Author Topic: The NBA thread (Read 1520793 times)

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13560 on:** September 11, 2014, 12:37:20 AM »

Grantland is fine. Simmons less so.

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #13561 on:** September 11, 2014, 09:40:28 AM »

I'm a fan of Bill, but I never take any of his analysis seriously. He just reminds me of a dude I would talk sports with at my locker before school starts. Crazy theories, a total homer but genuinely enthusiastic about everything.

He's not talented himself really, but he has a great eye for talent and getting those people to help him along.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13562 on:** September 11, 2014, 09:42:06 AM »

USA versus Lithuania today at 3 P.M. EST.

I might live blog it as I watch it.

etiolate · « **Reply #13563 on:** September 11, 2014, 02:41:07 PM »

This match-up may be more interesting than the gold match. Lithuania at least has some size to throw at the US.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13564 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:19:39 PM »

Game tied at 13.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13565 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:32:32 PM »

Harden defense lol

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13566 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:37:04 PM »

Lithuania struggling to get good offensive shots against this defense.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13567 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:42:46 PM »

To balance it out though the US is playing poorly in the half court.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13568 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:46:24 PM »

US offense almost all iso play or individual plays. Not much team basketball.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13569 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:49:28 PM »

Cousins almost getting into a fight. lol.

To be fair it was a cheap shot in the throat against him.

etiolate · « **Reply #13570 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:49:36 PM »

Jonas almost got himself destroyed.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13571 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:55:51 PM »

US up my 8 at the half. The US defense is fine. Lithuania isn't getting good shots. But the US offense is turning over the ball and isn't generating as many easy shots as they should be.

etiolate · « **Reply #13572 on:** September 11, 2014, 03:58:27 PM »

http://www.gfycat.com/LazyBleakHartebeest

lol Jonas

Don't be dirty if you can't handle the heat.

The US offense being a mess is no surprise. I don't understand how they can't practice even simple plays. They don't involve the bigs in any way other than going for offensive rebounds. Klay is getting shots to drop because he's smart enough to use screens from his bigs. Everything else is dribble dribble, drive or jack shot.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13573 on:** September 11, 2014, 04:13:12 PM »

US comes out of half-time shooting 3's and hot.

10-0 run.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13574 on:** September 11, 2014, 04:25:34 PM »

US up by 27. Blowout is on.

Your Stalker · « **Reply #13575 on:** September 11, 2014, 04:27:04 PM »

damn didn't they give amerikkka trouble during the olympics?

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13576 on:** September 11, 2014, 04:31:03 PM »

All US had to do was play up to their ability on offense. They were really sucking on that end in the first half. Once the offense started clicking, it was over. The defense was already too much for Lithuania

etiolate · « **Reply #13577 on:** September 11, 2014, 04:36:54 PM »

Davis is really struggling in this game.

US started hitting its jumpers and getting into transition int he 3rd. It seems most of these world cup teams can't keep up with the US for the whole game and tire out in the second half.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13578 on:** September 11, 2014, 04:39:58 PM »

Quote from: etiolate on September 11, 2014, 04:36:54 PM

Davis is really struggling in this game.

US started hitting its jumpers and getting into transition int he 3rd. It seems most of these world cup teams can't keep up with the US for the whole game and tire out in the second half.

Too many elite level US scorers. These other teams struggle for their buckets. Every Lithuania basket has been a brutal effort. They get nothing easy. The game has to be a snail pace for that to work against the US.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13579 on:** September 11, 2014, 04:58:50 PM »

lol. Almost another fight in the post game handshakes.

etiolate · « **Reply #13580 on:** September 11, 2014, 05:04:15 PM »

Quote from: Stoney Mason on September 11, 2014, 04:58:50 PM

lol. Almost another fight in the post game handshakes.

I went to take a shower. What happened?

