341 Comments
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Kelly Wheaton's avatar

Perhaps this is a woman's perspective, but if I wanted to watch Wrestling I'd watch the WWF (I don't) and if I wanted to watch tackles and holding I'd watch NFL. I know everyone says things are more physical (especially with growing numbers of Eastern European players, that play rough). But if the NBA is going to treat players like a commodity why aren't they protecting their assets instead of their asses. I would like better refereeing to protect players. The fun and joy is dimished when it becomes not physical, but brutal.

Yes, it was an accident. But a planned accident that says whatever it takes to win, including taking out your opponents best players by whatever means. Rockets don't deserve respect for playing nasty. I wish the NBA had the balls to clean up the league.

If we lost cleanly, so be it. But the Rockets commit multiple fouls constabtly knowing, the refs will only catch 20% of them. Disgusted.

Hopefully, Jimmy rises with his matching butt pad...

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ananthd's avatar
1dEdited

Why doesn't Jonathan Kuminga play? Per the Dunc'd On Guys

See last night, as @DannyLeroux and I laid out:

https://bsky.app/profile/nateduncannba.bsky.social/post/3lnlct54ych2l

TLDW: Lack of offensive awareness; on ball defense has regressed this year; Off ball defense has always been an issue.

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Chasing Ring5 💍's avatar

Just read through all these Butler/JK comments and damn. It's like Jimmy is being made out to be the prodigal Marvel figure T'Challa, chosen by the Royal Goldenbloodline to take the mantle of protecting WakanDub's precious Otherwordly Element: Currynium, and JK is just the maniacal and revengeful mercenary, Killmonger, hellbent on overthrowing th, HOOOOLLLDD UP! . . Jonathan Kuminga. . . N'Jadaka Killmonger. . . We've been duped! Killminga planned to take out T'Chimmy all along!! His childhood mentor was M'Demwe (a traitorous citizen of the Golden Realm) is actually IM'e UDoka!!! Raise the alarm!!!!

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Daniel Hardee's avatar

LMAO

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Captain Jack's avatar

"Bernie Lee, Jimmy Butler's agent texts me saying, 'Pray for the bear.'"

@MarcJSpears

says Jonathan Kuminga needs to be ready for Warriors-Rockets Game 3, but has "optimism" for Butler's injury status 👀

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ServantOfLuna's avatar

“If you see me in a fight with a bear, prey for the bear" is a quote by Kobe Bryant after he tore his Achilles and his determination to keep on playing despite what he has gone through.

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dinohealth's avatar

Any news on JIMMY'S MRI, yet?

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DFiB's avatar

There will be no real announcement until near tip off.

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dinohealth's avatar

Gotsa...makes sense...game-planning...

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SabWrites's avatar

Marc J Spears: "Bernie Lee, Jimmy Butler's agent texts me saying, 'Pray for the bear.'"

I think the interpretation of the quote is going to be different for everyone. For Bernie Lee it was probably a Kobe reference for when Kobe tore his achilles.

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belilaugh's avatar

It means that Butler's injury is forcing him into hibernation for the rest of the playoffs, sadly. Prayers up, Jimmy.

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Sleepy Freud's avatar

You know it

You tell the story

You tell the whole wide world this is BEAR territory!

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GlueAndBold's avatar

Yes, that context was "If you see me in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear." That would indicate that there's no stopping Jimmy.

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PointGawd's avatar

As a human non-human animal rights sympathizer, I always pray for the bear. Humans always show up with long-range rifles, machine guns, telescopes, radar, traps, poisons. Its not a fair fight. Just shows how frightened humans are. . . . I don't think that's what Jimmy Butler's agent meant to imply.

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dinohealth's avatar

Just keep a little bear shot tranquilizer handy in case he needs a bit of help...lol

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GlueAndBold's avatar

Not that I'm aware of, and I'm listening to 95.7 all day and imagine they'll let us know.

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dinohealth's avatar

Thanks

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Captain Jack's avatar

There's no way they're showing the Grizzlies/Thunder game over Clips and Nuggets on TNT tonight

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DubsNerd's avatar

Even TNT’s on-air talent was baffled by the NBA’s television slate of playoff games Thursday, which included Game 3 between the Nuggets and Clippers being relegated to NBA TV.

“Whoever made that decision is just stupid," Charles Barkley said

https://bsky.app/profile/denverpost.com/post/3lnlkrdeykk2l

When Chuck and I both agree it is dumb, it must really be a dumb idea

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DubsNerd's avatar

Way. People in Denver were complaining because league pass is blacked out for local games, and the Nuggets have some odd broadcast deal with a network no one has, so pretty much no one in Denver can even watch the game.

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GlueAndBold's avatar

That is horrific!

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SabWrites's avatar

I read that next season all local broadcasts for NBA games are going away for the first round. I don't know how true that it is.

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Captain Jack's avatar

Steph doesn't get enough credit for consistently generating clean looks despite getting held off ball/hacked on ball the whole game by all 5 guys of the opposing defense. Getting open is already half the battle in the NBA and you can see most guys struggle to do that even against single coverage. You have to be physically and mentally strong as hell.

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GlueAndBold's avatar

This is a big reason why Steph is *under-appreciated* and should be an insanely obvious pick as one of the best NBA players to ever play the game. Literally no player ever has faced the defensive strategy that he faces, because of his dominance at such a relatively diminutive size, and yet he has STILL done all of this.

