Series Thread: 1) Houston Rockets vs 5) Utah Jazz

[trojanfan12]

The players in the NBA don't start playing hard and really trying until late march when playoff spots or seeding are on the line and the playoffs. Maybe there are great plays of athletes being athletes throughout the season, but anything that really stands out can be seen on highlights somewhere.

It's an 82 game season. Of course there are going to gmes where they are just "off", tired, dealing with nagging injuries, etc.

Imo, the claim that they "don't try" is mostly inaccurate. If a guy is having a bad game, it can look really bad, but it doesn't mean he's not trying. It's just the nature of the game.

As anyone who has played more than a few games at any level of basketball can tell you, a guy can shoot 10 shots in one game and hit 8 of them. Then come out the next game, shoot the same 10 shots from the same place on the floor and only hit 2. It doesn't mean he wasn't trying to hit his shots in that 2nd game, it just means the shots weren't falling.

On another note...you know the outcome of Oregon vs. say Portland St. in football...do you still invest the time to watch the game? Even though you already know what's going to happen?

 

[bksballer89]

Until these mega super teams start disbanding there isn't much reason to follow very closely an 82 game NBA season.

There is one mega super team......

 

[OregonDucks]

That's fine but don't make ridiculous statements that you didn't hear about Mitchell until earlier this month when you were not paying attention to the sport before.

Well I didn't hear about him. I go to espn website daily and on the main page I never saw anything about him until the post season. That's what I am saying, the league does not do a good job of promoting these guys and up and coming stars.

I heard more about CP3, Griffin, seriously like 4 straight days of Blake griffin on the main page of ESPN than I did about Anthony Davis this year.

 

[flyerhawk]

Meh, I know the Sixers are a young group, I occasional check the standings and see they have 40+ wins, I figure they are starting to mesh together. I see them in their first round and realize they could make a run in a couple years with that young core that is building playoff experience.

But I am not going to watch 82 Sixer games when I know there is no chance they are knocking off Golden State.

they probably can't beat the Warriors but I will say that they played both the Rockets and Heat really tough earlier in the season. Should have beaten the Rockets twice if not for a last ditch Gordon 3 and were up 30 on the Warriors before letting their inexperience get the best of them.

Since then the Sixers have improved dramatically.

So if the Sixers get to the finals, which I think they will, they will likely lose to the Warriors or Rockets but no way do they lay down.

FTR, while the Warriors are still the team to beat, they are FAR from certain to win this year. If Steph doesn't come back more or less healthy, I could definitely see the Rockets or the Jazz beating them.

 

[OregonDucks]

There is one mega super team......

Exactly.....and we wait to see that team in the finals, and see if those 4-7 games are anything of significant.

 

[bksballer89]

That's what I am saying, the league does not do a good job of promoting these guys and up and coming stars.

They actually do. Once again getting your information from ESPN main page is just silly.

 

[OregonDucks]

It's an 82 game season. Of course there are going to gmes where they are just "off", tired, dealing with nagging injuries, etc.

Imo, the claim that they "don't try" is mostly inaccurate. If a guy is having a bad game, it can look really bad, but it doesn't mean he's not trying. It's just the nature of the game.

As anyone who has played more than a few games at any level of basketball can tell you, a guy can shoot 10 shots in one game and hit 8 of them. Then come out the next game, shoot the same 10 shots from the same place on the floor and only hit 2. It doesn't mean he wasn't trying to hit his shots in that 2nd game, it just means the shots weren't falling.

On another note...you know the outcome of Oregon vs. say Portland St. in football...do you still invest the time to watch the game? Even though you already know what's going to happen?

I think many of these teams coast for majority of the season, knowing their eventual falling place at the end of the year in seeding. You also have an epidemic of tanking going on against teams that realize in December they are not going to amount to anything that year. So teams coast, setting themselves in position for the last month to make a push to the spot they see fit and what they want to obtain.

I know the outcome of the Oregon/Portland State game, but that is different. It's a 12-14 game season, every game matters.

 

[trojanfan12]

Until these mega super teams start disbanding there isn't much reason to follow very closely an 82 game NBA season. At the end of the day the games that matter are in April, and it's the 4-7 games against that mega super team that are going to be worth watching.

Hate to break it to you, but there have always been "superteams" for as long as there has been professional basketball. They are often built a little differently than they used to be before free agency, but thy have always been there.

