What Bklyn is doing now, Lakers & Warriors will be doing as well
They’re W12 & 1 GB - it figured to happen - their new coach is making the right moves as is ours - Phila right there as usual
meanwhile for the 1st time in years the west is down - A 4 Way Tie, w/Lakers 4 GB - Klay 54 last night - Donovan Mitchell 71 for Cavs??
no Booker for Phx, no Curry, Wiggins or Jonathan K for GSW - no AD for LA, now George Paul & Zion W out again as well - Kawhi, in & out of the lineup intermittently, Jae Crowder sitting out altogether this year etc
we simply gotta have these road games - it’s good, teams breathing down our necks makes us play harder -
like tonite in OKC - yes there’ll be a twister in Tornado Alley alright - green in color - let’s go Celts
No AD, yes LeBron, Lakers W4 - the guy is a horse
& Scottie Pippen Jr -
yow - 1st I’ve seen his name in the lineup - KMart Jr is w/Rockets -
LeBron’s son will be in the league - mayb he’ll be in the building when dad catches Kareem - could be this season - the record will remain gold & purple, Kareem has to like that🏀
Lakiz’ll be a force in games AD plays
but mayb he’s not the crucial player for them to win I’d thought - not w/the GOTA in the house (& Westbrook off bench)
Let’s Go Celts - No More Mail Ins Please - 92 points middle 2 qtrs last week at OKC????
At the midway point it’s setting up the same as last year
usual suspects will light up once key people return - last year many teams did that 2nd half of season
still think MN will win when KAT returns, that’s too good of a lineup not to
hindsight is 20/20 but 20/20 in foresight too - after all they’re both 20-20, & like last year, Suns & GSW will wail when Booker & Curry return -
Klay sat out last night & it showed - he’s like AD, Zion, Kawhi, Jimmy Butler, Bradley Beal, Ja Morant, others - basically p/t, & awesome when well enough to play
however, Orlando is very good - see them going big 2nd half - can’t forget how they looked not once but twice in Boston recently - GSW saw that last night
same NO - we see them Wed, hopefully w/Zion & Ingram still outta the lineup - they’re a Much-different team when both are on the court, however, that’s a rarity
Keith Jarrett did an amazing album (CD), “Inside Out” 2005 or so - that’s us - Jays/Jayl is an inside out tandem like few others
the rest of the guys are playing great as well - less of course whatever that was in OKC last week
it a long season, teams have to reset on the fly, traveling can become uncertain going thru different time zones etc, you’re still bushed from the previous game….
& part of what comes out of that process (apparently) are these dishonest efforts (aka mail ins) - there’ve been others in the league this season -
When you give up 150 points to a lower-tier team missing its only proven scorer (S.G. Alexander), including 92 in the 2nd & 3rd quarters - You Are Not Playing To Win That Game - again I have empathy/don’t walk in their shoes
imo the mail ins result from too many games, But There’s Still No Excuse For Them - paying customers are getting shortchanged
but it’s back on track, & Thurs at Barclays in Brklyn is all anyone is thinking about now -
the typical Effort w/no one sitting out b/c it’s the second half of a back to back, is what we need to see - it’s the top 2 teams, we gotta leave it all out there - unfortunately Durant is out
:green: wattateam
hindsight is 20/20 but 20/20 in foresight too - after all they’re both 20-20, & like last year, Suns & GSW will wail when Booker & Curry return -
:green: wattateam
Phx is literally missing its entire lineup - no team in the league/pro sports is more dinged up/has more injuries - Paul, Booker, Ayton, their 4-5 other key players - not playing tonite vs Warriors - GSW still 20-20, Phx 20-21
NO tmrw nite - I could mayb see resting people to make sure everyone has full stoke for Brklyn - Not Giving Up The Game, Resting People
the injury bug can hit anytime - we’ve been lucky, that’s why we got Lucky Leprechaun🏀
unsure what MJ was doing on His 38th birthday - but LeBron is GOTA in my book - peers half his age don’t have half the skill & will he has - few ever have - stays fit, plays hungry….
Not sure what a gota is, but I think you're trying to say Lebron is better than Michael Jordan was.
The answer is nope. MJ scored 40+ 3 times in his final season with the Wizards, back when you could still play defense. This season, everyone is scoring 40 points. And the Lakers are terrible.
