2017-18 NBA Thread

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Not that it matters to anyone else, but as a Nuggets fan, this is the biggest basketball night that I've had in 5 years.

Not that it matters to anyone else, but as a TWolves fan, this is the biggest basketball night that I've had in 14 years.

Oh man! I had no idea there was a Wolves fan on the forum!

In that case, good luck to you guys tonight. I have no beef with the Wolves......... I just want to get in!

May the best man have his balls punched by Draymond.

[MrCrowesGarden]

Playoffs for the first time since 2015. Pelicans can't rest against the Spurs though. Win and they're guaranteed a 6 or better seed (with a very slim shot at 4th.) Lose, and they'll be the 8 seed vs Houston. They've lost every tiebreaker, including Denver/Minnesota.

Thank you for treating tonight like a playoff game.

Good luck, MrSaigon

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Playoffs for the first time since 2015. Pelicans can't rest against the Spurs though. Win and they're guaranteed a 6 or better seed (with a very slim shot at 4th.) Lose, and they'll be the 8 seed vs Houston. They've lost every tiebreaker, including Denver/Minnesota.

Thank you for treating tonight like a playoff game.

Good luck, MrSaigon

Should be fun. Here's the gameplan if you're the Pelicans: Dribble about 40 feet from the basket until Lillard's knee explodes. We are Rip City.

[Gashouse]

Not that it matters to anyone else, but as a Nuggets fan, this is the biggest basketball night that I've had in 5 years.

Not that it matters to anyone else, but as a TWolves fan, this is the biggest basketball night that I've had in 14 years.

Oh man! I had no idea there was a Wolves fan on the forum!

In that case, good luck to you guys tonight. I have no beef with the Wolves......... I just want to get in!

Belated thanks and I feel the same towards the Nuggets. Denver played the Wolves tough in their 2 games this past week+. They certainly played well enough to earn a shot at getting creamed by the Beard in the first round. felt the wolves got lucky at the end of regulation.

[33anda3rd]

It's pretty nice to see that there's not a single boring series in the first round. Even in the East, a WAS team that was The Game Of Kelly Freaking Olynyk's Life away from the conference finals last year is the 8 seed and should provide an entertaining series v TOR.

It's also nice to see that the stat-stuffing ballhog is not being discussed in any MVP discussions this year, even though he averaged a triple-double again, especially since last year the only criteria anyone wanted to apply to that award was "did he average a triple-double? No? Then it's obviously Russ." Is this because Oladipo is the obvious Most Improved Player this year with Kanter being deserving of down-ballot consideration for that award, and maybe--juuuuuuuuuuust maybe--Russ's style of play isn't exactly "valuable" in a team game? Is it because those two very valuable players who were not allowed to use the ball much last year were shipped off in favor of PG13 and Melo and OKC went from 47 wins to 48 while Oladipo and Kanter were as a pair better than George and Anthony this year, and we've kinda collectively come to our senses and understand now that Russ is a stat-sheet-stuffing ballhog and chucker who is awesome athletically but not particularly "most valuable"?

(Russ being MVP Last Year : Me :: KD going to GS : Saigon)

[BottenFieldofDreams]

Oh my God they cut to Drake after every Toronto make. (And that's a better rhyme than whatever writer's room he pays to make his could come up with). Every one.

Go Bullets.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

I'd say I've never seen anything like the way the Blazers are absolutely ishting their pants, but I've been a Blazers fan for a while.

[expletive] off and die, Blazers.

Does OKC need the whole PNW NBA set?

[33anda3rd]

The West once you're past the 2 seed is a big ol crapshoot. Three wins separated being the 3 seed from going into the lottery and I don't think any team in that group of 7 between Portland at #3 and Denver at #9 stood out as being significantly better or worse than any other team in the bunch. I'm surprised that POR isn't making this competitive because they seem very close in talent and play to NOP.

Maybe Utah you could make a case for out of that bunch. They were better on defense this year than everyone says the Celtics were and plenty of people are blowing smoke about the C's defense. Playing in the West and holding opponents to 99.8/game while carrying a +4.3 scoring margin is a heck of an accomplishment. Shouts out to Snyder who took losing Hayward and Hill in stride and made that team even better. Last month of the season they won by 17 in NO and won by 24 in MIN and also beat MIN by 8 at home. These were against playoff teams with something to play for and they made those games look pretty easy.

Can the whole PNW NBA set go Utah instead of OKC?

[33anda3rd]

Over in the East, though, lots of fun. Philly and the Heat scrapping, racking up Ts. Cleveland and Indy racing up and down the court going after each other. Boston's role players like Brown and Tatum stepping up with Kyrie out and Horford looking so-so. Those series, the teams are playing like it matters. There's an intensity in those series that's missing from NOP-POR, Dubs-Spurs, Rox-Twolves.

Twolves are highly frustrating. Not sure how many times in Game 1 the Rox made three switches on a defensive possession, KAT got the ball in the post with CP3 or Green or Harden on him, and he decided to pass the ball outside. Probably more than once I found myself shouting at the TV "Back him down for crissakes!"

[landrus13]

Warriors are pretty lucky imo. I think the Spurs give them a run if they have a healthy Kawhi. Warriors haven't looked that good without Curry. I'm a big Pacers fan so I'm hoping they can dethrone LeBron and take him out. Highly doubtful though. NBA won't let him go out early and ruin their ratings.