Flotsam and Jetsam Around the League 2019-2020

dbrown4 wrote:Wow.  Reading the ESPN article on Irving today.  Not tooo gooood.  Danny, how do you do it?!!  Add in his whackadoodle personality, Durant nowhere in sight and the Nets are quickly discovering the proverbial Flaming Bag O' Poo in which is now in their possession.  What's worse for Irving?  Seeing our success and turnaround without him.  

db

Dbrown,

The Nets are 15-12, and that's without Kyrie for 15 of them. I'd be happy as Hell if we lost Kemba for 15 games and were still in 7th place and having a winning record.


bob


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So glad he gone.

Next Deron Williams

Watching Lakers vs Bucks, noticing fatal flaw in Lakers, they have no wings other than Lebron, and not much of a backcourt, Green, Caldwell Pope, Caruso, Rondo, none of those guys can create their own shot and none except Rondo can initiate the offense, you shutdown/overplay Lebron, these other guys can’t do much....haven’t seen Kuzma...??? Lakers look lost, Bucks playing harder, taking it to them...!!!

It’s a wing oriented league, you need do it all wings that can play both ends, score at 3 levels and initiate the offense. Damn I’m smart!!!

Celtic fans greatest dream come true next to a championship?  The complete dismantling and full exposure of the Lakers.  Charles Barkley said it best.  LeBron and AD have to play flawlessly for them to win each night.  They are not the best team in the West.  When those two are scoring 55-60 points between them every night,  it leaves little or no room for others to score or get in a rhythm of any kind.  Danny Green was an exception tonight.  Foul trouble the only thing that made this game closer than it really was. Lakers erected many shopping malls tonight.  

While I'd like to have seen MIL lose to bring them closer to us in the East, I'll take a Laker humiliation 2-game skid any day.

Looming question.  Are we/will we be 3 games better than MIL year over year?  Simply can't answer that question completely right now, but an answer will be forthcoming.  But that team tonight versus ours right now?  We are one of their 4 losses.  Hard to say.      

db

bobc33 wrote:Cow the Freak has shot 5 of 8 from the three point line.  Obviously won’t keep that up but if he becomes a good three point shooter.........he will become totally unstoppable!

Right that was the difference in the game, he was 5-8, the other guy was 0-6, in this era whoever is hot from 3 seems to win....

WOW!!! What an epic collapse by the Clippers and some were bitching about some errors by Jaylen last game...??? Vintage Harden 15-0 run!!!

Yep it has been a collapse. Westbrook was playing great then missed about 5 in a row, but corrected it again. There are a lot of experts now saying how they knew Westbrook and Harden would work. The weren't saying it before but now they are the only ones that were right. funny stuff.

Passing of the torch with the Freak tonight. He is definitely better than Lebron now. Lebron is still a stud but the freak was a freak. I would still let him shoot 3's all day.

I want to see how the Bucks play in LA before I pass the torch. They are a very good road team but they haven't played the Lakers in the Staples Center yet. They did play, and beat, the Clippers but the Clippers aren't the Lakers...yet.

Don't look now, Celtic fans, but we have the 3rd best record in the NBA. Just imagine when we're healthy, something the Bucks and Lakers have been able to claim but we haven't.


bob


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https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2019/12/toronto-raptors-boston-celtics-christmas-day-opponent-announce-pascal-siakam-marc-gasol-out-indefinitely.html



By John Karalis | JKaralis@masslive.com



The Toronto Raptors announced a pair of significant injuries on Thursday, losing both Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol indefinitely.

Siakam, the team’s leading scorer at 25.1 points per game, landed awkwardly late in the Raptors’ 112-99 win in Detroit and injured his groin. After undergoing testing on Thursday, the team ruled him out indefinitely.

Gasol was also ruled out indefinitely after suffering a left hamstring injury in the first quarter of the same game. Norman Powell also suffered an injury in this game, hurting his left shoulder. That was officially diagnosed as a shoulder subluxation, and he, like Gasol and Siakam, is out without a timeline for return. Powell is averaging 14.4 points over 29 minutes per game for Toronto.


bob



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BobH,

Law of averages/Law of large numbers has to kick in sometime. We have definitely buttressed up the season's front end of the bell curve with all of our injuries.

