Basketball? In MY Pokemon forum?

[phoopes]

I'm rooting for the Bucks so hard. I want LeBron vs. Giannis and I WANT IT NOW

Really is a shame about Gobert. I hope the Jazz can make a comeback in the series without him but if not then we can look forward to the Warriors utterly destroying the Clippers again.

[Doppleganger]

As the dinosaurs were on the brink of extinction, the Toronto crowd started chanting in unison:

"Warriors! Warriors! Warriors! Warriors!"

I wonder what that was all about?

[phoopes]

So in the matchup that literally everyone saw coming, it's Cavaliers vs. Warriors. For the third year in a row. Some people say it's bad for the league but honestly I love having two rival teams at the top of the league like this. The Warriors are heavy favorites again, but they were last year too and we all know what happened, so I think this is going to be a great series to watch. I don't exactly have a vested rooting interested because there are former Sixers on both rosters (Andre Iguodala and Kyle Korver). I guess if I think about it rationally I should root for the Cavs because Korver hasn't won a championship yet, and I get really annoyed with LeBron haters so having him win again would shut them up a bit. However... I'm just a sucker for the Warriors brand of basketball so I'm probably going to end up rooting for them. I don't know, we'll see. As for my actual prediction: Warriors in 7.

[Doppleganger]

It's superman vs. super team. We know from last year that you also have to look at momentum, and from the momentum I think the Cavaliers faced tougher competition and so are more "battle tested".

But you also have to consider that the Warriors don't have injuries, two of their players (Klay and Iggy) are stone cold, and they are much improved from last year. Don't believe Joe Lacob's butthurt: the 2015-2016 Warriors were the best team in the league on Day 1 but got weaker as the season went on. The 2016-2017 Warriors spent the regular season learning how to play together and morphed into a power ranger.

I think the Warriors sweep, though the 90% chance to win the championship is actually overrating the Warriors because the numbers don't reflect the injuries. San Antonio, with Kawhi and Popovich, were a better matchup and the second best team in the league. The loss of Kawhi, even with a team built to counter Golden State, was completely overwhelmed.

You need your best players in best form to give you a chance against Golden State playing normally. You can't beat them if they're on fire. Klay and Iggy have been ice cold for a while, it's been a lot of Durant/Curry/JaVale/Green. Avenging last year is enough motivation for everyone to play well this time around.

[Muyotwo]

There are several interesting things to watch in this series, so I'm quite looking forward to it. Here are my keys to the finals.

We didn't see it much in the matchups this season, but in a longer and much more important matchup will LeBron guard Durant, and if so how will that effect both of them? LeBron likely won't get the chance to bully Durant on offense, but on defense James may be better served sticking on Durant than the (relatively) less threatening Green.

Can Curry still create and facilitate when he has to exert much more effort on defense than he likes to against Irving? Will he do better against tighter defense than he did last year (His percentage dropped 10% against shots when Irving was within a 4 foot vicinity in the last finals)?

Do the Warriors have an answer for the Cavs small ball lineup? In their first two series this year the Cavs showed a terrifying lineup with LeBron as ball handlerr with 4 gifted three point shooters on the floor at the same time while Irving and Love rested and no team had a satisfactory answer to it. Either you play LeBron one on one (which he will always win) or you leave a very accurate 3 point threat alone behind the arc with LeBron distributing as well as he does. Given how rarely LeBron leaves the floor, that lineup may be key to giving the Cavs a big bench edge over the Warriors.

And finally: Can the Warriors starting 5 be checked by anyone? I think the Warriors may just have too many freaks when it's all said and done. I'm curious to see how both teams adjust game to game though.!

[Doppleganger]

Unlike the Warriors, there is already a book on LeBron, so if you follow it and you will defeat whatever team he is on. And that book says let LeBron get his points, but outshoot the Cavaliers to win. Easier said than done, but Golden State is the best equipped to do it.

The Warriors are the best defensive team in the league, so I think they'll definitely challenge that book a bit since they've already defended LeBron successfully in the past. But I can't emphasize enough that this is a mismatch if Golden State is firing all cylinders. Klay and Iguodala playing normally with Durant/Curry/Super Green will steamroll the Cavaliers. Having them absent and relying on JaVale (who has been great, but not clutch) makes it more of a series.