Every off-season teams are trying to do one of 2 things...either keep a superteam together, or trying to put a superteam together.

 

[bksballer89]

I think many of these teams coast for majority of the season, knowing their eventual falling place at the end of the year in seeding.

Yeah this just isn't true

 

[OregonDucks]

They actually do. Once again getting your information from ESPN main page is just silly.

really? forget my knowledge about it, but if you are the NBA and you want to promote more young stars and teams where do you think they would or should invest their money to do such a thing? Just posting that stuff on the ESPN NBA page or to NBA website?

No. The goal to promote is to expand your already knowledgeable and dedicated customer. You go to the ESPN NBA page, you go to the NBA website, and probably given you're a big NBA fan probably follow other sites and news sources. The NBA doesn't need to promote any young stars or teams to you because you are already knowledgeable. To Promote and grow your league and young stars you place them on the ESPN main page, to gain the attention of the sports fan who goes there to get their news of the day/time. I go to ESPN in November, December, January, I am probably there for football news, if something from another sport is not on the main page I am not going to go searching for it. If it's on the main page I am going to notice it and it'll be seeded in my mind. I rarely say anything on Davis, or Mitchell on the main page, a place where the NBA should put their promoting product. The Greak Freak has been advertised on the main page A LOT. Good for promoting him and it has worked, but they didn't place Davis or Mitchell there.

Another place is obviously television. Where again, if I tuned into ESPN or TNT mid week for a game it was usually the same handful of teams.

 

[flyerhawk]

Until these mega super teams start disbanding there isn't much reason to follow very closely an 82 game NBA season. At the end of the day the games that matter are in April, and it's the 4-7 games against that mega super team that are going to be worth watching.

This is how basketball is. 2000s Lakers/Spurs, 90s Bulls, 80s Lakers/Celtics, 70s Sixers/Celtics. You get occasional one offs but dominant teams is how the league normally exists.

Again, these first rounds are fun because they are close series, but aren't we all just waiting for the Warriors/Rockets WCF, and then the Warriors vs East champ? Which so far cross fingers may actually not be LeBron, but it has been LeBron the last 9 years.

This has been one of the more interesting 1st rounds than we've had in a while. We haven't had a 3 or better seed lost since the Raptors 4 years ago. This year we could see a 5, a 6, and a 7 seed win their series. The only sweep of the 1st round was the 6 seed sweeping the 3 seed.

 

[OregonDucks]

Hate to break it to you, but there have always been "superteams" for as long as there has been professional basketball. They are often built a little differently than they used to be before free agency, but thy have always been there.

Every off-season teams are trying to do one of 2 things...either keep a superteam together, or trying to put a superteam together.

there hasn't always been superteams.

In the 90s there were a handful of teams that had a chance, the Bulls had the great Jordan but they drafted him, got him and his greatness lead to the titles, sure he had good surrounding players, but they weren't Kevin Durant type.

 

[OregonDucks]

This is how basketball is. 2000s Lakers/Spurs, 90s Bulls, 80s Lakers/Celtics, 70s Sixers/Celtics. You get occasional one offs but dominant teams is how the league normally exists.



This has been one of the more interesting 1st rounds than we've had in a while. We haven't had a 3 or better seed lost since the Raptors 4 years ago. This year we could see a 5, a 6, and a 7 seed win their series. The only sweep of the 1st round was the 6 seed sweeping the 3 seed.

1 round has been fun. But again, we are waiting for the Warriors vs any team that may have a shot. 4 over 5, 5 over 4, 6 over 3, it doesn't matter until the Warriors are put up to the test.

The West it's Houston/GS. The difference between the 3rd seed and the 9th spot with no playoffs was like a 2 game difference. Yet 3-9 really have no shot at beating Golden State.

 

[flyerhawk]

really? forget my knowledge about it, but if you are the NBA and you want to promote more young stars and teams where do you think they would or should invest their money to do such a thing? Just posting that stuff on the ESPN NBA page or to NBA website?

The NBA has been pretty innovative in building their brand, if you ask me. By letting their players really embrace social media, they are reaching out to the younger generations in a way that no other sport in America does.

