2024 NBA Season

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Honestly did not expected Lakers to start this bad. I get the warriors loss, but this latest Portland loss is a big bells are ringing type of deal. They were not ready for the season? Did they not really worked hard on figuring out how they could get better?

They have a new coach and move some players around, so they are expecting that at least this season will be different. However, it seems their problem is still here. They can't really figure it out how to win with Lebron still playing very hard and Russ, well, his game gong down.

It's obvious that they were bad last year, you can't just roll the dice again and hope for a better result, they needed to change some things, even if not in the roster (which they have a bit) but also with the plays. Look at Spurs, they have one of the worst teams in the league and yet they started 2-1, one of the wins coming from Sixers. That's the difference between a good coach and a bad coach.

Spurs could make it 3-1 against the Timberwolves, 76ers and Pacers could be a good one. 76ers need to win this game, Joel Embid even though playing high level of basketball and same with Harden, can't find a way to win and close out a game. I even read news that Joel was even booed at Philly, not a good sign.

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[Yaunfitda]

Players varies in their won style of game and technique, like Dreymond Green had some defend techniques which sometimes helped him in games but he's still not center, he's versatile and fit in any position at any given point in time. Jokic also taking similarities with Green but doesn't have strength and don't also defend like Green and let's not forget that they're both different interms of their qualities on the court. It's really scarce to see a complete player this present time but there still quite number of them and their team wouldn't want to let them go due to their performance and solid results for the team.

Yes definitely!
Green can defend some centers (with difficulty), but on the other hand, he can defend players smaller than him, for example some PF, SF and even SG

That's versatility, we have seen players in the past that can do that as well, Dennis Rodman for one is the classic example of this. He is not that big, but he is very strong and can guard center during his era, even Shaq and the muscular Karl Malone.

Another interesting information... Jokic is much more offensive, unlike Green, who is a defensive player.

Because that's what his team needs of him and that's why he become a back to back MVP, he has put a statistical numbers that only Joel Embiid can match. Unfortunately, Joel is just a runner up. But we will see if Jokic can have that numbers again or someone will take over as the new MVP for this season.

[ultrloa]

Honestly did not expected Lakers to start this bad. I get the warriors loss, but this latest Portland loss is a big bells are ringing type of deal. They were not ready for the season? Did they not really worked hard on figuring out how they could get better?

They have a new coach and move some players around, so they are expecting that at least this season will be different. However, it seems their problem is still here. They can't really figure it out how to win with Lebron still playing very hard and Russ, well, his game gong down.

Their development team don't know how to blend players very well and maybe they are wrong to acquire defensive players these past end of the season and now problem is much showing because they are struggling to get some points to their team. Maybe they should do trades for some shooter role players so that they can possibly build up some momentum and to get into the playoffs.

[batang_bitcoin]

That was a rough landing there but JC was really get that block from behind way too clean. Well, can't say it was just a lucky thing but who knows? JC has more minutes now compared the last season and I think it befits on him. For Zion, I think his minutes will be restricted considering his last game with Jazz is somewhat worrisome.

That was an incredible block made by JC and unlucky for Zion his landing would probably have hurt him a lot. Too bad again for Zion, he's really prone to injury.
He's got that hip injury that would make his worth low again and not just bad for him but also for the team. The team has waited for him for this season and very likely that he may be in the same situation of waiting again. A lot of money invested on him but if he's getting injury and prone to it, his value will be lower after his contract and much likely that only few teams would take him or worse, he'll be waived.

[harizen]

but this latest Portland loss is a big bells are ringing type of deal. They were not ready for the season? Did they not really worked hard on figuring out how they could get better?

Actually, that Lakers game against the Blazers is really not that bad. They just failed to secure their lead in the end because of several wrong gameplays. In other words, they literally choked at the last minute. Besides, Damian Lillard is really red hot that even his shots were contested, he really drained those.

What's the best thing to do for the Lakers? For me, none. Just go with the flow and play those games until they found that "rhythm". I doubt signing some good shooters or trading Westbrook will even solve their current problem. Their Coach should think outside the box or much better if he will remove the box.

