Basketball Playoffs - Who Do You think Will Be In The Finals?
East: Sixers;: but the Nets and Bucks are right with them. The Nets have the big three but Kyrie says basketball is not his top priority at the moment. The Bucks will always be a force as long as Giannis is on the team.
West: Lakers: Even though the Lakers have not had a great year, most of the underperformance is due to injury. With that said, everyone is healthy now and they should be a force. Utah and Denver are each heading to the playoffs without their best player. Phoenix is very good but it might be toon soon for them. The Clippers are always a very good team but can never seem to get it completely together.
Not the Celtics after this disappointment of a season that's for sure. I just want to see the Nets lose because I think Kyrie is a little baby bitch boy.
Kyrie's personal days without explanations are very unusual.
Dude he is like if the goldman analyst culture survey became an nba player
Sixers are frauds. Embiid is a choker and Simmons is a black hole in the halfcourt. If they face the Heat they're fucked, Spo has had Rivers' number his whole damn career. It'll be the Nets out of the East barring an incredible upset. I can't see anyone, not even my heat, getting past the Nets. When healthy, you can't compete with them. Even at 2/3 power, I think they make it out of the East with little difficulty.
The West, however, is wide open. Sucks that injuries rob us of a fully healthy Jazz and Nuggets, I see one of the LA teams making it out. I’m curious to see how the Suns do.
Murray is out for the season I thought?
You’re right. Edited my comment accordingly. Hate to see injuries like that.
You are nuts. The Nets are a very good team but their defense sucks. From top to bottom, the Sixers have more talent. Kyrie is a great player but could be a hero or a zero. He has already said hoops is not his priority at the moment. While Durant is great, he has been out half of the year for various health reasons. I think that age is starting to catch up with him.
No shot. Durant is still a top5 player in the league, and it’s hard to overstate how terrible Simmons is in the halfcourt. The sixers are frauds led by a fraud coach. They need to move Simmons to get any shot at a title.
I’ll take Kyrie with basketball as his second priority over Simmons with basketball as his first. Durant will be fine for the playoffs, as will Harden. They’re gonna feast, and they won’t become a top 5 defensive team overnight but their defense will be serviceable. With a core of Durant, Kyrie, and Harden all you need is a serviceable defense to win.
I would tend to disagree re Durant getting old. He is only coming back stronger, and is on track to becoming the GOAT.
suns vs heat
I like the cut of your jib.
Nets..KD got this. Id like to see KD vs Kawhi.
Lebron and AD vs KD and Co?
Facts
If Lebron takes down the Nets this year, I think we have to have more serious GOAT conversations
I instantly assume anyone who doesn’t regard lebron as the goat is a delusional boomer. He has been the undisputed goat for a while now, even if I’ll take some flak here for that.
nontarget af take. How can you say Lebron is "undisputed goat" if the majority of sports fans dispute your claim? Go finish your econ 101 homework
The GOAT in basketball is really not all that clear because there are lots of great players with great stats. I am not sure if there are one or two players that have dominated more than others. Sure, Lebron is in the conversation and so is MJ. You could even make an argument or Larry Bird being in the conversation. When I think of a GOAT, I think of a player putting up absurd numbers but also winning championships. I think Hockey is a good example of a sport that has had players that stood out above the rest. For example, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Lemieux racked up stats and accolades but injuries held him back quite a bit.
I'm in my 20s but I actually understand basketball, so I say MJ is the GOAT. LeBron is an all around player and he doesn't even do that the best. His inclusion in GOAT conversations come purely from him being at the forefront of basketball over the past 20 years or so. But that's partially due to expectations before he even materialized anything. If he stayed with the Cavs, he might be AI right now. Just because a player is GREAT doesn't equate to being THE GOAT.
I second that
Even if he doesn’t, he still remains the goat.
He remains the goat regardless, it’s not winning this that will make him the goat, it’s all his past accomplishments, furthermore he won a championship when he was 36.
Lakers vs. nets. Literally only thing that can stop lakers is injury and only thing that can bring down nets is locker-room ego's. So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Nets are a given. Got to see if the Lakers are healthy. If they are, I'd probably pick them.
Nets Clippers. Any other answer is wrong.