Ultimately, the most interesting part of this is while Golden State is overwhelmingly powerful right now, they're also not at their full potential yet.

[phoopes]

See the thing about Klay Thompson is that he's not even really playing that bad, just not what we're used to. In this year's playoffs his defense has still been there from what I've seen/heard. And his offensive numbers? 14.4 points per game, shooting 36.4% from the three point line. For his team's third option on offense that's not that bad! It's just not what we've come to expect from Klay Thompson. Apparently he looks good and feels good so I think it's just a matter of time. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a game in the Finals from him where he goes absolutely nuclear fusion core of the sun levels of hot and goes off for 30+ points on 8+ three pointers.

[Doppleganger]

The 12-0 team just beat the 12-1 team by 22 points.

[phoopes]

Everyone was digging a grave for the Cavs last year after they went down 2-0 and again when it was 3-1. I wouldn't count them out yet. In a best of 7 series teams make adjustments.

[Doppleganger]

The circumstances are much different though. At full strength, the 2016-2017 Warriors are much better than the 2015-2016 Warriors. LeBron had to muster everything he had to beat that Warriors team, which was injured and weakened by the 73-9 chase and the 7 game death march with OKC.

This time around, the Chokeboys are 100% healthy and having steamrolled the competition by huge margins, they didn't have to play extra games, so they're more or less rested and at full strength. In this game they basically dropped the same strategy they did in 2015 against LeBron, and they forced Love on perimeter defense. They rode Durant until the rest of the team got going, and they did what I predicted they would: defend Lebron and defend the rest of the Cavaliers. The 2014-2015 Warriors lead the league in turnovers (except maybe behind the Rockets?) and they only yielded four in this game. Four!

Not to mention, unlike 2014-2015 the Cavaliers are also 100% healthy and they were basically blown out here. Once Golden State adapted to being forced onto the paint the Cavaliers had no answer. LeBron was great this game and the Cavaliers couldn't do anything. Against the Celtics, LeBron was bad for two games and one of those games lead to a loss. If he goes bad in any of the games against Golden State

It's like Popovich said. You need to have your best team and not make any mistakes just to give yourself a fighting chance. And Golden State is still not at full strength, with Klay Thompson still bad on offense.

If he gets hot.

[Doppleganger]

The Cavaliers can't play any better than that. I think only Game 7 last year could have been harder fought.

[phoopes]

Yeah it seemed like everything went in their favor that could possibly go in their favor and they still lost. Expect the Warriors to clinch tonight

[Muyotwo]

Now the Warriors have a 3-1 lead... The Cavs have them right where they want them!

[RealMrGame10]

Finals ended predictably

woot down with LeBroskis

anyway David Aldridge says that Boston's trading the #1 pick to Philly for a package including the #3 pick, details to be confirmed on Monday.

trust the process?

basically it sounds like Ainge and co. are prepping to make a major trade for a big player. The names being bounced around are Paul George and Jimmy Butler, with Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder being on the block as potential trading chips. Of those two, I prefer Butler since he's got more years on his contract and is more clutch (tbh). Plus, his strong defense will definitely fit in with the C's.

The big story on my mind: are the Lakers really getting cold feet on Lonzo?
Or is this more of Magic Johnson's famous misdirection????

[phoopes]

I actually cried tears of joy last night. This was such a good trade. We move up two spots in this year's draft, and we only give up a future first with protections. So if next year's Laker pick is number 2-5, the Celtics get it. If it's number 1 or 6-30, the Sixers keep it and the Celtics get the 2019 Kings pick. We're getting Markelle Fultz for that. Oh my god what a deal. After the Nerlens trade I kind of lost faith in Colangelo to be able to make deals that were good for us (because we got nothing for Nerlens) but this is incredible. It's a great time to be a Sixers fan

[RealMrGame10]

Jayson Tatum's a baller

WE GOT HAYWARD!

This offseason's been crazy tho lol

[Doppleganger]

It got even crazier yesterday.

A lot of people are roasting Boston, but they made a pretty good move. If Thomas walked next season they were SOL. If they maxed him out that's a huge risk too. So they avoided that risk at the cost of the Nets #1 pick, and got better in the short term.