[Baofeng]

That was a rough landing there but JC was really get that block from behind way too clean. Well, can't say it was just a lucky thing but who knows? JC has more minutes now compared the last season and I think it befits on him. For Zion, I think his minutes will be restricted considering his last game with Jazz is somewhat worrisome.

That was an incredible block made by JC and unlucky for Zion his landing would probably have hurt him a lot. Too bad again for Zion, he's really prone to injury.
He's got that hip injury that would make his worth low again and not just bad for him but also for the team. The team has waited for him for this season and very likely that he may be in the same situation of waiting again. A lot of money invested on him but if he's getting injury and prone to it, his value will be lower after his contract and much likely that only few teams would take him or worse, he'll be waived.

Here is the video for those who are interested to see it,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=542IAgyb4lY

I initially thought that it was a bad foul, but it was a clean block by Clarkson so no harm from him. Unfortunately, Zion might have put a lot power in that dunk, so obviously the fall is very hard since he attempts it with one hand.

So hopefully he will be OK, maybe need to take a rest after this game. And we want to see is a healthy Zion throughout this season so that we can witnessed how far this team can go with CJ on their lineup. Ingram, Williamson and CJ is already solid team.

[agustina2]

Too bad again for Zion, he's really prone to injury.
He's got that hip injury that would make his worth low again and not just bad for him but also for the team. The team has waited for him for this season and very likely that he may be in the same situation of waiting again. A lot of money invested on him but if he's getting injury and prone to it, his value will be lower after his contract and much likely that only few teams would take him or worse, he'll be waived.

Bad luck and unfortunate. The Pelicans are now slowly getting some noise because they are now complete but suddenly the injury now happened again for Zion.

Too bad that we can't see completely the potential of this team. They are no doubt one of the potential teams if they will be healthy all season.

Any news for his expected timeline for return?

[Yogee]

Forget about making shots or his shooting percentage. He's suppose to play smart as a point guard but look at how he didn't run the clock in the final seconds of the game while they are leading by 1 point.

24 seconds shot clock but he took a jumper with 18 seconds left. There was nobody positioned to take an offensive rebound.

It's not only a bad shooting night for him. It's also bad decision making.

And he will be crucified on social media because of that. But that is how all superstars are, they take shots even when they had a bad night. It is good that he is still confident to take shots but too bad it is a bad choice.

I could care less who took the shot. I'm more into the manner how it was taken. Anyone with good awareness would run down the clock before taking it. Doing so would also give the opponent as little time as possible to make their own play. That's not how "superstars" are in my book. He's supposed to be the first to know being the floor general.

[ChiBitCTy]

Probably should have thrown a few dollars down on the Chicago Bulls versus the Boston Celtics. The Bulls are coming off a pretty embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and while I certainly don’t think this team is destined to win any championships, they’re still a pretty good ball club. (Spread was +5.5 for them).

[Heartilly]

I could care less who took the shot. I'm more into the manner how it was taken. Anyone with good awareness would run down the clock before taking it. Doing so would also give the opponent as little time as possible to make their own play. That's not how "superstars" are in my book. He's supposed to be the first to know being the floor general.

If that shot was made, then he will be a hero of the night, right? Even though it's considered a bad play of the night, what if the other way around happened? With lots of critics about him, even if he didn't attempt to make that shot, if the Lakers will lose, he's still blamed for that loss.

I don't consider that bad play for him as truly bad because it means he still has the confidence to take that clutch shot that totally almost not present in him last season because of too much pressure from the critics. It's hard to play with all eyes looking at him.

The whole Lakers have to blame for why they lost that game. They are in lead by about 9 points in the last 2 minutes of that game. Is it only because of Westbrook that they blew that lead in the last minutes?

[hashrateproducts]

If that shot was made, then he will be a hero of the night, right? Even though it's considered a bad play of the night, what if the other way around happened? With lots of critics about him, even if he didn't attempt to make that shot, if the Lakers will lose, he's still blamed for that loss.

I don't consider that bad play for him as truly bad because it means he still has the confidence to take that clutch shot that totally almost not present in him last season because of too much pressure from the critics. It's hard to play with all eyes looking at him.