Nobody is stopping the Nets in the East. When it is playoff time, it is all about star power, and the Nets have it. Harden is having his best year ever minus the injuries. I'll admit Kyrie's comments are a little concerning, but a team with Durant and Harden, 2 top 5 (actually top 4 really) players will make the finals and probably win. Sixers are not perfect and don't have playoff experience. Teams have exposed how easy it is to defend Giannis in the playoffs by stuffing the paint. I just can not see anyone beating the Nets (or even taking them more than 6 games)
In the West, the Lakers have shown their holes this year. Rondo was crucial in helping them last year in the playoffs so they will miss that. While Lebron is still great, this is far from his best season and he said himself that his injury is holding him back. AD has been shaky this year. The Clippers have had an amazing season. They have the star power, but they also have depth. They have shooters and can defend well. They are a well put together club and should make a deep run and make for a great series with the Nets.
In what world is Harden top 4??? He's an all-star yeah, but you would realy take harden over Steph, Giannis, Bron, Durant, Jokic, Kawhi, Luka???
Yeah he is for sure top 4. Lebron, Durant, are just better. Curry slightly edges out Harden. Giannis is not better. He has consistently folded in the playoffs. Harden has averaged 36 in a season and can lead the league in assists. He is a wizard. Luka not there yet, same with Jokic. I could see an argument for Kawhi.
Sixers can exploit the Nets down low and in the paint. The corpse of Blake and Deandre can't really protect Embiid when he's going for 35 plus every night, and Simmons/Harris have done pretty well this year.
Lol no one in this thread actually watches basketball if they're instantly excluding the 76ers. Sure in the 7? i think games that the Nets big 3 have all played together was scary as fuck their offensive efficiency was off the charts. But it's not like the 76ers wouldn't have a chance against them—in fact the 76ers are the Nets worst matchup. They have literally no one to guard Embiid in the post for an entire game. Blake, DJ, Claxton, can rotate and take turns guarding him but they have no chance of shutting him down. And for all of Simmons offensive limitations, people forget he's one of the best defensive players in the entire league. He's the exact type of defender to shut down Harden. Big, long, quick, and strong. How about Thybulle—another All-Defensive team player. One of KD/Kyrie will have a favorable matchup but the 76ers will definitely try to funnel them to the middle to confront Embiid who also happens to be one of the best defenders in the game lol
Spurs and Pacers is the only correct answer. Adam Silver would have an aneurism. I'd be one of the 15 people watching that classic, grueling Finals matchup.
50/40/90
Of course, he is an excellent player. However, I am sure lot of Nets fans are wondering if he will play all the games in the playoffs.
Given how so many people here seem to feel so sure about their picks ("any other answer is wrong," "... are a given," "the only thing that can stop xx is yy," "xx is fucked in yy matchup"), I would be interested to know who had the Heat in the finals last year, the Mavericks nearly beating the Clippers, Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray going ballistic in the first round, and so forth. Saying anything is certain (besides Kawhi Leonard putting on a masterclass) is ridiculous.
As for my picks, I have Clippers vs Sixers in the finals. I anticipate the Nets and Bucks being the only other tough teams in the East, and I expect a fair amount of upsets in the West. Of course, nothing is close to being a given, which is why we watch these games in the first place
I hope the Sixers are in the finals. I agree that the confidence in picks is not justified, especially with the Nets. The Nets have 3 stars: one has been out half the year with injuries while another one takes a lot of personal days. I thought that the personal days were kind of used for when your wife is giving birth and even then some players wait until after the game to go to the hospital.
Suns baby
Bump
Jrue Holiday will take the Bucks over the edge. Bucks in 6.
As a huge Jrue fan I laughed so hard at this
IM LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK
This aged well.
It's going on my resume
I think that before we crown the Nets, they should do some winning in the playoffs
No one is talking about Russell Westbrook this year but his stats unbelievable. Has any player ever averaged over: 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 20 points per game?
He has done it 4 times, is a mvp, 9x all nba (bout to be 10), 2x scoring leader, 3x assist leader... people knock him for not having a ring but
2012 : Made the finals but team was too young to beat lebron
2013 : Got injured, team was the favorite that year
2014 : Ibaka got injured, nobody could guard tim duncan and can't beat a championship team without a big.
2015 : kd got injured
2016 : Only real chance he ever had but lost in conference finals
2017 : Lone wolf, outperformed won mvp and averaged 40 in the series he lost. Team was just too bad.
2018 : Melo and PG13 chokes. As a matter of fact, in the elimination game russ dropped 47 points while pg dropped 6 points.
2019 : Russ and PG were both injured.
