The NBA thread

[benjipwns]

ESPN has started posting up their Insider previews.

First four teams, top two in each conference:
Heat: 54-28
Bulls: 50-32

Spurs: 60-22
Clippers: 54-28

Nets: 50-32
Pacers: 49-33
Pistons: 49-33 

Rockets: 54-28
Thunder: 51-31
Timberwolves: 51-31 

[Your Stalker]

It'd be nice if the wolves could stay healthy for a season...

[Stoney Mason]

I know Westbrook will miss games but its very hard for me to envision the Timberwolves and the Thunder ending up with the same record.

[TakingBackSunday]

Gonna post my predicks.

Heat: 60-22
Bulls: 55-27
Pacers: 50-32
Nets: 47-35
Knicks - 45-37
Pistons- 42-40
Wizards: 40-42
Cavs: 38-44

Clippers: 58-24
Spurs: 56-26
Thunder: 56-26
Rockets: 55-27
Grizzlies: 54-28
Warriors: 51-31
Mavs: 47-35
Pelicans: 44-38

I could see Atlanta swapping with one of the two low seeds in the East, and The Timberwolves and Trailblazers swapping for either of the two bottoms in the west.

Needless to say, once the playoffs roll around, I could see the Heat having trouble with Nets in round two since its basically Celtics 2.0...but they'll wrap it in 6. It'll be Bulls/Heat with 7 games, and I honestly don't know who wins.  My gut says the Heat, but if Rose has been playing exceptional, who knows.

The West is harder obviously.  I could honestly see the Clippers struggling against the Pelis (in the sense that the games will be close, not so much that the series will run long).  Spurs will make a Texas mockery of the Mavs.  Thunder/Warriors could be the best series all playoffs.  Six games, with the Thunder riding Durant.  Absolute shoot out.

I think the Rockets will be a first round exit, and we'll all have to deal with hearing shit about Dwight for another off season. Lot of shit will be talked about McHale's offense when really, the Grizzlies D will just stifle them, thats all.  Then we'll get another Clippers Grizzlies series

Clippers will finally beat them.  Spurs will beat the Thunder, and we'll have to deal with similar "he just doesn't have it in him to win it" talk with Durant much like we did with Lebron, despite the fact that his teams have slowly gotten worse each season.  They need a better offensive big man and much much better third or fourth shooting options.

Clippers Spurs, six games, I think the Spurs win.  And we could possibly have a rematch of last year's finals.  If not, I think we have a really fun series with the Bulls/Spurs.

[Phoenix Dark]

[pilonv1]

the Ian Eagle/Mike Fratello feud MUST CONTINUE

[TakingBackSunday]

what's the history of their feud?

[pilonv1]

[TakingBackSunday]

[Stoney Mason]

It's just an act.

[TakingBackSunday]

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9826280/nba-season-preview-x-files-kawhi-leonard-spurs



goddamn lowe, inject your articles STRAIGHT INTO MY VEINS

Kawhi might be my favorite player to watch (after Lebron of course).  He was so good in the playoffs, and so fucking good in the Finals...looks to me like he'll be an all-star soon.

[pilonv1]

It's just an act.

I don't care, I enjoy it

[benjipwns]

ESPN Insider put up the last three playoff team projections, I'll repost the first five too:
1. Heat: 54-28
2. Bulls: 50-32
3. Nets: 50-32
4. Pacers: 49-33
5. Pistons: 49-33
6. Hawks: 45-37
7. Knicks: 37-45
8. Raptors: 37-45

1. Spurs: 60-22
2. Clippers: 54-28
3. Rockets: 54-28
4. Thunder: 51-31
5. Timberwolves: 51-31
6. Grizzlies: 49-33
7. Nuggets: 44-38
8. Mavericks: 44-38

[TakingBackSunday]

Nuggets? 

[benjipwns]

Howard said he was disappointed that, last February, after the Magic acquired Tobias Harris in a trade, the team granted Harris' request to wear No. 12, Howard's old number.

"I just think that despite whatever happened, there was a lot of things that I did and that we did as a team, and that number was special down there," Howard said. "And I was a little bit upset about that."

[ToxicAdam]

I give Dwight credit. Most athletes you detest because they are arrogant or thuggish or some variation of that.

He has created a whole new archetype of detestable athlete. Unrepentant neediness.

[Beezy]

ESPN Insider put up the last three playoff team projections, I'll repost the first five too:
1. Heat: 54-28
2. Bulls: 50-32
3. Nets: 50-32
4. Pacers: 49-33
5. Pistons: 49-33
6. Hawks: 45-37
7. Knicks: 37-45
8. Raptors: 37-45

Smh, a losing record and placed behind those two teams? Knicks get no respect. Also, I really don't understand why people are so optimistic about the Nets.

[TakingBackSunday]

Celtics 2.0 + AK47 is pretty appealing sounding.

