This and that

Mavs and Minny won.  Sixers lost.  Lakers beat the Kings.

Kings are now a lottery team, just behind San Antonio.  Mavs and Minny on their tail, 2 games back or less.

We are tied with Philly in the loss column. They are a game ahead of us because they have 2 more wins.

bob


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Noticed old friend Abdel Nader started for OKC tonight. Didn’t even know he was still in the league.

bobc33 wrote:Noticed old friend Abdel Nader started for OKC tonight.  Didn’t even know he was still in the league.

well...he IS an upgrade over Melo!

Milwaukee Bucks have best record in NBA at 25-10.

No question if this continues Giannis will be the MVP and deservedly so as he’s not playing with as much talent as other teams, even though he still has some good pieces. Long term this season if this continues the MVP will be a big and a big without a Bird or Dirk like 3 point game....which may be a new trend with many of us sick with all the 3 ball.

The top 3 SF’s in the league are Lebron, Durant and Kawhi. No question.

In the young guns category or up and coming SF’s with ability to carry a franchise and make multiple all star teams, the list has to start with Doncic, who will probably make the all star team this year. I had hoped one or both of 2 J’s would make that team this year, but don’t see it happening this year. What other young SF’s should be on that list of future greats? Amazing how good Doncic is and the way he has gotten control of that team to make the play or shot at end of games already.

Doncic is amazing at 19 years of age. Granted he has played professionally for years in Europe but still at that age his composure is remarkable.

Historically I only follow and watch the Celtics, but being retired now with time on my hands I’m beginning to watch other games. I sometimes will watch the Bucks, Lakers and especially the Mavs because of him. He has a feel for the game that can’t be taught. Dallas made a very good move maneuvering in the draft to acquire him!

Basketball alert!!!! Lebron claims he is the GOAT in basketball. He is because HE beat the Warriors. It was his greatest accomplishment. Really humble person. Imagine if he had any help in that series.

My 2 favorite Lebron plays, 1 when he flop like someone hit him in the head with a sledgehammer and replay shows the guys elbow was a foot from his head. 2. Lebron wearing a bandage on his hand last year after finals claiming he had played the series with a basically a broken hand. Bandage gone a couple days later when caught on camera. He heals fast too.

James Harden shot 27 free throws last game. Unbelievable.

https://sports.yahoo.com/lebron-james-still-day-day-lakers-approach-brutal-schedule-stretch-224632808.html


LeBron James still day-to-day as the Lakers approach a brutal schedule stretch


Ben RohrbachYahoo Sports
Jan 2, 2019, 2:46 PM



Lakers superstar LeBron James could only watch from the bench during a loss to the Clippers on Dec. 28. (Getty Images)



A full week after LeBron James suffered a left groin strain on Christmas Day and the Los Angeles Lakers listed the superstar as “day-to-day,” he only began shooting with the team for the first time, and his return remains unclear as his teammates are approaching a brutal stretch of their schedule.

Lakers coach Luke Walton told reporters that James’ participation in Tuesday’s practice was limited to some shooting, marking the first time he has even reached that level of participation with the team since suffering the injury in the third quarter of last week’s victory against the Golden State Warriors.

“He’s working on his body, his game, himself all the time,” Walton said from Tuesday’s practice, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “But that’s the first time I’ve seen him shoot [since the injury].”

The Lakers ruled James out for Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but continued to list him as day-to-day. There is increasing skepticism among those covering the team that James will return for Friday’s game against the New York Knicks or the two-game road trip through Minnesota and Dallas early next week. That would push the four-time MVP’s day-to-day status to two full weeks.


Tania Ganguli

@taniaganguli
Yesterday, the Lakers ruled out LeBron James for tonight's game. They are still calling him day-to-day, and today Luke Walton declined to speculate beyond tonight. I'd be surprised if he is back by this weekend's trip to Minnesota/Dallas.

71
11:43 AM - Jan 2, 2019


After the back-to-back on the road, the Lakers then play the Detroit Pistons next Wednesday, kicking off a string of seven games every other night into late January. It is on that run that their schedule really ramps up, with 10 of their final 12 games before the All-Star break against playoff contenders:

Jan. 17: at Oklahoma City Thunder
Jan. 19: at Houston Rockets
Jan. 21: vs. Golden State Warriors
Jan. 24: vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Jan. 27: vs. Phoenix Suns
Jan. 29: vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Jan. 31: at Los Angeles Clippers
Feb. 2: at Golden State Warriors
Feb. 5: at Indiana Pacers
Feb. 7: at Boston Celtics
Feb. 10: at Philadelphia 76ers
Feb. 12: at Atlanta Hawks

With the possible exception of Minnesota, the games against Phoenix and Atlanta are the only ones in which the Lakers should roll to victory, even without James. This stretch they’re in now — having hosted Sacramento on Sunday and facing the sub-.500 Knicks, Wolves and Mavericks over the next week — is one the Lakers needed to put some cushion under a playoff standing that is slipping away from them.

