The article's casual dismissal of some top-level teams is noted in the permanent record. Utah begs to differ. Suns about to have their say. We shall see.
What Utah will be begging for is mercy. Suns might try to say something but they will not be heard over the audience's roar when Steph breaks CP3's ankles yet again. The permanent record will expose all doubts.
There was sort of one a few days ago when it was announced that Klay was starting to play5-on-5. Basically that he was progressing but wasn't ready to do that yet himself.
So, just looking at the standings a bit, yowch. The East/West dichotomy feels swapped this year. The East is something like 13 teams deep while the West only has about 7 teams worth consideration, and we don't even have to play against the scariest one!
The resurgent Heat and the suddenly-relevant Bulls are quite the sight, but what really gets me is how Charlotte and Washington are both top-5 records over there too, and you can't discount the Knicks or Cavaliers either. Plus teams like Toronto, Boston, Philly, Atlanta, and even Indiana haven't fallen over and died, either. I'd favor all of those against the T-Wolves, Kings, or Spurs—and even the East's bottom-feeders (Detroit, Orlando) are looking way hotter than the West's (N'Orleans, Houston). OKC and LAL are funny because the former was supposed to be at the bottom of the tank while the latter was supposed to be a contender, but they're one game apart in the "play-in zone" right now and OKC has the advantage 2-0 head-to-head.
Oh yeah, and finally: my haven't-watched-any-of-their-games hot take on the 76ers is that Ben Simmons was clearly holding back star player Seth Curry, who's now unleashed and putting the league on notice.
The only reasons that some of these East teams seem to be doing well is that they get to play out East, and that the Bucks, Boston and I think Toronto are surely playing worse now than they will later, assuming health. Wouldn't shock me if those teams rose over the season and Cleveland plummeted.
Ditto Tyrese Maxey. BBallBreakdown has a vid on how much he has stepped into the point guard role and made him wonder whether they even need Simmons. Quite a question.
Last season for sure put the league on notice about the new competitive balance. Bucks/Hawks and Clippers/Suns as the final four! And this season the east is serving up great balance 1-13 (sorry Detroit/Orlando). Ofc if the whole team was healthy the Nets would be way above the rest, but injuries are part of all sports. In the meanwhile better balance means more fun as a fan!
You love to see guys stepping up. The third quarter burst lives even without Steph & Draymond! That was awesome. Bjelica was also huge for us in this game. I continue to be impressed at how solid his drives are. Looney had a bit of a rough game (still 11 rebounds though)—he definitely looked winded down the stretch, and couldn't help but foul on some of those drives, but even before that he was fumbling passes and failing to finish shots that he normally cleans up no problem. I'm relieved it didn't go to overtime, because I don't like our odds with the team out of gas at the end of the trip.
Gary Payton II continues to be a revelation: did you know he's now logged enough minutes to show up on 538's list of players, where he's currently #1 in overall RAPTOR and #16 in RAPTOR WAR (based on playing fewer minutes)? Those stats are a little unreliable but other stats are saying similar things about his otherworldly impact: he's just slightly below the rate cutoff for many of BBall-ref's advanced stats, but in the unfiltered list his Box Plus Minus is behind a bunch of guys who've played like 10 minutes each and a handful of MVP candidates; defensive BPM has him behind only Jokic and a couple small sample size numbers; and his steal% would lead the league if he had enough minutes to qualify. In short: KEEP PLAYING THIS GUY.
Credit to Kerr for the gutsy gamble to rest 4 key contributors and still give us enough margin to come away with the W. That's some extremely high-level coaching right there.
HEY GUYS WE'RE 1-0 IN GAMES WHERE STEPH CURRY SITS AND 14-2 WITHOUT KLAY THOMPSON. WHO NEEDS THE SPLASH BROS ANYWAY?? 😆
Hey, I went over to ''Lost Nation'' to REC a comment SLEEPY made about Poole being better on defense this year, and, guess what...my password wouldn't get me in...LOL
Got in...apparently I had changed the password. My last comment there was in July 2021, talking about how intrigued I was the prospect of Harrison BARNES rejoining and small-balling our way to a SHIP in....2021-2022. Poole, Wiseman return, and a couple of draft picks/free agents figured prominently in my estimate at the time...lol
Yep, he is in his prime, can defend 1-4, shoot the ball from perimeter and take it to the hole, athletic/can run with the best of them in smallball, even gotten clutch with years and experience. My comment at the time about the bucks was send the bill to Joe; 2-3 more Ships as the awesome core primes out would be worth every dime of it, not to mention his transition value and potential continuity with the young bloods as he is only 29...
