2024 NBA Season

[inthelongrun]

About the Suns, well they are back on track. Without Kawhi & PG13 they have no chance. They still made it a close game and it's not over yet but they are down 9 now with just 3min to go so I think this one is done and the home court advantage is back with the Suns.

It's really sad to happen to the Clippers. They have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George yet they never enjoyed the benefit of their acquisition due to injuries. I really doubt they can win the series against the Suns without at least Kawhi. The Clippers surprisingly made the game close but I doubt it will happen again when adjustments are also made in game 4  which will be their last chance to even the series at home.

KD is always expected to get the main focus of defense but Booker is the one making most of the attacks. One thing that made KD special is his efficiency, he is not the type of player that will keep on attacking if the defense is focused on him and the Suns has the luxury to have a dangerous line-up of stars that can take over their games.  

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Yeah if Paul George is coming back there would be a chance but according to media insiders he is unlikely to return for a game in the first round of the playoffs.

Even with home court advantage now I don't see the Clippers beating the Suns because Phoenix just has too many offensive weapons. There is only 1 Kawhi but 2 crazy shooters to defend with KD and Book. My prediction for this series is Suns in 6 but I would also be happy with an upset, not a fan of super team chasing Kevin Durant anymore.

It would be okay if he does not return in the first half, as based on what I'm seeing, the Clippers really have a decent chance of winning due to the great chemistry of Westbrook and Leonard. Sometimes, two superstars are better than having a big 3, as there are only two options on the team to carry the load.

Game 3 is tomorrow, and we will see if the Clippers will be able to take advantage of their home court. Winning tomorrow will give them a good lead in the series, as the next game will also be on the same venue.

Paul George's injury is really a big problem for the team right now but the Clippers can somehow manage without him as long as Kawhi will lead the team and the remaining guys will step up their game to help their star. But the Clippers situation became worse when Kawhi was ruled out in the game earlier and just like Paul George, Kawhi's situation is still not determined whether he can play in Game 4 or not.

It was surprising to hear that Kahwi is not playing in game 3, that could be the story of this series, while Durant and Booker are healthy, their 2 superstar counterpart are not, and we might say that it was a mismatch already. However, we see Powell becoming the Kahwi now with a huge 40 point to his credit and also Westbrook again great game for him. But when you are facing the dynamic duo right now in Durant and Booker, it's hard to overcome that without the Clippers own superstar.

[Japinat]

It looks like we're going to see a repeat of Game 1 and Game 2 of the 76ers vs Nets series. The Nets had a good first quarter, but then the 76ers came back with their great defense, and now they are leading by 11 points at halftime. The Nets need to make their 3-point shooting more accurate to win this game since they have very few points in the paint, and the 76ers did a great job on that.

Yeah, to be honest, I'm rooting for the Nets to win this game, at least 1 win against the Sixers will not be a bad series after all. But it seems they really have a problem with Joel Embiid and Harden.

But let's see, it's the start of the 3rd quarter and it seems that started very hot and cut the lead to 1 point.
So hopefully it will be a closed game and Nets winning this game.

Actually, the Nets can somehow manage against the Sixers because the roster isn't that really bad or not performing well but their problem is the consistency to have the lead and beat the Sixers in the end. Embiid and Harden is already a big problem for them because these two can really penetrate their defense and then there's Tyrese Maxey who is very agile enough to give the Nets a hard time. He's just an underrated player but he is also a big problem that needed to be solved.

[boltz]

What is the problem with some NBA "stars" ? Last night Embiid did a flagrant 2 in my opinion and he deserves to be out for at least 2 games. Why are the punishments so fragile ? Also , since when NBA players forgot that some show and some fancy buckets can be done during the game so I simply don't understand why Embiid did what he did as Claxton really dunked on him and it was amazing.

[LGD2Business]

Philly won with a strong game. Harden was unfairly kicked out and didn't play in the last quarter, but Maxey still filled that gap by playing well. Embiid should have been kicked out in my opinion. The referees keep making weird decisions. I think this series was over when it was 2-0, now it's 3-0 and the Nets have no chance. I said they played with weak opponents after the 2nd game, there were those who said that the Nets were too strong here, but we saw who was right.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Philly won with a strong game. Harden was unfairly kicked out and didn't play in the last quarter, but Maxey still filled that gap by playing well. Embiid should have been kicked out in my opinion. The referees keep making weird decisions. I think this series was over when it was 2-0, now it's 3-0 and the Nets have no chance. I said they played with weak opponents after the 2nd game, there were those who said that the Nets were too strong here, but we saw who was right.

