2024 NBA Season

[rhomelmabini]

Boston vs Philly surprised me, just as anybody else. Without Embiid they were a huge dog, I think the spread was around 10-12 points. Even with Embiid back for game 2 (maybe) I don't see Boston losing again, this was just a fluke.

Well, guess I was right and it was a fluke.
Even with the mvp back in the lineup Philly got destroyed. He didn’t have any impact on 27 minutes of playing time. And Harden, well the words off game wouldn’t even describe this performance, 2/14 from the field plus 8 fts. After game 1 everybody expected more of him but this was not it.

Now the series shifts to Philadelphia and Boston needs, and will get, at least 1 game away from home. They can’t risk going down 3:1, that would almost mean the series a done.

Embiid will only become more healthy and dangerous the longer this series goes. Boston would be smart to finish it fast.

Not gonna say it's all a fluke but what just a bad night for him I guess. Now that they are in their turf I think this means it might favor them once again. The thing with less-Embiid is that Harden and Maxey got the ball all day and they're trying to find some shots as well as Harris. Do you think they're better without him?

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[Yaunfitda]

I believe that Joel Embiid deserved the aware, but there is no question that the media is manipulative in how they choose season award winners, and that especially applies to the MVP.  Derrick Rose, the year he won as the youngest MVP ever, didn't deserve it, Lebron did..but he won I think the two before, or at least 1 within the previous 2 seasons and they wanted to change things up.  So he deserved it, but there's absolutely manipulation out there.

Definitely. And those who talk on television might have some impact on why it turned out this way. Most of them, voted for Embiid, lifting his stats up, and bringing up everything about him that makes him valuable. IMO, that's already manipulation as they can change the hearts of those who will vote.
Anyway, that's over, Jokic is young, he will break more records someday.

For sure Joel is very disappointed with his performance and going back to their homecourt, the MVP cheers might do good for him and we could see him putting great numbers for a MVP. Otherwise, if they lost, it's going to be a big let down to their fans.

So we will see, another great game 2 is between the Lakers and Warriors, they can't simply allow the Lakers and Davis to have that kind of games.

Yeah, and take note, Jayson Tatum scored 7 points only in 19 minutes, he was not needed in the 4th quarter although I think he is ready to come back.
It's mostly Malcolm Brogdon who did the heavy damage 6/10 at distance shot which made the big difference.
76ers fans might not be happy with what Embiid showed today, they must be thinking they are way better when he was not available having a close fight in game 1 and better, winning it using fast-paced type of plays. In game 3, Embiid should prove why he is the MVP.

Tatum is in foul trouble early, and the good thing is that Brogdon step up and so Jayson was not really needed in this game. And that is the depth of the Celtics though, there are games that someone will be the go to guy have a good game and contribute big.

So it's the Sixth man of the year, who dominated this game against the MVP. Nevertheless, we should be looking for Embiid to proved himself as the MVP for this year. Might be better to beat on props (points+rebounds) with him in the next game, in my opinion.

[yazher]

Boston slapped up the Sixers with Embiid back. It looked to me like Embiid ran out of gas after the first half. He was taking some plays off and I think it cost his team. I’m not saying the Sixers are better without Embiid, but they’re definitely better than having an injured slow Embiid out there and I think that showed tonight.

I'm more concerned for James Harden because he seems not very effective on this one which led to their loss. As expected for the Boston Celtics, they were able to pinpoint their lack of defense in the first game and fix that right way which is really amazing cause they win the game easily and they also make give Harden one if his worst performance in the playoff games. These games are crucial and every time they play on the court they gave it all they can because they cannot afford to lose one more time and chase the 76ers.

[Yamifoud]

Boston slapped up the Sixers with Embiid back. It looked to me like Embiid ran out of gas after the first half. He was taking some plays off and I think it cost his team. I’m not saying the Sixers are better without Embiid, but they’re definitely better than having an injured slow Embiid out there and I think that showed tonight.

I'm more concerned for James Harden because he seems not very effective on this one which led to their loss. As expected for the Boston Celtics, they were able to pinpoint their lack of defense in the first game and fix that right way which is really amazing cause they win the game easily and they also make give Harden one if his worst performance in the playoff games. These games are crucial and every time they play on the court they gave it all they can because they cannot afford to lose one more time and chase the 76ers.

The series is all about a game of adjustments, like what Boston did. They were able to identify their mistakes in game 1 and made the right adjustments in game 2. The same is expected for the 76ers. They will also make adjustments in game 3.

James Harden is an MVP-caliber player, so I don't think he will struggle throughout the entire series.