Further evidence it's a slow news, duck and cover day @ ESPN when their golden goose Lakers now claim they don't want to lose their 2nd set of consecutive losses. Really?!!! It reminds me of the scene from Monty Python's Holy Grail with the Knight in armor in the forest claiming after he's had bot his arms and legs cut off in a dual, "Come back here! I'll bite your kneecaps off!!" With AD looking/acting like he's been unloaded on by Mike Tyson in his prime, Lakers tap dancing all around learning the hard way the lesson of only having a 2-headed monster..When you have to replace one of those, you need 2-3 guys to pick up/match the slack. Especially when those two are doling out all the assists and picking up all the OR's. That's a lot to ask of the remainder of those players.

When one of our guys goes down...eh, not so bad. Heck even two or three.

I see a train wreck coming...load management on AD maybe?

db

bobheckler wrote:I want to see how the Bucks play in LA before I pass the torch.  They are a very good road team but they haven't played the Lakers in the Staples Center yet.  They did play, and beat, the Clippers but the Clippers aren't the Lakers...yet.

Don't look now, Celtic fans, but we have the 3rd best record in the NBA.  Just imagine when we're healthy, something the Bucks and Lakers have been able to claim but we haven't.


bob


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Boston's best three players (Kemba, Tatum and Brown) have played 71 out of 75 games.
They should be able to beat most teams with those 3 guys and whoever else they stroll out on the court with.

The Lakers top two guys have missed only two games but the next guys in line have missed quite a few.
Rondo has missed 12, Kuzma has missed 9 and Bradley has missed 14.

dbrown4 wrote:BobH,

Law of averages/Law of large numbers has to kick in sometime.  We have definitely buttressed up the season's front end of the bell curve with all of our injuries.  

Further evidence it's a slow news, duck and cover day @ ESPN when their golden goose Lakers now claim they don't want to lose their 2nd set of consecutive losses.  Really?!!!  It reminds me of the scene from Monty Python's Holy Grail with the Knight in armor in the forest claiming after he's had bot his arms and legs cut off in a dual, "Come back here!  I'll bite your kneecaps off!!"  With AD looking/acting like he's been unloaded on by Mike Tyson in his prime, Lakers tap dancing all around learning the hard way the lesson of only having a 2-headed monster..When you have to replace one of those, you need 2-3 guys to pick up/match the slack.  Especially when those two are doling out all the assists and picking up all the OR's.  That's a lot to ask of the remainder of those players.

When one of our guys goes down...eh, not so bad.  Heck even two or three.      

I see a train wreck coming...load management on AD maybe?

db    

dbrown,

Didn't you also see the Lakers having a terrible month after they lost to Dallas on 12/1?
Your post from 12/2 hasn't exactly turned out to be accurate...

Last night the Lakers had one terrible quarter where they gave up 42 points.
They also were cold to start the game.
They only gave up 46 in the 2nd half.
Giannis was great. When he is swishing 28 footers, you just have to applaud his greatness.
He is the best player in the game right now.
Milwaukee is also the best team in the league but will they be able to get through a tough 7 game series?
After dismantling Boston last year in the playoffs, I expected Milwaukee to breeze through the East and into the Finals.

As for the Lakers, they could not overcome their slow start even though they outplayed Milwaukee in the 2nd half.
The Lakers miss Kuzma and the Kuzma who scored 19 ppg last year.
If he gets back to form and can be better utilized in the offense, he will be their 3rd reliable scorer.
After the game last night, the Lakers have played the 9th hardest schedule, have played as many road games as any team in the league, and are one of only two teams to be in the top 5 in the league in offensive and defensive rating.
The Lakers now have the 3rd easiest schedule for the rest of the season.

How about those Clippers giving up 68 points in the 2nd half at home to the Rockets?
Their predicted league best defense has not played out as many expected.
It's nice when the Lakers lose two after a long road trip and still have a 4 game lead in the loss column.
Kawhi will also be sitting out a game this weekend since he will not be playing in back to back games this season.

Yeah, tj, I was just lashing out at the Lakers at the beginning of this month.  They have done very well.  Obviously better than I thought or hoped.  

But you will have to admit LA is rolling the dice with their set up.  So has PHI, not so much the Clips.  Celtics a little more calculated and long haul looking.  Sad news alert.  Only one of those teams get to hoist the trophy in January.  Those that come up short will be over-analzyed, coaches fired, line-ups shuffled to try to knock off the new beast in the league.  

TOR is going to start to look very pedestrian now.  Might even fall out of the Top 8 in the East.  Not how I had predicted it originally as that line up tore it up but the result will be the same.  