The Harden flagrant type 2 was a little harsh but he does that all the time. I think it's ok to finally send a statement that this is not ok.

What annoyed me more was the flagrant foul by Embiid. He could have easily been kicked out for that but maybe because he is the front runner for MVP and therefor one of the faces of the NBA they didn't kick him out of that game.

If they actually kicked him ( see where I'm going there, kicked ) the game could have ended with a win for the Nets. The foul happened just after 2 minutes, basically the start of the game. In my opinion this was a flagrant type 2, 100% .
Sure Claxton antagonized the altercation by stepping over him, but what he did is just as bad as Draymond 2 nights earlier.

See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--DTOZvxQ7k

These refs are so bad and inconsistent with what they are doing, amazing.

[Jating]

Philly won with a strong game. Harden was unfairly kicked out and didn't play in the last quarter, but Maxey still filled that gap by playing well. Embiid should have been kicked out in my opinion. The referees keep making weird decisions. I think this series was over when it was 2-0, now it's 3-0 and the Nets have no chance. I said they played with weak opponents after the 2nd game, there were those who said that the Nets were too strong here, but we saw who was right.

Just show the depth of Philly again, no Harden and yet the Nets wasn't able to exploit that. I mean they are in the good lead even in the last minute of the game. But for some strange reasons, they can't score and then they didn't guard Maxey who took that 3 and that should be the dagger.

Dinwiddie try to drive and he was lucky that a call was made. But after that, Philly score easy and the Nets missed that shot.

I thought that they are going to take a win in this game as they are in control of the game and Joel Embiid is not moving great. Most likely he is suffering some injuries after this game.

[freedomgo]

Bad news for the LAC, Leonard is out for game 3.
(https://www.nba.com/news/kawhi-leonard-out-game-3-clippers-suns)

Whilst we saw, no Ja, no problem with the Grizzlies. It might be a different thing with the Clippers.

This is pretty bad news for the Clippers. It looks like the Clippers are being dogged by bad luck because George was injured first, and now Leonard is also missing the game due to injury. If both players are not returned for the next game, the Clippers will most likely lose this series. At least, I doubt that Powell or Westbrook will be able to do anything against the Suns, who are fully healthy.

That is if Powell, Westbrook and the other guys can defend their home successfully because they are now even as both of them won 1 game in each homecourt but the Suns got the lead as the series is now 2-1.

Regarding with the Clippers stars, Paul George is already ruled out for the whole first round against the Phoenix Suns while Kawhi Leonard's return in the Game 4 is not yet confirmed.

[xzone]

That Suns and Clippers game was closer than it should have been considering both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were out with injuries. Booker has his best night since the Durant trade putting up 45. I also saw that the Warriors managed to get a win over the Kings. That is going to be a battle of a series.

Despite the lack of key players in the Los Angeles Clippers, they performed very well. Many players on the field gave their best, Norman Powell played one of his best plays ever. The Clippers would have won this game without Devin Booker's 45 points.
Had Hyland's three-pointer been on point, the game would probably have gone into overtime or we'd have watched a buzzer beater. It was a tight match

[LogitechMouse]

Philly won with a strong game. Harden was unfairly kicked out and didn't play in the last quarter, but Maxey still filled that gap by playing well. Embiid should have been kicked out in my opinion. The referees keep making weird decisions. I think this series was over when it was 2-0, now it's 3-0 and the Nets have no chance. I said they played with weak opponents after the 2nd game, there were those who said that the Nets were too strong here, but we saw who was right.

I didn't watch most of the game because I'm still asleep when it started, but I manage to watch the final minutes of the game.

O'neal's bad decision on that final inbound caused them their season. Why did I say that? It's because we know that no team has come, and win after being down 0-3, so right now, they have 0% chance of winning against the Sixers unless they will do the impossible. You can see the disappointment on O'neal's face after that turnover in the final seconds of the game. Well, at the start of the series, we knew already that the Sixers will win on this one, but I will not be surprised if the Nets will get swept "again" like what happened to them last season.

