Tops in the League - Opinions

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28022844/debating-nba-absolute-best-worst-teams

LAL have been a lot better defensively than I expected.  Their scoring distribution is heavily dependent on James and Davis.  There remains a huge gap between their scoring (26.1 and 26.6) respectively and their 3rd/4th leading scorers AB and DG at 10.7 and 10.6.  Will Kuzma emerge as their 3rd guy?  

Philly like LAL have a huge frontline.  They also play bully ball like LAL.  They are also shooting poor from deep just like LA.  I thought we would see a 3 point shot or 2 from Benny.  Not yet.

Bucks are the Bucks.  As goes the freak, so goes the show.  Their achilles heel may be the age of their roster.  Time will tell.

Clippers are managing Leonard's games and minutes.  PG has yet to play.  They still look like the best collection of talent up and down the roster but their defense has not been top notch as expected.  PG may help that.

Celtics as in here come the Celtics.  They are off to a good start.  The primary leaders on this team are all playing very well (kemba, Brown Hayward, Smart and Tatum)  Once Brad nails down his optimum center rotation they will be must see TV.  And as new guys become fixtures in the rotation  we will get a more definitive feel for their place in the pecking order.

In the mix to make some noise, Denver and  Miami because defense does win.

Bunch of front runners at ESPN always kissing the ass of Lebron.

In no universe do I see the Lakers being better than the Clippers Sixers, Bucks or the Denver Nuggets.

mrkleen09, +1. Heck, throw us and TOR in there, too.

db

dbrown4 wrote:mrkleen09, +1.  Heck, throw us and TOR in there, too.  

db

Boston too. Celtics are a better overall team than the Lakers.

Hope you guys are right about LA coming back down to earth. I have watched parts of a few of their games. They are just big. Really big. Davis and Lebron are still top 5 players. Howard seems to be buying into his role. Kuzma will help them when he returns. They could be a tough out if they stay healthy.

Clippers have a fatal flaw, no shotblocking at the big positions, I understand they have great wings both ends, but you still need some level of rim protection to win it all IMHO.

As the season progresses all the prognostications will be put to the test.

I like the underdog role.

Now that GH is playing at an allstar level it changes the dynamics on this team.  It really does because while much attention has been paid to all the new pairings around the league, the pairing of Kemba and Gordon has flown under the radar.  The Celtics transcend just a pairing of two great players.  Thrown in Jason and Jaylen and top it off with Marcus and you have a tremendous wealth of talent that will not get in each other's way.

5 of our top 9 rotation players including two starters are gone but this team looks better.

I do not want to get over excited about the possibilities we have here but it is hard not to do so.

mrkleen09 wrote:Bunch of front runners at ESPN always kissing the ass of Lebron.

In no universe do I see the Lakers being better than the Clippers Sixers, Bucks or the Denver Nuggets.  

What do you want ESPN to say?
Maybe that the Lakers stink and so does Lebron?

The article that was posted in this thread is about how teams are performing right now.
It's not a prediction of how teams will be this year or who they think will win the championship.

Shamrock1000 wrote:Hope you guys are right about LA coming back down to earth. I have watched parts of a few of their games. They are just big. Really big. Davis and Lebron are still top 5 players. Howard seems to be buying into his role. Kuzma will help them when he returns. They could be a tough out if they stay healthy.

Exactly.
The Lakers are have very good perimeter defense and exceptional interior defense.
They will probably lead the lead in blocked shot all season.
Kuzma is just getting his legs under him after missing all of camp and the preseason games.

The Lakers will go through a rough stretch next month.
Who knows what will happen then with most players being able to be traded on 12/15.

Shamrock1000 wrote:Hope you guys are right about LA coming back down to earth. I have watched parts of a few of their games. They are just big. Really big. Davis and Lebron are still top 5 players. Howard seems to be buying into his role. Kuzma will help them when he returns. They could be a tough out if they stay healthy.

With Davis and James eating up 45% of their offense and shooting a dismal 25% Davis and 28.9% James from deep they still lack adequate long range shooting.  As a team they shoot 31.7% from deep.

That is a big flaw in their offense.  As teams figure that out, expect more zones and crowding the paint to limit their strengths inside.  But you are going have to match their size to beat them.  