LA can't afford to lose either AD or LeBron for any sustained period of time.  If AD goes down for any length, the Lakers are the same team that finished up last year and will gradually fade in the standings.  If LeBron goes down for any sustained amount of time again, they probably fold up even quicker.  There's no one to feed AD.

LeBron has had an amazing run sans injuries until last year.  If he continues back to his old self, LA has nothing to worry about.  But AD keeps getting banged up and wincing more and more.  Load management against the NBA bottom dwellers seems like the easiest way.

Lakers have earned and deserve credit.  You know that's hard to impossible for any Celtic fan to say!

db

dbrown4 wrote:Yeah, tj, I was just lashing out at the Lakers at the beginning of this month.  They have done very well.  Obviously better than I thought or hoped.  

But you will have to admit LA is rolling the dice with their set up.  So has PHI, not so much the Clips.  Celtics a little more calculated and long haul looking.  Sad news alert.  Only one of those teams get to hoist the trophy in January.  Those that come up short will be over-analzyed, coaches fired, line-ups shuffled to try to knock off the new beast in the league.  

TOR is going to start to look very pedestrian now.  Might even fall out of the Top 8 in the East.  Not how I had predicted it originally as that line up tore it up but the result will be the same.  

LA can't afford to lose either AD or LeBron for any sustained period of time.  If AD goes down for any length, the Lakers are the same team that finished up last year and will gradually fade in the standings.  If LeBron goes down for any sustained amount of time again, they probably fold up even quicker.  There's no one to feed AD.

LeBron has had an amazing run sans injuries until last year.  If he continues back to his old self, LA has nothing to worry about.  But AD keeps getting banged up and wincing more and more.  Load management against the NBA bottom dwellers seems like the easiest way.

Lakers have earned and deserve credit.  You know that's hard to impossible for any Celtic fan to say!

db

The Lakers have had to build a team after Kawhi most likely purposely attempted to hurt them by waiting so long to make his decision.
if the Lakers knew earlier that Kawhi would be signing with the Clippers, they would have focused their attention of Butler, Kemba, Russell or someone else.
Yes, if AD or Lebron have a significant injury they are sunk.
The standings don't matter that much.
It's all about the playoffs.
I think the Lakers could trade Kuzma in a package to get back a scorer who is on a lottery bound team.
Maybe a player like DeMar DeRozan, Aldridge, Lavine or Wiggins.

Boston is fortunate to play Toronto two times next week without Siakam.

That will help for Boston.  We'll take it.  And Gasol is gone as well.  That's a pretty big hole.  Boston last year would have lost one or both of those games given that gift.  This year?  We'll see.    

Kawhi is going to be the scourge of LA if they don't come out of the West given your assessment.  That's what you get when you have individually negotiated contracts.  It's their show and you have to wait on the players and their reps and when they are ready to move.  It's still going to be LAL vs. LAC for the WCF, other things equal.  

db

I believe I have seen enough of the freak to believe the torch has passed. Has nothing to do with playing in LA, it has to do with what the Freak can do now. Lebron is still a stud but the Freak is another level. He doesn't have Davis playing next to him.

I guess the not so good Mavs that we beat the other nite are getting lucky again tonight against Philly. They are like the East, not getting any respect.

What a beat down by Mavs on 76ers!!! Embid put up good stats, but Harris and Simmons giving nowhere near enough offense at all and Al could not be found....and our 2 young wings looked like superstars tonite. Porzingus had his best game of the season.

cowens/oldschool wrote:What a beat down by Mavs on 76ers!!! Embid put up good stats, but Harris and Simmons giving nowhere near enough offense at all and Al could not be found....and our 2 young wings looked like superstars tonite. Porzingus had his best game of the season.

best rebounding game of his career.

Fultz had a All Star looking ball handling fast break tonight. He does have some talent.

bobheckler wrote:

dbrown4 wrote:Wow.  Reading the ESPN article on Irving today.  Not tooo gooood.  Danny, how do you do it?!!  Add in his whackadoodle personality, Durant nowhere in sight and the Nets are quickly discovering the proverbial Flaming Bag O' Poo in which is now in their possession.  What's worse for Irving?  Seeing our success and turnaround without him.  

db

Dbrown,

The Nets are 15-12, and that's without Kyrie for 15 of them.  I'd be happy as Hell if we lost Kemba for 15 games and were still in 7th place and having a winning record.


bob


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Bob they are 4-7 with Kyrie and 11-5 without. There are grumblings now about their chemistry being better without him. They may have lost tonight though. Kyrie is a second fiddle type guy, probably will do well with Durant.