Lebron is great, but I can think of about 5 or 6 players I'd take over Lebron if I wanted to win.
LeBron, just chump change, 5th or 6th among the greats - couldn’t so much as hold a candle to Jordan….
could name off what James has done in his career that no one else has, won’t -
last I checked he’s closing in on career scoring leader - irrelevant to you, it’s considered a great accomplishment to others
🚽 🚽
No offense b - just haven’t heard it expressed b4 that it’s a hands-down no-brainer Jordan over LeBron as gota
nor that it wouldna made any difference to armchair football fans if Det was still alive & in a one & done, or eliminated✌️
Joe Ingles
Imo he’ll prove to be a big asset for Bucks
with a backup backcourt tandem of Wesley Frazier & George Hill, both 36, Bucks Have Depth & Experience
oh also the notion that 9 out of 10 Aerosmith fans would say Jimmy Crespo & Rick Dufay had such key roles in Aerosmith that in importance, they’re basically all but considered charter members along w/the other five
LeBron, just chump change, 5th or 6th among the greats - couldn’t so much as hold a candle to Jordan….
could name off what James has done in his career that no one else has, won’t -
last I checked he’s closing in on career scoring leader - irrelevant to you, it’s considered a great accomplishment to others
No offense b - just haven’t heard it expressed b4 that it’s a hands-down no-brainer Jordan over LeBron as gota
What is a "gota"?
Scoring champ is impressive, but it's a longevity record. Karl Malone isn't better than Michael Jordan. But especially in today's NBA where you can't play defense, scoring is less impressive than it was n 1996. Everyone is putting up 40 points now.
Jordan is #5 all-time scorer in 15 seasons, two of which were on bad knees on a bad Washington team. LeBron is going to break the record only because he's been playing 20 seasons since he was 18 years old. Glad he stayed healthy, but it doesn't prove anything.
I'd take Kareem over Lebron any day. I'd take Bill Russell over LeBron.
Lebron couldn't win a championship, so he had hitched his wagon to a guy who already won a championship. And then he lost to the team the other guy beat 5 years earlier. Lebron is an amazing player, but he's not the greatest if you want to win.
🤙🎸am surprised bro - greatest of them ALL! (should have a capital a) - but yeah, good criterion as far as the player who gives his team the best chance to win - 6 1st, tho I’m biased🏀6
Magic is right there for me - the 7th game of the 1980 finals when he replaced an injured Kareem at C as a rookie PG & no one thought LA had a prayer - he was special, would have to have him in my backcourt in a must win situation
LeBron is killin it - a near triple-double machine at 38 - true, LA isn’t winning now but still think they’ll heat up -
he may not be making the other players around him better at the moment, but when you’re carrying the team on your shoulders……
but for sure, James, MJ, Oscar - Russell, Wilt, Kareem - boiled down to topic, 6, MJ & MJ helped their teams to all those titles & top this category imho
Luka Doncic is the 2nd coming of the Big O - amazing player but Mavs don’t win-steady - that was Oscar’s career w/Royals too until he got to Milwaukee 💣🏀
just hafta mention Patrice Bergeron & Alex Ovechkin too - like LeBron, both still at the top of their games - but Wash isn’t winning-steady either - doesn’t mean they won’t tho (I hatem) 🏒
chatterbox - blabbermouth - that’s me (haha) - good wknd🤙
Suns aren’t setting, just slumping, - they’ll be back
nope - Suns are both setting And slumping, not to mention skidding - they’ve been on the road A Lot, but it doesn’t matter where you play when your team is watching in street clothes
now they come home having lost 12 of 14 - if I were a Suns fan I’d be disillusioned - empathetic but disillusioned - (‘first place a year ago to This????’) - last year must seem like A Long time ago alright
gaining control is what we do best - Jays, watta guy - wattateam wearing green🤙🏀
48 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists
the fact that it was on the second night of a back to back meant nothing to LeBron (yes he said he was tired after the game)
this is a factor that strengthens claims of those who see him as the unequalled player he is, in any era
just an unequivocally-dedicated athlete who plays harder, & wants to win more, than anyone else - while this may not prove anything to some, it proves Everything to a good many others
-
how can it be anything else (for gotA, or goat)
a tie between Russ&Wilt for big men
same James & the MJs at g/f
no mention of Kareem or Oscar????