The Lakers have played the 2nd easiest schedule in the NBA.

They are a very good team but they still are not complete.

The Lakers are definitely a solid defensive team.  Tons of length.

dboss wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:Hope you guys are right about LA coming back down to earth. I have watched parts of a few of their games. They are just big. Really big. Davis and Lebron are still top 5 players. Howard seems to be buying into his role. Kuzma will help them when he returns. They could be a tough out if they stay healthy.

With Davis and James eating up 45% of their offense and shooting a dismal 25% Davis and 28.9% James from deep they still lack adequate long range shooting.  As a team they shoot 31.7% from deep.

That is a big flaw in their offense.  As teams figure that out, expect more zones and crowding the paint to limit their strengths inside.  But you are going have to match their size to beat them.  

The Lakers have played the 2nd easiest schedule in the NBA.

They are a very good team but they still are not complete.

Yeah, I was thinking about that, the lack of outside shooting. The thing is, it's possible it might not matter - they can just bully their way in and get a basket. Crowding the paint will help, but those guys still might be strong enough and talented enough to get what they want. In a way, would be interesting if the Lakers continue do well - would other teams start to move away from the modern game???? Sure hope you are right though. Another thing to consider is if AD or Lebron go down for any length of time, that team would be in trouble...

For LAL to succeed, Davis has to stay healthy. At this point, Lebron shouldn't have to be tasked with carrying the entire team.


KJ

Shamrock1000 wrote:

dboss wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:Hope you guys are right about LA coming back down to earth. I have watched parts of a few of their games. They are just big. Really big. Davis and Lebron are still top 5 players. Howard seems to be buying into his role. Kuzma will help them when he returns. They could be a tough out if they stay healthy.

With Davis and James eating up 45% of their offense and shooting a dismal 25% Davis and 28.9% James from deep they still lack adequate long range shooting.  As a team they shoot 31.7% from deep.

That is a big flaw in their offense.  As teams figure that out, expect more zones and crowding the paint to limit their strengths inside.  But you are going have to match their size to beat them.  

The Lakers have played the 2nd easiest schedule in the NBA.

They are a very good team but they still are not complete.

Yeah, I was thinking about that, the lack of outside shooting. The thing is, it's possible it might not matter - they can just bully their way in and get a basket. Crowding the paint will help, but those guys still might be strong enough and talented enough to get what they want. In a way, would be interesting if the Lakers continue do well - would other teams start to move away from the modern game???? Sure hope you are right though. Another thing to consider is if AD or Lebron go down for any length of time, that team would be in trouble...

Rock I was also thing about that (modern game)  I do not see LA winning the whole thing shooting that poorly from deep.  Last season the Raptors shot 34% from deep during the playoffs.  That was not great but only by GS standards.  LA has not fixed their 3 point shooting issue yet.  

The numbers don't lie.  If you shoot 34% from deep you will score 102 points on 100 shots which is more than shooting 50% on 2 point attempts.  That metric is the driving force.  

With the offense so heavily geared towards just 2 guys if one goes down they could be in big trouble.

After only about 7 or 8 games into the season - without using any preconditions, just list the order of finish of the top 8 teams and their 82 game won and lost record. No excuses allowed. Try out your crystal ball on that prediction.

 swish

I said 2 months ago we would win 56 games. I think we will have the 5th best record in the nba but win the East.

interesting that both Philly and the Lakers went big this year.

maybe all that talk of "small ball" being the wave of the future is on hold now?

kdp59 wrote:interesting that both Philly and the Lakers went big this year.

maybe all that talk of "small ball" being the wave of the future is on hold now?

Been thinking about the same type of thing. Analytics isn't just about putting together the best team, it is about putting together the best team for the least amount of money. Right now, traditional bigs and guys with good mid-range games are becoming undervalued, and 3 and D guys are becoming expensive. If these trends continue, some analytics whiz may capitalize on these market changes. Of course, Philly and LA are paying for their behemoths. Also, unless defenses evolve such that shooting 33% from 3 becomes hard, then the 3 will still probably be the most efficient shot. But it's a copy cat league. If Phily and LA are in the finals, expect a flood of articles about how the game is shifting back to old school values.

dboss wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:

dboss wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:Hope you guys are right about LA coming back down to earth. I have watched parts of a few of their games. They are just big. Really big. Davis and Lebron are still top 5 players. Howard seems to be buying into his role. Kuzma will help them when he returns. They could be a tough out if they stay healthy.

