Official NBA 2016-2017 Thread - 30 teams, 1 goal. 2 weeks left, so much can happen!!
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17989674/espn-reporters-denied-entry-cover-mavericks-games-dallas
Mark Cuban has some nerve
Bitch your team doesn't deserve full coverage like that look at your product you have been putting out you delusional CAC
Mark Cuban has some nerve
Bitch your team doesn't deserve full coverage like that look at your product you have been putting out you delusional CAC
Gregg Popovich on Tim Duncan: 'We're like in love'
SAN ANTONIO -- Recently retired San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan joined his former team for practice on Monday, and coach Gregg Popovich likened their relationship to that of a loving couple.
Asked whether he has interacted with Duncan over the club’s past few outings, Popovich said: “Oh, sure. We’re like in love. We text all the time.”
Are emojis involved?
“Only the ones where you blow kisses,” Popovich quipped.
One of the cornerstones of the franchise’s five NBA titles, Duncan retired in July after 19 seasons with the team. Duncan has joined the Spurs on multiple occasions for practices at the team’s facilities, but his role with the organization remains unclear.
Spurs general manager R.C. Buford has said he would like for Duncan to transition into life after basketball before carving out a defined role with the club, and Popovich said the future Hall of Famer can be “the coach of whatever he feels like.”
Duncan still lives fairly close to the team’s practice facilities, and his car customization business, BlackJack Speed Shop, is less than five minutes from the Spurs’ workout site.
“There’s an opportunity, especially for the young guys, when they do see him to go over and pick his brain,” Spurs reserve guard Patty Mills said. “I had the opportunity to do it for five years. So I think guys should make the most of that. Whenever I see him, I just give him grief for being old and not being here anymore. It’s definitely good to see him turn up every now and again.”
SAN ANTONIO -- Recently retired San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan joined his former team for practice on Monday, and coach Gregg Popovich likened their relationship to that of a loving couple.
Asked whether he has interacted with Duncan over the club’s past few outings, Popovich said: “Oh, sure. We’re like in love. We text all the time.”
Are emojis involved?
“Only the ones where you blow kisses,” Popovich quipped.
One of the cornerstones of the franchise’s five NBA titles, Duncan retired in July after 19 seasons with the team. Duncan has joined the Spurs on multiple occasions for practices at the team’s facilities, but his role with the organization remains unclear.
Spurs general manager R.C. Buford has said he would like for Duncan to transition into life after basketball before carving out a defined role with the club, and Popovich said the future Hall of Famer can be “the coach of whatever he feels like.”
Duncan still lives fairly close to the team’s practice facilities, and his car customization business, BlackJack Speed Shop, is less than five minutes from the Spurs’ workout site.
“There’s an opportunity, especially for the young guys, when they do see him to go over and pick his brain,” Spurs reserve guard Patty Mills said. “I had the opportunity to do it for five years. So I think guys should make the most of that. Whenever I see him, I just give him grief for being old and not being here anymore. It’s definitely good to see him turn up every now and again.”
I saw his score and was thinking that. Like damn, he lurks here.
I think Utah would be a 4th seed or higher in the east
; i just don't understand why the east doesn't improve; i know this shit runs in cycles but dam.....
; i just don't understand why the east doesn't improve; i know this shit runs in cycles but dam.....
I told ya'll, we're sorry. I knew Kemba would roast us. They don't have "it." Talent, strategy, desire. 7th seed at best.
Bird fell in love with Golden State's style of play. Play faster, score more points. That's the future of the league. But they lack the shooters (Teague and Ellis). And defense. Who does that?
They can only get better though, but teams like CHA have been brewing for years. So you just can't close that gap with new guys who aren't that good. If they materialize and become legit this season, I'll be very surprised.
I told ya'll, we're sorry. I knew Kemba would roast us. They don't have "it." Talent, strategy, desire. 7th seed at best.
Bird fell in love with Golden State's style of play. Play faster, score more points. That's the future of the league. But they lack the shooters (Teague and Ellis). And defense. Who does that?
They can only get better though, but teams like CHA have been brewing for years. So you just can't close that gap with new guys who aren't that good. If they materialize and become legit this season, I'll be very surprised.