To The Contrary - no hoop fan can say “Cousy/Russell” w/out saying in the same sentence “Kareem & Oscar” in the tandem category - Mil fans do as do some still around who saw them play -
for duration greatness & winning, Stockton/Malone top this category imo
but that was then>now it’s the second half & watta 1st half of season
@stephen: Chris Paul needs to retire this off-season and Suns need to either draft a point guard or trade for one. It was open knowledge in the playoffs last year that teams were targeting Chris Paul on defense because at 38 years old he just cannot stay with the younger guys anymore. Don't quite know what Suns upper management is thinking here. It may be that he shows flashes of his younger self on offense and puts fans in the seats. Of course, they need a healthy Devon Booker as well.
We'll find out what the Warriors are made of later this week with a tough back to back, @ Boston on Thursday then @ Cleveland on Friday. Warriors still have not proven they can do it on the road, worst road record in the NBA. I am sending you BAD KARMA for Thursday night, Stephen!!!
🤙We’ll be ready for ya bro - w/soylent-green hoops, haha - good that it’ll be the full complement of players for both teams - Warriyz will repeat pattern of 2021-22 reg season - All Roads Go Thru SF
had forgotten about that film, it was in the TV listings
👌Hear ya on Phx - what I don’t get about Suns mgmnt is the Jae Crowder situation - sitting out a year at his age….he’s not injured - how can he be under contract in this situation….he’s a real good player
RIP Chris Ford - he & Tiny Archibald were as simpatico as it gets in the backcourt, a huge part of our dominant 1980-82 teams where Chris ended a solid career - coached Celts for 5 years, elsewhere as well
“tie between Russ&Wilt for big men”
yes but the old guard does move on & both those two late greats would readily say how impressed they are - And More - by Giannis A., Joel Embiid & Nikola Jokic -
imo today’s greats belong in same sentence w/yesterday’s great standard bearers, Russell Chamberlain & Jabbar
Bob Pettit
100% belongs in same sentence - 11 year career, 11 time all star - 6-9 C, a career double double of 26.4 ppg & 16.2 rpg - absolutely a beast & if there isn’t one, there should be a statue of this overlooked great in St.L - Bob just turned 90 last month
just as there should be of George Mikan in MN -
GSW fans cite Nate the Great, Nate Thurmond, another top C w/career #s of 15.0 ppg, 15.0 rpg
so a good-many names in this category, not just Russell-Wilt - which remains to this day the rivalry that tops them all - offensive machine vs defensive stalwart
@stephen: Wishing you the absolute WORST of Karma this evening!!
-Your Buddy, Rob
It’s too late bro, from high above courtside Fordie is pulling the strings on court & bench, & this one’s as good as done😵💫🏀🤪hoops
@stephen: GREAT ballgame..........CONGRATS! And RIP Chris Ford. I saw him live w/ Bird & McHale vs. Lakers in L.A. circa '82 or '83.
My assessment of tonight: Celtics shooting was SO piss poor for most of the game that Warriors should have won this one by 10 points or more. But we could not match your inside game and got beat up inside a bit. Horford made some TREMENDOUS blocks! For the same reason, Warriors relied WAY too much on the 3 pointer in this game. Kevin Looney is a very good player but unfortunately he's not a serious scoring threat inside. We need one. When we had Andrew Bogut some years back he made a big difference in that regard.
Thx Rob, yeah man a Great ballgame - obvious to anyone why it was these two teams in the finals last year & likely will be again this year -
yeah Jayl & Derrick W were a combined 1-14 at one point but we finally - after a few more hiccups - got it together in OT -
beating the champs when not at our best is mondo - we weren’t that b/c of your D - our two teams make for entertaining top-level hoops alright
Klay, Poole $ Curry each had 22 points end of 3, a bad sign for the rest of the league - hear ya about Bogut then & lack of a big man now - still envision a finals rematch🏀
One night after making a very strong showing in Boston only to lose in O.T., The Warriors went to Cleveland and served notice that they are going to be a force to be contended with once again this year by beating the Cavs 120-114. Let me remind you that Cleveland entered this game 28-18 and only two games behind Milwaukee in the Central Division. Donovan Mitchell didn't play you say? Look who Steve Kerr sat for this game: Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins. And that's exactly why I think this game was a HUGE, HUGE statement by the Warriors: They are deep once again and they have a bunch of second tier guys who can flat out PLAY. Kerr may be the smartest Coach in the league; he knows they are going to need these non-starters if they are going to repeat so he gave them playing time while of course resting his starters in a back-to-back. Jordan Poole had 33 points, Ty Jerome had 22, Anthony Lamb and Donte Divincenzo were huge contributors. Kevin Looney had 17 rebounds. Jerome and Lamb are both two way players (NBA and CBA) but I assume they will both be getting NBA contracts soon as they have more than proven their mettle. LOOK OUT NBA.
