2025 NBA Season

[Vaculin]

It's funny reading about Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverly talking smack to each other about how they were going to "bust" each other's "ass" on the floor.  This is quite a change from a couple of months ago when they were teammates talking about all the great things they've done for each other and how great of friends they are...  Time reveals all.  Luckily for Westbrook, his new Clippers were able to beat the Bulls where his former team just lost to them.  That has to make him feel a little better after his time in LA.  Russell Westbrook has had some great games lately, so it's looking like his career might not be quite finished yet.

I think that trade has benefited both sides in one way or another. The Lakers started to perform better without Westbrook and even improved their place in the standings. At the same time, Westbrook got less criticism now, but it looks like he has not had other significant changes because he has about the same stats as he had with the Lakers. So Westbrook's future career in the NBA might still be questionable because there are doubts as to whether the Clippers or any other team will offer him a new contract during the offseason or not.

But I'd better put Westbrook along with the Clippers because he's much safer there from criticisms and all the blaming game, and just look at him now, he's much better and less stress in his present though even though he's getting the same stats like he had with the Lakers before the trade happened. What I mean is even though he's not the same before, he is still warranted and deserve from respect and what he received lately was the opposite.

Anyway, we saw a different Westbrook earlier as the Clippers halted the Grizzlies 12th consecutive win-streak at home. The Clippers destroyed the Grizz by raining threes downtown and the latter can't do a thing but to watch the opposing team dominating the game. It was a great game though.

[freedomgo]

I wouldn't bet any money of them getting into the playins but with Luka and Kyrie you never know.
This team definitely need a big push now, otherwise the season is over and the dark horse is out.

Only 5 games left for the Mavericks and they couldn't afford to make some mistakes anymore as it will result into a position that they never wanted. The easiest team to beat among those stated games are on the last game which is the San Antonio Spurs but they should still secure it even if the advantages are on them.

Earlier, they badly need that game to improve their standings in the West and I honestly thought that they can own it to bring the team another win because they performed well in the first half but the 76ers rallied in the 2nd half and performed much better as they chased the Mavericks lead until the gap grows wider up until the game ended.

[carlisle1]

The Pacers are hanging tough against the Bucks, end of second half, they are just down 4, 69-73.

What's interesting is that Giannis has almost a triple double this early, with 20 points and 10 rebounds and 9 assists. The Bucks is the overwhelming favorite in this game obviously as there are no Haliburton and Myles in the line up for the Pacers. So let's see in the 2nd half of the game, the initial spread is like -9.5 for the Bucks to win and if the Pacers keeps in competitive, they might not cover it, just saying.

It was Jrue Holiday who bring it with the Bucks as he registered 51 big points in this game. Giannis has his triple double and it was very close till the first half and even at the start of the 3rd quarter.

But as I have said, Holiday and Giannis combine in the 4th and Brook Lopez again having a good game as well. The Pacers really missed it's top scorer in this game and it's just a matter of time before the Bucks find their rhythm and that's what happen to this game.

Holiday and Lopez help a lot in this game, 51 registered points for holiday and 21 for Lopez, and as expected Giannis has his
another triple double performance.

Very tough for the Pacers but they really tried to stay as Bucks starts to overpower them during the 3rd quarter and keeps pushing till the last buzzer.

A good game tomorrow for the Bucks as they will be going to face the 2nd ranking on the east side.

[inthelongrun]

Last night was the first time I saw Westbrook have an MVP-worthy performance. With Leonard and Paul George absent, he took charge of the game and led the Clippers to a big win against Memphis with a full roster. Westbrook scored 36 points on 13-18 shooting and added 10 assists, effectively turning back the clock with his play.

Yes, it was like vintage Westbrook last night with that kind of numbers. Which let me to believed though that in order for him to really excel, he needs a team that he is the alpha. In Clippers he has Kahwi and PG, and fortunately they were not able to play in this game and so somewhat he needs to step up and that's what we've seen in him tonight. It's just the question on whether he can repeat that performance or not. And he and Brooks has some fiery competition but it the end it was Westbrook who got the last laugh.

The playing style of Westbrook is indeed fitted as an alpha. He is good but his inability to shoot beyond the arc, especially for his position as a pg and the main man of the team, is a big minus. We saw him when he was the alpha at OKC and they cannot even proceed to the second round of the playoffs. There was also the time when PG played there but only as a second option after Russ and the season ended up with PG having the lesser time with the ball but being much more accurate and efficient than Russ. That probably leads PG to get out of OKC.