[Beezy]

Except they're not Celtics 2.0

[TakingBackSunday]

Eh...you think?

-Solid to great point guard
-good defensive SGs
-Great shoopter with Pierce
-Garnett at the post
-A better center than the Celtics had in the big 3 era.

They're a similar team to how the Celtics were.  The Nets, on paper, should be even better than the Celtics were actually.

The Nets' disadvantage will most likely be their defense and (this goes hand in hand) their age.  And their coaching staff most likely.

[Beezy]

And their bench unless they upgraded there over the summer and I missed it. I won't say much more about them until I see them play together. I just don't see it working out or see them being top 4 in the east.

[Stoney Mason]

Nets should be good although I have a feeling that will manifest itself more in the playoffs than the regular season if it does anywhere.

Chicago, Miami, and the Pacers in the East clearly seem the top tier teams.

I don't see why Brooklyn couldn't/shouldn't be 4th in that situation although with such an old team and saving themselves for the playoffs they might fall lower than they should.

[benjipwns]

 

[pilonv1]

ESPN Insider put up the last three playoff team projections, I'll repost the first five too:
1. Heat: 54-28
2. Bulls: 50-32
3. Nets: 50-32
4. Pacers: 49-33
5. Pistons: 49-33
6. Hawks: 45-37
7. Knicks: 37-45
8. Raptors: 37-45

1. Spurs: 60-22
2. Clippers: 54-28
3. Rockets: 54-28
4. Thunder: 51-31
5. Timberwolves: 51-31
6. Grizzlies: 49-33
7. Nuggets: 44-38
8. Mavericks: 44-38

ctrl+f "Warriors" 

[Beezy]

ctrl+f "Warriors" 

[benjipwns]

ctrl+f "Warriors" 

Let's talk about that projection at the bottom of the page. The Warriors surely view themselves as contenders in the West, and conventional wisdom places them not far back of the conference's top five teams. The ESPN Summer Forecast projected Golden State sixth in the West with 50 wins. So why isn't SCHOENE on board?

Start with point differential. If the Warriors are starting from a 44-win base rather than 47 wins, some regression is much more predictable. But human observers also saw Golden State as better than its record by the end of the 2012-13 season by virtue of its playoff run. SCHOENE doesn't consider playoff statistics, so what the Warriors did in April and May isn't factored into their projection whatsoever.

...

Since Golden State was such a young team, internal improvement would be expected. Surprisingly, SCHOENE is pessimistic on this front, projecting only slight upticks for the Warriors' youngsters. Rapid development by Barnes and Green, both of whom played better in the playoffs, is the easiest way for Golden State to exceed its projection. That might be needed to offset a possible decline for Lee. Similar players at the same age saw their performance drop by nearly 5 percent the following season, and Lee was already coming off an All-Star campaign that might be difficult to duplicate.

Conventional wisdom also says the Warriors improved over the summer, and again SCHOENE disagrees. Iguodala and Speights are projected for a combined 6.9 wins above replacement (WARP), slightly worse than the 7.5 WARP Jack and Landry combined to provide last season. That's not to say Golden State made a mistake, because Jack and Landry were due to drop off (their combined 2013-14 projection is for 2.9 WARP), but it does suggest their production may be more difficult to replace than anticipated.

The wild card for the Warriors, as always, is health. Having Bogut in the lineup substantially increases their ceiling. Per NBA.com/Stats, Golden State outscored opponents by 7.9 points per 100 possessions with Bogut on the floor in the playoffs but was minus-8.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the bench. As healthy as he feels right now, it's unclear whether Bogut can physically stand up to the rigors of an 82-game season; if he comes anywhere close, it's difficult to envision the Warriors missing the playoffs.

Realistically, SCHOENE is probably underestimating the improvement Iguodala will provide on defense, and slightly underselling the potential of Barnes -- especially if he spends more time at power forward. Golden State is at the head of the pack of teams chasing the West's top five. Yet the red flags SCHOENE identifies are good reasons to believe the Warriors are much closer to that pack than they are to the West's elite.

SCHOENE Projection: 42-40, 2nd in Pacific, 9th in Western Conf.

Also, Cavs: SCHOENE Projection: 37-45, 4th in Central, 9th in Eastern Conference

[pilonv1]

ctrl+f "Curry"

no mention, go fuck yourself ESPN

[TakingBackSunday]

Fuck ESPN, read Grantland's article that Simmons and Lowe wrote:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9842911/the-grantland-annual-nba-league-pass-rankings

And jump to the last team.  My rustles are thoroughly and enjoyably rustled   Got chills, man.