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13581 on:** September 11, 2014, 05:07:09 PM »

Quote from: etiolate on September 11, 2014, 05:04:15 PM

Quote from: Stoney Mason on September 11, 2014, 04:58:50 PM
lol. Almost another fight in the post game handshakes.

I went to take a shower. What happened?

http://www.gfycat.com/DeadlyCheapDrever

Not sure what triggered it.

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #13582 on:** September 11, 2014, 05:09:19 PM »

lol fucking thompson

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13583 on:** September 11, 2014, 05:17:01 PM »

btw if you haven't been following this tournament Derrick Rose has played terribly. They would have been better off with John Wall. Or pretty much anybody.

etiolate · « **Reply #13584 on:** September 11, 2014, 05:53:00 PM »

I think both Rose and Gay are on the squad for their international experience.

Anyways, the blueprint for beating USA is controlling the pace and watching the US half court offense implode. They have some defensive issues on the wing with Curry and Harden, but the US can just sub in Thompson to up their defense. Most of their problems come from playing a half court game.

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #13585 on:** September 11, 2014, 06:26:03 PM »

What? Fucker are you serious?

Simmons is one of the hardest on Lebron, ESPECIALLY after the Decision and the first failed Finals apperance.

Steve Contra · « **Reply #13586 on:** September 11, 2014, 06:39:55 PM »

Put Shinobi in the white trash poll for being so emotionally invested in an athlete.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #13587 on:** September 11, 2014, 06:43:18 PM »

Quote from: Steve Contra on September 11, 2014, 06:39:55 PM

Put Shinobi in the white trash poll for being so emotionally invested in an athlete.

shouldn't he be on the poll moreso for irrational hate of a young black man?

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #13588 on:** September 11, 2014, 07:53:31 PM »

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24705753/recording-of-danny-ferrys-comments-on-luol-deng-surfaces

uh oh

doesn't sound like he's just reading what someone said.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13589 on:** September 11, 2014, 10:31:29 PM »

Quote

"I'm not a promotions person," Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said, scoffing at the suggestion from one reporter that the World Cup had "lost its luster" thanks to Spain's demise. "I wasn't a marketing major. I'll let everybody who wants to do that take care of it.

"I'm not surprised about anything in international competition. If we feel we can lose, we know anybody else can lose."

Quote

When another reporter suggested to Derrick Rose that Team USA was lucky to dodge the Spaniards, Rose said: "Lucky? Come on. Luck don't have anything to do with it. ... I think that's one of the reasons why we came over here ... to play them. Too bad we're not playing them now. Hopefully we go out there in our next game and play hard and just know that we're there for a reason."

Quote

Faried, who along with Team USA guard Klay Thompson has been in the spotlight more this summer more than he typically is in the NBA, was the exception in terms of revealing his true feelings about the Spaniards. He said some media members were guilty of giving Spain "too much hype" while being "borderline disrespectful" to the American big men and their chances of succeeding against brothers Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka.

"I've been trying to hold my tongue for this one," Faried said. "I felt as though we came out and did our job. And y'all kept saying, 'Oh, you're not going to beat Spain.' Spain couldn't even beat France. When Spain can meet us at the championship game, then come talk to me."

So glad Faried said that because I felt the exact same way. Another example of reporters and talking heads trying to write stories and create the narrative beforehand instead of the results dictating the narrative.

http://espn.go.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/11510610/kenneth-faried-says-team-usa-wanted-beat-spain-fiba-basketball-world-cup-final

benjipwns · « **Reply #13590 on:** September 11, 2014, 10:42:56 PM »

The Spain thing was always because we needed a nemesis and their size is the only clear advantage any other team has. The NBA has transitioned past the "Euro" style even more than Yurop used to be, the good NBA teams prize shooting, spacing and rotating the ball now (and defensive schemes to counter it), 2002 and 2004 were in the middle of the "everybody clear out, I'm going to jack a 20 footer" era. The recent teams have all been unselfish and willingly gone to Melo and Durant who were huge matchup problems same as how all the stars on the Dream Team deferred to Chuck as the "star" player. Plus they all knew then and know now they're getting the ball back when they're open or in good position.