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dinohealth's avatar

He is right up there with my five GOATS....WILT, MJ, LBJ, STEPH, OSCAR....

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Chasing Ring5 💍's avatar

And never resorted to flopping...

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tempprofile's avatar

I am not that worried about the loss of Butler as my gut tells me that while we use to have Game6 Klay, after this series, people are going to be talking about Game[3-5] Buddy. He has been saving up all those makes for when they really mattered.

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stopnpop's avatar

Buddy is going to be attacked at the other end non-stop... I can't see it unless he's going to be volume trading 3-for-2

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DragonFireH's avatar

Just need to have him guard fvv and let him shoot the rockets out of the game

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Mullying's avatar

"Isn't it pretty to think so" as my favorite author wrote in the last line of his great novel.

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Bel's avatar

We’re in deep doodoo if you think Hield will save us.

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Captain Jack's avatar

The problem isn't Buddy's ability to make a shot but moreso he can't even get open in the halfcourt. When he's on the floor our gameplan has to be pushing the pace even more and creating chaos where hopefully he can get some clean looks off the scramble drill

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bobbita's avatar
1dEdited

I think we could beat this team even without Butler, but it would obviously be tougher. Our team was already going into the game knowing they got the 1 win they needed, so I don't think there was that urgency to start with. Then on top of that, they had to quickly adjust to Butler being out and had a lineup of Pat - Hield - Kuminga - Dray - Post out there which is just disgusting.

The players will be more prepared next game if they know ahead of time if Butler is out and we'll also be at home.

Reading all Kuminga comments with popcorn though. I think he'll do better if Butler is out again, but he is definitely not going to be with us next year.

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Mullying's avatar

Agreed. Butler will also do better going forward if he sits this one out. Counting on Kuminga Et Al. to more than match Houston's physicality and the Chase crowd to outdo the hostility the Rockets fans came with last game. Time for them to finally show up in Oracle Mode!

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Bel's avatar

I’ll believe it when we win a game without Butler. I seriously doubt it but miracles can happen.

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ServantOfLuna's avatar

Also, Jalen Green was on a mission last night to prove to everyone that he's not a scrub. I have faith that he won't repeat his scorching hot shooting in the next game.

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Chasing Ring5 💍's avatar

Man, Jalen is just a guy that think he's fly. I heard he is also known as a "busta". Always talking about what he wants, but like Jimmy, he just sits on his contused pelvis.

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bobbita's avatar

I think he can, but it's doubtful he can do it 3 more times.

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ServantOfLuna's avatar

>>>Joe Mazzulla said he appreciates Kristaps Porzingis’ toughness and his balanced perspective: “I like watching him bleed on the court. I think it’s important”<<<

https://old.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1k6gs6v/joe_mazzulla_said_he_appreciates_kristaps/

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Klaymatic37's avatar

Never change Joe 😂

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stopnpop's avatar

I worry that one of these days, we may look back at all the psycho things he's said and we'll all go "we should have known, all the signs were there".

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Klaymatic37's avatar

100%

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ServantOfLuna's avatar

>>>I did hear the VanVleet-Draymond thing. VanVleet told Draymond [last night] “You better pray Jimmy’s back.” That what was said, with some other words in there.<<<

https://old.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1k6xlrw/vanvleet_to_draymond_last_night_you_better_pray/

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belilaugh's avatar

He’s not wrong but also Green and VanVleet are cool (and VanVleet went on Green’s podcast), it was just shit talk between friends until others got involved imo.

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TwoRingTest's avatar

I feel like Butler's injury could have been avoided if DubnationHQ had offered a branded butt pad on it's web site ....

You know, the logo on one side and "close enough to hurt" on the other.

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dinohealth's avatar

lol

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Eric Apricot's avatar

[[

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, there wasn’t much of any official update, but the expectation around the team appears to be that Butler didn’t suffer a serious injury, according to the Athletic’s Anthony Slater on the “Warriors Plus Minus” podcast after Game 2.

“There seems to be a level of optimism that this isn’t some deep, dense, long-term thing,” Slater said. “It’s going to be a pain tolerance thing.”

This is the third time a Warriors player has suffered a pelvic contusion this season. Steph Curry left the March 20 game against the Raptors in the third quarter after falling rear-first onto the floor; he missed the next two games but has played in every game since. Jonathan Kuminga also bruised his pelvis on a fall to the hardwood on March 30 in San Antonio and missed one game.

Brett Siegel, an NBA insider for ClutchPoints, reported that Butler’s injury isn’t “anything worse” than what Curry dealt with before. Siegel added, “If their next game was on Friday, Jimmy would be iffy but the extra day of rest is going to pay off.”

Butler also has some personal history with an injury in that region of the body. In 2021 with the Heat, he missed 12 regular-season games with a tailbone contusion. Butler initially missed four games with the injury and then reaggravated it in his first game back on the court on Dec. 4, 2021, and was out for the next eight games.

]]

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Captain Jack's avatar

Love that Eason threw a towel in Pat's face. Of course our guys are playing their hearts out regardless but now we get to see the Petty Dubs led by the Petty King himself.

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Captain Jack's avatar

Jimmy had a somewhat similar injury vs the Bucks in 2023, that series ended with him scoring 56 & 42 points back to back games.

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