NBA Playoffs - 2022

Hey Worcester, The guy That I really can’t stand on NBA Radio is Rick Kamla. Such a groupie sounding dork and his co-host Antonio Daniels though very smart talks like a little girl.
I can’t listen to that show and haven’t for a long time.

THIS DUDE HERE smh

Paul George has entered the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols and will miss the Los Angeles Clippers’ play-in game against New Orleans on Friday night (10 ET, TNT) at Crypto.com Arena.

The winner of that game — in which the eighth-seeded Clippers are hosting the ninth-seeded Pelicans — will earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

George’s absence comes in a season in which he was limited to just 31 games because of an elbow injury that kept him out three months. He played in five of the Clippers’ last seven regular season games, averaging 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game during that span.

In the Clippers’ Play-In Tournament opener on Tuesday against Minnesota, George finished with a team-high 34 points (10-24 FG) as well as seven rebounds and five assists in a 109-104 loss.

Overall this season, George is averaging 24.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 5.7 apg and 2.2 spg. Besides George, the Clippers were already without Kawhi Leonard, who hasn’t played all season while rehabbing from an ACL tear.

Well, I know where (and on whom) my eyes will be tomorrow...4th quarter, PHI vs. TOR...James Harden. Time to put the tortoise shell on!

db

there is one word to describe Paul George....but I won't use it.

For any who get the Boston feed, there is a preview show tonight followed by the GSW game. this is how starved I am for Celtic basketball. This one week layoff is too much for me, but probably great for Rob Williams

For some obvious reasons this year seems so different for me. In the past i could go 3-4 days without the C’s and be OK. Not this year. This week feels like a month. I can’t get enough of this team. Win 18 or not this year this team is special. I don’t know what the heck I’m going to do this summer.
Wait, there’s always the Celtics box set that I’ve already watched thousands of times.

Cavs and Hawks on and Cavs looking good, broken finger and all.

But trae lights them all up..Hawks win.  Nola takes out Clippers minus PG13.  That Pels team has some quality talent.

So dboss, does TOR win G1 or G2?  Just curious.  

I look at it if TOR wins G1, they awaken the PHI giant and PHI probably wins the series.  But if TOR plays well in G1 to win but loses giving PHI a false sense of security and then TOR comes around and clobbers then in G2, TOR wins the series as they in essence back-door them like in Big Brother!  

db

dbrown4 wrote:So dboss, does TOR win G1 or G2?  Just curious.  

I look at it if TOR wins G1, they awaken the PHI giant and PHI probably wins the series.  But if TOR plays well in G1 to win but loses giving PHI a false sense of security and then TOR comes around and clobbers then in G2, TOR wins the series as they in essence back-door them like in Big Brother!  

db

I expect Sixers to win game 1.  If they split they are in trouble  because their best on the ball defender  is banned in Canada. That series could go 7.

Injuries to key players is likely to change outcomes.  Watching Jazz/Mavs with no Luka.

Right on the money, dboss! Let's hope that was a Buster Douglas game for PHI and they lose the next four!!

TOR oddly abandoned what they used to clobber Philly 3 times during the season. Wazzupwidat?!!

db

Just noticed something. If we should be fearful of anything it is quickly and mysteriously resorting back to anything that resembles the first half of the season. TOR just did it vs. PHI in just one game after having a stellar finish to the regular season. Those guys were so high they should be ready to sweep PHI. Can't believe Nick Nurse wasn't ready for that. Doc 1 - Nick 0.

Well, it's better they steal G2 on the road anyway and they can backdoor Philly.

db

Ktron, Yes, Rick Kamala is a special kind of irritating. He lives about 60 miles North of me here in FL.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33775519/milwaukee-bucks-expect-guard-george-hill-return-soon-abdominal-strain


Khris Middleton suffers MCL sprain as Milwaukee Bucks lose Game 2 to Chicago Bulls


5:50 PM PT
Jamal Collier
ESPN


MILWAUKEE -- Bucks forward Khris Middleton sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the fourth quarter of Milwaukee's 114-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game.

Middleton is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday, which will determine the severity of the injury and give the team more information about a timeline for his return.

Middleton slipped on a drive to the basket about midway through the fourth quarter in Game 2 of this first-round series, completing a pass to Brook Lopez as he fell to the ground. Middleton immediately began favoring his left leg, attempting to stretch and flex his leg on the sidelines before he headed to the locker room.

Middleton finished with 18 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes for the Bucks.

"You expect him to get up and walk it off and get back to the game, but you see that he was limping and limping and limping and you're thinking like, 'Oh, I hope it's not bad, I hope it's not bad,'" Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said after the game. "We need this guy. When he asks for a sub, you know that it's bothering him because he doesn't leave the game."