2020 : Russ got injured again.
To do it 4x is pretty unbelievable. He will never be in the GOAT argument because he has not won a championship but his stats are special. How does a guy that is only 6'3 and 200 pounds get over 10 rebounds per game. That is like superhuman. I have been watching his games lately and he is like fearless. He drives on everyone.
Feel like the East is the Nets to lose, but team chemistry will play a huge deciding factor down the stretch. They have arguably three of the top 10 players in the league and with Harden pushing point, Kyrie is able to play off guard which he is naturally better at, and has been really able to play his best game. I personally don’t think the noise around whether his head is fully there or not has an affect. Top five in his position and it’s pretty evident that when he does show up for work he’s all in. Sixers have had a great year on the backs of Embiid’s best season, a solid bench, and Simmons as the X-factor. Problem is, when Simmons isn’t playing the team looks somewhat out of sync and lacks the same level of energy. Embiid is bound to miss a few games, but if Tyrese Maxey can continue playing at the same caliber he’s showcased throughout the season, they should sweep the first two rounds. Underrated team out of the east has to be Miami. Came back better and more experienced after last year, and Jimmy is simply a dawg.
Like the Clippers coming out of the west, feel like Kawhi is gonna put more on his plate while at the same time PG will be looking to prove himself after a disappointing exit last season. With Utah and Denver missing key players, the biggest challenge looks like it’ll be the Lakers and that’s if they can get pass Steph in the play-in game. Underrated team being Portland. I’m trusting Dame over almost anyone else in the league right now in clutch time, and everyone else seems to know their role within the team.
The nets are almost unbeatable, they are the greatest offensive team of all time and nobody is beating them if they are healthy, the only team that has a chance is the lakers if they get their shit together.
I think the Clippers are going to surprise a lot of people this year. Sixers can also exploit the weaknesses of the Nets, could be interesting. Suns and Denver are dark horses as well, but they lack the third piece to truly make it far imo. Jazz are contingent on Mitchell coming back healthy.
I'm taking IGUODALA!!!
Last night was a good example as to why the Lakers could be at risk. They have great players and could win it all but they have issues at point guard. Schroder is just not as good as Rondo at making plays and he is not consistent. Last night he went 3 for 14 in FGs. LeBron is going to have to carry him.
GSW looked like the better, hungrier team last night. But the 3rd QTR was atrocious play. There were too many back to back turnover and it was like Draymond bad pass, Steph dribbling off his own foot kind of stuff. It was a good shot by Lebron, which sealed the fate for GS in that game. You can't lose focus that way in the playoffs.
Well, that is it for the GSW. They did a good job to finish over 500 thanks to Curry.
Lake Net
Some good takes here....
Thoughts on the next round?
The Milwaukee Bkn matchup should be very interested. If Giannis can beat them en route to a championship it should quiet a lot of the people that dislike him. I don't think that happens, nets in 6.
Looking forward to that one, the winner of that would seem to be the favorites to win it all.
this aged poorly
Why, there is only one contender that was eliminated - the Lakers - and that was probably due to AD being out due to injury.
lol yeah just referring to that - most definitely because of AD (and tbh the other pieces just didn't come thru whatsoever)
bucks vs nets series is gonna be immaculate
That was a crazy Sixers game yesterday. I was literally fatigued after the game. That loss was on Doc Rivers for having Danny Green guard Trae Young in the first half. The Sixers have two stellar defenders in Simmons and Tisse but they chose let 35 year old Green cover Ice Trae.
The Danny Green bit was bad, but let's not forget that he also had an all bench lineup in when the Sixers were down 11 in the first. The Hawks went on a 17-0 run during that period, and at one point the score was 53-27. Doc had an absolutely abysmal first half. The second half was promising, so I hope we see more of those Sixers
Yeah, Doc was treating the game like a regular season game and playing everyone. I am surprised he did not give Mike Scott some minutes. I hope they continue to have Tisse and Simmons guard Trae. Even late in the game, Green got some time guarding Trae but he is way too slow to guard him. Green basically does one thing well - he shoots 3s and is sometimes streaky. I would prefer that Green not play or get his minutes reduced. I would like top see Tisse start and get Green's minutes. Without Green, we lose a long range shooter but Curry and Harris can take the 3s. They should not have Green and Curry on the floor at the same time. They are both very mediocre on defense.
I think it will be Suns vs. Bucks and the Suns win 4-2.
Mark my words bitches.
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