2024 NBA Season

[Minor Miner]

Although it was frustrating to see the Denver Nuggets lose but I am glad to see the New York Knicks defeating the number 1 seed in the Western Conference.
And I love how the ball was shared. 20 points for Randle, 21 for RJ, and 24 for Brunson. And all who played long minutes have an assist in their stats. (only Obi Toppin didn't get 1 in 12 minutes of playtime)
If they keep this up, they might get a chance for another long winning streak. They have 3 now and their next opponent will be the Timberwolves who is an offensive team. We will see how they will answer back on their offensive barrage.

Honestly, I did not feel frustrated. I felt like it was a good match between these two.
Now of course the current performance of the Denver Nuggets makes it hard for themselves to do well in the remaining matches.

However, it is going to be good to see them trying to pass this challenge.
Remember it's only valuable when it's hard to achieve.

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[dwyane36]

Just let them be mate hehe, I understand your frustrations about Lebron and how he dictates some fate in the league. I mean, we cannot really blame him because he is surely one of the greats and has been dominating the league especially in his return on the Cavaliers. But look at him now, he sure still look great for being close to a senile man but things have changed, even if he wanted to win, it's already evident that he cannot do some lifting anymore and the team will not reach far if this is how they perform.

LeBron, when he was young, also couldn't pull the whole team because the Cavs roster was pretty mediocre back then. As an example, LeBron gave it his all on the court during the playoffs of the 07/08 season, but he could not oppose anything to the Celtics' big trio. The same thing happened during the playoffs of the 06/07 and 08/09 seasons. I mean, it doesn't matter how talented and great a player is because no one alone can win the title for a weak team.

[Natalim]

After winning 1 to break the 4 losing streak, Denver Nuggets are back to lose more.   I don't even understand what is happening. The stats are okay, Murray is back to his normal shooting accuracy and attacking the paint. Maybe it's the lack of defense that they are missing. They are known to score over 120+ per game and they have a record to win it whenever it goes over 120. But vice versa to their losing record when they gave scores like 110+ they will absolutely lose. They may be safe for the playoffs but giving away games will put them in number 2 as the Kings are not stopping to win each game.

Yes, that's indeed confusing to think because even if their stats are still impressive and then the whole squad is healthy, they are still losing the game even if it's really winnable for them. I just don't get it why and I started to think that maybe they did it for a reason because if we look on their recent games where they had a winnable games, they are not letting the other team bury them in scores, they don't want to win but they don't a large gap.

Just a thought though and I'm not sure about this, maybe they are waiting the Kings to take their place because if they finish 1st, they might face the Pelicans or Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Although that's still subject to change because the standings that we've seen today are not yet final.

[Questat]

Just let them be mate hehe, I understand your frustrations about Lebron and how he dictates some fate in the league. I mean, we cannot really blame him because he is surely one of the greats and has been dominating the league especially in his return on the Cavaliers. But look at him now, he sure still look great for being close to a senile man but things have changed, even if he wanted to win, it's already evident that he cannot do some lifting anymore and the team will not reach far if this is how they perform.

LeBron, when he was young, also couldn't pull the whole team because the Cavs roster was pretty mediocre back then. As an example, LeBron gave it his all on the court during the playoffs of the 07/08 season, but he could not oppose anything to the Celtics' big trio. The same thing happened during the playoffs of the 06/07 and 08/09 seasons. I mean, it doesn't matter how talented and great a player is because no one alone can win the title for a weak team.

I think @Distinctin referred to the Cavaliers when Lebron came back for them after his time with the Miami Heat, that specific time when they had a back-to-back championship in 16/17 and 17/18. Young Lebron in the 07/08 season cannot lift the whole squad to bring them always to a W, well, he managed most of the time but when the playoffs began, he burned-out because he was doing all the offensive and defensive while his seniors are just averaging less than 10 PPG.

[Kasabus]

They didn't start strong, but ended the regular season strong. And you are right, they were able to carry the momentum, as they were so dominant in the playoffs, except against Memphis, which was their biggest challenge at that time. Morant was just injured, things could have been better if he wasn't.

If the GSW can manage to climb to the finals again, it would be easy for them to win it because of their experience if their opponent will not gonna know what they will gonna do about how fast the GSW can adapt to the atmosphere of an NBA finals game. I hope they will be against the Bucks because that's the only team that can give them real trouble and the only team that will gonna give them problems. The rest of the team in the East will be an easy pawn for them. if they can get pass at their first games in the western conference easily, that would be a total disaster for the rest teams in the west because GSW knows exactly what to do to win the series.