As for the Sixers, Maxey has already been the 3rd option of the team in terms of scoring, and it's always been like that for the whole season. Sometimes he goes out there, and lead the team in scoring, sometimes he's not, but it's ok since he's helping the team in both offense and defense. As for Embiid, it's good that he didn't get fouled out the whole game.

That Suns and Clippers game was closer than it should have been considering both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were out with injuries. Booker has his best night since the Durant trade putting up 45.

They have Normal Powell who stepped up, and scored 41 points (it's his career-high? Didn't watch it as well).
Westbrook, and Powell stepped up, and tried to carry the team, but I agree with you that it ended up way closer than expected knowing that the Clippers don't have their 2 all-star player while for the Suns, they have all 4 of them.

As for Kawhi Leonard, he already has been a history of knee injuries, and there is a season when he doesn't play back-to-back games, so him being out in this Game 3 is kind of saddening for Clippers fan, but he already had a knee injury back in Game 1, and he just played with it in Game 2, and that affected his performance as well on that game. Hope he will return in Game 4.

I also saw that the Warriors managed to get a win over the Kings. That is going to be a battle of a series.

From being the 3rd worst defensive team in the road to 3rd best defensive team on their home. That's how the Warriors played the whole 82 games of the regular season.

Who would've imagine that a team who is the top offensive team in the regular season will score less than 100 points? Who would've thought that a team who is averaging close to 120 PPG during the regular season only scored 97 points in this one? It just shows how good the Warriors are defensively, and take note that they don't have Green in this win as well. Just imagine if Draymond Green played on that Game 3.

The Warriors lead as high as 23 points, and the Kings never lead the entire game. Let's give credits to Looney as well for his effort in getting offensive rebounds. He played like Dennis Rodman on this game scoring only 4 points, but has 20 rebounds, and in that 20 rebounds, 9 are offensive, and whenever he is getting that offensive rebound, he always pass it to a shooter and scoring it that's why he also got 9 assists. For me, he's the best player on this game. Well, Curry deserve it as well, but I would give it to Looney for his effort.

[carlisle1]

Philly won with a strong game. Harden was unfairly kicked out and didn't play in the last quarter, but Maxey still filled that gap by playing well. Embiid should have been kicked out in my opinion. The referees keep making weird decisions. I think this series was over when it was 2-0, now it's 3-0 and the Nets have no chance. I said they played with weak opponents after the 2nd game, there were those who said that the Nets were too strong here, but we saw who was right.

Just show the depth of Philly again, no Harden and yet the Nets wasn't able to exploit that. I mean they are in the good lead even in the last minute of the game. But for some strange reasons, they can't score and then they didn't guard Maxey who took that 3 and that should be the dagger.

Dinwiddie try to drive and he was lucky that a call was made. But after that, Philly score easy and the Nets missed that shot.

I thought that they are going to take a win in this game as they are in control of the game and Joel Embiid is not moving great. Most likely he is suffering some injuries after this game.

That's the advantage of Philly here as there are players who can step up and help win the game, I was in the impression that
Nets will win the game as they manage to rally in the 3rd quarter.

But it was the determination of Sixers role players they really play well both from the defense and offense side to manage escaping the home team.

Possibly sweep by the Sixers here. If they will choose to rest earlier, they can complete this first round with 4-0 lead.

[danherbias07]

That's the advantage of Philly here as there are players who can step up and help win the game, I was in the impression that
Nets will win the game as they manage to rally in the 3rd quarter.

But it was the determination of Sixers role players they really play well both from the defense and offense side to manage escaping the home team.

Possibly sweep by the Sixers here. If they will choose to rest earlier, they can complete this first round with 4-0 lead.

Tyrese Maxey felt his hot hands on him that night. He even tried a heat check and it still went in.
Embiid has not much of a help in their offense that will be registered on paper but he actually helped spacing the floor. The Nets always try to double-team him, perhaps they don't really need to. Just trust your teammates and I am sure they will do an awesome job. Claxton did until he was ejected because of taunting. Just like how the 76ers trusted PJ Tucker to defend Cam Johnson which is also a threat when left unprotected.
76ers at 4 may not happen but I doubt they will give up the 5 at their homecourt.

[wheelz1200]

That's the advantage of Philly here as there are players who can step up and help win the game, I was in the impression that
Nets will win the game as they manage to rally in the 3rd quarter.