[DanWalker]

Last night was the first time I saw Westbrook have an MVP-worthy performance. With Leonard and Paul George absent, he took charge of the game and led the Clippers to a big win against Memphis with a full roster. Westbrook scored 36 points on 13-18 shooting and added 10 assists, effectively turning back the clock with his play.

That was the kind of game the Lakers badly needed from him but it seems like he can't do that freely because of the pressure against him at the Clippers, he has some teammates to rely on and it's working because they are now getting more wins in this circus runs in the western conference and it is the most important thing he can contribute to the team because they need him to play on that level, especially in the NBA playoffs. Let's just hope they won't get choked this time.

It's too bad that in 2 seasons with the Lakers, we didn't see that kind of performance from him. On the other hand, it's worst, outside shooting, his turn overs and late game choke from him.
So maybe this is just a blip in his performance with the Clippers, it could be good if he can do that again with Leonard on the floor or even Paul George if he can come back in the playoffs. For now the haters of Westbrook can't say anything about this performance of his beating the number 2 seed with their winning streak on the line.

The last match of the Clippers was certainly really good. Westbrook had a great performance in the last match. 36 points of his own. Covington got 27.
These two players have performed exceptionally well. The performance of Westbrook has certainly not been the best before this. He had good performances here and there.
But this was certainly a great performance, a match-winning performance from Westbrook .

[Kasabus]

The Dallas Mavericks have lot's of struggles since the Kyrie Irving trade.

Before they got Kyrie, they are at the 4th spot of the Western Conference. When the trade happens and got Kyrie, many knew already that it was a fail experiment though many thought that it would be beneficial for the team especially for Luka because he will now have an all-star type of player on his team. What is the expense of the Kyrie trade? Their best defensive player in DFS, their supposed back-up point guard in Dinwiddie and some draft picks. Before the trade deadline, they are already one of the worst defensive teams around the league. After the trade? They got even worse than they are before the trade. Also add the frustration that Luka is dealing on each game, and that also affects his performance on every game.

Well, I guess there's nothing left to do but to try and enhance the team again in the next season and get some reliable players on the wings because it really seems that they can't get any spot soon and winning remaining games is just almost too impossible for the team. It's evident enough why they are losing than what they expected it to be and that's because they freed a lot of good players in the Kyrie trade. That's the gamble they did for the sake of adding an all-star caliber beside Luka Doncic.

[stadus]

Last night was the first time I saw Westbrook have an MVP-worthy performance. With Leonard and Paul George absent, he took charge of the game and led the Clippers to a big win against Memphis with a full roster. Westbrook scored 36 points on 13-18 shooting and added 10 assists, effectively turning back the clock with his play.

That was the kind of game the Lakers badly needed from him but it seems like he can't do that freely because of the pressure against him at the Clippers, he has some teammates to rely on and it's working because they are now getting more wins in this circus runs in the western conference and it is the most important thing he can contribute to the team because they need him to play on that level, especially in the NBA playoffs. Let's just hope they won't get choked this time.

Westbrook could've got the sugar treatment from the fans if he didn't mess up his 1st season with the Lakers where he was just literally shooting bricks because that's where all the issues and criticisms towards him began up until in his 2nd season. But now, I'm just glad that he came to a team where he's free from the pressures and nobody is really expecting him to take over. And viola, Westbrook's confidence is back especially from shooting beyond the arc, yesterday he got a 100 3P% for shooting 5-5.

[OgNasty]

Durant was a monster, without a doubt, Charles should stop talking shit about him.  

I’m defense of Charles, Durant is pretty sensitive and it is Chuck’s job to comment about things like that. I think when Charles goes out of his way to talk about Durant on other people’s podcasts he is probably crossing a line a little, but it is his job so I’m not surprised other people want to talk to him about this sort of thing. Durant just needs to learn to take criticism with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, when you are getting paid big bucks, part of it is because of what you have to deal with.

[mirakal]

Last night was the first time I saw Westbrook have an MVP-worthy performance. With Leonard and Paul George absent, he took charge of the game and led the Clippers to a big win against Memphis with a full roster. Westbrook scored 36 points on 13-18 shooting and added 10 assists, effectively turning back the clock with his play.

Yes, it was like vintage Westbrook last night with that kind of numbers. Which let me to believed though that in order for him to really excel, he needs a team that he is the alpha. In Clippers he has Kahwi and PG, and fortunately they were not able to play in this game and so somewhat he needs to step up and that's what we've seen in him tonight. It's just the question on whether he can repeat that performance or not. And he and Brooks has some fiery competition but it the end it was Westbrook who got the last laugh.

I'm also under the same impression where Westbrook just needed to have a team where he can lead it freely because what he did recently against the Memphis Grizzlies was a sign that he just needed to be the alpha as that's what he is made of. I mean, sure, he can be a big help from the bench but it's like restraining his power because the team already have some main guys.