It stands to reason that the Celtics are ready to challenge the Cavaliers this year. The Cavs don't have much longer before their team collapses, so the East is definitely going to be a lot of fun next year!

[phoopes]

I think the deal makes sense on both sides.

For the Celtics, you get a slightly better version of your best player at the cost of a high first round pick (which you have multiple of), an unproven European guy, and Jae Crowder. Jae Crowder is a valuable guy who can do great things, but I guess that they feel his role can be filled between Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum.

For the Cavs, you got rid of the guy that wanted to leave town and was going to make for a tense locker room, and in return got a similar talent along with a good 3-and-D player in Crowder (whom LeBron doesn't have to face in the playoffs now). In addition, in case the team blows up next year and LeBron and IT leave in free agency, they have a really high pick from the Nets that they can build their future around. Either that or they can flip it and go into win now mode to trade for a guy that LeBron would want around him like Melo or Wade.

Overall I think the Cavs got the better deal here but I can see why both teams made it. I'm just surprised that it happened because they're the top two teams in the East.

[RealMrGame10]

Many in the online basketball community have called this offseason "the greatest offseason of all time," and it's not hard to see why.

This video briefly recaps all the deals that have gone down this year:

Spoiler: show

By far, this is the offseason with the most movement of guys who were the number 1 or 2 option on their respective teams in recent NBA history, even in recent sports history in general. Most of the teams contending for a title or trying to compete for a title have very new looks on their rosters. (Notable exceptions? The Warriors (if it ain't broke...) and the Spurs (not surprising from this team, the rookies that they picked up are pretty interesting and I think they're playing the long game, per usual, but they picked up Rudy Gay, who would have arguably been the #1 guy in Sacramento if he were healthy) (Also the Wizards, but their biggest issue has always been depth and health. They have all of their main three guys on big deals and all of them are healthy to begin with)).

The reasons that all of these high-seeded playoff teams have been making these moves are obvious. For some, like the Bulls and the Knicks (not a playoff team but my point stands), the stars just wouldn't have cut it to challenge the Cavs, much less the Warriors, and their path forward is one of rebuilding around young talents. For others, like the Clippers, the chemistry on the team just wasn't working out, and they needed a new start. But for the ones that got those stars? For the Rockets, the Thunder, and the Timberwolves of the world? They needed to make these big moves to even have a chance at STARTING to challenge what the Warriors created. The NBA seems to be moving towards a "superteam or bust" mentality, and that's not necessarily a bad thing (especially if you're a fan of those wannabe superteams like me lol), but it's certainly different from anything we've seen before. Dirk said it best:

Originally Posted by German Jesus

“The new NBA is a little different, it’s about making money, it's about winning and not as much about being loyal anymore.

Yeah yeah, this all stinks of an old man shaking his fist at these darn unloyal kids, but the reality is that players are looking out for their own financial and legacy-related interests now, and teams are having to adjust to the times.
The point that Dirk is making is that players are controlling their own fates more now and that they aren't willing to try to make what they've got work (see: Dirk and the 2011 Mavs), instead seeking what they're pretty sure will work (see: Melo waiving his no-trade clause to be the #3 option next to Paul George and reigning MVP Russ). It stinks for less fortunate fans (*cough cough* Hawks fans) because they can't always point to their cult hero and rely on him to stay on that team his whole career (DAMN YOU SCALIBRINE), between the team potentially trading him or the player leaving. It's a new look, and one that demands that you are able to appreciate basketball being played at its highest level more than being devoted to any one fanbase.
But hey, Warriors fans already have that down pat :P

[phoopes]

I really like Dirk but disagree with his opinion here. "Being loyal" sounds nice and all, but at the end of the day who can blame these guys for wanting to win? It's way LeBron made "The Decision" in the first place. It's why David West took like a $10 million paycut to sign with the Warriors. And to be honest those who want to "stay loyal" can have fun with that, but they're most likely not going to win a championship. IIRC John Wall and Damian Lillard have both made some comments about staying loyal but look where they are. The Wizards are probably the third to fifth best team in the East depending on how the Bucks and Raptors do. Maaaybe they upset the Celtics and make a run at the conference finals? But best case scenario they're losing to the Cavs. The Blazers, on the other hand could very well miss the playoffs with how stacked the West is. I mean if it makes him feel good that he's staying loyal that's fine, but it doesn't change the fact that the Blazers have no shot at making it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Speaking of the playoffs, Sixers are gunning for the sixth seed. You heard it here first. (that's best case scenario in my opinion, injuries and shit could make it worse lol) No worse than the eight seed though. Playoffs baby!

