NBA 2018-2019 Regular Season

[walto]

Hayward and Irving back for Boston. Hayward looked a little nervy, but it seems he'll be OK. Irving, I'm not so sure about. It's not so much that he missed nearly every shot he took, often by a lot, but that he was taking all these long jumpers and not going to the basket. After the game, Boston commentators said that maybe he was trying to get all his teammates involved, but what makes Kyrie, Kyrie are his incredible handle and finishing moves. There was one (1!) behind the back dribble, and he used it to take a long J. He was at the basket on offense twice. Once he was the recipient of a pass there on a fast break, and once he missed a layup.

Maybe it was just nerves, coming back after so long, but maybe his career as an all-star is over. As he's my favorite NBA player, this causes me some concern. Again, not the missed shots, but the paucity of moves and attempts at the rim.

Re the game, generally, it continues to bore me, and I will definitely not watch much of it this year. Football (soccer too) is much more exciting to me now--although it is (sadly) also much more dangerous to its players. And the unpredictability thing! The Jags dominate the (regal) Pats, and then are destroyed by the (2-3) Cowboys two weeks later. There is a top tier in the NFL--Rams, Pats, KC, Saints--but they can lose any week to anybody. And all the rest of the teams are simply great one week, terrible the next. Just not like that in the NBA or (or in NCAA basketball). As I've said, I think it's the vast number of possessions in hoops that makes the probability of the better team winning so much higher (and makes which teams are actually better so much easier to assess). There are a lot of possessions in soccer as well, but so few of them involve real scoring opportunities that, again, it doesn't seem to matter so much to predicting outcomes. In football, each team gets about a dozen possessions a game: that's it. Tough to make predictions with such limited data. Makes for more excitement in my book.

[Steve Minkin]

Dennis Schroder and Nerlens Noel are significant additions to the Thunder. When Westbrook gets back, that's going to be a tough team.

Dubs clicking. Looney and Jones both looked real good. Klay was off, but it hardly mattered.

[Steve Minkin]

Dubs/ Jazz tonight was at playoff-level intensity, Jazz had won 3 in a row over the champs, they were playing in their home opener, came out hot as hell and scored 81 first half points. Dubs win on a last-second tip-in by Jerebko, returning to his last-year's home-court.

Quite likely a preview of the WC finals.

[Captain Hate]

Not sure if it's real or not but if Kawhi has his head screwed on right, that could put Toronto over the top.

[jon abbey]

Not sure if it's real or not but if Kawhi has his head screwed on right, that could put Toronto over the top.

to a title? he is awesome, but pretty dubious about that, but it would be nice if they could keep BOS out of the Finals at least. BOS is freaking loaded if healthy, though, so I am not optimistic.

I've watched bits and pieces of games here and there, awful quality of play just reconfirming my belief that the NBA shouldn't start until December or January.

[Captain Hate]

To get to the finals; but once there anything can happen. People forget that two years ago the Spurs were up by 25 at Oracle in game 1 before that piece of shit Pachulia slid his foot under an airborne Leonard and then things took a 180 for the rest of the fucking series.

Toronto's a talented team who just weren't mentally tough in the playoffs, like a better version of Portland. Leonard, when he isn't listening to his idiot family members, is impervious to pressure and isn't afraid of any team.

[Steve Minkin]

Refs are blowing more whistles for tight defense, game is being called a bit differently this year.

Through the end of play on the first Sunday last season, just two teams were giving up 120 on average -- this year, ten teams. The Nuggets (who beat the champs on a last second block tonight) are the only team giving up fewer than 100, while every team is scoring at least 100.

Teams need to adjust. Dubs are averaging 27 fouls a game through the first three. Nuggets had 42 free throws tonight, and who wants to watch that?! (Especially since they shot under 60% on them!)

[jon abbey]

To get to the finals; but once there anything can happen. People forget that two years ago the Spurs were up by 25 at Oracle in game 1 before that piece of shit Pachulia slid his foot under an airborne Leonard and then things took a 180 for the rest of the fucking series.

no one forgets that, but it was just one game. 'anything can happen' was a lot more likely before GS added Durant also, they are 32-6 in two postseasons since then.

[Steve Minkin]

Dubs put a team on the floor on the 4th quarter with one 26-year old and 4 players 23 or younger. It's been a while since they've had this much youth on the roster.

Jerebko is thriving in this style of play, and Damien Jones is looking like a very credible center-of-the-future. Looney continues to look good, has a nice mid-range shot now. Bell is getting a little lost in the shuffle, while McKinnie is exceeding expectations. Cousins will start practicing (but not scrimmaging) with the team soon. Steph's new brother-in-law got a little playing time last night, but will spend most of the year in Santa Cruz.

[Steve Minkin]

Career high 50 for Blake Griffin against the 76ers, looking pretty agile on the highlights. Drummond tossed after his 2nd T, prompting Embiid to claim, "I think I own a lot of real estate in his head."

[Steve Minkin]

Follow-up on the high-score comment above:
The Phoenix 7-seconds-or-less team of 05-06 would be ranked slower in pace than all 30 teams this season.

This on a night when the Warriors win 144-122 and Steph gets 51.

[walto]

I think all those possessions will mean more predictability and even fewer upsets.

[Captain Hate]

Does this asshole ever shut up?

https://www.si.com/nba/2018/10/24/david ... rs-hornets

[jon abbey]

Follow-up on the high-score comment above:
The Phoenix 7-seconds-or-less team of 05-06 would be ranked slower in pace than all 30 teams this season.

This on a night when the Warriors win 144-122 and Steph gets 51.

glorified preseason, wake me up in January.

also hard to see a challenger for GS in the West this year, HOU looks worse and UTH are fine but not on that level.

[Captain Hate]

Houston sure doesn't fuck around. Not sure if it gets them what they want...

[jon abbey]

yeah, really hope that happens (it’s like a response to my previous post, heh). it is super ballsy (four #1s for one season of Butler!!) but Chris Paul is running on fumes, and a top four of Capela/Butler/Harden/Paul could push GS again although HOU needs a second big there and if Boogie Cousins is GS’s 5th, even more so.

[walto]

Boston/OKC last night was a good example of how a lot of possessions is bad for bad teams. OKC led for most of the game, was up 16 at one point and 9 with four minutes left. But the game wasn't really in doubt. Boston missed its first 11 three-pointers. But then they made a ton of them in the 3rd period. It was like the Celtics of old. Lots of possessions back then too.

[Steve Minkin]

I'm calling tonight for a 40th birthday party for Shane Battier and his wife, ranch near Calistoga.

[moneyp]

Interesting.

[jon abbey]

Mone! wow.

nice one, Steve.