The whole Lakers have to blame for why they lost that game. They are in lead by about 9 points in the last 2 minutes of that game. Is it only because of Westbrook that they blew that lead in the last minutes?

Getting defeats at a end of the game, but they should not make it a habit. Lakersrs should shared their blames about their defeats rathee then it's rather embarrassing to see players lose form on the court or missed big chances. He's a player and making poor performance in the game was truly unacceptable but entertaining to watch since they really try their best. Getting backup after a game which everyone knows is a big sign of doing better in next game fixture. 

[gagux123]

That's versatility, we have seen players in the past that can do that as well, Dennis Rodman for one is the classic example of this. He is not that big, but he is very strong and can guard center during his era, even Shaq and the muscular Karl Malone.

Exactly, these two players that you mentioned are versatile, the team coach can use them as a fundamental piece for the team.

Another player I would like to share is LeBron James.
Basically, he has several unique characteristics that make him the most well-rounded player in the NBA.

LJ can easily play in 3 different positions, such as SG, SF and PF.

I may be talking something meaningless, but I believe LeBron James is one of the most well-rounded players in NBA history.

[OgNasty]

That was a rough landing there but JC was really get that block from behind way too clean. Well, can't say it was just a lucky thing but who knows? JC has more minutes now compared the last season and I think it befits on him. For Zion, I think his minutes will be restricted considering his last game with Jazz is somewhat worrisome.

That was an incredible block made by JC and unlucky for Zion his landing would probably have hurt him a lot. Too bad again for Zion, he's really prone to injury.
He's got that hip injury that would make his worth low again and not just bad for him but also for the team. The team has waited for him for this season and very likely that he may be in the same situation of waiting again. A lot of money invested on him but if he's getting injury and prone to it, his value will be lower after his contract and much likely that only few teams would take him or worse, he'll be waived.

There is a zero percent chance that Zion gets waived. This injury was due to a hard foul that he had no control of and it was a bad landing. Meaning he’s probably in some pain and will have a hell of a bruise but he’ll be as good as new in a week. A shame the Pelicans have a nationally televised game tomorrow on TNT. I know Zion would’ve wanted to go crazy on TV to let everyone know he’s back. Maybe he’ll play through the pain but I doubt the Pelican staff will take any chances.

[inthelongrun]

Probably should have thrown a few dollars down on the Chicago Bulls versus the Boston Celtics. The Bulls are coming off a pretty embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and while I certainly don’t think this team is destined to win any championships, they’re still a pretty good ball club. (Spread was +5.5 for them).

But it would've been easier if we were to bet on the Boston Celtics since they started strong early beating Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers. This is unexpected as many thought this is free money for the Celtics bettors. What an odd result, the unbeaten and favored by the odds as the strongest team in the NBA just lost to a team embarrassed in their last game.   

Cleveland Cavaliers has a decent line-up now with Donovan Mitchell running their offense. Pretty good starting line-up from 1 to 5 and they have decent bench players too. It all depends now on chemistry and see if they can match against last season's top teams.

[Yogee]

I could care less who took the shot. I'm more into the manner how it was taken. Anyone with good awareness would run down the clock before taking it. Doing so would also give the opponent as little time as possible to make their own play. That's not how "superstars" are in my book. He's supposed to be the first to know being the floor general.

If that shot was made, then he will be a hero of the night, right? Even though it's considered a bad play of the night, what if the other way around happened? With lots of critics about him, even if he didn't attempt to make that shot, if the Lakers will lose, he's still blamed for that loss.

Just make the right play. It's great bonus if it went in. Tough luck if it didn't. No blame game as long as the right play is executed.

It doesn't matter if it went in or not just like I don't really care who took that shot.

I don't consider that bad play for him as truly bad because it means he still has the confidence to take that clutch shot that totally almost not present in him last season because of too much pressure from the critics. It's hard to play with all eyes looking at him.

18 seconds left to set up a shot! 12 second difference between game clock and shot clock - how is that not a bad play?

Two of their best players are taking it slow and way behind the arc because they are probably thinking their point guard would run the clock. It's as if nobody expected him to do it that early. How is that not a bad play?