No Nikola J vs Giannis & Mil last night, & it showed
The Denver C will however be on the floor Sat vs Embiid & Phila - treats for impartial fans
brooke Lopez & Joe Ingles last night - also Middleton played, for how long, who knows - but those two give Bucks exc depth - mayb it was only 5 points each but they were out there the whole time, D’d up & got the ball to Giannis (also Jrue H)
Bucks have depth - they figure to go deep in playoffs too
great W last night for Warriors Rob - no, beginning in March or so, sometime after the AS break anyway - they’ll go - they’re old hands at this, look at last year
blabbing but from the top it’s NYK - then Sat nite - ya Lakiz’ll have their tandem, LeB & AD
as long as we can hang on top of the heap until fully regrouped - C’s fans just gotta look at it like it’ll be a helluva game no matter who is on the floor, just like it always is w/LA
“personal reasons” - stinks seeing players sitting out for personal reasons - they’re getting more & more frequent - I do not walk in their shoes
It’s NYK 1st - we have depth too, hopefully we’re about to see it
it a long season, teams have to reset on the fly, traveling can become uncertain going thru different time zones etc, you’re still bushed from the previous game….I understand
However, when you give up 150 points to a lower-tier team missing its only proven scorer (S.G. Alexander), including 92 in the 2nd & 3rd quarters - You Are Not Playing To Win That Game -
imo the mail ins result from too many games, But There’s Still No Excuse For Them - paying customers are getting shortchanged
you just gotta leave it that it is what it is - LAC wrote off their game last nite resting Kawhi & Paul -
LAL likewise mailing it in tonite holding out LeB & AD - James does need the rest, he’s been doing everything - he’s concluding one of his most prolific months ever - the outpouring of accolades when he sets the record will be deserved
yes I know - they play a zillion games & get burnt out (it used to be called going thru the motions) - but still….
*This REALLY flies in the face of what sports fans expect
*mental-health breaks are just as necessary as the injuries, apparently -
I’ll admit it - I’d need mental help too - if I was an LAL fan after the refs missed that pretty obvious foul on LeBron end of regulation -
GSW & Phila are healthy & going - Phx players starting to return, still no Booker or Payne -
Devin is a great player but injury prone - no KD has stung Nets - so many players are p/t
get back soon Marcus - only our full roster will do - green
It’s the knee injury for which there’s no known cure
as Bulls fans are only left to wonder
they recall the end of 2021 - da Bulls were near top of the league & Lonzo Ball was the driver at PG, playing the best ball of his career
then the knee injury Jan 2022 - seemed like nothing at first they thought - was only going to be for a week or two
but he hasn’t returned since
talk about the definition of “the height of frustration” for an athlete & fan base
read somewhere, they recently found ‘debris’ on a nerve
point is, in oblique, I mean a bleak year in Chitown (RIP Golden Jet) - da Bulls are at least hanging in there -
but unable to recover the level of the first half of 2021-22, when Lonzo exited - they play LaMelo & Char tonite
of course one player isn’t the be all end all for a team - but Bulls fans recall how he & they played - a flash in the pan it wasn’t
So the Nets finally get their sh1t together by midseason, make it into 4th place in a crowded conference, and...Kyrie wants a trade.
Who would want to play with this guy? What owner would want to pay him? What coach would want him in their locker room?