That is why the NBA has grown so much in popularity in the last 10 or so years. Well that and the product is better. Hand checks and Iso ball were great when you had Jordan doing insane things. But otherwise it was ugly hoops. The fast moving floor spacing game of today is just so much more exciting than watching Shaq run over someone in the paint.

Another place is obviously television. Where again, if I tuned into ESPN or TNT mid week for a game it was usually the same handful of teams.

I dunno. NBA TV showed lots of different teams. But the truth of the matter is that most casual fans want to watch KD and Lebron.

 

[OregonDucks]

For example with NBA not promoting their young stars or teams. Right now, right now imagine the NBA in April is the NFL or football in November, December, January, February. Go to ESPN, tell me what young up and coming baseball players are being promoted and advertised on their main page? I haven't been today but let me guess if there is any baseball related things on the main page it's probably Yankees, and Harper. I doubt they are promoting anything from the Pirates, Brewers, Phillies, they promoting any young baseball stars right now? Baseball right now is like the NBA in November, December, January and February.

 

[flyerhawk]

there hasn't always been superteams.

In the 90s there were a handful of teams that had a chance, the Bulls had the great Jordan but they drafted him, got him and his greatness lead to the titles, sure he had good surrounding players, but they weren't Kevin Durant type.

Scottie Pippen is a Hall of Famer. Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. Hall of Very Good Toni Kukoc. Hall of Very Good Horace Grant.

If not for Jordan's gambling habit they would have won 8 straight titles most likely. To argue that they weren't a super team is pretty specious.

 

[OregonDucks]

The NBA has been pretty innovative in building their brand, if you ask me. By letting their players really embrace social media, they are reaching out to the younger generations in a way that no other sport in America does.

That is why the NBA has grown so much in popularity in the last 10 or so years. Well that and the product is better. Hand checks and Iso ball were great when you had Jordan doing insane things. But otherwise it was ugly hoops. The fast moving floor spacing game of today is just so much more exciting than watching Shaq run over someone in the paint.





I dunno. NBA TV showed lots of different teams. But the truth of the matter is that most casual fans want to watch KD and Lebron.

Todays NBA game is slowly changing into better team ball. Probably thanks to Golden State and how well they play together. But recently the NBA is littered with pick and role offense.

As for NBA TV as an example, bad example because that is an added sports package feature you pay for and usually is watched and paid for by NBA fans. I think I may have had NBA TV that came with one the sports packages, but I never tuned in in mid January.

 

[flyerhawk]

1 round has been fun. But again, we are waiting for the Warriors vs any team that may have a shot. 4 over 5, 5 over 4, 6 over 3, it doesn't matter until the Warriors are put up to the test.

The West it's Houston/GS. The difference between the 3rd seed and the 9th spot with no playoffs was like a 2 game difference. Yet 3-9 really have no shot at beating Golden State.

Again, this is how basketball always is.

Someone posted this stat earlier...


#1--23
#2--6
#3--4
#6--1

So in 34 years all of ONE non-1,2,3 seed has won the title.

 

[flyerhawk]

Todays NBA game is slowly changing into better team ball. Probably thanks to Golden State and how well they play together. But recently the NBA is littered with pick and role offense.

As for NBA TV as an example, bad example because that is an added sports package feature you pay for and usually is watched and paid for by NBA fans. I think I may have had NBA TV that came with one the sports packages, but I never tuned in in mid January.

NBA TV isn't a premium network. It comes with most cable company's sports package which include MLB TV, NHL TV, NFL TV, FS1, NBCSN en such.

 

[OregonDucks]

Scottie Pippen is a Hall of Famer. Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. Hall of Very Good Toni Kukoc. Hall of Very Good Horace Grant.

If not for Jordan's gambling habit they would have won 8 straight titles most likely. To argue that they weren't a super team is pretty specious.

Toni Kukoc was he good because he was good? Or was he good because of Jordan? Didn't Kukoc go to the Bucks after Chicago and was nowhere near as effective as he was when he was with the Bulls? Jordan was so great he made other players around him great. Rodman was good solid player before Chicago, but Pippen, Pippen was a really good ball player but again what did he do without Jordan?

I'll give LeBron this, much like Jordan he makes other players on the roster better. You go through a season thinking the Cavaliers have a stacked roster because of their wins and guys making shots, that's because LeBron sucks a defense to him and he dishes it to his teammates who make open baskets.