Let's find out soon enough after this season because if I remember it correctly, his contract states that this is his final season left before he lands in the free agency. So, let's see if the Clippers will offer him an extension or he will be picked up by another team who needs an alpha.

[Baofeng]

The Dallas Mavericks have lot's of struggles since the Kyrie Irving trade.

Before they got Kyrie, they are at the 4th spot of the Western Conference. When the trade happens and got Kyrie, many knew already that it was a fail experiment though many thought that it would be beneficial for the team especially for Luka because he will now have an all-star type of player on his team. What is the expense of the Kyrie trade? Their best defensive player in DFS, their supposed back-up point guard in Dinwiddie and some draft picks. Before the trade deadline, they are already one of the worst defensive teams around the league. After the trade? They got even worse than they are before the trade. Also add the frustration that Luka is dealing on each game, and that also affects his performance on every game.

Well, I guess there's nothing left to do but to try and enhance the team again in the next season and get some reliable players on the wings because it really seems that they can't get any spot soon and winning remaining games is just almost too impossible for the team. It's evident enough why they are losing than what they expected it to be and that's because they freed a lot of good players in the Kyrie trade. That's the gamble they did for the sake of adding an all-star caliber beside Luka Doncic.

Maybe Kyrie is not a perfect fit for a Luka tandem, just hard to dissect right now, maybe Kyrie is really trying to do his best and at some point, making such errors that is detrimental to the team and that's why Luka is very frustrated because the team should be improving as they let go some of their best players in Dinwiddie and Finnie-Smith in exchange of Kyrie. And perhaps those two had the last laugh since Mavs are no longer in a good position to enter the playoff while the Nets are into 6th place.

Durant was a monster, without a doubt, Charles should stop talking shit about him.  

I’m defense of Charles, Durant is pretty sensitive and it is Chuck’s job to comment about things like that. I think when Charles goes out of his way to talk about Durant on other people’s podcasts he is probably crossing a line a little, but it is his job so I’m not surprised other people want to talk to him about this sort of thing. Durant just needs to learn to take criticism with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, when you are getting paid big bucks, part of it is because of what you have to deal with.

True, Charles will be Charles, it's that want cost him his friendship with MJ, he open his mouth and talk it real, and so if Durant can't take it, then he should be quiet. But the problem is that he will not let go of this criticism and he is going out in public to response. And the thing is that they can always go back to Charles and says shut your mouth because you don't know anything as you didn't even win a ring, hehehe.

[dwyane36]

They got the lead early in the first, Bulls went back to tie the game and take the lead at some point, but in the end the Lakers won on the road 121-110.

Davis and Lebron lead the team scoring 38 & 25 points while the whole starting 5 of the Lakers scored a total of 107 points while the bench only scored 14. Well they won on the road, and it's a must win for them as they are trying to at least get a play-in spot.

The Lakers moved up to 8th place in the standings thanks to this win over the Bulls, which means they're already eligible for the play-in tournament. However, they shouldn't relax because there is strong competition between the teams in the Western Conference. By the way, if the Lakers win their remaining games in the regular season, they could compete with the Warriors for 6th place, which would allow them to go straight into the playoffs bypassing the play-in tournament.

[el kaka22]

I watched the Lakers and the Bulls game, this reaves guy is creating a name for himself without a doubt, he plays important minutes and scoring very good baskets just when the team needs him to as well. Lebron is technically back but he is not as good as he used to be, not as dominant on offense at least but he is doing very well, he is taking more efficient shots at least and that's a very good improvement for the team.

I guess that they are going to be doing fine next season if they just add in a few good players, that's it, they just need a few good players and a healthy team that's it. D'lo, Reaves, Lebron, AD that's a good enough four guys, if they add a big man and a good bench player, it's enough.

[gagux123]

Last night was the first time I saw Westbrook have an MVP-worthy performance. With Leonard and Paul George absent, he took charge of the game and led the Clippers to a big win against Memphis with a full roster. Westbrook scored 36 points on 13-18 shooting and added 10 assists, effectively turning back the clock with his play.

That was the kind of game the Lakers badly needed from him but it seems like he can't do that freely because of the pressure against him at the Clippers, he has some teammates to rely on and it's working because they are now getting more wins in this circus runs in the western conference and it is the most important thing he can contribute to the team because they need him to play on that level, especially in the NBA playoffs. Let's just hope they won't get choked this time.

I didn't watch that game, but I saw some highliths from the game and also Westbrook!
In fact he played very well, took the lead, and performed impeccably.