Foreign teams are much better than they ever have been, but the US has run back ahead of them, in some ways, almost by accident. Which is why this supposed "C" team is thrashing people.

Quote from: BrandNew on September 11, 2014, 06:26:03 PM

What? Fucker are you serious? Simmons is one of the hardest on Lebron, ESPECIALLY after the Decision and the first failed Finals apperance.

He flopped after the evisceration of Boston on the way to the first ring and then kept heading in that direction more and more.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13591 on:** September 11, 2014, 11:00:14 PM »

I would agree with that. The thing is good shooting in the NBA has never been at a higher premium because of the influx of stat nerds and actual coaches who understand how important the three is.

That brand of Kobe/Iverson 1 on 1 dribble the air out of the ball style basketball is now frowned upon heavily. Most of the top flight nba guards and forwards are at least competent at the 3 point shot now.

benjipwns · « **Reply #13592 on:** September 11, 2014, 11:22:44 PM »

Basically the new NBA either because of stats or foreigners or Thibs like defensive principles have emphasized the "strange" things of what was termed European style. But in Europe/elsewhere it developed out of necessity because they didn't have big stars (or dominant athletes) who stayed there for long, so they had stretch bigs and no "real" point guard lineups and passing based offenses and all that stuff in place because that was how you won games by forcing other teams to play you a certain way. Then in the 2000s they started to get the talent to compete. I mean we can't pretend it didn't take a while to transition from Dino Radja to Toni Kukoc to Dirk Nowitzki in terms of star talent.

Vlade Divac was playing basically his entire career how the Bulls have used Noah the last two years and everyone's amazed by it. Divac just didn't have a team build their whole offense around that fact until he was like 33.

The slow-down grind-it-out style of say 1993-2003 didn't help either. Fewer possessions allows poorer teams to compete easier. This US team especially has taken advantage of running, and I think that's why they made some of the "questionable" picks everyone was lamenting like Faried.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13593 on:** September 12, 2014, 04:39:03 PM »

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11514254/danny-ferry-atlanta-hawks-takes-leave-absence

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13594 on:** September 13, 2014, 01:46:58 AM »

Just got through watching a video replay of Serbia versus France. Was a really good 4th quarter. Batum got really hot. Scored like 35 with a lot of that in the last quarter with france trying to make a run.

Teodosic played great for Serbia.

That being said unless something goes horribly wrong, the US shouldn't have a problem with Serbia.

etiolate · « **Reply #13595 on:** September 13, 2014, 04:52:18 AM »

Missed the Serbia/France game. I thought it was going to be on in the morning like the US games had been.

I kept waiting for the US to pull out their big game against someone, but the situation never arose. They'll probably follow the same pattern of a flat first half and then a blowout second half. I don't see what Serbia can do to really give them trouble.

etiolate · « **Reply #13596 on:** September 13, 2014, 02:02:46 PM »

http://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/2g9mq1/with_all_this_controversy_in_the_nfl_im_glad_that/

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13597 on:** September 13, 2014, 04:01:06 PM »

You found my secret reddit identity.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13598 on:** September 13, 2014, 04:33:55 PM »

Quote

Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay said he has a fracture in his jaw and a broken tooth, but he insists that won't keep him off the court as Team USA plays Serbia in the gold medal game of the FIBA Basketball World Cup on Sunday.

Gay suffered the injures after getting elbowed in the fourth quarter of Team USA's 96-68 victory over Lithuania in the semifinals on Thursday night in Barcelona.

"I've got a fracture in my jaw, a broken tooth and am going to probably need a root canal," Gay told USA Today Sports on Saturday. "The top is where I got hit. It's painful. It's uncomfortable, and it still bleeds, so I've got to continuously gargle. It is what it is, man."

According to USA Basketball officials, Gay's only confirmed injury is a chipped tooth.

