|
Post by fernans (MIAMI HEAT) on Feb 25, 2022 7:59:46 GMT -5
will be wild if chicago knocks off new york
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Feb 25, 2022 12:14:10 GMT -5
Yeah, I mean... imagine being NY, going all in, getting the 1 seed, finally avoiding Tampa in the first round, going into the playoffs with Embiid, LeBron, and Mitchell all playing... and then losing because the rest of your team dropped dead.
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Feb 28, 2022 10:46:02 GMT -5
MID-WEEK UPDATE
New York leads Chicago, 7-2 It's weird to speak of the Knicks as the underdog, given they entered as the 1 seed and sport the three best players, but it felt as if they were behind the 8-ball when this series started. Powell, Hardaway, and Nance were out for the year. Enes Freedom was traded and cut. Nerlens Noel was banged up, and Markelle Fultz still had no timetable. Things looked bleak. But then the basketball gods evened the playing field. The Bulls suddenly find themselves down Kristaps Porzingis, Ben Simmons, Quentin Grimes, Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. It looked like Simmons, Porzingis, Brooks and Dort would all be back for the latter half of this series. Now, that is unlikely. The Knicks have to be considered the favorite again, though this is still anyone's ball game. The only categories that appear locked are points (Knicks) and turnovers (Bulls). Threes (Knicks) may also be settled as well, given the nature of Chicago's injuries. It's nearly impossible to project games in this series, with all the injuries, but it does appear the Knicks will have a slight edge in that category. Right now, the big three of Embiid, James, and Mitchell is carrying a bulk of the load. It may not be enough to get this team all the way to the Finals, though it could be enough to finally get them a playoff win.
Tampa Bay leads Brooklyn, 7-1-1 Yeah, this one is over. Brooklyn's only real path to victory was turnovers, percentages, steals, and blocks, and the Bull Sharks have effectively cut off percentages (while performing surprisingly well in blocks). The talent gap was so vast in this one, that Brooklyn needed several players to play wildly over their heads for an extended stretch, and that just hasn't happened. Combine that with Tampa's stars playing up to their talent level, and it was over quick. The Bull Sharks look good, and with both Chicago and New York banged up, have to now be considered the favorite in the East. That doesn't mean it hasn't been all good news. Chris Paul is now out for the rest of the playoffs with an injured thumb, and his replacement, Derrick Rose, saw his return pushed back due to an ankle surgery. It is still possible for this team to win the title, but the competition level rises dramatically in that last round.
Golden State leads OKC, 7-2 Speaking of rising competition levels... the Warriors look like a buzzsaw right now. They lead all playoff teams in threes, rebounds, assists, steals, and points. They're second in blocks and third in free throw percentage. They've ridden a 400+ minutes advantage to a solid lead on the Thunder, and while we can't call it just yet, it doesn't seem like we'll have to wait very long to do so. However, like the Bull Sharks, injuries are something to keep an eye on here. Kemba Walker is already done for the year (non-injury related), but the Warriors have Herb Jones waiting in the wings. Fred VanVleet has had a balky knee and could be looking at some absences over the next month, and Vuc sprained an ankle last time out. He's probable, but again, just keep an eye on it. Meanwhile, it is somewhat poetic that Devin Booker is the one nailing slamming the door shut on the Thunder. Book has thoroughly outproduced Anthony Edwards and Devin Vassell (combined). Edwards has been particularly awful, shooting just 21% from the floor and 56% from the free throw line. Golden State has made a number of shrewd moves to get to this point, but the Booker trade could go down as the best one.
Kansas City leads Phoenix, 4-4-1 Well, well, well, would you look at Poopy. This has been, arguably, the most fascinating match-up of the playoffs thus far if only because expectations keep flipping back and forth. Going in, it looked like Phoenix was the heavy favorite. Then Poopy racked up some big leads in certain categories (steals, turnovers), only to relinquish them while making up ground in other categories (threes, rebounds). Both teams were hit with unexpected injuries out of the all-star break (LeVert for the Kings, Anunoby for the Suns), and they will now be relying on D-Leaguers for the remainder of this match-up. They each got back borderline star level point guards (SGA/Brogdon). Darn near every category is close, though it does seem like points and field goal percentage are safely in favor of the Kings, while free throw percentage and assists are Suns categories. That said, all four of those are still within the range for the "losing" team. As it stands, the Kings do have a significant games advantage this week (should everyone play), but the Suns probably have higher ceiling players. It'll be fascinating to see how this one plays out.
|
|
|
Post by Phoenix Suns on Feb 28, 2022 12:21:45 GMT -5
With how my schedule is set up, figuring out who to bench or start has been a nightmare. Olynyk hitting more 3s than Simons, Brogdon getting more blocks than Robinson, JV getting more steals than Conley.. I could have figured out that playing Robinson against Embiid was a bad idea, but the others just feel so random
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Feb 28, 2022 13:45:55 GMT -5
Not to mention Jokic only scoring 8 points. Your stats yesterday were unusual.
|
|
|
Post by crossover (Golden St. GM) on Mar 1, 2022 20:52:39 GMT -5
Is it just me or does this round seem extremely long lol
KC and Tampa are looking strong.
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Mar 1, 2022 21:59:28 GMT -5
Is it just me or does this round seem extremely long lol KC and Tampa are looking strong. It's the all star break. We used to have the option to count the week before the game and the week after as two separate weeks, but at some point, espn took that option away.
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Mar 2, 2022 9:36:49 GMT -5
More proof that you should do whatever you can to make the playoffs? The Knicks looked like underdogs heading into their series with Chicago, given their injuries. However, the Bulls lineup has now been completely decimated by injuries of their own, and the Knicks should probably advance unless disaster strikes.
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Mar 3, 2022 9:29:42 GMT -5
The Knicks and Bull Sharks look like they've wrapped up their respective match-ups. Golden State probably has theirs wrapped up. Kansas City held their ground last night against Phoenix, and now we'll see if they can build up a big enough advantage to survive the weekend.
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Mar 5, 2022 10:32:54 GMT -5
That last minute Mitch Rob sub kept Phoenix alive last night
|
|
|
Post by Phoenix Suns on Mar 5, 2022 16:52:44 GMT -5
I feel more in agony than alive tbh. Anyway, I set the alarm at 3am to check on Jokic, at least nobody can't say I didn't try hard enough 😂
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Mar 7, 2022 9:52:45 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Mar 7, 2022 18:55:34 GMT -5
Good luck to our Final Four
|
|
|
Post by Miege22 on Mar 8, 2022 9:16:19 GMT -5
Seems like everyone but Tampa got some unexpected bad news yesterday/today. Christian Wood, Nic Vucevic, Grayson Allen, LeBron James... I hope that's not a theme.
|
|
Tampa Bay Bull Sharks
Moderator
2012 NBA Champions, 2015 NBA Champions, 2016 NBA Champions, 2024 GM League Cup Champions
Posts: 2,922
|
Post by Tampa Bay Bull Sharks on Mar 8, 2022 9:26:18 GMT -5
I got my bad news over the weekend with Allen going down lol
|
|