Yeah, you get the feeling that the Warriors are going to want to make at least one move for the playoffs by the trade deadline and the Kings are going to be in fire sale mode again when their playoff chances have crumbled
The Warriors rarely try to upgrade at the deadline when doing well. The fact that they pulled the trigger on the Wiggins trade shows how exceptionally different that year was. Both mid season trades they have done, aside from cap maneuvering, we’re done to bail on a bad year to set up the future. This isn’t a bad year, and there’s no obvious upgrade available. Unless someone makes them an offer they can’t refuse we should probably just enjoy this roster.
Maybe they can trade Wiggins for Simmons and a couple of future first round picks, though, honestly, I'm not absolutely sure that that is a good trade for the Warriors as the team fits together so well right now.
Hype, is say. The way the Warriors are turning defense to offense against shaky lineups I don’t think the Raptors will get a chance to impose anything on defense
No doubt, they are beasting right now/both ends, and are going to be a HUGE test for DUBS FULL SQUAD; more so than NETS were...either going to bring out the best in us, or, well get our butts kicked.
Draymond stayed in Michigan to watch his beloved Spartans take on Ohio State in football. It's currently 42-0 in favor of Ohio State with 7 minutes to go in the second quarter.
Loved it. Folks thought the Dubs would fall out of best-record in the NBA on this road trip, with NBA and ESPN paving the way with ''big test for STEPH'', and, did the Dubs get back ''too fast'' and so forth. Instead, 3Ws out 4, 14-2, Second Unit keeping excellence/winning alive, 100+ ppg streak going, team point differential still league-leading by a mile, and, oh, yeah, STEPH emerges as NUMERO UNO MVP candidate, and, a BONUS, the PERENNIAL MVP of the last 8 years takes over the NUMERO UNO scoring lead.
Omg, did you guys see what happened during the Schroder interview last night? Some editor put "y'all paying russ $44 million lol" in the graphic below him on live TV. This is hilarious!!
Apparently, NBCsports Boston has a reputation for stuff like that. Last season, before a Celtics-Lakers game, they had a franchise comparison graphic showing their respective numbers of all star players and all time championships. The Lakers' 17 chips had an asterisk: "includes 5 in Minneapolis and 1 in Disney World".
THANKS, LMAO. I feel bad for the BIG O, who was putting up triple-doubles but didn't get MVP till he got to an NBA CONFERENCE FINAL. And, he was better than 100+ in league shooting efficiency....
Great breakdown of the CLE Q4 and Steph gravity by Thinking Basketball: https://youtu.be/Qq-ewGMk73A
Mychel Mulder got a highlight for Orlando on NBA game time just now.
Minnesota crushes Memphis and suddenly has the sixth(!) best point differential in the West. Sign of the ant-pocalypse?
A 43 point win will do that.
The article's casual dismissal of some top-level teams is noted in the permanent record. Utah begs to differ. Suns about to have their say. We shall see.
What Utah will be begging for is mercy. Suns might try to say something but they will not be heard over the audience's roar when Steph breaks CP3's ankles yet again. The permanent record will expose all doubts.
Hornets v Hawks starting on nba to
I’ve checked in on this (boring) game and it’s been ATL by 10-12 pretty much every time. Now down to 8 with 2 to play, now 6.
Tv
Why no update on Wiseman?
There was sort of one a few days ago when it was announced that Klay was starting to play5-on-5. Basically that he was progressing but wasn't ready to do that yet himself.
Update: He’s still very tall my sources have confirmed
phew
Link to source!
So, just looking at the standings a bit, yowch. The East/West dichotomy feels swapped this year. The East is something like 13 teams deep while the West only has about 7 teams worth consideration, and we don't even have to play against the scariest one!