Gay said he complained about the elbow in the handshake line with Lithuania's players after the semifinal game, which led to players on both sides shouting at one another and brought Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski into the middle of the fray as peacemaker.

Gay told USA Today Sports that he isn't sure whose elbow hit him in the mouth, but he clearly still wasn't happy about it Saturday.

"I think (the elbow) had a little bit to do with (the situation afterward)," Gay told the paper. "It was a dirty play, man. It was a dirty play."

Gay said he underwent medical attention until 2 a.m. Friday morning before flying with the rest of Team USA to Madrid for the title game.

I didn't think it was a dirty play such much as unfortunate but they didn't really show good replays of it during the game so maybe I'm wrong. This apparently was the cause of the near post-game fight.

etiolate · « **Reply #13599 on:** September 13, 2014, 05:52:02 PM »

You could see the tooth was knocked in during the game. I don't recall the replay being vicious. Hope it's nothing major.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13600 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:05:04 PM »

Game on. Live Blog Start now

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13601 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:07:54 PM »

Serbia off to a good start. US in early foul trouble.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13602 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:10:51 PM »

US looks rattled by the foul happy calls early.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13603 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:15:04 PM »

US starting to settle back down. 9-0 run.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13604 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:16:22 PM »

US exploding at the moment. You can tell they were pissed the way the game started off. Still close but they are hot right now and aggressive. Kyrie is on fire early.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13605 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:20:40 PM »

US raining three's at the moment. 30-19.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13606 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:22:26 PM »

Kyrie 15 points in the first quarter. 6 of 7 from the field.

End of first quarter 35-21.

US started off badly because of a crazy high number of fouls called early. But once the whistles stopped they exploded against serbia and serbia without the calls aren't getting good shots.

etiolate · « **Reply #13607 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:22:43 PM »

Irving and Boogie broke this game open. See if they can keep it up.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13608 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:26:07 PM »

Boogie has played well all tournament. Especially considering some people were originally saying he wasn't even going to make the team over Plumlee. Which made no sense.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13609 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:27:56 PM »

No shitting here but Kyrie looks like what Wade use to look like. He and Lebron are going to match up really well.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13610 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:30:49 PM »

Gotta love Faried. He's been the MVP of the team I would argue.

TakingBackSunday · « **Reply #13611 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:31:55 PM »

Yup. Faried or Klay should get MVP

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13612 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:39:20 PM »

US still on fire from the arc. Probably their best shooting game of the tournament.

etiolate · « **Reply #13613 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:39:51 PM »

Yeah Faried has been the most consistent guy for US. I'd give him MVP.

Irving just butter tonight.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13614 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:43:21 PM »

Nice block from Boogie.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13615 on:** September 14, 2014, 03:52:00 PM »

67-41 at the half. Second half will mostly be a lot of bench players getting in for the US. They broke Serbia in that first quarter. Impressive stuff from the US. I'm glad this team played so well after a lot of carping from the pundit class about how they weren't a good squad. This should be the kind of time we praise not be insanely critical of.

etiolate · « **Reply #13616 on:** September 14, 2014, 04:00:37 PM »

https://twitter.com/im_malo/status/511238863126536192/photo/1

harden D is great comedy

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13617 on:** September 14, 2014, 04:11:33 PM »

Yeah his D is still terrible. There was a play earlier with him that was also laughable. All that talk about about his improved D is bs. He's a great offensive player. But he just doesn't have the skills or the motor to do it on the defensive side.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13618 on:** September 14, 2014, 04:18:05 PM »

Kyrie.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13619 on:** September 14, 2014, 04:49:41 PM »

Game finishes 129-92. US called off the dogs honestly after the initial big run as it could have been a lot worse.

Impressive tournament from the US. They played some lazy first half's but in nearly every case they exploded in the 3rd and put every game out of reach.

News:

Author Topic: The NBA thread (Read 1520793 times)