Whoa! Hold your horses right there mate, you're probably going too fast that you skipped some facts and ended up underestimating the other teams in the league. Don't forget that aside from the Bucks of the Eastern Conference, there are the Boston Celtics who are looking for a chance to bounce back from what happened last season as for me, that was a close game, it's just that the Celtics lack enough experience as that was their first appearance in the playoffs as a team and reached the conference finals, and then the Finals whom they faced the Warriors.

And then we have some teams in the West too, you will probably say that the Grizzlies will be an easy pawn for the Warriors but don't also forget that the Grizzlies improved compared last season, so therefore, it will be a tougher team this time and then there's the Clippers and the Phoenix Suns. For short, it's too early for that kind of discussion mate.

[wheelz1200]

They didn't start strong, but ended the regular season strong. And you are right, they were able to carry the momentum, as they were so dominant in the playoffs, except against Memphis, which was their biggest challenge at that time. Morant was just injured, things could have been better if he wasn't.

If the GSW can manage to climb to the finals again, it would be easy for them to win it because of their experience if their opponent will not gonna know what they will gonna do about how fast the GSW can adapt to the atmosphere of an NBA finals game. I hope they will be against the Bucks because that's the only team that can give them real trouble and the only team that will gonna give them problems. The rest of the team in the East will be an easy pawn for them. if they can get pass at their first games in the western conference easily, that would be a total disaster for the rest teams in the west because GSW knows exactly what to do to win the series.

Wow that's a strong statement.  I think golden state has a lot for work to do before they can say they would easily win the championship lol.  They aren't the same team on the road as they've been on the past and losing Wiggins is a huge loss for them, he was crucial last year to their run.  

[gagux123]

Just let them be mate hehe, I understand your frustrations about Lebron and how he dictates some fate in the league. I mean, we cannot really blame him because he is surely one of the greats and has been dominating the league especially in his return on the Cavaliers. But look at him now, he sure still look great for being close to a senile man but things have changed, even if he wanted to win, it's already evident that he cannot do some lifting anymore and the team will not reach far if this is how they perform.

LeBron, when he was young, also couldn't pull the whole team because the Cavs roster was pretty mediocre back then. As an example, LeBron gave it his all on the court during the playoffs of the 07/08 season, but he could not oppose anything to the Celtics' big trio. The same thing happened during the playoffs of the 06/07 and 08/09 seasons. I mean, it doesn't matter how talented and great a player is because no one alone can win the title for a weak team.

reading this comment, I would also like to share that this does not only apply to basketball, it is no use for the team to have the best player in the world if the rest of the team is not in tune.
Another example would be Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal team and also, Neymar for the brazilian football team.
I clearly remember those seasons from 06 until approximately 09.
LeBron James did miracles for the Cavs, but unfortunately he was stopped by the big trio of the Celtics at that time.

[Baofeng]

~
If they keep this up, they might get a chance for another long winning streak. They have 3 now and their next opponent will be the Timberwolves who is an offensive team. We will see how they will answer back on their offensive barrage.

It's good to see Brunson back with the team after a few games of him being out.

TBH, the Knicks are one of the most improved teams this season. From being at the bottom to now at the 5th spot. They are on a 3 game winning streak and 7-3 on their last 10 games. Their last 10 games will be a balanced one because 5 games will be on their home, and 5 on the road. The Knicks currently have one of the best road records right now in the league with 22-14 win-loss record, so them playing on the road isn't a problem unlike the Warriors who are struggling so much on the road. If there's a problem with the Knicks right now, it's Randle's shot selection and his shot attempts where the volume is too high, and he don't know how to adjust when he isn't having a good night.

Anyway, teams must watch out the Knicks team, and I hope that they will not get eliminated on the first round immediately.

Yeah, it was a deja vu, I mean like 2 seasons ago if my memory serves me right, Knicks had a good run and mostly they are the underdogs and I made a good money out of them during the regular seasons because they have that last one kick in the final minutes to close out their opponents wherein home court or away from them. But last season was different though, they struggled, but with the acquisition of Brunson, the team is now in tune, Randle have that confident again to shot although sometimes he tries to become Steph hehehe. Kings though for me as the breakout team for this season, everyone is jiving, Fox and Sabonis are deadly, and they are now on the second spot in the West.

They didn't start strong, but ended the regular season strong. And you are right, they were able to carry the momentum, as they were so dominant in the playoffs, except against Memphis, which was their biggest challenge at that time. Morant was just injured, things could have been better if he wasn't.