[LogitechMouse]

Boston slapped up the Sixers with Embiid back. It looked to me like Embiid ran out of gas after the first half. He was taking some plays off and I think it cost his team. I’m not saying the Sixers are better without Embiid, but they’re definitely better than having an injured slow Embiid out there and I think that showed tonight.

I'm more concerned for James Harden because he seems not very effective on this one which led to their loss. As expected for the Boston Celtics, they were able to pinpoint their lack of defense in the first game and fix that right way which is really amazing cause they win the game easily and they also make give Harden one if his worst performance in the playoff games. These games are crucial and every time they play on the court they gave it all they can because they cannot afford to lose one more time and chase the 76ers.

Well, I guess most of us expected that the Celtics will take 2, but what I didn't expect is how the Celtics won. I expect that this will be a close one knowing that Embiid is back, and with Harden's Game 1 performance, he will continue it in Game 2, but it wasn't the case at all.

After scoring 45 points, the Celtics adjusted on how they must defend Harden, and that's the reason why he is very awful on that game scoring only 12 points, and had -21 on the plus-minus rating. We know that the Celtics are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and there's not that much changes on their roster. What we don't know is that they are also a good three point shooting as well, and they displayed it here on this game as they shot 20 threes in 51 attempts compare to just 6 of 30 for the Sixers.

Also the 3rd quarter surge of the Celtics made consecutive three point shots is the reason why the lead ballooned coming into the 4th quarter, and from that they didn't look back. I guess there's nothing wrong with Harden on this one, but it's the adjustment of the Celtics' defense against him that causes him to have this poor performance, and so is Embiid.

[Hypnosis00]

Also the 3rd quarter surge of the Celtics made consecutive three point shots is the reason why the lead ballooned coming into the 4th quarter, and from that they didn't look back. I guess there's nothing wrong with Harden on this one, but it's the adjustment of the Celtics' defense against him that causes him to have this poor performance, and so is Embiid.

They focused on demolishing Harden as he was the reason for the game 1 upset against the home team. In game 2, they made sure that Harden would be cold so he would not have the confidence to continue shooting the ball. His performance was very poor, but that will change in game 3.

In game 3, the 76ers will be back on their home court, and the best way to impress the fans is to win the first game. So, I'll probably still ride with the 76ers in game 3, and I like that they remain the underdog.

In game 3, the 76ers are only +1.5, which is nice.

[blockman]

Everyone just saw the expectation that we've set for ourselves. Both teams are good just as expected and this is where one of them is going to end.
Well, here goes the 4-3 predictions that I'm seeing on them and we'll know it soon. But we're sure that GSW won't just let this end favoring the Lakers.
And within the next few minutes, we'll see if Celtics will take their first win or if Philly is going to take their 2nd win.

With what happened in Game 1, I think the Warriors need to win Game 2 and at least one game in Games 3 and 4. The Lakers are hyped now, and people are thinking that they will win the series and possibly end the defending champion with a 4-0 or 4-1 record. However, this is just Game 1, and anything can happen, just like what happened in the Celtics vs 76ers Game 2, where the Celtics bounced back strong and dominated the 76ers.

There could be some of those that they'll win for sure. But they'll come back stronger and that's gonna be a thing for them.
As for the Celtics, there's a huge disparity and gap with their lead against Philly, congrats to them.

[Reid]

First game after winning the MVP and his team suffered a blowout loss. What a nice way to comeback hehe. It may have been a poor call on the coach to let him play even though he's not 100% fit and they were already one game ahead. What makes the loss even worse is that Tatum didn't even play that well with only 7 points inside 19 minutes.

I was expecting restricted minutes from him, but he played 27 minutes and did not go in the 4th quarter due to the huge lead created by the Boston Celtics. If not, then he might be playing at 32-36 minutes which I don't think is a wise idea after the 76ers won game 1 without him.
The good thing is, he is now warmed up for the 2nd round, maybe in Game 3 we will see a different Joel Embiid especially playing at their home with the crowd on their side. That should boost their confidence up and they could put the series in 3 wins against 1 thanks to the heroic performance of Harden in the first game at TD Garden.

[Velvet78]

Miami have been quite surprising compared to my expectation from them. Butler is making a huge contribution to his team though. I still can't forget about that superb performance by 56 points. He has been the most important player of his team in the playoffs and it looks like Miami have a potential to eliminate Knicks as well. But this might not be that easy of course.

Knicks have already made the series tied at 1-1. However the next two games are going to be played in Miami's court. This can be a significant advantage for them if they play decently. However Butler has an ankle injury now so hopefully he can recover quickly. In his absence I don't believe they can still do very good.

[xSkylarx]

Everyone just saw the expectation that we've set for ourselves. Both teams are good just as expected and this is where one of them is going to end.
Well, here goes the 4-3 predictions that I'm seeing on them and we'll know it soon. But we're sure that GSW won't just let this end favoring the Lakers.
And within the next few minutes, we'll see if Celtics will take their first win or if Philly is going to take their 2nd win.

