What's new

NBA Playoffs

Of course, great minds are aware of Trae shortcomings!
But the point remains. Don's not a floor general, he does not have it. Forcing him to do it stalls everything.
I'm sure to stop trying to assign him a role based on his height would be an advance in the right direction.
He's a scorer, just let him play who and what he is.
I don't really get this. Donovan has lots of shortcomings, but when I've been watching the games, I'm almost always left with a feeling that he's been setting people up with open shots left and right, and should have had lots more assists if our guys just his their threes.

For me, the really, really odd man out is his plays with Rudy. I feel like if you go back a year or two, they worked together well, but this past year, DM->Rudy passes have been really rare, and it hurts everyone. I guess this is related to their poor off-court relationship, but obviously not easy to say. I buy into the narrative that Donovan is a primadonna who's more bought into his own brand than winning, and he's convinced that Rudy is at odds with his objective. I think the two need to split up, and personally, I'd prefer one of those Donovan to NYK for all the things trades.
 
I don't really get this. Donovan has lots of shortcomings, but when I've been watching the games, I'm almost always left with a feeling that he's been setting people up with open shots left and right, and should have had lots more assists if our guys just his their threes.

For me, the really, really odd man out is his plays with Rudy. I feel like if you go back a year or two, they worked together well, but this past year, DM->Rudy passes have been really rare, and it hurts everyone. I guess this is related to their poor off-court relationship, but obviously not easy to say. I buy into the narrative that Donovan is a primadonna who's more bought into his own brand than winning, and he's convinced that Rudy is at odds with his objective. I think the two need to split up, and personally, I'd prefer one of those Donovan to NYK for all the things trades.

Yes, Don can find an open guy, and he can attack and dime to an open target out...

But there's a stage where defenses tighten and make choices. Against the Jazz the choice is to over defend the ballhandler and perimeter and let Rudy not to have consistent O production against lesser defenders nor gravity moving off of the paint.
(That's why JC can maneuver thru bodies and find space for his middies btw).

At the other end on the Jazz floor, Rudy's got to make for all the no D guys around him, which is an impossible task in today's game.
Not only Rudy ends up overwhelmed and forced to drop and be caught in the middle almost every time, but his teammates end up playing 4 on 5 perimeter D... imagine 4 ugly defenders playing 4 on 5 D... well in fact we do not have to imagine that...

So... our team usually finds itself O-ded and bleeding out D.

It's not sustainable, never was. As another fellow poster already stated (sorry I can't remember who but he/she nailed it) that reguiar season best record was the fluke of this iteration of the team.

2 main cogs just don't blend. I admire them for trying hard and long. But it's time to stop hurting both of them... and the chances to build another thing.
 
Luka was mercilessly hunted in game 2. Jason Kidd basically says that Luka has to raise to the occasion and it on his own like Dirk did. Did Luka whine? Did Kidd make no adjustments? No, Luka played harder and Kidd made adjustments. It was a team effort and the Suns scored 94 points tonight. Don probably would have had Kidd fired if he publicly challenged his defense.
 
If I wasn't a Jazz fan, I would say this playoffs has been awesome. No clear favorite, and teams are fighting like crazy to win. The series are going back and forth and we're really seeing some standout performances from guys in tough situations. Even if Luka/Embiid don't advance, you have to appreciate their toughness and will to win. There was none of that from this Jazz team.
 
I don't often watch the NBA playoffs after the Jazz go out until the Finals. But I'm having to watch the Western Conference games just to remind myself that I still like basketball. Our series looked nothing like the games being played now.
The Mavs and Grizz are making these competitive series. The Mavericks just played with passion and effort that I haven’t seen the Jazz play with since Spida’s rookie year. That series against the Thunder was really fun.
 
Yeesh, CP3 has been so good offensively but he has been getting hunted to no end. Suns are lucky, Booker stepped up and starting being an option on the defensive end.
 
Yeesh, CP3 has been so good offensively but he has been getting hunted to no end. Suns are lucky, Booker stepped up and starting being an option on the defensive end.
Hes 37 - so his defense isn't what it once was. However, the Mavs weren't able to be successful on every possession doing it, which speaks wonders to his ability even at 37.

Last night felt like a very typical desperation Game 3 from the home team.

The Suns statistically beat the Mavs in every major category last night, but turned it over 17 times to the Mavs 8. CP3 had 7 of them in the first half, which is the most hes ever had in his career.

Mavs played well, but that "felt" very fluky - I don't think the Suns lose again in this series.
 
If I wasn't a Jazz fan, I would say this playoffs has been awesome. No clear favorite, and teams are fighting like crazy to win. The series are going back and forth and we're really seeing some standout performances from guys in tough situations. Even if Luka/Embiid don't advance, you have to appreciate their toughness and will to win. There was none of that from this Jazz team.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I really don’t get it. I don’t see how a team can play so unmotivated for an entire season, have everyone continue to imply that they’ll turn it on when they need to, come out in the playoffs so unprepared, and play so passionless over 6 games, and have this not be a huge reflection on coaching and believe that you can run it back with the same staff. I think maybe you’re on the ‘he is definitely gone’ wagon, as was I, but you’d think we would have addressed this by now to send a message and not been sending all those signals out there, on the record and off, that he’s coming back.
 
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I really don’t get it. I don’t see how a team can play so unmotivated for an entire season, have everyone continue to imply that they’ll turn it on when they need to, come out in the playoffs so unprepared, and play so passionless over 6 games, and have this not be a huge reflection on coaching and believe that you can run it back with the same staff. I think maybe you’re on the ‘he is definitely gone’ wagon, as was I, but you’d think we would have addressed this by now to send a message and not been sending all those signals out there, on the record and off, that he’s coming back.
It was all Rudy Gay's fault. He did not love the system and the Japanese management theory enough.
 
Oh yeah because Chris Paul is such a big guard right…
You mean the greatest marvel in the league right now and automatic hall of famer that is strong as hell and smarter/more focused on winning than literally everyone else on the court?

Those players are common.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top