The resurgent Heat and the suddenly-relevant Bulls are quite the sight, but what really gets me is how Charlotte and Washington are both top-5 records over there too, and you can't discount the Knicks or Cavaliers either. Plus teams like Toronto, Boston, Philly, Atlanta, and even Indiana haven't fallen over and died, either. I'd favor all of those against the T-Wolves, Kings, or Spurs—and even the East's bottom-feeders (Detroit, Orlando) are looking way hotter than the West's (N'Orleans, Houston). OKC and LAL are funny because the former was supposed to be at the bottom of the tank while the latter was supposed to be a contender, but they're one game apart in the "play-in zone" right now and OKC has the advantage 2-0 head-to-head.
Oh yeah, and finally: my haven't-watched-any-of-their-games hot take on the 76ers is that Ben Simmons was clearly holding back star player Seth Curry, who's now unleashed and putting the league on notice.
The only reasons that some of these East teams seem to be doing well is that they get to play out East, and that the Bucks, Boston and I think Toronto are surely playing worse now than they will later, assuming health. Wouldn't shock me if those teams rose over the season and Cleveland plummeted.
Ditto Tyrese Maxey. BBallBreakdown has a vid on how much he has stepped into the point guard role and made him wonder whether they even need Simmons. Quite a question.
Last season for sure put the league on notice about the new competitive balance. Bucks/Hawks and Clippers/Suns as the final four! And this season the east is serving up great balance 1-13 (sorry Detroit/Orlando). Ofc if the whole team was healthy the Nets would be way above the rest, but injuries are part of all sports. In the meanwhile better balance means more fun as a fan!
There’s a lot of teams trying to quietly build dynasties instead of cooking on up in a lab, and I hope they’re successful for a change
You love to see guys stepping up. The third quarter burst lives even without Steph & Draymond! That was awesome. Bjelica was also huge for us in this game. I continue to be impressed at how solid his drives are. Looney had a bit of a rough game (still 11 rebounds though)—he definitely looked winded down the stretch, and couldn't help but foul on some of those drives, but even before that he was fumbling passes and failing to finish shots that he normally cleans up no problem. I'm relieved it didn't go to overtime, because I don't like our odds with the team out of gas at the end of the trip.
Gary Payton II continues to be a revelation: did you know he's now logged enough minutes to show up on 538's list of players, where he's currently #1 in overall RAPTOR and #16 in RAPTOR WAR (based on playing fewer minutes)? Those stats are a little unreliable but other stats are saying similar things about his otherworldly impact: he's just slightly below the rate cutoff for many of BBall-ref's advanced stats, but in the unfiltered list his Box Plus Minus is behind a bunch of guys who've played like 10 minutes each and a handful of MVP candidates; defensive BPM has him behind only Jokic and a couple small sample size numbers; and his steal% would lead the league if he had enough minutes to qualify. In short: KEEP PLAYING THIS GUY.
Credit to Kerr for the gutsy gamble to rest 4 key contributors and still give us enough margin to come away with the W. That's some extremely high-level coaching right there.
HEY GUYS WE'RE 1-0 IN GAMES WHERE STEPH CURRY SITS AND 14-2 WITHOUT KLAY THOMPSON. WHO NEEDS THE SPLASH BROS ANYWAY?? 😆
Hey, I went over to ''Lost Nation'' to REC a comment SLEEPY made about Poole being better on defense this year, and, guess what...my password wouldn't get me in...LOL
Got in...apparently I had changed the password. My last comment there was in July 2021, talking about how intrigued I was the prospect of Harrison BARNES rejoining and small-balling our way to a SHIP in....2021-2022. Poole, Wiseman return, and a couple of draft picks/free agents figured prominently in my estimate at the time...lol
Well, Wiseman hasn’t hurt the team as much this year so far, but would you still go after Barnes with the salaries it would take to get there?
Yep, he is in his prime, can defend 1-4, shoot the ball from perimeter and take it to the hole, athletic/can run with the best of them in smallball, even gotten clutch with years and experience. My comment at the time about the bucks was send the bill to Joe; 2-3 more Ships as the awesome core primes out would be worth every dime of it, not to mention his transition value and potential continuity with the young bloods as he is only 29...