After dropping their first two games upon losing their leader in points, assists and rebounds, the Lakers earned their first win without James on his 34th birthday, requiring a fourth-quarter rally and 26 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to get it. That win improved the Lakers to 21-16 and kept them from slipping into eight place in the Western Conference after jumping to fourth on Christmas.

They now sit in seventh, three games in the loss column either way from second or 12th. They need a healthy James for that run from mid-January to the All-Star break if they want to avoid slipping out of the top eight spots, and we’re inching closer to wondering whether they will have him at full strength.

It was Warriors superstar Stephen Curry who warned us that James’ injury was “one you can’t really rush.” Curry suffered the same injury on Nov. 8 and missed 11 straight games over the next three weeks. A similar recovery timeline for James would peg his return at that Jan. 17 game in OKC. Curry’s numbers have been incredible since his return (28.1 points on 46/42/91 splits, with 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game), but they have dipped from his torrid start (29.5 points on 52/49/92 splits, with 6.1 assists and five rebounds per game). It is unclear if this is injury-related or just a return to earth.

The Lakers will need James to be otherworldly for that gauntlet against the best teams from both conferences if they want to avoid falling back to .500 past the two-thirds point of the season. That is entirely possible, given his almost superhuman history of elite-level play over 16 seasons.

The Lakers, as with most teams out West, don’t exactly have it easy after the All-Star break, either, but at least there’s a little let-up. Still, sixteen of their final 25 games are against teams with a .500 record or better, and Anthony Davis’ New Orleans Pelicans — with whom the Lakers have three meetings over that same stretch — could be the variance between a truly difficult schedule and a manageable one. Just a few more reasons for the Lakers to pursue Davis before the Feb. 7 trade deadline, I guess.


bob



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I’m amazed how good this kid Pascal Siakam got, he glides up and down floor like a bigger version of Jayson Tatum. Amazing how much some players can improve.

38-19 after 1 Spurs over Raptors.  Glad to see we're not the only ones the blowtorch.



bob


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bobheckler wrote:38-19 after 1 Spurs over Raptors.  Glad to see we're not the only ones the blowtorch.



bob


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45-19 right now, same no names that killed us are killing Toronto, Spurs are lethal at home....

cowens/oldschool wrote:

bobheckler wrote:38-19 after 1 Spurs over Raptors.  Glad to see we're not the only ones the blowtorch.



bob


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45-19 right now, same no names that killed us are killing Toronto, Spurs are lethal at home....

Perfect for us. Toronto gets knocked down a peg and Spurs put another 1/2 game between them and Sacto.


bob


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DeRozan with 19 points on 7 for 11, 10 rebounds at the half


bob


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bobheckler wrote:DeRozan with 19 points on 7 for 11, 10 rebounds at the half


bob


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There is a reason he was a multiple all star....that Forbes is really coming into his own , pesky little defender too, had a good college pedigree, surprised no one drafted him.

I get all the Mavs and Spurs games. See all of Doncic playing and Pop coaching. Our team has so much more talent than the Spurs its not funny, yet the Spurs keep playing well no matter who they have.

tardust wrote:I get all the Mavs and Spurs games.  See all of Doncic playing and Pop coaching.  Our team has so much more talent than the Spurs its not funny, yet the Spurs keep playing well no matter who they have.

I know, I’m really amazed how much Pop gets out of these no name players. We do have talent, thinking we are gonna start jelling very soon, been going thru a lot of injuries this stretch, but BS has the talent that every coach/fan wishes they could have. Gotta think our best ball is ahead of us....

Spurs looked great. The Raptors missed Lowry.

GSW loss 3rd straight at home in OT to the Rockets.

Seems you have to bring the double team on the beard as soon as he steps out of the locker room

Just a thought I have had lately. It appears all the media talking heads insist that there is only one way for the Celtics to skin a cat.

Shaq and others have been pointing out that the Celtics have no true 2nd go to guy for scoring after Kyrie and all the "Championship" teams have them. Boston's is a "who's showing up tonight for the #2 spot' scoring approach.

To me it seems this might be even more intriguing and challenging to the other side because they won't know who to predictably double team each night making a game plan somewhat of a waste of time.

But just like the Inside-Out Offensive approach produces dividends way more than the Outside-In approach that the Celtics tend to slide back into at the most inappropriate times, maybe these guys are right. There may be only one way to skin a cat.

Any thoughts on this?

db

dbrown4 wrote:Just a thought I have had lately.  It appears all the media talking heads insist that there is only one way for the Celtics to skin a cat.  

Shaq and others have been pointing out that the Celtics have no true 2nd go to guy for scoring after Kyrie and all the "Championship" teams have them.  Boston's is a "who's showing up tonight for the #2 spot' scoring approach.

To me it seems this might be even more intriguing and challenging to the other side because they won't know who to predictably double team each night making a game plan somewhat of a waste of time.