If the GSW can manage to climb to the finals again, it would be easy for them to win it because of their experience if their opponent will not gonna know what they will gonna do about how fast the GSW can adapt to the atmosphere of an NBA finals game. I hope they will be against the Bucks because that's the only team that can give them real trouble and the only team that will gonna give them problems. The rest of the team in the East will be an easy pawn for them. if they can get pass at their first games in the western conference easily, that would be a total disaster for the rest teams in the west because GSW knows exactly what to do to win the series.

Wow that's a strong statement.  I think golden state has a lot for work to do before they can say they would easily win the championship lol.  They aren't the same team on the road as they've been on the past and losing Wiggins is a huge loss for them, he was crucial last year to their run.  

Not just Wiggins though, the second unit of the Warriors is very different from last year. They have Bjelica who can give them quality minutes while Looney and Green take a rest, this center can run and shoot from the outside. Otto Porter can also give them offense and play good defense, same as Juan Toscano Anderson and D. Lee. GPII is back with them but he is not playing though.

[arwin100]

They didn't start strong, but ended the regular season strong. And you are right, they were able to carry the momentum, as they were so dominant in the playoffs, except against Memphis, which was their biggest challenge at that time. Morant was just injured, things could have been better if he wasn't.

If the GSW can manage to climb to the finals again, it would be easy for them to win it because of their experience if their opponent will not gonna know what they will gonna do about how fast the GSW can adapt to the atmosphere of an NBA finals game. I hope they will be against the Bucks because that's the only team that can give them real trouble and the only team that will gonna give them problems. The rest of the team in the East will be an easy pawn for them. if they can get pass at their first games in the western conference easily, that would be a total disaster for the rest teams in the west because GSW knows exactly what to do to win the series.

Experience really matter on important on crucial games but that will not come always as basketball always change. Warrior current rooster has to  many discrepancy and maybe this will result for their big lose if they can't fill this, also the absence of Wiggins in the rooster is a big gap to fill since we already see how important he is in the rotation so if he cannot go back on Playoffs maybe this will be though for them.

If they are complete with GP2 added in the rooster maybe they had a chance but we cannot say it will be easy for them to win a championship because we know how teams prepared also to win this season.

[harizen]

Experience really matter on important on crucial games but that will not come always as basketball always change. Warrior current rooster has to  many discrepancy and maybe this will result for their big lose if they can't fill this, also the absence of Wiggins in the rooster is a big gap to fill since we already see how important he is in the rotation so if he cannot go back on Playoffs maybe this will be though for them.

If they are complete with GP2 added in the rooster maybe they had a chance but we cannot say it will be easy for them to win a championship because we know how teams prepared also to win this season.

In fairness to Golden State Warriors though, this team is already proven to always show "big changes" once playoffs come.

Disregarding how bad they are and not well-performing in a season, that all will be erased once playoffs come and every team will start at a 0-0 standing.

I will still treat them as a big deal in the Western Conference once playoffs come. Prior to that though, they need to make the playoffs first, and looking at the current competition in the West, too tight that almost 9 teams are all possible to be in the play-in tournament.

[EFS]

In fairness to Golden State Warriors though, this team is already proven to always show "big changes" once playoffs come.

Disregarding how bad they are and not well-performing in a season, that all will be erased once playoffs come and every team will start at a 0-0 standing.

I will still treat them as a big deal in the Western Conference once playoffs come. Prior to that though, they need to make the playoffs first, and looking at the current competition in the West, too tight that almost 9 teams are all possible to be in the play-in tournament.

Grizzlies destroyed them last night. The best player for Warriors was Kuminga, that tells us something's wrong. I don't think Warriors can go far enough even if they get a spot in play-off.

I've just watched Pistons game and they were very close to win the game. The experience difference was the big factor in last minutes and Heat made a 10-0 run and won the game. Huge win for Heat though. They may pass Nets and steal the sixth spot if Nets keep losing games.

[danherbias07]

Grizzlies destroyed them last night. The best player for Warriors was Kuminga, that tells us something's wrong. I don't think Warriors can go far enough even if they get a spot in play-off.

They can't shoot threes, that's what went wrong. All are either brick or it will just reach the front of the rim. Curry even had a lucky shot bunking a three-point shot in the corner, that's just impossible to happen, so yes there's some part luck there. It's an off night for most of them and it's actually disappointing to watch, it's an eyesore. 
The saddest part is, they are forcing to shoot but little did they know all their attacks in the paint are better and that kept them in a close game until the 3rd quarter.

