same depth that won them a title to do it.
I’m looking forward to hopefully watching some actually good basketball teams tonight.
If you invest in League Pass that aspect didn’t matter, but fans who only watch the national broadcasts had to watch that team far too much and mercifully that’s over.
A lot of the time they could play 3 quarters well.
Which has got to be blatantly obvious as a side effect of their roster on paper and on the court.
There were so many headlines, "Lakers blow a 15 point lead." or "Such and such team overcomes a 20 point lead to beat the Lakers in OT by 8". Also related, "Lakers miss 15, 17, or 19 free throws and lose by 6 with 2:40 left in the game."
The guy who's only slim potential bright spot was his never ending energy that could let the bigs rest was a complete bumbling spaz on the court.
He at least left with his skull intact.
Lebron has missed an average of 26 games a season since he got to LA four years ago. Just seems like the new normal for him now.
Pat Beverly just celebrated like he just won the third championship in a 3-peat. Not being critical, it was hilarious.
Memphis vs Minnesota? Easily the first round series that will give us the most ridiculous highlights.
Play in is like a little March Madness, a little game 7. Love it.
Pat Beverly just celebrated like he just won the third championship in a 3-peat. Not being critical, it was hilarious.
I can’t say I blame him. He was pretty unceremoniously dumped by LAC after being blamed for their loss to Phoenix last year.
All time Ewing theory performance from Towns tonight. All time.
The reaction of the TNT crew and the wider NBA to that celebration was pretty hilarious. That’s one of my favorite aspects of the sport is that players watch the games, enjoy the games and respond. It’s the best.
I will say that as much as Beverley annoys me, watching him do Pat Beverley stuff to the Clippers is really fun.
The last few days I have been listening to Jackie MacMullan's new podcast series on the history of NBA superstars. It is pretty good, it is under the Book of Basketball feed. Some retread ground, but also some stuff I had never heard before, and a lot of interviews with past players. They covered it a bit on today's Hoop Collective episode too.
Also I just saw Paul George is out of the play in game due to positive for COVID. The Pelicans looked pretty good the other day, I wasn't sure the Clippers could beat them even with Paul George. Sucky timing for him.
Again the talk of the "were the 17 Warriors better than the 96 Bulls?" came across my youtube feed...
I am probably going to get flamed but it is no contest for me. The Bulls can't match up because they are a man short whichever way you slice it. The Bulls have to guard Steph, Klay and Durant. The Warriors have to guard Pippen and Jordan.
Durant really is the X factor here. If you put Pippen on him, he'll shoot over him and score in the paint. If you put Rodman on him, he won't score in the paint but he'll have free range from 15ft to the 3 point line.
Jordan is a great defender, but while he can lock Steph down, is he really going to chase Steph all over the court, all game, every game?
Pippen can lock down Klay. But again, is Pippen going to chase him all over the court for 40 minutes over a 7 game series? And then, if you put Pippen on Klay, he isn't guarding Durant.
Harper is a good defender but he can't guard anyone except Steph. Of course he will fall into the same trap of chasing Steph around the court...
On the flipside, your can rotate between Klay, Iggy and Draymond on Jordan. Klay or Durant would handle Pippen.
The Bulls were scoring 95-100 ppg. The Warriors had to be 115 ppg or higher. With 3 players over 40% from three, you are going to have the capability to score 115-120 point with regularity. Brousard (who I love) kept on saying there is no better clutch player than Jordan. But the games would have to be close for that to matter and Durant proved remarkably clutch in 17. For reference the Bulls in 96 averaged 97.4 ppg in the playoffs with 3 losses. The Warriors in 17 averaged 119.3 ppg with one loss.
It just doesn't match up.
I can come up with 10 probable lineups and the Bulls come out on top on none of them.
Again the talk of the "were the 17 Warriors better than the 96 Bulls?" came across my youtube feed...
I am probably going to get flamed but it is no contest for me. The Bulls can't match up because they are a man short whichever way you slice it. The Bulls have to guard Steph, Klay and Durant. The Warriors have to guard Pippen and Jordan.
Durant really is the X factor here. If you put Pippen on him, he'll shoot over him and score in the paint. If you put Rodman on him, he won't score in the paint but he'll have free range from 15ft to the 3 point line.
Jordan is a great defender, but while he can lock Steph down, is he really going to chase Steph all over the court, all game, every game?
Pippen can lock down Klay. But again, is Pippen going to chase him all over the court for 40 minutes over a 7 game series? And then, if you put Pippen on Klay, he isn't guarding Durant.
Harper is a good defender but he can't guard anyone except Steph. Of course he will fall into the same trap of chasing Steph around the court...
On the flipside, your can rotate between Klay, Iggy and Draymond on Jordan. Klay or Durant would handle Pippen.
The Bulls were scoring 95-100 ppg. The Warriors had to be 115 ppg or higher. With 3 players over 40% from three, you are going to have the capability to score 115-120 point with regularity. Brousard (who I love) kept on saying there is no better clutch player than Jordan. But the games would have to be close for that to matter and Durant proved remarkably clutch in 17. For reference the Bulls in 96 averaged 97.4 ppg in the playoffs with 3 losses. The Warriors in 17 averaged 119.3 ppg with one loss.
It just doesn't match up.
I can come up with 10 probable lineups and the Bulls come out on top on none of them.
I am probably going to be flamed, but, WTF cares? Both are great. Both played in different time periods of NBA basketball. To compare the two is a fools errand. Engage at your own risk and forced anger. Both are/were great in their own time.
Hahaha. Touche!
The Bulls played before the hand check rule and three second violations. Also before any halfway hard foul is called flagrant. I agree it is pretty pointless to compare eras. I will say if you send the Warriors team back to 1996 rules I think it would be very close.
The Bulls played before the hand check rule and three second violations. Also before any halfway hard foul is called flagrant. I agree it is pretty pointless to compare eras. I will say if you send the Warriors team back to 1996 rules I think it would be very close.
Yeah, comparing eras is always difficult, but my longstanding opinion has been that the modern NBA is the best the game has ever been. Sure, there's no hand-checking, but teams are also allowed to play zone defense. I think if you time-traveled the 2017 Warriors back to the 1996 they would likely beat those Bulls, but that's based mostly on my hunch that the modern game is better and talent has never been deeper.
LeapingGnome wrote:The Bulls played before the hand check rule and three second violations. Also before any halfway hard foul is called flagrant. I agree it is pretty pointless to compare eras. I will say if you send the Warriors team back to 1996 rules I think it would be very close.
Yeah, comparing eras is always difficult, but my longstanding opinion has been that the modern NBA is the best the game has ever been. Sure, there's no hand-checking, but teams are also allowed to play zone defense. I think if you time-traveled the 2017 Warriors back to the 1996 they would likely beat those Bulls, but that's based mostly on my hunch that the modern game is better and talent has never been deeper.
Ultimate decider. Who are the officials, lol?
Nic Batum == The Glove 2?
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