[RealMrGame10]

Ben Simmons looked really good last night. Don't let the shooting percentages fool you, he made great use of his physicality in addition to having phenomenal passing vision to get nine assists in only 22 minutes on the SIXERS. Seeing him play on an NBA court for the first time, I honestly have him as my ROTY over Lonzo or Fultz because I think Simmons has had more time to adjust to the NBA game and has a more NBA-friendly body.

I for one don't blame players for wanting to get some championships, because even if they make a move, between injuries and unknown chemistry issues, no team is ever guaranteed to win a ring. It's all about having fun where you are and playing to the best of your abilities. Like you brought up with your point about David West, there is usually a give and take with these issues, too. Like, you can be Allen Crabbe and get paid 20 mil per year on the Brooklyn Nets, or you can be Pau Gasol or David West and take a massive paycut to go to a team that you feel like you can contribute to while actually having a chance to win big games.

I think the team with the biggest chance to fall significantly in the standings this year is the Raptors. I just don't know what the path upwards is for them at this point, but we shall see.

(Real talk though, Drummond hit 75% of his free throws last night! Pistons for the playoffs?)

[phoopes]

Alright so here are my full predictions (which will probably turn out hella wrong but hey)

Eastern Conference:

Spoiler: show

1. Cavs - duh
2. Celtics - duh (unless Cavs mail it in in the regular season again and get 2-seed)
3. Bucks - I think they make the leap
4. Wizards - Pretty standard
5. Raptors - There's a drop-off but it's not too big IMO
6. Sixers - Homer bias probably, I trust the Process with my life
7. Hornets - I'm actually a big believer in Howard
8. Heat - They didn't get better but other teams got worse
9. Hawks - Losing Milsap hurts but it wouldn't shock me if they find a way
10. Pistons - I never have confidence in them, plus they lost KCP
11. Knicks - I don't think Pozingis has enough of a supporting cast for them to be good
12. Pacers - RIP mediocre Pacers, hello bad Pacers
13. Nets - They've been a dumpster fire for years. They have Russell though!
14. Magic - This is a team without direction in my opinion
15. Bulls - Injured Zach Levine is their best player lol

Western Conference:

Spoiler: show

1. Warriors - duh
2. Spurs - Honestly they shouldn't be this good but they always are
3. Rockets - Think it'll take some time for new players to mesh, but they'll be good
4. Thunder - See above
5. Timberwolves - See above
6. Nuggets - I have a lot of confidence in their players, and adding Milsap helps a ton
7. Clippers - This is still a solid team, they got some really good pieces out of the Paul deal
8. Blazers - This team doesn't actually miss the playoffs? Right?
9. Grizzlies - They got a little worse, and other teams got better
10. Pelicans - I don't see them meshing that well together, even though they're talented
11. Jazz - Feels like a crime to put them this low, but no Hayward or Hill and the West is stacked
12. Lakers - I feel like they're definitely building something, but the West is stacked
13. Kings - They have a motley crew that'll be entertaining to watch
14. Mavericks - I think they have the least talented roster in the West but...
15. Suns - I have no confidence in this franchise at the moment.

[RealMrGame10]

Title says it all, here we go!

Eastern Conference:

Spoiler: show

1. Celtics - yeah, I know, I'm the resident Celtics fan, but this really has more to do with the Cavs' roster situation than how much better the C's got. Even so, Kyrie seems to be more than willing to buy into the system,
Hayward will be phenomenal under Brad, and Jayson and Jaylen already look like really great contributors. Easily a 50-55 win team, which will be more than enough to win the East.