But just like the Inside-Out Offensive approach produces dividends way more than the Outside-In approach that the Celtics tend to slide back into at the most inappropriate times, maybe these guys are right.  There may be only one way to skin a cat.

Any thoughts on this?

db    

db

I think that Jason Tatum has established himself as the #2 guy followed closely by Marcus Morris.

But if GH stays on track after his shooting display the other night, he becomes # 2. GH is more of a pure shooter that Tatum (still has that little hitch in his jumper) and while Morris is an excellent shooter he does not have the play making abilities of Hayward.

I hate to put all this on Gordon but if he stars balling on a regular basis the Celtics become significantly more dangerous.

Gordon just needs to let it fly. Just shoot more and ask questions later.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/luke-walton-latest-realize-lonzo-174300977.html



Luke Walton Is The Latest To Realize That Lonzo Ball And Brandon Ingram Haven't Been That Good


Deadspin Patrick Redford,Deadspin
7 hours ago



A few days after Lakers fans booed second-year point guard Lonzo Ball for his Shaq-esque free throw shooting, Lakers coach Luke Walton offered his own pointed critique of his young would-be star. L.A. got flattened by the Wolves in Minnesota last night, scoring only 86 points after spotting their opponents a 26-5 lead within the first seven minutes. Walton called out Ball and fellow semi-formed 21-year-old Brandon Ingram over their lack of passion, after a game in which Ball went scoreless while Ingram had just 13 points on 16 shots:

“They’re trying, but they’re young. At some point, we need more passion. We need more fight. And that’s not scoring more. That’s more diving for loose balls, communicating loudly, grabbing [rebounds]. “Brandon had some really nice crack-back rebounds tonight that we can get out and run [from]. We need that all the time from him. So, it’s not just them, but until we get healthy again, you got to play in this league with some passion and fire. It’s hard to win in this league when you are healthy. So you need to double that effort when guys are down.”

Looming over the team, of course, is the absence of LeBron James, who hasn’t played since tweaking his groin in a Christmas Day obliteration of the Warriors. The Lakers are just 1-5 in that span—their lone win came on a furious comeback over the Kings, who beat them on a sensational buzzer-beater a few days prior. L.A. will go as far as their best player can take them, though Walton is right that they will need both of their former second-overall picks to carry a heavy load, rather than, say, miss a bunch of shots or just disappear altogether. The energetic sharpshooting frenzy of Kyle Kuzma contrasts sharply with the mopey play Ingram and Ball have tended to lapse into this season.



Ingram has shown himself to be a capable scorer over his three years, but he has yet to evolve into anything other than a halfcourt slasher who can’t space the floor. As for Ball, his playmaking chops and defensive abilities paper over a growing concern that he lacks the dynamism or shooting acumen to distinguish himself as one of the best point guards in the game, or at least someone worthy of being drafted with the second-overall pick (especially as De’Aaron Fox has exploded this season).

Playing with LeBron James can be hard, especially for young players who have suddenly been thrust into supporting roles on a team with legitimate ambitions after seasons of failure. Ball and Ingram both sort of like to occupy the same spaces James does, and since neither can spread the floor around him, they’ve had to concede to the King rather than smoothly slot in alongside him. However, this little stretch without James was an opportunity to build confidence, and it hasn’t gone well. The team will win more when James gets back, since he always plays better after his semi-regular two-week rejuvenation break, but his return won’t solve all their underlying structural problems.


bob


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Minny blew a late 7 point lead to OKC, it seesawed back-and forth on the odd number after OKC caught them but MINNY WINS!!

Definitely had this chalked up for a loss.



bob


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This article was provided to me by Steve3344.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2814797-watch-warriors-klay-thompson-drop-43-points-despite-taking-only-4-dribbles?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial



Watch Warriors' Klay Thompson Drop 43 Points Despite Taking Only 4 Dribbles



MIKE CHIARI
JANUARY 9, 2019





OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 08:  Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors watches a shot during their game against the New York Knicks at ORACLE Arena on January 08, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images




Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson is one of the best catch-and-shoot guys in the NBA, and that was on full display during Tuesday's 122-95 win over the New York Knicks at Oracle Arena.

Thompson had one of his best games of the season with 43 points, but as NBA TV pointed out, he only dribbled the ball four times during the contest:


https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1082885393966686210
NBA TV

@NBATV
Klay Thompson dropped 43 PTS tonight. He also only dribbled the ball 4 times.

4 TIMES.

Another team I can’t believe how good they are is the Denver Nuggets,  can’t believe that Jokic is that good, look at that roster, he’s not playing with a lot of all star talent. Maybe great wings are overrated to winning...???

cowens/oldschool wrote:Another team I can’t believe how good they are is the Denver Nuggets,  can’t believe that Jokic is that good, look at that roster, he’s not playing with a lot of all star talent. Maybe great wings are overrated to winning...???

His long outlet pass tonight was a thing of beauty. Only other player I can think of who might have made that pass was Walton. It almost looked prearranged. Then he throws a pass to himself off the backboard from about the free throw line.

The cat is for real!