Confidence in taking a shot doesn't erase the fact it's a bad play.

[LogitechMouse]

I could care less who took the shot. I'm more into the manner how it was taken. Anyone with good awareness would run down the clock before taking it. Doing so would also give the opponent as little time as possible to make their own play. That's not how "superstars" are in my book. He's supposed to be the first to know being the floor general.

If that shot was made, then he will be a hero of the night, right? Even though it's considered a bad play of the night, what if the other way around happened? With lots of critics about him, even if he didn't attempt to make that shot, if the Lakers will lose, he's still blamed for that loss.

Just make the right play. It's great bonus if it went in. Tough luck if it didn't. No blame game as long as the right play is executed.

It doesn't matter if it went in or not just like I don't really care who took that shot.

I don't consider that bad play for him as truly bad because it means he still has the confidence to take that clutch shot that totally almost not present in him last season because of too much pressure from the critics. It's hard to play with all eyes looking at him.

18 seconds left to set up a shot! 12 second difference between game clock and shot clock - how is that not a bad play?

Two of their best players are taking it slow and way behind the arc because they are probably thinking their point guard would run the clock. It's as if nobody expected him to do it that early. How is that not a bad play?

Confidence in taking a shot doesn't erase the fact it's a bad play.

I watched a video on Youtube regarding this one and I can say that it really is a bad decision coming from Westbrook.

Even Lebron put his hands up when Russ shot that ball with that much time left. I mean Russ is shooting worse at the perimeter and a whopping 8% from the 3-point area. If I'm Lebron, I will not give the ball into Russ in the dying seconds of the game because aside from him being unreliable, he is also making bad decisions aside from the fact that he is shooting awfully both in the perimeter and in the 3-point area.

It's a bad play indeed but on the other hand, Lebron and Coach Ham is still defending him. Westbrook himself is still proud of how he played and don't care about what the fans and people are saying to him. He's a liability right now to the team instead of him helping the team to win. I still remember when Le-GM is pushing Westbrook to come to the Lakers and now here's the consequence.

[danherbias07]

The Brooklyn Nets lost against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Desmond Bane is the guy who did most of the damage, especially in the 2nd half where he made 32 points while Ja Morant never stops to amaze his fans with 38 points and 4/6 from downtown.
He's doing better in shooting threes than the previous year. Defenders cannot just leave him alone behind the arc.
I am really sad for Ben Simmons, I think the officials are targeting him. The 5th foul was questionable already and he just spent 1 minute in the game then the 6th foul happened which made Coach Nash furious. 
Good sportsmanship from Kyrie after the game.

[YuginKadoya]

Here is the result for my picks today, I really think that my bets were not bad,

New York Knicks VS Orlando Magic SCORE 115 - 102 - WIN

Paolo Banchero will be a big threat in the future that is for sure, this kid still has a ceiling to fill up, and with 21 points in the game Wendell Carter Jr got a double-double of 11 rebounds and 17 points but it was not enough because the New York Knicks Jalen Brunson got 21 points, R.J. Barrett got 20, and Julius Randle has double-double performance of 12 rebounds and 25 points, winning the game against the Magic,

Miami Heat VS Toronto Raptors SCORE 90 - 98 - LOST

A close game indeed and actually I really think that the Miami Heat will win this, but unfortunately it did not go according to plan, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro both got double-double performances while Jimmy Butler got 26 points aren't enough to win the game, because Precious Achiuwa is a monster in rebounding, he got a double-double of 22 rebounds and 10 points, Gary Trent 18, pascal Siakam 23, and Fred VanVleet has 24, to win the game,

Houston Rockets VS Utah Jazz SCORE 114 - 108 - WIN

Actually, I really like the Utah Jazz plays it was really a team play but I think they still are looking for that chemistry, while the Rockets did a great show, Jalen Green got 25 points, and Jabari Smith Jr. got 21 points while a double-double for Kevin Porter Jr. or 10 rebounds and 26 points winning the game against the jazz,

Memphis Grizzlies VS Brooklyn Nets SCORE 134 - 124 - WIN

As I thought the Grizzlies will surely win this, even though Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are striking great points both creating 37 points each, it was not enough for the Grizzlies tandem of Desmond Bane and Ja Morant, both got 38 points each, it was really a close game for both teams,