Reading Steph’a injury report makes me wonder if the guile, I mean guy’ll ever play again (checked the spellings)
“partial tears in left knee
of superior tibiofibular ligaments & interosseous membranes”
that’s on team page, which needless to say says he’s out
The espn preview of tonight’s game tho says he’s day to day - w-t-f??
same thing w/us - Marcus (knee) is out, likely thru AS break
both guards equally important to their squads
have never heard of any of those terms/words/medical maladies before - mayb it’s the same knee ailment that’s sidelined Lonzo B for over a year now
hopefully LeBron is w/in an easy 10-15 points of the record Thurs - he’ll need 20 or so tmrw to make it a cinch
the more greats in the house the better
& they’ll all be looking up to LeBron
we’re in nowhere land lately - the Phx game was troubling - we have bad games unexpectedly
…tonite for instance - lowly Det - 1st of 2 w/them b4 the break - should be a W right?
no -
defensively we’ve been a sieve - let’s go Celts
So the Nets finally get their sh1t together by midseason, make it into 4th place in a crowded conference, and...Kyrie wants a trade.
Who would want to play with this guy? What owner would want to pay him? What coach would want him in their locker room?
The Mavs take Kyrie in out of the cold. Maybe Cuban thinks he can help him, but I mostly feel bad for Luka. Not the kind of help that will get the Mavs over the hump.
Good for the Nets not letting him waste anymore of their time. KD might be better off without his superteammates.
Celtics fans recall the big excitement going into 2017-18 w/Kyrie & Gordon Hayward
followed by immediate deflation from Gordon’s grotesque ankle injury literally 5 min into the season opener
now that excitement is in Dallas once Luka returns - Kyrie won’t hurt Mavs - he might just morph into what Russell Westbrook is to LA - former superstars coming off the bench
wattabout his replacement tho, Cam Thomas - 40+ points again -
but not enough - Devin Booker returns, 35 points 15 reb for Deandre Ayton & yep - here come the Suns (9 of 11) -
no timetable on KD’s return - how will he & Thomas mesh - Suns beat Nets by 4 tonite
Nikola jokic had a triple double at halftime tonight against former defensive POY Rudy Gobert & MN - Rudy hasn’t had anywhere near the impact up there I thought he would
lets go Celts
Well, LeBron breaks Kareem's scoring record, and in about 100 fewer games than Kareem tallied. Had Lebron not started at 18, I think we'd all be more impressed (not college shaming, just the fact that Lebron got a 4-year head start).
I think it's more impressive that LeBron is averaging close to 30ppg at his age (even though we are in an age where 7 players averaging 30+ ppg).
So jolly for him, but LeBron will never score more than Wilt.
How can Phx lose another game now that they’re healthy AND W/KD
it’ll be Suns big 3, vs Mavs big 2 when they meet - w/4 1st-round picks Suns got the better of the deal imo - it could become a goldmine if Bklyn slumps -
Kevin, 34, is injured frequently (is currently), but he & Booker give Phx crazy depth w/Chris Paul & D. Ayton -
Luka/Kyrie Mavs begin w/wknd back to back in Sac
but envision both teams, Phx Dallas, having hot stretch runs
our reserves beat Phila last night - when our roster is intact & locked in defensively, that’s when we’re tops :green:
Again a decent win today while not at our best (Jays & Derrick White a combined 11-36) -
first to 40 wins - when RWIII plays, good things happen, namely, Defense - the upcoming AS break will be welcome
you wouldn’t know it by his appearance but that was an eye opening elbow to the face that floored Jayl - he’ll be back after the break, same Marcus, & not a minute too soon
muscala is a good acquisition - but would still like to see Mfiondu Kabengele get those minutes instead, he’s put in the work
feel the same way about Sandro Mamukelashvili, Bucks now have JaeC ahead of him & he stays on the pine - wattabout Hawks PF Onyeka Okongwu - or da Bulls’ Ayodo Sumnu - lotta cool names this year
with rosters intact, Celts-Bucks likely to be back in conf finals - while on long names they merely have Thanasis & Giannis Antetokounmpo
the upcoming AS break will be welcome
with rosters intact, Celts-Bucks likely to be back in conf finals -
am all the more convinced of this after last night - no starters but we battled like hell & gave them a tough OT game -
they might get us this year - if Crowder regains his old form they could then start Sandro - he could be their Semi Olejeye type of player while Crowder & Lopez keyed reserve unit - Wesley Matthews is playing younger than his 36 years
what happened to Semi, he was great for us -
nope, LA did not clear .500 like I thought they would & is struggling -
it’s not hypocritical for a Celtics fan to say get back soon LeBron - he is to Lakiz what Curry is to GSW - if they don’t play, their teams usually don’t win
let’s go Celts