Just a thought though and I'm not sure about this, maybe they are waiting the Kings to take their place because if they finish 1st, they might face the Pelicans or Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Although that's still subject to change because the standings that we've seen today are not yet final.

We are not different in this speculation.
I was thinking about the strategies most teams make if they find it will be difficult to defeat the matching opponent they will face in the playoffs. But yes, it is subject to change and we will know what could happen in the play-in tournament. So, it may just be our conspiracy theory. 
There's a plus in battling with the 8th seed. They are exhausted after playing 2 games in the tourney so there's a high chance it can be an instant win.

[yazher]

The Los Angeles Lakers keep holding on at the number 10 spot and they really needed the win tonight thankfully they were able to easily beat Orlando Magic with the huge performance from Austin Reaves. Now that they are close to ending the season games, they should really work harder in the remaining games in order to secure that spot, or they might have a chance to increase their rank which will gonna help them to skip playing the play-in tournament.

[LogitechMouse]

The Los Angeles Lakers keep holding on at the number 10 spot and they really needed the win tonight thankfully they were able to easily beat Orlando Magic with the huge performance from Austin Reaves. Now that they are close to ending the season games, they should really work harder in the remaining games in order to secure that spot, or they might have a chance to increase their rank which will gonna help them to skip playing the play-in tournament.

With 10 games left, I wonder where will be the Lakers are after the regular season.

Currently, they are 2 games below .500, and still there are no dates on when Lebron will return and play. Many are expecting that the Lakers are at least on the top 8 just after the trade deadline, but they are hanging on the final spot on the play-in tournament still. The good thing though is that, 6 of the 10 games remaining are against teams that are below .500. The bad thing that I'm seeing is that, there will be a time where they will have a 5 consecutive games on the road, and their record on the road currently is 16-20. Not that bad compare to other teams, but not that impressive as well.

I'm predicting that the Lakers will at least clinch the play-in tournament, and if things will not go well for them, they might end up on the 7th-10th seed for the play-in tournament.

[Oasisman]

The Los Angeles Lakers keep holding on at the number 10 spot and they really needed the win tonight thankfully they were able to easily beat Orlando Magic with the huge performance from Austin Reaves. Now that they are close to ending the season games, they should really work harder in the remaining games in order to secure that spot, or they might have a chance to increase their rank which will gonna help them to skip playing the play-in tournament.

10 games left, they should win atleast 5 or more to secure a playoff or play-in spot. They have plenty of opportunities to avoid clinging into this situation, it was either the officiating crew's fault or their own fault (most of them were missed clutch free throws). I'm a bit confident the Lakers would still make the playoffs or play-in against the remaining teams that they'll need to complete if they will not going to sit AD again in these next coming games.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

The Los Angeles Lakers keep holding on at the number 10 spot and they really needed the win tonight thankfully they were able to easily beat Orlando Magic with the huge performance from Austin Reaves. Now that they are close to ending the season games, they should really work harder in the remaining games in order to secure that spot, or they might have a chance to increase their rank which will gonna help them to skip playing the play-in tournament.

10 games left, they should win atleast 5 or more to secure a playoff or play-in spot. They have plenty of opportunities to avoid clinging into this situation, it was either the officiating crew's fault or their own fault (most of them were missed clutch free throws). I'm a bit confident the Lakers would still make the playoffs or play-in against the remaining teams that they'll need to complete if they will not going to sit AD again in these next coming games.

Yeah and that's what we are saying, a lost to the low Houston and then making a lot of mistakes against the Dallas team in their last game. And they almost lost this one or blew it off again if not for the new white Mamba in Austin Reaves.

I think he has surpasses Caruso being as Laker in this game, as he scored team high 35 points and has been clutch in the 4th quarter.

Media also says that he save Antonio Davis' legacy. But let's see, still a lot of games remaining and they have to win it all so that they will have control, just saying.

[Jating]

In fairness to Golden State Warriors though, this team is already proven to always show "big changes" once playoffs come.

Disregarding how bad they are and not well-performing in a season, that all will be erased once playoffs come and every team will start at a 0-0 standing.

I will still treat them as a big deal in the Western Conference once playoffs come. Prior to that though, they need to make the playoffs first, and looking at the current competition in the West, too tight that almost 9 teams are all possible to be in the play-in tournament.

Grizzlies destroyed them last night. The best player for Warriors was Kuminga, that tells us something's wrong. I don't think Warriors can go far enough even if they get a spot in play-off.