Only 11 days

[benjipwns]

The rest of the teams:
9. Cavaliers: 37-45
10. Wizards: 35-47
11. Bobcats: 32-50
12. Bucks: 31-51
13. Celtics: 29-53
14. Sixers: 25-57
15. Magic: 23-59

9.Warriors: 42-40
10. Blazers: 41-41
11. Pelicans: 41-41
12. Lakers: 35-47
13. Jazz: 34-48
14. Kings: 28-54
15. Suns: 20-62

[pilonv1]

Warriors have always been fun to watch. Only thing that has changed is that they're winning and people know them

[benjipwns]

Vegas:
1. Heat: 60-22
2. Bulls: 57-25
3. Pacers: 54-28
4. Nets: 53-29
5. Knicks: 50-32
6. Wizards: 42-40
7. Pistons: 41-41
8. Cavaliers: 41-41
9. Hawks: 40-42
10. Raptors: 37-45
11. Bucks: 29-53
12. Celtics: 28-54
13. Bobcats: 28-54
14. Magic: 25-57
15. Sixers: 17-65

1. Clippers: 57-25
2. Spurs: 56-26
3. Rockets: 55-27
4. Thunder: 51-31
5. Warriors: 50-32
6. Grizzlies: 49-33
7. Nuggets: 47-35
8. Mavericks: 44-38
9. Timberwolves: 41-41
10. Pelicans: 40-42
11. Blazers: 39-43
12. Lakers: 34-48
13. Kings: 32-50
14. Jazz: 28-54
15. Suns: 22-60

[TakingBackSunday]

Vegas seems to like my picks, more or less.

[Stoney Mason]

I'm obviously rooting for the heat but I also hope the Pacers and the Cavaliers do well. I like both of those teams for different reasons Gilbert aside.

It's funny how that works. I like the Pacers but still hate the Bulls. I could tolerate the Pacers beating the heat. The bulls beating them would annoy me for some reason.

I also like that you have a few Eastern teams that have been bad for awhile with a chance to get back into the playoffs. The Cavs, The Pistons, The Wizards. 

[TakingBackSunday]

The Pistons are going to be amazing to watch this year in a "how the fuck are they making this work..." type of way.

[Phoenix Dark]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=86580874&postcount=1934
 

[Your Stalker]

nikka i already linked that in the gaf thread 

[TakingBackSunday]

Bulls will be darn good, especially against the Heat in the conference finals.  Heat could definitely meet their match in the East finally.

[Phoenix Dark]

Smooth Groove

 

every single pick up game has at least 3 of those guys

[Beezy]

so true

[Stoney Mason]

lol. banana swirl

[TakingBackSunday]

I'm the my bad guy  :'(

[Beezy]

Me too sometimes. When I was at my worst, I also used to be Mr. Freeze.

[TakingBackSunday]

that video is missing the pause dude

[TakingBackSunday]

http://instagram.com/p/fvsSQHFCCR/

wade

fuck you wade

[Stoney Mason]

Nerlens Noel to miss season

The Philadelphia 76ers are now expecting to hold first-round draft pick Nerlens Noel out for the entire upcoming season as he recovers from knee surgery, coach Brett Brown said Monday.

"I doubt, everybody doubts that he's going to play this year," Brown said before the Sixers played the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. "We don't want to waste this year. I think from a skill perspective, it's an opportunity for us to break down his shot, really work on his free throws and start a little bit from ground zero."

[Phoenix Dark]

Who didn't see that coming

[Beezy]

 

[Stoney Mason]

I always find these interesting.

http://www.nba.com/news/2013-14-nba-gm-survey/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt3a

[Phoenix Dark]

I always find these interesting.

http://www.nba.com/news/2013-14-nba-gm-survey/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt3a

Cody Zeller in the running for roty? 

[etiolate]

Further proof that most GMs are terribad

[Stoney Mason]

 

Man Crush.

[Stoney Mason]

[naff]

I had a league pass last year but didn't receive any special offers this time around....

So uh, maybe some muricans can help me out with this question. A friend who's a big bulls and noah fan has her bday coming up. I kno she's wanted a jersey for a while, but I kno she'd want a mesh one not one of these polyester swingman deals. Is my only option the pricey custom authentics? ($300 ) Can anybody vouch for a specific knock off brand/site. I don't need super high quality, so long as it looks decent

[TakingBackSunday]

r/NBA has said this site is pretty good:

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/Revolution-30-Basketball-Jersey/512754_211670151.html

they're knock offs and you may have to risk an awkward paypal exchange.  I've very nearly bitten the bullet for that iverson nuggets throwback, but I keep pushing it off.  I might try and snag that and a lebron one soon though

[TakingBackSunday]

goddamit I didn't read your post.  Didn't see she'd rather a mesh one

[etiolate]

Isaiah Thomas with a crazy shot in the 4th vs Warriors.

[Stoney Mason]

Oden played like 4 minutes for the heat last night.

[Stoney Mason]

 

[TakingBackSunday]

Kawhi with the "kill me" look

[etiolate]