2. Cavs - Here's the inevitable take right off the bat: Isaiah Thomas is currently projected to be out right up until the All-Star Break, and he was the piece comparable to Kyrie Irving in terms of offensive (and defensive)
production in the trade. Thomas is arguably a little better in the playmaking department, but we're not even sure if he'll be the same player thanks to this hip injury that is concerningly similar to injuries that have forever changed basketball players in the past. The Cavs did pick up some excellent depth in Jae Crowder, D Rose, D Wade, and Jeff Green, but out of these, only Jae Crowder has consistent shooting abilities, which is really what LeBron needs around him. Wade and Bron will be fun to watch, but between needing to figure out rotations at two points in the season (beginning of the season and whenever IT returns) and the fact that LeBron teams have never been overly concerned with the regular season, I think the Celtics will edge them out for the 1 seed.

3. Wizards - Wall, Beal, and Otto Porter are on board for the long run,
and Wall is many people's dark horse for an MVP candidate this season (which makes him not a dark horse?), which I am inclined to agree with.
These are all really fantastic players when they're not injured, and they've got a player in Kelly Oubre Jr. who may have improved enough to help them off the bench. Bogdanovic was a big piece in their late-season run, but Jodie Meeks is a more than comparable replacement. With the weakening of other east teams, this is likely a 48+ win team.

4. Bucks - Giannis is gonna be better. Malcolm Brogdon is reigning Rookie of the Year. Khris Middleton is going to be healthy to start the season. GIANNIS IS GOING TO BE BETTER.

5. Heat - they're not going to start 11-30 again. Justise Winslow will be back and better than ever. Whiteside, Waiters, and Dragic are lowkey monsters.
They won't be a 60 win team, but they'll be better than the vast majority of East teams.

6. Raptors - Losing Patrick Patterson hurts more than it should for these guys... Serge and Lowry were their big signings of the offseason (Norman Powell too), and while Lowry and Derozan are great players, I just don't see how well they match up with the direction of the league, especially Demar.
Kobe-like player without the defense? It'll be a grind for this team, but I hope they prove me wrong.

7. Hornets - I don't love Dwight Howard on this team, especially with Kaminsky and Zeller being huge contributors on this team and eating those bigs' minutes. However, I'm high on Malik Monk next to Kemba, I love Kemba, and I think Nicolas Batum is criminally underrated. That'll be more than enough for a playoffs spot.

8. Pistons - Losing KCP and Marcus Morris hurts, but Avery Bradley is more than an upgrade over KCP, instantly bringing a better scoring option and 1v1 defender to the wing position. Reggie Jackson will likely play more games than he did last season, and Drummond seems to have been working hard on his shot. If Drummond does any better than he did last season and Stan Van Gundy makes good with Reggie, this is an Eastern Conference Playoffs team.

9. Sixers - what's the likelihood none of the key players on this team get hurt this season? The Sixers? I was encouraged by an interview of Embiid saying that he was learning how to land better to prevent injury, but he's out for the beginning of the season right now. Simmons looks phenomenal, and i don't think he's too likely to get hurt, but Okafor simply bleeds points whenever he's on the floor, and I'm still not convinced that Fultz can be that big of a contributor right off the bat. I think that Redick was a great signing for veteran leadership and floor spacing around Fultz, Simmons, and Embiid, so there's definitely a good chance that Philly makes it, but I'd rather the Sixers defy my expectations than take a chance on them and be disappointed again lol.

Here's where I'm less sure about things

10. Nets - the loss of Brook Lopez hurts on the offensive end, but Timofey Mozgov is actually better at getting rebounds and playing defense than him,
Allen Crabbe is a really good role player, D'Angelo Russell seems very happy to be where he is, and Jeremy Lin has demonstrated very strong off-ball playing ability in the past. The Nets finally have a direction as a franchise, and not a moment too soon. They finally get their own first-round pick next season, but they have very little motivation to tank this season. They're definitely a lot better with a better future than the following players.

11. Knicks - Porzingis is free of Phil Jackson's insistence to use the Triangle offense! He's going to have the ball more than 2 minutes a game now that Melo's gone! The Knicks paid... how much to Tim Hardaway? But Frank Ntilikina looks great! Porzingis is gonna be an All-Star this year MARK MY WORDS

12. Pacers - I've always liked Myles Turner, but he's not a top 5 Center and definitely not good enough to be the best player on a playoff team, but here we are. Oladipo is just... not a good swap for PG13. Still, Turner will net this team 28+ wins on his lonesome lol.