Actually, he guards 5s also, when he has to. Did it in DALLAS a lot, while carrying the team on offense for a two years, and, defenses keying on him.
Yeah, you get the feeling that the Warriors are going to want to make at least one move for the playoffs by the trade deadline and the Kings are going to be in fire sale mode again when their playoff chances have crumbled
The Warriors rarely try to upgrade at the deadline when doing well. The fact that they pulled the trigger on the Wiggins trade shows how exceptionally different that year was. Both mid season trades they have done, aside from cap maneuvering, we’re done to bail on a bad year to set up the future. This isn’t a bad year, and there’s no obvious upgrade available. Unless someone makes them an offer they can’t refuse we should probably just enjoy this roster.
Maybe they can trade Wiggins for Simmons and a couple of future first round picks, though, honestly, I'm not absolutely sure that that is a good trade for the Warriors as the team fits together so well right now.
I’d still love to see Gasol on the floor as a playoffs rental
Don’t sleep on Toronto’s D. They are the poster child of a D designed to give the Warriors fits. Hype, hope, or reality we’ll see soon.
Hype, is say. The way the Warriors are turning defense to offense against shaky lineups I don’t think the Raptors will get a chance to impose anything on defense
No doubt, they are beasting right now/both ends, and are going to be a HUGE test for DUBS FULL SQUAD; more so than NETS were...either going to bring out the best in us, or, well get our butts kicked.
The Star Trek picture... all the cousins coming back for dinner after smoking a fat one.
Draymond stayed in Michigan to watch his beloved Spartans take on Ohio State in football. It's currently 42-0 in favor of Ohio State with 7 minutes to go in the second quarter.
Rough.
Here’s hoping he takes it out on Toronto
Loved it. Folks thought the Dubs would fall out of best-record in the NBA on this road trip, with NBA and ESPN paving the way with ''big test for STEPH'', and, did the Dubs get back ''too fast'' and so forth. Instead, 3Ws out 4, 14-2, Second Unit keeping excellence/winning alive, 100+ ppg streak going, team point differential still league-leading by a mile, and, oh, yeah, STEPH emerges as NUMERO UNO MVP candidate, and, a BONUS, the PERENNIAL MVP of the last 8 years takes over the NUMERO UNO scoring lead.
HOW SWEET IT IS.....
Great Stuff , Daniel. Poole is the real deal...
This road trip definitely reminded me of the good old days- a couple of dominations, a couple of just enough to get bys, and usually one stinker.
2 blowout victories, one close win, and one close loss. I didn’t notice any stinkers.
Omg, did you guys see what happened during the Schroder interview last night? Some editor put "y'all paying russ $44 million lol" in the graphic below him on live TV. This is hilarious!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zc_p6Ls6G8&ab_channel=RafProductions
Westbrook is so washed I wouldn’t be surprised to see him out on the floor soon in his pajamas
Apparently, NBCsports Boston has a reputation for stuff like that. Last season, before a Celtics-Lakers game, they had a franchise comparison graphic showing their respective numbers of all star players and all time championships. The Lakers' 17 chips had an asterisk: "includes 5 in Minneapolis and 1 in Disney World".
they definitely look like the Mouseketeers this season
Wow that’s savage. Love it.
THANKS, LMAO. I feel bad for the BIG O, who was putting up triple-doubles but didn't get MVP till he got to an NBA CONFERENCE FINAL. And, he was better than 100+ in league shooting efficiency....
A good pickup, he knows the Warriors’ system and can help in teaching the young uns.
Hmm Andre out again? If he plays Wednesday he’ll have been out over a week? Is there any injury that’s worse than they’ve been letting on?
His knee swelled up. We don’t need him now. Let him rest to Christmas. All I care is he healthy for playoffs. Let him sit half the year
A spider fracture?
What happened with GPII? Once he went out of the Pistons game at the end, he went to the locker room. Never heard why.
Who could have guessed that our offseason veteran pickups would be the savviest and the most likely to get injured?