But it was the determination of Sixers role players they really play well both from the defense and offense side to manage escaping the home team.

Possibly sweep by the Sixers here. If they will choose to rest earlier, they can complete this first round with 4-0 lead.

Tyrese Maxey felt his hot hands on him that night. He even tried a heat check and it still went in.
Embiid has not much of a help in their offense that will be registered on paper but he actually helped spacing the floor. The Nets always try to double-team him, perhaps they don't really need to. Just trust your teammates and I am sure they will do an awesome job. Claxton did until he was ejected because of taunting. Just like how the 76ers trusted PJ Tucker to defend Cam Johnson which is also a threat when left unprotected.
76ers at 4 may not happen but I doubt they will give up the 5 at their homecourt.

I think they are gonna sweep now.  I expect them to press down on the pedal to get this one done and over with.  Last night the Nets had to win.  Had to have taken the air out of them.  Only thing I worry about is if Philly plays too loose knowing they got multiple games to wrap this up.  In the end Philly just has too much for the Nets to deal with.

[Pamadar]

It looks like we're going to see a repeat of Game 1 and Game 2 of the 76ers vs Nets series. The Nets had a good first quarter, but then the 76ers came back with their great defense, and now they are leading by 11 points at halftime. The Nets need to make their 3-point shooting more accurate to win this game since they have very few points in the paint, and the 76ers did a great job on that.

Yeah, to be honest, I'm rooting for the Nets to win this game, at least 1 win against the Sixers will not be a bad series after all. But it seems they really have a problem with Joel Embiid and Harden.

But let's see, it's the start of the 3rd quarter and it seems that started very hot and cut the lead to 1 point.
So hopefully it will be a closed game and Nets winning this game.

Actually, the Nets can somehow manage against the Sixers because the roster isn't that really bad or not performing well but their problem is the consistency to have the lead and beat the Sixers in the end. Embiid and Harden is already a big problem for them because these two can really penetrate their defense and then there's Tyrese Maxey who is very agile enough to give the Nets a hard time. He's just an underrated player but he is also a big problem that needed to be solved.

Maxey indeed provides the offensive side to prevent the possible loss against the Nets, he steps up and takes good care of their attacks while both Harden and Embiid are having some issues with the refs.

Almost a win for the Nets, but I agree that you are right. Consistency is what we can notice with all the
players of Nets, they need to work more if they want to win against the heavy dominant Sixers.

[OgNasty]

Philly won with a strong game. Harden was unfairly kicked out and didn't play in the last quarter, but Maxey still filled that gap by playing well. Embiid should have been kicked out in my opinion. The referees keep making weird decisions. I think this series was over when it was 2-0, now it's 3-0 and the Nets have no chance. I said they played with weak opponents after the 2nd game, there were those who said that the Nets were too strong here, but we saw who was right.

Just show the depth of Philly again, no Harden and yet the Nets wasn't able to exploit that. I mean they are in the good lead even in the last minute of the game. But for some strange reasons, they can't score and then they didn't guard Maxey who took that 3 and that should be the dagger.

Dinwiddie try to drive and he was lucky that a call was made. But after that, Philly score easy and the Nets missed that shot.

I thought that they are going to take a win in this game as they are in control of the game and Joel Embiid is not moving great. Most likely he is suffering some injuries after this game.

Pretty amazing that Philly could win after that bizarre call on Harden.  Both sides were being unfairly refed though so at least is seemed fair in that regard.  Embiid got to show why he's an MVP candidate.  I think the Nets are done and probably shouldn't have been in the playoffs anyway with their roster.  It looks like the Clippers aren't far behind the Nets either.  With no Paul George and now it's looking like no Kawhi, I don't think they have a chance against the Suns.  Westbrook played as good as he could to keep them in the last game, but they're just outmatched.

[passwordnow]

Despite the lack of key players in the Los Angeles Clippers, they performed very well. Many players on the field gave their best, Norman Powell played one of his best plays ever. The Clippers would have won this game without Devin Booker's 45 points.
Had Hyland's three-pointer been on point, the game would probably have gone into overtime or we'd have watched a buzzer beater. It was a tight match

Still props to the Clippers in spite of having that handicap for this match by having a lack of key players. I'm feeling that there's so much to miss on this playoffs since many of these key players aren't part of it as of the moment due to injury matters.
But then, I think that this is also a good thing for those teams that are trying to preserve these players in the right time and when they're actually needed since it's most likely in the half of these series'.