Damn. How's Thad playing for y'all? And I think as long as PG13 is healthy, your a playoff team
I hope so. And Young is still finding his role. Sometimes you don't even realize he's on the floor. Can work on his court presence. He's definitely a nice addition, just gonna take some time with these ball dominant guards.
I told ya'll, we're sorry. I knew Kemba would roast us. They don't have "it." Talent, strategy, desire. 7th seed at best.
Bird fell in love with Golden State's style of play. Play faster, score more points. That's the future of the league. But they lack the shooters (Teague and Ellis). And defense. Who does that?
They can only get better though, but teams like CHA have been brewing for years. So you just can't close that gap with new guys who aren't that good. If they materialize and become legit this season, I'll be very surprised.
Yea bird did flip the script with y'all one of the most fear teams in the leaguer with that tough style of play.
Just because the league is going to that small ball shit don't mean you have to which it up. Man do what you do and it will work out for you.
Yeah Thad has what I call quiet numbers. He'll have 15 and 9 but its the most un-impactful 15 & 9 you would ever see. I was glad when we traded him to y'all. I'm just waiting to see how this Caris LeVert kid will be.
Teague is too streaky for me. I see why the Hawks stuck with Patch instead of him
Devin Booker (20 years, 7 days old) is now the youngest player in NBA History to score 38+ points in consecutive games
That young man is a problem
He has a very bright future
Bro, there's some nice young young talent on the scene, along with the soon to be vets and the old schoolers getting ready for departure
I told ya'll, we're sorry. I knew Kemba would roast us. They don't have "it." Talent, strategy, desire. 7th seed at best.
Bird fell in love with Golden State's style of play. Play faster, score more points. That's the future of the league. But they lack the shooters (Teague and Ellis). And defense. Who does that?
They can only get better though, but teams like CHA have been brewing for years. So you just can't close that gap with new guys who aren't that good. If they materialize and become legit this season, I'll be very surprised.
Don't know about defense but this will never help...
What's wrong with the Celtics' defense?
BOSTON -- On the eve of the Boston Celtics' season opener last month, after a training camp in which players routinely were peppered with questions about the potential of the team's defense, coach Brad Stevens was asked if he thought his team could climb higher in defensive rating.
"I think defense is one of those things that you’ve got to go out there and do it," Stevens said. "It’s not about talking about it. It’s not about the anticipation of how good we can be. That’s an everyday commitment."
After Sunday night's embarrassing 123-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets -- a game in which Boston's defense gave up 77 first-half points while sleepwalking against a team coming off a 17-point defeat the night before in Detroit -- the Celtics find themselves ranked 29th in defensive rating while allowing an unfathomable 110.2 points per 100 possessions. Only the New York Knicks are worse -- and not by much (110.9).
For context, the Celtics finished tied for fourth in defensive rating last season while allowing 100.9 points per 100 possessions. The Los Angeles Lakers were far and away the worst defensive team last year at 109.3.
Sure, the Celtics have yet to play a game this season at full strength. On Sunday night, they played without three of their top seven players in Al Horford (concussion), Jae Crowder (ankle) and Kelly Olynyk (shoulder).Marcus Smart, Boston's best defender off the bench, missed the team's first three games with an ankle injury. Avery Bradley has played despite a sore shoulder that required a cortisone shot last week.
But none of those injuries explains just how atrocious Boston's defense has been. The Celtics consistently have looked out of place and out of sync. And that doesn't make sense when you consider the same core is in place for a team that made defense its calling card much of last season. What's more, Boston's defense was excellent in the preseason (defensive rating of 95) and has shown flashes of its potential this season.
So what in the world is going on?
"We’re not as good as we thought we were," said Celtics All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, a black hoodie drawn tight over his head as he tried to explain the latest defensive dud. "When we don’t come out with a sense of urgency, we’re not a good team, and that’s what happened tonight."
But what about those aspirations of being a top defense?
"At this point, we’re all talk," Thomas said. "That’s all we’re doing. So until we put it together in a full 48-minute game and show what we can do at that end, we’re not gonna be a top defensive team."
Stevens spent the night throwing darts with hopes of finding some sort of spark for his team. Nothing worked. Nuggets second-year guard Emmanuel Mudiay scored 24 of his game-high 30 points in a first-quarter blitz that saw Denver hang 42 points on Boston. Fans at TD Garden showered the Celtics with boos as they walked off the court down 25 at halftime.