It was only JD that has been shooting consistently with the Warriors against the Memphis team. Curry and Klay just combine for 30 points and then Poole, contributed by Donte was out of the game.

I've just watched Pistons game and they were very close to win the game. The experience difference was the big factor in last minutes and Heat made a 10-0 run and won the game. Huge win for Heat though. They may pass Nets and steal the sixth spot if Nets keep losing games.

Yeah, I thought that it will be close, but then again, Butler and Herro had made their runs, 10-0 and the inexperience Pistons doesn't have any answers. Miami experience really shows and I guess perfect time for Herro so catch his shooting from, with 3's.

[Kelvinid]

I think he has surpasses Caruso being as Laker in this game, as he scored team high 35 points and has been clutch in the 4th quarter.

Media also says that he save Antonio Davis' legacy. But let's see, still a lot of games remaining and they have to win it all so that they will have control, just saying.

That was a big win for them. I was watching the game, and I thought that the Lakers would choke in the end, but Reeves, my man, came up clutch and led the Lakers to a big win. I like his confidence now; he really grew with the Lakers, and thanks to the coach for giving him good playing time.

With that win, the Lakers have tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they are ranked number 10.

[Vaculin]

If we compare the individual stats of these two players, we can see that they both perform at their best on the court. Embiid averages more points per game, and he's clearly a good scorer, while Jokic is a more universal center as he grabs more rebounds and has more assists per game. In fact, both are equally deserving of the award, although I'd rather see Embiid as the MVP of this season.

This is one of the most talked about topics right now :p

I confess that both are favorites for MVP, Embiid and Jokic.

They are players who occupy the same position but each one has several unique characteristics, Jokic can be a little more well arounded, have more skills, assists and vision of the game, whereas Embiid is stronger, despite his height he has a ball handling relevant and also more dominant (of course what I said about these players was somewhat superficial, each one has other qualities).

Let's see until the end of the regular season which of the two will stand out more! I will be rooting for Embiid, but I have no doubt that Jokic also deserves to receive that MVP award again

Yes, let's see about that but the way I see it, we might see another MVP this time as Joel Embiid is now healthy and probably will stay that way until the regular season ends, and if that happens, he might have the award because of the facts that you've stated above. Furthermore, Embiid has been on this campaign since last season but he failed to get what he wanted because he acquired an unfortunate injury.

Anyway, this will be a good battle for the both MVP favorites because Nikola Jokic is also not giving about it as if he will get it again this time, it will be a three-peat on his side and surely that's a thing he couldn't afford to miss.

[mirakal]

Yes, and again, one interesting numbers: Jokic didn't make a triple double, he is shy of 2 assists. And when we see this stats, it make us think that they could be in trouble if he can't make a triple double, also the scoring output though, he is to be expected to score at least 30 points.
Very though for them, maybe they are not doubting themselves again in the playoff. Last year Jamal is out and then Porter Jr has some extended injuries. But now, this season they are healthy, on top of the standings, but seems to be having problems closing out the regular season. And we might say that they are choking right now, in my opinion.

Well, they are still 4 games above the 2nd seeded Kings, so maybe these is a strategy to them. I mean kind of they will not perform 100% on their remaining games, so that they will still have the energy when playoff comes. If they know that they will retain the 1st spot with a few games remaining, for sure their key players Jokic and Murray will sit in preparation for the upcoming playoffs.
Currently, they lost 5 of their last 6 games and the only win that they got in that 6 game span was against the Pistons. They only have 11 games remaining, and it's a bit tough at least because on that 11 games, 7 of them are against teams above .500 (Warriors, Suns, Sixers, Bucks, Nets, Kings). TBH, I'm a bit worried on how the Nuggets are performing on their last games, but if they will manage to win majority of the remaining 11 games then I still think that they will retain that top spot in the West.

I understand that the Nuggets have been very inconsistent, actually very poor in terms of performance. But they are still at the top. The problem is as you said they have a lot of hard opponents going forward. It is going to be really hard for them to win in the next 11 matches because we have to keep in mind that the current form of the team is not good. It is actually simple, they will have to perform better. Unless they are going down in the standings.

Well, at least they are now back on track and won their game earlier but I'm still not that convinced that they are already back because what happened earlier is not that impressive to me. They could've got defeated by the Nets if they kept on making some mistakes especially in the last quarter when the Nets suddenly rallied while the Nuggets are somehow complacent because they owned the 1st 3 rounds of the game. Still not good, and for their last 10 games, they will be tested again by the heavy teams of the league.