With Davis and James eating up 45% of their offense and shooting a dismal 25% Davis and 28.9% James from deep they still lack adequate long range shooting.  As a team they shoot 31.7% from deep.

That is a big flaw in their offense.  As teams figure that out, expect more zones and crowding the paint to limit their strengths inside.  But you are going have to match their size to beat them.  

The Lakers have played the 2nd easiest schedule in the NBA.

They are a very good team but they still are not complete.

Yeah, I was thinking about that, the lack of outside shooting. The thing is, it's possible it might not matter - they can just bully their way in and get a basket. Crowding the paint will help, but those guys still might be strong enough and talented enough to get what they want. In a way, would be interesting if the Lakers continue do well - would other teams start to move away from the modern game???? Sure hope you are right though. Another thing to consider is if AD or Lebron go down for any length of time, that team would be in trouble...

Rock I was also thing about that (modern game)  I do not see LA winning the whole thing shooting that poorly from deep.  Last season the Raptors shot 34% from deep during the playoffs.  That was not great but only by GS standards.  LA has not fixed their 3 point shooting issue yet.  

The numbers don't lie.  If you shoot 34% from deep you will score 102 points on 100 shots which is more than shooting 50% on 2 point attempts.  That metric is the driving force.  

With the offense so heavily geared towards just 2 guys if one goes down they could be in big trouble.

Yes, the Lakers are going to rely a lot on their two players.
If one of them goes down, they will not be a championship contender.
But that's true of really every team that has a top 10 player in the league.
Milwaukee can't survive with Giannis.
Same for Houston with Harden.
Without Luka Dallas is a sure lottery team.
Boston is one of the few teams that could withstand the loss of their best player.
But, their best player is not a top 10 player in the league.

LA's defense and FT shooting have improved so far over last season.
They obviously want to have a better 3 point percentage.
But, they are 15th in the league in 3 point percentage differential and 3rd in the league in FG% differential.

It's not a great use of time for us to over analyze stats so early in a season.
If a team scores 135 points in a game their offensive stats will rise up in many categories and one really bad game will lower the numbers down in many defensive categories.

Both Boston and LA are obviously playing well.
If they stay healthy both will have home court advantage when the playoffs start.

This put in into perspective what Lebron is doing at his age.

No player in NBA history has ever averaged more than seven points, > seven rebounds and > seven assists in their age-35 season. LeBron James is currently averaging: 26.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, a league-leading 11.1 assists through the Lakers' first 8 games forbes.com/sites/tommybee…

tjmakz wrote:This put in into perspective what Lebron is doing at his age.

No player in NBA history has ever averaged more than seven points, > seven rebounds and > seven assists in their age-35 season. LeBron James is currently averaging: 26.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, a league-leading 11.1 assists through the Lakers' first 8 games forbes.com/sites/tommybee…

It almost sounds bizarre to say, but Lebron might actually be under-rated at this point in career. People assume he must have lost a step, but I am not sure where the evidence is.

Probably a case of personal bias having an effect on how fans rate individual performances. Suffice to say that he's an all-time great.


swish

Tops in the league?

That's easy right at the moment.

Celtics in the East. Lakers in the West.

Both at 6 - 1

Only 7 of 82 though.

Over the long haul, I've altered my guess to Lakers or 76ers, with the respective dark-horses being Clippers and Bucks. If Hayward keeps it up, and either Theis or R Williams establish themselves as the top dog at center, I'll be tempted to add Celtics to the dark-horse list.

NYCelt wrote:Tops in the league?

That's easy right at the moment.

Celtics in the East. Lakers in the West.

Both at 6 - 1

Only 7 of 82 though.

Over the long haul, I've altered my guess to Lakers or 76ers, with the respective dark-horses being Clippers and Bucks. If Hayward keeps it up, and either Theis or R Williams establish themselves as the top dog at center, I'll be tempted to add Celtics to the dark-horse list.

Long season ahead and so many unforeseen things can happen.

R Will could be one of those unexpected positives. Tacko too.