Given that the Celtics haven't been able to pull out of their defensive funk, Stevens tried to absorb much of the blame for his team's struggles. But he also not-so-subtly insinuated that his team has been soft so far this season.
“I thought, looking at [Denver] film, this could be bad for us," Stevens said. “And the reason I thought that is because -- the nicest way I can say this is, I think we play like a finesse team and [the Nuggets] play physical.
“I thought the [Danilo] Gallinari dunk was a great example of that. I thought Kenneth Faried diving on the floor with 3:57 left in the fourth quarter was a great example of that. That’s who we’ve been the last week."
Stevens was asked if Boston can still be a top defense.
"I don’t even know if it’s statistically possible, based on our week. You know?" Stevens said. "I don’t even know if you can make it up in 76 games. But we can get a lot better. But it starts with holding your ground physically.
"Mudiay goes nuts, that’s fine. But Mudiay also gets two putbacks -- or at least one putback early -- that gets you going, makes you feel good about yourself, see the ball go through the net, it’s an easy basket. Now you hit a couple of the tougher ones.
"We brought a little bit of aggressiveness at the start of the third quarter, but that wasn’t sustainable. I don’t know. I don’t have the answer. Obviously we’ve got some guys that aren’t playing that will play, but this is about physically holding your ground.
"I've got to look at everything we’re doing, and go from there. I told the players it’s my fault because I played -- I watched us play this way. And you can’t do that. Bottom line is, when you have a spot, you have to hold it. When you have a spot, you have to take it. And we’re not. So whether it’s changing who plays, whether it’s creating a new scheme, whether it’s subbing differently, whatever the case may be, we just have to figure that out."
Bradley, an all-defense first-teamer last season, wouldn't use the absence of Boston's injured players as an excuse for the struggles. He's hopeful that Stevens can help right this ship.
"It is disappointing, but I’m going to leave that up to Brad," Bradley said. "He’s a great coach, he’ll be able to call the guys out. He can use me as an example, whatever it takes for us to be where we need to be. I want us to get there because we have a great group of guys, guys that want to play hard and want to play the right way, to put it together so we can go out there and win games."
Stevens can't help but reflect on what he said on the eve of the season when he implored his team to bring the necessary defensive energy each day.
"I thought this was possible," Stevens said. "I think anytime that you have a year where you achieve relative success on one end of the floor, there’s slippage that’s bound to occur because shortcuts are bound to be taken. What’s most disappointing to me is the lack of physicality. But that’s on me, like I told you. I’ve got to play the guys that play more physical. That’s just the way it goes."
BOSTON -- On the eve of the Boston Celtics' season opener last month, after a training camp in which players routinely were peppered with questions about the potential of the team's defense, coach Brad Stevens was asked if he thought his team could climb higher in defensive rating.
"I think defense is one of those things that you’ve got to go out there and do it," Stevens said. "It’s not about talking about it. It’s not about the anticipation of how good we can be. That’s an everyday commitment."
After Sunday night's embarrassing 123-107 loss to the Denver Nuggets -- a game in which Boston's defense gave up 77 first-half points while sleepwalking against a team coming off a 17-point defeat the night before in Detroit -- the Celtics find themselves ranked 29th in defensive rating while allowing an unfathomable 110.2 points per 100 possessions. Only the New York Knicks are worse -- and not by much (110.9).
For context, the Celtics finished tied for fourth in defensive rating last season while allowing 100.9 points per 100 possessions. The Los Angeles Lakers were far and away the worst defensive team last year at 109.3.
Sure, the Celtics have yet to play a game this season at full strength. On Sunday night, they played without three of their top seven players in Al Horford (concussion), Jae Crowder (ankle) and Kelly Olynyk (shoulder).Marcus Smart, Boston's best defender off the bench, missed the team's first three games with an ankle injury. Avery Bradley has played despite a sore shoulder that required a cortisone shot last week.
But none of those injuries explains just how atrocious Boston's defense has been. The Celtics consistently have looked out of place and out of sync. And that doesn't make sense when you consider the same core is in place for a team that made defense its calling card much of last season. What's more, Boston's defense was excellent in the preseason (defensive rating of 95) and has shown flashes of its potential this season.