My question is, will Westbrook be able to maintain this performance?

[TravelMug]

Last night was the first time I saw Westbrook have an MVP-worthy performance. With Leonard and Paul George absent, he took charge of the game and led the Clippers to a big win against Memphis with a full roster. Westbrook scored 36 points on 13-18 shooting and added 10 assists, effectively turning back the clock with his play.

That was the kind of game the Lakers badly needed from him but it seems like he can't do that freely because of the pressure against him at the Clippers, he has some teammates to rely on and it's working because they are now getting more wins in this circus runs in the western conference and it is the most important thing he can contribute to the team because they need him to play on that level, especially in the NBA playoffs. Let's just hope they won't get choked this time.

I didn't watch that game, but I saw some highliths from the game and also Westbrook!
In fact he played very well, took the lead, and performed impeccably.

My question is, will Westbrook be able to maintain this performance?

Good question, maybe this is just one of those nights that Westrbook turn into his old self and carry the team on his own shoulder as if he is with the OKC. In this game, he shots from the outside and dishes out 10 assists and even had one of those highlights dunks that we used to see him in his prime.

And we have seen the celebration in the locker room, all of his team mates are pump about it.

But let's see the next game if he still got this performance and enthusiasm to lead the Clippers again.

[EFS]

Celtics destroyed Bucks and gave a good message about play-offs. They are ready. Insane shooting from whole team. Tatum and Brown are the best duo in the league right now. They scored more than Bucks in third period, they sit in the bench in last period when the gap went up to 40 points. Crazy night for Celtics. If they play like that in the play-off they'll be my favorite team to win the championship this year.

[Hypnosis00]

Celtics destroyed Bucks and gave a good message about play-offs. They are ready. Insane shooting from whole team. Tatum and Brown are the best duo in the league right now. They scored more than Bucks in third period, they sit in the bench in last period when the gap went up to 40 points. Crazy night for Celtics. If they play like that in the play-off they'll be my favorite team to win the championship this year.

The Celtics are playing as if they own the Bucks, with points coming from all over the court thanks to excellent ball movement. Antetokounmpo isn't dominating the game like we've seen in their games against the Celtics. It's possible that these two teams will meet again in the ECF and the Celtics might probably advance into the Finals. On the other hand, the Western Conference Finals are more uncertain, as it's unclear which team will make it there.

[Volgastallion]

Amazing performance by Boston Celtics, but we all know the true no?.

They destroy bucks but if this game were for Play off nothing of this happen, Bucks wake up and slap Celtics if the match really matter, because this celtics always fails in the important situation.

[Ziskinberg]

Amazing performance by Boston Celtics, but we all know the true no?.

They destroy bucks but if this game were for Play off nothing of this happen, Bucks wake up and slap Celtics if the match really matter, because this celtics always fails in the important situation.

Have you seen the latest playoffs where the Celtics defeated the Bucks? It's possible for them to do it again. In fact, if you check the championship odds, you'll notice that the Boston Celtics are the clear favorites to win the championship, which proves that they are a serious contender.

[Oasisman]

Amazing performance by Boston Celtics, but we all know the true no?.

They destroy bucks but if this game were for Play off nothing of this happen, Bucks wake up and slap Celtics if the match really matter, because this celtics always fails in the important situation.

Seriously? did you really think the Bucks is unbeatable and the Celtics aren't capable of doing so in the playoffs? Did you just start watching the NBA this year or did you missed the playoffs last year?
Ok, so let me remind you this, the Celtics blown out the Bucks with a 28 points deficit in game 7 to end the series in 2022 conference semis. And, don't get me wrong, the Bucks were the defending champs last year, did the Bucks woke up and slap the Celtics because they are the defending champs and that game really matters? Guess what? they didn't. The Celtics are young and hungry, and I don't call it failing when every year the Celtics were progressing, they just reached the Finals last year. So, chill down bro, they'll eventually make it. Jaylen and Tatum are both in mid 20's - so they still have a lot of time left.

[danherbias07]

Boston Celtics won by a blowout game but I didn't see any energy from the Bucks' usual defensive dedication. No bearing game, and as I watched it, the game almost look like a practice game or something like an All-Star. It's not enough to say it's the Celtics who have the upper hand when the playoff or finals come.
Tatum went nuts 8 of 10 in the 3-point line. Well, that says it all, lack of defense, and the Bucks are not really playing as tough as their past games, just protecting themselves to avoid injuries.

The Nuggets on the other hand without Jokic are giving a lot of trouble for the Pelicans who badly need a win. They may be in the lead but Murray keeps on coming back and cutting the lead. 4th quarter is next.