[FanEagle]

Sixers is having one of the easiest series, I mean it was expected due to the trade, they got rid of Irving and Durant which made them in the playoffs, so they shouldn't even be there. But in any case it's really fun to see Sixers having a ball, Embiid feels like he is overreacting and should be a bit more calm for a superstar, it's not good to go into petty arguments and such but he is his own man so he can make his decisions.

Warriors definitely plays better at home and this was known before the series, they had such a big difference between home and away games all season long so this series and any series Warriors are on, would be sort of like the regular season. I definitely expect them to win the fourth game too if nothing goes wrong.

[OgNasty]

Warriors definitely plays better at home and this was known before the series, they had such a big difference between home and away games all season long so this series and any series Warriors are on, would be sort of like the regular season. I definitely expect them to win the fourth game too if nothing goes wrong.

I agree with you.  I think the Warriors will be able to beat the Kings in San Francisco.  For whatever reason the Warriors are just terrible on the road.  Probably something they need to look into.  Something about their road routine isn't going right.  This is why playoff seeding is so important.  In order for the Warriors to move on to round 2, they're going to have to win one in Sacramento.  I'm not saying they can't do it, but the odds are against them.  If you're a Warriors fan, you're really hoping they can find a way to steal a game in Sacramento and push this series out to where they'll have the advantage at home.

[püsür]

Philly won with a strong game. Harden was unfairly kicked out and didn't play in the last quarter, but Maxey still filled that gap by playing well. Embiid should have been kicked out in my opinion. The referees keep making weird decisions. I think this series was over when it was 2-0, now it's 3-0 and the Nets have no chance. I said they played with weak opponents after the 2nd game, there were those who said that the Nets were too strong here, but we saw who was right.

Just show the depth of Philly again, no Harden and yet the Nets wasn't able to exploit that. I mean they are in the good lead even in the last minute of the game. But for some strange reasons, they can't score and then they didn't guard Maxey who took that 3 and that should be the dagger.

Dinwiddie try to drive and he was lucky that a call was made. But after that, Philly score easy and the Nets missed that shot.

I thought that they are going to take a win in this game as they are in control of the game and Joel Embiid is not moving great. Most likely he is suffering some injuries after this game.

I understand your point but it also shows that Nets doesn't have depth. Maybe the easiest team in the playoffs. Even though Embiid should have been definitely kicked out and even if he did, Nets didn't have a chance. It is not because of Philly is great, because Nets are weak. Referees are indeed making unbelievable calls sometimes. Embiid should have been absolutely kicked out. The other calls are also questionable. Philly should have moved on quite easily anyway but the real playoffs are starting for them after this series.

[wheelz1200]

Philly won with a strong game. Harden was unfairly kicked out and didn't play in the last quarter, but Maxey still filled that gap by playing well. Embiid should have been kicked out in my opinion. The referees keep making weird decisions. I think this series was over when it was 2-0, now it's 3-0 and the Nets have no chance. I said they played with weak opponents after the 2nd game, there were those who said that the Nets were too strong here, but we saw who was right.

Just show the depth of Philly again, no Harden and yet the Nets wasn't able to exploit that. I mean they are in the good lead even in the last minute of the game. But for some strange reasons, they can't score and then they didn't guard Maxey who took that 3 and that should be the dagger.

Dinwiddie try to drive and he was lucky that a call was made. But after that, Philly score easy and the Nets missed that shot.

I thought that they are going to take a win in this game as they are in control of the game and Joel Embiid is not moving great. Most likely he is suffering some injuries after this game.

I understand your point but it also shows that Nets doesn't have depth. Maybe the easiest team in the playoffs. Even though Embiid should have been definitely kicked out and even if he did, Nets didn't have a chance. It is not because of Philly is great, because Nets are weak. Referees are indeed making unbelievable calls sometimes. Embiid should have been absolutely kicked out. The other calls are also questionable. Philly should have moved on quite easily anyway but the real playoffs are starting for them after this series.

That's exactly it.  In the playoffs teams need to be 8-9 deep.  Once your starters are out you can't just let the other team come back.  Nets are gonna rebuild and they have some decent players.  They are at least a couple good drafts away from being anything worth worrying about in the playoffs.