With what happened in Game 1, I think the Warriors need to win Game 2 and at least one game in Games 3 and 4. The Lakers are hyped now, and people are thinking that they will win the series and possibly end the defending champion with a 4-0 or 4-1 record. However, this is just Game 1, and anything can happen, just like what happened in the Celtics vs 76ers Game 2, where the Celtics bounced back strong and dominated the 76ers.

There could be some of those that they'll win for sure. But they'll come back stronger and that's gonna be a thing for them.
As for the Celtics, there's a huge disparity and gap with their lead against Philly, congrats to them.

They always come back stronger just see the 4th quarter that the run is very huge which means they are capable of coming back they just caught off short that time. I am not really a fan of GS as I am always a fan of LBJ but when it comes to games between GSW I always got nervous as no matter the gap of points if the last quarter they can make runs that they can get into OT or even win the game. My gut for tomorrow's game is that GSW will win that is why I still haven't bet for tomorrow lol

[Russlenat]

In game 3, the 76ers are only +1.5, which is nice.

To be honest, I like the spread too. After the dominant performance of the Celtics in game 2, they are only a slight favorite. I think there might be something wrong with that spread, and it's likely possible that this is just another trap because most bettors will ride the hype of the Celtics since the spread is very winnable.

[casperBGD]

In game 3, the 76ers are only +1.5, which is nice.

To be honest, I like the spread too.

basically, Celtics needed that win, so it does not surprise that the difference was that large
but, next match will be different, 76ers have their break, and now they will try to secure some home wins, not sure they will succeed dough

Lakers and Warriors is really interesting duel, two teams that have waited for play-off to show what they are capable for, and winner could have some chance to reach Finals after all, exciting to follow this one

[carlisle1]

In game 3, the 76ers are only +1.5, which is nice.

To be honest, I like the spread too. After the dominant performance of the Celtics in game 2, they are only a slight favorite. I think there might be something wrong with that spread, and it's likely possible that this is just another trap because most bettors will ride the hype of the Celtics since the spread is very winnable.

Something that will bring the inner side of the gambler here I see your point as most of the time that trap really catches the attention
of the bettors, thinking that the spread is close and with the past performances it can easily be covered.

But in reality, the spread is something that leads them losing their picks, more on how you will re-assess and evaluate how will you pick the team, especially if both are unpredictable, squad who can win the game against one another.

+1.5 for Philly after that bad performance in game 2 seems decent if both Embiid and Harden will show up and give everything to try winning the game.

[dwyane36]

76ers fans might not be happy with what Embiid showed today, they must be thinking they are way better when he was not available having a close fight in game 1 and better, winning it using fast-paced type of plays. In game 3, Embiid should prove why he is the MVP.
 

Embiid probably hasn't fully recovered from his injury, and I think his knee pain was one of the reasons why he didn't perform as MVP in Game 2. By the way, even if Embiid hadn't played, the 76ers probably still would have lost to the Celtics since Harden also had a poor performance in that game. In any case, the next game will be at the 76ers home arena, and it seems to me that they can take advantage of that.

[OgNasty]

In game 3, the 76ers are only +1.5, which is nice.

To be honest, I like the spread too.

basically, Celtics needed that win, so it does not surprise that the difference was that large
but, next match will be different, 76ers have their break, and now they will try to secure some home wins, not sure they will succeed dough

Lakers and Warriors is really interesting duel, two teams that have waited for play-off to show what they are capable for, and winner could have some chance to reach Finals after all, exciting to follow this one

I agree that the winner of this series likely reaches the Finals.  The Suns look bad and the Nuggets I'm not sure have the experience yet, but they're also capable of reaching the Finals.  I think everything rests on Anthony Davis' shoulders.  If he can stay healthy and continue dominating, he's going to be a problem for the Warriors.  The next round would be a little more of a challenge for him, but I think LeBron will be able to get him by Jokic or Ayton.  I think we're likely to see the Warriors and Celtics, but only because I'm not confident that AD will be able to stay healthy and keep playing big minutes in the Warriors series.

[freedomgo]

Everyone just saw the expectation that we've set for ourselves. Both teams are good just as expected and this is where one of them is going to end.
Well, here goes the 4-3 predictions that I'm seeing on them and we'll know it soon. But we're sure that GSW won't just let this end favoring the Lakers.
And within the next few minutes, we'll see if Celtics will take their first win or if Philly is going to take their 2nd win.