Chicago Bulls VS Boston Celtics SCORE 120 - 102 - LOST

Not expecting the Celtics will be defeated by the Bulls, both Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum did remarkable performances, Brown got 21 while Tatum got 26 points, but it was not enough for Nikola Vucevic to get mighty on rebounds and made a double-double of 23 rebounds and 18 points and DeRozan got a huge 25 points for the Bulls,

Portland Trail Blazers VS Denver Nuggets SCORE 135 - 110 - WIN

The Trail Blazer did an amazing job they really stopped the Joker from getting any further damage because Nikola Jokic just got a triple 9 in this game, Jusuf Nurkic just got solid with a double-double of 12 rebounds, and 13 points, Jerami Grant got 21 points, Anfernee Simons got 29 points and Damian Lillard had 31 points, winning it big on Denver Nuggets,

[Dave1]

That was a rough landing there but JC was really get that block from behind way too clean. Well, can't say it was just a lucky thing but who knows? JC has more minutes now compared the last season and I think it befits on him. For Zion, I think his minutes will be restricted considering his last game with Jazz is somewhat worrisome.

That was an incredible block made by JC and unlucky for Zion his landing would probably have hurt him a lot. Too bad again for Zion, he's really prone to injury.
He's got that hip injury that would make his worth low again and not just bad for him but also for the team. The team has waited for him for this season and very likely that he may be in the same situation of waiting again. A lot of money invested on him but if he's getting injury and prone to it, his value will be lower after his contract and much likely that only few teams would take him or worse, he'll be waived.

There is a zero percent chance that Zion gets waived. This injury was due to a hard foul that he had no control of and it was a bad landing. Meaning he’s probably in some pain and will have a hell of a bruise but he’ll be as good as new in a week. A shame the Pelicans have a nationally televised game tomorrow on TNT. I know Zion would’ve wanted to go crazy on TV to let everyone know he’s back. Maybe he’ll play through the pain but I doubt the Pelican staff will take any chances.

To be fair, there was no hard foul, it was a clean block from behind. Jordan Clarkson really timed Zion's jump and eventually caught all ball but unfortunately, he fell very hard, back first and he is on pain in the floor.

Yes, the Pels shouldn't allow Zion to play, just take a couple of breaks and let the back heal in time. It's just the start and we don't like to see him sideline again because of injuries.

[Heartilly]

I could care less who took the shot. I'm more into the manner how it was taken. Anyone with good awareness would run down the clock before taking it. Doing so would also give the opponent as little time as possible to make their own play. That's not how "superstars" are in my book. He's supposed to be the first to know being the floor general.

If that shot was made, then he will be a hero of the night, right? Even though it's considered a bad play of the night, what if the other way around happened? With lots of critics about him, even if he didn't attempt to make that shot, if the Lakers will lose, he's still blamed for that loss.

Just make the right play. It's great bonus if it went in. Tough luck if it didn't. No blame game as long as the right play is executed.

It doesn't matter if it went in or not just like I don't really care who took that shot.

I don't consider that bad play for him as truly bad because it means he still has the confidence to take that clutch shot that totally almost not present in him last season because of too much pressure from the critics. It's hard to play with all eyes looking at him.

18 seconds left to set up a shot! 12 second difference between game clock and shot clock - how is that not a bad play?

Two of their best players are taking it slow and way behind the arc because they are probably thinking their point guard would run the clock. It's as if nobody expected him to do it that early. How is that not a bad play?

Confidence in taking a shot doesn't erase the fact it's a bad play.

What the heck! You are not really getting the point here and just focus on that Westbrick brick shot.

Did you even look at those other wrong plays prior to that 18 seconds left? Start at the last 2 minutes of the 4th Quarter and see for yourself how the hell happened that the Lakers only lead by 1 after being ahead by 9 points in the last 2 minutes.

The Lakers lose that game not just because Westbricks failed a shot with 18 seconds left remaining. You are too focused on Westbrook or I think you didn't watched that game and just go with the flow with the Westbrick comment that focuses on that 18 seconds left.