13. Hawks - Millsap, Howard, and Tim Hardaway Jr. are gone. Their best players are Kent Bazemore, Dennis Schroeder, and Mike Scott. Their bench looks like a D-League G-League bench. no.

14. Bulls - RIP the Rondo era. (oh and some guy named Jimmy Butler (also D-Wade)) Zach Lavine apparently has hops tho and Lauri Markkanen looks like he'll be okay? Better tank for Doncic!

15. Magic - As much as I love Terrance Ross, Jonathan Simmons, Elfrid Payton, and Aaron Gordon, I would NEVER put them on the same team.
In the past three years, Orlando has. There's going to be better dunking here than the 16-17 Dunk Contest, but that's gonna be about it.

Western Conference:

Spoiler: show

1. Warriors - Their nickname is the Dubs for a reason, and it's not just because their name begins with "W".

2. Rockets - They still have the GOAT Ryan Anderson but they lost the sub-GOAT Pat Bev. This team got way better defensively with off-season signings and trades, with the biggest loss defensively being Beverly, and offensively, they are the image of the new NBA. This will be a really fun team to watch.

3. Spurs - They're the Spurs. There's no way they don't have home court advantage in the first round of the Playoffs.

4. Thunder - I actually had them as #2 before the Melo trade. I'm not sure how much better he makes them, and I've always like McDermott and Kanter off the bench. However, Melo is undeniably good next to good distributors and players, and Russ and PG13 are that. We'll see if Russ trusts his new teammates enough to make the ball move, but the Thunder will be good,
no doubt. (I also like Patrick Patterson lol)

5. T-Wolves - good players, good on paper, bad on chemistry paper, they'll be good. We'll see if they FINALLY make the Playoffs lol

6. Clippers - Milos Teodosic can BALL, he's a good replacement for CP3 with 1000% less off-court beef with the players. Not to mention they got Pat Bev and friends from the CP3 trade.

7. Nuggets - Millsap's always been one of my favorite players, and Jokic will be starting all season FOR A CHANGE. Jamal Murray is fantastic, Gary Harris can be fantastic, Mudiay supposedly got better. Losing Gallinari hurts,
but Wilson Chandler will do fine, and Faried is good off the bench.

8. Jazz - Rubio + Gobert will be fun to watch, and Rodney Hood might make the jump to a good first scoring option. He's shown that he's got versatility,
so he's really the X-factor here.

9. Blazers - this ain't Portland's year. Nurkic helps, but losing Allen Crabbe hurts a lot more than one might expect. A lot of the Blazers' defensive lineups relied on Crabbe's consistency, but now they don't have that.

10. Grizzlies - Marc Gasol and Mike Conley are fantastic and I love them but unlikely to show us anything new. If Chandler Parsons actually DOES SOMETHING this season, they've got a shot, but losing Tony Allen and VC hurts Grind City's identity. It's going to be tough, but Memphis has a history of subverting expectations. This may change.

11. Lakers - there's a lot of good pieces here, and KCP and Brook Lopez will help these guys develop quickly. Lonzo? Great passer already. Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle have played long enough to know how to contribute right off the bat. Larry Nance Jr. is quite nice. Ingram's got a good ceiling. Kyle Kuzma has already shown what he can do. They're not a playoff team yet, but they're not getting a high lottery pick this year for a change.

12. Pelicans - This roster is a hot mess. Jrue Holiday and Rondo together will not work. Boogie and AD? I like it, but it hasn't shown itself to be anything special. Rondo was their big offseason acquisition. They're not getting better.

13. Mavericks - a lot of the season will be Dennis Smith Jr. learning how to lead the team next to Dirk and Harrison Barnes. Dirk can still get buckets,
and Harrison Barnes and Yogi Ferrell may mature as players. This is far from the worst team in the league.

14. Kings - They've got good rookies. They've got vets I like in VC, George Hill, and Zeebo, but I don't think these fit together. Buddy Hield is fun to watch, and he'll be even more fun to watch, but they're not much better than they were two seasons ago.