With what happened in Game 1, I think the Warriors need to win Game 2 and at least one game in Games 3 and 4. The Lakers are hyped now, and people are thinking that they will win the series and possibly end the defending champion with a 4-0 or 4-1 record. However, this is just Game 1, and anything can happen, just like what happened in the Celtics vs 76ers Game 2, where the Celtics bounced back strong and dominated the 76ers.

It's understandable because the Lakers and the Warriors have their own huge fan bases, so, whoever wins a game will literally make the team hype as they have their own supporters who will lift their names every win. But thinking about the Lakers to sweep the Warriors or at least 4-1 record? I mean, that is indeed possible but knowing how resistant the Warriors are, they will surely fight for every game even if it will come into Game 7. Saying a 4-1 record in favor of the Lakers is like underestimating the Warriors.

[fuguebtc]

76ers fans might not be happy with what Embiid showed today, they must be thinking they are way better when he was not available having a close fight in game 1 and better, winning it using fast-paced type of plays. In game 3, Embiid should prove why he is the MVP.

Embiid probably hasn't fully recovered from his injury, and I think his knee pain was one of the reasons why he didn't perform as MVP in Game 2. By the way, even if Embiid hadn't played, the 76ers probably still would have lost to the Celtics since Harden also had a poor performance in that game. In any case, the next game will be at the 76ers home arena, and it seems to me that they can take advantage of that.

The 76ers were not able to perform well in this match. Embiid was not able to perform well. And of course, that's because he is not 100% right now. I mean he is fit to play.  But he is certainly not going to be able to carry the whole team when he is not 100% fit.

I don't know if they will be able to take advantage of home conditions while they cannot play well as a team. They will have to perform well and all the players in the team will have to contribute.

[Vaculin]

76ers fans might not be happy with what Embiid showed today, they must be thinking they are way better when he was not available having a close fight in game 1 and better, winning it using fast-paced type of plays. In game 3, Embiid should prove why he is the MVP.

Embiid probably hasn't fully recovered from his injury, and I think his knee pain was one of the reasons why he didn't perform as MVP in Game 2. By the way, even if Embiid hadn't played, the 76ers probably still would have lost to the Celtics since Harden also had a poor performance in that game. In any case, the next game will be at the 76ers home arena, and it seems to me that they can take advantage of that.

The 76ers were not able to perform well in this match. Embiid was not able to perform well. And of course, that's because he is not 100% right now. I mean he is fit to play.  But he is certainly not going to be able to carry the whole team when he is not 100% fit.

I don't know if they will be able to take advantage of home conditions while they cannot play well as a team. They will have to perform well and all the players in the team will have to contribute.

I understand your concerns mate but their 3rd game is going to happen 2 days from now because the Celtics will have to travel first towards the Philly's homecourt and then do some practice before the official game will commence, so maybe by that time, Joel Embiid is already good to go and ready to play on his maximum capacity.

But the whole Sixers squad shouldn't be complacent of the fact that Joel might be back 100% on that day because the Celtics are still hard to contain and every player available that belongs to the Sixers will have to step up their game because James Harden is not that reliable enough to be a scoring machine and help Embiid doing the chores.

[Japinat]

Boston slapped up the Sixers with Embiid back. It looked to me like Embiid ran out of gas after the first half. He was taking some plays off and I think it cost his team. I’m not saying the Sixers are better without Embiid, but they’re definitely better than having an injured slow Embiid out there and I think that showed tonight.

I figured that out as well, the Celtics were always in a safe spot where they won't let the Sixers score get near to them and always got a 10 point advantage until the end of the first half. If the 76ers didn't haste to get back Embiid on the floor, maybe the outcome is different, different in-terms of the score or maybe at least they gave a good fight and not seeing the Celtics defeating them big time.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

76ers fans might not be happy with what Embiid showed today, they must be thinking they are way better when he was not available having a close fight in game 1 and better, winning it using fast-paced type of plays. In game 3, Embiid should prove why he is the MVP.
 

Embiid probably hasn't fully recovered from his injury, and I think his knee pain was one of the reasons why he didn't perform as MVP in Game 2. By the way, even if Embiid hadn't played, the 76ers probably still would have lost to the Celtics since Harden also had a poor performance in that game. In any case, the next game will be at the 76ers home arena, and it seems to me that they can take advantage of that.

Then he shouldn't be playing at game 2 if he still has some pain in his knee otherwise it will be dangerous for him if he aggravate it. So I doubt that it's bothering him, it's that Joel and Harden had a bad game against the Boston and we should give credit to the Celtics for making the adjustment in game 2. And with that, the series shifts to 76ers home court, now we will see how the team are going to play and respond to the big lost they suffer in game 2. And we should be expecting Joel to put a great performance to prove why he is the MVP as you have said. And the good thing is that they are the underdog ML and as someone has said +1.5 handicap.