Over the past two seasons, the Bucks are 86-34 (.717) when Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Jrue Holiday are all on the floor together, including the playoffs. However, Milwaukee did outscore opponents by 7.8 points per 100 possessions when Antetokounmpo and Holiday played without Middleton on the floor.

"We have a job to do here," said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 33 points and 18 rebounds. "Obviously Khris is one of the best players on the team, if he's not able to be with us, it's going to be a tremendous loss for us."

The Bucks had already lost another key member of their rotation, Bobby Portis, earlier in Game 2. He exited in the first quarter after getting hit in the face by an elbow from Bulls center Tristan Thompson while the two went up for a rebound.

No foul was called, but Portis fell to the ground after contact and was bleeding near his right eye after the play. A pool report with crew chief Kane Fitzgerald said the officials did not see the elbow during the play.

Portis attempted to warm up briefly after halftime but stayed on the court for only a short period of time before heading back to the locker room. Shortly after the third quarter began, the Bucks ruled him out for the rest of the game with a right eye abrasion.

Portis scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in six minutes.

"We anticipate he should be fine with some time and that he should be good," Budenholzer said.

The injury news wasn't much better prior to Game 2 for the defending NBA champions. Budenholzer said during his pregame media availability that veteran guard George Hill wasn't expected to return anytime soon from the abdominal strain that has prevented him from playing in the series.

"We don't expect him in the short term," Budenholzer said.


Budenholzer said this issue is unrelated to the neck injury that caused Hill to miss 17 games earlier in the season. Hill said after returning from that injury that he'd been dealing with a partial tear between the sixth and seventh thoracic vertebra in his spine.

According to Budenholzer, the latest injury stems from something that happened in the Bucks' April 8 game at Detroit. Hill hasn't played since.

"We'll see how he progresses over the next I'd say handful of days or more," Budenholzer said.

Hill, 35, played 54 games during the regular season and averaged 6.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 23.2 minutes.

Jevon Carter filled Hill's spot in the rotation the Bucks' 93-86 Game 1 victory and scored three points in 10 minutes. He contributed two rebounds in nine minutes Wednesday.


Bob
MY NOTE: HUGE losses for Milwaukee. Now it looks like only Philly stands in our way.

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Looks like 'Oh Canada' is out of tune.  Sixers win in OT on a 3 pointer from Joel leaving less than a second on the clock.  They go up 3-0 and will be waiting to face the Heat after one more win.  

The Hawks may win a game at home but they really need Capala.  Even so, they have no clue on how to beat the Heat.

The Bucks goal to defend their Title took a big hit when Middleton got injured.  That team is just barely above .500 when he is missing from their big 3.  The Bulls evened up the series last night and now they head back to chi-town after having wrestled home court from the Bucks.  A game 3 win by the Bulls will flip this series on its' head.

As you can see, I care little about what is happening out West.  After all the dust settles, just let me know who we will be playing.

All I know dboss is some team from the West is going to be very disappointed in the finals.  If the West doesn't win it this year, it's going to be a while before they win it again.  

db

Middleton will be out indefinitely and will not play the rest of the Bucks/Bulls series.

Phoenix may be missing Booker for 3 weeks.

worcester wrote:Phoenix may be missing Booker for 3 weeks.

I saw that. Tough loss for them.

This is one of the big reasons why it is damn hard to win a title.

Three interesting games tonight.

Heat @ Hawks

The Hawks are allergic to playing defense and now with Capala out this series moves closer to the end for the Hawks.  Go add some guards that can play defense. The Hawks squeeze out a home win tonight to keep things interesting.

Bucks @ Bulls

With Middleton missing the Bucks are just not as good.    The Bulls have their 2 guys that can go off.  The Bucks ran away from the 2-7 matchup and now they may be hard pressed to get past Chicago.  Taking the Bulls tonight.

Suns @ Pelicans

Losing Booker hurts but the Suns have enough depth to still win.  Look for Cam Johnson to play more minutes as well as Shamet.   But I am taking the Pelicans tonight.  CJ makes a big difference for them.

Best comment from dboss?

....Bucks ran away from the 2-7 matchup...

As my wife would say, "Karma's a be-otch!!" But the injury to CM notwithstanding, it's going to all hinge on how quickly he can get back. Or it may very well be curtains. Giannis ain't gonna roll over, but it's just like if Jordan lost Scottie. Never happened, but it would have been a very different 90's if Pippen wasn't there for any stretch of time during the playoffs.

db

Kyle Lowry of the Heat left the game with a hammy.  Status for Game 4 is questionable.  He walked off the court with a noticeable limp.

In my experience nothing really heals a hamstring better or faster than rest.  I still expect Miami to beat Atlanta but this might make it go closer to 7 and that's good for us.

Middleton and now Lowry.  The stars are aligning for us to get to the EC Finals.


Bob


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