15. Suns - I like Devin Booker next to Josh Jackson, but there's just... not a lot of scoring or defense here. (Tyson Chandler, Eric Bledsoe, and Josh Jackson will probably be their best defenders by a large margin.) Hopefully, this will be a year for DBook, Marqueese Chriss, and Dragan Bender to improve so that they can go for a playoff spot next year.

[RealMrGame10]

Double-posting to comment on the Heat - Nets preseason game:

Yeah, I know that preseason games mean very little in the grand scheme of things, but they give us a look into what teams are thinking about as far as rotations and offensive systems go. Lin and D-Lo as the combo guard power couple looked absolutely fantastic, but that's not the real news.

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400978763

Peep that boxscore.

Did you see it?

Spoiler: show

MOZGOV HIT A THREE! sEASON'S OVER, HAND THE 1 SEED TO THE NETS

[phoopes]

>Rhee

I respect the decision to put the Celtics above the Cavs, I don't think it's just because you're a homer. I remember looking up the stat not too long ago and I think in the seven years that LeBron's made the finals his team has only been the one seed coming out of the East three times? Something like that. Add in the fact that Thomas is out for awhile, and I get it... but I mean LeBron is LeBron so I had to put them at the number one seed.

You're straight up drawlin' if you think the Heat are going to be the 5 seed. Yeah they're probably not going to start 11-30 again, but there's no way they're as good as their 30-11 finish. I do have them making the playoffs, but I can't see them being that high. In clutch situations, who do they give the ball to when they need to score? Dragic can score, but I wouldn't say he's lethal. Whiteside is definitely more of a defender/rebounder than a scorer. Winslow and Johnson haven't shown me they can take over a game, and Waiters... well he can do it sometimes but I'd be so damned if I had to rely on Dion Waiters to win a game for me. The 7 teams I have ahead of the Heat all have THE GUY (or maybe multiple guys) that you can definitely say you'd give the ball to in the final seconds. They all have at least one transcendent player. I can't say the same thing about the Heat.

As for the Sixers... you're sleeping on them. I know it was only the first preseason game but Ben Simmons looked like he was able to get to the rim at will. His passing was on point, and he already looked kind of seasoned. Probably because he's a "rookie." He projects to be a good defender too, so between him, Covington, and Embiid I think we're going to be able to lock it down pretty well. Fultz didn't look as good, but he's an actual rookie, so. Shooters shoot, and he just needs to keep shooting. He'll start knocking them down. Also, Embiid is now playing full contact 5 on 5. Think he's going to be ready to start the regular season, or at least after the first couple games. As long as him and his agent don't hold out on the contract extension.

I also think you're disrespecting the Hawks a little bit. For me, they're like a poor man's Spurs team. They always seem to do better than they should do to me, and I think a lot of that is coaching. I do think they miss the playoffs (barely), but they're not going to be a cupcake by any stretch of the imagination.

I agree with your placement of the Thunder, but I don't see how you think they got worse after the Melo trade. I definitely think it makes them better. Melo was shackled with Phil Jackson there, and he's finally in a place where he doesn't have to be the number one option. Can't find the quote at the moment, but Melo has said that he's wanted to play with another star and be the number two option before. Like think how good Team USA Melo is, when he doesn't have to be THE GUY all the time. I think he does really well in OKC (even if they only end up with the four seed).

Definitely disagreeing with the Jazz in the playoffs over the Blazers. I know defense wins championships, but I just can't see the Jazz getting in because of their offense. Rubio is fun because he's a great point guard, but who does he have to pass it to? I'm not as high on Rodney Hood as you are. Maybe him and Gobert can get some good pick and roll action going but Iso Joe Johnson is one of their better scoring options... and I don't have confidence in that. It worked for a bit in the playoffs last year, but he's only getting older. I just can't see a team with a one-two punch of Lillard and McCollum missing the playoffs.

Also I think any team with Boogie and AD can't possibly finish 12th in the conference. But after seeing a little bit of the Lakers it wouldn't surprise me if they jump them. I'm riding the Kyle Kuzma hype train lol.