So what in the world is going on?
"We’re not as good as we thought we were," said Celtics All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, a black hoodie drawn tight over his head as he tried to explain the latest defensive dud. "When we don’t come out with a sense of urgency, we’re not a good team, and that’s what happened tonight."
But what about those aspirations of being a top defense?
"At this point, we’re all talk," Thomas said. "That’s all we’re doing. So until we put it together in a full 48-minute game and show what we can do at that end, we’re not gonna be a top defensive team."
Stevens spent the night throwing darts with hopes of finding some sort of spark for his team. Nothing worked. Nuggets second-year guard Emmanuel Mudiay scored 24 of his game-high 30 points in a first-quarter blitz that saw Denver hang 42 points on Boston. Fans at TD Garden showered the Celtics with boos as they walked off the court down 25 at halftime.
Given that the Celtics haven't been able to pull out of their defensive funk, Stevens tried to absorb much of the blame for his team's struggles. But he also not-so-subtly insinuated that his team has been soft so far this season.
“I thought, looking at [Denver] film, this could be bad for us," Stevens said. “And the reason I thought that is because -- the nicest way I can say this is, I think we play like a finesse team and [the Nuggets] play physical.
“I thought the [Danilo] Gallinari dunk was a great example of that. I thought Kenneth Faried diving on the floor with 3:57 left in the fourth quarter was a great example of that. That’s who we’ve been the last week."
Stevens was asked if Boston can still be a top defense.
"I don’t even know if it’s statistically possible, based on our week. You know?" Stevens said. "I don’t even know if you can make it up in 76 games. But we can get a lot better. But it starts with holding your ground physically.
"Mudiay goes nuts, that’s fine. But Mudiay also gets two putbacks -- or at least one putback early -- that gets you going, makes you feel good about yourself, see the ball go through the net, it’s an easy basket. Now you hit a couple of the tougher ones.
"We brought a little bit of aggressiveness at the start of the third quarter, but that wasn’t sustainable. I don’t know. I don’t have the answer. Obviously we’ve got some guys that aren’t playing that will play, but this is about physically holding your ground.
"I've got to look at everything we’re doing, and go from there. I told the players it’s my fault because I played -- I watched us play this way. And you can’t do that. Bottom line is, when you have a spot, you have to hold it. When you have a spot, you have to take it. And we’re not. So whether it’s changing who plays, whether it’s creating a new scheme, whether it’s subbing differently, whatever the case may be, we just have to figure that out."
Bradley, an all-defense first-teamer last season, wouldn't use the absence of Boston's injured players as an excuse for the struggles. He's hopeful that Stevens can help right this ship.
"It is disappointing, but I’m going to leave that up to Brad," Bradley said. "He’s a great coach, he’ll be able to call the guys out. He can use me as an example, whatever it takes for us to be where we need to be. I want us to get there because we have a great group of guys, guys that want to play hard and want to play the right way, to put it together so we can go out there and win games."
Stevens can't help but reflect on what he said on the eve of the season when he implored his team to bring the necessary defensive energy each day.
"I thought this was possible," Stevens said. "I think anytime that you have a year where you achieve relative success on one end of the floor, there’s slippage that’s bound to occur because shortcuts are bound to be taken. What’s most disappointing to me is the lack of physicality. But that’s on me, like I told you. I’ve got to play the guys that play more physical. That’s just the way it goes."
Revenge like a sonofabitch! I was watching that shit like
yea im trying to figure out what's goins on with the celtics.
Bradley Beal says Wizards lack identity: 'We're playing with no toughness, no swag'
This fragile muthafucka said that?
Granted he's small as shit, but this is a direct shot at Wall
Wow the Hawks was shooting lights out, 80 times out of a 100 they lose that game, but they played well and took the bull by the horn..
As far as the Cavs goes, they need to really stop that sleep walking shit, I understand they don't want to expend too much energy but it seems like after they get down they spend more energy trying to come back. But that game was on J.R. he played like dog shit, missing shots he usually hits in his sleep..
As far as the Cavs goes, they need to really stop that sleep walking shit, I understand they don't want to expend too much energy but it seems like after they get down they spend more energy trying to come back. But that game was on J.R. he played like dog shit, missing shots he usually hits in his sleep..
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